by Saleem Shahid | Zulqernain Tahir | Umer Farooq in Dawn, Oct 28th, 2023QUETTA / LAHORE / PESHAWAR: As the government-ordained deadline for the deportation of illegal immigrants — mostly Afghans — draws near, authorities have intensified their efforts by setting up ‘holding centres’, and opening additional border crossing points to speed up the repatriation process. To expedite the repatriation of undocumented foreigners to Afghanistan and Iran, the Balochistan government is opening three more crossing…
Posts published in “Pakistan”
by Malik Asad in Dawn, Oct 28th, 2023• IHC rejects ex-PM’s petitions and immunity claims; notes he apparently committed an offence under Official Secrets Act• PTI chief ‘may face death penalty or up to 14 years imprisonment’• Refuses to record statement in May 9 case; Qureshi questioned in Adiala Jail ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday declined bail to detained former prime minister Imran Khan in a case in which he has been…
By Asim Yasin in The News, Oct 28, 2023ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister Muhammad Ali Durrani is expected to present the proposals for turning national reconciliation into political cooperation in the next few days, aiming to benefit the people and the country in terms of economic recovery through national reconciliation. According to sources, former federal minister Muhammad Ali Durrani is working on helping the four major parties and all the other stakeholders out of present situation…
Report in Dawn, October 27th, 2023KURRAM: Four persons died and six others sustained injuries when two vehicles being escorted by police came under attack in Charkhel area of Lower Kurram on Thursday. Police sources said the vehicles were on way from Thal area of district Hangu to Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram district, when it came under attack, adding the injured persons were shifted to Combined Military Hospital Thal. An eyewitness, Tahir Hussain, who escaped the…
by Dewey Sim in SCMP, Oct 27, 2023All eyes were on high-profile guest Russian President Vladimir Putin when China recently hosted the belt and road forum. However, away from the spotlight, there were others present – rarely seen on the diplomatic stage but vital to Chinese geopolitical and regional interests. One such was Haji Nooruddin Azizi, acting commerce minister of the Taliban, the militant group running Afghanistan and yet to be recognised as a legitimate…
By Iftikhar A. Khan in Dawn, October 27th, 2023ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan ruled out an extension in the deadline for the forced repatriation of undocumented immigrants, mostly Afghan nationals, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday revealed foreign nationals residing in the country without identity documents would be kept at ‘holding centres’ before deportation to their respective countries. At a press conference held in the federal capital, the caretaker minister shared the details of a plan…
by Hasnaat Malik in The Express Tribune, Oct 27, 2023ISLAMABAD: Soon after the retirement of chief justice Umar Ata Bandial, the Supreme Court is showing its muscles by giving decisions in the ongoing month that may affect the interests of the ‘powerful circles’. A five-judge bench led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan has given an unprecedented ruling by declaring a 56-year-old law to try civilians in military courts as unconstitutional. The bench also held that the…
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Shah Meer Baloch in The Guardian, Oct 27, 2023The scenes were eerily similar: Nawaz Sharif, standing in front of tens of thousands of supporters in his home town of Lahore, making a pitch to become Pakistan’s leader. But this was not 1990, nor 1997 nor 2013 – the three previous occasions that Sharif was elected prime minister. Instead, it was an event held over the weekend to mark his return from…
By Kalbe Ali in Dawn, October 27th, 2023ISLAMABAD: Demonstrating a flexibility that is quite unlike with its traditional stance, a delegation of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday paid a visit to the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. While leaders of both the parties termed it a “non-political event”, saying that the PTI delegation — led by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser — had only come to condole with Maulana…
report in The Express Tribune, Oct 27, 2023The two bitter political arch-rivals, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), on Thursday finally sat together to discuss the ongoing political situation in the country and initiate dialogue among the political forces. In what is being seen as a huge political U-turn, the PTI leaders, including Asad Qaiser, Ali Muhammad Khan, and Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, approached JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence…
report in Daily Times, Oct 27, 2023After President Arif Alvi stirred controversy by raising doubts on the timing of general elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday said that there was no possibility of a delay in the polls – which are slated to be held at the end of January. In an interview with a private news channel, President Alvi said he did not see polls taking place in January. He recalled…