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The Centre for Middle East & Africa (CMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a delegation from the International Research Council for Religious Affairs (IRCRA) on Thursday including participants from Afghanistan. President IRCRA, Mr Muhammad Israr Madani was also present on the occasion. Director CMEA, Ms. Amina Khan, and who also works on Afghanistan, welcomed the delegation and gave a brief introduction of the ISSI. Director General ISSI, Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry briefed the delegation on global politics and Pak-Afghan ties. He noted how at the end of the Cold War, it seemed that the world was heading towards multi- polarity. After events of 9/11, terrorism and counter terrorism became the focus of the world stage. Presently, however, the world is seeing intensifying competition between United States and China. In order to counter China’s rise, the US has embarked on its Pivot to Asia strategy, where among other things, it is trying to for...

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) will host a special session of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders at Sharifs’ residence Jati Umra today, on Friday. Sources told  that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will not attend today’s session of the opposition alliance. The session will be attended by PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Akhtar Mengal, Owais Noorani and others. The PDM leadership will deliberate upon the Senate elections and resignations of opposition lawmakers from assemblies in the session. It may be noted here that PPP had earlier announced to take part in Senate polls and by-elections, whereas, the opposition party expressed reservations regarding the resignations of legislators. Sources revealed that PPP was not willing to withdraw from the Sindh government, whereas, its co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari conciliated Nawaz Sharif over the resignations’ issue. Sources added that PDM leadership is likely to...

Mercury dropped as low as 5.6 degrees Celsius in Karachi early Friday morning, breaking the ten-year record for the lowest temperature in the port city, reported. Before this, 6.5 degrees Celsius was the city’s lowest minimum temperature recorded in 2014, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PDM). The maximum temperature is expected to range between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius during the day, it said. Wind speed is currently eight to ten kilometres per hour. The weather department said the cold wave would subside in few days with the entry of a new weather system in the country. Cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However very cold weather is expected in Upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, north Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Fog is likely to prevail in Plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh. The lowest minimum temperature recorded in the country was -17.7 degrees Celsius in Astore. Source

The statistics of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has shown that the coronavirus pandemic claims 71 more lives, whereas, 2,463 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours reported on Friday. In the past 24 hours, 71 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 10,176. 2,156 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 2,216 patients are in critical condition. The total count of active cases is 34,773. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 482,178. A total of 41,039 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 437,229 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 6,737,107 samples have been tested thus far. Source

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday reaffirmed the commitment of their countries to collaborate for peace and stability in the region. During a telephonic conversation, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that India’s Hindutva policies are a threat to regional peace. Matters of mutual interest, bilateral ties, Afghan peace process, COVID-19 vaccine and other issues came under discussion during the telephone call. FM Qureshi said that Pakistan will continue to support the “One China policy”. He also greeted his Chinese counterpart on the eve of the new year. Earlier on August 21, Pakistan and China had reached consensus to collectively take measures to safeguard their common interests and promote peace, prosperity, and development in the region. The consensus to this effect had been reached during the second round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Hainan, China, that day. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qure...

The United Arab Emirates has announced that January 1, 2021, would be a public holiday in the country. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Tuesday announced that all public and private sector employees will get a day off to mark the new year. However, with January 1 falling on a Friday, most workers will not get an additional day off. The country's human resources minister, Nasser Bin Thani Al Hamli, announced that it would be a paid holiday for all private-sector establishments, on the occasion of New Year, as per the decision of the UAE Cabinet on official holidays for 2021. Source

Former Pakistan Cricket Team skipper Shoaib Malik and wife Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Thursday took to social media and sent warm wishes to their fans for the upcoming year. In a video clip uploaded to Twitter by Shoaib Malik, the couple not only wished their fans a happy year ahead but also sent an important message. - Stay Strong, Stay Healthy, Stay Safe & Wishing You All A Very Happy New Year from the Malik's ❤ #GoodBye2020 #HappyNewYear2021 pic.twitter.com/SrazGO0d37 — Shoaib Malik ?? (@realshoaibmalik) December 31, 2020 "It's been an extremely hard year for everyone and we are no different," said Sania Mirza, who could be seen standing next to her husband, dressed up in a light-blue t-shirt. "But this year, we have all learnt how to be grateful for the little things in life, for our family, [and] for being safe. We just want to wish you all a happy New Year," Sania Mirza said. Adding to his better half's comment and referencing...

