Infinity Social Updates

The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has affirmed that all other courts in the country, including the Supreme Court, are required to “adhere” to its judgements. The observation was made by a two-member FCC bench, comprising Justices Aamer Farooq and Rozi Khan Barrech, as it rejected a plea wherein the petitioner claimed a piece of land that was resumed from his father’s holding in the 1970s. The order read: “Article 189 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan stipulates that any decision rendered by the Supreme Court, which resolves a question of law or enunciates a principle of law, is binding upon all other courts within Pakistan, with the exception of the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan. “This exception arises from the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, which establishes that decisions issued by the Federal Constitutional Court are binding on all courts in Pakistan, including the Supreme Court itself. Consequently, all courts in Pakistan are constituti...

The European Union (EU) has welcomed Pakistan’s progress towards implementing 27 international conventions under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) framework, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. According to the EU, GSP+ status is a special incentive awarded to developing countries to “pursue sustainable development and good governance” in exchange for cutting import duties to zero on two-thirds of the tariff lines of its exports. Governments with this status need to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labour rights, good governance and the environment. According to Saturday’s statement, the FO noted that the 15th Pakistan-EU Joint Commission meeting was held in Brussels on December 17 and that cooperation between Islamabad and the bloc in several different fields was discussed. The meeting “reviewed Pakistan’s progress on the implementation of the 27 international conventions as required under the GSP+ framework,” the statement read, a...

Australia honoured the victims on Sunday of a gun attack a week earlier on a seaside Hanukkah celebration, as the prime minister announced a review of the country’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The nation marked a day of reflection to honour the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was held at 6:47pm (12:47pm PKT), the time the attack began. Television and radio networks paused for a minute’s silence. Tens of thousands, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other leaders, attended a memorial event at Bondi Beach under a heavy police presence, including snipers on rooftops and police boats in the waters. Albanese was booed by the crowd on arrival and later when the speaker mentioned his name during the memorial. He sat in the front row wearing a kippah, the traditional Jewish cap. Albanese, under pressure from crit...

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has said that formations of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) infiltrating into Pakistan mostly comprised Afghans. “In the TTP formations coming [into Pakistan], 70 per cent are Afghans,” he said. The defence forces’ chief made this statement at the National Ulema Conference held in Islamabad on December 10. However, details of the Field Marshal’s address at the conference were scant thus far and clips of his speech from the event were broadcast on television today. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to put an end to the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for carrying out attacks in Pakistan. Kabul, however, denies the allegation. Turning his attention to the matter at the conference, CDF Munir questioned: “Is Afghanistan not spilling the blood of our Pakistani children?” He recalled that the Afghan Taliban had been told to choose between Pakistan and the TTP. Speaking about the four-day May conflict with...

The United States (US) is facing a delicate balancing act in defining the mandate for a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza. Any plan must address the concerns of potential troop-contributing countries while also satisfying Israel’s security demands — a combination that has so far proven elusive. As diplomats gathered this week in Doha and Miami, it became clear that clarity on legal authority, rules of engagement, and operational responsibilities is a prerequisite for any country, particularly Muslim-majority nations, to commit troops. Until these questions are resolved, phase two of the Gaza peace plan risks remaining largely a blueprint on paper rather than an actionable plan. Consultations in Doha and Miami Earlier this week, the United States and its partners convened a conference in Doha, Qatar, bringing together representatives from more than two dozen countries to discuss key aspects of the ISF, including leadership, rules of engagement, and operationa...

The United States Justice Department released thousands of heavily redacted documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday that made scant reference to President Donald Trump but extensively featured Democratic former president Bill Clinton. The absence of references to Trump was notable given that pictures and documents related to him have trickled out of previous Epstein releases for years. Trump’s name appeared in flight manifests listing passengers on Epstein’s private plane that were part of a first batch of Epstein material the Justice Department released in February, for instance. The partial release was intended to comply with a law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in November that mandated the disclosure of all Epstein files, despite the Republican president’s months-long effort to keep them sealed. The scandal surrounding Epstein has become a self-inflicted political wound for Trump, who for years had promoted conspiracy theo...

Bangladesh tightened security on Saturday, deploying police and paramilitary forces in the capital Dhaka ahead of funeral prayers for a slain youth leader and election candidate whose death has sparked a surge of violence. The unrest in the South Asian nation after the shooting death of Sharif Osman Hadi has included coordinated mob attacks on major newspapers and cultural institutions. Hadi, 32, a key figure in the student-led uprising last year that toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last week while launching his campaign. He died on Thursday night in Singapore after six days on life support. Bangladesh is to elect a new parliament on February 12 — a transition many hope will help the Muslim-majority nation of 175 million people recover from nearly two years of instability and reclaim its position as a regional success story. Rights groups condemn killing, attacks on media But frequent bouts of violent protests...

