PM REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT AS INDONESIAN DEFENCE CZ AR DESIRES TO BOOST DEFENCE TIES
g LT GEN (RETD) SJAMSOEDDIN, PREMIER SHEHBAZ UNDERSCORE IMPORTANCE OF ENHANCING ‘ MULTIFACETED ’ BILATERAL COOPERATION
g PM REITERATES PAKISTAN ’S COMMITMENT TO ENHANCE BILATERAL COOPERATION WITH INDONESIA IN ALL AVENUES, INCLUDING ECONOMIC STRATEGIC AND TRADE SECTORS
Gen (retired) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin on Tuesday expressed his country’s
and
sire to
The Indonesian minister expressed his country s desire during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, wherein both sides underscored the importance of enhancing “multifaceted bilateral cooperation,” according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister s Office on Tuesday Lt Gen (retd) Sjamsoeddin conveyed the best wishes of President Prabowo Subianto for the prime minister and people of Pakistan, the press release added Pakistan and Indonesia maintain strong bilateral relations rooted in shared religion and culture with both countries cooperating in trade education and health
g UNDERSCORES EXPLORING AND EXPANDING COLLABORATION IN JOINT VENTURES OF INVESTMENT IN MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PROJECTS
g SAYS TWO COUNTRIES ENJOYING A ‘ LONGSTANDING FRIENDSHIP ROOTED IN SHARED CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS, AND HISTORICAL BONDS
The Indonesian minister reiterated his country s desire to further strengthen defence ties with Pakistan and to explore possible areas for cooperation, especially in defense production ” state-run broadcaster PTV News reported Talking to the distinguished guest PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan s commitment to explore and expand collaboration with Indonesia in joint ventures of investment in mutually beneficial projects the statement said The prime minister also reiterated Pakistan s commitment to enhance bilateral cooperation with Indonesia in all avenues, including economic, strategic, and trade sectors, along with defense and defense production He highlighted that Pakistan and Indonesia enjoyed a longstanding friendship rooted in shared cultural religious and historical bonds, supporting each other at international forums
Both sides stressed the importance of “enhancing multifaceted bilateral cooperation according to the PID
The meeting underscored the deeprooted historical, brotherly, and friendly bilateral relations between Pakistan and Indonesia,” the statement noted
Recalling his meeting last year with Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the Developing-8 Summit in Cairo PM Shehbaz conveyed his best wishes for the Indonesian president
The prime minister also reviewed ongoing initiatives under the Pakistan-Indonesia Defence Cooperation Agreement and agreed to accelerate the implementation of key areas of mutual interest , the PID added
president, pM disc uss countr y ’s politic al, sec urity, economic situation
President Pezeshkian on Iran s victory in the conflict and reaffirmed Pakistan s strong condemnation of the Israeli aggression Naqvi reminded that Pakistan s Parliament had been the first to pass a resolution condemning the war imposed on Iran reaffirming its support for Iran’s right to self-defense
PTI’s
three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), headed by Nisar Ahmed Durrani and comprising Shah Mohammad Jatoi and Justice (r) Ikram Ullah Khan The ECP bench gave the ruling while approving two petitions including a reference filed by the National Assembly speaker against Dasti
the claim that President Zardari may soon step down potentially paving the way for the army chief to assume the country s presidency The meeting was also attended by Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif Planning Minis-
PESHAWAR N e w s D e s k Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday made bold claims about his government s revenue performance asserting that no federal or
ter Ahsan Iqbal, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and PM’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the statement The meeting involved discussions on the country s political, economic, and security situation The state of law and order in the
country and measures against terrorism were also discussed “The prime minister briefed the president on the government s measures to improve the economy Both leaders reiterated their commitment to work together for the country s stability, development, and prosperity,” the statement said
filed against him by Ameer Akbar, Zulfiqar Dogar and Sardar Faizul Hassan A three-member ECP bench headed by ECP Member (Sindh) Nisar Durrani had heard the petition of Ameer Akbar regarding assets and liabilities against MNA Dasti
The federal government plans to dispose of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL) operational assets in the final quarter of the year following a 60 to 90-day due diligence process the National Assembly s Standing Committee on Privatisation on Monday According to news reports, the committee, chaired by Farooq Sattar, was briefed on the ongoing privatisation of PIA and First Women Bank Limited (FWBL) Privatisation Commission Secretary Usman Akhtar Bajwa updated the committee that the four pre-qualified parties for PIA s privatisation would begin the buy-side
