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Dawn - 18:34 Nov 13, 2025
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Thursday issued a statement assailing the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling it a “flagrant attack” on judicial independence and the rule of law. Last year, the ICJ similarly derided the 26th Constitutional Amendment being signed into law as a “blow to judicial independence”. ICJ Secretary-General Santiago Canton was quoted as saying: “The changes made to the judicial system in the 27th Amendment are alarming …They will significantly impair the judiciary’s ability to hold the executive accountable and protect the fundamental human rights of the people of Pakistan.” The jurists’ body expressed concern over several main points, namely the formation of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), the appointment of judges and chief justices to the Supreme Court and the FCC, the composition of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), the transfer of high court judges and the immunities granted to the president and the military leadership. “The FCC w... -
Dawn - 18:01 Nov 13, 2025
Justice Aminuddin Khan was on Thursday appointed the inaugural Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). The development comes hours after the 27th Constitutional Amendment was signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari and shortly after Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah resigned from their offices in protest. A notification from the law ministry said President Zardari made the appointment under clause (3) of Article 175A read with Article 175C of the Constitution, adding that it would come into effect from the date that Justice Khan took his oath. The judge will take the oath at the Presidency tomorrow at 10am. The chief justices and judges of superior courts, high-ranking officials have been invited to participate in the oath-taking ceremony Justice Khan was born in Multan in 1960. A second-generation lawyer, he earned his LL.B from University Law College, Multan, in 1984 and began practice under his father, Khan Sadiq Muhammad Ahsan. He became an advocate of the L... -
Dawn - 17:52 Nov 13, 2025
India’s air force chief made the inaugural landing of a military transport aircraft at a new airbase capable of fighter jet operations close to the disputed Himalayan border with China, a defence official said on Thursday. The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a milestone pact last October to ease military tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh landed the C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, perched at a height of about 4,000m, added the official, who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one. The Indian Air Force and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The new airbase, the region’s third such key station, is just 30 kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. “This new airfield in Ladakh, capable of fighter operations, will add a new challenge for both of our adversari... -
Dawn - 17:07 Nov 13, 2025
Lawyer Asad Rahim Khan filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to challenge the recently enacted 27th Constitutional Amendment, moving the court to declare the amendments unconstitutional and to “take measures” to ensure judicial independence. The 27th Amendment, signed into law earlier today by President Asif Ali Zardari, was widely criticised by the legal fraternity for abolishing judicial independence through the formation of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). SC Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah resigned earlier this evening, in response to the 27th Amendment, which “diminished” the apex court. Khan’s petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn, requested that the Supreme Court declare Sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 to 43, 45A and B, 46 and 48 of the Constitution (Twenty-seventh Amendment) Act, 2025 illegal and unlawful, as it violated Entry 55 of the Federal Legislative List, read with other provisions of the Constitution. According to the petition, Entry 55 “ensure... -
Dawn - 16:44 Nov 13, 2025
Lawyers and politicians alike lamented the resignations of two Supreme Court judges, Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, in the wake of the 27th Constitutional Amendment’s passage as a “dark day” for the country’s judicial history. Both judges had called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi in separate letters to summon a full court meeting and judicial conference to hold a debate on the 27th Constitutional Amendment. In his resignation letter today, Justice Shah said that “staying on would not only amount to silent acquiescence in a constitutional wrong, but would also mean continuing to sit in a court whose constitutional voice has been muted,” while Justice Minallah regretted that the Constitution he swore to uphold was “no more”. Here is what the lawyers and politicians had to say on the departure of the two judges. ‘Darkest day’ Lawyer Mirza Moiz Baig said today marked the “darkest day” in our judicial history. “Not only has the Supreme Court lost two of its greatest jurists, but the passa... -
Dawn - 16:26 Nov 13, 2025
Yielding to several letters from Supreme Court judges, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi called a full court meeting on Friday, after Justice Salahuddin Panhwar became the third judge to request that he convene the judges to deliberate on the 27th Constitutional Amendment. Earlier, senior puisne Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah had written separate letters to the CJP asking for a full court meeting or the convening of the judicial conference. However, the two justices resigned on Thursday evening in protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment Justice Panwhar, in a two-page letter, requested the CJP to call the full court to examine the amendment clause by clause and study its implications against Articles 175, 175A, 189, 190, 191 and 209 of the Constitution — provisions which deal with the judiciary. Headed by the CJP, the full court meeting will be held at the Supreme Court building before the Friday prayers. Justice Panwhar stated he was writing the letter “not in pr... -
Dawn - 16:22 Nov 13, 2025
Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah handed in their resignations, hours after the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment was signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday. Both judges had called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi in separate letters to summon a full court meeting and judicial conference to hold a debate on the 27th Constitutional Amendment. In his letter to the president today, Justice Shah assailed the amendment as “a grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan”, which “dismantles the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subjugates the judiciary to executive control, and strikes at the very heart of our constitutional democracy”. “By fracturing the unity of the nation’s apex court, it has crippled judicial independence and integrity, pushing the country back by decades,” he wrote. “As history bears witness, such a disfigurement of the constitutional order is unsustainable and will, in time, be reversed - but not before leaving deep institutional scars.” T... -
