Helpline notes transgender community subjected to orchestrated online hate campaign this year The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) has released its sixth annual Cyber Harassment Helpline Report for 2022. The helpline completed six years of operations since its launch in December 2016. The helpline has received 14,376 cases in the last six years. In 2022, it reported a total of 2,695 …

KARACHI: At 82 years old, architect Yasmeen Lari is forging the way in fortifying Pakistan’s rural communities living on the frontline of climate change. Lari, Pakistan’s first woman architect, has ditched a lifetime of multi-million dollar projects in the megacity of Karachi to develop pioneering flood-proof bamboo houses. The few pilot settlements already constructed are credited with saving families from …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has established a three-member judicial commission, led by Supreme Court senior puisne judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to investigate the validity of audio leaks. The commission includes Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. The decision was made on Friday during the federal cabinet’s meeting. …

A terrorist was killed and three soldiers were martyred when security forces retaliated to an attack on one of their posts in the Zarghoon area of Balochistan on Saturday, the military’s media affairs wing said. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the early-morning attack by a group of terrorists was launched at a post that …

ZHOB: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq on Friday survived a suicide attack that targeted his convoy in Zhob, Balochistan, reported Aaj News. In a tweet, the party said that Haq was safe and that the attacker had been killed. The party added that Haq was present in the area to address a political gathering. In another tweet, the party said seven …

Total power generation in Pakistan witnessed a significant decline of 23 per cent on a yearly basis to 10,010 GWh in April 2023, compared to 12,960 GWh in same period last year. “Power generation down by 23 per cent YoY during April 2023, the highest decline since available data (Jul’12),” said Arif Habib Limited (AHL) on Friday. On a monthly …

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that the attack on Jinnah House has brought ‘‘disgrace’’ to the country. While talking to reporters as he appeared before an anti-terrorism court, (which granted him pre-arrest bail in three cases), the former prime minister said the event should “not have happened”. Responding to a query regarding claims by the …

LAHORE: The Lahore anti-terrorism court court also directed the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief to become a part of the investigation An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on May 19 approved pre-arrest bail for Imran Khan in three cases filed against Pakistan’s former Prime Minister after his arrest on May 9. While granting him bail till June 2, the Lahore anti-terrorism …

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Shariat Court has declared all the rules formed under the Transgender Act un-Islamic. It also clarified that a gender remains the same as it is at the time of birth, adding no one can change their gender at will. Prayer, fasting, Hajj are among several acts related to gender, the court ruled. Islam has provided all basic …

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet Friday made a resolute commitment by pledging a “zero tolerance policy” against the miscreants involved in the events that unfolded on May 9, with an unwavering determination to maintain ‘law and order’. The ongoing federal cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is currently discussing the political and economic situation of the country. The meeting …

KARACHI: Imran Ismail was taken into custody within jurisdiction of Darakhshan Police Station Amidst the intensifying crackdown on the former ruling party after May 9 mayhem, former Sindh governor and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Ismail was also arrested on Friday by Karachi Police. The PTI stalwart was taken into custody within the jurisdiction of the Darakhshan Police Station, and …

LAHORE: In a high-level meeting chaired by caretaker Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi, it was decided to file an official reference against a judge for allegedly providing extraordinary facilitation to terrorists. The meeting also reviewed the progress regarding legal proceedings against extremist elements, while rewards were approved for those identifying the suspects involved in terrorist incidents. The meeting also expressed …

One person has been killed and 18 others, including two police personnel, seriously injured after unidentified armed men attacked a police van with a hand grenade in Tank on Friday morning. The injured were shifted to the district headquarters hospital. Unidentified armed men first hurled a hand grenade at a police van near Damaan plaza in the main bazaar on …

A police officer has been martyred in an attack on a polio team on Friday in the rural area of Kali Kariz, a suburban area of Mastung district of Balochistan, Samaa TV reported. The armed men, who opened fire on a group of female workers, killed the police officer assigned to protect the anti-polio team. The polio team had embarked …

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s minority member Jai Prakash has also announced to quit the party. He says the peaceful protest of May 9 went to the extent of attacking military installations. During a press conference, the PTI minority wing president, also condemned the May 9 protests in the strongest terms, saying “Pakistan exists because of the army, and we exist …

ISLAMABAD: AGP admits Shireen Mazari should not have been re-arrested in wake of court orders The Islamabad High Court says remarked that the government has launched a campaign against the constitutional court, and is trying to defeat the court’s writ. Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb of the IHC said during the hearing of a contempt of court petition filed on the …

The Government of Sindh has officially declared the start and end dates for the much-awaited summer vacation for schools and colleges across the province. Beginning on June 1, students and teachers can look forward to a well-deserved break that will last for a refreshing two months, ending on July 31. Educational institutions are set to reopen on August 1. This …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated the 100MW Polan-Gabd electricity transmission line project from Iran to Gwadar at Mand-Pishin crossing point of Pakistan-Iran border on Thursday. The two leaders also inaugurated a sustenance marketplace at the Mand-Pishin crossing point. The 100MW transmission line will benefit the citizens of Gwadar. Not only has this project …

