DAR’S L ANDMARK DHAK A VISIT SIGNALS RESET IN PAKISTAN–BANGL ADESH TIES
g DPM STRIKES A CONCILIATORY AND FORWARDLOOKING TONE, STRESSING PAKISTAN’S ‘ SINCERE INTENT’ TO BUILD TIES FREE FROM EXTERNAL PRESSURES
g WE WANT TO FORGE A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT, FREE FROM EXTERNAL PRESSURES, AND DRIVEN BY THE NEEDS OF OUR PEOPLE: DAR
g PRESSES FOR REVIVAL OF SAARC, CALLS SOUTH ASIA ‘HOME TO A QUARTER OF HUMANITY ’
g HELD WIDE-RANGING POLITICAL ENGAGEMENTS IN DHAKA, MEETING DELEGATIONS OF NCP, BANGLADESH JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI AND BNP
DSylhet and Lahore to Dhaka join hands to face global challenges and realise their shared dreams MoUs Expected Economic Links Growing According to senior Bangladeshi officials, the visit is expected to yield four to five memorandums of understanding in areas including trade, culture, media collaboration professional training and travel connectivity The agreements would build on recent progress in bilateral ties including: Pakistan s import of 50 000 tonnes of rice under direct government-togovernment trade launched in February The approval granted to Pakistan’s private airline Fly Jinnah to begin Karachi–Dhaka operations An agreement in July between both governments to allow visa-free entry for diplomatic and official passport holders
disqualification of 12 PTI lawmakers by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) The decision was formally announced at a press conference in Islamabad by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi flanked by senior PPP leaders-Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Nayyar Bukhari The Vacant Seats The seats fell vacant after PTI s 12 lawmakers were disqualified in Punjab by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following their conviction in the May 9 (2023) cases The disqualified lawmakers hailed from eight National Assembly and four Punjab Assembly constituencies The PPP has already expressed interest in contesting at least six key constituencies NA-143 and PP-203 (Sahiwal), NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan), and NA-96, NA-104, and PP-98 (Faisalabad) and has sought applications from aspirants for party tickets Outlining the “seat adjustment formula” strategy Abbasi said the two coalition partners had agreed on a predetermined formula saying where a PPP candidate was runner-up in the 2018 general elections the PML-N will back them Conversely, where a PML-N candidate was runner-up, the PPP will support them, he added Speaking at the presser, PPP’s Raja Parvez Ashraf explained, “This will ensure no confusion for voters or workers ” emphasizing the “understanding was reached after consultations between the top leadership of both parties We want to tell our workers and the whole of Pakistan that we are a democracy Abbasi said, stressing that the alliance aimed to show political unity at a time when PTI is facing legal and political challenges Ashraf, the former prime minister, said both parties had reached “full agreement” under the directions of their
The revival of institutional dialogues with Pakistan s foreign secretary Amna Baloch visiting Dhaka in April after a 15-year gap Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi s July visit, where the two sides pledged to expand security and interior cooperation Dar said these developments reflected new energy and fresh enthusiasm in the relationship describing Pakistan and Bangladesh as two vibrant and resilient nations with centuries of shared traditions, Islamic heritage, social norms, linguistic connections and literary expressions ” Meetings Across the Spectrum In addition to official talks Dar held wide-ranging political engagements in Dhaka on Saturday He met delegations of the National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) According to the Foreign Office discussions covered political mobilisation regional dynamics cultural exchanges and the role of youth in reform and cooperation Dar lauded the “steadfastness” of Bangladeshi political activists in the face of adversity and stressed the need for greater contact between the younger generations of both countries
ahead of upcoming rain spells
AGP FL AGS 126 FINANCIAL IRREGUL ARITIES
dam, and power tunnel He was
