Pakistan

KARACHI: A sessions court sentenced a man to 14 years in prison for throwing acid on his sister over a property dispute. After hearing prosecutor Irfana Qadri, complainant counsel Bahzad Akbar and defence side, Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Zahoor Chandio, who was also the presiding officer of the Gender-Based Violence Court (South), found Muhammad Ramzan guilty of throwing acid on his sister Sughra after she refused to give up her share in the inheritance property to her brother. “This case involves a heinous crime, specifically targeting a woman with acid, an act that causes lifelong physical and psychological trauma. Such offences are not merely crimes against an individual but are a scourge on society and an affront to public policy,” the judge observed. The court also handed down additional sentences; two years’ imprisonment for injuring with a knife to the victim and four years each for attacking her sons — Naeem and Waseem — who had rushed to rescue their mother. The court also imposed a...

In a significant move to enhance women’s safety, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police has announced the installation of a special “Pink Button” alert system across the province.

Train operations from Balochistan to other parts of the country were suspended on Saturday as heavy flooding disrupted sections of the rail network.

LAHORE: The Central Jail Rawalpindi, commonly known as Adiala Jail, has reported a massive outbreak of HIV-positive cases, with 148 infected inmates — the highest number recorded in any jail of province so far. This alarming situation has exposed serious lapses on the part of the Prisons Department and the Punjab Aids Control Programme (PACP). Adiala has been in the headlines lately as former PM Imran Khan is also incarcerated there. However, it must be kept in mind that Mr Khan is kept in isolation and is not allowed to mingle with other inmates. The prison is currently very overcrowded as well, housing 4,337 prisoners against its authorised capacity of 1,994. PACP report reveals there are 645 infected individuals in Punjab’s 43 prisons; some of them are already receiving anti-retroviral therapy The presence of such a large number of HIV-infected prisoners poses a grave risk to the health and lives of other inmates if immediate measures are not taken to curb the transmission of the virus. Medical experts exp...

ISLAMABAD: Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan on Friday said the government is finalising a five-year Textiles and Apparel Policy aimed at making the sector regionally competitive, removing trade barriers and ensuring sustainable export growth. He added that a National Industrial Policy was also in the works to strengthen long-term export prospects and position Pakistan’s manufacturing sector for global integration. Both initiatives are designed to enhance competitiveness and address longstanding inefficiencies. The minister was speaking at a meeting with leading industrialists, including Kohinoor Mills CEO Aamir Fayyaz Sheikh, Aptma Chairman Kamran Ars­had, Fazal Cloth CEO Rehman Naseem, and Aptma Executive Director Shahid Sattar. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan also attended. According to an official statement, the commerce minister said the Textiles and Apparel Policy will focus on reducing manufacturing costs, improving productivity, promoting research...

• Govt focusing on completion of ongoing projects of national importance, Senate panel told • Fund’s ‘Diagnosis Report’ flags poor prioritisation, delays, cost overruns as major shortcomings • NHA told to start M-6 work by October or face parliamentary action ISLAMABAD: The government has restricted financing for new projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to just two per cent for the current year, in line with conditions of the ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This was disclosed by Planning and Development Secretary Awais Manzur Sumra while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Quratulain Marri. Mr Sumra said the IMF had demanded that new development projects be limited to 10pc of the PSDP to maintain fiscal discipline, given the already large and longstanding project portfolio. Accordingly, the government decided to prioritise ongoing projects of national importance f...

