The outgoing prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has announced that his brother and former premier, Nawaz Sharif, is set to make his return to Pakistan in the upcoming month.
Nawaz Sharif's return aims to address his pending court cases and to spearhead the party's efforts for the forthcoming general election.
Nawaz Sharif, 73, has been living in self-imposed exile in the UK since November 2019. He was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018.
He was serving a seven-year imprisonment at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Mills case before he was allowed to proceed to London in 2019 on "medical grounds".
In an interview with Geo News on Thursday (10), Shehbaz Sharif, 71, said he would travel to London to meet his elder brother Nawaz Sharif as soon as the caretaker government took charge in the country.
Shehbaz Sharif reiterated that his elder brother would be Pakistan's prime minister for the fourth time if the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won the next election to be held later this year.
His statement came as the process to appoint caretaker setup formally kicked off with the dissolution of the National Assembly on Wednesday, three days ahead of the mandated period.
“Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan next month and will face the law and lead the election campaign,” the incumbent prime minister said without giving the exact date of Nawaz Sharif's return.
In 2016, Nawaz Sharif stepped down as the prime minister after the Supreme Court disqualified him for life for concealing assets. His appeals against the conviction are currently pending in the relevant courts.
“He (Nawaz Sharif) will neither wear a hat nor a bucket,” Shehbaz Sharif said while taking a thinly veiled jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan who dons a bulletproof helmet while appearing for court hearings.
Khan, 70, was sentenced to three years in prison by an Islamabad trial court on Saturday (5) in the Toshakhana corruption case for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
He was subsequently arrested by the Punjab police from his residence in Lahore.
Khan, who is currently lodged in the Attock Jail, appealed his conviction and the three-year prison sentence in the case by filing a plea through his lawyers at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.
Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PML-N president, hoped that his party would win the next general elections and he will work as an activist of the party under the Nawaz Sharif-led government.
The early dissolution of the National Assembly will allow the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections in the country within 90 days instead of 60 days, the stipulated time if the legislature completes its term.
The polls are expected to be delayed for a couple of months as new census results have been approved, which makes it a constitutional obligation to carry out delimitation before elections.
The ECP is bound to carry out delimitation within 120 days and then announce the election schedule. Shehbaz Sharif will continue to perform his duties as the premier until the appointment of a caretaker prime minister.
Speaking about his meeting with opposition leader Raja Riaz to deliberate on the interim prime minister's name, Shehbaz Sharif said: “It is hoped that the name of caretaker prime minister will be agreed upon before three days.”
Under the Constitution, the prime minister and the opposition leader have three days to finalise the caretaker prime minister's name. In the first round of consultation on Thursday, they failed to reach a consensus on the interim prime minister's name.
“It has been decided that another round of consultation will be held on Friday (11). Till a name is not finalised no name will be revealed,” said Riaz following the meeting.
His statement indicated that both sides are keeping cards close to their chest. However, Riaz did confirm that he had shared the names of his candidates with the premier, hoping that things will clear out on Friday.
Shehbaz Sharif said he will also consult his brother Nawaz Sharif regarding the appointment of a caretaker prime minister. Amid concerns that polls might be delayed, Shehbaz Sharif said general elections should be held as soon as possible, adding that the ECP is responsible for holding elections in the country, not the caretaker setup.
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office for large parts of southern England, the Midlands, and south Wales, with the alert in effect from 09:00 to 18:00 BST on Saturday, 8 June.
According to the UK’s national weather agency, intense downpours could bring 10–15mm of rainfall in under an hour, while some areas may see as much as 30–40mm over a few hours due to successive storms. Frequent lightning, hail, and gusty winds are also expected to accompany the thunderstorms.
The Met Office has cautioned that these conditions could lead to travel disruption. Roads may be affected by surface water and spray, increasing the risk of delays for motorists. Public transport, including train services, could also face interruptions. Additionally, short-term power outages and damage to buildings from lightning strikes are possible in some locations.
This weather warning for thunderstorms comes after what was the driest spring in over a century. England recorded just 32.8mm of rain in May, making it the driest on record for more than 100 years. Now, forecasters suggest that some areas could receive more rainfall in a single day than they did during the entire month of May.
The thunderstorms are expected to subside from the west during the mid-afternoonMet Office
June has so far brought cooler, wetter, and windier conditions than usual, following a record-breaking dry period. The Met Office noted that thunderstorms are particularly difficult to predict because they are small-scale weather systems. As a result, while many areas within the warning zone are likely to experience showers, some locations may avoid the storms entirely and remain dry.
The thunderstorms are expected to subside from the west during the mid-afternoon, reducing the risk in those areas as the day progresses.
Other parts of the UK are also likely to see showers on Saturday, but these are not expected to be as severe as those in the south.
Yellow warnings are the lowest level issued by the Met Office but still indicate a risk of disruption. They are based on both the likelihood of severe weather and the potential impact it may have on people and infrastructure. Residents in affected areas are advised to stay updated and take precautions where necessary.
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India's prime minister Narendra Modi. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)
CANADIAN prime minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the upcoming Group of Seven summit in a phone call on Friday (6), as the two sides look to mend ties after relations soured in the past two years.
The leaders agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 summit later this month, a readout from Carney's office said.
India is not a G7 member but can be invited as a guest to its annual gathering, which will be held this year in Kananaskis in the Canadian province of Alberta, from June 15 to 17.
"Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister (Carney) ... thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit," Modi said in a post on X.
