The move comes a day after the high court’s administrative committee, acting in compliance with a restraining order issued by the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), decided not to proceed with petitions filed under Article 199 of the Constitution on or after Oct 12.

The FCC had also decided not to entertain fresh petitions and to return them to the petitioners, directing them to approach the “appropriate” forum.

On Nov 5, a two-member FCC bench declared: “Since the armed forces have been called to act in aid of civil power in the entire province of KP pursuant to the Oct 11 order… the proceedings before the PHC instituted under Article 199 on or after Oct 12 shall, in terms of Clause 4 of Article 245, remain suspended.”

Step taken in light of Constitutional Court’s restraining order

It also directed KP advocate general Sanaullah Khan to produce within seven days a report, identifying areas in the province where the armed forces are no longer required to act in aid of civil power.

The FCC declared that it might consider modifying its order under Article 245 of the Constitution, which provides for the deployment of armed forces in aid of civil power, after examining the report.

The FCC order has affected several high-profile cases, as well as routine matters falling under Article 199 of the Constitution.

The most significant of the deleted petitions were those challenging the imposition of emergency in KP under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.

These petitions were filed by PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, leaders of Tehreek Tahafuz-i-Aeen Pakistan and the National Democratic Movement, the KP Bar Council and others.

During the previous hearing on Oct 20, a two-member bench sought comments on the petitions from the respondents, including the federal government, within a fortnight and fixed Nov 10 for the next hearing.

Similarly, petitions challenging the alleged illegal detention or abduction of Sohail Afridi, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, scores of lawmakers, and other PTI leaders and workers were also deleted.

In these petitions, the court had initially issued notices on Oct 20 to the KP chief secretary, home secretary, inspector general of police (IGP) and Peshawar Capital City Police Officer, directing them to submit a detailed report within 10 days regarding the whereabouts of the chief minister and clarify whether he had been arrested or was implicated in any criminal case.

However, the respondents failed to submit the report within the stipulated time. Consequently, on Nov 3, a bench referred the matter to the chief justice, suggesting the constitution of a larger bench to hear it.

Several petitions challenging detentions under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, which had also been fixed for Nov 10, were deleted from the cause list.

The deleted petitions also included one filed by KP Assembly Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi, challenging the government’s sealing of her official residence.

In that petition, the court had earlier granted her interim relief, ordering the de-sealing of her residence and allowing her to stay there. However, the government did not comply with the order, prompting the court on Nov 5 to seek an explanation as to why it had not yet been implemented.

Similarly, multiple petitions filed by aggrieved property owners against the government’s anti-encroachment operations in different areas were also de-listed.

Moreover, several petitions pertaining to “missing persons” and those filed by Afghan nationals seeking relief in the government’s ongoing repatriation drive were also removed from the cause list.

The Interior Ministry issued an order on Oct 11 under Article 245 of the Constitution, authorising the deployment of Pakistan Army troops in aid of civil power in KP for the duration of the proclamation issued under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) has said that no judicial or administrative order should become a means of violating citizens’ fundamental rights and constitutional protections.

It termed the “limiting” of the fundamental rights of 45 million people in KP through a court order a serious blow to the supremacy of the Constitution, independence of the judiciary and the right to justice.

In a statement, ILF central information secretary Masooma Mir noted that Article 199 of the Constitution provided citizens with a constitutional avenue to approach the high court, while Articles 9, 10-A and 25 guaranteed fundamental rights, including the right to life, fair trial and equality.

She added that protecting those rights was the fundamental responsibility of the state and the judiciary.

Ms Mir said courts existed to protect citizens’ constitutional rights, not to restrict their access to justice.

She urged the Pakistan Bar Council, KP Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association and other lawyer bodies to play an active role in the current constitutional crisis to safeguard the rights of the people of the province.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is fighting to stay in office after his religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in an Oct 27 election but still emerged as the largest bloc in parliament.

Eisenkot, a former military chief, has declined to join forces with Arab parties, with whose support he would have a majority of seats in parliament.

But Arab leaders, incensed by what they view as the racist policies of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, still nominated Eisenkot to try to form a government first giving him the most endorsements.

“President Herzog has invited Gadi Eisenkot to the President’s Residence, where he will be tasked with forming the government tomorrow,” said the spokesperson of President Isaac Herzog, whose largely ceremonial role involves nominating a candidate to form a coalition after elections.

As part of this process, the president met Eisenkot and Netanyahu, among others, a statement by Herzog’s office said.

At the end of the consultations, factions comprising 67 Knesset members recommended to the president that Yashar party’s Eisenkot be tasked with forming the government, while factions comprising 46 Knesset members recommended Likud’s Netanyahu, the statement noted.

Meanwhile, seven Knesset members chose not to recommend anyone.

“Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy,” Eisenkot wrote on X in his first reaction to the announcement of his designation.

Eisenkot faces long-shot bid to form govt

Weeks of protracted negotiations are expected to follow Eisenkot’s nomination. He has 28 days to try to forge a government, with a possible 14-day extension.

His potential pathways to power include trying to form a minority government with Arab support from the outside; forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have shunned in the past; or forging a unity government with Netanyahu.

Analysts say that all three options are unlikely to take shape.

If Eisenkot fails, another candidate can try to form a government and if that candidate fails, parliament can nominate another. There is a deadline for the process of around 100 days. If no one succeeds, another election is held.

Likud won the most seats of any single party with 27 in the 120-seat Knesset, but Netanyahu’s wider religious-nationalist coalition garnered only 53 in total, short of a 61-seat majority.

Eisenkot’s Yashar party emerged as the second-largest party with 21 seats, while his coalition, spanning four centre-left to right-wing Jewish-led parties, won just 48 seats. Two parties representing Israel’s Arab minority won an unprecedented 19 seats.

The result underscored the rightward shift among Israeli Jews during Netanyahu’s years as the country’s dominant political figure. The centre-left that dominated Israel for the first half of its history has been reduced to a small fringe.

Nearly all Jewish parties now share Netanyahu’s rejection of an eventual independent Palestinian state, the basis of internationally endorsed peace efforts since the 1990s.

Eisenkot and Netanyahu have both ​said they would not form a government with parties primarily representing Israeli citizens of Palestinian descent, who comprise around a fifth of the population.

A son of Moroccan immigrants, Eisenkot, 66, would be the country’s first prime minister from Israel’s Mizrahi community, Jews who trace their roots to the Middle East and North Africa.

Eisenkot only entered politics in 2022. He briefly served in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel before returning to the opposition. Eisenkot’s son and two nephews were killed fighting in Gaza.

How different are Eisenkot’s views from Netanyahu?

Eisenkot offers a break with Netanyahu’s leadership and far-right allies, but not with the hawkish security views that have hardened since Oct 7, 2023: he opposes Palestinian statehood and says Hamas’s military wing must be destroyed or dismantled.

Beyond that, Eisenkot has said Israel’s next government must prevent Iran from acquiring a military nuclear capability, either by force or through an “arrangement” such as a US-backed diplomatic solution.

He has emphasised his security credentials on the campaign trail, citing his “Dahiya doctrine” of responding to attacks with disproportionate force, which he deployed as a commander during Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Eisenkot shares many of Netanyahu’s views on security and has backed the Gaza offensive that has reduced the territory to rubble.

Israel’s relentless campaign in response to the Hamas attacks killed over 74,000 Palestinians and has left it increasingly isolated on the world stage, with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and experts declaring its actions in Gaza as a “genocide”, which Tel Aviv rejects.

Both Eisenkot and Netanyahu say Israeli troops will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas ​is disarmed, and that Israel is prepared to ​restart fighting to achieve this.

Eisenkot says the ⁠continued rule of Hamas in Gaza is a profound failure, and that within 18 months of taking office he would ensure that the Hamas administration had been replaced, either through a US-brokered plan or through military force.

From the opposition, Eisenkot publicly rebuked Netanyahu over his leadership, including his management of the military campaign in Gaza, and has sworn that he would not serve in government with him.

Although Eisenkot has criticised settler violence against Palestinians in occupied West Bank, which has surged since 2023, he favours settlement in principle and says it should comply with Israeli law.

He opposes settlements built without authorisation, aims to dismantle outposts in areas where ​they are forbidden and has pledged to rein in violent settlers.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in the West Bank, settling in territory Israel occupied in a 1967 war, a practice nearly all countries consider illegal under international law.

Netanyahu and ​Eisenkot both say Israel must retain ultimate security control over all territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

There are, however, differences in their emphasis. Eisenkot’s position on limiting settlements ​in the West Bank would reserve territory where Palestinians now exercise civil self-rule. Netanyahu’s coalition includes parties that openly call for Israel to fully annex occupied Palestinian land.

Talking to Dawn, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed that he had received the names from coalition parties, including the PPP.

