Blaze News - Pakistan

A major scandal involving the alleged "plunder, illegal extraction, and cross-border smuggling" of placer gold along the Indus and Kabul rivers has engulfed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), raising questions over the regulation and protection of the province’s mineral resources. According to a first information report (FIR), hundreds of heavy excavators were being used for unauthorised extraction of gold along stretches of the Indus and Kabul rivers, particularly in Nowshera, Swabi and Kohat districts. The FIR alleged that more than 1,500 heavy excavators were operating along the riverbanks, with each machine allegedly generating between Rs500,000 and Rs700,000 a week through the illegal activity. Based on these figures, the FIR put the estimated proceeds from the operations at around Rs750 million per week. It further alleged that the gold extracted through these operations was untaxed and was subsequently channelled through international smuggling networks into ...

More than 20 banned skin-bleaching products containing mercury are available for purchase on third-party marketplaces run by Amazon, Temu and TikTok Shop in several countries, despite decades of efforts by health advocates and regulators to prevent their sale, a Reuters review of publicly available information found. Regulators, companies and multinational entities have for ​years tried to coordinate efforts to take these products off shelves and websites. More than 150 nations are parties to the 2013 Minamata Convention that banned the manufacture, import or sale of mercury-containing products, which, according to the World ‌Health Organisation, can damage the kidneys, brain and nervous system. Skin brightening cosmetic products. Photo/Reuters But some sellers on e-commerce sites have become more sophisticated in their efforts to hide these products' origins and ingredients. Some products removed from websites are being re-listed under misleading names or by differen...

West Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Baloch on Tuesday constituted an eight-member investigation team as part of the investigation into the grisly killing of a woman and her three children in Surjani Town. A young woman and her two children were found dead inside their house in Sector 7-D of Surjani Town on Monday, while the third child succumbed to injuries at a hospital. Police said the initial investigation suggested all four victims were attacked with a sharp-edged weapon and an iron rod. An order issued from the office of DIG Baloch stated that West Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tariq Mastoi would lead the investigation team, which would comprise the West superintendent of police (SP) Investigation, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and the station house officer (SHO) of Surjani. Police suspected that the victims might have been rendered unconscious with a sedative before being subjected to fatal blows, as post-mortem examinations revealed mu...

The federal government on Tuesday increased the price of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs4.1 and Rs6.41 per litre, respectively, for September 16. According to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division, the price of petrol was fixed at Rs384.34 per litre, while HSD would cost Rs415.83 per litre for Wednesday. The latest revision comes a day after the government increased the price of petrol and HSD by Rs4.42 and Rs6.10 per litre, respectively, for September 15. Read: Govt increases petrol price by Rs4.42, HSD by Rs6.10 per litre for Sept 15 On July 17, the government announced a new pricing mechanism under which petroleum product prices would be reviewed and notified on a daily basis, replacing the weekly pricing mechanism, as renewed tensions between the United States and Iran continued to drive volatility in global oil markets and raise concerns over fuel supplies. The Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme, already operational in Islamabad, would be ro...

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday accused the Punjab government and police of political victimisation, brutality and manhandling during his visit to Lahore to offer condolences to the family of a slain Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist, Ishtiaq Ahmad. Tensions rose outside the deceased activist’s residence as Afridi, accompanied by PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, reached the workers' home. They also encountered barricades and a heavy police presence. Afridi alleged that the Punjab govt attempted to "abduct" him and later "dumped" him on the street, saying such an attempt against a provincial chief minister was no small matter. He urged workers to remain peaceful, alleging that the situation was orchestrated by Punjab’s government to create chaos. “We have not come here to hold any political gathering or procession,...

Actors Omair Rana and Sunita Marshall joined a discussion on Nida Yasir's Good Morning Pakistan, tackling everything from why husbands mock their wives in public to how extended family interference can quietly strain a marriage. The conversation opened with a sharp critique of a habit the panel said was often dismissed as “harmless”: men mocking or dismissing their wives’ opinions in social settings. Marshall was direct about the impact, saying, “It signals a fundamental lack of regard for one’s partner rather than harmless humour.” She pointed to the gap between what people say and how they behave, noting that a wife may be described as the “respect of the house” while not being treated with that same respect in practice. The panel traced the behaviour to a deeper societal belief that women are somehow “lesser” than men, often instilled during upbringing. That conditioning, they argued, can leave men feel...