Pakistan News

THE present Election Commission is at the centre of so many storms that it seems prudent to reconstitute it without further delay. A vital institution, the ECP is responsible for protecting Pakistan’s democracy and upholding democratic principles, mainly through the conduct of free and fair polls. Over the past three years, however, it seems to have done anything but that. It has not only disregarded constitutional edicts — for example, regarding election timelines — and issued illegal decisions — such as denying a major political party its right to contest elections — but has also failed to conduct a free and fair general election or ensure that democratic principles were upheld during the many controversies that followed. Of course, it is not that past commissions were free of controversy. Rigging and manipulation disputes followed the two elections preceding 2024 as well, particularly in 2018. But what is complicating matters now is a technical roadblock preventing the ECP fr...

A 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Lahore on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The earthquake was recorded at 6:39am, with the epicentre 25 kilometres south-southwest of Lahore at a depth of 14 kilometres. There have been no immediate reports of casualties. On June 30, another earthquake of 3.9 magnitude was recorded at 2:07pm, 35 kilometres west of Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab at a depth of seven kilometres. The same day, Balochistan recorded a 4.8-magnitude earthquake at 11:11am, 40 kilometres southwest of Zhob at a depth of 20 kilometres. Earlier on Sunday, a moderate 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Musakhail, a remote district of Balochistan that borders Punjab, injuring five people and damaging dozens of mud houses. A day prior, low to moderate intensity earthquakes hit parts of Karachi and Pasni in Balochistan. The country has experienced many low-intensity earthquakes over the past few months. Pakistan straddles the boundary where the India...

SAHIWAL: Deputy Director Health Dr Ahmed Salman sealed various illegal private maternity hospitals operating in and around Pakpattan city, which were not registered with the Punjab Healthcare Commission. The operating theatres of four private hospitals were also sealed. Action was taken after the death of 20 children at the District Headquarters Hospital, Pakpattan, as the authorities had the view that these children were brought to the hospital in critical condition from “outside”. The private maternity hospitals which were sealed included Maternity Home (22/SP, Pul Bahmni), Al-Farid Medicare Hospital (DHQ Road), Bashir Maternity Home (Metti Stop, Hota Road), Dastagir Hospital (Chowk Ariayan) and Imran Maternity Home (Sikander Chowk). The facilities were operated by Sajida Sabir, Muhammad Pervaiz, Sitara (LHV), and Muhammad Imran, etc. Deputy Commissioner Maria Tariq told Dawn that operating theatres of four hospitals- Doctor Hospital, Green Town, Shahid Hospital, Ali Hospital and...

KARACHI: A sessions court on Monday sentenced six policemen to life imprisonment after 77 kilograms of charas were recovered from their official police van as the contraband was being transported from Jamshoro to Karachi for illegal supply. Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) Abdul Hafeez Lashari found six police officials of CIA Jamshoro — Ghulam Abbas, Muhammad Yaqoob, Aijaz Ali Mallah, Abdul Hameed, Rahib Hussain and Ahmed Nawaz — guilty of possessing a total of 77kg of charas. He sentenced them to life imprisonment and awarded an additional two-year sentence under Section 155-C of the Police Order, 2002. “Evidence available on record established that all the accused, were serving police constables, and they misused their official position, uniform, weapons, and a government-issued police mobile to transport a huge quantity of Charas. This act directly attracts the offence under Section 155(c) of the Police Order, 2002, which deals with misuse of authority by a police o...