Dawn - 15:05 Nov 13, 2025
This article was originally published on November 6, 2025, and has been replugged. “I looked around in that ceremony, at the majority of recipients, and realised the rot that had set in: a constitutional colossus like him being honoured in the company of pygmies and dwarves … we have violated our oath to uphold the Constitution, and the result is a stark regression in the judicial protection of human rights.” — Justice Shahid Karim on the conferment of Hilal-e-Imtiaz on the late Justice Fazal Karim, 17 November 2023 A year ago today, Qazi Faez Isa departed as the chief justice of Pakistan. His parting gift was to reverse the ruling on dissident votes in the parliament. This, we know, kicked the gates open to the 26th amendment, as once-unbothered lawmakers were promptly forced into voting for the judiciary’s funeral rites. The bill was passed, and the third branch was destroyed. But while obeying His Lordship’s decision, the unity regime felt free to disobey that of the other lordships in a different case — r... -
Dawn - 14:13 Nov 13, 2025
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf on Thursday concluded his visit to Bangladesh, where he met with Dhaka’s senior military leadership and discussed regional maritime security and avenues to bolster defence cooperation, a statement from the Navy’s Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) read. According to the statement, the navy chief’s visit coincided with the PNS Saif warship being docked at Bangladesh’s Chattogram port. “This milestone visit symbolises a renewed chapter in fostering mutual respect, bilateral naval collaboration and contributing to strengthening maritime security cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh,” the statement said. During his visit, Admiral Ashraf called on Bangladeshi army chief General Wakeruz Zaman, navy chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, air force chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and the Principal Staff Officer Armed Forces Division Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan. “During the meetings, discussions on matters of mutual professional interest, reg... -
Dawn - 14:11 Nov 13, 2025
Medical experts at Islamabad’s largest public-sector hospital, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), performed a robotic surgery using the Toumai surgical robot on Thursday. Robot-assisted surgery has significantly advanced urology — medical speciality that deals with the urinary system. It offers superior precision, reduced invasiveness, and improved clinical outcomes compared to traditional techniques. The Toumai system integrates force sensing, high-frequency response capabilities, and telerobotic surgery capabilities. The robotic surgery at Pims was performed by both local and international medical experts, including Prof Shamim Khan, Prof Mateen Sharif and Dr Javed Burki from the UK, while the surgical team from Pims included Dr Atif Inam Shami, Dr Burhan ul Haq, and Dr Khalid Saeed. Executive Director Pims Dr Rana Imran Sikander said it was the first time a robotic surgery was performed at the hospital. During the surgery, the adrenal glands of a female patient were removed. Pims spokesperson D... -
Dawn - 13:23 Nov 13, 2025
Turkiye on Thursday refuted claims made by Indian media outlets claiming that Ankara had a link to the car blast in Delhi earlier this week. A day prior, the Indian government confirmed that it was treating a car blast that killed 12 people and wounded at least 20 others in Delhi as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible. In a statement, Turkiye’s Directorate of Communications rejected the allegations and displayed screenshots of social media posts by two Indian outlets, which claimed Ankara had a “role in radicalising sleeper cells against India, [the] Turkish government is providing logistical, diplomatic and financial help to all terrorist groups across the world”. “The deliberate reports in certain Indian media outlets … are part of a malicious disinformation campaign aimed at damaging bilateral relations between the two countries,” Ankara’s statement read. Turkiye rejected acts of terror “regardless of where or by whom they are committed” and noted its c... -
Dawn - 13:21 Nov 13, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said the suicide bomber involved in the blast at Islamabad’s judicial complex was “related to Afghanistan”, while Rawalpindi’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested seven suspects who allegedly facilitated the attack. Speaking on the Senate floor, Naqvi termed the alleged links to Tuesday’s blast incident, which killed 12 people and injured 35, a “very serious” concern. He noted that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif have also been informed about the matter. Referring to the attack on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan on November 10, the interior minister said the suicide bomber involved in that incident was also from Afghanistan. “It is becoming very difficult for us; the way people from Afghanistan are coming here and attacking us,” he said, adding that with Deputy PM Ishaq Dar also taking up the issue, they will do “whatever is possible” to tackle it. Naqvi said the government was ensuring that illegal Afghans residing in... -
Dawn - 13:11 Nov 13, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent to the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment on Thursday, enacting it into law. The summary signed by the president, a copy of which is available with Dawn, states: “The Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025, is assented to, as advised by the prime minister, at para 5 of the summary.” Meanwhile, sources told Dawn that the president was expected to administer the oath to the chief justice of the Federal Constitutional Court — the establishment of which would now be realised after the enactment of the 27th Amendment bill — tomorrow at the Presidency. Senate’s approval The president’s assent to the legislation came hours after the Senate approved the bill for the amendment after voting on it for a second time amid the opposition’s protest. Announcing the result, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani said 64 votes had been cast in favour of the bill and four against it. “So the motion is carried by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the total membersh... -
Dawn - 13:10 Nov 13, 2025