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson enters the New Year as the top-ranked Test batsman after leapfrogging Australia's Steve Smith and India skipper Virat Kohli in the latest official rankings issued on Thursday. Williamson, who returned from paternity leave this month, hit a match-winning century in the opening Test against Pakistan to help New Zealand win by 101 runs at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday. The New Zealand skipper described it as “humbling” to overtake Smith, who held the top spot for 313 days this year, and Kohli, who was number one for 51 days. “They are incredible players of our generation,” Williamson said as he arrived in Christchurch ahead of the second Pakistan Test which starts on Sunday. “Those two players are the best so for me to sneak up perhaps in some way, is very surprising and humbling.” All three players were this week named in the International Cricket Council's team of the decade with Smith also named as the individual Test player of the deca...

Just one day before the announcement of Pakistan women’s cricket team for their tour to South Africa next month, captain Bismah Maroof withdrew from the tour and left the training camp in Karachi citing some family reasons. Urooj Mumtaz, who is performing the dual role of chief selector and head of the women’s wing, is to announce the 17-member squad for the said tour on Thursday. The new captain in place of Bismah, 29, will also be announced on Thursday. She had been attending the camp in Karachi since Dec 20. “Pakistan national women’s team captain Bismah Maroof has withdrawn from next month’s tour to South Africa due to family reasons,” said a PCB press release issued on Wednesday. “Bismah had participated in the training camp in Karachi since Dec 20 before returning to Lahore on Wednesday to rejoin her family.” Commenting on the development, Urooj said, “Bismah approached us with a request to be exempted from next month’s tour to South Africa for family reasons, which we have...

Conservative lawmakers in both chambers of the US Congress launched yet another bid on Wednesday to prevent US President-elect Joe Biden from taking oath on Jan 20. Supporters of the outgoing US President Donald Trump needed a senator and a member of the House of Representatives to challenge the election results, and on Wednesday a Republican senator — Josh Hawley of Missouri — offered to back the move. A group of conservative lawmakers in the House have already pledged to back Trump’s move to overturn the results of the presidential election. Although Senator Hawley’s endorsement completes the process, other Republican senators also have indicated their intention to back President Trump’s move. The letter that Congressman Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, sent to the House and Senate leaderships, has the signatures of 18 congressmen and women. In the letter, they wrote that they want Congress to “hold an election fraud hearing ahead of the Jan 6 electoral college vote submission...

The resignations submitted by two PML-N lawmakers have been declared 'fake' by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser after the parliamentarians failed to verify them. Murtaza Javed and Dr Mohammad Sajjad Awan had submitted their resignations on December 14 following the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) decision to resign from the Parliament in lieu of their anti-government protests. However, the lawmakers did not verify their resignations and termed them fake. "Since the resignations could not be authenticated, they have been dismissed and no further action is required," said a statement issued by the House. As part of its anti-government movement, the 11-party opposition alliance decided that its lawmakers in the national and provincial assemblies will hand in their resignations to their party heads by December 31. The PDM has also demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan resign by January 31 or face intensified protests including a long march to the federal ...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced that the fixed tax regime for the construction sector has been extended to December 31, 2021. PM Khan said that the construction industry was waiting for such a development, adding that an extension to the fixed tax regime was a 'big demand' from the industry and now it will have an extra year at its disposal. The PM was speaking during a weekly review meeting of high-priority economic sectors along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Yusuf. Chief secretaries of all the four provinces also partook in the meeting via video link. During the meeting, PM Khan directed his cabinet to implement new reforms to six sectors, including food security, construction, economy, power and electricity, and manpower. Speaking about the incentives that the government provided to the construction industry earlier this year, PM Imran Khan said that the industry showed co...

