PML-N begins ticket deliberations for AJK polls

LAHORE: With more than 200 aspirants competing for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) tickets for 45 legislative assembly seats in the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, the party on Friday convened a parliamentary board meeting to begin finalising candidates for the electoral contest. The meeting, chaired by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, was attended by…

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US court torpedoes Democrats’ redistricting win

. WASHINGTON: The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday overturned the US state’s voter-approved redistricting plan, dealing a huge blow to Democrats’ hopes of reshaping the battle for control of Congress ahead of this year’s midterm elections. In a ruling following months of legal challenges, the court found that Democratic lawmakers failed to follow constitutional procedures…

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Australia sanctions BLA, affiliates

ISLAMABAD: The Australian government on Friday imposed counterterrorism financing sanctions on the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its senior leaders “for their engagement in and support of terrorist attacks”. Announcing the sanctions, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said that the BLA has conducted “violent terror attacks” across Pakistan, targeting civilians, critical infrastructure, and…

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LHC allows women to become lumberdars

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has set aside the Punjab government’s executive orders and ruled that women are entitled to be appointed as permanent lumberdars. “This Court cannot remain oblivious to the contemporary constitutional ethos of equality, inclusion and fair participation of women in public life. No provision of law has been shown which…

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US-Iran deal hangs in balance

Efforts to end the war between the US and Iran appeared to stall as the two sides traded fire in the Gulf on Friday, while a US intelligence analysis concluded Tehran could withstand a naval blockade for another four months. The CIA assessment also concluded that the US bombing campaign of Iran, hailed as a…

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Quadcopter blast injures eight in Bannu

. MIRANSHAH: At least eight people, including women, were injured when a quadcopter drone allegedly exploded in the Kinger Jan Bahadur area of Bannu on Friday night. According to police, the drone reportedly entered the area from an unknown direction and fell near a residential neighbourhood. Moments after fall, it exploded with a loud blast,…

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