President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a four-day official visit to Iraq, visited on Monday prominent religious shrines in Baghdad and prayed for peace, unity and security of the Muslim Ummah, as Islamabad and Baghdad seek to deepen bilateral cooperation. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583472/1

Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, has received Saudi Arabia's highest national honour, the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellence. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583461/1

An election tribunal has upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s notification declaring Nawaz Sharif the winner in Lahore’s NA-130, dismissing a challenge filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Dr Yasmin Rashid. The decision ends her bid to overturn Sharif’s victory in the February 2024 general election from the constituency, also known as NA-130 (Lahore-XIV). The tribunal, headed by Judge Rana Zahid Mahmood, rejected Dr Rashid’s petition on technical grounds. The ruling means the official result notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will remain in force. According to the published results of the February 8, 2024 election, the three-time prime minister secured 179,310 votes in NA-130, while Dr Rashid polled 104,485. Dr Rashid had approached the tribunal in the weeks following polling, arguing through her lawyers that the ECP failed to follow proper procedure when it notified Sharif’s victory. She alleged that the result had been manipulated in his favour and sought to have the notif

The Islamabad district court has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi after his repeated failure to appear in court regarding a case involving misleading allegations against state institutions and damaging their reputation. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582854/1 #etribune #News #latest

A century-old banyan tree, regarded as a living symbol of ancestral heritage, was cut down in Ramdiwali village, also known as Arfa Karim Nagar, triggering grief and anger among local residents. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583401/1

Forty-four Democratic US lawmakers have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for targeted sanctions against Pakistani officials, citing what they described as an “escalating campaign of transnational repression and worsening human rights abuses.” For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2580520/1

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday that a new roadmap has been shared with the civil-military leadership to raise Pakistan's exports to $63 billion within four years, stressing that the country cannot end its reliance on foreign creditors without a sustained increase in exports. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582956/1

The Supreme Court has converted a rape conviction into a case of consensual adultery, reducing the sentence of the accused from 20 years' imprisonment to five years' rigorous imprisonment and lowering the fine from Rs500,000 to Rs10,000. In default of payment, the accused will undergo an additional two months' imprisonment. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582940/1

Police officials have warned that anyone resorting to aerial firing to celebrate the New Year will be booked under attempted murder charges, cautioning that “a few moments of joy can turn into a lifetime of suffering for someone.” Karachi Police have intensified their awareness campaign against celebratory gunfire, making announcements from mosques and warning the public that strict legal action will be taken against violators on New Year’s Eve. #etribune #News #Latest

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir would likely to be a key figure in Washington's push to a successful launch of the Gaza stabilisation force. For more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582732/1