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Thursday took notice of a tragic incident of vandalism at the shrine of a Hindu saint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Karak district. Dr. Ramesh Kumar, MNA and Patron in Chief Pakistan Hindu Council, called on the chief justice at the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry and raised the issue of “desecration/burning of shrine of Hindu saint Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj” by a mob in Karak on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the SC. CJP Ahmed showed grave concern over the tragic incident and informed the member of Parliament that he has already taken cognizance of the matter and has fixed it before a bench for hearing on Jan 5 (Tuesday). The country’s top adjudicator issued directions to the one-man commission on minorities rights, KPK chief secretary and IGP to visit the site of the shrine and submit a report on Monday. According to reports, a mob set on fire the shrine of the Hindu saint and demolished several of its parts in Teri area of Kara...

The Islamabad police have finalised a comprehensive security plan on eve of New Year night in the federal capital, on Thursday. Around 2000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure foolproof security and keep a vigilant eye during possible celebrations on New Year night. Police contingent deployed at important places, shopping centres, main markets for the safety of public on the eve of New Year night. DIG Operations Waqar Uddin directed strict action against those involved in one-wheeling, racing, fireworks and aerial firing. The SSP (Traffic) would ensure all measures for smooth traffic flow in the city while traffic police will also coordinate with the city police to maintain law and order and control traffic on the occasion. He has appealed the citizens to demonstrate responsibility in their attitude and act like a member of civilized society. Meanwhile, Sindh police have warned revellers against indulging in celebratory aerial firing on New Year’s Eve to avoid untoward...

An accountability court in Lahore has handed over Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Khawaja Muhammad Asif to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on physical remand till January 13 in assets beyond income case, reported on Thursday. Judge Jawadul Hassan heard the assets beyond income case against the PML-N lawmaker where the prosecution sought physical remand of the accused. The NAB officials produced Khawaja Asif before the accountability court earlier today. The prosecutor told the court that an inquiry is underway against Khawaja Asif regarding his assets. The politician had been given several chances to give clarification about his assets, however, Asif failed to provide a satisfactory response to the investigators, he added. Khawaja Asif, his wife and son are possessing assets worth over Rs810 million. During the hearing, Khawaja Asif sought permission of the judge to talk in the Punjabi language. The PML-N central leader said he became a Member of National A...

ir and road traffic have disrupted owing to poor visibility owing to dense fog in different parts of Punjab including Lahore while the visibility rate at Allama Iqbal International Airport reduced to as low as 50 metres, reported on Thursday. Seven flights were cancelled and 13 delayed due to poor visibility caused by heavy fog. Some sections of motorways have been closed as traffic was halted at M-2 from Thokar Niaz Baig to Pindi Bhattian, Lahore to Sialkot Motorway and Lahore to Jaranwala M-3, according to Motorway Police spokesperson. Moreover, the fog blankets different routes of National Highway including Thokar Niaz Baig, Chaung, Maraka, Bhattian, Manga Mandi, Pattoki, Jambar and Phool Nagar which reduces visibility rate to 30 metres. In Punjab’s Farooqabad, the visibility rate decreased to 10 metres as well which caused disruption in road traffic in the city and its surrounding areas. The residents of Daska are also facing trouble in travelling as the visibility rate reach...

China approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on Thursday, its first approved shot for general public use as it braces for increased transmission risks over winter. No detailed efficacy data of the vaccine has been publicly released but its developer, Beijing Biological Products Institute, a unit of Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), said on Wednesday its vaccine was 79.34% effective in preventing people from developing the disease based on interim data. The approval comes after the United Arab Emirates this month became the first country to roll out the vaccine to the public. While China has been slower than several other countries in approving COVID-19 vaccines, it has been inoculating its citizens for months with three different shots still undergoing late-stage trials. China launched an emergency use programme in July aimed at essential workers and others at high risk of infection and as of the...

