According to a statement, Prince Rahim is visiting Pakistan from May 20 to 26.

Upon his arrival at Nur Khan Air Base, Prince Rahim was received by President Asif Ali Zardari. He was presented with a guard of honour at Aiwan-i-Sadr, where he stood alongside the president as the national anthem was played.

Prince Rahim then had a meeting with the president, which was also attended by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, followed by delegation-level talks, according to a statement from the Presidency.

It adds that Prince Rahim’s delegation comprised Sultan Ali Allana, Director of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and Head of Financial Services at AKDN; Shafik Sachedina, Head of the Department of Jamati Institutions; Nizar Noor Mohammed Mewawala, President of the Ismaili Council for Pakistan; and Akbar Ladak, Vice President of the Ismaili Council for Pakistan.

A banquet was also held in the Aga Khan’s honour, attended by high-level officials including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, among others.

“The President appreciated the Aga Khan Development Network’s longstanding contributions to Pakistan in healthcare, education, community development, climate resilience and heritage conservation,” the statement from the Presidency said.

“He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening cooperation with AKDN for the welfare and development of vulnerable communities.”

Prince Rahim thanked President Zardari for the welcome and “reaffirmed AKDN’s continued commitment to supporting development and humanitarian initiatives in Pakistan”, it added.

According to the Presidency, this is Prince Rahim’s second visit to Pakistan since 2024, when he was awarded the Nishan-i-Pakistan — the nation’s highest civilian award — for the Aga Khan family’s contributions to the country.

Prior to his arrival, preparations in GB reached a fever pitch, prompting a large-scale mobilisation of federal and regional resources, officials said earlier on Friday.

Officials anticipate large gatherings in the Passu Cones area of Hunza; Gilgit City, Gahkuch Bala, and Taus Yasin. The administration is considering holding multiple sessions at certain venues to manage the expected crowds, officials told the minister.

For security and travel, the federal government has been requested to provide a bulletproof vehicle. Recommendations were also made to immediately open Babusar Road as an alternative route and to keep the National Highway Authority on alert at sensitive points.

Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V was named the 50th spiritual leader of the Ismaili community last February, following the death of his father, Prince Karim Al-Husseini, Aga Khan IV, in Lisbon at the age of 88.

The US-educated, Swiss-based Rahim has served on the boards of many agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network and chairs its Environment and Climate Committee, according to the website.

The late Prince Karim is renowned in GB for his unwavering commitment to the region’s socio-economic development and efforts to lift the population out of poverty and deprivation.

The footage, published on Ben Gvir’s X account and captioned “Welcome to Israel”, shows dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat with the Israeli national anthem blaring, and in detention in Israel, where the minister is seen waving an Israeli flag.

In the video he shared, he is seen encouraging staff at the detention centre as they push down an activist who had stood up to say “free free Palestine” as he walked by.

Saad Edhi, the son of prominent social worker Faisal Edhi and the grandson of late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, is reportedly among the activists detained.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Gvir over his handling of the activists, adding that he had ordered the activists’ deportation.

“The way minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs (activists) as soon as possible,” Netanyahu claimed in a statement.

Italy’s government said that Israel’s treatment of the activists was unacceptable and that it would summon the Israeli ambassador for an explanation.

A strongly worded statement by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy “demands an apology for the treatment” of the activists and the “total disrespect” for the Italian government’s requests.

“It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity,” Meloni said.

France said it had summoned the Israeli ambassador over Gvir’s “unacceptable actions”.

“I have requested that the Israeli ambassador to France be summoned to express our indignation and obtain an explanation,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.

Spain’s top diplomat condemned the “monstrous” Israeli treatment of the activists.

“That treatment is monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in Berlin in a recording shared with the media, adding that Israel’s charge d’affaires in Madrid had been summoned in protest.

Irish foreign minister Helen McEntee said she was “appalled and shocked” by the video of the activists, including Irish citizens. McEntee demanded the immediate release of the “illegally detained” activists.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Saar also condemned Ben Gvir after the release of the video.

“You knowingly caused harm to our state in this disgraceful display — and not for the first time”, Saar said on X, adding Ben Gvir was “not the face of Israel”.

‘Abuse and humiliation’

But Gvir hit back at Saar.

“I am proud to be the minister in charge of the organisations that operated today against those supporters of terror,” Gvir said in parliament.

“Yes, there will be all sorts of pictures that Gideon Saar does not like, but I think they are a great source of pride.”

Around 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkiye last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.

The Israeli authorities had said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while the Adalah rights group said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.

Hamas, which controls half of Gaza and whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked the genocide in the Palestinian territory, said the footage was evidence of Israeli leaders’ “moral depravity and sadism”.

Adalah also criticised Israeli authorities over the video.

“Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people”, Adalah, whose lawyers went to the detention centre to meet the detainees, said in a statement.

“Having set sail toward Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the unlawful blockade, these civilian participants were forcefully abducted from international waters and taken into Israeli territory entirely against their will,” Adalah said.

Israel’s foreign ministry had dismissed the flotilla as a publicity stunt serving Hamas.

“Another PR flotilla has come to an end. All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,” a spokesman from the foreign ministry said late on Tuesday.

“This flotilla has once again proved to be nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” the spokesman added.

‘Malicious scheme’

Netanyahu had earlier denounced the flotilla as “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”.

Turkiye and Spain condemned the interception, while Indonesia called for the release of all vessels and crew.

Organisers said the flotilla also included 15 Irish citizens, including Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

During the Gaza conflict, the territory suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.

A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe.

Two were brought to Israel, detained for several days and then deported.

On Tuesday, a caravan led by CM Afridi, which was on its way to Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail to meet Imran, was stopped from entering Islamabad, prompting the participants to stage a sit-in at the intersection of Srinagar Highway and G.T. Road — loca­lly referred to as Chungi No. 26.

Addressing a press conference, Afridi claimed that shots were fired on Tuesday to disperse them. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was supplying gas to the entire country, but in return, bullets were being fired at parliamentarians and wheat supplies to the province had been blocked.

During the press conference, they also showed a video in which shots were allegedly fired at different participants in the sit-in.

They also asked whether the state has any example in which the sisters of former prime ministers have faced the treatment being faced by Imran’s sisters.

“That is why I asked if you want to break the country. The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been observing how their representatives are being treated,” he said.

He said he had also asked police officers why they were spreading hate. “If hate increases, the country will suffer,” he said.

“We have only one demand: that Imran Khan be treated at Shifa International Hospital. In the past, platelet count was allegedly manipulated by one leader, and Imran Khan had allowed that leader to go abroad for treatment,” he stated.

“Imran Khan was removed just because he said ‘absolutely not,’” Afridi said, adding that “they” claimed it was solely Imran’s decision to visit Russia during the Russia-Ukraine war, but later, the cipher issue emerged and he was removed.

The regime change operation brought nothing but “hunger, inflation and price hikes,” he claimed.

“Today, there is no democracy, and judges are writing letters complaining that they are being monitored,” he said.

Afridi added that a protest would be held on Friday and that they would return next Tuesday to intensify their protest further.

Opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) and PTI announced countrywide protests on Friday against Imran’s imprisonment, rising inflation and other issues.

CM Afridi said the current government lacked an economic policy, due to which, whenever funds are required, it raises petroleum prices.

“Imran Khan has never lodged a complaint regarding his health, but now he has lost 85 per cent of his vision in one eye. We will come here again and again, and no one can stop us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aleema said the cipher provided evidence that Imran was right. She said he had stated that Pakistan should be treated as an independent state and had travelled to Russia, where he secured a deal for petroleum products at 30 per cent lower rates.

She further claimed that the judiciary had been “managed” and that no judge was now willing to independently hear Imran’s cases. “My brother had said that there would either be respect or death,” she added.

Aleema added that meetings with Imran had been banned 14 months ago and that for the past seven months, he had been in solitary confinement.

The former premier’s sister also demanded that proceedings under Article 6 be initiated against those involved in the cipher case. She said she was proud of the parliamentarians who reached the venue and participated in the sit-in.

