Petition filed in SC to declare defection 'unconstitutional'
A writ petition was filed in Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry on Monday seeking a declaration that Article 63-A of the Constitution does not allow for the defection of a member from his/her own party. The petitioner Munir Ahmad filed the petition through Advocate Azhar Siddique. He implored in the petition that Article 63-A does not allow for defection, when read with Articles 17, 95 and 91(7) the said member may resign but him/her defecting will be construed as unconstitutional. He asked whether an act of defection is not against the Constitution in the form of disqualification as stated in Article 63-A? He further requested the court to declare that any sort/type of defection would lead to the imposition of a lifetime ban on contesting elections.
Source:The Express Tribune
April 19, 2022 02:43 UTC
Pakistan values its relations with European countries, says COAS
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday said Pakistan values its relations with European countries. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Romanian ambassador called on the COAS at the GHQ and discussed the current situation of the region. The Romanian Ambassador appreciated Pakistan s role for peace and stability in the region and assured to play its role in every field at the diplomatic level. According to ISPR, the two sides also vowed to enhance bilateral relations invarious fields.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 20:58 UTC
Sonia Chairs Another Meet To Discuss PK’s Plan, Chintan Shivir
New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday called another meet of senior leaders to discuss the roadmap presented by political strategist Prashant Kishor to the party for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party leaders also discussed the venue of “Chintan Shivir” (brainstorming session) which is slated to be held next month. Sources say that the party has decided to hold it in Rajasthan from May 14 but official confirmation is awaited. The Congress wants to discuss the blueprint prepared by Kishor in coming days and come up with broad parameters during the ‘Chintan Shivir”. Kishor had presented a detailed roadmap for the party for the 2024 elections on Saturday.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 18:15 UTC
Monday Mailbag – Connor McDavid’s late season domination
Robin Brownlee:Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowHe expects to be better as games become more important. Cam Lewis:Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThat’s part of what makes a truly elite player elite, being able to be good for longer than the rest. 3) Ed asks – Looking at the 4 division leaders all have them have traded away their 1st round pick in this year’s draft. The Panthers don’t have a 1st round pick until 2025 and the Avs don’t have a 2nd round pick until 2025. Draft picks only matter if you make good picks.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 18:14 UTC
Erik Kallgren hasn’t been stellar lately, but he’s the best backup option currently available
Erik Kallgren is now 11 games into his NHL career and to say it has been quite the adventure would be putting it mildly. In his 11 career appearances, Kallgren has a -4.5 GSAx which is 73rd amongst all goalies this season. There is no denying that Kallgren hasn’t been stellar for the Leafs after his first three starts, but given the current circumstances, he is the best option they have right now. But with so few alternatives for who the Leafs can use as Campbell’s back-up down the stretch, Kallgren is their best choice to man the position at this time. Kallgren has propelled himself up the goalie depth charts and will remain the backup while Mrazek continues his recovery.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 15:38 UTC
Pakistan reports 78 COVID-19 cases, one death in 24 hours
Pakistan has reported one death in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has risen to 1,527,326. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 78 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan has so far conducted 27, 926,021coronavirus tests and 22,361 in the last 24 hours. 1,493,662 patients have recovered in the country whereas 209 patients are in critical condition.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 11:26 UTC
Raisi says Iran will target Israel if it acts against nation
Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, says it will not be bound by any Iran nuclear deal and could eventually take unilateral action against Iranian nuclear sites. "The Zionist regime (Israel), you should know that ... if you take the slightest move against our nation, our armed forces will target the heart of the Zionist regime" Raisi said in a televised speech at a military parade to mark the national Army Day. The United States and Iran have been engaged in indirect talks for more than a year to rescue the pact. It has accused Israel of several attacks on facilities linked to the programme and killing Iranian nuclear scientists. Israel, which the Islamic Republic refuses to recognise, says it will not accept the Islamic Republic as "a nuclear threshold state".
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 10:39 UTC
Early elections only way to save economy
Due to the measures taken by the PTI government, the economy posted a strong growth of 5.6% in 2021. These extraordinary measures also included the Rs300 billion relief package. The seriousness of PDM leadership to the economic challenges can be gauged from the fact that they still don’t have a finance minister at the helm of affairs. After criticising Imran Khan for providing massive relief to the masses on petrol and diesel, the PDM leadership has now decided to sustain these relief measures. Hence, we demand early fresh elections and request the PDM leadership and their handlers to take the right decision.
