LAHORE – The controversy over election of heads of Local Bodies has taken an interesting turn after the Sindh High Court decision declaring their upcoming election through show of hands null and void. The Opposition parties in Sindh had challenged an amendment in the Local Government law approved by the Sindh Assembly whereby the election of Mayors, Deputy Mayors and other representatives was to be held through show of hands instead of the secret ballot.…
Posts published in “Day: February 12, 2016”
KARACHI: The government paid Rs541 billion to service the domestic debt during the first half of this fiscal year, according to a recent report of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The amount was slightly higher than Rs534bn it paid during the same period of the preceding fiscal year. The piling up of domestic debt is building pressure on the government to cut development expenditure. Most of the borrowing is being used to maintain lower…
Centre forcing KP to march on Islamabad for rights: CM ALI HAZRAT BACHA in Dawn, February 12th, 2016
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Thursday that the federal government had adopted step-motherly treatment with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and it was neither paying the province’s Rs110 billion hydel power dues nor accommodating its suggestions for inclusion of western route in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said that the federal government was supposed to pay all the pending dues to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but it was using delaying tactics and forcing the provincial government to…
PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that extortionists have started targeting ulema in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after receiving extortion money from the government officers and traders. Talking to mediapersons at the party secretariat here on Thursday, he said: “Ulema have been receiving threatening chits from extortionists, asking them to pay Bhatta or face consequences.” Expressing concern over the law and order situation in Peshawar and other parts of the province, the JUI-F chief…
Another school in Gujrat receives threatening letter WASEEM ASHRAF BUTT in Dawn, February 12th, 2016
GUJRAT: Police have failed to trace those involved in issuing threatening letters in the name of militant Islamic State group to some local educational institutions. In another such case on Thursday, the principal of a women’s college received a letter demanding Rs5 million as well. The police have registered at least three such cases in different parts of Gujrat district during the last one month. Syeda Rubab, principal of Government ID Janjua College for Women,…
The writer is a freelance columnist The matter of peace talks between the Afghan government and representatives of the Afghan Taliban is so essential that efforts have to be made to revive these talks no matter how many times they are derailed. The formation of the quadrilateral group consisting of the US, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China is the latest effort in this connection. In its third meeting, the quadrilateral group drew a roadmap and set…
Several militants have been killed in clashes between the loyalists of the terrorist group of the Islamic State (IS) which is also known by its Arabic name ‘Daesh’ and Taliban in Gomal District of Paktika province. Local residents said on Thursday that the clashes have been erupting in Khand and Dinarkhil areas since last two days and that around 80 insurgents have been killed so far. According to them, drone strikes were also carried out…
U.S National Intelligence Director, James R. Clapper, in an address to his country’s Senate warned that Afghanistan is faced with the risk of a political breakdown in this year. “Afghanistan is at serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016, occasioned by mounting political, economic and security challenges. Waning political cohesion, increasingly assertive local powerbrokers, financial shortfalls, and sustained countrywide Taliban attacks are eroding stability,” he said. He added: “Al-Qaeda’s affiliates also have proven resilient.…
Professor Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, the former President of Afghanistan and a Jihadi leader who backed the incumbent President in his election campaign and asked the nation to vote for him, apparently regrets his support. He has said that President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has no experience of governance. Mojaddedi has told Ariana News in an interview published on its website on Thursday that the incumbent President reached to power because of his support. According to Mojaddedi, the…
Seven FM radio stations from across the country have closed down due to security threats or financial problems, said Nai (Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan) on Thursday. The organization urged the government and international community to support media organizations and journalists. On the eve of World Radio Day, Nai expressed its deep concerns over challenges faced by radio stations in Afghanistan. “According to our information, there are 175 radio stations in Afghanistan. Seven of these…
Officials from Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) in northern Baghlan province said Thursday insurgents have blown up another pylon and destroyed circuits in Baghaln and Kunduz respectively. This time the power from Tajikistan to Kabul has been disrupted. This comes after the recent blast that targeted a pylon in Dand-e-Shahabuddin in Baghlan. Head of DABS for Baghlan province, Ghulam Hussain, said that insurgents are behind the attacks. However, work to restore the electricity supply has…