Pakistan

Foreign Office spokesperson says Pak-Afghan doesn’t imply traditional ceasefire It was about ceasing terrorist attacks inside Pakistan by TTP Indian minister’s statement threat to regional peace Condemns Washington, Tajikistan attacks.

An Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members will be charged with first-degree murder, a US official said Friday, after one of the soldiers died of her wounds as Donald Trump pledged to suspend migration from “third-world countries.” The announcement marks an escalation in charges facing the assailant, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who the US media said was part of the “Zero Units” — a CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary force. “There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” Jeanine Pirro, the attorney for Washington, DC, told the Fox News programme ‘Fox & Friends’. “It is a premeditated murder. There was an ambush with a gun toward people who didn’t know what was coming.” Pirro’s announcement comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged on Thursday to “seek the death penalty” against Lakanwal, describing him as a “monster.” Pirro said Lakanwal opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolv...

The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) restored power supply to four housing projects in Bahria Town Lahore after the society’s administration paid outstanding bills amounting to Rs682 million. “The power supply has been restored to four Bahria town projects, including main Bahria Town near Mohlanwal,” a Lesco spokesperson told Dawn. The power supply was suspended yesterday, inviting criticism from the residents, who also announced holding a protest demonstration in front of the Bahria Town offices after Friday prayers on this issue. According to Lesco CEO Mr Ramzan Butt, the last date for bill payment was November 21, which was extended to November 23 on the request of the housing society’s officials. After failing to pay, the officials had requested another day’s extension and continued securing more until Wednesday. “Since the final and last date was November 27 (yesterday), they, instead of paying bills, approached the court, reportedly. But before they could get the court decision, we disconnected th...

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Friday that Pakistan’s hastily adopted constitutional amendments seriously undermine judicial independence and raise grave concerns about military accountability and respect for the rule of law. In a statement issued in Geneva, the human rights chief said the latest constitutional amendment, like the 26th amendment last year, had been adopted without broad consultation and debate with the legal community and wider civil society. Turk warned that the amendments run counter to the separation of powers that underpin the rule of law and safeguard the protection of human rights in Pakistan. “Under the changes adopted on November 13, a new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has been given powers over constitutional cases, replacing the previous authority of the Supreme Court, which will now only deal with civil and criminal cases,” the statement read. It added that the systems for appointing, promoting and transferring judges changed in a manner raising “ser...

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The Russian Embassy on Friday announced that a monument to Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel to space and return, was unveiled in Islamabad’s Fatima Jinnah Park. Gagarin became the first man in space in April 1961, when he uttered the famous words “Let’s go” as his Vostok rocket blasted off from southern Kazakhstan. After a voyage lasting just 108 minutes, the 27-year-old cosmonaut ejected from his capsule and parachuted down into a field in the Saratov region of central Russia. According to a post on X, the unveiling ceremony was attended by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, Power Minister Awais Leghari, Russian Ambassador Albert P Khorev, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi and pilot-cosmonaut Elena Serova. “This is the greatest feat in our shared history. A huge number of scientists are engaged in space research. Let this work benefit all countries of the world,” the statement read, quoting Tsivilev. The post added that the unveiling was scheduled to coincide with the 10th meeting...

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said on Friday that three Pakistani prisoners in India were repatriated via the Wagah border. The border, which connects Lahore with the Indian city of Amritsar, is the only active land crossing between the two neighbours. It was closed to general traffic following a brief but intense military conflict earlier this year. The high commission identified the prisoners repatriated today as Asghar Ali, Ramzan and Muhammad Idrees, saying that it would continue working towards the “release and repatriation of all Pakistani prisoners in India”. The Foreign Office (FO) told Dawn the identities of the arrested fishermen and when they were taken into custody. Ramzan, 43, from Lahore, was arrested in 2010 by India on charges of illegally crossing the border and possessing narcotics. After receiving consular access, his status as a Pakistani national was confirmed in February 2011. Meanwhile, Muhammad Idrees from Narowal was arrested in 1995 for allegedly crossing the border illeg...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was on Friday elected chairman of the Economic Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Ministers (ECO-COM), according to the Foreign Office (FO). The ECO was founded as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) in 1964 by Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye, before it changed its name in 1985. The organisation’s website states that its purpose is “to create amenable and conducive conditions for the continued promotion of sustainable economic development in the region”. The 10 member states include Pakistan, Iran, Turkiye, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. According to an FO statement, today’s meeting of the COM was held virtually and Dar underscored the body’s important role in fostering prosperity, economic integration and connectivity in the region. “He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the ECO Vision 2025 and expressed Pakistan’s intent, as incoming chair of the ECO COM, to work closely with member stat...

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday that the current ceasefire with Afghanistan was not a “traditional” one but contingent on whether any terrorist activity took place against Pakistan from the neighbouring country’s soil. Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are at their lowest point in the four years since the group came to power. Border crossings bet­ween the two countries have remained closed since October 11 and trade has been at a standstill following ground fighting and Pakistani airstrikes across their 2,600-kilometre frontier that killed dozens on both sides in the worst fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul. Following those clashes, Turkiye and Qatar stepped in to mediate. The first round in Doha produced a fragile ceasefire, while the second, also in Doha, ended with only a general agreement to develop a mechanism for verifying compliance and a decision to continue talks. The third round concluded without any concrete agreement. The situation deteriorated again followi...

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PAS says handing institute to private individuals may undermine scientific standards

Majority of assembly panels face criticism for lack of progress, while home committee shines

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