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The Election Commission Punjab on Thursday announced that all candidates for the Senate election from Punjab have been elected unopposed. All candidates on the technocrat and general seats from Punjab have been elected unopposed, said the election commission. The candidates were elected after all challengers withdrew their nomination papers. Today was the last day for the withdrawal of nomination papers. The names of the candidates who have been elected from Punjab are: Azam Nazir Tarar (PML-N) Syed Ali Zafar (PTI) Dr Zarqa (PTI) Saadia Abbasi (PML-N) Sajid Mir (PML-N) Irfan-ul-Haq Siddiqui (PML-N) Ijaz Chaudhry (PTI) Aun Abbas (PTI) Kamil Ali Agha (PML-Q) Saifullah Sarwar Niazi (PTI) Afnanullah Khan (PML-N) According to the break-up, five Senators each from the PML-N and the PTI have been elected while one, Kamil Ali Agha, has been elected unopposed from the PML-Q's platform. The election commission said that an official notification of the candidates who got ele

The Myanmar junta’s foreign minister visited Thailand on Wednesday as regional powers tried to broker an end to three weeks of deadly unrest triggered by a military coup. The talks came as an anti-coup protester died in detention, a local rescue organisation said. Four others have been killed in the crackdown. Foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin held talks with his counterparts from Thailand and Indonesia in what was the first known face-to-face meetings between a senior junta member and foreign government officials. The military has weathered a storm of international condemnation for ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a Feb 1 putsch, while dissent within its borders has been vociferous with daily nationwide protests. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she expressed concerns about the safety and welfare of Myanmar citizens and reiterated a need for an “inclusive democratic transition process”. “We ask all parties to exercise restraint and not use vi

With sub-optimal utilisation of earlier $4.5 billion worth of three-year financing framework, Pakistan and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) on Wednesday signed a $1.1bn trade financing facility for the current year. Under the Annual Financing Plan, “ITFC will mobilise trade financing of $1.1bn during the year 2021”, said an official statement after the signing ceremony. The financing available through this facility will be utilised by the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Pak-Arab Refinery Ltd (Parco) and Pakistan LNG Ltd (PLL) for the import of crude oil, refined petroleum products and LNG during the year 2021 and help augment foreign currency reserves of the country and provide resources to meet the oil import bill. The document was signed by Economic Affairs Division Secretary Noor Ahmed and ITFC’s Chief Executive Officer Eng Hani Salem Sonbol. ITFC is a subsidiary organisation of the Islamic Development Bank Group. On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, t

Pakistan wicket-keeper/batsman Mohammad Rizwan has been promoted to Category ‘A’ of the PCB Central Contract List with middle-order batsman Fawad Alam being awarded Category ‘C’ following their stellar performances during the ongoing season. Rizwan was earlier in Category ‘B’ but now joins the elite category which also comprises Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam, batsman Azhar Ali and paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi. “Since the current central contracts were announced on 13 May 2020, Rizwan is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in Tests with 529 runs in seven matches at an average of 52.90, while he is overall the third leading run-scorer in T20Is with 325 runs at an average of 65 and strike-rate of just under 139. In the three ODIs against Zimbabwe, he scored 25 runs,” a Pakistan Cricket Board press release said on Wednesday. “Behind the wickets, Rizwan has accounted for 16 batsmen in Tests, three in ODIs and eight in T20Is in the season during which Pakistan played international cricket a

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz lashed out at PM Imran Khan on Thursday, claiming that his support was dwindling within the PTI. PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the PML-N vice president had earlier met to discuss political developments as the Senate elections loom near and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) gears up to give the government a tough time in the polls. Maryam spoke highly of the PDM's joint candidate from Islamabad, former prime minister Gillani. "Yousaf Raza Gillani is not only the PDM's candidate but he has an affable personality," she said, adding that the PML-N fully backs him as its joint candidate for the Senate seat. "I hope every pro-democracy person will not vote for the PTI [in the Senate elections] because we think the PTI is guilty of crimes against the people and Imran Khan is guilty of crimes against the nation," added Maryam. Referring to the upcoming Senate elections, Maryam said that "there is a line

The director-generals of military operations of India and Pakistan reviewed the situation along the Line of Control and all other sectors in a "free, frank and cordial atmosphere," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Thursday. The two DGs of military operations made hotline contact in the interest of achieving "mutually beneficial and sustainable peace", the ISPR statement read. It said they agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence. Both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the LOC and all other sectors, with effect from midnight 24/25 February 21. It was reiterated by Pakistan and India that existing mechanisms of hotline contact and border flag meetings will be utilised to resolve any unforeseen situation or misunderstanding. Contact between the two military officials comes at a time when a number of cases of LoC

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered on Thursday re-polling at all polling stations of NA-75 Sialkot-Daska over rigging The Election Commission of Pakistan after hearing arguments from PTI, PML-N and RO had reserved the judgment. Riots were reported during the polling day and the masses were not provided the right to vote in a true manner. Terming the polling null and void in the NA-75 Daska, the ECP has ordered re-polling in the constituency on March 18. Earlier, the Returning Officer (RO) of the constituency had admitted that presiding officers of 23 polling stations were found involved in rigging. In his report along with the record of the pollings, submitted in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), RO Athar Abbasi had said that the investigation revealed that presiding officers were involved in rigging. PML-N candidate in the constituency, Nausheen Iftikhar had raised reservations over the results by stating the difference between in the Form 45 copy av