Siasat Wala Blog

KARACHI: A former president of the National Bank and 13 others facing a corruption case of over Rs 21 billion, which is moving in a snail pace , investigation official said in the court here on Monday. Former National Bank of Pakistan president Ali Raza and other officials facing the allegations of graft during 2003 to 2008 at the NBP branch in Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to the investigation officer one year passed to statement recorded by a witness in the case. The counsels of the accused get the date of the next hearing on the proceeding of the case every time, he said. The IO claimed that the accused were also involved in corruption in the bank welfare fund. In September 2017, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested the ex-NBP chief on charges of corruption after the Sindh High Court turned down his bail request. The NAB had filed a reference against the former NBP chief and other officials for allegedly misusing their authority by granting and revising financing f

KARACHI: Under the matriculation board, exams of Grade 9 and 10 has started across Sindh, including Karachi from Monday. In the metropolis today, 3,67,606 students of Science and General Group will take exams in a total of 365 examination centers across the city. In a bid to discourage use of unfair means in the matriculation examination, the provincial government has imposed section 144 around the examination centers in Karachi. According to a notification issued by the Sindh’s home department, station house officers (SHOs) of the concerned police station were authorized to register complaints of unfair means and take action over violation of section 144 around the examination centers. Read More:  Matric examinations postponed in Sindh: minister Examination’s code of conduct will be implemented strictly during the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations-2019, reads the notification. Board of Secondary Education Karachi’s (BSEK) Chairman Dr. Saeeduddin on Sunday said tha

KARACHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi on Monday filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) calling for a session of the Sindh Assembly to discuss the next budget, ARY News reported. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader nominated the Sindh government through Ministers for Finance and Law and Parliamentary Affairs as respondent in his petition. Under the Sindh Assembly’s rules of procedure, a session of the provincial assembly is to be held between the months of January and March seeking proposals from the provincial lawmakers for the next budget each year, the petitioner contended. Nevertheless, the opposition leader complained, no assembly session has been summoned yet to discuss the next budget 2019-20. He added the session is aimed at giving the members an opportunity to put forward their suggestions for the upcoming budget. He, therefore, pleaded to the court to direct the government to summon a session of the provincial assembly

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi telephoned Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan on Monday after the latter was injured in a road accident near Karachi Toll Plaza on Sunday. Dr. Alvi called Hassan to inquire about his health and extended wishes to him on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan. “I pray for your speedy recovery and hope to see you at the assembly soon,” the president said. In the early hours on Sunday, Khawaja Izhar was returning home from Ghotki when his car met with a road mishap.  As a result, he suffered head injuries and his three bodyguards were also wounded. They were rushed to a private hospital at Stadium Road for medical attention. The condition of the MQM-P leader is said to be out of danger. Upon being informed of the accident, a number of MQM-P leaders and workers reached the hospital. Earlier, in Sept 2017, Khawaja  Izhar ul Hassan  had escaped an assassination attempt but his security guard and passer-by lost his life

BRATISLAVA: The election of Zuzana Caputova as Slovakia’s first woman president was hailed Sunday as a vote for change, with the anti-graft activist expected to provide a check on a government tarnished after last year’s murder of a journalist. The 45-year-old environmental lawyer’s clear victory Saturday over the ruling party’s candidate was a blow to the populist-left Smer-SD — the largest grouping in parliament — and could spell trouble for them in the EU elections and next year’s general vote. She is a relative political newcomer known for taking part in mass anti-government protests last year after the shootings of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. The uproar toppled the then-premier. Caputova won 58.4 percent of the vote according to a final tally of results released Sunday, compared with 41.6 percent for her ruling party rival, EU energy commissioner Maros Sefcovic. “A candidate embodying democratic forces has won, and Sefcovic, who was a symbol of contin

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in an interview said that the country still needs the military courts, ARY News reported. In an interview to British broadcaster Pakistan’s information minister said that the country is nearing to completely defeating the menace of terrorism. The military courts which were set up under the National Action Plan (NAP) in 2015 to try civilians on terrorism charges finally ceased to function on March 31, as their constitutionally extended two-year term expired. These courts were set up under a constitutional approval by the parliament, after a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, which claimed the lives of 144 people and mostly of the victims were children. The minister said that an extension in the term of the military courts required a concensus in political parties over the matter. It is to mention here that to further extend the term of the military courts the government of Pakistan Tehreek

