The FY27 budget for KP was presented on June 20, with CM Afridi saying that the provincial government would not give any grants to the federal government, and that any decision on providing additional funds to the Centre would be made by PTI founder Imran Khan.

“We cannot develop unless there is peace, and this is why we have enhanced the budget for police to Rs40 billion in order to equip them, develop infrastructure, enhance capacity and remove all shortcomings,” the chief minister said today while addressing lawmakers in the KP Assembly.

The chief minister, during the session chaired by KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, stated that Peshawar, which was the provincial capital and gave an “overwhelming majority” to the PTI, was allocated the second-largest amount in the budget.

CM Afridi stated that with almost Rs100 billion extra, the throw forward would be reduced and there would be visible changes in the health and education sectors.

“We are bringing the Insaf Buzurg Card for people above 60 years of age so they can travel free of cost on the BRT,” he said, adding that there were huge allocations for several districts and that funds were allocated without any discrimination.

“Your federal ministers had promised the completion of the Khyber Institute of Child Health, but allocated only Rs300 million. We, through bridge financing, will complete the project,” CM Afridi told the opposition leader, the PML-N’s Dr Ibadullah Khan.

The CM stated that the dam in Swat was ready, but a no-objection certificate (NOC) was required to complete the remaining technical work and had not been issued by the federal government.

CM Afridi also said that the KP government would invest in the merged districts from its own resources.

“We did not celebrate passing the budget because we will celebrate Khan sahib’s release as the nation does not want anyone else but Khan sahib,” he said, contending that the entire country had been suffering due to the decisions taken behind closed doors.

The PTI leader stated that the party had knocked on every door, but even the provincial chief executive was refused a meeting with Imran.

“We are [tolerating it] and will tolerate it, but you will not be able to tolerate it,” he said, in an apparent reference to the federal government.

CM Afridi told the opposition leader that the Centre had been holding over Rs4tr and refusing to give the province its share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

He also questioned whether the federal government brought about an industrial or agricultural revolution, claiming that the country’s imports were almost double the exports and that the trade deficit was around $36bn.

Additionally, CM Afridi noted that the GDP growth — which was once 6 per cent during Imran’s government — had dropped to 3pc.

Earlier, Ibadullah complained about bulldozing the cut motions and not allowing the opposition lawmakers to speak about the issues being faced by people in their respective constituencies.

“I was not expecting this from the chair to bulldoze cut motions by lawmakers on funds allocated for government departments. This should not have happened, and bulldozing the cut motions is unfair,” he complained.

The chair stated that powers were exercised with the consent of lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches.

The opposition leader claimed that not even a single penny was allocated for opposition lawmakers and asked the chief minister to carry the opposition lawmakers along with him as well.

He stated that there were potential areas where the KP government could generate revenue, but that the government had no roadmap and therefore could not develop the province since 2013.

Ibadullah stated that the energy, mines and minerals, and tourism sectors could generate huge finances for the province, adding that the pre- and post-budget debates should be considered and implemented.

Speaking in the assembly, PPP’s Ahmad Karim Kundi stated that all parties should develop a Charter of Economy and that the currently missing socioeconomic indicators must be made available.

The chief minister’s adviser on finance, Muzammil Aslam, stated that the rules of business should be framed so that the throw forward was capped, and that rules be framed for debt management and developmental projects.

KP Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi stated that lawmakers highlighted meagre allocations, but that it was not the case.

He noted that during the outgoing FY25-26, some 323 schemes were removed, while Rs71bn were allocated for 523 schemes, which would also be scrapped.

The minister argued that although the throw forward was 7.7 years, it was less than that of the Punjab and Sindh governments.

The upgraded rating was shared in a report by Bloomberg, cited by the advisor to the finance minister, Khurram Schehzad in a post on X.

According to the relative rating system used by Barclays coverage analysts, the “overweight” rating means that the stock is expected to outperform the unweighted expected total return of the industry coverage universe over a 12-month investment horizon.

This is in contrast to “equal weight” — wherein the stock is expected to perform in line with this expected return — and “underweight”, in which it is expected to underperform.

“The resilience of Pakistan’s external position cannot be ignored and it underpins the more optimistic view,” the Bloomberg report cited analysts, including Avanti Save, as saying.

The report said Barclays noted that the economy continued to demonstrate stability, noting the country’s improved fiscal position, steadier external buffers, “relatively steady” foreign reserves, and a “moderate growth/inflation picture”.

It added that multilateral and bilateral financing backstops remained intact, as “the country’s geopolitical position remains critical to Central Asia and the Middle East”, calling this “a potential tailwind”.

According to Bloomberg, Barclays recommends buying the 2031, 2036 and 2051 sovereign dollar bonds as well as the 2031 bond issued by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), as well as selling the five-year Pakistan credit default swap.

“While credit rating upgrades have taken longer to materialise, we think agencies will look to review and conclude positively on ratings in [the second half of] 2026,” the report quoted Barclays as saying.

The bottom line is that “Pakistan’s improving fundamentals are increasingly being recognised by investors and global capital markets”, Schehzad stated.

Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s top three agencies, in April affirmed Pakistan’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) at “B-” with a “stable outlook”.

Last year, international rating agency Moody’s upgraded Pakistan’s credit rating by one notch to ‘Caa1’ from ‘Caa2’ and revised its outlook to stable from positive, citing an improved external position and progress on reforms under the IMF programme. Meanwhile, S&P Global raised Pakistan’s sovereign credit rating to ‘B-’ from ‘CCC+’ and placed it on a ‘stable’ outlook.

The prime suspect was accused of trying to rape the girl before killing her, with her body being found in a shop on Monday, where the father said she had gone to buy some items.

The suspect had been arrested along with at least three others, on whose behest the criminal acts were allegedly committed.

On Wednesday, Sargodha Regional Police Officer (RPO) Shahzad Asif Khan told Dawn that the prime suspect accused of attempted rape and murder of the minor girl has been allegedly killed during an encounter with the CCD police early on Wednesday.

A first information report (FIR) filed by a CCD station house officer (SHO) early on Wednesday said the prime suspect, who had reportedly escaped police custody on Tuesday, died due to firing by his “accomplices”.

The details of how the prime suspect escaped from police custody and whether he was accompanied by anyone remain unclear, as the police appear unforthcoming in sharing their version.

Sargodha District Police Officer (DPO) Sohaib Ashraf said that the three other suspects arrested in the murder case on Tuesday remain in custody.

Wednesday’s FIR cited another FIR registered by the CCD on the escape of the prime suspect, which invoked several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including those on attempted murder, assault to deter a public servant from duty and resistance to apprehension.

The FIR recounting today’s CCD action invoked sections 302 (punishment of qatl-i-amd), 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in public functions) and 34 (acts done by several persons with common intention) of the PPC, along with provisions of the Punjab Arms Ordinance 1965.

The FIR said a police team was on duty in Mitha Lak in the early hours of Wednesday when it received intel that the escaped prime suspect was standing on a road near Sem Nala with “three unknown persons”.

Subsequently, a CCD team reached the location at around 2am and saw the prime suspect and others standing there, the complaint said. It claimed that the suspects opened fire at the police team “with the intent to kill” and fled towards nearby bushes.

This prompted the CCD personnel to take “safe positions and shoot one or two aerial fires in response to the suspects’ shooting”, the FIR recalled.

It added that the suspects then hid behind the bushes and opened “continuous fire” aimed at the police party, severely injuring Constable Muhammad in his left arm.

“During this period, the suspects were asked loudly to stop firing and surrender, but the suspects continued their firing,” the FIR read, claiming that the shooting continued for 10 minutes.

When the firing stopped, the CCD team searched for the suspects in the bushes using searchlights and found a “dead person who died by his accomplices’ firing”, the FIR claimed. It contended that the other three unidentified suspects had fled from the scene in the dark.

The deceased person was identified by a head constable and a constable as the prime suspect wanted in the murder case, the FIR said. It claimed that an empty pistol was found lying next to the suspect’s body and Rs700 were found in the pocket of his shirt.

The complaint said the suspect was taken to Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital for a post-mortem and the objects found in his possession were taken into police custody.

The FIR accused the suspects of opening fire at the CCD team with the intention to kill and of “murdering their own accomplice”, contending they committed cognisable offences under the PPC.

The CCD, established last year, has been criticised by human rights advocates and civil society members for alleged extrajudicial police encounters and a high number of casualties.

In February, a fact-finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) alleged that the CCD has adopted a “deliberate policy of staged police encounters leading to extrajudicial killings”.

The HRCP said, based on press accounts, at least 670 CCD-led encounters were carried out across Punjab over eight months in 2025. More such deaths during encounters continue to be reported on a near-weekly basis.

The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN and the Secretariat of the UN Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis co-hosted a strategic briefing on the sidelines of the UN High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS under the theme, “Advancing Hepatitis Elimination: Building Momentum toward High-Level Political Action”.

The meeting brought together health ministry officials, diplomats and global health experts to discuss viral hepatitis, a disease that claims approximately 1.3 million lives annually worldwide. Participants also explored pathways toward securing a standalone UN High-Level Meeting on Viral Hepatitis by 2028.

Opening the event, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Usman Jadoon highlighted Islamabad’s commitment to tackling one of the country’s most serious public health challenges.

“The government has launched the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C, allocating $250 million in collaboration with the World Health Organisation to eliminate Hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030,” Ambassador Jadoon said.

He stressed that the initiative provides “entirely free screening, diagnosis, and treatment” to patients across the country.

“To ensure effective oversight and accountability, the prime minister himself is leading the National Task Force, which oversees the program’s progress and provides strategic direction,” the ambassador added.

Ambassador Jadoon noted that the task force included “a distinguished group of international and national experts, including leading public health experts, clinicians, researchers, and government officials”, reflecting the government’s determination to pursue a science-based approach to hepatitis elimination.

The briefing included a presentation by Dr John Ward, director of the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, who reviewed the global burden of viral hepatitis, recent political developments and opportunities for strengthening international cooperation.

The discussions followed the recent release of the WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2026, which identifies Pakistan as the largest contributor to the global population living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and one of the world’s ten countries with the highest numbers of HCV-related deaths.

According to the report, Pakistan had an estimated 9m people living with hepatitis C as of 2024.

The country was also among 10 nations that together accounted for 58 per cent of all hepatitis C infections worldwide, alongside China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam.

The WHO report further noted that Pakistan carries a disproportionate share of the hepatitis burden in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. The region is estimated to have 12m people living with hepatitis C — about one quarter of the global total — and remains the only WHO region where more than 1pc of the general population is chronically infected.

Within Pakistan, hepatitis C prevalence remains particularly high in the provinces targeted under the national elimination plan. Punjab has the highest prevalence rate at 8.9pc, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 6.5pc, Sindh at 6.2pc and Balochistan at 5.2pc.

The WHO report also highlighted Pakistan’s ambitious national response. In July 2024, the government launched a prime ministerial plan aimed at treating 50pc of people living with hepatitis C by 2027 and achieving WHO elimination targets by 2030, with the federal government financing half of the programme’s costs.

Participants at the UN meeting reviewed both the WHO report and the Ministerial Statement on Hepatitis Elimination adopted at the 79th World Health Assembly. While effective tools for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure are widely available, speakers noted that viral hepatitis continues to receive insufficient political attention and funding relative to its health and economic impact.

Delegates exchanged views on how to elevate hepatitis within the broader UN agenda and discussed the procedural, political and financial considerations involved in convening a future UN High-Level Meeting dedicated to the disease.

The consultation concluded with broad support for continued coalition-building, wider geographic representation and stronger international engagement to accelerate progress toward the 2030 hepatitis elimination goals.

Representatives from Pakistan, France, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, Türkiye, Mongolia, China, Brazil, Malaysia, Spain and the Philippines attended the meeting.

The gathering built on momentum generated at the 79th World Health Assembly, where ministers and senior government representatives endorsed a cross-regional Ministerial Statement calling for stronger leadership, increased financing and enhanced international cooperation to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb moved a series of papers for approval during Wednesday’s session.

Under the Constitution, the government must secure parliamentary approval for the federal budget before any spending. This approval allows the government to spend specified funds for different heads. However, the government often seeks retrospective approval for additional amounts already spent, leaving the parliament with no choice but to regularise these expenditures.

