Tag: Pakistan

  • India adopts Pakistan’s policies to achieve success, says Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif said to the  Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Thursday that India achieved success by adopting Pakistan’s policies.

    In his address, Nawaz Sharif said that PML-N was aware of the economic challenges faced by the country. He also promised the business community that PML-N would surely take their advice, as it has done before.

    “The business community of Pakistan implemented our policies, and India adopted our policies and achieved economic success,” said Nawaz, who is leading his party’s campaign after returning to the country.

    This was his first interaction with traders since his return after a four-year-long self-imposed exile. The former prime minister mentioned that during his tenure in 2013–2017, Pakistan’s had the 24th-best economy in the world. He also said that at that time, the dollar was at 104.

    “If our development [model] and policies were continued, then the dollar would have been at 40 or 50,” claimed the three-time prime minister.

    Nawaz Sharif also said that Islamic countries began to see us as their protectors when we conducted a nuclear test in 1998.

  • Two Pakistanis arrested for smuggling drugs in onion sacks to Malaysia

    Two Pakistanis arrested for smuggling drugs in onion sacks to Malaysia

    Malaysian authorities have seized a consignment of onions shipped from Pakistan that contained drugs worth Rs. 5 billion, including 100 kgs of cocaine and 411 kgs of methamphetamine, reports The Express Tribune.

    Malaysian Authorities shared the information via a letter to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), confirming the recovery of 500 kgs of drugs from a container loaded with Pakistani onions.

    The operation was carried out by the Malaysian Narcotics Crime Investigation Department on October 27, 2023. They have arrested five locals, all aged between 21 and 53, under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

    Two Pakistanis have been arrested on charges of drug trafficking. Suspect Chaudhry Nadeem has been detained at the Karachi airport while leaving for Thailand. Clearing agent Amir Ali Khan has also been arrested.

    The company in whose name the Goods Declaration (GD) was filed was the second GD of this company.

  • Council of Islamic Ideology gives ‘conditional permission’ for women to perform Hajj without mehram

    Council of Islamic Ideology gives ‘conditional permission’ for women to perform Hajj without mehram

    In response to a query from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has given conditional permission to women to perform Umrah without mehram, The News has reported.

    The detailed response from the CII states that Jafria, Maliki, and Shafi’i schools of thought allow women to perform Hajj or Umrah without a mehram while Hanbali and Hanafi schools of thought do not consider Hajj and Umrah an obligation for women if their mehram is not available.

    Last year in October, the Saudi government allowed women from across the world to perform Haj and Umrah without a male relative.

    The CII, however, has said the performance of Hajj for a woman without a mehram should be in the company of trustworthy women in a group. It also asserted that the Ministry of Religious Affairs should properly scrutinise a Haj group in which a woman wants to perform Haj without a Mehram.

  • Security forces kill high-value terrorist commander in Peshawar

    Security forces kill high-value terrorist commander in Peshawar

    The military’s media wing has stated on Thursday that four terrorists, including a known militant commander, were killed by security forces in an intelligence-based operation in Peshawar.

    According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted due to the presence of militants in Badaber area of Peshawar District.

    During the operation, the Pakistani troops “effectively engaged” the miscreants which led to the killing of the four terrorists including a “high-value terrorist” Samiullah alias Shenay.

    As per the statement, militants Salman alias “Ahmed”, Imran alias “Muhammad” and Hazrat Umar alias “Khalid” were wanted by law enforcement agencies.

    “Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, including extortion and target killings in the area,” said the ISPR.

    Earlier, on Wednesday, security forces killed seven terrorists in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

  • Sindh High Court sets deadline for investigation report on Sakrand Village killings

    Sindh High Court sets deadline for investigation report on Sakrand Village killings

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has instructed the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Shaheed Benazirabad police to oversee the ongoing investigation into the killing of four villagers during a law enforcement raid in Sakrand.

    The court has set December 1 as the deadline for the submission of the investigation report.

    Headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, the two-judge bench also directed the inquiry committee established by the Sindh government to present its findings at the next hearing.

    In the previous court session, the SHC had instructed the in Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Shaheed Benazirabad to produce both the complainants from the First Information Reports (FIRs) and the legal heirs of the deceased villagers.

    SSP Haider Raza appeared at the hearing and submitted a report indicating that notices had been served to one of the complainants, Rajab Ali.

    However, Ali failed to appear before the SHC, prompting the bench to reissue notices and instruct the SSP to ensure the presence of the complainant and legal heirs in the next hearing.

    Representing the petitioners, Advocate Syed Haider Imam Rizvi submitted that a fair investigation was not being conducted in the cases.

    The bench in its order said, “After hearing learned counsel for the parties, DIGP, Shaheed Benazirabad, is directed to supervise further investigation of the cases/FIRs mentioned in this petition and report shall be submitted before the trial court as well as before this court on the next date of hearing. Enquiry committee, constituted by the government of Sindh, shall also submit the report on the next date of hearing”.