Declining to disclose the names, the minister said the committee would comprise 30 members from the National Assembly and the Senate, with parties receiving representation proportionate to their strength in the two houses of parliament.

Under the formula, he said, the PPP would have seven members on the committee, while the PML-N would be allocated 10 seats. However, he added: “The PML-N may have to sacrifice some of its members to accommodate smaller parties.”

Opposition yet to submit nominees for parliamentary panel on reforms as PTI doubts govt intent

The minister said he had requested the chief whip of the main opposition party, PTI, Aamir Dogar, to provide a list of the party’s nominees for the committee, but Mr Dogar had sought some time. The other opposition party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), had also not submitted the names of its proposed members, he said.

The PTI had objected to the composition of the committee, he said, adding that he had informed the party that all previous parliamentary committees had been constituted on a proportional basis.

The minister expressed hope that the PTI would announce its decision next week.

Interestingly, Dr Chaudhry said his own party, the ruling PML-N, had shortlisted names for the committee, but these would be submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat only after final approval from the party leadership.

Replying to a question, Dr Chaudhry said that if opposition parties decided to boycott the committee, the leadership of the ruling coalition parties would make a final decision on the matter.

In a recent post on X, Dr Chaudhry had said that the allocation of seats in the Senate for the committee would give two seats each to the PML-N, PPP and PTI. The Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), National Party and JUI-F would each be allocated one seat, he had stated.

“The final decision on the names of committee members will be made by the leader of the house [the prime minister] and the deputy prime minister after consultations with the opposition, coalition partners and relevant parliamentary leaders,” Dr Chaudhry said.

Earlier this week, the government, taking ownership of an initiative to bring all parliamentary parties, including the opposition, to the negotiating table on electoral reforms, had formally approached its allies to join the proposed Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (PCER).

PTI serious about reforms

When contacted, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party was serious about electoral reforms but had doubts that the government wanted to ensure PTI’s representation on the committee merely to legitimise the process.

“The government wants to have five opposition members on the committee. With five members, we will not be able to implement our proposals,” he explained.

Replying to a question, Sheikh Waqas said the matter would first have to be discussed in the party’s political committee and then in its parliamentary and core committees.

“We held meetings of both committees a few days ago, but due to Imran Khan’s health issues, it was decided to limit their agenda to one point — the health of Imran Khan,” he said.

He said the PTI was very clear about its position on electoral reforms and wanted electronic voting machines and a mechanism to ensure that no one could rig elections.

“It was the PTI that introduced electronic voting machines and tried them in Pakistan,” he said.

Asked how many days the PTI would take to decide whether to become part of the electoral reforms committee, Mr Waqas said meetings of the parliamentary and core committees would be held within two to three days to make a decision.

“However, I want to make it clear that the PTI wants electoral reforms and will become part of any sincere effort to ensure that true representatives of the masses run the country,” he said.

Talking to Dawn, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghouri said the party had not yet made any decision regarding the PCER.

He expressed hope that the matter would soon be discussed by the party’s executive committee.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Saturday acquitted two brothers in a blasphemy case under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), setting aside their death sentences earlier upheld by the Lahore High Court (LHC) over a decade ago.

A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and comprising Justices Shakeel Ahmad and Ishtiaq Ibrahim, took up criminal appeals against the Sept 17, 2015 decision of the LHC.

The brothers, Liaqat Ali and Umar Draz, have spent around 20 years behind bars. They were convicted by a sessions judge in Jhang on March 27, 2006. The trial court sentenced both brothers to death and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each, with five years’ rigorous imprisonment in default. The high court dismissed their appeals and upheld the convictions.

The main SC judgement was authored by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. Justice Shakeel Ahmad concurred with the order but also annexed an additional note.

According to the complaint, Umar Draz had begun making explicit blasphemous statements, leading to a marital dispute between him and his wife that culminated in divorce on March 13, 2006. Draz explicitly affirmed in writing his conversion from Islam in the divorce papers.

During the return of his former wife’s dowry articles, a written document auth­ored by co-appellant Liaqat Ali was recovered. It also contained blasphemous assertions.

On March 18, 2006, when the complainant and witnesses confronted the brothers over the alleged blasphemous material, both appellants acknowledged and verified the contents of the documents and unequivocally declared their willingness to reiterate their assertions before any forum.

Before the SC, their counsel confined his submissions to the plea of mental unsoundness, arguing that the appellants lacked the requisite mens rea (guilty mind) at the time of the alleged offence.

The SC examined three psychiatric assessments. An initial three-member medical board at DHQ Hospital, Faisalabad, found both appellants mentally sound in 2007. However, an eight-member Board of Certification diagnosed them with “bipolar affective disorder with psychotic symptoms” in 2023.

A nine-member Board of Certification in September 2025 concluded that both brothers were suffering from “bipolar disorder current episode manic”. It described the condition as a chronic illness that was most likely permanent in acute cases, with absent insight and an inability to understand their acts at the time.

The SC observed that the unanimous opinions of specialised boards comprising senior professors of psychiatry carried greater weight than the earlier assessm­ent by a board with only one psychiatrist.

It also noted that bipolar disorder was episodic and had a genetic component, and that both brothers had been independently diagnosed with the same condition.

“The appellants have spent around 20 years behind bars. In the light of the opinion of medical board which raises doubts regarding the culpability of the appellants, the benefit of doubt cannot be withheld from the appellants,” the judgement said.

While acquitting the appellants, the SC also expected the executive director of the Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Lahore, to ensure that their medical treatment was not discontinued.

Additional note

In his concurring note, Justice Ahmad agreed with the acquittal but cautioned that a psychiatric diagnosis alone did not satisfy the requirements of Section 84 of the PPC. The judge distinguished medical insanity from legal insanity, noting that the key question was whether, at the time of the offence, the accused was incapable of knowing the nature of the act or that it was wrong or contrary to law.

He argued that legal accountability had to be balanced with humanity, explaining that true justice also included mercy when the law recognised a person’s lack of mental capacity.

The note said the medical reports, along with the surrounding circumstances, created reasonable doubt. It also referred to Islamic principles of legal capacity and responsibility.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

White, chief ⁠executive of the Ultimate Fighting ​Championship, is a “violent Fighter and Warrior,” Trump ​wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump asked for six current or former UFC titleholders to join White, including ​two athletes from Russia’s Dagestan ​region, Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov; Americans Justin ‌Gaethje, ⁠Daniel Cormier and “Kayla Harris,” likely a reference to Kayla Harrison; and Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian native who became ​an ​American citizen ⁠last year.

“We need these people to defend us against the ​Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote. White ​and ⁠UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Last month, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was “let go”, less than a week after she had taken on the role after Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job following public scrutiny.

“I told her: ‘I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.’ There’s nothing easy about this stuff,” Trump told reporters.

Zacharia had acknowledged that she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practising law in the United States. She had earlier described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.

The AJK government announced a day of official mourning on Sunday, during which the state’s flag would fly at half-mast. It also ordered his burial with full state honours in his native town of Kasguma, Bhimber district, following funeral prayers at 11am on Sunday.

Born on March 15, 1933, Raja Zulqarnain was the son of Khan Bahadur Raja Mohammad Afzal Khan, an ICS officerfrom the Chib Rajput tribe who served in Maharaja Hari Singh’s administration. He was granted an estate in present-day Bhimber district.

Raja Zulqarnain received his early education in Srinagar and Delhi before joining Lawrence College, Ghora Gali, at the age of 13. His contemporaries there included former prime minister Zafarullah Jamali and former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akbar Bugti. After graduating from Government College, Lahore, in 1955, he entered the construction business in 1958 by establishing United Builders in Karachi. The company subsequently undertook projects in Pakistan, AJK, UAE and Iraq.

Raja Zulqarnain entered politics in 1960-61 as an associate of KH Khurshid, former AJK president and private secretary to Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He was elected chairman of his native union council, Kasguma,in the first elections held under the Basic Democracies system introduced by Gen Ayub Khan in Pakistan and subsequently adopted in AJK under Mr Khurshid. When Mr Khurshid founded the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League in 1962, he appointed Raja Zulqarnain its founding secretary general.He remained deeply influenced byhis mentor’s political outlook and personal manner.

Ahead of AJK’s first general elections under the parliamentary system in 1975, Raja Zulqarnain joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Samahni. Following the restoration of political activities after Gen Ziaul Haq’s martial law, he joined the Muslim Conference (MC) and won the 1985 election from Bhimberon its ticket. He served in Sardar Sikandar Hayat’s cabinet for five years.

In 1990, he lost the assembly election to PPP candidate Chaudhry Sohbat Ali. He returned to the assembly in 1991 and served in Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan’s cabinet for five years. In 1996, the MC secured his election to the AJK Council.

