Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari has formally accepted the resignations of Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, a day after both judges stepped down.

King of Jordan King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein is undertaking a two-day state visit to Pakistan from tomorrow on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Chief of General Staff (CGS) Pakistan Army Lieutenant General Syed Aamer Raza called on General Fayyadh Bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, Chief of General Staff, Royal Saudi Armed Forces, at Riyadh.

New speed-limit signboards have been installed along Karachi’s Shahra-e-Faisal following the rollout of the city’s e-challan system.

President Asif Ali Zardari has accepted the resignations of Supreme Court judges Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, a post on the President’s official X account said on Friday. The two judges had handed in their resignations yesterday, hours after the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment was signed into law by the president, describing the legislation as an affront to the judiciary and the 1973 Cons­titution. “I therefore resign as the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in full awareness of the reasons that compel it and in loyalty to the Constitution that has guided every step of my judicial life,” Justice Shah wrote in his 13-page resignation letter, issued in both English and Urdu. The letters were addressed to the president. Justice Shah had described the amendment as a “grave assault on the Constitution” and said the 27th Amendment dismantled the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subjugated the judiciary to executive control and struck at the “very heart of our constitutional democracy”....

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed a “resounding” victory for his party and its allies in a key local election in the country’s poorest state of Bihar. The eastern state of 130 million people was widely seen as a bellwether and a test of Modi’s ability to translate New Delhi’s booming economy into gains for its poorest citizens. Counting is still ongoing and the final tally may not be out until Saturday, but the election commission said partial results and projections suggested a solid majority for Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in the state assembly. Modi called the win a “victory of good governance”. “This resounding public mandate will empower us to serve the people and work with new resolve for Bihar,” he said in a post on social media. Bihar is the only state in the Hindi-speaking north where Modi’s party has never ruled alone. This time too, it is unlikely to secure a majority by itself but appears set to emerge as the single largest party ahead of...

Jordan’s King Abdullah II will arrive in Pakistan for a two-day state visit on Saturday at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during which he is expected to hold high-level meetings with the prime minister and the president, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday. The Jordanian monarch’s last visit to Pakistan was at the invitation of former president Mamnoon Hussain. Two memoranda of understanding were signed by both nations, with one related to cooperation in civil protection and defence and the other to cooperation in the housing sector. According to the FO, Saturday’s high-level visit reflects the “longstanding, fraternal relations” between Islamabad and Amman. “It will serve to further strengthen the strategic direction of Pakistan–Jordan relations and place them on a higher trajectory, encompassing a comprehensive and broad-based partnership in the political, economic, and cultural spheres,” the statement read. “During his visit … King Abdullah II … will hold ...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has ruled that the use of government resources for political protests, rallies, and long marches is illegal, ordering authorities to immediately halt the practice.

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi asserted on Friday that Pakistan had never eschewed dialogue with any government in Kabul but would not hold talks with any terrorist groups. The spokesperson’s speech came in the context of the third round of talks that concluded on November 7 in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan, aimed at ending cross-border terrorism and consolidating a fragile ceasefire that was initially agreed upon after border clashes last month. Since the skirmishes, representatives of the two countries held two rounds of talks — first in Doha and then in Istanbul — but a final agreement could not be achieved. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that a ceasefire, however, was still in place “for the time being”. “Pakistan has never eschewed dialogue with any government in Kabul. However, Pakistan will not hold dialogue with any terrorist groups, be it Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),” he said while addressing his weekly press briefing. ...

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday a military operation to “remove narco-terrorists,” amid growing concerns that a US naval build-up in Latin American waters could presage land strikes and a wider conflict. “Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR,” Hegseth posted on social media platform X. “This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people,” he said. The post gave no details of what the operation would entail or how it might differ from military actions already being undertaken. President Donald Trump’s administration is conducting a military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, deploying naval and air forces for what it calls an anti-drugs offensive. US forces have carried out strikes on about 20 vessels in international waters in the region since early September, killing at least 76 people, according to US figures. Asked for clarification on the precise nature of Operati...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday imposed a ban on the use of government resources, such as vehicles, by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for personal or political use. According to a court order available with Dawn, the provincial administration was banned from using official vehicles without authorisation, stating that it amounted to “misconduct and abuse of authority”. “This court is of the view that the use of official vehicles, machinery, or any other government resources for participation in, or facilitation of, political gatherings, protest rallies, or long marches constitutes a blatant misuse of public property and authority,” the PHC ruled. The order added that this practice was not only violating public trust but also undermining the concept of neutral governance. “Public resources, including official vehicles and heavy machinery, are procured and maintained from the public exchequer for the sole purpose of performing official duties and providing services to the citizens in accordance with l...

One of the most striking moments in A Man for All Seasons comes when Thomas More debates his hot-headed son-in-law, Roper, who insists that the law should be swept aside to catch the “devil”, meaning anyone dangerous or politically threatening. More responds with a powerful image: England is planted thick with laws, “like a forest”, and those laws protect everyone, even the people we despise. Then More asks a piercing question: if you cut down every law to hunt your enemies, what will protect you when power turns and comes for you? Without the law, More warns, you will be standing in an open field with the winds blowing from every direction, completely defenceless. This scene captures the core of the play: the rule of law is not a tool for the powerful but a shield for everyone, and once it is weakened for expedience, no one can control what comes next. Yesterday, Pakistan lost two of its most brilliant jurists — Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah. Why that happened remains for history to answe...

Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani on Friday said the government was in the final stages of preparing revised rules for a strengthened whistleblower reward system as part of wide-ranging reforms underway in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to curb tax evasion, widen the tax net, and enhance compliance.

Justice Aminuddin Khan on Friday was sworn in as the first chief justice of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) after the 27th Amendment was enacted into law a day earlier. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza were also present for the ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad. Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sat alongside Justice Aminuddin on the stage. View this post on Instagram PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, his sister Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani, and members of the federal cabinet were also in attendance. The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, following which President Zardari administered the oath to Justice Aminuddin in English. In his oath, Justice Aminuddin vowed to discharg...

A nationwide shortage of diesel is being reported ahead of a potential increase in petroleum prices from November 16, ARY News reported on Friday, citing industry sources.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi firmly stated that Pakistan will not hold talks with any terrorist groups, rejecting recent claims made by the Afghan regime.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated senior party leader Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as its candidate for the next prime minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), announcing its intention to form the government after submitting a no-confidence motion.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday criticised two Supreme Court judges for tendering resignations following the passage of the 27th constitutional amendment a day earlier, saying their “consciences only awakened after their monopoly was curtailed.” Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah handed in their resignations, hours after the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment was signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly today, Asif accused the judges of having “selective amnesia”, saying that they had “forgotten their past” and were now becoming “guardians of democracy”. “Four to five years ago — in fact, eight to 10 years ago — when the process to remove Nawaz Sharif from his post started, I want to tell you about the history of our SC judges at that time. The conspiracy created against Nawaz before that and the role our judiciary played in turning that conspiracy into reality,” Asif said, amid chants of ‘kon bachayega Pakistan; Imran K...

Four members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorist cell involved in the recent suicide attack at the Judicial Complex in Islamabad’s G-11 Sector have been arrested in a joint operation by the Intelligence Bureau Division and the Counter Terrorism Department.

Dr Shahid Rasul, Executive Director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), passed away on Friday at the age of 59, leaving the medical fraternity and political leadership across the country in deep grief.