Pakistan

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday arrived in Baku to attend the Victory Day ceremony of Azerbaijan at the invitation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The government has assured that the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment will not alter the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, addressing concerns raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

A constitutional petition has been filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Karachi Registry challenging the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which the petitioner claims seeks to limit the constitutional jurisdiction and independence of the superior judiciary.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the Punjab government to launch an extensive province-wide campaign against smoke-emitting vehicles to combat the worsening smog and air pollution.

Explosions at a mosque in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta that injured dozens of people during Friday prayers could have been an attack, officials indicated, with a 17-year-old identified as the suspected perpetrator. Police said 55 people were in hospitals with a range of minor to serious injuries, including burns, after the blasts at the mosque inside a school complex in the Kelapa Gading area. “The explosion was loud, so loud that I could not breathe because I was shocked,” said Luciana, 43, who was working at the school canteen at the time. She described multiple blasts and panic as dozens fled the complex. “I thought it was a short circuit or the sound system which exploded — we were so afraid, so we rushed out.” Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, speaking to the media after visiting a hospital, said the young male suspect was undergoing surgery, without giving more details or a possible motive. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his condolences over the incident in a post on X, offering prayers for t...

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday to challenge the “attempts to do away with the constitutional jurisdiction of the superior judiciary”, apparently by means of a 27th Constitutional Amendment. The proposed changes to the Constitution have raised concerns that the move could roll back some powers devolved under the landmark 18th Constitution Amendment and further “fine-tune” the structure and the functioning of the superior judiciary. “The said proposal, as publicly reported, contemplates the establishment of separate ‘Constitutional Courts’ and the curtailment or transfer of the existing jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the high courts of Pakistan conferred under Articles 184(3) and 199 of the Constitution. “Such an attempt, if permitted to proceed, would fundamentally alter the constitutional framework, destroy the independence of the judiciary, violate the doctrine of separation of powers, and extinguish the citizens’ right of access to justice and judicial review guarante...

The Foreign Office has confirmed that Pakistan is engaged in ongoing negotiations with the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul, advising the public and media to disregard unverified claims circulating on social media.

Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Gul Asghar Khan on Friday informed the National Assembly that the Hyderabad–Sukkur Motorway (M-6) project is progressing through multiple financing and partnership arrangements, with different sections expected to be completed between 2028 and 2029.

Forests across Punjab have suffered massive losses from recurring wildfires, with more than 6,000 acres reduced to ashes over the past three years.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party has rejected the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling it suspicious and unacceptable.

The federal cabinet meeting, scheduled for Thursday to approve the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, has been postponed after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — a key coalition partner — rejected major proposals included in the amendment package.

A Faisalabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) sent Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza to jail on Friday, directing that he serve his 10-year jail term in a case pertaining to violent protests in the country on May 9, 2023. Hamid was convicted in the case along with several PTI leaders on July 31. According to his brother, he was detained by Islamabad police earlier today while he was on his way to Faisalabad to court arrest. He was later presented before the court, which issued an order, noting that Hamid had been convicted in the case registered at Civil Lines police station in Faisalabad by then-ATC Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh. He was produced before the court today by Inspector Mujahid Iqbal of Civil Lines police station, it added. According to the order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Hamid was sentenced in the case on multiple counts, with the maximum term being 10 years. It said that the Faisalabad Central Jail superintendent was required and authorised to receive the convic...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the Punjab government to launch a rigorous campaign against smoke-emitting vehicles in the province in an effort to curb smog and air pollution. “Whenever you go out, you see dozens of smoke-emitting vehicles on the roads,” Justice Shahid Karim said while hearing a set of petitions against smog and environmental pollution. Justice Karim instructed authorities to run the campaign for at least two to three weeks and urged strict implementation. He also observed that vehicles travelling from Lahore to Karachi, in particular, were causing pollution. Officials from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the Parks and Horticultural Authority (PHA) and other departments also appeared before the court at today’s hearing. However, the judge expressed his displeasure over the absence of a director-level officer from the EPA, as instructed at the previous hearing. Taking exception to pollution caused by vehicles, Justice Karim directed the EPA to display banners across Lah...

At least 15 people, including a police officer, were killed in a gun battle involving three tribes in Ubauro, followed by a joint operation launched by police and Rangers against the armed groups, officials said on Wednesday.

Pakistan has denounced India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), saying that such acts set a precedent for “resource-based coercion”. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative, made the remarks while addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC). According to a press release issued by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN), the envoy sounded alarm over the “deliberate weaponisation of shared natural resources”, citing the suspension of the IWT as an example. In his remarks, he warned that the move “should be of grave concern for every member of this council and for the international community as a whole”. “For more than six decades, this treaty has stood as a model of cooperation, ensuring equitable and predictable sharing of the Indus basin’s waters between Pakistan and India even in times of war,” he said. “India’s unlawful unilateral decision to suspend this framework undermines the letter and spirit of this treaty, threatens ecosystems, disr...

US right-wing influencers falsely linked New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the militant Islamic State (IS) group, amplifying a fabricated statement that garnered millions of views on social media, researchers said on Thursday. Mamdani — the first Muslim and South Asian elected to lead America’s largest city — secured a decisive victory this week in the face of fierce attacks on his policy proposals and religious background. A slew of anti-Mamdani accounts on the Elon Musk-owned platform X have circulated a statement purportedly from IS titled “Operation Manhattan Project”, which alluded to an attack in New York City on Election Day against what it called “American aggression”. Among the influencers who linked the fake communique to Mamdani was Laura Loomer, a conservative influencer who has Trump’s ear. “The Muslims can’t think of a better way for the Muslims to celebrate the victory of a Muslim mayoral candidate today than by committing an ISIS (Islamic State) attack in NYC,” Loomer wrote in a post on...

The district administration has sealed major roads and suspended mobile and internet services across Quetta ahead of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan rally scheduled in the city today.

In a landmark step towards inclusivity, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a series of special initiatives for autistic children, ensuring free therapy, free books, free pick-and-drop, and free meals for all enrolled students.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has opened an inquiry after former women’s captain Jahanara Alam accused former and serving officials of sexual harassment. The 32-year-old pacer, in an interview on a YouTube channel, accused officials including then selector and manager Manjurul Islam of sexual harassment during the 2022 Women’s World Cup in South Africa. Manjurul, who is currently in China, rejected the allegations as “baseless”. Describing an incident during the 2022 World Cup, Jahanara alleged that Manjurul “made inappropriate physical contact”, claiming he “often hugged or pressed female players to his chest” under the pretext of encouragement. “You can ask other girls in the team”, Manjurul said. “This is all false.” Manjurul, 46, a former left-arm seamer, played 12 Tests and 34 ODIs for Bangladesh between 1999 and 2004, before serving in various coaching and managerial roles. Jahanara took 48 wickets in ODIs, and 60 in T20s, across 135 white-ball matches for her country. She also named other BCB officials,...

Pakistan and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening economic cooperation under the recently established Pak–UK Trade Dialogue Mechanism, aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment.