WASHINGTON: Kamran Faridi, a former high-profile agent of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been released from a Florida prison after serving nearly four years of his 84-month sentence. On Dec 9, 2022, Faridi was sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment on his convictions for “transmitting threats in interstate commerce, threatening to assault a federal officer, and obstruction of justice.” On March 18, 2024, a New York federal judge, Cathy Seibel, reduced the sentence of the Pakistani-origin FBI agent and informant to 72 months. Faridi was recently released on several conditions, including surrendering his US citizenship and agreeing…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
RAFAH: Hamas on Monday said it had accepted a proposal for a truce in the seven-month-old war in Gaza, after Israel told Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate ahead of a long-threatened invasion of the city. The Hamas announcement brought cheering crowds onto the street amid tears of happiness, chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and celebratory shooting in the air. There was no immediate official response from Israel, and its close ally the United States said it was “reviewing” Hamas’s response. Hamas in a statement said that its leader Ismail Haniyeh had informed mediators Qatar and Egypt “of Hamas’s approval of…
Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his ballot Tuesday in India’s ongoing general election after giving several inflammatory campaign speeches accused of targeting minority Muslims. Turnout so far has dropped significantly compared with the last national poll in 2019, with analysts blaming widespread expectations that Modi will easily win a third term and hotter-than-average temperatures heading into the summer. Modi walked out of a polling booth early morning in the city of Ahmedabad while holding up a finger marked with indelible ink, flanked by security personnel and cheered by supporters. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves on the day…
Al Jazeera will look to pursue all possible legal action “until the end” to challenge Israel’s ban on its operations there, the TV network’s news director told AFP in an interview. The Qatar-based station was taken off air in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government voted on Sunday to shut it down over its coverage of the Gaza conflict. Speaking on Monday, Al Jazeera English news director Salah Nagm said the network would “follow every legal path”, adding: “If there is a possibility of challenging that decision we are going to pursue it until the end.” Under a cabinet decision which Netanyahu said was “unanimous”, Al Jazeera‘s…
LAHORE: The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of Lahore police has busted an international gang, including four members of the same family, that was supplying narcotics and party drugs to the upper class youth. The ‘Jordan Gang,’ including four members of the same family, was operating from Central Asia, Mexico, Canada, USA and some other countries and supplying highly expensive drugs in Lahore and Multan, police claimed. There were also reports that the drugs were supplied to select students of universities and some other academic institutes. OCU DIG Imran Kishwar told Dawn that after an extensive two-month intelligence gathering and covert operation, the…
QUETTA: Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel took oath as Governor of Balochistan on Monday at a ceremony held at the Governor House. Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar administered the oath to the new governor. Mr Mandokhel belongs to a political family. His father Sheikh Janan Khan Mandokhel was affiliated with Pakistan Muslim League (Qayyum group). He obtained his education in Quetta. Under the supervision of his father, Mr Mandokhel started his political career and joined Muslim Student Federation (MSF) in 1974. Later, he was elected President of MSF. He was elected MPA five times from his native constituency…
LAHORE: In a surprising turn of events, the NA-148 (Multan) constituency has witnessed the politically influential groups of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its arch rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) forging an alliance to defeat the Pakistan People’s Party’s Ali Qasim Gilani in the by-poll. The seat, previously held by the PPP’s former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, had fallen vacant after his resignation to contest for a Senate seat, which he subsequently won, and later also became chairman of the upper house. Despite efforts by both Malik Ahmad Hasan Dehar and Sikandar Bosan to secure the PML-N ticket for…
LAHORE: An antiterrorism court on Monday granted post-arrest bail to 13 suspects in the Corps Commander House attack case of May 9 riots. Judge Arshad Javed allowed bail petitions of the suspects and directed them to furnish surety bonds of Rs100,000 each. The suspects include Samar Khan, Abdul Rehman, Imran Rashid, Saifullah, Qasim Najamuddin, Muhammad Rashid, Rafaqat Ali, Umar Farooq, Obaidullah, Hafiz Mudassir Ali, Waheed Haider, Nasir Khan and Muhammad Sajjad. The judge adjourned the bail petitions of 34 more suspects for further arguments till Tuesday. Sarwar Road police had registered a case against leaders and workers of PTI for…
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the interior secretary to decide an application seeking a court decree to declare the residence of former chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as a sub-jail and his subsequent shifting to the sub-jail. Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir was hearing a petition filed by Mr Elahi’s spouse, who contended that he could be detained in his residence for health reasons. A medical board constituted to ascertain his health condition advised that the former CM be kept in Rawalpindi prison, and that he should not travel. In the letters addressed to the interior…
ISLAMABAD: PTI leaders held the first major huddle since the February 8 general elections to devise a strategy for May 9 to observe the first anniversary of widespread riots that had broken out across the country following the arrest of party’s founder Imran Khan. The party claims it was a “false flag” operation aimed at dismantling it. Speaking at a press conference, the Senate opposition leader, Shibli Faraz, said party leaders from across the country attended the meeting, which discussed strategies for reorganising the party. “The founding chairman, Imran Khan, has been in jail for the last nine months, so it was…
