Pakistan

Business and technical panels to submit recommendations by June 20

LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has begun prioritising complaints against individuals involved in blackmail, harassment and harming the “dignity and reputation of women”, and arrested 10 alleged “harassers” on Saturday in different parts of Punjab. “The NCCIA is according the highest priority to complaints involving the harassment, exploitation, and blackmailing of women in the digital space,” NCCIA Punjab chief Muhammad Ali Waseem told Dawn. “While the NCCIA remains committed to addressing all forms of cybercrime and is making every effort to facilitate complainants, cases related to the online harassment, intimidation, and blackmailing of women are being treated on a priority basis,” he said. Waseem added that, given the serious psychological, social and reputational harm such offences can inflict on victims, the agency was ensuring swift action and dedicated attention to such complaints to provide timely relief and bring perpetrators to justice. It is worth noting that a large...

Larkana police’s Women and Child Protection Cell (WCPC), along with other officials, conducted a raid and stopped a forced child marriage involving two teenagers in Khero Dero village of the district on Friday. A 13-year-old girl was being forced into marriage with her 16-year-old cousin when WCPC officials, the SHO of Women Police Station Larkana and the SHO of Lashari Police Station reached the spot, according to a statement by Child Protection Officer Larkana Gada Hussain Abbasi. Naween Mangi, who runs the Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust in Upper Sindh, alerted the police about the marriage. After finding out about the girl being “forcibly married off,” Mangi said she tried to intervene through the community to stop the marriage. When that did not work, she involved the district police. The WCPC statement added that the groom and his family fled upon police’s arrival. “The girl, along with her parents, was brought to the Women Police Station Larkana for her safe custody,” the statement added. The girl’s par...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday termed the proposed budget for FY26-27 as a significant move towards setting the country on the path of economic growth. “In this budget, we have made significant progress in that direction of travel [towards economic growth] that we spoke earlier about,” he said at the outset of his media briefing in Islamabad. The minister affirmed that the government has “made comprehensive efforts to create an enabling environment” for an export-led growth, recalling the abolishment of an advance tax. He stressed the decision to reduce the super tax for businesses earning more than Rs500 million, terming it a “very meaningful direction of travel”. During the budget presentation yesterday, the finance minister announced that super tax would be abolished for businesses earning between Rs150m and Rs500m annually, and it would be reduced from 10pc to 8pc for businesses whose income exceeded Rs500m. Aurangzeb said he proposed the abolishment of the super tax for “all exporters”, ...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which approved amendments to the Code of Conduct for judges in its June 11 meeting, decided to allow judges of the superior courts to attend or preside over political or diplomatic functions after obtaining prior permission from the relevant chief justices. Presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, the June 11 SJC meeting decided to make certain amendments to the Code of Conduct for judges while considering the draft Rules Regulating Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Council. The SJC meeting was also attended by Chief Justice Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) Justice Aminuddin as well as the chief justices of Lahore and Peshawar high courts. According to an official announcement issued here on Saturday, one of the amendments made to the code provides that judges of the superior courts shall abstain from attending or presiding over any political or diplomatic functions, except with the permission of the relevant chief justices. Earlier...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday affirmed the government’s commitment to contribute to the development of all provinces. He made the remarks on the floor of the National Assembly on Saturday, a day after the federal budget for FY27 was proposed. He began his speech by noting that he would not give a “detailed response” to the criticism voiced by Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, but at an “appropriate time”. After the NA proceedings began at 11am, Achakzai had spoken mostly on the country’s law and order situation. He had also criticised the government’s decision to freeze the development allocations for the provinces, contending that it would hit their health and social sectors. Noting that all MNAs were immensely respectable and the legislature was akin to a “house”, PM Shehbaz said, “Each one can have their politics and vision, but one thing that this House will always attest to is that we are here if Pakistan is.” “There is no difference of opinion on this,” he affirmed, recalling Achakzai...

Chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, has emphasized the importance of maintaining unity, interfaith harmony, and peace during Muharram-ul-Haram, calling it a shared responsibility of religious leaders, government institutions, and the public.

KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), in a joint operation with a federal civilian intelligence agency, arrested a suspect in Karachi for allegedly supplying drone technology and electronic equipment to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for use in drone-based attacks, a CTD spokesperson said on Saturday. According to the CTD, the suspect is the brother of Talal alias Zaid Baloch, an alleged active member of the banned TTP currently based in Afghanistan and listed among the department’s most-wanted militants. In a statement, the CTD described the arrest as a significant development, claiming that the suspect played a key role in the procurement and supply of modern drone technology and explosive-related material allegedly used in terrorist activities. Officials said that, on the instructions of his brother, the suspect allegedly purchased drone motors, propellers, batteries, controller boards and other electronic items that could be used in the preparation of improvised explosive devices (...

