Blaze News - Pakistan

France's foreign minister has requested a probe after the name of a French diplomat on leave appeared in numerous emails to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "I was appalled," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday. In an X post late on Tuesday, he said he was referring allegations against Fabrice Aidan to the public prosecutor, and launching an internal inquiry. The ministry described Aidan as a "principal foreign affairs secretary on leave for personal reasons and holding positions in the private sector". A mere mention in released files from the investigation into the disgraced New York financier, who killed himself in prison 2019 while charged with sex trafficking underage girls, does not imply wrongdoing. But French media, after unearthing his name in the files, reported he had shared email correspondence with Epstein from 2010 to 2017. Investigative website Mediapart late Tuesday reported that the FBI had flagged Aidan as having consulte...

Power Minister Awais Leghari on Tuesday defended the power regulator’s changes on rooftop solar and net metering during a furious Senate session that criticised the decision, saying the new regulations were aimed at protecting poorer consumers. The government is currently facing political backlash as the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) abolished exchange of electricity units in solar net metering. At present, the buyback rate for solar net generation is Rs25.9 per unit which may be reduced to Rs11 per unit. The contract period has been reduced from seven to five years. The burden of  capacity payments is being shifted to solar consumers now. Under the new rules, utilities will be required to purchase excess electricity from prosumers, households, businesses and industries generating up to one megawatt at the national average energy purchase price, while selling electricity back to them at the applicable consumer tariff, effectively ending on...

Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell refused on Monday to answer questions from a US congressional committee, invoking her legal right against self-incrimination, lawmakers said. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was subpoenaed to testify before the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relations with the disgraced financier. Republican committee chairman James Comer said Maxwell had invoked her right to not incriminate herself, guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. "As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions," Comer told reporters. "This is obviously very disappointing." "We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed as well as questions about potential co-conspirators," he said. Maxwell's lawyers told the House panel that the former British socialite was prepared to testify only if she was first granted clemency b...

A key development emerged on Monday in the Gul Plaza deadly inferno case as four eyewitnesses recorded their statements before the Judicial Magistrate (South), Asim Aslam, describing the cause that led to the fire which claimed 80 lives on January 17. During the hearing, three salesmen and a 13-year-old student testified before the magistrate. The eyewitnesses were identified as Aryan, Talha, Waheed and Hamza. In his statement, 13-year-old Aryan told the court that he had gone to meet his friend Huzayfa at his father’s shop on the evening of the incident. He said Huzayfa was alone at the shop and was playing with matchsticks, adding that he had two matchboxes with him. Aryan stated that he remained at the shop until around 8:30pm before leaving to play at his father’s shop, where his friend Samad also died in the fire. He further testified that when he returned around 10pm to say goodbye, Huzayfa was still playing with matchsticks, which ignited the fire. He said neighbouring ...

A strike call by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday failed to gain traction in Islamabad, as daily life remained largely unaffected across the federal capital. Business activities and public services continued as usual, with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) proceeding with its weekly Sunday bazaars as scheduled. Although public life remained operational, the Islamabad district administration took precautionary measures by suspending metro bus services, anticipating potential protests. This decision, however, caused inconvenience to some commuters. Despite PTI’s announcement to observe February 8 as a “Black Day,” transport terminals remained open, and traffic flowed normally across major roads in the city. Read More: PTI strike sees mixed response across K-P amid Feb 8 protest call Police personnel were deployed along key highways, and Safe City cameras monitored important routes, including Faizabad, Club Road, and Srinagar Highway. Authorities reported no incidents of roa...

The vibrant colours of festivity and devotion once again swept through Sehwan, the town that houses the revered shrine of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (RA). From streets lined with vendors to humble homes, the spirit of the saint’s 774th urs infused the air, drawing hundreds of thousands of devotees from across Pakistan and abroad. Dance, devotion, and trance rituals formed the heartbeat of the celebrations, while sports, literary events, and musical concerts reverberated through the town. At the centre of it all stood Qalandar’s shrine, bathed in night-time illuminations that lit up the skies. Langars offering free meals, milk, water, and soft drinks ran simultaneously across the town, welcoming Muslims and Hindus alike. حضرت لعل شہباز قلندرؒ کے 774ویں عرس مبارک کے موقع پر تمام عقیدت مندوں کو دلی مبارکباد۔ آپؒ کی تعلیمات محبت، رواداری، امن اور انسانیت کی خدمت کا لازوال پیغام ہیں۔ آج کے دور میں ہمیں قلندرؒ کی تعلیمات کو اپنی زندگیوں کا حصہ بنا کر معاشرے میں اتحاد اور بھائی چارے کو فروغ ...