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The Senate is set to vote again on the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill today after the session begins at 11am, to approve the changes made to the draft earlier approved by the upper house. A day earlier, the National Assembly passed the amendment bill that seeks to change the judicial structure and military command, with 234 votes in favour and four against amid opposition’s walkout. It included eight amendments — not part of the Senate-approved previous version — aimed at clarifying the chief justice’s position. The amended bill fine-tunes the structure of…

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said Afghanistan’s decision to seek alternative trade routes would ultimately benefit Pakistan by reducing cross-border traffic, limiting terror infiltration, and improving border management. Asif was responding to remarks by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the interim deputy prime minister for economic affairs, who had urged Afghan traders to end reliance on Pakistan and explore alternative trade routes. “This is Afghanistan’s internal matter. They can trade wherever they find cheaper routes — Iran, Turkiye, Turkmenistan or India,” Asif told Geo News, adding that the decision would…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday extended an invitation to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to hold talks, saying that any changes to the 18th Amendment or the NFC Award must be made through thorough mutual consultation. In his address to the National Assembly, the prime minister stressed that strengthening provinces strengthens the federation, and anything weakening it harms Pakistan. “I want to say that there isn’t any difference in mine and his [Bilawal] thinking. If the provinces are strong, then the federation will also be strengthened,” said PM Shehbaz at…

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday criticised top-down decisions on anti-terrorism policy, saying that measures formulated “behind closed doors” and “imposed” on the province have so far not delivered the expected outcomes. Addressing the Aman Jirga, CM Afridi said the provincial government has consistently urged for peace, but “some people” have not responded positively to these efforts. “Peace can only be achieved with the complete eradication of terrorism, and policy on the matter is decided behind closed doors, which so far has not yielded the desired results,”…

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said Pakistan rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed that dialogue, understanding and partnership remain the only sustainable path to peace and security. “These cowardly acts will never shake our national resolve to eliminate this menace,” DPM Dar said while condemning the recent terrorist attacks in Wana and Islamabad during his address on the second day of the three-day Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC). “Dialogue has always been our preferred instrument for stability and progress,” the minister remarked…

The 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, presented by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in the National Assembly on Tuesday, is expected to be approved by the lower house today (Wednesday), with the ruling coalition holding the required two-thirds majority. The 59-clause amendment, passed by the Senate on Monday, seeks to overhaul the country’s military and judicial structures. It was moved by the law minister and secured 64 votes in the 96-member House, with no votes against it, as opposition lawmakers boycotted the proceedings and tore up their copies in protest. Apart…