Pakistan

Shortly after getting approval from the federal cabinet, the bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment was tabled before the Senate on Saturday and subsequently referred to the standing committees on law and justice. A joint session of both the NA and Senate standing committees on law and justice was then summoned to discuss the amendment. However, during the session of the standing committees, two Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) members, Aliya Kamran and Senator Kamran Murtaza, boycotted the meeting and said the proposed draft included amendments that were discarded in the 26th Amendment bill. Following deliberations on the proposed amendment, the law committees of both Houses adjourned the moot till Sunday. ‘Discussions will continue till consensus is reached’ Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, speaking to the media after the adjournment of the committees, said all parties were participating in the session and they had also “requested the opposition to participate”. “Aliya Kamran had informed us that they h...

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Iran was laying plans on Saturday to cut off water supplies periodically to Tehran’s 10-million-strong population as it battles its worst drought in many decades. Rainfall in the capital has this year been at its lowest level in a century, local officials say, and half of Iran’s provinces have not seen a drop fall in months. Now, to save water, the government is planning water cuts in Tehran — and several local news outlets have already reported pipes running dry overnight in some areas. “This will help avoid waste even though it may cause inconvenience,” Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi said on state television. In a speech broadcast on Friday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned that Tehran might have to be evacuated if no rain falls before the end of the year. But he gave no details about how such a vast operation would be conducted. Tehran nestles on the southern slopes of the Alborz mountains and has hot, dry summers usually relieved by autumn rains and winter snowfall. Iranians drink wat...

The Punjab government has launched the Chief Minister IT Internship Programme, aimed at providing practical training and financial assistance to IT and computer science graduates across the province.

The federal government has released the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, proposing major reforms in Pakistan’s military command and judicial framework.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, reiterated that indeed, Pakistan, just like its Azerbaijani and Turkish brothers, ‘seeks peace, but let there be no doubt – no one can ever be allowed to challenge our sovereignty, or undermine our territorial integrity’.

Barely had the dust settled on the 26th Amendment when another constitutional storm began to brew in Islamabad. The government’s freshly tabled 27th Amendment promises, on paper, to “streamline” governance — through new constitutional courts, revived executive magistrates, and even a relook at how the armed forces are commanded. Key changes proposed to judicial structure: Creates a new Federal Constitutional Court, with its own chief justice and judges FCC to assume SC’s most significant powers; SC to be downgraded to apex court for civil and criminal appeals only FCC decisions to be binding on all courts, including the SC HC judges may be transferred to other high courts on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission; refusal to accept a transfer is treated as retirement. At the heart of the amendment is the creation of a new apex court: the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). Inserted into the Constitution as Chapter 1A, the FCC would have its own chief justice — serving a fixed three-year term — and judg...

Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar on Friday outlined key features of the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, describing it as a comprehensive reform package aimed at reducing executive influence over judicial matters and formalizing the lifetime title of Field Marshal.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Saturday extended his heartfelt condolences to Mazhar Abbas, Prime Minister’s beat reporter for PTV News, on the passing of his father.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday clarified that the government has no intention of ending provincial autonomy, emphasizing that the ongoing constitutional amendment aims to strengthen the country rather than benefit any political party.

The government presented the much anticipated draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate on Saturday afternoon. The far-reaching legislative proposal, among other changes, rewrites Article 243 of the Constitution, creating the post of Chief of Defence Forces and abolishing the long-standing office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). It also vests broader, constitutionally protected powers and privileges in the country’s top military leadership. Article 243 governs the relationship between the prime minister (as head of the federal government) and the president (as the head of state) in relation to the control and command of the armed forces. Key changes proposed to Article 243: Army chief to be recognised as Chief of Defence Forces, positioned at top of Pakistan’s armed services Office of CJCSC to be abolished Establishing a Commander of National Strategic Command position President to appoint army, naval, air chiefs on advice of premier Life-long constitutional ...

“The judiciary must be independent of every other power; otherwise, there is no liberty, no security, no justice.” — John Adams Centuries after John Adams spoke these words, their resonance feels almost prophetic today, as the government tables the 27th Constitutional Amendment. For those who have witnessed the slow, deliberate erosion of judicial independence in Pakistan, this moment feels less like reform and more like resignation. The judiciary, already weakened and weary after the 26th Amendment, now stands on the precipice of collapse. What is being framed as an administrative restructuring — the creation of a separate constitutional court — in truth, threatens to hollow out the very authority of an institution that has long stood as the final line of defence between power and the people. It is not merely an amendment to a document; it is an assault on the idea that justice must stand apart from politics. The judiciary is not an accessory to government; it is the conscience of the nation. When that consc...

The federal cabinet on Friday approved the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment during a special session chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif via video link from Baku.

Key features of the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment have surfaced, unveiling the government’s plan to establish a Constitutional Court dedicated exclusively to handling constitutional matters.

The three-day celebrations marking the 556th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji commenced at the Kartarpur Corridor on Friday, drawing thousands of Sikh pilgrims from across Pakistan and around the world.

The sense of fear is palpable in parts of northern Japan, where some locals have fastened bells to their bags hoping the noise will keep bears away, while signs warn people to be on guard. The animals have killed a record 13 across the country since April, with a steady flow of reports of bears entering homes, roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets. “We hear news almost every day about people being attacked or injured,” said 28-year-old Kakeru Matsuhashi, a traditional “Matagi” hunter, as he walked through a forest clutching a knife. “It’s becoming something that feels personal, and it’s simply frightening,” he added in the northern prefecture of Akita, an area hit by a series of attacks. This year, the number of fatalities is double the previous record of 2023-24, with five months of the fiscal year still to go. Data is patchy from certain regions, but in recent years, Japan has seen among the highest number of fatal attacks globally. Bells used for warning bears of approaching hikers are seen at...

Indonesian police found possible explosive powder as they investigated explosions at a mosque in the capital Jakarta, and the suspected perpetrator is recovering, the police chief said on Saturday. Explosions that injured dozens of people during Friday prayers could have been an attack, officials said, with a 17-year-old student the suspected perpetrator. “Several pieces of supporting evidence were found,” police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo told a press conference after visiting the victims at a hospital. “There were written materials and some powder that could have potentially caused an explosion,” he said. “We are gathering other records, including examining social media and family members to gather all the information.” The suspected perpetrator, a student at a school next to the mosque, was recovering after undergoing surgery on Friday, Listyo said. “The suspect’s condition is improving, and hopefully this will make things easier for us when needed,” he said.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry strongly rejected the negative and misleading propaganda circulating on social media regarding alleged discriminatory treatment of citizens from Azad Kashmir.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that the talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on addressing cross-border terrorism are “over” and have “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences between the two sides, adding that the ceasefire stands for the time being. “Right now, as we speak, negotiations are over,” said the defence minister while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’. Earlier, officials and sources said the talks stalled without any agreement. “The talks in Istanbul are deadlocked,” a senior security source told reporters, confirming that the third round of discussions — which had began on Thursday in the Turkish capital — had hit an impasse. The defence minister added that the Afghan Taliban delegation again came to Istanbul “without any programme” and that they were not willing to sign a written agreement. “They said that they would only respect the verbal agreement, but there is no room to do that.” Asif elaborated that during t...