News ki dunya

The National Assembly Secretariat has shown 80 PTI MNAs as part of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in an updated list of the actual party positions in parliament’s lower house after accounting for the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict in the reserved seats’ case, it emerged on Friday. In July, the top court declared the PTI eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies, giving it a new lease on life in the legislature by declaring it a parliamentary party. The SC dealt a further major blow to the PML-N-led coalition government on Saturday, as it reprimanded the Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) for not implementing its July 12 judgement, further complicating the Shehbaz Sharif-led administration’s efforts to secure the required numbers to pass a controversial Constitutional Package related to the judiciary. The SC clarified that as per the position, 41 returned candidates, out of a total of 80 MNAs, would remain members ...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday said that President Asif Ali Zardari has signed off on the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Amendment Ordinance 2024 that amended the law to clip the top judge’s powers of bench formation, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. In October 2023, the Supreme Court had upheld the SC (Practice & Procedure) Act, 2023 which was formulated to regulate the affairs of the top court. The law, which was passed by parliament in April 2023, states that a three-member bench, comprising the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the two senior-most judges of the apex court, will decide whether or not to take up a matter suo motu. Previously, this was solely the prerogative of the CJP. Additionally, it adds to the review jurisdiction of the top court, giving the right to file an appeal within 30 days of the judgement in suo motu cases. The law was seen by the petitioners as an attempt by the government to curtail the chief justice’s powers....

The United Nations has awarded two Pakistani female peacekeepers with the Gender Advocacy Award for their “outstanding performance”, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ISPR said the awards were presented to Major Sania Safdar, part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus, and Major Komal Masood, who served in the Central African Republic, “for their outstanding performance and commitment in promoting the ideals of UN”. The accolades were presented by the under-secretary general in the UN’s Department for Peace Operations at its New York headquarters. “While serving in [an] international environment, both officers demonstrated exceptional professionalism [and] dedication,” the ISPR noted. It added that the two peacekeepers “made [a] significant contribution to Mission’s Peace and Stability efforts, especially with regards to advancing women’s meaningful participation in Peacekeeping Operations within the ...

QUETTA: A Levies official lost his life in Quetta on Thursday night, while separate incidents of violence were reported in two areas of Balochistan. Officials said unknown armed men opened fire at the Levies official near Sar­iab Customs post. He was martyred him on the spot. The victim was identified as Karim Bakhsh. Meanwhile, unidentified attackers fired three rockets at a security agency’s office in Noshki, but they landed and exploded away from the target, causing no damage. In a separate incident, a grenade attack targeted the Motorway Police office in Mastung, exploding in the backyard. The blast shattered windowpanes and damaged doors and windows. No casualties were reported. Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2024 http://dlvr.it/TDSt6J

LAHORE: Former president Arif Alvi met Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday, two days prior to planned and much-trumpeted Lahore public meeting by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in a bid to enlist latter’s numerical support for it. A Jamaat insider, however, said neither the former president directly asked for it, nor the Jamaat promised. However, both sides know the larger political picture and the critical importance of public meeting for the PTI and its chief. Both sides claimed to have spent much time on the government’s proposed constitutional package and the current political situation in the meeting at Mansoora and later spoke to the media waiting outside where Hafiz Naeemur Rehman firmly rejected the proposed amendment and urged all opposition parties to get united and do the same. He criticised the government’s handling of the process, stating that this is not the appropriate time for such amendments, and that the government lacks the pub...

A team of 60 medical professionals in the Turkish capital Ankara successfully separated 11-month-old conjoined twins from Pakistan after complex, two-stage operations lasting some 14 hours. The twin girls, Mirha and Minal, were born in Pakistan with their heads fused. Unable to find suitable treatment, the family’s plea for help caught the attention of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After being contacted by renowned London-based pediatric neurosurgeon Owase Jeelani, Erdogan assured Jeelani that the babies’ treatment would be carried out in Turkiye. The twins arrived in Ankara this May and were placed under close medical supervision at Bilkent City Hospital. The separation was done in two stages. The surgical team was led by Dr Jeelani, along with Turkish physicians Dr Harun Demirci and Dr Hasan Murat Ergani. The final 14-hour operation took place on July 19, successfully separating the twins, who were conjoined at the skull. Dr Aziz Ahmet Surel, the hospital’s c...

The Sindh Excise Department on Thursday announced the launch of an online bidding process for premium number plates in platinum, gold, and silver categories. The press statement by the department said that the funds “raised will go towards building houses for flood victims in Sindh”, adding that the special portal will help “facilitate the bidding process”. In July, the first auction of premium number plates by the department was held, which included bidding for 40 number plates, earning the provincial government a total of Rs675.4 million. According to the statement issued today, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced a “major fundraising event” planned for October 12 in Karachi. The statement said that Memon also “emphasised the need for strict action against officers who neglect their duties in the fight against drugs”, highlighting the need for more resources from the anti-narcotics police to be “mobilised for a coordinated campaign against drug trafficking...