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PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Azam Khan on Wednesday directed cabinet members and administrative secretaries to identify corruption cases in their respective departments and initiate appropriate actions against those involved in corrupt practices. During a cabinet meeting here, the chief minister also said the financial crisis and law and order were the province’s two major challenges. He said as its top priority, his government would make all-out efforts to improve the law and order situation. Mr Khan said the province was financially depending on the federal government as more than 90 per cent of its revenue came from various federal receipts, Declares financial crisis, law and order major challenges He said as per the current population, the province’s share in National Finance Commission Award was 19 per cent but it received 14.6 per cent share only, read a statement issued from the chief minister’s secretariat. Mr Khan said ...

KARACHI: A rise in air pollution in Pakistan, particularly in highly polluted urban centres, could lead to a potential reduction of up to four years in life expectancy, according to the latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report. The annual report from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute indicates that those living in cities such as Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Peshawar could stand to lose up to four years of their lives. As per the index, which quantifies the influence of air pollution on life expectancy, particulate pollution stands as the second most significant peril to public health in Pakistan, with cardiovascular diseases being the primary concern. The rise in the pollution will also increase the occurrence of several mental health disorders like chronic anxiety, seasonal depression and mood sicknesses, the report predicts. AQLI report classifies Bangladesh as top polluted country; New Delhi emerges as ‘most polluted megacity’ On a ...

Campaign starting today aims to discourage use of formula milk http://dlvr.it/SvK2Ld

ISLAMABAD: The Islam­abad High Court Bar Associ­ation (IHCBA) on Sunday condemned the ongoing “malicious campaign circulating on social media targeting the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Justice Aamer Farooq”. A statement issued by IHCBA president Naveed Malik stated that the bar strongly condemned the ongoing malicious campaign circulating on social media against the IHC chief justice, although it did not mention anyone as responsible for it. The ministry of law, as reported by PPI, held the PTI responsible for the campaign. Justice Farooq, who has been hearing Imran Khan’s appeal against the trial court’s decision that convicted the PTI chairman in the Toshakhana case, was recently accused by the former prime minister of trying to keep the petitioner behind bars to prevent him from contesting general elections. The chief justice is scheduled to hear the final arguments on Monday (today). The IHCBA statement noted, “Justice Farooq, renowned for his unwaveri...

Six people — including two women — died and five were injured when a passenger van fell off a bridge while travelling on the route connecting the Thakot area of Battagram to Hazara Motorway in Mansehra — which was constructed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — on Saturday, according to a Rescue 1122 official. Hafeezur Rehman, Rescue 1122’s district emergency officer in Mansehra, told Dawn.com that the van was heading from Battagram’s Allai tehsil to Mansehra. The accident took place in Mansehra’s Hathimera area when the vehicle’s driver “lost control of the steering wheel”, he said, adding that 13 people were in the van. The official said a rescue team reached the site after the accident and pulled out dead bodies and the injured from a ditch the bus had fallen in. The bodies and the injured were taken to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital in Mansehra, he added. Hafeez said families of the deceased and the injured were informed of the accident and that the bodies ...

ISLAMABAD: In contrast to allegations levelled by Imran Khan against Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Justice Aamer Farooq of having a “deep and settled bias”, the record shows the PTI chief got relief in all three dozen petitions heard by Justice Farooq. According to the IHC record, Justice Farooq has heard 36 petitions of Mr Khan since May. Initially, the IHC CJ issued a stay order on May 14 against the proceeding of Toshakhana case, which was reversed in July. He also stayed the trial proceedings in two other cases on May 12. In 16 petitions, the IHC CJ overruled the administrative objections raised by the registrar’s office on petitions seeking transitory bail in the cases registered in other provinces. He also granted bail to Mr Khan in all these cases against nominal surety bonds. CJ Farooq has heard 36 pleas by PTI chief since May, issuing stay orders and giving relief multiple times Justice Farooq restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)...

