PHOTO: AFPSudan’s warring forces battled on Friday with heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country, as they ignored appeals by world powers for an end-of-Ramazan ceasefire. Both UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and US State Secretary Antony Blinken called separately for a ceasefire of “at least” three days to mark Eid, as explosions and gunfire resounded in Khartoum. pic.twitter.com/MYww7nHHQ1 — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 20, 2023Met virtually with the AU Chairman and other global leaders who all agreed that an Eid al-Fitr ceasefire is urgently needed in Sudan. Spoke with SAF General Burhan and RSF General Hemedti to urge an Eid ceasefire and an end to indiscriminate attacks against civilians. Sudan's Rapid Support Forces said it was ready for a 72-hour ceasefire on Friday, but residents in the capital, Khartoum, and neighbouring cities are reporting gunfire.

Yet, despite what history tells us, the same slogans still echo in the drawing rooms: the latest addition to the leaderboard, warmed over for the second time, is the Quetta Master Plan. But what makes planning master is its implementation process, which is the soul of a master plan. Also, master planning is not a one-time activity; merely drafting one is not enough, it’s a thoroughly hectic and continuous process. Is Balochistan government doing the Quetta master plan as a temporary icebreaker for it makes a lot of noise, a name that sits and tastes well on the tongue and gets it some votes or is it genuinely concerned for the poor souls of Quetta. Fifth, the development of an institutionalized coordination mechanism linking the decision-making process of budget, infrastructure and development with land management.

A few weeks ago, I received a message from my mobile service provider that I have been assigned a certain ringtone and would be charged Rs3 per day plus tax. Since I had not asked for any ringtone, I was able to get myself unsubscribed after going through the procedure. On March 27, I called a friend and got an audio message that his phone was powered off. Since when and why have the service providers started giving unwanted services to their users without their consent? The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority should restrain all the service providers from adding extra paid services unless specifically requested.

Share:The Namaz of Eid Ul Fitr will be offered at around 1,000 places in Hyderabad including 115 big and small Eidgahs amid more than a dozen very large congregations. The police spokesman informed here on Friday that about 2,300 personnel would be deployed for security at Eidgahs, grounds, mosques and imambargarh. As per the security plan, the cars, motorbikes and all other vehicles, even the pushcarts, would be parked at least 40 yards away from the places of Eid congregations, he added. He said police would search all the places of congregations early in the morning before the start of the Eid Namaz. The spokesman informed that the police camps would also be established at the recreational facilities like Rani Bagh and Askari park which draw thousands of visitors during the Eid holidays.

Bilawal felicitates nation on Eidul FitrISLAMABAD, Apr 21 (APP): Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari extended heartiest felicitations to his fellow Pakistanis at home and abroad on the joyous occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. In a message on the social media platform Twitter, he tweeted, “Heartiest felicitations on the joyous occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr to my fellow Pakistanis at home & abroad. This is also a time to remember the less fortunate amongst us still suffering from the recent floods, & Kashmiri brothers & sisters under brutal oppression. Eid Mubarak.”

According to sources, the federal minister for law and justice, Ayaz Sadiq, Saad Rafiq and other leaders were present in the meeting. Furthermore, former law minister Zahid Hamid and Attorney General Mansoor Usman also had a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sources said that the PM discussed the current political situation and the ongoing case in the Supreme Court. PM felicitates nation, Muslim Ummah on Eidul FitrMeanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated people of Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah on the auspicious occasion of Eidul Fitr. In a message on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, he prayed that the blessed moment may bring for every Muslim immense happiness and joy of life.

The way the process is mandated in the constitution and the Elections Act is optimised for same-day elections. Can a regular government, already in place, oversee national elections from the province where it sits? The same would apply if all provincial assemblies were in place but the national assembly dissolved. Alternatively, it may be considered that a provincial or a national assembly may never dissolve till completion of its tenure forcing upon it to seek solutions within. In its current form the constitution and the Elections Act are quite inadequately stitched to find wholesome remedies to emerging challenges in politics.

PHOTO: REUTERSAn Indian court on Thursday acquitted 69 Hindus, including a former minister from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of the murder of 11 Muslims during communal riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002. Also read: Indian court acquits 26 accused of rape, murder in 2002 Gujarat riotsBajrang Dal and VHP are Hindu nationalist groups and have close links to the BJP. Kodnani was also an accused in a case in which 97 people were killed in the 2002 riots. At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed across Gujarat in the 2002 riots. Critics accused Modi, who was chief minister at the time, of failing to protect Muslims.

