Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada

LAHORE: A student reportedly committed suicide in Hadyara on Tuesday for not obtaining satisfactory marks in the matric exams. Arslan (15), a resident of village Padana, jumped from the water storage tank and suffered multiple head and neck injuries, which proved fatal. A police official said the BISE announced the matric results on Tuesday and Arsalan was disappointed at his marks.

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ISLAMABAD: The Islam­abad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the judge hearing appeals of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, against their conviction in the Iddat case to conclude proceedings within the stipulated time frame. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurang­zeb dismissed the petition of Ms Bushra’s ex-husband, Khawar Fareed Maneka, to revise the order that had set a month’s deadline for the trial court to conclude the hearing. Mr Maneka was seeking an extension in the deadline till after the cou­rt’s summer vacations, say­­­ing his lead counsel intended to go on a pilgrimage during Muharram. Justice Aurangzeb…

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QUETTA: Representatives of various goods transport associations of Balochistan have strongly condemned fines being imposed by Punjab’s motorway and traffic police on loaded goods vehicles. Speaking at a joint press conference, leaders of goods transport and fruit and vegetable associations said that fines have been increased from Rs15,000 to 50,000 which is not justified. The goods transport association’s leaders condemned the Punjab government’s move and pledged to continue their protest until their demands are met. They said transporters from Balochistan have stopped moving goods to Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the “illegal actions” of motorway, traffic, and highway…

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LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has called for adopting a holistic approach and prudent financial policies to put the country on the path of development. Speaking at a seminar here on Tuesday, the president said the government was planning to tax agricultural income as per the International Mone­tary Fund’s conditions, but the provincial governments would be leading the initiative to tax large land-holding farmers in accordance with their profitability and expenditures. The president said that agro-farm and agro-industry were the future and big landowners would have to be taxed. Referring to his rep­ea­ted media trial, he said that he did…

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GILGIT: Four climbers, including two Pakistani mountaineers, scaled Nanga Parbat (8,125 metres), on Tuesday. According to Alpine Club of Pakistan secretary Karar Haidri, four members of the Seven Summits Nanga Parbat expedition team — Lhakpa Temba Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa from Nepal, and Dilawar Hussain and Fida Ali from Pakistan — successfully reached the peak at 5:45pm on Tuesday. Other members of the expedition are currently at Camp 4 and will attempt the summit on Wednesday. Many other climbers are on the way to scale Nanga Parbat. The Seven Summits Treks said: “And here we come with the successful ascent…

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ISLAMABAD: The government, in its latest diplomatic outreach, sought to fortify strategic partnerships and deepen cooperation in Information and Communications Te­­chnology (ICT) and renewable energy sectors with Persian Gulf countries, Uzbekistan and China, said Deputy Prime Min­ister Ishaq Dar, who also oversees the foreign mi­­nistry, on Tuesday. Speaking at the inaugural session of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, he highlighted the Foreign Offi­ce’s achievements in the first 100 days under the PML-N-led coalition government. Mr Dar emphasised the government’s strategic shift towards economic diplomacy and geo-economics. He said the current government’s primary objectives include bolstering economic recovery, diplomatic…

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KARACHI: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has rejected the government’s justification of national security threats as the reason for banning social media platform X. The reaction came a day after the Ministry of Interior defended the months-long ban on X on the grounds that it posed a “threat to peace and national security”. The PPF, in its statement on Tuesday, said even if the government’s concerns regarding national security and public safety were valid, “they do not justify the complete closure of the platform without any clear timeline or process for when such a ban could be lifted”. It also called on the…

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ISLAMABAD: The Sup­reme Court reserved on Tuesday its ruling on a set of appeals by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) aga­inst the denial of reserved seats for women and non-Muslims to it by the Pesha­war High Court (PHC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the full court closed the proceedings, though Justice Munib Akhtar presumed to have suggested announcing the decision on Tuesday. CJP Isa, however, observed that the court order may be longish and since the judges had yet to consult each other, the judgement was being reserved.…

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ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet will meet today (Wednesday) to decide the fate of Afghan refugees residing in the country, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif complained to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) that only 9,000 out of 70,000 Afghans — who had worked for the US and allies — had been sent to a third country over the three years. A government official on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that the Afghan nationals who have a proof of residence (PoR) card might get relief, as the cabinet would decide about an extension in their stay for six months or one year.…

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NORTH and SOUTH WAZIRISTAN / LAKKI MARWAT: Eight people — five security officials and three children — lost their liv­es in three separate incidents in Lakki Marwat, Nor­th and South Waziri­stan districts on Tuesday. A military officer was martyred in an exchange of fire with militants in North Waziristan, while three soldiers lost their lives in an attack, and 12 others were injured in the South Waziristan district. Separately, a police officer and his three minor nephews lost their lives in Lakki Marwat district on Tuesday. Captain Muhammad Osama bin Arshad, 24, a resident of Rawalpindi district, was martyred during…

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