ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to make stringent selection criteria for local and foreign scholarships to avoid misuse of funds. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training met at the HEC with MNA Mian Najeebuddin Awaisi in the chair. HEC Human Resource Development (HRD) Director GeneralAayesha Ikram briefed the committee about the scholarship programmes. She told the committee that there were 13 international and seven local scholarship programmes both for undergraduate and postgraduate levels offered by the HEC. In response to a question, she said there were one per…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
MUZAFFARABAD: The bail application of two suspects charged with harassment, extortion and criminal intimidation of a couple on the outskirts of the capital some time ago was rejected by a judicial magistrate, here the other day. On January 17, a video clip had gone viral on social media wherein two persons were seen roughing up a man at the wheel of a car in a largely uninhabited Langarpura satellite town. The man who was accompanied by a woman was heard repeatedly assuring the thugs of meeting their demand for money amid their attempts to molest the distressed female. After preliminary…
LAHORE: A special court on Thursday granted pre-arrest bail to Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza in an inquiry into the money laundering and sugar scams initiated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Hamza appeared before the Central-I court along with his legal team, while Shehbaz remained in his vehicle outside the premises following doctors’ advice in view of Covid-19. The counsel for the opposition leaders told the court that bail petitions pending before a special court for banking offences had been withdrawn. The judge allowed the bail of Shehbaz and Hamza till…
ISLAMABAD: After detection of 100 cases of Covid-19 among employees in the last one week, the administration of Polyclinic on Thursday decided to close all the outpatient departments (OPDs). Moreover, the hospital also suspended elective surgeries. However, the emergency department will remain open and emergency surgeries will be performed round the clock. According to a document of the hospital available with, due to the sharply increasing positivity rate among employees as well as patients the OPDs will remain closed from Jan 28 to Jan 31. However, doctors and staff will be on duty in their offices/wards as per the duty roster.…
KARACHI: Almost a month-long sit-in being held by the Jamaat-i-Islami outside the Sindh Assembly building in protest against the Sindh Local Government Amendment Act 2022 bore fruit late on Thursday night when the Pakistan Peoples Party government in the province agreed to further amend the law that would give back control of major administrative affairs, including health, education, water supply and sewerage system, to the local administration. The breakthrough came when Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah visited the sit-in venue and held talks with the JI leaders that led to a final agreement between the two sides. JI Karachi…
ISLAMABAD: Defending the establishment of its sailing club at Rawal Lake and farmhouses on Simly Dam road, the defence ministry has claimed that approval for land for both projects was granted by the then president and prime minister of Pakistan, respectively. An intra-court appeal filed before the Islamabad High Court, challenging a judgement passed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah — who had ordered the demolition of the sailing club and asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to take over the farmhouses — is now expected to be taken up next week by a two-member division bench. The appeal also asked…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the police action and violence against workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) during a protest against the local government law in Karachi on Wednesday and sought a report on the incident that led to the killing of a protester. “I have taken note of the violence used by Sindh police against MQM’s peaceful protest against Sindh’s LG law, & have called for a report from Interior Ministry, Sindh Chief Minister & Sindh Inspector General,” he said in a tweet on Thursday. The prime minister said action would be taken against…
The Senate on Friday approved the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill, 2021, amid strong protest from the opposition benches. The bill was passed by the upper house with the treasury benches enjoying a slight lead of 43 members over the opposition’s 42. The bill was presented by Finance Minister Senator Shaukat Tarin. The passage of the bill is one of the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the release of $1 billion to the country. The IMF board meeting is scheduled for January 28 and will take up Pakistan’s request for approval to ensure the…
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday backed the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project, saying that the government would argue in the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to scrap it. The premier visited the site of the project earlier today as part of a one-day trip to Lahore. Speaking to the media, he said that a planned city was being made for the very first time since the creation of Islamabad as a city. PM Imran said that the objective of the project was to curb the expansion of Lahore. “If Lahore continues to expand, then the…
Kristen Stewart is taking her time to plan wedding with Dylan Meyer. The 31-year-old Twilight star spoke to Tracy Smith on CBS Sunday Morning where she talked about her upcoming nuptials with fiancée Dylan Meyer. “it’ll happen when it’s supposed to happen,” said the Spencer actor while spilling beans on her wedding date. “But I also don’t want to be engaged for, like, five years,” she added. “Like, we want to do it, you know what I mean?” The process is equally scary for both the lovebirds who have not yet started their wedding planning. “No, it’s a lot. It’s…