LAHORE: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Monday took a swipe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government over the recent hike in prices of petroleum products. In a tweet, the former chief minister demanded that the government withdraw the excessive increase in the prices of petrol and diesel. “It has become difficult for Pakistani people to eke out a living in a tsunami of inflation,” he said, questioning why didn’t Prime Minister Imran Khan’s hands tremble while signing an order with regard to the price hike. حکومت پٹرول اور ڈیزل کی قیمتوں میں ہوشربا اضافہ واپس لے۔ مہنگائی کے سونامی نے پاکستانی عوام کا جینا مشکل کر دیا ہے۔ قیمتوں میں اضافے کے آرڈر پر دستخط کرتے ہوئے عمران خان کے ہاتھ کیوں نہیں کانپتے! — Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 1, 2019 The government on Sunday increased petrol and diesel prices by Rs6 per litre each and kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO) prices were jacked up by three rupees a litre for the month of April 2019

TAUNSA SHARIF: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar’s father Fateh Muhammad Buzdar passed away on Monday, ARY News reported. The chief minister’s brother Umar Khan Buzdar confirmed that their father died this morning owing to a cardiac arrest. He said the deceased was not well for quite some time. His funeral prayer will be offered in Taunsa Sharif after which his mortal remains will be taken to his native place in Barthi where he will be laid to rest. Fateh Muhammad had served as member of the Punjab Assembly thrice and was leader of the Buzdar clan. The post Punjab CM’s father dies in Taunsa Sharif appeared first on ARYNEWS .

SRINAGAR: In their fresh act of state terrorism, Indian troops martyred four youth in Pulwama district, India-held Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were killed by the Indian troops during a cordon and search operation at Lassipora area of the district. Indian police while describing victims as militants claimed they were killed in a gunfight and three Indian troops were also critically injured. The identities of the martyred youth were not ascertained till the filing of this report. Read Also:  Two more Indian soldiers commit suicide in Occupied Kashmir On the other hand, the authorities also suspended internet services in the Pulwama and Shopian districts. Meanwhile, the Indian troops launched a violent cordon and search operations in Qazigund and Veernag areas of the Islamabad district. Earlier, on March 28, Indian troops had martyred three youth in occupied Kashmir’s Shopian and Hindwara districts. The Indian forces conducted raids on homes in Shopian an

PAKPATTAN: An eight-year-old boy was found dead underneath a flyover in a Pakpattan neighbourhood on Monday morning, ARY News reported. According to police sources, the boy had gone missing while playing outside his residence last week. The body was found within the limits of Kalyana police station. The body was moved to a hospital for autopsy. The police said they have registered an FIR of the incident on the complaint of the deceased’s father and launched a probe into it. Last week, a five-year-old boy was found dead from an uncovered gutter in Iqbal Town in Lahore two months after he went missing. Rescue officials said that some passersby spotted the body stuck inside an open manhole and alerted the rescue workers. Rescue workers pulled out the body and shifted it to hospital. The boy was identified as Azaan, son of Nadeem, a resident of Badar Block. The police had registered a kidnapping case against unidentified men on the complaint of the victim’s father two months back. T

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP suffered a blow in Sunday’s local election with the ruling party set to lose the capital Ankara and risking defeat in the country’s economic hub Istanbul. Losing Turkey’s two major cities would be a clear setback for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) who won every vote in a decade and a half in power thanks in part to economic growth. Erdogan portrayed the vote for mayors and district councils as a fight for Turkey’s survival, but the election was a test for the AKP as an economic slowdown took hold after a collapse of the lira currency. With 99 percent of the ballot boxes counted, the joint opposition candidate for Ankara mayor, Mansur Yavas was winning with 50.89 percent of votes and the AKP on 47.06 percent, Anadolu state agency reported citing preliminary results. In Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, the race for mayor was deadlocked with the AKP candidate claiming victory with 48.70 percent of votes, but

KARACHI: A fire that broke out in shops in a Gulistan-e-Jauhar locality in early hours on Monday was brought under control after hours of efforts, ARY News reported. According to the fire department, the fire erupted in shops built on the ground floor of a multi-storey residential building in Pehlwan Goth area. Three fire engines took part in the fire fighting operation, it said. Earlier, on March 21, a fire incident in a commercial building in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal neighbourhood had resulted in the deaths of two men. The deceased jumped off the multi-storey building in a bid to save themselves. The blaze had broken out at the Noor Trade Centre on University Road within the limits of the Aziz Bhatti police station. Besides the fire brigade, Pakistan Navy helicopters also participated in the rescue operation to airlift the trapped people to safety. Read More:  K-Electric held responsible for Gulshan building fire incident Two of the trapped people had jumped off the building to dea

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will undergo more medical tests at Sharif Medical City (SMC) hospital today, ARY News reported. His further tests would be conducted to evaluate his health condition and devise a future strategy of his treatment. Earlier, on March 30, physicians prescribed monitoring his heartbeat by fixing a Holter at his chest the next week besides carrying out echo test. They also mulled over the possibility of implanting a pacemaker. The decision about both the tests was taken as Nawaz Sharif’s ECG showed abnormalities, according to reports. A team of medical experts also detected disturbed blood flow through left artery of his heart. Besides, the doctors also decided to test his eyesight in view of finding higher blood glucose levels. Dr Adnan Khan, former premier’s personal physician, had earlier said many of Sharif’s test reports had been received, adding that the remaining would be received in a day or two after which a team of medical experts wo

GOJRA: One person was killed in a firing incident at the residence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Bilal Asghar Warraich on Sunday night, ARY News reported. According to the area police, the lawmaker remained unhurt while his friend named Umair Asghar was killed. The police said the firing incident took place at the PTI lawmaker’s dera (outhouse) located on Jhang Road.  An armed man opened fire a few minutes after Warraich went inside his room, they said. Umair’s body was shifted to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital for medico-legal formalities. The deceased received 11 gunshot wounds over his body after he was shot at from a distance of 3-4 feet, said a police official. Citing initial investigation, a police official said an accused, identified as Haider Gujjar, was involved in the firing incident as he used to visit the dera more often than not. He added the accused visited the dera last night as per a routine and shot Umair dead after finding an opportunity. The police officia

LOS ANGELES: Disney’s “Dumbo” had an underwhelming liftoff at the domestic box office. Tim Burton’s live-action remake debuted with $45 million from 4,259 North American theaters, below expectations heading into the weekend. Producer Katterli Frauenfelder, actor Colin Farrell, actor Nico Parker, director Tim Burton, actor Finley Hobbins, actor Eva Green, actor Danny DeVito, producers Derek Frey and Justin Springer attend the European premiere of “Dumbo” movie in London, Britain March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls While that was easily enough to top the domestic box office, it marks the lowest start among the studio’s recent live-action remakes of Disney classics. To compare, 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” debuted with $174 million, 2016’s “The Jungle Book” opened with $103 million,” and 2015’s “Cinderella” launched with $67 million. Heading into the weekend, “Dumbo” was expected to surpass $50 million in its first three days of release. Part of the reason for the softer opening i

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports to China during first eight months of current fiscal year have increased by 3.97 percent as compared to same period of last year. The exports from Pakistan to China during the period under review increased to 1.15 billion dollars as compared to the exports of 1.106 billion dollars recorded during Jul-Feb 2017-18. The trade deficit between the two countries has also decreased to 5.478 billion dollars in July-February 2018-19 as compared to the trade deficit of 6.22 billion dollars in same period of the preceding year. On March 30, the first meeting of China-Pakistan Forestry Working Group was held in Beijing to identify priority areas for cooperation in forestry sector between the two countries, Radio Pakistan had reported. Read More:  Footwear exports witness an increase of 14.55 pct The meeting was attended by officials of China’s National Forestry and Grassland Bureau International Cooperation Department and Pakistan’s Climate Change Department. O

