Imran demands early elections in Pak under supervision of ‘neutral’ CEC

 Claiming that the “selected” government has been imposed on the masses through planning and plotting, he said that an election must be held as soon as possible

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that general elections must be held in the country under the supervision of a neutral chief election commissioner (CEC), reported local media. Claiming that the “selected” government has been imposed on the masses through planning and plotting, he said that an election must be held as soon as possible, otherwise, democracy will suffer a huge blow, reported Geo News.

Khan, however, added that the polls should be conducted under the supervision of a suitable chief election commissioner (CEC). Notably, this comes after last week he called CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja PML-N’s agent. Dismissing the allegations of his government being incompetent, he said, “We had been hearing those remarks for three-and-a-half years. My only demand is to conduct the election under the chairmanship of a neutral CEC. Let the people decide [the country’s fate].”…Read More

No-trust motion against Pakistan PM Imran Khan: Session called on March 25

 On Sunday, the NA Secretariat issued a notification, clearing the dust regarding the key session which the opposition had demanded to be convened by March 21 as per the legal requirements

Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Sunday announced to convene the assembly session on March 25 to take up a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan (pictured).

Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) submitted the no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government led by Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.

On Sunday, the NA Secretariat issued a notification, clearing the dust regarding the key session which the opposition had demanded to be convened by March 21 as per the legal requirements. “The session will convene at 11 am on Friday and will be the 41st session of the current National Assembly,” according to the notification.

Pakistan: 19 dead as Karachi records highest rainfall in 24 hours

The crisis-like situation led Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to announce a public holiday on Saturday

At least 19 people were killed in various rain-related incidents in Karachi, as the Pakistani city recorded its highest downpour in a day since 1967, officials said. The Met department said Karachi received 223.5 mm of rain in just 12 hours on Thursday alone, the highest amount of rain ever recorded in a single day in the city, reports Dawn news.

The previous 24-hour record was on July 26, 1967, when 211.3 mm was recorded at Masroor base. Meteorological officials said downpours in August have shattered 89-year-old records for the city. The crisis-like situation led Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to announce a public holiday on Saturday.

The Navy has deployed emergency response teams in aid of the civil administration in various areas that were equipped with boats and other life-saving equipment. During the operation, the navy teams also rescued 55 people trapped in the flooded areas of Malir and Korangi Crossing, while 20 families stranded in Sammoo Goth were also evacuated to a safe location.

Meanwhile, many major roads in the city witnessed severe traffic jams and several areas of Karachi also experienced power outages, Dawn news reported. Some areas of the city have been without power for more than 10 hours. Power was suspended in several areas as a precautionary measure, the Karachi Electric’s spokesperson said…Read Full Story

111 dead in Pak avalanches; girl buried in snow found alive after 18 hours

Total number of deaths in snow-hit areas across Pakistan and PoK over the past couple of days was now 111

Even as the death toll in the massive avalanches and snow-related incidents in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir rose to 111, a 12-year-old girl was found alive by rescue officials on Wednesday after being buried under snow for 18 hours in PoK. Samina Bibi recalled screaming and shouting for help as she lay trapped in a room under the snow, according to Al Jazeera.

“I thought I would die there,” she said from a hospital bed in Muzaffarabad, where dozens of injured, including her, were receiving treatment after being airlifted out of the avalanche area. Meanwhile, Samina’s mother, Shahnaz Bibi, who lost a son and another daughter, the rescue was nothing short of a miracle. After being pulled out of the snow earlier, Shahnaz said she and her brother, Irshad Ahmad, had given up hope of finding Samina alive.

Samina said she could not sleep while she waited to be rescued. Her leg was fractured and blood was oozing from her mouth. “We didn’t hear a rumble,” Shahnaz said, recalling the moments before the avalanche buried the three-floor house where she and her family were sheltering with others from the village. At least 18 of them died. Samina and her family were huddled ar..ound a fire when the avalanche hit. “It happened in the blink of an eye,” Shahnaz said…Keep Reading

Pak senate rushed through bills to extend General Bajwa’s tenure: Group

The bills to extend the retirement age from 60 to 64 years for the chiefs of army, navy and air force, and the chairman of the joint chief of staff committee sailed through the Senate

The bills giving three years extension to General Qamar Bajwa as army chief was “rushed” through parliament without debate, a group of dissident Pakistanis said.

The bills to extend the retirement age from 60 to 64 years for the chiefs of army, navy and air force, and the chairman of the joint chief of staff committee sailed through the Senate or the upper house despite protests from minor parties, Geo News said. Under the banner of the South Asians Against Terrorism and For Human Rights (SAATH) Forum, the group on Wednesday voiced concern at the manner in which the Pakistan government and main opposition parties “rushed through parliament” amendments to the Army Act.

The bills were passed “without debate as to the desirability or necessity of such legislation, and without due consideration to the implications of such an action on the future of democracy in Pakistan”, the group that includes former journalists and envoys said in a statement. Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani adjourned the session as soon as the bills were passed. The Senate session lasted only 20 minutes and no other agenda other than the laying of a few reports was taken up, the Dawn said. The bills were already approved by the Standing Committee on Defence…

Pakistan: Blast at Lahore’s Sufi shrine kills 3 cops, injure 15 others

Initial reports suggest that a police vehicle was the target of the explosion

International News: At least eight people have been killed in a blast near Lahore’s Data Darbar, the largest Sufi shrine in south Asia, police in the Pakistani city said.

The explosion was reported around 8.45am local time (4.15am GMT) on Wednesday morning. City police chief Ghazanfar Ali told Associated Press that police officers were the apparent target. Five police officers and three civilians were killed in the attack, local news reports said.

Hundreds of pilgrims were in and around the 11th-century shrine when the explosion occurred. At least 25 people were injured, said Mohammad Ashfaq, a deputy inspector with the Lahore police. Footage from the scene showed a charred vehicle surrounded by debris and roped off by police and rescue workers.

It is not clear if the shrine was the intended target and what, if any, damage it had suffered. Security officials are gathered outside one of its gates. Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan has condemned the attack. The Punjab government is holding an emergency law and order meeting. Suicide bombers blew themselves up at the shrine in 2010, killing 50 people and injuring at least 200 others. Some Islamic extremists regard minority schools of Islam such as Sufism to be heretical…