due diligence phase on Tuesday, with
taxes on
of
caused by
to
However,
move violated
which
agreement to
treatments, including exemptions and
Customs
officials
outlined in the IMF program The waiver which includes a reduction in sales tax from 21% to 0 25% and full exemption of duties directly contradicts the commitments made by Pakistan to the IMF The agreement explicitly prohibits granting tax amnesties or any preferential tax treatment, including exemptions on commodity imports The waiver comes as sugar prices in the country hit Rs200 per kilogram the highest recorded price for sugar in Pakistan s history The IMF s reaction to the government s move has heightened tensions, especially as the government bypassed IMF consultation in its decision-making process Following the approval of the sugar import and tax waiver concerns were raised within the Ministry of Finance which reportedly disagreed with the move The finance ministry had ex-
pressed its concerns to the Prime Minister ’s Office arguing that the tax exemptions violated the IMF agreement and could jeopardize the ongoing program Despite these objections the government moved forward with issuing a tender for the import of 300,000 metric tonnes of sugar, with a deadline for bids set for July 18 2025
In addition to the tax waiver the government has been under pressure due to the anticipated sugar shortfall of 535 000 metric tonnes by October-November 2025 Meanwhile, the government s export of 765,000 metric tonnes of sugar last year has exacerbated the local price increase As the situation unfolds the government is considering options to address the concerns including backing out of the imports or withdrawing the tax waiver for private sector importers However, no final decision has been reached
accused of selling 350 smuggled luxur y vehicles in multi-billion rupee scam
g high-end smuggled vehicles were sold as ‘auctioned’ in collusion with customs oFFicials, triggering an investigation into a massive corruption scheme
Customs officials in Karachi are under investigation for allegedly selling hundreds of high-end smuggled vehicles, worth billions, by misclassifying them as ‘auctioned vehicles’ The scandal involves a network of customs officials car dealers and influential individuals who colluded to bypass legal duties and taxes Business Recorder reported As per the report, smuggled or nonduty-paid (NPD) vehicles, which should have been auctioned after paying the necessary duties were instead sold directly in the market The fraudulent sale was carried out with the involvement of customs officials who manipulated data in the customs system The issue came to light following a report sent by the Directorate General of Reforms & Automation (Customs), Karachi on July 9 2025 to the Customs Operations Wings (COW) The report highlighted systematic data manipulation within the WeBOC system where hundreds of smuggled vehicles were fraudulently entered as auctioned vehicles” by using the user IDs of Assistant Collectors and Deputy Collectors
The Directorate s investigation covered over 1 900 smuggled/NPD ve-
hicles, with around 350 high-end vehicles having been illegally sold without paying duties or taxes These vehicles were later falsely entered into the system as auctioned allowing them to be registered with provincial excise departments This process has rendered the vehicles legally registered, complicating any attempt at confiscation Although a female Deputy Collector has been suspended in connection with the case sources argue that this widespread scandal involving around 350 vehicles, could not have been facilitated by a single officer They emphasize the need for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to address systemic issues within the customs department before taking action against car dealers and buyers who may have unknowingly purchased the vehicles
PAKISTAN’S ECONOMIC TEAM PRESENTS COMPELLING
Pakistan reiterates commitment to ceasefire with India but cautions against arbitrar y use of force
CONTINUED FR OM PAGE 01
