ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN An alarming incident raising serious questions about press freedom in Pakistan occurred on Thursday when Islamabad police allegedly stormed the National Press Club (NPC) premises, using batons to attack and injure several journalists. The incident has drawn immediate condemnation and prompted an ordered inquiry by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Visual evidence, widely circulated on television and social media, showed uniformed police personnel, armed with batons, clashing with reporters and camera operators inside the press club compound. In one widely shared visual, officers were seen dragging journalists out of what appeared to be the cafeteria. Another video captured a…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN The legal battle challenging Pakistan’s 26th Constitutional Amendment has intensified, as Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Vice Chairman of the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), filed an appeal against the Supreme Court (SC) registrar’s decision to reject his petition. The petition sought the formation of a full court bench to hear the foundational challenges to the landmark amendment. The 26th Amendment, enacted on October 21, 2024, fundamentally altered the judicial landscape by curtailing the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers and shifting the authority to nominate the next Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) from the senior-most judge to a Special Parliamentary Committee selecting…
KARACHI—Cervical cancer, an entirely preventable disease, is claiming the lives of eight women every day in Pakistan. A health expert speaking at the University of Karachi on Wednesday warned that the burden of this disease is expected to triple over the next 70 years if immediate, effective measures aren’t taken. Dr. Muneeba Ahsan Sayeed of Dow University of Health Sciences highlighted the global and national severity of the issue: Global Context: Worldwide, one woman dies every two minutes from this preventable cancer, with an alarming 90% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection…
ISLAMABAD—Pakistan has briefed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review mission on the severe economic impact of recent floods, reporting total estimated losses of Rs371 billion across infrastructure and agriculture. Consequently, the government has projected a downward revision of the real GDP growth target for the current fiscal year (FY26) from the original 4.2% to 3.9% (a 0.3 percentage point reduction). Economic Losses and Sector Impact Pakistani officials provided the IMF with a detailed breakdown of the damages and projected production losses: Sector Original FY26 Growth Target Revised FY26 Growth Target Estimated Loss (Rs Billion) Impact on GDP Growth…
ISLAMABAD—Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the progress of the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), describing the talks as moving forward “positively.” Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the finance minister expressed confidence that the government would succeed in boosting Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 11%. Tax Policy and FBR Performance Aurangzeb addressed the issue of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) performance, acknowledging that the FBR faced a shortfall of Rs1.2 trillion against its original target of Rs12.97 trillion for fiscal year 2024-25. The FBR ultimately collected Rs11.74 trillion after two downward…
LAHORE—Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) head Mohsin Naqvi has forcefully denied claims circulating in the Indian media that he apologized to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the Asia Cup trophy presentation row. Naqvi took to social media platform X to reject the reports, labeling them as “fabricated nonsense and cheap propaganda” aimed at misleading the Indian public. “This fabricated nonsense is nothing but cheap propaganda, aimed only at misleading their own people,” Naqvi posted. “I have done nothing wrong and I have never apologised to the BCCI nor will I…
DUBAI—Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has achieved a major career milestone by climbing to the number one position in the ICC T20 International all-rounder rankings. The 22-year-old opening batter leapfrogged India’s Hardik Pandya to claim the top spot, primarily due to his recent bowling performance. All-Rounder Rankings Despite a recent dip in batting form, Ayub’s bowling efforts—which included claiming eight wickets in seven matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.40 in the recently concluded ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025—were instrumental in his rise. Rank Player Team Change 1st Saim Ayub Pakistan Climbed to Top Spot 2nd Hardik Pandya…
WASHINGTON—A deep impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats has triggered the 15th U.S. government shutdown since 1981. With no clear path to a solution, the two parties remain locked in a struggle over federal spending and a major healthcare initiative. What Republicans Want Despite controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans need Democratic votes to pass funding bills. This year, they have already achieved significant budget victories, notably through the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” passed in July. That legislation: Increased spending for defense and immigration enforcement. Rolled back spending on green energy…
CEBU, Philippines—The death toll from a powerful, shallow earthquake that struck the central Philippines has climbed to over 60 on Wednesday, with scores of injured patients overwhelming hospitals on the island of Cebu. In the chaotic aftermath, emergency workers were seen carrying dozens of body bags away from affected areas. The magnitude 6.9 quake, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) placed at a shallow depth, struck at 9:59 p.m. (1359 GMT) Tuesday off the northern tip of Cebu, near Bogo, a city of 90,000 residents. Hospitals Overwhelmed and Damage Report The Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo quickly became…
WASHINGTON—The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday after deep partisan divisions in Congress and the White House prevented a deal on federal funding. This closure, the 15th since 1981, sets off what analysts fear could be a long, gruelling standoff threatening thousands of federal jobs. The shutdown commenced hours after the Senate rejected a short-term spending measure, opposed by Democrats who insisted on attaching an extension of health benefits for millions of Americans set to expire soon. Republicans maintained that the healthcare issue must be addressed in separate legislation. The funding dispute centers on $1.7 trillion…
