Pakistan

Zahir Jaffer, the main convict in the high-profile Noor Mukadam murder case, has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, seeking reconsideration of the death sentence awarded to him.

Funeral prayers for former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar were offered on Wednesday outside Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Zahir Zakir Jaffer on Tuesday sought a review of the Supreme Court verdict that upheld his death sentence for the gruesome 2021 murder of Noor Mukadam in Islamabad. Noor, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir’s Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured by him before being beheaded. Zahir’s death sentence by the trial court had already been upheld by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The 47-page review petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed by Advocate Khawaja Haris on behalf of Zahir under Article 188 of the Constitution (review of judgments or orders by SC). The state and Noor’s father, Shaukat Ali Muqadam, were made the respondents. The petition contended that the issue of Zahir’s alleged “unsoundness of mind or mental capacity” that was raised before the SC in an application had not been addressed and was “given short shrift”. It further said that “hype created on social media […] constantly created hatred towards the petitioner throughout the i...

Quetta - Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday stated that the timely completion of development projects aimed at public welfare remains the top priority of the provincial government.

ISLAMABAD - The Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has urged all federal ministries to pursue ISO 9001 certification, following the successful accreditation of the Establishment Division and Finance Division.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the government was building a safe and business-friendly environment for the Chinese community in Pakistan.

Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, including Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza worst hit by rains 135 fatalities reported from Punjab, 46 from KP, 22 from Sindh, 16 from Balochistan so far PMD issues fresh glacial lake outburst flood alerts for GB, KP.

ISLAMABAD - The UN Security Council yesterday unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolu-tion urging member-states to take measures for the effective implementation of the 15-member body’s resolutions for peaceful settlement of disputes, such as Kashmir and Palestine.

LAHORE - Punjab has once again taken the lead by launching Pakistan’s first provincial Counter Narcotics Force (CNF), a specialized force dedicated to eliminating the growing menace of drugs across the province.

Lahore - The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday acquitted PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi while sentencing Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others to 10 years in prison over a May 9 riots case related to violence on Sherpao Bridge.

ISLAMABAD - Advancing his vision for a citizen-centric justice system, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi Tuesday chaired the fifth interactive session to review progress on judicial reforms.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday signed the landmark United Nations treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), underscoring its steadfast commitment to multilateralism and equitable ocean governance.

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the Naval Staff Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Vice Admiral Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Ghuraybi called on Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Naveed Ashraf here Tuesday at Naval Headquarters.

A couple from Karachi’s Baldia Town has been blessed with quintuplets three girls and two boys born prematurely at a private hospital via emergency caesarean section.

Authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan have successfully rescued all tourists and travelers stranded on the Babusar Top Pass highway following recent flash floods, according to a statement by government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq on Wednesday.

LAHORE: An important meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is being held on Thursday in Dhaka where Pakistan’s participation in this year’s Asia Cup in India will come under discussion. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi as the head of the ACC was expected to leave for Dhaka on Tuesday night to head the said meeting. The ACC meeting is considered important, particularly in the backdrop of the the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India in the month of September. According to reports, no official of the BCCI will visit Bangladesh to attend the ACC meeting. There are also media reports that Sri Lanka, Oman and Afghanistan may also not attend. Though the Asia Cup is an impo­rtant continental event, due to strained political relations between India and Pakis­tan, particularly after the military encounter between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May this year, the fate of the said competition is hanging in the balance. On its part, the BCCI has said that the political relations between India an...

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday raised alarm over political dysfunction and rising injustices in Punjab. The HRCP held a press conference to highlight the human rights situation in Punjab as recorded in its report, State of Human Rights in 2024, launched earlier. While voter registration and total votes cast was reportedly increased in the 2024 general elections, the turnout declined. Women’s representation in the assemblies more than doubled, but the Punjab Assembly remained plagued by disruptions, a tendency to ignore input from the opposition, and hurried legislation. Assembly proceedings in 2024 were dominated by chaos. Women MPAs staged a walkout over inappropriate gestures in the House and the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities faced legal setbacks. The Punjab Defamation Act 2024, hurriedly approved in June, was widely criticised by human rights networks for stifling free speech. The law was subsequently challenged in the Lahore High Court as unconstit...

Heavy monsoon showers battered Lahore and its surrounding areas early Wednesday morning, leading to widespread urban flooding and disrupting daily life across the provincial capital.

• Leaders say millions of farmers are ready to court arrest, but will not pay the tax • Sindh Chamber of Agriculture vows to move court or go for some other crops HYDERABAD: Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has announced that it will challenge the 45pc agricultural income tax in court. It described the tax as ‘unconstitutional, illegal and unethical’, and asked its members and farmers across Sindh to boycott wheat cultivation this year. The decision was taken at meeting of the chamber held here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of its patron-in-chief, Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar. The meeting rejected the tax and claimed that it was imposed under directives of the Inter­national Monetary Fund (IMF). The farmers who attended the meeting argued that they were not receiving fair prices for their produce and, as such, there was no justification for the imposition of such a tax. The meeting asked farmers across Sindh not to pay the tax, and warned that if government resorted to arrest them for on this disobedience, mill...

LAHORE: Punjab has launched its first Counter Narcotics Force (CNF) to combat the menace of drugs. A passing-out ceremony was held here on Tuesday in which Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz handed over the flag to the CNF. She also met the CNF personnel and inspected vehicles and equipment. CNF DG Brig Mazhar Iqbal gave briefing about the formation and work of the force to the CM. Some 866 personnel have been recruited in the first phase in the CNF. It has been made functional in all divisions. In the first phase, CNF stations and regional directorates have been established in each division of Punjab. In the second phase, the scope of CNF will be expanded to the district level. The CM was informed that the CNF officers and personnel were given 12 weeks of professional training at the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Academy, Rawalpindi. Speaking on the occasion, CM Maryam said the future of Punjab was bright with the formation of the CNF. With the establishment of the CNF, she said the menace of drugs would soon be eradi...