WASHINGTON: Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg called on Saturday for regulators to play a “more active role” in establishing rules that govern the internet, as the world’s largest social media network struggles to defuse criticism. Zuckerberg, whose company is under pressure for failing to adequately police content and protect user privacy on its platform, wrote in a Washington Post article that a “standardized approach” for removing content would help keep internet companies “accountable.”  “By updating the rules for the Internet, we can preserve what’s best about it – the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things – while also protecting society from broader harms,” Zuckerberg wrote. Read More: Facebook looks to place restrictions on who can go live His comments followed a Washington Post report saying the U.S. government and Facebook were negotiating a multibillion-dollar fine settlement over the company’s privacy lapses. Zuckerb

ANKARA: Turkey’s main opposition candidate for the capital Ankara maintained his narrow lead in Sunday’s local elections after more than three-quarters of ballot boxes were opened, broadcaster NTV said. Mansur Yavas, mayoral candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had 49.8 percent of votes, while Mehmet Ozhaseki of the ruling AK Party had 47.8 percent. Read More: Turkish opposition leads Erdogan’s AK Party in Ankara mayor race Earlier, Turkey’s main opposition party appeared on course to seize control of Ankara in Sunday’s local elections and defeat President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party in the capital for the first time since Erdogan came to power 16 years ago. After three-quarters of ballot boxes were opened, secularist opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) mayoral candidate Mansur Yavas had 49.8 percent of the vote, 2.0 percentage points ahead of his AKP rival. While the AK Party looked set to hold Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, defeat in Ankara

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar on Sunday said that government wanted to formulate a foreign policy that would fulfill the objective to develop relations with comity of nations on the basis of equality. Asad Qaisar was addressing annual ceremony of Mishaal Institute of Special Education Shobra City Colony, Tarbaila Dam. The speaker said the country was confronted with challenges both monetary and external, however, no compromise would be made on the sovereignty and autonomy of the motherland. He said the country would be out of crises soon and people would enjoy fruits of the policies adopted by the government. Read More:  Kashmir key pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy, says Qureshi On February 3, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said Kashmir was the key pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Qureshi had said Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue was well-explained and clear. “We will continue raising our voice against Indian oppression on innocent and

LONDON: Britain’s exit from the European Union was in disarray after the implosion of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy left her under pressure from rival factions to leave without a deal, go for an election or forge a much softer divorce. After one of the most tumultuous weeks in British politics since the 2016 referendum, it was still uncertain how, when or even if the United Kingdom will ever leave the bloc it first joined 46 years ago. A third defeat of May’s divorce deal, after her pledge to quit if it was passed, left one of the weakest leaders in a generation grappling with a perilous crisis over Brexit, the United Kingdom’s most significant move since World War Two. Parliament will vote on different Brexit options on Monday and then May could try one last roll of the dice by bringing her deal back to a vote in parliament as soon as Tuesday.  “There are no ideal choices available and there are very good arguments against any possible outcome at the moment but we

KARACHI: In a bid to discourage use of unfair means in the matriculation examination, the provincial government imposed section 144 around the examination centers in Karachi. According to a notification issued by the Sindh’s home department, station house officers (SHOs) of the concerned police station were authorized to register complaints of unfair means and take action over violation of section 144 around the examination centers. Examination’s code of conduct will be implemented strictly during the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations-2019, reads the notification. Board of Secondary Education Karachi’s (BSEK) Chairman Dr. Saeeduddin on Sunday said that all the photocopy shops around the examination centres to remain closed during examination. He said that total 0.36mn students will appear in the matriculation examination this year and added that the board set up 365 examination centres, including 202 private schools and 163 public schools, in the metropolis city. R

ISLAMABAD: The Airport Security Force (ASF) on Sunday foiled a bid to smuggle narcotics to Saudi Arabia and arrested a suspect at the Islamabad airport, ARY News reported. During a raid at New Islamabad International Airport, the ASF has recovered ice drug from a passenger of Jeddah-bound flight. The passenger had concealed ice drug in desi ghee bottles, the ASF said. The suspect, Ismail hails from Bannu, the security force said. The ASF said the suspect would be handed over to the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) for further investigation. On March 28, the ANF had carried out a crackdown against drug peddlers and seized 3,015.938 kilogram drug and arrested 32 suspects. Read More:  ANF recovers 3,016kg drug, arrests 32 suspects in Rawalpindi The huge quantity of drug was recovered during 29 raids at different places in the metropolis, the ANF spokesperson had said adding that the captured 32 suspects included seven women as well. He said the recovered narcotics valued at Rs0.1351 tri