During a meeting with ECP officials on Wednesday, the province’s chief secretary and inspector general of police briefed that the “presence of militants, tribal disputes, and the need to deploy police and other law enforcement personnel from other districts” had made it difficult to hold the polls.

They said the constituency comprised mountainous terrain, the security situation was “unstable”, and complete security could not be provided to election staff and voters.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, who chaired the meeting, said the commission was bound under the Constitution and law to hold the by-election.

“The ECP will take an appropriate decision on the Khuzdar by-elections,” he said.

The ECP maintained that it was ready to proceed with the by-election and had sought an updated briefing from the provincial administration on the security situation before moving forward.

The NA-256 seat fell vacant after Balochistan National Party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal resigned in September 2024. In his resignation letter to the National Assembly speaker, Mengal said Balochistan had been “consistently marginalised and ignored” and that the lack of genuine representation had left him unable to bring meaningful change.

The ECP accepted the resignation in February 2026 and issued the by-election schedule on February 13. However, ECP suspended the schedule on March 27 at the provincial government’s request due to the deteriorating security situation.

LG polls in Quetta

During the meeting, the ECP was also briefed on local government elections in the provincial capital, Quetta.

ECP officials said the term of local governments in the provincial capital expired on January 27, 2019, adding that the commission had since carried out two rounds of delimitation and issued three election schedules, but polling could not be held.

The officials informed that delimitation had now been completed and the commission was prepared to hold the LG elections. The election schedule could be issued in the second week of June 2026, the meeting was told.

Under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act and Section 16(2) of the Balochistan Local Government Act, consultation with the provincial government is required before holding the polls.

The chief secretary said the matter would be placed before the provincial cabinet’s next meeting to decide on holding the elections in view of the law and order situation.

The ECP directed the provincial government to convey its position on the consultation so that the electoral process could begin and elections in Quetta could be held in accordance with the law

Previously, the party and its founder repeatedly refused to engage in dialogue, referring to the incumbent government as “thieves and dacoits” in public statements.

“Let us sit together to jointly resolve our problems in an atmosphere in which Imran Khan is released from jail and Mian Sahib (PML-N President Nawaz Sharif) also comes forward for dialogue,” PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan said on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

He said the NA opposition leader, Mehmood Achakzai, confirmed he had received an invitation from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“I asked Achakzai to go for dialogue. The entire PTI will support him so that the talk process will pave the way for political stability and resolution of our problems,” he said, adding that this may also lead to the release of Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, from jail.

He added the opposition had always displayed unity with the government on international matters in the past, recalling the May 2025 conflict with India.

“We expressed solidarity with the government during last year’s conflict with India, and now during the visit of a Chinese delegation to the National Assembly to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China,” he added.

The treasury and the opposition on Wednesday warmly welcomed a high-level Chinese delegation, which visited the NA in connection with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.

Although the opposition had already announced that it was not going to join the proceedings of the NA to protest against the continued imprisonment of Imran, later its members — led by the leader of the opposition — witnessed the NA proceedings till the presence of the Chinese delegation.

The Chinese delegation was led by Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China Cai Dafeng, as well as the ambassador of China to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong.

On the occasion, NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said: “Today is a special occasion as we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.”

Later, Achakzai also welcomed the Chinese delegation. Following the departure of the delegation, the opposition members also left the house.

In December 2025, PM Shehbaz had reiterated his offer for talks with the opposition but also emphasised that dialogue between the two sides could only proceed on “legitimate matters”.

However, the PTI had denied dialogue with the government until “ensuring a level-playing field” was provided to the party through its “street movement” — an agitation campaign against the government.

Last year, Umar Hayat — son of a retired government official and a TikToker himself — was arrested a day after 17-year-old Yousaf was shot dead in her Islamabad house on June 2, 2025.

The 23-year-old convict had confessed before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that he shot Yousaf. In his statement, he admitted developing a one-sided obsession with her after online interactions, and said jealousy and suspicion drove him to commit the crime.

On Monday, he retracted the earlier confessional statement, but was found guilty and handed a death sentence on Tuesday.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, who announced the verdict a day earlier on May 19, noted in his 27-page judgment that the prosecution had produced “overwhelming evidence” against the 23-year-old convict — including two eyewitnesses, a judicial confession, forensic proof, and recovery of the murder weapon and stolen mobile phone.

A copy of the detailed judgment is available with Dawn.

In a significant observation, the court noted that the accused was not nominated in the first information report (FIR), which actually strengthened the prosecution’s case rather than weakening it.

“The behavior of the complainant… was natural and devoid of any mala fide,” the judgment said, quoting the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling in Muhammad Wajid v. the State.

The court observed, “Had there been any ulterior motive or enmity of the complainant with the appellant, [she] could have falsely implicated him from the outset.” On the contrary, no one was nominated in the FIR. This bona fides of the prosecution, the judge held, reinforced the authenticity of the case.

The court also addressed the accused’s retraction of his judicial confession, which was made before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC in July 2025 and withdrawn a day before the verdict.

Relying on Article 91 of the Qanoon-e-Shahadat Order, 1984, the judge held that a confession recorded by a magistrate “in accordance with law” is presumed to be true. The burden to prove coercion or inducement lay on the accused, the court said, and Hayat had failed to discharge it.

Citing the SC’s judgment in Sheraz Tufail v. the State and the case of Manjeet Singh, the judge observed that “a retracted confession either judicial or extra-judicial, if found truthful and confidence-inspiring … can be used for conviction without looking for any other sort of corroboration”.

However, the court added that in this case, the judicial confession was “corroborated by the recoveries, the medical evidence and the motive”, as well as by two eyewitnesses.

In another notable finding, the court relied on fingerprint evidence lifted from a mirror inside the victim’s bedroom. Forensic team members had taken fingerprints from the mirror on a card, and Nadra’s report confirmed a match with Hayat’s fingerprints on his national identity card.

The judge observed that this forensic link, along with the recovery of the victim’s mobile phone from the accused, left no doubt about Hayat’s presence at the crime scene.

While no motive was alleged in the FIR, the court held that the motive was “always in the mind of the accused”.

Hayat himself, in his judicial confession, stated that the deceased had refused to meet him after he travelled from Jaranwala to Islamabad to wish her on her birthday.

“In [the] confessional statement of [the] accused, it is stated by the accused that the deceased refused to meet him and due to this reason he committed the murder,” the judgment noted, citing Rashid Ali v. the State to hold that the motive stood proved.

Dr. Amna Rasheed Awan, who conducted the postmortem at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) hospital, had found two entry wounds on the victim’s chest — corresponding exactly to the eyewitnesses’ account that Hayat fired two shots. The doctor opined that the death was caused by cardiopulmonary arrest, resulting from firearm injuries to the heart and lungs.

The court observed that “medical evidence is in line with the ocular account”, dismissing defence objections about minor inconsistencies.

The convict was also sentenced to 10 years each under Sections 392 (robbery) and 449 (house-trespass) of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and one year under Section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property). All sentences will run concurrently.

The court also ordered Hayat to pay Rs2.5 million in compensation to the victim’s legal heirs.

In announcing the verdict on Tuesday, Judge Majoka handed Hayat the death sentence under Section 302(b) of the PPC for committing theqatl-i-amd (intentional murder) of Yousaf.

The death sentence would be subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) under Section 374 (sentence of death to be submitted by court of session) of the CrPC.

Yousaf, a TikTok star with more than a million followers on social media platforms, was known for sharing videos of her favourite cafés, skincare routines, and traditional outfits.

Her killing drew nationwide condemnation and reignited debate over women’s safety in Pakistan.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Naseer Noor Khan announced the verdict against Qari Muhammad Anwar — whose sentences will run concurrently — in two cases of sexual abuse.

The court also penalised Anwar with a fine of Rs1 million in each case, and directed that half of the amount of the fine be paid to the boys or their parents as compensation.

According to state prosecutors Rehana Khan and Amjad, two separate first information reports were registered against the cleric, who is also a madressah teacher, in 2025.

The prosecutors said the first case was registered on the complaint of the parents of a 13-year-old boy after he told them that the cleric had sexually abused him and other students at the madressah.

