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• Move aims to provide clarity in law, minister claims • JUI-F lawmaker believes legislation will weaken assembly • PTI MNA questions removal of ‘bat’ from ballot ISLAMABAD: As the government struggles to prevent the emergence of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf as the single largest party in the National Assembly, a controversial bill seeking to bar the PTI-backed ‘independent’ legislators from joining the party was rushed through the NA Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, on Wednesday. The committee met a day after the bill was introduced in the assembly by PML-N lawmaker Bilal Azhar Kayani. “The Election (Second Amendment) Bill 2024” seeks to bar independents from joining a political party at a subsequent stage after the period specified for the purpose in the law, besides restraining political parties from submitting priority list of their candidates for reserved seats after the passage of stipulated timeline. The bill was passed by 8-4 votes at the meeting held with MNA ...

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The killing of Ismail Haniyeh , chief political leader of Hamas and former prime minister of Palestine, in Iran attracted strong reaction from almost all political and religious parties on Wednesday which condemned the “barbaric approach” of Israel, denounced the world powers support to Zionist state and questioned the silence of Muslim rulers. As the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh entered the sixth day, all activities of the day were suspended to mourn the assassination. The party also suspended its activities in Karachi, including the sit-in planned to be staged outside Governor House. JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, led the funeral prayer in absentia of the Hamas leader, on Liaquat Road. It was also attended by the delegation of Palestinian embassy in Pakistan. Funeral prayers for Haniyeh were also offered in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta on the call of the JI chief. Besides, the JUI-F held the funeral of the leader in absent...

QUETTA: Amid a lingering stalemate and exchange of blame, lawmakers from both sides of the political divide in the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday called upon the government and the leadership of Gwadar protests to resolve all issues through negotiations in a democratic manner. The situation in the port city of Gwadar has been tense since Saturday, with the protesters and authorities blaming each other for the violence that has led to casualties on both sides. On Monday, the military said a soldier was martyred and 16 other security personnel, including an officer, were injured in firing by “an unruly mob” in Gwadar during clashes between the forces and supporters of the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee (BYC). However, BYC leader Dr Mahrang Baloch claimed that hundreds of their supporters had been arrested over the past two days. Taking part in a debate on the matter, BNP-Awami President Mir Asadullah Baloch questioned the state of democracy, where people are barred from holding mee...

• Lays down three preconditions, including return of PTI’s ‘stolen mandate’ • Urges military to nominate its representatives for talks, says Achakzai will represent them • Voices support for JI’s stance on soaring utility bills, backs Baloch activists’ protest • Marriyum says ‘self-proclaimed revolutionary’ now pleading for talks with army • Tarar labels Imran’s call ‘a conspiracy’ ISLAMABAD: After days of speculation about a possible softening of his stance against the establishment, incarcerated former PM Imran Khan categorically said on Tuesday that his party was ready for talks with the military establishment. Speaking to reporters at Adiala jail, the PTI founder laid down three preconditions: the return of his party’s ‘stolen mandate’, the release of all detained party workers and the holding of transparent elections. Last week, Mr Khan had raised eyebrows when he tasked his sister Aleema and party leader Omar Ayub with ‘conveying messages’ to army chief Gen Asim Munir, ask...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday notified 93 returned members of three provincial assemblies as the lawmakers belonging to the PTI in pursuance of the July 12 Supreme Court order , but still failed to de-notify those who had been allocated additional reserved seats in the national as well as provincial assemblies. According to a notification issued by the ECP, 29 members of the Punjab Assembly, 58 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and six members of the Sindh Assembly have been recognised as PTI members. Previously, the electoral watchdog had officially recognised 39 members of the National Assembly as part of the PTI. The ECP, however, apparently delayed the emergence of the PTI as the single largest party in the lower house of parliament by its last-minute decision to approach the Supreme Court to seek guidance on the case of another 41 PTI MNAs who had not mentioned their party affiliation in their nomination papers. It asked the Supreme Co...

CARACAS: Streets were largely empty in towns and cities across Ven­ezuela and opposition supporters we­re subdued on Monday after Pres­ident Nicolas Maduro and opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez both clai­m­ed victory in a tense weekend election. Few businesses were open and public transport was scarce, as governments in Washington and elsewhere cast doubt on official results that kept the incumbent Maduro in power and called for a full tabulation of votes. The national electoral authority said just after midnight that Maduro had won a third term with 51 per cent of the vote — a result that would extend a quarter-century of socialist rule. But independent exit polls pointed to a big opposition win following enthusiastic shows of support for Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Gonzalez has not called for supporters to take to the streets and has warned against violence, even as reports trickled in of arrests and intimidation of his supporters. US President Joe Biden...