    At the previous hearing, the SHC was also informed that the Sindh government had notified compensation for the legal heirs/families of victims.

    Tahmasp Rasheed Razvi and two other lawyers had petitioned the SHC and submitted that in order to harass the villagers and save their own skin, the law enforcement agencies had lodged two FIRs in violation of the apex court’s judgment.

    The Case

    The operation carried out by law enforcement agencies on September 9 aimed to apprehend militants associated with the banned Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SUA).

    In the course of the operation, four individuals were killed, and nine others, including four Rangers personnel, sustained injuries.
    A Rangers spokesman released a statement mentioning that the operation was intelligence-based and targeted high-value individuals.

    However, Sindh United Party (SUP) Secretary General Roshan Burriro claimed that those killed were supporters and revealed that a confrontation had ensued between security forces and villagers.

    The situation escalated when law enforcement officers opened fire, resulting in tragic deaths and injuries.
    Subsequently, grieving villagers staged a protest and blocked a section of the National Highway while carrying the coffins of the deceased individuals.

    Protests by the families and relatives of the deceased villagers came to an end after the initiation of the judicial inquiry and the registration of a First Information Report (FIR).

    The FIR was filed under Sections 302 (intentional murder) and 324 (murder attempt) of the Pakistan Penal Code based on the complaint of Rahib Jalbani, the brother of one of the deceased individuals.

    According to the FIR, the security officials arrived at a house in the village and accused those present of being terrorists before opening fire. The complainant’s brother and another individual died on the spot, while several others were injured.

    SUP President Syed Zain Shah clarified that the deceased villagers were not politically affiliated.

  • After months of treatment, 13-year-old Rizwana to be discharged from hospital

    After months of treatment, 13-year-old Rizwana to be discharged from hospital

    Rizwana, the underage domestic help tortured at work, will be discharged next week from hospital following months of treatment and surgeries.

    The 13-year-old has been undergoing treatment at the General Hospital in Lahore for the past five months.

    Talking to GeoNews, Principal Amiruddin Medical College Professor Al Farid Zafar said that Rizwana’s condition has improved and she is now walking and talking.

    He said that there have been requests from various departments to keep Rizwana, whichever department has better facilities, Rizwana will be shifted there.

    Professor Al Farid Zafar also said that after being discharged from the hospital, she will not go to Sargodha and will stay in Lahore.

    He also reported that one if Rizwana’s arms has mended while the other arm will be considered for surgery some time after discharge.

    The goal is to give Rizwana a normal life after discharge from hospital.

    In August, Rizwana went through plastic surgery.

    Rizwana had been allegedly tortured and abused while working at a civil judge’s home in Islamabad, after she was accused of stealing jewellery. Rizwana’s family revealed that the girl was not paid a single penny by the family for the extensive workload she was doing and was instead subjected to violence.

  • World Health Organization forms a commission to combat threat of ‘loneliness’

    World Health Organization forms a commission to combat threat of ‘loneliness’

    World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the formation of a ‘Commission on Social Connection’ to address loneliness as an impending threat to mental health around the world. This commission will comprise 11 members from around the world.

    The commission intends to boost social connection as a priority and promote solutions for the unique health threat.

    Senior Pakistani Advocate and Human Rights Defender Hina Jillani has also been nominated as one of the 11 commissioners from across the globe. She will participate in the first leadership-level meeting on December 6-8, to be held at the WHO secretariat. The meeting is aimed at forming a flagship report released by the mid-point of the three-year initiative.

    Speaking to Dawn, Ms Jillani said, “It has been observed that people, families, and even communities are being isolated because of social media networks. Physical interaction has been reducing day by day. There is a need to find a solution to the issue. In countries like Pakistan, there is an issue that the younger people are migrating to the developed countries due to which their parents will be left alone and will face a severe kind of isolation.”

    One in four older people experience social isolation and the rates are broadly similar in all regions. Among adolescents, between 5–15 per cent experience loneliness, according to research findings.

    The rest of the 11 commissioners also include Japan’s loneliness minister Ayuko Kato, Minister of Health and Social Protection in Morocco Khalid Ait Taleb, Sweden’s Minister for Health and Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed, Chile’s Minister of Health Ximena Aguilera Sanhueza, Permanent Representative to the UN from Kenya Cleopa Mailu, Minister of Climate Change Vanuatu Ralph Regenvanu, Deaf-Blind Advocate and Activist of United States Haben Girma and United States Google Chief Health Officer Karen Desalvo.

    This commission will find a new agenda on social connections, raising awareness, and building collaborations that will drive evidence-based solutions for countries, communities and individuals.

  • No relief for Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi

    No relief for Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi

    A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team, comprising of four members, conducted a thorough investigation at Adiala Jail, where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is currently detained in connection with a £190 million scandal, as per Geo News.

