Pakistan

Inspector General of Islamabad Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi chaired a meeting of Operational Commanders to review overall performance and ongoing security measures, the police spokesperson said.

The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has issued an updated traffic advisory for the ongoing Tri-Nations Cricket Series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, effective until 29 November.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of all provincial departments following widespread complaints of corruption, including the Kohistan mega scandal.

More than 100 people were injured and 20 arrested during a massive protest on Saturday in Mexico City against the president’s handling of violent crime, local government officials said. Thousands marched on the capital’s historic main public square, the Zocalo, in a demonstration fueled by young Mexicans with ties to a global wave of Generation Z protests as well as supporters of the domestic “Sombrero Movement,” which emerged after the recent assassination of a mayor known for his fight against organised crime. View this post on Instagram AFP observed participants of all ages taking part in the rally in front of the National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum lives and works. Several protesters, some wearing balaclavas, toppled the metal barriers protecting the palace and threw paving stones at riot police, who responded with tear gas, according to AFP journalists. “For many hours, this mobilisation proceeded and developed peacefully, until a group of hooded individuals began to commit acts of violenc...

Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Saturday said the ruling coalition could introduce another constitutional amendment if needed to “maintain stability” in the country. His remarks come just three days after the 27th Amendment was signed into law after passage from the National Assembly and the Senate, amid strong opposition by the opposition parties. View this post on Instagram Insisting that the 26th and 27th Amendments brought “stability” to the country, Chaudhry said, “If another amendment is needed to maintain this stability, we will definitely bring it together with other parties.” “The parliament will bring amendments whenever it wants, and the parliament should do them. The parliament should be seen as a parliament,” the PML-N leader said while addressing a media briefing in Punjab’s Faisalabad. Responding to a query, Chaudhry termed the recent resignations of superior court judges as “political”. On November 13, the day the 27th Amendment was enacted into law, the Supreme Court’s then-...

Britain said it would make refugee status temporary, and the wait for permanent settlement would be quadrupled to 20 years under the country’s most sweeping overhaul of policy on asylum seekers in modern times. The Labour government has been hardening its immigration policies, above all on illegal small-boat crossings from France, in efforts to stem the soaring popularity of the populist Reform UK party, which has driven the immigration agenda. The government said it would take inspiration from Denmark’s approach, one of the toughest in Europe — where growing anti-immigrant sentiment has led to increased restrictions in many countries — and widely criticised by rights groups. Temporary status subject to review As part of the changes, the statutory duty to provide support to certain asylum seekers, including housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked, the Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement issued late on Saturday. The department, led by Shabana Mahmood, said the measures would apply to asy...

Police in Lower Dir have arrested three suspects in connection with the attack on Pakistani cricketer Naseem Shah’s residence in the Mayar area earlier this month, officials said on Saturday. The attack had occurred in the early hours of November 10, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the main gate of the cricketer’s house at around 1:45am, leaving bullet marks on doors, walls, and windows. The attackers had fled immediately, leaving the family shaken but unharmed. A special police team, led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigations Rashid Ahmed Khan, and comprising Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Jandol Circle Alim Khan, Station House Officer (SHO) Mayar police station Idrees Khan, and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Hayat Muhammad Khan, investigated the case. Reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence from the vicinity, the police said they identified and arrested the three suspects after Naseem’s father, Zafar Shah, nominated them in the case. During interrogation, all three confessed to the...

The notice is out: the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) under its recently-elected chief, Mohsen Gilani, is looking for willing partners in order to launch a new domestic league. In a public notice, the PFF has asked prospective partners to submit an expression of interest and a detailed proposal by early next month. The big question remains, however, is whether the new competition would be based on the old model of the Pakistan Premier Football League — which had a mix of departments and smattering of clubs, and hasn’t been held since 2019 — or will it be franchise-based. Franchise league merchants, several in number in Pakistan, will be quick to jump in; their plans have been in motion for years. The only thing lacking was an endorsement by the PFF. For departments — many of whom have shut down their sports operations due to changing domestic policies and the decade of crisis in the PFF — and clubs, however, getting a proposal together would be more taxing. A proposal as such will also have to deliberate ...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the recent report published by The Economist about Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi is credible, noting that the magazine is a respected international publication.