The statistics of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has shown that the coronavirus pandemic claims 58 more lives, whereas, 2,475 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours, on Thursday. In the past 24 hours, 58 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 10,105. 4,960 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 2,206 patients are in critical condition. The total count of active cases is 34,537. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 479,715. A total of 39,695 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 435,073 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 6,696,068 samples have been tested thus far. Source

A computer-generated Queen dancing across TV screens on Christmas day seems to have sparked controversy among British viewers. The fake address was screened right after the Queen delivered her traditional yearly address. In times of widespread misinformation, as reported by CNN, the channel seemed to offer "a stark warning about the advanced technology that is enabling the proliferation of misinformation and fake news in a digital age". The speech included jokes about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move to the US, and an affirmation surrounding the Duke of York’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The fake Queen in the alternate message also spoke about watching movies on Netflix, and perfecting moves on TikTok. Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, confirmed receiving 214 complaints over the broadcast, according to The Independent. A spokesperson from the regulator added: "We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting...

United States President Donald Trump’s pardon of four American men convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors in 2007 violated US obligations under international law, United Nations human rights experts said on Wednesday. Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder, while Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of voluntary and attempted manslaughter, over the incident in which US contractors opened fire in busy traffic in a Baghdad square and killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians. The four contractors, who worked for the private security firm Blackwater owned by the brother of Trump’s education secretary, were included in a wave of pre-Christmas pardons announced by the White House. “Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” Jelena Aparac, chair of the UN working group on the use of mercenaries, said in a statement. The Geneva Conventions oblig...

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 101 runs in the first cricket Test which ended very late on the fifth day on Wednesday, achieving their third straight win in three home Tests this summer and taking a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. At the same time New Zealand overtook Australia to claim the No 1 world ranking in Tests for the first time in its history. The victory wasn't the emphatic one New Zealand likely had envisaged when they came to the fifth day of a Test match for the first time this season holding a sizeable advantage. Having been set 373 to win, Pakistan was 71-3 still 301 runs behind and the New Zealand bowlers who had dismissed Pakistan for 239 in its first innings to give the home side a 192-run lead, still held the upper hand. Pakistan finally was out for 271 at 6.36pm local time with fewer than five overs left in the day's play and a draw beckoning. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner dismissed No 11 batsman Naseem Shah to clinch the win after Naseem and Shahe...

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday once more criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that the "selected" premier "will now be rejected". She said that the government is "deluded" if it thinks Khawaja Asif's arrest will deter PML-N. "The lions of PML-N will fight courageously against you," she said, addressing a workers convention in Islamabad marking PML-N Kashmir's foundation day. "Imran Khan will have to go," she said, adding: "Nawaz Sharif told you you will not be able to run the government and that you should go and play cricket." She said that today "time has proven Nawaz Sharif right". Maryam said PM Imran Khan admitted "he was brought without any preparation". She said "when a weak prime minister takes office, an enemy like India attacks". The PML-N vice president said that to date, "no reference has been filed in the case for which Nawaz Sharif was arre...

In a significant development, the federal government has decided to cancel former premier Nawaz Sharif's passport in a month-and-a-half. This was announced by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday while talking to reporters in Islamabad. "We have decided to cancel Nawaz Sharif's passport on February 16." The government has already approached UK authorities to extradite Nawaz Sharif. Special Assistant to PM Imran Khan on Accountability Shahzad Akbar had said that it is up to the British government to decide on the extradition of the former premier. The PML-N supremo was granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds in October 2019 and a month later he was allowed to travel abroad for treatment for four weeks. The government maintains that Nawaz was permitted on condition he would share details of treatment which he didn't do. It may be added here that the deposed premier has been declared proclaimed offender by Islamabad High Court and an accoun...

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged PML-N leader Khawaja Asif to stop hiding behind the excuse of "political vendetta" and face accountability. The foreign minister was holding the news conference with Adviser to Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan. He was reacting to Khawaja Asif's arrest in the assets beyond means case and the PML-N's strong reaction against it. "Khawaja Asif was invited many times to present himself to NAB and satisfy the bureau," said FM Qureshi. "It seems as if Asif couldn't answer NAB's questions [related to assets beyond means]." The foreign minister said that since yesterday evening — when Asif was arrested — a storm has erupted and Opposition parties have been saying that NAB has been exacting revenge on political rivals of the government. "NAB is an independent institution and is not subservient to the government," he said. "The laws according to which NAB operares were...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the Indian media was trying to divert the world’s attention from the Indian government's illegal steps in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Indian media was doing so through negative and baseless propaganda against Pakistan. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the premier was chairing a meeting to review the negative propaganda and disinformation campaign, including hybrid warfare, launched by the Indian media against Pakistan. During the meeting, the prime minister observed that the objective of such nefarious propaganda was to create anarchy in the country. He directed for effective measures to be put into place to foil the Indian media’s negative propaganda. He also stressed the need for public awareness in this regard, saying that such a baseless and concocted campaign should be countered with facts. "The real face of India should be exposed before the international community and the public," the...