briefed on the site-wise progress and the completion schedule of the remaining work urging the contractors to deploy additional resources to expedite construction activities The Chairman was informed that construction activities are ongoing at more than a dozen sites, and the river diversion system of the project successfully handled recent flood peaks in River Swat The filling of the main dam began in May 2025 following the excavation of the right and left abutments and dam pit Electricity generation from the project is scheduled for December 2027 after the main dam is completed Lt Gen Saeed was accompanied by Wapda Members Naveed Asghar Chaudhry (Finance) Syed Ali Akhtar Shah (Water) and Muhammad Arfan Miana (Power) Engr Asim Rauf Khan GM/PD Mohmand Dam and representatives from the consultants and contractors were also present Mohmand Dam is the fifth tallest concrete-face rock-fill dam globally It is a multipurpose project designed to store 1 29 MAF of water to irrigate 18 237 acres of new land in Mohmand and Charsadda districts The dam will also supplement irrigation supplies to 160,000 acres of existing land Additionally, the project is expected to play a key role in flood control in downstream areas such as Charsadda Peshawar and Nowshera With an installed capacity of 800 MW, the Mohmand Dam will produce 2 86 billion units of
IT is now official What had been warned repeatedly would happen has Gaza is now in the grip of famine This is no longer hyperbole by proPalestinian enthusiasts or anti-Israeli propagandists The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has declared that Gaza City is now at IPC Level 5 or famine and that Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Governorate and Deir al-Balah in the central part would follow suit by the end of September The IPC finding marks the first time it has The IPC surveys all parts of the world for food security difficulties, and classifies entire countries, area by area, according to how much food stress they are suffering So far, the IPC has only given areas in Africa the classification of a famine, which it only issues where 20 percent of all households have an extreme lack of food, where 30 percent of children under five are malnourished, where more than five deaths per 100,00 are occurring daily
There were 89 deaths from malnutrition or related diseases in the first seven months of the year, and then there has been a spike, with 138 deaths in August alone There has been famine before in recent times, and like before, an artificial shortage has been created by Israel s blocking of aid to Gaza, even though the world is willing Israel continues to disclaim responsibility, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissing the report as an outright lie The Israeli Foreign Ministry has said there is no famine in Gaza As the famine finally sets in, after weeks of warnings by various aid agencies, Israel launches its big push to flush out all Hamas forces from Gaza city itself Indeed, from the Israeli perspective, it makes sense to launch an offensive against a starving city Already, disturbing images of children, emaciated by starvation, are emerging Already once firm Israeli allies are shaken More will be shaken More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire and bombardment Now, it
From billion tree fraud to mass graves
TH E devastating floods and landslides sweeping through Pakistan this monsoon season have once again laid bare the country s vulnerability to climate change and institutional unpreparedness In just the past day, more than 400 lives have been lost across Buner, Swat, Shangla, Bajaur, Gilgit-Baltistan, and parts of Azad Kashmir Dozens of homes have been washed away funeral prayers have filled muddy fields and the sound of grief has echoed across valleys that have once again become symbols of human fragility in the face of nature s unleashed fury Why has Pakistan become a place where each monsoon now feels like a disaster waiting to happen? The answer lies partly in geography and climate, but largely in policy, planning, and above all, governance failures Pakistan sits in one of the most climate-vulnerable regions of the world perched on the edge of the Himalayas where torrential monsoon rains between June and September account for nearly three-quarters of the annual precipitation But what was once a seasonal cycle of replenishment for crops and rivers has turned into a yearly calamity Scientists warn that climate change has intensified the monsoon making rains heavier storms more unpredictable and flooding more frequent Warmer air holds more moisture releasing it in sudden downpours (cloud bursts) that overwhelm rivers and drainage systems The glaciers of the north, melting faster than ever before, feed torrents into already swollen channels Pakistan contributes less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions yet ranks among the top ten countries most affected by climate disasters But climate alone does not explain the depth of destruction Floods in themselves are not inherently catastrophic, it is their collision with human settlements, fragile infrastructure, and deliberate neglect by successive governments that turns natural hazards into human tragedies In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which has suffered the highest casualties the provincial government has had 11 years of rule but nothing to show except slogans and hollow claims The much-trumpeted Billion Tree Tsunami project, hailed as a flagship environmental reform, has now been widely exposed as a massive fraud, with trees that were never planted lands misused bil-
