Infinity Social Updates

A reduction of 91,000 cusecs in the inflow of water from India into Chenab River was recorded within the past two days, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) said on Saturday. Yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, rejecting the weaponisation of water by India, warned that Pakistan would not allow their neighbour to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains. Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, shortly after 26 civilians in India-held Kashmir were killed in what India called an act of terror. Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but accord remains “in abeyance” by India despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing to a ceasefire this month following the worst fighting between them in decades. After the April 22 attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered officials to...

The Punjab government on Saturday said that Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be in place to prevent disturbance of public peace and danger to human life from June 5 to June 11. A notification issued by the provincial government today said that it was reported that during Eidul Azha, random people burned the heads and feet of sacrificial animals which emitted unhealthy smoke and unpleasant smell. “Members of the public throw entrails of sacrificial animals on roadside and drains, which causes smell/insanitary conditions and blockage of sewerage system,” the notification added. It continued that people in different areas swim in the “canals, ponds, lakes, riverbanks and distributaries during Eid holidays”, placing their lives at risk. “Cattle sellers illegally establish sale points for sale/purchase of sacrificial animals within populated areas of districts, which causes hindrance in smooth conduct of traffic and also spread of different diseases,” it read. ...

The Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) will hold a meeting on June 2 to discuss digital currency regulations, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. The PCC was officially launched in March to “regulate and integrate blockchain technology and digital assets” into the country’s financial landscape. According to a press release by the finance ministry, the meeting will be chaired by the Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, serving as a “strategic forum to deliberate on the evolving regulatory and legal framework surrounding digital currency and the broader crypto landscape in Pakistan”. PCC Chief Executive Officer Bilal Bin Saqib will also participate in the meeting, along with other PCC members, the press release said. It also said, “Key items on the agenda include the development of a robust regulatory framework to govern digital and virtual assets in Pakistan, in alignment with global standards and technological advancements. “A focal point of discussion will be the groundwork for t...

Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop build-up along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbours this month, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee told Reuters on Friday, although he warned the crisis had increased the risk of escalation in the future. The developments follow a recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan over New Delhi’s allegations against Islamabad, without evidence, about a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. New Delhi, based on the allegations, launched a series of air strikes in Pakistan in early May, killing civilians. Islamabad retaliated by downing five Indian jets . After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire . Gen Mirza said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels. “We have almost...

The province of Sindh, a traditional favourite for migratory birds, saw the most drastic decline in the number of migratory birds due to climate change, with a staggering drop of over 50 per cent in two years. The country’s once-thriving wetlands, long a sanctuary for millions of migratory birds fleeing Siberia’s brutal winters, are witnessing a disturbing decline in avian visitors. Experts warn that a mix of prolonged drought, receding water levels, and growing habitat degradation is driving away these seasonal guests — some possibly for good. According to the Sindh Wildlife Department’s 2024-25 waterfowl count, the number of migratory birds fell sharply from 1.2 million in 2023 to 603,900 in 2024 and just 545,000 this year, a staggering drop of over 50pc in two years. In 2023, the region experienced an exceptional influx of birds, buoyed by the lingering effects of the catastrophic 2022 floods that, while devastating for communities, temporarily revived Pakistan’s lakes, streams...

The United States’ newly-appointed Syria envoy said he believed peace between Syria and Israel was achievable as he made his first trip to Damascus on Thursday, praising the rebel-led government and saying it was ready for dialogue. Thomas Barrack raised the American flag over the ambassador’s residence for the first time since the US embassy closed in 2012, underlining a rapid expansion of US ties with Damascus since President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced the lifting of sanctions and met Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. “Syria and Israel is a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue,” Barrack told a small group of journalists in Damascus. “I’d say we need to start with just a non-aggression agreement, talk about boundaries and borders,” he said. Barrack also said that Syria would no longer be deemed a state sponsor of terrorism by the United States, saying the issue was “gone with the Assad regime being finished ”, but that Congress had a six-month review period. “Am...

