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ISLAMABAD: Promi­nent religious preacher Dr Zakir Naik arrived in the country on Monday on a month-long visit that will see him deliver lectures in major cities of the country including Kara­chi, Islamabad and Lahore. This is Naik’s first visit to Pakistan in three decades — the last time he visited was in 1992, when he met with religious scholar Dr Israr Ahmed in Lahore before returning to India. Although originally from India, the preacher currently resides in Malaysia due to legal troubles in his home country, which has sought his extradition in a number of cases. Upon his arrival at Islamabad International Airport, Naik was received by officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and PM’s aide Rana Mashhood. During his stay in Pakistan, Dr Naik is scheduled to address public gatherings, starting from Karachi on Oct 5. He will speak in Lahore on Oct 12 and Islamabad on Oct 19. In addition to public events, he is expected to meet senior government officials and participa...

The Mandi Bahauddin police on Monday said two people were arrested as they busted a suspected gang of child predators who allegedly molested children and filmed the assaults. District Police Officer (DPO) Ahmad Mohiuddin told Dawn.com that the action was taken after he took notice of four cases registered at the Civil Lines police station from September 24-29 under Sections 375A (gang rape), 376iii (punishment for rape of a minor) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable by life imprisonment) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). DPO Mohiuddin said he immediately took notice and ordered the district superintendent of police (DSP) to arrest the suspects and submit an incident report at the earliest, after which two suspects were arrested from the areas of Makhanwala and Tariqabad with raid teams seizing a mobile phone, a laptop and a USB drive. He added that one suspect secured interim bail and that a fourth suspect was on the run. “Police teams are currently searching for him...

At least seven people died in Iran after consuming bootleg alcohol, state media said on Monday, bringing the death toll from alcohol poisoning to 11 in two days in a country where such drinks are banned. The latest deaths occurred in the northern province of Mazandaran and included six men and a woman, the official news agency IRNA reported, citing judicial authorities. It had previously reported the deaths of two people from alcoholic poisoning in Mazandaran. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said 57 people suffering from “ethanol or methanol” intoxication had been hospitalised since Sunday in the northern province. IRNA later revised the number down to 53 people. On Sunday, the news agency said four people died of alcohol poisoning in neighbouring Gilan province after 20 were hospitalised following bootleg booze consumption. Iran banned the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Smuggled and bootleg alcohol has ever since proliferated o...

• Aurangzeb says short-term pain to continue for most citizens • Insists corporations now benefiting from macroeconomic improvements • Deadline for submission of returns ‘may be extended’; FBR chief denies any such plan ISLAMABAD: Finance Minis­ter Muhammad Aurangzeb on Sunday announced the government’s “ war on cash ” as part of a strategy to tap into over Rs9.3 trillion money in circulation and maximise revenue potential. Speaking at a press conference, Mr Aurangzeb stressed that the “short-term pain” of recent policy measures would remain in place for most citizens, even as top corporations begin to benefit from nascent macroeconomic improvements. At the conference, the finance minister was assisted by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mehmood Langrial, who tried to bust the “myth” around the much-talked-about Rs2.7tr taxes held up in litigation. Instead, he built up the narrative around a potential “Rs7.1tr tax gap” that has to be tapped through technology and m...

The management of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had launched a new attack on a nearby electricity substation, destroying a transformer. The Zaporizhzhia station , Europe’s largest with six reactors, was seized by Russian forces in the early days of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side regularly accuses the other of attacking or plotting to attack the plant. The plant’s management, writing on Telegram, said an artillery strike had hit the transformer at the “Raduga” substation in the town of Enerhodar in southeastern Ukraine. It described the incident as “yet another terrorist act aimed at destabilising the situation in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s satellite city”. Also posted was a photograph showing smoke billowing from the top of a building. It said power supplies to Enerhodar had not been interrupted. The plant’s management accused the Ukrainian military on September 20 of attacking a second substat...