The chief of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) — the body leading Pakistan's fight against coronavirus — on Wednesday said that he has authorised the procurement of more than one million vaccines. Asad Umar, in his statement on Twitter, said that the number "will cover all frontline health workers". He said what remains now is for DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan) to approve a vaccine. Umar said that the government aims to deploy the vaccines within the first quarter of 2021. According to a statement by NCOC, Pakistan is in close contact with vaccine manufacturers to obtain a vaccine soon. It may be noted here that Pakistan signed up for the United Nation's COVAX Facility, a global initiative aimed at equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Moreover, a National Immunisation Management System has been prepared with the joint efforts of the Ministry of Health, the National Database & Registration Authori...

A moderate earthquake hit several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday. The tremors were felt in Swat, Malakand, Buner, Shangla and Mansehra districts of the province, according to a report. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the intensity of the quake was recorded 4.3 magnitude at Richter scale. The depth of the earthquake was recorded at 30 kilometres while the epicentre was located in 45 KM in South East of Dir district of KP. No loss of life or property reported in tremors. The region is active for the seismic activity, as earlier on November 26, moderate earthquake hit Swat district and adjoining areas of KP. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the intensity of the quake was 4.5 magnitude at Richter scale. The depth of the earthquake was recorded 40 kilometres with the epicentre in the Pak-Afghan border area. On October 18 this year, a 4.5, a moderate intensity earthquake had jolted Mingora in Swat and adjoining areas of ...

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz will meet PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his Islamabad residence today amid speculations about cracks in the opposition alliance. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz is expected to consult with Fazlur Rehman over the political situation and the opposition’s future strategy with regard to the next phase of the movement against the government. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in its CEC meeting in Karachi on Tuesday decided against resigning from the assemblies besides hinting that it would take part in the Senate polls. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said “We will challenge the incumbent government from within the assemblies,” while addressing a presser at Media Cell of Bilawal House after the Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting. The party also decided that the option of resigning from assemblies would only be considered after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will...

The Gilgit-Skardu road opened for all types of traffic on Wednesday after a closure of three days. According to official sources, the road had been closed for blasting for its expansion near Shangos. The road remained closed for three days due to rocks and boulders falling from the mountains. Gilgit, Skardu and several other areas in the region were cut off from other parts of the country with multiple vehicles stuck on the road due to its closure. Authorities said the road has now been cleared and is open for traffic. In a tragic incident on October 18, at least 16 people, four Pakistan Army soldiers among them, were killed after the bus they were travelling in was hit by a landslide on the Gilgit-Skardu road. Source

An accountability court in Islamabad has approved one-day transit remand of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Khawaja Muhammad Asif in assets beyond income case, on Wednesday. The officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) have produced PML-N’s central leader Khawaja Asif before the accountability court. Judge Muhammad Bashir conducted the hearing. The anti-corruption watchdog sought transit remand of the politician which was approved by the court besides directing to produce him before the concerned court tomorrow. The judge directed concerned authorities to transfer the accused to Lahore today or tomorrow. During the hearing, Asif’s counsel opposed the NAB’s plea seeking his transit remand and demanded the accountability court to order the immediate release of his client. However, the court rejected the plea of Asif’s counsel. Earlier, while talking to journalists, the PML-N lawmaker claimed that NAB has not yet initiated interrogation from him. Asif said...