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Sunday launched an SMS service for the help of intending Hajj pilgrims to verify authenticity of private tour operators. The SMS service 8331 will provide details about any private Hajj tour operator and save people from being cheated in the name of cheap Hajj services. According to the Hajj Ministry there were around 798 private tour operators who were authorized for sending pilgrims on Hajj. The ministry had also launched five apps for facilitation of Hujjaj. These five apps provide guidelines about performance of Hajj, location guidance at Mina and relevant supplications. Read More:  Hajj 2019: PIA commences preparation for special flight operations Hujjaj could easily download these apps on both android and apple phones and benefit from guidance provided in them. The national flag-carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has started preparations for special flight operations for Hajj pilgrims. PIA will operate Boeing 7

ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for filing of income tax returns and statements for the tax year 2018 till April 30. According to the details, FBR has taken this decision in view of numerous representations by various trade bodies and organizations along with other taxpayers seeking extension in the date of filing of returns for Tax Year 2018. FBR urged citizens, who had not yet filed their returns, to take advantage of this opportunity. FBR has extensive plans to pursue and legally proceed against those persons who are liable to file returns but do not file it by this extended date. Meanwhile, FBR has crossed the mark of 18,00,000 income tax filers for tax year 2018 for the first time in its history. The institution is also geared to act against those guilty of not fulfilling their tax obligations. Read More: Nine arrested, properties seized in FBR’s crackdown against tax defaulters Earlier, in a country-wide crackdown against tax defaulters

KARACHI: Additional IG Karachi Amir Shaikh on Sunday formed a joint investigation team (JIT) in murder case of a youth of Thar, Zulfiqar Ali, ARY News reported. The JIT will work under the supervision of the deputy inspector general South Zone. Senior Superintendent Police South Pir Mohammed Shah and SSP Investigation South Tariq Razzaq Dharejo are also part of the probe team. The Karachi police chief directed the team to conduct a transparent investigation. The investigation team had already raided house of senior counsel Khawaja Shamsul Islam, who had got protective bail in the murder case. Read More:  New JIT formed to probe OPP director Parween Rahman’s murder Shamsul Islam was nominated in Zulfiqar Ali killing case by the petitioner. Amir Shaikh said the lawyer would be summoned for recording his statement. Police had booked Khawaja Shamsul Islam on complaint of the victim’s family, who suspected his involvement in the murder. Unknown assailants had gunned down Zulfiqar A

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Director General Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman has directed enforcement teams to thoroughly check the ice factories and beverage manufacturing companies. According to a statement released from the Directorate General Public Relations Punjab, Muhammad Usman said that PFA would allow only those companies which meet the food standards according to the Punjab Pure Food Regulations 2018. He said that PFA would also start awareness campaigns and training sessions for the food industry as well as bound manufacturers to ensure the cleanliness of the production area, use of standard articles/ ingredients and germ-free equipment. Read More: PFA cracks down on energy drinks in Punjab The director general further said that PFA would also ensure the presence of the reverse osmosis plant in ice factories. Muhammad Usman directed officials to take action to ensure the usage of approved standard equipment. He said that PFA would not allow ice factories to use

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday said that the elements involved in corruption were the real enemies of Pakistan and the nation. According to a statement released from his office, Usman Buzdar said that menace of corruption was a major obstacle in the progress of the country. He said that they were working by day and night with the determination of absolute elimination of corruption under the vibrant leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The chief minister said that current government was promoting the trend of transparency in public affairs and added that zero tolerance policy against corruption was yielding positive results. Read More :  Govt has zero tolerance policy against corruption: CM Buzdar He said that the government was taking effective measures to eradicate corruption by promoting transparency. He said that the corrupt elements filled their pockets and left our national exchequer empty. Furthermore he said that PTI wanted across the boar