In the general elections held that year, he backed Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, who was elected to the assembly for the first time. Their political association, however, ended amid local rivalries ahead of the 2001 election, when Mr Farooq contested as an independent and defeated Raja Zulqarnain.

In 2006, Raja Zulqarnain opposed Mr Farooq, the MC nominee, helping Chaudhry Anwarul Haq win his first assembly seat by a narrow margin. In August that year, the Muslim Conference elected him AJK president, a position he held until August 2011.

He continued to support Mr Haq in the 2011 and 2016 elections, both of which Mr Farooq won. In 2021, Mr Haq, then a PTI candidate, secured his second victory with Raja Zulqarnain’s support. The former president subsequently became disenchanted with Mr Haq.

In April this year, a PML-N delegation called on Raja Zulqarnain and invited him to formally join the party. His son, Babar Ali Zulqarnain, announced his father’s decision to join the PML-Nat a public meeting in Bhimber the following month and was appointed a party vice president.

In his condolence message, AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq described Raja Zulqarnain’s death as a major loss for the political, parliamentary and social circles of Jammu and Kashmir.

Former AJK premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas also expressed deep sorrow over Raja Zulqarnain’s death.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

Buledi’s clarification comes over a week after CM Bugti acknowledged shortcomings in FWO’s performance while responding to remarks made by National Party leader Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, who had also criticised the entity.

Speaking on a point of order in the Balochistan Assembly in late October, Baloch, a former chief minister, had criticised the contracting process for road projects and alleged that the FWO had awarded work according to its own preferences.

In reply, CM Bugti expressed his dissatisfaction with the FWO’s performance, adding that the elected provincial assembly shared these concerns. The chief minister said even roads constructed in his own area had deteriorated.

He said the organisation was awarded projects with the expectation of quality work, but claimed that the entity handed projects to smaller subcontractors, resulting in poor execution.

Regarding projects by the National Highways Authority (NHA), Bugti said security-related challenges also affec­ted some road schemes and that the government was addressing those issues.

On Friday, addressing an informal dialogue programme at the Turbat Press Club auditorium, Buledi emphasised that the FWO had rendered invaluable services for the construction of highways in Balochistan.

He recalled that multiple personnel had lost their lives during the construction of the Hoshab-Panjgur-Surab Highway (N-85).

Buledi also highlighted the Balochistan government’s efforts to prioritise infrastructure development, education, healthcare and youth employment.

Reiterating his position on the broader situation and development agenda in Balochistan, Buledi defended the FWO, terming its overall performance in the province commendable.

Criticising certain political opponents, the PPP leader claimed they opposed the province’s progress and had attempted to create negative narratives around infrastructure projects.

He cited their opposition to the Hub Industrial Zone, Gwadar Port, Mirani Dam, Gishkor Dam, and the South Balochistan Package, accusing them of misleading the public for political gain despite these initiatives being vital for regional prosperity.

In August, a high-level meeting of the Communication and Works (C&W) Department reviewed progress on Phase I and II of road-sector projects launched across the province under the Balochistan Socio-Economic Development Programme.

Chairing the meeting, C&W Secretary Babar Khan expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work on certain critical projects.

About “70,000 tents sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people were flooded on the first day” of rains, the Hamas-run government media office stated.

There were also reports of “collapse of dozens of cracked walls and roofs, which caused injuries”, some critical, in various areas of the tiny territory, it added.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP his teams had received more than 1,500 calls during the night from residents requesting urgent assistance after their tents were flooded, explaining that the agency “is operating without any equipment or capabilities”.

Civil society groups warn of disease outbreaks, urge pressure on Israel to allow entry of aid

“We have issued an urgent distress call to the international community and hum­a­nitarian organisations to intervene immediately to save hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the flooding of their tents. We cannot face the consequences of this storm on our own,” he said.

A coalition of Palestinian civil society organisations has warned of “the catastrophe that has come to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents”, pointing to the risk of the spread of diseases and epidemics.

The coalition, which includes dozens of local institutions and organisations, called for “pressure on Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian aid without restrictions”.

A fragile ceasefire came into effect on Oct 10, 2025, after two years of war. However, despite the ceasefire agreement reached with Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation, the Israeli army continued air strikes and ground operations on an almost daily basis.

Mustafa Qazzaat, a member of the Gaza city council and an official in the Strip’s emergency committee, said Israel did not allow prefabricated homes to shelter the displaced in Gaza even after the announcement of the so-called truce, and only permitted the entry of limited numbers of tents.

He said Gaza “needs 200,000 prefabricated homes urgently, in addition to the entry of heavy machinery to remove the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings, open main roads, and urgently provide electricity and heating”.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Adviser to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan announced the policy while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

Akhtar said the process of the cabinet’s approval began today, with Tarar saying they wanted to address the speculations before moving on to the approval.

The PM’s adviser emphasised that a lot of work was done in drafting the policy, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had invested a lot of time in this regard.

He explained that the policy rested on six pillars: cheaper vehicles, especially for the middle class and lower middle class; encouraging exports; localisation; vehicle safety; promotion of EVs; and transparency.

The adviser said that the government intends to finance the proposed incentives for EVs through an automotive development levy (ADL) on vehicles powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) above 1,000cc — ordinary cars.

He said that the premier had introduced a tariff policy, the purpose of which was to lower the cost of production and the import bill of raw materials.

The policy sets a cumulative export target of $6 billion over five years. Akhtar noted that Pakistan’s auto exports remained limited, with most overseas shipments comprising parts rather than vehicles manufactured by local assemblers.

“You will see that prices of cars will come down … the manufacturing cost of automakers will come down; these were the prime minister’s specific instructions. The prices of all vehicles, except luxury vehicles, will come down,” Akhtar said.

He explained that prices would come down gradually as the duties for completely built units (CBUs), assembly plants and components would be reduced each year, eventually leading to competitive tariffs after five years.

He stressed that the government did not want Pakistan’s automotive industry to remain dependent on the import of CBUs or merely assemble completely knocked-down (CKD) kits without developing a strong domestic manufacturing base.

The PM’s adviser stated that there was no monopoly of any automaker in the market and currently there were 16 car or sport utility vehicle (SUV) makers and 100 two-wheeler manufacturers in Pakistan.

He added that the new policy will address the issue of additional charges commonly known as “on-money” in vehicle bookings; the policy makes it mandatory for manufacturers not to charge more than 20 per cent of the vehicle price as an advance payment at the time of booking.

The PM’s industries aide said localisation had been made mandatory, with targets to be given to manufacturers.

He added that a “rewards and penalty” system will also be introduced to boost exports, under which exporters will get 5 per cent Duty Drawback on Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL), with an additional 10pc incentive on incremental annual export growth.

“But if you do not achieve the targets, a penalty will be imposed as well,” he warned, adding that car manufacturers will not get DLTL unless they achieve the entire export target as well as their local manufacturing target.

Akhtar stressed that the government had made the export rebate conditional on the local manufacturing target, noting that PM Shehbaz wanted more jobs to be created in the country through increased plants.

Speaking on vehicle safety, Akhtar said the policy includes 45 additional safety standards in line with the United Nations’ WP.29 code. He contended, “When our vehicles will go through these safety codes, they will be considered the world’s safest vehicles — both manufactured and used.”

He said that the absence of adequate safety standards, particularly in imported used vehicles, had been a serious concern, referring to recurring road accidents caused by issues such as defective brakes and tyre failures.

Incentives for EV sector

The production adviser further said that the government’s aim of transitioning 30pc of all new vehicles in Pakistan to electric power by 2030 was “about to happen sooner than that”.

Explaining a “major benefit” for EVs, he said three categories of sales taxes have been planned — 1pc on purely electric vehicles, 6pc on range-extended (REEVs) and 9pc on hybrid EVs. However, he added this was subject to approval by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Akhtar also said no capital value tax (CVT), withholding tax or federal excise duty (FED) would be applicable on EVs that are priced up to $50,000. EVs above this will be considered “luxury” items and will be subject to normal taxation.

Furthermore, the State Bank of Pakistan’s car financing plan, which offers up to Rs3 million for ordinary cars, will be expanded up to Rs10m for all EVs, along with the tenure extended from three years to five years.

Akhtar went on to note that the government will also incentivise setting up charging stations, explaining that this was a key step in the ultimate goal of shifting to pure EVs, with hybrid and REEVs aiding in the transition period.

He said the government will fund the viability gap that currently exists, with the business community facing a lack of demand for charging stations, while consumers needed those stations in order to switch to EVs.

Sales tax on the equipment for charging stations has been reduced to 1pc, while customs duty has been removed.

Akhtar said that due to the government being committed to an IMF programme, it was aiming for “neutral revenue on whatever incentives we are giving”, adding that revenue would be collected from ICE vehicles above 1,000cc rather than EVs, so that lower and middle-income groups using cars less than 1,000cc are exempted.

