A senior police officer was martyred and three others injured in an intelligence-based operation against terrorists on Tuesday in the Mardan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Superintendent of Police (SP) Ijaz Khan embraced martyrdom while a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) was injured in the operation.
The counter-terrorism department (CTD) confirmed in its statement that two terrorists got killed in the exchange of firing in Katlang Tehsil, Mardan. A most wanted militant, Mohsin Kadir, was also killed in the intelligence-based operation.
The injured police officers were shifted to the hospital right after the incident.
Following the incident, the funeral prayers of SP Ijaz were performed and attended by District Police Officer (DPO) Najeeb and other police officials.
Prominent journalist Asad Ali Toor was arrested on Monday by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with a campaign against Supreme Court (SC) judges, including Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.
His counsel, Imaan Mazari confirmed the arrest to Geo.tv.
Last month, the caretaker government formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprised of six members to investigate a negative campaign against judges of apex court.
Imaan Mazari told Geo.tv that FIA officials detained Toor for eight hours on Friday, February 23 after he appeared before the JIT for questioning, even though he hadn’t received a formal notice as per the standard procedure.
“We went to high court on Monday in the morning, and the chief justice, even though I specifically told him about the eight-hour detention and that there’s a real apprehension of arrest because they have threatened us as well, said that he cannot do anything based on apprehensions,” she added.
After the hearing in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Mazari stated that she went to the FIA office at 4:46 pm while Asad was being interrogated inside.
On Tuesday morning, Asad was presented before the magistrate, however, his lawyers were not present there.
An American Air Force officer who set himself on fire outside the Israel Embassy in Washington DC on Monday morning to protest the genocide in Gaza has died of his injuries.
Aaron Bushnell, 25, on active duty since 2020, filmed his self-immolation, shouting ‘Free Palestine’ before falling to the ground while paramedics tried to control the fire. In a live stream, he said that the step he was about to take was not as extreme as what the Palestinians are going through, clearly calling Israel’s assault, a “genocide in Gaza”.
While mainstream Western media ignored the reason for the self-immolation in its headlines, social media paid rich tribute to the cyber defence operations specialist. His final post was reproduced endlessly on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook:
“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’,” the post read. “The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”
Many chose his last image, standing straight while the fire raged on his body, to make art and posters:
Others reproduced his words with Rest in Power written beside them:
“I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.” Rest in Power, Aaron Bushnell.#AaronBushnellpic.twitter.com/MnOwj3MgDV
The state cabinet of Assam, India, approved the Assam Repealing Ordinance, 2024, for the annulment of the British-era Marriage and Divorce Act specific to Muslims.
Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday asserted that he will not allow child marriages in the state and will repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 as long as he is alive. He also pledged to eliminate child marriage in the state before 2026.
“Hear me carefully, as long as I am alive, I will not let child marriage take place in Assam. I will not let this happen as long as Himanta Biswa Sarma is alive…I would like to challenge you politically, I will shut down this shop before 2026…We will not rest in peace until we completely close the shop that you people (Congress) have opened to ruin the daughters of the Muslim community,” the Assam CM said in a fiery speech in the House as reported by Hindustan Times.
Assam, home to the highest Muslim population among Indian states at 34 percent, has abolished the archaic Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, of 1935.
The decision aligns with Assam’s broader objective of instituting uniform civil laws for marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance as described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which aims to establish a Uniform Civil Code — a stance met with opposition from Muslims and other minorities in India.
Assam’s chief minister, when inquired about the potential implementation of a Uniform Civil Code before the impending general elections, stated, “Not immediately,” maintaining a cautious stance.
Many of Assam’s Muslims trace their roots to Bangladesh, sparking occasional tensions with the predominantly Hindu ethnic Assamese population. Muslim leaders opposing the law’s repeal deem it discriminatory, accusing the BJP of attempting to polarise voters and warning that this move could signal the beginning of the end for the BJP government in Assam.
Badruddin Ajmal, a prominent lawmaker from Assam, remarked, “It’s a first step toward bringing a Uniform Civil Code, but this is how the BJP government will come to an end in Assam”.
Yumna Zaidi, adored by many as one of the most beloved actresses in the drama industry today, continues to win hearts. With her successful film debut in ‘Nayab’, she’s connected even more with her fans.
Recently, Yumna thrilled her fans once more by performing at a wedding, dancing to the viral song “Teri Baaton Main Aisa Uljha Jiya.” Sporting a lovely pink outfit, she joined other guests in a synchronized performance.
