Pakistan

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has accused the government of distorting the Constitution of Pakistan, pledging that his party will, InshaAllah, restore it to its true form.

The 27th Constitutional Amendment has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC), with the petitioner urging the court to declare it unconstitutional and void.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notices to all parties in a contempt petition over the authorities’ failure to arrange a meeting between incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan and his lawyer, despite court orders.

At least 12 people were killed and over 20 others injured in a suicide blast near the Judicial Complex in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the Shaheen Chowk Underpass Project on Margalla Road in Islamabad to review the progress of ongoing construction work.

Indian police are investigating a deadly car blast in New Delhi under a law used to fight “terrorism”, an officer said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring to justice all those responsible. The explosion near the historic Red Fort on Monday evening killed at least eight people and injured 20. It was the first such blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30 million since 2011. “Today, I have come to Bhutan with a very heavy heart,” Modi said in Thimphu, the capital of the neighbouring Himalayan nation, as he arrived on Tuesday for a scheduled visit. “The horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,” Modi told a public meeting. “Our agencies will get to the very bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice.” New Delhi’s deputy chief fire officer A.K. Malik told AFP shortly after the explosion that eight people had been killed. The Press Trust of India news agency r...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress on the construction of the Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has relaunched its mobile registration van service to facilitate residents of far-flung areas across the country.

Pakistan has cautioned the United Nations that the unchecked movement of illegal arms within Afghanistan — many of them modern weapons now being used by anti-Pakistan militant groups — poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called on Afghanistan to take concrete action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups operating from its soil, emphasizing that lasting peace in the region depends on Kabul’s decisive measures.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Kabul must understand that lasting peace could only be achieved by reining in terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. “Afghanistan must understand that lasting peace can only be realised by reining in Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory,” Shehbaz said while addressing the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad. In his remarks, the premier said that the theme of the conference, “Peace, Security and Development”, could not be more timely and relevant. He added that the theme was particularly resonant for Pakistan, saying that the country had always advocated for peace through dialogue and diplomacy. “We firmly believe that peace and security form the foundation of sustainable national and regional development,” he said. “The true value of peace is most profoundly understood when we are confronted with the conflicts that continue to plague our world,” he said. The premier especially called att...

Supreme Court (SC) Justice Athar Minallah has written an emphatic letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, calling for the convening of a conference to consider threats to the judiciary while also lamenting the use of the apex court as an instrument to suppress the people’s will by “unelected elite”, it emerged on Tuesday. The development comes as the government is making moves for the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The bill, which has been passed by the Senate, seeks crucial changes to a number of articles, mostly dealing with the judiciary and the military leadership. In the seven-page letter, which Dawn has seen, Justice Minallah said that the missive was being recorded as a “solemn duty to the Constitution and to place on record for future generations how their destiny was being shaped behind the marble walls of the last resort of justice”. He said that it was being written in the wake of recent events, which had greatly eroded public confidence in the judiciary. “Institution...

The Closing Ceremony of the 45th Pakistan Army Rifle Association (PARA) Central Meet was held at the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU), Jhelum, with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), attending as the Chief Guest.

RAWALPINDI: After beating a depleted South African side 2-1 in the recently-concluded One-day Inter­nat­ional series, Pakistan will take on a stronger Sri Lankan outfit in another three-match rubber here at the Rawal­pindi Cricket Stadium from Tuesday. The series win against South Africa marked a successful beginning to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s fresh stint as the new Pakistan captain, having replaced Mohammad Rizwan last month in an abrupt manner. The Sri Lanka challenge will be different for the pacer, given that he won his maiden ODI series as skipper with first-choice players at his disposal against a South African team missing the likes of senior pros Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markam, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj. The Islanders, led by Charith Asalanka, in contrast, arrive in Rawalpindi with a full-strength team and a top form in the format — having won the last six of their seven ODI series, including those against the strong India and Australia to rise to fourth in the International Cricket Council ODI ranki...

Islamabad has warned that the acquisition of abandoned weapons by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan not only threatens peace and security in Pakistan but also in the region. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks while addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on small arms late on Monday, according to a press release by the mission. In his remarks, Ambassador Iftikhar said, “Pakistan is seriously concerned about the presence of stockpiles of sophisticated arms and ammunition in Afghanistan, as noted in the findings of the secretary general’s reports.” The report states that transnational criminal dynamics were observed in Afghanistan, where possible arms and ammunition transfer to neighbouring states in breach of the arms embargo and unofficial markets for weapons have emerged, further escalating the threat to regional security. The envoy said Pakistan had “credible information of attempts to smuggle these arms to neig...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has imposed a ban on transfers and postings in the provincial Education Department.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui passed away in Islamabad after a brief illness.

• CJCSC urged troop mobilisation • COAS cautioned against hasty escalation ISLAMABAD: The Natio­nal Secur­ity Committee (NSC) did not overrule the then army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa’s response plan during the 2019 Balakot crisis, according to at least two participants of that meeting who spoke on Monday. “The then army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s response strategy was agreed upon and executed by the Pakistan Air Force,” said a federal minister who attended the meeting, adding that the then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, Gen Zubair Hayat, had proposed a more radical option that was not accepted. An armed forces official who also participated in the meeting gave a similar account, saying that then prime minister Imran Khan was “displeased” with Gen Hayat’s suggestion, which he thought “did not make any sense.” The statements counter a recent claim by former defence secretary Lt Gen (Retd) Asif Yasin Malik, who said that during the 2019 NSC meeting held after the Balakot strikes, Gen Bajwa had a...

ISLAMABAD: Judges of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC), including Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, have expressed serious reservations over their sudden relocation to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises from the FSC building, where the government has finalised arrangements to establish the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). Official sources said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has expedited renovation work on the third floor of the IHC building to accommodate the FSC. The IHC administration has been informed by a CDA contractor that three courtrooms will be ready within the next few days, while the construction of a fourth courtroom may take slightly longer. At present, only three judges are serving in the FSC against the sanctioned strength of eight. Sources said the judges are “not comfortable” with the ongoing shifting process and have conveyed their concerns at the highest level. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accompanied by the Islamabad deputy commissioner, had visited the FSC building l...

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui passed away on Monday in Islamabad after a brief illness, his son confirmed. His family earlier today said that he had not been placed on a ventilator but was admitted to an intensive care unit due to breathing difficulties. In a statement, the senator’s family said that Siddiqui had been receiving treatment at a local hospital in Islamabad for the past few days due to respiratory distress. President Asif Ali Zardari extended his condolences to the senator’s family on their loss, according to a statement from the President’s House. Paying tribute to Senator Siddiqui, President Zardari said the departed had made “immense contributions” to democracy in Pakistan. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also extended his condolences and praised Siddiqui as a “champion of high traditions in both journalism and politics”. Earlier today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry claimed that the PML-N leader had been put on a ventilator after his health had worsened. “Senior politician ...