He added that the revenue collected will also be used for export rebates and research and development.

Akhtar highlighted that following the launch of the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Policy 2025-30 last year, the number of electric two-wheelers sold increased to 240,000 in FY25-26 from 60,000 in FY2024-25.

He identified the promotion of EVs as another major priority, particularly in view of Pakistan’s vulnerability to fluctuations in international oil prices.

He explained that rising oil prices increase the country’s import bill, put pressure on the current account and contribute to inflationary pressures.

‘Need of the time’

Addressing the press conference, the information minister regretted that under “protectionist policies” in past decades, wherein import duties were increased and local industry was supported, the local industry did not innovate or make value additions.

Tarar noted the increased use of electric motorcycles and scooties, terming it a “need of the time”. He also pointed out the need to prevent or even reduce the increasing import bills for oil, which in turn impacts the public through rising fuel prices.

He emphasised that no changes were made under the policy to ordinary petrol vehicles under 1,000cc, as many common citizens still use those.

On a question about rampant availability of non-custom-paid vehicles in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where governor’s rule was imposed on Oct 11, Tarar said the province now has a transparent set-up working on the issue.

A formal policy is being framed so that no vehicle remains unregistered and all are registered through the Customs and Excise departments, he added, affirming that such issues contributing to terrorism were being addressed.

In a post on X, Tarar said the new policy was developed after consultations with all stakeholders, analysis of technical data, and a review of various global models.

“Innovation, value addition, and localisation will be promoted in the local industry to create employment opportunities and enable vehicle exports,” he said.

The minister highlighted that encouraging EVs will reduce carbon emissions and the oil import bill, adding that incentives have also been provided for establishing charging stations.

He termed the initiative a “significant step toward providing Pakistani citizens with affordable, high-quality, and environmentally friendly transportation”.

The correct position of the law now is this: allegations of workplace harassment prior to 2022 (which is when the Protection Against Harassment of Women in the Workplace Act was amended) must involve conduct of an overtly sexual nature to fall within the scope of the law. Actions that take place after the 2022 amendment are covered by the law not only if they are overtly sexual in nature, but also if they are rooted in gender-based discrimination. Let’s see why.

First, let’s look at the definition of ‘harassment’. Prior to January 2022, it was defined to cover “any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal or written communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature or sexually demeaning attitudes, causing interference with work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment, or the attempt to punish the complainant for refusal to comply to such a request or is made a condition for employment”.

This definition was amended in January 2022 by adding the following: “discrimination on basis of gender, which may or may not be sexual in nature, but which may embody a discriminatory and prejudicial mindset or notion, resulting in discriminatory behaviour on basis of gender against the complainant” (Section 2[h][ii] of the Act).

The court interpreted the original definition restrictively, following the reasoning of the first Nadia Naz judgement.

The amendment was made after the 2021 Supreme Court decision in Nadia Naz vs President of Pakistan. This case, which analysed and applied the original, pre-2022 definition of harassment, concluded that the law only covers harassment of an overtly sexual nature.

The 2022 amendment, passed a few months after the judgement, rectified the limitation in the original definition as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the Nadia Naz judgement of 2021. The amended definition explicitly includes gender-based discrimination within the meaning of harassment.

The amended definition would not apply retrospectively. The expanded definition, which broadens the scope of the actionable wrong, would only cover actions that take place after the amendment.

But in 2023 the Supreme Court, reviewing the Nadia Naz judgement, held that the original definition was broad enough to include gender-based discrimination. Harassment as originally defined should be interpreted to include conduct that is not overtly sexual in nature but amounts to gender-based discrimination. The Supreme Court declared that the bench’s interpretation of the original definition was too restrictive.

The interpretation in the Nadia Naz judgement on review would be brilliant were it not for the 2022 amendment. By interpreting the original definition to have essentially the same meaning and effect as the 2022 insertion, the Supreme Court implies that the 2022 amendment was redundant. This contradicts a basic principle of statutory interpretation, which requires that each statutory provision should be interpreted to give it a distinct meaning.

It may well be that the 2022 amendment was not needed because the original definition should be interpreted as broadly and purposively as the Supreme Court did in the Nadia Naz judgement on review. But when the legislature amended the definition in 2022 to explicitly cover gender-based discrimination, it also implied that the earlier definition was restrictive, which is why the amendment was needed.

By explicitly expanding the de­­finition, it endorsed the view that the original definition did not cover gender-based discrimination.

The FCC in its recent judgement did the same. The FCC interpreted the original definition restrictively, following the reasoning of the first Nadia Naz judgement. It did not refer to the 2022 amendment, and it did not need to because the incidents involved in the case predated the amendment. The amended definition would not apply to these facts. It would have been more edifying if the FCC had clearly explained this, but lucid, well-written judgements are unfortunately uncommon.

Let’s say, as many have argued, that the FCC should have interpreted the original definition more broadly to include gender-based discrimination. What implication would that have for the current definition of harassment? Such an interpretation would entail that the second part of the definition is redundant because the first part covers conduct embodying gender-based discrimination. Such reasoning would again contradict the principle of statutory interpretation, which says that the legislature does not waste its words.

The FCC decision is deeply flawed, but for another reason. The FCC has not applied its own interpretation properly. The harassment at issue in this case was overtly sexual in nature. The evidence put forward at the earlier stages of the case, before the Islamabad High Court and the ombudsperson, shows that the complainant faced harassment that was unambiguously sexual. It is disturbing that the FCC did not consider this conduct to fall within the scope of the original definition.

Flawed as it is, the FCC has not overruled the 2022 amendment to the law. The expanded definition (Section 2(h)(ii)) still stands, but it will only apply to incidents that took place or are alleged to have taken place after the date of the amendment. Prior incidents will be covered by the original definition, which will be interpreted restrictively.

This clarification is important because after the FCC ruling and the outrage against it, many potential claimants believe that the pervasive gender-based discrimination they currently face at the workplace is not covered by the law. People sitting on workplace harassment committees have told me that their mandate is now restricted to only incidents that are overtly sexual in nature. We must remind them that it is not.

The writer is a lawyer and the author of Progressive Laws In Patriarchal Societies.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

Friedrich von Gentz, Metternich’s adviser, explained why: “We do not desire at all that the great masses shall become well-off and independent.” His reasoning ended with a revealing question: “How could we otherwise rule over them?”

The Habsburg rulers were not necessarily ignorant of the economic benefits of technological progress. They feared its political consequences. A more prosperous society might also become more independent, weakening their grip on power.

This historical episode helps explain a persistent puzzle in Pakistan: why do those in power repeatedly choose institutions (rules of the game) and policies that constrain economic progress, even when they too benefit from better alternatives? The answer may lie in the distinction between economic and political returns.

Elites do not necessarily choose arrangements that maximise national income, or even their own immediate economic gains. They also consider how a change might affect their ability to retain power and capture future returns — what we call the political replacement effect in economics.

Technological and institutional changes can expand economic opportunities while simultaneously creating new centres of political power. Incumbents may, therefore, resist changes that threaten their hold on power. The calculation is straightforward. A reform may make the economy larger and even increase the income of existing elites. But if it also raises the probability of their political displacement, or reduces the share of future gains they can command, their expected returns may decline. Under these conditions, elites may rationally prefer an inferior arrangement that preserves their political dominance.

In other words, a smaller pie under a secure scenario may be more attractive than a larger pie with uncertain future distribution.

An economically promising change can redistribute political power.

Pakistan’s recent history offers three institutional and technological choices that are especially revealing.

First is local government. The Constitution requires provinces to devolve political, administrative and financial authority to elected local representatives. Yet successive governments have either delayed local elections or weakened the institutions they create. The largest province, Punjab, last held LG elections a decade ago. Other provinces have also adopted various approaches to limit devolution. KP, for example, recently increased the population threshold for village and neighbourhood councils to reduce the number of councils, potentially weakening representation. In Sindh, transfers to LGs declined from 15.7 per cent of provincial general revenue receipts to just 5.8pc in the 2025-26 budget.

What makes these choices economically questionable? Elected LGs with genuine fiscal and administrative authority can better respond to local needs, improve service delivery, and strengthen accountability. Why, then, resist them?

Because empowered LGs also create political competitors. A mayor controlling development funds and public services can build an independent political constituency. Legislators lose influence over resources that help sustain their electoral networks. Even if improved local governance generates greater prosperity, its political dividends may accrue to someone else.

The second example is fiscal federalism. The seventh NFC award raised provinces’ share of the divisible pool to 57.5pc, with constitutional protection against subsequent reductions. But since then, the federal government has built a parallel fiscal system undermining the very principle of federalism. Petroleum levy collections, which are not shared with provinces, reached Rs1.567 trillion in 2025-26. Provinces were also asked to generate surpluses and, lately, to provide grants to the federal government.

