Pakistan

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Saturday suspended the medical superintendent and head of the gynaecology department at Lady Willingdon Hospital for “serious negligence in duties” after a video of a surgical procedure went viral on social media. The video in question showed doctors performing what appeared to be C-sections on two patients in the same operating theatre, with a medical curtain in the middle. The person filming the video can be heard saying that a “competition was underway”. It is worth mentioning that on Friday, the Punjab health department suspended the training of four postgraduate lady doctors in relation to the incident. After an initial inquiry, the department declared the “conduct as a serious breach of medical ethics” and had sought an explanation from the gynaecology head. In a press release issued on Saturday, the Punjab government said that the medical superintendent and gynaecology department head had been suspended for “serious negligence in duties”. It said that five postgraduate ...

BANNU: A head constable was martyred when a police vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district came under attack on Saturday, with the ensuing fire exchange killing two terrorists, according to police. Militants attacked a police vehicle in the Sheikhan Mama Khel area, within the jurisdiction of Haved Police Station, resulting in the martyrdom of Head Constable Dilnawaz Khan and injuries to three other police personnel. According to police, militants opened sudden fire on the vehicle while the police party was on routine duty, to which the police responded with effective retaliatory action. The attackers set the police vehicle on fire after the assault. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan confirmed that two terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire, while around four others were injured. Police also took two motorcycles of the attackers into custody, and a search operation is underway in the area. RPO Khan also visited the hospital and inquired after the injured personnel. In a separate incident...

Qatar and Ukraine signed a defence agreement on Saturday, which includes cooperation on countering threats from missiles and drones, the Gulf state’s government said, as Iran presses an aerial campaign against its neighbours. Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — during a previously unannounced flurry of visits to Gulf nations — said his country and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to cooperate on defence amid drones Iran launches in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. Ukraine also signed an air defence agreement with Saudi Arabia during Zelensky’s visit to the kingdom, two senior officials told AFP on Friday. Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations and has deployed anti-drone experts to all three countries Zelensky has visited during his diplomatic tour. “The agreement includes collaboration in technological fields, development of joint investments and the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial system...

Pakistan International Airlines has completed all arrangements for its upcoming pre-Hajj flight operation, which is scheduled to begin on April 18.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif apprised Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian of Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach efforts to organise peace talks between Washington and Tehran, in a phone call on Saturday that lasted over an hour. Pakistan has taken centre-stage in a process to mediate between the US and Iran, being carried out in collaboration with Ankara and Cairo. A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that the premier held a phone conversation with Pezeshkian earlier today. “During their detailed conversation, that lasted over one hour, the two leaders held extensive discussions regarding the ongoing hostilities in the region and peace efforts,” the statement said. The prime minister apprised the Iranian president of the diplomatic outreach efforts currently being undertaken by himself, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir to engage the US, Gulf and Islamic countries to “create a conducive ...

ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Dr Usman Anwar said on Saturday the agency had compiled a comprehensive data of individuals involved in human smuggling. This was disclosed in a detailed briefing to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who visited the FIA headquarters. The FIA director general said a transparent and effective accountability system had been developed within the organisation. He said that in this regard, working groups and coordination committees were being established with other agencies. He said modern technology was being utilised to ensure effective action against immigration-related crimes, human smuggling and money laundering. Speaking on the occasion, Naqvi ordered a comprehensive crackdown against corruption in government institutions and directed that, in line with the prime minister’s vision, a zero-tolerance policy against corruption be strictly enforced across all public sector organisations. The interior minister said that the reform process in the FIA woul...

ISLAMABAD: The district administration on Saturday denied that it had sealed Edhi’s office in Aabpara “at any point” after the rescue service said its control room had been sealed. At the same time, in a statement, the Islamabad administration said the control room had been built on land owned by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The administration asserted that while eviction notices had been served, no action had been taken yet to enforce them. The responses came after a statement was issued by Edhi’s Zonal office in Islamabad, which stated that its “Edhi Centre (ambulance control room) established in Aabpara for the past 40 years has been shut down by the administration”. As a result, Edhi said it was unable to continue its emergency services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which would “remain suspended till the administration provides us with an alternative place”. In its statement, the Edhi service insisted that the district commissioner’s office did not give any reason for the closure, nor did it re...

The ability of Israel’s highly sophisticated air defences to keep intercepting Iranian attacks is coming under scrutiny as the Middle East war drags on into a second month. The military has dismissed reports that it is running low on the interceptors used to shoot down the steady stream of Iranian missiles and Hezbollah rockets fired at Israel. However, some analysts suggest that the war on Iran has significantly drained allied resources, with long-range interceptors among the most severely depleted. Israel has a multi-layered air defence array, with a variety of systems intercepting threats at different altitudes. The top tier consists of the anti-ballistic missile Arrow systems, with Arrow 2 operating both within the Earth’s atmosphere and in space and Arrow 3 intercepting above the Earth’s atmosphere. Below that sits David’s Sling, which was created to target medium-range threats, including drones, shorter-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Israel’s famed Iron Dome system is the third tier and w...

