Pakistan

Punjab continued to face severe smog conditions on Sunday as Gujranwala was recorded as the most polluted city in the province with an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 562, ARY News reported.

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday granted nine-day physical remand of 16 activists of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to the police in multiple cases registered under terrorism charges. ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill heard the police’s request when the suspects were produced before the court. The investigating officer sought a 27-day physical remand, arguing that the custody of the suspects was needed for interrogation in cases of violent protests and attacks on law enforcement officials. After examining the record, the judge allowed a nine-day remand and directed the police to produce the suspects again on November 3, along with a progress report on the investigation. The suspects are facing cases registered with the Nawab Town, Kahna and Shahdara police stations under different provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. CONVICTION: An ATC on Saturday sentenced two members of a banned outfit to five-year rigorous imprisonment each after finding them guilty of possessing explosive mater...

The “ABU Media and Culture Days” Conference opened in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday, bringing together media leaders, policymakers, and technology experts from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss the rapidly evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern broadcasting and journalism.

India has issued a NOTAM for large-scale joint military exercises near the Pakistani border, signalling another escalation in its ongoing aggressive posturing despite suffering a major setback in May.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to Saudi Arabia from October 27 to 29, the Foreign Office confirmed on Sunday.

BAJAUR / KOHAT / PESHAWAR: At least 12 militants were killed in a series of security operations in Bajaur, Hangu and North Waziristan districts between Friday night and Saturday, officials and local sources said. Separately, a station house officer (SHO) was injured in Hangu during follow-up action after a bomb attack on Friday evening that killed SP Asad Zubair and two police guards. In the Jhallar area of North Waziristan, security forces killed three militants and averted a “potential catastrophic attack” by destroying a vehicle being prepared for a suicide attack, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Acting on intelligence about the presence of “Khawarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij”, troops “effectively engaged” the militants’ location and destroyed the vehicle besides killing three militants. SHO wounded in follow-up action after attack on SP The state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij to refer to militants of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “A saniti...

• Case linked to multimillion-rupee naval farms land scam • Plea alleges officials implicated woman in criminal case ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered the constitution of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate into the alleged abduction of a woman and her three minor children, an episode now linked to a multimillion-rupee Naval Farms land scam recently unearthed by a joint enquiry committee (JEC). Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Waqas and others. The petition alleged that police officials, acting on behalf of unidentified people, abducted Sana Sohail, wife of Aleem Sohail, who worked in a private farm, along with her daughters — 12-year-old Harim, seven-year-old Laiba, and three-year-old Nimra — from Lahore on Sept 17. It added that the officials later implicated the woman in a fabricated criminal case at the Tarnol police station in Islamabad. According to the court order, CCTV footage dated Sept 17 confirmed that...

• Citywide AQI hits 412; PM2.5 concentrations far above safe limits • Citizens urged to wear masks, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity • PDMA says smog intensity expected to rise from Nov to mid-Dec • Govt imposes blanket ban on stubble, solid waste, plastic burning LAHORE: Lahore has ranked as the world’s most polluted city for the past three days, with air quality plummeting to hazardous levels as smog blanketed the city and the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 412, prompting health warnings and a province-wide crackdown on pollution sources. Data revealed that Lower Mall was the worst-affected neighbourhood, with an AQI of 680, followed by Iqbal Town (577), Syed Maratib Ali Road (543), Shadman (507), the Punjab University area (506), and Shalimar (495). Environmental experts have urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, particularly in the morning and evening, and to wear masks when outside. PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore’s air are multiple times above global safety thresholds, raising...

• PPP lawmakers from Kashmir separately meet Zardari, Bilawal to ‘discuss political situation’ • Insiders say decision ‘almost finalised’, incumbent premier may be given choice of ‘honourable exit’ ISLAMABAD: As the PPP plans to install its own prime minister in Azad Jammu Kashmir, the party lawmakers from the region separately met party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari to mull options for the removal of the incumbent PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. Only a picture of Mr Zardari’s meeting with the lawmakers was issued by Saturday night, while a handout issued by the PPP regarding the meeting with Mr Bhutto-Zardari also did not mention the possibility of a no-confidence motion against the AJK premier. The party leaders discussed the AJK’s “political situation” in the meeting, said the official statement. Sources, however, claimed the party meeting considered names for Mr Haq’s successor. They said the PPP had “almost finalised” the decision to oust the AJK prime minister through a no-trus...

Nako Dost Muhammad’s night world had been without light for almost a decade. In the remote village of Kolahu, tucked away in the dusty hills of Tump in Balochistan’s Kech district bordering Iran, darkness was a constant — precluding the hum of a fan, the promise of refrigerated medicine and the safety of a well-lit room. A scorpion’s sting in the night was a crisis met only by the dim, choking flame of a kerosene lamp. From the school in the village to the dispensary nearby, none had power. This changed a few months ago, when a truck with unfamiliar tools and a curious, maintenance-free battery — the key components of a home solar system, provided under a new scheme by Balochistan’s energy department. Nako was one of 40 people in his village to receive the “home solar solution.” LET THERE BE LIGHT… In the vast, sun-scorched expanse of Balochistan — Pakistan’s largest yet most energy-deprived province — a connection to the national power grid is a rarity. Official reports suggest that only about a third of the...

Green shirts defeated Saudi Arabia 3-1 to top Pool E

The 25-year-old Briton clocked a best lap of one minute and 15.586 seconds to beat Leclerc

Kimmich, Guerreiro and Karl were on target as the champions kept their perfect start alive across all competitions

LAHORE - The Pakistan Railways has decided to remove engineering obstacles between Lahore and Rawalpindi within a month, a move aimed at reducing travel time for passengers.

RAWALPINDI - Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Saturday reaffirmed that Pakistan Army and people will remain steadfast against any aggression by the enemy.

PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday claimed the federal government owed the province Rs550 billion, calling for the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting to be convened immediately.

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) called on Abdel Fattah el Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the Itihadia Presidential Palace in Cairo.

ISLAMABAD - The matter for the appointment of leader of opposition in national assembly position, vacant for the last two months, is unlikely to be resolved soon despite the formal nomination of PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai by the opposition lawmakers.

Islamabad - A major question mark has surfaced over the performance of the Ministry of Communications after sixteen out of twenty-six invited transport ministers — including China’s — failed to attend the Regional Transport Ministers Conference held in Islamabad despite receiving formal invitations.

Islamabad - Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, visited forward posts in Creeks Area to review operational preparedness and combat readiness.