Blaze News - Pakistan

Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a wide-ranging Georgia criminal indictment related to his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. "As evidenced by my signature below, I do hereby waive formal arraignment and enter my plea of NOT GUILTY to the Indictment in this case," Trump said in a court filing in Fulton County Superior Court. The plea means that Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, will not appear in person in court next week to face the charges. An indictment accuses Trump of 13 felony counts, including racketeering, for pressuring state officials to reverse his 2020 election loss and allegedly setting up a fake slate of electors to undermine the congressional certification of Democratic President Joe Biden's victory. Fulton County prosecutors seek an October start to the trial. Some of Trump's co-defendants in Georgia, including attorney Sidney Powell, Trevian Kutti and Ray Smith, have also waived f...

President Dr Arif Alvi underscored the pivotal role of equipping Pakistan’s youth with cutting-edge technology skills, asserting that the nation’s economic progress hinges on Information Technology (IT) development. Highlighting Pakistan’s rise as the world’s second-largest freelance market, the president acknowledged the challenges faced in financial transactions and emphasised that streamlining these processes could bolster the economy by a notable 2-3% increase in GDP growth. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Huawei ICT Competition 2022-23, President Alvi declared that IT has seamlessly integrated into nearly every facet of life. He revealed Huawei’s plans to establish a global service centre in Pakistan, paving the way for employment opportunities and knowledge transfer to the nation’s youth. Applauding the Industry-Academia Relationship, he remarked, “Huawei’s ICT Competition Programme reflects the strides made in the past decade, serving as a robust foundation for Pakistan’...

The coursing floods first swallowed Nasreen Bibi's corn crop, then the cattle that fed on it, and finally her family home. They retreated to the roof to escape the rising water, before fleeing for their lives by boat. "We didn't bring any of our belongings with us, everything we own is abandoned back there," said Bibi, who guesses her age in the 30s, from a relief camp inside a school in Mandi Ahmedabad, a village in eastern Punjab. "There is nothing left back home," she said, wiping away tears in a tent she shares with three young daughters. "Fear plays on my children's minds." Swaths of Pakistan's breadbasket were inundated this month, with at least 130,000 people evacuated, after the Sutlej river burst its banks and spilled over hundreds of villages and thousands of acres. The head of Punjab's government, Mohsin Naqvi, said the flooding was caused by India releasing excess reservoir water into the Sutlej river, causing flooding downs...

Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Amir Engineer Naeemur Rahman has announced an escalated campaign against exorbitant hike in electricity tariffs and increase in fuel prices. Addressing a press conference at the JI Karachi headquarters, on Tuesday, Rehman expressed his concerns about the unbearable rise in electricity costs. The decision to intensify the campaign was made in consultation with local JI leaders, including Munim Zaffar, Zahid Askari, UC Chairman Hafiz Usama, and others.  The JI leader outlined the action plan, stating that the JI will stage protest demonstrations at more than 1,000 locations across the city on Wednesday. The protests will be held at various places, including mosques, markets, and key landmarks in Karachi. Highlighting the gravity of the issue, Naeem revealed that a historic march by women from the city is scheduled for the following day. "This march aims to highlight the injustices faced by the city's residents due to exorbitant electricity bills. Publ...

India said on Tuesday that it had lodged a strong protest with China over a new map that lays claim to India's territory, the latest irritant in testy ties between the Asian giants. The protest by New Delhi followed reports in the Indian media that Beijing had released an official "standard map" showing the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau as its official territory. China claims Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas to be a part of southern Tibet and had in April released a map renaming 11 places in the state as being within "Zangnan", or southern Tibet in Chinese. Aksai Chin is a disputed plateau in the western Himalayas claimed by India but controlled by China. "We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 'standard map' of China that lays claim to India’s territory," the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said. "We reject these claims as ...

