Blaze News - Pakistan

The murder investigation into 28-year-old TikToker Shamsu Bibi, also known as Ayesha Gilamana, in Taxila took a dramatic turn on Saturday, with police alleging that her father, biological brother and close relatives were involved in the conspiracy to kill her. Police have arrested five suspects, including her father and brother, while the two alleged shooters are also in custody. Rawalpindi Operations SSP Malik Tariq Mehboob told a presser that preliminary investigations suggested Ayesha’s family disapproved of her TikTok and other social media activities, which had become a major source of conflict within the family. He said evidence gathered so far indicated that Ayesha had allegedly been killed in the name of honour and that her father, brother and other close relatives were allegedly involved in planning the murder. According to the SSP, an attempt was initially made to portray the killing as a blind murder and mislead the police by creating the impression that outsid...

Eight members of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Saturday strongly condemned “the government’s blatant, willful and deliberate violation” of a Supreme Court (SC) August 18 order concerning the medical examination of former prime minister Imran Khan. Three days ago, the SC ordered the government to transfer Imran to Shifa Inte­rn­ati­onal Hospital for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board. The government instead sent him to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for treatment, drawing the ire of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership and eventually leading to the filing of a contempt of court petition in the apex court today. A press release signed and released by the group under the Pakistan Bar Council Member letterhead said, “We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the blatant, willful and deliberate violation by the government and authorities of the order of the Supreme Court of Pakis...

The federal government on Friday increased the price of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.81 and Rs3.59 per litre, respectively, for the next three days. According to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs341.59 per litre, while HSD will cost Rs368.29 per litre from Aug 22 to Aug 24. The latest revision comes a day after the government increased the price of petrol and HSD by 27 paisas and Rs1.64, respectively, for August 21. Read: Govt increases petrol by 27 paisas, HSD by Rs1.64 for Aug 21 Last month, 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. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25, petroleum products constitute one of the country...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday fixed the suspension of sentence applications of lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha for hearing on September 8. Imaan, a rights activist and lawyer, and Chattha, an advocate, were in January 2026 handed a combined 17-year sentence on multiple charges linked to controversial social media posts that the prosecution argued amounted to an anti-state narrative under cybercrime laws. Imaan and Chattha had filed applications for suspension of their sentences in January. The Registrar’s Office issued a cause list for the case that showed Justice Muhammad Azam Khan would hear the case. The appeals for suspension of sentences of Imaan and Chattha were also heard in the Supreme Court by a two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case. During the hearing, Justice Afghan remarked that the "system should be fully exposed". "A case may disappear from the system; we will not disappear, we are presen...

Multiple users, a majority of whom appear to be cricket fans based on their past posts, have been sharing a video across social media platforms since August 18, 2026, claiming it shows a girl hitting sixes in a men’s tape ball match. However, the video is AI-generated. On August 18, a social media user who appears to be a cricket fan shared a video on Facebook showing a girl hitting sixes in a men’s tape ball match. “Check the shot,” the caption read. The post racked up 75 million views. The same user shared a close-up angle of the same video as well, which garnered 5.4m views. On TikTok, a user shared the same clip with the caption: “Huge six by Mehak Pindi Wali.” The post gained 10.9m views. Another TikTok user also posted the clip, calling the six “unbelievable”. It accumulated 262,000 views. The video also gathered attention on X, where an account that shared it garnered 190,000 views. “You must have seen boys hitting ...

As opening statements got underway in a landmark trial over claims that Meta Platforms misled the public about the safety of Instagram and Facebook for young users and violated child privacy laws, one of the biggest fights in the case had already been resolved: whether a bipartisan group of ​US states would present their claims together. The states pushed for a single trial covering state consumer protection and federal privacy claims brought ‌by 29 attorneys general, while Meta argued for a series of smaller trials grouping states that have similar laws. The fight was about more than courtroom logistics. The states argued that the case centres on company-wide decisions affecting young users across the country and seeks nationwide changes to Meta's platforms, and that jurors should hear a single story about Meta's actions. Meta countered that ​jurors should evaluate states' claims separately because the underlying laws differ and warned that a combined proceeding...

US interest rates are likely to remain elevated for longer as stubborn inflation and signs of a weakening labour market complicate the Federal Reserve’s next move, leaving consumers facing continued pressure from borrowing costs even as economic growth loses momentum. A Reuters poll of economists showed that 90% expect the Fed to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% at its September 15-16 meeting. Nearly 80% also expect rates to remain unchanged through the end of the year, while economists forecasting at least one rate increase this year far outnumber those expecting a cut. The outlook reflects a difficult policy dilemma. Inflation remains well above the Fed’s 2% target, while recent employment data have shown an abrupt cooling in the labour market. Cutting rates too soon could revive inflationary pressure, while raising them further could deepen an economic slowdown and increase recession risks. US consumer prices rose 3.4% in July from a year...