RAWALPINDI: The National Logistics Corporation (NLC) has said that the border terminal at the Gabd-Rimdan crossing with Iran will benefit the local people by creating employment opportunities and boost trade through formal means. The Iranian government has already set up a terminal on the Gabd-Rimdan border with latest facilities, said an NLC statement on Thursday. However, there is no check on flow of trade on the Pakistani side due to lack of such facilities and infrastructure. It was against this backdrop that NLC was approached by the Federal Board of Revenue to establish a border terminal at Gabd, it added. Currently, trade through the border crossing is largely being conducted through informal or semi-formal channels leading to smuggling, under-invoicing, unreliable weight estimates, and incorrect vehicle tallies, which undermine the revenue. The new terminal will address these issues, the NLC added. “The local populace will gain significantly from this facility...

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A policeman was martyred and a civilian and a bank security guard were injured when robbers opened fire at them while trying to loot a bank in Tank district here on Wednesday. DSP headquarters Rasheed Khan told reporters that unknown robbers attempted to loot a bank in the Tank city. He said the armed robbers opened fire on the policeman and a security guard stationed outside the building, killing the constable, Riaz Gul, and injuring the guard and a civilian. DSP Rasheed said the robbers fled the scene after the incident. He said the martyred policeman and the injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Tank. Upon receiving information of the incident, a contingent of police reached the spot, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation for the fleeing robbers. Meanwhile, a driver and his assistant died when an oil tanker crashed against a roadside hillock due to brake failure here on Wednesday. Rescue 1122 spokesman Aizaz Meh...

ISLAMABAD: The controversy which started from President Arif Alvi’s tweet regarding the ‘dubious’ assent to two bills transformed into a crisis after it emerged that bureaucrats were hesitant to be posted to the Presidency, sources told Dawn. The president is said to be facing a virtual “revolt-like situation” as senior bureaucrats were unwilling to take up the post of the president’s principal secretary (PS), sources said on Tuesday. The atmosphere in the Presidency has become so tense that no officer was ready to become the president’s PS, the source added. There is also a sense of anger and anxiousness among bureaucrats over the president’s move to replace his PS, Waqar Ahmed. They believe he “was made a scapegoat” by the president for not returning the two bills within the prescribed period of ten days. Officials miffed at colleague’s removal; Humera Ahmed turns down offer to be posted as Alvi’s principal secretary The reluctance among the bureaucrats became a...

Parents say police not lodging complaint, demand Sindh caretaker chief minister to immediately recover daughter http://dlvr.it/Sv0Glr

ISLAMABAD: As the Election Commission moves to redraw constituencies based on the latest census, the monitoring group Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) has urged the electoral watchdog to strictly ensure each constituency has roughly the same number of residents. The delimitation of constituencies follows recent amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, including the insertion of a new proviso to Section 20(3), which now does not require the ECP to “strictly adhere” to the existing district boundaries if doing so causes the variance in the population of constituencies of an assembly to surpass 10 per cent. Fafen said such measures were necessary to hold fair elections, as required under Article 218(3) of the Constitution. It said unequal constituencies also violated the spirit of the constitutionally guaranteed equality of citizens before the law under Article 25. The group said the new proviso had neutralised the requirement in Section 20(1), which compelled the Elec...

LONDON/LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif arrived in London late Sunday evening, Dawn has learnt. The former premier departed from Lahore on a Qatar Airways flight, and landed at Heathrow after a short stopover in Doha. Reports suggest Mr Shahbaz is here to meet his elder brother, the party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, and discuss key political developments in the run-up to the general election. In a post shared on X (Twitter), Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed that the PML-N president would meet party’s supreme leader during his stay in the UK. The return of Mr Nawaz and the status of the cases he is embroiled in are likely to come up in the meeting, and the two brothers are expected to set a date for the party supremo’s return to Pakistan. Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2023 http://dlvr.it/StxTgh