The prosecutors added that the second case was registered after a 17-year-old boy saw reports on television of Anwar being accused in a case of sexual abuse and told his sister that the cleric had sexually assaulted him as well.

The prosecutors said the two boys had testified before the court that the cleric used to sexually abuse them inside a room at the madressah and had threatened to harm them if they told anyone about the offence he had been committing.

During the trial, the cleric denied the allegations and claimed that he had been falsely implicated at the behest of a non-governmental organisation (NGO). He also maintained that he did not have a class at the madressah when the offences were committed.

However, the court observed that he had refused to examine himself on oath.

The judge also made the observation that while claiming his innocence, the cleric had insisted that he had been implicated in the cases because he had refused to give money to “some NGO”.

The judge said that the cleric’s arguments did “not appeal to a prudent mind”, questioning why would an NGO blackmail a madressah teacher and demand money from him.

The court further questioned that upon the cleric’s refusal, how the NGO could have persuaded the parents of both boys to assist it in seeking revenge against the cleric and let their children face a “stigma” for life.

It also noted that of the two defence witnesses examined during the proceedings, one had admitted that he did not know all the facts.

The second witness, who was an examiner at the madressah, admitted that he had tried to persuade the parents of one of the boys to forgive the culprit, the court further noted.

According to FIA officials, the arrests were made during a raid at a prominent private hospital in Islamabad, where illegal kidney removal operations were allegedly being carried out.

The doctor and hospital employee are described as key operatives in the network.

The operation was carried out under the direction of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, FIA Director General Usman Anwar, and Director Islamabad Zone Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari.

Several others present at the scene, including alleged donors, recipients and hospital staff, were also taken into custody for questioning and shifted to the FIA office.

Officials said the crackdown was part of an ongoing investigation into a wider network targeting poor people from underdeveloped districts of southern Punjab, particularly Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan.

The suspects allegedly lured financially distressed individuals into selling their kidneys for small amounts before selling the organs at much higher prices.

The FIA said the scope of the investigation had been expanded and further raids were under way to apprehend other members of the network.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, and comprising Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, issued notices on an appeal filed by the Punjab Prosecution Department against the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench’s order granting bail to members of a jirga, including Zafarullah and Rafaqat Mehmood, on February 9, 2026.

Zafarullah, the brother of the deceased woman Sidra, had sought post-arrest bail from the high court, which was granted on the grounds that other co-accused — Muhammad Saif-ur-Rehman Khan and Rashid Mehmood — had also been granted bail by the high court on October 30, 2025.

An additional sessions judge in Rawalpindi had earlier granted bail to another accused, Sikandar, on December 10, 2025. The offence was committed in July 2025 in Fouji Colony, Pirwadhai, Rawalpindi.

On Wednesday, Additional Prosecutor Punjab Ahmad Raza Gillani told the apex court that the girl was summoned from Kashmir, where she had married Usman, and was later killed on a jirga’s decision in front of her family.

After the murder, last rites were performed by female family members, and the body was later taken to the local graveyard in a loader rickshaw. After the burial, grave markers were also removed, the court was told.

The controversy stemmed from an FIR lodged on the application of Zia-ur Rehman, stating that his wife had eloped with Usman and that he later learned from locals that she had contracted nikah with him.

The appeal contended that when the investigation team visited the scene of the incident in Pirwadhai, Rawalpindi, it was found that Sidra had been murdered on the jirga’s decision.

Moreover, the accused filed a post-arrest bail application before the Additional Sessions Judge, Rawalpindi, which was dismissed on December 19, 2025. Aggrieved by the order, the accused approached the high court, which granted bail.

The Punjab Prosecution Department later moved the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the bail, arguing that the accused was fully involved in the offence and not merely playing a peripheral role.

Moreover, their presence at the site of the incident was also proven by the statements of witnesses, the appeal contended, adding that the high court, while granting post-arrest bail, went beyond its power.

The appeal argued that the high court had also failed to appreciate a prima facie good arguable case in favour of the complainant, i.e., the State.

The appeal stated that the accused was a “desperate” criminal and there was a strong apprehension that he might commit similar offences if released, or overawe the prosecution witnesses, being an influential offender.

The Punjab Prosecution Department contended that the high court, while granting bail to the accused persons, had failed to consider public sentiment regarding the offence.

The appeal stated that the offence was a pre-planned occurrence and that the accused persons shared a common intention along with their co-accused.

While issuing notices to the accused, the SC adjourned further proceedings until the first week of June.

In Pakistan, ‘honour’ killings continued to claim the lives of women throughout 2024, perpetuated by deeply ingrained societal beliefs about family dignity and shame.

Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) shows that in 2024, ‘honour’ killings continued to be a serious issue across Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab. From January to November, a total of 346 people fell victim to ‘honour’ crimes in the country.

WHO experts said that while investigations into its origins were ongoing, given the scale of the situation in the eastern DRC, the outbreak probably began a couple of months ago.

But the UN health agency’s emergency committee said it did not currently meet the pandemic emergency threshold.

“WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level,” said the organisation’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

So far, 51 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, “although we know the scale of the epidemic in DRC is much larger,” he told a press conference at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva.

He said Uganda had also reported two confirmed cases in the capital Kampala, including one death, while a US national working in the DRC has been confirmed positive and transferred to Germany.

“There are several factors that warrant serious concern about the potential for further spread and further deaths,” said Tedros.

“Beyond the confirmed cases, there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths.

“We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected.”

Not a pandemic

On Sunday, Tedros declared the situation to be a public health emergency of international concern — the second-highest level of alarm under the legally binding International Health Regulations (IHR) — triggering emergency responses in countries worldwide.

The WHO emergency committee convened to assess the outbreak met on Tuesday.

“The current situation and criteria for a public health emergency of international concern have been met, and we agree that the current situation does not satisfy the criteria for a pandemic emergency,” the committee’s chair, Lucille Blumberg, told reporters from South Africa.

Anais Legand, WHO technical officer on viral haemorrhagic fevers, said investigations were underway to pinpoint how long Ebola has been spreading in the eastern DRC.

“Given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago, but investigations are ongoing and our priority is really to cut the transmission chain by implementing contact tracing, isolating and caring for all suspect and confirmed cases,” she said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said the WHO was “a little late” in identifying a deadly outbreak.

President Donald Trump, in one of his first acts on returning to office last year, set in motion a US withdrawal from the WHO, which he attacked bitterly over its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked about Rubio’s criticism, Tedros said that “maybe what the secretary said… could be from lack of understanding of how IHR work, and the responsibilities of WHO and other entities”, he said, explaining that the agency acted in support of countries rather than replacing them in outbreak responses.

A statement from Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin said Trump’s plan for a ground- and space-based missile interceptor system posed a threat to global strategic stability.

It also criticised the United States over the expiry of the last remaining treaty restricting the size of the US and Russian nuclear arsenals, which lapsed in February with Trump failing to respond to Moscow’s proposal to extend the limits by a year.

Both sides jointly signed a statement on strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination and a declaration advocating multi-polarity in the world order.

“The global agenda of peace and development is facing new risks and challenges, with the danger of fragmentation of the international community and a drift back toward the ‘law of the jungle’,” their joint declaration said, according to the Kremlin.

Xi and Putin, who have met more than 40 times, both stressed the closeness of the Russia-China ties that they sealed in 2022 with the signing of a strategic partnership treaty, less than three weeks before Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

For Xi, it capped a remarkable week of diplomacy in which he has set out to showcase China as a pillar of stability in a world rocked by trade wars and military conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.

While the summit with Trump was largely about managing tensions between the world’s two most powerful countries, the meeting with Putin posed a different challenge — how to demonstrate progress in a relationship that the two sides have already proclaimed is “without limits”.

In contrast to Trump’s visit last week, which yielded little in the way of immediate concrete announcements, Putin and Xi signed a slew of agreements on Wednesday on trade, media and energy.

But there was no apparent breakthrough on a massive new natural gas pipeline, the Power of Siberia 2, that the two sides have been discussing for years.