ISLAMABAD: The flooding in Punjab was made worse by New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the collapse of the gates on an Indian barrage. The middle section of Madhopur barra­­ge, which spans the Ravi River in India, was washed away by surging water, the Reu­ters news agency reported, referring to video broadcast by Indian media a day earlier. Pakistani officials said that this damage unleashed an uncontrolled flow across the border, flooding some parts of Lahore on Friday. An Indian government source, while confirming that two gates of Madhopur barrage had broken, denied there had been any deliberate attempt to flood Pakistan. Indian authorities say they are trying to stem the flow on the Ravi, despite the damage to the barrage, and the flow was being controlled by the Ranjit Sagar Dam upst­ream, Reuters quoted a source as saying. The official claimed that India was doing whatever it could, blaming incessant rain for causing the flood. Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025

• Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej overflow simultaneously for the first time • Over 429,000 residents evacuated, 20 lives lost across three rivers • Ninth spell of monsoon rains begins • 855,000 cusecs expected at Head Trimmu within 24 hours • Bunds breached to protect Jhang city, explosives deployed on embankments to save Multan • Worst Sutlej flooding since 1955 compounded by Indian dam breach LAHORE: In an unprecedented flood crisis, the Punjab government has initiated controlled breaches of key flood bunds to divert surging waters from the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers, as all three major rivers overflowed simultaneously for the first time in the country’s history. With 855,000 cusecs expected to reach Head Trimmu within 24 hours, authorities have evacuated over 429,000 residents, deploying explosives and breaching embankments to protect urban centres from catastrophic flooding. Torrential monsoon rains ravaged both Pakistan and India this week, with further heavy downpours forecast for this weekend. Bunds near Ath...

ISLAMABAD: Amid concerns from the main opposition party PTI that the government remains adamant to push forward with controversial legislation, including the 27th Constitutional Amendment, in the coming days, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq met on Friday to discuss matters of national significance. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned a session of the National Assembly on Sept 1 (Monday) at 5pm in the Parliament House, according to a press release issued by the Presidency. According to the Senate Secretariat, Mr Gilani and Mr Sadiq focused on strengthening institutional cooperation between the two houses of parliament and improving coordination on both national and international issues. Talking to Dawn, PTI’s chief whip in the National Assembly, Amir Dogar, expressed concerns that the government intends to introduce controversial constitutional amendments in the near future. President summons NA session on Sept 1 During their meeting at the Senate’s ch...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday disposed of petitions calling for the establishment of judicial commission to investigate the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif, ruling that the matter was already sub judice before the Supreme Court. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas delivered the judgment on three consolidated petitions filed by journalist Hamid Mir, the Judicial Activism Panel, and Sharif’s widow, Javeria Siddique. The petitioners sought a federal government-initiated judicial commission for a “transparent inquiry” into the circumstances surrounding Sharif’s departure from Pakistan, his stay in Dubai, and his murder in Kenya in October 2022. They argued that the current investigation by a Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) was flawed and violated constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process. Deputy attorney general, representing the state, countered, stating that the Supreme Court was actively supervising the case following its suo motu intervention. He stressed that procedur...

LAHORE/ KASUR/ JHANG/ISLAMABAD - More floodwater from India entered the Chenab and Ravi rivers on Friday evening, prompting authorities to issue a fresh flood alert.

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff, visited flood affected areas of Punjab including Sialkot Sector, Shakargarh, Narowal and Kartarpur.

LAHORE/ ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that a comprehensive strategy is being prepared for the construction of water reservoirs and improved water manage-ment in all four provinces, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Islamabad - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call this evening from Iranian President Dr.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday declared that Pakistan had entered “one of the most active phases in its recent diplomatic history,” unveiling a series of high-stake engagements that firmly placed the country back on a confident and proactive diplomatic track.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that more than 20,000 people have been safely evacuated from flood-affected areas of the province during the last 24 hours.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited a relief camp in Sialkot on Friday where she spent time with children affected by the floods.

PESHAWAR - A delegation of United Nations comprising UN Resident Coordinator for Pakistan, Mohamed Yahya, Head of UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Afke Bootsman and Head of UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Carlos Geha, met with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in Islamabad on Friday.

QUETTA - Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Sarfraz Bugti reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving public issues at the district level, aiming to eliminate the need for citizens to travel to Quetta for basic services.

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, on Friday highlighted the significance of deepening parliamentary linkages between Pakistan and Ireland, asserting that such exchanges are essential for enhancing bilateral cooperation During a meeting with Ireland’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms.