A recent speech delivered by Emal Wali Khan, the President of Awami National Party (ANP), has sparked controversy, with Khan calling for the exile of leaders from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the opposition party, PTI. Speaking at a commemoration event for Bacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan in Charsadda, Khan demanded that those who have been accused of supporting terrorism be punished, and that those who facilitated the entry of these terrorists be held accountable. Khan also claimed that the ANP was robbed of its rightful victory in the 2024 general elections due to rigging, and that the TTP and PTI leaders should be sent into exile.
The ANP President further emphasized that the party demands action against both terrorists and those who facilitate their activities. Khan also expressed his support for a peaceful resolution to the Palestine issue, stating that it should be resolved with the consent of the Palestinian people.
In other news, the Pakistan Navy successfully conducted a rescue operation in the Arabian Sea, retrieving a stranded vessel after a long distance. In Lahore, a gold trader was arrested for allegedly cheating customers out of 20 kilograms of gold worth over 1 million rupees. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Senator Rana Sanaullah, has called for Pakistan to take a stand against Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The authorities are still in the process of identifying the bodies of those who lost their lives in the tragic fire that engulfed the Glitz Plaza in Karachi. In Rajanpur, 24 more members of a notorious gang surrendered during an operation. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has announced plans to repair 418 roads across the city.
In a separate incident, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials in Peshawar seized over 6.4 million kilograms of tobacco worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Chief Fire Officer, Hameed Khan, stated that the search operation at the Glitz Plaza is ongoing, with the rubble being cleared. The Coordinator to the Prime Minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs, Azmatullah, has accused the PTI of sabotaging the province and seeking to cause harm to the country.
In a different context, Pakistan’s Governor for Punjab, Sardar Saleem Haider, addressed the Pakistani community in Glasgow, Scotland, during his visit. Many parts of Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan have been hit with heavy snowfall, ranging from several inches to several feet.
Following the tragic incident at the Glitz Plaza in Karachi, the Sindh Building Control Authority has begun conducting surveys of buildings in three districts of the city. Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, has called for a review of the 18th Amendment, which he claims has created confusion in the country.
In a bizarre incident, over 3,000 cases of cat killing have been reported in Karachi since January 1. Human rights activists, Advocate Iman Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chughtai, have been sentenced to prison in a case related to tweets deemed defamatory. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially banned Bangladesh from participating in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