Moscow keen to press ahead with pipeline

Moscow had signalled ahead of the visit that it was seeking further energy agreements with China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, including pipeline supplies and sea-borne shipments.

The Russian leader has been weakened over four years of the Ukraine conflict, with his country’s economy shrinking in the first quarter of the year as factors such as wartime spending, labour shortages and sanctions take their toll.

During Putin’s last visit in September 2025, Russian gas giant Gazprom said both sides had agreed to move forward with Power of Siberia 2, a 2,600-km pipeline to carry 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year from Russia to China via Mongolia.

China has said very little publicly about the project. While Xi said on Wednesday that cooperation in energy and resource connectivity should be the “ballast stone” in China-Russia relations, he did not mention the pipeline.

Key issues such as gas pricing remain unresolved, and analysts expect negotiations could take years.

The Kremlin said both sides reached a “general understanding on the parameters” of the project, although no details or clear timeline were agreed.

Xi wants ‘comprehensive ceasefire’ in Middle East

The US war on Iran has hampered crude and gas flows, giving an opportunity to Putin to offer Russian energy sources as an alternative.

“Russia and China are actively cooperating in the energy sector… We are, of course, ready to continue reliably supplying all these types of fuel to the rapidly growing Chinese market,” Putin said on Wednesday.

His priorities may differ from China’s, which wants the Middle East conflict concluded as soon as possible.

Underlining that, Xi told Putin on Wednesday that “a comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable and maintaining negotiations is particularly important”.

Russia has sought to capitalise on the energy crisis and rocketing oil prices spurred by the closure of the Hormuz strait.

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov had said after meeting Xi in April that Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as the Middle East war hits global supplies.

“[China] relies on the freedom of the world’s major waterways to sustain its economic activities, and would prefer that the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz end sooner rather than later,” James Char of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University told AFP.

Honour guard and gun salute

Putin was received by Xi outside Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People in much the same fashion as Trump last week, complete with chanting children and military fanfare.

Opening talks, both were quick to laud their countries’ special ties as they extended their treaty of “friendly cooperation”.

Putin, quoting a Chinese phrase, told Xi: “A day apart feels like three autumns,” adding that relations had reached an “unprecedentedly high level” despite “unfavourable external factors”, Russian media footage showed.

In an apparent swipe at the United States, Xi warned of “unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents running rampant” in the world.

Xi said the countries should focus on a long-term strategy and promote a “more just and reasonable” global governance system, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

“China-Russia relations have reached this level because we have been able to deepen political mutual trust and strategic cooperation,” Xi said at the start of his meeting with Putin.

Putin said after the talks that Russian-Chinese ties had “reached a truly unprecedented level and continue to develop”.

Putin said their relations were helping ensure global stability and stressed that Russia remained a reliable energy supplier amid Middle East disruption.

“The comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China in the new era is an example of international relations in the modern world,” Putin told Xi.

Putin also invited Xi to visit Russia next year.

A recent video of the suspect during a court appearance had gone viral on social media, in which she can be heard saying the name “Raja Pervez”, before her voice is drowned out by the police officials accompanying her. However, a separate video has also emerged, in which her lawyer allegedly told reporters that she was being pressured into taking the names of certain politicians.

It is worth mentioning that on May 18, during a court appearance, the suspect asserted she was facing pressure “to take names”.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, Ashraf recalled the video in which he was purportedly named.

“However, after 30 minutes, her lawyers, in a separate clip, explained that she was being pressured to take my name,” he added.

The PPP leader expressed surprise at having any association with the alleged drug dealer, saying, “When I heard the name, I thought perhaps it is a different Raja Pervez Ashraf.”

“Soon after the video, people started commenting on the incident on social media and making vlogs about it,” Ashraf said, expressing gratitude to his “family, party leaders, and the political opposition”, who he said came to defend and vouch for his character.

“I have led a spotless life. I have served as a former prime minister and former NA speaker,” he said. He added that the suspect had also taken the name of “another personality”, adding that perhaps this was done to “deflect attention”.

“I present myself for any probe in this regard,” he added.

Ashraf called for the development of a mechanism to regulate commentary on social media while an investigation was ongoing. He noted that even his political opponents stood in solidarity with him. He reiterated his call for a “mechanism or legal framework” to prevent any further such incidents.

The PPP leader held that it was unfair to put people and their families under mental duress by partaking in such accusations.

“I have faith that a solution can be found,” he said, adding that there should not be a “media trial” of the innocent until proven guilty.

As the PPP leader brought attention to the matter, NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq called on Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to present his point of view.

In his comments, Tarar expressed solidarity with Ashraf, stressing that the accusation was “so frivolous in nature that no one here would ever pay heed to it”.

“The entire house stands with you,” Tarar said, suggesting that perhaps the suspect was attempting to divert attention away from her case.

Tarar maintained that the matter would be taken to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, as well as the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, vowing that “action will be taken at the state level”.

“Today, it is you,” he said, addressing Ashraf, “tomorrow, it could be any one of us who may not have the grace to handle the situation”.

Tarar also assailed the media for “visually bombing” the masses with the news of the suspect.

“Are there no other crimes happening in the country?” Tarar asked, as he called on the media to factor in “morality, dignity and honour” when airing such news.

He assured the house that the ministry will investigate the matter. “Why did the lawyer give the statement later? The investigating officer will be asked and I will report back to this house”.

“Raja sahib, we are all aware that you are an honourable person and nothing can damage your reputation,” Tarar told Ashraf. He also urged the Sindh inspector general of police to ensure that her court appearances were not televised.

“Appropriate measures should be taken, and she should be brought in quietly,” he suggested.

Subsequently, NA Speaker Sadiq said the menace of drugs was making the whole nation hollow, and the use of drugs in schools, colleges and universities must be checked strictly.

He urged legislators to sit together for an extensive thought process on carrying out effective legislation to curb the menace.

According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, shared by state-run APP on the social media platform X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared May 26 to 28 as “public holidays on the occasion of Eidul Azha”.

Pakistan will observe Eidul Azha on May 27 (Wednesday), the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced after sighting the Zilhaj moon on Sunday.

The announcement was made after moon sighting testimonies were received from Karachi and other cities of Sindh, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and some other areas.

Celebrated on the 10th of Zilhaj, Eidul Azha marks the culmination of Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Saudi Arabia is also set to mark the first day of Eidul Azha on May 27, Saudi Gazette reported.

In a video posted on X, Meloni also thanked Modi for bringing along a packet of “Melody” toffees on his visit, with the two seen laughing over the present — a play on their names.

Wrapping up a tour of Europe, Modi landed in Rome on Tuesday for the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Italy in 26 years.

Modi previously visited Italy for a G20 meeting in 2021 and a G7 summit in 2024.

In a joint opinion in Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily, the two said they wanted to “reach and exceed the €20 billion ($23bn) target for trade between Italy and India by 2029”.

Particular sectors of interest would include defence, aerospace, car parts, clean technologies and textiles, they said.

“We aim to forge a powerful synergy between Italian design, manufacturing excellence, and world-class supercomputers… and India’s rapid economic growth, engineering talent, scale, and innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem,” they said.

Bilateral trade between Italy and India was €14.25bn last year, according to the Indian embassy to Italy.

Later on Wednesday, the two leaders will hold bilateral talks at Villa Pamphili, a 17th-century villa to the west of the city centre.

Modi on X said he would also visit the Rome headquarters of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) “strengthening India’s commitment to multilateralism as well as global food security”.

“Pakistan and China share a converging vision on regional and global issues,” said Dar while addressing the Senate.

A Chinese delegation was present in the visitors’ gallery to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.

“We are committed to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in a world facing complex challenges,” the foreign minister said.

Dar stressed that cooperation between Pakistan and China at the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and other international forums had been “vital in defending the interests of developing countries and promoting global peace”.

During his address, Dar said that he will be accompanying PM Shehbaz Sharif on his state visit to China from May 23 to 26, during which they will also attend celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of Pak-China ties.

During the visit, they would engage with the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, besides business-to-business (B2B) meetings.