Modi also stated in his post on Friday that India and Canada would work together "with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests."
Bilateral ties deteriorated after Canada accused India of involvement in a Sikh separatist leader's murder, and of attempting to interfere in two recent elections. Canada expelled several top Indian diplomats and consular officials in October 2024 after linking them to the murder and alleged a broader effort to target Indian dissidents in Canada.
New Delhi has denied the allegations, and expelled the same number of Canadian diplomats in response.
India is Canada's 10th largest trading partner and Canada is the biggest exporter of pulses, including lentils, to India.
Carney, who is trying to diversify trade away from the United States, said it made sense for the G7 to invite India, since it had the fifth-largest economy in the world and was at the heart of a number of supply chains.
"In addition, bilaterally, we have now agreed, importantly, to continued law enforcement dialogue, so there's been some progress on that, that recognizes issues of accountability. I extended the invitation to prime minister Modi in that context," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Four Indian nationals have been charged in the killing of the Sikh separatist leader.
(Reuters)
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Foreign secretary David Lammy. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
FOREIGN SECRETARY David Lammy arrived in Delhi on Saturday (7) for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening economic and security ties with India, following the landmark free trade agreement finalised last month.
During his visit, Lammy will hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and is scheduled to meet prime minister Narendra Modi, as well as commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
According to a statement, the discussions will focus on bilateral ties in areas of trade, defence and security, building on the ambitious free trade agreement (FTA) finalised on May 6.
The FTA represents the biggest deal the UK has finalised since leaving the European Union. Under the agreement, 99 per cent of Indian exports will be exempt from tariffs, while making it easier for British firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India.
"India was one of my first visits as Foreign Secretary, and since then has been a key partner in the delivery of our Plan for Change," Lammy said. "Signing a free trade agreement is just the start of our ambitions - we're building a modern partnership with India for a new global era. We want to go even further to foster an even closer relationship and cooperate when it comes to delivering growth, fostering innovative technology, tackling the climate crisis and delivering our migration priorities."
The minister will also welcome progress on migration partnerships, including ongoing efforts to safeguard citizens and secure borders in both countries. Migration remains a top priority for the government, with Lammy focused on working with international partners to strengthen the UK's border security.
Business investment will also feature prominently in the discussions, with Lammy set to meet leading Indian business figures to explore opportunities for greater Indian investment in Britain.
The current investment relationship already supports over 600,000 jobs across both countries, with more than 950 Indian-owned companies operating in the UK and over 650 British companies in India. For five consecutive years, India has been the UK's second-largest source of investment projects.
The talks will also address regional security concerns, with India expected to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan with the foreign secretary. The UK played a role in helping to de-escalate tensions during last month's military conflict between India and Pakistan, following the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir.
Lammy had previously visited Islamabad from May 16, during which he welcomed the understanding between India and Pakistan to halt military actions.
His visit is also expected to lay the groundwork for a possible trip to New Delhi by prime minister Keir Starmer. This is Lammy's second visit to India as foreign secretary, following his inaugural trip in July when he announced the UK-India Technology Security Initiative focusing on collaboration in telecoms security and emerging technologies.
(with inputs from PTI)
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Seema Misra was wrongly imprisoned in 2010 after being accused of stealing £75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey, where she was the subpostmistress. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
SEEMA MISRA, a former sub-postmistress from Surrey who was wrongly jailed in the Post Office scandal, told MPs that her teenage son fears she could be sent to prison again.
Misra served five months in jail in 2010 after being wrongly convicted of theft. She said she was pregnant at the time, and the only reason she did not take her own life was because of her unborn child, The Times reported.
Speaking at a meeting in parliament on Tuesday, she said, “It affects our whole family. My 13-year-old younger son said, ‘Mummy, if the Post Office put you back in prison don’t kill yourself — you didn’t kill yourself [when you were in prison] because I was in your tummy. What if they do it again?’”
Misra, who wore an electronic tag when giving birth, supported a campaign to change the law around compensation for miscarriages of justice.
In 2014, the law was changed under Lord Cameron, requiring victims to prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt to receive compensation. Campaigners say this has resulted in only 6.6 per cent of claims being successful, down from 46 per cent, and average payouts dropping from £270,000 to less than £70,000.
Sir David Davis called the rule change an “institutional miscarriage of justice” during prime minister’s questions and urged the government to act.
Dame Vera Baird, interim head of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, has also announced a full review of the body’s operations, following years of criticism over its performance.
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Habibur Masum pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)
A MAN has admitted killing his wife as she pushed their baby in a pram through Bradford city centre, but has denied her murder.
Habibur Masum, 26, pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article. He denied the charge of murder. The victim, 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter, was stabbed multiple times on 6 April last year. The baby was unharmed.
Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, was remanded in custody by Justice Cotter and is due to stand trial for murder on Monday.
He also denied two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking. During a previous hearing, the court was told those charges relate to incidents over two days in November 2023.
The stalking charge alleges Masum tracked Akter between November and April, found her location at a safe house, sent threatening messages including photos and videos, loitered near her temporary residence, and caused her alarm or distress and fear of violence.
Akter was attacked at around 15:20 BST on Westgate near Drewton Road. She later died in hospital. Masum was arrested in Aylesbury after a three-day manhunt by West Yorkshire Police.
Her mother, Monwara Begum, speaking from Bangladesh last year, said: "I am in shock. She was my youngest daughter and I adored her greatly... The only day I didn't hear from her was the day she was attacked."