Pakistan's former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that his brother and former premier Nawaz Sharif will return to the country in October and ahead of general elections. Nawaz Sharif, 73, has been living in self-imposed exile in the UK since November 2019. He was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018. He was serving a seven-year imprisonment at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Mills case before he was allowed to proceed to London in 2019 on "medical grounds". The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo will return to Pakistan in October, Shehbaz told media persons in London, the Dawn newspaper reported. We held consultations with the senior leadership of the party, and we have decided that our quaid [leader] Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan in October, Shehbaz said, alongside his older brother. Earlier this month, former prime minister Shehbaz, 71, said that his elder brother Nawaz would return to Pakis
In a post shared on the X (formerly known as Twitter), Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed that they will meet during PML-N President's stay in the UK
This order came in the wake of criticism by the political parties, legal and political experts as well as civil society regarding adherence to the 90-day limit
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's nephew Hassaan Khan Niazi has been handed over to the military for trial over his alleged involvement in the May 9 violence, Dawn reported on Friday.
A group of people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's (PoK) Gilgi-Baltistan held protest demonstrations against the "illegal detention" of their leader Shabir Mayar by the Pakistani authorities.United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) founder Shaukat Ali Kashmiri said that demonstrations were carried out by Gilgit Baltistan United Movement, Awami Action Committee and Anzuman Tazran.The protestors condemned the "illegal detention" of their leader who was demanding opening of Kargil- Sukardu road for the reunion of divided families."Protest demonstration (Rondu, Aug 15) by Gilgit Baltistan United Movement, Awami Action Committee and Anzuman Tazran," UKPNP Chairman said on X (formerly Twitter).He added, "People of Gilgit Baltistan protesting illegal detention of leader demanding the opening of Kargil- Sukardu road for the reunion of divided families. Shabir Mayar is in detention".Earlier, the UNPNP organised a rally in Muzzafarabad in PoK asking Pakistan to comply with the August 13 ...
Shehbaz Sharif had come to power in April last year after the then-opposition ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from office through a no-confidence vote
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday the name of the caretaker premier would be finalised by Saturday, as the country's president wrote to him and the opposition leader to propose a "suitable person" for appointment by August 12. Prime Minister Sharif told journalists in Islamabad that he and opposition leader Raja Riaz would finalise the name by Saturday and the former coalition parties would also be taken on board for political consultations. Coalition partners will be taken into confidence over the matter before taking a final decision, he said. Sharif said the Constitution provided eight days for the appointment of the caretaker premier after the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA), the lower house of Parliament. According to the Constitution, the premier and the outgoing opposition leader in the NA have three days to decide the name of the interim prime minister. In case the two fail to agree on a name, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary ..
Pakistan's President Arif Alvi on Friday asked outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz to propose a name for the appointment of caretaker premier by Saturday. The premier and opposition parties began rounds of meetings to pick a caretaker prime minister following the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9. As many as six names were discussed in the meeting on Thursday, the Dawn newspaper reported, adding that Sharif and Riaz were expected to meet again on Friday for another round of deliberations. In a letter written to Sharif and Riaz, the president recalled that he had dissolved the National Assembly on the prime minister's advice on August 9. Under Provision of Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution, the president appoints the caretaker prime minister in consultation with the [outgoing] prime minister and leader of the opposition in the outgoing national assembly," the letter said, adding that both t
Pakistan President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on Wednesday at outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice, marking an end to the current government's tenure and paving the way for next general elections. The notification for the dissolution of the assembly was issued by the Aiwan-i-Sadr, which said the National Assembly was dissolved under Article 58 of the Constitution. Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif on Wednesday wrote to President Alvi and sought dissolution of the National Assembly three days before the end of its five-year constitutional term. President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly at midnight on Wednesday at outgoing Prime Minister Sharif's advice, the Dawn newspaper reported. With the dissolution of the lower house, the current government's tenure will also end prematurely. Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi said in a statement that the elected government has completed its five-year term, and his ministry had forwarded
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was poised on Wednesday to formally recommend the dissolution of the National Assembly to President Arif Alvi to pave the way for the next general elections in the country. The five-year tenure of the 342-member lower house of Parliament was scheduled to expire on August 12. On the completion of the incumbent government's term, I would send a summary to the President of Pakistan for dissolution of the National Assembly by Wednesday and then an interim government will take over," Shehbaz said on Tuesday addressing a ceremony. President Alvi can either issue a notification forthwith to dissolve the assembly or can delay it for 48 hours and after that, it will stand dissolved. It is for the second time President Alvi is dissolving the assembly. First, in April of the previous year, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan advised its dissolution, which he followed but the move was subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court. A final meeting of the federa
The premier added that consultations with the government's allies and his own party members on the matter were a "continuous process" that would be completed within a day or two
Talking to Geo News on Saturday, Tarar said a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif "unanimously" approved new census results
Pakistan's general elections could be delayed, albeit briefly, following the unanimous endorsement of the latest census results by a top constitutional body on Saturday. The Ministry of Planning in a briefing to the meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI), chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by Cabinet ministers, provincial chief ministers as well as other senior officials, showed that Pakistan's population had reached 240.10 million. All participants unanimously approved the results of the census carried out in March and April with enumerators going door to door, while people also had an option to login and register their family details. After the approval of its result, it is mandatory for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to carry out a new delimitation exercise to determine new electoral districts in the entire country for elections, which is expected to impact the 60 or 90 days period needed to hold the upcoming elections after the end of the .
