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ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) on Thursday strongly rejected remarks made by Judge Mohsin Aktar Kayani suggesting its involvement in the arrests of lawyers Iman Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, calling the allegations “baseless”. “There is no truth in the judicial remarks that the High Court Bar was involved in the arrests of Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha,” said IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Jajja. He described comments made by a judge, who previously served as president of the High Court Bar, regarding the Bar’s conduct…

ISLAMABAD: A decision has once again been taken to appoint an acting registrar at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), as the Ministry of National Health Services has forwarded an agenda to syndicate members proposing the appointment of a registrar on deputation. According to the agenda, Syed Tanseer Asghar, a surgeon at CDA Hospital, has been nominated for appointment as registrar on deputation. However, syndicate members have suggested that the post should instead be advertised and a registrar appointed on a permanent basis. Objections have also been raised over…

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked how separate trials can be held and judgments delivered on the basis of FIRs arising from the same incident. Describing this as a serious legal issue, the capital’s high court also lamented over the lack of competence of some judges “brought from the Lahore High Court (LHC)” on deputation to Islamabad. IHC senior puisne judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Wednesday raised these concerns while hearing a jail appeal filed by Zeeshan Masih, who is serving a life sentence in a murder case.…

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad is set to emerge as a key diplomatic hub next week as the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan undertake separate official visits to Pakistan, reflecting the country’s expanding engagement with Central Asian states. According to official sources, the schedules and agendas for both high-level visits have been finalised. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to visit Pakistan on February 3 and 4, followed by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on February 5 and 6. During President Tokayev’s visit, Pakistan and Kazakhstan are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding…

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly session on Wednesday witnessed sharp exchanges between treasury and opposition members, as allegations of political victimisation, misuse of police powers and procedural irregularities dominated proceedings. Opposition Leader in the House, PTI’s Moeen Riaz Qureshi, alleged that the son of Nasir Cheema had been arrested from Gujranwala and was being shifted across multiple police stations. He urged the government to take immediate notice, warning that the opposition would proceed with its protest scheduled for February 8. He claimed that many opposition MPAs had been nominated in FIRs…

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated a “Parwaz Card” initiative aimed at providing financial support and employment opportunities to skilled youth. Addressing graduates of technical training institutes, she said 250,000 young people had completed technical training, while over 114,000 had secured employment, including 97,000 within Pakistan and 33,000 abroad. She also launched three initiatives — Creative Hands, Rah-e-Rozgar, and a Skill Development Portal — to strengthen the province’s skills ecosystem. Under the Parwaz Card programme, the chief minister announced interest-free financial assistance of up to Rs300,000 for skilled youth,…

HARIPUR/ISLAMABAD: Friction between the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments over the Tirah Valley situation continued unabated on Wednesday as the former maintained that no operation was being carried out while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi stuck by his claims. Thousands of families remain displaced from Tirah Valley in Khyber district as the K-P government oversees their relocation amid worsening security and heavy snowfall. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the evacuation began on January 10. So far, 11,400 families have been registered, with more than 10,000 relocated to safer areas, including…

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday emphasised that the government was taking practical steps through a comprehensive strategy and an effective team to completely eliminate polio disease from Pakistan at the earliest. He was talking to Global Development Gates Foundation President Dr Chris Elias who along with his delegation called on him at the PM House. The prime minister expressed the government’ resolve that Pakistan will continue its efforts, with the support of trusted partners like the Gates Foundation, until the complete eradication of polio from the country. “The…