The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia have called for continued dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their ongoing disputes on cross-border terrorism. Last week, a third round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul, which were taking place in Istanbul in the presence of mediators, broke down without any agreement, as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences over how to prevent cross-border terrorism. The talks had followed deadly border clashes between the two neighbours in October. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi spoke on the telephone on Wednesday, during which the two sides exchanged views on the latest bilateral and regional developments. In its statement on Telegram, the Russian foreign ministry said the two ministers “welcomed the agreement reached between Kabul and Islamabad, mediated by the authorities of Qatar and Türkiye, on a mutual ceasefire and an end to cross-border shootings along the Afghan-Pakistani frontier”. “The sides... -
Dawn - 13:07 Nov 13, 2025
The vibrant green and pink displays of Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, were reported across unusually large swaths of the United States earlier this week as far south as Texas, Florida, and Alabama. Meanwhile, skywatchers across large parts of Australia and New Zealand were treated to a celestial delight yesterday evening, with a severe solar storm making it possible to view the Southern Lights, or Aurora Australis. Here are some images from across the world. Northern Lights, also called aurora borealis, illuminate the sky in Connewarre, Victoria, Australia, on November 12, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. — Reuters Northern Lights, also called aurora borealis, illuminate the sky in Connewarre, Victoria, Australia, on November 12, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. — Reuters Northern Lights, also called aurora borealis, illuminate the night sky in Valtournenche, Aosta Valley, Italy, on November 12, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. — Reuters ... -
Dawn - 13:05 Nov 13, 2025
The federal government announced the launch of the “Safe Secure Islamabad” initiative to ramp up the security of the federal capital. The announcement comes two days after 12 people were killed and 36 were injured in a suicide blast outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area. The incident occurred as international events were being hosted in the capital, including the first one-day international (ODI) match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. The announcement about the new initiative was made by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry while he was addressing a press conference outside Parliament House alongside Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon and Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi. He said that as part of the programme, a first-of-its-kind new ‘Secure Neighbourhood’ survey would be launched that would allow the administration to know who was occupying every house, shop or office in the capital with information about the number o... -
Dawn - 11:34 Nov 13, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir facilitated the talks with Sri Lanka, resulting in the latter’s cricket team deciding to stay in Pakistan for the ongoing matches. Sri Lanka’s cricket board said late last night that its team’s ongoing tour of Pakistan will proceed, averting a crisis-like situation after reports about some players returning home in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad. “Our field marshal himself spoke to their defence minister, secretary and convinced them and assured them fully of [providing] security,” Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, said while speaking on the Senate floor. View this post on Instagram He recalled that the Sri Lankan team yesterday “decided to return after the bomb blast occurred”. “Our interaction with them began […] their board, players and everyone decided with great bravery to stay here,” the PCB chairman added. “They had many concerns, but we tried to allay all of ... -
Dawn - 11:27 Nov 13, 2025
A non-functional distribution box of Safe City cameras installed near a residential apartment in Karachi’s posh Clifton area was found on Thursday after reportedly being stolen, police said. “This was a non-energised/non-operational pole site near Sea Rock Apartments at Seaview, where the theft of a distribution box was reported to local police on November 6,” South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn. Later, the DIG confirmed, “The distribution box has been recovered from a nearby plot.” He asserted that the police were “developing a strategy in coordination with Sindh Safe City Authority to prevent such incidents in future”. Quoting a staff member from a nearby hotel earlier today, the South police chief said, “A vehicle with a crane was witnessed working on the pole hours before the theft was reported. “Since then, a few switches and the battery are missing,” the DIG added. The officer said the distribution box was installed at an “extreme height”, adding that it would not have been pos... -
Dawn - 10:28 Nov 13, 2025
Interior minister tells UK crime agency chief terrorist incidents linked to ‘neighbouring countries’
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that terrorist incidents in Pakistan were linked to “neighbouring countries”. He made the remarks while meeting with the director general of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Graeme Biggar, according to a handout issued by the interior ministry. “Links of all terrorist incidents come from neighbouring countries,” Naqvi was quoted as saying. He said that, adding that there was no other example in the world for Pakistan’s determination against terrorism. He said that modern forensics and training could further enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, adding that effective measures were being taken to stop illegal immigration. The statement further said that Naqvi and the NCA official held detailed discussions on enhancing cooperation in the areas of countererrorism, narcotics, human trafficking, forensics, immigration and police training. The participants of the meeting agreed to enhance mutual cooperation in training courses for offic... -
Dawn - 07:01 Nov 13, 2025
India has urged a UN wildlife trade body not to curb its imports of endangered species, saying it has tightened oversight amid growing allegations of irregular animal shipments to a large private zoo run by Asia’s richest family. Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat state run by the philanthropic arm of a conglomerate led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family, has faced allegations of improper imports of certain animals, triggering higher scrutiny from authorities in Germany and the European Union, Reuters has reported. Indian investigators tasked by the country’s Supreme Court to examine the allegations by non-profit and wildlife groups cleared the sanctuary of any wrongdoing in September, and Vantara has said it complies with all regulations. However, after visiting the facility in September, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) issued a report last week asking India to review its procedures. The report cited discrepancies betwe...
10471 items