Pakistan

Pakistan, in a joint statement with 14 other nations, condemned Tel Aviv’s attempt to impose “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank, after the Israeli parliament passed bills on annexing the West Bank, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday. On Wednesday, Israeli lawmakers voted to advance two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, barely a week after US President Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending Israel’s two-year military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Trump has warned that Israel would lose its crucial backing from the United States if it annexes the occupied West Bank. In a statement issued today, the FO condemned “in strongest terms the approval of the Israeli Knesset of two draft laws aiming to impose a so-called ‘Israeli sovereignty’ over the occupied West Bank”, calling it a “blatant” violation of international law. The joint statement was signed by 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye. The FO noted that the move violated the “United Nations Se...

A superintendent of police (SP) posted in Islamabad passed away on Thursday after sustaining critical injuries from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot near Serena Chowk. He was rushed to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he succumbed to his injuries. A police official told APP that police teams reached the site immediately after the incident, cordoned off the area, and collected forensic evidence. Senior police officials launched a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the event. According to police sources, the SP was a respected officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and had recently assumed charge as SP Industrial Area, Islamabad. A day earlier, the police official visited a doctor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), at his private clinic, and informed the medical practitioner that he was having suicidal ideation. Psychiatrist Dr Sultan Muhammad, who checked the SP, suggested he take leave and get admitted to Pims, but the deceased infor...

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to improved defence and military cooperation with Egypt, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday. Pakistan and Egypt share long-standing bilateral relations. In May, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s desire for stronger bilateral ties with Pakistan in a phone call with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Last week, Pak­istan and Egypt agreed to enhance cooperation in the maritime and industrial sectors, aiming to foster joint ventures and promote their blue economies. According to military’s media wing, in a meeting with Egyptian defence officials, Field Marshal Munir discussed “matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and bilateral defence cooperation”. The army chief, during his official visit to the country, called on the Egyptian Minister of Defence and Defence Production General Abdul Maged Saqar and Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lieutenant General ...

The federal government on Thursday approved a ban on the religiopolitical party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan under the anti-terrorism act (ATA) following violent protests earlier this month. The decision was taken in a meeting of the federal cabinet that deliberated on a recommendation by the Punjab government to ban the party. A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after the meeting said the ban was “unaimously” approved by the federal cabinet. It added that the interior ministry presented the summary to the federal cabinet on the Punjab government’s request and a briefing was provided on the “violent and terrorist activities of TLP in the country”. “The meeting was informed that this organisation, established since 2016, has incited violence across the country. Due to the organisation, incidents of violence have occurred in different parts of the country,” it added. It pointed out that the TLP was banned in 2021 as well, which was lifted after 6 months on the condition that unrest and vio...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the ideals and principles of the United Nations Charter, calling for a renewed spirit of multilateralism and reform to meet the challenges of a changing world.

President Donald Trump said Israel would lose its crucial backing from the United States if it annexes the occupied West Bank, in a Time magazine interview published on Thursday. Trump’s comments, which Time said were made by telephone on October 15, were published as both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned against any annexation. “It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now. We’ve had great Arab support,” Trump said when asked what the consequences would be for Israel if it did so. “Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.” Trump also told Time that he believed Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, which normalise relations between Israel and Arab states, by the end of the year. “Yes, I do. I do,” he said when asked if he thought Riyadh would join in that timeframe. “See they had a problem. They had a Gaza problem and they had an Iran problem. Now they don’t have those two p...

Federal govt endorses Punjab's request Forum declares party as banned organisation Right-wing party has a histo

Rs23 per unit set under three-year subsidy-neutral package

CM Afridi denied meeting with Imran

Pakistan, Poland deepen trade ties

Justice Minallah opposes leniency for security officials over rights violations

Around 300 vehicles stranded at various points for around two weeks

US President Donald Trump has pardoned convicted Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, a White House official said on Thursday. In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had “exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency.“ Binance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Zhao, one of the most powerful people in the crypto world, had to step down as chief of Binance when the company agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement with the US government to end a years-long probe into misconduct at the world’s largest crypto exchange. Trump’s pardon of Zhao paves the way for the crypto mogul to return to the business he helped found in 2017. He has already served his time in prison after a judge sentenced him to four months. Zhao’s pardon is the latest in a series Trump has doled out to executives convicted of white collar crimes. Earlier in April, he was appointed as a strategic advi...

Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan on Thursday remarked that ignoring Article 191A through which the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench (CB) was formed under the 26th Amendment would amount to granting the petitioners “final relief”. Justice Hassan’s observation came as an eight-member CB heard over three dozen petitions against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year. The PTI claimed seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three y...

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