Pakistan News

A policeman and four labourers were killed and two others were injured in an attack on a police station in Balochistan’s Turbat on Wednesday. Confirming the development to Dawn.com , Kech District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Baloch said “around 20 miscreants” attacked the Naseerabad Police Station in the early hours of Wednesday. He said constables Essa and Hassan tried to engage the attackers but the former was martyred during the exchange of fire. “Constable Hassan was overpowered and the weapons of both the policemen were snatched.” DPO Baloch added that a heavy contingent of police reached the scene and began a search operation. He said the Counter Terrorism Department had joined the investigation. The police official disclosed that labourers spend the night at the police station for security reasons. A similar attack was conducted on Oct 14, in which unidentified gunmen fatally shot six labourers and left several wounded in the Kech district. Turbat is the administrative c...

The Sup­reme Court is hearing the first-ever intra-court appeals (ICAs) against its Sept 15 majority judgment that decla­r­ed amendments to the accountability laws as illegal. The larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and including Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi took up two ICAs — one filed by the federal government and the other by former SSGCL managing director Zuhair Ahmed Siddiqui. The five-judge SC bench took up the ICAs in line with its Oct 11 short order in which the PDM government-made law to regulate the affairs of the top court — namely the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 — was upheld. On Oct 26, the Supreme Court had also issued a circular for the information of all concerned that any appeal filed in the top court against the decisions taken on petitions moved under Article 184(3) of the Constitution should be moved in the form of ICA. T...

The Philadelphia 76ers have traded disgruntled guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers , ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday. The Clippers acquired the 10-time All-Star in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin and draft picks. Along with Harden, Los Angeles also acquired forwards PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev from the 76ers. In a corresponding move after bringing in the four new players, the 76ers waived veteran guard Danny Green to make room on their roster. As for the draft picks that the 76ers will acquire, Wojnarowski reports that they’ll receive an unprotected 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks and a pick swap. They’ll also receive an additional first-rounder from a third team that has yet to be named. Though the return for the 76ers brings in a haul of depth pieces, they come with questions surrounding their age and ability at this point in their careers. Morris, 34, has yet to play a game for the Clipper...

LAS VEGAS — It always evens out in the end.  The Montreal Canadiens came to Las Vegas after bad beating the Winnipeg Jets to extend their record to 5-2-1 on the season. They allowed 45 shots on net in that game, forced Jake Allen to be otherworldly, and they stole two points in the standings from their Canadian rivals. Now the Canadiens are leaving Sin City having left a point on the board, despite dominating the reigning Stanley Cup Champions for long portions of Monday’s game. But from a process standpoint, this experience was exponentially richer than one gained Saturday against the Jets, even if the results suggest otherwise. Coach Martin St. Louis always says he doesn’t want the outcomes to blur reality and that his team should remain honest in its self-assessment regardless of the outcome, and if the Canadiens are being honest with themselves about the last two games, there was more for them to build on in this 3-2 shootout loss to the Golden Knights than there was in the...

India’s foreign minister on Monday said the country would “make all efforts” to secure the release of eight ex-navy personnel sentenced to death by a court in Qatar, reportedly for spying for Israel. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he had met the families of the detained Indians and told them the government “attaches the highest importance” to their case. Indian media report the eight — among them former high-ranking and decorated officers, including captains who once commanded warships — were arrested in Doha in August 2022. In a post on social media, Jaishankar said that he fully shared “the concerns and pain of the families”, and that the “government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release”. Qatar has not commented on the case and the charges have not been made public. India’s navy chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, told reporters on Monday that “every effort” was being made by the government to “get relief for our personnel”. The sentences were only reve...

With only a day to go until the government’s deadline for illegal immigrants to leave Pakistan expires, the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday said that the decision to expel such individuals was in exercise of the country’s domestic laws and “compliant with applicable international norms and principles”. The statement was issued in response to the Of­­fice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which had called on the Pakistani government to “suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals before it is too late to avoid a human rights catastrophe”. While the government’s decision had prompted criticism from Afghanistan , Pakistan has said that it is not aimed at any particular ethnic group. “We call on them to continue providing protection to those in need and ensure that any fut­ure returns are safe, dignified and voluntary, and fully consistent with int­ernational law,” OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Sha­­mdasani said in a sta­tement from Geneva on Friday. “W...

