Pak will not hold elections before 2023, warns Imran Khan against 'gravedigging'
- Khan called on people 'to join the protest in large numbers' after his party's core committee meeting in Peshawar. He would meet protesters on the Srinagar highway. However, per Pak media outlets, the government will not allow Imran Khan's rally at that location.

Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif-led government has rejected demands by ousted prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold elections immediately. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said polls would only be held in August 2023 - after the government finishes its term - a report by Pakistan's Express Tribune said quoting sources.
The Tribune quoted its sources as saying allies of the ruling PML-N said that since the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had already announced dates - for a delimitation exercise to be completed by August - it is not feasible to hold early polls.
The report further said Sharif is set to chair a meeting of the coalition government on Wednesday to decide a course of action regarding the next general election.
The announcement is in response to Imran Khan's continuing demand to hold fresh national elections after he and his PTI party were removed from power in a dramatic fashion last month. The PTI chief is expected to lead a protest march to capital Islamabad on Wednesday to protest the Shehbaz Sharif government and call for dissolution of the National Assembly.
Khan called on people 'to join the protest in large numbers' after his party's core committee meeting in Peshawar. He would meet protesters on the Srinagar highway.
However, per Pak media outlets, the government will not allow Imran Khan's rally at that location. The PTI will instead be provided with an open ground, sources said.
Pak interior minister Rana Sanaullah also warned Khan against creating a law-and-order problem, and said "law will take its course if he attempts to be the gravedigger of democracy during the march", the Express Tribune reported.
The last general election in Pakistan was in July 2018 - Imran Khan's PTI was victorious.
Khan was removed as PM after losing a vote of no-confidence motion last month, following which opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif took charge as the prime minister of the country.
-
Google to delete user location history on US abortion clinic visits
"If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit," Jen Fitzpatrick, a senior vice president at Google, wrote in a blog post. "This change will take effect in the coming weeks."
-
Two Indo-Canadian academics honoured with Order of Canada
Two Indo-Canadian academics, working on research to advance the betterment of mankind, have been honoured with one of the country's most prestigious awards, the Order of Canada. Their names were in the list published by the office of the governor-general of Canada Mary Simon. Both have been invested (as the bestowal of the awards is described) into the Order as a Member. They are professors Ajay Agrawal and Parminder Raina.
-
Elon Musk's Twitter hiatus, in 2nd week now, generates curiosity
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, has not tweeted in about 10 days and it can't go unnoticed. The 51-year-old business tycoon has 100 million followers on the microblogging site, which he is planning to buy. Since April, he has been making headlines for the $44 billion deal and his comments and concerns about the presence of a large number of fake accounts on Twitter.
-
Taliban's reclusive supreme leader attends gathering in Kabul: Report
The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada joined a large gathering of nationwide religious leaders in Kabul on Friday, the state news agency said, adding he would give a speech. The Taliban's state-run Bakhtar News Agency confirmed the reclusive leader, who is based in the southern city of Kandahar, was attending the meeting of more than 3,000 male participants from around the country, aimed at discussing issues of national unity.
-
July 1: Canada to mark 155th anniversary of its formation
As the country prepares to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the formation of the Canadian Confederation, Canada Day, the traditional centre of festivities, Parliament Hill in Ottawa, will be off limits as protesters linked to the Freedom Convoy begin gathering in the capital for the long weekend. Various events have been listed by protesters including a march to Parliament Hill on Friday.