Infinity Social Updates

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in its February-April weather outlook for northern areas, on Monday warned of a “high probability” of glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) in Gilgit-Baltistan, owing to “sustained above normal” temperatures. Glof refers to the sudden release of water and debris from a glacial lake, leading to the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods in mountain communities. Over 7.1 million people in GB and KP are vulnerable to the phenomenon, according to the Ministry of Climate Change. The PMD, in its outlook, noted that due to reduced rain and “persistent clear-sky conditions”, temperatures across GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from Feb 1 to 22 recorded an increase. “Daytime (maximum) temperatures were recorded 3–5°C above normal, while nighttime (minimum) temperatures remained 1–3.5°C above the 1981–2010 climatological average,” the PMD said, adding that the highest warming was recorded in the regions of Gilgit and Bunji. “Chilas and Bunji h...

Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar (sitting, centre), Shahpurji Saklatvala (standing, centre) and Dr K.M. Ashraf (standing, second from left) along with others in London in 1930 | ZMO Library & Archives During the hardening positions in the 1940s of the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Muslim League (ML) on the creation of a new state for the Muslims of India, there were other groups and parties that envisioned different resolutions to the “Muslim Question.” Among these voices was that of the Communist Party of India (CPI), which was aligned with the INC in the late 1930s, yet slowly diverged from it in the 1940s. A major figure who articulated the CPI’s perspective on Muslim politics was Dr Kunwar Mohammad Ashraf — whose contribution has remained somewhat marginal in the received history of this period. THE PALS OF MEWAT Dr Ashraf was of Rajput stock from the Mewat region and hailed from a lower middle-class family that had settled in United Provinces (UP) in the 19th centur...

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) announced that it would issue Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) to those seeking first-time registration without a birth certificate, a statement said on Sunday. The time-bound facility for first-time registration would be valid until December 31, 2026, and would be subject to strict verification conditions. “This facilitation has been approved under Section 5(1)(b) and Section 20 of the Nadra Ordinance, 2000, read with Rule 8 of the Nadra NIC Rules, 2002, which permit alternative verification mechanisms in specified categories”, the statement said. It added that the CNIC issuance under this framework would be allowed only where identity was established through NADRA’s existing records and mandatory biometric verification of already registered immediate family members. Per the statement, for a married woman aged 18 years or above, a valid local government Nikah Nama , a valid CNIC or National Identity Card for Over...

King Charles III has been left wrestling with a new test after the arrest of his brother Andrew, the latest in a series of painful personal shocks to mar his reign. “Charles has, since coming to the throne in September 2022, been battered by a succession of difficulties and crises, whether it’s in relation to his second son, Harry … his health, the health of Catherine, or the very disruptive figure of Andrew,” royal commentator Ed Owens told AFP . After decades waiting in the wings, Charles became king in September 2022 on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who had reigned for 70 years and commanded deep public affection and respect. His coronation on May 6, 2023 was rich in pageantry, projecting continuity and tradition. Yet trouble stirred even before the crown was placed on his head. In January 2023, his youngest son Harry released his explosive memoir Spare , launching repeated attacks on the royal family and airing private disputes lapped up by a global audi...

KARACHI: Central Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Imran Khan on Sunday ordered the suspension of five cops for their alleged involvement in the custodial torture of a man at the city’s Sharifabad police station. According to a statement issued by the Sindh Police’s Central District branch, SSP Imran took serious notice of the alleged incident and issued directives for the five cops to be suspended. The statement noted that an initial inquiry was conducted by the Liaquatabad sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) on the orders of the Central SSP. According to the probe, four personnel of Sindh Police’s Shaheen Force and a sentry of the Sharifabad police station were found to be involved in the torture. “All five personnel were immediately suspended and the [case] was closed, while further departmental inquiry is under way,” the Central District police statement read. “Further departmental action will be taken after the inquiry has been completed,” it added. SSP Imran warned,...