In the charged political landscape of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)’s core demand to abolish the 12 reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees in the legislative assembly strikes at the heart of constitutional governance, historical justice, and the enduring Kashmir cause. These seats, constitutionally entrenched under Article 22 of the AJK Interim Constitution 1974, are not mere administrative privileges or tools for “electoral engineering,” as JAAC alleges. They represent a solemn recognition of the displaced Kashmiri population’s integral role in the state’s polity. Any attempt to abolish them — whether through executive fiat, street pressure, or even hasty legislative action — stands on shaky constitutional ground and risks violating fundamental rights and principles of state policy as guaranteed by the AJK Constitution. While the AJK Supreme Court, recognising the situation, issued in haste its 32-page advisory opinion in response to a presidential reference under Articl...

Anthropic said on Friday it will “abruptly disable” its most advanced AI models for all users after the US government ordered it to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. The company received the export control directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all foreign nationals, without being given specific details of its national security concern, Anthropic said in a statement. It is Anthropic’s understanding that the government believes there is a method of bypassing, or “jailbreaking,” a safeguard that would prevent Fable 5 from being used in identifying software vulnerabilities, the company said. The order comes just as a previous dispute between Trump administration officials and IPO-bound Anthropic showed signs of easing across parts of the US government. Anthropic’s relationship with the government ruptured this year after it refused to allow the US military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. The...

BANNU: An alleged militant commander and two people were killed in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, while militants also attempted to blow up a key link bridge, local sources said on Saturday. The Police Peace Committee said that Shahid, son of Mir Khatam and a resident of Wali Noor in Jani Khel, was killed near Kangar Bridge during an operation on Friday night. The deceased was said to be a close associate and facilitator of militant commander Akhtar Muhammad and was allegedly involved in several terrorist activities. In a separate incident, two bodies were recovered from Domel Link Road. The deceased were later identified as Ghazi Marjan and Parvez, residents of Wanda Sarai Naurang in Lakki Marwat district. According to reports, the two men had allegedly been abducted and later killed by militants. Police launched an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, militants attempted to destroy the Teri Ram Bridge on Miryan Road with explosives. Local sources said the blast caused part...

Continuing their intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, the security forces have killed 21 terrorists in the last 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said multiple terrorist locations were engaged in the “general area Miranshah and surroundings in North Waziristan”. “Following fierce fire exchanges, in [the] last 72 hours, 21 more khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij, including four kharji ring leaders (Kharji Khalid Raza alias Salar, Kharji Muftoon, Kharji Musa and Kharji Imran alias Ayan) have been sent to hell, thereby causing a significant blow to the khwarijs’ network operating in the area,” the ISPR said. The Pakistani government uses the term “Fitna al-Khawarij” to refer to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. The ISPR said the killed ring leaders were “highly wanted for their involvement in numerous terrorist activities, including ki...

The United States opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday, powered by a first-half double from striker Folarin Balogun, but the victory was tempered by concern over the fitness of Christian Pulisic. The emphatic Group D win marked a dream start for the co-hosts, whose four goals were their most ever in a World Cup match. Balogun became the first US player to score twice in a World Cup game since the 1930 tournament. “Amazing result,” US captain Tim Ream said. “It’s exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament.” The US broke through Paraguay’s vaunted defence in the seventh minute when Pulisic deftly split two players and found Weston McKennie, whose cross was kicked into the net by Damian Bobadilla for an own goal. Shortly after the first-half hydration break, Pulisic raced with the ball up the left side and sent a perfect cross to Balogun, who angled his shot past the diving goalkeeper Orlando Gill for a 2-0 lead. Balogun struck again on the stroke of halftime, taking a lo...

QUETTA: The Young Doctors Asso­ciation (YDA) announced on Wednesday its intention to continue a strike against recent incidents at the Civil Hospital, refusing negotiations with health authorities until their demands are met. YDA leader Dr Palwasha Raheem Kakar spoke at a press conference held at the protest camp, urging the government to allocate resources towards enhancing doctor safety and strengthening hospital security. Ms Kakar highlighted the case of Dr Mahnoor Nasir, who was a victim of a rec­ent acid attack and a close friend of hers. This incident, she said, has instilled fear among female doctors and the broader medical community. She underscored the challenges faced by doctors amidst inadequate security measures at Civil Hospital. Criticising the health authorities for their inaction, Ms Kakar emphasised that instead of addressing these security concerns, the government opted to dismiss medical staff, which she termed retaliatory. Despite the strike, Ms Kakar assured that the protesting doctors wi...