The parallel system may be responding to genuine fiscal pressures, but it preserves fiscal discretion at the centre, despite the constitutional commitment to provincial autonomy. In essence, after the seventh NFC, the provincial share fell without anyone touching the award. The political economy consideration here is that meaningful fiscal autonomy changes the distribution of power. Provinces with independent revenue sources and predictable resources can pursue their own priorities and strengthen their political standing.

But the provinces are no different. While demanding autonomy from Islamabad, they resist transferring meaningful authority and resources to elected LGs. At each tier, those holding resources resist passing them down.

The third example concerns technology: rooftop solar.

Faced with high electricity tariffs, the public began investing in their own power generation. Solar offered consumers cheaper electricity, greater reliability, and reduced dependence on the national grid. Yet policy increasingly moved towards discouraging its adoption.

The government not only imposed a 10pc sales tax on solar panels but, in February, it replaced net metering with net billing for new connections, substantially lowering the compensation for surplus electricity supplied to the grid. A more economically sustainable response would have restructured costly contractual obligations, modernised the grid, and established fair charges for network use.

Why has such adjustment proved so difficult? One explanation is that decentralised electricity generation threatens more than power producers’ revenues. It also weakens an established system through which economic resources, contracts, subsidies, and regulatory discretion are concentrated. These instruments carry financial and political value. Reforming them could improve overall economic performance while reducing the influence of those who currently control them.

These three cases are not identical, but they share a key feature: an economically promising change can redistribute political power, creating incentives for incumbents to resist or dilute it. This is what makes the political replacement argument more powerful than the familiar explanation that elites protect their economic rents. Sometimes they may sacrifice economic gains, including their own, to preserve the political position from which future gains can be secured.

The implication is that Pakistan’s development problem cannot be resolved through better policy advice alone. The harder challenge is creating institutions that reduce the ability of those in power to obstruct changes that might eventually displace them. The stakes extend beyond the current examples. AI is creating new opportunities while challenging existing economic and political hierarchies. Whether or not Pakistan embraces those opportunities will depend largely on how it responds to a technology most capable of redistributing power.

Until the existing calculations change, the country may continue choosing a smaller pie for the sake of a firmer grip.

The writer is an associate professor of economics at the Lahore School of Economics.

www.waqarwadho.com

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

In the men’s final, Pakistan’s Noor Zaman and Asim Khan outclassed their respective opponents. Noor beat Jeongmin Ryu 11-5, 11-7, 13-11 while Asim outplayed Seojin Oh 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 to give Pakistan the title.

In the women’s final, Hong Kong China downed Malaysia 2-1 to become Asian champions.

Hong Kong China and Malaysia men’s teams won bronze medal while Iran and Korea claimed bronze in the women’s section.

Squash legends Gogi Alauddin, Qamar Zaman and Jansher Khan, along with chief guest Asian Squash Federation Vice-President Adil Jassim Al-Ghareeb, Pakistan Squash Federation President Air Marshal Kazim Hammad and AVM Sohail Akbar, the PSF Senior Vice-President, graced the closing ceremony.

Results:

Women’s:

Korea bt Pakistan 3-0: Dami Kim (Korea) bt Sehrish Ali (Pakistan) 11-9, 11-3, 11-4; Mingyeong Heo (Korea) bt Sana Bahadar (Pakistan) 11-6, 3-11, 11-5, 11-5; Hwayeong Eum (Korea) bt Mahnoor Ali (Pakistan) 11-5, 11-3, 11-9

Hong Kong China bt Malaysia 2-1: Tse Yee Lam Toby (Hong Kong China) bt Yee Xin Ying (Malaysia) 5-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6; Chan Sin Yuk (Hong Kong China) bt Ainaa Amani (Malaysia) 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7; Yasshmita Jadishkumar (Malaysia) bt Lee Ka Yi (Hong Kong China) 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4

Men’s (final): Pakistan bt Korea 2-0: Noor Zaman (Pakistan) bt Jeongmin Ryu (Korea) 11-5, 11-7, 13-11; Mohammad Asim Khan (Pakistan) bt Seojin Oh (Korea) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.

RLabs, a Pakistani startup incubated at the National Incubation Centre for Aerospace Technologies (Nicat) and led by Harris Ahmed, won the ‘GOAL Startup Award’ at the summit. The event, held from Nov 2 to Nov 5, was organised by Plug and Play, an innovation platform and a venture capital firm.

RLabs was among 18 startups from around the world that “earned the incredible opportunity to pitch their idea” at the summit under Plug and Play’s Global Overseas Acceleration & Learning (GOAL) programme.

“Had the opportunity to present our work on XR (extended reality) simulators, synthetic data and machine training on a platform that brought together more than 3,000 attendees, including founders, venture capitalists, corporate executives, innovation leaders, and government partners,” Ahmed wrote on his LinkedIn account, sharing a photo of him posing with the award.

Ahmed, a 2018 graduate of the National University of Sciences and Technology (Nust) as per his profile, said he “spent the last decade teaching humans how to operate complex machines in XR”.

“Now we use the same human experience to train machine instincts. (Launching in the US soon),” he added.

Ahmed noted that the summit centred on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech, featuring live demonstrations and pitches from over 300 startups across more than 20 industry programmes.

According to Nicat, RLabs had been training a proprietary Large Language Model to “power a modular, cross-platform simulation engine that cuts development time by 75 per cent”.

In a statement, also posted by the government’s official X account, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja wrote: “From Pakistan to Silicon Valley — a proud moment for our nation!”

She termed the achievement a “moment of immense pride” for her ministry and tech innovation arm Ignite, reflecting the “extraordinary potential of Pakistani talent and the growing strength of our startup ecosystem”.

“Seeing our homegrown startups earn international recognition reinforces our commitment to nurturing innovation, creating global opportunities, and empowering the next generation of Pakistani entrepreneurs,” the minister said.

She reaffirmed the government’s vision: “Pakistani startups should not just compete globally, but help shape the future of technology.”

“Congratulations to Harris Ahmed and the entire RLabs team for making Pakistan proud. May this be one of many more success stories that take our green flag to new heights!” the statement added.

On Oct 10, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally inaugurated the newly renamed Daanish IT Park (National Technology Park), hailing the country’s first national technology facility as a crucial milestone for Pakistan’s rapid economic progress and prosperity.

He noted that the state-of-the-art facility brings incubation centres, innovation hubs, small and medium enterprises, startups, and industry leaders together under one roof.

The World Bank — under the “Pakistan Entrepr­eneurship and Private In­­v­­estment Catalyst Proj­ect” expected to be approved by its executive board in early 2027 — would help the government establish and capitalise a $50 million Fund of Funds (FoF) to catalyse Pakistan’s nascent innovation and venture capital ecosystem.

Earlier this year, co-founders of Singapore-based Plouton AI secured a spot in the ‘finance and venture capital’ category of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. The venture, co-founded by Muhammad Furqan Karim Kidwai and Sarfraz Shahid Hussain, was described as an “agentic automation platform that helps midmarket companies automate finance workflows”.

The protests marked the fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations against the rising cost of living, which have erupted as the country heads to presidential elections in five months’ time, where the far right sees its best chance yet to win power.

A total of 146,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Saturday, including 46,000 in Paris, the interior ministry said. Unions put the figure at 250,000 protesters nationwide, with 75,000 in the capital.

These figures were lower than the previous three weekends of protests but also came after a mass union protest on Thursday that rallied 575,000 people, according to the authorities — 1.6 million according to unions.

At the end of the protest in Paris, police used tear gas against individuals throwing projectiles and homemade fireworks at the security forces, an AFP correspondent said.

Police said a group of 200 violent individuals attacked officers as they were arresting a man who had set fire to a trash bin in the square.

Banned protests thwarted

Some 70,000 members of the security forces were deployed on Saturday, ready to move in quickly after mass protests on October 17 degenerated into the worst riots seen in France in years.

Unions had staged a march along a traditional route, from the Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the east of the city where the clashes erupted at the end of the protest.

But the Yellow Vests movement — a group whose protests shook Emmanuel Macron in the early years of his presidency almost a decade ago — called for a rival demonstration at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris, a stone’s throw from the president’s Élysée Palace and the lower house of parliament.

This action has been banned by the authorities, and on Saturday a large police presence prevented protesters from getting close. Some 100 people who arrived were surrounded by police and one of the movement’s coordinators, Benjamin Ball, and its spokeswoman, Azelma Sigaux, were among those arrested by police, an AFP reporter said.

In the southeastern city of Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people in the city centre blocking a road during an unauthorised gathering.

‘This can’t go on’

The wave of demonstrations was sparked by a movement in late September by high school students angered by conditions at their establishments. These teens, joined by university students, remain at the heart of the protests.