“We would also have meetings of two very important mechanisms: Pakistan-China Political Forum and CPEC Joint Consultative Mechanism,” Dar said, adding that a large multi-party parliamentary delegation from Pakistan would be attending many of these meetings.

Dar highlighted the joint initiative by the two neighbours to “promote peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East, noting that it reflected a “shared sense of responsibility as peace-loving nations to contribute to global security and stability”.

Recalling his visit to China in late March, Dar said, “We came up with a five-point initiative for a peace plan in the conflict, and this has been accepted and endorsed by dozens of countries on the globe.”

Dar noted he had been in “constant touch” with China’s FM Wang Yi and other colleagues from the region throughout the Middle East conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

The deputy PM observed that over the past 75 years, the relationship between Islamabad and Beijing has “grown from strength to strength into a robust economic and strategic partnership”.

“From the Karakoram Highway to Gwadar Port, the symbols of Pak-China friendship are spread all across Pakistan’s geography,” Dar remarked.

He added that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) stood “as a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative and a shining example of shared vision for regional connectivity and prosperity”.

Stressing that CPEC has played a key role in transforming Pakistan’s economic landscape, Dar said Islamabad looked forward to its next phase, CPEC 2.0, “focusing on industrialisation, agriculture, IT and socio-economic development”.

“We are confident that the benefits of the Pak-China partnership will reach every citizen of Pakistan,” the deputy premier said, recalling the two countries’ efforts in 2013 to “overcome” loadshedding in Pakistan.

“China gave massive support in eliminating the outages and loadshedding in Pakistan. We will always remain grateful to China.”

In a press release, the Foreign Office said Dar “reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to further deepening bilateral cooperation across all domains, including political, economic, strategic, and people-to-people exchanges”.

He highlighted the “shared resolve to carry this iron-clad friendship forward for future generations”.

A delegation from China led by Cai Dafeng, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) arrived in Islamabad earlier today to attend the commemorative activities marking the 75th anniversary of Pak-China diplomatic ties, APP reported.

The delegation was received by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, along with MNA Romina Khurshid Alam, convener of the Pakistan-China Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Citing a statement issued by the FO spokesperson, APP said the Chinese delegation will remain in Islamabad from May 20-21.

In his remarks on the floor of the Senate, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar noted, “Few friendships between nations carry the confidence and consistency seen between Pakistan and China.”

He said Pak-China relationship was “built on mutual trust, steadfast support, and full respect for each other’s sovereignty and core interests”.

“It has been tested by time and circumstances, and it has never wavered,” Tarar highlighted.

NA, Senate pass resolutions

The National Assembly and the Senate also passed separate resolutions to commemorate the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.

In the upper house of Parliament, Dar presented the resolution, which was also shared on the Senate’s account.

The resolution recalled “the historic, time-tested and iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China, a friendship that has been nurtured through the hard work and wisdom of successive generations of leadership and the enduring goodwill of the peoples of both countries”.

It said the upper house of Parliament recognised that this “fraternal relationship is based on mutual trust and respect, shared aspirations, and an abiding commitment to peace, stability, development and prosperity has withstood all tests of time irrespective of changing international environment, which continues to be a source of strength, confidence and reassurance for both nations”.

The resolution further stated that the Senate appreciated China’s “unyielding support” to Pakistan on issues concerning its core interest, and for its “steadfast support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, as well as its support for Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard national security, stability, development and prosperity”.

“Pakistan also reaffirms its unyielding support to China on issues concerning its core interest, and reiterates its firm commitment to the one-China principle, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. Pakistan firmly supports China on issues concerning Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea,” the resolution read.

It said the Senate welcomed the growing parliamentary and inter-parliamentary engagement between Pakistan and China, and “expresses the desire to further strengthen these ties in the spirit of dialogue, understanding and cooperation for regional and global peace, stability and development”.

The Senate “reaffirms its heartfelt appreciation for the growing cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic, strategic, educational, cultural and people-to-people spheres, which continues to deepen the bonds of friendship between the two brotherly nations”, the resolution stated.

It added that the upper house of Parliament “resolves to continue extending its full support for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and underscores the importance of continued practical partnership with China for shared prosperity, mutual benefit and the socio-economic development of the peoples of both countries”.

The Senate “commits to commemorate, in a befitting and dignified manner, the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China as a symbol of enduring brotherhood, trusted partnership and ever-deepening cooperation, and to carry this extraordinary friendship forward from generation to generation”, the resolution concluded.

Meanwhile, the NA also passed a similar resolution, reaffirming the “longstanding friendship, mutual trust, and close cooperation between the two brotherly countries”, a post on the NA’s X account said.

It said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry moved the resolution, which “conveyed heartfelt felicitations to the government and people of China and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and the ‘all-weather strategic cooperative partnership’“.

“The house also reaffirmed its resolve to enhance parliamentary cooperation and deepen ties between the National Assembly of Pakistan and the National People’s Congress of China,” it added.

The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 1,934.74 points or 1.19 per cent to close at 164,831.42 points from the previous close of 162,896.68.

The market dipped to an intraday low of 162,895.74 shortly after opening, eventually reaching an intraday high of 165,081.69 at 3:20pm, gaining 2185 points from yesterday.

Topline Securities Limited noted that “investor sentiment rebounded sharply” and that the market experienced significant intraday movement.

“Improved market confidence was largely driven by easing tensions between Iran and the United States, alongside a decline in international oil prices,” it pointed out.

The positive performance was mainly supported by heavyweight stocks, including Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL), Fauji Fertiliser Company Limited (FFC), United Bank Limited (UBL), Engro Holdings Limited (ENGROH), and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), which “collectively added 836 points to the benchmark index and played a pivotal role in sustaining the market’s bullish momentum”, Topline said.

“Market participation with total traded volume reaching 386 million shares, while total turnover stood at Rs20.1 billion. SSGC emerged as the volume leader, with 25m shares,” it added.

Arif Habib Limited noted KSE-100 has “tested the Monday range high at 165,000, which is a key level, and is currently -0.46pc [week-on-week] and remains in a consolidation profile”.

It said the US-Iran situation would “continue to dictate market direction”.

On Tuesday, the PSX snapped a seven-session losing streak, gaining 1,091.66 points as buying interest returned to the market.

The market sentiment has remained buoyant this week amid encouraging developments in the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran.

Additionally, a slight decline in international oil prices provided further comfort to investors by easing inflationary worries and strengthening expectations of macroeconomic stability.

Here is what you need to know about cable infrastructure in the region and how the threats could play out:

What cables run through Hormuz?

Major connections running through Hormuz include a branch of AAE-1 (Asia, Africa, Europe), which connects points from Hong Kong to Italy and France.

Meanwhile, the Falcon and Gulf Bridge cables connect countries in the Gulf — including Iran — with India and eastern Africa as far as Egypt.

Data running over the cables includes “all kinds of traffic, any data you can think of — videos, email, social media, financial transactions, government communication,” Alan Mauldin, research director at specialist data firm TeleGeography, told AFP.

The potential for global disruption is limited as data flowing between Asia and Europe on AAE-1 does not pass via the Gulf branch, Mauldin said.

What’s more, “all of the Gulf countries using submarine cables that traverse the Strait of Hormuz have multiple other connectivity options,” he added.

But Mauldin did note in a March blog that “the capacity of terrestrial networks may not be sufficient to handle the complete re-routing of traffic” if the Gulf’s subsea connections are cut off.

As host of AAE-1’s Gulf terminal, Qatar especially would be affected by any disruption to the link.

What threat could Iran pose to cables?

Hormuz is “a closed-in geographic area in a strait, with relatively shallow waters… it’s especially favourable for harassment operations using manned or unmanned systems,” said Eric Lavault, a former French naval officer.

Lavault pointed out that American forces have not been able to prevent Iran from launching operations from its long Gulf coast, with Tehran retaining “solid military potential”.

Iran could both attack the cables themselves and “prevent the cable firms from carrying out operations, either for maintenance or for laying new cables,” he said.

“If Iran damages them, they’ll have to be repaired,” Lavault added.