TEHRAN: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hands the official endorsement letter to Masoud Pezeshkian during a ceremony held on Sunday to endorse the president-elect, ahead of his swearing-in on July 30. —AFP TEHRAN: Iran’s supr­eme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave on Sunday his official endorsement of Dr Masoud Pezeshkian as the country’s ninth president, following snap elections won by the reformist camp’s candidate. In a message read by the director of Khamenei’s office, the supreme leader said: “I endorse the vote (for) the wise, honest, popular and scholarly Mr Pezeshkian, and I am appointing him as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The new reformist president is due to be sworn in before parliament on Tuesday. The endorsement ceremony was held in the capital Tehran in the presence of senior Iranian officials and foreign diplomats, and broadcast on state TV. Ex-president Hassan Rouhani and Saeed Jalili also attended the Sunday’s ceremony. Follow...

Local businessman Zulfiqar Ahmed, who was abducted in Karachi earlier this week, has returned to his home safely in Lahore, police said on Sunday. Ahmed, who is the managing director of the Paracha Textile Mills and Mezan Group, was allegedly abducted by unknown armed men on July 23 when he, along with a friend Qaiser, was on his way to Clifton from his office. On July 25, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Kausar Sultana Hussain heard the case after Anber Zulfiqar, the abductee’s wife, had petitioned the high court. Subsequently, the Sindh High Court had issued notices to the ministry of interior, provincial home department, inspector general of police (IGP) and others on a petition seeking whereabouts of the businessman. In her petition, the petitioner had said that the vehicle of her husband was intercepted by a double cabin vehicle on Mauripur Road near Agra Taj and eight armed men abducted Ahmed and his friend on Tuesday. However, they later set Qaiser free. The petitioner ...

VIENTIANE: The top diplomats of China and the US sparred on Saturday over the South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in a territorial dispute with US treaty ally the Philippines. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on the sidelines of a foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Laos. The US hailed the meeting as “open and productive,” after Blinken had criticised Beijing’s “escalatory and unlawful actions” in the South China Sea. Chinese and Filipino ships have clashed in the waterway, fuelling fears of a conflict that could drag in the US due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila. The US should “refrain from fanning the flames, stirring up trouble and undermining stability at sea,” Wang said at the meeting, according to a foreign ministry statement. During the meeting, which a State Department official said lasted one hour and twenty minutes, Blinken also raised US concerns over China’s support fo...

IT is again that time of the year when we start talking about how bad things are, how irreversibly corrupt and inept our system is, and how we need to entirely substitute the old with the new. A new judiciary, a new security apparatus, a new people, perhaps, and as is the mantra every decade or so, a new political party. Sadly, however, it is always the same story. The system has failed us, so it needs to be changed. Those benefiting from it are bad, but we are not. They are corrupt, but not us. They are disingenuous, but we are not. They represent the status quo, and we are the change you want to see in society. In a nutshell, they promise immediate change, and instant results. But is such a change sustainable or permanent? The history of Pakistan teaches us that it is not. In fact, if anything, change tends to be incremental. It envisions a step-by-step approach to making things better. The goal is not to craft a perfect solution, but to acknowledge the deficiencies in the existing...

LAHORE: After surfacing of a scam in which several cancer patients were allegedly administered expired medicines at the Mayo Hospital’s oncology department, health authorities confiscated these drugs and re-admitted some of the discharged patients to avoid any adverse affect on their health. As per sources, after surfacing of the scam the hospital administration immediately traced three of the discharged patients and readmitted them in the oncology ward. These patients were examined by a team of senior doctors, including oncologists, they added. The sources say that the hospital’s top management and the relevant senior medics wereunaware of the exact number of the cancer patients who received the ‘expired medicines’, adding that investigations were ongoing to reach more affected patients. King Edward Medical University (KEMU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Ayaz Mahmood confirmed the administration of ‘expired drugs’ to the cancer patients at the Mayo Hospital. Two storekeepers suspe...

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday removed Fazal Hakeem Khan as provincial minister for climate change and environment and assigned him the portfolio of livestock after a barrage of social media criticism over deforestation in the province. A notification issued by the administration department stated, “[…] in exercise of powers conferred by the sub-rule 1 of Rule 3 of KP Government Rules of Business 1985, the KP chief minister was pleased to assign the portfolio of livestock, fisheries and cooperatives department to Fazal Hakeem Khan Yousafzai by relieving him from the portfolio of climate change, forestry, environment and wildlife department with immediate effect”. Sources told Dawn that Mr Hakeem’s portfolio was changed after some videos of deforestation and widespread logging were widely circulated on social media platforms. On the other hand, a ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf insider told Dawn that Mr Hakeem himself had requested to change his portfolio d...