lions siphoned away while the hills of Swat and Dir were left barren The Malam Jabba land scandal is another example of how natural resources were treated not as assets to be protected but as opportunities for corruption At the same time, unchecked tree cutting and deforestation across KP weakened the natural shield that forests provide against landslides and floods Had governance been serious had forests been preserved and watersheds restored had infrastructure been built and maintained thousands of lives could have been saved Instead more people have died not because of the fury of the floods alone but because of sheer negligence, mismanagement, and the absence of checks and balances in the system In Bajaur crowds gathered around an excavator scraping through a mud-soaked hillside to retrieve bodies while in nearby villages people prayed over corpses wrapped in blankets Their grief is not just for the dead but for a system that consistently fails to protect the living Houses in flood-prone valleys are often poorly constructed, roads are washed away with each season, and early warning systems remain patchy and underfunded How
c o l l e c t i v e w i l l i n g n e s s t o a c t . A n d t h e q u e s t i o n  w h a t t o d o Ê i s
a n sw e r e d by ch o i c e s t h a t Pa k i s t a n mu s t m a k e n ow, b a ck e d by
s u p p o r t i t mu s t d e m a n d f ro m t h e wo r l d . I f n o t , t h e n ex t m o n s o o n w i l l ag a i n b r i n g n o t r e n ew a l bu t r u i n , a n d t h e cy cl e o f l o s s w i l l d e e p e n u n t i l i t b e c o m e s u n b e a r a bl e
tial to significantly enhance Islamic banking products By leveraging these modern tools, Islamic banks can offer more efficient and reliable services to their clients, thereby strengthening public trust even further
Tincreasing at a rapid pace with projections indicating continued growth Furthermore, the integration of advanced technologies such as FinTech and Blockchain has the poten-
The notable improvement in the performance of Islamic banking has substantially bolstered public confidence Built upon the core values of transparency, justice, and adherence to religious principles, Islamic banking stands as a distinctive alternative to conventional finance While challenges persist, the future remains bright It is imperative for Islamic banks to remain steadfast in their principles while embracing the demands of the modern era
The increasing popularity of the Islamic banking model is strong evidence that people desire a financial system that aligns with their ethical and religious values These characteristics of Islamic banking not only assure financial benefit but also contribute significantly to social development Thus Islamic banking has emerged as a model that ensures not only economic growth but also guarantees social justice and transparency
The writer is a freelance columnist
The flood that came from nowhere
tastrophe in order to see its true face Imagine the Gilgit-Baltistan family who slept
of monsoon rains Unexpectedly it hits releasing torrents of water so heavy that no wall, no soil, and no human body can withstand them Families were unable to escape, pack their belongings or even take a moment to pray In a matter of minutes histories were erased villages were submerged and lives were turned upside down Pakistan experiences the brutality of floods every year, but the unexpectedness of a cloudburst is terrifying in its own right, a calamity that permits no planning, only sorrow The causes of this tragedy are as complicated as they are frustrating With its mountainous north and brittle glaciers Pakistan is right in the path of the global cloudbursts that are becoming more intense due to climate change The result is apocalyptic as rising global temperatures cause glaciers to melt at an alarming rate However the devastation is not solely the result of nature; rather it is a sin that we have committed against ourselves Due to widespread deforestation our mountains are now barren and unable to withstand floods or prevent landslides Because of urban mismanagement, drainage channels are clogged in our cities, causing every unexpected raindrop to become a flood Above all the country is ill-prepared due to decades of carelessness by succeeding administrations We were aware that cloudbursts were imminent, all experts cautioned that the threat posed by climate change would only increase but no actual defense was put up, no evacuation plans were made and no walls were built Promises that fade like footprints in mud once more cost the people of Pakistan dearly However statistics and causes only provide a portion of the picture We need to look into the eyes of those who survived this ca-
t h e n ex t cl o u d bu rs t s i l e n c e s a n o t h e r c h i l d Ês l a u g h t e r, t h e wo r l d n e e d s t o p ay a
t o b u s t
