Pakistan

Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik on Saturday asserted that the conviction of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana-II case was fully consistent with constitutional and legal requirements.

A special court on Saturday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years’ imprisonment each after finding them guilty in a corruption case linked to state gifts.

Alphabet’s Google has advised some employees on US visas to avoid international travel due to delays at embassies, Business Insider reported on Friday, citing an internal email. The email, sent by the company’s outside counsel BAL Immigration Law on Thursday, warned staff who need a visa stamp to re-enter the United States not to leave the country because visa processing times have lengthened, the report said. Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Some US embassies and consulates face visa appointment delays of up to 12 months, the memo said, warning that international travel will “risk an extended stay outside the US”, according to the report. The administration of US President Donald Trump this month announced increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, including screening social media accounts. The H-1B visa programme, widely used by the US technology sector to hire skilled workers from India and China, has been under the spotlight after the Tru...

The US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, US officials said. A US-led coalition had already been carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria’s security forces. US President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after a suspected ISIS attack killed US personnel last weekend in Syria. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted “ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” and said the operation was “OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE”. “This is not the beginning of a war it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,” he added. Trump said on social media that the Syrian government fully supported the strikes and that the US was inflicting “very serious retaliation”. At a speech in North Carolina on Friday night,...

PPP leader Sherry Rehman has said that Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan must apologise following his heated exchange with Senator Palwasha Khan during a Senate panel meeting on Friday. Pal­washa, who is also a PPP leader, and the federal minister had traded sharp remarks on Friday over the construction of a road allegedly benefiting a private housing society during a meeting of the Senate Stan­ding Committee on Com­mu­ni­cations. View this post on Instagram In a post on the social media platform X late on Friday night, Rehman said, “What happened today in a Senate standing committee can neither become normalised nor considered acceptable. No federal minister should speak the way Aleem Khan did with Senator Palwasha in a communications committee meeting.” Rehman further said that it was Senator Palwasha’s “absolute responsibility and right to ask questions” and to hold the government accountable. “He must apologise. I am not even going to say that it is necessary because she is a woman. She is due ...

Deputy PM urges international community to press New Delhi to immediately restore Indus Water Treaty After Chenab, India disrupts water flow in River Jhelum Water commissioner takes up river flows fluctuation with India.

• NCSW slams judgement, says prosecution’s findings disregarded • In dissenting note, judge notes delay in reporting sexual assault not fatal to prosecution ISLAMABAD: The recent Sup­reme Court verdict, commuting a rape conviction to a charge of fornication, has sparked considerable controversy, with the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) sharply criticising the judgement, and one judge on the bench dissenting from the majority ruling. The NCSW noted with concern that the prosecution’s findings — including investigative evidence and judicial conclusions reached by the trial court and the Lahore High Court (LHC) — were effectively disregarded, resulting in the accused being discharged from the offence of rape. “Such an outcome raises critical questions regarding the adjudication of sexual violence cases and the application of legal standards relating to consent,” the commission regretted. The NCSW also highlighted that consent could not be inferred from silence, delayed reporting, or the absence...

• Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry handed 10-year terms in May 9-related GOR-I attack case • In joint letter, five incarcerated leaders push for dialogue to resolve crisis LAHORE: In another case linked to the May 9 riots, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while awarding 10-year prison sentences to senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the verdict inside Kot Lakhpat Jail after concluding the trial of the accused in FIR No 852/2023, which relates to an attack on the entrance gate of the GOR-I Club Chowk. The case had been registered by the Race Course police, who later submitted a challan against 25 accused persons, including PTI leaders and party workers. In the same case, the court also handed down 10-year imprisonment sentences to PTI workers Qasim Elahi, Muhammad Shehbaz, Mushtaq and Ab...

ISLAMABAD: A visible split among lawyers in the federal capital on Friday resulted in only a partial strike, as a small group of lawyers observed the call issued by the Islamabad District Bar Association (DBA) to protest the removal of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, while the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) played down the verdict that led to his ouster. Justice Jahangiri was removed from office thro­ugh a short order passed by an Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Mohammad Azam Khan. The bench ruled that his elevation to the high court was “without lawful authority” and that he had “ceased to hold” the office with immediate effect. The short order was announced at around 3:30pm. However, sources said Justice Jahangiri had left his chamber for his residence approximately half an hour earlier, adding that he may have been informed of the decision before its formal announ­cement. An official of his court told Dawn that the ...

• Govt withdraws ban on drawing pension, salary upon re-employment • Finance ministry cites ‘recruitment difficulties’ in commissions, tribunals ISLAMABAD: In a major policy reversal amid a slight improvement in fiscal stability, the government on Friday withdrew a ban on double benefits of pension and salary for re-employed civil, judicial and military bureaucrats, introduced earlier this year and touted as a major pension reform. The Ministry of Finance silently issued a terse notification stating that two earlier relevant orders, dated April 22 and June 19, 2025, on the subject, “are hereby withdrawn with immediate effect”. The bureaucracy had earlier restored its perks and privileges on account of board memberships in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) ab initio, and secured executive allowances and transport monetisation allowances exceeding Rs300,000 per month on top of salaries, allowances, and other ancillary benefits. Under the April 22, 2025, order, the government formally notified that public servants ...

• Flows stabilising after ‘extraordinary’ dip • Ministry reports Dec 10-16 volatility; suspects Baglihar drawdown and refill • Lowest Chenab reading recorded at 870 cusecs • Officials also flag disruption in Jhelum inflows at Mangla • Islamabad maintains Indus treaty bars emptying dead storage on western run-of-river projects ISLAMABAD / LAH­ORE: Reporting normalisation of Chenab River flows off late, Pakistan on Friday said it had sought an explanation from India over an “extraordinary reduction” in the river flows after what it described as the complete discharge and subsequent refilling of the Baglihar dam, in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. In a statement, the Min­istry of Water Reso­urces said the discharge of the Chenab River (mainstem) had “successfully stabilised following a significant period of volatility”. It said Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters had taken up the matter with his Indian counterpart and sought details and data regarding the reduction in flows “under the framework o...

Say Delhi's action threatens regional stability; Call for peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute

Pakistan accuses India of water manipulation

ATC awards 10-year sentence to Dr Yasmin, Cheema, Ejaz, Rasheed

Pakistan issues demarche to Taliban regime

.

.

.

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, enroute to Lahore from Jeddah, diverted and made an emergency landing at Dammam airport after signalling an onboard emergency. Flight PK860 was scheduled to land at Lahore airport at 8pm, however, it diverted to Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport due to a technical issue, said the PIA spokesperson. The Boeing 777 aircraft had 437 passengers on board, excluding the crew. While still in Saudi airspace, the aircraft switched its transponder frequency to 7700 — signifying a general emergency. The ‘7700 squawk’ is an aviation term for when a pilot sets an aircraft’s transponder code to 7700, alerting air traffic control to an emergency on board. It signifies a serious issue, such as engine trouble or a medical emergency, and makes the plane a high-priority for immediate attention and assistance. The plane landed safely at Dammam airport and is undergoing checks by engineering staff on the ground, confirmed the PIA spokesperson. The airline did not elaborate on ...

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday declared Agha Shahbaz Ali Durrani as the returned candidate for Sindh Assembly’s PS-9 Shikarpur, while Abid Sher Ali was elected as senator.