Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afrid Tuesday said that the 26th Amendment had introduced changes in the powers of the chief justice that should be respected.

• Revised cause list excludes Justices Ayesha Malik, Aqeel Abbasi, strength of bench reduced to 11 members • Both judges question ECP’s legal grounds for seeking review • Counsel argues July 12 verdict granted relief to a ‘non-party’ • Constitutional Bench issues notices to respondents, seeks commission’s reply to PTI’s contempt petition ISLAMABAD: In a move that left at least two judges visibly bewildered, the 13-judge Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the respondents on petitions seeking to revisit the July 12, 2024, verdict that allocated reserved seats to the PTI. However, Justice Ayesha A. Malik and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi insisted that the presiding judge, Justice Aminuddin Khan, formally record their opposition to issuance of notices to the respondents, as they had dismissed the review petitions outright — which had been filed by the PML-N, PPP and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), The two judges indicated that they would later provide separate reas...

ISLAMABAD - The District and Sessions Court of Islamabad on Tuesday adjourned the indictment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in an audio leak case, while maintaining his arrest warrant due to his continued absence.

In the wake of India’s missile attacks on multiple cities in Pakistan, the Punjab Home Department convened an emergency meeting, chaired by Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal, to assess provincial security preparedness under the federal government's recently issued “War Book” guidelines.

TAXILA: A water crisis looms over the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as the water level has decreased in Khanpur Dam and the available water may cater to the needs of its beneficiaries for only 35 days. Rocks and mounds have become visible in different parts of the reservoir, especially at the main storage site and the spillways, which speaks volume about the impacts of climatic changes and alarming water table reduction. If heavy rainfall does not occur within the next 10 to 15 days, the water level in the dam is expected to fall drastically to almost the dead level. The authorities said the catchment area of the dam, which included Margalla Hills and Galiyat, had not received enough rain, worsening the situation. The dam authorities feared that they would have to suspend water supply for irrigation purposes to the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa besides curtailing drinking water supply to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Officials say they would have to suspend supply for irrigation purposes be...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader paid rich tribute to the centuries-old brotherhood between Pakistan and Turkiye and remembered Abdul Rehman Peshawar – a freedom fighter as a symbol of brotherhood.

RAWALPINDI - Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi has stressed the importance of discipline and sports activities during his address as the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the Interdepartmental Sports Competitions held at Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) on Tuesday.

The Indian Army has reportedly raised a white flag at the Chora Complex along the Line of Control (LoC), signalling a retreat in the face of a powerful counteroffensive by the Pakistan Army, security sources revealed on Wednesday.

The British Council Pakistan has announced that all examinations scheduled for today will continue as planned, despite heightened tensions between Pakistan and India following recent military escalations.

India has launched a “cowardly” missile attack on Pakistani territory, firing missiles from its airspace, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to support local manufacturers, emphasizing the importance of boosting the automotive sector.

US President Donald Trump has said said the escalation between India and Pakistan was a “shame”. He was the first world leader to react to the tense situation after India carried out strikes inside Pakistan which also retaliated and reportedly shot down Indian jets. “It’s a shame. We just heard about it as we were walking in the doors of the Oval [Office],” he said inside the White House after overseeing the swearing-in ceremony for his special envoy, Steve Witkoff. “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time,” the US president added. “I hope it ends very quickly.” In a statement, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for restraint from both countries, Associated Press reported. “The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries. The world cannot ...

Vehari - The University of Education, Lahore, Vehari Campus organized a solidarity rally in support of the Pakistan Army and to protest against India’s aggressive policies.

Bahawalpur - In line with the Punjab Police’s “Justice at Your Doorstep” initiative, District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Hassan Iqbal held an open court at the SDPO office in Circle Hasilpur, where he listened to and addressed public complaints directly.

Vehari - District Police Officer (DPO) Vehari, Muhammad Afzal, conducted a surprise visit to Police Station Karampur.

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Tuesday expressed concern over gas loadshedding in many areas despite excess supplies. The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum, presided over Senator Umar Farooq, was also told that Sindh was now the largest producer and consumer province in the country — producing about 1,609 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas and consuming about 1,115mmcfd. During the meeting, Senator Kamil Ali Agha raised the issue of unannounced gas loadshedding in Lahore. He reported that consumers had been forced to use LPG cylinders due to gas load shedding, which had become a “persistent hardship for citizens”. He noted that in recent years, the government’s policies seemed to have disproportionately favoured the industrial sector with subsidised gas but domestic users neither get the subsidy nor gas supply. He deplored that a major city like Lahore had gas supply issues and called for a policy shift that prioritised domestic users. Lawmaker says govt prioritising industries over d...

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continues to be a thorn in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan despite a recent positive trip of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Kabul, according to remarks by veteran diplomat Mohammad Sadiq on Tuesday. The increased activity of armed groups within Pakistan since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 remains a common source of tensions between the two neighbours. Pakistan maintains that these armed groups operate from within Afghan soil, a claim that Afghan officials have denied, maintaining that no one can use Afghan soil against any country. Last month, FM Dar had said Pakistan and Afghanistan had assured each other that they would not allow nefarious elements to use their soil to conduct attacks or illicit activities against the other, adding that both countries would be responsible for taking appropriate action in such a case. Dar’s interactions with the Afghan Taliban leadership were quite cordial, with promises from both sides to improve ties and...

The first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR) was held on Tuesday in order to implement the directives of the prime minister to transform the regulatory landscape of the country, for ease of doing business.

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on Houthi fighters after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel. Three people were killed in the strike, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV. Israel warned people to leave the area around Sanaa International Airport before Tuesday’s attack, which it said targeted Houthi infrastructure and “fully disabled the airport”. Witnesses later reported four strikes in the capital. Tensions have been high since the Gaza conflict began, but have risen further since a Houthi missile landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Monday. “A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defence Forces) fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport,” the Israeli military said. “The strike was carried out in response to the attack launched by the Houthi terrorist regime agai...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed to convert Karachi-Chaman National Highway (N-25), a critical transport corridor, into a high-quality expressway comparable in standards to Pakistan’s motorways.