Four British climbers rescued from Concordia range, while Polish climber and his local guide rescued from Shigar http://dlvr.it/StvSwB

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal government on Friday made a massive reshuffle in the top bureaucracy and transferred more than two dozen officials, presently serving in grade 21-22, apparently on a directive of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). A source in the Prime Minister Office (PMO) confirmed to Dawn that the reshuffle was made on the ECP directives. With the latest move, it is likely that the provincial interim governments, too, will follow the ECP’s instructions. In such case, posting and transfers on a large scale are expected in all provinces over the next two days. “To ensure immediate termination of services of all heads of the institutions appointed on a political basis and to send all such cases to the Commission for approval of termination or otherwise,” said an ECP notification issued on Aug 15. Some of the key officials are chief secretaries of Sindh and Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as chief commissioner of Islamabad and cabinet divisio...

A view of the charred Catholic Church in Christian Colony where the violence started on Wednesday.—M. Arif / White Star TOBA TEK SINGH/LAHORE: Punjab police on Thursday arrested at least 140 alleged miscreants, including two prime suspects, and registered five cases a day after violence targeting the Christian community in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad left over 20 churches and over a dozen homes in ruins. The FIRs registered with the Jaranwala City police included Section 295 (desecration of a worship place) and Section 295-A (hurting religious feelings) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act had also been inserted in the FIRs besides other sections related to attacking, burning and damaging properties of the Christian community. Those arrested by the police included main suspect Muhammad Yasin, identified through a video in which he was seen making an announcement on loudspeakers of mosques to incite Muslims against the religious minority, urging the...

ISLAMABAD: To protect the public from falling into debt traps of illegal loan apps, around 120 illegal loan apps that were previously available on Google Play and Apple stores. The measures was taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), in collaboration with Google, Apple, and the Pakistan Telecomm­unication Autho­rity (PTA), in view of the recent proliferation of illegal personal loan apps, raising concerns of misuse, data privacy violations and coercive recovery practices. According to the SECP, it has not only strengthened its regulatory framework for licensed Non-Banking Fina­nce Comp­anies (NBFCs), but has also taken effective measures in coordination with relevant authorities to shut down unauthorised and illegal loan apps. Through vigilant surveillance and complaints recei­ved via the SECP’s dedicated complaint site, the regulator identified 120 unlawfully operating personal loan apps. It promptly reported these apps to Google, Apple, and...

ISLAMABAD: Over a dozen bills will hang in limbo for an indefinite period after being returned by President Dr Arif Alvi for reconsideration of the parliament. The returned bills had been passed by both houses of parliament at the fag end of the PML-N-led government’s term, and their fate will be decided after general elections when a new National Assembly is in place. These bills include the Code of Criminal Proce­dure amendment bill seeking to enhance punishment for those who disrespect the Holy Prophet (PBUH), his companions and other religious figures. The other returned bills include Press, News­papers, News Agencies and Books Registration amendment bill, seeking to replace the word ‘federal government’ wherever occurring in the law with ‘Prime Minister’; the protection of Journalists and Media Professionals bill, seeking to transfer implementation of protection of journalists from Ministry of Human Rights to the Ministry of Information; and the National Commission for Human...

ISLAMABAD: Less than a week after the dissolution of the National Assembly to pave for general elections, PML-N Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz has sprung into action, galvanising supporters to prepare for polls which “will not take too long”. She had kept a low profile for the past couple of months and instead kept herself busy in party affairs along with her father Nawaz Sharif whom she visited and stayed with in Dubai last month. As elections approach, her focus is on the party’s youth wing – which she has been trying to rejuvenate since taking over the party chief organiser’s office. In Islamabad on Tuesday, she held a meeting of the ‘youth wing’ of the party, with a particular aim to revitalise the former ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the meeting, interviews were held for the nomination of the youth coordinators in seven KP districts wherein nominees were considered from Bannu, Hazara, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand, and Kohat ...

