Category: Featured

Punjab by-polls: Notices served on minister, SAPM for ‘violating’ election code of conduct

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Show-cause notices have been issued to Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Huzaifa Rehman for allegedly violating the code of conduct under the Election Act 2017, Punjab Election Commissioner Sharifullah said on Thursday. A spokesperson for the provincial election commissioner said that the federal minister and the SAPM were directed to submit their explanations by November 21 (today). “No minister or advisor is allowed to run an election campaign,” the spokesperson said, warning that swift action will be taken against…

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27th Amendment empowers FCC to hear all constitutional cases: minister

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State Minister for Law Aqeel Malik said on Thursday that the 27th Amendment has vested authority to hear constitutional matters in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), not the Supreme Court (SC). Malik said the Supreme Court and the FCC had adopted their respective rules, adding: “The constitutional court has been established, and all cases of constitutional nature will now be heard by it.” He questioned why the judges had submitted their plea to the Supreme Court in the first place. According to him, the judges’ petition “should have been filed…

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Czechia appoints a new Head of the Permanent Mission in Vienna

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By Sohail Ahmed Jan Marian, a career diplomat and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed the new head of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic in Vienna. He has already received his letter of credence from Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and will take up his post on December 1, 2025. On December 4 and 5, he will attend the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Vienna in his new role. He will replace Ivo Šrámek, who has been in office since September 2018, as the Permanent Representative…

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Trump floats death penalty for Democrats urging military to refuse orders

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday evoked the death penalty for Democratic lawmakers who urged the military to refuse illegal orders, calling them traitors and accusing them of sedition. The group of Democratic senators and representatives, who all have military or intelligence service backgrounds, made the comments in a video posted Tuesday on X. They did not specify which orders they were referring to, but Trump’s administration has come under fire for its employment of US forces both at home and abroad. “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our…

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UN nuclear watchdog board passes resolution demanding answers, access from Iran

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The UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday saying Iran must inform it “without delay” of the status of its enriched uranium stock and bombed atomic sites, diplomats at the closed-door meeting said. The resolution’s purpose was primarily to renew and adjust the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mandate to report on aspects of Iran’s nuclear programme, but it also stated Iran must quickly provide the IAEA with the answers and access it wants, five months after airstrikes by Israel and the US. Iran, which says…

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PPL rebuffs reports about building ‘artificial island’

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KARACHI: Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) on Thursday dismissed claims that it was developing an offshore artificial island, clarifying that ongoing work is solely aimed at ensuring safe drilling operations in a technically challenging, tide-affected marshy region. A day earlier, Bloomberg reported that PPL is reclaiming land from the sea to create a launchpad to ramp up oil and gas exploration. The outlet quoted PPL’s General Manager Exploration and Core Business Development, Arshad Palekar, as saying that an artificial island would be created about 30 kilometres off the coast of Sindh, near Sujawal.…

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Punjab by-polls: Notices served on minister, SAPM for ‘violating’ election code of conduct

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Show-cause notices have been issued to Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Huzaifa Rehman for allegedly violating the code of conduct under the Election Act 2017, Punjab Election Commissioner Sharifullah said on Thursday. A spokesperson for the provincial election commissioner said that the federal minister and the SAPM were directed to submit their explanations by November 21 (today). “No minister or advisor is allowed to run an election campaign,” the spokesperson said, warning that swift action will be taken against…

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27th Amendment empowers FCC to hear all constitutional cases: minister

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State Minister for Law Aqeel Malik said on Thursday that the 27th Amendment has vested authority to hear constitutional matters in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), not the Supreme Court (SC). “Judges have attempted to file their petition in the Supreme Court, but the court is not the correct forum for this request,” he said while speaking on Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”. Malik said the Supreme Court and the FCC had adopted their respective rules, adding: “The constitutional court has been established, and all cases of…

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US lawmakers laud Punjab govt’s initiative to modernise brick-kiln

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ISLAMABAD: The Congressional Pakistan Caucus has applauded Punjab’s drive to modernise its brick-kiln sector, saying the reforms could serve as a pilot for eliminating bonded labour and attracting ethical foreign investment. “…we extend our sincere appreciation for your government’s visionary efforts to moderni[s]e Punjab’s brick kiln industry as a means to address environmental challenges and eliminate bonded labo[u]r,” wrote Congressmen Thomas Suozzi and Jack Bergman in a letter addressed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Citing the US State Department’s 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, the lawmakers noted that…

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