BAS BOHUT HO GYA

LAHORE: Announcing 11-point election manifesto to safeguard Pakistan against corruption, abuse of power and injustice, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan urged the nation on Sunday to stand by him in the struggle to materialise the dream of “one Pakistan”.“Whenever I gave a call, you never disappointed me. Therefore, today I pledge that I’ll stand by the nation till the last drop of blood in my body,” said the PTI chairman while addressing a big public gathering at Greater Iqbal Park here.He told the crowed that “it was time to think big, time to change their destiny and time to build a new Pakistan.”Talking of menace of corruption in the country, the PTI chairman asked the crowed if they ever heard that any party expelled its parliamentarians over corruption. “But I expelled 20 MPAs of my party over corruption,” he added. “They swore on holy book (about their innocence), but you come to me and I will show you they country (currency) notes.”Senior party leaders including Vice...

KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday came down hard on political rival PTI Chairman Imran Khan, saying that the latter was pursuing politics of hatred introduced by the MQM founder.“Both, Imran and the MQM founder, are a reflection of one another. Karachi was controlled by London in the past and now Imran plans to run the affairs of this city from [his residence in] Bani Gala,” Bilawal said while addressing a party rally at Liaquatabad’s Tanki Ground.He said that one leader would apologise through his speeches, while the other was habitual of making ‘U-turns’.“Imran was unable to create the naya [new] Pakistan he had promised and now raises the slogan of one Pakistan,” said the PPP chairman.Bilawal continued to lash at the PTI, saying that Imran was neither able to create a new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nor establish a single university or hospital in the province.“Khan sahib was unable to create ‘one Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’,’ he said. ‘Where was the ‘one Pakistan’ when you wer...

LAHORE: A meeting of senior leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was held here under the chairmanship of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his Jati Umra residence on Sunday. The party supremo directed the leadership to launch a full-fledged campaign for the election 2018 and pacifying the disgruntled and angry party activists and leaders. The meeting chalked out a strategy for contesting general elections of 2018, distribution of tickets, cases in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the public contact campaign. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique and Hamza Shahbaz. The meeting participants exchanged views on the present scenario of the country and party matters. Nawaz Sharif directed the key leaders of the party to accelerate the public contact campaign. He constituted a three-member committee consisting of Hamza Shahbaz, Ashfaq Sarwar and ...

ISLAMABAD: The 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project is no more functional, as unit 4 that came on stream soon after inauguration by the prime minister on April 13 has stopped generating power. The unit 4 is designed to generate 242 Mega Watt power. The Tarbela- 4 project of 1410MW inaugurated by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is also not generating power. The chart of National Power Control Cell (NPPC) available with The News showing generation by the power houses as of Sunday clearly shows that Neelum-Jhelum and Tarbela-4 projects are not feeding power to the national grid.The power situation has worsened further, as the RLNG power plants of 3600MW installed in the Punjab have delayed further.Out of them, two projects — one at Haveli Bahadur Shah and another at Balluki — may come on stream by May 13, but authorities at the second floor of Bloc-A of Islamabad Secretariat are still not 100 percent sure in this regard.The earlier commissioning date for Haveli Bahadur Shah RLNG pla...

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan(CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took strong exception to a deputy inspector general’s attempt at securing an undue favour by appealing to his son-in-law in a child custody case.DIG Ghulam Mahmood Dogar had approached his son-in-law for a favour. Coming to know about it, the CJP summoned the police officer at apex court’s Lahore Registry on Sunday and reprimanded him. He also sought appearance of his son-in-law to give an explanation regarding the DIG's attempt to seek an influence through him.The country’s top judge was hearing a case, filed against DIG Dogar at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry. His former wife, a Canadian national, had moved the apex court over placing her and her children’s names on the exit control list (ECL).Reportedly, Dogar wanted his ex-wife and children’s name to remain on the no-fly list.Expressing his displeasure, CJP Nisar questioned the DIG’s audacity to seek an undue favour through the chief justice’s son-in-law, Khal...

