Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langau on Wednesday stated that Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) have been working together to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan with Indian support.
Security forces have recently apprehended two key militant commanders – TTP’s Nasrullah alias Maulvi Mansoor and Idrees alias Irshad.
“Confession footage” was also recorded in which Nasrullah alias Maulvi Mansoor in which he went into details about a January 2024 plan according to which BLA would help him cross the Pak-Afghan border via Spin Boldak town.
“Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud and Mufti Muzahim said we and our friends [RAW] have three objectives in establishing a foothold in Balochistan,” he said.
The three objectives were, “Sabotaging CPEC projects, including targeting Chinese citizens; carrying out kidnapping for ransom to play up the matter of enforced disappearances so that intelligence agencies can be defamed; and spreading anarchy and frustration among the people by fomenting terrorist activities in Balochistan.”
Bolivia’s army chief was arrested on Wednesday after sending soldiers and tanks to take up position in front of government buildings in what President Luis Arce called an attempted coup.
The troops and tanks entered Plaza Murillo, a historic square where the presidency and Congress are situated, in the afternoon, prompting global condemnation of an attack on democracy.
One of the tanks tried to break down a metal door of the presidential palace.
Surrounded by soldiers and eight tanks, the now-dismissed army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga said the “armed forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy and not one run by the same few people for 30, 40 years”.
AFP reporters soon saw soldiers and tanks pulling back from the square. The uprising lasted about five hours.
Later Wednesday, Zuniga was captured and forced into a police car as he addressed reporters outside a military barracks, footage on state television showed.
“General, you are under arrest,” Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera told Zuniga.
“No one can take away the democracy we have won,” Arce said from a balcony of the government palace in front of hundreds of supporters.
Military troops are deployed at the Plaza de Armas in La Paz on June 26, 2024. — AFP
Earlier he had urged “the Bolivian people to organise and mobilise against the coup d’etat in favour of democracy”, in a televised message to the country alongside his ministers inside the presidential palace.
He also swore in new military leaders, firing Zuniga.
Right before he was arrested, Zuniga told reporters that the president had told him to stage an uprising, thus triggering a crackdown that would make him look strong and boost his sagging approval rating.
At a meeting Sunday, the general said, Zuniga asked Arce “So we bring out armored vehicles?” He said the president answered, “Bring them out.”
Arce’s instructions were to “stage something to raise his popularity”, the general said.
Former president Evo Morales wrote on X that “a coup d’etat is brewing” and also urged a “national mobilisation to defend democracy”.
Zuniga’s anti-democratic remarks
Bolivia is deeply polarised after years of political instability and the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) is riven by internal conflict between supporters of Arce and his former mentor Morales.
A supporter of Bolivian President Luis Arce fires a bengal outside Quemado Palace at Plaza Murillo in La Paz on June 26. — AFP
Morales, who was Bolivia’s first Indigenous president, was extremely popular until he tried to bypass the constitution and seek a fourth term in office in 2019.
The leftist and former coca union leader won that vote but was forced to resign amid deadly protests over alleged election fraud, and fled the country. He returned after Arce won the presidency in October 2020.
Since then a power struggle has grown between the two men, and Morales has increasingly criticised the government and accused it of corruption, tolerating drug trafficking, and sidelining him politically.
Six months ago, the Constitutional Court disqualified Morales from the 2025 elections, however, he is still seeking nomination as the MAS candidate. Arce has not said whether he will seek re-election.
Zuniga appeared on television on Monday and said he would arrest Morales if he insisted on running for office again in 2025. “Legally he is disqualified, that man cannot be president of this country again,” he said.
Since that interview, rumours have swirled that Zuniga was on the verge of being dismissed.
Calls for calm
In this handout picture released by Bolivian Presidency, Bolivian President Luis Arce (2nd R) attends a military event next to Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga (R) in La Paz on April 18, 2024. — AFP
The US administration of Joe Biden said it was keeping a close eye on events in Bolivia and “calls for calm”, according to a spokesperson for the National Security Council.