During his address today, the foreign minister stressed that all disputes and differences must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy rather than conflict and confrontation Initiation of a comprehensive and structured dialogue can meaningfully address the full spectrum of issues that have long bedeviled peace and security in South Asia,” he added Dar also emphasised the importance of strictly adhering to bilateral agreements as a prerequisite for restoring regional confidence and preventing future escalations Referring to recent tensions in South Asia, Dar said Pakistan had adopted a restrained and responsible approach despite provocative rhetoric and “strategic recklessness” from its neighbor “The events unfolding since 22 April 2025 also reaffirm a central truth of South Asian geopolitics the peaceful settlement of the longstanding unresolved disputes is imperative for an enduring peace in the region, he added He urged the SCO to remain a platform for regional stability based on mutual respect and the sovereign equality of states stating that durable peace requires resolving unresolved disputes through fair and lawful means Pakistan he noted was ready to work with all regional partners under the SCO framework to advance peace, development, and connectivity through collective cooperation rather than confrontation ‘Stabilising force’ Meanwhile the foreign minister reiterated that Pakistan values the SCO as a platform of immense political strategic and economic importance At a time when the global order is experiencing profound challenges, SCO has emerged as a stabilising force,” he said, noting that its inclusive approach underscoring the sovereign equality of states and seeking peaceful resolutions to disputes offers a compelling alternative to aggression confrontation and zero-sum rivalries
Field Marshal, Indonesian delegation discuss defence collaboration, securit y dynamics
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01 And rapid modernization, which has transformed the People s Republic of China into a key pillar of peace, stability, and prosperity CJCSC highlighted China as a stabilizing factor in the regional security dynamics In his address the CJCSC highlighted the enduring and time-tested ironclad brotherhood between Pakistan and China, with shared resolve to broaden and deepen this unique relationship across all domains He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment towards the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan and advancing collaboration on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor strengthening defense ties, and promoting regional harmony and development
The Supreme Court has ruled that Section 140 of the Tax Ordinance 2001 does not allow immediate coercive recovery without a specific due date in the notice In a judgment delivered by Justice Ayesha Malik, the court emphasized that the party holding money on behalf of the taxpayer must be given a reasonable notice period before being required to discharge the liability According to media reports the judgment, delivered by a three-judge bench led by Justice Munib Akhtar, with Justice Ayesha A Malik and Justice Shahid Waheed, stated that Section 140 of the Ordinance requires the Commissioner to set a date for recovery in the notice The court found that the immediate recovery procedure outlined in Rule 210 C (3) of the Income Tax Recovery Rules, 2002, contra-
dicted the requirements of Section 140 The ruling clarified that the law does not permit immediate recovery, and that a reasonable timeframe must be given
The court emphasized that the requirement of a notice before recovery reflects broader constitutional guarantees under Article 10A of the Constitution, which ensures due process and fair trial, as well as Article 14, which protects the right to dignity Even in fiscal matters, the judgment stated, recovery must be carried out in a manner that respects the taxpayer s dignity and legal safeguards
The case involved Pakistan LNG Limited (CPLA No 3578 of 2024) and Serene Air Private Limited (CPLA No 4598 of 2024) In both cases, the respondents challenged notices issued for immediate recovery after tax assessments were amended or withheld In the case of Pakistan LNG Limited
a notice was issued on the same day as an amended tax assessment demanding a large sum of Rs2,928,517,260 for recovery Similarly, Serene Air was notified with an immediate recovery demand for Rs1 883 917 790 Justice Shahid Waheed in his additional note explored the intersection of tax law and taxpayer rights questioning whether tax recovery procedures should prioritize efficiency over the protections guaranteed by law He likened the ideal recovery process to the careful and respectful
L A s t i C s are bad news, particularly if they aren t biodegradable and that is precisely their attraction Formed from hydrocarbon polymers that may be thousands of molecules long they can be shaped in almost an infinity of ways However two are most familiar: the clear plastic bottle which contains anything from shampoo to soft drinks, and plastic shopping bags they are terribly difficult to dispose of, for they do not rot they are also wonderfully cheap, being produced by extruding the plastic chips produced as a byproduct of petroleum refining However, once they have been used they are a pain in the neck
According to a report in this newspaper ’s Profit magazine of the 65 000 tonnes of waste generated a day in Lahore, 20 percent, or 13,000 tonnes, are plastic bags this is even though plastic bags have been banned by the Punjab government, which has also set up a recycling scheme for bottles and caps