PESHAWAR: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police claimed to have averted a major incident after arresting a suspected female suicide bomber during a raid in the Sheikh Yousaf Khema Basti area of the district, officials said on Saturday. According to a CTD spokesperson, the Dera region received intelligence regarding the presence of a young woman allegedly linked to a banned outfit and preparing for a suicide attack. Acting on the tip-off, a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team conducted a raid at the specified location. Officials said the suspect, identified only by the initial “Z”, was taken into custody after preliminary questioning. During interrogation, she allegedly disclosed that she had remained under the training of a militant commander, identified as Shah Wali alias Tariq Kochi, who is reportedly deceased. The suspect further claimed that she had recently consented to carry out a suicide attack and that a suicide vest and target were to ...

ISLAMABAD: The prolonged legal saga surrounding the audio leak case involving PTI leader and former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, finally moved to the next stage on Saturday with an additional district and sessions judge indicting him and his co-accused. Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch conducted the proceedings. Gandapur, accompanied by his counsel, Advocate Raja Zahoorul Hassan, appeared before the court, along with his co-accused, Asad Farooq Khan. At the outset of the hearing, the judge addressed the core issue that had stalled the proceedings: the repeated failure of the accused to appear. The court enquired why he had not been presenting himself before the law. Responding to the court’s query, Gandapur cited serious security concerns and logistical hurdles for his absence. “Due to the security situation and road closures, I could not appear,” the former chief minister explained, adding that there was a prevailing situatio...

The United States is in “active negotiation” over the sale of Venezuelan oil to India, to help India diversify its sources of crude oil, US Envoy Sergio Gor said on Friday. The US has made diversification away from Russian crude a condition for cutting tariffs on goods imported from India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer. “The Department of Energy is speaking to the Ministry of Energy here, and so we’re hoping to have some news of that very soon,” Gor told reporters on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi where India joined the US-led Pax Silica initiative aimed at building a silicon supply chain for high-tech products. US President Donald Trump this month agreed to cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent under an interim trade deal . He also removed a 25pc punitive levy after India agreed to end the purchase of Russian oil, which the US said helps fund Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said India would buy more oil from the US and potentially Venezuela. ...

One of the most anticipated moments of Ramazan in many homes is iftar and its preparation. After a long day of fasting and prayers, naturally, everyone wishes to break their fast with their desired foods. However, to keep ourselves healthy this Ramazan, it’s essential for our iftar menus to focus on what the body needs for its recovery instead of what solely tastes good on the palate. Don’t worry, this is not another list of things you already know; this one might surprise you. Hydration Almost every fasting individual has been told about how crucial drinking water during iftar is, and of course, that remains true, but there are some other options that can assist with the role of hydration during iftar besides just drinking water. Cucumbers are one of the most hydrating foods, with their composition being over 90 per cent water. They are available in our local markets almost all year round, and should be a great addition to everyone’s iftar menus this Ramazan. Image showing a sl...

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee will meet today (Wednesday) in Peshawar to sight the Ramazan moon. The committee chairman, Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, will preside over the meeting. The zonal and district Ruet-i-Hilal Committees in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and other cities will also gather to sight the new moon. Earlier this month, based on the moon’s expected age, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) predicted that the first day of Ramazan was “likely to fall” on February 19. However, Suparco said the final announcement regarding the beginning of the holy month would be made by the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, “which is the sole competent authority, based on credible witness testimonies from across the country”. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan observed their first day of fasting on Wednesday after the Ramazan moon was sighted on Tuesday night. It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif h...

With women banned from most jobs in Afghanistan, an embroidery boutique run by 22-year-old Rahima Alavi is a surprising and treasured sight in Bamiyan. “Spring flowers, tailoring and embroidery,” reads a sign outside Alavi’s small store, which opened in January after a months-long search for work. “I really feel proud because I can support my family, my parents and three sisters. I can pay the rent,” said Alavi, who was wearing a burgundy coat that had a few pieces of leftover coloured thread stuck to it. This photograph taken on January 20, 2026 shows Afghan tailoress Rahima Alavi embroidering a scarf at her boutique in Bamiyan. —AFP Demonstrating her new skills, she guided material through her sewing machine to create delicate silk leaves and flowers. Alavi is one of more than five million people who have returned to the country since 2023 from Pakistan and Iran, which have been pushing back Afghans after hosting them for decades. Having grown up in rural Bamiyan province, w...

