Pakistan

Pakistan’s civil and military leadership highlighted Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a sovereign, democratic and inclusive nation as the country celebrated his 149th birth anniversary on Thursday. According to state-broadcaster Radio Pakistan, the day began with a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals. Special prayers were offered at mosques after Fajr for the Quaid, as well as for the peace, prosperity and development of the country, the Radio Pakistan report said. A change of guard ceremony was also held at Mazar-i-Quaid in Karachi. ‘A visionary leader and a statesman of global stature’ In his message on the Quaid’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: “This day offers an opportunity for collective reflection and renewal of our commitment to the Quaid’s guiding principles — democracy, constitutionalism, social justice, religious harmony, and the vision of a welfare state grounded in equality and the rule of law.” He said the Quaid’s enduring idea...

Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) Mirza Shahzad Akbar has been assaulted in the United Kingdom, where he has been living in self-imposed exile since April 2022, according to information that emerged on Thursday.

Fourteen countries including Britain, Canada, France and others have condemned the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, prompting strong criticism from Tel Aviv. On Sunday, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. “On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state,” said Smotrich, a vocal proponent of settlement expansion and a settler himself. Subsequently, fourteen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Canada, issued a statement late on Wednesday urging Israel to reverse its decision. “We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements,” said a joint statement released by Britain, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain. Such unilateral actions, they said, “...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has accused the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, of seeking negotiations only with the establishment rather than engaging in political dialogue.

ISLAMABAD: Fauji Fertiliser Company (FFC) on Wednesday decided to join a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation Limited, which emerged as the winning bidder for the acquisition of a 75 per cent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday. Confirming the development, Arif Habib told Dawn that FFC had joined his consortium and that discussions were under way to finalise the terms and conditions of the partnership. FFC was one of the four bidders for the acquisition of a 75pc stake in PIA, but it withdrew from the bidding process ahead of the submission and opening of bids. Under the conditions, a bidder that withdraws has the right to join the winning consortium, subject to meeting the criteria set by the Privatisation Commission. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muha­mmad Ali welcomed the move, saying it would strengthen the consortium both financially and in terms of management depth, expertise and global linkages. “PIA will require a financially and operationally sound consortiu...

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has made it mandatory for all mobile SIM cards to be registered in the name of their actual users, declaring the use of SIMs registered under someone else’s identity illegal.

Federal Minister Khalid Hussain Magsi has said that the principles of unity, faith and discipline laid down by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah remain a guiding light for the nation even today.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after nearly 17 years in exile, a homecoming the party hopes will energise supporters with Rahman poised to be the top contender for prime minister in the February 12 elections. Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from the capital’s airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners, and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders received him at the Dhaka airport under tight security. Rahman, 60, the son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and led the BNP as acting chairman since 2018. Dressed in a light grey, finely checkered blazer over a crisp white shirt, Rahman exited the airport, removed his shoes to step barefoot onto Bangladeshi soil, and picked up a handful of earth in a symbolic gesture marking his return to the South Asian nation. He was seen standing beside the driver’s seat in a bus taking him ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has renewed Pakistan’s commitment to pluralism, interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence, saying the country’s diversity is a source of pride and strength.

The Christian community in Pakistan is celebrating Christmas today with religious fervour and festive spirit, in line with celebrations around the world.

THE Quaid categorically declared that no power on earth can undo Pakistan. QUAID-I-AZAM Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a charismatic statesman, laid the foundation for a modern democratic state, Pakistan, to safeguard the fundamental rights of Muslims who were a minority in pre-Partition India. Pakistan was born as a secular democratic state, but its welfare and prosperity will always depend upon the restoration of Jinnah’s democratic legacy. Despite cultural, religious, or ethnic distinctions, Jinnah steadfastly believed that each Pakistani is an equal citizen; justice, honesty, and impartiality are the guiding principles that protect the right to life, property, and religious beliefs. Hence, for Jinnah, democracy ensures justice for all. Pakistan’s great founder wanted neither a theocratic state nor a feudal one. For Jinnah, democracy was a matter of conviction. ‘Democracy’ means people-centred decision-making, which enables individuals not only to elect their representatives but also to devise public policies, enact...

