Pakistan

State Minister for Interior Affairs Tallal Chaudhry on Friday said that the PTI could not “dictate” meetings with incarcerated party leader Imran Khan by staging sit-ins. The statement came as the party camped outside Adiala jai, where he is imprisoned, and the Supreme Court after the government confirmed Imran underwent a medical procedure for an eye ailment last week at a hospital in Islamabad. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, the state minister replied to a question about the secrecy of Imran’s treatment, stating that there was nothing secret about it. “Their (the PTI) problem is that the glass is always half-empty to them; they cannot be realistic or positive,” Chaudhry said. “They previously said that there were no health facilities and nobody was paying attention,” he explained. “If there has been a health issue, then he (Imran) was immediately taken to the best hospital nearest to the prison. He was taken, examined and then left after everything was fine.” Chaudhry noted that upholding t...

LAHORE: A “high-powered committee” of police officials launched a fact-finding inquiry on Friday into the alleged torture of the husband of a woman, who, along with her 10-month-old daughter, died earlier this week after falling into an open sewer in Lahore, a source told Dawn. The two had fallen into the sewer at the site of under-construction Data Darbar expansion project near Bhati Gate on Wednesday. While the woman’s body was found late night the same day, the 10-month-old child’s body was recovered on Thursday. A first information report (FIR) of the incident has been registered on the complaint of the woman’s father at the Bhatti Gate police station under Section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Three suspects have been nominated in the FIR and all three of them were arrested a day ago. Meanwhile, the victims’ family alleged police had tortured the woman’s husband, accusing him of committing his wife’s murder. They also arrested him and released him after around six hours. A police officia...

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Security forces killed 41 terrorists in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) carried out in Balochistan’s Harnai and Panjgur districts, said the military’s media wing on Friday. According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were carried out on January 29 (Thursday), in which terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan were killed. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the term Fitna-al-Hindustan has been designated by the state for Balochistan-based groups to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The military’s media wing said the presence of Fitna-al-Khawarij was reported on the outskirts of Harnai district, following which an IBO was conducted in the area. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the hideout, and after an intense fire exchange, 30 India-sponsored khawarij were sent to hell,” t...

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday discussed the regional security landscape and bilateral defence cooperation with Turkiye’s Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, according to the military’s media affairs wing. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said General Bayraktaroglu called on CDF Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. “Upon his arrival at the General Headquarters, he was presented with the guard of honour by a smartly turned contingent of the Pakistan armed forces,” the statement said. “During the meeting, besides dilating upon matters of mutual interest, prevailing regional and global security landscape, and prospects for strengthening bilateral defence and military cooperation were also discussed,” the statement said. It added that the two also expressed satisfaction with the current trajectory of Pakistan-Turkiye relations, while underscoring the need for maintaining close coordination and enhan...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced a Rs4.4 reduction in the per unit rate of electricity for the industrial sector in a bid to improve productivity and exports. The premier stated this during an address to the country’s major exporters and business figures at a ceremony in Islamabad, which was held to honour their contributions. “A Rs4.4 reduction is being made in the electricity unit rate for industries,” said the premier, adding that “if it were in his control, he would reduce it by another Rs10.” “However, my hands are tied, as you all know well,” he said. PM Shehbaz also announced a reduction in wheeling charges for industries, stating that “it will be less than Rs9”. He hoped that the move would help “industries sell their power to neighbouring industries”. To provide additional relief, the premier said that “with the cooperation and support of Pakistan’s banks, we are announcing a reduction in the export refinance rate from earlier 7.5pc to 4.5pc”. At the outset of his address, the premie...

Pakistan’s weather authorities have issued an alert forecasting rain and snowfall across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab from January 31 to February 3 due to a fresh western weather system.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has dismissed reports about the government deciding to make a “firm and final” offer to the PTI of reconstituting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and holding general elections a year earlier in exchange for the opposition party rejoining parliamentary committees, it emerged on Friday. The alleged development was reported by journalist Muhammad Malick in his programme on ARY News, ‘Khabar Muhammad Malick Kay Saath’ on Thursday. In the programme, Malick alleged “one or two important meetings” were held a few days ago, following which it had been decided at the “high-level” that a “final and firm offer” would be made to the PTI. According to him, the government had decided to ask the PTI to “return to Parliament, rejoin [parliamentary] committees and participate in the parliamentary process”. “In return, two things will happen: the entire ECP will be reconstituted and the law will be amended so that the next elections are free and fair. And more importantly, the gov...

