Independent candidates affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have announced their intention to join the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as a unified party.
During a press conference held in Islamabad on Monday afternoon, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced that independent candidates, who were elected through mutual agreement, would officially join forces with the SIC.
Claiming that they’ve won 180 seats in the National Assembly (NA), Barrister Gohar highlighted that independent candidates joined the SIC because of the conditions they faced during the elections.
“The conditions under which the candidates fought are also in front of everyone,” stated Barrister Gohar, alluding to the challenges faced by PTI’s candidates, including the absence of an official election symbol.
Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar for the third time on Monday in the case of the missing Baloch students. The court’s orders came before adjourning today’s hearing until February 28.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, heading the bench, emphasized during the hearing that the caretaker prime minister should not perceive appearing in court as an insult.
He urged PM Kakar to prioritize appearing before the court rather than attending to other commitments, stating, “No one is above the law here.”
Expressing disappointment over PM Kakar’s absence, Justice Kayani reminded Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan of the prime minister’s previous failure to attend court proceedings. The judge also inquired about the whereabouts of other caretaker ministers and secretaries.
The judge highlighted that today was the 24th hearing in the case.
“The petition was filed in 2022 and a commission had been formed. It took us two years to recover our citizens who did not even have any criminal case registered against them.
“There was no case against them — including any drug, murder, or theft case — let alone a terror case,” Justice Kayani noted. He observed that “no documents or information” was shared with the court in the past two years.
Addressing AGP Awan, he said, “You had submitted an affidavit that no person would go missing after today. [Yet] a person is missing from Islamabad’s F-6 without a first information report against him.
“The purpose of summoning the prime minister was to inquire why the state’s premier is failing in his duties,” the IHC judge said.
Interior Secretary Aftab Durrani eventually appeared before the court, addressing some concerns raised during the hearing.
Previously, Justice Kayani issued a written order summoning PM Kakar, along with the defense and interior ministers and their respective secretaries, to ensure their physical presence in today’s hearing.
During the hearing, Justice Kayani highlighted the ongoing struggle to recover missing individuals in the country, particularly the unresolved case of the 12 missing Baloch students.
He pressed the Attorney General for details regarding ongoing criminal cases and the responsibility of state institutions in enforced disappearances.
Concerns were raised about the inability of successive governments to address the issue adequately. Justice Kayani proposed forming an inquiry committee comprising representatives from relevant institutions to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The judge also criticized the notion of granting exemptions to certain institutions and emphasized the importance of accountability.
This is the second time PM Kakar has been summoned by the IHC. Previously, he was called upon on November 22, 2023, in a case filed by Advocate Imaan Mazari, but was unable to attend as he was out of the country.
The Mirza sisters recently celebrated their sister Sehar’s wedding to Talha. What made Sehar’s wedding special was that the ceremonies were carried out virtually without her groom physically present. Jannat Mirza and Alishba Anjum looked glamorous on their sister’s wedding day. Sehar looked stunning in a traditional deep red bridal outfit. They shared beautiful photos yesterday, and today, Jannat Mirza shared her gorgeous pictures too. Check the pictures below:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat claimed on Monday that unidentified people with masks on their faces raided his house in Islamabad.
The PTI leader told Islamabad High Court (IHC) about the incident while speaking during a hearing on the recovery of Baloch students.
After hearing about the incident, IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani expressed surprise, pointing out that the PTI leader was not talking about Lakki Marwat, but Islamabad.
The court asked what will happen to common citizens of Pakistan if such an incident can happen to an elected member of the parliament of Balochistan.
Earlier in a tweet, Marwat claimed the CTD police raided his house and broke the doors causing damages. “…they stressed out my family and staff and confiscated my laptop. I managed to run away from my home and now I am at a safe place. This is an illegal raid and I will challenge the IG and SSP operation Islamabad in the court for this criminal act; the confiscation of my laptop is illegitimate. It contains my private and professional data, (that may be) subjected to misuse. These cowardly tactics will not scare me, or force me to step back from our mission, which is for the larger cause — the fight for true democracy in Pakistan,” he wrote on X.
On the other hand, Islamabad police denied the claim. Fake news was being spread to gain public attention, the police maintained.
Russia is reportedly building a nuclear space weapon that can disband the world’s commercial and government satellites, raising alarm bells across the world and especially in USA.
American spy agencies are divided on whether Moscow would go so far, but the concern is urgent enough that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has asked China and India to try to talk Russia down, reports The New York Times.
A new “national security threat” debate has taken over the United States Congress, indicating that Russia is reportedly building a nuclear space weapon that has the potential to disband a large portion of the world’s commercial and government satellites by producing a massive energy wave.
This would disable all communication lines affecting cell phones, paying bills, as well as the internet.
While not much is known about the weapon at this point, the system is described as a potential “space-based nuclear weapon” in several sources.
However, it’s unclear if this refers to a nuclear bomb or a nuclear-powered gadget.