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the PML-N rules the hearts due to its performance while no significant project was started in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and now people have recognised these ‘exploiters’ who obstructed the development process during the last five years.The performance of those who claim making new Pakistan is in front of everyone as these elements have betrayed the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the name of change. He said in 2018 elections, people will vote on the basis of performance only. Owing to selfless public service and development projects, we will win the next elections, he added. Shahbaz said the PML-N politics is the politics of public service as the party has genuinely served the people in the last five years.Meanwhile, the chief minister congratulated Shah Mohammad Shah and Saleem Zia on their election as president and general secretary of the PML-N Sindh. from The News International - Top Story https://ift.tt/2r8LM3v

MARDAN: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday the country’s politics and parliament were under international pressure.He said the United Nations has failed to stop the killing of innocent people in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK), Syria, Libya, Palestine, Iraq and other Muslim countries.He was addressing Mohib Baba Jee Conference at Railway Ground in Mardan.Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Senator Sirajul Haq and Federal Minister Akram Khan Durrani also addressed the conference while Shah Owais Noorani and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leaders and madrassa students were present in a large number.The Maulana came down hard on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and accused him of furthering the agenda of the Jewish lobby.Addressing the conference, Sirajul Haq criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and said that NAB did not take action against the big guns. "We don't need such type of accountability," he added.The JUI-F...

ISLAMABAD: In order to shore up depleting foreign currency reserves, Pakistan plans to secure $2 to $3 billion from China as safe deposits and launching of sovereign Eurobond worth $2.5 billion for avoiding plunging into another balance of payment crisis in the next fiscal year 2018-19, The News has learnt.Sources said that Pakistan has made formal requests to China and Saudi Arabia for bailing it out and there were strong expectations that China would respond positively by granting $2 to $3 billion. When balance of payment crisis erupts in any country, the door of IMF is knocked as last resort.“We are expecting something even earlier and I cannot disclose beyond this,” a top official told The News.According to the budget 2018-19 documents, Pakistan plans to obtain over $10 billion equivalent to Rs1.118 trillion in shape of external loans and grants from all multilateral and bilateral creditors against revised estimates of Rs1.81 trillion.Pakistan’s reliance on short term commercial bo...

SWABI: The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Sherpao said on Sunday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had failed to deliver.He was addressing a public gathering here which was attended by QWP workers from across the district and other KP areas. It marked the launching of the election campaign in the district.He said the ruling party in KP claimed to make anew KP but it could not bring any change in the lives of people. The QWP chief said the PTI relied only on lip-service, and had done nothing on the ground for the welfare of the people. He said the PTI chief Imran Khan has pushed the Pakhtuns back.Sherpao said the budget presented by the federal government was for Punjab only and there was nothing for KP, the province that has suffered to the core in the war on terror. He said the federal budget was a political one.He said the Pakhtuns had rendered sacrifices for the country but unfortunately their rights had been denied by the federal gover...

ISLAMABAD: The Indian fishing boat crew raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans as Pakistan Navy ship rescued them in open sea.Pakistan Navy Ship Alamgir (Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate) while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSOs) in Gulf of Aden undertook successful rescue operation of a stranded Indian fishing dhow “St Marys”. The Indian fishing boat which sailed from Indian port of Colochel was reported to become non-operational due to loss of engine propulsion in open sea near Salalah (Oman) for last 8 days with 12 crew men onboard.On receipt of information and request for help about the fishing dhow, Pakistan Navy ship was promptly dispatched which through its technical team rectified the defect in the boat and made it operational and sea worthy.Rectification of defect required miscellaneous repairs including gearbox removal and refixing followed by alignments and repairs through improvised solutions by technical team onboard the Indian boat. The stranded boat crew ...