Israeli army forces rounded up 32 Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to a local NGO. In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said the arrests took place in the cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarem, and Jenin. No reason was provided for the arrests. According to the NGO, over 5,000 Palestinians have been detained by the Israeli army since the start of this year. Read also: Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank, escalating tension There was no comment from the Israeli military on the report. The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians. According to Palestinian figures, Israel currently holds some 4,780 Palestinian detainees, including nearly 160 children and 29 females. from Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/j1AKoY9

The Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Road Transport Corridor is poised to revolutionise regional trade, bolstering ties among Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and China through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said the President of the Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI), Moazzam Ghurki, during a high-powered think-tank meeting focused on the tripartite trade relationship between Pakistan, Turkey, and China. Ghurki underscored that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the BRI projects have breathed new life into these alliances, creating an avenue of opportunities for both Turkey and Pakistan. “Turkey’s exports to China will find a streamlined path through Pakistan, ushering goods efficiently towards Chinese markets,” he announced. Fang Yulong, the Senior Vice President of PCJCCI, echoed the sentiments, noting that Turkish investments in Pakistan have surpassed a staggering $1 billion. Their strategic partnership spans multifarious sectors including science, techno...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) remained at the centre of conflicting viewpoints as discussions with mainstream political parties continued on Monday, with the Jamat-e-Islami advocating for polls to be conducted within 90 days, while the MQM-P pushing for fresh delimitations. According to a press release issued by the ECP, the electoral watchdog held separate meetings with the leaders of both parties to discuss various aspects of the electoral roadmap, including delimitation of constituencies, upgradation of electoral rolls, scheduling of elections, and other related matters. Delegates from JI visited the ECP and met with its members, including the chief election commissioner. The ECP's press release stated that MQM-P emphasised the significant increase in the population of Karachi and demanded a thorough review of voter lists alongside the delimitation process. Additionally, the party urged the election commission to take strict action against any irregularities during t...

The metropolis has witnessed a surge in viral eye infections during the ongoing rainy season, with dozens of cases being reported on a daily basis. Public and private hospitals across the city have been grappling with the mounting cases of conjunctivitis, commonly known as red eye. Jinnah Hospital, a prominent medical facility in the city, has recorded 50 instances in its Outpatient Department (OPD) each day. Of these, 25 cases pertain specifically to the red eye infection, afflicting both children and adults alike. Leading Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Muhammad Moizuddin, has attributed this sudden surge to the transmission of the infection through direct contact with the ocular discharge of affected individuals. The infection, known to linger for a period of 8 to 10 days, manifests with a reddening of the eye, accompanied by moisture and discomfort. Dr Moizuddin advises the affected individuals to maintain strict hygiene practices, including separating their personal items such as t...

The Sindh government’s recent hike in the purchasing rates of sugarcane by 41 per cent, setting it at Rs425 per 40 kilogrammes, has been met with dissatisfaction from the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA). A meeting convened by the chamber, presided over by its President Syed Meeran Muhammad Shah in Hyderabad on Sunday, called for the Sindh government to revise the purchase price to Rs450 per 40 kg, aligning more closely with the farmers’ expectations. The outgoing administration of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh not only executed an unprecedented 41 per cent increase from the 2022 rate of Rs302 per 40 kg but also announced the revised rate unusually early in August. Traditionally, protests and pressure from growers prompted the government to finalise the price by November or December each year. A similar upward push was observed last year for wheat farmers, who were offered Rs4,000 per 40 kg, a notable Rs2,000 or 100 per cent higher than the 2021 procurement rate. However,...

Dear fellow passengers of PK-1947, this is your fellow passenger speaking, as we have many pilots but no one is in control. We are flying on autopilot since long. I have some important announcements to make. First, we have started descent for a few decades but the ground or destination is not in sight yet. We are passing through a global air pocket (economy) that is causing huge turbulence. Moreover, our fuel (fiscal) power is running extremely low. We are relying on tailwinds (temporary fiscal support by friendly countries) to stay afloat but these are not sufficiently strong. The headwinds (debt repayments) are getting stronger every passing day, and we are not sure how to maintain the elevation and speed. [The global economic slowdown has affected us due to decreasing exports and increasing cost of imports. Moreover, the ever piling debt repayment burden is not met with any practical or sustainable solution. Temporary deposits are not solutions at all. There would be a serious situa...

