Pakistan

MUZAFFARABAD: Government officials have ruled out the possibility of long marches as sit-in participants of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) are expected to hold demonstrations at their respective protest sites today. The main sit-in continued at the Eidgah ground, while smaller gatherings, with attendance ranging between 100 and 500 people, were also being held at Mutyalmera, Singola, Paniola and Shujaabad. According to official sources, participants at the main sit-in on the outskirts of Rawalakot were expected to organise a short rally near the protest site after assembling there at 2pm on Sunday. “There is no information suggesting they intend to move beyond their respective protest sites,” an official said, attributing the rumours of long marches to the absence of communication facilities in the region. An official described the sit-ins on the outskirts of the town as gatherings where participants mostly assembled in the evening “to enjoy the cool weather and free meals”. He said there ...

• FIR alleges reckless driving; authorities seal company’s office • Most victims belonged to KP • Compensation announced for deceased, injured QUETTA: Police have registered an FIR over the tragic passenger coach crash that claimed dozens of lives at Dhanasar police station in Sherani district. The deceased coach driver, Babu Ustad, has also been nominated in the FIR, along with the Mekhtar Bus Company management and owners. The case has been registered under Sections 322, 320, 337-G, 279, 427 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of SHO Zulfiqar Ali. Authorities have sealed the bus company’s office and launched an investigation on the directives of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. Investigators have questioned several people in connection with the incident. Officials said 26 victims had been identified and their bodies dispatched to their native areas, while the identification process for the remaining victims was continuing. According to officials, most of the deceased belonged to various district...

• Names forwarded to JCP ahead of scrutiny under new rules • Commission likely to finalise appointments later this month ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) administration has finalised three candidates for three vacant positions of judges, sources familiar with the development told Dawn, as the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) prepares to take up appointments. The names forwarded to the JCP incl­u­­de District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, former Advo­ca­­te General Islamabad Ayyaz Shaukat, who currently serves as Chairman of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and advocate Umair Majeed Malik, according to sources privy to the matter. The development comes as the JCP, in its meeting on June 19, formally invited nominations from high courts for appointment of judges against vacant positions. The commission has set July 4 as the deadline for submissions, following which the initial pool of nominees will undergo formal scrutiny under the recently approved 2026 rules. Several...

• Lebanese president urges Washington to ‘keep standing’ by Lebanon’s institutions, army and people • Ceasefire holds unevenly as Israeli strikes continue in the south BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged the United States to stand by his country after a recent US-backed framework deal with Israel aiming to permanently end hostilities after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The deal reached in Washington calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there, starting with two “pilot” areas. Hezbollah has rejected the deal, which does not set a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal. In a congratulatory message to President Donald Trump marking the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, Aoun urged Washington to “keep always standing beside Lebanon’s right and just causes, its institutions, army and people”. Aoun expressed hope that Lebanon could “turn the page on wars… and open a new page of hope, peac...

LAHORE: A constitutional petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking the immediate operationalisation of constitutional benches under Article 202A of the Constitution. The petition, filed by Azhar Siddique, chairman of the Judicial Activism Panel, a public interest litigation association, names the federation, the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, and the National Judicial (Policy-Making) Committee (NJPMC), among other federal and provincial authorities, as respondents. The petitioner contends that despite the enactment of the 26th Amendment in 2024, constitutional benches have yet to be established in the Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Balochistan High Courts. To date, only the Sindh High Court has substantially implemented the framework envisaged under Article 202A. According to the petition, Article 202A uses mandatory language, stipulating that constitutional benches must be constituted and that only these specialised benches may exercise jurisdiction under Article 199. The peti...

• Fresh round expected on July 11 • US, Iran trade barbs despite pause in negotiations • Trump mocks Khamenei funeral as Tehran vows justice against US, Israel • Iran warns against military activity by ‘extra-regional powers’ in Strait of Hormuz • Ghalibaf says post-war ‘realities have changed’, rejects US president’s remarks on food supplies WASHINGTON: Isla­ma­bad is emerging as the leading venue for the next round of technical negotiations between the United States and Iran, diplomatic sources told Dawn. The resumption of the talks is part of ongoing efforts to keep the diplomatic process on track and resolve longstanding disputes between Washington and Tehran. “There are two possible venues for the technical talks — Islamabad and the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland,” one diplomatic source said. “Islamabad, however, is the more likely option.” The technical talks are expected to take place on July 11, although a final decision on the venue has yet to be announced. According to diplomatic sources, the neg...