Cables around the world are regularly damaged — mostly by accidents, such as ships dragging their anchors. The International Cable Protection Committee tallied around 200 incidents a year, Mauldin wrote in March.

“A dedicated fleet of repair vessels is on standby,” he noted.

But these require permits to enter a country’s waters and must remain stationary on site for long periods — making them potentially vulnerable to attack.

Only one repair vessel owned by UAE-based e-Marine is currently in the Gulf, Mauldin pointed out, limiting capacity until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.

Can Iran legally tax or forbid the cables?

It was not immediately clear from Iranian statements who it could target for demands to pay tolls or permits — whether cable layers, owners, operators or users.

In territorial terms, “given the long-standing issues with Iran, all cables were laid in Omani waters as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz,” Mauldin wrote in March.

But Tehran has claimed “absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea”.

Iran’s threat “calls international law into question,” said Lavault, as the country is a signatory to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — “a bit like the rules of the road at sea”.

“In normal conditions, they don’t have the right to demand tolls” from passing ships — “and the same goes for cables”, he added.

UNCLOS allows laying cables and pipelines within countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles, 370 kilometres) from their coastlines.

“The coastal state normally has no right to object,” Lavault said.

But although Iran has signed UNCLOS, it never ratified the treaty — the same position as the United States.

If the treaty is called into question, “it would be a crack in another fundamental pillar of international law”, Lavault warned.

During the hearing, the couple’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi, requested Justice Muhammad Azam Khan to fix the matter for Monday (May 25).

Issuing notices, Justice Khan remarked, “Let us hear the other side as well.”

At the same time, the judge observed that Monday would be the last working day before Eidul Azha and said the matter could not be fixed on that day.

Siddiqi responded that if the other side sought an adjournment on Monday, his clients would not object.

Justice Khan then remarked that the case would instead be fixed for the first working day after Eid, adding, “Now your fate is like this, what should I do?”

Former president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) Riasat Ali Azad also requested the court to fix the matter for Monday, saying both petitioners were respected members of the legal fraternity.

Justice Khan stated that he would review the court’s cause list for Monday before making a decision. The couple’s counsel later agreed to fix the case after Eid.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned.

It should be noted that the Supreme Court (SC) had directed the IHC on May 12 to decide within two weeks on Imaan and Hadi’s pleas seeking the suspension of their sentence.

A day earlier, the judge had raised objections over the non-submission of certified copies of the SC order. Justice Khan had directed Siddiqui to submit a certified order through the court office in accordance with the procedure.

In January, the couple was sentenced to 17 years in prison in the social media posts case. The couple was handed 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 10 (cyber terrorism), five years’ imprisonment under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years’ imprisonment under Section 26-A (false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca).

The controversy at the centre of the case stems from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, by the assistant director (investigating officer) at the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency, Islamabad, before the Cybercrime Reporting Centre, FIA, under Peca.

The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations,” while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.

Pakistan, who started the fifth day on 316-7 while chasing a record 437, were bowled out for 328 in the first session in Sylhet after Mohammad Rizwan hit a valiant 94.

It was Bangladesh’s first Test series win at home against Pakistan and a second successive sweep after their 2-0 triumph on Pakistani soil in 2024.

Wicketkeeper Rizwan kept Pakistan in the hunt for an unlikely win with a 166-ball stay after the visitors had slumped to 162-5 on day four.

Rizwan put on an eighth-wicket partnership of 54 with overnight partner Sajid Khan, who made 28.

Taijul broke through to dismiss Sajid for his 18th Test five-wicket haul and Shoriful Islam had Rizwan caught in the next over to end Pakistan’s resistance.

Taijul took the final wicket of Khurram Shahzad to return figures of 6-120 and trigger Bangladesh celebrations.

The left-arm spinner also took 3-67 during Pakistan’s first innings 232.

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das scored 126 in their first-innings 278.

Veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim scored 137 in the second to guide Bangladesh to 390, with contributions from Mahmudul Hasan Joy (52) and Litton (69).

Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, won the opening Test by 104 runs.

Speaking after the match, captain Shaan Masood conceded that there were “a lot of mistakes”.

“There were things we didn’t do well enough in the first three innings and that’s why the effort on the fourth and fifth day didn’t really materialise into a win,” he said, according to ESPNcricinfo.

He added that Test cricket was “unforgiving” and played by the “best of the best”.

“You’re not going to get any easy games, you have to grind results out, and that’s what you have to do as a side,” he said.

Before the Israeli invasion of 2023, at least 3,000 Gazan pilgrims made the Haj every year. The signing of a ceasefire in October that halted major fighting raised Palestinian hopes for renewed travel, but they have been dashed by continued heavy restrictions on movement.

“We registered and our names got selected for the Haj before the war. Then the war broke out here and it became a barrier,” said 64-year-old Abu Lehia, who now lives in a tent encampment in Khan Younis.

“I am worried I’ll follow him (die) while I’m longing to perform the Haj. But God willing, we hope to perform the Haj despite the constraints, despite the siege,” she told Reuters.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire, in February, Israel allowed a partial reopening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world.

However, only a few hundred people have been permitted to pass through each week, mostly the sick and a small number of escorts.

“The border crossing is closed. Why is this happening to pilgrims? They want to fulfill their Haj obligation, they do not want to do anything else,” Abu Lehia told Reuters.

“We were supposed to be there, we were supposed to be there in these holy days,” she added as she watched footage of pilgrims in Makkah on her phone.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing access to Gaza, claimed the Rafah agreement allows passage only for humanitarian cases, with traveller lists determined by Egyptian authorities and approved by Israeli security services.

Gaza’s government media office said only 5,304 people had travelled in and out of Gaza since February, less than a third of the numbers expected.

No sacrifices, food insecurity

Gazans will mark Eidul Azha on May 27 without sacrificial animals for a third straight year due to Israeli restrictions, Gaza’s agriculture ministry said.

The ministry said Israel’s military campaign since October 2023 had led to the “systematic destruction of the livestock sector,” with farms, barns, veterinary facilities and feed warehouses hit.

Before the war, Gaza imported 10,000 to 20,000 calves and 30,000 to 40,000 sheep annually for the Eid season.

COGAT claims it facilitates imports of meat, poultry, eggs and dairy, with nearly 8,000 tons delivered in the past month, though no livestock.

Hamas said aid deliveries had dropped to around a quarter of what was expected so far in May, despite calls from United Nations (UN) officials for unhindered access for aid and goods.

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkiye last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.

Israeli authorities said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while rights group Adalah said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.

“Having set sail toward Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the unlawful blockade, these civilian participants were forcefully abducted from international waters and taken into Israeli territory entirely against their will,” Adalah said.

“These acts are a direct extension of Israel’s policies of collective punishment and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.”

The Israeli foreign ministry dismissed the operation as a publicity stunt serving Hamas.

“Another PR flotilla has come to an end. All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,” a spokesman from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late on Tuesday.

“This flotilla has once again proved to be nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” the spokesman added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier denounced the flotilla as “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”.

The US on Tuesday sanctioned four people associated with the Global Sumud Flotilla and accused them of being “pro-terrorist”.

Around 50 ships had departed from southwestern Turkiye on Thursday. A website tracking the flotilla’s location later showed several vessels being intercepted west of Cyprus.

Nine Indonesian citizens who were part of the flotilla “have all been reported arrested by Israel”, a spokeswoman for Indonesia’s foreign ministry said, citing information dated Wednesday.

Indonesia called on Israel to immediately release all vessels and crew members, adding that “every diplomatic channel and consular measure will continue to be fully utilised”.

Saad Edhi, the son of prominent social worker Faisal Edhi and the grandson of late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, is among the activists detained. Indonesian newspaper Republika earlier said two of its journalists were among the nine Indonesians detained.

Turkiye and Spain have condemned the interception.

Organisers said the flotilla also included 15 Irish citizens, including Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday said Israel had arrested South Korean nationals in international waters, calling the action way out of line.

In a cabinet meeting, Lee said the South Korean citizens had been detained for reasons not valid under international law, questioning whether such actions could be allowed to pass without protest.