LONDON: The International Criminal Police Organisation (known as Interpol) has turned down Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s request to issue arrest warrants for Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani who is now based in Washington.The News has received an official copy of the Interpol letter that confirms that it has not issued an arrest warrant for Haqqani and that he’s not a person of interest to Interpol.“The General Secretariat of the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, hereby certifies that as of today (April 18, 2018), Mr Husain Haqqani, born on July 1, 1956, is not subject to an Interpol Blue Notice or diffusion and is not known in Interpol’s data basis,” a letter issued by Interpol’s office of legal affairs says.The Interpol confirmed it had issued the certificate on the request of Haqqani’s lawyer amid newspaper reports in Pakistan that DG FIA went to Interpol headquarters in Lyon to seek warrants for his arrest.In the last week of March, C...

ISLAMABAD: While a US diplomat is already facing travel restrictions after killing a young man in a road accident in the federal capital, another US diplomat rammed his jeep into two bike riders near the Secretariat Chowk Sunday night injuring them seriously.In the first incident, 22-year-old Ateeq Baig was killed after being hit by the vehicle of US diplomat Col Joseph Emmanuel near Daman-e-Koh Chowk on April 7. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had taken notice of the incident and sent a notice to the Interior Ministry. The ministry submitted a report to a bench of Islamabad High Court, stating that Col Joseph had been blacklisted and travel restrictions placed on him.The two bikers, injured on Sunday, were shifted to PIMS in critical condition, while the diplomatic vehicle was seized and taken to the police station. As per preliminary information, the accused is Second Secretary with the US embassy. The diplomat was heading towards a local hotel when he rammed his jeep (QN-734) into th...

LAHORE: Announcing 11-point election manifesto to safeguard Pakistan against corruption, abuse of power and injustice, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan urged the nation on Sunday to stand by him in the struggle to materialise the dream of “one Pakistan”.“Whenever I gave a call, you never disappointed me. Therefore, today I pledge that I’ll stand by the nation till the last drop of blood in my body,” said the PTI chairman while addressing a big public gathering at Greater Iqbal Park here.He told the crowed that “it was time to think big, time to change their destiny and time to build a new Pakistan.”Talking of menace of corruption in the country, the PTI chairman asked the crowed if they ever heard that any party expelled its parliamentarians over corruption. “But I expelled 20 MPAs of my party over corruption,” he added. “They swore on holy book (about their innocence), but you come to me and will show you they country (currency) notes.”Senior party leaders including Vice C...

ISLAMABAD: Another incident of hitting bikers occurred in Islamabad when a US diplomat’s vehicle struck a bike, injuring two persons late on Sunday. While police have released the diplomat from the Secretariat Police Station after a brief detention. As per details, US diplomat Chad Rex Ausburn, who struck bikers on Sunday night in a fresh incident, has been released from Secretariat Police Station after a brief detention. Soon after the accident, area police arrived at the scene and took US official into custody. Shortly after, several locals and foreigners arrived in the Police Station after that he was released. The injured were immediately were shifted to nearby medical facility where their condition is said to be stable.This is the forth road accident in recent years in which US diplomats have hit and killed or injured people in Islamabad. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2ra4APF

LAHORE : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) displayed a strong show of power  at Minar-e-Pakistan, as thousands of party supporters and workers from all over the country gathered at the Greater Iqbal Park. Senior party leaders  Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkha Pervaiz Khattak, former Punjab governor Ch Sarwar, Senator Faisal Javed, MNA Shireen Mazari, PTI Balochistan President Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, KP Speaker Asad Qaiser,  Fawad Chaudhry and others attended the rally.Starting with national anthem, Khan said today he will give the nation an 11-point agenda for a "Naya Pakistan". PTI chief vowed to fight till the last drop of his blood for the rights of Pakistanis.Explaining how the country is being ruined and put under debt trap, PTI chairman blamed previous governments for the precarious economic situation.PTI chairman Imran Khan outlined a 11-point reforms programme to usher in a new era of prosperity as he  contemplates for the country after coming in power.Im...

