All posts by : Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Palwasha Khan has questioned whether a referendum can override the procedure laid down in the Constitution.

Speaking on the matter, the PPP senator said referendums had a poor reputation in the country and asked when political governments had held referendums.

“When the procedure is provided in the Constitution, can a referendum override it?” she questioned.

Palwasha Khan said the PPP had maintained from the very beginning that the wishes of the people of an area should be respected.

She also said that the Senate session had been expected to begin from September 17, but discussion on the matter was taking place everywhere except where it should.

The PPP senator further said that her party had not treated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the manner in which the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had treated it in Lahore.

Also Read: Bilawal Says Real Battle Is Between Islamabad and Lahore, Not PPP and PML-N

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to appoint Asim Iftikhar Ahmed as Pakistan’s new Foreign Secretary.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, would serve as the new Foreign Secretary.

Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch is set to retire from government service on September 17, 2026. Following her retirement, she will assume responsibilities as Pakistan’s ambassador to Türkiye.

Ishaq Dar said the Foreign Office would continue to advance Pakistan’s interests in a professional manner under the leadership of Asim Iftikhar Ahmed.

Also Read: Sajjid Haider Khan Named Pakistan’s New Foreign Office Spokesperson

ISLAMABAD: Meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights turned heated as Abid Sher Ali and Aimal Wali Khan exchanged sharp words during the proceedings.

The two lawmakers engaged in a verbal spat, with Abid Sher Ali telling Aimal Wali that he did not care and was not saying anything wrong, while asking him to speak in an appropriate manner.

Responding to him, Aimal Wali Khan said he was speaking appropriately and asked Abid Sher Ali to do the same.

Qurrat-ul-Ain Marri and other committee members attempted to intervene and defuse the situation between the two lawmakers.

Also Read: State Bank Considering Withdrawal of Rs10 Currency Note, Senate Committee Told

The exchange reportedly followed Abid Sher Ali’s displeasure over tough questions directed at officials of Suthra Punjab by committee members and the chairperson.

During the proceedings, Abid Sher Ali told Aimal Wali that he was not allowing the officials to give their briefing. Aimal Wali responded by asking, “You will teach me? Who are you?”

Abid Sher Ali then replied, “If I am nothing, then who are you?”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has reacted to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s statement regarding terrorism, saying he did not expect such remarks from her.

Barrister Gohar said making what he described as an irresponsible statement against another province would further increase tensions in the country.

He said that, on the one hand, it was being stated that India’s intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was behind terrorism, while on the other hand, Maryam Nawaz had made what he called an irresponsible statement regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and terrorism.

“Terrorism should not exist in the country under any circumstances,” Barrister Gohar said, stressing that the National Action Plan should be implemented.

The PTI chairman also said that if meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan had been allowed, the country’s circumstances would have moved towards improvement.

He said the treatment meted out to Imran Khan had no precedent in the country’s political history and described the alleged inhumane treatment of the former prime minister as extremely regrettable.

Barrister Gohar said that despite clear orders from the judiciary, the decisions had not been implemented.

Also Read: White House Says No Talks Underway With Iran, All Options Remain on Table

He claimed that Imran Khan had neither been shifted to a hospital in compliance with court orders nor were meetings with him being allowed.

“Earlier, our petitions were not being heard; when they were finally heard, the orders were not implemented,” he said, adding that judicial directives regarding meetings remained pending even now.

Barrister Gohar further said that the High Court had issued a clear order regarding allowing Imran Khan to speak to his children.

The PTI chairman also said that his party had never used provincial resources for political purposes and would not do so in the future.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said that Islamabad is not being turned into a new province and that the federal capital’s status will remain unchanged.

Speaking during a private television programme, Chaudhry said there was no need for a chief minister in Islamabad. He said the head of the city could be called a mayor or lord mayor, but an empowered assembly would function under the local government and would have the authority to legislate.

Chaudhry said that no matter how empowered a local government system was, it could not serve as a substitute for provincial assemblies.

He said around Rs8 billion is collected annually from vehicles in Islamabad, while property and Capital Development Authority (CDA) taxes are collected separately.

The minister clarified that the government was not introducing any new tax in Islamabad. He argued that if the taxes already being collected were spent on Islamabad, nothing could stop the capital from becoming “Paris.”

Chaudhry stressed that Islamabad should have an empowered legislative assembly.

Also Read: White House Says No Talks Underway With Iran, All Options Remain on Table

Shafi Jan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan said that local government elections had not been held in Islamabad for several years.

He said the system would be “reset from Adiala,” apparently referring to Adiala Jail.

Jan said that if new provinces were to be created, the founder should be released so that he could take the nation into confidence.

He claimed that President Asif Ali Zardari was “living to make Bilawal Bhutto the prime minister” and criticised the Punjab government, saying that Punjab faced a threat from incompetence.

Jan said former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar was better than Maryam Nawaz and claimed that the PML-N would eventually “stand in line” to vote in favour of new provinces.

He said the government had time until March and warned that if an agreement was not reached, a new budget could not be presented. He also said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was becoming “a misfit.”

Jan further alleged that Maryam Nawaz had made fun of their martyrs and demanded that she apologise for her remarks.