Pakistan

City plans duck-based larvae control after zero dengue fatalities this year

Govt moves to repeal controversial legislation, launch May 9 probe, prioritise governance reforms

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The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Friday vowed to vigorously protest through all democratic means to restore the Constitution to its original form in the wake of the passage of the contentious 26th and 27th amendments. President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent to the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment on Thursday, enacting it into law. The TTAP had already ann­o­unced a nationwide protest movement aga­i­nst the am­­end­ment since Sunday and urged the people to take a stand agai­nst the “extremely dark and dangerous” change in the Constitution. While the 26th Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October 2024, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their vote as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) had also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. In a post on X today, the TTAP said it was holding a...

Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lieutenant General Aamer Raza met his Saudi counterpart, General Fayyadh Bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, in Riyadh to discuss broadening strategic ties and strengthening the mutual defence agreement signed by the two nations, the military’s media wing said on Friday. The two countries have long shared a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “matters of mutual strategic interest” were discussed during the meeting, including strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, enhancing interoperability and advancing collaboration under the mutual defence agreement. “Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening the long-standing fraternal ties between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Sau...

President Asif Ali Zardari has formally accepted the resignations of Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, a day after both judges stepped down.

King of Jordan King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein is undertaking a two-day state visit to Pakistan from tomorrow on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Chief of General Staff (CGS) Pakistan Army Lieutenant General Syed Aamer Raza called on General Fayyadh Bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, Chief of General Staff, Royal Saudi Armed Forces, at Riyadh.

New speed-limit signboards have been installed along Karachi’s Shahra-e-Faisal following the rollout of the city’s e-challan system.

President Asif Ali Zardari has accepted the resignations of Supreme Court judges Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, a post on the President’s official X account said on Friday. The two judges had handed in their resignations yesterday, hours after the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment was signed into law by the president, describing the legislation as an affront to the judiciary and the 1973 Cons­titution. “I therefore resign as the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in full awareness of the reasons that compel it and in loyalty to the Constitution that has guided every step of my judicial life,” Justice Shah wrote in his 13-page resignation letter, issued in both English and Urdu. The letters were addressed to the president. Justice Shah had described the amendment as a “grave assault on the Constitution” and said the 27th Amendment dismantled the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subjugated the judiciary to executive control and struck at the “very heart of our constitutional democracy”....

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed a “resounding” victory for his party and its allies in a key local election in the country’s poorest state of Bihar. The eastern state of 130 million people was widely seen as a bellwether and a test of Modi’s ability to translate New Delhi’s booming economy into gains for its poorest citizens. Counting is still ongoing and the final tally may not be out until Saturday, but the election commission said partial results and projections suggested a solid majority for Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in the state assembly. Modi called the win a “victory of good governance”. “This resounding public mandate will empower us to serve the people and work with new resolve for Bihar,” he said in a post on social media. Bihar is the only state in the Hindi-speaking north where Modi’s party has never ruled alone. This time too, it is unlikely to secure a majority by itself but appears set to emerge as the single largest party ahead of...

Jordan’s King Abdullah II will arrive in Pakistan for a two-day state visit on Saturday at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during which he is expected to hold high-level meetings with the prime minister and the president, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday. The Jordanian monarch’s last visit to Pakistan was at the invitation of former president Mamnoon Hussain. Two memoranda of understanding were signed by both nations, with one related to cooperation in civil protection and defence and the other to cooperation in the housing sector. According to the FO, Saturday’s high-level visit reflects the “longstanding, fraternal relations” between Islamabad and Amman. “It will serve to further strengthen the strategic direction of Pakistan–Jordan relations and place them on a higher trajectory, encompassing a comprehensive and broad-based partnership in the political, economic, and cultural spheres,” the statement read. “During his visit … King Abdullah II … will hold ...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has ruled that the use of government resources for political protests, rallies, and long marches is illegal, ordering authorities to immediately halt the practice.

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi asserted on Friday that Pakistan had never eschewed dialogue with any government in Kabul but would not hold talks with any terrorist groups. The spokesperson’s speech came in the context of the third round of talks that concluded on November 7 in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan, aimed at ending cross-border terrorism and consolidating a fragile ceasefire that was initially agreed upon after border clashes last month. Since the skirmishes, representatives of the two countries held two rounds of talks — first in Doha and then in Istanbul — but a final agreement could not be achieved. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that a ceasefire, however, was still in place “for the time being”. “Pakistan has never eschewed dialogue with any government in Kabul. However, Pakistan will not hold dialogue with any terrorist groups, be it Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),” he said while addressing his weekly press briefing. ...

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday a military operation to “remove narco-terrorists,” amid growing concerns that a US naval build-up in Latin American waters could presage land strikes and a wider conflict. “Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR,” Hegseth posted on social media platform X. “This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people,” he said. The post gave no details of what the operation would entail or how it might differ from military actions already being undertaken. President Donald Trump’s administration is conducting a military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, deploying naval and air forces for what it calls an anti-drugs offensive. US forces have carried out strikes on about 20 vessels in international waters in the region since early September, killing at least 76 people, according to US figures. Asked for clarification on the precise nature of Operati...