ISLAMABAD, May 27(ABC): Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced Thursday a massive hike in the price of petroleum products after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) emphasised abolishing the subsidies on commodities. In a press conference, the finance minister said the government has decided to hike the price of petrol, diesel, kerosene oil, and light diesel by Rs30, effectively from May 27. …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has revealed that the upcoming general elections 2023 will cost around Rs47.4 billion. As per the details, over Rs5bn will be spent on electronic voting machines (EVMs) and their related expenses while Rs4.83bn will be required for the printing of ballot papers. Meanwhile, the ECP will also have to pay Rs15bn for …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday felicitated Raja Riaz on his appointment as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and assured him of support on behalf of the treasury benches. “We will bury ill traditions of the past by exhibiting a positive approach towards the Opposition and giving them space to utter their point of …

ABBOTABAD, May 26(ABC): Four students died and 12 were injured after a school van fell in a gorge on Thursday near Pind Kargu Khan in Abbotabad. According to the Abbotabad Police, school van was coming back from a trip and saw an accident. The four students died at the spot. After the rescue mission, the rescue workers shifted the injured …

RAWALPINDI, May 26(ABC): Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench on Thursday has ordered the immediate release of PTI workers who were arrested before the PTI long march. Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem of the LHC Rawalpindi Bench passed the order after hearing the arguments of the arrested persons  lawyers Dr Babar Awan and Sardar Abdul Raziq Advocate. It is pertinent to mention …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday while assuring that the country will be taken out of the difficult situation under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the elections will be held on time, Imran Niazi should leave negative politics and talk about Charter of Economy. Talking to media, the Federal Minister said …

LAHORE, May 26(ABC): Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Thursday has said that current rulers are guests for a few days, and they will have to answer for their unconstitutional and illegal steps. Taking a dig at the Punjab government, Elahi said that Punjab province has been made a police state because police are being used illegally to arrest …

LAHORE, May 26(ABC): Schools in Punjab will observe a two-month summer vacation from the beginning of next month, an official notification said Thursday. The holidays — for private and public schools — will begin on June 1 and continue till July 31, Punjab School Education Department said in the notification. Similarly, summer vacation in all public and private educational institutions …

ISLAMABAD, May 26(ABC): The National Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to abolish the former government’s election reforms giving expats the right to vote through I-Voting and electronic voting machines (EVMs). The development came during the Parliament meeting convened by President Arif Alvi to deliberate over the current economic situation of the country. The Election Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced …

COLOGNY, May 26(ABC): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Thursday appreciated Iran’s steadfast support for the Kashmir cause in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart. A statement issued by the Foreign Office said that the Foreign Minister Bilawal met his Iranian counterpart Dr Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. During the meeting, Pakistan’s top diplomat reaffirmed Islamabad’s …