A 31-year-old Pakistani doctor, living in the US, was sentenced to 18 years in jail followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to global terrorist organisation Da’ish. According to the US media, Dr Muhammad Masood, who worked at a research clinic in Rochester and arrested at an airport in March 2020, was convicted by a court in the state of Minnesota. Dr Masood pleaded guilty on August 16, 2022 to attempting to provide material support to Da’ish. A US Justice Department press release read that Dr Masood made multiple statements about his desire to join Da’ish. He also pledged his allegiance to the terrorist outfit and its leader. The doctor expressed his desire to conduct “lone wolf” terrorist attacks in the US. Giving details, the press release stated that on February 21, 2020, Dr Masood bought a plane ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, and from there planned to travel to Syria. Read also: Over 12,000 Pakistanis in jails a...

Thinking about the popular HBO show, Game Of Thrones, in retrospect it’s clear now that the weakest among the army of humans eventually kill the strongest and meanest of the white walkers. No skillful swordsmen, no dragon, no land army, but rather a little girl with just a knife ends up killing the leader of the most dangerous army against which the entire humanity stands no chance. The weakest and the ones who were ridiculed at the outset were also the ones that survived in the end. Everybody else vanishes. The last men standing aren’t really due to their sheer power or fighting or intellectual skills. Similarly, when we look at the story of what happened to the dinosaurs, we realise that the weakest among them survived in the end. The birds we have today are arguably the only descendants of the dinosaurs. The iridium filled meteorite came down the Yucatán peninsula and raised a cloud of dust into the atmosphere where it stayed for months, blocking the sun, cooling off the earth and k...

Russia's military cooperation with Iran will not succumb to geopolitical pressure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, following a report that Washington has asked Teheran to stop selling drones to Moscow. "There are no changes, and cooperation with Iran will continue," Ryabkov said, according to a report on Saturday from Russian state news agency RIA. "We are independent states and do not succumb to the dictates of the United States and its satellites." The US is pressing Iran to stop selling the armed drones, which Russia is using in the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported this month, citing an Iranian official and another person familiar with the talks. Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but said in the past they were sent before Russia's February 2022 invasion in Ukraine. Moscow has denied its forces used Iranian drones in Ukraine. Read also: Iran unveils its latest attack drone Meanwhile, Iranian defence ministry sp...

A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. Russia's aviation authority has said Prigozhin was on board a private Embraer jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors. An investigation has yet to definitively identify the 10 people on board but Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to their families. Russian media, mainly associated with the Wagner group's Telegram channel Grey Zone, had linked a second business jet with the tail number RA-02748 with the mercenary group, and had reported that it was also in the air at the time of the crash. Read also: Putin orders Wagner fighters to sign oath of allegiance                                                  ...

Oil prices climbed about 1% on Friday, supported by supply cuts despite weak economic news from Germany, a stronger US dollar and the prospect of more US rate hikes. Brent futures rose 96 cents, or 1.2%, to $84.32 a barrel by 1616 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 78 cents, or 1%, to $79.83. For the week, Brent was down about 1% and WTI down about 2%. Last week, both benchmarks fell 2%. Limiting gains, economic news from Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, was weak and the US dollar rose to a five-month high against a basket of other currencies after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said further interest rate hikes may be needed to fight inflation. Higher interest rates can slow economic growth and reduce oil demand. A stronger dollar can also slow demand by making oil more expensive for holders of other currencies. “Supply cuts from OPEC+ continue to support the market but uncertainty over the global economic outlook...are weighing a little,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analy...

Pakistani currency remained on a record-breaking spree for the fourth consecutive working day on Friday, hitting a new historic low at Rs301 against the US dollar, which came despite the government’s decision to take strict action against foreign currency smugglers. According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) data, the currency dropped by a fresh 0.26%, or Rs0.78, to Rs301/$, widening the cumulative loss in the value of the currency to over 4%, or Rs12.51, in the first 12 days of the caretaker government. In the open market, however, the currency closed flat at Thursday’s record low of Rs314 against the greenback. The difference between currency exchange rates in the two markets remained high at around 4.5%, or Rs13, which was significantly higher than the ceiling of 1.25% for any of the five consecutive sessions recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Experts anticipated that the currency should stabilise around Rs300/$ ahead of the expected arrival of multilateral f...

The weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) reading increased 25.34% in the week ended August 24, 2023 in the wake of rising food prices including wheat flour, rice, sugar and chicken, further denting the households’ purchasing power and putting pressure on their disposable income. The good news, however, was that the increase in inflation slowed down to a 63-week low in the week on a year-on-year basis, Topline Research reported. Major contributors to the rising inflation were the historic rupee devaluation, increase in petroleum product prices and an upward revision in power tariff, which may make it difficult for authorities to curb the price hike. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that the SPI for the current week ticked up 0.05% compared to the previous week. “During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 (43.14%) items increased, 12 (25.53%) items decreased and 17 (33.33%) items remained stable (compared to the previous week).” Pakistan’s central bank on July 31, 2023 ...

Pak Suzuki Motor Company surprisingly reported a net profit of Rs3.24 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, which soared by almost eightfold compared to earnings of around Rs443 million in the same three months of last year. The company booked notable net earnings mainly due to an income of Rs2.86 billion in the form of reversal of finance cost in the April-June quarter compared to an outflow of slightly over Rs800 million in the corresponding quarter last year. The company’s other income, however, dropped to almost Rs774 million compared to Rs1.04 billion in the previous year. Its sales decreased about three times to Rs21.34 billion due to a significant decline in demand for fourwheelers amid exorbitant increase in the cost of car financing and rupee devaluation. Sales stood close to Rs65 billion in the same quarter of last year. The net income translated into earnings per share of Rs39.36 in the quarter under review compared to Rs5.38 in the same quarter of previous yea...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday hinted that general elections might be carried out within the constitutionally mandated period of 90 days as it issued a statement pertaining to the delimitation process. The electoral watchdog said that it has already taken up the tasks involving the updation of voter lists and delimitation of constituencies and that the processes would be completed "simultaneously". "It is being said in some media circles that after the final publication of the constituencies, the ECP will update the election lists and that only after that it will be possible to announce and hold the election schedule," the statement read. "This is not true". "The ECP would like to clarify that the commission has started the delimitations of constituencies and the updation of voter lists and these two tasks will be completed simultaneously," it added. Notably, the clarification has come amidst speculations that the electoral w...

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday revealed that security agencies have foiled hacking attempts targetting senior government officials' mobile phones to obtain sensitive information. A statement released by the PMO maintained that hackers posing as senior government officials and bureaucrats were trying to obtain information through mobile hacking links on WhatsApp. The PMO has instructed all government officials to be "vigilant and not respond to any such message". They have also been directed to immediately inform the Cabinet Division upon receiving these messages. The statement further stated that Pakistan's security agencies are "fully alert in this matter". Read Hackers targeted Pakistani ‘generals, politicians’ Earlier this year, the federal government sent a cybersecurity advisory to all its ministries as well as the provincial departments to take necessary measures to prevent the official data from being hacked or put on the dark web, a ...

Amid strong protests from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyers, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday postponed hearing PTI chief Imran Khan's plea against the Toshakhana verdict as the lawyer representing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed to appear before the court. Yesterday, the PTI chairperson had failed to get immediate relief from the IHC which had refused to suspend an order of a trial court that sentenced him to three years in prison for making inaccurate declarations about his assets and liabilities. The development had come with the backdrop of the apex court having raised questions about the verdict issued by Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Humayun Dilawar on August 5, noting that prima facie there were serious defects in the trial court’s verdict. The SC had, nonetheless, observed that it would wait for the IHC to issue a verdict on a petition filed by the former prime minister against the trial court’s order. Today, the IHC division bench led by...