Eight Muslim countries, including Pakistan, on Tuesday condemned the Israeli move to claim land in the occupied West Bank as “state property”, saying that the step reflected an attempt to “impose a new legal and administrative reality designed to consolidate control over the occupied land”. Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that the Israeli government had approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the territory in 1967, in clear violation of international law that states an occupying power cannot confiscate land in occupied territories. Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the measure, approved late on Sunday, would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” but the move drew strong condemnations from across the globe for its violation of international law. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the foreign ministries of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, th...

KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Tuesday it conducted a raid in the city’s Shah Latif Town, as a result of which four suspected terrorists died while two cops sustained injuries. According to information provided by CTD Deputy Inspector General Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, the encounter began when CTD personnel surrounded a house in Shah Latif Town based on the identification of previously arrested suspects. The men inside opened fire, leading to an exchange of gunfire, the CTD said. Additional police contingents were then called to the scene. The four alleged terrorists were injured by firing “from their own accomplices” during the crossfire and later died at a hospital, CTD claimed. Three of the suspects were identified as Jaleel alias Farid, Niaz alias King and Hamdan alias Farid, while efforts were underway to determine the identity of the fourth. A Kalashnikov and a hand grenade were recovered from the possession of one of the suspected terrorists. Two CTD of...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif began his two-day visit to Austria on Monday, during which he will hold bilateral meetings and delegation-level talks, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. The premier arrived in Vienna for the two-day visit on Sunday, at the invitation of Austria’s Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker. As per a PMO statement, PM Shehbaz arrived at the Austrian Chancellery today, where he was presented with a guard of honour and welcomed by Stocker. The statement said that the national anthems of both countries were played at the arrival, and both leaders “introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for tête-à-tête and the delegation-level talks, wherein both sides will take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral relations”. PM Shehbaz also penned his remarks in the guest book at the Chancellery. The premier is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and one of his a...

A story titled “Imran Khan’s right eye vision ‘improving’, says sister citing report” was published by Dawn.com on February 16. The report quoted a social media account purporting to belong to Noreen Niazi, a sister of former prime minister Imran Khan. Subsequent checks have confirmed that the account was not authentic and that the information shared was inaccurate and mala fide. The story has since been removed from our platforms. We are conducting an internal review of the circumstances that led to its publication and strengthening our verification protocols, particularly with regard to social media sourcing. Dawn remains committed to upholding the highest standards of accuracy, verification and editorial integrity, and will continue to take corrective steps whenever necessary to ensure responsible reporting. from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/C6Dpy9f

It was never going to be easy for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to sideline Pakistan from the T20 World Cup, let alone exclude them from the marquee clash against India. That is precisely why, today on February 15, Pakistan will take on India for the ninth time in T20 World Cup history. It is a rivalry in which Pakistan has managed only one victory so far. Yet win numbers barely matter when these two teams meet, because this contest has grown far beyond cricket and has become arguably the most anticipated fixture in global sport. In the build-up to this match, uncertainty loomed large. Until just days before the game, there was no official confirmation that Pakistan would play. This followed a dramatic political intervention when the Government of Pakistan announced that it would not permit the Pakistan team to participate in the World Cup group-stage match against India. Despite the tournament featuring 20 teams, this single lucrative fixture dominated headlines across the...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi to address the security situation in Islamabad in a meeting on Saturday. A press release by the prime minister’s media wing said that during the meeting, the interior minister briefed the premier on the overall security situation of the country. “The prime minister was also given a detailed briefing on the current overall situation and security in Islamabad,” it added. According to the press release, PM Shehbaz directed Naqvi to address the security situation in Islamabad and other matters “in an effective and efficient manner”. The statement by the premier’s media wing further said that Naqvi would soon visit Sri Lanka, where he would “convey the prime minister’s special message” to the Sri Lankan president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Islamabad has experienced two major suicide attacks in recent weeks. One occurred on 6 February, when 36 people were killed and over 150 injured in a suicide bombing at...

KARACHI: The death toll from the tragic traffic accident on the M9 Motorway has risen to 13 after another injured child succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Civil Hospital, Karachi. Following medico-legal formalities, the child’s body was transported to the Edhi Home cold storage facility in Sohrab Goth by an Edhi ambulance. The Edhi Foundation also transported the bodies of the 12 family members who lost their lives in the road mishap to their hometown of Kotri in Sindh. The accident occurred near Ansari Bridge, close to DHA City on the M9 Motorway, when an oil tanker collided with a passenger bus. Initial reports from police and Rescue 1122 had suggested a higher casualty figure, but later confirmation by Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed stated that 12 people had been killed and six injured at the time. Rescue officials faced significant challenges during the operation as a large quantity of oil spilled onto the motorway, creating a risk of fire. To avoid sparks, rescue ...

