Pakistan

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Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Thursday filed an appeal against the Supreme Court (SC) registrar’s decision to return his petition seeking a full court hearing of challe­n­ges against the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The 26th Amendment, passed on Oct 21, 2024, took away the SC’s suo motu powers and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee to nominate the next chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) from among the three most senior SC judges instead of the senior-most one. The SC is currently seized with multiple petitions urging the constitution of a full court to hear the matter rather than the Constitutional Bench (CB) formed under the 26th Amendment. The CB is set to resume proceedings on the original appeals on October 7 (Tuesday). “I’ve filed an appeal against the registrar’s decision to return my petition, seeking justice once again. My petition argues that the majority decision of the Practice & Procedure Committee remains valid in law and cases related t...

At least two people were killed on Thursday and three badly wounded outside a packed synagogue in Manchester in a car and stabbing attack, with the suspect believed to have been shot dead by UK police. As the Jewish community marked the holiday of Yom Kippur in the northwestern city, police were called to the incident, activating a national terrorism-response protocol. The attack struck days ahead of the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked a fierce offensive in Gaza, inflaming passions in Britain. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer swiftly condemned the attack as “horrific”, and announced security was being boosted at UK synagogues. He left a European political summit in Denmark early to chair an emergency security meeting in London. King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community”. Greater Manchester Police declared a “major incid...

Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri on Thursday moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Sindh High Court’s ruling on his degree and seeking to have the verdict declared “null and void”. In his petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Justice Jahangiri contended that the SHC “dismissed my application to become a party to the case”, adding that passing a “one-sided order without hearing the affected party is contrary to law”. On September 16, the IHC had restrained Justice Jahangiri from exercising his judicial powers as a two-judge bench issued the interim order while hearing a writ petition filed under Article 199 of the Constitution. Justice Jahangiri then challenged the decision in the SC, pleading for the restraining order to be set aside. The judge further argued that the SHC “ignored the question of maintainability of the petition”. According to the petition, the IHC judge urged the apex court that his appeal “may graciously be granted and after granting leave t...

A high-level delegation of the government held negotiations with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday in a bid to put an end to the ongoing unrest in the territory. “A high-level delegation from Pakistan has started formal dialogue with representatives of the Joint Action Committee of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Muzaffarabad today,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry posted on X as the talks commenced. A strike has paralysed AJK under a communications blackout after talks over elite privileges and reserved refugee seats collapsed between the JAAC, the AJK government, and federal ministers, sparking protests and violence. On Wednesday, AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and federal minister Chaudhry invited the JAAC for fresh dialogue. Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed deep concern over the unrest in AJK and directed the negotiation committee to immediately proceed to AJK capital Muzaffarabad and find an immediate and l...

Google search data from January to September 2025 revealed the slang terms dominating online curiosity, with TikTok, Instagram, gaming, streaming, and Gen Z and Alpha communities driving the trends. According to a statement from Unscramblerer.com, a word-finding website that helps users solve puzzles, crosswords, and explore word meanings, the methodology relied on analysing Google Trends data alongside the search engine optimisation tool Ahrefs, combining 150 search variations to identify the most searched slang terms of 2025. The site noted that slang spreads rapidly through memes and viral challenges, reflecting how technology accelerates language shifts and serves as “a fascinating and fun mirror of our culture.“ Here are the most searched for slang words: 1. 6-7 (141,000 searches) There is no literal meaning to six seven. Its absurdity is the point, making it a prime example of “brainrot” internet humour where the randomness itself becomes funny. It originates from the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla. ...

President Asif Ali Zardari has stated that Pakistan stands with China during good times and bad. He made the remarks during an interview with Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN that was aired on Thursday. During the interview, the president, who visited China earlier this month, said that all his visits to the neighbouring country were “goodwill visits”. “My visits are always goodwill visits because China is the future and all of the East will work with China,” he said. Talking about China’s Global Governance Initiative, he said: “Global governance means that I cannot walk into any other country nor any other country [can] walk into me. They have to be respectful about my territory, I shall be respectful of their territory.” He said that he was bringing international goodwill and the Pakistani people’s goodwill, as well as the assurance that “we stand with China in good times and bad times”. “Not that I see China going through a bad time, but even then, we are there, in case [we are] needed,” he asserted. A...

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid on Friday urged provincial governments to continue their support in further strengthening the initiative, which she described as one of Pakistan’s most credible and transparent welfare programmes.

Prime Minister’s advisor and Senator Rana Sanaullah on Thursday expressed strong reservations about the accuracy of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) data, urging that it be revised after proper verification.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday declared that safeguarding the dignity of Punjab is her foremost duty, asserting that she will never apologise for standing up for her people.

Pakistan on Thursday demanded the immediate release of all humanitarian workers and activists onboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, after Israeli forces intercepted the civilian aid mission.

The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate dozens of clean energy projects and freeze billions of dollars for major projects in New York, intensifying a stand-off with Democrats over a United States government shutdown. US media outlets described the moves announced by the energy and transportation departments as part of the administration’s efforts to pressure Democrats in Congress to agree on a deal to end the shutdown. US President Donald Trump had raced to enact hard-right policies even before the shutdown began after midnight on Tuesday, threatening mass firings and to slash government departments, and blaming Democrats for Congress’ failure to resolve a funding stand-off. The Department of Energy announced on Thursday “the termination of 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects, resulting in a savings of approximately $7.56 billion for American taxpayers”. It said in a statement that those projects — overseen by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Office of Energy Efficienc...

• ‘Coalition Against Drugs’ to monitor children’s behaviour, attendance, academic performance and social interactions • Those doing drugs should be treated as victims, not criminals, says Shehzad Roy KARACHI: The Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force comprising 50 police personnel was established on Wednesday to curb the menace of drugs in educational institutions within the jurisdiction of the South Zone of Karachi police. A decision to this effect was taken in a consultative meeting of the ‘Coalition Against Drugs’ here. The coalition comprises heads of over 50 academic institutes in Clifton, DHA, Saddar, and other areas, as well as police officials. It was also decided in the meeting that random blood tests to check for drug abuse among students would be carried out with the consent of their parents. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that the Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force had been established with 50 personnel including women officers, who ...

A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official has stated that there is “no assurance” that India and Pakistan players will shake hands when the two sides meet during the Women’s World Cup on Sunday, according to the BBC. The development comes days after tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad spilled over onto the cricketing field during the Sept 9-28 Men’s Asia Cup staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), when Indian cricketers refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during all three clashes in the tournament. The tensions had culminated in India not accepting the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief. The tournament had seen the first cricket matches between the two sides since the military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May after India had launched air strikes in Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan had denied involvement, and the crisis eased following US in...

Federal Minister Khalid Magsi has said that pollution remains the biggest challenge to Pakistan’s health, environment, and economy, stressing the urgent need for collective efforts to tackle climate change and restore the natural balance.

The Ministry of Industries and Production has conducted the first-ever e-balloting under the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) Scheme to allocate subsidized electric bikes and three-wheelers across Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

The first Supermoon of 2025 is set to appear on October 7, offering skywatchers a spectacular celestial display.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rainfall with thunderstorms in parts of Karachi under the influence of a well-marked low-pressure system over the Gulf of Kutch.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday strongly condemned the Israeli military’s assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza, terming it “another blatant act of terrorism.

Islamabad - Minister of State for Finance and Railways, Bilal Azhar Kayani, called on the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the Presidential Palace Qasr Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.