White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said the US is closely monitoring this Russian activity.
President Joe Biden asserted: “There is no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia is doing.”
According to the New York Post, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov dodged the claims and responded by suggesting that the propaganda was a ruse to whip up support in Congress to take action.
He said: “It is obvious that the White House is trying, by hook or by crook, to encourage Congress to vote on a bill to allocate money; this is obvious.”
More than 11 days have passed since the general elections took place, yet the country is without a coherent government formation strategy.
From every side saying they will form the government to every side saying they will sit in opposition, the situation remains unclear, except for one fact: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is in the driving seat as the Kingmakers.
So what will the party do? Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari revealed on Sunday during a political rally in Thatta, that his party has rejected the power-sharing formula offered to them, but stressed that his father, Asif Ali Zardari, will be the PPP’s candidate for president. “I was told [by PML-N] that let us be the prime minister for three years, and then you can take the premiership for the remaining two years,” Bilawal revealed, adding that he said no to the offer. “I said I do not want to become a prime minister like this. If I become the prime minister, it will be after the people of Pakistan elect me.”
The PPP chairman also said, without mentioning any names, that his party will align with those who asked for their votes but will not take ministries.
The former foreign minister also stressed that his father will play a big role in reducing the political tension in the country.
According to The News, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP are set to hold their fifth meeting today to hash out a formula for the formation of the federal government.
On the other hand, PPP leader Sarfraz Bugti claimed on Sunday that his party will form the provincial government in Balochistan with the help of PML-N.
“The PML-N would be our ally in Balochistan [as it has] given us a clear signal to form our government [in the province],” Bugti said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
Chahat Fateh Ali Khan is back with a bang. The singer has come up with a new anthem for Pakistan Super League, and it is causing a buzz on social media.
While there are plenty of detractors too, many fans are loving the song’s energy and rhythm, praising Khan for capturing the spirit of cricket and unity. Here are some reactions from people:
Finaly guysssss The real masterpiece you’ve all been waiting fo is here !!! Official PSL Anthem by our very own Ustad chahat fateh ali khan ♥❤❤❤ pic.twitter.com/jGmSgOwOyq
The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain and strong winds in Karachi today. In Lahore, strong winds have caused the temperature to drop.
According to the Meteorological Department, it may drizzle at some places in Karachi, Sajawal, and Thatta today. Strong winds will continue to blow in Karachi till this evening with cloudy skies.
There is a possibility of rain and snowfall in the mountains today in the Pothohar region, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North Balochistan, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, reports Geo News. Various areas of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Kohat, Malakand, Muzaffarabad, Diamar, Chilas, and Chaman received rain while snowfall was recorded in the mountains.
Rescue teams have been put on high alert in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Murree due to strong winds and rain.
Commissioner Rawalpindi said that they are monitoring the situation caused by wind and rain in Murree, the Deputy Commissioner has given specific instructions to Murree for necessary arrangements.
On the other hand, in Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, heavy snowfall occurred in Neelum Jhelum Valley, which affected the movement of traffic due to slippage on connecting roads, the weather became colder due to snowfall in Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Karam district.
Abbottabad and Mansehra are experiencing rain in the plains and light snow in the upper reaches, with up to 2 inches of snow in Shogran and 4 inches in Naran.
Additionally, the western system of rainfall entered North Balochistan after which heavy rain and hailstorms occurred in Pak-Afghan border areas including Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Muslim Bagh, Toba Kakadi, Toba Achakzai, and Sheila Bagh.
Lilian was 20 when her newborn baby died of medical complications at a hospital in El Salvador, where abortion is a crime and even the suspicion of one can land a woman in jail.
Lilian was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison for “aggravated homicide” after her infant daughter passed away at a public hospital in Santa Ana in the country’s west in November 2015.
“I gave birth naturally, but I had a tear in my uterus,” recounted Lilian, now 28, who declined to give her full name to protect her family.
She was sedated for a procedure to fix the tear, and when she awoke, “I knew my baby was dead.”
Her nightmare did not end there.
“I was first accused of abandonment and neglect, but the prosecution called it ‘aggravated homicide’ and I was convicted in May 2016,” she told AFP.
A report found Lilian’s baby had died of neonatal sepsis, yet she spent eight years behind bars for ‘aggravated homicide’
Last year, a medical report concluded that her baby had died of neonatal sepsis, a finding that resulted in Lilian’s early prison release in November with the aid of women’s rights NGOs.
By then, she had already served eight years behind bars.
“If she (the baby) had been treated in time, she would not have died. I wouldn’t have wasted so many years of my life in prison,” said Lilian, whose other daughter was just two when it happened and was raised by her grandparents.
“I only saw her twice, I did not see her grow up.”
Lilian is the last of 73 Salvadorans to be released from prison in the last decade under a campaign by rights groups to free women serving sentences of up to 50 years for abortions, miscarriages, or birthing complications.