President, PM urge nation to follow Quaid’s golden principles http://dlvr.it/Stg0g6

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2023, which was passed last week by parliament, elevates and strengthens the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) from a toothless letter-writing body to a fundraising and penalty-imposing organisation against violations of environmental laws. The legal framework in aid of biological diversity and statutory deficiencies was exactly what the board needed to become more empowered, to stop illegal activities in the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). “Many thanks to Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, for saving Margallah Hills National Park. As a true nature lover, she valiantly fought for us. The Act is a gift to the people of the twin cities,” the chairperson of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) Rina Saeed Khan stated on X (formerly Twitter). “Passing the bill will provide for the protection, preservation and management of nature in the Islamabad Capital Territory. It will now...

RAWALPINDI: Even though some shopkeepers did have fire extinguishers, there was no fire sprinkler system installed in the commercial building, Gulf Centre, to save lives and property, extinguish a fire, or keep it under control long enough for firefighters to arrive. Additionally, there was no fire alarm system installed in commercial buildings to detect and alert emergency services of the presence of smoke, fire or other fire-related emergencies. A major fire broke out in the commercial building on July 29 causing damage to more than 40 shops, offices and warehouses located on the second floor, partially damaging the two adjacent commercial buildings and killing a young worker (tailor) by suffocation. The ill-fated day was Ashura when the fire engulfed the commercial building that once housed a boutique, tailoring shops, warehouse and offices. The mobile phone services were suspended in some areas – including Rehmanabad and adjacent areas which delayed the emergency response. ...

President Alvi approves appointment of Kakar as caretaker premier http://dlvr.it/StZcwb

Riaz says he would deliberate further with PM Shehbaz on names exchanged with each other http://dlvr.it/StXpQz

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) has observed that the National Assembly dissolved days before completion of its term has left democracy almost as vulnerable in the country as it was when it was elected on July 25, 2018. “The National Assembly and our elected representatives have allowed themselves to be used to weaken instead of strengthening democracy in the five-year tenure,” it said in an analysis of performance of 15th National Assembly, without mentioning the hasty passage of controversial bills like official Secrets Act Amendment bill. The 15th National Assembly passed a total of 279 pieces of legislation in five years with the latest flurry of hasty legislation undermining basic tenets of constitutional scheme of democracy and human rights. The legislative activity in the 15th National Assembly witnessed an increase of 45 per cent over the 192 laws passed during the 14th National Assembly. The 15th National A...

LAKKI MARWAT: A policeman accompanying a polio team was martyred when unidentified miscreants targeted him in Miryan area of Bannu district on Wednesday, an official said. He said lower head constable (LHC) Kamran Khan was on the security duty with polio workers in Akhundkhel area when he came under the attack. The official said Kamran received serious bullet wounds and was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. Later, the body was taken to the Iqbal Shaheed Police Lines for offering funeral prayers after completing medico-legal formalities in the hospital. Divisional commissioner Parweiz Sabatkhel, regional police officer Qasim Ali Khan, district police officer Iftekhar Shah, relatives of the deceased and people from different walks of life attended the funeral. Police and civil administration officials placed floral wreaths on his coffin and paid tributes to him for offering supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Later, the martyred cop was laid to rest at a ...

QUETTA: Balochistan University hostels have been vacated with the institution closed for an indefinite period on Tuesday after clashes between students belonging to two organisations. The groups clashed over a dispute on Monday, leaving at least eight people injured from both sides, according to officials. The police arrived on the campus after the clashes to defuse the situation and the injured were moved to the Civil Hospital for treatment. The administration has announced to close the university till further order and asked the male students to vacate hostels.An official notification issued by the registrar stated that after the clashes within the premises, all academic activities have been called off and the university will remain closed till further orders. Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2023 http://dlvr.it/StPFqj

Minister says recently first convocation of the University of Narowal was held, which had been delayed for years http://dlvr.it/StLcCv

