Pakistan

• Article 175 tweak ‘ends judiciary as we knew it’, says senior counsel • Supporters believe new constitutional court will modernise judiciary ISLAMABAD: The initial draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, ta­­b­led in the Senate on Saturday, has led many legal experts to believe that the tw­­eaks would, in effect, dethrone the Sup­r­e­­me Court as the country’s highest judicial forum, ceding that position to a proposed Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). However, proponents of the amendment say the new constitutional court would modernise the judiciary, reduce backlogs and separate constitutional and appellate jurisdictions — a reform they argue will improve efficiency and clarity in the justice system. “Left with a limited jurisdiction of deciding ordinary civil, criminal and statutory appeals, the Supreme Court has now become all the more a ‘Supreme District Court’,” remarked a senior counsel who asked not to be named. He warned that the government could now amend laws like the Elections Act 2017 ...

A new viral trend is sweeping through Pakistan as motorists look for creative ways to dodge traffic fines under the newly implemented e-challan system.

The PML-N and the PPP on Saturday rejected the impression that the 27th Constitutional Amendment was rushed through without proper debate, saying the draft has undergone “extensive scrutiny”. Earlier today, after getting approval from the federal cabinet, the bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment was tabled before the Senate and subsequently referred to the standing committees on law and justice. Speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik said there was “no urgency” in convening the cabinet meeting even though Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the session virtually from Baku, Azerbaijan. Malik said there was “a lot of discussion” about the proposed constitutional amendment, adding that deliberations were continuing within party committees and that it was the parliamentarians’ right to propose amendments. He maintained that a “wrong impression” had been created that the process was being hurried. The state minister also said that some cha...

A simple yet graceful Change of Guards ceremony was held at Mazar-e-Iqbal in Lahore on Saturday morning to pay homage to the Poet of the East, Dr.

• After Rano’s relocation to Islamabad, bench broadens scope of petition to welfare of all zoo animals • In written order released on Saturday, court orders formation of new committee comprising govt officials and civil society members to inspect zoos across Sindh KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has ordered formation of a new committee to visit zoos across the province and suggest steps for improvement as well as sending the exotic animals to their natural habitats. Inviting suggestions to phase out zoos in the entire province, a two-judge SHC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Syed Fiaz-ul-Hassan Shah declared that the court had decided to examine the whole concept of keeping zoos and caging animals. The remarks were part of a written order issued on Saturday regarding the Nov 6 hearing of a petition seeking shifting of lone female bear Rano from Karachi Zoological Gardens to Bear Sanctuary, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board. The order stated that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation...

PESHAWAR: The incidence of violence against health workers during door-to-door polio campaigns has declined in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ensuring the vaccination coverage of children who were previously inaccessible due to security reasons. Officials said that the number of violent incidents against polio teams had decreased in the current year due to foolproof security measures, as four policemen and one civilian were killed and three police officials suffered injuries. Also, 17 health workers were kidnapped during house-to-house vaccination campaigns. Official data shows that a total of 96 people have been killed by alleged terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2012 and they included 61 policemen, 27 health workers and five civilians. Also, 170 people, including 124 policemen, 28 health workers and 21 civilians, were injured in attacks on polio teams. During this period, 32 health workers, three civilians and one policeman were kidnapped during vaccination campaigns. KP records better vaccination coverage Of the...

KARACHI: Residents of Clifton Block 5 held a peaceful protest on Saturday evening at The Justice Rana Bhagwandas Family Park to oppose the conversion of neighbourhood parks into padel courts and the commercialisation of quiet residential areas. The Justice Rana Bhagwandas Family Park and Dr Fareduddin Sethna Family Park were renovated in 2022 under the World Bank–funded Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project (KNIP) using public funds. The residents expressed concern that these newly upgraded parks — complete with walkways, greenery, benches, and lighting — are being dismantled for private purposes, bringing late-night lights, noise, and traffic to peaceful residential areas. “These parks were built for the community, not for commercialisation,” said a resident representative from the Save Bhagwandas Park Campaign. “Millions were spent under KNIP to create safe, family-friendly spaces. It’s unacceptable that public parks are being torn down just two years later.” Oppose plan to convert family parks into pad...

