News ki dunya

• Ahead of PM’s visit, company wants financial close deadline extended till Sept 2027 • Seeks clarity about law for land procurement in AJK • $2.5bn Kohala project has been delayed by three years ISLAMABAD: Days before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in Beijing for a key visit, a Chinese company has demanded the revival of a hydropower project that has been delayed for around three years. The Chinese sponsors of the $2.5bn Kohala Hydro­power Project (KHPP) have raised a series of demands regarding the 1,124MW project planned to be built on River Jhelum in Azad Kashmir. Pakistan has been trying to revive the project, along with the 700MW Azad Pattan Hydropower project — also planned to be built in Azad Kashmir — as renewable energy projects were a key part of the China-Pakistan Econo­mic Corridor (CPEC) and Islamabad’s long term plan to use indigenous resources for power generation. The projects were delayed as China Export and Credit Insurance Cor­p...

The Balochistan government on Friday announced that two suspects were arrested in connection to the murder of seven labourers hailing from Punjab in the coastal town of Sarba­ndan. Earlier this month, seven barbershop workers were killed and one was injured in Surbandar, Gwadar, when unknown gunmen entered their residential quarters and opened fire on them while they were sleeping. The police said the victims belonged to different cities of south Punjab, including Khanewal, Mian Channu and Lodhran. Addressing a press conference in Quetta, Balochistan Home Minister Zia Ullah Langau said all institutions were tasked to apprehend the culprits. “I congratulate all our institutions who fulfilled their responsibility and the government’s orders with their efforts and we have arrested two killers of the Gwadar labourers,” he said. The home minister added: “Statements have been drawn from them which clearly show they were given orders … and guns and weapons have been seized from th...

Three men were arrested while 15 cases had been filed over multiple incidents of fires at the Margalla Hills, where dousing efforts were under way on Friday as well, officials said. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa — also the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman — confirmed the development in a post on X. “We will ensure all those responsible are held accountable. We are committed to protect[ing] our beautiful hills at any cost,” he asserted. Earlier today, the CDA had said more than 80 firefighters were engaged in efforts to control a fire at the renowned hills. The operation was “focused on the centre” after the blaze had been controlled from the sides, it specified in a post on X. According to CDA spokesperson Kamran Aslam, additional teams had departed to join the extinguishing efforts. Environment director Asif Majeed was monitoring the operation himself on the directives of CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa...

ویب ڈیسک: آئے دن مہنگائی اور بجلی روزبروز مہنگی ہونے سے عوام ذہنی پریشانی کا شکار ہو گئے ہیں۔ ایسے میں وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کی جانب سے 200 یونٹس استعمال کرنے والے صارفین کیلئے بجلی قیمت میں اضافہ نہ کرنے مزید پڑھیں The post 200 یونٹس استعمال کرنیوالے صارفین کیلئے بجلی قیمت میں اضافہ مسترد appeared first on Mashriq TV. http://dlvr.it/T7fC1G

Officer suspended over wheat scandal denies involvement http://dlvr.it/T7dkM1

Says federation is ‘serious’ in resolving issues of Sindh http://dlvr.it/T7dSjX

Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Babar Sattar has said that prima facie no state official was authorised to surveil citizens and anyone doing so or aiding such an endeavour would be “liable for offences”. The observation came in a written court order issued today (Thursday) for yesterday’s hearing on a case in connection with petitions filed last year by ex-premier Imran Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi and Najam Saqib, son of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, against alleged audio leaks. The IHC judge had earlier dismissed multiple petitions from different authorities requesting that he recuse himself from the case. The detailed court verdict of the April 29 hearing had said there was a “growing abhorrent practice” of using recusal requests accompanied by efforts to “scandalise the court and intimidate the judge into disqualifying himself/herself from hearing a matter, in which a party to the proceedings suspects that the outcome might not be to its liking”...

The top brass of Pakistan’s military vowed to comprehensively defeat the threat of what it termed “digital terrorism”, which aims to “induce despondency in the Pakistani nation and “sow discord among national institutions”. According to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the consensus was reached during the 83rd Formation Commanders’ Conference at the General Headquarters on Thursday. The annual conference, which discusses geostrategic dynamics and national security, was chaired by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir. Corps commanders, principal staff officers and all formation commanders were also in attendance. “The forum offered fatiha (prayers) and paid tribute to the supreme sacrifices of shuhadas (martyrs), including officers and men of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and citizens of Pakistan who laid their lives for the country’s safety, security, and sovereignty,” the military’s media wing said. According to the stat...