    The team, which included Mian Umer Nadim, Asim Munir, and Prosecutors Rooh ul Amin, and Haroon Baloch, spent over two hours scrutinizing the jail premises.

    After approximately one and a half hours of investigation, the team concluded its inspection and left the jail premises.

    The team will interrogate Khan for three days.

    Bail Rejected

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has recently rejected the post-arrest bail petition of former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case, directing the trial court to conclude proceedings within four weeks.

    The case accuses him, along with Imran Khan, of “unauthorisedly” communicating the contents of a classified document received from Washington, with unauthorised people i.e. the public at large.

    It is also alleged that Qureshi and Khan had a meeting on March 28, 2022 at Banigala, Islamabad, where a conspiracy was hatched to divulge the contents of the cipher for political advantage.

    The Chief Justice observed that the charges against Qureshi are punishable by death, and if proven, bail relief is typically avoided in such grave cases.

    Qureshi’s counsel argued that there was no evidence proving that Qureshi divulged classified information to the public. The trial of Qureshi and Imran Khan is currently taking place in Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, as notified on October 3.

    However, the counsel argued that the notification did not mention Qureshi’s name.

    The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) special prosecutor countered by stating that Qureshi had aided, abetted, and incited Imran Khan, making him liable under Section 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

    The prosecution emphasized that charges had been framed, and three witnesses had already given their evidence.

    Justice Farooq observed that under Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, liability of the person, who abets the commission of offence, is that of a principal offender.

    The court order stated, “Undoubtedly, bail ought not to be held as punishment but where sentence involved is death or life imprisonment, the court has to proceed with caution; in this regard, the balance is to be maintained that liberty of a person ought not be compromised but gravity of charge or allegation is also to be kept in view.”

    Subsequently, the court dismissed the bail petition, but directed the Special Court (Official Secrets Act) “to conclude the trial within four weeks from the date of receipt of this order”.

    Toshakhana Case

    In a related development, an IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri restored Imran Khan’s petition seeking bail in the Toshakhana case.

    Khan’s bail petition was dismissed by the accountability court for non-prosecution.

    The court revived the bail petition with a direction to hear Mr Khan’s arguments and decide it on merit.

    The bench, however, dismissed Mr Khan’s identical petition seeking bail in the 190 million pounds corruption case for being infructuous as NAB has already arrested the ex-premier in this case.

    The cases

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019.

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.

  • Saturdays off and artificial rains for Lahoris: Punjab Government

    Saturdays off and artificial rains for Lahoris: Punjab Government

    Lahore once again topped global charts in air pollution on Wednesday while the caretaker chief minister of Punjab called an important meeting to deal with the smog situation.

    Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi discussed the closure of schools, colleges and universities in Punjab on Saturdays and fixed working hours for businesses that remain operational on Saturdays.

    For now, he announced that schools and offices will be closed this Saturday, November 18.

    During the meeting, it was decided that business centres, theatres and cinemas across Punjab will also be able to open after 3 pm on Saturday.

    Caretaker CM Naqvi also talked about the installation of smog air filter ioniser units at 12 places in Lahore. He additionally said that LWMC and WASA were spraying water on an area of 400 km daily and that consultations are also going on about artificial rain.

    It was also decided that a special meteorological laboratory will be established in Punjab.

    Previously, Lahore High Court ordered the closure of private and government schools and colleges on Saturday to control smog, adding that government and private offices should adopt a policy of working from home two days a week.

    During the hearing of petitions for the prevention of smog, the court remarked that smog is no longer the problem of just Lahore, it has become the problem of all of the Punjab.

  • Iqra Aziz wants new moms to remember it’s okay to prioritise themselves

    Iqra Aziz wants new moms to remember it’s okay to prioritise themselves

    Actress Iqra Aziz is back on our screens, starring as the main lead in the rom-com ‘Mannat Murad’, ending the break she took from work after the birth of her and Yasir Hussain’s son, Kabir. During an interview with BBC Urdu, Iqra shared an important message about the pressure new moms face in balancing their home life and their careers.

    The actress recalled the time when an actor visited her house, and was aghast with how she was sitting at home while her husband was the one who was working and finding new projects. Reflecting on this encounter, Iqra said she was working on social media, if not on the field as an actress, and was enjoying her time home while taking care of her son.

    “I can’t pressurise myself to break out of a relaxing phase because of ambition. It was my personal choice to sit back and take some time to reflect on myself. I began working from a really young age, and I have been working every day. Before meeting Yasir, I was even working on Sundays. It’s my choice that after working so much, I have reached a phase where I would like to relax and enjoy my life. This was my first son and I wanted to make every moment memorable.”

    We will completely endorse this message and applaud the actress for stressing on this incredibly important factor because so many new moms suffer from mental health problems because of the pressure to juggle their social commitments, while also learning to be there for their newborns. We’re so happy Iqra isn’t letting others dictate her choices. Giving birth isn’t easy and every mom should do what suits her mental health.