Bulls dominated the market on Thursday at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as shares rose by more than 600 points in intraday trade. The benchmark KSE-100 index increased by 638.5, or 0.54 per cent, to close at 118,971.40 from the last close of 118,338.90. At 1:45pm, the index stood at 1,298.02 points. Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pak Kuwait Investment Company Ltd, said that the market had better expectations from the budget due to which the market performed well, adding that better corporate results instilled hope. The government has delayed unveiling the federal budget from June 2 to June 10 due to inconclusive discussions with the IMF on taxation and fiscal measures. Informed sources said the visiting IMF staff mission had multiple rounds of discussion, including a wrap-up session with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. More to follow from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/7zT9kCu

As political tensions in South Asia have simmered down, the US and India reaffirmed their “shared desire to maintain regional stability and peace,” according to a statement by the US State Department. The developments follow a recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan over New Delhi’s allegations against Islamabad, without evidence, about a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes in Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets . After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally drop their guns as a ceasefire was reached. At the height of the conflict, US President Donald Trump warned Pakistan and India of “not doing any trade” if they did not stop fighting. A date prior, Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau met with Indian Foreign Secretary...

Harvard University has been flooded with requests from foreign students to transfer to other institutions as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to ban it from hosting international scholars, a staff member said on Wednesday. “Too many international students to count have inquired about the possibility of transferring to another institution,” Maureen Martin, director of immigration services, wrote in a court filing. Trump has upended the United States’ reputation among foreign students, who number around one million, as he presses a campaign against US universities he sees as obstructing his “ Make America Great Again ” populist agenda. He has blocked Harvard from hosting international scholars in a manoeuvre being challenged legally, targeted non-citizen campus activists for deportation , and most recently suspended student visa processing across the board. The president’s crackdown has prompted “profound fear, concern, and confusion” among students and staff at...

The chairman of the Senate standing committee on finance and revenue, former finance minister Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, said on Tuesday that the upcoming budget will further burden the people due to an increase in the petroleum levy. He was also critical of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) performance, especially in terms of the Tajir Dost Scheme (TDS). Under the TDS, taxes were to be collected from shopkeepers at a fixed rate of Rs100 to Rs60,000 per month based on the fair market value of the stores and sales. The scheme was implemented to bring traders and wholesalers into the formal tax structure to fulfill the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) requirement. The former finance minister said the FBR had failed to bring more people under tax net, while responding to a query on DawnNewsTV show ‘Doosra Rukh’ on the board’s inability to raise Rs5.6 million under the TDS. Mandviwalla criticised the “1960’s system” at the FBR and emphasised on the need to introduce officers w...

The death toll from heavy rains across the country has risen to 10, with 43 people injured, as strong winds and thunderstorms triggered flash floods and destroyed homes in central and northern parts of Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday. This is the second time in a week that a storm of such intensity wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, damaging crops, properties, and other infrastructure. At least 19 people were killed and over 90 others injured as powerful windstorms and heavy rains had battered many areas in Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday. Four women and a man died in Kashmir and three in KP, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said, while other officials said two died in Punjab. “One person is still missing,” Haroon Rasheed, a senior government official in Kashmir, told AFP , adding that 12 houses and a mosque were destroyed in one village. According to the NDMA, stormy weather is expected to continue in northern and central part...

The Punjab government has announced that schools will remain open across the province tomorrow as the nation observes Youm-e-Takbeer, and organise special programmes to celebrate the occasion. Youm-i-Takbeer is observed on May 28, marking the historic day when Pakistan became an atomic power. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last year declared a public holiday throughout the country on account of Youm-i-Takbeer, the day when Pakistan’s defence became impregnable after conducting nuclear tests in the hills of Chagai, Balochistan in 1998. The School Education Department has sent a letter to all district education authorities. It stated that educational institutions will remain open and hold special programmes to celebrate the day with a “positive social message for peace and courage”. The letter added that May 28 is a “significant day that marks a milestone in our nation’s history, symbolising strength, resilience, and technological advancement”. It said all schools will conduct act...