“Today is a date that helps keep the pressure on,” said Sabine Kharbach, spokeswoman of the Student Union. “Many young people are mobilising because the government’s responses remain unsatisfactory.”

The police response has faced criticism for being heavy-handed, with dozens of internal investigations launched into allegations of brutality against demonstrators.

Local businesses are also feeling the pain. “So this can’t go on, otherwise I think it will be a disaster before long,” said Paris shop manager Jean Emile Moulinier. His store is around the main protest route and he said hardly any customers brave security barricades on protest weekends.

Shop windows of stores in Paris and other cities were again barricaded with wooden shutters and often closed for the day to prevent potential ransacking.

The government is grappling with ways to find solutions but is constrained by France’s gigantic debt pile, which is already spooking markets.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is to meet unions and employer federation representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power.

But student and teacher groups in France have called for a new strike on Tuesday to keep pressure on the government for more education spending, saying they were “in a position of strength [and] the government in a position of weakness and starting to yield”.

Polls indicate that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favourite to win the Elysee in 2027, with her main rival currently not one of Macron’s centrist former allies but hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Melenchon, addressing 20,000 at a rally outside Paris on Saturday, declared “we are going to win” and “everything must change”.

These are hardly reassuring words for the international community, which wants the war to end quickly. Qatar has taken centre stage in mediation, with Mr Trump discussing the Iran file with the country’s emir.

There is genuine reason to fear another US strike on Iran. For one, Mr Trump may want to act before January 2027, when the new Congress is empowered to scrutinise his decisions.

The US government on Saturday asked its citizens in the Middle East to “exercise heightened vigilance”, while it has struck the Iranian island of Qeshm twice this week. The Iranians have not taken the bait, but have promised strong retaliation to new attacks.

These developments illustrate the unpredictability of the Gulf situation: one rash move could restart the conflict, which is why mediation efforts should be stepped up.

The US leadership is mistaken if it thinks that a fresh round of hostilities would be ‘limited’. If Iran does retaliate to new American or Israeli strikes, the impact of the conflict could be far more devastating than the last round. Along with needless aggression against a sovereign state, the economic shockwave caused by the conflict would hit ordinary people everywhere.

In order to prevent a new military and economic crisis, the US leadership must prioritise diplomacy over war. The Iranians want an end to the blockade of their ports, as well as lifting of sanctions and the release of their funds. All these are achievable goals if the US sincerely desires peace. Even the nuclear issue can be resolved at the negotiating table if Mr Trump eschews his threatening tone.

In return, Iran should promise unhindered navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Moreover, the ceasefire must be broadened to stop the Yemen conflict as well as Israeli violence in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. Though technically, these are separate conflicts, they are also interlinked, involving Iran’s allies in the ‘Axis of Resistance’.

It is decision time for Mr Trump. He can either work with regional states and negotiate an end to his own ‘forever war’. Or he can continue down the same path, with the international community paying the price for American and Israeli bellicosity. For the sake of peace, it is hoped he chooses the former option.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026

The announcement of the task force, designated “Iron Gate”, was made on Saturday in a statement by US Central Command (Centcom). Based in Tampa, Florida and comprising 20 civilian and military personnel, it will coordinate with other US government agencies.

It aims “to prevent Iran from using ground routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials”.

“The new Centcom team will coordinate with other US government agencies on preventing the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea,” the statement read.

“Strengthening Centcom’s collaboration with US interagency partners will further constrain Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of Centcom, said in a statement, adding that the new task force “reinforces the success” of the US blockade.

In the statement, Centcom claimed that its naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil.

This is one of the latest moves by the US to put economic and logistical pressure on Iran after a slowdown in hostilities.

In August, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ — an economic pressure campaign targeting five sectors Iran was using to prop up its economy: digital assets, gold, technology, aviation and shipping.

“In the Second World War, D-Day marked the historic beginning of a campaign with our allies to target and drive the enemy from its positions, including in third countries,” he said.

“Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime, until Tehran stands alone,” Bessent added.

In June, US President Donald Trump reimposed a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iranian oil exports, which would apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, covering the entire Iranian coastline, including ports and oil terminals.

It said the measure would not impede neutral transit passage through the strait to or from non-Iranian destinations, and that humanitarian shipments would be permitted subject to inspection.

Despite the blockade, Tehran has been able to export oil and liquefied natural gas.

According to a press release issued by the ECP, the minister visited the constituency by helicopter and addressed a campaign event for Rashid Basheer Virk, who is contesting elections in National Assembly constituency NA-77 (Gujranwala-I).

This violates a provision in the Code of Conduct, which bars public office holders, including federal ministers, from participating in campaign activities.

The Commission has sought a report from the district monitoring officer and the district returning officer to inquire into the matter. It has also directed the minister to appear before the commission in person.

The ECP added that the result of the constituency could be withheld until a final decision is made on the matter.

By-elections in NA-77 and Punjab Assembly constituency PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI) are scheduled for November 8, both of which fell vacant after the deaths of their respective PML-N lawmakers.

NA-77 fell vacant following the death of five-time MNA Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk on September 11 after a prolonged illness. His son, Rashid, is among the candidates contesting the by-election.

Hanif Jutt had won the seat in a by-election held in November 2025 after the constituency’s original winner, PTI-backed independent Rai Murtaza Iqbal, was disqualified following his conviction by an Anti-Terrorism Court.

The upcoming by-election will therefore be the second electoral contest for PP-203 since the 2024 general elections. PML-N candidate Muhammad Asad Hanif Jutt is among the contenders for the vacant seat.

Mehmood Virk was elected to the National Assembly five times during his electoral career as a PML-N nominee. Considered a strong loyalist of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he was first elected as an MNA in 1997 and then lost in 2002, but since 2008 he won four consecutive contests.

Rashid and 17 other candidates have filed nomination papers to contest the constituency.

In PP-203, however, the seat was initially won by independent candidate Rai Murtaza Iqbal, backed by the PTI, who secured 55,874 votes against PML-N’s Chaudhry Hanif Jutt, who polled 35,163 votes.

However, Iqbal, along with four other PTI-backed parliamentarians, was disqualified and denotified by the ECP following their conviction by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad on July 31.

Subsequently, the ECP scheduled a by-election for Nov 23, 2025, which was won by Jutt with 46,820 votes. His closest rival, independent candidate Falik Sher, secured 10,975 votes.

Jutt died of cardiac arrest on Sept 17, 2026, necessitating another by-election in the constituency.

The IL-76MD, a four-engine Russian-origin turbofan military aircraft also known as Ganjraj, landed at an airfield at 4,154 metres above sea level, close to the frontier with China.

“An Indian Air Force IL-76MD has scripted history with a successful landing at Nyoma, marking the highest-altitude landing ever achieved by the aircraft anywhere in the world,” the IAF said in a statement.

Images posted by the IAF on social media showed the aircraft landing and taking off from the runway surrounded by barren mountains in the cold desert area, where temperatures can plummet to minus 20°C.

The military airfield at Nyoma was completed last year as part of a push for military infrastructure in the icy region following a border clash in 2020 that killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

India and China compete fiercely for influence in South Asia. Relations have improved slowly since that clash, with renewed political contacts at the highest levels.

However, deep distrust remains and both sides maintain military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre high-altitude border along Tibet owing to unresolved territorial disputes.

A man drove a car onto Krakow’s Main Square and began shooting at random people, said police. Officers shot a suspect who is now in custody, they added.

“As a result of the incident, five people were killed and around a dozen others were wounded,” a Krakow police spokesman told AFP by phone.

“The perpetrator was shot by police” and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X.

The gunman acted alone and is Polish, a police spokeswoman told AFP.

“There is one perpetrator; it is a Polish man,” she said by phone.

An AFP reporter on site noted ambulances and multiple police cars at the scene as police cordoned off the area — one of Poland’s landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

“The police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack,” said Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, calling it “a tragic shooting”.

“I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square,” Annette, a woman in her sixties, told AFP. “It’s a tragedy for Krakow, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” she added.

The EU’s top diplomat called the incident a “tragedy”, adding that “Poland does not stand alone”.

“The tragic loss of life in the shooting in Krakow is a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland,” Kaja Kallas said on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families and the first responders.”

‘Dramatic events’

Deadly shootings are rare in Poland, a European Union and Nato member with 38 million people. But the country was on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a “cult of violence”.

Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.

The historic city of Krakow, in southern Poland, which was once Poland’s capital, attracts millions of tourists annually. In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people, the city said.

Poland’s conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was “in contact with the relevant authorities” and awaiting “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events”.

“The safety of Poles is an absolute priority,” he added.

The order, issued by Information Commissioner Ijaz Hassan Awan and Chief Information Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, came following an appeal filed by journalist Saddia Mazhar.