ISLAMABAD: While 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity, over one billion meals a day were wasted across all continents in 2022, according to the ‘ Food Waste Index Report 2024 ’, released by UN Environment Programme to mark the ‘International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste’, being observed on Sunday. In 2022, there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated, including inedible parts, amounting to 132 kilograms per capita and almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers. “Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world,” said UNEP executive director Inger Andersen. According to recent data, food loss and waste generates eight to 10pc of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — almost five times that of the aviation sector — and significant biodiversity loss by taking up the equivalent of almost a third of the world’s agricultural land. The toll of both foo...

WE are no longer surprised to read the grim tally of journalists killed in the line of duty, nor to learn — through an investigation by the Forbidden Stories collective — that of the more than 100 journalists killed in Gaza, several were clearly deliberately targeted; nor to hear that newsrooms are increasingly instructed to hide press armbands. It seems entirely normal to everyone that security budgets are rising exponentially in organisations involved in field journalism. We are no longer surprised to hear that one of the first actions of Argentina’s Milei government was to shut down the Télam news agency, leaving 700 employees stranded, or to read that the newspaper La Nación lost all its government advertising revenue overnight. The unfolding of the populist “playbook” no longer comes as a surprise to anyone: the media, alongside the judiciary, are the first target. The spectacular decline of the journalism profession is met with alarming indifference. The worst part...

• Demands global action on held Kashmir, Palestine; says Israel’s illegal occupation creates ‘fresh hell’ daily • Walks out to protest Netanyahu’s speech, other Muslim leaders follow suit • Speaks about Ukraine war, climate change, poverty; labels debt burdens a ‘death trap’ • PTI supporters hold demo to seek Imran’s release UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a forceful speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday, urging both Israel and India to halt targeting innocent Pale­stinians and Kashmiris. Highlighting New Delhi’s threat to cross the Line of Control and occupy Azad Kashmir, the premier issued a stern warning to India. “Let me state, in no uncertain terms, that Pakistan will respond most decisively to any Indian aggression,” PM Shehbaz asserted, his words emphasised by a firm thump on the rostrum. In a significant move, the prime minister led his delegation in walking out of the Assembly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his speech, ...

The family of Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar — who was killed by Mirpurkhas police in a staged encounter over a blasphemy accusation — filed a first information report (FIR) on Friday against 45 suspects, including top police officials and a cleric, over his killing. The doctor hailing from Umerkot was shot dead by police in an alleged extra-judicial killing in Mirpurkhas on September 19, a day after being booked on allegations of blasphemy. After the encounter, the body was handed over to the family, who brought it to Janhero — the native village of the suspect — for burial. However, they had to escape after a mob descended on them to snatch the body, which they later burned . An inquiry into the incident was launched and Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Thursday presented the findings , saying the probe found that police “staged the encounter”. Lanjar announced the registration of the case today, attaching a copy of it to his statement on X. “In case number 147/2024, re...

KARACHI: A senior civil judge ordered the owner of a water tanker and the driver to pay a Rs5 million in compensation to an accident victim, who lost both his legs in 2018 due to the driver’s rash and negligent driving. The plaintiff, Abbas Ali Shah, who got injured in the accident, had filed a suit under the relevant section of the Civil Procedure Code through his counsel before Senior Civil Judge (South) Ghulam Abbas Memon, seeking damages of Rs15 million from the defendants — owner of water tanker Zahid Ghulam Nabi and driver Fayyaz Shah. After hearing and recording the evidence, the court directed the owner of the water tanker and the driver to pay Rs5m with a 10 per cent markup per annum in damages and loss to the plaintiff within 30 days. “The undisputed record and evidence of parties conclude that due to negligence act on the part of defendants, the incident took place [on] 18.01.2018 resulting into death of one Kashan and injured the plaintiff. It is well position of law ...