Pakistan women’s left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal reclaimed her position at the top of the ICC Women’s Twenty-20 International (T20I) Bowler Rankings, Cricket’s governing body announced on Tuesday. Sadia was also pivotal to Pakistan’s win in the recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Lahore and was named in the team of the tournament for her nine scalps for an average of 16. Her economy, like her spin twin Nashra Sandhu, was under four, and this meant that the duo provided the hosts the stranglehold during the middle overs and helped them maintain an unbeaten run throughout the tournament. “[Sadia] was one of the leading performers at last year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and rises one spot on the rankings for T20I bowlers to claim top billing”, the ICC statement said. She replaces England spinner Sophie Ecclestone at the top spot who sat out her side’s recent T20I series at home against the West Indies. Her team-mate Lauren Bell however, rose 13 places to jump to si...

ISLAMABAD: After more than a decade, residents of the federal capital got a sigh of relief as over 95 per cent of previously barricaded U-turns and chowks (squares) have been reopened, allowing for smoother traffic flow — thanks to the efforts of the local administration. This development has brought considerable comfort to motorists. The previous closures had forced them to take long detours, resulting in increased fuel consumption and wastage of time. A large number of citizens have welcomed the decision and expressed the hope that the reopened U-turns and squares would not be closed again under the pretext of managing traffic congestion . “It [the reopening of U-turns] happened due to a collective effort of all stakeholders,” said Deputy Commissioner Irfan Memon when contacted on Sunday. Decision taken on permanent basis and happened due to collective effort of all stakeholders, says DC When asked whether the move was permanent or if the U-turns might be closed again, he conf...

Bangladesh on Sunday began the first trial at a special court prosecuting former senior figures connected to the ousted government of Sheikh Hasina, the chief prosecutor said. The court in the capital Dhaka accepted a formal charge against eight police officials in connection with the killing of six protesters on August 5 last year, the day Hasina fled the country as the protesters stormed her palace. The eight men are charged with crimes against humanity . Four are in custody and four are being tried in absentia. “The formal trial has begun,” Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told reporters. “The prosecution believes that this prosecution will be able to prove the crimes done by the accused.” It is the first formal charge in any case related to the killings during last year’s student-led uprising, which ended Hasina’s iron-fisted rule of 15 years. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina’s...

IN October 2023, when the Supreme Court struck down the military trials of civilians, the detailed judgement began with the following quote: “even amid the clash of arms, the laws were not silent, that they spoke the same language in peace and in war”. The majority judgements were authored by Justices Munib Akhtar and Ayesha Malik. Even in the darkest of times, the court affirmed, fundamental rights must remain in every part of our territory. On May 7, the Constitutional Bench overturned this decision , and sanctioned the military trials of civilians. The verdict is a surrender of fundamental rights, and a defeat for the Constitution. A law first introduced by Ayub Khan in 1967 has been restored. This means civilians can be court-martialled going forward. The law allowing the court martial of civilians was part of a series of oppressive Ayub-era laws. Under the Defence of Pakistan Ordinance, 1965, and the rules made thereunder, citizens could be preventatively detained on vague gro...

US President Donald Trump defended on Sunday his administration’s move to block foreign students at Harvard after a judge suspended the action, branded by the top university as unlawful. “Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31 [per cent] of their students are from foreign lands, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay nothing toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard billions of dollars, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday revoked Harvard’s ability to enrol foreign nationals, throwing the future of thousands of students and the lucrative income stream they provide into doubt. She had threatened last month to block international students at the school unless it turned over records on visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities”. But ...

A Liberian-flagged container ship with hazardous cargo has sunk off the coast of Kerala in India’s south, the navy said on Sunday after rescuing all 24 crew members safely. India’s navy said the MSC ELSA 3, listed as a 184-metre-long freight ship, which was sailing from the Indian port of Vizhinjam to Kochi, ran into trouble on Saturday and issued a distress call. Navy aircraft scrambled to the area and spotted two life rafts, with the container ship listing at a dangerous angle, some 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. “All 24 crew members on board were rescued,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement , with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and a navy patrol boat collecting the sailors, who were from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and the Philippines. “The vessel went down with 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide,” the statement said. The Defence Ministry did not specify what was inside the containers it said were hazardous. Calc...

