Will hand over charge to caretaker govt in Aug: Pak PM
ISLAMABAD, July 13: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday assured the nation that his government will hand over the reins of the government to an interim setup in August to steer it through the general elections. In a televised address to the nation, Sharif also said his government has cleared the “landmines” spread in the way of Pakistan’s interests by former prime minister Imran Khan. This comes a day after Sharif said at a ceremony in Islamabad that Parliament would complete its term on August 14 to pave the way for interim government and elections. Sharif, who was sworn in in April last year, stated that he was given the “sacred responsibility” to run the country as the prime minister. “We will hand over this responsibility in August 2023 to the caretaker government,” he said. Under the Constitution of Pakistan, general elections must be held under the supervision of a neutral caretaker government so that a level playing field is available to all political parties. (PTI)
Mass grave with at least 98 bodies found after Sudan crisis: UN
CAIRO, July 13: The bodies of dozens of people allegedly killed by Sudanese paramilitary and allied militia have been uncovered in a mass grave in West Darfur, the United Nations said Thursday. According to “credible information” obtained by the UN Human Rights Office, the bodies of the 87 people, some of whom belong to the ethnic African Masalit tribe, were dumped in a one-metre (around three-foot) grave just outside the West Darfur city of Geneina. The first 37 bodies were buried on June 20, the UN agency said in a statement from Geneva. The next day, another 50 bodies were dumped at the same site. Seven women and seven children were among those buried. Sudan has been rocked by violence since April 15 when tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into open fighting. Darfur has been at the epicentre of the 12-week conflict, morphing into ethnic violence with RSF troops and allied Arab militias attacking African ethnic groups. Notably, the RSF and allied Arab militias rampaged through the western region. (AP)