Pakistan

• WWF-P adviser suggests the marine mammal may have died after becoming entangled in gillnets • The most recent sighting of the world’s largest mammal was off the coast of Gadani in April last year KARACHI: A 35-foot-long blue whale was found dead in the Arabian sea, in a remote area called Gwater Bay, between Pakistan and Iran, on Monday. According to officials representing the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan), local fisherman Ahmad Baloch spotted the dead whale floating near Kuntani, Balochistan. “It is likely that the whale may have died a few days back in the open sea between Pakistan and Iran and drifted towards the Gwater Bay by rough sea and strong currents,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser at the WWF-Pakistan. He added that while the exact cause of the death could not be ascertained, the marine mammal might have gotten entangled in gillnets, commonly used in the coastal and offshore waters in the area for fishing. Classified as an endangered species, blue whales, scient...

PAKISTAN is on the front lines of the global climate crisis, yet continues to approach the challenge with a troubling mix of policy confusion, underfunding, and institutional weakness. The country remains among the most climate-vulnerable in the world, without contributing even 1pc to GHG emissions. From the devastating floods of 2022 that affected over 33m people, to the recurring heatwaves, droughts and water shortages, the evidence is everywhere. What remains missing is a credible, well-resourced plan to take these challenges head-on — a plan rooted in data, foresight and political commitment. The recently unveiled federal budget once again reveals the contradictions that have long plagued our climate policy. While the government claims to prioritise climate resilience, its actual allocations tell a different story. Only Rs85bn has been allocated to adaptation — the category that includes essential interventions such as disaster preparedness, food and water security, early warning systems, and climate-resi...

ISLAMABAD: Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on Monday observed that the Constitutional Bench (CB) will never hand out a decision in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge’s seniority dispute that may invite criticism that the top court had amended the Constitution on its own. The observation came when senior counsel Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of five IHC judges, highlighted changes in the IHC Administrative Committee. At this, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan raised an objection, stating that the issue raised by the counsel was not challenged by anyone before the CB, nor can it be discussed in rebuttal arguments. Headed by Justice Mazhar, a five-judge CB had taken up a joint petition filed by five IHC judges — Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Saman Rafat Imtiaz – pleading that three transferred judges should not be treated as IHC judges until they take a fresh oath under Article 194, read in conjunction with Schedule III ...

LAHORE: PTI leader Imran Khan’s refusal to undergo forensic procedures, including a lie detector test, could adversely aff­ect his case during May 9 trials, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge has ruled. In a written order, ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill noted that the prosecution’s case heavily relied on digital evidence, which will be presented during the trial. The written order was issued after the judge dismissed the prosecution’s plea for more time to conduct forensic tests on Mr Khan. The judge remarked that Mr Khan’s decision to decline these polygraph and photogrammetric (fac­ial and voice analysis) tests appeared to be a deliberate tactic to shield himself from the implications of the prosecution’s evidence. The accused will likely challenge the digital evidence during the trial by simply saying it was not analysed or verified through forensic means. “Ultimately, this refusal of the accused may go against him,” the judge remarked. The police had visited Adiala Jail twice to conduct tests on Mr Khan, bu...

• New Delhi possessed 172 warheads in 2024, 180 in 2025 • SIPRI data says Pakistan continues development of new delivery systems, accumulation of fissile material ISLAMABAD: India is adding to its nuclear stockpile, while Pakistan continues the development of new delivery systems, according to an annual report by a Swedish armament watchdog. The arms race in South Asia is a microcosm of the “dangerous new nuclear arms race” that is emerging across the globe, as nearly all nuclear-armed states continued to modernise their arsenals in 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. In its annual yearbook, SIPRI warned that the nine nuclear powers — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — are not only upgrading existing stockpiles, but also developing new nuclear weapons, amid the steady erosion of international arms control agreements. The report highlights the continuing deterioration of global security, exacerbated by war...

ISLAMABAD: The government is reevaluating the powers granted to Fed­eral Board of Revenue (FBR) officers to arrest suspected tax evaders and add­ing guardrails to prev­ent arbitrary detentions after concerns expressed by businesspeople and lawmakers over the blanket authority and its potential misuse. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday formed a committee to reexamine the matter and recommend stringent safeguards to prevent the misuse of powers by tax officers. FBR Chairman Mah­mood Langrial told Dawn that the provisions could be revised to mandate the permission of multiple senior officers before any arrest. In the Finance Bill introduced last week, the government proposed amendments to the Sales Tax Act, 1990, to allow FBR officers to investigate tax fraud and make arrests. As per the proposed amendments, assistant or deputy commissioners could arrest tax defaulters after seeking approval from the commissioner. The proposed Section 37AA reads: “The officer of Inland Revenue, during the investigation, ha...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday dismissed an alleged video circulating online of an Iranian official saying Pakistan will attack Israel with nuclear weapons, amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Nearly 80 people, including top army officers, were killed while civilians were among over 300 wounded in Iran as a result of Israeli strikes on military sites and private residences on June 13. Iran subsequently launched its own retaliation with ballistic missiles fired at Israel and the two countries continued to exchange a volley over the weekend. Posts from multiple Indian and others users on social media platforms and Indian media outlets since Sunday shared a video of Iranian National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei, claiming that he said Pakistan told Iran that if Israel drops a nuclear bomb on Tehran, Pakistan would retaliate in kind amid current tensions. However, fact-checking platform iVerify Pakistan concluded that the video was doctored, and the Iranian o...