In Latin America, elective abortion is legal in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay
Almost all are from poor backgrounds in rural areas where health services are precarious, said Arturo Castellanos, a social worker with the Citizens’ Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion.
Alba Lorena Rodriguez, now 36, became pregnant at 21 after an acquaintance raped her.
Five months pregnant, she went into premature labor at home.
“I had to give birth to him myself, I fainted, I dropped” the baby, she told AFP.
A neighbor called the police, and Rodriguez, who has two other daughters, was arrested at the infant’s funeral.
“I felt the world come crashing down on me, because I knew I wasn’t going to see the girls, and they were punishing me for something I hadn’t done,” she said.
“The one who raped me was on the outside with his family and I (was)… imprisoned. The law is unfair,” said Rodriguez, who said she had no defense lawyer and no chance for anything like a fair trial.
Rodriguez served 10 years of a 30-year sentence before she, too, was released.
Both women chose to talk to AFP in the capital San Salvador, far from their own villages where the punishment has not stopped.
When the jailed women leave prison, “the community discriminates against them and stigmatizes them,” Castellanos said.
Alba Lorena Rodriguez, now 36, became pregnant after she was raped by an acquaintance at the age of 21
In Latin America, elective abortion is legal in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay.
It is banned outright, without exceptions for health risks or other circumstances, in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Nowhere are the penalties as severe as in El Salvador, however.
Under the law there, abortion is punishable by two to eight years in prison. But the charge is often changed to “aggravated homicide,” which carries a penalty of 30 to 50 years.
Since 1998, when abortion was criminalized in El Salvador, 199 women have been sentenced.
Since Lilian’s release last year, none remain imprisoned, but seven women are awaiting trial, according to the Citizens’ Group.
“No one can give me back my lost time. I’m rebuilding the bond with my daughter,” said Lilian, who would like to see the law changed so that other women do not have to go through what she has.
But President Nayib Bukele, newly elected to a second five-year term with near-total control of parliament, has said there will be no change to abortion laws in the deeply Christian country.
“The struggle continues,” said Lilian.
Since abortion was criminalized in El Salvador in 1998, a total of 199 women have been sentenced
The killer of seven-year-old Abaan Mazhar has been arrested in the Federal B area of Karachi and in a shocking turn of events, he is the cousin of the victim.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Central Zeeshan Siddiqui, the arrested suspect Sufyan is between 14 and 15 years old and he is the cousin of the deceased Abaan and lived with him.
The police informed Geo News that the suspect said that Abaan used to complain to his father about him, leading to the older boy getting scolded many times.
The accused killer said in his statement, “I made a mistake”.
On the day of the incident, he took Abaan to the park from a back street and killed him inside the bushes at Dhobi Ghat.
Sufyan then washed the knife and kept it in the kitchen.
The police are still investigating the matter.
In an exclusive footage obtained by Geo News, it can be seen that the cousin was taking Abaan along with him while the little boy was strolling totally at ease holding his hand.
Regarding this, SSP Central Zeeshan Siddiqui said that two teams were working on this high-profile case. The accused was put on the suspect list on the first day, but being a family member, it was difficult to arrest him immediately.
Previously, the body of a seven-year-old boy, Abaan Mazhar, was found in bushes in the Federal B Area in Karachi on Wednesday afternoon.
The boy, whose throat had been slit with a sharp instrument, was found within the limits of the Yousuf Plaza police station near the Cardio Hospital Federal B Area Block 16. Station House Officer (SHO) Shahid Rao told The News that around 3:30 pm, a call was received by Madadgar-15 about an injured boy found in bushes.
A police team rushed to the location in Federal B Area Block-16 and shifted Abaan Mazhar to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. SHO Rao said the boy was alive when he was found and when people heard him screaming, they immediately contacted the Madadgar-15 hotline.
Witnesses saw the child lying injured, trying to speak but was unable to do so. They added that they had not seen any suspect near the boy when they found him.
Abhan was a resident of Federal B Area Block 16. He was a student of second grade and the second of three brothers. According to his family, he had left home two hours ago. They maintained that the family had no enmity with anyone.
SHO Rao said they had talked to Mazhar, the aggrieved father, who said his son studied in a private school in the area and as he worked in a private firm, he had hired a private person to pick up and drop his son from school.
The father also said that as per the daily routine, Abaan had returned from school at 2 pm but after a few minutes, someone knocked on the door of his residence and the boy again left the house. It was at around 3:30 pm, the family received the information about the boy’s death. The father told the police that he had no enmity with anyone and he did not know who had killed his son.
The post-mortem report revealed that the throat of the minor boy was slit with a sharp weapon, while no evidence of abuse was found, reports ARY News.
Samanabad DSP Asghar Mehdi told the media that the child died on his way to the hospital. He added that a woman living in a nearby flat first saw the child and shouted for help.
The police has been making efforts to obtain CCTV footage. A case has been registered and investigations are underway.