The NA’s X account said Aurangzeb laid the Supplementary Authorised Expenditure 2024-2025 and 2025- 2026, along with other papers, before the house under Article 83 of the Constitution.

Dawn provides a breakdown of the additional amounts approved for spending during FY24-25 and FY25-26, which will conclude on June 30.

FY2024-25

The following supplementary grants were approved for FY24-25 (July 2024- June 2025):

• Rs430.10bn for Power Division
• Rs37.89bn for miscellaneous expenditure
• Rs22.84bn for defence services
• Rs22.15bn capital outlay on civil works
• Rs5.79bn for both civil and armed forces
• Rs5.61bn for Commerce Division
• Rs5.60bn for development expenditure of Finance Division
• Rs3.82bn for National Health Services
• Rs2.69bn for Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)
• Rs1.80bn for Information and Broadcasting Division
• Rs1.43bn for educational institutions under the federal government, cantonments and garrisons
• Rs1.26bn for other development expenditure
• Rs1.25bn for Defence Division
• Rs1.10bn for development expenditure of Interior Division
• Rs750m for the development expenditure of Power Division
• Rs300m for Cabinet Division
• Rs250m was approved for the federal education and professional training division
• Rs238.42m for National Food Security and Research Division
• Rs207.97m capital outlay on Petroleum Division
• Rs160.46m for Pakistan Agricultural Research Council
• Rs90.27m in respect of foreign missions
• Rs64.82m for Airports Security Force
• Rs50m for Parliamentary Affairs Division
• Rs49.65m for the Law and Justice Division
• Rs14m supplementary funds were approved for the Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan affairs division

The following grants were approved in “excess authorised expenditure” during FY24-25

• Rs19.03bn for the combined civil armed forces
• Rs15.63bn in development expenditure of Water Resources Division
• Rs1.19bn for Law and Justice Division
• Rs646.64m for the federal education and professional training division
• Rs508.77m for foreign missions
• Rs483.92m for superannuation allowances and pensions
• Rs17.46m for the Communications Division
• Rs2.57m for the Petroleum Division
• Rs1.28m for district judiciary, ICT

These amounted to a total of Rs593.64bn in supplementary grants and excess expenditure for FY24-25.

Charged expenditure for FY24-25

• Staff household and allowances president: Rs208.00m
• Repayment of short-term foreign credits: Rs40.34bn
• Audit: Rs63.00m
• Repayment of domestic debt: Rs2,603.86bn

These totalled to Rs2,644.48bn.

Excess expenditures for FY24-25

• Repayment of domestic debt: Rs1,915.92bn
• Servicing of domestic debt: Rs169.32bn
• Foreign loans repayment: Rs1.54bn
• Superannuation allowances and pensions: Rs662.85m
• Federal Tax Ombudsman: Rs81.52m
• Repayment of short-term foreign credits: Rs32.81m
• Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection against Harassment of Women at workplace: Rs48,668

These totalled to Rs2,087.57bn.

FY2025-26

For FY25-26 (July 2025-June 2026), the following supplementary grants were approved:

• Rs127.41bn for grants, subsidies and miscellaneous expenditure
• Rs105.50bn for Power Division
• Rs57.18bn federal education and professional training division
• Rs33.96bn for defence services
• Rs29.66bn for National Health Services
• Rs22.35bn for poverty alleviation and social safety
• Rs19.72bn other expenditure of interior and narcotics control
• Rs13.82bn miscellaneous expenditure of Information and Broadcasting Division
• Rs13.10bn for Petroleum Division
• Rs10.00bn development expenditure of Revenue Division
• Rs7.88bn capital outlay on civil works
• Rs7.50bn for Commerce Division
• Rs6.61bn capital outlay on Railways Division
• Rs6.35bn development expenditure of Power Division
• Rs5.00bn for Housing and Works Division
• Rs4.25bn for Defence Division
• Rs4.18bn development expenditure of the federal education and professional training division
• Rs4.00bn for National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
• Rs3.70bn for development expenditure of IT & Telecom Division
• Rs2.37bn for federal miscellaneous investments and other loans
• Rs2.08bn for Information Technology and Telecommunication Division
• Rs1.57bn for the development expenditure of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission
• Rs1.47bn for Information and Broadcasting Division
• Rs1.38bn combined civil armed forces
• Rs967.50m for Cabinet Division
• Rs960.27m for Interior and Narcotics Control Division
• Rs536.07m other development expenditure
• Rs344.73m development expenditure of Interior and Narcotics Control Division
• Rs250.00m for National Security Division
• Rs170.40m for Inter-Provincial Coordination division
• Rs150.00m for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Division
• Rs112.11m for other expenditure of Finance Division
• Rs76.23m for Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) Division
• Rs40.00m for the development expenditure of Defence Division
• Rs27.42m for National Food Security and Research Division

These amounted to a total of Rs475.05bn in supplementary grants for FY25-26.

At least 156 cases involved the death of babies and six mothers also died at two units run by Nottingham University Hospitals Trust in central England.

The independent probe was the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the state-run National Health Service (NHS), involving over 2,500 families in cases spanning 13 years from 2012-2025.

It comes after a string of other investigations in recent years highlighted a crisis in England’s care of mother and babies.

Sarah and Jack Hawkins’ daughter Harriet should have been born healthy, but was stillborn in 2016. The couple were both senior clinicians at the trust at the time.

“I just can’t compute … how they did this to us and how they did this to all these families,” said Sarah Hawkins, a physiotherapist, after the report’s publication.

“Our concerns were dismissed and not acted upon. We weren’t told the truth about what happened, even after death,” added Jack Hawkins.

The former doctor at the trust said the findings marked the end of a “relentless and at times almost unbearable 10-year campaign” to learn the truth about the failings.

‘Toxic’

Report author senior midwife Donna Ockenden found a “bullying and toxic culture” at the trust’s two maternity hospitals “infected” by a “small minority of powerful leaders”.

She slammed baby Harriet’s “avoidable death” which was “compounded by a systemic cover-up and investigations designed to mislead”.

Of the babies who died there were 94 stillbirths and 62 cases in which babies died shortly after birth from a range of conditions, including oxygen starvation and hospital-acquired infections, according to Ockenden.

The cases included Wynter Andrews whose parents were wrongly told in 2019 to terminate a healthy pregnancy.

Her father Gary Andrews said a clinician had told him that “if we listened to every mother’s concerns, we’d be overrun”.

“I think now I can respond to that and say if you’d listened to every mother’s concerns, there would be hundreds of mothers, babies, still alive,” he said.

In parliament, Health Minister James Murray described the report’s findings as “chilling” and said regulators had been more concerned about “protecting clinicians” than providing accountability.

He said he had been “appalled by the neglect, incompetence, racism, discrimination, contempt and harassment that so many suffered” and pledged an action plan by the end of the year.

Maternity care scandals have been exposed at a number of other hospital trusts including East Kent, Morecambe Bay, and Shrewsbury and Telford.

“Had a warm and most cordial telephone conversation with my dear brother, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, emir of the State of Qatar, this afternoon,” PM Shehbaz posted on X.

He added that he thanked the Qatari emir for his country’s “steadfast support for the peace efforts that culminated in the historic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding”, which was signed by the US and Iran on June 18.

“We expressed satisfaction at the positive progress made during the first round of technical talks in Bürgenstock and agreed on the importance of sustaining this momentum through continued dialogue and diplomacy,” he wrote.

PM Shehbaz also thanked the Qatari emir for his “kind condolences on the tragic loss of a Pakistani national in the recent fire incident in Ras Laffan”, referring to the blast at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex.

At least 13 people died and 66 were injured in the incident, which Qatar attributed to a technical malfunction. A dozen of the deceased were Indian nationals.

The prime minister appreciated the Qatari leadership for its “generous hospitality towards the vibrant Pakistani community in Qatar”.

Affirming that Islamabad values its close brotherly ties with Doha, PM Shehbaz said his country looked forward to welcoming the Qatari emir “later this year”.

In his remarks alongside Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, who visited Islamabad on Tuesday, PM Shehbaz had thanked the Qatari emir’s “pivotal role” in the peace efforts.

He had also expressed his appreciation for the “steadfast support and encouragement” of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt during the process.

Key direct talks — dubbed the “Lake Lucerne Summit” — were held between the top leadership of the US and Iran on June 20-21 in Switzerland’s Bürgenstock, kicking off negotiations under the Islamabad MoU.

The talks held in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock were mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir representing Pakistan.

Under the 14-point accord, which PM Shehbaz had signed as the mediator, the US and Iran agreed on a framework to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate on key issues within 60 days of the signing.

The Lake Lucerne Summit created a mechanism for further technical talks between Washington and Tehran, which were to continue this week.

The summit set up a contact channel to “avoid incidents and miscommunication” in the Strait of Hormuz and agreed on a “de-confliction cell” to prevent fighting in Lebanon from erupting again.

Following those talks, the US temporarily suspended sanctions on Iranian oil. The general licence allows the sale of crude oil and petrochemical and petroleum products of Iranian origin through August 21.

On Wednesday, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani travelled to Oman to initiate talks between the Gulf states, Iraq and Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, a diplomat briefed on the discussions told AFP.

Additional input from AFP

In an interview on a TV show, the minister had said that Rawalakot — which has been in the grip of protests by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) — is “not Kashmir” and that he did not consider people from there Kashmiris.

Asif had subsequently taken to X to clarify that “Kashmiriat is defined by the sacrifices and struggles waged over almost eight decades by Pakistanis, including Kashmiris and all others, not by birth certificates”.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday, PPP’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that such a “sweeping statement” should not be given under any circumstances, especially from such a “senior” official.

He said that Asif’s remarks had hurt the sentiments of several people, adding that Azad Kashmir was a “sensitive area” and care needed to be taken before making remarks about it.

He said that “water needed to be poured onto the fire” to address the problems of the Kashmiris. He acknowledged that the government and establishment were trying their best to address the issues of the region.

He said that giving such “irresponsible remarks” was detrimental to the Kashmir cause. He tendered an apology on Asif’s behalf to the people of Rawalakot.

However, the defence minister pointed to his post on X regarding the matter, saying that he had “presented an argument that no one became a Kashmiri on the basis of a birth certificate”, leading PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to comment on the situation.

In his remarks, Bilawal said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted to bring the country out of difficult situations by “positively engaging” with the coalition partners and the opposition, but some “ministers” were creating problems in the process.

Bilawal said that Pakistan and the region stood at a moment when things were happening “geopolitically”.

“I have voted for the prime minister twice. I acknowledge his work ethic, his efforts, his manners, his intention, the way he positively engages with the coalition partners and the opposition to bring the country out of difficulties,” he said.

“However, some ministers create issues for him. They always create hurdles in the work of the prime minister rather than helping him,” Bilawal said.

Bilawal acknowledged that the present government and all political parties had tried to resolve the issues in AJK politically.

“The coalition parties, the opposition, and every Pakistani should ask why a minister is still part of the [federal] cabinet after saying, without backing off, that the Kashmiris of Rawalakot are not Kashmiris.

“How is it possible to tolerate these words when they are uttered by a defence minister, let alone a senior minister?” Bilawal questioned.

“How do we justify that the minister is still in the position and has not agreed to tender an apology?” he asked.

“Apart from Kashmir’s endemic problems and political difficulties, is it not true that the minister’s statement was similar to igniting the fire already burning in Kashmir, instead of extinguishing it?”

He argued that such statements had paved the way for the protestors to create the prevailing conditions in AJK.

The former foreign minister accepted that the federal government and the PPP, since it has attained power in AJK, could be held responsible for the faults. However, he said that the time has come to extinguish the fire.

“Today, if Maulana Fazlur Rehman has taken an initiative and agreed to take the responsibility of the government’s incapability in AJK, he should be given the space,” Bilawal stressed.

“In the capacity of a coalition partner, I suggest that we all should give space to Maulana for the position he has been holding on the issue, to bring the conflict to a resolution by engaging with the federal and AJK government,” he said.

“We should also engage the people who are protesting … and should bring the issue to a kind of political resolution so that the Kashmiris do not have to protest time and again.”

The PPP chairman said that the prime minister should have the mandate and authority to control his team.