Source:The Express Tribune
April 18, 2022 10:10 UTC
PM finalises federal cabinet portfolios
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif finalised on Sunday initially a 25-member plus federal cabinet, keeping 14 portfolios for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and giving 11 to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other allies of the government. Apart from the federal minister, they said, the cabinet might also include state ministers, advisors and special assistants. They added that the new batch of the federal cabinet, as announced by the premier, was expected to be finalized in the next week or two. Apart from portfolios of the federal cabinet, PPP is eying the post of the chairman senate for former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani, who was defeated by the incumbent Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in the Senate elections last year. JUI-F officials also denied the rumours, saying the party has not asked for any position, including that of the President, or portfolios in the federal cabinet.
Source:The Express Tribune
April 18, 2022 09:27 UTC
Pakistan: World Amateur Radio Day
Pakistan: World Amateur Radio DayPakistan's Tribune newspaper reports on World Amateur Radio Day (WARD), taking place today, Monday, April 18The newspaper says:Modern communication systems may seem robust, but they prove useless during disasters for want of power or due to spotty network coverage. In such emergencies, it is still the good old amateur or ham radio technology that provides communication links and saves lives. As the world observes the Amateur Radio Day on Monday, Asadullah Marwat, 50, vice president of Pakistan Amateur Radio Society (PARS) told Anadolu Agency that this comparatively old communication system has helped to network people and the government in critical times. It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. He urged parents to encourage their children to understand and learn ham radio technology, so they are capable to help people in distress during disasters.
Source:The Express Tribune
April 18, 2022 06:27 UTC
Congress veterans divided over PK’s entry
Richa Sharma ByExpress News ServiceNEW DELHI: Even before Congress leadership sealing the entry of poll strategist Prashant Kishor, veteran leaders in the grand old party seem to be divided over the pros and cons of the move. There is a group in the party which strongly backs PK’s entry while another group is totally against the idea. Some veterans fear that Kishor’s role as party’s key strategist will spell more troubles for Congress which is already riddled with infighting. A leader of the G23 group said everyone knew what ailed the party and several leaders had written and told the leadership about it. We are ready to pay huge money to them (PK’s team) to revive the party while we don’t understand the core problem.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 03:07 UTC
‘We can bring imperialist forces to their knees as a united nation’
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Pakistan chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafferi has said that no power can defeat dignified nations. “We can bring imperialist forces to their knees if we become a united nation,” he said while addressing an Iftar hosted by the MWM Karachi Division at the Islamic Research Centre. “The so-called superpower had two prominent leaders of Pakistan — Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto — assassinated.”He also said that the US does not like Pakistani leaders who respond to it in a befitting manner. He urged the Pakistani nation to say goodbye to the US forever. But he also assured the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership that the MWM as well as the Shia community would never accept any allegedly imported government in Pakistan.
Source:The Nation
April 18, 2022 02:42 UTC
Save the foreign service of Pakistan
May it be offering an olive branch to India or sending fresh bouquets to China & KSA or dispatching greeting cards to the US and EU, the success of the new PM’s Foreign Policy would largely depend on the performance of the Foreign Service of Pakistan. The apparently divided and politically polarised nation needs immediate pro-active measures not only on the economic front but also in the realm of Foreign Policy. PM may wish to require the Foreign Office and all Ambassadors to explain afresh to the world what Pakistan actually stands for. Last but not least, the Foreign Minister may let the Foreign Office run independent of his or her ‘constituency politics and constraints’. Perhaps, these steps will enable the ailing Foreign Service of Pakistan in weaning off the ventilator.
Source:The Nation
April 17, 2022 23:22 UTC
Pakistan decides to resume talks for IMF package revival
The new government has decided to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington from tomorrow. According to sources, negotiations with IMF officials will begin from the point where it had been suspended. Pakistan will formally announce restoration of the IMF programme after which the IMF will decide about US dollar one billion tranche of the IMF bailout, sources said. The government sources earlier said that Pakistan will work with the IMF to stabilise the economy. Top government officials are expected to participate virtually in the upcoming talks, according to sources.
Source:The Nation
April 17, 2022 16:11 UTC
Parliamentary body for electoral reforms formed
The National Assembly on Saturday passed a motion authorising the newly-elected speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, to constitute a parliamentary committee for electoral reforms in order to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The motion, moved by PML-N’s Murtaza Javed Abbasi, said the committee will present its report within three months from the day of its notification. The motion highlighted that electoral laws were in need of improvement so as to hold free, fair and transparent elections in the country. It is important to mention here that the issue of electoral reforms has been a rallying cry of the coalition government led by the PML-N. The resolution moved by PML-N's Shaza Fatima, voiced concerns over the security of the members of the Punjab Assembly and blatant violation of the constitution.
Source:The Express Tribune
April 17, 2022 14:07 UTC