Pakistan

An explosion was reported near the Red Fort in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Monday, in which at least eight people were killed and at least 20 people were injured, local television channels reported. The exact cause of the blast was being investigated, city police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi said. However, India’s financial capital of Mumbai, as well as its most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi, went on high security alert after the blast, local media reported. “Eight people have been killed in the explosion,” Tyagi said. View this post on Instagram A previous owner of the car, named only as Salman, was arrested after the blast, NDTV reported, without going into more details. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the blast took place minutes before 7pm (6:30pm PKT). “A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” he told reporters. ...

At least two terrorists were killed during an attack on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan on Monday as security forces conducted a clearance operation at the educational facility, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The military’s media wing said the initial attempt by the terrorists to breach the perimeter security was foiled by the “vigilant and resolute response by own troops”. However, the attackers then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle against the main gate of the college, causing it to collapse and damaging an adjacent structure. The terrorists then entered the educational facility and were “cornered in the college’s administrative block”. “Displaying unwavering courage and professional excellence, own troops engaged the intruders with precision, eliminating two khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” said the ISPR. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned TTP. The ISPR added that the terrorists, inside the college, are in contac...

The contentious bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment sailed through the Senate on Monday after 64 lawmakers voted in its favour, with members of the opposition staging a noisy walkout. The government and its coalition partners secured a two-thirds majority in the vote following the defection of two opposition members, leading to a total of 64 votes for the bill. The bill, which had stirred controversy in the country for weeks, was presented in the Senate by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, while Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani presided over the proceedings. Initially, a clause-by-clause voting was carried out. Later, voting by division was conducted, with the entry and exit gates of the Senate closed as per the protocol. View this post on Instagram Before the passage of the bill, opposition benches erupted in protest, chanting slogans against the government and its coalition partners. Lawmakers tore up copies of the bill and hurled them toward Tarar’s table as he began to present it. Most opposit...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the Punjab Wildlife Department to submit a report on the demolition of a pet market in the walled city within 30 days and decide on a framework to prevent such incidents from occurring again, according to the lawyer who filed the petition with the court. A demolition operation was carried out at a bird market in Lahore’s Bhati Chowk area, near Data Darbar last Friday by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), with shopkeepers accusing the Punjab government of killing dozens of birds and other caged pets; allegations the government has denied. This incident led to public outrage as the animals were not moved during the demolition. Animal rights lawyer Altamush Saeed filed a petition with the LHC on Saturday, naming the Punjab government, the Punjab Wildlife and Fisheries Department and the LDA, as respondents. A press release stated that the court ordered the Wildlife Department to submit a “comprehensive report” on the matter. It added that LHC Judge Shehram Sarwa...

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday rubbished the notion that the status of incarcerated former premier Imran Khan had any bearing on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s withdrawal of proposed immunity for the top office as part of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. Government senators Anusha Rahman and Khalil Tahir Sandhu had tabled a proposal for the 27th Amendment bill to extend the immunity currently enjoyed by the president under Article 248 of the Constitution to include the prime minister. The clause sought to extend presidential immunity to the prime minister, effectively barring criminal proceedings against the premier during the term in office. Article 248 of the Constitution stipulates that “no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the president or a governor in any court during his term of office”. However, PM Shehbaz had ordered the clause’s withdrawal on Sunday, saying that the premier must remain “fully accountable”. Separat...

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq welcomed the Qatari parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, who is visiting Pakistan to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad.

The government is set to table the bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment in tomorrow’s National Assembly session after it sailed through the Senate kn Monday. A notification from the NA Secretariat for the orders of the day for Tuesday’s session said Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar would table the bill. Today’s NA session was adjourned after being marred by ruckus from the treasury and opposition benches during speeches from each side. PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was disrupted by shouting from the opposition benches as he began to speak in the NA. Speaking on the immunity for the president, he said this was standard practice in many countries for the head of state. Ashraf assailed the opposition, asking who was it to criticise the treasury benches when its ranks were filled with those who had violated the Constitution. As he continued to speak, PTI lawmakers chanted slogans of “Go Zardari go” and “Long live Imran Khan” while terming the former prime minister as “Raja rental”. The former premier said the o...

As the government made moves toward the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, present and former judges and top lawyers on Monday urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi to summon a full court meeting to discuss the proposed legislation. The request came in a letter, dated November 9 and a copy of which is available with Dawn, that was penned by senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi. It was also signed and endorsed by former SC senior puisne judge retired Justice Mushir Alam, former Sindh High Court (SHC) judge retired Justice Nadeem Akhtar and nine other top lawyers. The letter said that the missive was being written “not in normal times but in times that presented the greatest threat to the Supreme Court of Pakistan since its establishment in 1956”. It termed the 27th Amendment Act as the “biggest and the most radical restructuring of the Federal Appellate Court structure since the enactment of the Government of India Act, 1935”. “We say this without any fear of contradiction that no civilian or ...

Unidentified armed men opened fire on the house of cricketer Naseem Shah in the Mayar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Dir in the early hours of Monday, police and residents said. According to police, the incident took place around 1:45am when the attackers fired several shots at the main gate of the house, leaving bullet holes in it. The assailants fled the scene soon after the firing. The Mayar police registered a case and launched an investigation. Officials said CCTV footage from nearby houses was being examined, and security had been enhanced around the cricketer’s residence. The Lower Dir police said that according to the initial investigation, the incident was not one of terrorism but possibly the result of a land dispute or regional enmity. Shah’s father also met Lower Dir District Police Officer Taimur Khan, who assured the former of early arrests. Local residents said Shah’s family belonged to a respectable background and had no known enmity or dispute with anyone. Additional reporting by Arif Hay...

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