MULTAN: On the eve of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) victory in PP-218 by-poll, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday said that ‘Multanis’ once again rejected corruption, ARY News reported. Talking to journalists along with PTI’s victorious candidate Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that they defeated the nexus of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim Leaque-Nawaz (PML-N) in Multan. He said that Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan took lead of over 7,000 votes from his contenders in the by-elections which proved that no one’s mandate was snatched in election 2018. The foreign minister said that PPP and PML-N shook hands to defeat PTI in Multan but the masses foiled their pan by rejecting corruption in the by-elections. The foreign minister congratulated the masses and Prime Minister Imran Khan over the victory in Multan and said that PTI’s popularity graph was on the rise. He said that PM Imran would bring the corrupts to their logical end in the count

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Sunday announced to raise petrol price by six rupees a litre, ARY News reported. Prices of petrol and high speed diesel have been increased by Rs6 a litre each. While, prices of kerosene oil and light diesel have been hiked by Rs3 a litre each. The new petrol price will be Rs98.89 a litre and high speed diesel price will be Rs117.43 a litre. Similarly, light diesel oil price and kerosene oil price will be Rs80.54 and Rs89.31 per litre respectively. The new prices will be applicable from 12:00am tonight. Read More:  Prices of natural gas, RLNG not being increased: Petroleum Division On March 29, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had prepared a summary for another increase in rates of petroleum products up to Rs11 a litre from the month of April. The regulatory authority had suggested the federal government for making an increase of Rs11.91 per litre in petrol rates from April 1. In the summary sent to Petroleum Division, it was rec

DADU/ KARAK: At least eight people were killed in separate road accidents in Dadu and Karachi on Sunday. Four people were killed and 11 others critically injured when a passenger coach collided with a car on Indus Highway near Dadu on Sunday morning. The passenger coach was heading to Karachi from Larkana. The dead bodies and injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Dadu, while three seriously injured were rushed to Nawabshah hospital. Meanwhile, four people were killed and three others injured when four loaded containers collided on Indus Highway in Karak in the morning. Read More:  Seven girls, rickshaw driver, die as bus runs over rickshaw in Bhakkar The injured were shifted to district headquarters hospital Karak. On March 30, as many as eight people including seven students of a local school were crushed to death when a speeding bus ran over their rickshaw here. The horrific accident took place at Jhang-Bhakkar Road when seven schoolgirls were heading home after appearing i

MULTAN:  According to unofficial and unconfirmed results, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan won by-election in Multan’s constituency PP-218 on Sunday, ARY News reported. PTI’s candidate Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan clinched PP-218 seat by securing 46,988 votes while his close contender, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Malik Muhammad Arshad received 39486 votes. The Punjab Assembly seat fell vacant after the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MPA Mazhar Abbas Raan. Major contenders vying for the seat were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Malik Muhammad Arshad. Malik Shahid Abbas Raan, Muhammad Tufail, Muhammad Ramzan and Muhammad Israr-Ul-Haq Cheema were contesting elections as independent candidates. Read More: Vote count underway for PP-218 by-poll in Multan Earlier, the counting of votes was underway after the polling process for Multan’s PP-218 seat ended peacefully in the const

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said the laws against defamation and derogatory publication were not effective, ARY News reported. “Ineffective laws have impeded the process of accountability and justice,” Fawad Chaudhry wrote in a letter to the Supreme Court registrar. He said he wanted to call attention of the chief justice on public issues. He said print, electronic and digital media had witnessed unlimited boom and they made a deep impact on different classes in society. The information minister suggested posting judges in every city and district. Read More:  Resolution of lawyer community’s issues top priority: Fawad Chaudhary “Four judges should be posted in the districts with 5 million or above population. Two judges should be appointed for the district with 2.5 million or above population,” he said. He pleaded to make the process of evidence, witness and complaint easy. He said the law should be amended for facilitati

SRINAGAR: At least two Indian soldiers, deployed in occupied Kashmir, committed suicide with in last 24 hours, said Kashmir Media Service (KMS). According to the KMS, one of the deceased soldier was identified as Ramphul Meena and he was associated with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). A police officer said that the soldier Meena shot himself with his official rifle inside his camp at Sericulture Office in Solina area of Srinagar while he was on duty. It is pertinent to mention here that the suicide rate among Indian soldiers deployed in occupied Kashmir was on the rise. This recent incident has added to the number of suicide deaths of the Indian troops and police personnel to 422 in the held valley since January 2007 till date. Read More: Indian soldier commits suicide in Srinagar Earlier, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Kashmir had committed suicide in Srinagar on January 6. The soldier, identified as Mukesh Bhawuk, had injured two of his fellow soldiers

