Pakistan

LAHORE: The Lahore deputy commissioner (DC) gave the formal go-ahead on Monday for celebrating Basant in the district from February 6-8, explaining the terms and conditions, as well as restrictions for the festival and consequences of their violations. Basant is returning to Lahore after 18 years, the way for which was paved by the passing of the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill, 2025 by the provincial assembly on December 24. The legislation authorised deputy commissioners to grant conditional permission for kite-flying — which otherwise remains banned in Punjab — on specified days and at designated locations. Subsequently, a notification issued by the Lahore DC today said: “In exercise of powers conferred under section 6(1) of the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Ordinance, 2025 and in pursuance of approval of the Government, it is hereby notified that kite-flying is allowed within the territorial limits of District Lahore on the occasion of Basant 2026,” subject to conditions. The notification, a copy...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, on Monday assured his full support for all efforts aimed at achieving people-centric development in Balochistan.

LAKKI MARWAT: A police official was martyred in a gun attack in the Wanda Jogi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Monday. The district police’s spokesperson, Qudratullah, confirming the attack, said that “the official was going to his place of duty in a private pickup when terrorists riding on motorcycles intercepted the vehicle and opened fire on him”. The incident occurred within the limits of the Shaheed Haibat Ali Khan police station in Darra Pezu Town. The police official was identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Mumtaz Ali, and was posted as the muharir of City Police Station in Tank. The assailants managed to flee, while the police have launched a search operation, Qudratullah added. The body of the deceased was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for medico-legal formalities, he added. Later, funeral prayers for the deceased were offered at the police lines in the District Headquarters Complex, Tajazai. Recently, many areas of KP have seen a series of terrorist attac...

The National Assembly Secretariat on Monday wrote a fourth letter to the opposition’s chief whip, Amir Dogar, seeking a written reply detailing court cases pending against former opposition leader Omar Ayub. Since Omar Ayub’s disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the seat of the opposition leader in the lower house has been vacant. Meanwhile, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had maintained that the matter of the nomination of the opposition leader in the house is “sub judice”. According to the press release issued by the NA Secretariat spokesperson, earlier letters on the same matter were sent on November 19, December 5, and December 19, 2025. “However, no response has so far been received by the National Assembly Secretariat,” it said. The statement said that the “provision of this information is essential to fulfil the constitutional requirements for the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition”. “The [National Assembly] Secretariat has been made a party in certain subjudice cases involving th...

With only two days left before enforcement begins, Islamabad authorities have moved closer to blocking the entry of vehicles without M-Tags from July 1.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday said that Sindh’s health sector has witnessed significant improvement following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, owing to increased investment and focused reforms.

Gold prices witnessed a significant drop in Pakistan on Monday, in line with a downturn in international markets, according to the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association.

A two-day 17th Mir Punjabi Mela was held at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) to commemorate the renowned Punjabi poet and intellectual Professor Ali Arshad Mir.

LAHORE: Lahore High Court’s Justice Faisal Zaman Khan said on Monday that the matter of the new property protection law “should not be politicised”, as he took up a petition filed by two PTI-backed lawmakers challenging the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2025. The ordinance, which empowers deputy commissioner-led committees to decide property disputes, has become a point of contention with LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum suspending its operation on December 22 and the provinicial government voicing opposition to the court decision. Today, Justice Faisal Zaman Khan took up a petition filed by two members of the Punjab Assembly against the ordinance. The petition was filed by MPAs Imtiaz Mahmood and Ijaz Shafi — who are both backed by the PTI, which is in the opposition in Punjab — on Saturday. Their lawyer, Azhar Siddique, appeared before the court at the hearing where the judge asked him whether the petitioners had raised their concerns against the law in the Punjab Assembly. T...

Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari on Monday said it would be better for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to conduct its politics within the ambit of the Constitution.

ISLAMABAD: Former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed‘s lawyer confirmed to Dawn on Monday that an appeal had been filed against the ex-spymaster’s sentencing by a military court. “Yes, we have appealed his sentencing,” Hameed’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, told Dawn but did not share any details about the appeal. Hameed was sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by a military court on December 11 after being convicted on four counts related to violating secrecy laws, engaging in political activities, misuse of authority and causing harm to others. He had a 40-day window following his conviction and sentencing to appeal against the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) decision, according to Section 133B of the Pakistan Army Act. The appeal is first reviewed by a Court of Appeals, led by a major general or higher, as designated by the army chief. The chief then holds the authority to confirm, revise, or overturn the sentence. Historically, the military’s appellate process has stretched over s...

Dense fog once again enveloped the plains of Punjab, including Lahore, on the night between Sunday and Monday, paralysing routine life and severely disrupting road traffic across the province.

Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has called on Pakistanis to embrace the ideals and vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to build an inclusive and prosperous nation.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has suspended six officials and initiated disciplinary proceedings after they were found unauthorisedly absent from their assigned monitoring duties at sugar mills, reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy toward misconduct and dereliction of duty.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (Met Office) has forecast a westerly wave approaching western parts of the country from tonight (29th December), strengthening on 30th December and affecting upper parts by 31st December.

Pakistan has called on the international community to take notice of recent vandalism during Christmas and violence against Muslims in India, urging steps to protect the fundamental rights of vulnerable communities.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Monday announced that an inquiry conducted into the chaos that marred the arrival of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to the provinicial legislature’s building over the weekend would be sent to the law enforcement agencies. During his three-day visit to Lahore over the weekend, the KP chief minister had given an address at the Punjab Assembly to opposition MPAs on Friday. However, the visit was marred by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials, while heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also witnessed. Addressing the incident at a press conference in Lahore today, Khan said that the report on the unrest was being sent to the law enforcement agencies, which would conduct an independent investigation into the incident. He said that he had informed the KP chief minister that a special permit was required to enter the assembly premises, and that in the absence of any other documentation, “at least...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday halted the enforcement of eviction orders issued by deputy commissioners under the Punjab Property Ownership Law.

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that the persecution of minorities in India was a matter of “deep concern” following incidents of vandalism reported in the neighbouring country ahead of Christmas. Last week, mobs armed with wooden sticks vandalised Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in central India, while right-wing groups disrupted school celebrations and burned holiday merchandise in the northeast, according to Indian media. The incidents occurred in the states of Chhattisgarh, Assam, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh ahead of the holiday. In a statement released on Monday, the FO said, “The persecution of minorities in India is a matter of deep concern. “Recent condemnable incidents of vandalism during Christmas, as well as state-sponsored campaigns targeting Muslims — including the demolition of their homes and repeated lynchings, notably the case of Muhammad Akhlaq, in which the state worked to shield the perpetrators from accountability — have deepened fear and alienation among Muslims,” it said. A...

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday strongly criticised India’s approval of the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), warning that the weaponisation of water is neither sane nor acceptable in the region.