Pakistan

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday imposed a ban on the use of government resources, such as vehicles, by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for personal or political use. According to a court order available with Dawn, the provincial administration was banned from using official vehicles without authorisation, stating that it amounted to “misconduct and abuse of authority”. “This court is of the view that the use of official vehicles, machinery, or any other government resources for participation in, or facilitation of, political gatherings, protest rallies, or long marches constitutes a blatant misuse of public property and authority,” the PHC ruled. The order added that this practice was not only violating public trust but also undermining the concept of neutral governance. “Public resources, including official vehicles and heavy machinery, are procured and maintained from the public exchequer for the sole purpose of performing official duties and providing services to the citizens in accordance with l...

One of the most striking moments in A Man for All Seasons comes when Thomas More debates his hot-headed son-in-law, Roper, who insists that the law should be swept aside to catch the “devil”, meaning anyone dangerous or politically threatening. More responds with a powerful image: England is planted thick with laws, “like a forest”, and those laws protect everyone, even the people we despise. Then More asks a piercing question: if you cut down every law to hunt your enemies, what will protect you when power turns and comes for you? Without the law, More warns, you will be standing in an open field with the winds blowing from every direction, completely defenceless. This scene captures the core of the play: the rule of law is not a tool for the powerful but a shield for everyone, and once it is weakened for expedience, no one can control what comes next. Yesterday, Pakistan lost two of its most brilliant jurists — Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah. Why that happened remains for history to answe...

Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani on Friday said the government was in the final stages of preparing revised rules for a strengthened whistleblower reward system as part of wide-ranging reforms underway in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to curb tax evasion, widen the tax net, and enhance compliance.

Justice Aminuddin Khan on Friday was sworn in as the first chief justice of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) after the 27th Amendment was enacted into law a day earlier. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza were also present for the ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad. Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sat alongside Justice Aminuddin on the stage. View this post on Instagram PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, his sister Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani, and members of the federal cabinet were also in attendance. The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, following which President Zardari administered the oath to Justice Aminuddin in English. In his oath, Justice Aminuddin vowed to discharg...

A nationwide shortage of diesel is being reported ahead of a potential increase in petroleum prices from November 16, ARY News reported on Friday, citing industry sources.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi firmly stated that Pakistan will not hold talks with any terrorist groups, rejecting recent claims made by the Afghan regime.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated senior party leader Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as its candidate for the next prime minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), announcing its intention to form the government after submitting a no-confidence motion.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday criticised two Supreme Court judges for tendering resignations following the passage of the 27th constitutional amendment a day earlier, saying their “consciences only awakened after their monopoly was curtailed.” 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. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly today, Asif accused the judges of having “selective amnesia”, saying that they had “forgotten their past” and were now becoming “guardians of democracy”. “Four to five years ago — in fact, eight to 10 years ago — when the process to remove Nawaz Sharif from his post started, I want to tell you about the history of our SC judges at that time. The conspiracy created against Nawaz before that and the role our judiciary played in turning that conspiracy into reality,” Asif said, amid chants of ‘kon bachayega Pakistan; Imran K...

Four members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorist cell involved in the recent suicide attack at the Judicial Complex in Islamabad’s G-11 Sector have been arrested in a joint operation by the Intelligence Bureau Division and the Counter Terrorism Department.

Dr Shahid Rasul, Executive Director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), passed away on Friday at the age of 59, leaving the medical fraternity and political leadership across the country in deep grief.

Four terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were arrested for their involvement in the suicide blast in Islamabad earlier this week, the government said on Friday. “In a joint operation conducted by the Intelligence Bureau Division and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), four members of the TTP/Fitna al-Khawarij terrorist cell involved in the suicide attack at the Judicial Complex G-11, Islamabad have been apprehended,” the government said in a post on social media platform X. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the TTP. The government said that during the investigation, the handler of the suicide bomber, identified as Sajidullah alias Sheena, confessed that TTP Commander Saeedur Rehman alias Daadullah contacted him through the Telegram app to carry out a suicide attack in Islamabad to cause maximum casualties of law enforcement agencies. The government said that the TTP commander sent pictures of the suicide bomber, identified as Usman alias...

The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) announced on Friday that all partner schools will now observe Saturday as a weekly holiday.

The Senate swiftly passed four bills related to the recently approved contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment on Friday, including one that seeks changes to the Army Act and resets the tenure of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir after his appointment as the chief of the defence forces (CDF). As explained by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in the National Assembly (NA) yesterday, this means that the five-year tenure of the chief of the defence forces would commence from the date of his notification of the appointment. The four bills were passed by the Senate today — a day after their hurried passage in the National Assembly — without debate and with little resistance from the opposition. Apart from the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2025, the bills also included the Pakistan Air Force Amendment Bill 2025, the Pakistan Navy Amendment Bill 2025, and the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Amendment Bill 2025. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar tabled the Pakistan Army Amen...

The United States circulated a second revision of its draft resolution on Gaza at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday, even as Russia countered with its own text calling for the preservation of the current ceasefire and a renewed commitment to a two-state solution. Senior UN diplomats told Dawn that Washington placed “Revision 2” of its draft under a silence procedure until 6:30pm New York time on November 13, a step intended to indicate that the negotiation phase was nearly complete. Under this procedure, the absence of objections signifies consent. “But China and Russia broke the silence,” one diplomat said, noting that both delegations submitted formal objections shortly before the deadline. “Once silence is broken, other member states may also submit comments — and some did — although Pakistan did not,“ the diplomat added. Following the break, Russia swiftly distributed its own draft resolution to UNSC members. Breaking silence means, the US may now be forced to resume negotiations. Washington may ...

RAWALPINDI: After a day and a night of chaos, focus will finally shift back to cricket when Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the second One-day International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The encounter — Pakistan’s opportunity to wrap up their second successive ODI series — comes after a turbulent 48 hours that threatened to overshadow the cricket itself. The match was originally slated for Thursday, but the schedule was thrown into disarray after a terror attack in Islamabad on Tuesday sparked understandable concern within the Sri Lankan camp. Reports soon emerged that several visiting players were contemplating abandoning the tour altogether. The uncertainty prompted urgent intervention from Pakistan’s interior minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who, along with the country’s top security officials, held lengthy discussions with the Sri Lankan delegation to assure them of their safety. By late Wednesday night, the situation had stabilised. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) rea...

The federal cabinet has approved the launch of a new ferry service connecting Gwadar in Balochistan with Oman, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs announced on Friday.

Air pollution across Punjab has surged to life-threatening levels, with Lahore once again emerging as one of the most polluted cities in the world.

Justice Aminuddin Khan on Friday took oath as the first chief justice of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).

More than 25 million children across Pakistan are currently out of school, with 20 million of them having never attended school, according to a new report by the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE).

The Army Act Amendment Bill will be presented before the Senate today (Friday) for formal approval as part of a major legislative agenda set for the session.