We have to give her full marks for getting the moves absolutely right.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Murad Ali Shah has been elected as the chief minister of Sindh for the third consecutive time on Monday afternoon.
Shah previously served as the chief executive of Sindh from 2016 to 2018 and then again from 2018 to 2023.
Today, the election for the province’s chief executive began after a half-hour delay via open ballot, with those supporting the PPP’s Shah and MQMP’s Ali Khurshidi directed to go right and left of the assembly hall, respectively.
A total of 148 members of the provincial assembly took part in the electoral process, with Murad Ali Shah securing 112 votes to become the 25th chief minister of Sindh. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Ali Khurshidi was in competition with newly-elected chief minister Murad Ali Shah.
On the other hand, MQM-P leader Abdul Waseem congratulated Murad Ali Shah on becoming CM Sindh.
“We all need to respect the elected members and resolve the problems. I hope Murad Ali Shah will live up to people’s expectations,” he said.
An attack on a mosque in eastern Burkina Faso has killed dozens of Muslims on the same day as another deadly attack on Catholics attending mass, local and security sources told AFP on Monday.
“Armed individuals attacked a mosque in Natiaboani on Sunday around 5:00 am, resulting in several dozen being killed,” a security source said.
“The victims were all Muslims, most of them men” who had come for morning prayers, a local resident said by telephone.
Another local source said “The terrorists entered the town early morning. They surrounded the mosque and shot at the faithful, who were gathered there for the first prayer of the day.”
“Several of them were shot, including an important religious leader,” the source added.
Soldiers and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), a civilian force that supports the military, were also targeted “by these hordes who came in large numbers”, the same source said.
The source described it as a “large-scale attack” in terms of the number of assailants, who also wreaked substantial damage.
Natiaboani is a rural community about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Fada N’Gourma, the main town in Burkina’s eastern region, which has seen regular attacks by armed groups since 2018.
On the same day as the attack on the mosque, at least 15 civilians were killed and two others injured during an attack on a Catholic church during Sunday mass in northern Burkina Faso, a senior church official said.
Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, vicar of the Dori diocese, said in a statement that the “terrorist attack” occurred in the village of Essakane while people were gathered for Sunday prayer.
Essakane village is in what is known as the “three borders” zone in the northeast of the country, near the common borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Renowned ghazal singer and Padma Shri awardee, Pankaj Udhas, breathed his last on Monday at the age of 73 after a prolonged illness, Indian media has reported.
The confirmation of the death of the iconic singer, known for ghazals like ‘Chithi Aayi Hai’ and ‘Chandi Jaisa Rang’ came through his daughter, Nayab Udhas, in an Instagram post.
The newly-elected Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, took the oath of office after being elected as the first female chief executive of the province.
The ceremony took place at Punjab Governor House in Lahore, where Governor Punjab Baligh Ur Rehman administered the oath.
Maryam’s father, Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif, both former Prime Ministers, were present on the occasion.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz on Monday was elected as Punjab’s chief minister amid a boycott by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) of the polls.
Maryam, who has become the first-ever female chief minister in Pakistan’s history, won the election after receiving the backing of 220 MPAs in the provincial assembly.
In a video, currently viral on social media, Uzma Kardar, who recently joined PMLN, can be seen hugging Maryam Nawaz to congratulate her and Maryam pushes her off. Social media users seem to think that this was a “rude” gesture.
#MaryamNawaz – مریم نواز کیسے کہہ سکتی ہیں کہ انکے دل میں کسی کے لیئے بدلے یا انتقام کا جذبہ نہیں ہے۔ – مریم نے جسکا ہاتھ جھٹکا یہ مسلم لیگ نون کو چھوڑ کر جانے والی عظمی کاردار تھی۔ – موجودہ پاکستانی سیاست سے بہتری کی امید رکھنا بیوقوفی ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/pRO9OrKfnF
In June 2020, then-member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA), Uzma Kardar was officially removed from her positions on the Media Strategy Committee and as a spokesperson for the provincial government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
This action followed the online leak of a purported audio leak where Kardar made controversial remarks regarding former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, alleging her possession of spiritual powers such as controlling jinns and exerting significant influence over affairs at Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala.
Former PTI MPA Uzma Kardar joined the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in January 2023 after meeting with its senior vice president Maryam Nawaz.