The positivity rate of COVID-19 cases has been recorded highest in Karachi up to 13.84 per cent and lowest in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region up to 0.62 per cent, on Wednesday. The overall positivity rate of novel coronavirus cases stands at 5.92, whereas, the number of critical patients is 2,219 in the country. The positivity rate was recorded 2.14 pc in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 4.95 pc in Balochistan, 0.62 pc in GB, 4.44 pc in Punjab, 3.98 pc in Islamabad, 5.87 pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 8.4 pc in Sindh, 4.9 pc in Rawalpindi, 6.12 pc in Lahore, 4.21 pc in Faisalabad, 4.85 pc in Multan, 8.79 in Hyderabad, 7.21 pc in Peshawar, 7.89 pc in Swat, 9.94 pc in Quetta and 1.79 pc in Muzaffarabad. The statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre has shown that the coronavirus pandemic claims 55 more lives, whereas, 2,155 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours. Source

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been handed over 14 dual-seat JF-17 aircraft by China which would also be used for pilots’ training, on Wednesday. A major development is made for increasing the potential for national defence as Pakistan Air Force begins preparations for the Block 3 of JF-17 multirole fighter aircraft. The Chinese-designed dual-seat fighter jet produced jointly by Pakistan will be inducted into PAF’s fleet during a ceremony today. China will hand over 14 dual-seat JF-17 aircraft to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) today. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan attended the grand ceremony as the chief guest for the induction of dual-seat JF-17 aircraft into PAF’s fleet. The event was also attended by the Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong and Nigerian officials. Earlier, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra had achieved a remarkable milestone by rolling out the first batch of eight dual-seat JF-17 aircraft on December 27 last year. A grand ceremony had...

The statistics of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has shown that the coronavirus pandemic claims 55 more lives, whereas, 2,155 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours on Wednesday. In the past 24 hours, 55 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 10,047. 4,619 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 2,219 patients are in critical condition. The total count of active cases is 37,080. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 477,240. A total of 36,390 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 430,113 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 6,656,373 samples have been tested thus far. Source

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided against resigning from the assemblies besides also hinting that it would take part in the Senate polls. “We will challenge the incumbent government from within the assemblies,” he said while addressing a presser at Media Cell of Bilawal House after the Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting of the party earlier in the day. He further announced that the PPP wants all parties to jointly fight the Senate polls, scheduled in March, in order to give a tough time to the government. The PPP chairman said that their party policy is to act as per the PDM’s action plan while refusing to either accept or deny the reports being circulated the entire day regarding discussion during the CEC meeting. He denied that the PDM has decided on resignations and said that any decision on submitting resignations would be taken after consultation. “A meeting of the PDM will decide on the timings of the resignations,” Bilawal Bhutto said adding that currently al...

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Khawaja Muhammad Asif has been reportedly detained by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly having inordinate wealth compared to the sources of income. NAB has confirmed the development of arresting Khawaja Asif earlier today in the case of assets beyond means case. Asif was present at another PML-N lawmaker Ahsan Iqbal’s residence for a huddle that was scheduled shortly following Pakistan Peoples Party session earlier today. The accountability watchdog claimed that Asif could not furnish a satisfactory response on his possession of assets amounting to Rs260 million. NAB said it will present Asif tomorrow before the court to plea a transit remand to take him to Lahore chapter of the bureau. It has now been confirmed by NAB that the arrest was sanctioned by Chairman NAB Justice retd Javed Iqbal himself after he could not convince the three-member committee of NAB investigation on how he made assets that do not conform t...

President Arif Alvi backed on Monday calls for a national dialogue on electoral reforms, but made it clear that Prime Minister Imran Khan will decide when to hold a dialogue and with whom. He expressed these views in a meeting with senior journalists about persons with disabilities at the President House on Monday. The president said the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s demand of resignation from the government was unjustified and added that the political system was being destabilised for the last two years. Read more: Maryam Nawaz has never managed a kitchen in her life but wants to run the country, says Fawad Chaudhry “There is a need for a national dialogue on electoral reform but the prime minister will decide when and with whom,” President Alvi said. The Opposition, however, has demanded the prime minister resign and denied to sit with the ‘selected’ regime and hold talks on any issue. On Monday, federal ministers said that the prime minister is ready for dialogue with serio...