ISLAMABAD: Traders from Chaman have arrived in the federal capital to press the government to reopen the border crossing with Afghanistan for cross-border trade, a member of the delegation said on Friday. All border crossings with Afghanistan have remained closed since October 11, and trade has been at a standstill following ground fighting and retaliatory Pakistani airstrikes across their 2,600-kilometre frontier that killed dozens on both sides—the worst fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul . There are no signs of the border reopening, with Taliban rulers refusing to allow United Nations humanitarian aid to use Pakistan’s land route. Many people in Afghanistan depend on UN aid. The traders have held a series of meetings with government officials, including Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, and sought their help in reopening the border, the second key crossing with Afghanistan, the former president of the Chaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Daw...

Pakistan is targeting January to issue its first panda bond tranche, part of a planned programme of up to $1 billion, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday, as Islamabad seeks to diversify funding sources and tap China’s onshore debt market. The inaugural issuance is expected to raise the equivalent of about $250 million, with further tranches to follow under a phased programme once regulatory approvals are completed, the ministry said after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a review meeting on the plan. Approvals from multilateral partners have already been secured, and final clearances from Chinese regulators are expected by early January, the statement said. The panda bond programme, denominated in yuan and sold on China’s domestic market, is part of Pakistan’s broader debt management strategy as it works to stabilise its economy under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund programme. Pricing for the inaugural bond will be determined closer to the launch once a...

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday acquitted PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while sentencing four other leaders, including Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry, to 10 years of imprisonment each in a case related to the May 9 riots. These PTI leaders have already been jailed after being indicted by different courts in Punjab in cases pertaining to violence on May 9, 2023. On that day, supporters and workers of the party, reacting to founder Imran Khan’s arrest, vandalised and torched military installations and government properties. Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the verdict inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, concluding the trial in first information report number 852/2023, which pertains to an attack on the entrance gate of Government Officers’ Residence-I Club Chowk. The Racecourse police had registered the case and submitted a challan against 25 suspects, including PTI leaders and workers. This marks the fifth case in which PTI lead...

UK teachers will be trained to tackle misogyny in the classroom under a new strategy aimed at halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, the government said Thursday. The new strategy would “deploy the full power of the state to introduce the largest crackdown to stop violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history”, said Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, who is due to unveil details of the new approach in parliament later. The 20 million plan comes as the latest statistics showed over 40 per cent of young men held a positive view of so-called manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, a government statement said. And over the last year alone, one in every eight women was a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking. “For too long, the scale of violence against women and girls has been treated as a fact of life in our country,” said Phillips. Under the strategy, all secondary schools in England...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved the halal meat export policy and directed relevant authorities to present a comprehensive, three-year strategy within two weeks, comprising measures to increase exports. Pakistan barely has a 0.25 per cent share in the global halal food trade of more than $3 trillion, which reflects the need for the government and private sector to take proactive initiatives to explore the true potential of ‘Made in Pakistan’ products and establish a niche for itself. The decision was made during a meeting of a committee established to enhance Pakistan’s halal meat export market, focusing on the export policy and sector reforms. PM Shehbaz was presiding over the meeting. “A comprehensive strategy, formulated through coordination among all relevant federal ministries and provincial governments, is essential and significant to make Pakistan’s share in the halal meat market of Muslim countries as well as the global market,” PM Shehbaz said. He asked ...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued a stern reminder to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other authorities concerned, saying that any person offloaded or restrained from travelling must be provided with written reasons at the time of the action being taken. LHC’s Justice Ali Zia Bajwa made the observations in an order issued after a hearing held at the Multan Bench. On Wednesday, the judge had heard a petition filed by a citizen, Shaheryar Qandeel, against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other authorities following his offloading from a flight despite being in possession of valid travel documents. In the order, a copy of which is available with Dawn , Justice Bajwa said, “Let this court take a moment to remind the FIA and all concerned authorities that every exercise of power that infringes upon the fundamental rights of an individual must find its firm and unambiguous foundation in law.” He said that no administrative discretion, however broad, could justif...

Men’s tennis world number one Carlos Alcaraz announced on Wednesday he is splitting from his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after seven hugely successful years together. Alcaraz has won six Grand Slams among his 24 tour level titles under the guidance of fellow Spaniad Ferrero, including this year’s French and US Opens . Alcaraz, 22, ends this year as world number one having claimed eight tournaments during the season including his dramatic victory over Jannik Sinner in Paris. “It is very difficult to write this post,” Alcaraz said on social media with photos of the pair hugging. View this post on Instagram “After more than seven years together, ‘Juanki’ and I have decided to end our story together as coach and player. “Thank you for making the dreams of a child become reality,” Alcaraz added. Alcaraz began working with 45-year-old Ferrero, a former world number one, in August 2018, when he was a teenager. As a player, Ferrero won t...

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner turned 2025 into a gripping tug-of-war for tennis supremacy by carving up the Grand Slams for a second straight year, while the women’s game showcased depth and drama with four different major champions. Sinner’s dominant victory over Alexander Zverev at the start of the season helped him retain his Australian Open title and become the first Italian to capture three majors, moving past Nicola Pietrangeli who won back-to-back French Opens in 1959-60. What followed after Sinner’s three-month ban in February for anti-doping violations in 2024 was nothing short of spectacular, as he took his era-defining rivalry with Alcaraz to the biggest stage in an epic five-set Roland Garros final. Alcaraz ultimately prevailed after saving three match points — one of the sport’s great comebacks in the longest Paris final at five hours and 29 minutes — with the Spaniard establishing himself as the “Prince of Clay” in the post-Rafa Nadal era. The “Sincaraz” slugfe...

