Pakistan

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Monday told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that the local government (LG) elections in the province would be held on a “party basis”. An assistant advocate general (AAG) shared this information about LG elections — which have been delayed for long and are not expected to be held before the second quarter of next year — during a hearing of petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-backed lawmaker Sheikh Imtiaz and others, who have challenged the Punjab Local Government Act 2025 (PLGA). Contrary to the AAG’s claim, the local government law enacted in October states that the elections are to be held on a non-party basis. But, the AAG submitted a report on behalf of the local government secretary today, which said that any political party wishing to contest the LG polls “may allow its candidates to contest elections for any political office on its ticket”. “Section 55 of the PLGA does not, in any manner, put any party at a disadvantage compared to others,” he said. At that, L...

Winter vacations in colleges across Punjab will begin from December 23 and run till January 10, according to a revised schedule issued on Monday. The Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat made the announcement in a post on the social media platform X. Earlier this month, the Punjab government announced the winter vacation schedule for public and private schools in the province. According to a notification by the School Education Department, the break will be from Dec 22 to Jan 10. In Sindh, all schools and colleges will remain closed for winter vacations during the last week of the month, starting from Dec 22 till Dec 31. Meanwhile, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government last week announced that winter vacation for the educational institutions will start from Jan 1 in the summer zone and run till Jan 15. In the winter zone, educational institutions will remain closed from Dec 23 till February 28.

A Bangladeshi student political leader from the National Citizen Party (NCP) was shot and injured in Khulna on Monday, according to The Daily Star. The development comes after Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year’s student-led uprising that toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka on December 16 while launching his campaign for an election due in February. He died last Thursday in Singapore after six days on life support. According to The Daily Star, the injured 42-year-old Mohammad Motaleb Sikder is the NCP’s divisional chief in Khulna. “Miscreants opened fire targeting his head around 11:45am (10:45am PKT) near Gazi Medical College Hospital in the city,” the paper reported, quoting Rafikul Islam, the officer-in-charge of Sonadanga Model Police Station. “He was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition.” Quoting the officer, the publication reported that Sidker was “out of danger”, as the bullet entered through one side of...

National champions are typically forged from years of rigorous training, determination and a foray into the sport in childhood. But Umul Banin Nasry is anything but typical. Her journey to fencing stardom began with one element; curiosity. Barely one month after taking up the sport, she won gold at the national fencing championships, although her gold medal at last month’s 35th National Games holds a sense of greater grandeur for her. Now, as the 21-year-old awaits her international debut and a chance to become Pakistan’s first fencer at the Olympics, her journey is intentional, fuelled by an unwavering commitment to training and family support in defiance of societal disapproval. It all began five years ago. Banin was intrigued by some women at her college in Quetta practicing “weird stepping movements”, only to find out it was for a sport called fencing. She tried her hand at it — quite literally — and immediately fell in love with a sport she had only seen online. Her coach signed her up for the 4th Nation...

The year 2025 proved to be one of the most challenging periods for Pakistan Railways, marked by frequent derailments, accidents, acts of sabotage, and persistent operational delays, according to official data released by the department.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday paid visits to several revered holy shrines in Baghdad during his four-day official trip to Iraq.

A prominent American publication has described 2025 as a year of dramatic transformation in Pakistan–United States relations, pointing to a major shift in Washington’s diplomatic priorities in South Asia.

The Sindh High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a contempt of court petition linked to the academic degree controversy of former judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, postponing the matter until after the winter holidays.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) extended on Monday an interim order that suspended a Karachi University (KU) syndicate and Unfair Means Commi­ttee’s declaration cancelling the law degree of former justice Tariq Mehmood Jahnagiri, who was removed as an Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge last week. Jahangiri has found himself mired in a fake degree controversy since last year and has been facing legal proceedings in the SHC and IHC over the matter. While an IHC division bench, led by Chief Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, ruled on December 18 that his degree was “invalid” and his elevation to the high court was “without lawful authority”, the SHC extended today its order under which KU’s August 2024 decision to cancel his degree remains suspended. The order has been suspended until the next hearing, the date for which will be decided later. The decision was taken by a two-judge bench, comprising Justices Yousuf Ali Saeed and Abdul Mobeen Lakho, as it heard a contempt plea filed against the KU Vice Chancellor (...

The Punjab government on Monday informed the Lahore High Court that forthcoming local government elections in the province will be conducted on a party-based system, allowing political parties to issue tickets to their candidates.

The Punjab government has abolished the British-era Forest Act and introduced a modern, technology-driven system designed to curb corruption and strengthen environmental governance.

Head coach Shahid Anwer said that Pakistan had achieved their goal of playing “fearless but not careless cricket” after they won the Under-19 Asia Cup with a crushing victory over India on Sunday. Opener Sameer Minhas led the way for Pakistan at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai with a breathtaking 172 to set up a massive 191-run victory for his side. “We began a process on June 17 [this year],” recalled Shahid at a news conference in Islamabad on Monday, following the team’s arrival and a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif where a Rs10million cash award was announced. “It was an unprecedented step … we called up 70 players, conducted trials and gave each player four matches each and then they participated in a regional One-day tournament,” he added. “The top performers, 30 of them, then took part in a five-month long camp … that’s how the team was made. “We wanted to play fearless but not careless cricket. We wanted a united team and the result is in front of us.” Team mentor and manager Sarfaraz Ahmed...