The Supreme Court on Thursday resumed hearing a case about changes in accountability laws, with the bench deciding not to live-stream the proceedings in a 4-1 ruling. A five-member bench — headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and including Justices Athar Minallah, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Hasan Azhar Rizvi — resumed hearing the case. The last hearing had turned out anticlimactic as ex-premier Imran Khan had appeared via video link but did not get a chance to speak as a petitioner in the matter. Earlier this month, the SC had ordered the federal and Punjab governments to facilitate Imran’s appearance before the court via video link from Adiala jail, where he is currently incarcerated. While the May 14 hearing had been broadcast live, the last one was not, with the reason remaining unclear. As per the court orders at the last hearing, Imran again appeared via video link today. The bench took a short break to mull whether to live-stre...

Defends his rulings in PTI's intra-party elections in letter to British High Commissioner http://dlvr.it/T7b913

Loan contingent upon granting preferred creditor status to the US Exim Bank http://dlvr.it/T7Zw57

The Lahore High Court (LHC) will hear on Thursday a petition by the PTI against the Punjab government’s pursuit of legal action against party founder Imran Khan and other party leaders. The high court will conduct the hearing tomorrow. Last week, the Punjab cabinet had approved a ‘fresh legal action’ (new cases) against Imran and other party leaders for their alleged involvement in manufacturing a ‘narrative of hate’ against state institutions, especially the army. “The Punjab cabinet has approved a legal action against former prime minister Imran Khan and his other party leaders for building hate-narrative against the state institutions,” Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari had told a presser after the cabinet meeting. Today, the PTI submitted a petition in the LHC against the Punjab government’s move through party leader Advocate Latif Khosa. The petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, named Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Punjab Home Secr...

PTI supporters, lawyers angry at Maneka's 'delaying tactics' assault him in and outside courtroom http://dlvr.it/T7Xykc

ویب ڈیسک: ضلع کرم کے وسطی شہر پاراچنار میں مضر صحت پاپڑ کھانے سے ایک بچہ جان بحق جبکہ اس کی والدہ سمیت بہن شدید متاثر ہیں جنہیں پشاور منتقل کر دیا گیا۔ پولیس زرائع کے مطابق واقعہ لوئر کرم مزید پڑھیں The post پاراچنار، مضر صحت پاپڑ کھانے سے ایک بچہ جاں بحق appeared first on Mashriq TV. http://dlvr.it/T7XrlQ

Economic load shedding to continue, says power minister http://dlvr.it/T7XcJf

Amid scorching temperatures, power shortfall reaches 5,319MW http://dlvr.it/T7XL67

Efforts are under way to extinguish a fire at the Noorpur range of Islamabad’s Margalla Hills as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to act swiftly to control the blaze. The incident follows two similar fires in hills’ Saidpur range yesterday, which were put out by firefighters after seven hours with the support of helicopters. Capital Development Authority (CDA) spokesperson Kamran Aslam said the fire occurred at Trail-3 of the Saidpur range, which had now been extinguished, but had spread towards Trail-5 of the Noorpur range. View this post on Instagram He added that CDA and wildlife department teams were busy extinguishing the blaze at Trail-5. Taking notice of the fire, PM Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to immediately mobilise and initiate operations to control it, state broadcaster PTV said on X. “The fire should be controlled before it spreads further. It must be ensured that no danger is posed to any human l...

Premier lauds Nawaz's efforts, pays tribute to nuclear program's founder ZA Bhutto http://dlvr.it/T7VL8b

Ex-PPP leader claims election rigging in NA-48, NA-47 http://dlvr.it/T7Tzxl

Tells IHC issue of enforced disappearances requires political solution http://dlvr.it/T7Tzjl

Mohenjo Daro scorches at near-record 52.2 degrees Celsius http://dlvr.it/T7Tk4Q

The body of a missing teenager was located on Monday from Margalla Hills Trail 5 in Islamabad after a lengthy search operation, police said. According to a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Islamabad police, the body was found in a ditch and arrangements were being made to retrieve it, the statement said. The city superintendent of police (SP) and the search team were present at the spot along with family members of the deceased, according to the police. “It seems as though the teenager lost his way and fell into the ditch after his foot slipped,” read the statement. “Further investigation is underway and a post-mortem of the body will be conducted to cover all aspects.” A first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed on the deceased’s mother’s request on Sunday afternoon at the Secretariat Police Station. According to the FIR, the teenager went for hiking on Trail 5 at 7am on Saturday with five of his ...