energy demand from the rapid build-out of data centers Electricity plants powered by natural gas will be constructed quickly for power-hungry data centers while the socalled hyperscalers turn to nuclear energy for a longer-term solution Caterpillar, known for its earth-moving equipment, and Cummins, a maker of diesel engines, provide large generators for both data center backup and baseload power Caterpillar said its power generation sales jumped 19% in the second quarter mostly because of data center demand Air-conditioner makers including Trane and SPX Technologies are also getting a bump SPX whose stock price has gained 40% this year, has introduced a new cooling product for data centers that allows customers to choose if they prefer to conserve more water or energy There is no winner-takes-all because the hyperscalers “typically try to avoid being sole sourced Gene Lowe chief executive officer of SPX said in an earnings conference call Construction companies with experience building data centers, such as Sterling Infrastructure, are reaping the windfall Sterling agreed to buy a Texasbased construction company to expand into new regions at the behest of customers They want data centers built as quickly as possible to keep ahead in the race Cost is always critical to customers but speed is the most important thing Joseph Cutillo CEO of Sterling, said in an earnings conference call The company s shares have surged this year TopBuild, an installer of residential insulation, is looking to grab some of the data center business to off-
MEDIA FATIGUE AND NEWS AVOIDANCE: Media fatigue predates the internet and is the result of psychological exhaustion from relentless streams of news posts and alerts The web however supercharged this phenomenon accelerating patterns observed by a weary colleague decades ago: There is nothing new in news anymore Fatigue inevitably leads to avoidance A Reuters Institute study found that in 2023, 39% of people surveyed worldwide generally avoided the news up from 29% in 2017 In the UK two in five people say they feel “worn out” by it News participation is also falling Between 2015 and 2022 global surveys show a 20-30% drop in activities like sharing, commenting, and discussing news Comment sections, once messy but vibrant, have in many cases collapsed into mindless recriminations, devoid of gravitas or insight This is partly due to another factor, as the next section illustrates
ENSCONCED TROLLS: Trolls come in many breeds: the insecure the self-validating the ideologue and the hired gun Some are simply paid to sink the conversation – to smear the source, derail the thread, and leave nothing but wreckage in the comments box Overall, they are akin to relentless parasites seeking one host after another
Recently after weeks of hesitation I finally published an article challenging the false equivalence between Palestine and Kashmir and questioning why Israel panics over Iran s phantom nukes while ignoring Pakistan s 170-180 real ones The comments section soon became a battlefield A Pakistani commenter unleashed a
FarzeeN NadeeM
INDIA SAYS US TRADE NEGOTIATIONS ARE STILL GOING ON AS FRESH TARIFFS LOOM
The Case of E Vs in Pak istan
hicle imports as of 2023
underscore how consistent government support and investment in infrastructure can rapidly accelerate the shift toward clean mobility According to the Pakistan Economic Survey and various international climate reports, emissions from the transport sector grew by nearly 143% between 1990 and 2019 highlighting the need for a transformational shift in mobility At present Pakistan is standing at the crossroads of opportunity and inertia The government s 2019
and green credit lines that bring monthly payments below what drivers already spend on petrol Without that collaborative push, the 2019 policy’s early momentum risks stalling just when it could start paying dividends in cleaner air foreign exchange savings and green-skilled jobs
However there is still another challenge Ever since the revision of import tariffs in favor of NEV importers recently, a lot of criticism has been directed towards the government This narrative, among other effects has threatened to undermine the very objective of transitioning to cleaner greener transport
Higher import duties on NEVs and inconsistent policy signals have the ability to disincentivize international investors delay infrastructure investments and burden consumers with higher upfront costs At a time when climate resilience is non-negotiable, Pakistan is at a point where it cannot afford to backpedal on its commitments to decarbonization
infrastructure rollouts Pakistan by contrast risks missing out on the economic environmental and technological dividends of the NEV revolution if it fails to build an ecosystem that supports rather than stifles this transition
