By Rauf Klasra ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari portrayed himself as a hawk-turned-peacemaker on Saturday but the script is understood to have been handed over to him by the Americans and the British, whose late night calls helped him to try and bring sanity to the troubled political proceedings in the greater interest of all the stakeholders. But even in the heat of emotions at the end of his speech to parliament, a politically smart Zardari did not forget to keep certain ... Read More

ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday barred main opposition leader and former premier Nawaz Sharif from holding office and contesting elections, sparking political turmoil in the nuclear-armed nation. The court order also applied to his brother Shahbaz Sharif, leading to the immediate collapse of his government in the central Punjab province, Pakistan's most populous state and the country's political heartland. "All petitions have been dismissed by the Supreme Court," senior lawyer Akram Sheikh told reporters in the capital Islamabad. ... Read More