Pakistan

Two-kilometre stretch to be widened with additional tracks on both sides

Say abrupt FBR measures will stall real estate activity, undermine investor confidence

Over 100 food stalls showcase regional and traditional cuisines

Unknown gunmen open fire inside home; one woman critically injured

Children showcase talent through tableaux, singing and live performances

DI Khan police impose red alert amid heightened security concerns

.

The PTI on Saturday expressed grave concern over a report issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, saying it exposed the “degrading treatment” of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan during his incarceration at Adiala Jail and amounted to a “blatant violation of international law and fundamental human rights.” The report, released on Friday, claimed the PTI founder is being held in conditions that could “amount to inhuman or degrading treatment and called on authorities to comply with international norms and standards.” In a statement issued by PTI’s Central Media Department, the party said the UN report unequivocally confirmed what it has consistently maintained for a long time: that Imran Khan was being subjected to “inhuman, unlawful, and degrading treatment motivated entirely by political vendetta.” The PTI asserted that the report reaffirmed Imran’s 23 hours of solitary confinement, constant CCTV surveillance, isolation from the outside world, obstruct...

As the nationwide polio campaign begins from Monday (tomorrow) to vaccinate over 45 million children, first lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has urged parents, caregivers, public representatives and community leaders to actively support the drive. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. So far, the country has recorded 30 polio cases, with the highest number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 19. This will be the last polio campaign of the year, which will conclude on December 21. “The success of the campaign depends on our collective responsibility, so we must ensure that every child under five years of age receives polio drops,” she said in a statement. The campaign aims to vaccinate 45.4 million children nationwide, including 23.3 million in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in KP and 2.66 million in Balochistan, with the remaining children covered in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory. The drive is ...

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Sunday issued a press release condemning a ban on government advertisements for various outlets operated by the Dawn Media Group, terming the ban an “attack on press freedom”. Over the past several days, multiple media bodies came together and condemned the 13-month ban, which initially affected the newspaper but extended to DawnNewsTV and the radio channel City FM 89. In its press release today, the PFUJ condemned the ad ban and called it “an attempt to control media and stifle free expression”. “In a joint statement, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari expressed deep concern over the government’s decision, stating that it is an attack on freedom of expression and an attempt to financially cripple a respected media outlet,” the union said. “Dawn was founded by the father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the paper is respected globally for its unbiased reporting,” it added, quoting its president and secretary gen...

You may feel worn out after a busy weekend of conversations and appointments, as though your social battery has run out. “The more we move around in large groups, engage in conversations or are exposed to conflicts, the more our energy levels drop, similar to a smartphone battery when used frequently,” says Dr Steffen Häfner, medical director of a hospital in Germany’s Bad Saulgau and specialist in psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy. Everyone feels exhausted after a lot of socialising, says British author Amy Arthur, whose book Pace Yourself: How to Have Energy in an Exhausting World is dedicated to the issue. “The upper limit varies from one person to the next.” Experts agree that everyone, even extroverts who often draw energy from social interaction, needs time out to recover. “The key is to strike a balance between activity and relaxation,” says Dr Häfner. Only by retreating, resting or engaging in relaxing activities can you recharge your social battery. Good strategies for regeneration include: Re...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi asked PTI supporters on Sunday to “be ready” in case a call was made for a protest, adding that “we will together seize [our] Haqiqi Azadi (true freedom)” from the country’s current rulers. Afridi’s intimation came during a PTI rally in Kohat, where he reminded the crowd that incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, had delivered the message from jail of “freedom or death”. “So if we go this time around, we will either return in shrouds or after getting freedom,” he said, adding that Imran had given the responsibility of making decisions — be it about talks with the government or protests — to Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.* The two leaders are part of the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) along with the PTI, which has also nominated them as the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate. “For my part,” Afridi said, “I met them and assured...

Karachi police said on Sunday that eight suspects, “involved in running an extortion network” were arrested during a raid at the residence of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) chairman Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri in Karachi. Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imran Khan confirmed Saturday night’s development during a press briefing in Karachi today. At the same time, he also clarified that Qadri was neither wanted by police nor had he been arrested. Moreover, the official said police had no evidence of the suspects’ association with any party. The SSP also clarified that police had found no evidence of the involvement of the PST chief or any other member in the extortion network. SSP Khan said multiple cases had been registered against the arrested suspects, who were associated with an extortion network run by two men, who he identified as Wasiullah Lakho and Abdul Samad Kathiawari. These two “most-wanted” suspects were reportedly “in hiding abroad”, the official said, adding tha...

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has alleged that former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had directed the registration of a narcotics case against him in 2019.

Hamas on Sunday warned against attempts to “re-engineer” the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians from the enclave in line with Israeli plans.

Pakistan will launch its final nationwide anti-polio campaign for 2025 on Monday, with the seven-day drive set to continue until December 21, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

The finance ministry said on Sunday that the 11 targets, being categorised as “new conditions” under the ongoing programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), represented “continuity, sequencing, and deepening of Pakistan’s agreed reform agenda” rather than the “imposition of abrupt or unprecedented conditions”. The ministry’s clarification follows reports of the government agreeing to 11 new targets, including additional tax measures and expenditure cuts from early next month, to make up for rising revenue shortfalls and to keep the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) on track. This was revealed in documents released by the IMF earlier this week, according to which commitment to the new or revised structural benchmarks, together with completion of two “prior actions”, enabled the conclusion of a staff-level agreement on the second review of the EFF and its approval by the IMF Executive Board for the disbursement of about $1.2bn for Pakistan on December 9. A press release issued by the finance min...

Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Bilal Bin Saqib has said that the no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued to global cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and HTX were not a “blanket approval” but the “first step under a risk-mitigated, phased, supervised entry framework”. View this post on Instagram Saqib’s video statement, televised on Sunday, comes after Pakistan gave initial clearance for Binance and HTX on Friday to register with regulators to set up local subsidiaries and begin preparations for full exchange licence applications. The clearances allow the exchanges to register on the Anti-Money Laundering system, set up local units and prepare full applications. Speaking about the development, Saqib said the issuance of the NOCs to Binance and HTX was the “first practical step” that reflected a “new mindset”. He further said that the step was based on the “Pakistan-first” approach. Saqib detailed that by working under a supervised entry framework, authorities had been able ...

The district administration on Saturday announced registration fees and safety regulations for kite and string manufacturers following the Punjab government’s conditional approval to revive Basant celebrations.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday forecast rain and snowfall in various parts of the country until December 18, warning that the weather system could disrupt travel and daily life in several regions.