ISLAMABAD: Hours after the arrest of activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha on Friday, the couple was sent to jail on judicial remand by an anti-terrorism court. The development came in a case registered against the two for protesting outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president. Strict security was enforced during the proceedings and lawyers and media persons were not allowed to enter the courtroom. The case was heard by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain. It should be mentioned that prior to Imaan and Hadi’s arrest on Friday morning, the two had spent three nights at the office of IHCBA President Syed Wajid Ali Gilani. Their arrest subsequently prompted lawyers’ bodies to announce a complete strike, strongly condemning the action. Imaan and Hadi were scheduled to appear in a trial court on Friday in the controversial social media posts case, in which Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Moh...
KARACHI: The death toll of Karachi’s Gul Plaza blaze crossed 70 on Friday as rescuers found more remains from the rubble of the gutted shopping centre. Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed issued an updated list of 71 deceased. Of the 16 identified so far, nine were identified through DNA tests, which have been performed for 49 samples. The deadly inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has left the ground-plus-three-storey building in ruins, with some sections collapsed. As more bodies were recovered from different parts of the building, officials cautioned that the final toll can only be determined once the identification of the remains is completed. Meanwhile, officials expressed the hope to complete their search efforts on Friday. South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javed Nabi Khoso told reporters that the search operation was in the “final stages”. “The search in the wreckage will be completed today,” he said. Stating that a total of 77 missi...