Pakistan

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Committee inspects varsity record as allegations of video scandal, off-merit hiring surface

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Christian community says promises of justice, compensation unmet

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An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday granted the police a five-day physical remand of PTI founder Imran Khan’s nephew Shershah Khan in a case pertaining to the Jinnah House attack during the May 9, 2023 riots. The Lahore Police arrested Shershah, son of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, from outside his home on Friday. His brother Shahrez Khan, who was picked up on Thursday, was also handed over to police custody yesterday for eight days over the same allegations. ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill presided over today’s hearing, where PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja appeared as Shershah’s counsel and Imtiaz Sipra as the prosecutor. The prosecution sought a 30-day physical remand, while the defence counsel requested that the suspect be discharged from the case. Judge Gill then granted the police Shershah’s five-day custody. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting Imran’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also a...

Two large lakes have emerged following glacial outbursts in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Ghizer district following flooding caused by heavy rain this month, regional officials said on Saturday. A glacial burst, or glacial lake outburst flood (glof), refers to an outburst of water from a glacial lake which could lead to severe flooding downstream. At least 200 people were rescued after a glacier burst in GB, blocking the Ghizer River a day prior. Due to yesterday’s glacial burst, water containing debris and heavy stones fell into the river and stopped it from flowing for eight to nine hours. “The water remained standing, causing river water to spread for seven kilometres and become an artificial lake,” provincial government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq told Dawn.com. Meanwhile, the GB Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) said that the Ghizer River changed course in the district on August 4 and began flowing over the Gilgit-Chitral Road. “A lake measuring 2,000 feet long and more than 50 metres wide has emerged in ...

Wild grass and weeds turn 54 city cemeteries into health hazards

Accuse govt of neglect, flawed policies and lack of resources

Accused confesses to killing father, sisters, & infant nephew over property dispute

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Rawalpindi to be decorated amid strict regulations, extensive surveillance

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that any talks on sporting ties with India would be held on equal footing and there would be no more pleading for negotiations. The suspension of bilateral ties between Pakistan and India has now been officially extended beyond cricket to all sports. On Thursday, India’s sports ministry issued a new policy that ends bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, even on neutral venues. However, no stoppage has been announced for engagement at multilateral tournaments, paving the way for the much-anticipated Asia Cup cricket clash between the two rivals next month. Last month, the Pakistan Sports Board had asked sports federations in the country to seek approval before participating in sporting events held in India. Questioned about sporting ties with India during a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said: “I think we are very clear that whenever talks are held will be on an equal footing with India and there will be no more begging for negotiations. That ti...

India’s national investigative bureau opened a criminal case against tycoon Anil Ambani after receiving a complaint from the country’s biggest bank alleging fraud, the agency said on Saturday. Anil, the younger sibling of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has business interests that range from power to defence. The State Bank of India (SBI) alleged Anil and his former telecom firm, Reliance Communications, “misappropriated” bank funds by entering into transactions that violated the terms of the loans. SBI claims it was hit with a loss of 29.29 billion rupees ($335.4 million) as a result of their actions. The Central Bureau of Investigation said it had registered a case and that the bank’s complaint would be subjected to “thorough investigation”. The agency searched premises linked to Reliance Communications and Anil’s residence on Saturday. His spokesperson said the tycoon “strongly denies all allegations and charges” and “will duly defend himself”. “The complaint filed by SBI pertains to matters dating back...

The PML-N and PPP on Saturday announced that they would contest the upcoming by-elections together. PTI’s 12 lawmakers were disqualified in Punjab by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following their conviction in the May 9 (2023) cases. The disqualified lawmakers hailed from eight National Assembly and four Punjab Assembly constituencies. The PPP has shown interest in contesting on six vacant seats — NA-143 and PP-203 (Sahiwal), NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan), and NA-96, NA-104 and PP-98 (Faisalabad) — and sought applications from the interested candidates. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi made the announcement during a press conference in Islamabad with PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari. “We want to tell our workers and the whole of Pakistan that we are a democracy,” Abbasi said, adding that they would contest the by-polls according to a “predetermined formula”. “We will contest together. Wherever a PPP candidate is runni...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that national highways in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan had been fully restored, whereas out of 60 affected feeders, 52 were now fully functioning.

India’s foreign minister said on Saturday that trade negotiations with Washington are continuing but there are lines that New Delhi needs to defend, just days before hefty additional tariffs by the United States are due to hit. Indian goods face additional US tariffs of up to 50 per cent, among the highest imposed by Washington, due to its increased purchases of Russian oil. A 25pc tariff has already come into effect, while the remaining 25pc is set to be enforced from August 27. A planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from August 25-29 has been called off, dashing hopes that the levies may be lowered or postponed. “We have some redlines in the negotiations, to be maintained and defended,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at an Economic Times forum event in New Delhi, singling out the interests of the country’s farmers and small producers. India-US trade talks collapsed earlier this year due to India not agreeing to open its vast agricultural and dairy sectors. Bilateral trade...

The Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday said that it found involvement of the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in the target killing of a man in Badin district and arrested six suspects in this connection. On July 30, the CTD had said it arrested four suspected members of a banned separatist militant group in Karachi over charges of killing a man in Badin’s Matli on May 18. During interrogation, the suspects had confessed that they had gunned down the victim, identified as Abdul Rehman. A case was registered under terrorism charges. According to a statement by the law enforcement agency today, “In a joint operation, Sindh CTD and the state intelligence agencies traced the network working for the Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) and arrested six suspects.” It added that the 45-year-old victim was “an innocent citizen who actively participated in welfare work”. “The suspects escaped after unjustly killing him,” the statement said, adding that ...

A judicial magistrate in Islamabad on Saturday ordered the release of journalist Khalid Jamil, who was arrested by the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) a day earlier, noting that “there is no incriminating material” against him. According to a first information report (FIR), seen by Dawn.com, Jamil was accused of “sharing highly intimidating content on social media X on May 7”. It stated that he “knowingly disseminated/propagated, fake, false, misleading and misinterpreted information leading to hatred against the government functionaries, including members of national security”. The FIR said that a review of Jamil’s “broader social media activities reveals a deliberate pattern of conduct involving mocking, ridiculing, and maligning state institutions with the clear intent to instigate public discontent”. A case was registered at the NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre on Aug 8 under Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca) (offenses against dignity of natural person...