Pakistan

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Snow and heavy rain have killed 61 people in Afghanistan in the past three days, disaster officials said on Saturday, with a major road and power also cut in several provinces. The deaths occurred mainly in central and northern provinces between Wednesday and Friday, according to a map released by Afghanistan’s disaster management authority (ANDMA). The “initial figures of casualties and destruction” also include 110 injured people and 458 houses that were either partially or fully destroyed, ANDMA said on social media platform X. A total of 360 families were affected, said a spokesman who asked people in a video message to avoid unnecessary travel on snowy roads. The spokesman also told AFP that most of the casualties were caused by roof collapses and avalanches, while many also died from frostbite in sub-zero temperatures. The emergency department in the southern province of Kandahar said six children were killed when the roof of their home collapsed in strong wind and heavy rain on Wednesday. Houses were a...

US Homeland Security says Border Patrol agents fired in defence at a man who approached them with a handgun

A sessions court on Saturday sentenced lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her spouse, Hadi Ali Chattha, to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in a case about controversial social media posts, a day after they were arrested in Islamabad. According to the written order, Imaan “consistently disseminated highly offensive, misleading and anti-state contents on social media”, with the “active connivance” of Hadi. The order also observed that Imaan’s tweets made between 2021 and 2025 from “portrayed the agenda” of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Lawyers, activists and politicians expressed their outrage over the sentencing. Here are some of the reactions. ‘Completely illegal’ Digital rights expert and activist Usama Khilji said, “Completely illegal, unconstitutional and baseless order without any roots in due process, especially as the transfer application is pending in the high court.” He said that the sentencing of human rights lawyers for “tweets...

At the other end of the table West Ham United continued their revival

Police on Saturday registered a first information report (FIR) over the devastating Gul Plaza inferno, citing the incident as an “outcome of negligence and carelessness”. The deadly inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has left the ground-plus-three-storey building in ruins, with some sections collapsed. It has so far claimed 71 lives. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza confirmed that the FIR had been registered on behalf of the state, through a police official, under relevant laws. According to the FIR, Nabi Bux Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Nawaz Ali Zardari said the police received information about the fire in the plaza at around 10:30pm on January 17. The FIR added that the fire was “rapidly spreading and engulfed the entire plaza” while firefighters and other rescue personnel were engaged in efforts to extinguish the blaze. It further stated that the fire erupted in shop number 193, a flower and gift sho...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Saturday decided to take joint action against fraudulent visa networks under comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs). The decision came during a meeting between US Charge de’ Affaires Natalie Baker and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. According to a handout by the interior ministry, a detailed discussion was held on Pakistan–US relations and increasing cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Talks were also held on preventing illegal immigration and the effectiveness of the pre-immigration clearance system, the statement said. It added that an agreement was reached on increasing cooperation between law enforcement agencies, with a particular focus on police training. “The meeting decided that joint action will be taken against false and fraudulent visa networks under comprehensive SOPs,” the handout stated. Naqvi was quoted as saying that a zero-tolerance policy had been adopted against the “agent mafia” and welcomed cooperation with Washington in this s...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday thanked his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar for his “strong support” and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) amid the prevailing tense situation between Washington and Tehran. On Friday, the UNHRC adopted a resolution — with 25 votes in favour, seven against and 14 abstentions — to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran for two years. The resolution also extended the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran by one year and called for an urgent investigation by the mission, in the context of the deadly nationwide protests in Iran that started in December. Pakistan, along with China and India, voted against the resolution. In a post on X on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said Dar, who is on a visit to Dubai, received a telephone call from Araghchi. The Iranian minister thanked the deputy prime minister for “his strong support and Pakistan’s position at the Unite...

Addressing the audience on the second day of ThinkFest 2026 at the Alhamra Arts Council, Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to constitute a high-level inquiry commission to hold those accountable whose negligence led to the Gul Plaza inferno. The deadly inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has claimed at least 71 lives and left over 1,100 shops in ruins. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said the citizens of Karachi had “questions of a very serious nature regarding the responsibilities of the Sindh government in this incident”, as well as those of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the mayor. He called for an “independent judicial inquiry” into the Gul Plaza tragedy to ensure the truth comes to light. Sattar questioned what the “fear and obstruction” was in setting up a judicial commission. “Incapability, mistake, apathy, shamelessness, impudence — these should be exposed,” Sattar demanded. Sattar further demanded tha...

“As dissenters challenge existing ideas, social consciousness grows, the condition of human existence and rights improve and society progresses …Thus, it is in society’s collective interest that the right to dissent be upheld, even though critical ideas might seem unpalatable. It is in the state’s own interest to tolerate ideas critical of it. Criticism of the state and its policies is a natural outcome of the democratic system of governance … the security of the state must not be projected by the state itself to be so fragile that critical speech would shake its foundation.” — Justice Babar Sattar in the case of Shoukat Ali vs. Government of Pakistan (PLD 2024 Islamabad 135) On Friday, lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested while they were reportedly on the way to the Islamabad district courts. The multiple cases registered against them invoke provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), anti-terrorism legislation, and laws regulating public assembly....

China said on Saturday the senior vice chairman of its powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and another high-ranking official were under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline”, a common euphemism for corruption. The announcement marks the latest push in a sweeping drive to root out graft at all levels of the party and state since President Xi Jinping came to power more than a decade ago. “Following a review… it has been decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli,” the defence ministry said in a statement. The two men were “suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law”, the ministry said. Zhang Youxia, 75, is China’s highest-ranked general as the more senior CMC vice chairman. He is also a member of the powerful Politburo, the 24-member executive body of the Chinese Communist Party. Vice chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Youxia, salute...

PESHAWAR: After heavy snowfall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley, rescue teams continued operations to evacuate those trapped by the snow, a spokesperson said on Saturday. A large number of displaced families leaving Tirah in preparation for an operation in the valley were stranded in a snowstorm in Khyber district on Friday. KP’s Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said in a statement that the rescue operations were ongoing for those trapped in the valley. “Rescue 1122 has so far rescued more than 1,500 people and 350 vehicles and shifted them to safe places during the rescue operation, while more than 100 people have also been provided medical assistance,” he said. Rescue 1122 teams conduct operations in the Tirah Valley to rescue over 1,500 people trapped due to heavy snowfall, in Khyber district on January 24. — photo via author The spokesperson added that over 100 personnel and officers from Khyber, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera and Swabi’s Rescue 1122 divisions were participating in the operation...

A fire broke out in the basement of a hotel in Lahore’s Gulberg area on Saturday, injuring three people and prompting immediate rescue operations.

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against us,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, ahead of the arrival of a US military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days. “This military buildup — we hope it is not intended for real confrontation — but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time we will treat any attack — limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it — as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an “armada” heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program. “If the Americans violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” said t...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday said temperatures in Karachi could fall to single digits over the weekend, adding that the city’s weather was likely to remain cold and dry with occasional winds. The city saw its second spell of winter showers on Thursday afternoon under the influence of a westerly wave that brought about light to moderate rainfall in several areas. Strong winds blew through the city after the rains, making the weather chillier. In a weather forecast, the PMD predicted a minimum temperature of 8.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while it is expected to drop further between 7°C and 9°C on Sunday. On Monday night, the minimum temperature is forecasted to rise slightly to 8-10°C. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 19-21°C on Saturday and Sunday, rising further to between 20°C and 22°C on Monday. Partial screengrab of the PMD weather forecast issued on Jan 24, 2026. According to the Met Office, the humidity levels are predicted to remain between ...