Short-term inflation in Pakistan, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending on February 12, decreased 0.59 per cent, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The SPI-based inflation has been on an upward trend for the past few weeks, mainly driven by a surge in prices of perishable products, pulses, and meat. Major decreases noted during this time period were in the prices of eggs (17.61pc), followed by tomatoes (12.02pc), chicken (6.34pc), onions (2.73pc), potatoes (2.49pc), salt powder (1.69pc), LPG (1.57pc), wheat flour (1.31pc), and sugar (1.12pc). Major increases were in the prices of bananas (7.62pc), garlic (4.35pc), pulse mash (2.69pc), chilies powder (1.68pc), mutton (0.80pc), beef (0.37pc), mustard oil (0.34pc), shirting (0.31pc), cigarettes (0.24pc), vegetable ghee 1Kg (0.08pc), and georgette (0.02pc). The year-on-year data show a 4.26pc increase. The major influences contirbuting to this annual trend were an increase i...

A report by the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) released on Thursday found that women in Pakistan continued to be underrepresented in the media, although digital platforms offered greater space for their participation and visibility. The Pakistan National Report 2025 was released by the GMMP’s Pakistan partner, Uks Research Centre. It was based on the monitoring of the news landscape on May 6 last year — a day “marked by severe military and political tensions along the Line of Control with India” — which shaped the news content and the visibility of women across different platforms. “The data captures not just a single day’s news, but the outcome of decades of institutional and societal factors that shape women’s visibility in Pakistani media,” the report said, adding, “On a day that was dominated by overwhelming national security coverage, these findings show broader systemic trends.” According to the report, the monitoring was based on nine print newspapers, six televisio...

The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said on Friday that the first day of Ramazan is “likely to fall” on February 19, 2026. The new moon is expected to be born on Feb 17, 2026, at 5:01pm, according to the statement by the space agency. “At the time of sunset on Feb 18, 2026, the age of the new moon will be approximately 25 hours and 48 minutes. The time duration between sunset and moonset is expected to be 59 minutes along the coastal areas of the country,” added the Suparco statement. “Consequently, the 1st of Ramazan may likely to fall on 19 Feb 2026.” However, the agency said the final announcement regarding the beginning of the Islamic holy month will be made by the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, “which is the sole competent authority, based on credible witness testimonies from across the country”. Earlier this week, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stated that there is a “fair chance” of sighting the new moon of Ramazan on the evening of February ...

It took me about an hour to produce a 50-page-long children’s book. All it required was a handful of prompts to ChatGPT. The task was simple: Write a children’s story about a journalist living in the age of artificial intelligence, set at The Korea Herald , with a main character named Jane. Here’s what I got. Both the book cover image and the title were created by ChatGPT. And here are a few pages from the book: Readers can decide for themselves if the result is convincing enough to pass as something written by a human. But this experiment shows just how quickly a book can be made with AI, something South Korea’s publishing industry is trying to cope with, for better or worse. Publishing in the AI era Some say AI’s rise in publishing represents a change far greater than e-publishing, even akin to the advent of movable type. Already, the industry is seeing a surge in published titles, as AI dramatically speeds up the production process. Last year, the National Library of...

Advocate Salman Safdar formally submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday a seven-page report regarding incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s living conditions at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, amid concern from his party over his treatment. The PTI lawyer, who was appointed amicus curaie to visit Adiala jail, told the media after submitting the report that he met the PTI founder and visited his cell. At the time, he refused to divulge details of the report to the media. A copy of the report, available with Dawn, detailed the conditions of Imran’s confinement, including the facilities provided during his incarceration. Daily routine and diet According to the report, Imran’s daily routine varies between summer and winter. “He takes breakfast at around 9:45am, followed by recitation of the Holy Qur’an from approximately 11:30am for about an hour,” the report said, adding that breakfast consisted of coffee, porridge and a few dates. “He then undertakes physical exercise using t...