Pakistan News

The death toll from this week’s sudden heavy rain has climbed to 11 in New Delhi, including four citizens who drowned in submerged underpasses, the Times of India reported, while flight operations stuttered in the Indian capital. New Delhi, which endured one of its worst heatwaves in history earlier this month, faced the biggest downpour in decades on June 28, with rainfall in a single day surpassing the city’s average for the entire month. The torrential rain caused a fatal roof collapse at one of the three terminals of Delhi’s main airport, disrupted flights, flooded underpasses, and led to massive traffic jams, and power and water outages in parts of the city. Nearly 60 flights were cancelled from New Delhi’s main airport in the last 24 hours, according to data from flight tracking platform FlightAware . Operations were largely normal on Sunday, with most flights from the affected terminal diverted to the other two, an airport official said but did not rule out possible f...

At least 18 people were killed and 19 seriously wounded in suicide attacks targeting a wedding, a hospital and a funeral in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday, authorities said. The region has been scarred by more than a decade of violence by the militant group Boko Haram, which did not immediately claim responsibility for the string of attacks. In one of three blasts on Saturday in the town of Gwoza, a woman with a baby strapped to her back detonated explosives in the middle of a wedding ceremony, according to a state police spokesman. “At about 3:45pm (2:45pm GMT) a woman carrying a baby on her back detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) she had on her at a crowded motor park,” Borno State police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said. Women suicide bombers also targeted a hospital in the same town, which lies across the border from Cameroon. Another attack was later carried out at the funeral for victims of the wedding blast, authorities said. At least 18 people were killed an...

RAWALPINDI: New Town police have booked an official on the charge of selling 33 mobile phones and other valuables seized from people arrested in May 9 incidents . The case was registered with New Town police on the directives of special judge Anti-Terrorism Court #1 Judge Malik Ijaz Asif in the wake of an inquiry report submitted by the police. The accused misappropriated the articles recovered from the place of arrest of alleged May 9 vandals and shifted them to the police station and then sold them in the open market. According to the FIR, Sadaqat Ahmed was found to have sold mobile phones and other articles seized from the arrested accused in a local market in the limits of New Town police station. The SHO New Town was directed to register an FIR against the delinquent official, effecting recoveries of valuable properties which include registration cards of the vehicles, the UK work visa card of one of the petitioners, original CNICs, debit and credit cards which were not submi...

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Iranians voted on Friday in a presidential election where a lone reformist aimed for a breakthrough against a divided conservative camp. Around 61 million Iranians were eligible to vote in the election called after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. The Guardian Council, which vets candidates, allowed the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian , 69, to run against a conservative field dominated by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. No major reformist or moderate candidates were approved for Iran’s last presidential election three years ago. Also left in contention is cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi after two ultraconservatives, Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani and Raisi’s former vice president Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, dropped out . The ballot in sanctions-hit Iran comes at a time of high tensions between the republic and its arch-foes Israel and the United States, as the Gaza c...

Chitral was once known as Paristan — the land of fairies — or so a Chitrali princess told me. Set against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, it is no surprise that the rose-filled valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is believed to be inhabited by mythical creatures such as fairies and dragons. Perhaps, some fairy folk do live here, with one legend even suggesting a lineage that traces back to Alexander The Great. The intrigue of the Kalash people — an ethnic and religious minority indigenous to the Chitral valley — has drawn millions of local and foreign visitors to traverse the dusty and narrow mountain track leading up to the Bumburet Valley. One wrong turn means a plummet into the fast-flowing river below. Fast-flowing Chitral River also known as the Kunar River Despite the perilous path, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Chitral every year to attend the Chilam Joshi Festival — a celebration of the arrival of spring and the abundance of harvest. “Think of it...

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Thursday that the government would introduce a resolution in the National Assembly to counter a recently adopted US motion regarding democracy in Pakistan. His statement comes a day after the US House of Representatives had passed a resolution expressing robust support for democracy in Pakistan by an overwhelming 368-7 vote. Lawmakers supporting resolution HR 901 , titled ‘Expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan’, had claimed that the approval highlighted the United States’ commitment to promoting democratic values globally. The resolution — passed with 85 per cent of House members participating and 98pc voting in its favour — had urged US President Joe Biden to collaborate with Pakistan in upholding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. It had emphasised the importance of free and fair elections, calling for a thorough and independent investigation into any claims of interference or irregularities in Paki...

“We beat them through their own app; all they can do is delete our IDs,” an Islamic State (IS) supporter from Qawqaz, the Arabic name for the Caucasus region, boasted in a closed chat room on the Darknet. He was live-updating other IS members about the attack that killed more than 140 people at a concert hall near Moscow in March — the worst attack to hit Russia in years. Soon after, the militant Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the attack. While there was no official word on the motive, security analysts have pointed out that for at least two years preceding the attack, the ISKP had been fixated on Russia, frequently criticising Putin in its propaganda. In fact, this is hardly the first attack carried out by an affiliate of the militant Islamic State in Russia. In October 2015, a plane carrying Russian tourists from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt to St Petersburg crashed . According to investigators, an explosive device had been placed in the hold, and ...

Kenya was in a state of shock on Wednesday following unprecedented scenes that left parts of parliament ablaze and gutted, as protests over proposed tax hikes turned deadly , prompting President William Ruto’s government to deploy the military. “Deaths, mayhem”, read the front-page headline on The Standard newspaper, while The Daily Nation described the situation as “Pandemonium”, saying: “The foundations of the country have been shaken to the core.” The mainly youth-led rallies began mostly peacefully last week, with thousands of demonstrators marching in the capital Nairobi and across the country against the tax increases. But tensions flared sharply on Tuesday afternoon, as police officers fired live rounds on crowds that later ransacked the parliament complex, with rights groups saying the violence had left five dead and more than 30 injured. Hours later, Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale announced that the government had deployed the army to support the police in tackling “t...