A 40-year-old woman registered a case against her son-in-law in Punjab’s Bhadar village on Thursday, in which she accused a ‘djinn’ of taking over him and forcing him to commit sexual assault. According to the first information report (FIR) filed with the Kakrali police, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the case was registered under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The victim alleged that her 18-year-old son-in-law had sexually assaulted her multiple times, but claimed that he was being possessed by a djinn and controlled into doing so. “A djinn named Adil is in love with me,” she claimed according to the FIR, adding that whenever he “gains control” of the suspect, he “does not become normal until he has sex with [her]”. The victim added that the incidents had “destroyed” her home life and requested legal action to be taken against the suspect. Reports of ‘djinns’ being responsible for criminal activity are uncommon, but not unheard of in Pakistan. In September, the Lahore ...

The Supreme Court has ruled that the state must ensure every Pakistani woman gets her share in inheritance and called for a mechanism to assist them in securing this “divinely bestowed” right. The observation came in a seven-page judgment released on Saturday, authored by Justice Athar Minallah for a case heard by him and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan on August 29. It may be noted that the verdict was authored before Justice Minallah resigned as a judge on November 13, criticising the newly passed 27th Amendment that has practically replaced the SC with the Federal Constitutional Court as the country’s apex judicial platform. “It is incumbent upon the state under the Constitution and the clear Injunctions of Islam, to ensure the effective and unfettered realisation of women’s right to inheritance,” the order read. In its verdict, the SC bench dismissed an appeal filed by Abrar Hussain against a March 3, 2023, order of the Sindh High Court (SHC). The high court had rejected his plea challenging a 2021 order that h...

The deputy commissioner of Islamabad has announced that the federal capital will soon begin issuing E-Tag stickers for all vehicles operating within the city.

The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Hyderabad has launched a major crackdown on illegal firecracker warehouses and manufacturing units following a deadly explosion that killed seven people and left several others critically injured.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned that no passenger who brings disrepute to Pakistan will be allowed to travel abroad and that illegal immigration will not be tolerated.

A volcano on Sakurajima in southwestern Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture erupted early on Sunday morning, spewing ash and smoke up to 4,400 metres into the atmosphere, according to Kyodo News. As the eruption continued, the weather agency issued an ashfall forecast for parts of Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures. However, no injuries or building damages have been reported. “An explosive eruption around 12:57am (8:57am PKT) on Sunday at the Minamidake crater sent a plume rising above 4,000m for the first time since October 18 last year,” the news agency said citing the local meteorological observatory. In the latest series of eruptions, large volcanic rocks flew “as far as the fifth station”, but no pyroclastic flows were detected, said Kyodo News. It added that the alert level remains at a three on a scale of five, restricting access to the mountain. Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and is linked to the Osumi Peninsula on Kyushu, the country’s southwestern main island. The agency adds ...

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has achieved a historic milestone, recovering record amounts in cases of corruption, fraud, and illegal government land allocations over the past two and a half years, sources confirmed.

Lahore continues to battle hazardous air quality, ranking as the second most polluted city in the world on Sunday.

HYDERABAD - At least six people were killed and eight injured after an explosion ripped through a fireworks factory in of Hyderabad on Saturday, a rescue official said, warning the toll could rise as operations continued at the site.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Gomal University has expelled several students after a series of serious campus unrest incidents, according to an official handout issued by the varsity administration. The statement said that on various dates in October, students along with external accomplices stormed the registrar’s office, assaulted a female student, attempted to forcefully enter the vice-chancellor’s office, attacked a police guard, and showed deliberate disrespect during the national anthem at an event. Another reported incident involved anti-Pakistan slogans during a cricket match screening. A fact-finding committee was formed to investigate the incidents, after which the case was referred to the university’s disciplinary committee. The accused students were issued show-cause notices and given the opportunity to present their defence. Their replies were found unsatisfactory. Under university discipline rules, the administration expelled the involved students and cancelled their admissions. Hostel rooms were vacated an...

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar here on Saturday chaired a meeting of inter-ministerial committee to review progress on the government’s privatization agenda.