LAHORE: Local medical stores remained closed on Sunday on the fourth consecutive day of strike imposed by Pakistan Chemists and Druggist Association (PCDA) against Punjab Drug Act 2017.The strike, which is being observed against the government-proposed amendment in the Drug Act, has led to closure of medical stores in various cities across Punjab, including Multan, Gujranwala, Kabirwala, Rajanpur, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang and Bahawalpur. The strike is to continue reportedly till provincial government revokes enforcement of the amendment, informed various medical shop owners. Punjab Drug Act 2017 amendment that has caused resistance from medical shop owners had previously declared it mandatory for every medical shop to seat a certified pharmacist at all times, including maintenance of hygiene at all stores, failing which will subject them to heavy penalties. The amendment also announced increased penalties in case of fake medicines’ sales, leading to 3-10 years of imprisonment for manufac...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy Ship ‘Alamgir’ (Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate) successfully rescued a stranded Indian fishing dhow named ‘St. Marys’ via a rescue operation while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSOs) in Gulf of Aden. The boat which sailed from Indian port of Colochel had reportedly become non-operational due to loss of engine propulsion in open sea near Salalah (Oman) for last 8 days with 12 crew members on-board. On receipt of information and request for help from the fishing dhow, Pakistan Navy Ship was promptly dispatched which through its technical team repaired the boat, removed its defect and made it seaworthy. The rectification of defect required miscellaneous repairs including gearbox removal and re-fixing followed by alignments and repairs through improvised solutions by technical team on-board the Indian boat.The stranded boat crew was dehydrated and also required medical care and edibles. Pakistan Navy Ship rescue team provided it the necessary edibles ...

LAHORE: Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on Sunday took notice of hefty salaries of employees working at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI).Hearing various cases at the Lahore Registry of Supreme Court, the CJP sought complete report, along with a list of doctors hired by the health facility detailing their salaries and privileges.The apex court also sought details of the service structure of the institute’s employees, further ordering the Chief Secretary to submit the report by evening today.The CJP observed that he was informed about PKLI appointing its doctors at a hefty salary of Rs.1.5 million each. Earlier last month, Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute had come under strict scrutiny after it was observed that the salaries of doctors employed there varied greatly from those of working at government hospitals. Hearing the case, the Chief Justice comparing the salaries of both, remarked that PKLI pays its doctors a high wage of Rs. 1.5 million, as compared to doctors appointed at ...

LAHORE: Supreme Court Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Sunday summoned his son-in-law Khalid Rehman and forced him to apologize for seeking favour for a police officer.According to Geo News, the chief justice was hearing an application filed by an ex-wife of Deputy Inspector General Police Ghulam Mehmood Dogar who had approached the court after being put on the Exit Control List along with her children. The CJ also reprimanded the DIG for asking his son-in-law for the favour."How dare you think you can get a  favour by involving my family member . Who gave you that advice," he asked the DIG."I am waging a Jihad," he said.Shortly after being summoned, the son-in-law of the top judge appeared before the court  and sought forgiveness."You may be my son-in-law at home, but here you are appearing before Chief Justice of Pakistan," he told Khalid Rehman.Justice Saqib Nisar asked the DIG to disclose the name of the person who advised him to approach his son-in-l...

KAMRA:  The sprawling complex at Kamra, west of Islamabad, reverbates at the thundering take-off of a Mirage Rose-1, the latest ageing fighter jet to have been gutted and reassembled by the Pakistani Air Force.Fifty years after Pakistan bought its first Mirages, many planes in the venerable fleet are still being patched up, overhauled and upgraded for use in combat, years after conventional wisdom dictates they should be grounded.That includes one of the first two planes originally purchased from France´s Dassault in 1967, which was in a hangar at Kamra after its record fifth overhaul when AFP visited recently. In this picture taken on December 27, 2017, technicians work on a Mirage aircraft during a full overhaul by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra.-AFPThe techniques they have developed are reminiscent of -- but far more high-tech and lethal than -- the improvised methods used to keep classic American cars running on the streets of Havana....