The modus operandi, having spoken to a number of British parliamentarians they are sceptical how we run our administration. If you pass this simple test I can assure your presence in the corridors of power will yield a better harvest. We have stooped so low in these audio and video leaks, no effort is spared to degrade the other. We all know it, talk about it, yet no one has the bats, balls, wickets or even a place where to pitch. If you pass this simple test I can assure your presence in the corridors of power will yield a better harvest.

Says first cargo to dock at Karachi Port in MayISLAMABAD: Pakistan has placed its first order for discounted Russian crude oil under a new deal struck between Islamabad and Moscow, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik said, with one cargo to dock at Karachi Port in May. Discounted crude offers much needed respite to cash-strapped Pakistan in the face of a balance of payments crisis and critically low foreign exchange reserves. Pakistan imported 154,000 barrels per day of oil in 2022, relatively flat from the previous year, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. If Russian crude supplies were to reach 100,000 barrels per day, it would mean a potentially big drop for Middle East suppliers to Pakistan. He said Pakistan’s Refinery Limited (PRL) will initially refine the Russian crude in a trial run, followed by Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) and other refineries later.

PHOTO: AFPThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) is facing a challenging question regarding whom to trust in Pakistan to revive its $7 billion loan programme for the nation. The incumbent government, led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, has continued to fulfil commitments with the IMF and implement tough decisions. However, the IMF is assessing who holds power in Pakistan, not only to make future commitments but also to implement them. He said, “Whatever has been said (committed with IMF) has not been delivered,” highlighting the need for reliable partners to implement necessary economic reforms. Furthermore, he pointed out that women remain a missing link in Pakistan’s economic growth.

Senator Mushahid terms Radio Pakistan as identity, pride of nationChairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed visited Radio Pakistan, Islamabad today for a video podcast interview in the newly established state of the art podcast studios. Director General Radio Pakistan Tahir Hassan apprised the Senator of the latest initiatives taken by Radio Pakistan to align the national broadcaster with modern day requirements. Speaking on the occasion, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said Radio Pakistan is the identity and pride of Pakistan. He also said that he had got approved hefty special grant from the then Prime Minister for Radio Pakistan. He also recalled some of the big names which remained associated with Radio Pakistan including his mother in law Begum Humaira Haroon Syed who was the first English News Reader of Radio Pakistan in 1947.

Earlier in the 1960s, another brand of Muslim League was raised under Ch Zahoor Elahi of Gujrat (PML-Convention). Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has always claimed to be the successor of the All-India Muslim League (AIML) the founder party of Pakistan which it is not. Since then, the Muslim League has been a brand name that keeps coming back to hijack the democratic order. In the famous Asghar Khan case, IJI (Islami Juhamari Ittehad ) was held responsible for the launch of Nawaz Sharif at the federal level. In the famous Asghar Khan case, IJI (Islami Juhamari Ittehad) was held responsible for the launch of Nawaz Sharif at the federal level.

The prime minister telephoned Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah, to extend his best wishes and warm greetings on the auspicious occasion of Eidul Fitr, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. The Kuwaiti prime minister warmly reciprocated PM Shehbaz’s Eid greetings and conveyed best wishes for the people of Pakistan. ‘SIGNIFICANCE OF PAK-OMAN ECONOMIC LINKAGES’Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday referring to the historic fraternal ties between Pakistan and Oman, emphasized the need for enhancing institutional and economic linkages between the two maritime neighbours. The prime minister highlighted the immense potential with regard to further strengthening of the brotherly relations, especially in strategic, economic and trade spheres. The Sultan warmly reciprocated the prime minister’s Eid greetings and conveyed best wishes for the people of Pakistan.

Senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court (SC) Justice Qazi Faez Isa said on Wednesday that the Constitution empowers the apex court as a whole to take notice of cases of original jurisdiction (suo motu), and not just the top judge. Speaking at an event commemorating the golden jubilee of the Constitution, Justice Isa stressed that the book "is not to serve the interests of a select few people, politicians, parliament or the judiciary, but the people". Justice Isa held that suo motu notices should be dealt with "great care" when invoked because there is no constitutional space for appealing against it so that "one party may benefit but another may be harmed". "It also brings some shame to me that the Supreme Court kept on supporting these steps. It was challenged that the resolution is wrong but they (the SC) said ‘Let’s move on’,” said Justice Isa.