KARACHI: Following the tragic and unfortunate derailment of the Hazara Express in Nawabshah, there was chaos and confusion witnessed at the Cantonment Railway Station, where passengers waited to board their trains, which were just not moving. The trains were all awaiting signal to depart as traffic on the railway tracks was held up. All the trains to reach Karachi as well as departing from Karachi were delayed. All the platforms had passengers waiting with their luggage, tired and miserable children and elderly family members. Some elderly passengers were also in wheelchairs. All the platforms benches had also been taken after which the passengers just sat down on the floor while also guarding their luggage. Not knowing when traffic will be restored some decided to dig into their tiffin boxes to eat the food they had packed with them to have while travelling. Many of them were on the phone informing relatives about the situation, telling them that they were fine. By evening the...

Islamabad trial court hands 3-year prison term; PTI chief taken to Attock Jail via motorway http://dlvr.it/StGFp1

PESHAWAR: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the nation was not satisfied with the results of past military operations in the tribal areas and suggested that, rather than targeting innocent people, state institutions should sit down with politicians to hammer out a solution. The JUI-F emir was addressing a press conference after convening a grand tribal jirga on Friday, days after a deadly suicide attack on his party’s convention in Bajaur left 63 persons dead and scores more injured. According to the declaration, the gathering expressed concerns over recent terrorist attacks and demanded action against the culprits. “The jirga demands effective steps to restore law and order,” said Mr Rehman while reading out the declaration. The jirga was attended by Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) head Mahmood Khan Achakzai, PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Awami National Party General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and others political leader...

LHC’s Rawalpindi registry had declared detention of four PTI leaders including Afridi as ‘illegal’ http://dlvr.it/StB3CS

KHYBER: Two soldiers embraced martyrdom and three others sustained injuries in a militant attack in Tirah valley of district Khyber. Though there was no official word about the incident till filing of this report, local sources said that a mobile bomb disposal party was came under attack with automatic weapons in Thund locality, some seven kilometres from Bagh-Maidan Markaz of the valley. Sources said that the armed ambush left two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel martyred while three others sustained injuries. The site of the incident is also near the Dwa Thoey military check post, an entry point to the valley where a thorough checking of every passenger is carried out prior to their entry into the valley. Sources said security forces stationed in the region immediately started a search operation with the unidentified militants disappearing in the nearby forested hills. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility of the attack while no official state...

ویب ڈیسک: باجوڑ دھماکے کے زخمیوں کی عیادت کیلئے مولانا فضل الرحمان کا دورہ ایل آر ایچ، ذرائع کے مطابق سربراہ جمیعت علماء اسلام مولانا فضل الرحمان نے باجوڑ دھماکے کے زخمیوں کی عیادت کیلئے پشاور کے بڑے تدریسی ہسپتال مزید پڑھیں The post مولانا فضل الرحمان کا دورہ ایل آر ایچ، زخمیوں کی عیادت کی appeared first on Mashriq TV. http://dlvr.it/St4mNt

BAJAUR: People carry the coffin of a victim of Sunday’s suicide blast at a JUI-F rally, to the graveyard for burial.—Reuters BAJAUR / KHAR: The so-called Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group on Monday claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at a JUI-F political gathering, as the toll from the tragedy rose to 54, including 23 minors. According to Counter Terrorism Depart­ment (CTD) Additional Inspe­ctor General Shaukat Abbas, at least 83 people were hurt in the attack, while Dr Naseeb Gul of Khar DHQ hospital feared that the toll might rise further, since some of the injured were still in very critical condition. The AIG told Dawn: “We have collected the evidence, identified the group and we are waiting for the forensic report.” According to APP, AIG Abbas told reporters the convention began at 2pm on Sunday and the explosion occurred two hours later. IS-Khorasan claims responsibility; police register FIR against ‘unknown’ suspects He said statements of the injured...