Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday fixed appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi against conviction in the £190 million corruption reference for tomorrow (April 30). According to the supplementary cause list issued by the registrar’s office, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif will take up Crl. Appeal 63/2025 (filed by Imran) and Crl. Appeal 64/2025 (filed by Bushra) on Thursday. Both appeals challenge the convictions under the Pakistan Penal Code with sentences exceeding seven years. The cause list mentioned that miscellaneous applications — including those seeking suspension of sentence along with objections — were also pending before the court. The development comes a day after the same bench, during the hearing of separate petitions seeking suspension of sentence in the £190m corruption reference, indicated a structured timeline for concluding arguments in the main appeals. Earlier this m...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed that the discharge of electoral duties demanded scrupulous adherence to the law, transparency in action, and an unwavering commitment to impartiality. “Any deviation from neutrality or departure from the statutory framework, during the election process, imperils not merely the outcome of a particular election, but the democratic order itself,” emphasised Justice Shakeel Ahmed. Justice Ahmed observed that “only through these principles public confidence in the electoral process is sustained and the sovereign will of the electorate is preserved”. Justice Ahmed was a member of the three-judge bench that overturned the Nov 24, 2025 Balochistan Election Tribunal’s ruling and had ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to notify Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party’s (PNAP) Khushal Khan Kakar as the returned candidate from NA-251 (Sherani-cum-Zhob-cum-Killa Saifullah) for the February 8, 2024 general election. Headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, the court had ta...

ISLAMABAD: Interpol has issued Red Notices against Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz and his son Ali Riaz, Nat­i­onal Accountability Bur­eau (NAB) Chairman Lt General (retired) Nazir Ahmed said on Wednesday. A red notice is a request to law enforcement agencies by Interpol to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. The NAB chairman made the remarks during a press briefing at the accountability watchdog’s headquarters. “Today I am giving you breaking news that Interpol has issued a red notice against Malik Riaz and Ali Riaz,” he said at the conclusion of the briefing. This could not be independently verified through Interpol. Riaz, 72, is the founder and chairman of Bahria Town, while his 48-year-old son serves as chief executive. The property tycoon is currently residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he has launched a multi-billion-dollar housing project. During the press briefing, the NAB chairman admitted that bringing Riaz back to Pakistan wou...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar met Azhar Memon, an MBA graduate from Institute of Business Administration Karachi, and assured him of support in securing employment.

European airlines are facing their biggest challenge ​since the Covid-19 pandemic as the US-Israel war on Iran pushes up jet fuel prices and buffets travel through the Middle East, casting a shadow ‌over the summer holiday season. Carriers have been largely riding out the crisis with hedges that have tamed costs even as the price of jet fuel has risen nearly 84 per cent since the start of the conflict on February 28, but they could face shortages if the war does not end soon. “There is a risk that we’ll see rationing of fuel supply, particularly in Asia and Europe,” ​Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told Reuters on Tuesday, while adding that supply remained robust for now. Walsh said, however, that the situation ​was not yet as bad as the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which led to travel demand ⁠plummeting and hundreds of billions of dollars in losses for the aviation sector. “I think Covid was on a completely different scale,” Walsh added. “What ...

Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Nazir Ahmad, has strongly criticised a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), calling it biased and unsuitable.

Bangladesh recorded 227 child deaths since March in one of its worst outbreaks of measles in decades, with the number of suspected cases reaching nearly 35,000, government data showed on Wednesday. One of the hardest hit areas is Kurukpata in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, home to Indigenous communities, which border war-torn Myanmar. Children in these rural areas are often left out of vaccination coverage, and some families avoid vaccination programmes due to fear. “The most affected area of Chittagong Hill tracts is Kurukpata, one of the remotest parts of Bangladesh,” district health chief Sheikh Fazle Rabbi told AFP, saying more than 80 children had been treated for measles. Local Kurukpata council head Kratpung Mro said the cases were unusually high. “Communication from Kurukpata is difficult,” he said. “People, mostly farmers, are among the poorest and cannot afford even boat or motorcycle fares to reach the hospital.” Kratpung Mro said the government should “launch awareness programmes and bring Indigenous...

ISLAMABAD: The National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) on Wednesday formally issued national guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial institutions, the Supreme Court said. In a press release issued by the SC, the guidelines, approved by the NJPMC in its 57th meeting, established a clear, principled and forward-looking framework for integrating AI into judicial processes across the country. “At a time when courts faced mounting caseloads and increasing demands for efficiency and transparency, the guidelines positioned AI as a powerful assistive tool — one that enhances judicial performance while firmly preserving human judgment, constitutional safeguards, and judicial independence,” the statement said, calling it a landmark step toward modernising the justice system. The key highlights of the guidelines include a human-centric approach through which AI would assist — and not replace — judicial decision-making, ensuring judges remained the “ultimate arbiters”. Likewise, it wi...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday invited Chinese investment into “priority sectors,” particularly alternative energy sources, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The president arrived in China on Saturday for a week-long visit to the Hunan and Hainan provinces for engagements related to economic and trade cooperation. President Zardari held a meeting with the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hangzhou Jinjiang Group, Wang Jian, in Sanya, where he invited the Chinese company to invest in “priority sectors, including alternate energy, water treatment, and electric vehicle battery systems”, according to Radio Pakistan. The president, according to the report, “noted that Pakistan is actively encouraging foreign investment in various sectors, especially water treatment, electric vehicle battery systems and alternate energy”. “Such partnerships could support sustainable growth and industrial development,” the report said, adding that President Zardari assured the company of “all possible facilitation to foreig...

