Pakistan

Hajj flight operation to transport intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia commenced today with PIA flight PK-713 departing from Islamabad International Airport for Madinah this morning.

• Justice Sattar summons registrar, questions acting CJ’s move to merge cases • Justice Dogar-led bench sets aside contempt notices, asks how judge can pass order in case he’s not hearing ISLAMABAD: Ten­sions within the Islam­abad High Court (IHC) escalated sharply on Monday, as two separate but interlinked proceedings exposed a deepening ‘institutional rift’ over judicial authority, procedural conduct and internal accountability. Earlier in the day, Justice Babar Sattar issued a strongly worded order criticising the registrar office for not listing a case related to the removal of the former director general of Malir Development Authority from the no-fly list. The judge issued the contempt notices to the heads of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Immi­gration and Passport. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Sardar Moha­mmad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Mohammad Asif has already suspended the contempt notices after the penalised government officials filed an intra-court appeal. The b...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Monday issued a stern warning to India over any attempts to block or divert Pakistan’s river waters, declaring that “Pakistan is not the Babri Mosque that your goons can demolish.

ISLAMABAD - An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday extended the bail of former first lady Bushra Bibi, the wife of the PTI founder Imran Khan, in two cases registered in connection with the November 26 protest.

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan on Monday requested more time from the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench hearing cases concerning the military trials of civilians to present government’s stance on granting appeal rights to those convicted for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 arson attacks. Headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, a seven-judge constitutional bench had fixed Monday’s hearing for the AGP to apprise the court about government’s plan to provide right to appeal to the May 9 convicts, after Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Aamir Rehman at the previous hearing had informed the bench that the AGP was busy in deliberations with stakeholders, which may take another couple of days. The bench had taken up a set of 38 intra-court appeals (ICAs) moved by the federal government, provincial governments, Shuhada Forum Balochistan and others against the October 2023 judgement. Attorney general cites canals controversy, regional tensions as reasons for delay T...

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday emphasised that the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty was crucial for regional stability, vowing Pakistan would take all necessary measures to ensure its full enforcement. “The treaty is critical to regional stability and its sanctity must be preserved,” Mr Dar said while speaking at a high-level meeting convened to strategize Pakistan’s response to India’s suspension of the decades-old accord. The meeting was attended by Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazir Tarrar, Attorney General Mansoor Awan, senior officials, technical experts, and former foreign secretaries. On Monday, Mr Dar condemned India’s move as a “unilateral and illegal” action that contravenes international law, established norms of inter-state relations, and the treaty’s provisions. He warned that India’s attempts to “weaponise water” posed a serious threat to the region’s peace and stability. “The waters of the Indus River System remain a lifeline for Pakistan’s 2...

QUETTA: A driver lost his life, while around 60 people sustained injuries, including 20 with critical wounds, after a fuel truck exploded in Noshki, some 160km west of the provincial capital, on Monday. The truck was one of the vehicles that supplied Iranian petrol brought over by Zambad vehicles to local shops. The injured also included police personnel and several children. Officials said the truck was parked in the main bus and truck stand, when the driver discovered a leak in its fuel tank. After trying unsuccessfully to stop the leakage, the driver moved the truck away from a densely populated area towards an open space. The fuel tank was being welded when a fire broke out, leading to a big explosion that damaged a fire tender and injured several people gathered at the scene. “As a result of the huge fire, the driver was burnt to death on the spot, while over 60 people present at the site received burns,” Noshki Deputy Commissi­oner Amjad Somroo said while talking to the media after the incident. The inj...

Vehari - In line with the vision of IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar, the Punjab Police continues its rapid pace of departmental promotions.

ISLAMABAD - Secretary Defence of Sri Lanka Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) along with delegation including Commander Sri Lankan Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda called on Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif here on Monday.

The Hajj Flight Operation to airlift intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia is commencing from tomorrow.

At least seven people were killed and 15 injured in a blast in Wana, South Waziristan on Monday, according to the deputy commissioner.

Pakistan's security forces have killed 17 terrorists belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a follow-up action on the Pak-Afghan border, the military's media wing said on Monday. This brings the total number of TTP militants killed in security operations over the past three days to 71, according to the latest update from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The operation, conducted in the Hasan Khel area and surrounding regions near the Afghan border, resulted in the elimination of the militants and the recovery of a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and explosives. The security forces managed to neutralize the TTP militants, further diminishing the terrorist network’s presence in the region, ISPR added. The ISPR confirmed that a major blow was struck to the TTP on the previous day as well, with 54 militants neutralized in an operation on the Pak-Afghan border. This latest follow-up action is part of a sustained military effort to secure the border and combat the rising threat of ter...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said that reorganizing the National Police Academy (NPA) to meet international standards is a top government priority.

Indian propaganda about release of additional water into the Jhelum River has been exposed.

A two-day Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) Forum is commencing in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) today, as requested by the Sindh government, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said. The meeting, initially scheduled for May 2, has been brought forward following the Sindh government’s request. In a statement, Memon confirmed that the meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz, is set to take place this evening in Islamabad. He further revealed that the key issue of canal projects will be discussed, and a decision is expected to be made today regarding the matter. The dispute centers around the federal government’s plan to construct six canals from the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert. This ambitious project, estimated to cost Rs211.4 billion, aims to transform thousands of acres of barren land into productive agricultural areas. However, the initiative has been met with strong opposition from the Sindh government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as well as various nationa...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the commitment to promoting the well-being of every worker across all sectors.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad extended the bail of former first lady Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, in two cases linked to the November 26 protest.

DPM, FM Ishaq Dar holds telephonic talks with Chinese FM Wang Yi Dar also speaks to counterparts in UK, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and Iran to secure diplomatic support against India’s jingoistic gestures Wang Yi voices China’s support for a fair and timely investigation into attacks Beijing.

ISPR says those killed as a result of precise, skillful engagement were specifically infiltrating on behest of their foreign masters to undertake high profile terrorist activities inside Pakistan.