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The head office of the Election Commission of Pakistan. -Geo News screengrab ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is expected to announce the verdict in the PTI foreign funding case this week as pressure mounts on the constitutional body from the ruling alliance after the explosive Financial Times article on the Imran Khan-led party's funding. The UK paper revealed that the PTI received funding from Wootton Cricket Club of Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi which was generated through a charity match and an Arab personality. The FT report provided ammunition to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and they demanded an early announcement of the verdict which was reserved on June 21. ECP officials told Daly Jang  , on the condition of anonymity, that the Election Commission will announce the foreign funding verdict during the first week of August. The sources said that the PTI will only harm itself if it files a reference against Chief Election Commissi

Former prime minister Imran Khan meets Chief Minister Pervez Elahi and Moonis Elahi at the CM Office. Courtesy CM Media  LAHORE: A photo of former prime minister Imran Khan from his Lahore visit on Sunday has gone viral and drew criticism from netizens. The PTI chairman was in the provincial capital on a day-long visit during which he chaired several meetings including one with Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and former federal minister Moonis Elahi at the CM Office. The picture of the meeting in which the PTI chairman was sitting on the chief minister's seat went viral, triggering a storm on social media with many questioning his authority to sit on the provincial chief executive's seat. The inside story Giving inside information about the meeting, senior anchorperson Hamid Mir said, “a lot of people are criticising Imran Khan for sitting on the chief minister's seat but they are unaware of the details as to what had happened there.” Mir said that i

A policeman stands guard as Shiite Muslims take part in a mourning ritual during the Islamic month of Muharram ahead of Ashura ceremonies, in Peshawar, Pakistan, on August 29, 2020. — AFP/file  The National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) has advised strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), including mask wearing and social distancing during Muharram gatherings, as Pakistan continues to remain under the grip of COVID-19. Gatherings and majalis to remember the Shuhada-e-Karbala (martyrs of Karbala) started across the country after Pakistan sighted the Muharram moon, marking the beginning of the new Islamic year today (Sunday). In the last 24 hours, 661 new cases of coronavirus were reported when diagnostic tests were done on 20,080 samples, NIH data showed Sunday morning. The new cases pushed the coronavirus positivity rate in Pakistan to 3.29% and the number of total COVID-19 cases to 1,553,386. Meanwhile, the country reported only a single deat

Commuters and pedestrians cross a flooded street after the monsoon rains. — AFP/Files ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast “above normal” rainfall in most parts of the country in August. In its monthly outlook for the next month, the Met Office said, “Currently, La-Niña condition is prevailing and is likely to continue with weak intensity during August 2022, while the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) condition is expected to remain in a negative state, with increasing intensity towards the end of the forecast month.” The PMD said that a tendency for above-normal precipitation is predicted over most parts of the country. PMD issues outlook for August 2022. Northeastern Punjab, Kashmir, southern parts of Sindh as well as coastal areas of Balochistan are expected to receive above normal rainfall during the next month. Most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan may receive slightly above normal showers, whereas, Gilgit Baltistan may receive nea

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif (L) and Hamza Shahbaz (R). — AFP/Geo.tv  LAHORE: A special court in Lahore on Saturday fixed September 7 as a date for the indictment of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shahbaz in the Rs16bn money laundering case. At the outset of today’s hearing, the Special Court (Central-I), has summoned Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shahbaz and other co-accused on the next hearing for framing charges against them in the case. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the case till the next hearing. ‘No evidence of corruption’ On June 13, the special court observed, "No evidence of corruption, misuse of authority, and bribery" was so far found on record against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz, in the mega money laundering case. In a written order for confirming their pre-arrest bail, the court said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) wanted to arrest PM Shahbaz and CM Hamza after they secured bails in the National

The combo shows PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi.  LONDON: The Financial Times (FT) has revealed in an investigation that Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi’s Cayman Islands-incorporated company Wootton Cricket Ltd was used to bankroll Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after receiving funds from companies and individuals including at least £2mn in April 2013 from an influential Arab figure. The FT said in its report: “Pakistan forbids foreign nationals and companies from funding political parties, but Abraaj emails and internal documents seen by the Financial Times, including a bank statement covering the period between February 28 and May 30 2013 for a Wootton Cricket account in the UAE, show that both companies and foreign nationals as well as citizens of Pakistan sent millions of dollars to Wootton Cricket — before money was transferred from the account to Pakistan for the PTI.” The Election Commission of Pakistan has been investigating the funding of the P

Former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed. -APP/File ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed on Friday claimed that an agreement has been reached for general elections in October and an announcement in this regard will soon be made. In a statement on Twitter, the chief of Awami Muslim League (AML) said that all but JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is against the proposal. “Those who are in quarantine (an indirect reference to PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari who tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating)  have also agreed to the snap polls,” he said, adding that the nation will "soon hear of the date of elections in October, a new Election Commission and the formation of an interim government". “A dollar worth Rs250  and an increase by Rs10 in the price of LPG will shut down markets,” he added. Sheikh Rasheed said the political reputation of the coalition partners has "turned to ashes" and that they are "neither able to face the pub

