Pakistan

Rules FIRs alone can't restrict movement

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CM pledges Rs10b for modernisation, integration of forces

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani blamed a “Palestinian party” for a ceasefire violation, referring to the reported killing of an Israeli soldier in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Tuesday. Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York yesterday, the PM told interviewer Ayman Mohyeldin that the attack on the Israeli soldiers was “basically a violation by the Palestinian party”, pointing out that while Hamas has put out a statement that they are not in communication with this group, there is no “verification if this is true or not”. View this post on Instagram It is important to note, however, that following the attack on the soldier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “powerful” retaliatory strikes on Gaza. The attacks killed 104 people, mostly women and children, Al Jazeera reported, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claimed its strikes targeted senior Hamas fighters, killing dozens, and then said it would start observing the ceasefire again mid...

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf announced on Thursday that Pakistan will host the First International Qirat Competition from November 24 to 29, bringing together top Qaris from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that first-time offenders caught by the newly implemented traffic e-ticketing system can have their fines waived within 10 days by appearing in person and submitting an apology, according to a press release. The CM inaugurated the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS), commonly known as the e-ticketing system, at the Central Police Office (CPO) on Monday. He explained that the new system replaces the outdated manual ticketing process with a fully automated e-ticketing mechanism, utilising advanced AI-integrated CCTV cameras to detect violations such as speeding, red-light jumping, and helmet non-compliance. According to the press release, CM Shah received a report from Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon detailing traffic rule violations under the new system, which has issued fines to 35 official vehicles for various infractions. “According to the report, e-challans were issued for offences such as not wearing seatbelts, running re...

The Punjab Labour and Human Resource Department has launched a province-wide campaign to enforce minimum wage laws and key provisions of the Punjab Occupational Safety and Health Act 2019 (OSH Act).

Police on Thursday arrested two men who allegedly mutilated a cow that entered his field in the village of Mohaal in Punjab’s Jhelum district, according to a senior officer. A first information report (FIR) — seen by Dawn.com — was filed against two landowners who allegedly attacked and mutilated a cow that crossed onto their land under Section 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc, of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The complainant, who is the owner of the cow, alleged that the suspects struck its front leg with an axe, severely injuring it. They fled the scene while threatening the complainant. Jhelum District Police Officer Tariq Aziz Sindhu told Dawn.com that both suspects had been arrested, one of whom was apprehended from a forested area near the scene of the incident. “Police have registered a case under Section 429 of the PPC and investigations are underway,” the DPO said “Cruelty against animals is intolerable and after proper investigation,...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was on Thursday denied a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan for the fourth time since assuming office. The denial comes despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week directing the Adiala jail superintendent to implement a March 24 order that reinstated the twice-a-week meeting schedule for the former prime minister. Afridi has termed consultation with Imran as crucial in order to announce his new provincial cabinet after he was elected as the chief minister earlier this month. Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, Afridi said he was yet again prevented by the police from meeting Imran. He was flanked by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who was approved by the IHC as the designated person to provide the jail officials with the list of individuals named to meet Imran. Afridi highlighted the various legal steps he had taken in order to secure his meeting with Imran, including letters written to the Punjab Home Department a...

Tech giants Google and Amazon agreed to use a secret code to evade legal obligations in countries around the world to serve Israeli interests, a report by The Guardian has revealed. The joint investigation, conducted with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, highlights how a $1.2 billion cloud-computing deal in 2021 (known as Project Nimbus) between Israeli government and the tech firms had an “unusual demand”, i.e., agree to use a secret code as part of an arrangement that would become known as the “winking mechanism”. Project Nimbus was a joint contract that aimed to provide cloud computing infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology services to the Israeli government and its military, which has faced condemnation for its war on Gaza, described by United Nations experts and several countries as a genocide. Google employees based in the United States also staged protests last year at the tech giant’s offices in New York City, California an...