Lee said he believed many European countries were willing to arrest Netanyahu under International Criminal Court warrants, but that Seoul must make its own judgment on the matter.

On Tuesday, Pakistan and nine other countries issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s interception of the flotilla. The joint statement by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives and Spain was shared by the Foreign Office on the social media platform X.

It said that the ministers “condemn in the strongest terms the renewed Israeli assaults against the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing international attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people”.

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

During the Gaza conflict, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.

A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe.

Mr Modi is on a six-day, five-nation tour, and landed in Oslo on Monday to attend the third India-Nordic Summit.

According to The Hindustan Times, the episode unfolded at a joint press statement by PM Modi and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre. As the two leaders were leaving the venue after their briefing, which did not include a Q&A, a voice rang out across the room: “Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?”

The voice belonged to Helle Lyng, a journalist with the local newspaper Dagsavisen, who was part of the media contingent covering the visit.

“Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question, I was not expecting him to,” she subsequently posted on X.

She later also attended the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing on PM Modi’s Norway visit later, where she pressed MEA officials on the prime minister not taking questions.

“Why should we trust you,” she asked, adding, “Can you promise you will stop the human rights violation that goes on in your country?”

While the journalist sought a “straight answer”, MEA’s Sibi George said: “If anyone whose rights are violated, they have the right to go to court. We are proud to be a democracy”.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026

In truth, though, no one was laughing. “It was a bit of doom and gloom,” said Lahore student Hamza Nasir*, describing the mood outside the hall after his AS Level Mathematics P1 exam. Some students who had no idea about the leak were livid and others were celebrating its veracity.

This is the third time leaks have ruined exam season. Each year, in May-June and November, Pakistani students sit for the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) exams in subjects that range from English Literature to Islamiyat. Grades 10 and 11 prepare for the Ordinary or O Levels and grades 12 and 13 sit the Advanced Subsidiary or AS and Advanced Levels. Results are announced by August and tie in with university admissions.

The CAIE reported the cases to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. “The theft and unauthorised sharing of examination papers is a breach of confidentiality and, potentially, criminal breach of trust,” said CAIE to Dawn. “We’re investigating both incidents thoroughly through digital forensics, analysis of online platforms, and cooperation with law enforcement.”

The first complaint was filed on May 7 for the Mathematics Paper 12 breach. The second complaint was filed on May 14 on the broader misinformation campaign. False information about other exam papers, particularly the AS Level Business Studies, was spreading like wildfire. For its part, the Inter-Board of Coordination Commission announced it would seek a report from CAIE.

The NCCIA has sent evidence to the platforms where the leaks circulated and is expecting to hear back from some on May 27, Director-General Syed Khurram Ali told Dawn. The agency has asked Cambridge to check if this was an inside job as well.

Parents flooded the examiner with screenshots, complaints and questions as the misinformation spread, especially for the Business Studies exam of May 5. “Upon review, it became apparent that such material consisted of content extracted from examinations conducted in previous years,” the CAIE told Dawn. The fabricated and manipulated images and material were apparently generated through artificial intelligence and other editing tools.

Cambridge receives thousands of reports about alleged exam leaks every year, but most of them are false. “This is a real problem,” it said. “Fraudsters claim to have exam papers for sale in order to deceive students financially. Students panic and pay money for fake papers. Beyond the waste of money, there are bigger risks: students risk cancellation of their grades if caught with unauthorised materials. Some fall victim to identity theft or blackmail.”

CAIE country director, Uzma Yousuf, acknowledged the strain. “If you are a student approaching your exams, the last thing you need is this kind of uncertainty,” she said in a statement shared with Dawn. “I want you to know that we see you… We see the extra revision you may feel compelled to do. We see the uncertainty you are living with. And we want you to know that every action we are taking is designed to protect you and your future.” She sympathised with parents concerned about fair assessments and reassured schools that they would be given timely information about any replacement exams.

The craziest bit was that it didn’t stop. One paper leaked after another, all a day before the exam dates. As I talked to students about it, I found out that the exam papers are being openly sold online starting from $100 each, going up to $400 per exam. So I decided to try and buy one myself.

STEP 1: Join the Discord server

Anant Nanda*, an A Level student from Lahore, shared with me three invitation links to the “most popular leak servers”. All of them were Discord links circulating in O/A Level WhatsApp groups.

Discord is a free group-chatting platform launched in 2015 originally for video gamers to talk to each other while playing online. It was adopted by thousands of groups during the pandemic and morphed into a general-use platform.

It took me less than five minutes to download Discord on my phone and create a profile. I joined all three servers shared by Nanda, and chose the one with the highest number of members (7,839).

STEP 2: Answer the questions

Users on Discord are organised into virtual communities known as “servers”, which are divided into channels by topic. Servers exist for nearly every imaginable interest, from gaming and music to study groups and exam discussions. Finding these communities is often as simple as Googling ‘[topic] Discord server’.

Discord’s appeal is semi-anonymity. You don’t have to join with your real name. Servers can be invite-only, and many are not visible if you search through Discord’s own discovery system, making them more private than other social media spaces. This was the case with the Cambridge Leaks (CL) server I entered.

As soon as I joined CL, a question box popped up to ask if I was an O-, AS, A- Level or an IGCSE student. I picked AS Level. That led to Question 2 with a drop-down menu of subjects. Once I selected my subjects, I was free to access the server.

It displayed five categories.

1. Server Guide
2. Channels & Roles
3. A channel to verify the exams bought. This was helpful for someone like me who was new to Discord.
4. A channel called IMPORTANT had all the important information, announcements, alerts, and a link to a backup server, in case the current server needed to be shut down.
5. Two channels called ‘website’ and ‘website-codes’ with two categories called ‘MARKET’ and ‘PAPERS’.

STEP 3: Go to the website

I was greeted with a warm message: “Welcome to Cambridge Leaks! The best website to purchase leaked papers for Cambridge Examination 2026.” Some statistics were provided to lend the site credibility. It had sold 32 products to 17 customers out of which nine gave their purchases an average rating of 4.89.

At the top of the website page, sits a mini-shopping cart icon or a ‘$USD!’ button under the logo. Below the welcome statement sat a purple “View Products” box and a grey search engine bar.

STEP 4: Select the exam you want to buy

The Product page gave me a colour-coded menu of subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. The price range was mentioned below in purple, in the left corner of each title card.

I scrolled down to the blue Mathematics title card and tapped “View details”. It redirected me to four more title cards labelled Mathematics|9709, Further Mathematics|9231, Mathematics|0580, and Additional Mathematics|0606, all priced at $100 each and all in stock.

I chose Mathematics 9709. According to the expandable menu, both variants of all six Math exams were available. As I was going through the payment methods, a box popped up saying, “Someone from [UAE flag] purchased Mathematics 9709 four days ago.”

STEP 5: Pay for your exam paper

I decided to buy Mathematics Paper 1. I added it to cart along with Statistics Paper 5 and proceeded to pay. The payment page is where my curiosity took a dip. I didn’t have a discount code, nor did I have any customer balance, Bitcoin, Solana, or Ethereum to pay with. As a journalist in Pakistan, I tend not to have $200 lying around for a news story, let alone any money in crypto. I thought this was the end of the experiment and I’d have to log off but I was wrong.

The ticketing method

You can also buy a leaked paper by raising a ticket, a route which helped me get in touch directly with CL’s staff and manager. All I needed to do was go to the “Purchase” channel and tap the green “Click to Purchase” box. This opened a purchase form which asked for the paper’s code, method of payment (crypto or credit card), and my region.

As soon as I entered the details, a ticket number was generated. A separate chatbot popped up to talk about payments with the CL staff. I pretended to be a lost, anxious student trying to buy an exam for the first time. I said I had zero idea about payments, the credibility of the exams, and digital security.

