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National Dialogue Committee urges IHC to facilitate meetings with Imran, Bushra

ISLAMABAD: The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking directives for jail authorities to facilitate a meeting with incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi , arguing that the denial of visitation rights violates fundamental constitutional guarantees and prison regulations. The petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, read with Section 561 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, was submitted by NDC Chairman Mahmood Baqi Molvi along with fellow committee members Imran Ismail, Barrister Muhammad Ali Khan Saif and Fawad Ahmed. The petitioners, all former federal ministers and senior PTI leaders, contend that the jail administration has imposed an “illegal and arbitrary ban” on meetings with the imprisoned couple since their incarceration on August 5, 2023. The petition asserts that the respondent authorities, including the Federation of Pakistan through the...
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Piece of SpaceX rocket believed to have crashed into the moon

A SpaceX rocket piece floating in space since last year was expected to have smashed into the moon at high speed early on Wednesday morning, though the impact was unlikely to be confirmed for at least several hours. The school-bus-size object is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that had launched a lunar lander from Firefly Aerospace toward the moon in January 2025. Weighing four metric tons, the rocket body had been due to hit the moon around 2:35am ET (11:35am PKT), travelling at 5,400 miles per hour, but none of the spacecraft orbiting the moon were expected to be in a position to capture images of the impact live. The space junk would have kicked up a plume of lunar dust that would likely be illuminated by sunlight but difficult to spot with the naked eye from Earth. It was likely to be at least several hours before scientists would be able to confirm the crash by studying images from telescopes in the Americas, the BBC ...
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Why India's petrol shift has motorists fuming

India’s aggressive drive to expand ethanol-blended petrol is facing growing resistance, with a protest march on Tuesday demanding the government rethink its decision to make E20 fuel the national standard. Opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence carrying petitions signed by more than 200,000 people, but was stopped by police before reaching his destination. India, the world’s third-largest auto market, says the biofuel move is helping curb dependence on imported crude and boost farm incomes. But motorists have voiced concerns over vehicle performance, and the government’s campaign has upset India’s vast middle class — a key voter base for Modi, who worry that they are being forced to shoulder the costs of the transition. AFP breaks down the speed bumps on India’s fuel blending road. What’s ethanol-blended petrol? E20, the fuel at the centre of the controversy, is essentially petrol mixed with 20 per cent ethanol — which is produ...
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Cop allegedly rapes woman inside Lahore police station; entire staff suspended

LAHORE: The entire staff of Lahore’s Ghaziabad police station was suspended on Tuesday after it emerged that an assistant sub-inspector had allegedly raped a woman in the presence of senior officials on the premises on Sunday. Lahore DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran confirmed the development to Dawn , saying that the woman was allegedly raped by an assistant sub-inspector inside a room at the police station. He said the woman had identified the exact room where she was allegedly raped in the presence of senior police officials. “The room was located on the upper floor of the police station,” he said. The DIG said he suspended the entire staff of the police station because, according to police rules, all of them were responsible for keeping a check on any wrongdoing at the station. “No one bothered to enquire why the ASI had brought the woman to the police station in the absence of any female personnel,” he said. Over 70 personnel and officials deployed at the police station have bee...
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AJK elections: PPP again alleges rigging as polling under way in 2 Muzaffarabad constituencies

ISLAMABAD: The PPP renewed its allegations of rigging on Tuesday while polling was under way in two constituencies of Muzaffarabad, where it could not be held on the scheduled date of August 2 in the second phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections. Authorities had postponed polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I (Kutla) and at 71 of the 174 polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II (Lachhrat) due to landslides and bad weather, which had resulted in blocked roads. Elections in AJK are being held in three phases due to security concerns, with polling having been held on seven seats of Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee seats — reserved seats for refugees from India-occupied Kashmir — on Sunday. In the third phase, elections will be held in 11 constituencies of Poonch division on August 10. The first phase of polling was held in AJK’s Mirpur division on July 27, in which the PML-N had secured nine of the 13 seats while the PPP won the remaining four. The two parties, which are allies in ...
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After deadly day, Gazans say Trump's touting of plan jars with grim reality

Palestinians in Gaza said on Monday that US President Donald Trump’s touting of a deal aimed at disarming Hamas and ending the war was out of touch with their worsening reality, after Israel killed 18 people in one of the deadliest days since a ceasefire last year. Trump on Thursday declared “a major milestone” towards implementing the Gaza peace plan agreed last October, saying that Hamas would disarm and Israel would withdraw in phases. But complications have swiftly emerged: Israel’s defence minister said on Sunday that Israeli troops in Gaza would not move before Hamas disarms and its tunnels are destroyed, while Hamas insisted Israel halt attacks before it begins implementing the part of the agreement dealing with its arms. On the ground in Gaza, still in ruins as a result of the Israeli offensive launched in retaliation for Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks, Palestinians say intensifying Israeli strikes in recent days have shattered any hope of progr...
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Cleric killed after explosion at supermarket in South Waziristan's Wana

LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A cleric was killed following an explosion, suspected to have been caused by a pressure bomb, at a supermarket in Lower South Waziristan’s Wana on Monday, police said. Wana Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah told Dawn that the explosion occurred on the ground floor of a supermarket located in Rustam Bazaar. He said Mufti Jana Mir Masti Khel sustained critical injuries in the explosion and was immediately shifted to Wana district headquarters hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The DSP added that he and Wana City Police Station House Officer Usman Wazir, along with a large contingent of police, reached the site of the incident after the explosion, and the area was cordoned off while investigators collected forensic evidence. DSP Shah said initial investigation suggested the bomb was planted to target the cleric. He said police had filed an initial complaint and further investigation was under way to identify the perpetrat...
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