TAXILA: The Attock district administration imposed a livestock emergency after two persons died of Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Section 144 was imposed in the district, under which holding of cattle markets had been banned and inter-district movement of cattle prohibited for 10 days ahead of Eidul Azha. A meeting of the technical advisory committee, comprising all stakeholders, including officials of the local administration, health and livestock departmentswas held under the chair of Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza. It was decided to ban holding of cattle markets in Gondal in Attock, Domel, Jand and Gali Jageer in Fatehjang. Besides, a complete ban on the inter-district and inter-provincial movement of cattle would be ensured. Later, Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza, along with assistant commissioner Hassanabdal, paid a surprise visit to the livestock department checkpost on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Punjab border at Jehri Kass on Hazara Road and monitored the p...

Acting president Gilani, Planning Minister Iqbal urge opposition to shun street protests http://dlvr.it/T7RdFp

Sindh’s environment watchdog warns healthcare facilities’ administrators of action http://dlvr.it/T7Rd0r

• Wants to ‘accommodate its supporters’ as chairmen • PM urged to allocate funds for flood-hit Sindh • Qatar, Kuwait emirs accept invitations to visit Pakistan ISLAM­ABAD/KARA­CHI: The PPP, a key ally of the PML-N-led coalition government in Centre, has demanded a bigger share of the pie of parliamentary committees and more federal money for Sindh, a party source told Dawn. The party — which agreed to support the federal government in the National Assembly and Senate without seeking any ministries — insisted on chairing more committees in the two houses than its due share as per its seats. The fresh demands were made by senior PPP leadership during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday. The PM “has assured us to look into all proposals”, claimed the PPP source privy to the discussions. The source added that as per the number of its seats, PPP would get to chair 11 standing committees, “but it wants 12”. Currently, the party has 24 seats in the upp...

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani have agreed to visit Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday. According to the report, the development came during two separate meetings Shehbaz held in Islamabad with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi and Qatar’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater. “In his meeting with the prime minister, the Kuwaiti ambassador presented a letter from the emir of Kuwait expressing his intention to visit Pakistan on mutually agreed dates,” the report said. After receiving the letter, the premier highlighted his recent interaction with the Kuwait emir on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s special meeting in Riyadh last month. According to the report, PM Shehbaz also expressed satisfaction that upcoming meeting of the Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission would take p...

Shehbaz Sharif reiterates Pakistan's commitment to strengthening cooperation for mutual benefit http://dlvr.it/T7Q0f3

Naqvi directs WAPDA, KP police, Islamabad police to prepare comprehensive plan jointly http://dlvr.it/T7Pmsr

PM says federating units trust highest body on investment http://dlvr.it/T7Pmdn

LAHORE: Police rescued a Christian man from enraged mobsters, who wanted to lynch him, and attacked homes of some other members of the minority community in Sargodha on allegations of desecration of Holy Quran on Saturday, the provincial police chief said. The incident took place when some residents of the Mujahid Colony fou­nd burned pages near an electric pole and the houses of the Christian family. The residents include Irfan Gondal, his father Ayyub Gondal, TLP activists Ikram, Sjawal Butt and Manzar who called other residents and alleged that a 74-year-old man from the minority community and his sons had recovered the pages of the holy book from a box and set them on fire. People gathered and knocked on the door of the suspected man. When he came out, the mobsters started thrashing him with kicks and fists and hurled stones at him. The mob swelled and set a shoe shop of the Christian family on fire and tried to enter their house after damaging the walls and d...

ISLAMABAD: A significant number of officials have been working at their posts without any repercussions as the Capital Development Authority has failed to wrap up more than 200 inquiries, with some pending for almost three years. The issue of the delay in the probe also raises a major question mark on the efficiency of the anti-corruption mechanism of the civic agency, which is imperative for good governance and building deterrence against such practices. Sources told Dawn that as many as 200 inquiries related to various directorates — the estate wing, land, engineering, environment, planning, and building control among others — have been pending, with the land directorate and the estate wing atop the list. These departments deal with residential and commercial plots. Likewise, there are a number of inquiries regarding the allotment of plots on the basis of “bogus documents”, causing loss to the national exchequer. CDA officials told Dawn that there was a need to expedite the ...