Supreme Court of Pakistan. — AFP/ file ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday resumed the hearing of a petition filed by the PML-Q against the ruling of the Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari that paved the way for Hamza Shahbaz to retain his post of the chief minister of the province amid the boycott of the ruling alliance. The top court’s three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — is hearing the petition. Lawyers representing the PPP, PML-Q president Ch Shujaat and the PA deputy speaker also came to the court but did not respond to queries about why have they come despite the boycott. A day earlier, the SC rejected the pleas to form a full court bench on petitions related to the Punjab chief minister’s re-election. The request for the full bench was made by the ruling alliance during the hearing of the petition filed by PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane landing at an airport. — AFP/file TEHRAN: Two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) planes narrowly escaped mid-air disaster on Sunday when they came dangerously close to each other over Iranian territory. Both the planes were on the same route and altitude due to alleged negligence of the Iranian Air Traffic Control (ATC), which is said to have cleared the same altitude for both of the PIA planes, Daily Dawn reported. According to details, a PIA Boeing 777 was en route from Islamabad to Dubai while the airline’s other aircraft Airbus A320 was heading from Doha to Peshawar when they came dangerously close to each other over the Iranian airspace near the UAE. Sensing the danger, the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) of the planes got activated and one of the aircraft was asked to ascend and the other descended as per standard practice, the publication reported. TCAS is installed on all the planes and automatically

The PTI's workers gather at the SC's Lahore Registry late Friday night. Photo: Twitter The leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the ruling of the Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker that paved the way for Hamza Shahbaz to retain his post of the chief minister of the province. The PTI and PML-Q leaders reached the SC's Lahore Registry late Friday and filed a petition against the ruling of Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari. In Friday's dramatic session of the Punjab Assembly, Mazari announced the win for Hamza Shahbaz. After waving a letter from PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who disallowed the party's members to take part in the vote, he cited Article 63A of the Constitution and rejected ten votes cast by PML-Q lawmakers. The deputy speaker's ruling frustrated the bid of Pervez Elahi to become the Punjab CM. He was the PTI's candidate fo

[ad_1] Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad: Sailing Pakistan through Choppy Waters Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was initiated with an aim to ensure enduring peace in the country by tackling threat of terrorism in all its manifestations from length and breadth of the country. To root out terrorism, Army and the Nation has paid enormous sacrifices (more than 80,000 causalities and over 150 Bn USD loss to economy). Post 9/11 scenario proved to be an imbroglio for Pakistan. The successive governments found themselves in an untenable situation against the waves of terrorist activities across the country. At that time the only hope for Pakistan was its Armed Forces which could take on the gigantic task of tackling terrorism. With the foundations set through operations Rahe Rast, Rahe Nijat, Almeezan, The concerted strike against the terrorist elements started with operation Zarb-e-Azb and it got a decisive boost with operation Radd-ul-Fasaad launched under command incumbent COAS General Qamar Javed

Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad uses a telescope to sight the moon. -APP/file  KARACHI: The moon-sighting body will meet today to sight the Zil Hajj moon at the Met Department's Karachi office in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. According to a statement, the members of the committee will meet this evening with Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad in the chair. Officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Pakistan Meteorological Department and Ministry of Science and Technology will also attend the session. Meanwhile, the zonal and district Ruet-e-Hilal Committees’ meetings will be held at their respective headquarters. Later, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will announce the final decision about the sighting of the Zil Hajj crescent. The International Astronomical Centre (IAC) has requested the countries to organise committees to sight the Zil Hajj moon today. The crescent is likely to be sighted on the evening of Ju

Secretary Local Government Sindh Syed Najam Ahmad Shah addresses a meeting. —  Supplied  KARACHI: Secretary Local Government Sindh Syed Najam Ahmad Shah on Tuesday warned of strict action against water theft. Addressing a meeting at his office, Najam Ahmad Shah said that strict action would be taken against those who steal water allocated for the people of Karachi and Hyderabad. In order to address the water shortage in Karachi and Hyderabad, the elements involved in creating hurdles in water supply will be shown no mercy, he vowed. Shah said that the Sindh government is “working day and night” for ensuring a continuous supply of water in the industrial and residential areas and Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Local Government Minister Nasir Shah were also paying special attention to the provision of clean water to the people. Secretary LG Sindh instructed the officials that no leniency shall be shown to water thieves and public interest should be kept on top

A representational image of sattu (L) and lassi. — Twitter/File The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) Saturday explained its reasoning behind its suggestions for promoting the consumption of local drinks such as lassi and sattu. The statement issued by the HEC said: "Agriculture universities may come up with ways in which they could enhance the local growing of tea and promote local brands of indigenous drinks."  A day prior, in a bid to tackle the ongoing economic crisis in the country, the HEC  had suggested the vice-chancellors (VCs) of the public sector universities promote the consumption of local drinks such as lassi and sattu as this will “increase employment and generate income for the public”. In the statement released today, the commission highlighted the Saudi Arabia and Gulf where Laban is very nicely packaged. Similarly, it noted that Iran has packaged lassi smartly in various innovative flavours like strawberry and vanilla. The HEC