Former premier Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N on Wednesday said that it would finalise its response, to a constitutional reforms package drawn up by its ally Pakistan People's Party to clip the sweeping powers of President Pervez Musharraf, by Thursday.A committee formed by Sharif to examine the package met for the second time in the day and its chairman Raja Zafrul Haq said the panel had completed reviewing two-thirds of the contents of the package.
Asked about the PPP's move to link the restoration of judges with a Constitutional package for judicial reforms, Sharif said the two could not be linked. "We have been discussing both since Wednesday and that (Constitutional package) is a separate issue. The restoration (of the judges) will take place through a resolution," Sharif said after a meeting with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
Pakistan's popular hill station Murree was declared a calamity-hit area on Saturday after at least 21 people, including nine children, froze to death in their vehicles due to unprecedented snowfall and rush of tourists to the picturesque town in Punjab province.
Pakistan's National Assembly resumed its crucial session on Monday after a two-day recess where Opposition is likely to formally table the no-trust motion against embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan amidst fluid political situation in the country.
Authorities arrange helicopters to shift Sharif to jail; 300 PML-N workers arrested.
The meeting is being speculated to have revolved around the recent political developments in the country, with the local media reporting that the agenda of the meeting could have revolved around the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) summit in Pakistan, the ongoing unrest in Balochistan and the upcoming no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
Officially confirming Sharif's deportation hours after he landed in Islamabad from London after a seven-year exile, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said "It is in the supreme interest of the country".
As clamours for his resignation mounted with withdrawal of support from his key ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan's beleaguered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday reached out to the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam in desperate attempts to shore up his government.
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has accused the ruling Pakistan People's Party and main opposition Pakistan Musolim League-Nawaz of providing 'refuge' to terrorists of banned groups, including the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and making seat adjustments with them for the upcoming general election.
The Opposition parties need 172 members in the 342-member house to orchestrate the downfall of Prime Minister Khan.
PTI leader Naeenul Haq told media on Saturday night that consultations are on to complete the number game.
Demonstrators took to the streets to protest against what they called the rigged election in which Pakistan ruling party is said to be winning, and erected barricades to block the movement, Dawn reported.
The arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was "illegal" and a "witch-hunt", a special court in Mumbai said on Wednesday while granting him bail in the Patra Chawl redevelopment matter.
The move came hours after Khan was removed from office through a no-confidence vote held early Sunday morning, becoming the first premier in the country's history to be sent home after losing the trust of the House.
The newly-elected National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, is meeting to elect the prime minister.
'The army has been open about its determination to keep the PML-Nawaz out of power at all costs.' 'Both the military and the higher judiciary have indicated a preference for Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik e Insaaf,' says Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan Desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Angina is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.
Scores of PTI workers and policemen suffered injuries in the violent clashes. So far, no casualty has been reported.
Pakistan's ARY news channel on Wednesday reported that the police in Karachi arrested its head and registered an FIR against the CEO and others in connection with some controversial remarks made by opposition party leader Shahbaz Gill during a news programme.
Khan, in the same breath, praised the Army, saying "Pakistan needs the Armed forces more than Imran Khan."
This year saw no improvement in bilateral ties as India accused Pakistan of cross-border infiltration and re-activation of terror-launching pads near the LoC.
If the parliamentary representation of radical Islamic parties goes up dramatically in 2018, what will this do to Pakistan's army?
Chaudhry, the former information minister, said that the decision was taken in a meeting of the lawmakers of the party ahead of prime minister's elections for which the party has nominated ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
At a luncheon hosted by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for newly elected Parliamentarians, leaders of the three parties said they would support each other to form the federal government and to change the establishment to ensure that the military no longer had a role in Pakistan's politics.
The remarks of Maryam came after Khan called India a "nation with a great sense of honour".
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, 70, who is the Opposition's candidate for the new prime minister, will announce his possible government priorities after taking the oath.
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif does not rule out the possibility of forming a national government, including representatives of rival PPP, even if his party wins the coming elections.
The Supreme Court has agreed to examine the legal issue of whether the Enforcement Directorate can attach ancestral properties of the accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as 'proceeds of crime.'
Umar Mushtaq dissects the prospects of the pro-Musharraf party and says even if it wins the January elections, it will only have a razor thin majority.
With the maulana fully committed and PML (N) cadres prepared to court arrest, this would be the first time where both Punjabis and Pakhtuns would be standing up against the Pakistan army, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Bengal, where the electoral discourse has mostly steered clear of divisive agenda, has been drawn into the vortex with the TMC and the BJP accusing each other of fanning communal sentiments ahead of elections.
PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that they have the required numbers to form government.
Pakistan Muslim League - Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has emerged as a mediator between Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani after differences between Pakistan's civilian government and the powerful military seemed to reach at point of no return. Hussain, who served as prime minister during Pervez Musharraf's reign, is considered to be close to the security establishment and is known for his links with the armyThe lead
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, eminent personalities, politicians described Lata Mangeshkar as the "nightingale of the subcontinent"
'It has a natural inclination to foster as much competition among civilian politicians as possible.'
Smaller parties in Pakistan have launched a bid to patch up differences between President Asif Ali Zardari and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif before matters reach a point of no return.
Nine candidates on Wednesday filed nominations for Pakistan's presidential election, with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's India-born nominee Mamnoon Hussain emerging a clear frontrunner for the poll to be held on July 30.
According to the short order, Sharif will have to submit two surety bonds worth Rs 10 million each for his release in the case.
Pakistan's Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday nominated himself for the post of prime minister, while Imran Khan's party threatened to withdraw its lawmakers from Parliament if the former Punjab chief minister was allowed to contest the election for the top post on Monday.