Condemnations of the troop movements also poured in from across Latin America, with leaders of Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela calling for democracy to be respected.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X: “I am a lover of democracy and I want it to prevail throughout Latin America. We condemn any form of coup d’etat in Bolivia.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday called for “respect for democracy and the rule of law,” in a message on X.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) said the international community would “not tolerate any form of breach of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia”.
Divisions in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have gotten stronger as 21 members have hinted at making a forward block over party’s inability to secure founder PTI Imran Khan’s release from prison, Geo News reported on Wednesday.
The dissenting group also “conveyed a message” to Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan to start serious efforts to free the incarcerated former Prime Minister.
The problem emerged when several PTI leaders refused to attend the parliamentary party’s session earlier this week.
The 27 lawmakers were in favour of stepping down from the assembly, while 21 considered forming a forward block, according to Geo News.
PTI leader Shandana Gulzar has told Geo News, “Resignations would be a better option if we cannot take the PTI founder out of jail.”
A district and sessions court in Islamabad will announce its reserved decision today in incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s petition to suspend their sentence in the Iddat case.
A district magistrate has convicted Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan on February 3 and imprisoned them for seven years in an iddat case on a plea filed by Bushra Bibi’s former husband, Khawar Maneka.
However, additional district and session court judge Afzal Majoka will announce the verdict on Bushra Bibi’s petition today.
Imran Khan is serving his sentence in the Toshakhana case, the £190 million reference case and the Iddat case.
If Imran Khan gets relief in Iddat case today, he will be released from the jail, as courts have already suspended Khan’s sentences in Toshakhana case and £190 million corruption case.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Pakistani actor Mahira Khan honored the memory of her beloved uncle, Akber Khan, who passed away two weeks ago.
The Raees star shared her sorrow at his death, posting fond memories with a series of old photographs, highlighting their special relationship.
“My one and only Mamu. It’s hard to imagine that my handsome, larger-than-life Mamu is no more,” Mahira wrote. She reflected on their unique bond and his irreplaceable presence in her life. “I’ve heard all Mamus are special, but it feels like mine was the most special. He gave us the most beautiful childhood, he gave his mother unconditional love and respect, he was a father to my Khala and my mother’s soulmate,” she wrote. “He never complained. He spoke kindly. He was invested in your life and wrote to you when he felt strongly about something. He didn’t miss a single ‘Good morning precious’ message.”
She remembered the laughter and music her uncle brought into their lives, mentioning the joy he spread. “He gave us laughter and music. He gave me Kishpa and Aly bhai. But most of all, he gave us my angel Mani… his ‘Jannoo’ as he called her.” These memories show the deep impact Akber had on his family.
Concluding her tribute, Mahira expressed the ongoing pain of his loss. “It’s been two weeks since you left us. Still, this is tough to write, tougher than I imagined. We all miss you, Mamu… always will.” Mahira shared his favorite song, Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala, recalling their happy times singing and dancing to it.
Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha received an expensive BMW i7 as a gift from her husband Zaheer Iqbal right after their nuptials.
The pair got married on June 23 and registered their marriage under the Special Marriage Act on the same day.
After a private wedding ceremony, they held a large reception at Bastion in Mumbai, attended by family, friends, and Bollywood celebrities. They arrived at the reception in a white BMW i7, sparking speculation in Indian media that Zaheer had given the car, valued at around 20 million INR, to his bride.
The couple has faced criticism from Hindu extremists for Sonakshi, who is Hindu, marrying a Muslim actor. In response, Sonakshi’s father, veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, defended his daughter, saying, “My daughter has not done anything illegal or unconstitutional. People who criticize Sonakshi on social media have too much free time.”
Suleiman Qamar, the Punjabi tourist who was burnt alive by a mob in Swat over the allegations of desecration of the Holy Quran, has been talked about on social media since the video of his mother condemning him was released. One of his friends, Jawad Mir Advocate wrote an obituary about him in a blog for Pakistan 24.
Here are some of the details:
Originally from Sialkot, Suleiman belonged to a humble family, according to his childhood friend Jawad. After his father’s death, he struggled a lot for financial stability, eventually going abroad after clearing Intermediate exams.
