LAHORE: On Tuesday, the Independent group, more commonly referred to as the “Asma Jahangir group,” won the election of Mian Rauf Atta to be president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in its election for the 2024–2025 period. This resulted in the Independent group maintaining its hold on the SCBA for a second consecutive term. The lawyers’ wings of the PML-N, the PPP, and the JUI-F supported Mr. Atta in the SCBA election, while the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) supported Munir Ahmad Kakar of the Hamid Khan-led Professional group. This is a reflection of the positions taken by their…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has voiced its displeasure with the health department for not using Rs3 billion from the budget, which was returned to the finance department without being used. During a meeting that was presided over by its chairman, Asghar Ali Tareen, the committee looked at the provincial health department’s accounts and noticed that a lot of money that was set aside for the fiscal years 2021 and 2022 were not used. The return of these funds to the finance department was criticized as a serious injustice to the province’s citizens and as evidence of…
QUETTA: On Tuesday, three accidents in the Balochistan districts of Sibi, Noshki, and Washuk resulted in the deaths of 12 people and the injuries of 19 others. The worst accident occurred when a Zambyad vehicle carrying Iranian gasoline collided head-on with another vehicle in Washuk’s Nag area. The people inside both vehicles were unable to escape when they caught fire. Five of them were killed by fire. The assistant commissioner of Washuk stated, “All the five people present inside the two vehicles burned to death.” It was impossible to recognize the bodies. On the Quetta-Sibi highway near the Mithri area…
ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians from around the world have called for changes to be made to international law so that people who commit international crimes can be punished. The “Parliamentarians for Global Action” (PGA) group emphasized the need for effective international participation and cooperation to establish the rule of law in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of a two-day annual forum. The participants noted that the fight against international treason’s impunity is a “moral imperative” and that victims of international treason must receive justice before the rule of law can be established. According to Bilal Azhar Kayani, the convener of the…
ISLAMABAD: On Monday and Tuesday, a man with an SMG ran around the capital, killing a restaurant worker, wounding a dozen others, including security guards, and stealing millions of rupees in five separate incidents. The five robberies were carried out by attacking cash van security guards in front of banks. In two of the five robberies on Tuesday, the robber stole cash bags, killed a man, and injured six others. According to the police, in the first incident on Tuesday, a motorcycle rider was waiting at G-9/4, near the National Bank branch, armed with an SMA and wearing a helmet.…
KARACHI: As part of its investigation into a paper leak, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) summoned a number of candidates who scored over 90% on the Medical and Dental College Admissions Test (MDCAT) on September 22 and planned to conduct their “mock exam.” The Sindh government formed a six-member inquiry committee on October 10 in response to court orders to investigate MDCAT anomalies by determining criminal and civil liabilities; to conduct a forensic investigation into various aspects of the paper leak, including its timing; to examine marks obtained by comparing lopsided results to candidates’ previous academic performance and/or by a…
HYDERABAD: Imdad Memon, a BS-20 officer and Director General (Finance & Cooperation) of the Agriculture Department, and six other accused people were taken into custody on Tuesday after the Sindh High Court did not confirm the pre-arrest bail they had been granted previously. In order to get their bail approved, they went before the SHC division bench, which included Justices Amjad Ali Sahito and Khadim Hussain Soomro. However, their interim bail order was revoked, and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) took them into custody on the court premises. The accused face a NAB reference regarding the alleged misappropriation of Rs1.2…
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the government has only received one bid for the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Six consortiums were eligible to submit bids for the failing company. Five of them, on the other hand, stayed out of the process. Spokesman for the Privatization Ministry, Ahsan Ishaq, told Bloomberg that the sole bidder had submitted their “earnest money” for the transaction to the Privatisation Commission by Tuesday’s deadline. He did not reveal the name of the interested party. Buyers put down earnest money to show that they mean business and are serious about making the purchase. Airblue…
Canadian: government said that the plans to kill Sikh separatists in Canada were orchestrated by Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian government has denied any involvement and has called Canada’s previous allegations baseless. First reported by the Washington Post, Canadian officials alleged that Shah was responsible for a campaign of violence and intimidation against Sikh separatists in Canada. Tuesday, David Morrison, the deputy minister of Canadian foreign affairs, told a parliamentary panel that he told a US newspaper that Shah was behind the plots. The journalist contacted me…
US: election that could disrupt global money and trade flows, investors are selling the yen and taking cover in cash, India, pockets of China’s markets, and Singapore dollars. Since the region is a major exporter and shares and currencies are sensitive to changes in US trade policies, Asia’s financial markets are at the forefront of what could be a wild ride when votes are counted and in the months to come. As a result, money managers are avoiding direct wagers on the outcome and instead focusing on reducing exposure to vulnerabilities in Hong Kong stocks and Japanese manufacturers and placing…