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday expressed objection to comparisons between Karachi and Lahore in terms of infrastructure and governance, noting that both provincial capitals had different ground realities. Speaking alongside Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin in Lahore, Wahab said, “When you compare Karachi to Lahore, this comparison is improper because of the population. We get water from a distance of 125 kilometres. Our daily water requirement is 1,100 million gallons per day (MGD), while our daily supply is 550 MGD, and the population continues to grow”. “Therefore, I think that comparing them leads to conflict,” he added, calling for both administrations to “work together” and share expertise. At one point, a reporter asked Wahab why the PPP “could not deliver what the public wanted” despite ruling Sindh for years, prompting Yasin to ask media persons to be “mindful of respecting the guests”. Responding to another question, Wahab said making such comparisons “leads to an unfortunate situation”,...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was continuing its efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region through active diplomatic engagement.

The Iranian Rial continued to trade at a significant premium in Pakistan’s informal currency markets, with one crore Iranian rials currently exchanging between PKR 8,000 and PKR 10,000 in Karachi, Quetta and Lahore.

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: A suspect wanted in the kidnapping and murder of a six-year-old boy was killed on Wednesday after allegedly coming under fire from his own accomplice during an “encounter” with police in Chak Sabu, Pindi Bhattian tehsil of Hafizabad district, officials said. Hafizabad police spokesperson Head Constable Waqar Yousaf told Dawn that the body of the missing child was recovered from nearby fields during a search operation. It was taken into custody and shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination, while legal proceedings were initiated. Pindi Bhattian Saddar police registered a first information report (FIR), dated April 28, a copy of which was seen by Dawn, on the complaint of the victim’s father. It invoked Sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping) and 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The spokesperson further stated that initial investigations identified the suspect as 40-year-old Zafar Hashmat, a resident of Faisalabad who had recently arrived in Pindi Bhattian and...

BANNU: At least six terrorists were killed early on Wednesday when Bannu police successfully repelled a major attack on the Mazanga police post, officials said. According to police, heavily armed terrorists attacked the post in the early hours of Wednesday, but personnel responded promptly and foiled the assault. An intense exchange of fire continued for some time, during which one terrorist was killed on the spot, while the bodies of five other terrorists were taken away by their accomplices. Following the incident, Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Yasir Afridi, along with Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Arshad Khan and teams from the Rapid Response Force and Quick Response Force, reached the scene immediately. They cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation. Police recovered weapons and other equipment from the site, including magazines, hand grenades, bandoliers and other material. During the incident, a constable sustained minor injuries and was shifted to a hospital, where he was rep...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the country’s weekly oil bill has reached $800 million due to the ongoing oil crisis arising from the Middle East conflict. Global fuel prices have skyrocketed over the past two months as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains paralysed since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28. Addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet today, PM Shehbaz commended the efforts of Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik for tackling the fuel crisis resulting from the Iran war, stating that the situation now appeared “satisfactory”. On that note, the prime minister remarked that fuel prices in the global markets had risen sharply, noting that “our weekly pre-war oil bill was around $300m, and today it is up to $800m”. He further shared that the country’s fuel consumption “had lessened compared to previous weeks”, stressing that the situation was being monitored regularly. “Consultations are also being held with provinces to extend fuel subsidi...

The Government of Sindh has announced the complete digitalisation of route permits and vehicle fitness certificates across the province, making online documentation mandatory for all transporters and vehicle owners by 30 June 2026.

Forces have destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts and vehicles in Balochistan’s Chaman sector, security sources said on Wednesday. The operations, part of the ongoing ‘Operation Ghazab lil-Haq’, were a response to the “unprovoked aggression” by Afghan Taliban forces and terrorists on the Pak-Afghan border, according to the sources. Security sources said that the army destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts and vehicles in Chaman “with precision”. “The Pakistan Army’s effective operations have forced the Afghan Taliban and the Fitna al Khawarij to retreat”. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “Security forces’ unwavering resolve to defend the homeland is ensuring the country’s territorial integrity,” sources added. The sources also stated that the operations will continue until “all set targets are achieved”. Security forces also destroyed multiple Afghan Taliban posts in the Chaman sector on Tuesday, according to security sources....

Pakistan Army continued effective and precision strikes under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq along the Pak-Afghan border in response to what security sources described as unprovoked aggression by the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij.

In a move aimed at facilitating small-scale renewable energy adoption, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has abolished the licensing requirement for solar consumers with systems of up to 25 kilowatts.

An Indian man dug up his sister’s body and carried it to a bank branch to prove she was dead after being refused access to her account without a death certificate, the lender has said. Jitu Munda, from a constitutionally recognised tribal community in the eastern state of Odisha, went to an Indian Overseas Bank branch on Monday to withdraw money from his deceased sister’s account. But bank staff told him that “withdrawals by a third party are not permitted without proper authorisation”, the lender said Tuesday. Angered by being turned away because he did not have her death certificate, Munda returned to the branch carrying the “human remains” of his sister, who had been buried days earlier, the bank said. Television networks broadcast footage of Munda carrying what appeared to be a corpse partially wrapped in plastic, with skeletal legs visible and slung over his shoulder. “This created a highly distressing situation at the premises,” the bank said. It added that the incident stemmed from a “lack of awareness...