The National Accountability Bureau recovered and disbursed over Rs88 billion during the first quarter of 2025, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. This was announced during the 24th “DGs Conference” of the bureau, a three-day event that concluded at NAB headquarters in Islamabad. According to a press release, these recoveries included direct recoveries worth over Rs2bn and indirect recoveries amounting to Rs86bn. The recoveries were made from public and private lands associated with cases of illegal transfer and occupation, Radio Pakistan said, adding that the disbursed amounts were returned to the relevant affected entities. Regarding indirect recoveries, NAB Balochistan retrieved state land measuring 340 acres of Chiltan Park and 250 acres of forest department which translate into Ra6.45bn. NAB Lahore recovered Rs70.87bn in three mega cases including Employees Cooperative Housing Society, State Life Insurance Employees Cooperative Housing Society and Sarwar Omega ...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that the passports of the Pakistanis, who were returning to the country after being deported, will be cancelled and also face the registration of an first information report (FIR) against them. Saudi Arabia deported a total of 5,033 Pakistani beggars whereas another 369 individuals have been apprehended for begging in five other countries in the last 16 months. Last month, the interior minister had said that the government would block the passports of Pakistanis deported, and tighten the process of issuing new travel documents. Around 106 Pakistanis were also deported from European countries arrived in Islamabad last month. According to state-run PTV News , an important meeting, led by the interior minister, was held in Islamabad where it was decided that deportees who were coming back will have their passports cancelled and an FIR will also be registered against them. The names of the deportees will also be put on the passport co...

Four missing tourists from Gujrat who went missing between Gilgit and Skardu on May 16 have finally been located at the bank of Indus River after Baltistan road near Istak village in Roundu valley of Skardu. Family sources said Wasif Shahzad, 36, and Umar Ehsan, 20, both cousins from Kot Gakka near Mungowal, Salman Nasrullah Sandhu, 23, of Jassoki village and Usman Dar, 23, of Saroki had arrived in Gilgit on May 13. DIG Gilgit range Raja Mirza Hassan said that according to police records the four friends had started their travel from Hunza to Skardu on May 15. On the way they had stayed in a hotel near Karakoram at Danyor of Gilgit. The four friends had resumed their journey to Skardu on May 16 and since then their mobile phones could not be reached. DIG Mirza Hassan said the last location of the missing friends was Jaglot, Gilgit. The DIG said they were supposed to arrive Istak area of Skardu according to their reported plan. He said their whereabouts could not be traced by sear...

Social media platform X said on Saturday that it was working to resolve issues with various services that continued for a second day. “We’re still experiencing issues from yesterday’s data centre outage. Login and signup services are unavailable for some users, and there may be delays in notifications and Premium features,” the engineering department of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s platform said on X. “Our team is working 24/7 to resolve this. Thanks for your patience — updates soon,” it said at 5am PKT. In the early hours of Friday, the platform had said : “X is aware some of our users are experiencing performance issues on the platform today. We are experiencing a data centre outage and the team is actively working to remediate the issue.” With X stating a “data centre outage” as a reason for the service disruption, users speculated that a fire at the platform’s data centre in the US state of Oregon’s Hillsboro city was the cause of the issues. A fire broke out on Th...

Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Friday over its decision to revoke the Ivy League school’s ability to enrol foreign students, ratcheting up White House efforts to conform practices in academia to President Donald Trump’s policies. In a complaint filed in Boston federal court, Harvard called the revocation a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution and other federal laws and had an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders. “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard said. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the 389-year-old school added. Harvard asked a federal judge to block the revocation, citing “the immediate and irreparable harm inflicted by this lawless action.” The case was assigned to US District Judge Allison Burroughs. White House ...