Under-invoicing solar panels and bags filled with cash to move dollars informally are so last century. There are more high-tech ways to remit money across borders without alerting the authorities, and one such way is through cryptocurrencies. The new hawala/hundi guy is stablecoins like Tether (commonly known as USDT). Stablecoins are different from regular free-floating cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin in that they seek to ensure price stability within the crypto-verse. Their goal is to maintain a constant value, regardless of wider crypto market fluctuations, and are often pegged to different assets such as fiat currency. USDT is the most popular stablecoin, and it is pegged to the value of the US dollar. So whether the dollar to PKR exchange rate is at Rs250 or Rs350, a single unit of USDT will always be worth $1. Locals can use rupees to buy USDT to buy Bitcoin. In this case, think of USDT as a token at a university cafeteria: you use rupees to buy a token, which you present a...

At least 13 people were killed and around 50 injured when two trains collided in southeast India, officials said on Monday, updating an earlier toll of eight. The accident occurred late on Sunday after one of the passenger trains overshot a signal between the towns of Alamanda and Kantakapalle in Andhra Pradesh state. A preliminary investigation found that “human error” had led to the collision, the railway ministry said in a statement. “Thirteen passengers have been killed and 50 others are injured. Rescue operations are going on,” top local government official Nagalakshmi S. told reporters. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken with the country’s railway minister about the “unfortunate” derailment. “Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected,” Modi wrote on social media. India has one of the world’s largest rail networks and has seen several disasters over the years, the worst in 1981 when a train derailed while crossing a bri...

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks have evolved so much, so quickly, that the 72 hours between their game Saturday night and the next one on Tuesday will be filled across the city with angry talk about how the home team was robbed by referees in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers . Before this season, all that outrage and despair was generally channelled towards the team itself, which didn’t need much help from officials or anyone else in order to lose National Hockey League games. On Saturday, a too-many-players penalty to Canuck Dakota Joshua while his team was already shorthanded led to the Rangers’ second five-on-three goal of the game and another power-play marker 63 seconds later as New York turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. And after Carson Soucy ’s slapshot tied it for Vancouver with 4:18 remaining, K’Andre Miller won it for New York on a two-on-one in overtime after Canuck Elias Pettersson turned over the puck when tripped skate-on-skate by Ranger Chris Kreid...

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — American hockey player Adam Johnson, who appeared in 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has died after a “freak accident” during a game in England on Saturday, his club said. The 29-year-old Minnesota native was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered a slashed neck during the second period of the game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. “The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night,” the team said Sunday morning. “The Panthers would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Adam’s family, his partner, and all his friends at this extremely difficult time. Everyone at the club including players, staff, management and ownership are heartbroken at the news of Adam’s passing.” Johnson spent 13 games over parts of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons playing for th...

Pakistan has failed to combat rising impunity for crimes against journalists despite legislation for their safety, according to Freedom Network’s Annual Impunity 2023 report released on Sunday. The report titled “One step forward, two steps back — Pakistan legislates on the safety of journalists, but still fails to protect them” was launched ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, which falls on November 2. “Since the promulgation of safety laws for journalists first by the Sindh government and then the federal government in late 2021, Pakistan continues to record an alarming increase in persecution of journalists, especially by government authorities and state agencies, including kidnapping, physical assaults and serious legal cases against them including on unproven charges of sedition, treason and electronic crimes, in the two-year post-legislation period,” it said. “The Sindh Assembly passed the ‘Sindh Protection of Journalists and Other Me...

At least one person was killed and several others were injured after multiple explosions at a convention centre in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday, local media reported. The incident took place during a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention at the centre in Kalamassery, about 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) northeast of Kochi, reports said. Police could not immediately be reached for comment. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a nontrinitarian millenarian restorationist Christian denomination. Local newspaper Mathrubhumi said at least three explosions occurred inside the convention hall, with more than 23 people injured. The injured have been rushed to hospitals. “The explosion occurred seconds after the end of a prayer as part of the day’s event. The first blast took place in the middle of the hall. Seconds later, two more explosions rocked simultaneously on either side of the hall,” TA Sreekumar, regional spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses told mathrubhumi.com . from The Da...

The slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is frequently heard at pro-Palestinian rallies and protests worldwide. At first glance, one might wonder why anyone would object to a defiant call for an end to the decades-long oppression and occupation of Palestine. However, this simple chant has recently become a subject of debate regarding its interpretation, which many, including Jewish groups, claim is antisemitic. People participate in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Melbourne, October 15, 2023. — Reuters In the midst of the many bans on pro-Palestinian marches , which include restrictions on waving the country’s flag, wearing traditional keffiyeh, and even uttering the simple phrase “free Palestine” in Europe, the chant is becoming increasingly targeted by regulations. In Vienna, authorities banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration earlier this month, just before it was set to begin, because the “from the river to sea” slogan was included in their online i...