One reason for the thriving of plastic bags despite the ban is that according to the Pakistan Plastic Manufacturers’ Association Rs 150 billion invested in plants and equipment not to mention about 300 000 families depending on the industry More relevant for a cash-strapped government groaning under iM conditionalities, it provides Rs 130 billion in revenue, mostly customs and import duties
Perhaps that is the reason that the Punjab government is trying to implement the ban on distribution of plastic bags on the shopkeepers even all 65 000 of them there has been no move against makers even though production is equally illegal Makers often have this as a sideline, and while there will be some unemployment, there will be massive gains in more efficient waste management Once the manufacture is stopped, shopkeepers will have to turn to other means of packaging While shopkeepers may return to paper bags, cloth bags can be carried by shoppers it is to be hoped that the Punjab government is not indulging in any effort to please foreign groups by making the right noises and doing nothing the plastics problem is genuine, and deserves to be taken seriously Perhaps the government might remember that various isO certifications, especially those which are being developed, will require businesses to avoid plastic pollution, and it should be remembered that plastics are not just today’s pollutants but will be a problem for generations yet unborn
Trump and Netanyahu: Masters of duplicit y
the indicted war criminal gave trump the letter he sent to the
master class in posturing and duplicity than in diplomacy Last week s meetings were no exception Both men are master manipulators products of our media age they create illusions that they insist are real they repeat a lie over and over and with such force that it becomes real for those who trust them those who do not believe in the illusion are threatened, belittled, or shunned
Both leaders have utilized their craftiness to achieve personal success in domestic politics they have developed strong constituent bases followers who believe that their leadership must be supported and protected At the same time they are polarizing figures who have contributed to creating deep fissures within their countries Because the illusions they project are based on lies, there are limits to their successes in the first place reality invariably presents a strong check to illusions And ignoring reality can result in social unrest and political chaos For example President trump promoted his signature budget plan which he called the Big Beautiful Bill promising that it would be fiscally sound and bring greater prosperity to more Americans instead, it appears that it will dramatically increase the nation’s deficit while potentially causing 17 million Americans to lose their healthcare For his part netanyahu has prolonged his war on gaza (and Lebanon syria and iran) promising that it would lead to total victory, making israel more respected and secure instead, it has led to his being indicted for war crimes and israel seeing its international standing diminished because of its genocidal policy truth wins out And so we can expect the day to come when trump voters lose their healthcare plans and see their rural hospitals forced to close and realize that the illusion of the Big Beautiful Bill didn t include them Much the same will occur in israel when israelis realize that “total victory” is a farce the conflict with Palestinians will continue as long as they are denied rights and as tens of thousands of young israeli soldiers return from having served multiple tours of duty in gaza with PtsD wreaking havoc at home and in their communities With this as a backdrop, it was both fascinating and deeply disturbing to see the two master manipulators at work with and on each other last week a bizarre exercise in log-rolling flattery As we say in colloquial english: “they laid it on thick ” netanyahu
in the Arab World, making possible an „era of peace . ‰
Banned but not broken
Tfor a sustainable environment for the future it is high time that we paid heed to this matter seriously
The writer is a freelance columnist
A problem growing out of control
Sajjad HuSSain
Malnutrition crisis in Tharparkar, Pakistan
Tthe women the population of the district continues to deal with deep rooted poverty extreme unemployment and tragic incidents such as suicides specifically among the adults and women Despite efforts by various stakeholders to respond to natural and manmade shocks, the district remains critically underdeveloped with the same critical issues and conditions tharparkar ranks the lowest in Pakistan’s Human Development index and has been witnessing famine-like conditions for decades At the same time it has contributed greatly to the national economy since decades this is proven that only sustainable solutions can solve the problems of the desert, not one-time emergency responses since 2013–14 due to malnutrition the deaths of children have been frequently reported and widely discussed across the country and among stakeholders However, while national consideration has been drawn to the malnutrition issue, meaningful and lasting change remains limited