In the order, available with Dawn, the PIC directed the secretary of the NA Secretariat to provide clear and specific responses to 13 outstanding questions under the Right of Access to Information Act 2017 (RTI Act) within 10 days.

As per the order, Mazhar had submitted an information request on June 21, seeking details about the functioning and financial expenditures of parliamentary committees from January 2025 onwards.

She had requested lists of standing committees and subcommittees, the number of meetings conducted, total expenditure incurred on those meetings and travel allowances paid to committee members and chairpersons, as well as the complete details of perks, privileges and other payments made to lawmakers serving on these committees.

After receiving no satisfactory response from the NA Secretariat, she filed an appeal with the PIC on July 5.

National Assembly Litigation Officer Sehrish Mushtaq represented the Secretariat during the proceedings.

The NA Secretariat submitted responses which were shared with the applicant, but she maintained that, except for the first question concerning the list of standing committees, the remaining 13 questions remained unanswered.

After examining the responses and information available on the NA’s official website, the PIC acknowledged that substantial parliamentary information had been published online but observed that it did not adequately address the journalist’s specific questions.

“The information provided does not meet the specific requirements set out in the information request,” the PIC stated, stressing that public bodies must provide objective and specific responses to information requests in accordance with the RTI Act, even where relevant information is already available online.

Thus, the PIC directed the NA Secretary to provide complete and specific responses to questions numbered 2 to 14 within 10 days. The implementation proceedings have been scheduled for Nov 19 to review compliance with the directive.

Under Section 11 of the RTA Act, any citizen of Pakistan can submit requests to the designated official in any official body.

“Any written request which identifies the information or record sought in sufficient detail, to enable the public body to locate it and which includes a complete address and contact details for delivery of the information or record, shall be treated as a request,” it reads.

Information regarding the grant of licences, allotments and other benefits, privileges, contracts and agreements made by a public body is publicly disclosable information, according to the Act.

“Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sudanese Interior Minister Lt Gen Babiker Samra Mustafa Ali signed the agreement,” the ministry said on the social media platform X.

“Under the agreement, holders of Pakistani and Sudanese official and diplomatic passports will be able to enter each other’s countries without a visa,” it stated.

“Both interior ministers welcomed the visa-free entry agreement for official and diplomatic passports,” the statement said.

“This agreement marks an important milestone in bilateral relations between Pakistan and Sudan,” it added.

The statement emphasised that the visa-free facility would further facilitate high-level contacts and exchanges of delegations between Pakistan and Sudan.

“New opportunities will emerge to promote official-level ties and mutual cooperation between the two countries.”

“The agreement will further strengthen friendly relations and institutional cooperation between Pakistan and Sudan, the Sudanese interior minister was quoted as saying.

“Both interior ministers reaffirmed their commitment to further consolidating and strengthening bilateral relations,” the statement added.

Earlier on Saturday, both countries also decided to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in combating cybercrime, the statement by the interior ministry said.

The decision was taken during delegation-level talks between interior ministers of both countries. Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry also attended the meeting.

The Sudanese interior minister said his country wanted to benefit from Pakistan’s expertise and experience in combating cybercrime, the statement said.

“The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in security, internal affairs, police training, institutional cooperation, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and other sectors.”

“Pakistan is ready to extend all possible cooperation to Sudan in peace-building and reconstruction,” Naqvi was quoted as saying.

“Pakistan is also ready to provide professional training to Sudanese police officers,” the interior minister said during the meeting.

Briefing the visiting minister, Naqvi said that with Nadra’s cooperation, 36 million citizenship cards, 9 million national identity cards, 18 million birth certificates and 500,000 death certificates had been issued in Sudan. He said Nadra was ready to continue cooperation in the civil registration process.

On a query by the Sudanese minister, Naqvi ordered immediate resolution of visa issues faced by married Sudanese women in Pakistan, the statement said.

“Sudanese citizens can avail medical facilities in Pakistan and will be provided every possible facility in the health sector,” Naqvi said.

“Pakistan is a brotherly country and Sudan attaches great importance to cooperation with it in all fields,” the Sudanese interior minister was quoted as saying.

He expressed the desire to promote cooperation in various sectors and thanked Pakistan for its cooperation.

A day ago, the Sudanese interior minister held a meeting with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and discussed avenues to enhance bilateral cooperation between their countries.

On Thursday, he also met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

In a meeting with the prime minister, he commended Pakistan’s support on international forums regarding efforts to restore peace and security in Sudan.

Pakistan and China are close diplomatic and strategic partners, and signed a deal in February 2025 setting up a Chinese government training programme for Pakistani astronauts.

The statement by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) did not give a date of departure, but the mission is expected to take place by the end of the year.

However, earlier in October, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the space mission would take place on Nov 25 while addressing a ceremony.

The Pakistani astronaut, a payload specialist, will join a short orbital flight before returning with the Shenzhou-23 spaceship, which docked at the Tiangong space station in May, according to the CMSA.

The agency did not name the Pakistani crew member, but said in April that astronauts Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud had been chosen to start training in China.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the two in April, and congratulated them on their selection. He said the space mission was a “matter of pride for the entire nation” and further commended their “round-the-clock efforts” in achieving the milestone.

PM Shehbaz hoped that the space mission would “add new dimensions to the brotherly relationship between Pakistan and China”.

Beijing has invested heavily in its space programme in recent years — catching up with its main rival the United States — and aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.

Pakistan is a natural partner, given the countries decades-long, “all-weather” friendship. China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major foreign investor.

In February 2025, Suparco and CMSA had signed a cooperation agreement. Under the pact, two Pakistanis were to train in China, with one joining a mission on the Tiangong space station operated by Beijing.

China has been barred from particip­ating in the International Space Station since 2011, when the US prohibited Nasa from collaborating with Chinese space agencies. Since then, Beijing has sought to build partnerships with other countries — including Pakistan — in its expanding space programme.

This principle is also “reverberated across the world with one voice by dint of a legal maxim ‘Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt’, thereby implying that the law assists the vigilant, not those who sleep over their rights”, observed Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar in an eight-page judgment issued on Saturday, which restored two civil revisions that were dismissed for non-prosecution after the petitioner’s counsel could not appear due to Coronavirus infection.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Mazhar and including Justices Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, allowed the civil petitions by converting them into appeals and setting aside the Feb 23, 2026 Lahore High Court’s (LHC) rejection of the restoration applications.

Last September as well, the SC, while rejecting three civil miscellaneous applications seeking the restoration of review petitions, regretted that litigants and their counsel sometimes treat the court’s benevolence and leniency as a mere procedural formality, disregarding the solemnity of its categorical directives.

The present issue arose when the petitioner, Safdar Ali Butt, filed a case before the LHC, but on Feb 2, 2026, both revisions were dismissed for non-prosecution because the petitioner’s counsel, Shahid Azeem Bajwa, could not reach the bench despite being present at the court as he was suffering from Coronavirus.

Upon being called, the counsel rushed inside but could not approach the bench due to the crowd in the courtroom.

Demonstrating diligence, the petitioner then filed restoration applications the very next day on Feb 3, but these were also dismissed by the LHC on Feb 23, prompting the present appeal to the SC.

On Saturday, Justice Mazhar emphasised that, if an advocate lacks a sense of his professional duty, the ultimate sufferer was the client who engaged the advocate on reposing confidence in him.

At the same time, Justice Mazhar highlighted that the client should also be vigilant and pursue his case diligently without leaving everything to the lawyer and should not opt to put out of sight or play hide-and-seek tactics based on an advocate’s inattention or negligence.

“To ensure effective performance of professional ethics and further to avoid allegations of professional misconduct or violation of canons of practice, the lawyers ought to properly track fixation dates, cause lists and court benches to avoid missing cases due to human error.

“They should also make all best possible efforts to handle every facet and dimension of the lis to protect his client’s interests,” the judgement emphasised.

The lawyer should also keep his client updated on case progress, risks and even the settlement offers, if any and also avoid conflicts of interest, Justice Mazhar reminded.

“In case of overlapping and simultaneous commitments in different courts of law, advocates ought to make alternate arrangements for holding brief even for adjournment requests or must file proper application for adjournment in advance with prior information to the other side’s counsel as a matter of professional ethics,” Justice Mazhar explained.

“Sometimes the court dismisses the lawsuit when, despite various opportunities afforded by the court to proceed with the case or producing evidence, the party and his counsel persistently and calculatingly disappear, either due to lack of interest or to drag the proceedings to avoid well-timed disposal on merits,” regretted the judgment.

Dismissal in default of a case on the negligence of an advocate without well-grounded sanity is one of the most serious blemishes which disparage and tarnish the professional image and reputation, the judgment highlighted.