Germany’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been overshadowed by a mishap in the north where eight workers in an elderly care home received an overdose. Vorpommern-Ruegen district authorities said the workers in Stralsund city received five times the recommended dose of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine on Sunday. Four went to hospital for observation after developing flu-like symptoms. “I deeply regret the incident. This individual case is due to individual errors. I hope that all those affected do not experience any serious side-effects,” district chief Stefan Kerth said in a statement. The incident came after some German districts declined to use vaccines received over the weekend on suspicion that cold conditions were interrupted during delivery. Vorpommern-Ruegen authorities pointed to previous statements by BioNtech saying larger doses were tested in the Phase 1 study without serious consequences. There was no immediate comment from the pharmaceutical companies. Source

Mount Maunganui: Azhar Ali (34*) and Fawad Alam (21*) held their nerves calm as Pakistan survived to reach 71-3 at stumps on day 4 against New Zealand. Needing 372 runs to win the opening Test, Pakistan started their batting poorly with openers Abid Ali and Shan Masood getting out for naught. Haris Sohail and Azhar Ali supported Pakistan from 0-2 to 37-2 but their partnership couldn’t last long as Haris fell prey to Tim Southee after scoring 9 runs. Then, Azhar and Fawad got their hands on New Zealand bowlers and the duo scored 34 runs together so far while chasing 373 runs. They need 302 runs to win on the last day of the opening Test. Southee bagged two wickets while Trent Boult struck once as New Zealand took three early wickets to maintain their supremacy on the scoreboard. Boult removed Abid while Southee dismissed Shan for naught to have Pakistan two down for four runs at tea, still needing 369 runs with four sessions remaining. Earlier, New Zealand declared at 180 for fiv...

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Monday announced that he has tested negative for COVID-19 after successfully completing his quarantine period. "I just received my COVID-19 test results which have turned out to be negative by the mercy of Allah," Asad Umar wrote on Twitter. He thanked all those who asked about his health and wished him a speedy recovery. میرا کرونا ٹیسٹ رزلٹ ابھی ملا جو الحمدللہ منفی ہے. پچھلے 10 دن میں وہ سب لوگ جنہوں نے خیریت دریافت کی اور دعائیں کی ان سب کا تہہ دل سے مشکور ہوں. اپنا اور اپنے پیاروں کا خیال رکھیں اور احتیاط کریں. اللہ آپ سب کو اپنے حفظ و امان میں رکھے — Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) December 28, 2020 "I am grateful to all those people, who inquired about my health and prayed for me, from the bottom of my heart," the federal minister wrote. The minister also appealed to the masses to take care of themselves and exercise precautions to stay away from the potentially-deadly virus. ...

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that even the supporters of the "incompetent" government are culprits and involved in all the problems being faced by the country today. Addressing a gathering of JUI-F workers in Tank, Fazl said that the incumbent government did not have the right to stay in office as it was "illegitimate" and "incompetent". "This illegitimate government is a product of fraud," he said, adding that the country belongs to everyone and that it wasn't anyone's personal property. "I am bound by the oath I have taken [...] In this situation, we have to do principled politics," Fazl said, adding that all Opposition parties were on the same page that the 2018 general elections were "rigged". Today, the "illegitimate government" is on a campaign to defame me, Fazl said, adding that it had attempted to discredit him by serving a NAB questionnaire. Thi...

Senior PML-N leader Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan is "severely ill," said the party's MPA Hina Pervaiz Butt. In a tweet, Butt urged people to pray for the senator's swift recovery, terming him a "precious asset" for the party. "I would request you all to pray for the swift recovery of PML-N's precious asset Senator Mushahid Ullah, who is severely ill right now," she tweeted. ن لیگ کے قیمتی اثاثہ سینیٹر مشاہد اللہ صاحب جو اس وقت شدید علیل ہیں، آپ سب سے درخواست ہے کہ ان کی صحتیابی کیلئے دعا کریں۔اللہ ان کو جلد از جلد صحتیاب کرے آمین ?? — Hina Parvez Butt (@hinaparvezbutt) December 27, 2020   PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz also took to Twitter and referring to the senator as an "inimitable" person, prayed for his health. May Allah SWT bless @Mushahidullahkh you with absolute and speediest recovery. You are inimitable and an asset for us and Pak. May you live long. — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) December 28, 2020 Ma...