• Hamas returns Israeli prisoner’s body; gets 15 Palestinians’ bodies in return • US coordinates Gaza aid flow but Israel maintains oversight, officials say JERUSALEM: Israeli forces continued to wage deadly assaults across the Palestinian territories and southern Lebanon on Saturday, in a series of air and artillery attacks that violated ceasefire agreements on both fronts. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops shot dead two 16-year-old boys, adding to the mounting number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces. The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah identified the victims as Mohammed Abdullah Moham­med Ateem and Muhammad Rashad Fadl Qasim, both from the village of Judeira. The ministry said Israeli forces were withholding the boys’ bodies. The Israeli military acknowledged the killings, referring to the teenagers as individuals it had “eliminated” — a term frequently employed by Israeli authorities to obscure civilian deaths and dehumanise Palestinians. At the same time, in the besieged St...

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has said no US officials will attend the G20 summit in South Africa, reviving debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country. Trump had announced in September that Vice President JD Vance would travel to the meeting later this month instead of him, but has now said that US representatives will skip it entirely. “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump said on his Truth Social network. “No US Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.” Trump said that Afrikaners — descendants of the first European settlers of South Africa — “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated”. He added that he looked forward to hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the US — which the billionaire US president will controversially hold at his own golf resort in Miami, Florida. South Africa calls Trump’s decision ‘regrettable’, pledges smooth sum...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s abundant solar and wind potential positions it well to transition towards affordable, carbon-free electricity, but weak grid infrastructure remains a major obstacle, a United Nations report has warned. According to the 2025 Review of Climate Ambition in Asia and the Pacific, released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Pakistan needs significant investment and coordination to upgrade and expand its grid network to integrate large-scale renewable energy while maintaining system stability. The report says that a successful phase-down of coal in Pakistan will require a comprehensive energy transition plan with clear targets, strong policies and engagement of all stakeholders. The transition, it adds, must be “just” to avoid disproportionate impacts on workers, businesses and households. Renewable edge over coal The UN report highlights that solar and wind energy are now cost-competitive with coal, giving Pakistan an opportunity to accelerate its shi...

LAHORE: The Punjab police have registered 51 new cases against environmental violators as part of their ongoing campaign to control smog and reduce air pollution across the province, a spokesperson said on Saturday. The crackdown, which spanned Lahore and other districts over the last 24 hours, led to the arrest of the violators and resulted in fines totaling over Rs1.067 million imposed on 491 people. An additional 38 individuals were issued warnings for environmental violations. According to the breakdown provided by the spokesperson, the operations targe­ted key sources of pollution. A total of 209 smoke-emitting vehicles were cited, alon­gside 101 incidents of crop residue burning and 7 violations related to brick kilns. This recent enforcement action is part of a larger, year-long initiative. The spokesperson revealed that since the beginning of the current year, the police have registered a significant 2,275 cases and arrested 2,027 violators. The financial penalties have been substantial, with fines ex...

ISLAMABAD: The government has presented the country’s first National Industrial Policy (NIP) to the federal cabinet for approval, outlining major constraints to industrial growth and proposing reforms to revitalise the manufacturing sector. However, the Ministry of Finance has asked the Ministry of Industries and Production to first seek the IMF’s clearance for the incentives proposed under the new policy. Officials said a meeting between IMF representatives and a team led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan is expected later this month to discuss the annual fiscal cost of the incentives planned for various sectors. The policy targets $60 billion in exports by 2030, GDP growth of 6pc and manufacturing growth of 8pc annually by the end of the decade. It aims to provide a roadmap for industrial competitiveness, job creation and export expansion. Key constraints The NIP identifies a range of structural and policy-related challenges impeding industrial growth...

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Law minister says all parties consulted; Opposition protests lack of transparency; Cabinet approves draft bill

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Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is expected to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to discuss the country’s political situation and the 27th Constitutional Amendment, a statement by JUI-F said. Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be accompanied by Maulana Rashid Soomro, Mufti Abrar Ahmed and others. Earlier today, after getting approval from the federal cabinet, the bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment was tabled before the Senate and subsequently referred to the standing committees on law and justice. However, during the session of the standing committees, two 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. Yesterday, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that his party would oppose any proposed amendment that seeks to reduce the powers granted to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. “The provinces have a ...