Complementary moves, such as NEPRA’s decision to halve the electricity tariff for public charging stations are easing running-cost anxieties yet the national charger network remains sparse To unlock the policy s full potential therefore Islamabad must couple these fiscal sweeteners with predictable import rules accelerated charger deployment
As the national budget looms, this intersection of climate urgency and economic strain presents a critical opportunity along with a pressing question Will Pakistan chart a course toward cleaner more sustainable mobility or continue to subsidize an outdated and carbon-heavy transportation model? The potential of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) to transform this landscape is immense Yet today, NEVs account for less than 1% of vehicles on Pakistani roads This stands in stark contrast to regional counterparts like Thailand and Nepal, countries where supportive policies and targeted incentives have driven far greater adoption Thailand for example has set a goal for 30% of all vehicles
The benefits of adopting NEVs extend far beyond climate goals They reduce the national oil import bill, improve urban air quality, and offer opportunities to develop high-tech manufacturing ecosystems, generating jobs in software battery technologies and energy management NEVs are also aligned with Pakistan s international obligations under the Paris Agreement and its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which aim to
and
Punjab Minister for Information and Culture, Azma Bokhari on Saturday strongly condemned attempts to shift the blame for the May 9 attacks onto Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz calling it a malicious propaganda campaign Anyone who wishes simply starts blaming Maryam Nawaz for the crimes of May 9 culprits," Azma Bokhari said "Let it be clear: under Maryam Nawaz's leadership rule of law prevails in Punjab This is not Imran Khan’s government where decisions were made about who to abduct or release This is Maryam Nawaz s administration, where every institution functions independently and with full autonomy " She further stated that individuals nominated and wanted in May 9 cases must be jailed and there is no escape from legal accountability
“It is not a matter of personal desire it is the state s responsibility to arrest absconders and proclaimed offenders, she emphasized Condemning the attack on the Corps Commander House, Azma Bokhari remarked, “Those
ISLAMABAD
S ta f f r e p o r t
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), through its Technology for People Initiative (TPI-LUMS), to strengthen digital governance and innovation in Pakistan The MoU outlines collaboration in cybersecurity policy innovation digital service delivery, public sector infrastructure, research and advisory, prod-
uct development and capacity building with a strong focus on gender inclusion and digital skills said a news release On the occasion, Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja signed the MoU and highlighted that this partnership with LUMS will foster innovation secure public digital systems, and deliver citizen-centric solutions She added that government-academia collaboration is essential for building an inclusive and future-ready digital Pakistan Vice Chancellor LUMS Dr Ali Cheema added that the univeristy is
excited to collaborate with government on strengthening the public mission for using technology for strengthening governance and development Director TPI LUMS, Usman Khan added that through this partnership multi-disciplinary capabilities at LUMS will provide more effective solutions and support government in delivering on their objectives of growth and economic and social prosperity for all
This collaboration paves the way for joint initiatives that will enhance transparency efficiency and accessibility in public service delivery across the country
development of the students To promote the culture of education and research we are providing internship opportunities to students The students while expressing their views, said that they are grateful to the IG Punjab for providing them the opportunity to closely observe and learn about police working and field challenges
LAHORE
s ta f
Tt
H E Lahore High Court s Jus-
tice Khalid Ishaq on Saturday dismissed petitions filed by former opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar and former MNA Muhammad Ahmad Chatha, who challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notifications that de-notified them
The court observed that since the petitioners are fugitives from justice in every case they cannot invoke this court s jurisdiction for judicial review
The subtle but decisive distinction of a nexus to the case is the key factor that conclusively determines the applicability or otherwise of the fugitive dis-
entitlement doctrine in a civil matter brought by a criminal fugitive
