Pakistan

QUETTA: Prolonged gas shortages amid a severe cold spell triggered protests in parts of the provincial capital on Saturday, as residents blocked roads and burned tyres against low pressure and supply suspensions, while Siberian winds continued to lash Quetta and other towns in northern and central parts of the province following rain and snowfall last week. The severe cold has reduced gas supply in several areas, causing serious difficulties for residents trying to keep their homes warm. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been implementing loadshedding in Quetta and surrounding areas from midnight to 5am. People in Kalat, Mastung, Ziarat, Pishin and several other areas are also facing similar gas shortages amid the ongoing cold spell. However, residents say many localities in the provincial capital and its outskirts are not receiving gas properly even outside these hours. “We are getting gas for a very limited time without any timetable,” Mehmood Khan, a resident of the Sariab area, told Dawn, adding tha...

ISLAMABAD: The Su­­p­­­reme Court has imposed major disciplinary penalties on three officers of its Karachi registry for serious lapses in administrative response, and on one officer of its Lahore registry over transparency issues. According to a statement issued on Saturday, the apex court reiterated that institutional integrity, discipline, and strict adherence to prescribed procedures were non-negotiable, particularly in matters relating to official conduct and the administration of justice. In disciplinary proceedings concluded under the Supreme Court Establishment Service Rules, 2015, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi imposed ma­­jor penalties on three offi­cers of the SC’s Karachi registry. The penalties were im­­posed for serious lapses in administrative respo­nse, including delayed reporting, failure to seek timely written directions, and delays in reconstructing judicial records from available digital copies, resulting in institutional concern. Disciplinary proceedings were also concluded agains...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has taken exception to the raids by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at private healthcare centres, asking the prime minister to take notice of “aggressive”, “commando-style” searches by tax officials. In a statement, the representative body of healthcare professionals said the “unannounced and aggressive entry of FBR teams into private healthcare facilities — particularly across Punjab — has reached an intolerable level of harassment”. Such measures threaten the very fabric of healthcare delivery in the country, said PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro in a statement. “The PMA highlights that recent raids, which forced the immediate suspension of Outpatient Department (OPD) services, are not merely administrative issues; they constitute a direct interference in patient management and a violation of the sanctity of life-saving institutions,” according to the statement. It said the presence of enforcement officials in clinics “creates an atmosphere o...

NUUK: Greenland’s political parties said they did not want to be under Washington as US President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory, raising concern worldwide. The statement came after Trump repeated that Washington was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”. European capitals have been scrambling to come up with a coordinated response after the White House said this week that Trump wanted to buy Greenland and refused to rule out military action. “We don’t want to be Ame­ricans, we don’t want to be Danish, we want to be Gre­en­landers,” the leaders of five parties in Greenland’s parliament said in a joint statement. “The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders.” US president asserts Russia or China may occupy Greenland if America doesn’t They said no other country could meddle in this. “We must decide our country’s future ourselves — without pressure to make a hasty decision, without procrastination, and withou...

• Achakzai calls those violating Constitution ‘security risk’, says Nawaz sidelined for following law • Opposition alliance leaders visit Minar-i-Pakistan; supporters denied entry LAHORE: The Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) has appealed to the people to take to the streets on Feb 8 to oppose “fascism, restore the Constitution, and safeguard the country’s sovereignty”. “Those playing with the Constitution of Pakistan are a security risk,” TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said while speaking to journalists at the Lahore Press Club on Saturday. Mr Achakzai invited people from all walks of life to join the movement for the restoration of the Constitution and to take to the streets on Feb 8, marking the second anniversary of the February 2023 elections. “If we do not come out on the roads to stop fascism, restore the Constitution and the country’s sovereignty on Feb 8, we will all be responsible for Pakistan’s downfall,” he warned. Flanked by TTAP Vice Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Haqooq-i-Kha...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced the formation of a committee, headed by Planning Min­ister Ahsan Iqbal, to review the progress of federal government-sponsored development projects in Khyber Pak­h­tunkhwa. The committee will visit Peshawar and, in coordination with public representatives, review the progress of these schemes. According to the PM Office Media Wing, the premier met political representatives from KP and assured them about timely completion of ongoing Centre-funded development projects in the province. He stated that the federal government was fully aware of the problems faced by the people of KP and taking tangible steps, within its jurisdiction, to ensure sustainable solutions to those issues. A detailed discussion was also held on the overall political situation in the province and the challenges faced by the public. Matters related to public welfare, development projects and governance were discussed as well. ‘Lack of governance’ The participants informed the pri...

HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday evening rejected allegations of a ‘political-terror nexus’ in KP as he addressed journalists at the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC). The KP CM reached Hyderabad earlier today for a day-long trip to mobilise the public for a nationwide street movement. Speaking at a ‘meet the press’ event, Afridi complained that KP was being meted out “stepmotherly treatment” by institutions that were supposed to strengthen democracy in the country and claimed that the PTI government was “toppled as a result of a London plan”. Afridi said a 15-point agenda was presented before Pakistan and “everyone agreed” that a military operation was not the solution to any problem. “The actual problem is that decisions are always taken in closed rooms,” he said. Afridi further added that if a military operation were launched in KP, the provincial government would be obliged to stand with its people. “I have asked my administration to facilitate all those people, whether they...

Says govt 'fully aware' of problems faced by province

.

.

.

.

ISLAMABAD - The government on Saturday decided to pursue an emergency action plan to address the worsening water crisis in the federal capital.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reaffirmed that institutional discipline, integrity and strict adherence to procedural rules remain non-negotiable, particularly in matters relating to official conduct and the administration of justice.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Saturday arrived in Jeddah from Madinah.

KARACHI - The Sindh government on Saturday officially allowed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a public rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Karachi.

ISLAMABAD - The continuous delay in Local Government elections in the federal capital has become an enigma.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Navy on Saturday demonstrated its operational readiness and combat preparedness through a comprehensive exercise in the North Arabian Sea, showcasing both conventional and unmanned capabilities, as per dictates of evolving naval warfare.

ISLAMABAD - For the safety and security, Pakistani nationals were advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until conditions improve, the Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson said in a press statement on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that timely completion of ongoing federal government funded development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the resolution of public issues were among the top priorities of the incumbent federal government.