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supreme Cour t rules arrests of taxpayers without determining tax liabilities are illegal
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strategic incentives to US firms However, economic experts caution that any agreement must be carefully structured A zero-tariff deal sounds attractive but must be thoroughly assessed for sectoral impact Pakistan must ensure reciprocity and strategic protections for its key industries ” said a senior Islamabad-based trade analyst While the Ministry of Commerce has
TH E ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump was apparently a way of getting out of what had so far been an air campaign that seemed to have no end because Iran seemed unable in the words of Emperor Hirohito when announcing Japan s surrender at the end of World War II to bear the unbearable and endure the unendurable The only previous example of a successful air war was the Kosovo War of 1999, when NATO, led by the USAF bombed Serbia ‘into the Stone Age’ (in the phrase used memorably on Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf after 9/11) to make it give independence to Albanian-majority Kosovo It proved long expensive, and taxing for both planes and pilots
Trump found that the USA was heading in that direction World War II could conceivably have gone in that direction, if the Japanese had somehow absorbed the nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the USA had been forced to do what it wanted to avoid a costly grind up the Japanese islands with conventional forces Iran s response to the bombing was evidence that it intended to go for the long haul It had no ability to strike at the US mainland, so it lobbed missiles at the US air base in Qatar Trump said there had not even been any injury let alone loss of life a claim not contradicted by the Iranians Still this raises the prospect of US facilities in the region both civil and military being subjected to attack It would not have been the attacks that mattered, so much as the need to take antiaircraft measures That would have acted as a delaying factor in almost any activity that was contemplated
The ceasefire has generally been welcomed by the world mainly because of the fear that the Strait of Hormuz could be blocked by Iran So much of the world s daily crude oil consumption 18 percent passes through it, that any blockage would cause a worldwide shortage within days Again, any defensive measures would also act as retardants
However the whole episode has left the USA to deal with the consequences of the rebelliousness of its regional proxy Israel The conflict was related to the Israeli invasion of Gaza which was initially supported by the USA, and is still supported by its establishment, but started causing concern, especially among students, when it degenerated into the killing of civilians There are increasing doubts in Israel itself with a recent demonstration in support of the hostages Hamas still holds prisoner One problem is that Israeli and US claims notwithstanding there is no guarantee that Iran cannot resume its nuclear enrichment programme That enrichment was at the root of the problem Israeli claims that Iran is months away from a nuclear weapon which Netanyahu has made for two decades now are still there because now the focus is some supposed 20 kg of enriched uranium which
should provide a certain number of bombs Israel is apparently preserving this as an excuse for some future attack Israel should not be as opposed to Iran as it is, because it was the Achaemenid Cyrus the Great who ended the Babylonian captivity of the Jews after he conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire which had originally conquered the Kingdom of Judah and sent its people into captivity Though archeologists have shown that the exile was by no means complete, it remains a seminal event in Jewish history The problem thus seems to be reduced to the fact that the
N: Countries bound by the Rome Statute or applying universal jurisdiction have prosecuted leaders such as those responsible for atrocities in Rwanda the former Yugoslavia and Charles Taylor in Liberia
c SYMBOLIC PEOPLE’S TRIBUNALS: Internationally organized courts- akin to the Russell Tribunal on Vietnam- offer platforms to document alleged crimes and generate legal and moral pressure
6 PRECEDENTS AND LEGAL DEBATES I N U S J U R I S P R U D E N C E Historically the US legal system has grappled with the question of holding presidents accountable for actions taken while in office The resignation of President Richard Nixon amid the Watergate scandal in 1974 triggered debates on whether a sitting or former president could face criminal charges Although Nixon received a full pardon from his successor Gerald Ford the legal principle that presidential immunity does not extend beyond office was firmly underscored More recently, legal scholars and human
rights organizations have raised the possibility of prosecuting former President George W Bush for the 2003 Iraq invasion, which was carried out without explicit UN Security Council authorization Although no formal charges were filed, several symbolic legal actions and public tribunals such as the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal in 2011 declared Bush and key administration officials guilty of crimes against peace These precedents demonstrate that both domestic and international legal mechanisms have at least entertained, if not fully pursued, accountability for high-level executive actions that violate international law Such historical reflections reinforce the notion that legal and moral accountability for heads of state is not theoretical; it is possible even if politically difficult
Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Iran retains the lawful right to defend itself against armed aggression Yet the US-dominated global media often portrays Iranian responses as unjustified escalation reflecting a stark asymmetry in the public narrative
8 REFORM STEPS TO REINVIGORATE
Turbat needs trees
China confident in minimizing external uncertainties, sustaining health growth: NDRC
g SHEHBAZ REVIEWS PROGRESS
g TALKS ONGOING WITH IMF OVER DAM CESS PROPOSAL TO FUND HYDROPOWER PROJECTS AND ENSURE WATER SECURITY
The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee on Thursday announced that the Muharram moon has been sighted and hence the first of Muharram the first month of the Islamic year, will fall on June 27, on Friday (tomorrow), in the country Accordingly, Youm-e-Ashura the 10th of Muharram will be observed on July 6 (Sunday) According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, In pursuance of the decision of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in its meeting held today at Quetta the Federal Government in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Islamabad hereby announces that the moon of Muharramul Haram 1447 AH has been sighted ” “Therefore, the 1st Muharramul Haram 1447 AH shall commence on Friday June 27 2025 it added Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and is considered as the month of mourning worldwide to commemorate the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD where amongst many the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Imam Husain, and other family members were martyred or subjected to humiliation Interior Minister reviews security plan for Muharram Earlier on Thursday Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi presided over a special meeting to review security
G andapur signals KP non- cooperation with