LAHORE: Imran Khan, the former prime minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is currently in a stand-off with authorities who have surrounded his house. In his first interview since the police deadline expired, PTI chairman informed that an “unprecedented crackdown” is occurring in Pakistan. During a conversation, he expressed his belief that he will soon be rearrested. He …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called upon G20 countries to take cognizance of the Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK). Addressing weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Kashmir is an internationally recognised conflict, emphasising that holding the G20 meeting in the occupied valley would be inappropriate. Furthermore, the spokesperson dismissed the US report on religious freedom. Understanding, …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has responded to the National Accountability Bureau’s summons to its Rawalpindi office, saying he cannot appear before May 22. Imran Khan has adopted the stance that he is in Lahore for pre-arrest bail in various cases, adding the Islamabad High Court has granted him bail till May 22. He cannot appear before the bureau …

ISLAMAABD: Those who damaged private property to be prosecuted in anti-terrorism courts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the cases against those who vandalised and damaged military installations will be tried in special standing courts. Prime Minister Sharif said this in a conversation with senior journalists. “Cases of those who attacked military installations will be tried in special standing …

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and his spouse Buhsra bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case tomorrow in its Rawalpindi office. Bushra bibi has been summoned to the NAB Rawalpindi office tomorrow along with case record and other relevant documents. She has been asked to appear before a combined investigation team of the bureau. …

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s ‘good to see you’ remarks for PTI Chairman Imran Khan have now reached the Islamabad High Court where Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb greeted Islamabad’s top cop Akbar Ali Nasir the same way. Justice Aurangzeb said, “IG sahib good to see you.” On hearing this, the entire courtroom burst into …

LAHORE: TikTok and ed-tech startup Edkasa are partnering with the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) to expand the #ExamReady scholarship program to over 10,000 deserving students in the province, aiming to digitize learning processes and create better learning outcomes.   In early 2022, TikTok, Edkasa and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) launched #ExamReady, a first-of-its-kind, STEM-focused digital learning program to …

ISLAMABAD: An important meeting of the National Security Committee, under the chairmanship of the prime minister, is under way at the Prime Minister House.   The meeting condemned in the strongest terms the violent incidents of May 9 after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.   The prime minister said May 9 will be remembered as a ‘black …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari and PTI Senator Falak Naz were arrested by the Islamabad police right after their release from Adiala Jail.   The arrest took place outside the jail premises, according to a tweet from Shireen Mazari’s daughter, Imaan Mazari.   Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had deemed the detention of Shireen Mazari under the …

Inter-family feuds are common in Pakistan, but in the mountainous northwestern region where communities abide by traditional tribal honour codes they can be particularly protracted and violent Sixteen people were killed over a decades-long land dispute between two tribes in Pakistan’s coal-rich northwest, police said Tuesday.   The Akhorwal tribe opened fire on the Suni Khel tribe from an elevated …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a private member’s bill aimed at condemning and awarding punishment for the actions that accounted for a breach of the sovereignty and integrity of the Parliament in any form or shade.   The bill was moved by Chairman Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon which was passed …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Member National Assembly (MNA) from Karachi, Mohamood Moulvi on Tuesday announced to quit the party over May 9 vandalism against military installations.   Mahmood, who was PTI’s MNA from Karachi’s NA-25, also announced his resignation from the seat.   In a press conference, Mahmood said May 9 would go down as a “black day in history, …

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Senator Talha Mahmood says effective measures are being taken to make this year Hajj safe, economical and comfortable for the pilgrims.   He was speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs which met in Islamabad with MNA Pir Syed Imran Shah in the chair.   Senator Talha Mahmood said …

ISLAMABAD: Government of Pakistan has announced a three-day protest campaign from May 21 against the proposed holding of G-20 summit in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.   This was announced by Adviser to Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira while addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday.   He said India wants to hold one of the …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered on Tuesday to release Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leader Fawad Chaudhry.   Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb presided over the hearing where the PTI leader was presented.   Following the order, the authorities tried to arrest Fawad again as he was leaving the court premises. Video footage showed the PTI leader, clad in a …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered to produce PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry in court, and issued notices to the Islamabad police inspector general and the district magistrate for tomorrow. Fawad Chaudhry’s brother and lawyer Faisal Chaudhry has filed a petition against the arrest of Fawad before the Islamabad High Court. The petition adopts the stance that the court had …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan to join the investigation in the corruption cases to end dispute. In a series of tweets, Imran Khan alleged on the existence of a “London plan” aimed at keeping him in prison for 10 years on charges of sedition. “Using pretext of …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan said on Monday urged citizens to be prepared for peaceful protests and vowed to fight for real freedom until his last breath. In his latest tweet, he said that his sisters and PTI Centrak Punjab President Yasmin Rashid had told the protesters not to harm Jinnah house. He further …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has reportedly decided in-principle to introduce a reference against the chief justice of Pakistan with the Supreme Judicial Council. A resolution to file the reference against Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial was approved in the National Assembly during a joint session of parliament. A special five-member parliamentary committee has been formed to prepare the …

LAHORE: Visitors were delighted at the sight of six lively little lion cubs at a zoo in Pakistan, born to two separate lionesses.   A caretaker at the Safari Zoo Lahore said, children are especially very excited to see the cubs. Entire families are coming, and they keep coming again and again, as the cubs playfully romp inside their enclosure. …

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the elections will take place in the country on completion of constitutional tenure of assemblies as per the law.   In an interview with Al-Jazeera, she said the coalition government is holding a peaceful protest today against the constitutional violations taking place in the country. She said our workers …

PESHAWAR: On the request of civil society, the burnt building of Radio Pakistan Peshawar has been opened for public from Monday.   The building will remain opened for teachers and students of universities and schools till Friday from 10 am to 4 pm, while general public and civil society can come to Radio Pakistan Peshawar from 4 pm to 6 …