BAS BOHUT HO GYA

QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Wednesday approved a resolution demanding one-month delay in the upcoming general elections.The resolution, submitted by Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, demanded that the elections should be held in August, instead of July this year, because “a majority of the public wants to go on Haj for which [many] would be travelling to Saudi Arabia in July” and hence, they would be unable to vote in the elections. The resolution also expresses concern that the province receives monsoon downpours during the month of July, due to which many districts face flooding and a lot of residents are forced to move to other areas for shelter. Such a situation would deprive these people of the opportunity to vote, it states.Keeping these concerns in mind, the provincial government is therefore requested to ask the federal government to instead hold the elections in the last week of August so that everyone can exercise their constitutional right to vote, the re...

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Wednesday said the nation must carry forward gains (of the war on terror) towards enduring peace and stability.According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief said this while addressing the officers and faculty of Command and Staff College in Quetta.General Bajwa said the country, through great sacrifices of security forces and the nation, is on a positive trajectory of peace and stability."The job is not completed yet and we have to carry forward the gains towards enduring peace," observed the army chief. He acknowledged and hailed the contributions and performance of young officers in the operations. General Bajwa advised them to continue excelling in their profession. Later, General Bajwa visited Headquarters of Southern Command in Quetta where he was briefed about the progress of border fencing along the Balochistan portion of the Pak-Afghan border, Quetta Safe City Project, and the ‘K...

ISLAMABAD: Taking a major U-turn, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf core group Wednesday rejected the name of former federal secretary Nasir Khosa for the post of Punjab caretaker chief minister, apparently after reportedly a clear division on his name in the leadership.However, PTI Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry insisted that the decision to withdraw the name of Khosa was taken following a sharp reaction in public and concern aired in this connection. He rejected the impression of division in the party ranks thereon.The core group met here with PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the chair to take stock of a number of important matters. The decision to withdraw Khosa’s name came after both Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition in the provincial assembly Mehmoodur Rashid had agreed on his name.Already, the party has withdrawn name of Manzoor Afridi for the slot of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker chief minister after its Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Leader of Opposition i...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) here on Wednesday set aside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s delimitation of six more constituencies taking the overturned decisions number to 10 in the last two days.Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC declared the delimitation of districts Bahawalpur, Kharan, Ghotki, Sheikhupura, Haripur and Kasur’s constituencies as void and sent these cases back to the ECP for rehearing in the matters.On May 29, the IHC bench had declared the delimitation of four districts constituencies, including Toba Tek Singh, Lower Dir, Jhang and Jhelum, as void and remanded these cases to the ECP for re-adjudication. Meanwhile, the IHC bench upheld ECP’s delimitation decisions regarding Chiniot, Khanewal, Gujranwala, Umerkot, Sialkot, Jacobabad, Rahimyar Khan, Chakwal, Bannu, Kurrum Agency, Swabi, Mansehra and Rajanpur districts and rejected petitions against these.The IHC bench here on Thursday (today) would hear in 31 more applications against the delimitatio...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has reminded that in a modern world there is no scope for any censorship.“Such measures may bring temporary benefits, but they are never in the interest of a country and nation in the long run,” the prime minister said while addressing 28th award ceremony of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) here Wednesday at the Prime Minister Office (PMO).The ceremony was also addressed by Dawn Media Group CEO and APNS President Hameed Haroon, Secretary General Sarmad Ali and federal information and broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.The prime minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has set the direction and it is proud not to have used censorship or the secret fund to control news content as it fully believes in the freedom of press. He asked the media to have a self-regulatory mechanism to ensure greater objectivity and impartiality in their news content.“We are proud to state that we never resorted to any such ...

ISLAMABAD: Will the general elections be held on July 25th? Some Wednesday’s developments have cast serious doubts.Initially it was Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bughti who on Wednesday morning called for a month long delay in general elections. Later MQM’s Faisal Sabzwari came up with a similar demand seeking election posponment. And finally PTI’s surprised backtracking from Punjab caretaker CM’s name Nasir Khosa, nominated by PTI itself, caused serious doubts about the upcoming polls.Bughti submitted a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly demanding that general elections should be held in August because a majority of population intends to go to Saudi Arabia in July to perform Hajj. He wants one-month delay ignoring the fact that the Hajj this year precisely falls in the second half of August when Bugti wants the election to be held.Within hours of this election delay demand coming from Quetta, Faisal Sabzwari of the MQM spoke to the media in Karachi and demanded that that the g...

Ag monitoring deskLOS ANGELES: Walt Disney Co´s ABC network on Tuesday swiftly canceled the popular US television comedy "Roseanne" after star Roseanne Barr incited outrage by comparing a black former Obama administration official to an ape in remarks on Twitter.The show, a revival of the 1990s hit "Roseanne," was ABC´s most widely watched prime time show for the TV season that ended last week.President Donald Trump has cited its huge viewership as evidence his supporters, who include Barr, want shows that speak to their concerns."Roseanne´s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said in a statement. In a since deleted Islamophobic comment on Twitter, Barr compared Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, to an ape.Barr wrote that if the Islamist political movement "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes ha...