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Saturday visited the Embassy of Tajikistan and held a meeting with Tajikistan’s Ambassador in Pakistan, Sharifzoda Yusuf Toir.

Nepal’s former prime minister, K P Sharma Oli, was arrested on Saturday as police investigate whether he was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths in a crackdown on Gen Z-led anti-corruption protests last September, officials said. Oli’s arrest, which his lawyer said was illegal and sparked protests by supporters who clashed with police, followed rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s swearing in as prime minister on Friday and a recommendation by a panel investigating violence during the protests that he should be prosecuted for negligence. His former home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, was also arrested. Seventy-six people were killed last September during a police crackdown on protesters demanding an end to corruption, more jobs and cleaner politics, leading to Oli’s resignation. After his arrest on Saturday, supporters staged protest rallies and clashed with police who tried to stop them burning tyres near the prime minister’s office. Police lobbed a teargas shell and used batons to break up the pr...

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan, and SAFRON, Engineer Amir Muqam, held a meeting with prominent religious scholars and community elders in Skardu to discuss the prevailing law and order situation and measures for sustainable peace in the region.

At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Foreign Minister of Turkiye Hakan Fidan, and Foreign Minister of Egypt Dr.

President Asif Ali Zardari, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, has approved the conferment of civil awards upon 15 members of the National Task Force on power sector reforms.

Flight operations between Pakistan and several Middle Eastern destinations remain severely affected due to ongoing regional tensions linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict.

LAHORE: The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday claimed to have arrested 36 suspected terrorists belonging to various banned organisations in province-wide operations over the past month. Those arrested included two dangerous suspected terrorists of Fitna-al-Khawarij from Faisalabad and Jhelum, recovering heavy explosives and weapons, according to a press release issued by the CTD. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The press release said that in a month-long campaign, CTD Punjab arrested a total of 36 terrorists from various banned organisations and foiled a major terrorist plan during operations across Punjab. According to the spokesperson, CTD conducted 366 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in different districts, questioning 338 suspects and seizing weapons, explosives, and other prohibited materials. It said that the arrested suspects belong to the TTP and other banned groups, hailing from Lahore, Sahiwa...

PM Shehbaz Sharif held a telephonic conversation with Masoud Pezeshkian, during which both leaders discussed ongoing regional hostilities and efforts to restore peace.

United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that “Cuba is next” in his latest threat against the Caribbean island, as he dismissed concerns that recent American military actions would cost him political support. Cuba’s communist government has faced mounting pressure from Trump, who imposed a de facto oil blockade in January and mused about “taking” the country. Speaking at the Saudi-backed FII Priority investment forum in Miami, Trump said his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement wanted “strength” and “victory”, citing the January raid where US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. “I built this great military. I said, “You’ll never have to use it,” but sometimes you have to use it,” Trump said. “And Cuba is next, by the way. But pretend I didn’t say that.” Trump did not specify what he planned to do with Cuba, telling the media to “disregard that statement” before repeating “Cuba’s next” to laughter from the audience. In his Friday speech, the Republican president also made a teasing c...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast cloudy weather with chances of light rain in Karachi on Saturday evening and Sunday, as well as rain in other parts of Sindh on March 29 and 30, as a westerly wave continues to affect most areas of the country. The PMD had previously forecast chances of rain and thunderstorms in Karachi and across Sindh on Saturday, warning that windstorms or hailstorms and lightning could damage weak structures such as electric poles, billboards and solar panels during the forecast period. In its three-day weather outlook, the PMD said that the weather in the Karachi division was expected to be partly cloudy and windy, with chances of “isolated light rain/drizzle” later in the evening or night. Temperatures are expected to reach 31-33 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is 25°C. The humidity will drop from 76 per cent in the daytime to between 50 and 60pc in the evening. Sunday is expected to be largely similar in temperature and the PMD predicts another cl...

The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has selected 1,700 fresh engineering graduates for its flagship Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET) Placement Program, offering a monthly stipend of Rs50,000 and six months of industry training across the country.

Indonesia began enforcing a social media ban for children under the age of 16 on Saturday, after a minister warned digital platforms there was “no room for compromise.” The Southeast Asian nation announced the ban this month citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying and internet addiction, as concerns grow globally over the impact of social media on children’s wellbeing. Communications minister Meutya Hafid said at a press conference late Friday that digital platforms X and Bigo Live have fully complied with the new rules and adjusted their minimum user age in line with the regulation. Other digital platforms operating in the country should “immediately align their products, features and services with applicable regulations,” Meutya said. “We reiterate that there is no room for compromise regarding compliance, and that every business entity operating in Indonesia is required to adhere to the laws in force within the country.” TikTok said in a statement late Friday that it was committed to complyin...