Infinity Social Updates

ISLAMABAD: Lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, seeking an early hearing of their challenge to a Feb 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision in the controversial social media posts case. On Jan 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). In February, the IHC had denied the lawyers’ plea for suspension of their 17-year sentences under Peca. The controversy at the centre of the case stems from a complaint filed under Peca on August 12, 2025, by the NCCIA Islamabad assistant director (investigating officer) before the Cybercrime Reporting Centre, FIA. The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts. Filed through senior counsel Faisal ...

ISLAMABAD: Halfway through his 5-year constitutional term, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to transform the government’s monitoring mechanism through real-time digital oversight to improve service delivery and public perception. The step is a part of the Digital Nation Pakistan Initiative, whose monitoring model has already been finalised by the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA). The initiative coincided with media reports about a potential reshuffle in the federal cabinet after the federal budget 2026-27 is passed by the parliament later this month. In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Press Information Department (PID) said that Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema chaired a meeting “to review the Prime Minister’s Office System (PMOS), an innovative AI-powered platform designed to strengthen governance, enhance coordination and improve monitoring of government initiatives across ministries and departments”. Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja,...

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi on Wednesday visited the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York and appreciated the Pakistan Mission’s constructive role in fostering dialogue and settling disputes peacefully. In a statement shared on X, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN said, “Former Pakistan cricket team captain and celebrated all-rounder Shahid Afridi visited the UN Headquarters in New York at the invitation of Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN.” During the visit, Ambassador Ahmad briefed Afridi on the work of the mission, including “Pakistan’s active engagement at the UN in advancing multilateralism, promoting dialogue and diplomacy, and contributing to international peace and security,” the statement said. It added that Afridi “expressed appreciation for the mission’s important work and its constructive role in fostering understanding, dialogue and multi...

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan on Wednesday announced decisions on three pending election petitions, giving the PPP 11 seats. The election chief declared PPP candidate Attaullah Khan the winner from GBA-16 Diamer-II, PML-N candidate Malik Kefayat from GBA-17 and PML-N candidate from GBA-13 Astore-I. The rival candidates had filed petitions with the GB Election Commission, challenging the Form-47 results. After hearing arguments from both sides, CEC Raja Shahbaz Khan had suspended the results and reserved his verdict on the petitions. With the announcement, the PPP has secured 11 seats, the PML-N has secured six, independent candidates — who joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) a day earlier — have won four, PTI-backed candidates have won two and the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen has secured one seat. The GB CEC said the notifications for the successful candidates would now be issued. He said six seats reserved for women and three tec...

GILGIT: Four independent candidates, who recently won in their constituencies, joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) after a meeting with party president Abdul Aleem Khan. The members include Anwar Ali, elected from GBA-23 Ghanche-II; Dr Asad Shafiq, elected from GBA-24 Ghanche-III; Muhammad Dilpazeer, elected from GBA-15 Diamer-I; and Aman Ali Amir, elected from GBA-21 Ghizer. Khan, who is also a federal minister, announced the development on his social media account and congratulated the members. “Representation of Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly for the first time will be a welcoming development. With hard work and honesty, the party will fully participate in the development of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said. During the recent general elections held on June 7, the IPP fielded 16 candidates from 16 constituencies in GB; however, none succeeded in winning. These four independent members of the GB Assembl...

Prominent lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, currently serving jail sentences, have been awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for their advocacy work, it emerged on Tuesday. According to the official website , the prize is the world’s oldest and most prestigious human rights honour awarded to lawyers, established in honour of French lawyer Ludovic Trarieux who founded the League for the Defence of Human and Citizen Rights in 1898. The first recipient of the award was Nelson Mandela in 1985, while he was imprisoned under South Africa’s apartheid regime. An official press release issued by the Forensic Union for the Protection of Human Rights (UFDU) on Saturday said the award “is presented annually to a lawyer who, through his or her professional commitment, has made an extraordinary contribution to the defence of human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against racism and all forms of intolerance.” The award ceremony too...

ATTOCK: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday said that it had killed five suspected militants during an intelligence-based operation in the border area of Mankor, a remote locality in Attock district’s Jand tehsil. According to a CTD spokesperson, security personnel launched the operation after receiving credible intelligence regarding the presence and activities of militants allegedly involved in planning terrorist attacks in Punjab. As the CTD team moved in, the suspects reportedly opened fire, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire between the militants and law enforcement personnel. The spokesperson said CTD officers responded effectively, resulting in the killing of all five suspected terrorists. A cache of weapons, explosive material and hand grenades was recovered from the site following the operation. Preliminary investigations suggest that the slain militants were allegedly linked to plans for carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab, the spokesperson sa...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday extended its forecast of below-normal rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures across most parts of the country from July to September. The PMD said in its three-month outlook, available with Dawn , that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is currently in a neutral phase and is expected to gradually transition into a positive phase during the season. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures over the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are currently exhibiting a warming trend, indicating the development of El Niño conditions, which are generally associated with suppressed rainfall anomalies over Pakistan. “Current projections suggest that these warming conditions are likely to persist throughout the July–September 2026 period, with a tendency to strengthen further as the season progresses,” the PMD report said. The report noted that a positive IOD phase is generally associated with slightly above-normal monsoon rainfall over Pak...

US and Iranian officials have agreed on a framework deal to end the war, halt hostilities on all fronts, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief to be settled in later negotiations. US President Donald Trump announced that the agreement was “complete” and ordered an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that a peace agreement had been reached after intensive talks, adding that the official signing ceremony would take place on June 19 in Switzerland. Iran also confirmed the framework understanding and ceasefire, saying the fighting would stop immediately, though key issues such as uranium enrichment and the release of frozen assets would be decided in subsequent discussions. Below is a timeline of the key events that led up to the agreement. February 28 The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran via air and sea: a series of explosions in Tehran, including near the residenc...

There’s a distinct buzz around Fifa World Cups. After all, it is one of only two truly global events — along with the Olympics — capable of bringing people from across the globe together for some fleeting moments of celebration. This time round though, the buzz is not celebratory. This World Cup feels divided, fragmented, uncertain. Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast and Senegal fans were unable to travel due to US travel restrictions . The Democratic Republic of Congo fans were unable to travel due to Ebola restrictions . Iran’s players and officials were denied US visas, which meant they had to shift their training base to Mexico, despite having to play all their group stage matches on the US West Coast. A special order granted only Iranian players (and not their officials) permission to enter and leave the US on the same day as their matches. Team Iran arrives at the Tijuana International Airport in Tijuana, Mexico ahead of the World Cup on June 7 after being refused...