• Budget keeps lender’s targets intact on revenue, deficit, primary surplus • Divisible pool frozen for three years at Rs13.35tr; govt eyes Rs1.9tr fiscal space • Revenue target up 17.6pc after record Rs1.15tr shortfall; defence up 17.7pc to Rs3tr • Salaries, pensions to rise 7pc; minimum wage proposed at Rs40,700 • Super tax scrapped for Rs150m-Rs500m incomes • Social media earnings, traders face new tax measures • Incentives for small EVs; curbs on luxury ones • Petroleum now top non-tax earner at Rs2.034tr ISLAMABAD: Religiously following critical conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — revenue target, fiscal deficit and primary surplus — to continue fiscal consolidation, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday announced a three-year freeze on provincial transfers as the government reallocated resources for security needs and relief measures for the salaried, corporate, real estate and export sectors to revive struggling economic activity. In his third budget — and the fifth of the majo...

• Increase comes amid tensions with India, Afghan border concerns • Allocation crosses 2pc of GDP after 17.6pc hike • Military spending makes up nearly 16pc of federal outlay • Rs967.55bn earmarked for salaries, allowances • Military pensions budgeted separately at Rs822bn ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday proposed allocating Rs3 trillion for defence services in fiscal year 2026-27, marking a 17.65 per cent increase over the outgoing year’s original allocation of Rs2.55tr, as it sought to sustain military preparedness amid continuing tensions with India, a deteriorating security situation along the Afghan border and persistent militant violence at home. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, while tabling the budget in the National Assembly, said Pakistan’s armed forces had delivered a decisive response to India’s aggression, forcing the adversary to retreat and demonstrating the country’s military preparedness and professional competence. The finance minister attributed the country’s enhanced global ...

MUZAFFARABAD: Activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who had dispersed from sit-in sites on the outskirts of Rawalakot after midnight, regrouped at two locations on Friday afternoon, drawing thousands of participants des­pite official claims that the protest campaign had collapsed. Senior officials had claimed early on Friday that all three protest camps on the fringes of Rawalakot had been vacated after 12:30am amid expectations of a major operation by law enforcement agencies. The largest gathering, comprising participants from Mirpur division and southern parts of Poonch division, had been camped at Eidgah Ground, around 3.5 kilometres from Rawalakot city, where the administration has imposed restrictions on entry from outside areas for several days. Speaking to Dawn in the early hours of Friday, Poonch Divisional Comm­issioner Sardar Waheed Khan claimed that all protesters had dispersed, “unconditionally surrendering” before the state and “returning to their respec...

QUETTA: The Balochistan cabinet has approved the dissolution of all local bodies institutions in the province on Feb 8 next year upon completion of their constitutional term, with fresh local government elections, including in Quetta where the administrative division has been split into two districts, to be held thereafter. Chief minister’s aide Shahid Rind while briefing the media after a cabinet meeting on Friday said proposed amendments to the Balochistan Right to Information Commission Act, 2021, were also approved during the huddle with the aim of improving transparency. He said the cabinet decided that before the next LG elections, all matters relating to the creation of new districts, delimitation of constituencies and court rulings would be placed before the Election Commission of Pakistan to establish a practical and legal framework for the polls. Another major decision taken by the cabinet was to authorise all sessions judges, additional sessions judges and first-class judicial magistrates across th...

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has allocated Rs5,290.49 million to train 120,000 youth in IT and digital skills under the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme. Finance Minister Muhammad Aura­n­g­zeb, in his budget speech, highlighted the importance of the country’s youth population, describing it as Pakistan’s biggest asset. He said 67 per cent of the country’s population is below the age of 30. “Our youth possess a strong spirit for acquiring skills and utilising them for the development of the country,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has resolved that every Pakistani youth should have access to modern skills and training in various trades, enabling them to actively contribute to the country’s progress and development. However, despite these claims and the rising unemployment rate, the budget contains no specific allocation for employment generation or any dedicated jobs programme, apart from the Rs5,290.49m earmarked for training 120,000 youth under the existing PM’s pr...

• Spill poses a serious threat to marine life and local fishing economy • Source of spill remains unconfirmed, though it may be linked to regional tanker incidents and sea conditions in the Strait of Hormuz GWADAR: Gwadar’s western coast has been covered with a thick layer of crude oil across a 20-kilometre stretch, posing a severe threat to marine life and the local fishing industry, officials said on Friday. “Thick crude oil has washed ashore, covering a vast area of the coastline and penetrating sensitive intertidal zones,” officials said. The situation has sparked widespread concern among environmentalists and the local community over its potential long-term impact on the marine ecosystem. (CLOCKWISE) Workers inspect patches of spilled oil washed ashore along the coast of Gwadar; a cleanup worker holds a thick clump of toxic residue while a sea turtle lies on a beach contaminated with crude oil.—Dawn Deputy Director of Environment Abdul Rahim Baloch, while confirming that crude oil had reached Balochistan...