ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the complainant and prosecution on a petition seeking the suspension of the sentence of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in Iddat case. The couple were convicted by a senior civil judge on Feb 3 for contracting marriage during Ms Bibi’s Iddat period. They were sentenced for seven years in jail with a fine of Rs500,000 each. They challenged the conviction before district and sessions judge Shahrukh Arjumand, who recused himself at a time when the hearing had been concluded and the court was supposed to announce…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the relocation of restaurants out of the National Park Area within a period of three months, including the most frequented eatery Monal, perched atop picturesque Margalla Hills. Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, a three-judge Supreme Court had taken up an appeal against the Jan 11, 2022 judgement of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding sealing and taking over the possession of the Monal Restaurant. The Supreme Court, however, rejected the appeal against the IHC order in which the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB)…
ISLAMABAD: As many as 4.5 million individuals are unemployed in the country, with the youth aged 15-24 having the highest unemployment rate of 11.1 per cent, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24 released on Tuesday. These figures are based on the 2020-21 Labour Force Survey, after which no employment survey has been conducted during the last three years, highlighting the apathetic attitude of the rulers towards such an important issue. According to the survey, the total labour force stands at 71.8m — 48.5m in rural areas and 23.3m in urban areas. The employed labour force is 67.3m: 45.7m rural and 21.5m urban,…
LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) has linked any proceedings under Punjab’s new defamation law to its final verdict on the petition challenging the law. During the hearing on Tuesday, LHC’s Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq also issued notices to the attorney general, Punjab advocate general, and the provincial government to submit their replies. The court was hearing challenges to the Punjab Defamation Act 2024 filed by journalists Riaz Ahmad Raja and Jaffar Ahmad Yar. The petitioners’ lawyer Advocate Nadeem Sarwar argued the law was against the independence of judiciary and freedom of expression. Petitioners’ lawyer questions how govt could overrule LHC CJ’s suggestions for judges appointment to…
ISLAMABAD: In an apparent U-turn from its earlier assertions that the former ruling party would only talk to ‘empowered’ stakeholders and not the ‘toothless ruling’ coalition, PTI founder Imran Khan on Tuesday ordered the party’s top brass to reach out to the government for a dialogue to end the political impasse. The change of heart came in light of remarks by the Supreme Court during a hearing of the NAB amendments case, in which the bench observed that the PTI should initiate talks with the government and resolve its issues in parliament through dialogue. Speaking to journalists outside Adiala Jail…
ISLAMABAD: Just a day before the announcement of the federal budget 2024-25, Pakistan Peoples Party — a major partner in the ruling coalition — has blamed the PML-N government for not taking PPP’s input at all while preparing the annual budget and wondered if it still wanted the ally’s support. The PPP expressed its reservations in its parliamentary committee meeting, which was presided over by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the meeting room of the National Assembly, on Tuesday. Member of the National Assembly and PPP information secretary Shazia Marri, briefing journalists after the parliamentary body meeting, said the lawmakers apprised the leadership…
Anchorperson Imran Riaz was arrested at the Lahore airport early Wednesday morning while departing for Saudi Arabia for Haj, his lawyer said. “He was arrested by unidentified people who were accompanied by policemen,” Advocate Azhar Siddique told Dawn.com, adding that a scuffle also took place at the airport. “Imran Riaz has been granted bail in all the cases registered against him,” the anchorperson’s lawyer added. Subsequently, Siddique filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking details of the first information report (FIR) under which Riaz was arrested. It is yet to be fixed before a bench for hearing. The…
The coalition government will present the country’s budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 today as it looks to strengthen the case for a new bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to state-run Radio Pakistan, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will present the budget — the country’s financial plan outlining proposed expenditures and the means of financing them — in the National Assembly at 4pm. As per the government’s tentative plan, a general debate on the budget would start on June 20 and would continue till June 24. The members will take part in the debate and voting on cut…
Rihanna provided an update on her long-awaited album, R9, hinting that fans may have to wait a bit longer for its release. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the launch party for her Fenty Hair line in Los Angeles, the singer, 36, also addressed rumours of her retirement, putting those speculations to rest. “I think that music, for me, is a new discovery,” Rihanna said. “I’m rediscovering things. I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio. I’m gonna start — give…
Céline Dion shared a harrowing experience from her Caesars Palace concert residency. Revealing to People Magazine that she felt overwhelmed and disoriented before a show. “Suddenly I started to feel the corridor getting narrower and narrower,” she recalled. “I’m holding onto the wall, and I’m like, ‘What is happening?'” Assuming it was a drop in blood sugar, she drank some orange juice and persevered, insisting, “The people have been waiting!” This incident is one of many personal struggles Dion opened up about in her new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, streaming on Prime Video from June 25. Dion, 56, recounted a chilling…