The special court established to hear cases related to the Official Secrets Act extended the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-chairperson Shah Mahmood Qureshi by three days on Friday. Qureshi was presented in court after his earlier 4-day remand in the cypher case ended today. During today's hearing, the PTI leader's counsel Shoaib Shaheen and Special Prosecutor Shah Khawar were present in the court. Judge Abul Hasnat reserved the decision after hearing the arguments of both parties pertaining to a request by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further physical remand of the PTI leader. Subsequently, the judge extended Qureshi's physical remand by three days and handed him over to the investigative agency.  The FIA arrested Qureshi in the cypher leak case under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 from his residence in the federal capital. The agency had booked former premier Imran Khan and Qureshi among others for “wrongful use”...

As Sutlej River continues to see high-level flood in Vehari district, several houses on Thursday were collapsed rendering thousands homeless and forcing others to evacuate their villages, while disconnecting and land routes of various settlements. The flow of water is now rapidly approaching towards the urban areas. The district administration besides rescuing those stranded in the deluge is providing adequate facilities at the tent villages and flood relief camps. Two brothers were swept away by the rapid flow of water of whom one was rescued by the local people. More than 150 villages and thousands of acres of standing crops had been deluged after a protective bund caved in. Mauza Bhattian and Qadir Bux bunds also developed breach. The floodwater, causing havoc, entered mauzas Koda, Baqir Shah, Jatira, Mehro Baloch, Lakha, Khachi, Rafiq Tajwana, Fateh Shah, Basti Piranwali, Mughla, Palah, Sharifa, Tiwana, Nawaz Shah, Saldira Hatthar, 39 KB, Murad Ali, Naimat Ali, Fatehpur, Urwati, Gh...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg and highlighted concerns India has about border issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India's foreign secretary said. Modi and Xi agreed "to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have been sour for more than three years after soldiers from both sides clashed in the Himalayan frontier in June 2020, resulting in 24 deaths. While the situation on the nearly 3,000-km (1,860-mile) frontier has been calm since, the face-off continues in a few pockets. On the sidelines of the BRICS summit Modi highlighted to Xi "India's concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC", Kwatra said. Modi also "underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and...

The government has proposed to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) a potential increase of Rs3.55 per unit in power tariff, with an aim of recouping the elevated amount within a span of six months. This measure seeks to prevent a decline in the collection of electricity bills. Previously, the Central Power Purchasing Company (CPPA)-G had requested an increment of Rs5.40 per unit, accompanied by a three-month recovery period. A public hearing organised by the power regulator was told that the industrial consumers had shut down their businesses due to massive increase in the electricity rates, and therefore, the demand of ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos) had witnessed a substantial decline. The government was concerned that consumers would not pay bills if the hike of Rs5.40 per unit was passed on to them. During the public hearing, the Power Division officials informed the regulator that consumers had refused to pay electricity bills last year following a ma...

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday called upon India to reverse all "illegal and unilateral measures” taken on or after August 5, 2019, and to stop the gross, systematic and widespread human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). OIC Secretary-General H. E. Hissein Brahim Taha renews call on #India to reverse all illegal and unilateral measures taken on or after 5 August 2019, and to stop the gross, systematic and widespread human rights abuses in the occupied #Jammu and #Kashmir… pic.twitter.com/WW2vrq8wp3 — OIC (@OIC_OCI) August 23, 2023 The call made by OIC Chief Hissein Brahim Taha was read out by Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Al-Quds Affairs Samir Bakr at an event and photo exhibition hosted by the Muslim bloc's secretariat general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The event in Jeddah was held to highlight the “gross human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to ...

The last Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government illegally replaced five independent directors of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) towards its fag end without holding their elections, creating a legal challenge for the firm. The matter suddenly got attention this week after the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted an interim injunction a day earlier and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on Tuesday sought an explanation from the company. The decision to allow nominee directors of SNGPL to take over its board without following due process was not only in violation of the Companies Act 2017 but also against the spirit of the federal cabinet’s decision, showed documents. The LHC on Monday instructed that “subject to notice and till the next date of hearing, the election process for the board of directors of SNGPL will continue, however, the same shall remain subject to final outcome of this petition”. The company has fixed September 11 for the election of...