US President Donald Trump cranked up his trade threats on Friday, targeting both smartphone giant Apple AAPL.O along with imports from the entire European Union, sending the global market roiling after weeks of de-escalation provided some reprieve. Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Apple for any iPhones sold, but not manufactured, in the United States. More than 60 million phones are sold in the United States annually, but the country has no smartphone manufacturing. He also said he would recommend a 50pc tariff on the European Union to begin on June 1, which would result in stiff levies on luxury items, pharmaceuticals and other goods produced by European manufacturers. Markets dropped on the news. S&P 500 futures lost 1.5pc in premarket activity and the Eurostoxx 600 fell 2pc. Shares of Apple fell 3.5pc in premarket trading, along with shares of other technology bellwethers. Trump did not give a time frame for his warning to Apple. “I have long ago informed T...

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry says that Indian state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan has been ongoing since the inception of the country. Lt Gen Chaudhry is addressing a press conference alongside the interior secretary in Islamabad. He said in 2009, the Pakistani government had handed a dozier of irrefutable evidence to then Indian prime minister. “The publicly disclosed documents that were released in 2010 are part of history.” In 2016, the world saw another ugly face of India-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan in the name of Kulbushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer,“ he said. “Then in 2019, a dozier full of evidence was presented to the United Nations. Very recently, the international media has seen self giving confession and acknowledgement of multiple surrendered terrorists of this Fitna al Hindustan . “This is what happened on May 21 on the orders of Hindustan, done by the terrorists of fitnah Al Hindust...

Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the youngest daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari, on Friday visited a flood rehabilitation housing project in Shaheed Benazirabad district of Sindh accompanying a delegation of officials from the World Bank. The WB officials included its managing director Anna Bejerde and country director Najy Benhassine. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also accompanied them as they visited the flood rehabilitation housing project in Nazar Muhammad Laghari village in Shaheed Benazirabad district. This project, under the Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) programme, aims at rebuilding homes destroyed by the 2022 devastating floods, said a statement by the CM House. During the visit, Aseefa and Bejerde distributed ownership rights certificates to women homeowners, and interacted with female members of the Village Reconstruction Committee, as the latter showcased their handicraft work. The committee was briefed that 32 homes were destroyed in the village...

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry on Thursday launched a health awareness kit, including one in Urdu , to promote the health and well-being of Haj pilgrims. Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia. In a post on X, the Saudi health ministry said that the kit was available in eight languages. “In all languages, we care about pilgrims’ health. Explore the health awareness kit to promote health and well-being among pilgrims,” the post said. The multilingual kit contained essential information for pilgrims, such as: preventing heat-related illnesses and managing health in extreme conditions, required vaccinations (meningitis, Covid-19, polio and yellow fever), managing chronic diseases, and accessing free health services during Haj. It also included short videos, social media assets, and printable posters. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the annual Haj a...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a meeting with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to fast-track institutional reforms alongside macroeconomic stabilisation, asserting that Pakistan was now firmly on the path to economic development. The meeting with the IMF delegation, led by the Fund’s Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azourat the PM’s Office, took place as Pakistan gears up to present the budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on June 2 . “Pakistan is now moving from economic stability toward sustainable growth,” the prime minister said, emphasising that the government’s top priority was not only to sustain macroeconomic gains but to expedite comprehensive institutional reforms, crucial for long-term resilience. The meeting focused on discussions related to the implementation and progress of the ongoing IMF programme in Pakistan. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the economic refor...

THE death penalty awarded to Zahir Jaffar for the brutal killing of Noor Mukadam in 2021 has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The court has reiterated that the murderer must pay for the crime with his life. It is, no doubt, a dire sentence — this paper, in principle, opposes capital punishment. The judges, it must be noted, did commute the death sentence on the rape charge to life imprisonment, and the kidnapping sentence from 10 years to one. However, when it came to the murder charge, it appears they felt it necessary to match the severity of the crime with the severity of the punishment. Many well-wishers hope that the verdict will bring the Mukadam family some closure after their long ordeal to secure justice for their murdered daughter. Noor’s brutal killing had shaken the Pakistani public out of its reverie to take note of the misogyny and domestic violence prevalent in society . The case had been closely followed. The evidence, eyewitness accounts, and sequence of e...