Pakistan

Employers shave girl's head, case registered

An eight-judge Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday began its deliberations on the petitioners’ request to form a full court to hear a set of pleas challenging the 26th Amendment. The Amendment, which was approved by both houses of parliament in October last year, altered judicial authority and tenure, and has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s autonomy. It took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also paved the way for the formation of the CB, which is now hearing petitions against the very legislation that enabled its establishment. The legislation had been challenged by various bar associations, bar councils, lawyers, the PTI, and some politicians. The SC is also seized with separate petitions seeking the formation...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Wednesday, stressed that Pakistan held the recent joint defense agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in high esteem.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur has resigned as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following a directive from the party’s founder, Imran Khan.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Wednesday nominated Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A man was arrested on Wednesday on charges of allegedly sexually assaulting his teenage daughter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bisham area of Shangla district, officials said. “The victim reached the police station on Wednesday,” Bisham Station House Officer (SHO) Afzal Khan told Dawn.com. “A first information report (FIR) was lodged, and the suspect has been arrested.” According to the FIR, the victim’s mother was divorced by her husband, who later married another woman from Swat. However, nine years ago, the stepmother also left and returned to her parents’ home. “I live with two of my stepbrothers, one of whom is paralysed, and my father in a rented house,” she said, per the FIR. The victim reported that she was at home and her brother had gone to Rawalpindi for work when her father called her to his room, where he showed her a knife and sexually assaulted her. She alleged that her father also threatened her with murder if she told anyone about the ordeal. The victim added that she went to the police station whe...

In the wake of concerns expressed by the business community over increasing extortionism, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Wednesday vowed to provide full protection to economic and commercial activities in collaboration with traders across the province. “Elements hindering economic activity would be eliminated with the cooperation of the businessmen,” the provincial police chief was quoted as saying in a police statement while reviewing a crime data report on Karachi, which was submitted by Additional IG Operations. As per the police statement, 118 incidents of extortion were reported in Karachi so far this year, of which only 44 were genuine extortion cases, while the remaining 74 pertained to personal disputes and business quarrels. The statement added that of the 44 cases, 39 were “solved” — a success ratio of 87 per cent. A police crime statistics report seen by Dawn.com linked 12 of the 44 cases to three specific groups: the Wasiullah Lakho group, the Samad Kathiawari group an...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided on Wednesday to hold Punjab’s long-delayed local government (LG) elections in December’s last week and that the process of delimitation would initiate from tomorrow to be completed within two months. Under Article 140-A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the ECP is bound to hold elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of the local government institutions. In April 2019, the then PTI-led Punjab government dissolved the local government institutions, which were later restored by the Supreme Court and subsequently completed their term on December 31, 2021. That means the elections were supposed to be held by the end of April 2022, but it could not be made possible as the provincial government kept on amending the LG law from time to time. The order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was issued by a four-member ECP bench comprising Chairman Sikandar Sultan Raja, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Babar Hass...

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM) Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday gave directions for the timely and effective implementation of projects for recovery and reconstruction to ensure continued support for the 2022 flood-affected communities.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday announced that 1,500 green buses will be operational across the province by December this year.

Sources within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur may be replaced by provincial minister Sohail Afridi.

In a positive development for kite-flying enthusiasts, the Punjab government is considering the revival of a controlled and safe Basant festival in selected areas during the upcoming spring celebrations.

Artificial intelligence, the technology upending nearly every corner of society, is creeping into religion, serving up virtual Jesus and automated sermons — a change drawing mixed reviews from the faithful. Religious chatbots and other faith-based digital tools are growing in number, offering counsel, comfort and spiritual guidance during an age of rapidly transforming socialisation and engagement. One app, which is called Text with Jesus, has thousands of paying subscribers. It lets people ostensibly ask questions of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and nearly all 12 apostles. The idea is to educate, said Stephane Peter, CEO of Catloaf Software, which created the app. “This is a new way to address religious issues in an interactive way,” he told AFP. Although the app makes clear it uses AI, virtual Moses and Jesus don’t recognise that as such when asked the specific question. Peter said that ChatGPT’s latest version, GPT-5, on which Text With Jesus is based, follows instructions better than previous iterations. It is als...

The military’s top brass warned India on Wednesday that any “imaginary new normal” its leadership might be entertaining about bilateral dynamics would be met with a “new normal of swift retributive response”. The statement from the army brass, released after the 272nd Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at General Headquarters (GHQ), comes in the wake of last week’s provocative remarks by top Indian civil-military leadership. Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi had warned Pakistan that it must stop state-sponsored terrorism if it wanted to retain its place on the map. He had said that Indian forces would “not show any restraint this time”, potentially hinting at another military incursion. The Pakistan military had issued a strong response to the remarks and wanred that any future conflict with India could lead to “cataclysmic devastation” and the country would “resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint”. It had said that “those seeking to establish a new normal must know that Pakistan has...

Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday presided over the 272nd Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued the schedule for the by-election in NA-18 Haripur, the seat left vacant after the disqualification of Omar Ayub Khan.

What started as a difference in opinion over how to aid flood-affected people has now spiralled into a full-blown feud between the PML-N and the PPP, the two main partners in the ruling coalition. The spat, termed a ghar ka mamla by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Sept 30, has devolved into a public spectacle threatening the alliance between the two parties. The bad blood has escalated to the point that leaders from both sides hold daily press conferences to take potshots at the other side. And now, President Asif Ali Zardari appears to be making overtures to smooth over the situation. But how did the whole thing begin? Here’s what we know. How to help flood victims? It appears that differences developed between the PML-N and the PPP last month as the two bickered on how to help flood victims. Several PPP leaders, including Sherry Rehman, called for the utilisation of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to aid flood victims in Punjab, while the provincial government insisted it would use its own res...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday reserved its verdict on PTI leader and former senator Ejaz Chaudhary’s bail petitions in three May 9-related cases after concluding arguments from both sides.

A local journalist, Tufail Rind, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the Mirpur Mathelo area of Sindh’s Ghotki district on Wednesday morning, according to the police. The attack took place when he was on his way to drop his children off at school. According to a police press release, the shooting occurred on the Jerwar Road near Maso Wah, where the assailants riding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire at his car. “Rind died on the spot, while his children miraculously escaped unharmed,” the police said. Witnesses added that the attackers fled the scene after the assault, spreading panic across the area. The police later transported the body to the District Headquarters Hospital of Mirpur Mathelo for medico-legal formalities. The police statement said that upon receiving the information, Ghotki’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anwar Khetran immediately reached the crime scene, inspected the site, and met with the victim’s family, issuing “strict orders to the concerned officers for prompt act...

No casualties were reported after a fire erupted in a plastic factory in Karachi’s Liaquatabad area early on Wednesday and was extinguished after hectic efforts, according to a rescue official. Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn.com, “The fire erupted in the plastic factory located in a market near Sindhi Hotel in Liaquatabad at around 7:30am.” He said three fire tenders managed to control it, and no casualties were reported. Liaquatabad Station House Officer Ghulam Yasin told Dawn.com that the fire appeared to have been caused by a short circuit. Fires frequently erupt in buildings across Pakistan due to a mix of poor infrastructure, weak enforcement of safety regulations, and widespread negligence. Many structures lack proper fire exits, alarms, and emergency protocols, while faulty wiring and overloaded power systems increase the risk of electrical short circuits. According to city planners and engineers, 70 per cent of residential, commercial and industrial buildings in Karachi lacke...