“If the prime minister can’t direct his minister to follow his policy, and every minister is speaking in a different direction, it will create more difficulties for the government instead of helping the situation,” he said.

He also hit back at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan during his address over their criticism of the PPP-led Sindh government, saying that the party should instead criticise the PML-N-led federal government that failed to fulfil their demands.

“Is Karachi more important than positions in the government?” he asked.

Bilawal also said that the PML-N was “scared” of having a local government in provinces it was ruling/

“It is not even ready to hold a single union council election. Introduce the same kind of local government system in Lahore that we have introduced in Karachi. Let’s contest in polls,” he said.

Bilawal pointed out that the local body system did not exist in Islamabad either.

“They [government] talk about big amendments in the Constitution. Before that, … conduct local body elections in Islamabad within 90 days,” he added

The PPP chairman demanded that, before any constitutional amendment, the local bodies polls should be conducted in Islamabad and Punjab.

I stand by what I said: Khawaja Asif

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’ later on Wednesday night, the defence minister said he welcomed the criticism but stood by his opinions.

He said, Bilawal is “entitled to say anything”.

“On the floor of the assembly, even in the media, politicians criticising each other shows that the democratic system has succeeded,” he remarked.

“I welcome the criticism and whether my point of view is right or wrong — I think it’s right — I stand by it,” Asif said, adding that JAAC activists were involved in violence.

Asked about his comments regarding the people of Rawalakot, Asif replied that there are “three categories of Kashmiri”.

“One category is those in the valley who are ready to do anything for their love of Pakistan,” he said, adding that they have been arrested, hanged or jailed for life, referring to those in India-occupied Kashmir.

“The second is those who crossed the Sialkot border in August 1947. Around 224,000 people were martyred,” Asif said. “The third is those who got their freedom while sitting at home when they became free of India and the Dogra rulers.”

“I stand by what I said,” he added.

“I categorise Kashmiris who have paid the price and are paying the price today for their freedom. There are Kashmiris who earned their freedom, and many who got it for free. It is my right to categorise them, as is the right of those who paid a price for their freedom.

Shehbaz-Fazl exchange

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also addressed the NA. During his speech, he also held a paper he was a letter by the JAAC, which asked him to mediate between the group and the government.

“I have given a video response to the letter and informed the government about it as well,” he said.

In his video message, Fazl said he has accepted JAAC leaders’ invitation asking him to mediate to resolve the “crisis and tense situation” in AJK.

In the NA, Fazl questioned how the government deemed it appropriate to take action based on mere “speeches”.

He also condemned “provocative” statements made by Asif, stating that they should not have been made, particularly in his capacity as the defence minister.

“You have left the peace to Ishaq Dar and the fighting to Khawaja Asif,” he remarked.

He stressed that politicians should take the lead in resolving such issues, and added that the government was like a parent and should “not be cruel to its children”.

While Fazl was speaking, PM Shehbaz entered the House and also shook hands with opposition members.

In his response to Fazl, PM Shehbaz said he had only heard a part of his speech and “some conversations that I have held with Maulana sahib in private, they will go with me to my grave”.

In a lighter tone, Fazl responded by saying he welcomed the PM’s expression of love for him and “I allow him to openly say what was discussed with me if a conversation was held with me privately”.

PM Shehbaz replied to that in a lighter tone as well, saying he would not accept Fazl’s offer as “matters will go far then”.

JAAC should withdraw their demands: Sanaullah

Speaking after the exchange between the PM and Fazl, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah drew the House’s attention to the recent unrest in AJK.

He said that the JAAC’s recent protests were an attempt to stop the upcoming elections in July and held that only the AJK Legislative Assembly had the right to decide the status of the 12 refugee seats, as the issue cannot be decided through violent demonstrations.

He recalled that an all-parties conference as well as the AJK Supreme Court had endorsed the position, stressing that the matter should be debated by the next AJK Legislative Assembly.

Sanaullah said that at the moment, there were no demonstrations in AJK except in Rawalakot. He added that at present, the JAAC had eight demands, one of which included removing a clause from the oath in nomination papers which stated that “Kashmir will join Pakistan after the success of its freedom movement”.

He continued: “Besides this, the way they behaved with us during our meetings, I cannot explain. Their speeches on social media and the things they are saying. Is that not a crime and against the Kashmir freedom movement?”

The PML-N leader urged that JAAC should withdraw their demands and cancel protest plans and then “whoever they wish to speak with — whether Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore — they can”.

Asif tells opposition to mend its ways

Separately, the defence minister told the opposition to examine its own past before criticising the government and to sign a Charter of Democracy with the government.

His remarks come a day after the opposition’s bitter criticism of the government during a tumultuous day in the National Assembly. The opposition leader, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, launched into a harsh diatribe, criticising the government, the judiciary and the establishment.

Speaking on the floor of the NA, Asif said, “Whenever I issue instructions or make any demand, I refer to this maxim: If you seek equity, you should come up with clean hands.

“When these people demand equity, they also check whether their hands are clean,” the defence minister said, pointing towards the opposition benches.

“What did not happen in this House during their time in power?” he asked.

“You (the speaker) are a witness, I am a witness … even the walls of this House know what happened. What did they not do to us when they were in government?” the PML-N leader asked.

Addressing the House, Asif told the opposition to correct its past and sign a Charter of Democracy with the government.

“We have also made mistakes … sign the Charter of Democracy … But us and them should not forget what we have done in the past.”

Referring to the political turmoil of the 1990s, the defence minister said that there was a lot of blame between the PPP and the PML-N — now coalition partners in the federal government.

“There was a lot of blame between us, but later, both parties … realised that we should take a break from these issues and sort things out among ourselves,” he said.

He said that both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif decided that a proper code of conduct should be developed that maintains respect and dignity between the opposition and the ruling parties.

Criticising the former PTI government, Asif said, “Sitting in your chair (the speaker), 55 pieces of legislation were passed in just half an hour, after which they dissolved the assembly.

“It is a cardinal sin that, sitting in your chair, the former speaker takes such a step in favour of one party and dissolves the assembly,” Asif said, again urging the opposition to look at their past.

“Our past may not have been something to be proud of, but we (PPP and PML-N) tried to learn from it. We signed a document, learned from our past, and implemented reforms based on it, as a result of which even constitutional amendments came forward,” Asif said.

The defence minister said that in his opinion, there was still a need for constitutional amendments, because they “have not been implemented or worked as effectively as they should have”.

He said that yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif walked over to the opposition and talked to them.

“This was not even conceivable when Imran Khan was the premier,” he said. The defence minister said that when Imran was the prime minister, the PTI members didn’t even talk to the opposition lest he be “offended”.

He mentioned that, in the past, there was civility among the political parties and in political culture. However, the damage that the PTI founder had “inflicted on our parliamentary system and political culture over the past years” was “unmatched”, Asif said.

“No one else has caused such harm to our politics and democratic institutions,” the minister said.

Calling Achakzai his “brother”, Asif quipped that he seemed “out of place” sitting with the opposition.

“No political party can function on the whims of one man. There is no democracy in their party … how can they delete their past?” he asked.

During the session, the NA also approved a supplementary budget of Rs593.64 billion for FY2024-2025 and of Rs482bn for the outgoing fiscal year.

Additional input from Kalbe Ali

Mountains in the north of Pakistan are a popular destination for adventure tourism, with many climbers aiming to summit prestigious peaks such as K2 and Nanga Parbat. However, rough terrain and harsh weather conditions create a challenge, frequently causing deaths and injuries.

Tour operator Ishaq Ali told Dawn that a foreign climbing team — comprising 41-year-old Pierrel and Boris Jule from France, and Christina Maria from Switzerland — was attempting to scale K-6 situated in Ghanche’s Hushe valley. The team set out on the expedition on June 6.

He said that during the attempt, a snow avalanche hit the team at an altitude of about 5,000m. Pierrel died on the spot, while the other two climbers remained safe, the tour operator said.

“Through satellite communication, they informed their relatives in France and ultimately, the relatives contacted me at 11am this morning,” said Ali.

A recovery team consisting of local police and volunteers has been immediately dispatched to the area to trace the body of the climber.

Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 peaks exceeding 8,000m, including K2 (8,611m), the world’s second-highest mountain, as well as Nanga Parbat (8,126m), Gasherbrum-I (8,080m), Broad Peak (8,051m), and Gasherbrum-II (8,035m).

Sajid Hussain, assistant director at the GB tourism department, said the climbing and trekking season typically runs from June to mid-August.

According to the department, concerns had been raised about the potential adverse impact of the now-paused US-Iran war and the resulting rise in fuel prices on GB’s tourism and hospitality industry. However, the situation on the ground suggests otherwise, with a surge in both foreign and domestic tourists.

According to officials from the department, applications from foreign adventure tourists for climbing and trekking permits have already surpassed last year’s figures.

In the summer of 2024, around 2,200 foreign adventure tourists, 24,000 foreign tourists without permits, and nearly one million domestic tourists visited the region.

However, last year, arou­­nd 2,000 permits were issued to foreign adventure tourists for climbing and trekking, as climate disasters and tensions along the Pakistan-India border led to a sharp decline in tourist arrivals.

The meeting was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out tri-services contingent upon arrival, a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

It added that during his meeting with Field Marshal Munir, matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics, defence cooperation and avenues for enhanced military-to-military collaboration were discussed.

“Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral defence ties and expanding cooperation in areas of professional military training and security,” the statement said.

It further stated that Field Marshal Munir highlighted the Pakistan Army’s commitment to promoting peace, stability and constructive engagement with friendly countries.

“The visiting dignitary appreciated the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their contributions towards regional peace and security,” it added.

The CDF had held a meeting with the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan armed forces in February as well, in which he had reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Libya.

In December of last year, Pakistan signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to sell conventional military equipment to the Libyan army, entering a select club of countries that export conventional arms and equipment.

A copy of the deal, before it was finalised, was seen by Reuters. It listed the purchase of several JF-17 fighter jets, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and a number of Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training.

During an NA session on Tuesday, the premier, noting that Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai had called the incumbent government “illegitimate”, asserted that the 2018 elections should be investigated.

He contended that if the government that came after those polls was legitimate, the incumbent government was also legitimate.

On Wednesday, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said in a statement: “In a remarkable display of selective memory and political acrobatics, Shehbaz Sharif attempted to equate the current Form-47 regime with the 2018 elections, claiming that if one was legitimate, so is the other.

“PTI views this not as a defence but as a tacit admission that the February 2024 elections witnessed one of the most brazen thefts of the people’s mandate in the nation’s history,” he alleged.

He argued that while PTI founder Imran Khan had, after the 2018 elections, publicly offered to open the results of any constituency for independent investigation if the opposition harboured doubts, the current rulers were “visibly terrified of any forensic audit, biometric verification, or transparent scrutiny of their victory”.

“If Shehbaz Sharif truly believes his own rhetoric, why does his government recoil at the mere suggestion of an independent examination of the 2024 results? The answer lies in the fragile foundation of Form-47 itself,” he said, referring to the PTI’s allegations of tempering of election documents in 2024.

Akram called on the government to conduct a full, transparent and judicially supervised audit of both the 2018 and 2024 elections so that the people of Pakistan and the world can see whose claim to public trust was genuine.

Speaking about the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the party spokesperson expressed concern over the reported massive irregularities in the scheme, which a news outlet quoted the Auditor General of Pakistan’s audit report for the financial year 2024-25.

“More than Rs25 billion has been disbursed through highly suspicious and illegal channels. Even more shockingly, Rs3.17bn was spent without parliamentary approval or ICPC clearance, a clear case of financial lawlessness”, Akram claimed.

He alleged that through the deliberate manipulation of data systems and spouse data profiling, over 600,000 ineligible individuals, including government employees, siphoned off funds meant exclusively for poor widows, orphans and destitute families.

Akram demanded an immediate Supreme Court-monitored judicial inquiry into the BISP irregularities, as well as the “full and immediate recovery of every rupee from all involved officials with the harshest legal action”.

He further demanded suspensions and criminal prosecution of all BISP officials and IT personnel involved in data tampering.

Meanwhile, on the recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Akram expressed deep alarm over the political and administrative situation in the region.

He strongly condemned the government’s “negligence”, claiming that it chose “the path of force, arbitrary arrests, and inflammatory rhetoric”. For its part, the AJK government has asserted it has tried to resolve the dispute with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) peacefully.