According to the national nutrition survey 2018 the situation in the district of tharparkar is alarming Acute malnutrition (Wasting among children) was reported at 33 3 percent, and stunting, chronic malnutrition (stunting) prevalence stood at more than 60 percent Underweight children made up 60 1 percent of the under-five population and parallel stunting and wasting affected nearly 19 8 percent of children these figures clearly show that nearly one in every five children in tharparkar is battling multiple forms of malnutrition this is not only alarming but embarrassing for all of the responsible departments and individuals the statistics we rely on today are almost six to seven years old as the relevant government departments have not conducted a new national nutrition survey since 2018 this long gap highlights a serious lack of attention to one of the most urgent public health issues in Pakistan in the meantime, health and nutrition services remain stagnant with existing facilities and were either
merged with other parallel programmes or fully compromised in quality and function Populations living in remote and hardto-reach areas continue to face challenges in accessing health facilities even mobile services are limited, and community-based referral systems have completely stopped functioning due to many contributing reasons this means that sick and malnourished individuals are not being identified and referred to the health facilities with the nutrition services in time, further worsening the crisis the sindh Lady Health Worker Programme which is supposed to be the backbone of primary healthcare in rural areas is reported to cover nearly 65 percent of tharparkar still the actual on-ground coverage is significantly lower than what is officially documented and in records and reports the remaining 35–45 percent of the population is not covered at all, and no stakeholders are currently addressing this gap in community outreach and referrals As a result many vulnerable women and children are left without any form of preventive or curative health services the crisis is further worsened by a lack of access to clean drinking water, poor sanitation and the unavailability of medical staff and essential medicines at health facilities Over the past decade droughts and irregular rainfall have only intensified these challenges Data from nns 2018 also highlights maternal malnutrition as a major contributor to the problem the prevalence of underweight in women of reproductive age is 22 8 percent in sindh with tharparkar being a major contributor nearly 21 2 percent of households in the district suffer from food insecurity Furthermore, low birth weights due to maternal malnutrition lead to a higher risk of neonatal and infant mortality Despite multiple interventions the core
focus has remained on the Outpatient therapeutic Programme which treats acute malnourished children While this programme is critical for children in severe conditions, it does not comprehensively cover the children at risk of malnutrition and the children with moderate acute malnutrition no parallel prevention-based programs have been introduced on a large scale However for multiple times the government has been establishing and rolling up the chapters, and task units under planning and development and the health department, sindh government but all the programmes unfortunately have not been sustained An effective approach must include preventive strategies such as addressing the nutrition needs of children aged six to nine months and six to 24 months, addressing the prevailing micronutrient deficiencies in children and pregnant and lactating women
strengthening community-based management of acute malnutrition at primary healthcare levels with full coverage, and promoting awareness to change behaviours and attitudes about nutrition and health A key underlying cause the lack of family planning services is often overlooked Larger family sizes without adequate resources directly contribute to poverty and malnutrition Unless such contributing factors are addressed at the policy-making level, the burden of malnutrition will either remain the same or worsen
n m a s k i n g t h e C I A
n 1976 when we were both based in Brussels my BBC mentor the great Charles Wheeler came back to the office from a grand Us embassy party one evening and remarked: the cleverest and most entertaining people at these things are always CiA Makes it all the harder to understand why they get everything wrong ” An exaggeration of course but one with a degree of truth to it Why has an organisation with huge amounts of money at its disposal a record of recruiting the brightest and the best, and the widest of remits, failed to notch up a better record? it s true that we may not know about many of the CiA’s successes But we know about a lot of its failures and some of them have marked Us history ineradicably in the Mission tim Weiner whose reporting on the CiA in the new York times was always essential reading, and whose subsequent books on the Us intelligence community have