New York: A recent study reveals that babies born during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic do not face a higher risk of autism, even if they were in utero during that time. Dr. Dani Dimitriou, an associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Columbia University in New York City, emphasized that this research offers reassurance to doctors and parents concerned about the developmental health of children born during the pandemic. In a university news release, Dr. Dimitriou explained that while maternal stress during pregnancy—whether from infections or other factors—can increase the risk of autism, the study found no…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
Former Governor of Punjab and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Umar Sarfraz Cheema has filed a bail petition in the Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore regarding the case of the arson at the Military Tower. Umar Sarfraz Cheema submitted the bail application through his lawyer. In the petition, he stated that he is not involved in the arson incident and has been named in the case on political grounds. He requested the court to approve his bail application and order his release. It is noteworthy that following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case from the premises…
Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). According to Dawn News, Lieutenant General Malik will assume his new responsibilities on September 30. He is currently serving as the Adjutant General at the General Headquarters (GHQ). Previously, Lieutenant General Malik commanded an infantry division in Balochistan and an infantry brigade in Waziristan. He has also received an honorary sword during his course. Additionally, he has served as the Chief Instructor at the National Defence University (NDU) and as an instructor at the Command and Staff College in Quetta. Lieutenant General…
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a detailed ruling regarding the reserved seats of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), declaring the Election Commission’s March 1 decision unconstitutional. The 70-page ruling was authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. The detailed ruling states that the Supreme Court nullifies the Peshawar High Court’s decision. It emphasizes that the largest stakeholder in elections is the public and that electoral disputes are fundamentally different from other civil disputes. The court expressed confusion over how so many independent candidates could succeed in a parliamentary democracy based on political parties. Legal experts have provided their insights on…
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has released a detailed ruling regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s reserved seats, declaring that the Election Commission’s decision from March 1 is unconstitutional. According to Dawn News, the 70-page detailed ruling was authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. The Supreme Court also ordered that the majority ruling regarding the reserved seats be published in Urdu and uploaded to the website as part of the case record. The ruling states that the Supreme Court nullifies the Peshawar High Court’s decision. It emphasizes that the largest stakeholder in elections is the public and that electoral disputes…
Islamabad: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that despite the Supreme Court’s detailed ruling, the constitutional issue remains that the distribution of seats must be decided according to national law. He emphasized that the detailed decision does not address how these seats should be allocated under the existing laws of Pakistan. The Supreme Court of Pakistan recently issued a detailed verdict regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s reserved seats, declaring that the Election Commission’s decision from March 1 is unconstitutional and holds no legal standing. During a press conference, Tarar noted that the law still requires that if a candidate…
Karachi: The prices of gold have decreased in both international and local markets. In the international bullion market, the price of gold per ounce dropped by $5, bringing the new global price to $2,617 per ounce. Meanwhile, in local bullion markets, on the first business day of the week, the price of 24-carat gold decreased by PKR 600, resulting in a new price of PKR 271,900 per tola. Similarly, the price of gold per 10 grams in the country fell by PKR 471, bringing the new price to PKR 233,110. In contrast to the decline in gold prices, the price…
Islamabad: The State Bank has been asked to provide a detailed report regarding commercial banks earning PKR 65 billion by selling expensive dollars. During a meeting of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee, Chairman Safullah Abro stated that in 2022, Ishaq Dar had claimed that banks made PKR 65 billion, which is public money that should be returned. He directed economic officials to recover this amount from the banks involved. Senator Kamran Murtaza questioned whether anyone had been held accountable for selling expensive dollars. State Bank officials explained that regulatory violations had occurred on the part of the banks, and a…
Karachi: Despite positive economic indicators, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a downturn on Monday, breaking a six-day rally and causing the index to fall below the psychological level of 82,000 points. The decline led to a drop in the prices of 54% of shares, resulting in a loss of approximately PKR 14.86 billion for investors. Trading began positively, with the index rising by as much as 389 points at one stage. However, following the Supreme Court’s detailed ruling on specific seats, a trend towards immediate profit-taking emerged, leading to a flurry of share offloading that turned the earlier gains…
The federal government has raised the house rent allowance limit for all employees from grade one to 22 by 45% in six cities, with the highest increase allocated for Islamabad. According to a report by Dawn, the notification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Works states that the revised rent limits will apply to employees and officers of federal ministries, divisions, attached departments, and sub-offices located in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar. Under the revised rates, the rent limit for grade 22 employees in Islamabad is set at PKR 142,743 per month, while for all other cities…