RAWALPINDI: An­­other PIA flight attendant has ‘gone missing’ after landing in Toronto, taking the total number of crew members who have disappeared in the Canadian capital this year to seven. At least 14 crew members have not returned after landing in Toronto since January 2023. A PIA spokesperson confirmed that the missing crew member, Noor Sher, was on board flight PK-781, which left Islamabad on Monday, the first day of Eidul Azha. His disappearance was reported when he did not report for duty on the return flight. Mr Sher is an experienced flight attendant who joined the national flag carrier in 2003, the spokesperson added. Departmental action has been launched against the missing crew member. Officials say the trend of flight attendants ‘going missing’ in Canada was due to its flexible laws, which offer asylum after entering the country. Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2024 from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/IJHjbiq

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ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has published a Consu­ltation Paper to invite feedback and suggestions on potential improvements in the Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) Regulations 2022. The paper is part of SECP’s efforts to modernise the regulatory ecosystem, catering to the evolving Reit landscape within the country and aligning the Reit regulations with international benchmarks. The SECP conducted the analysis after consulting with relevant stakeholders, including Reit Mana­gement Companies (RMCs) and trustees. Potential areas where refinements have been proposed include streamlining the procedure for registering a trust deed and Reit scheme, rationalising the timelines for transferring real estate/shares of SPV in the name of a Reit scheme and expediting the listing of REIT Schemes. The other improvements include the overall design to make REITs a vibrant capital market asset class. Reasons for identifying each potential area have also been prov...

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• New policy divides UAVs into four categories by weight; anyone importing drone over 10kg will require defence ministry’s clearance • Experts say proposed rules are ‘vague’; will add massively to CAA’s workload; may discourage hobbyists and cinematographers RAWALPINDI: The Ministry of Aviation has finalised a fresh framework to register drones and unmanned aircraft, but the draft rules developed for the purpose have left stakeholders and experts skeptical, as they believe the ‘vague’ nature of the proposed regulations would throttle the general use of such aerial equipment. The draft rules, titled ‘ Civil Unmanned Aircraft Rules, 2024 ’, are set to be presented before the federal cabinet for approval, a senior official from the Aviation Division told Dawn . He claimed that after the completion of necessary stakeholder consultations, the draft is ready for cabinet review. The draft policy aims to regulate drone usage across Pakistan. Under these rules, all unmanned aerial vehicles...

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran shared an opening stand of 118 before Gulbadin Naib took over to drive Afghanistan to a 21-run win over Australia in St Vincent on Saturday and keep alive their hopes of reaching the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals. A win for Australia would have sent the 2021 champions and India into the last four, but even a second hat-trick in as many matches from Pat Cummins was not enough to keep their unbeaten record at the tournament intact. Half centuries from Gurbaz and Zadran helped the Afghans rack up 148-6 in their 20 overs, before their bowlers dismissed the Australians for 127 on a tricky Kingstown track. Naib claimed 4-20 and Naveenul Haq bagged 3-20, but it was the third century partnership of the tournament from Gurbaz and Zadran that laid the foundation for a win that also kept Bangladesh alive. “We’ve waited for a long time (for this),” said man-of-the-match Naib. “It’s a big moment for our nation and our people. I have no words, but thanks ...

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance has expressed dissatisfaction with tax measures announced in the budget 2024-25, lamenting that they appeared more aligned with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) priorities than national interests. The committee, led by Chairman Senator Saleem Mandiwalla, concluded its discussions on the Finance Bill 2024 on Saturday. The committee is set to deliver its recommendations on Monday and promptly send them to the Senate on the same day. The committee also expressed concerns regarding the unequal distribution of the tax burden, particularly among those less fortunate and vulnerable. The imposition of taxes on infant milk is highly controversial, as it burdens newborns excessively. Officials from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) revealed that tax exemptions were removed from 337 items, which fell short of the IMF’s demand for 749 items. In addition, the official said that the IMF wants FBR to generate Rs40bn from milk products and...

NAWABSHAH: The camel mutilation case took a dramatic turn on Saturday when the animal’s owner disclosed before the court of judicial magistrate in Sanghar that the main suspect in the case was local landlord but police were not ready to lay hands on him. Soomar Behan, owner of the eight-month-old female camel whose right leg was chopped off allegedly by the landlord in Mund Jamrao in Sanghar district on June 15 as punishment for foraging into his farmland, appeared before the judicial magistrate Habibullah Siyal along with his counsel Ayaz Khaskheli and told the court that the main suspect in the case was the landlord, Ghulam Rasool Shar, but police were trying to save him. He said that he became disappointed and confined himself to home after police refused to nominate the main suspect, Ghulam Rasool Shar, in the case and instead implicated some peasants in the crime. He disclosed that even the statement attributed to him, which police had submitted to the court, was forged as he...

LAHORE: Six defence witnesses on Saturday told an anti-terrorism court (ATC) that the armed workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) had opened fire at the officials of police and district administration during an alleged 2014 anti-encroachment operation outside the residence of Dr Tahirul Qadri in Model Town. The witnesses, who also reside near Idara Minhajul Quran in Model Town, include Khwaja Sohail, Waqas Ahmed Qureshi, Malik Saleem, Yasmin Mukhtar Ahmed, Ghulam Shabbir, and Imran Hussain. They recorded their statements in a private complaint filed by the PAT for the trial of police officials in the Model Town firing incident . Advocate Burhan Muazzam Malik, the counsel for the police officials, presented the witnesses before the court. The witnesses said they observed the whole incident since their residences were around 500 meters away from the secretariat of Idara Minhajul Quran. They said the workers of the PAT fired from the rooftops and threw petrol bombs on the offici...