a place on the shelves of anyone interested in international affairs, provides a variety of answers to this essential question As he showed nearly 20 years ago in Legacy of Ashes his history of the CiA from its founding in 1947 to the end of the 20th century the agency s position by the end of the 90s was pretty desperate it was starved of cash and bleeding talent A high-flyer who had been station chief in Bucharest was revealed to be working for the Russians handing them the names of large numbers of agents and employees But the new Us administration that came in at the start of 2001 wasn t too worried in March that year, Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, told the joint chiefs of staff: “For the first time in decades, the country faces no strategic challenge ” six months later came 9/11 the CiA had tried to convince the feckless george W Bush about the looming threat of islamic ultra-fundamentalism but no one in the administration listened the agency was regarded as broken People in British intelligence are often snarky about the CiA, as poor relations tend to be nevertheless some of the private criticisms made by sis – better known as Mi6 – are well observed sis has tended to believe that a fault line of naivety runs through the CiA: witness the way that Pakistan s inter-services intelli-
gence led the agency by the nose in Afghanistan persuading it to lavish funds on anti-western warlords whom the isi supported for its own political purposes the CiA s eyes were only finally opened when, by good old-fashioned detective work, its agents discovered that Osama bin Laden was living alongside Pakistani top military brass in Abbottabad But there s a more fundamental criticism that sis and other intelligence aficionados level at the CiA: that it has never been allowed to be just an intelligence-gathering agency Us presidents from truman onwards also wanted it to be a secret army a point Weiner makes again and again Long before the shameful iranContra affair in the 1980s, when Reagan’s officials sold weapons to iran then funded the CiA’s illegal guerrilla war in nicaragua with the proceeds presidents used the agency for their shady schemes despite any ethical qualms its operatives, and sometimes its topmost officers, might have had the CiA accepted Bush’s edict, based on the highly questionable advice he received from the relatively junior White House lawyer John Yoo that waterboarding lengthy sleep deprivation and hanging prisoners by their arms for hours on end did not constitute torture Perhaps, as a government agency, it had no real alternative, but its employees certainly obeyed, sometimes enthusiastically and even sadistically Weiner is clear in his condemnation of this but inclined to give the CiA the benefit of the doubt: the CiA with rare exceptions was not a rogue elephant When people were trampled, it wasn t the elephant s fault it was the fault of the mahout – the elephant driver And the mahout was the president of the United states ” Well perhaps But it’s hard to find excuses for gina Haspel for instance who attended and oversaw one of the agency s black-site prisons before rising to become the first female director of the CiA Weiner s sources, which are excellent, seem not to have included Haspel herself But they do encompass several senior CiA figures from the period under discussion these people opened up to him and as a result the book contains many essential new details Weiner s account of Donald trump s links to Vladimir Putin in 2016 is clearly based on information from inside the agency, and it leads him to assert openly that trump was Putin’s polezny idiot – his useful idiot there are all sorts of other important and fascinating revelations in the Mission but it s the book of a journalist at the top of his game not an academic some of it is written in white-
maHa dev makWanO
The three liberal justices on the nine-member panel dissented Trump pledged during his White House campaign to eliminate the Education Department which was created by an act of Congress in 1979 and he moved in March to slash its workforce by nearly half Trump instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “put herself out of a job” Around 20 states joined teachers’ unions in challenging the move in court arguing that the Republican
president was violating the principle of separation of powers by encroaching on Congress’s prerogatives
In May District Judge Myong Joun ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of fired Education Department employees
The supreme court lifted the judge s order without explanation, just days after another ruling that cleared the way for Trump to carry out mass firings of federal workers in other government departments Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a dissent joined by justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, said in the Education ruling that only Congress has the power to abolish the Department”