CM orders investigation into check post harassment claims http://dlvr.it/T7MzY5

Instead of the party’s secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town, the meeting will be organised at hotel in the city http://dlvr.it/T7MzGm

No dice with foreign lenders unless all exemptions are axed first, PM briefed http://dlvr.it/T7Mysj

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected a fresh order by the Indian Sup­reme Court, which upheld its earlier ruling that endorsed the Modi government’s unilateral decision to revoke the special status of held Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution. “We reject the fresh order of the Indian Sup­reme Court just as we had rejected the earlier order of December 11, 2023. Two verdicts fail to recognise the internationally recognised disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir... Indian Supreme Court judgments cannot distract the international community’s attention from the gross and systemic human rights violation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mum­taz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing. She said Kashmiris had an inalienable right to self-determination as enshri­ned in the UN Security Council’s resolutions. India has no right to make unilateral decisions on the status of disputed territory against the will of partie...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday approached Inspector General of Islamabad Police (IGP) against 35 officials who raided the central office of the party on Wednesday . The application, filed by President PTI Islamabad Amir Mughal and available with Dawn, stated that on Wednesday around 35 officials of the Islamabad police entered in the office of the PTI without having warrants, and in the presence of a United Nations delegation, which was holding a meeting with the PTI leadership. “I was in the meeting room. We demanded search warrants from SHO Naeem but he misbehaved and said that there was no need to show the search warrant. Other officers who entered the building included SP Khanzeb, DSP Khalid Awan, SHO Khurram and others,” he said. Mr Mughal said that the CCTV footage of the incident was available and can be provided. He has requested the IGP to take strict action against the police officials. PTI spokesperson denounced the raid by the Islamabad po...

KARACHI: Sindh Assembly on Thursday was informed that there was an acute shortage of specialised doctors in government hospitals as the postgraduate medical practitioners preferred to go abroad or work in the private sector due to ‘meagre’ salaries offered by the provincial government. Furnishing a statement and replies to the legislators’ written and oral queries, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho informed the thinly-attended house that the shortage of specialised doctors persisted across the globe and a large number of postgraduate doctors were leaving for the United States, Europe and Middle East where they were offered lucrative packages. To a verbal question by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan member Muhammad Dilawar on behalf of Opposition Leader Ali Khurshedi, she said that the doctors working in the government hospitals were not allowed to carry out private practice, but it was all the more difficult to refrain them from it. Dr Pechuho said that the postgraduat...

Purpose of the IMF visit was to gauge Pakistan’s budget preparations http://dlvr.it/T7KGLw

CDA officials say an additional floor was constructed in violation of building bylaws http://dlvr.it/T7JqG2

Senior journalist Naveed Hussain argues defamation law contradicts democratic norms http://dlvr.it/T7JXBt

Gen Munir also witnesses a demonstration on urban warfare and inspected different training facilities, says ISPR http://dlvr.it/T7JWtR

ISLAMABAD: A user-friendly mobile app ‘Humqadam’ was launched here on Tuesday with an aim to assist more than one-third of the country’s women who face physical and emotional violence. Developed by a civil society organisation Shirkat Gah — Women’s Resource Centre in collaboration with the National Commission of Status on Women (NCSW) and with the technical support from Lums, the app connects survivors with legal and other services. The project has been funded by the UN Trust Fund. The speakers at the ceremony appreciated the launch of the app, terming the move “timely and much needed”. They, however, lamented the lax implementation of relevant laws, the absence of integrated data, and persistent negative cultural norms that allow impunity for violence against women. Speaking on the occasion, NCSW Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar said there was a need to re-prioritise policies concerning women, which had been on the backburner for quite some time. She said Sindh, Punjab and Khyber...

The Judicial Activism Panel (JAP), a self-styled public interest forum based in Lahore, on Wednesday urged the Punjab government to reconsider the recently passed Punjab Defamation Bill, 2024, calling it “draconian”, “illogical” and a “violation of the judgments of the superior courts.” On Monday, the Punjab Assembly passed the bill, rejecting all amendments proposed by the opposition amid protests by the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council and journalists covering parliamentary proceedings. The SIC members tore apart copies of the bill after the House passed it through a voice vote. Vetted by the Special Committee-1 in the absence of standing committees, the bill was tabled by Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman after the PML-N government refused to delay voting on the bill, even for a week, at the request of journalists. On the occasion, the press gallery members walked out of the assembly to boycott the proceedings. They rejected the bill as a “curb on free media...

ISLAMABAD: The medical reimbursement limit on treatment of capital police personnel from private hospitals has conditionally been increased by 100 per cent. Besides, a committee has been constituted to consider the cases of medial reimbursement beyond the limit. The police said earlier the medical reimbursement limit for treatment from private hospital was Rs250,000 which has now been increased to Rs500,000. The reimbursement limit was increased under the directives of Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, the police said, adding the IGP also constituted a committee to consider the cases of medical reimbursement beyond the limit. In this regard, an order was also issued from the office of the IGP stating that the medical reimbursement limit had been increased from Rs250,000 to Rs500,000 on treatment from private hospitals subject to availability of budget and completion of codal formalities. Moreover, the IGP also constituted a five-member committee to consider ...