His friend reflects that the victim was fond of poetry and used to quote distinguished poets like Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Mir Taqi Mir. Accompanying the essay are pictures Suleiman took at the graves of famous poets and writers.
Suleiman was “lively”, writes his friend. He wanted to study the Quran in depth. Domestic disputes and problems regarding property distribution had made him bitter lately. “Due to current domestic quarrels, he was quite depressed, but all our friends have witnessed that from his childhood to his last days. We did not see any religious bigotry in him, nor did he engage in religious discussions. Neither did he have any habit of religious hatred, nor did he ever make fun of Islamic rites or any member of the religious community,” Jawad recounted.
Suleiman had distanced himself from many friends recently, but the friends he met have testified that it was because of domestic disputes. They did not see him utter a single word against Islam. He used to listen to Jawed Ahmed Ghamidi’s lectures and was an avid reader of Moulana Rumi.
“These aspects of Sulaiman’s life are important to present to all of you because of how easy it is to make serious accusations and kill someone in the worst possible way without investigation,” the friend asserted in the blog.
Jawad pointed out that people should have shown restraint and let the police deal with the matter lawfully.
An independent judicial investigation might bring forth something completely different from what is presented already. Jawad requested higher authorities to provide security to victim Suleiman’s family and get the perpetrators behind bars.
Actor Feroze Khan has publicly discussed how his life has changed after his second marriage to Zainab, calling it a “great feeling.”
At a recent movie premiere, Feroze Khan shared details of his life since getting married again earlier this month. “I feel excellent, Alhamdulillah. It is a great feeling,” he told reporters.
“My life has changed completely after marriage,” Khan added.
Feroze Khan announced his second marriage to Dr. Zainab earlier this month.
Just hours after photos and videos from their private wedding appeared on social media, the ‘Habs’ star posted the first picture of the couple on his Instagram on June 1. He captioned it, “- welcome to my life; gorgeous,” followed by emojis and the hashtag, ‘Nothing can stop us, we are up’.
In 2022, Feroze and Alizeh Sultan announced their separation amid serious allegations. Alizeh claimed Feroze was a toxic and violent husband. After two years of legal battles, Feroze and Alizeh have agreed to settle the case.
Senator Faisal Vawda has tendered an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a contempt case.
In his reply to the show cause notice issued by the Supreme Court, Vawda said, “In light of Islamic teachings, I apologise sincerely and unconditionally [and] leave myself at the mercy of the court.”
Last month, the Supreme Court took suo-moto notice of the senator’s critical press conference against judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
“Stop targeting the institutions, enough is enough. If there is any interference by institutions, then provide evidence and we will stand together [against it] […] give evidence and we will stand beside you,” exclaimed the Senator in the presser, addressing IHC judges.
Vawda was referring to the infamous letter written by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) alleging blatant interference of spy agencies in judicial affairs.
The court had also issued a show-cause notice to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal.
During the last hearing on June 5, the court rejected Kamal’s request to accept his apology in the contempt suo motu case, whereas Vawda had refused to apologise for his remarks against judges altogether.
Alcohol kills nearly three million people annually, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that while the death rate had dropped slightly in recent years, it remained “unacceptably high”.
The United Nations Health Agency’s latest report on alcohol and health said alcohol causes nearly one in 20 deaths globally each year through drunk driving, alcohol-induced violence and abuse and a multitude of diseases and disorders.
The report said 2.6 million deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption in 2019 — the latest available statistics — accounting for 4.7 per cent of all deaths worldwide that year. Nearly three-quarters of those deaths were in men, it said.
“Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. He pointed out that there had been “some reduction in alcohol consumption and related harm worldwide since 2010”.
“[But] the health and social burden due to alcohol use remains unacceptably high,” he continued, highlighting that younger people were disproportionately affected.
The highest proportion of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019 — 13pc — were among people aged 20 to 39, the WHO said.
Drinking is linked to a slew of health conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver and some cancers. Of all the fatalities it caused in 2019, the report found that an estimated 1.6 million were from noncommunicable diseases.
Of these, 474,000 were from cardiovascular diseases, 401,000 from cancer and a huge 724,000 from injuries, including traffic accidents and self-harm.