“The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naïve but either way the threat to our Constitution s separation of powers is grave, Sotomayor said Traditionally, the federal government has had a limited role in edu-
cation in the US, with only about 13 per cent of funding for primary and secondary schools coming from federal coffers the rest being funded by states and local communities
But federal funding is invaluable for low-income schools and students with special needs And the federal government has been essential in enforcing key civil rights protections for students
After returning to the White House in January Trump directed federal agencies to prepare sweeping workforce reduction plans as part of wider efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) previously headed by Elon Musk to downsize the government Trump has moved to fire tens of thousands of government employees and slash programmes targeting diversity initiatives and abolishing the Education Department, the US humanitarian aid agency USAID and others
India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets
CORPORATE CORNER
Gatronova
CM HEALTH VIGIL ANCE SQUAD L AUNCHED TO BOOST SERVICE DELIVERY IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS
Yango Pakistan expands por tfolio with solutions for businesses Yango Tech and par tners with
Gov t unveils new centralized system for pilgrimages to Iran, Iraq: Sardar Yousaf
ISLAMABAD
s ta f f r e p o r t
The Government of Pakistan is introducing a new, centralized system for organizing pilgrimages to the holy sites in Iran and Iraq announced Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf during a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday He emphasized that the existing outdated system will soon be phased out, and companies interested in organizing pilgrimages must register with the ministry immediately The minister stated that the federal cabinet has approved the new framework for Zaireen Group Organizers (ZGOs) and accordingly the Ministry of Religious Affairs has already issued a public notice Over 1 400 companies have submitted applications to register as ZGOs so far Among them, 585 companies that have cleared the security vetting process have been instructed to complete their online registration through the Ministry’s official website and submit the required documents by July 31 He further noted that the ministry has published another advertisement inviting fresh applications Companies wishing to work as Zaireen Group Organizers can apply until August 10 Responding to a question, Minister sardar Yousaf clarified that managing the affairs of Zaireen, like Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, falls under the purview of the Ministry of Religious Affairs
for
for
and
for organizing Zaireen
by two notable Chief Guests:Mr Muhammad Humayun Khan Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Karachi andMr Saad Amanullah Chairman Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP) board member of Fauji Fertilizer, K-Elecric, NBP funds & Jaffer Brothers The technical training was led by Mr Ahmed J Al-Subaie, an NFPA-approved training instructor and Deputy Fire Chief at ARAMCO Jubail Refinery Saudi Arabia
KARACHI
ECP URGES ASSEMBLY SESSION FOR OATH-TAKING ON RESERVED SEATS AHEAD OF KP SENATE POLLS
4 to administer the oath to the members elected on reserved seats
The speaker informed us that the assembly session is not currently underway; he cannot call a session
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday allocated an additional reserved seat to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)
Assembly The decision came after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) ordered a reassessment of the reserved
a petition by PML-N that claimed the distribution was inequitable
The court had directed the ECP to consult political parties and candidates to determine a fairer allocation within 10 days
Gov t plans expansion of Hajj quota
The ECP secretary maintained that, according to Article 109 of the Constitution the governor has the power to summon a session of the provincial assembly at his discretion In light of the above constitutional and legal imperatives, I have been directed by the Hon ble ECP to request his Excellency, the Governor of KP, to exercise the powers conferred under Article 109 of the Constitution and to summon the session of the Provincial Assembly at the earliest to ensure administration of oath by the Speaker from the elected members on the reserved seats and for the conduct of Senate election in the province,” reads the letter In the letter to the chief minister he said that in view of the constitutional and legal imperatives the commission has also requested the KP governor to invoke his powers conferred upon him under Article 109 of the Constitution to summon the provincial assembly to meet for administration of the oath to the memberselect of the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims for completion of the electoral college for the ensuing Senate election and enabling them to cast their votes
Ghulam Farid
on
of
Sajid
Umar,
of
and accordingly
in
with a request for his