Bangladesh has rejected India’s dismissal of a protest outside its high commission in New Delhi as “misleading propaganda”, saying the incident was “highly regrettable“. According to Bangladeshi media, around 20 to 25 protesters gathered in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Saturday evening. According to mission officials, the protesters raised anti-Bangladesh slogans and issued threats against the Bangladesh high commissioner, Prothom Alo reported. In response, the Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement on Sunday saying India had taken note of “misleading propaganda in sections of the Bangladesh media on the incident”. “The fact is that about 20-25 youth gathered in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on December 20 and raised slogans in protest against the horrendous killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh, while also calling for the protection of all minorities in Bangladesh,” he said. According to Prothom Alo, Das — a garme...

A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow on Monday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces”. The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head of the Russian General Staff’s training department, was killed when the bomb, which had been placed under his parked car, detonated in a residential quarter of southern Moscow. AFP reporters at the scene saw a mangled white Kia SUV, its doors and back window blown out. The frame was twisted and charred from the blast. The scene had been cordoned off by security forces, and investigators were sifti...

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum issued an interim order on Monday to suspend the operation of the newly enacted Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2025, which empowers deputy commissioner-led committees to decide property disputes. Justice Neelum issued the ruling during a hearing of petitions by Abida Parveen and others that challenged decisions pertaining to property disputes taken under the ordinance. Through her interim order, she also suspended decisions taken under the new legislation to take away the possession of properties. Expressing her disapproval of the law, she remarked: “Someone should inform the government that if this law remains in force, even Jati Umra (the Sharif family residence) could be vacated within half an hour. “It appears that some people want to hold all powers.” Questioning the purpose of the law, CJ Neelum asked how could a revenue officer hand over the possession of a property in a matter pending before a civil court. The ...

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz has conferred the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class on Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for his efforts to “advance Pak-Saudi ties”, it emerged on Monday. According to a report by Saudi Gazette, the medal has five classes; excellent, first, second, third, and fourth. It is usually awarded to those who have rendered outstanding services to Saudi Arabia or one of its institutions. The official Saudi Press Agency reported late on Sunday that CDF Field Marshal Munir was given the medal in honour of his “distinguished efforts to strengthen the strategic relationship and cooperation between the two nations”. The report added that the ceremony took place during the Saudi minister’s reception of CDF Field Marshal Munir in Riyadh. “Prince Khalid congratulated Field Marshal Munir on his appointment as Pakistan’s chief of defence forces, wishing him continued success in his new role,” the report add...

Multan’s Nishtar Hospital has sacked a doctor working as an additional house officer for misbehaving with a patient’s family, a video of which had gone viral on social media, it emerged on Monday. In the video, the family members could be heard saying that the patient had passed away after doctors refused to give her a blood transfusion. When the video panned to the doctor in question, he raised his arm, showing his middle finger and walking away. A large crowd could also be seen in the video. The doctor, identified as Qasim Jamal, was suspended from duty on Dec 19, a day after the incident occurred. Meanwhile, an inquiry committee was also formed to probe the incident. Subsequently, the hospital issued a notification the same day stating that the doctor had been terminated with immediate effect for misconduct, and violating hospital rules and professional ethics. In the incident report dated Dec 20, the director of the Accident and Emergency Department said that the patient was admitted to the hospital in a ...

Two suspects in last week’s deadly mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach trained for the attack in the countryside, police alleged in court documents on Monday, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed tougher laws against hate speech and extremism. Father and son Sajid Akram and Naveed are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades. Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998. His 24-year-old son, Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, was moved from hospital to jail on Monday, police said. Police documents released on Monday said the two had carried out “firearms training” in what was believed to be the New South Wales countryside prior to the shooting. Pictures were released showing the accused firing shotguns and moving in what authorities described as a “tactical manner”. The pair also recorded a video in October railing against “Zionists”...

Dense fog once again blanketed large parts of Punjab, including Lahore, on the night between Sunday and Monday, severely disrupting road traffic and forcing the closure of several motorway sections due to extremely low visibility.

Gold prices surged to a record high on Monday, riding on growing expectations of further US interest rate cuts and strong safe-haven demand, with silver also joining the rally to hit an all-time peak. Spot gold rose 1.2 per cent to a record $4,391.92 an ounce, while spot silver climbed 2.7opc by 0344GMT to hit a historic high of $69.23. Bullion has gained 67pc so far this year, shattering multiple records and breaching the $3,000 and $4,000 per ounce milestones for the first time. It is poised for its biggest annual gain since 1979. Silver has surged 138pc year-to-date, vastly outperforming gold, underpinned by robust investment inflows and persistent supply constraints. “With December usually producing positive returns for gold and silver, seasonality is on their side,” said StoneX senior analyst Matt Simpson. “Given that gold has already risen 4pc this month and we’re nearing the end of the year, bulls may want to tread with caution as volumes are to deplete and odds of profit-taking are also likely on the ...