News Updates Pk

Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan claimed on Friday that his wife, Bushra Bibi, was given food mixed with "toilet cleaner." During the hearing of the £190 million corruption reference in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, Imran informed Judge Nasir Javed Rana that additional walls had been erected in the courtroom, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a closed court. Khan said that Shaukat Khanum Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr Asim Yousaf had recommended conducting Bushra Bibi's tests at Shifa International Hospital. However, he added that the jail administration was adamant about conducting the test at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital. Read more: Imran claims Bushra poisoned in Bani Gala sub-jail Imran Khan informed the court that toilet cleaner had been mixed into Bushra Bibi's food, causing her health to deteriorate with daily stomach irritation. The court advised Imran to refrain from holding ...

Pakistan on Friday expressed its disappointment on the United Nations Security Council’s inability to reach a consensus on Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations, also regretting the US decision to veto the draft resolution. “Pakistan is deeply disappointed by the result of last night’s debate at UNSC and its inability to reach a consensus and recommend Palestine’s membership to UNGA. We regret the US decision to veto the draft resolution granting full membership of the UN to Palestine,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly press briefing. A day earlier, the US had effectively stopped the UN from recognizing a Palestinian state by casting a veto in the Security Council to deny Palestinians full membership in the world body.  "Granting UN membership to Palestine, a nation enduring 75 years of oppression, constitutes a validation of their inherent right to self-determination and will mark a moment of historic justice," maintained the FO ...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi decided on Friday to launch a joint operation in the riverine areas to combat the lawlessness and gangs of dacoits who use the region to conduct criminal activities.  The decision came during a meeting of the National Action Plan Implementation Review Committee held at the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) headquarters.  The meeting, presided over by Naqvi, was attended by the federal interior secretary, head of NACTA, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director-general (DG), as well as inspectors general (IG) and home secretaries of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). The national coordinator of NACTA and various intelligence agencies personnel were also present during the high-level meeting. The meeting also focused on providing new technology to the police forces to better their performance and the participants reviewed security measures for Chinese citizens. The IG of each province further provi...

Chief of the Turkish General Staff General Metin Gürak called upon Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).  During the meeting, the two discussed matters related to "enhancing the level and scope of bilateral military engagements and cooperation". The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to forge deeper strategic ties.  The military's media wing added that the visiting dignitary also lauded the professionalism of the Pakistan armed forces and acknowledged the force's sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.  Upon arrival at Joint Staff Headquarters, a contingent of the armed forces presented a guard of honour to the Turkish general. Read Army sees Afghanistan-based terrorists acting as proxies against CPEC Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir reiterated full support for the Saudi delegation and conveyed his best wishes for mutually ...

PML-N leader and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal revealed before the Faizabad inquiry commission that the agreement with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was signed before then-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's endorsement. Iqbal also said that Abbasi had objections over the agreement, but was informed that since it had been signed, the government could not backtrack anymore.  Earlier this week, the Faizabad sit-in probe commission gave a clean chit to the spy agencies as well as former spymaster Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, stressing that high-ups of the then government did not accuse officials of the agencies of extending facilitation to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protestors in 2017. Instead, the three-member commission held the political leadership, including the then Punjab chief minister – now the prime minister – Shehbaz Sharif, among others, responsible for letting the TLP protestors enter Islamabad without any resistance due to “apprehension of losing their vote b...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said that the government expected minimal devaluation of the rupee following talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a report by Bloomberg said. The finance minister is currently in Washington to attend the spring meetings organised by the IMF and the World Bank (WB). He said that the rupee typically depreciates between 6% and 8% during a typical year.  “I don’t see the need for any step change,” Aurangzeb said, citing solid foreign exchange reserves, a stable currency, rising remittances, and steady exports. He added that previous IMF loans to Pakistan had resulted in massive rupee devaluations, but this time, the outcome was expected to be different. “The only thing which can be a wild card, although in our projections we should be okay, is the oil price,” he said. Read IMF sees further uptick in Pakistan’s inflation The minister also expressed Pakistan’s commitment to ensuring sustainable economic development and growth...

The central leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its spokesperson have distanced themselves from the views expressed by firebrand party leader Sher Afzal Marwat in a private TV program regarding Saudi Arabia's alleged role in a supposed 'regime change operation', which the party blames for the overthrow of Imran Khan’s government. During a segment on a private TV channel yesterday, Marwat suggested that Saudi Arabia, alongside the United States, played a part in the downfall of Imran Khan's government. This statement coincided with a high-profile visit from Saudi Arabia, led by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. In response, the PTI issued a statement on Wednesday asserting that Marwat's views do not reflect the party's strategy or stance in any manner. The party clarified that his statement is his personal opinion and not endorsed by the PTI leadership or its members at any level. The spokesperson highlighted the importance of Pakist...