Pakistan

AS someone who has practised international law for years, I have come to appreciate how infrequently genuine diplomatic openings appear. Countries often wait decades for such moments, and even fewer manage to convert them into an opportunity. Pakistan is now standing at one of those rare junctures. For decades, Islamabad has been at the receiving end of international opprobrium and has complained that its opinion carries little weight. Recently, Pakistan’s role in helping defuse tensions between the US and Iran has changed perceptions in global capitals. As a result, Pakistan’s diplomatic stature has risen significantly. The more important question is what comes next. Diplomatic goodwill has a short shelf life. The time has arrived to think differently about Kashmir. Pakistan has not pursued a sustained lawfare strategy through international institutions with sufficient seriousness. Put simply, lawfare is the deliberate use of legal institutions to achieve political objectives. For example, legal proceedings ...

THE national discourse on the budget has been dominated by what is in the document for the business community, exporters and salaried employees. And the theme is to celebrate the 10 to 15 per cent tax relief given to salaried employees — taken as proxies for common Pakistanis. These beneficiaries earn more than Rs200,000 a month. But 80pc of Pakistani households spend less than Rs100,000 a month, according to last year’s Household Integrated Economic Survey. This is the entire household which may have multiple earners, and not just one salaried employee. It is true that there are no taxes on salaried employees with an annual income of less than Rs600,000, which roughly translates to Rs50,000 a month. The majority live in rural areas where one-third of the country’s workers earn their living from farming. The agricultural income tax laws passed across Pakistan last year also peg the minimum annual taxable income at the same level. According to the calculations of the Pakistan Agricultural Coalition, 95pc of fa...

THE security situation in Balochistan remains alarming, with a recent uptick in terrorist violence resulting in a large number of casualties amongst security forces. The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the country’s top civilian and military leaders — led by the prime minister and chief of defence forces — were in Quetta yesterday to take stock of matters. On Tuesday, the ISPR chief, while addressing the media, discussed law and order issues in the province, mentioning that a large number of security personnel and civilians had lost their lives in separate attacks since July 5. The martyred included four civilians in Hanna Urak, at least 27 policemen in Ziarat, and 11 soldiers in Bela-Winder. A number of terrorists were also eliminated in retaliatory operations. The military says the banned TTP was responsible for the Ziarat outrage while the proscribed BLA was behind the Bela ambush. The ISPR chief, while indicating the state would give no quarter to terrorists, also pointed out...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the ultimate purpose of procedural law was to give voice to human suffering and not to silence it. The observation came while setting aside rulings of lower courts in a criminal appeal moved by Nayab Umrani before the Supreme Court regarding the murder trial of her sister Sanam Umrani. Advocate Sanam Umrani, who used to fight for women’s rights, was killed on May 31, 2018, in Jacobabad, Sindh. A two-member bench headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and comprising Justice Salahuddin Panwhar had taken up the criminal appeal in which the petitioner had approached the Supreme Court after her application to correct inaccuracies in her recorded testimony was dismissed by the trial court and the Sindh High Court (SHC). The Supreme Court, however, ordered the trial court to carefully re-examine the video recording of the petitioner’s statement and compare it with her written statement available on the record, in the presence of the accused and counsel for the par...

• Raja Pervez Ashraf confident of party’s victory in coming polls • Warns India will ‘pay a heavy price’ if it attempts to stop Pakistan’s share of water LAHORE: The issue of refugee seats is constitutional in nature and would be decided by the upcoming Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Thursday. Addressing a press conference, the PPP central Punjab president expressed the confidence that his party would secure a convincing victory in the upcoming AJK elections, adding that only free, fair and transparent elections could help address the region’s issues. He also announced that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would soon visit the region. Ashraf reiterated that the PPP believed in peaceful political struggle and said the current situation demanded comprehensive political dialogue involving all political forces. He said the PPP leadership, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and President Asif Ali Zardari, had a deep historical connect...

Recommendations to be presented to prime minister for consideration, says the ministry

ISLAMABAD: After failing to control the population growth for over three years, the federal government has now pinned hopes on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to play a role in curbing the population growth rate. This was disclosed by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal during a joint meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services and the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Thursday. Jointly chaired by Senators Amir Waliuddin Chishti and Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the meeting was held to discuss Pakistan’s growing population and the need for coordinated policy reforms. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan is the fifth most populous country and by 2030 it is set to become fourth by surpassing Indonesia. Briefing the committee, the minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had convened several high-level meetings on population management and constituted a committee to address the issue. He said Field Marshal Munir was also a member of the committee, reflecting the government’s ...