One of the CL staff members who chatted with me at “thecambridgeplug [PING FOR HELP]”, reassured me that the papers were authentic as his ‘boss’ has connections with schools and exam centres in his country. The boss pays them a large sum of money to have the papers opened early, which he scans and sends to his staff, who then sell them online for him. “It isn’t some random person,” he said. “When I say he has connections with the schools and exam centres, I mean that he knows the authorities in said schools and exam centres personally.”

In half a day, CL had already sold the Mathematics 9702/42 to 10 people, with the staff member projecting more buyers as people usually contact them a day before the exam. Even though they don’t keep a count, my ticket number 1611 indicated that at least 1,610 people had been in line.

I discovered that Binance was not the only mode of acceptable payment to buy leaked exams. Card payments through Rewarble and gift cards, such as Valorant cards, are accepted as well. None of them are traceable and maintain buyer and seller anonymity.

An open market

The Discord-like Reddit and encrypted messaging app Telegram are two mainstream markets for the papers, sometimes at an even lower price. When Nanda came across a leaked Computer Science (9618/12) exam taking rounds on WhatsApp groups, he and his friends tried to dig deeper. The prominent watermark, @satboard, on the leaked exam helped him find a Telegram private channel, SATBoard.

The channel was created on May 8, with 765 subscribers, selling each paper for $300. However, its subscribers skyrocketed to 3,000 as soon as the leaked CS paper with its watermark went viral on student WhatsApp groups. Soon after the authorities started to take notice, all the messages were deleted from this Telegram channel. The seller made another group where only select buyers were allowed in. Anand wasn’t one of them.

Pressure to give in

WhatsApp groups, Reddit threads and Discord channels are congested by real and fake exam papers claiming to be authentic. The leaked CS paper was authentic, as was the Mathematics paper, Business Paper 2, and Chemistry Paper 2, which leaked at 5am on the day of the exam. Legit question papers are not the only ones circulating. The effect is that instead of spending time on preparation, students are feeling pressured to sift through a pool of leaked papers, trying to find the right one.

Humair Nasir*, another student from Lahore, is appearing for six composite A Level exams this year. He received the leaked Mathematics P1 around 3am on the same day of the exam but he brushed it off. As the invigilator started distributing the paper in the hall, however, stifled laughter proved him wrong. The Mathematics S1 paper was no different. But Nasir decided not to look. His mother felt differently. She insisted he go through the leaked papers when he received them, arguing that he might as well use them. Since he didn’t, she is worried his grades will suffer, ruining his chances of admission to the National University of Sciences and Technology. Needless to say, she does not want to pay for her son’s exams again.

The psychological impact

The scandal over the past three years has battered CAIE’s reputation and given students heartache, but most of all, it is affecting futures. Ayesha Waqar*, who prepared with her Maths tutor till midnight each day, suffered during the first leak in June 2024. She re-sat the exam in November 2024 while simultaneously taking her second year A Level classes.

By 2025, she was relieved to be on her way out of the system. But when she woke up to a flood of screenshots of leaked questions, just like a year before, her nerves snapped. “It was so unusual that a lot of people showed up 10 to 15 minutes into the exam,” she said. “For the CAIEs, it is common practice to show up well before the exam starts. But a paper leak just never crossed my mind.” It all made sense now. She felt then that no matter how well she prepared, a leak could affect her grade.

That year, Cambridge decided to give an average result based on other questions on the paper. Waqar refuses to believe, however, that only one part of the paper got out. She could have chosen to re-sit the exam, but decided to just accept the grade she was given in the end. She let go of a scholarship from a Turkish university and chose to stay in Pakistan for any university willing to take her with the grades she had. “The same thing happened this year. I am just glad I didn’t wait another year and chose to step away from this rigged system,” she said.

Families with more than one child in the system are beside themselves with rage at the cost and stress. “Such situations kill competition, which in turn kills the will to inquire, and naturally that kills the purpose of education,” said Nawal Vaswani whose elder son and now the younger one have both been through leaks. He questioned the value of CAIE exams if his children are left so disheartened.

Teachers such as Ahmed Saya, who has taught Mathematics in Karachi for over 20 years, recalled dismissing news of a leak in 2024 as a joke. It was almost unheard of in those days. Everyone knew that exam papers arrived at the centres in sealed packets and were opened only at the start of the examination. “And if it is getting leaked, what is Cambridge doing to put a stop to this?” he asked. This time, the entire solved Mathematics P1 was available on YouTube a day before the exam. “It is almost like they [Cambridge] have zero control over the Math papers now.”

Cambridge had assured teachers and institutions last year that no more papers would be leaked after their investigation last year, added Saya. However, after what happened this year, he demanded that Cambridge must reveal the culprit and make their investigation findings transparent. Dawn unsuccessfully attempted to reach out to Nixor College’s Dean Nadeem Ghani and tuition centre owner Professor Imran Merchant.

Even as I write this, a student who recently created a WhatsApp group to gather evidence tells me that parts of questions are now being circulated in written form, labelled as “guess papers”, a newer, harder-to-trace method of distribution that Cambridge has not yet addressed. My phone buzzed as I concluded this story. It was a notification from a Discord server called “Neither _gap(backup)”. The message said: “What papers do U guys need next lmk in tickets back after a bit delays! @everyone.”

They are not hiding. They are not worried. They are just taking orders.

*Names hidden to protect identity

A notification issued by the Punjab Home Department, dated May 19, said that during Eidul Azha, people sit by the roadside and roast the heads and feet of sacrificial animals, which caused “unhealthy smoke” and an unpleasant smell.

It said that people also throw the entrails of sacrificial animals by the roadside and or in drains, which resulted in unsanitary conditions and the blockage of the sewerage system. It stated that citizens also swim and bathe in canals, ponds, lakes, river banks, and distributaries during Eidul Azha holidays, which may endanger their lives.

It further stated that cattle sellers illegally set up points for the sale of sacrificial animals within populated areas, which hindered traffic and contributed to the spread of diseases.

The Home Department said that the aforementioned activities “are not only injurious to public health and safety, but also cause nuisance and resentment among the general public, which are likely to cause disturbance in public peace and tranquillity”.

Therefore, the government prohibited burning of the heads and feet of sacrificial animals in public places; swimming or bathing in rivers, lakes, dams, etc; throwing offal or entrails of sacrificial animals in manholes, drainage channels or canals; and sale or purchase of sacrificial animals at any place other than notified cattle markets.

It mentioned that the Home Department secretary had prohibited the activities under Section 144 (6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, with effect from May 27 to June 2 across the province.

It is worth mentioning that Eidul Azha will be celebrated in Pakistan on May 27.

According to a press release issued by the cricket board, both players are “currently recovering from injuries and have been advised to continue their rehabilitation programmes under the supervision of the PCB medical panel”.

“Consequently, they have been ruled out of selection for the ODI series,” it added.

The cricket board wished both players a speedy recovery and said it looked forward to seeing them return to competitive cricket at the earliest opportunity.

It added that further updates regarding the squad and player fitness would be shared in due course.

The Australian men’s cricket team is scheduled to tour Pakistan for a three-match ODI series. According to the schedule announced, the visitors will arrive in Islamabad on May 23 and face the Green Shirts in the first ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on May 30.

The second and third ODIs of the series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on June 2 and 4, respectively.

The US has introduced a 30-day general licence issued by the US Department of the Treasury to ease immediate supply pressures in global crude markets and provide relief to energy-vulnerable countries.

Diplomatic sources said the arrangement may also apply to Pakistan, though they cautioned that Islamabad might not be able to fully take advantage of the concession due to limited technical capacity.

US offers 30-day relief to energy-vulnerable countries

They noted that Pakistan has not previously imported Russian crude at scale and may lack the refining infrastructure required to process such shipments. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on a social media post released on Monday that his department is issuing a temporary 30-day general licence to “provide the most vulnerable nations with the ability to temporarily access Russian oil currently stranded at sea.”

“This extension will provide additional flexibility, and we will work with these nations to provide specific licences as needed,” he wrote in a post on X. “This general licence will help stabilise the physical crude market and ensure oil reaches the most energy-vulnerable countries.”

Bessent added that the licence will also help reroute existing supply to countries most in need by “reducing China’s ability to stockpile discounted oil”.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026