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Babar Sattar, who was one of the judges who wrote a letter to the chief justice over interference of intelligence operatives in judicial affairs, has proceeded on a month-long leave shortly after resuming his duties following summer vacation. Sources told Dawn that the judge applied for leave on Thursday and the same was approved by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and a notification to this effect was sent to the Ministry of Law And Justice, secretaries to the chief justice and Justice Sattar, registrar, additional registrars and deputy registrars and Accountant General Pakistan Revenue. Even though the notification mentioned the leave for one month with effect from Sept 30 to October 29, sources told Dawn that it was extendable leave and the judge may extend it till December. On Thursday, Justice Sattar adjourned hearings in most cases till December. When a lawyer requested the court to fix the hearing in November, the judge replied that h...

Multiple users shared an image on social media platform X on Wednesday, claiming that an Islamabad doughnut shop was “sealed” after its employee allegedly disrespected the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa. However, the picture being circulated dates back to September 11 when it was sealed for violating standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to the spread of dengue. Screenshot of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa from a video. A video involving CJP Isa also began making rounds on social media on Wednesday. The video shows Chief Justice Isa standing at what appears to be a shop with two women. One of the women is seen speaking to a man, seemingly the shop’s employee whose face cannot be seen, regarding an order. According to the audio in the video, the employee apparently makes disrespectful remarks about the top judge after identifying him. The video going viral on social media platforms showed a watermark reading “EHTASHAMABBASI”. Ehtesham Ali Abbasi, ...

Passersby look at vehicles damaged in the blast that targeted a police van, near Eastern Bypass in Quetta, on Wednesday.—INP QUETTA: At least two policemen were among a dozen people injured by a bomb attack, which targeted a police vehicle in the provincial capital of Balochistan, on Wednesday. Officials said that unidentified miscreants had parked an explosives-laden motorcycle in the Bhosa Mandi area of Eastern Bypass. When a police vehicle reached the spot, an explosion was triggered, ostensibly using a remote-controlled device. The bomb blast injured a police constable, the driver of the police van and 10 other passersby. Soon after receiving information about the explosion, police rushed to the area and shifted the injured to the Quetta Civil Hospital. The condition of two injured people was stated to be serious. “The target of the miscreants was a police mobile vehicle which was slightly damaged in the explosion. The explosives-laden motorbike was detonated with a rem...

KARACHI: Indus Motor Company (IMC), the assembler of Toyota vehicles, has announced that production operations will be temporarily suspended from Sept 26 to 30 due to parts shortage. In a stock filing on Wednesday, the company said it is currently experiencing low levels of raw materials and component inventory, besides facing ongoing supply chain challenges. This has resulted in a shortage of parts and components necessary for vehicle production. The company added that it is unable to meet its production requirements. IMC also closed its plant from Aug 6 to 8 for the same reasons. Siemens plans job cuts As certain employees will part ways, Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company has decided to transform one of its operational segments within Smart Infrastructure — Electrification and Automation Business. The estimated cost of a one-time transformation is approximately Rs556 million. In a regulatory filing, Siemens said this change better aligns the business to serve the local market...

ISLAMABAD: Development partners and donors convened on Tuesday at the National Emergency Operations Centre to renew their commitment and resolve to support the government in its fight back against polio, a disease which has paralysed 21 children so far this year in Pakistan. According to a statement, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) under the leadership of Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq organised a briefing for partners and donors, where they were apprised of the current status of the eradication efforts in the country and the consensus national strategy devised to reverse the current disease trends. Welcoming polio eradication par­tners and donors, Ms Farooq appreciated their longstanding and un­­wavering dedication to protecting Pakistan’s children from the devastating effects of poliovirus and contributing to overall child survival. “The government has made polio eradication a national priority agenda, with the highest co...

Shan Masood will continue to lead Pakistan in the upcoming series against England, despite losing his first five Tests as captain. Masood, a 34-year-old top-order batsman, was named captain in the 15-man squad announced on Tuesday for next month’s first Test in Multan. There had been media reports Masood faced an axe after Pakistan’s shocking 2-0 defeat against Bangladesh last month. Pakistan had never lost to Bangladesh before the twin defeats took Masood’s record to five losses since replacing Babar Azam as skipper in November last year. He lost his first series 3-0 in Australia. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stuck with Masood as Australian head coach Jason Gillespie sought consistency. The first of three Tests start in Multan from October 7, the second will be played in the same city from Oct 15 and the third in Rawalpindi from Oct 24. The PCB said the squad was for the first Test only. “The 15-man squad is for the first Test and based on the recommendation of head co...