• Cabinet approves online system to allow business, tourist visas within 24 hours • E-gates to be established at Gwadar port, nine airports ISLAMABAD: In a major change in visa policy aimed at attracting tourists and investment from across the world, Pakistan has completely waived the visa fee for the citizens of as many as 126 countries. The decision, dubbed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a “quantum jump” to attract businessmen, investors, tourists and other travellers and to bring ease of doing business, was taken at the federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday. While relaxing the visa policy, the cabinet approved the enforcement of online visa application system under which citizens of 126 countries would get business and tourist visas within 24 hours and would be exempt from paying visa processing fee. An official handout issued by PM House quoted the prime minister as saying the cost of visa processing after the waiver would be covered through foreign exchange earned through in...

For the fourth straight year, the Pakistani passport has been ranked the fourth worst by this year’s Henley Passport Index , a ranking of the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa. In the latest ranking issued on Tuesday, Pa­­kistan’s travel docum­ent (100th place — tied with Yemen) is only ranked higher than those of Iraq (101), Syria (102) and Afghanistan (103) — same as last year . Pakistan and Yemen’s passports permit visa-free access to 33 states, Iraq’s allows travel to 31, Syria’s gives access to 28 destinations and Afghanistan’s travel document only affords the bearer access to 26 destinations. “Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world’s weakest passport, losing access to yet another destination over the past six months, leaving its citizens with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index,” a press release said. The top spot yet aga...

LAHORE: Taking notice of unnecessary expenses, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum has ordered withdrawal of an earlier notification issued for the purchase of additional equipment for video-link facility in district court of Punjab. A statement issued by the LHC says the chief justice has ordered that the video-link facility will continue in the district courts with the existing equipment. “Considering the current economic situation in the country, unnecessary expenses are not justified,” the statement quotes the chief justice as saying. It reads that all the district courts are already equipped with video-link systems, and district judges also have laptops and Wi-Fi facilities. Video-link facility to continue with the existing systems The former registrar of the LHC had issued a circular to all the district and session judges to purchase equipment for installation of video-link systems for online recording of evidence and statements, besides other judicial proceedings...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has reportedly finalised the list of its candidates for the seats reserved for women in the Punjab Assembly. The list has been prepared after the recent Supreme Court verdict in favour of the party for getting the reserved seats on the basis of the general seats won by the candidates with its support in the Feb 8 vote. It is learnt that the PTI has prepared a list of 35 women candidates, including recently released social media activist Sanam Javaid and incarcerated central Punjab chapter president Dr Yasmin Rashid. However, it may claim only 24 women reserved seats in the provincial house. The final approval of the list will be given by the founder chairman Imran Khan. Yasmin, Sanam among candidates Other women leaders included in the Punjab Assembly list are: Tayyaba Ambreen, Naheed Niaz (Okara), Abida Raja (north Punjab women wing head); Saira Raza (north Punjab general secretary), Azra Naseem (west Punjab general secretary), Qurban...

An image shared on social media platform X on July 19 showed a pride flag displayed above an office of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), claiming that it showed the national carrier supporting the LGBTQ community. However, the office is long shut down and the flag was placed by the local Amsterdam government. An account shared the picture with the caption: “PIA supports pride.” The user did not share other details of the picture such as the location of the office or the time and date the image was taken. The post gained over 38,000 views. Contacting PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan for a comment on the image, he said the office was located in Amsterdam and shut down in 2018. He said that every year the city celebrated the queer festival Amsterdam Pride from July 22-August 4. The spokesperson said the flag was put up by the municipal government of Amsterdam and shared pictures and videos of the street to corroborate his statement. Sharing more visuals from the location, he als...

WASHINGTON: “I have been a Democrat all along, but no more,” said Gibran Syed, who voted for Joe Biden in 2020. “Too much money spent on welfare and LGBTQ issues, incompetent leadership, and illegal immigration,” he explained when asked why he switched to the Republicans. “I wouldn’t even mention Gaza, as both parties would react similarly on that issue.” He was speaking at an event organised to emphasise the importance of Pakistani and Muslim votes in Virginia, a crucial swing state. Here, many attendees pledged their support for Donald Trump in the upcoming November elections. “There are more than 350,000 registered Muslim voters in Northern Virginia, with a majority being Pakistani,” said Mansoor Qureshi, the event’s organiser. “If they all go out to vote, they would become a significant and influential political force.” Rubina Wadhwa, a repeat Trump voter since 2018, attributed the low turnout to a specific demographic: ‘Pakistani and Muslim women don’t vote,’ she observed. H...