KARACHI: A woman has fled after stealing jewelry and important documents from her husband’s house in Karachi, ARY News reported on Sunday. The husband has lodged a first information report against her spouse. The couple had made friendship on telephone and then contracted love marriage in December last year, the man said. He said her wife had fled from his house in February.  “One day my wife phoned me and asked to come home soon. When I arrived at home I found it locked. I broke into the house and found that jewelry and important documents were also missing,” he said. The husband said her wife had got her pictures deleted from his mobile phone one night before she committed this crime. Read More:  Free-will marriage couple seeks police protection after relatives threaten On March 18, a couple who had contracted a free-will marriage had sought protection from police after relatives allegedly try to abduct the girl in Khanpur. In a statement, Naseem Bibi had said she had marri

MULTAN: The counting of votes is currently underway after the polling process for Multan’s PP-128 seat ended peacefully in the constituency, ARY News reported.   The polling process commenced at 8am today and ended at 5pm without any break at the 138 polling stations in the constituency. 32 polling stations were declared sensitive and at least one thousand law enforcement personnel were deployed around them. The Punjab Assembly seat fell vacant after the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MPA Mazhar Abbas Raan. Major contenders vying for the seat are Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Malik Muhammad Arshad. Malik Shahid Abbas Raan, Muhammad Tufail, Muhammad Ramzan and Muhammad Israr-Ul-Haq Cheema are contesting elections as independent candidates. Read More: Voting begins for by-poll in Multan’s PP-218 Earlier in the day, polling for by-election in Multan’s PP-218 had  begun amid tight security, The polling started

KARACHI: Sindh Rangers on Sunday collared 11 suspects during raids in different areas of Karachi, ARY News reported. The captured suspects include target killers, robbers and drug peddlers, said the Sindh Rangers spokesperson. The Rangers spokesman said weapons, narcotics and looted valuables were recovered from their possession. The suspects were arrested from Shah Faisal Colony, Madina Colony, Sir Syed, Frere, Surjani Town. The spokesman said the suspects had been handed over to police for legal action. Read More:  Sindh police arrest two hardcore terrorists from Balochistan: IG On March 28, Sindh Rangers had apprehended seven suspects including gangster Azhar Commando affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi. The Sindh Rangers spokesperson had said the suspects were arrested during raids in different areas including Malir, Darakhshan and New Karachi Industrial Area. The spokesman had said they were involved in mugging and different other crimes while il

KARACHI: Sindh’s Inspector General of Police Dr Syed Kaleem Imam on Sunday claimed to have arrested two hardcore terrorists from Balochistan. Dr Syed Kaleem said that the terrorists were involved in bomb blasts in Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Kashmore Districts. The police chief said that the terrorists used to escape to Balochistan after carrying out terrorist activities in Sindh. He said that security at Sindh-Balochistan border had been tightened to arrest the criminals. Dr Syed Kaleem Imam said that law and order situation improved in Sindh after the new security measures. Read More: Police say, arrested two key terror suspects Malir Police in a joint operation with an intelligence agency had arrested two terror suspects allegedly involved in Sehwan shrine bombing attack and other terrorism incidents in Sindh and Balochistan on February 20. DIG Police East Amir Farooqui and SSP Malir Irfan Bahadur in a press briefing had said that District Malir Police in a joint operation with

TAXILA: Former interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, on Sunday said that he will make a decision for future political plans at an ‘appropriate time”, ARY News reported. While addressing a press conference in Taxila, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan revealed that he has had close contacts with a political party which stops him joining any of its opponent political party of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N). The senior politician, however, hinted that he would finalise his future political strategy at an appropriate time. The former interior minister refused to make comments over PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. Nisar said that he cannot comment over Sharif as his matter was under proceeding in the court. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has the same point of view for India like Nawaz Sharif. A detailed debate must be held over matters relating to Pakistan and India, he added. Nisar reiterated that he has nothing to set good expectations from India. Read More: Notice issued to ECP