PTI-backed independent candidate Khurram Zeeshan on Thursday was elected as a senator on the general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seat had fallen vacant following the disqualification of PTI leader Shibli Faraz, who was the opposition leader in the Senate, after he was convicted in cases pertaining to the May 9, 2023 riots. A minimum of 75 votes were needed to win the seat. Zeeshan won a total of 91 votes out of the 137 cast by KP lawmakers during the polling process today. He defeated opposition-backed Taj Mohammad Afridi, who was able to secure 45 votes. Out of the 145-member KP Assembly, eight lawmakers did not cast their ballots, including four Awami National Party (ANP) leaders. One vote was rejected. “Thank God,” Zeeshan said in a post on his Facebook account after his win. “Our priority is Pakistan’s haqeeqi azadi (true freedom)”, the PTI leader told reporters outside the KP Assembly earlier today, echoing a phrase used by Imran. Though three candidates were in the run for the polls, the main cont...

Hurricane Melissa smashed through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake. People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain. Around 600 miles (970 km) northeast of the storm’s last position, Bermudans prepared for its approach, expected by the evening. Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed 25 deaths in Haiti - 10 of them children - and four in Jamaica. As of 1200 GMT (5pm PKT) Melissa was packing winds of close to 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Centre, downgraded from its peak to a Category 2 hurricane. Wading barefoot through mud It was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the northwest of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the Flori...

Another missing official of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Deputy Director Muhammad Usman — who was reportedly abducted from Islamabad earlier this month — has turned out to be in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with a case of misusing authority and extortion, it emerged on Thursday. Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted the police one more week to trace Usman. The development came during the hearing of a petition filed by Rozina Usman for the recovery of her husband. She alleged that four armed individuals abducted her husband on October 14. However, according to an Oct 29 short order from Lahore Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo, Usman was in the FIA’s custody and remanded to three days in physical custody with directions to produce him before the district court on Saturday. According to the remand request from the FIA’s investigating officer, the NCCIA official was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a case of colluding with other ...

Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that India remains committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan, amid Kabul’s heightened tensions with Pakistan. Pakistan-Afghanistan ties have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks amid border clashes and mutual accusations. Islamabad has long been warning Kabul against allowing the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil — a claim the Taliban deny. Following a ceasefire, talks in Turkiye began to establish a mechanism to monitor Taliban efforts to curb cross-border attacks, but have so far resulted in an impasse. At a press briefing, the spokesperson received questions asking why Pakistan was blaming Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij for terrorist attacks on its soil and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks about Kabul fighting a proxy war on behalf of Delhi. “In my last briefing, I had elaborated our point of view; our thoughts on this particular matter. Pakist...

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The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on Thursday welcomed a marriage dissolution judgment authored by Supreme Court Justice Ayesha A. Malik, terming it a “progressive step“ to an “equitable and gender-sensitive” interpretation of family law, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. On October 25, in a 17-page ruling, Justice Malik set aside a Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruling over a divorce case, terming psychological abuse as cruelty, based on which a marriage can legally be dissolved, along with highlighting the “deeply patriarchal” approach of the court in such cases. NCSW chairperson, Ume Laila Azhar, in a statement, called the verdict “a progressive step towards a more equitable and gender-sensitive interpretation of family law.“ According to APP, she noted that the “court’s acknowledgement of emotional and psychological cruelty as equally serious as physical abuse marks a significant milestone in safeguarding women’s dignity and well-being within marital relationships.” “This rul...

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday paid tribute to the security forces for foiling an attempt by terrorists to infiltrate from across the border in Bajaur district.

The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended a Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruling that had granted Pakistani citizenship to an Afghan man on the basis of his marriage to a Pakistani woman.

Pakistan has agreed to resume talks with the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul on Thursday, following renewed mediation efforts by Türkiye, marking a cautious step toward reviving dialogue aimed at easing border tensions and promoting regional stability.

Pakistan’s security forces foiled an infiltration attempt from across the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, killing four terrorists, including a high-value Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Bajaur district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.