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most quotas on government jobs after nationwide action led by students spiralled into clashes that killed at least 139 people, but some organisers said the protests would continue. Dismissing a lower court order, the Supreme Court’s appellate division directed that 93pc of government jobs should be open to candidates on merit, Attorney General A.M. Amin Uddin said. A Bangladeshi student group whose demonstrations against civil service hiring rules precipitated serious nationwide unrest said on Sunday it would not abandon protests despite the SC ruling partially meeting their demands. “We won’t call off our protests until the government issues an order reflecting our demands,” a spokesman for Students Against Discrimination told AFP , on condition of anonymity. Student groups say ruling is unclear; Dhaka remains under ‘indefinite’ curfew There was no immediate reaction from groups affected by reduced quotas following Sunday’s...

PARIS: Planes were gradually taking off again on Saturday after global airlines, banks and media were thrown into turmoil by one of the biggest IT crashes in recent years, caused by an update to an antivirus program. Passenger crowds had swelled at airports on Friday as dozens of flights were cancelled after an update to a program operating on Microsoft Windows crashed systems worldwide. By Saturday, officials said the situation had returned virtually to normal in airports across Germany and France, as Paris prepared to welcome millions for the Olympic Games starting on Friday. Multiple US airlines and airports across Asia said they had resumed operations, with check-in services restored in Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand, and mostly back to normal in India, Indonesia and at Singapore’s Changi Airport as of Saturday afternoon. “There are no long queues at the airports as we experienced yesterday,” Airports of Thailand president Keerati Kitmanawat told reporters. Microsoft s...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed late on Saturday that the PTI was ready to dissolve its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and resign from all assemblies for fresh elections. “This is a positive approach and we welcome it,” Fazl told reporters at his residence in Islamabad. The PTI or any leader did not address or comment on the claim on social media as of Saturday night. He also reported progress in contacts with the PTI and said his party formed a committee for formal negotiations to bury the hatchet. “PTI and JUI had a bitter past and normalisation is a priority for future cooperation. This will lay the foundation for moving ahead,” he said. He detailed that senior leader Kamran Murtaza would lead the committee while other members would be Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Fazal Ghafoor, Maulana Amjad and Fazal Ghafoor. Fazl blasted the government for keeping PTI founder Imran Khan and other party leaders in prison. He also reiterated his opposi...

LAHORE: The Sharifs have ratcheted up their criticism of the Supreme Court judges, accusing them of delivering a verdict in favour of Imran Khan’s PTI in the reserved seats case, and warning them of severe repercussions if any attempt was made to destabilise the country. On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz joined other party leaders, including Khawaja Asif, Irfan Siddiqui, Javed Latif and Azma Bokhari, in criticising the eight sitting judges of the apex court who allowed the PTI to reclaim its seats in parliament and provincial assemblies. Irfan Siddiqui, the speechwriter for PML-N president Nawaz Sharif, has also hinted that the party might confront the Supreme Court through the platform of parliament. “The Supreme Court’s decision [in the reserved seats case] is an attempt to destabilise the country. The judges who delivered the verdict in favour of PTI have, in fact, sold their conscience. Decisions should be made in accordance with the law and the Constitution, not ba...

The Punjab police have arrested the primary suspect of an alleged incident of animal cruelty and maiming of a donkey in Chiniot district, it emerged on Friday. A first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com , of the incident was registered on Thursday at the Langrana police station under Pakistan Penal Code Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle) against the complaint of Mansab Dar. According to the FIR, Dar was a poor man whose female donkey was grazing outside his house on Thursday when the suspects forcibly took her inside a mansion and began beating her with sticks and rods. The report said the first named suspect attacked and injured her in the stomach with a pointed weapon, adding that the complainant was wandering around looking around for his donkey when he was informed about her being taken away. He retrieved the donkey from the mansion. A statement from the police spokesperson said that District Police Officer (DPO) Abdullah Ahmed...

• Foreign ministry summons Afghan embassy official, delivers strong demarche • US urges end to terror attacks from Afghan soil ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called for “immediate, robust and effective action” by the interim Afghan government against the perpetrators of the recent terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment in which eight military personnel were martyred and many others injured. According to a Foreign Office statement, the deputy head of mission of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche over the deadly terrorist attack. The attack was carried out by the Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. “Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, along with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ( TTP ), is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials in multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” it said. The interim Afghan government is urged to fully investigate and take immediat...

