Pakistan

SAN FRANCISCO: A US judge has granted an injunction barring Israeli spyware maker NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users but slashed a $168 million damages award at trial to just $4m. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled on Friday that NSO Group’s behaviour fell short of a “particularly egregious” standard needed to support the jury’s calculations on a financial penalty. But in the ruling, she said the court “concluded that defendants’ conduct causes irreparable harm, and there being no dispute that the conduct is ongoing” the judge granted WhatsApp owner Meta an injunction to stop NSO Group’s snooping tactics at the messaging service. “We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting civil society members,” WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart said in a statement. Evidence at trial showed that NSO Group reverse-engineered WhatsApp code to stealthily install spyware targeting users, according to the ruling. The spyware was repeatedly redesigned to escape detecti...

Vehicles loaded with timber are a recurring sight on the roads of Jand in Attock | Photos by the writer In the early hours of an August morning, when mist still clings to the ground, the sound of axes and chainsaws echoes from village thickets across the south-western tehsil of Jand in Punjab’s northern Attock district. “By the time the sun is fully up, truckloads of timber have already left for markets far away,” says Muhammad Ramzan, a 62-year-old farmer from Kanni village, pointing toward a barren patch where a small forest once stood. “These trees took decades to grow, but only hours to fell,” he tells Eos. This is a pattern across villages in Jand and adjoining areas in Attock, where an entrenched network of illegal loggers, transporters and middlemen — called the ‘timber mafia’ — is stripping the hillsides at a pace the land cannot recover from. While data remains limited, the Punjab State of Environment Report 2024 notes that forest cover accounts for only about three percent of the land, amounting to ...

• Border remains closed for trade and transit for 6th consecutive day • Red Zone area briefly opened to repatriate Afghan refugees QUETTA: Calm prevailed on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday after the extension of a ceasefire between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces, with no untoward incident reported from any area of the Chaman sector, where heavy clashes had erupted in the early hours of Tuesday last week. Although the border crossings at Chaman and other entry points have closed for the past six days, Pakistan partially reopened the border in the Red Zone area to facilitate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan refugees. “Under tight security, several hundred Afghan refugee families, including women and children, along with their belongings crossed into the Afghanistan over the past three days, a senior official said. The border was opened for three days, while it remained closed for the other three due to intense fighting at four locations in the Chaman sector,” he added. Following the ...

• Registrar questions maintainability, saying a procedure for such requests already exists • Justice Arbab Tahir to hear petition along with office’s objections on Monday ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has raised objections to a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi seeking permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir is scheduled to hear the petition, along with the registrar office’s objections, on Monday. The petition was submitted by KP Advocate General Shah Faisal through Advocate Ali Bukhari on behalf of the provincial chief minister. The petition argued that a meeting with the PTI founder was essential to discuss matters pertaining to provincial governance and the formation of a new cabinet. However, the IHC registrar’s office objected to the maintainability of the plea, noting that the court had already adjudicated similar matters and had laid down a procedure for seeking permission to meet the PTI founder. The office questione...

• Aurangzeb expects $1.2bn tranche by Dec 31, trade deal with US ‘within weeks’ • Says govt ‘close to deciding’ fate of Roosevelt Hotel • Backs global financial reforms to ease climate burden • Briefs World Bank president on govt’s flood response WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Saturday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot impose any conditions on Pakistan that go against the country’s national interests. Speaking at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, the minister said that all the reforms undertaken so far under IMF programmes were consistent with Pakistan’s own economic priorities and had contributed to improving the national economy. “Please name any IMF-suggested reform that is not aligned with our national interest,” he asked in response to a question. Mr Aurangzeb announced that the IMF is expected to release the $1.2 billion tranche pledged under last week’s staff-level agreement by Dec 31. “The Fund’s executive board will soon meet to review the agreement, and the...

• Cautious optimism after Qatar-mediated talks with Afghanistan on cross-border violence • Taliban regime seeks confirmed coordinates of TTP hideouts; pledge to address concern • FO says govt to press Afghan Taliban to honour commitments • Tarar rebukes ICC over ‘biased, premature’ comment on ‘airstrike deaths’ ISLAMABAD: Qatar-mediated talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan were held on Saturday amid cautious optimism on both sides for de-escalation following a week of deadly cross-border clashes, though a breakthrough remained uncertain in the absence of concrete Taliban commitments on ending terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil. The meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere, continued well into the night behind closed doors in Doha. Participants of the Doha dialogue reportedly kept shifting their stance on the continuation of talks. Initially, both sides considered adjourning the negotiations for a week, but later agreed to reconvene on Sunday. However, the latest word from sources familiar with the closely gu...

