Sindh | Pakistan

A collision between a car and a trailer on Monday claimed six lives on the National Highway in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze District, officials said. Naushahro Feroze Senior Superintendent of Police Mir Rohal Khoso told Dawn that all six people who died were travelling in the car, while the trailer’s driver was injured. He said the accident took place between 5am and 6am, adding that “ostensibly, speeding and brake failure were probable reasons,” but the matter was being probed further. SSP Khoso elaborated that one side of the National Highway in the district was under construction, which was a “contributory factor behind increasing accidents”. He stated that, in collaboration with the motorway police, it has been decided to set up five points for checking the speed and fitness of vehicles to control the rise in accidents. Sindh Inspector General (IG) Javed Alam Odho, in a statement, ordered the Naushahro Feroze SSP to probe the accident and register a case. Expressing his grief over the loss of lives, IG Odho o...

Tremors were felt across several districts of Sindh and Balochistan on Friday after a moderate earthquake struck the region, causing panic among residents but no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The Sindh government has suspended Professor Azhar Shah, in-charge of the University of Sindh’s Dadu campus, after videos allegedly showing him in inappropriate circumstances surfaced on social media, sparking widespread concern and formal complaints.

The Government of Sindh on Wednesday informed the Constitutional Bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) that it has withdrawn detention orders issued under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday disposed of over 100 identical petitions filed against the detention of PTI workers under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance, following the provincial government’s decision to withdraw MPO orders. A day earlier, it emerged that the provincial government had decided to release nearly 300 PTI workers. Government sources told Dawn that the “documentary process” had already begun. “So it may take some time, and by Tuesday evening, we may see the workers being released from prison,” said a source. Following the withdrawal of MPO orders by the provincial government, the additional advocate general of Sindh appeared before the court and informed that the MPO notification had been withdrawn. The notification was presented in court, following which the court disposed of over 100 petitions filed challenging the detention of PTI workers. Earlier today, the SHC directed the Sindh government to withdraw the MPO orders, warning that “if the orders are not withdraw...

The Government of Sindh on Tuesday withdrew detention orders issued under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance and directed the SSPs of concerned districts to release detained citizens.

At least ten wagons of a freight train derailed near Mehrabpur in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district on Monday, disrupting railway operations on a key route.

LARKANA: The management of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) has urged the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council to review the admission criteria for admissions to MBBS and BDS for the session 2025-26 to help fill the vacant seats in private medical and dental educational institutions of Sindh. It was learnt on Thursday that the SMBBMU registrar had last month approached the PMDC and drew his attention to the seats in the private institutions going vacant as candidates failed in meeting the criteria of the admission. In a letter, he stated that approximately 350 MBBS seats remained vacant due to the failure of aspirants in meeting the existing PMDC criteria. It said the SMBBMU, Larkana, has received multiple requests from private medical and dental colleges, expressing serious concern over the inability to fill those seats despite repeated admission rounds. SMBBMU seeks 10pc reduction for MBBS and BDS programmes The registrar said that during the previous academic year, the passing cri...

KARACHI: PTI on Monday challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) the alleged detention of over 180 party workers during raids in Karachi and other parts of Sindh under the controversial Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance. On Sunday, the PTI alleged that the Sindh police carried out pre-dawn raids on the houses of its workers and leaders and picked up around 180 of them. The provincial government has denied the allegations of detention. A two-member constitutional bench comprising Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar and Justice Nisar Ahmed Bhanbhro took up the plea for hearing on Monday. Advocate Ali Tahir appeared as the petitioners’ counsel. However, Justice Bhanbro recused from hearing the case. Subsequently, the bench ordered the registrar’s office to fix the hearing for Tuesday as the “counsel pleads urgency”, according to a short order available with Dawn. The case will now be fixed before another two-member bench of the SHC. The petitioners — PTI Sindh General Secretary Mansoor Ali and Insaf Lawyers ...

• Holds that Bakhidmat Janaab SHO has no legal status; also Faryaadi and Muddai should be discontinued as they reflect colonial mindset • Explains SHO is servant of the public, not the other way around • Wants use of legally accurate local language alternatives ISLAMABAD: Taking exception to archaic expressions common in Sindh, such as Bakhidmat Janaab SHO, the Supreme Court ordered on Friday that the term be discouraged, noting that it had no legal sanction and that a simple address as Janaab would suffice. The court observed that applications addressed to police officials using Bakhidmat Janaab SHO incorrectly implied that the citizen was at the service of the station house officer. In fact, the court explained, the SHO was at the service of the citizen. The court added that such terminology reflected a colonial mindset, in which subjects of the state approached authorities as a matter of mercy rather than as a right. Authored by Justice Salahuddin Panwhar, a member of the three-judge SC bench, the court ha...

The Sindh government on Friday announced that all schools and colleges in the province would be closed on February 4 on account of Shab-i-Barat. The Sindh Information Department shared a notification by the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department on the social media platform X. “All public and private educational institutions under the Administrative Control of School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh, shall remain closed on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, on account of Shab-i-Barat (15th Shaban-1447),” the notification read. Muslims mark Shab-i-Barat, or the night of forgiveness, by visiting mosques and the graves of family members.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday urged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to seek resignations from the Sindh chief minister and the Karachi mayor. A war of words has been ongoing between MQM-P and PPP leaders in the wake of the Gul Plaza inferno, with lawmakers associated with the former party demanding that Karachi be handed over to the Centre. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar termed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab — who he said were close to Bilawal — as his “three naive friends”. “What if a drop scene happens? They are making you sink in a swamp. So we, Karachi’s people, those living in Sindh’s cities, are demanding from you that all three resign,” Sattar said, referring to CM Murad, Memon and Wahab. He remarked that the three leaders had added an enormous “burden” to the PPP’s “ship that could sink it”. “Reduce this burden,” he said, urging Bilawal to demand the r...