The court, however, decided against the police request, discharging Sajid from the case filed in June 2024 by the Green Town police station Police subsequently released the senior citizen from handcuffs According to the court order “No incriminating evidence is present against the accused person to be sent to judicial remand Hence the request of the investigating officer (IO) has been turned down, the accused person is discharged from the instant case first information report, and the IO is ordered to release the person forthwith” In its orders, the court observed that all the facts and circumstances of the case create doubt in the police s version of events Advocate Noman Sarwar Dogar the counsel for the accused argued in the court that his client had been wrongfully nominated in the 2024 FIR by the police In the habeas corpus case, the petitioner, Advocate Sameer Khan Khattak, alleged that Johar Town police had illegally detained his client’s father for the past two days He had claimed that Sajid had been arrested without any registered case and had not been produced before any court
The secretary also referred to the fact that the Peshawar
Parliamentarians’
PML-N had challenged the ECP s decision arguing that despite securing the same number of general seats as JUI-F, it was allocated fewer reserved seats The party had initially won six general seats with one independent candidate joining later bringing the total to seven
The ECP had allocated reserved seats based on six general seats, which PML-N argued was unfair
Court Peshawar has already passed the judgment dated 27-03-2024 in W P No 1617-P/2024 case titled Shazia Tamash Khan etc versus Federation of Pakistan etc (which is still in the field) whereby directions have been issued to the Chief Minister of KP and the provincial cabinet to take all material steps in terms of Article 105 of the Constitution for summoning the session and administering the oath to the returned candidates on the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims
unit y at Lahore meeting positive step for PTI, encouraging for Punjab: Aleema
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
leader Aleema Khan on Monday welcomed the gathering of PTI parliamentarians in Lahore and called it a positive step for the party saying the Lahore meeting was encouraging for Punjab and reflected unity among party lawmakers It is a good sign that all PTI parliamentarians came together in Lahore, as we had always talked about that MNAs and MPAs from Punjab would demonstrate unity and this meeting confirms that Aleema Khan stated while speaking to the media at the Gorakhpur checkpost ahead of a meeting with his brother, PTI founder Imran Khan Adiala
She stated that Punjab had witnessed significant injustices over the past two years and that such gatherings were necessary to address those issues
She praised the Lahore event, saying that all PTI members supported the initiative “The meeting should be appreciated We all welcome it ” she added Responding to questions about the absence of certain Punjabbased leadership from the event Khan said they were not informed of any such exclusion “We were
told that this was a meeting of parliamentarians We are not aware of why Punjab s leadership was not invited, she said Expressing optimism, she concluded, “God willing, everything will be fine ”
On the other hand a new internal dispute has emerged within the PTI after the party s Punjab Chief Organiser, Aliya Hamza, publicly questioned the rationale and strategy behind PTI’s recently launched 90-day protest movement The party had earlier announced a do-or-die campaign intended to challenge the government and shape PTI s political direction However, tensions surfaced when Hamza was excluded from a
key strategy meeting held in Lahore raising eyebrows within party ranks When asked about her absence PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated that Hamza had been “too busy over the past two days” to attend the gathering In response Hamza took to the social media platform X posting a sarcastic remark: Such busyness that perhaps even I wasn t aware of! She went on to question the movement’s planning and objectives, asking where the strategy for Imran Khan’s release had been outlined and how the campaign would be executed She also challenged the origin of the 90-day timeline comparing it to the previously mentioned August 5 deadline
China ink landmark deal to enhance media collaboration in broadcasting
The
The agreement was signed by Ms Ambreen Jan Federal Secretary of the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan, and Dong Xin,
This agreement reflects the shared commitment of
offering opportunities for both countries to enhance their media sectors while promoting cultural exchange and deeper bilateral relations Pakistan,
Minister and member of the Party Group of the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) of China during the 2nd Television Festival of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Countries in Xi an, China
to
is
and
media
for