Applying this doctrine to the facts of these cases leads to the inescapable conclusion that the ECP s notifications, challenged through these constitutional petitions, are inextricably linked to the petitioners’ convictions The respondents questioned the maintainability of these petitions arguing that the petitioners are convicts who have not submitted themselves to due process, remain at large, and have active perpetual arrest warrants Therefore, they asserted, the petitioners are not entitled to invoke this court’s extraordinary constitutional jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution
The Additional Attorney General for Pakistan argued this point of maintainability in reliance on various judgments In
Aleema Khan stays defiant against gov t’s ‘pressure tactics’
As the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore has approved physical remands for Shahrez Khan and Shershah Khan nephews of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in connection with the May 9, 2023, riots, Imran Khan s sister Aleema Khan on Saturday stood her ground and condemned the arrests of her sons, terming it as an attempt to intimidate her family and the party Aleem’s son Shahrez, arrested on August 21 was sent on an eight-day physical remand while his younger brother Shershah detained the following day was remanded for five days The arrests linked to the violent protests that erupted after Imran Khan s arrest, have sparked controversy, with PTI alleging political victimization Speaking to the media, Aleema stated, “If they think that they will pressure us by kidnapping my children then it is their mistake The only crime of Shahrez and Shershah is that they are Imran Khan s nephews We will not be pressured She further claimed that her elder son Shahrez was taken from their Lahore residence by armed men in plainclothes, who assaulted staff and harassed her daughter-in-law in front of her grandchildren Shershah was detained while returning from a court hearing related to his brother ’s case Aleema Khan also addressed rumors of her own impending arrest noting that warrants had already been issued against her If they arrest me they will pressure themselves Cracks are forming between them, she asserted, suggesting internal discord among the authorities She vowed to continue delivering Imran Khan’s message, stating, “In every FIR, it is written that I bring Imran Khan’s message We will absolutely be his voice The arrests follow the Supreme Court s decision on August 21 to grant bail to Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 riots during which PTI supporters vandalized military installations, including the Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander s residence) Lahore Police claim Shahrez and Shershah were involved in the Jinnah House attack with Shahrez named in supplementary statements filed in September 2023 The police sought a 30-day remand for Shahrez to recover evidence but ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul approved only eight days Shershah s five-day remand was granted on similar grounds PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who represented Shahrez in court, argued that Shahrez was in Chitral not in Lahore during the May 9 riots and had no political involvement with PTI This is a message to the nation that there is no law in this country he added Raja told reporters calling the arrests a well-thought-out conspiracy in response to Imran Khan s recent bail victories In contrast, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry defended the arrests stating “You can say the police arrested them late but you cannot say their cases were fake Both were present at Jinnah House on May 9 He added that the delay was due to the time required to gather evidence and maintained that the accused would receive relief if no evidence was found The arrests have intensified tensions between PTI and the government, with the party accusing authorities of orchestrating a crackdown to weaken its political base ahead of by-elections PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the detentions stating By arresting Imran Khan s family members the government is deliberately creating political tension
C P
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brief the Additional Attorney General contended that judicial review jurisdiction cannot be granted to the petitioners in these circumstances since equitable jurisdiction should not aid a fugitive from justice He further argued that a citizen seeking this court s intervention must first show how he is entitled to a remedy when he is guilty of flouting a judicial order specifically, fleeing after conviction Finally, he stated that the jurisdiction under Article 199 is extraordinary and equitable and should not be exercised by someone who has approached the court with unclean hands being a fugitive
Climate change-triggered torrential rains and cloudburst have destroyed 31 596 acres of farmland in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) wiping out standing crops and causing financial losses to the tune of billions of rupees