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Israel and Iran have been trading missile strikes since the former launched an air offensive on Friday, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop Tehran from building an atomic weapon. The ongoing conflict has caused widespread destruction in both nations. Smoke billows from an explosion in southwest Tehran on June 16. — AFP Smoke billows from an explosion at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building in Tehran after being attacked on June 16. — AFP Mourners carry the coffins of people killed in Israeli attacks during their funeral in Hamedan, western Iran on June 16. — AFP Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, Iran on June 16. — AFP A man carrying a wounded girl following the Israeli strikes on Tehran, Iran on June 15. — Reuters Smoke billows from a site in the city of Haifa, Israel on June 16, following a barrage of Iranian missiles. — AFP Firefighters work at an impact site following an Iranian missile atta...

Iran state TV resumed live coverage after Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building on Monday. “The Zionist regime, the enemy of the Iranian nation, minutes ago conducted a military operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran news network”, part of IRIB, said Hassan Abedini, a senior official at the broadcasting service. “The regime (Israel) was unaware of the fact that the voice of the Islamic revolution and the great Iran will not be silenced with a military operation.” The blast occurred as the presenter was live on TV, lambasting Israel before she was seen leaving the live broadcast, Iranian media reported, sharing a video of the incident. The attack was confirmed by the Israeli defence minister as well. Iran’s Mehr news agency posted visuals from the attack on the IRIB building on X. Iran’s Press TV also shared a video showing the aftermath of the attack. IRNA reported that “live programmes were briefly halted at the IRIB News Network but returned to normal a few min...

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Armed men killed one person and injured five others on Monday after they opened fire over non-payment of extortion in Karachi’s Surjani Town, according to the police. West Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tariq Illahi Mastoi told Dawn.com that “two suspects on a motorcycle resorted to an indiscriminate firing on a restaurant,” killing a rickshaw driver and injuring five others. He added that the police registered a first information report (FIR) under Sections 34 (common intention), 302 (intentional murder), 324 (attempted murder), 384 (punishment for extortion) and 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) of the Pakistan Penal Code against unknown suspects and launched an investigation. According to the FIR, the complainant, the restaurant operator, said that he had received a phone call on the restaurant’s cell number on May 30 during which the caller demanded extortion, adding that he had informed the police but did not lodge an FIR. He said that two armed suspects on a bike...

A federal judge said on Monday that she would issue a brief extension of an order temporarily blocking United States President Donald Trump’s plan to bar foreign nationals from entering the US to study at Harvard University while she decides whether to issue a longer-term injunction. US District Judge Allison Burroughs, at the end of a hearing in Boston in Harvard’s legal challenge to the restrictions, extended to June 23 a temporary restraining order that had been set to expire on Thursday. She said she wanted to give herself more time to prepare a ruling. “We’ll kick out an opinion as soon as we can,” she said. Ian Gershengorn, a lawyer for Harvard, told her that an injunction was necessary to ensure Trump’s administration could not implement his latest bid to curtail the school’s ability to host international students. The judge scheduled the hearing after issuing a temporary restraining order on June 6, preventing the administration from implementing a proclamation that Trump had signed a day earlier. A p...

Pakistan on Monday repatriated another 618 nationals from both Iran and Iraq amid Tehran’s ongoing conflict with Israel, according to the Foreign Office (FO) and a district official in Balochistan. A day ago, the government was able to repatriate 450 zaireen (pilgrims) from Iran, with more to follow from the neighbouring country as well as from Iraq. Arrangements were made for the safe evacuation of Pakistani students currently residing in Iran, including 154 in the first batch. The move came after Israel launched an air offensive against Iran on Friday, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop Tehran from building an atomic weapon, which the latter has consistently denied, saying its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian purposes. Around 350 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in Iran returned to their homeland on Monday after crossing the border at Taftan, according to a district official in Balochistan. Chagai Deputy Commissioner Attaul Muneem told Dawn.com that 35...

A Peshawar child protection court on Monday sentenced a suspect to death and life imprisonment over charges of rape and serial killing carried out in July 2022. In 2022, police had arrested a man in Peshawar on charges of sexually assaulting three minor girls and killing two of them. Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general of police (IG) Moazzam Jah Ansari had told reporters that the 20-year-old embroiderer had confessed to sexual assaults and murders. The suspect was declared a serial killer by the police, who also said that he sexually assaulted the girls before killing them and dumping the bodies. In a press release today, KP police said that the province’s “first serial killer and rapist was sentenced to death and life imprisonment through an excellent police investigation”. “The suspect — involved in the July 2022 rape and serial killing cases — was sentenced to death five times by the child protection court,” the statement added. KP IG Zulfiqar Hameed congratulated the joint investigation and operat...

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