US President Donald Trump walked back his conciliatory tone on Friday after outrage over the killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents, branding one of them, Alex Pretti, an “agitator.” Footage shared online this week reportedly showed intensive care nurse Pretti in a scuffle with federal agents 11 days before he was shot dead on Saturday by officers enforcing an immigration crackdown. The White House has scrambled to stem widespread outrage over Pretti’s killing, which came weeks after Renee Good, another US citizen and mother of three, was fatally shot by agents in the same city. Trump claimed he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in the fallout of the killings and appointed a new point man in Minneapolis, border chief Tom Homan, who said on Thursday that some federal agents could be withdrawn from the city after weeks of protests against immigration raids. On Friday, the US president said Pretti, 37, was an “agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist,” on his Truth Social platform. “...

Pakistan’s benchmark index, KSE-100, rebounded slightly on Friday by 1836.36 points after shedding 6131.53 points on the previous day. The benchmark index closed at 184,174.48 points, 1.01 per cent higher than its previous close of 182,338.12. Trading was relatively volatile, with the benchmark hitting an intraday high of 186,619.51 points and a low of 182,347.47. Trading activity remained healthy, with volumes of 344.196 million shares and a total traded value of Rs37.47 billion, indicating active participation despite intraday swings. K-Electric Limited was the top active stock with a volume of 81,415,506, followed by Hascol Petroleum Limited at 66,471,778, Worldcall Telecom Limited at 53,707,694, and Bank of Punjab at 28,310,030. Chenab Limited (Pref) led the top advancers, gaining 18.34pc to Rs4.71, followed by Apna Microfinance Bank gaining 10.01pc to Rs17.92, Kohinoor Industries Limited gaining 10.01pc to Rs69.37, and First Tri-Star Modaraba gaining 10pc to Rs44.21. According to Shoaib Memon, executive ...

Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi on Friday paid rich tribute to security forces for successfully conducting an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan, resulting in the elimination of 41 terrorists linked with Indian proxies.

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik held talks with Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, focusing on issues of shared interest and future cooperation.

ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad has expunged a controversial observation regarding “terrorist states” from the verdict that sent lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her spouse, Hadi Ali Chattha, to prison in the social media posts case, official sources told Dawn. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka removed the observation from the judgment and forwarded the amended version to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) registrar earlier this week in a sealed envelope, a senior court official confirmed. Sources said the judge had dictated the judgment to his stenographer, and during the first reading, expressly directed that the paragraph containing the observation be deleted. However, the stenographer inadvertently retained the paragraph and resubmitted the judgment, which was signed by the judge later in the evening. The issue came to light after the prosecution pointed out the paragraph and moved an application seeking its deletion. The judge subsequently expunged the observation, placed...

The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) group declared a ceasefire deal on Friday that foresees a phased integration of Kurdish forces with the state, staving off a potentially bloody battle for the northeast. The sides announced the agreement after government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) this month, forcing the Kurdish forces to retreat into a shrinking enclave. The fate of the SDF, which once held a quarter or more of Syria, has been one of the biggest issues looming over the country since fighters led by Sharaa toppled President Bashar al-Assad 14 months ago. US envoy Tom Barrack, who has been closely involved in mediation efforts, declared the agreement “a profound and historic milestone in Syria’s journey towards national reconciliation, unity, and enduring stability”. Deal aims to unify Syria Under the agreement, forces that had amassed on front lines in the north would pull ...

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday turned down Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori’s request to constitute a judicial commission to probe the Gul Plaza inferno, citing non-compliance with the relevant law and case law “in letter and spirit”. In his letter to SHC Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput dated January 27, the Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader requested the SHC CJ to constitute a judicial inquiry commission to “investigate the Gul Plaza fire incident and to dig out the root cause, negligence facts or violations of law that may have led to this unfortunate occurrence”. A letter was issued by the high court in response to the governor’s request to constitute a judicial inquiry regarding the incident, a copy of which is available with Dawn. The response, dated January 28, stated that the chief justice was “pleased to record minutes that the procedure for a formal, independent inquiry into matters of public concern, typically led by a judge or legal expert, is to be appointed by the government s...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced a major relief package for the industrial sector, including a reduction of Rs4.

Security forces killed 41 militants affiliated with India-backed groups Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan during two separate intelligence-based operations carried out in Balochistan on January 29, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.