The provincial agriculture department has released initial data on losses confirming the extent of the destruction caused by the recent cloudbursts and floods The report shows that Buner suffered the heaviest damage, with 26,141 acres affected Of this 23 487 acres of maize fields 1 300 acres of rice 700 acres of vegetables and 641 acres of orchards were completely lost In Lower Swat crops across 2 702 acres were destroyed, including 729 acres of maize, 1,209 acres of rice, 334 acres of vegetables, 362 acres of orchards and 68 acres of other farmland
Elsewhere the damage extended across the province: 3 25 acres in Battagram, 214 acres in Bajaur, 87 acres in Charsadda, 617 acres in Lower Dir, 88 acres in Mansehra, 130 acres in Nowshera, 520 acres in Shangla 1 035 acres in Swat two acres in Upper Swat and 55 acres in Upper Chitral
Commenting on the climate change-triggered devastation, jour-
from justice The law officers representing the ECP largely adopted his arguments
Responding to the question of maintainability, the petitioners’ counsel argued that despite a criminal conviction, civil rights remain protected For example challenging the ECP s impugned notifications via Article 199 is unrelated to the criminal conviction and the fugitive status should only affect the specific cases in which conviction occurred not all matters It is worth mentioning that the petitioners had challenged their disqualification and sought to halt upcoming by-polls in their constituencies
nalist and climate change researcher Dawood Khan said the crisis reflects the need for adaptation in farming practices He argued that spring crops vulnerable to hailstorms and heavy rainfall should be replaced with alternative crops better suited to the changing climate Scientific methods exist to protect agriculture, he said, pointing to systems adopted in China Japan and India “They have introduced shade structures to shield crops from storms and hail but in Pakistan farmers are too poor to afford even fertiliser, let alone advanced technology He recalled that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had once initiated work on such systems but the project collapsed after funding cuts from Washington The agri-
culture department does not have the resources to carry this forward,” he said According to Khan, global agricultural practices have been shifting for two decades under the Agro-Tech model with countries cultivating crops in proportion to their population s needs He warned that poor planning in Pakistan had already led to losses in the tobacco sector where bumper production this year meant buyers offered farmers less than the official government price He urged authorities and farmers in northern KP to alter planting schedules “Like in the rest of the world, we must change crop cycles so they mature before the monsoon rains and hailstorms he said This will reduce the scale of losses
Naqvi approves series of major development initiatives for C apital city
ISLAMABAD
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has approved a series of major development initiatives for the federal capital He was chairing a high-level meeting at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Headquarters in Islamabad on Saturday
The projects ranging from new traffic infrastructure to housing sector upgrades and hospitality ventures, are aimed at easing urban challenges and improving civic facilities for residents One of the headline decisions was the launch of a flyover at TChowk and an underpass at Shaheen Chowk, with groundbreaking
scheduled for early September
The minister also ordered a city-wide operation against encroachments stressing that there would be no leniency in removing illegal structures He set September 30 as the deadline for clearing affected sectors, assigning the responsibility to senior officials including the SSP Operations, ADCG and Director DMA Housing societies were warned to strictly comply with regulations or face disciplinary action
The meeting also marked the green light for Phase One of the Diplomatic Enclave Upgradation Project covering improvements to the main entry from Constitution Avenue adjoining roads a boundary wall a cycling track and a park
Other projects reviewed included remodeling Daman-e-Koh for visitors accelerating work on under-construction sectors C-14 C-15 and C-16 and expediting long-delayed development in sectors E-12 and I-12 so possession can finally be handed to allottees Naqvi directed CDA to prepare a comprehensive development plan for new sectors C-13 D-13 E-13 and F-13 He also set a December 31 deadline for completing groundwork on two new five-star hotels in Islamabad
According to briefings, the first phase of the Model Jail project is progressing and will be completed soon while a site has been allocated for the establishment of a Capital House
