ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, urged the Sindh and Balochistan governments to intensify their efforts in conserving marine ecosystems. Alam praised the Balochistan government’s designation of Churna Island as a marine protected area, acknowledging it as a significant step in safeguarding marine resources and promoting sustainable development. She emphasized the need for additional marine protected areas to meet the global goal of protecting 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. Churna Island, renowned for its rich coral habitats and diverse marine life, is now the country’s second marine protected area. It…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Sunday launched criticisms against PTI founder Imran Khan and the party’s recent rally in Islamabad. Ms Aurangzeb condemned Khan for seeking relief under the amended National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law, which he had previously denounced. Referring to Khan’s acquittal plea in the £190 million case, Aurangzeb labeled him a “Toshakhana thief” and questioned his request for relief under the very law he had disparaged as “the law of thieves.” Aurangzeb emphasized that there would be no leniency for those involved in “plotting an attack against the state,”…
ISLAMABAD: Imran Junaidi, the younger brother of senior Dawn reporter Ikram Junaidi, was laid to rest at the H-11 graveyard on Sunday. Imran Junaidi, along with climbers Usman Tariq and Khurram Rajput, went missing during an expedition to Sarwali Peak in Azad Kashmir in 2015. Despite extensive search operations in 2015 and 2016, their whereabouts remained unknown. In August of this year, trekkers from Neelum Valley, including Altaf Ahmad Lone and Khawaja Rafiq, discovered the remains of the missing mountaineers. Following a request from the relatives of one of the climbers, the Chief Secretary of Azad Kashmir directed the State…
SWAT: A young man, identified as Luqman, drowned in the Swat River on Sunday after falling from a makeshift chairlift in the Serai Mankyal area of Bahrain tehsil. Luqman was using the locally-made chairlift to cross the river when he lost his balance due to the device’s instability and fell into the water. Despite efforts by locals to recover his body, they were unsuccessful. This tragic incident highlights a recurring issue in the region. Following the catastrophic floods of 2010, which destroyed the bridges connecting villages along the river from Bahrain to Kalam, residents have relied on makeshift chairlifts to…
PESHAWAR: The Emergency Operation Centre for Polio is set to begin a five-day immunization campaign today (Monday) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite ongoing challenges including positive sewage samples and instances of fake finger marking. A senior health department official stated that while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not recorded any polio infections this year, several districts remain endemic to the virus, raising concerns. Recent findings indicate that a polio case in Islamabad is linked to the virus found in Lakki Marwat district, suggesting that the virus persists in the province. Additionally, 33 sewage samples from various districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have tested positive…
PESHAWAR: A confrontation between Pakistani security forces and the Afghan Taliban near the Kurram district has led to the deaths of eight Afghan soldiers, including two key commanders, and injuries to at least 16 others. Sources reported that the clash erupted on Saturday morning when Afghan forces attacked a Pakistani checkpoint in the Palosin area with heavy weaponry. Pakistani forces responded, resulting in significant casualties on the Afghan side. The deceased Afghan Taliban members included commanders Khalil and Jan Muhammad. As of now, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has not issued an official statement regarding the incident. In a separate…
ISLAMABAD: During a highly anticipated public rally on Sunday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders demanded the immediate release of party founder Imran Khan and pledged to resist any military trial. The rally took place on the outskirts of the capital at Sangjani, where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur addressed the crowd. Gandapur warned that if Khan was not released within two weeks, PTI would take more drastic actions to secure his freedom. He threatened that the party’s peaceful efforts could escalate into violence if their demands were not met. Additionally, Gandapur vowed to initiate legal cases against opponents…
PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry has pledged to take legal action against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur following a violent clash between PTI supporters and Islamabad police at a rally on Sunday night. The incident occurred at Chungi No 26 on the outskirts of the capital, where PTI supporters reportedly clashed with police after deviating from approved rally routes. The confrontation escalated as PTI supporters allegedly pelted police with stones, prompting a police response with baton charges and tear gas. Several protesters were arrested and taken to various police stations. In a televised address, Chaudhry criticized Gandapur for allegedly…
An Islamabad court on Monday ordered the transfer of the new Toshakhana case involving PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) court. Imran Khan, 71, has been detained at Adiala Jail for nearly a year following convictions in four cases, including two Toshakhana references, the cipher case, and the Iddat case. Bushra Bibi is also imprisoned in connection with these cases. Imran’s sentences for the Toshakhana references were previously suspended, and he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the cipher case in June.…
A judicial magistrate on Monday denied post-arrest bail to Natasha Danish, the driver involved in the Karsaz accident, after her medical report indicated she was under the influence of methamphetamine (crystal meth). The accident occurred on August 19 when Danish, driving a speeding Toyota Land Cruiser, collided with three motorcycles and another car on Karsaz Road. The crash resulted in the deaths of sixty-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter Amna, with three others injured. Danish was subsequently arrested and charged with manslaughter. The police, acting on the request of the victims’ counsel, revealed that Danish’s medical report confirmed she…