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that a citizen’s computerised national identity card (CNIC) could not be blocked to enforce a maintenance decree, holding that such a measure had no sanction under the law and violated due process. Justice Muzamil Akhtar Shabir passed a judgement allowing a petition filed by Nasir Ali Ranjha, setting aside an executing court’s 2017 order directing the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to block his CNIC for non-payment of maintenance to his wife and children. The petitioner had challenged the order passed by the executing court in Gujrat under Section 51(e) of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), as well as subsequent orders refusing to recall the direction. The executing court had ordered the petitioner’s CNIC to be blocked after observing that he was residing abroad and had deliberately avoided complying with the maintenance decree. Observes blocking identity card without express legal authority violates due process, fundamental rights The court ...

Iran’s assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in the country’s holiest shrine, state media said early on Friday, after huge crowds gathered for his funeral with his son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, still hidden from public view. The burial in Mashhad in northeast Iran follows a week of mass funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies that have coincided with a renewed burst of conflict with the United States following weeks of truce in the four-month-old war. Khamenei was assassinated in the first strikes of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. The US and Iran agreed to a truce last month. Khamenei’s body was carried slowly by truck on Thursday through the crammed Mashhad streets towards the gilt dome and minarets of the Shrine of Imam Reza as white-turbaned clerics walked on either side. Black-clad mourners pressed close behind, waving Iranian flags, photographs of the late Khamenei and red placards with revolutionary slogans. The buri...

• Tarar briefs European delegation on legal, institutional reforms • Says govt committed to safeguarding human rights while ensuring strict implementation of counterterrorism steps ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the European Union’s GSP+ framework and advancing human rights during a meeting with a delegation of the European Union and ambassadors of European countries. The delegation, led by the European Union Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis, held discussions with the minister on Pakistan-EU relations, the GSP+ framework, human rights, the rule of law and areas of mutual cooperation. The EU delegation comprised ambassadors of Sweden, Norway, France, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, as well as the chargé d’affaires of Ireland, the high commissioner of Canada and senior officials of the Canadian High Commission. According to an official statement, both sides exchanged views on...

• Sets July 14 as deadline for ‘acceptance’ of its demands • Two die near Rawalakot as forces clear path for convoy carrying food items MUZAFFARABAD: The proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced on Thursday that it would resume its long march on Muzaffarabad on July 15, if its demands remained unmet. Addressing participants at the Eidgah sit-in, JAAC core member Umar Nazir Kashmiri said the alliance would stage a long march on Muzaffarabad on July 15 if its charter of demands was not implemented by July 14. He said the long march, which had been halted in Rawalakot on June 10, would resume under the already announced standard operating procedures. “Once again, the JAAC seeks implementation of its charter of demands by July 14. If there is no progress by the evening of July 14, we will make a new announcement on July 15. That day, there will neither be this charter of demands nor any demand for the implementation of any agreement. God willing, we will leave this place with a new announcement,” ...

Actor shares Instagram tribute, thanks fans for support during difficult time

Both ministers also discuss US-Iran conflict, current situation in Middle East

Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final showdown on Thursday. Mbappe’s weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made up for that by producing a brilliant curling finish to make it 1-0 on the hour mark. That was Mbappe’s eighth goal at the tournament, moving him level again with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, before he came off late on and watched the final minutes with an ice pack around his right ankle. Before exiting, he set up Ousmane Dembele to run through and settle the contest watched by 63,811 at the Gillette Stadium, as France knocked Morocco out, just as they did in 2022. Their 2-0 win four years ago in Qatar came in the semi-finals, and this time the victory for Les Bleus takes them through to the last four. They will face Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday. France are looking to reach a third consecutive...

Robert Wun rose from kitchen startup to couture star, dressing icons with bold, boundary-pushing designs

Voter advocacy groups, Democratic state election officials call move 'reckless and irresponsible,' according to report

More than 16,700 injured, thousands still displaced since powerful June 24 quakes, top official says

One Spaniard is among the victims, while the rest appear to be foreign nationals

Celebrities, influencers gather as global luxury labels open first boutiques in Pakistan

Report says the new intelligence could further escalate the conflict between Washington and Tehran