Today, on the 5th of July, as the nation pauses to honor the anniversary of Captain Karnal Sher Khan’s martyrdom on the icy peaks of Kargil, my mind wanders back to the beautiful moments we shared.

• Storm packs sustained winds of 269km per hour, gusts up to 324km per hour • Emergency shelters open as residents stock seven days of supplies; Guam, Northern Marianas under state of emergency • Communities secure homes, evacuate ahead of landfall SAIPAN: People in the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands readied themselves on Saturday as the second super typhoon since April drew closer, bringing the equivalent of Category 5 hurricane winds. Super Typhoon Bavi was moving westward with sustained winds of 269 kilometres per hour and gusts of 324km per hour, the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said in an update at 7pm local time. The eye of the storm was expected to pass Monday very close to the small island of Rota between Guam and Saipan, the main island of the Northern Marianas, with winds set to strengthen to 278km per hour. “My girls were saying to me it’s scary, but it will be okay. My house is concrete, so the worst that can happen is a window could blow in,” Arabella Paulino, 48, said on...

LAHORE: In order to compile comprehensive information on citiz­ens’ health and lifestyles, the Pun­jab government has created health and demographic profiles of nearly 94 million citizens across the provi­n­­ce under its first digital health census. In a meeting on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Mar­yam Nawaz was informed that the digital health census was near completion and that nearly 94.3 million health and demographic profiles had been registered across Punjab. “More than 85 per cent of the population in 18 districts has been covered through health and demographic profiling. Five districts have achieved 100 per cent coverage, while another five districts have completed over 95 per cent profiling,” the meeting was informed. The meeting was informed that every household in Punjab had been assigned a “unique identification nu­­mber” through digital mapping, while 14,300 community health ins­pectors had conducted door-to-door visits to collect citizens’ medical, demographic and socio-economic data. The CM r...

ISLAMABAD - Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday met with the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, Dr.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was briefed on Saturday that Punjab had become the first province in Pakistan to undertake comprehensive digital health and demographic mapping of its population, with the country’s largest-ever digital health census nearing completion.

Islamabad - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff & Chief of Defence Forces; Admiral Naveed Ashraf, NI, NI (M), T Bt, Chief of the Naval Staff; Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of the Air Staff; and the Armed Forces of Pakistan solemnly commemorate the 27th martyrdom anniversary.

ISTANBUL - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday left for Pakistan after completing his two-day visit to Turkiye.

Islamabad, Istanbul reaffirm $5 billion trade target PM Shehbaz Sharif meets Turkish president Erdogan Says decisions taken during meeting will translate into greater trade, deeper strategic cooperation Erdogan praises Pakistan’s Islamabad MoU efforts, backs continued regional diplomacy Says.

ISLAMABAD - The Prime Minister’s Task Force on Maritime Reforms has achieved major progress in restructuring Pakistan’s maritime sector, completing 85 of the 99 reform measures recommended since the initiative was launched in December 2024.

They will face Morocco in the World Cup last-16 clash

Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback is over after the American legend pulled out of the doubles due to a knee injury on Saturday. Williams and her sister Venus were due to play in the first round on Saturday, but Serena announced just hours before the match that her knee had not healed enough to play. “I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” the 44-year-old said on Instagram. View this post on Instagram Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, suffered the injury during her defeat against Australia’s Maya Joint in the first round of the Wimbledon singles on Tuesday. That was her first singles match since the 2022 US Open after four years in retirement. The sisters, who won the Wimbledon doubles six times, were scheduled to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio after being given a wild card entry into the event. But no court was specified by tournament organisers in the order of play, raising the possibility that seven-time Wimbledon singles winner Serena could withdraw. To the disappointment o...

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