This approach, he warned, “was pushing the sensitive region towards greater instability and public alienation”.

Akram announced that PTI would pursue all available legal avenues against PM Shehbaz, the Punjab government and the relevant jail authorities for “endangering Imran Khan’s health and life”.

He also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all PTI prisoners, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, and other leaders.

District Police Officer (DPO) Arshad Khan confirmed the incident to Dawn, stating that those allegedly abducted included Sararogha SHO Ahmad Shah and two members of the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU).

He said the abducted personnel had been deployed to the remote Partogai area of Sararogha tehsil to neutralise a suspected unexploded ordnance (UXO) — explosive weapons that did not explode when deployed but remain at risk for detonation.

According to police sources, the BDU successfully defused the UXO and completed all necessary procedures at the site.

After concluding the operation, the police team began its return journey to the police station. However, while travelling back, unidentified armed men intercepted the police vehicle, held the personnel hostage and took them to an undisclosed location.

Preliminary information suggests that the assailants had been lying in wait and launched the abduction after the police team completed its assignment and started heading back.

Following reports of the kidnapping, police launched a large-scale search operation across the area.

DPO Arshad said security personnel immediately began efforts to trace the abductors and recover the kidnapped police officials safely.

Checkpoints and blockades have been established along key mountain routes, entry and exit points, and other sensitive locations to restrict the movement of the kidnappers.

“The safe recovery of the abducted personnel remains our top priority. All available resources are being utilised, and investigations are underway from every possible angle,” the DPO said.

He added that an initial report has been entered into the daily police register, while further legal proceedings are in progress.

Local sources reported growing concern among residents following the incident. Tribal elders, community leaders, and civil society representatives have called on the authorities to take immediate and effective measures to secure the release of the abducted personnel.

The kidnapping comes amid a noticeable rise in terrorism and security-related incidents in Upper South Waziristan over the past two weeks.

Several shooting incidents were reported in recent days, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries.

According to police and local administration officials, security challenges in the region have intensified, contributing to a growing sense of insecurity among residents.

Observers note that such incidents pose serious challenges to law enforcement agencies and disrupt normal life in the region.

Residents have urged both the federal and provincial governments to take urgent steps to improve law and order and curb the increasing wave of violence in Upper South Waziristan.

After two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May 2026, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

The seed funding round was co-led by i2i Ventures and Oraseya Capital, with participation from Anchorless Bangladesh, Conjunction Capital, F6 Ventures, Hi2 Global, Orbit Startups, as well as strategic angels and operators from Bolt, Mubadala and EY, the press release said.

The company’s proceeds from the seed funding round would primarily go towards growth in Saudi Arabia, Revora’s largest and fastest- growing market, and into the product, as the company builds for a future where more of buying runs through AI, it added.

Formerly known as MyAlice, Revora was co-founded by Shuvo Rahman and Daniyal Baig.

Detailing its operations in the press release, the company said its AI agents recommend products, recover carts and “take payment inside the conversation, whether that’s on WhatsApp, Instagram or the brand’s own site, in the customer’s own dialect”.

“Brands using Revora’s AI-led sales and campaigns see a 15-20 per cent revenue increase, showcasing the tangible value of the product,” according to the company.

The press release further said that Revora also “turns every merchant’s product catalogue into clean, structured data”.

“That catalogue is the long-term bet. As commerce shifts toward AI-powered search and shopping agents globally, that same structured data is what allows a merchant’s products to be found, recommended and bought. Every merchant that joins Revora adds to a commerce graph that no messaging vendor, helpdesk or model provider can replicate,” it added.

The press release quoted co-founder Rahman as saying: “We’re building Revora on one bet: that the businesses winning the next decade are the ones an AI can understand, represent, and sell for.”

It further quoted the company’s other co-founder, Baig, as saying: “The signal that matters most to us isn’t the funding. It’s that merchants using Revora are generating real revenue from it. That’s the metric we’re obsessed with, and the one we are building for.”

Revora says it is live in more than 21 countries and the company’s revenue grew 10 times since it focused on Saudi Arabia and the GCC in late 2024, and the team has plans to deepen their presence in the region with the latest funding round.

From among those who invested in the company, i2i Ventures co-founder Kalsoom Lakhani said, “We are thrilled to back the team at Revora. They have built a product that cuts through the AI noise with tangible value today and a real scale potential. A product built from emerging markets for the region and traction that speaks for itself.”

Similarly, Rahat Ahmed, a general partner at Anchorless Bangladesh, said, “Revora is precisely what talent in Bangladesh and Pakistan looks like when backed with conviction, a team that has consistently built ahead of the curve and generated real revenue from agentic AI in the Middle East. We backed Shuvo and team from the very beginning and are proud to double down as they scale.”

The World Cup 2026 kicked off on June 11, and alongside it, the number of scammers attempting to exploit fan excitement has also increased.

According to Kaspersky, at least 336 unique domains mimicking official World Cup resources have been detected.

In addition, cybercriminals are actively exploiting growing interest in match streaming and sports betting.

Since the start of the tournament, the Russian company said, “fraudsters have been creating websites offering ‘online streaming’ of the championship.”

Attackers have set up fake websites claiming to provide “free access to World Cup broadcasts”, it said, adding that after users click “watch now” on the site, they are prompted to register.

Registration requires them to pay a cryptocurrency fee for “lifetime tournament access”.

“The danger of this scheme lies in the potential loss of both registration data and cryptocurrency funds,” it stated.

Football fans are also being targeted by fraudulent betting and match prediction platforms.

The cybersecurity company added that a Spanish-language website was found requesting extensive personal information, including first and last name, email address, phone number and more, under the guise of account creation.

“Such schemes expose users to credential theft, particularly if they reuse the same password across multiple services, as well as to potential financial loss,” Kaspersky stated.

“We recommend that users stick to official broadcasts to help protect their data and finances,” says Olga Altukhova, senior web content analyst at Kaspersky.

Attackers have also attempted to trick users into sending money or clicking phishing links.

“To increase engagement, these messages often use compelling subject lines and persuasive wording,” the company said, adding that in one case it had observed, fans received emails advertising football analytics services and match winner predictions.

The company added that “a notable feature is the sense of urgency, asking recipients to act quickly, which is one of the common indicators of a possible scam email.”

In these cases, users have been asked to pay a fee to access football analytics, Kaspersky said.

“While the offer targets fans interested in betting, paying for such ‘services’ can potentially result in irreversible financial loss,” it stated.

The company advised users to check the authenticity of websites before entering personal data.

Users should also double-check URL formats and the spellings of organisations’ names.

Football fans should choose official and reputable streaming platforms to protect personal data from theft and misuse, the cybersecurity company recommended.

Netanyahu built his political identity on an audacious assertion: that he alone could keep the US and Israel in strategic lockstep on Iran.

Cultivating Republican support, he cast himself as the only Israeli leader capable of influencing successive US presidents and insisted that only sustained military pressure could contain Tehran.

At the height of his power, he was described by diplomats as the “American whisperer”, the Israeli leader who could pick up the phone and ensure Washington’s strategic calculus aligned with that of Israel.

No other Israeli prime minister, they note, addressed Congress as often or built such enduring political capital across the American political system.

But analysts say Washington and Tehran’s interim pact to end the war that the US and Israel launched in February shows how that narrative has been reversed. Rather than shaping Washington’s Iran policy, Netanyahu is now forced to accept it, as US President Donald Trump pursues a settlement that increasingly treats Israeli objections as constraints.

At home, the reckoning is equally stark, said former US official Dennis Ross.

“Netanyahu is increasingly boxed in between a US president intent on ending the conflict and a domestic base resistant to concessions, particularly in Lebanon,” he said.

Withdrawal risks political backlash, while escalation risks confrontation with Washington.

The war Netanyahu hoped would cement his legacy as the leader who confronted Iran may instead be remembered as the conflict that dismantled a central source of his power.

Isolated abroad, constrained by his closest ally and vulnerable ahead of an autumn election, he now finds the political asset on which he built his career has become his greatest liability.

At the outset of the war with Iran, Netanyahu promised ultimate victory. He delivered neither the collapse of Iran’s ruling system, nor the defeat of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, nor a safe return for residents of northern Israel.

“The US-Iran deal is a decisive blow to Netanyahu,” said Aviv Bushinsky, a former Netanyahu adviser. “Not only did he lose the war with Iran, he has also lost Trump as a friend.

“He is now isolated not only internationally, but locked in a major dispute with Trump,” he added.

Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

In a press conference this month, the Israeli premier described his relationship with Trump as one between partners who “agree many times and sometimes disagree”.

There had been a systematic campaign to diminish Israel’s “huge achievements” against Iran, he said.

A White House official said Trump and Netanyahu had a strong relationship and that Israel’s military forces had been “incredible partners” in a war that had “decimated the Iranian regime’s military capabilities”.

Public rebukes

The disagreement between the US and Israeli leaders, analysts say, extends beyond personal ties to a growing divergence in goals: Trump seeks to disengage from another Middle East war, while Netanyahu views continued pressure on Iran and its ally Hezbollah as essential to Israel’s security.

Washington has negotiated directly with Tehran, folded Lebanon’s conflict between Israel and Hezbollah into a broader framework, and created mechanisms to manage ceasefire disputes, moves that, according to three regional diplomatic sources, have increasingly sidelined Israel from key decisions.

The country that once viewed Netanyahu as an indispensable interlocutor is now, the regional sources say, treating him as an obstacle to an agreement it is determined to protect.

Trump has publicly rebuked Israel’s military conduct in Lebanon, while US Vice President JD Vance has underscored the conditional nature of the relationship, warning Israeli critics of the deal against attacking the only powerful ally they have left in the world.

Two Israeli officials familiar with Netanyahu’s thinking said he was not concerned that public remarks by Trump and Vance would translate into meaningful shifts in US policy toward Israel, such as delays in arms deliveries, even if Israel continues military operations in Lebanon.

Trump has signalled that he is prepared to override Israeli priorities in pursuit of US interests. In a TV interview this month, he said that if he tells Netanyahu to do something, “he does it”.

Loss of Republican safety net

Iran will seek to widen the emerging gap between the US and Israel by portraying any Israeli military action in Lebanon as an attempt to sabotage Trump’s diplomacy, forcing the White House to choose between backing its ally or preserving the deal, said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group.

What makes Netanyahu’s position so precarious, US analysts say, is the loss of his safety net.

For years, he cultivated Republican backing, using it as a counterweight to offset tensions with Democratic administrations, and openly denouncing former President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal from a congressional podium.

But Republicans will not break with Trump for Netanyahu, they said.

Against this backdrop, the implications of the US-Iran deal also extend to Netanyahu’s core strategic bets. He staked his political future on two objectives: weakening, if not toppling, Iran’s leadership and securing normalised relations with Saudi Arabia by expanding the Abraham Accords.

Neither has materialised.

Iranian leaders have emerged from the conflict entrenched, while the Saudi handshake remains out of reach.

Across the region, a recalibration is already visible. Countries Netanyahu once hoped to draw closer, with Saudi Arabia as the crown jewel, are now hedging, cautiously reopening channels with Tehran.

According to Gulf sources, the logic that underpinned the Abraham Accords has been eroded by the Gaza war, the unresolved question of West Bank annexation, and a growing perception that Netanyahu’s Israel may be more of a liability than an asset in any emerging regional order.

An Iranian official said Netanyahu’s push to expand the Abraham Accords has been blunted, with several countries now seeking a place in an emerging Iran-aligned framework.

“This is not just a victory for Iran. It’s a failure for Netanyahu,” the official said. “The Islamic Republic has not just survived, it has emerged as a more influential regional player.”

Rubio is seeking to reassure close US allies — who were hit by Iranian missiles during the Middle East war — about the memorandum of understanding with Tehran, which fails to address some of the Gulf’s long-standing concerns about its missile programme. Iran contends that it targeted US bases and assets in Gulf countries and has not accepted responsibility for all attacks.

“They discussed President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region,” his spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

Rubio also “thanked the UAE for their leadership and unparalleled support, praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran’s attacks, and reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Emirates”, Pigott added.

The secretary of state arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening and held closed-door talks with Sheikh Mohamed the following day, then set off for Kuwait.

After that, he will travel on to Bahrain, where he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting on Thursday.

He insisted that no country is allowed to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz after Oman and Iran, which border the waterway, said they were considering charging “costs” for ships navigating the key conduit for Gulf oil and gas.

“It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law,” he said as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates capital.

Rubio held a working lunch with the UAE president and other senior figures, including National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Asked on arrival if he planned to address allies’ disquiet with the accord, Rubio told reporters: “That most certainly will come up in these discussions.”

He said they would also discuss issues not covered by the memorandum of understanding (MoU).

America’s top diplomat has been largely absent from Iran-related discussions in recent weeks, with Vice President JD Vance instead leading a round of talks with Iranian counterparts over the weekend in Switzerland.

The UAE faces particularly severe economic strains, as the war caused some expatriates at the core of its non-oil economy to flee the global financial centre, which prides itself on stability in a volatile Middle East.

Rubio’s remarks during his swing through the region will be closely scrutinised to see how the man once known as a hawkish critic of Iran frames a deal that many congressional Republicans argue amounts to capitulation.

Rubio and Vance, both former US senators, are widely viewed within Republican Party circles as potential candidates to succeed Trump, with party insiders and early polling often casting the race as a two-way contest between them.

Rubio’s mission is delicate: While he needs to defend a preliminary accord that Trump firmly supports, he also has to credibly address the concerns of his Gulf counterparts, who are more circumspect about the deal.

The US and Iran signed a 14-point MoU last week, setting out broad agreements in principle to end the war.

The interim accord paved the way for 60 days of talks aimed at hammering out thornier details, including issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme.

A central issue in talks is what will happen to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, including material enriched to up to 60 per cent purity, a short step from the roughly 90pc of weapons grade.

Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

While Gulf leaders pushed for peace during the four-month-long conflict, many were surprised and disappointed by the terms of the accord.

US regional allies are especially concerned that Iran could use the proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund to rebuild its military.

The accord also does not address Tehran’s ballistic missile capacity, a concern for Gulf states, all of which were struck by Iranian missiles and drones in the war.

Tehran has noted that the Gulf states made various logistical accommodations for Washington’s war effort, while hosting US military bases that were central to the conflict.

He made these remarks during a weekly media briefing in Islamabad, where he recalled Pakistan’s efforts for peace between the US and Iran in recent days.

Pakistan has been leading the peace efforts since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, setting off a war and global fuel crisis as Tehran took measures to disrupt traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime corridor for the supply of oil and gas.

The latest major developments pertaining to Pakistan’s efforts for de-escalation are the signing of the Islamabad MoU on June 18 — a 14-point accord aimed at ending the war — and key direct talks between the US and Iran, dubbed the Lake Lucerne Summit, held in Switzerland over the weekend.

Pakistan’s efforts have been acknowledged world over, which Andrabi also noted during his briefing.

Pakistan welcomed the “positive recognition and encouraging remarks from various countries, partners and members of the international community regarding our constructive role in promoting regional peace, dialogue and de-escalation efforts”, he said.

“Such recognition reflects the international community’s trust in Pakistan, as well as Pakistan’s commitment to advancing dialogue, peace, security and stability across the region and beyond,” he added.

The FO spokesperson said Pakistan extended its “sincere appreciation” to all countries and partners who expressed support for its peace efforts.

Moreover, he acknowledged the “responsible and constructive role” of Pakistan’s media throughout the peace process.

“Pakistan’s media demonstrated professionalism and maturity by respecting the strict requirements of confidentiality, discretion and trust that are indispensable to any credible facilitator,” he said.

Elaborating on the specifics of points agreed on after talks in Switzerland, he said the US and Iran reached an understanding on various aspects of the implementation of the Islamabad MoU.

He added that it was agreed that a high-level committee would be established for political oversight for mediation; the two sides had agreed on a roadmap towards reaching a final peace deal in 60 days; communication lines were to be established between the parties to avoid incidents of miscommunication and ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz; and a de-confliction cell was to be set up between the US, Iran and the Lebanese government.

Moreover, technical teams from mediators Pakistan and Qatar would remain engaged with technical teams from the US and Iran in the coming weeks for the effective implementation of the Islamabad MoU, he said.

‘Efforts on release of seamen held hostage by Somali pirates’

The FO spokesperson also detailed efforts for the release of 11 Pakistani seafarers who have been held hostage by Somali pirates since April.

The seamen were taken hostage when armed pirates hijacked the MT Honour 25 off the southeastern coast of Somalia on April 21. There were 11 Pakistanis among the vessel’s crew, who remain in the pirates’ captivity.

Throughout this time, their families have been running from pillar to post to get them back home, but they have only run into walls.

Addressing the matter, Andrabi said the government had launched a “sustained diplomatic and overall political campaign” to free the hostages.

“We have taken significant efforts in this regard,” he assured, adding that the government’s priority at this stage was “diplomatic and humanitarian endeavours to secure” the seamen’s safe release.

Andrabi said the FO remained engaged with the Somali authorities at multiple levels, and technical teams from Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti had been visiting Somalia for “talks with relevant stakeholders”.

He said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had also spoken with the Somali foreign minister while senior officials from the Somalian foreign ministry had separately been engaged for the hostages’ release.

“This is a difficult issue,” he remarked, adding that an interministerial meeting had been held internally to coordinate the government’s response.

It was decided at the meeting to pursue negotiations and humanitarian channels as a primary means of securing the release of the seafarers while maintaining close engagement with the families of the hostages, he said.

Andrabi said Pakistan was also “exploring the assistance of friendly countries”, relevant interlocutors and local NGOs, as well as human rights activist Ansar Burney.

“These efforts continue, and we will continue to update you on this matter. This is an issue which is very close to our hearts because of the involvement of families, and we can understand their pain. But, as I said, the release is a difficult situation which is being addressed,” he said.

The displaced families are from the Sturikhel area, which is located near the border of Khyber and Orakzai districts. Sources in the area told Dawn that they were left with no option but to vacate their homes and move to safer localities.

They said the residents of Meero Darra, Sal Gazai, Sawi Kot and Parrwan villages, in particular, were forced to leave their homes due to artillery shelling and drone strikes that were conducted day and night.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the newly displaced residents told Dawn that the terrorists also tried to use them as human shields.

“We felt completely insecure and decided to leave our houses instead of getting caught in the fighting between terrorists and security forces,” said one of the displaced Sturikhel tribesmen.

Some of the displaced residents told Dawn that terrorist groups had come to Bara from the Tirah valley in recent days.

In late 2025 and early 2026, Tirah’s residents also had to leave their homes in anticipation of a military operation against terrorists, who were holed up in various parts of the valley at the time.

Sources in Bara said that clashes between terrorist groups and security forces erupted in the Sturikhel area after the latter launched intelligence-based operations.

According to Bara residents, while most of the Sturikhel residents have opted to relocate to their relatives’ houses in Bara, some also went to Peshawar, where they have their own houses or are living on rent.

Meanwhile, a jirga of Sturikhel tribal elders met officials of the Khyber district administration in Bara and informed them about their plight. The elders demanded that district administration officials register them as internally displaced persons and provide them with adequate official assistance.

Jirga members said they also intend to meet security officials in the Lakar Baba village, located near the Sturikhel area, to discuss the deteriorating security situation.

US-India ties have deteriorated during Trump’s second term, with Washington imposing high tariffs on Indian goods, punishing New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil, and engaging closely with India’s arch-rival Pakistan.

The road in the capital of the southern state of Telangana, ruled by the main opposition Congress party, adjoins the US consulate and is near the offices of major American tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

The road received its new name, Donald Trump Avenue, on Tuesday, at a time when Congress has been accusing Modi of being “compromised” by not taking on Trump on issues from the tariffs to US attacks on Indian-crewed tankers during the Iran war.

“Rahul Gandhi says President Trump [is] hurting Indian interests,” Shehzad Poonawalla, a spokesperson of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, said on X on Wednesday, referring to the top Congress leader.

“Then why is his government in Telangana giving the ultimate tribute to him by renaming a road after him?”

The move drew criticism from other political parties when unveiled this month, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) calling it “outrageous” and demanding its withdrawal.

Congress says the renaming gesture demonstrates Hyderabad’s “growing role” in the partnership of the two countries.

Trump has not visited Hyderabad during his two terms in office, although predecessors Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both did.

Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of last week’s G7 summit in France and agreed to push forward a trade deal they have been negotiating.

In a statement, the ministry said the two ministers met in Islamabad, and held a detailed discussion on Pak-Iran ties and the latest situation in the region.

Momeni was part of a delegation led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which visited Pakistan on Tuesday after the US and Iran signed a ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) to end the Middle East conflict and held high-level talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland.

According to the ministry, the Iranian minister thanked Naqvi for the warm welcome accorded to Pezeshkian and the Iranian delegation. Both ministers expressed satisfaction at the de-escalation in the region.

Meanwhile, Naqvi congratulated the Iranian minister on the joint statement issued after the US-Iran talks in Switzerland.

“This agreement would not have been possible without your and the Iranian government’s sincere efforts,” Naqvi was quoted as saying in the statement.

“Pakistan has always desired peace and stability across the world. Pakistan will continue its efforts for lasting peace in the Middle East,” he said, hoping that the agreement would bring positive results in the region.

According to the ministry, the two sides agreed to extend cooperation in multiple sectors, including security, anti-terrorism, cybersecurity and immigration.

“I will conduct a detailed visit to Pakistan soon to extend cooperation between the interior ministries of the two countries,” Momeni said.

He appreciated the sincere role played by Pakistan in the dialogue between the US and Iran and the cooperation extended by the nation in this regard.

Speaking alongside the Iranian president on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and Iran will act as “an iron wall” against any forces seeking to undermine regional peace, saying there was “no dearth of spoilers” around the globe who are unhappy with the US-Iran talks and the breakthrough achieved through the Islamabad MoU.

PM Shehbaz stressed that both countries were fully determined to resist such attempts poised to undermine the peace efforts.

The Iranian president, while talking about extending “hands of friendship for a new regional security structure” called for a “united front” of Muslim nations.

During his “thanksgiving” visit to Pakistan, the Iranian president also held separate meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Shehbaz and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The statement, issued by the CTD, said the slain individuals were “most-wanted terrorists” who had been involved in a recent attack on the Badwan Bridge checkpost in Lower Dir, in which Constable Mohammad Ismail was martyred.

According to the statement, the CTD and district police had cordoned off the area after the attack on the Badwan Bridge checkpost.

It said that the CTD and district police received information about the presence of “a group of Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorists in the hilly areas of Lower Dir” and tried to arrest them when they came out of their hideouts in the area.

“But, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on police parties”, the statement said, adding that law enforcers fired back in retaliation.

Fitna al-Khawarij is a term that the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The CTD statement said fire exchange during the operation continued for a long time, and “six terrorists were found dead in the ensuing search operation”.

According to the CTD, the slain individuals were wanted in several cases of terrorism.

“Six Kalashnikovs, three hand grenades and multiple cartridges were found in their possession,” the statement said, adding that the search operation was ongoing to arrest their accomplices who had fled.

The statement said KP Inspector General of Police (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed commended the district police and CTD and affirmed that these operations “will continue with full force until terrorism is eradicated from the province and that the writ of the state will be maintained”.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised the CTD and police for the “successful operation”, according to a post by the Interior Ministry on X.

“The interior minister commended the professional expertise of CTD and police for sending six terrorists to hell,” it said.

According to a monthly security assessment released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May 2026, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in KP and Balochistan.

The report said the country witnessed 128 terrorist attacks during May, compared to 101 attacks in April, representing a 27 per cent increase. The rise reversed the downward trend observed during the previous two months and underscored the persistent security challenges confronting conflict-affected regions of the country.

As KP and Balochistan continue to grapple with militancy, with attacks often targeting security personnel and law enforcers, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

Earlier this month, an alleged terrorist commander was killed during an operation in KP’s Bannu district. The deceased was said to be a close associate and facilitator of terrorist commander Akhtar Muhammad and was allegedly involved in several terrorist activities.

Prior to that, the military’s media wing said on June 13 that security forces had killed 27 terrorists in a span of 72 hours in the Miranshah area of KP’s North Waziristan district.

According to District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Tahir Shah, the school building was destroyed in the explosion, which occurred late at night.

DPO Shah told Dawn that police had registered an initial report in the daily log and launched an investigation into the incident. No individual or group has claimed responsibility so far.

According to local police and residents, attacks targeting educational institutions have increased in Lower South Waziristan in recent months.

Unidentified attackers had earlier targeted two schools in Birmal tehsil in February and March.

Residents and community leaders say such attacks not only reflect hostility toward education but also pose a serious threat to children’s future, particularly girls, who already face challenges in accessing educational opportunities in remote areas.

Meanwhile, a government school for girls in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali was also destroyed by explosives in December 2025. In October, the building of a government primary school for girls was blown up with explosives in the Wanda Zahidgul area of KP’s Lakki Marwat district.

The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric patterns that keep hot air trapped in place for days, with these factors worsened by global warming, experts say.

France’s national temperature indicator — an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations — reached 29.8 °C on Tuesday, the hottest since measurements began in 1947.

With four more French departments being put under the highest heat alert category on Wednesday, around 44 million people are affected, according to AFP calculations.

Added to the 31 departments currently on orange alert, more than 90 per cent of the French population is exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures of 39°C to 41°C expected on Wednesday from Brittany to the Paris region, and in much of the southwest.

The heatwave caused the country’s first major power outage of the latest bout of extreme weather, after a heat-related incident with a transformer left around 68,000 households on Wednesday without electricity in the northwestern Finistere department, the authorities said.

While teams worked through the night to fix the issue, which took place late Tuesday, power is not expected to be restored in full until the end of Wednesday at the earliest.

Up to 106,000 clients of the French power network were left without power by late Tuesday, as the scorching temperatures strain infrastructure built for the days before man-driven climate change made heatwaves longer, more frequent and more intense, according to scientists.

Sales of fans and air conditioners skyrocketed in a country where most buildings are not designed to cope with extreme heat.

On Monday, hypermarket operator Carrefour had sold 30,000 units by 6:30pm — “a thousand times more than on a normal day”, CEO Alexandre Bompard said.

Sales on Amazon nearly doubled last week compared with the same period in 2025, while the electronics outlet Fnac Darty reported double-digit growth.

Thierry, an electrician in southwest France, said he was overwhelmed by requests for “emergency” air-conditioning installations.

“In theory, you have to submit a request to the owners’ association general meeting” in residential complexes, “but people don’t want to wait”.

“It’s difficult to live alone and without air conditioning,” said Martine Belloc, a 62-year-old retiree in Bordeaux, who on Tuesday went to La ManuCo, a coworking site that mobilised to welcome elderly people.

‘We’re suffocating’

John Beeler, a 45-year-old American engineer, said he and his wife were baking in the French capital.

“Visiting Paris in this heat is awful,” he told AFP, wearing a fisherman’s hat and holding a small fan.

“We’re suffocating in the streets, we’re suffocating in the subway and we’re even suffocating in our rental,” he said, adding that they would be moving to an air-conditioned hotel room.

Italy’s health ministry declared a red heatwave alert in 16 cities on Wednesday, including Milan and Rome.

The heatwave is expected to extend into eastern Europe in the coming days.

Poland’s weather service issued high-level heat warnings for the western part of the country from Thursday to Saturday, forecasting temperatures could break the record of 40.2°C set in 1921.

Croatia’s popular Adriatic coast was also put under red alert for Friday and Saturday.

Hungary, already under a second-level heat alert, said it was raising that to the maximum level from Saturday to Tuesday as temperatures continued to rise.

The current heatwave is “significantly exacerbated by human-induced climate change”, without which the current temperatures would have been 2 to 4°C cooler, according to a scientific study published this week.

But some relief could start to come from the west on Wednesday, when Spain’s national weather service said temperatures would drop in most of the country.

No quick relief

But no quick temperature drop is in sight across much of the rest of western Europe.

From Wednesday until at least Friday, the central and southern Netherlands will be under a code orange for extreme heat.

Anyone living in Amsterdam with a city pass may swim for free in six city outdoor pools, while the national rail company NS will run fewer trains on a number of routes starting Wednesday.

In Britain, James Bowen, assistant general secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers, told AFP that “pretty much every school up and down the UK will be having to make some form of adaptation this week in light of the extreme heat.

“I think it’s fair to say that the school estate in the UK is not well prepared for this level of heat,” he said.

After some of France’s most visited sites, such as the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower, decided to limit visiting hours, the management of one of Belgium’s best-known monuments, the space-age Atomium in Brussels, said it would close earlier to visitors from Wednesday to Friday.

[Advance with utmost reverence and decorum,
For this is the procession of the Martyr of Karbala.
Lifted is the earthly remains of the King of
Faith, Whose [blessed neck] was severed by the blade of Shimr]

— The voice of the naqeeb [heralder]
in Muharram mourning processions

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
— Queen Elizabeth II

From the dust of Pakistan’s independence in 1947 emerged a sonic revolution that would permanently rewrite Karachi’s spiritual DNA.

Rooted in classical Urdu, Arabic and Persian literary traditions, the noha — a profound elegiac lament commemorating the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) — travelled across a fractured Subcontinent in the hearts of millions of families that migrated to Karachi. Over the last three-quarters of a century, this localised ritual of displacement morphed into a defining cultural powerhouse.

Driven by global shifts and technological eras, 12 trailblazing master orators of the noha [elegiac lament] arose, not merely as reciters, but as architectural anchors and boundary-breakers who fundamentally re-engineered the soundscape of devotion.

This is a tribute to those 12 legendary noha khwaans [noha reciters] who shaped Karachi’s Muharram.

Soul-stirring, heartbreaking, and melodically and poetically inventive, the noha occupies a central place in the Subcontinent’s Muharram mourning tradition. The masters of this form of elegiac lament found in Karachi a fertile ground to further increase the popularity of the noha in the post-Partition landscape…

THE LEGACY OF CHAJJAN SAHIB: SYNTHESIS AND SPIRITUAL RIGOUR

A monumental pillar of Pakistan’s cultural history, Chajjan Sahib (Ustad Sadiq Husain) was the foundational pioneer of organised Urdu noha khwaani [noha recitation] in Karachi. Born in Lucknow in 1905, his journey began at the age of 10, reciting during the historic Gomati River floods. After decades of devotion, he migrated to Karachi in 1950, transplanting his newly founded noha group, the Anjuman-i-Abidia Kazmia.

During Karachi’s inaugural Ashura (10th of Muharram) procession, his voice anchored the congregation, leading the mourning from Jahangir Park to the Husainia Iranian imambargah in Kharadar — establishing the enduring blueprint for the city’s spiritual landscape.

Even after his death in 1986, the enduring power of his artistic and spiritual legacy is preserved in several of his timeless and legendary compositions. His famous nohas, such as ‘Tumhare sajdon ko’, ‘Hasliyon walay merey ho chukay’, and the deeply evocative ‘Hum se mat poochho’, continue to serve as historic touchstones for devotees and cultural historians alike.

Chajjan Sahib’s recitation style was defined by a strict adherence to classical, old-school structures that prioritised immense literary weight, emotional devotion and extreme caution in delivery. Chajjan Sahib’s foundational work created a resilient framework that allowed subsequent generations of legends to bring innovation to the tradition.

IZZAT LAKHNAVI: THE SIGNIFIER OF MINIMALISM AND MAJESTY

Few figures command the reverence accorded to Agha Muhammad Izzat-uz-Zaman (1932–1981), universally celebrated as Izzat Lakhnavi. Born in Lucknow, India, he migrated to Pakistan in 1958, permanently transferring the pristine traditions of his homeland into the cultural fabric of post-Partition Karachi, where he established the Anjuman-i-Zafar-ul-Iman.

He would be clad in a traditional sherwani with a wristwatch on his right hand as he appeared on Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) during the solemn days of Muharram — it defined his performance of Shahid Naqvi’s classic noha, ‘Ab aaye ho baba.’ Delivered with utmost seriousness, this iconic masterpiece remains Lakhnavi’s absolute magnum opus. This noha holds a monumental place in Pakistani media history, and is widely recognised as one of the very first nohas to be broadcast on air.

Lakhnavi’s other seminal noha is ‘Karbala aik aftab.’ Through a masterful command of vocal modulation, he utilised the ups-and-downs in pitch and pace to immerse the audience in the agonising pain endured by Imam Hussain’s loyal companions. His heart-wrenching recitation of the noha ‘Bano ne kaha’ captures the profound isolation of Imam Husain’s first wife Bibi Rubab as she calls out into the wilderness for her youngest child.

A master of elegiac minimalism, Lakhnavi’s pristine vocal purity and soul-touching voice helped him carve out an enduring legacy as a noha khwaan.

SYED AFAQ HUSSAIN RIZVI: THE STYLISTIC PIONEER

Whether it was blisteringly hot or bitingly cold on the streets outside Shah-i-Khurasan imambargah on Youm-i-Ashur, all weather-related agonies routinely dissipated the moment the voice of Syed Afaq Hussain Rizvi, the legendary Sahib-i-Bayaz [a master elegy reciter] of the Anjuman-i-Muhammadi Qadeem (an azadaari or mourning group), pierced the air.

His recitation of the iconic noha ‘Haye Karbala walon’, written by Najm Afandi, alleviated any physical exhaustion during Karachi’s historic Muharram procession.

He started noha khwaani during the early days of Pakistan and his passionate voice ruled the landscape of noha recitation for 50 years. He was the most sought out noha khwaan after Sachey Bhai (see below). His evocative recitations anchored the historic shab-bedari [night of mourning] processions, breathing life into compositions such as ‘Bey-watanon ka jo qafila aaya’, a classical lament that chronicles the heart-rending return of the surviving, displaced captives of Karbala back to their desolated homeland. His rendition of ‘Na lashkaray na sipaahay’, written by Sahir Faizabadi, highlights the agony and the loneliness of Imam Hussain at Karbala.

Rizvi shattered traditional stylistic boundaries and pioneered sophisticated vocal modulations and innovative rhythmic frameworks.

SACHEY BHAI: ACOUSTIC MAJESTY AND DEVOTION

Born in Azamgarh, India, in 1941 into the illustrious literary cradle of marsiya [elegy] poet and reciter Yawar Azmi, Syed Ali Muhammad Rizvi — immortally revered as Sachey Bhai — was destined to become the trendsetter of Karachi’s Muharram landscape.

In 1953, at just 12-years-old, he unleashed a voice of soaring pitch, emotional gravitas and profound mastery of rasai adab [elegiac literature]. His journey was deeply intertwined with the raw, acoustic textures of post-Partition Karachi. As documented in Prof Syed Imran Zafar Ali’s book Karachi Ki Azadari, it was the fierce cry of a local street-malang [derwish] chanting “Sahib-i-Zulfikar almaddad” [O’ possessor of the sword of Zulfikar, grant me aid] that sparked Sachey Bhai’s creative genius. He wove those very words into a verse and birthed his signature Anjuman-i-Zulfiqar-i-Haidery, thus carving a sanctuary for communal grief.

Through the searing heat of successive Ashura processions until the late 1980s, the sight of Sachey Bhai clad in a simple shalwar qameez became iconic. He commanded the sonic geography of Karachi, moving thousands to tears, both with the defiant ‘Ooncha rahay apna alam’ and ‘Museebat ki gharri’, or the classical, Arabic-infused masterworks ‘Ameer lashkar-i-Husain’ and ‘Taqqadam waladi’ — both penned by his revered mentor, Maulana Imdad Husain.

The art of noha khwaani remains inextricably bound to the monumental legacy of Sachey Bhai, who passed away in 2000 and who left behind the following prayer:

[I am a narrator of the tragedy of Husain Ibn Ali, pray for me, That this supreme honour never departs from my lineage, until the Day of Resurrection.]

JAFFAR HUSAIN: THE SILENCED VOICE THAT REFUSED TO STOP

For veterans of the 1980s Ashura processions, the image remains indelible: a man clad in a pristine white kurta pajama, commanding the procession with his soulful recitations, his voice amplified by traditional mosque-style loudspeakers mounted on a simple, hand-driven cart.