The Sindh government on Thursday reappointed grade-21 police officer Javed Akhtar Odho as the new Karachi additional inspector general of police (AIG). According to a notification issued by Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, “Allah Bux alias Javed Akhtar Odho, an officer of police service of Pakistan (BS-21), awaiting posting is posted with immediate effect and until further orders as additional inspector general of police/Karachi Range.” It added that Odho relieved Imran Yaqoob Minhas, a BS-21 officer of PSP who is currently heading the Counter Terrorism Department, of the additional charge. Minhas replaced Khadim Hussain Rind in March while the latter took charge of the city in September last year from Odho. This would be the second time Odho has been appointed as the city police chief. He served as the top cop of the metropolis from July 2022 till September 5, 2023, and was removed by the caretaker government as per the directions of the Election Commission of Pakist...

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) independent watchdog announced on Wednesday it is opening an investigation into security lapses that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a weekend rally. The probe will “evaluate the United States Secret Service’s (Secret Service) process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024 campaign event,” the office of the DHS inspector general said in statements posted to its website. The Secret Service agency is a department within DHS. US President Joe Biden said on Monday that he directed an independent investigation into the security at Saturday’s rally “to assess exactly what happened.” The results of the probe will be shared publicly, said Biden. It is unclear when the DHS probe was launched and if the review announced by the inspector general is the same one Biden ordered. Law enforcement has identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from the state of Pennsylvania. ...

Bangladeshi Prime Minister vowed Wednesday to punish those responsible for killing six people in ongoing student protests over civil service hiring rules, hours after police forcibly dispersed a funeral ceremony to mourn the dead. Six people were killed Tuesday in clashes around the country as rival student groups attacked each other with hurled bricks and bamboo rods, and police dispersed rallies with tear gas and rubber bullets. The worst day of violence since demonstrations against public sector job quotas began this month prompted Hasina’s government to order the closure of schools and universities nationwide until further notice. Hasina, whose administration is accused by protesters of misusing the quota scheme to stack coveted government jobs with loyalists, condemned the killings and insisted that perpetrators would be brought to justice. “I condemn every murder,” she said in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening, after a day of clashes between police forc...

Two tourists were killed and three others, including the tour operator, were missing after a loader jeep carrying tourists plunged into a raging water channel in the Neelum Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Eight tourists were rescued, some with injuries, according to Neelum Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nadeem Ahmed Janjua. A local witness told Dawn.com that the accident occurred around 1:30pm, when the vehicle en route to Ratti Gali, a renowned alpine glacial lake at 3,683 metres, had only covered three kilometres from the main Neelum Valley road. The total length of the link road to the base of Ratti Gali Lake is 18km. The witness told Dawn.com that while negotiating a curve at a location known as Jabba, the vehicle encountered trouble due to a driveshaft failure, which stopped its propulsion. As the vehicle stalled, the driver jumped out, the witness said, adding that the jeep rolled backwards and plunged into the water channel, tipped over onto its left side. Re...

“THE HALL of the mosque was packed with hundreds of worshippers and the atmosphere was heavy with tension as the sound of panicked, laboured breathing grew louder. The relentless firing of bullets echoed for over an hour, eventually becoming sporadic, but for nearly three hours, death loomed over us.” This is how a Pakistani eyewitness trapped inside the imambargah in Oman’s Al Wadi Al Kabir described their ordeal during the attack that unfolded on Monday night, the Times of Oman reported. The witness related how he was among a group of worshippers who had gathered at the imambargah on the night of the ninth day of the Islamic month of Muharram. “We usually pray during this mourning period. We had concluded our prayers around 10:30pm, and then were planning to proceed to Muttrah for the rest of the night to continue with the mourning rituals,” he said. Pakistani envoy says he received calls from people trapped inside imambargah who were ‘crying, asking for help’ According to t...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the ruling coalition, has distanced itself from the statements issued by some party stalwarts opposing the government move to ban the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) as a political party, terming it their “personal” opinion. Talking to Dawn here on Tuesday after issuing a formal brief statement disowning the remarks of former senator Farhatullah Babar on the matter, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari said since the proposal of banning the PTI had not been discussed at any level in the party, whatever the party leaders had stated, should be taken as “their personal viewpoint”. Mr Bokhari’s comments came a day after Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar in a news conference announced that the government had decided to ban the PTI as a political party and initiate trial of its leaders under Article 6. Hours after the information minister’s presser, a number of leaders belonging to other political part...