Pakistan News

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday hinted at conducting the trial of former prime minister Imran Khan in a contempt case at Adiala Jail, where he is incarcerated, citing a report submitted by the interior ministry. The development follows Imran’s hearings in the Toshakhana, cipher, and Al-Qadir Trust cases already being conducted at jail premises due to security concerns. The ECP had initiated contempt proceedings against the PTI chief, former party leader Asad Umar and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry last year for allegedly using “ intemperate ” language against the chief election commissioner and the electoral watchdog. However, instead of appearing before the ECP, the three had challenged the ECP notices and contempt proceedings in various high courts on the grounds that Section 10 of the Elections Act 2017, which is the statutory provision regarding the commission’s power to punish for contempt, was against the Constitution. The PTI leaders had al...

A group of academics on Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the government’s campaign to “en masse deport Afghans” and seeking orders to restrain law enforcement agencies from implementing the decision. The plea, filed by six faculty members of the Lahore University of Management Sciences under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, has been fixed for hearing on Dec 1. Article 184 (3) empowers the Supreme Court to hear cases from individuals who believe their fundamental rights have been violated and the issue is of public importance or take suo motu action (act on its own initiative). In November, the government initiated a nationwide campaign to deport illegal foreign nationals, the majority of whom are Afghans. While the decision had prompted criticism from Afghanistan and several other quarters, the caretakers refused to budge, insisting the move was not aimed at any particular ethnic group. Of the more than four million Afghans living in Pakistan, the g...

The Federal Board of Revenue on Thursday withdrew its orders to freeze the Pakistan International Airlines’ bank accounts but at the same time clarified that these directives did not bar it from pursuing recovery proceedings. The national carrier has been lately embroiled in a financial crisis. On Wednesday, the FBR had frozen 28 PIA accounts. Additionally, Pakistan State Oil had threatened to stop the airline’s oil supply if outstanding dues were not settled. These actions came at a time when a team from the European Union’s Avi­ation Safety Agency (EAS­A) was in Pakistan to assess issues related to flight safety. The EASA had barred PIA from operating flights to Europe after a plane crashed in Karachi on May 22, 2020. The restrictions were imposed in light of an explosive claim by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan in parliament that 40 per cent of Pakistani pilots had questionable qualifications. In a notification today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com ,...

On a regular day at the office, sunk into my creaky chair at the Dawn sports desk, I received the most awaited phone call of my life. Coincidentally, this was during Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka, which brought us the record for the highest chase in a cricket World Cup , as Abdullah Shafique had my eyes glued to the television. I wouldn’t say I was expecting it, but I had surely prayed and hoped this day would come. On the other side of the phone was the head of the visa office at the Indian High Commission. Apparently, I had been selected as one of the few journalists from Pakistan who were allowed to apply for a visa to cover the 50-over Cup. In true impostor-syndrome fashion, the first thing I did was confirm if was someone playing a prank on me. Thankfully, it wasn’t. The dream comes to life It has been decade-long dream to cover big sporting events; it’s what drove me to become a sports journalist. Visiting India too had always been on my bucket list, especially due to ...

The NBA released a schedule for 22 regular season games that will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 8 after the In-Season Tournament was narrowed down to eight teams. The 22 teams that have already been eliminated will each play two games after the quarterfinals of the tournament take place on Monday and Tuesday. Once the semifinals are set, the four teams that do not advance will subsequently each have another game added to their schedule to make sure each team reaches 82 on the season. Having concluded their tournament play with a 115-103 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, the Toronto Raptors will host the Miami Heat on Dec. 6 and the Charlotte Hornets on the road on Dec. 8. Both games begin at 7 p.m. ET. The Knicks, Bucks, Pacers, Celtics, Lakers, Suns, Pelicans and Kings have all advanced to the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament. The two teams that compete in the championship, on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas, will end the year with 83 games as the f...

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After wrapping up his trip to the United Arab Emirates, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar will embark on a two-day visit to Kuwait later today. According to Radio Pakistan , the premier will meet Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Jaber Al Sabah and the Kuwait PM Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Sabah. During his visit, Kakar will also sign various memorandums of understanding (MoU) in the fields of manpower, information technology, mineral exploration, food security, energy and defence, the report said. It added that 2023 marked the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Kuwait. PM visits memorial of UAE’s national heroes, Sheikh Zayed mosque Earlier today, PM Kakar visited a landmark in Abu Dhabi which paid tribute to the sacrifices rendered by UAE’s national heroes. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the premier was welcomed by Sheikh Thayeb bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the chairman of the Office of Development and Martyrs F...

Indian rescuers were on the verge on Tuesday of bringing out 41 men trapped in a collapsed road tunnel after laying the final section of pipe in the culmination of a marathon 17-day operation. Ambulances moved towards the mouth of the tunnel entrance, preparing to receive the men who have been trapped since a portion of the under-construction tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand collapsed. “The work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed,” chief minister of Uttarakhand state Pushkar Singh Dhami said, adding they would be brought out of the tunnel “soon”. Rescue teams were seen in photos on social media smiling and flashing victory signs as the drilling ended through the tonnes of earth, concrete and rubble that had been blocking the workers’ escape. Stretchers have been specially fitted with wheels to pull the exhausted men out through 57 metres (187 feet) of steel pipe. “We are thankful to God and the rescuers who worked hard to save ...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday withdrew a fine it imposed on wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan for displaying a Palestinian flag on his bat during a recent domestic T20 match. The imposition of the fine had sparked social media criticism, with the PCB facing particular backlash for what was perceived as an unjust action against the cricketer. Khan — who represented Karachi Whites during the match — was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of committing a level-I offence during his side’s National T20 Cup 2023-24 match against Lahore Blues at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Sunday. Khan adorned his bat with a Palestinian flag during the match, contravening the rules that prohibit the endorsement of any such cause unless approved beforehand. However, the PCB in a statement today said: “Azam Khan’s 50pc fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the PCB.” The cricketer was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the PCB Code...

CALGARY – Two hours notice was all Dan Vladar needed to prepare for what would be his best game as a Calgary Flame. Dusty Nickel was given the exact same time frame to prepare for his NHL dream to come true. As a Flames backup the last three years, Vladar joked, “If you play two years for Darryl (Sutter) you’ve just got to be ready for every single game.” As the owner of a construction company, who hasn’t played a competitive game since 2012, Nickel’s prep involved scarfing down a banana and racing to the Saddledome after a post-nap text informed him he’d be Vladar’s backup. Two radically different paths to a shared spotlight, if only for a night. All of it was made possible by a Jacob Markstrom illness that saw the veteran starter leave the rink after the NHL’s 5 p.m. deadline to summon, say, Dustin Wolf from the minors. Instead, the Flames’ emergency back-up goaltender (EBUG) got the tap. “I thought it was a joke until the national anthem,” laughed Vladar, who h...

Indian military engineers were preparing to dig by hand on Monday to reach 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 16 days — a rescue operation hit by repeated setbacks. Soldiers plan to use a so-called “rat-hole mining” technique, digging by hand to clear the rocks and rubble over the remaining nine metres, with temperatures plummeting in the remote mountain location in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Last week, engineers working to drive a metal pipe horizontally through 57 metres of rock and concrete ran into metal girders and construction vehicles buried in the earth, snapping a giant earth-boring augur machine. “The broken parts of the auger (drilling) machine stuck inside the tunnel have been removed”, senior local civil servant Abhishek Ruhela told AFP on Monday, after a specialised superheated plasma cutter was brought in to clear the metal. “Preparations are being made to start manual drilling work,” he added. “Indian Army engineering battalion personne...