The man was Ustad Jaffar Husain, affectionately known as Jaffar Dada. Leading the renowned Anjuman-i-Al Abbas, Jaffar Dada was widely recognised in Karachi as the third-largest crowd puller during the solemn Youm-i-Ashur processions, following closely in the footsteps of giants such as Sachey Bhai and Afaq Husain.

Jaffar Dada’s legacy is defined by his profound vocal delivery and three defining masterpieces. His recitation of ‘Ja ke keh do ke, darya pe hum aayein hain’ captures the unmatched courage of Imam Husain’s brother Hazrat Abbas with fierce, epic cadence. Conversely, ‘Shaheedon zindabad’, portrays the eternal victory of the martyrs of Karbala over tyranny and institutional oppression. His emotional depth peaks in ‘Ae Sakina, ab na baba aayein gey’, a heartbreaking lament that perfectly captures the profound grief of Imam Hussain’s youngest daughter.

His immense popularity and rising influence reportedly made him a target of professional jealousy, leading to a dark chapter, where he was allegedly poisoned. While the poison severely damaged and distorted his voice, it could not break his spiritual resolve. Defying the physical limitations of his damaged vocal cords, Jaffar Dada refused to stop reciting, continuing to read nohas with the same burning passion until his final days.

SYED NASIR JAHAN: THE VOICE OF NATIONAL HERITAGE

For decades, the airwaves of PTV and Radio Pakistan bore a signature resonance that became the definitive soundtrack of national religious broadcasting.

That voice belonged to Syed Nasir Jahan, a towering figure who elevated na’at khwaani [recitation of praise for the Prophet (PBUH)], salaam [tribute] and noha recitation into an institution of national heritage. His impact was so profound that, in his earlier days, his recitations on Radio Ceylon reportedly prompted people to purchase radio sets just to experience his unique style of recitation.

Blessed with a deeply soulful baritone, Jahan possessed an innate ability to express intense emotional depth with an unmatched sense of reverence that made him a permanent fixture of broadcasting during Muharram. His legendary rendering of ‘Ghabraye gi Zainab’ depicted the crushing loneliness of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) granddaughter in the ruined wilderness of Karbala.

‘Ae maarka-i-quwat-i-Islam ke jauhar’, a tribute to and the portrayal of the suffering of Imam Husain’s youngest son, Hazrat Ali Asghar, highlights Jahan’s mastery over melodic pace, weaving a rhythmic, melancholic rhythm.

Meanwhile, ‘La’chaar Hussaina’ is a classical lament that captures the profound isolation and absolute helplessness of Imam Hussain on the sands of Karbala. Jahan’s soulful voice formed a profound literary alliance with master poets such as Najm Afandi and Syed Aal-i-Raza, ensuring the theological purity and poetic metre of each text that he recited.

During the Muharram in 1990, adhering to a decades-long sacred tradition, as the dust settled on the grief-laden evening of Shaam-i-Ghariban [Night of the Bereaved], he recited his customary concluding salaam on PTV, sealing the night with the poignant verses:

[If we survive, we shall return to this mourning next year, If we pass away, let this be our final Salaam]

Only weeks later, in December 1990, this towering icon of noha khwaani breathed his last, leaving the world of elegiac recitation for his permanent, eternal abode. What was meant to be a traditional recitation became his literal, immortal ‘Salaam-i-Aakhir’ [The Last Salaam], which continues to echo in the hearts of mourners to this day.

NAZIM HUSAIN: AN ANCHOR OF THE ELEGIAC TRADITION

Nazim Husain stood for over half-a-century as a monumental anchor of the tradition of noha recitation. His mastery is immortalised in his legendary recitation of ‘Shaam ka bazaar’, which portrays Imam Husain’s captive family’s march through Damascus.

Husain’s tempo makes the imagery of the exhausting drag of caravan chains seem visceral. His 1982 rendition of Mahshar Lakhnavi’s ‘Haye haye Ali Akbar’ captures the intense agony of Imam Husain’s wife Bibi Umme Laila weeping over the shattered youth of her 18-year-old son, Ali Akbar. His devastating delivery of ‘Aseer ho kay chali hoon salaam ae baba’ captures the heart-breaking farewell of Imam Husain’s daughter Bibi Sakina to her father as the caravan of the surviving holy women and children is forced to leave the burning plains of Karbala.

A staunch purist of poetic metre, Nazim Husain ensured that composition never compromised the sanctity of elegiac verse, steadfastly prioritising the weight of the subject and poetry over the rhythm itself.

SABIRA KAZMI: CHANTING THROUGH THE BURNING SANDS

Sabira Kazmi’s signature style is defined by an intimate, conversational pace that pictures a mother’s private lamentation.

Nowhere is this heartbreaking aesthetic more visible than in ‘Meray bachay ki aati hai mehndi.’ While recounting the tragedy of Imam Hasan’s son and Imam Husain’s nephew Hazrat Qasim — who was martyred in Karbala at the age of 13 — Kazmi balances a gentle, rhythmic lullaby tempo with a piercing sorrow, capturing the ultimate agony of a mother celebrating a wedding that transforms into a funeral.

Her vocal control shifts seamlessly into deep, communal despair in ‘Pukari laash pe’, capturing the agonising grief of the women of the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) family over the unburied, shroud-less body of Imam Husain. This breathless, narrative-driven noha vividly describes the agonies of the holy women who stumbled on to the battlefield of Karbala.

‘Wawela sad wawela’ is a deeply moving and heartbreaking classical lament that wraps the soul in the raw, shattering grief of the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) family, capturing their collective, agonising cry (wawela) over the martyrdom of Imam Husain and the profound sorrow borne by the surviving captives left behind.

Through these definitive renderings, Kazmi ensured that the historic legacy of female lamentation remained an indispensable pillar of Karachi’s religious fabric.

SYED ALI ZIA RIZVI: THE FORTRESS OF TRADITION

Syed Ali Zia Rizvi was a defining voice of Karachi’s Rizvia Society’s rich elegiac tradition. His popular noha ‘Kartay hain maatam haram Abbas ka’ stands as a monumental fortress of classical noha khwaani, as do his masterpieces ‘Aati hai gardoon se yeh paiham sada’ and ‘Asghar, haaye Asghar.’

Breaking from the era of a lead reciter supported by two back-up vocalists (bazoo), Rizvi pioneered solo noha khwaani, without any vocal assistance. Amid growing market pressures pushing peers toward commercialised grandeur, he remained celebrated for his signature simplicity. His classics include ‘Pamaal-i-sum-i-aspaan’ and ‘Abid kabhi tauq-i-zanjeer pe na roay.’

He utilised a piercing, mournful tenor that served almost as a foundational textbook for modern lamentation. As the founder of modern noha khwaani, Ali Zia Rizvi pioneered a school of recitation defined by a unique delivery style, deep vocal pathos (soz) and a vivid narrative portrayal of Karbala, all while strictly adhering to a disciplined, medium-sized Urdu poetic metre (behr).

SYED NASIR HUSAIN ZAIDI: UNMATCHED RANGE, UNDYING DEVOTION

Syed Nasir Husain Zaidi — affectionately referred to as Nasir Bhai — stood as the definitive anchor of the Anjuman Tanzeem-ul-Husaini.

Wielding a distinctive tenor that defied standard vocal constraints, Zaidi possessed an extraordinary acoustic range that could effortlessly command massive urban spaces, forever binding his congregations with the iconic noha ‘Abbas ka parcham hai, tanzeem Husaini hai.’

Born in Hyderabad, Sindh, in 1964, Zaidi migrated to Karachi in 1972, launching his sacred journey of recitation in 1976. Documented by Prof Imran Ali as the trusted right hand (bazoo) of the legendary Ali Zia Rizvi, Zaidi formally joined Tanzeem-ul-Husaini in 1981, etching his name into the city’s spiritual fabric.

Nowhere was his sonic power more legendary than under the sky at Mehfil-i-Shah-i-Khurasan. When he delivered the heart-wrenching verses of ‘Kisht-i-alaam mein Zainab ko bhala aaram kahaan’, his resonant voice would slice through the stillness. Zaidi’s dard-bhari [grief-laden] voice produced an immortal repertoire of devotion. His seminal works — including the heartbreaking ‘Na alam na chacha’ and the universally wept-over ‘Lo alamdaar, alamdaar chala’, defined an era of communal mourning.

After anchoring Karachi’s Muharram heartbeat for 45 years, this master of lament departed for his permanent abode in 2021, leaving behind a profound silence that still echoes through the streets of azadari.

NADEEM RAZA SARWAR: THE VOICE OF A GENERATION

The unprecedented global stardom achieved by Nadeem Raza Sarwar of the Anjuman Gulzar-i-Haideri remains unmatched in the history of noha khwaani. It is no exaggeration to state that he has become the most luminous star in today’s noha khwaani firmament. From his very first volume of recordings, Sarwar announced a paradigm shift — moving away from traditional slow, measured chanting toward a faster, deeply evocative and narratively dramatic delivery.

In 1986, his masterpiece ‘Ae Shion jab peena pani’, which beautifully incorporated Arabic phrasing alongside Urdu, captured the imagination of the younger generation. By 1987, his popularity had soared to such heights that tracks such as ‘Tamam aalam mein aaj maatam’, ‘Achhi nahin yeh baat’ and, later, ‘Darya hai hamara’ were memorised verbatim by men, women and children alike, irrespective of sect.

By integrating Arabic and Persian into his nohas, Sarwar globalised the genre, making it accessible to international audiences. The 1980s and 1990s were the golden age of Karachi’s famous W-11 buses, which would blast Sarwar’s nohas across the city’s streets throughout the mourning season, transcending sectarian lines, as his voice resonated in every neighbourhood.

ALI SAFDAR RIZVI: THE VANGUARD OF RESISTANCE

The voice of Ali Safdar Rizvi of the Dasta-i-Imamia emerged as a powerful shift, fusing traditional lamentation with a fierce, definitive ideological consciousness.

Heavily inspired by the structural compositions and rhythmic cadences of the contemporary Iranian noha, Rizvi engineered a revolutionary school of recitation that captured the imagination of a younger generation of devotees. His signature style stands at the intersection of spiritual grief and socio-political awakening, transforming the historical tragedy of Karbala into an active, timeless resistance against oppression.

Rizvi’s vocal delivery is characterised by a high-energy, anthem-like gravitas that completely redefined congregational dynamics in the city’s central processions. His legacy is upheld by his monumental, battle-centric recitations, including the iconic identity anthem ‘Husain, Husain sha’ar-i-ma’, alongside the deeply evocative ‘Aishiqaan-i-Mehdi ko Karbala bulati hai’ and ‘Zainab pareshan ast’, solidifying his role as the vanguard of Pakistan’s contemporary elegiac movement.

A WORD ABOUT THE NOHA AND ITS WORDSMITHS

The rich literary tradition of noha khwaani has been meticulously shaped by distinct generations of extraordinary poets. Pakistan’s Muharram landscape was thoroughly enriched by a distinguished cadre of exceptional wordsmiths, including Gohar Jarchavi, Anees Paharsari, Syed Aal-i-Raza, Najm Afandi, Mujahid Lakhnavi and Urooj Bijnori.

The academic and structural depth of this poetic genre is further elevated by the contemporary brilliance of scholars such as Dr Hilal Naqvi. While classical figures such as Sahir Faizabadi, Maulana Imdad Husain and Yawar Azmi maintained a traditionalist approach to the pulpit, Dr Rehan Azmi carved out a distinct contemporary path, cementing a unique and unparalleled legacy that continues to bridge historical tragedy with modern poetic sensibilities.

Based on three immutable pillars — masaaib [the tragedy], fazaail [the virtues] and tableegh [the message] — the noha, through the agency of the noha khwaan, is not merely a passive piece of literature and instead serves as an active producer of place.

The walking bodies of the mourners physically trace an alternative map of the city. The route itself becomes a sacred geography, marked by traditional stopping points (gali [lane], choraha [square]) that are recognised year after year, building a permanent layer of religious and historical meaning over the grid of the city.

Moreover, seamlessly archived and globally amplified, the contemporary noha has broken free from localised boundaries, transforming into a high-powered, multimedia vehicle for identity affirmation. This ritualistic heraldry serves as the acoustic foundation for an urban transformation, where grief and pain cease to be a private affliction and becomes a structured, collective remapping of the city.

The writer wishes to acknowledge Syed Muhammad
Ali Kazmi, Shakil Jafri, Syed Ali Akbar Naqvi,
and Naqvi’s colleagues Asad Agha and
Qaiser Husain for their invaluable assistance
in gathering information for this article

The writer is a peripatetic urbanite and can be
reached at mansooraza@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 21st, 2026

The House-passed measure, adopted by the Senate in a 50-48 vote, directs Trump to remove US forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress explicitly authorises military action.

Because the measure is a “concurrent resolution,” it does not go to Trump’s desk for signature and carries disputed legal force.

But its passage still puts both chambers of Congress on record against a conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, rattled global energy markets and opened a broader regional war involving Lebanon and Gulf states.

The vote came as the Trump administration pursued a 60-day diplomatic push to turn a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Iran into a final agreement covering Tehran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and the Strait of Hormuz.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer forced the vote to put Republicans on record after several Trump allies voiced alarm over both the war and the president’s deal to end it.

“Republicans can complain about Trump’s war, his secrecy, and his disastrous deal with Iran all they want behind closed doors, but the only way to ensure this war ends once and for all is for Republicans to act,” Schumer said in a floor speech ahead of the vote.

The resolution earlier cleared the Republican-controlled House after four Republicans joined every Democrat in backing it, a rare break with Trump on matters of war and national security.

Democrats say Trump violated the Constitution by launching military operations against Iran without congressional approval.

Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, said before the House vote that limiting the commander-in-chief during negotiations was a “very dangerous prospect.”

But Democrats and some Republicans say the fighting continued well beyond the legal deadline and that Trump has repeatedly threatened renewed strikes.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026

Field Marshal Munir’s engagement with senior international figures, including his role alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in welcoming foreign delegations to Islamabad, has become a visible feature of Pakistan’s expanding diplomatic role, from South Asia to the Middle East.

This trajectory runs counter to India’s efforts to isolate Pakistan following the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam attack. New Delhi reportedly sent 59 politicians to 32 countries to shore up international support, yet Pakistan came out of the four-day war with its regional and international standing intact, and according to some assessments, even stronger. Pakistan’s geographic position, diplomatic networks and security relationships have ensured that Islamabad remains part of critical global conversations despite sustained pressure.

New Delhi’s attempts not only failed diplomatically but also in the information battle as its spun narrative failed to gain traction. During the 2025 standoff, international reporting, and even an Indian naval officer, confirmed that India lost multiple aircraft. Pakistan used the outcome to reinforce its image as a capable actor, able to absorb pressure and impose costs on a larger adversary.

To be sure, the information battle surrounding the crisis became almost as important as the military confrontation. Indian television and social media relentlessly peddled false claims. Karachi Port was supposedly destroyed, Lahore captured and Islamabad was collapsing with Pakistani leaders arrested or hiding.

These claims were widely challenged and created the impression of a narrative campaign driven more by domestic political messaging than by verified information. India attempted to convince the world that the problem lay entirely in Islamabad, but in today’s multipolar environment, most states would not be inclined to choose sides in a South Asian rivalry unless their own interests are at stake.

Geopolitical shifts

China remained Pakistan’s strongest external anchor. Through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Beijing invested massively in Pakistan’s infrastructure and connectivity. The United States, especially under President Donald Trump, has lauded the positive role played by Field Marshal Munir and Prime Minister Sharif. This backing has given Islamabad additional room to manoeuvre when New Delhi tried to mobilise diplomatic pressure.

South Asia is often treated as though India alone defines the region’s political temperature. But India failed to produce a regional front. The 2024 political shift in Bangladesh signalled Pakistan was expanding its regional options. The reopening of diplomatic channels between Islamabad and Dhaka is an indication that India does not influence the foreign policy choices of neighbouring states. The Bangladesh opening showed that smaller South Asian states, such as Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives, stayed cautious and neutral, balancing their interests and external ties with India and China.

Pakistan’s position in the Muslim world remained another source of strength. It maintained solid ties with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Gulf Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran. These relationships provided Islamabad with diplomatic depth at a time when India was seeking to build international pressure.

Pakistan’s leverage rests on diplomacy, labour ties, energy links, security cooperation and historical associations India cannot easily replicate. Pakistan’s reported Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 added another layer to its value, expanding its Middle East profile. Security cooperation with Ankara bolstered Islamabad’s strategic depth and widened its footing in Europe’s broader neighbourhood, the Black Sea region and Central Asia, areas where India cannot easily compete.

From the Western lens

The United States and Europe refused to fully align with India’s position. Rather than accepting a binary India-versus-Pakistan framing, Western capitals continued to assess Pakistan through the lens of their own priorities.

US-Pakistan trade remained significant in 2025. Goods trade totalled $8.7 billion, US exports to Pakistan at $3.3 billion, imports from Pakistan at $5.4 billion. Washington remained unwilling to discard Pakistan’s utility on Afghanistan, Iran and counter-terrorism for India’s viewpoint.

Similarly, Pakistan and Russia deepened ties and high-level diplomacy, with bilateral trade crossing about $1 billion. In 2026, Moscow reaffirmed cooperation on counter-terrorism, regional stability and economic connectivity.

Financial support from the IMF further buffered against Indian pressure. Economic stabilisation also reduced the possibility that financial vulnerability could be used as a tool of diplomatic isolation. The $7 billion Extended Fund Facility approved in September 2024, followed by successive disbursements in 2025 and 2026, kept Pakistan connected to the global financial system. By May 2026, the IMF Board approved about $1.32 billion in fresh tranches. Remittances reached about $3.59-$3.6 billion in December 2025. Pakistan’s exit from the FATF grey list reduced the possibility of sustained international banking isolation.

India’s efforts backfiring

Despite efforts to frame Pakistan as an international security concern, New Delhi was unable to translate political pressure into broad multilateral action at the UN Security Council. Pakistan’s seat on the UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee underlined it had not been pushed out of the international system.

Crucially, the Pahalgam crisis revived the Kashmir question, exactly what India wanted to avoid. By attempting to internationalise concerns about Pakistan, India also created renewed international attention around the dispute it has long sought to frame as a purely domestic matter. New Delhi is losing its grip on this dialogue as the world listens to Pakistan. The diplomatic space around Kashmir has therefore become more contested, with references appearing in statements by major international actors despite India’s objections. In response to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks describing growing US-Pakistan cooperation as a “true friendship,” India stated that it expects its partners to press Pakistan to reject cross-border terrorism.

The June 2, 2026, EU-Pakistan joint statement mentioned Kashmir, showing that major powers are willing to acknowledge Pakistan’s stance. India called it “unwarranted,” a reflection perhaps of frustration that it is losing control over the international framing of the issue. Earlier, the China-Pakistan joint statement on Kashmir was issued on May 26. India objected to both the political references and joint projects in the region, but these objections are being increasingly ignored globally.

However, the most striking reversal of India’s isolation strategy has been Pakistan’s emergence as a diplomatic interlocutor. Analysts and regional reporting now describe Islamabad as a “diplomatic darling” courted by the US, China and Middle Eastern players. That is not language Pakistan would have heard from those quarters during a successful isolation drive.

India’s attempt to brand Pakistan a “terrorist state” did not gain traction either. Pakistan has credibly pushed back by pointing out its enormous sacrifices against terrorism since 2001, and the Global Terrorism Index reinforced that Pakistan itself suffered massively from terrorism.

The key takeaway from the post-Pahalgam period is that isolation strategies are difficult to sustain in a fragmented international order. States with strategic geography, security relevance, economic connections and multiple diplomatic partnerships cannot easily be pushed aside. India sought to narrow Pakistan’s options, but instead, the campaign revealed why Pakistan remains too strategically important to be sidelined.

Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller, was hailed as a hero when viral video footage showed him intervening in the December 14 attack, which killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on the beach.

The 44-year-old ducked between parked cars as the shooting unfolded, grabbing one of the two gunmen and wresting away his weapon in an effort to stop the killing.

Facing court in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown, Ahmed denied charges of common assault and domestic stalking or intimidation, according to court documents provided to AFP.

The next court hearing was set for August 12.

“It has been very difficult. It is a family situation that he never expected, one would never want to expect, and it must be very difficult for him,” his lawyer Mohamad Sakr told journalists outside court.

“There is one thing that must be upheld and that is the presumption of innocence. He is a heroic man and his honesty and dignity should be maintained until these matters are determined.”

Ahmed, who sustained gunshot wounds at Bondi Beach, later met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

A fundraiser set up for him raised over $1 million.

Last month, his two brothers faced court in Sydney over allegations they had attempted to pressure Ahmed into handing over some of that money, local media said.

ISLAMABAD / LAHORE: Trying to allay the controversy surrounding Pakistan Telecommunication Reorg­ani­sation (Amendment) Bill over proposed right-of-way reforms, Law Min­ister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tue­sday said the government had no intention of occupying private property, or installing telecom towers without the consent of property owners.

The minister made these comments after an in-camera meeting of the parliamentary committee formed by the prime minister to review the proposed legislation that could not sail through the Senate after its approval by the National Assembly.

The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom had objected to a clause in the bill that would allow free installation of telecom towers in public spaces, including parks, green belts, and government buildings.

The law minister, however, said no telecom-related activity would be carried out on private premises without permission, adding that a sub-committee had been formed to look into the matter. The committee was reviewing objections raised by the Senate Standing Committee and consultations were underway.

The minister claimed the bill was not controversial and blamed the media for “blowing it out of proportion”. But he also said further clarifications would be incorporated in the legislation to safeguard property rights while supporting digital development and connectivity.

The committee, headed by the law minister, included PPP Senator Sherry Rehman but she could not attend the meeting on Tuesday. Other members were IT minister Shaza Fatima, the IT secretary, the economic affairs minister, the attorney general, MNA Javed Hanif, three lawyers Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Dr Daud Munir, and Ms Bayyinah Shah.

The National Assembly passed the bill on June 11, but the Senate did not approve it. The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom raised objections to the inclusion of ‘telecom towers and equipment’ in the bill aimed at enhancing fiberisation. The committee members had noted that the bill should not include towers alongside optical fibre.

Right-of-way reforms

Meanwhile, telecom stakeholders have also waded into the fray over the controversy surrounding right-of-way reforms. They believe that the debate around Section 27B overshadows the broader objective of the proposed reforms. The said provision proposes penalties of up to Rs50 million for those who obstruct or delay the implementation of a lawfully granted right of way.

“We understand the concerns that have been raised and believe parliament’s review process provides an opportunity to further refine the legislation where needed,” Telecom Operators Association Chairman Aamir Ibrahim told Dawn.

“Contrary to some perceptions, telecom operators do not face a shortage of private landowners willing to host telecom infrastructure through mutually agreed commercial arrangements. The more common challenges relate to obtaining permissions and navigating administrative processes in certain housing societies, gated communities, and other jurisdictions where infrastructure deployment can face significant delays,” Ibrahim, who is also the Jazz CEO, told Dawn.

According to him, the proposed amendments seek to create a clearer and more predictable framework for telecom infrastructure deployment, particularly for fibre networks that will be critical for supporting future digital services and technologies. He added that much of the current debate has been driven by concerns that the reforms could affect individual homeowners and private property rights.

“It is important that any legislation contains appropriate safeguards and protections. The parliamentary process exists precisely to examine such concerns, strengthen the language where necessary, and ensure the right balance is achieved,” he said.

Meanwhile, PTCL/Ufone President and CEO Hatem Bamatraf said in a post on the LinkedIn social media platform that right-of-way reforms were about creating a “more efficient and transparent framework” and “reducing administrative bottlenecks”.

He said they were also aimed at improving coordination across stakeholders and enabling faster expansion of fibre networks.

“As Pakistan seeks to expand its digital economy and compete globally, continued investment in fiber and broadband infrastructure will be critical. Achieving this requires policies that encourage infrastructure development while maintaining transparency, accountability, and respect for the rights of all stakeholders,” he added.

IT minister Shaza Fatima has been facing criticism from the media and other stakeholders over the inclusion of Section 27B in the proposed bill.

Her ministry clarified that the property owners would retain the full right to raise objections, negotiate terms and demand appropriate compensation before any work is carried out on their land.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026