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday reported that more than 2.5 million undocumented migrants have left the US since the Trump administration took office on January 20, 2025, amid a sharp expansion of immigration enforcement. According to DHS, the total includes over 605,000 formal deportations and approximately 1.9m “self-departures”, referring to migrants who left voluntarily amid intensified enforcement pressure. The department said removals have focused on individuals it describes as criminal offenders, while also encouraging undocumented migrants to leave on their own through a government-run mobile application offering free flights and a $1,000 incentive. The announcement — the administration’s most significant immigration update this year — comes as Washington tightens entry rules, expands travel bans , and increasingly links immigration control to national security and counter-terrorism concerns. While DHS presented the figures as evidence o...

Dear Auntie, I am a 19-year-old girl who just cleared her Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) and, luckily, secured a seat in a government medical college in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I consider myself extremely lucky to have gotten into a government college, considering the tough competition in our province. However, now that I am in my post-MDCAT phase, strangely, I am questioning my career choice. Do I really want to do this? What about the saturation in this field? What if I am jobless after all the hard work and extensive studies? Is pursuing this field in a country with a faltering economy the right career choice? These questions are popping up in my head every now and then. My dream was to clear the MDCAT and I really put in all my efforts to achieve it. Now, after I am done with it, I am actually clueless. I am wondering if I really wanted to become a doctor or was it just the craze of clearing the MDCAT and proving myself to people. Or is it just the poor situation ...

Former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo passed away in Lahore on Tuesday. He was 86 years old. The deceased politician belonged to the PPP and also served as federal minister for Kashmir affairs during the 2008-2013 PPP-led coalition government. Wattoo hailed from Deepalpur in Punjab’s Okara district and had decades of political experience . He was first elected chairman of the Okara district council in 1983 and became a member of the Punjab Assembly in 1985. He was also elected speaker of the assembly at the time. In 1988, Wattoo was again elected as an MPA (independent) and soon joined the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League, which was part of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) at the time. This time too, Wattoo became speaker of the house. In 1993, he was elected as MNA and MPA from the IJI’s platform but opted to remain in Punjab, becoming speaker for the third time in a row. After the 1993 election, Wattoo dislodged the provincial government of PML-N’s Ghulam...

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Tuesday that dense fog had affected its flight schedule in Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad, affecting both domestic and international operations. In a statement, the spokesperson for the national carrier urged passengers travelling domestically and internationally to obtain the latest information about their flights before leaving for the airport. The spokesperson said that temporary changes were made to the schedule to ensure passenger safety and to avoid unnecessary delays in flight operations. He said that dense fog affected visibility significantly, creating challenges for aircraft during landing and takeoff. He added that passengers could contact the PIA helpline for updates on the status of their flights. According to the weekly weather outlook issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, cold and dry weather was likely to expected in most parts of the country on Tuesday. “Moderate to dense fog/smog is likely to p...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb underscored Pakistan’s strategic shift from seeking aid-based support towards trade- and investment-led engagement to ensure long-term economic sustainability and mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. In an interview with CNN Business Arabia , Aurangzeb highlighted the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which reflected Pakistan’s renewed economic confidence and reform momentum. He said that Pakistan has followed a comprehensive macroeconomic stabilisation program for the past 18 months, which has delivered tangible and measurable results, while inflation has declined to single-digit levels from an unprecedented 38%. On the fiscal front, Pakistan has achieved primary surpluses, while the current account deficit remains well within targeted limits. According to the finance czar, the exchange rate has also stabilised, and foreign exchange reserves have improved to approximately 2.5 mon...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the frequent offloading of passengers travelling abroad, ordering the constitution of a committee to look into the matter, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said on Monday. Over the past few months, numerous incidents have been reported of travellers being offloaded from flights at various airports, despite possessing valid travel documents. The actions came after a crackdown was launched on migrant smuggling following the Greece boat tragedy in 2024, one which claimed several Pakistani lives. In a statement issued today, the minister stated that PM Shehbaz had formed a “special committee” to look into the issue of offloading passengers at airports and to ensure safe migration. “Recently, despite having complete documentation, some passengers have still been offloaded,” the minister said. “People who held valid visas were offloaded as well.” The committee will prepare “recommendations regarding the s...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi asked PTI supporters on Sunday to “be ready” in case a call was made for a protest, adding that “we will together seize [our] Haqiqi Azadi (true freedom)” from the country’s current rulers. Afridi’s intimation came during a PTI rally in Kohat, where he reminded the crowd that incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, had delivered the message from jail of “freedom or death”. “So if we go this time around, we will either return in shrouds or after getting freedom,” he said, adding that Imran had given the responsibility of making decisions — be it about talks with the government or protests — to Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.* The two leaders are part of the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) along with the PTI, which has also nominated them as the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate. “For my part,” A...