• Says Palestinians want dignity, calls northern Gaza a ‘wasteland’ • Relief stalled as Israel insists Rafah crossing to stay shut until Hamas returns remains of all prisoners • Nine members of a family killed when Israeli forces fired at bus JERUSALEM: The United Nations aid chief on Saturday took stock of the monumental task of restoring dignity and hygiene for Palestinians struggling to survive amid Gaza’s devastation, as he witnessed residents digging latrines among the ruins, while Israel and Hamas exchanged more bodies. A convoy of white UN jeeps carried relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to see a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. “I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation — this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland — and it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he told AFP. The densely populated cities of the Gaza Strip, home to mor...

• SJC tightens code, bans social, diplomatic functions for superior court judges • Sets protocol on allegations, places limits on foreign invites • Reviews 74 complaints; 70 closed, three to proceed ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Saturday approved far-reaching amendments to the Code of Conduct for superior court judges, barring them from engaging in public controversy or media interaction, particularly on political questions, and introducing new restrictions on social and diplomatic activity. Chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, the meeting was attended virtually by Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, while Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum and Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar attended in person. Under a substituted Article V, judges are prohibited from speaking, writing, debating or commenting publicly on controversial matters and on political questions, even where questions of law arise. Judges are not to interact with the media, especially ...

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both sides also decided to establish a permanent mechanism to ensure lasting peace and stability, state-run PTV News reported on Sunday. Amid heightened tensions along the Pak-Afghan border, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif travelled to Doha on Saturday for talks with Afghan Taliban officials, aimed at ending cross-border hostilities and addressing Pakistan’s security concerns. Facilitated by Qatar, the talks followed days of clashes and Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, after a 48-hour ceasefire was extended to allow negotiations. A post on the X account of PTV News, citing the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “During the negotiations held in Doha between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both countries agreed on an immediate ceasefire.” “During the talks, both countries not only agreed on an immediate ceasefire but also decided to es...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim Saturday evening and discussed regional developments.

ISLAMABAD - Justice Yahya Afridi, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chairman, Supreme Judicial Council, on Saturday chaired a meeting of the Council at the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Saturday said that the Afghan authorities must demonstrate clear resolve and commitment to en­sure that their territory is not used as a launch pad for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

Pakistan’s military lead­ership is wrestling with a profound generational shift, and the friction isn’t just about age.

KARACHI - Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sher­ry Rehman on Saturday said the party decided to give the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government more time to deliver on its commitments.

JAHANIAN/KHANEWAL - Prime Minister She­hbaz Sharif Saturday on Saturday said that Pakistan’s economy had achieved stability, fi­nancial indicators were positive and the country was moving forward to gain economic growth.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the Af­ghan Taliban on Satur­day completed the first round of their talks in the Qatari capital Doha.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir says terrorists using Afghan soil to perpetuate heinous attacks inside Pakistan Vows every proxy of our neighbour will be razed to dust Cautions Indian military leadership there is no space for war in a nuclearised environment Urges India to settle core issues with Pakistan as per.

The PPP on Saturday, following a meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC), said it was giving its coalition ally, the ruling PML-N, more time to fulfil its demands. The two parties are partners in the federation, though the PPP does not have a presence in the cabinet. The disagreement between the ruling allies first surfaced last month, soon after heavy monsoon rains and flooding devastated parts of Punjab and other provinces. The PPP pushed for using the BISP to deliver immediate relief to flood-affected families, a demand resisted by the Punjab government. Tensions deepened when PPP leaders publicly criticised the Punjab government, accusing it of politicising relief and sidelining the federal mechanism for assistance. On the other hand, PML-N ministers also voiced frustration, with Rana Sanaullah calling for a complete overhaul of BISP and arguing that its current structure was unfit. The technical disagreement soon turned into a political confrontation, with both the ruling allies issuing counter-...

Flights have resumed at Bangladesh’s main airport in Dhaka, airport officials said, six hours after a fire in the cargo section delayed flights and halted operations on Saturday. The first flight departed at 9:06pm, officials told reporters. The fire has been completely brought under control, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism said in a statement. “Steps will be taken to identify the source of the fire and implement measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” the ministry added. Operations at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were suspended after the fire broke out in the cargo section of the airport, with around 37 firefighting units working to douse the flames. The army, navy, and air force also joined the fire service in efforts to bring the blaze under control. Kabir Ahmed, president of the International Air Express Association of Bangladesh, said it was too early to estimate the exact losses, but that the overall impact - direct and indirect - on imports and exports could exceed $...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif informed his Malaysian counterpart on Saturday that Pakistan seeks peace and stability in Afghanistan but continues to face “cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil”. In a phone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the premier emphasised that Afghan authorities must take immediate and effective steps to dismantle terror networks operating on Afghan soil, said a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). During a state visit by the premier earlier in October, the two leaders resolved to reignite bilateral cooperation and move towards a more aggressive and forward-looking policy, including the possibility of collaboration under the umbrella of the Asean economic bloc. “He reaffirmed that Pakistan had agreed to a temporary ceasefire at the request of the Afghan authorities to facilitate dialogue in Doha, and stressed the importance of tangible action against all terrorist entities, including Fitna-al-Khwarij, Fitna-al-Hindustan, TTP, and BLA, to ...