Quaid-i-Azam at his favourite residence on Mount Pleasant Road in Bombay. IN the current phase of our beautiful, beleaguered country’s history, institutional deviation and constitutional deformities have reached abysmal lows. This special report is being published on the birthday of an individual who had unshakable respect for institutional integrity and individual accountability in life, not immunity for life. The invitation to write encouraged one to consider anecdotal aspects to portray the Quaid’s life from inception to conclusion through fleeting glimpses, snatches of scenes, bits and pieces, which juxtaposed together, evoke his unlikely beginnings, unique persona, values and respect for institutions. So much is already widely known about the pivotal role of M.A. Jinnah, especially between 1935 and 1948. One therefore decided to select relatively less known aspects. Herein are segments from the Quaid’s early years and then, with a deliberate leap over the next 40 years or so, random clips from the last 1...

LONDON: A woman has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison after National Crime Agency (NCA) officers found 85 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated £8.5 million in her home in Bradford. Sidrah Nosheen, 34, was part of an organised crime group that smuggled heroin from Pakistan into the United Kingdom and supplied it across the country, the NCA said in a statement. Officers arrested Nosheen at her property on Woodside Road, Wyke, in June 2024. During the operation, they discovered that her back bedroom had been converted into what investigators described as a heroin processing plant. The NCA said heroin concealed inside items of clothing including leather jackets had been delivered to Nosheen’s address. She would remove the drugs and package them into one-kilo deal bags. During the search, officers recovered 85kg of the Class A drug in various bags, along with a wallpaper pasting table, weighing scales, buckets and other tools. Boxes containing plastic-wrapped clothing waiting to be opened were ...

• Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar says TTAP has ‘conditionally resolved’ to take up govt offer • PTI spox puts the ball in Achakzai, Raja Nasir Abbas’ court; says Imran has barred party from entering any talks ISLAMABAD: A day after PM Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the government’s willingness to engage in a political dialogue, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) exp­ressed its willingness to engage in such a process, albeit conditionally. At a recent national conference, organised by the TTAP alliance, participants had agreed that the door for dialogue must never be closed in a democracy. But if the spokesperson for the country’s main opposition party is to be believed, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is not interested in sitting across the table from the government. A meeting of opposition leaders was held on Wednesday, chaired by PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and attended by Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Sajid Tareen, Asad Qaiser, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, and Akhunzada Hussain Yousufzai, amon...

• Term legislation ‘unconstitutional and unlawful’ • SCBA, LHCBA accuse provincial govt of ‘appeasing’ land mafia • Court refers matter to LHC CJ for full bench ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The controversy surrounding the recently enacted Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025 intensified on Wednesday as various lawyers’ associations — irrespective of their political affiliation — endorsed the Lahore High Court’s intervention to suspend its implementation. Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice Chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich strongly condemned the statement made by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, in which she reportedly sought to justify the law empowering deputy commissioner-led committees to decide property disputes. The Punjab chief minister had argued that the law was enacted to provide long-awaited relief to millions of citizens suffering from prolonged land and property disputes. On Dec 22, LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum suspended the operation of the law and announced that a full bench w...

• CCoE approves pilot wheeling auction under Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Model • 800MW to be auctioned for five years; volumes may rise after trial phase • Indicative wheeling charge put at Rs12.55 per unit; industry objects to cost impact • 18-member steering committee formed for integrated energy planning ISLAMABAD: The government has approved a pilot electricity auction that will allow power to be bought and sold through competition, while also end­o­r­sing steps towards integrated energy planning a­cross the country to end fragmented decision-making. In this regard, the Cabinet Committee on Energy on Wednesday approved framework guidelines for a “wheeling” auction of 800-megawatt of electricity under the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Model (CTBCM). Wheeling refers to the use of the national electricity grid to deliver power from a generator to a buyer. Big factories or companies may buy electricity directly from a producer, but they still need the grid wires to get it. The fee they pay...

ISLAMABAD - The federal government on Wednesday has announced that new owners of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will take control of the national flag carrier in April next year.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended heartfelt greetings to the Christian community in Pakistan and around the world on the occasion of Christmas.

MUZAFFARABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said Pakistan’s youth were the country’s greatest strength and investment in their education and skills was an investment in the future.

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, presided over the 273rd Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi on Wednesday.