India on Thursday said an environment free of terror and hostilities is imperative for normal ties with Pakistan, days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his willingness to hold talks with New Delhi. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India wants normal ties with all neighbouring countries including Pakistan and it is incumbent upon that country to create the environment. He was responding to queries relating to comments by Sharif. "We want normal ties with all the neighbouring countries including Pakistan, but for that an environment free of terror and hostilities is imperative," he said.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ruled out the possibility of the appointment of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as the caretaker prime minister, saying a "neutral person" will be selected to lead the interim government next month to make upcoming general elections transparent. Shehbaz Sharif, also the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party president indicated that Nawaz Sharif, three-time former prime minister and his elder brother, who has been living in self-imposed exile in London since 2019 will return to Pakistan in the next few weeks. The 73-year-old PML-N supremo will be the Prime Minister if the party wins the election, he said. He told Geo News that the notification of the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) would be sent to President Arif Alvi a few days ahead of the completion of the tenure of the lower house of Parliament. He maintained that the NA will complete its tenure at 12 midnight on August 12. He said the caretaker set-up would be agreed upon
Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Bajaur Blast and held a telephonic conversation with JUI-F supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Federal Minister for Communications Maulana Asad Mehmood
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the Special Assistant on Defence to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made these remarks to Hamid Mir, a journalist associated with Pakistan's Geo News
Pakistan's Cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Adaptation Plan for building resilience to climate change, which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described as a national security issue after the last year's catastrophic floods. National Adaptation Plans are widely seen as one of the most important mechanisms for adapting to climate change. They aim to reduce vulnerabilities to climate impacts by creating comprehensive medium and long-term plans, including the integration of adaptation measures into national policy. "Climate change is redefining every human experience on the planet, especially in Pakistan. In the long journey to build resilience, our government is proud to pass our country's National Adaptation Plan, which will give Pakistan the essential tools to adapt to the risks of climate stress," Sharif tweeted. "As the last year's devastating floods showed, climate change is a development, economic, human and national security issue critical to the future of our people," h
The petroleum dealers in cash-strapped Pakistan have threatened to hold a nationwide strike from Saturday as they are dissatisfied with Shehbaz Sharif-led government on its failure to increase their profit margins, a media report said on Friday. Speaking at a press conference here, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Chairman Samiullah Khan, expressed their frustration over the government's inability to raise their profit margin to 5 per cent on the sale of two major petroleum products, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Currently fixed at Rs 6 per litre (2.4 per cent), the 5 per cent margin would amount to over Rs 12 per litre, given the prevailing petrol and diesel prices of Rs 253/litre and Rs 253.50/litre, respectively, the report said. The latest fortnightly work for determining petroleum product prices, effective from July 16, indicated that the dealers were receiving Rs 7/litre instead of the claimed Rs 6/litre. However, this Rs 7 margin falls significantly sh
An accountability court in Pakistan acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his family members on Thursday in a multi-million-dollar money laundering case after the anti-corruption agency failed to provide any solid evidence against them. "An Accountability Court acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz, his wife Nusrat, his son Hamza and daughter Javaria in the PKR 7 billion money laundering case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2020," a court official told PTI. The official said the court acquitted the premier and his family members after the NAB failed to provide any solid evidence against the suspects regarding the laundering of millions of dollars abroad, especially to the United Kingdom. The official further said the court, however, declared another daughter of the premier, Rabia Imran, a proclaimed offender and issued her an arrest warrant. Rabia had left for the UK since she was named in the case.