The Sindh government on Tuesday denied claims made by factions of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that the provincial administration has withdrawn personnel deployed for the latter’s security. The MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the PPP have been engaged in a war of words since the Gul Plaza inferno, trading blame over improper governance during the tenure of their respective party mayors. Speaking to Geo News earlier today, MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal replied in the affirmative when asked whether he was among the MQM leaders whose security protocol had reportedly been withdrawn by the Sindh government. The MQM-P leader, who also serves as the federal health minister, insisted that the action was “in response” to his party’s criticism of the Sindh government and to “scare them”. Instead, Kamal argued, the provincial government’s alleged action supported the MQM-P’s stance that Karachi be “taken in the Centre’s control”. “Karachi should not be in control of an incompetent provincial government like Sindh’s,” he sai...

As the cold wave is likely to persist across the province, the Sindh Government has decided to extend the revised school-opening timings across the province for the next 10 days, said a notification on Sunday seen by Dawn. On January 11, as the cold wave gripped the province, the education minister announced to revise school opening timings for two weeks, ending today (Sunday). The schools were directed to open at 9am instead of the earlier timings. According to a notification, “The timings for all public and private educational institutions under the administrative control of the School Education and Literacy Department shall continue till February 4.” As per the directives, the schools across Sindh will continue to open at 9am till the 4th of next month. Last week, the Education Deparment had issued warning letters to several schools for “completely ignoring” the government’s directives regarding the new school timings. An Education Department official also warned that all private schools were obliged to fo...

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Thursday ordered an inquiry after Model Colony police arrested journalist Shahab Salman for allegedly firing a gun and injuring a person. The journalist’s arrest came after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him under Sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 324 (attempted murder) and 337A(i) (causing a head injury) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The complainant, who operates a “cable network”, alleged that he and his friends had met for tea at a restaurant on Wednesday night, when Salman and three others drew a pistol and started firing, resulting in a bullet injury to his thigh. He further alleged that the suspect was spreading fake news against him on social media for “blackmailing purposes”. Subsequently, the Sindh home minister took notice of the arrest and sought details from the Korangi senior superintendent of police (SSP), according to a statement. “Merit, transparency and impartiality should b...

KARACHI: Over 288,000 e-tickets have been issued under the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) since its launch in October last year, it emerged on Thursday. Last year, the Sindh government had decided that e-challans for traffic violations would be delivered to vehicle owners’ registered home addresses. The system was officially inaugurated in October and drew a mix of praise and criticism from the public. According to a press release issued from the office of Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Javed Akhtar Odho, in a meeting held at the Central Police Office Karachi today, the newly appointed IG reviewed the performance of the new traffic system. During the meeting, the deputy inspector general of traffic police briefed Odho that “so far, over 288,000 e-tickets have been generated under TRACS,” out of which 52 per cent of the tickets had been delivered, while 48pc were still under process. The IGP was informed that the “reason for the delay in delivery was due to refusal to accept tickets, ch...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday approved the confirmation of a total of 27 additional judges of the Sindh, Lahore, and Peshawar high courts. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the president’s secretariat, the approval was given in accordance with the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP). For the Sindh High Court (SHC), the statement said the president had approved the confirmation of all 10 additional judges recommended by the JCP: Justices Miran Muhammad Shah, Tasneem Sultana, Riazat Ali Sahar, Muhammad Hasan, Abdul Hamid Bhurgi, Jan Ali Junejo, Nisar Ahmed Bhanbhro, Ali Haider ‘Ada’, Muhammad Osman Ali Hadi and Muhammad Jaffer Raza. President Zardari also approved a six-month extension in the tenures of Justices Khalid Hussain Shahani and Syed Faizul Hassan Shah of the SHC, the statement added. For the Lahore High Court (LHC), President Zardari confirmed all 11 additional judges recommended by the JCP as permanent judges, namely Justices Hassan Nawaz Makhdoom, Mali...

The Met Office has forecast rainfall in Karachi and other districts of Sindh on Thursday, which is likely to increase the intensity of cold weather in the region from Friday.

The Met Office has forecast snowfall and rain in the country’s northern areas from Friday (tomorrow) and has also predicted showers in parts of Sindh, including Karachi, and Balochistan from January 21 to 23. The Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) forecast issued on Thursday said: “A shallow westerly wave is likely to approach upper parts of the country from January 16 and may persist till January 19.” It added that the weather system was expected to strengthen from January 20 and grip most parts of the country from January 21. The PMD said that rain and thunderstorm was expected in various parts of Sindh, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze, Kashmore, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Ghotki on January 22 and 23 with “occasional gaps”. It also predicted the same for multiple areas of Balochistan, including Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Noushki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Barkhan, Sibi, Loralai, Musakhel, Turbat, Gwadar, Jiwani, Lasbell...

HYDERABAD - Pakistan Peoples Party PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday alleged that some powers wanted to rob Sindh of its rights and transfer its resources to Islamabad on the pretext of claims that the provincial government had performed poorly.