KARACHI: The stock market snapped a six-day winning streak on Monday amid mounting political tensions as the KSE 100 index faltered below 82,000 after reaching an all-time high in the previous session driven by optimism about imminent approval of the IMF loan . Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said stocks tumbled on political uncertainty after the apex court supported the PTI’s bid for reserved seats in its detailed judgment and concerns about aggressive foreign selling. He noted that the uncertainty over the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, the government’s action on the IPP capacity payment issue to terminate purchasing power agree­ments and concerns over the terms of the new IMF programme played a catalyst role in the bearish close. The market came under selling pressure on the first day of the week as the benchmark index hit an intraday low of 81,548.65 on profit-taking by institutions and foreign investors. The profit-taking was seen mainly in Hub Power, Mari ...

As wars rage worldwide, with civilian casualties a daily occurrence, critics of the United Nations say the body is failing at its most basic job, while experts warn the organisation is being scapegoated for things that are beyond its control. Maintaining peace and international security is one of the UN’s central missions, but its record has been badly tarnished as bloodshed intensifies in conflicts across the world, including in Gaza , Ukraine and Sudan . The UN’s detractors point to those brutal conflicts, among others, as evidence that the global organisation — hosting its centrepiece gathering of world leaders in New York this week — has failed in its mission. The UN’s chief, however, has a different view. “It’s obvious that we are not having peace and security in the world, and it’s obvious that it’s not because of the UN as an institution that doesn’t happen,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told AFP . “It’s because of member states.” The Security Council, the UN bod...

Amid restrictions on financing above the vehicle price of Rs3 million followed by the limited tenor of the loan payment, auto sector stakeholders are cautiously optimistic that the cut in interest rate from 22 per cent in June 2024 to 17.5pc on Sept 12 will boost auto sales. Auto financing plunged for the 26th consecutive month to Rs227.3 billion in August 2024 from Rs368bn in June 2022. Banks’ lucrative offers, like no upfront payment or registration, exclusive insurance rates, flexible financing limits, etc have yet to lure buyers. A private banker said market dynamics have taken a turn for the positive this month as some consumers are showing positive responses after a persistent drop in the Karachi Interbank Offered Rate to 17.46pc from the peak of 25pc in September 2023. “A few buyers are walking in, mainly for small car financing,” he said. So far, The current month has been going without non-production days from Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited (PSMCL) and Indus Motor Compan...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will join world leaders at the United Nations next week to reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to multilateralism and support for the role of the United Nations in fostering global peace, security, and prosperity. The premier is set to address the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept 27. In his address, according to a curtain raiser issued by the Foreign Office on Sunday, the prime minister is expected to emphasise the importance of addressing long-standing issues that have been on the agenda of the UN Security Council, such as Palestine and the Kashmir dispute. He will underline the importance of addressing the inequities in international economic relations and reforming the international financial architecture, besides urging the international community to take decisive measures in addressing climate change, and countering the rising tide of Islamophobia. Expected to meet new Bangladesh lea...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday said that he had “nothing to apologise for” and instead demanded an apology from the Punjab government for the persecution of the PTI. The CM drew widespread criticism after a fiery speech during the PTI’s rally on the outskirts of Islamabad on September 8. Gandapur labelled journalists as “sellouts” and “sycophants,” accusing them of caving to pressure from the establishment and the government. Even PTI founder Imran Khan said that Gandapur’s words were inappropriate. Addressing reporters in Adiala Jail, he had said the CM should not have made such remarks against journalists, adding that he had “spoken a bit too much in his rhetoric.” Meanwhile, government leaders and politicians demanded Gandapur tendered an apology for his speech. In a video speech streamed online today, Gandapur, while talking about demands for an apology, asked, “What should I apologise for?” “The Punjab government has been asking me for an...