Skip to main content

Posts

SC halts anti-terrorism court from framing charges against journalist Matiullah Jan

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday restrained the anti-terrorism court (ATC) from framing charges against veteran journalist Matiullah Jan, and directed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to expeditiously decide on the challenge to the terrorism charges invoked against him. Headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, a three-judge SC bench took up a plea by the journalist seeking to set aside the IHC’s Feb 23, 2026, order denying ad-interim relief to stay his criminal trial. During the hearing, the prosecution did not object to the issuance of directions to the high court, while the apex court observed that it would not go into the merits of the case at this stage so as not to prejudice it in favour of either party. Barrister Qadeer Janjua represented Jan in the case, in which the journalist raised questions about the trial court’s jurisdiction and the applicability of terrorism charges against him. Filed under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, the petition challenged the Feb 23 IHC orde...
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

How international media covered President Trump’s first address to nation on Iran war

“Trump did not lay out a clear strategy from the conflict.” This is what a senior reporter for CNN, Stephen Collinson, wrote in his analysis piece after US President Donald Trump’s first address to Americans on the US-Israel war on Iran. In his 19-minute address from the White House, Trump repeated his claims of severely degrading Iran’s military capabilities. While he said the US was “getting very close” to finishing the “job” in Iran, he also voiced his determination to bomb the arch-foe “extremely hard” for another two to three weeks. His address was widely expected to outline a clear strategy to conclude the war that the US and Israel initiated on February 28. However, to many, Trump’s gloating offered no departure from his frequent Truth Social posts, wherein he has multiple times claimed victory against Iran. CNN In his analysis, Collinson stated that it was hard to conclude that Trump’s address would “reassure Americans worried about where the war is going or global ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Schools in Punjab to remain closed on Fridays

LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Wednesday announced that all public and private schools across the province would remain closed on Fridays, with classes taking place four days a week. According to a notification by the Punjab School Education Department shared by Hayat on X, “Pursuant to approval of the competent authority, it is hereby notified that all public and private schools across Punjab shall remain off on Friday till further orders.” However, the notification didn’t mention the reason behind this decision. It also notified the opening and closing hours of public schools. Under the new schedule, schools with a single shift will operate from Monday to Thursday from 8am to 1:30pm. Meanwhile, schools with double shifts will have the morning session from 8:00am to 12:30pm, and the afternoon session from 1:00pm to 5:30pm. Speaking to Dawn , Punjab School Education Department Secretary Muddassir Riaz Malik also confirmed that educational institutions...
Post a Comment
Read more

International Finance Corporation briefs Aurangzeb on ‘growing portfolio’ in Pakistan

A delegation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) called on Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and discussed its “growing portfolio in Pakistan, which now exceeds $2 billion annually”, according to the finance ministry. IFC is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. According to the ministry, the IFC delegation comprised IFC Divisional Director for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia Simon Andrews, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Bolormaa Amgaabazar and IFC Country Manager Naz Khan. Key areas of engagement included financial sector support through risk-sharing and guarantee facilities to promote trade and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) financing; expansion of local currency financing to mitigate foreign exchange risks; and upcoming initiatives such as a diversified payment rights facility and a green bond issuance with a leading local bank, the ministry said. “Discussions focused on further scaling private sector investment, particula...
Post a Comment
Read more

Off the road: How rising fuel costs are pushing ride-hailing captains to the brink

Amjad Ali Khan, 27, left his hometown of Umerkot and moved to Karachi in 2010 in search of a better livelihood. Over the next decade, he moved from one precarious job to another — working in factories, taking odd shifts at hotels and cleaning bungalows — before finally settling down as a driver. Two years back, he rented two cars — one for himself and the other for his brother-in-law — and signed up on Yango, a ride-hailing service. Amjad’s earnings rose to roughly Rs12,000 per day, of which nearly half went to rent and fuel, leaving him with around Rs3,500 to take home and thereby allowing him to call his family of four to the port city earlier this year. But then, war came to the Middle East. While Pakistanis are no strangers to conflict (with neighbouring India and Afghanistan in recent months), this one, despite not involving Islamabad, hit the country’s jugular vein: a massive surge in petrol prices. When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, the impact tra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interior minister directs Nadra to identify foreigners who illegally obtained citizenship

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday directed the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to immediately identify aliens who managed to illegally obtain Pakistani citizenship, and remove them from the national database. The minister, during his visit to Nadra headquarters, chaired a high-level meeting where he praised Nadra’s performance and effective public services, and directed it to fully support law enforcement agencies in the repatriation of foreigners illegally residing in Pakistan. Nadra Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar briefed the Naqvi on the institution’s performance, as well as its ongoing and future projects. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Dr Usman Anwar and senior Nadra officials were also present on the occasion. Naqvi noted significant improvements in Nadra’s services over the past two years and directed that more modern services be introduced for public convenience. He also instructed Nadra to build state-o...
Post a Comment
Read more

President Zardari, PM Shehbaz discuss national security amid Iran war

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called on President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the overall national security situation and key challenges facing the country, according to the President’s Secretariat. The meeting comes a day after the quadrilateral ministerial moot in Islamabad, involving the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, discussing possible ways to bring an “early and permanent end” to the war in the region. The foregin ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye had also called on PM Shehbaz after the meeting concluded. According to President’s Secretariat, the meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. National Security Adviser and Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Asim Malik also participated in the meeting. During the meeting, participants held a detailed discussion on the overall national security situation,...
Post a Comment
Read more