The BRICS summit opened in South Africa on Tuesday as the loosely-defined club of large emerging economies seeks to assert its voice as a counterweight to the Western-led international order. The BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa represent a quarter of the global economy, and interest in joining the group surged ahead of its three-day summit in Johannesburg. Security has been bolstered across the city where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is hosting China's President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and some 50 other leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the target of an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, did not attend in person and addressed the summit via pre-recorded video. Russia will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, China is the BRICS most powerful economy and Xi's state visit to South Africa, just...

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court sought arguments on Thursday on a plea from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, Imran Khan for suspension of his sentence in Toshakhana case. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, issued notices on plea related to facilities to the PTI chairman in the Attock District Jail. The PTI chairman’s lawyer, Khawaja Haris did not appear in the court. However, he was represented by other lawyers including Latif Khosa, Babar Awan, Sher Afzal Marwat and Barrister Gohar Ali. Khosa told the court the report of Attock district and sessions judge’s visit to the district jail had come out, which revealed that a camera had been installed in front of PTI chairman’s barrack. Marwat complained that the lawyers were not being allowed to meet the PTI chairman. However, Chief Justice Farooq remarked that it was beyond comprehension as to why such a meeting was prevented. He reminded that he had ordered that t...

A five-member Balochistan cabinet was sworn in on Monday evening. Governor Balochistan Malik Abdul Wali Kakar administered the oath to the newly appointed caretaker ministers. The cabinet ministers are Prince Ahmed Ali, Amjad Rasheed, Jan Achakzai, Captain (retd) Zubair Jamali and Mir Chakar Khan Rind University’s former vice-chancellor Abdul Qadir Baloch. Caretaker CM Balochistan Ali Mardan Domki, Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, and representatives from diverse sectors were also in attendance. The first phase of the provincial cabinet has been completed, with the second phase’s announcement forthcoming. Caretaker CM Domki revealed that the initial cabinet could have around 13 members, with the possibility of expansion. He expressed a commitment to peaceful and transparent elections as the government’s foremost concern. The caretaker CM emphasized the aim of ensuring fairness in the electoral process. He highlighted that the new ministers would be selected after consulting with pol...

A United Nations rights expert on Monday slammed India's years-long detention of a rights activist with disabilities as "inhumane", citing grave concerns for his health and demanding his immediate release. Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, raised the alarm about the nearly decade-long detention of Gokarakonda Naga "GN" Saibaba, a long-standing defender of the rights of minorities in India. "India's persistent detention of human rights defender GN Saibaba is an inhumane and senseless act," the independent expert's statement said. "His continued detention is shameful. It bears all the hallmarks of a State seeking to silence a critical voice," she said. Saibaba, a former English professor at Delhi University who is bound to a wheelchair after suffering from a spinal disorder and polio as a child, was arrested in 2014. He was sentenced to life in prison three years later for multiple offenc...

In a letter written to President Dr Arif Alvi, Secretary Waqar Ahmed has asked the president to reconsider his decision of removing him from his post, urging him to initiate an investigation into the matter through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or any other agency. The move comes after the President’s Secretariat earlier in the day wrote to the principal secretary to the prime minister that the services of serving secretary to the president were no more required. "The services of Mr Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to the President, are no more required and are surrendered to the Establishment Division, immediately," read a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat. "It has also been desired that Ms Humaira Ahmed, a BPS-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, may be posted as Secretary to the President," the statement added. This development came a day after president Alvi claimed that he had not signed the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill and the P...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday advised the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Punjab, and the departments concerned to ensure prerequisite measures to protect vulnerable populations and assets as River Sutlej was likely to attain a “very high flood level”. The NDMA issued a detailed advisory that underscored the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stating River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala had fallen to a very high flood level and continued on a decreasing trend. However, River Sutlej at Sulemanki was at high flood level in a rising trend and was likely to attain very high flood level; it was also likely to attain high flood level on August 22 from 6am onwards at Islam Headworks. The vulnerable or at-risk districts include Kasur, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Pakpattan, Vehari, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran. It added that hot and humid weather with isolated rain-wind and thundershowers was expected to occur in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Dir, Swat, Abbottabad. Ma...