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said that the PTI rally, scheduled to be held on April 30 at Minar-e-Pakistan, will witness the mother of all jalsas.He said this while visiting the venue of the event last night. “Never have I witnessed such junoon at jalsagah a night before our jalsa. InshaAllah, tomorrow Minar-i-Pakistan will witness the mother of all jalsas”. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2KmyEQV

Citizens should make maximum use of Rung Road for their movement: Roy Ejaz AhmedThe way will be kept clear for ambulances and other emergency vehicles: Roy Ejaz Ahmed Open routes for traffic1- Lahore Rung Road, Lower Mall Road, Outfall road are open for all types of traffic2- Mall Road, Jail Road, Canal Road and Ferozpur Road are open for all kinds of traffic.3- The road from Shahdra Chowk to Old Ravi Bridge are also open for traffic.Alternate routes1- Traffic from Mall Road, Secretariat to Shahdra Chowk can now move from Zila Kutchehry Chowk to Outfall Road and from Saggian to Rung Road and AlSaeed Chowk.2- For going from Shahdra Chowk to Lower Mall and Mall Road, citizens can use the routes from Saggian Outfall Road to Kutchehry Chowk via Rung Road.Heavy traffic will be diverted from following points to alternate routes:1-Kala Shah Kaku, 2- Kot Abdul Malik, 3- Faizpur Inter-change, 4- Dosako Chowk, 5- AlSaeed Chowk, 6- Shahdra Chowk, 7- Begum Kot Chowk and 8- Barkat PaliParking arran...

Federal Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail briefs the media persons during post budget press conference. -APPISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail Saturday said the federal budget for the year 2018-19 was balanced and focused on maintaining growth momentum gained during last five years, dispelling the impression that the government eyed on the upcoming election in the fiscal plan.Addressing the Post Budget Press Conference along with Advisor to the Prime Minister on Revenues Haroon Akhtar Khan, Federal Secretary Finance Arif Khan and Chairman Board of Revenue (FBR) Tariq Pasha, the minister said the budget was growth and relief-oriented.He said that it was the 6th budget of the incumbent government and efforts were made to provide maximum relief to the people.The government, he said, had proposed several measures for the uplift of industrial sector. Special incentives were provided to the manufacturing sector for enhancing exports, with imposition of duties to discourag...

KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has accused the Federal Board of Revenue of double taxation after the tax authorities raised a demand of Rs4.32 billion income tax and withholding tax on goods against various departments of the Sindh government. This, he said, while presiding over a meeting today here at the CM House to decide the matter pertaining to FBR, RTO-III, Karachi that has raised a demand of thousands of rupees against various Sindh government departments/offices on account of payment of various taxes. Quoting the case of jute bags for food department, the chief minister said that the FBR has issued notices for recovery of RS260.4 million Income Tax with regard to purchase of jute bags, PP bags and tarpaulin during tax year, 2010-11 to 2015-16.He said that as a matter of fact the Jute industry is exempted from Income Tax according to a SRO issued by the federal government. He said that as regards, the PP bags etc. the Accountant General Sindh, at the time of payment...

According to DIG Quetta, the armed men targeted the shopkeepers at electronics market who succumbed to the injuries at the spot.The police official said that the bodies of nephew and uncle were shifted to Civil Hospital for autopsy.A search operation has been launched after the incident. The police said that it could be due to personal rivalry as well but the investigation is still underway and nothing can be said conclusively at the point from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2r685aK

KARACHI: Pakistan will get a loan of $1 billion from commercial bank of a friendly country to shore up fast depleting foreign currency reserves, Geo News quoted sources in State Bank of Pakistan as saying.Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves decreased to $17.13 billion in the week ending April 20, compared to $17.54 billion in the previous week, the SBP said on Thursday. After the loan, the reserves would cross $18 billion mark.There were no more details available in this regard, however, a news story in this paper last month had stated that the government is all set to ‘secure commercial loan of $1 billion to $1.5 billion from Chinese banks within the next two weeks’.The country had already raised $1.77 billion short-term commercial loans from various foreign banks, mainly Chinese, against a target of $1 billion for the current fiscal year of 2017/18.With the upcoming transaction, total short-term debt might go close to $3 billion mark.“The planned short-term loan transactions wou...

