Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi has assured that opposition parties will be consulted on the judicial reform program during his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. PM Shehbaz’s Meeting with the Chief Justice Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Chief Justice Yahya Afridi at the CJP’s residence on his invitation. The meeting was attended by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, and Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan. Supreme Court Registrar Muhammad Salim Khan and Secretary of the Law and Justice Commission, Tanzeela Sabahat, were also present. NJPMC Agenda and Judicial Reforms The Chief Justice…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Amid growing concerns over human trafficking and migrant boat tragedies, four Pakistani nationals were rescued in Iran with the cooperation of the Iranian government, Pakistan’s embassy in Tehran confirmed in a statement. The Challenge of Human Trafficking Human smuggling remains a significant challenge in Pakistan, as traffickers continue to exploit land, sea, and air routes to transport individuals illegally, primarily to Europe. Despite enforcement efforts, traffickers keep evolving new strategies to evade authorities. Rescue Operation & Embassy’s Role According to Pakistan’s embassy: The rescued Pakistanis entered Iran legally but were kidnapped by human traffickers. The traffickers tortured them and demanded…
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar questioned on Wednesday why military courts were not nullified in the 21st Constitutional Amendment during the hearing of an intra-court appeal against the trial of civilians in military courts. The case was heard by a seven-member bench led by Justice Aminuddin Khan. Lawyers’ Arguments & Objections Latif Khosa objected to Salman Akram Raja’s arguments, stating that Raja was also his lawyer but had contradicted his stance. Raja clarified that he had only disagreed with one paragraph of Justice Munib Akhtar’s decision and stood by his previous arguments. Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan advised against…
PARACHINAR/PESHAWAR: The death toll from the attack on a convoy of goods-laden trucks and security forces in Lower Kurram has risen to seven. The deceased include five security personnel, a truck driver, and a passerby, while two attackers were also killed. Attack Details The ambush took place in Mandori, Ochat, Charkhel, and Bagan, as the convoy was heading to Parachinar. Over 20 individuals, including five security personnel and five truck drivers, sustained injuries. Attackers looted 19 trucks and set them on fire, while a total of 35 trucks were looted. According to the Drugs Association leaders Syed Iftikhar Hussain and…
An eight-member sub-committee, led by MNA Bilawal Azhar Kayani, has been formed to conduct a detailed review of the functions and performance of Pakistan’s foreign missions, following the directives of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the sub-committee includes additional secretaries from various ministries and the joint secretary of the Institutional Reforms Cell. In June last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a 12-member committee, headed by FM Ishaq Dar, to evaluate the efficiency and operations of Pakistan’s diplomatic missions abroad. The “Committee on Rationalising Pakistan’s Missions Abroad” was…
PESHAWAR: A police officer guarding a polio vaccination team was shot dead by armed attackers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday, police confirmed. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is still endemic, with militants targeting vaccination teams and their security escorts for decades. Polio cases have resurged in Pakistan, with two cases reported so far this year and at least 74 cases recorded last year— a significant rise compared to six cases in 2023. “Two motorcycle riders opened fire, killing the police officer on the spot, but the polio team remained unharmed,” said Niaz Muhammad, a…
LAHORE: As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gears up for another anti-government movement after Eid-ul-Fitr, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday vowed to block efforts aimed at creating an “artificial political crisis” in the country. “The people of Pakistan will no longer allow anyone to obstruct the journey of development and progress,” the former three-time prime minister said during a meeting with PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui in Raiwind. Following the collapse of talks between the government and the opposition, the PTI has once again moved to establish a grand opposition alliance against the federal government. Party founder Imran…
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has claimed that hostile international forces are fueling violence in the conflict-ridden Kurram region in an attempt to destabilize Pakistan. “Land disputes can happen anywhere, but the intensity of the conflict in Kurram demands deeper attention,” the firebrand CM said on Wednesday, expressing fears that non-state actors were determined to use these sparks to set the entire country on fire. Kurram has been plagued by violence for decades, with over 150 people killed in a fresh round of clashes that began in November last year. The conflict erupted when two separate convoys…
As Pakistan grapples with a surge in militant attacks, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has sought support from the United Nations to counter cross-border terrorism originating from Afghanistan. The statement came after Deputy PM Dar met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York. According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Wednesday, Dar highlighted the issue of cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan and called for UN support in combating terrorism within and from Afghanistan. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to providing humanitarian aid to millions of destitute people in Afghanistan and promoting its economic…
A new study on mice has revealed that antidepressants like Prozac show promising results against infections and sepsis. According to Salk, a study published in Science Advances found that users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have less severe COVID-19 infections, while another study proved that fluoxetine protected mice against sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening medical condition in which the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection, leading to organ failure or death. Professor Janelle Ayres said, “When treating an infection, the optimal treatment strategy would be one that kills the bacteria or virus while also protecting our tissues and…