Pakistan's World Cup winning hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed has been offered free of coast heart transplant surgery by a private Indian hospital, according Indian media.The offered has been made by the Fortis Group of Hospitals that assured him that the entire treatment would be free of cost, The Times of Indian reported.The offer came less than a week afterr Mansoor Ahmed made an emotional plea to the Indian government to grant him visa on medical grounds.He, however, had made it clear that he was not looking for financial assistance. According to the Times, Dr S Narayani, zonal director, Fortis (Mumbai) told Mumbai Mirror that the group will register Ahmed for a heart transplant in Mumbai and Chennai. “Once he gets a clearance from the government, we can get an assessment done to confirm whether he is fit enough to travel,” Dr Narayani said. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2Fonnw0

The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital has been accredited by US Joint Commission International, according to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan who has built the medical facility.The former cricket hero and philanthropist took to Twitter on Saturday and wrote "Today is one of the happiest & most fulfilling days of my life as I see SKMCH accredited by US Joint Commission International. This means that after a thorough audit lasting for days, SKMCH has been recognised internationally as a provider of world class services."According to Shaukat Khanum's website "Accreditation is a process in which an entity, separate and distinct from the health care organization, usually nongovernmental, assesses the health care organization to determine if it meets a set of requirements designed to improve quality of care. The initial accreditation survey by the US based Joint Commission International (JCI) will be conducted from April 23 to 27, 2018. QPSD facilitat...

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Friday said the Prime Minister has announced a package of Rs 25 billion for Karachi to carry out major development schemes in the metropolis, including infrastructural and other social sectors facilities.Presenting budget speech in National Assembly, he underscored the significance of  the port city's  contribution toward  national economy, saying; "Karachi is the commercial and trading hub of Pakistan and has a major contribution in the country’s revenue base."The finance minister added that so far, three projects covering roads and flyovers and up-gradation of firefighting system had  been approved and Rs 3 billion had been earmarked during current financial year.He said an allocation of Rs 5 billion has been proposed in the PSDP-2018-19, adding, "on my personal request" the Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal had provided funds for expansion of Karachi Expo Centre.The minister said that the government has started iss...

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday announced an adhoc relief of 10 per cent in the salaries and pensions of civil and military employees in the federal budget 2018-19.Newly inducted Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in his budget speech said the increase would be apart from the major relief the salaried class would get due to drastic slash in the Income Tax rates, announced earlier by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.He said the salaried persons mostly belonged to the middle class and would be the major beneficiary of the relief measures that would have a financial impact of Rs 69 billion.Miftah Ismail said under the income tax relief package for individuals there would be no tax on income of up to Rs 1.2 million annually, 5% on income exceeding Rs 1.2 million to Rs 2.4 million, Rs 60,000 plus 10% on income from Rs 2.4 to Rs 4.8 million, Rs 180,000 plus 15% on income exceeding Rs 4.8 million.Together with the tax cut, the overall relief for the salaried class would be much hig...

ISLAMABAD: Amid lingering controversy over the legality of federal budget 2018-19, the ruling PML-N government unveiled its sixth consecutive budget in the National Assembly at the twilight of its constitutional tenure.Miftah Ismail, who was appointed as federal minister hours earlier, presented the budget proposals eyeing the forthcoming elections. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah criticized the government on presenting the budget for the next fiscal year.He said that the present government can present the budget for only three or four months as it is going to complete its five-year term on May 30 and only the new government emerging from the Elections 2018 can present the budget for the whole year.Later, Prime Minster Shahid Khaqan Abbasi rejected Shah's reservations saying the government enjoys authority to present the budget. The PM also defended the appointment of Miftah Ismail as federal minister.Despite government assurances, the opposit...