“Universally, a dismissal due to non-prosecution is considered a plainspoken ineptitude of the lawyers and also a breach of clients’ trust, which also sets the stage for filing complaints against the lawyers alleging professional misconduct to the Bar Councils under the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973,” Justice Mazhar emphasised.

At the same time, Justice Mazhar also observed that courts cannot turn a blind eye to the well-settled doctrine of restoration of a case, which gives carte blanche to courts to resuscitate the lawsuit dismissed in default if sufficient cause is put on record and the demands of justice so demand.

“If the sufficient cause is pleaded through a promptly filed application for restoration within the limitation period and satisfactorily explains the absence on the date of hearing, the eventual consensus of the courts across the board is to lean toward compassion,” Justice Mazhar said.

“The all-encompassing philosophy of justice articulates that lawsuits must be decided on merits rather than technical knockouts or due to procedural oversights or inadvertences.”

Albeit the benefit of a lenient approach cannot be regarded as absolute, he added.

Justice Mazhar emphasised that the “scale of justice neither tilts towards automatic dismissal nor automatic restoration, but it should be with a balanced frame of mind and also subject to the law of limitation to ward off and protect a genuine litigant from suffering due to counsel’s blunders, while delineating a strict dividing line against premeditated recklessness and genuine and honest grounds pleaded for restoration of the case to its original position”.

He observed that force majeure circumstances or unexpected situations, including physical incapacitation or medical emergencies, are ordinarily acknowledged as convincing grounds to exercise inherent or discretionary powers by courts for restoring cases to “meet the ends of justice with or without imposing costs”.

This was because the “indispensable purpose of a court is to determine the actual disputes as an elementary virtue of the administration of civil and criminal justice”.

“The rules of procedure are meant to serve justice and not obstruct it,” the judgment concluded.

Batter Mohammad Tayyab Arif, fast bowlers Ali Shabbir and Saqib Khan have earned their maiden call-ups following impressive performances in domestic cricket and the PCB Patron’s XI’s three-day practice match against Sri Lanka at the Islamabad Club from November 4 to 6.

The PCB also released Ali Usman and Abdullah Fazal from the original 14-member squad.

The first Test is scheduled to begin at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, with the second to be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from November 17 to 21.

Both matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, in which Pakistan currently occupy the bottom position, while Sri Lanka are seventh.

Aamir, who has represented Pakistan in nine Tests, three ODIs and six T20Is, returns to the squad on the back of strong domestic performances.

He was named player of the final in the President’s Trophy Grade-I after taking seven for 32 and scoring 55 to help Markhor IT Solutions win the title.

He also made an impact in the opening round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Gold, taking three wickets and scoring 74 and 23 while captaining Lahore Whites.

Aamir was among the players sent home during Pakistan’s recent tour of England.

Tayyab, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the leading performers in domestic first-class cricket this season. The 19-year-old right-handed batter from Sialkot scored 727 runs in seven matches for Kingsmen Academy in the departmental tournament at an average of 66.09, including three centuries in his maiden season.

Ali Shabbir, also 19, has taken 22 wickets in eight first-class matches. He claimed three wickets in the practice game against Sri Lanka, with bowling coach Shaun Tait reportedly impressed by the young fast bowler’s pace and rhythm.

Saqib Khan was among the standout performers in Karachi Blues’ Quaid-i-Azam Trophy 2025-26 title-winning campaign. He finished with 47 wickets in nine matches at an average of 20.60, including best figures of seven for 34.

The latest additions underline the team management’s emphasis on rewarding domestic performances and providing opportunities to emerging players. The original squad already included several relatively inexperienced players, among them Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas, Mohammad Suleman and all-rounder Razaullah.

Razaullah made an impressive impression on his Test debut against England at Edgbaston earlier this year, taking four wickets before scoring a rapid 81, which included nine sixes.

Meanwhile, experienced fast bowler Mohammad Abbas will lead the pace attack as Pakistan seek to make a strong start to their home Test season.

Abbas, who has taken more than 110 Test wickets at an average in the low 20s, said he was keen to register a maiden five-wicket haul on home soil, a milestone that has so far eluded him.

“I thank Allah that I am in form and will try to continue it. I owe a big performance — a five-wicket haul — in Pakistan, so I will try to get my name on the board here as well,” he said on the sidelines of the team’s practice session at the Islamabad Club.

The 36-year-old has enjoyed considerable success overseas, including career-best figures of six for 54 and a match haul of 10 for 95 against Australia in the UAE in 2018. He also claimed five for 57 at Lord’s earlier this year.

Abbas attributed his consistency to regular participation in domestic red-ball competitions and English county cricket, saying he managed to get around 20 to 25 days of competitive cricket almost every year.

He also welcomed the inclusion of young players in the squad, describing it as an opportunity for them to establish themselves at the highest level.

“This team has quite a few youngsters. The cricket board and management have decided that youngsters should be given a chance. It is a big opportunity for them to show their skills and secure their place for the future. This is a good sign,” he said.

Abbas singled out Razaullah as a promising prospect, praising his willingness to learn and improve.

The veteran pacer said preparations for the series had gone well, with players getting match practice ahead of the opening Test. He cautioned, however, against taking Sri Lanka lightly, stressing the importance of assessing conditions and performing consistently.

Pakistan have won 23 of their 59 previous Tests against Sri Lanka, losing 17, while 19 ended in draws. They won the last home series between the sides 1-0 in 2019-20.

Sri Lanka, led by Kusal Mendis, have named a 15-member squad featuring experienced players Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva and Prabath Jayasuriya, while Pathum Nissanka is also in contention.

Revised Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Ali Shabbir, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Mohammad Tayyab Arif, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas, Saqib Khan, Saud Shakeel

Bushra Bibi is serving a seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case. In December 2025, she was sen­tenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in the Tosha­khana-2 case, which revolved around the purchase of an expensive jewellery set gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during his May 2021 visit.

A miscellaneous application has been filed in the IHC in connection with the pending appeals in the £190 million case, seeking a fresh and comprehensive medical report from Adiala jail authorities regarding her health condition.

The application seeks complete details of her diagnosis and treatment and requests the court to direct the jail authorities to produce all relevant medical records. It also asks the court to order an immediate examination by an ophthalmologist, allow her to receive treatment from her personal doctors at her own expense and ensure the provision of appropriate medical facilities.

Meanwhile, Barrister Salman Safdar, counsel for the PTI founder, has submitted an affidavit before the IHC detailing his recent meeting with Imran and Bushra at Adiala jail and raising serious concerns about her eyesight.

According to the affidavit, jail authorities informed him on October 31 that a meeting with the PTI founder and Bushra had been scheduled for November 2 at 3:30pm. The meeting began at 4pm and lasted approximately 40 minutes.

Barrister Safdar stated that Bushra Bibi was wearing exceptionally dark-tinted glasses during the meeting. However, when she removed them at the request of Imran and the counsel, her condition appeared extremely distressing.

He said Bushra Bibi told him that she could not tolerate either sunlight or artificial light and was unable to open her eyes without protective glasses. Her eyesight appeared to have deteriorated considerably, giving the impression that her vision had been severely impaired.

The affidavit further stated that the PTI founder also appeared visibly concerned about his wife’s deteriorating eyesight.

According to the former first lady, doctors who examined her had diagnosed her condition as a “mature cataract” and advised that another eye surgery would be required around November 15.

Her first eye surgery was on April 18, after which she was sent back to Adiala jail.

She also expressed dissatisfaction with the hygiene standards inside the prison and the medical treatment being provided to her.

Barrister Safdar stated that Bushra had specifically requested that her medical examination and treatment be conducted by her personal doctors. He assured her that he would raise the matter before the court.

The application urges the IHC to intervene to ensure that Bushra receives immediate specialist medical attention and that her deteriorating eyesight is not further compromised due to any delay in treatment.

Earlier this week, the government unveiled a new LPG policy, aimed at creating competition and supplies through procurement by four state-owned enterprises (SOEs) under government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-business (B2B) arrangements.

The government directed four state-owned enterprises to re-enter the LPG import business to ease severe supply constraints and soaring prices.

Under the policy, the locally produced gas will be sold through open auctions, which should cut out the intermediaries who profit from the existing arrangement.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, the minister attended the first meeting of the committee formed to ensure transparent auction of LPG.

He said the new auction system would help ensure fair distribution of LPG, stability in the supply chain and energy security.

Under the new mechanism, local LPG producers would allocate 10 per cent of their production to government-owned marketing companies to meet the needs of remote areas. The remaining 90pc of locally produced LPG would be sold through a transparent auction in the presence of the media.

The committee also decided that each company would be allowed to acquire a maximum of 20 metric tonnes of LPG per day through the auction.

Daily LPG production would also be monitored, with the data presented to the prime minister.

Malik said all eligible companies would be given equal opportunities to participate in the auction, Radio Pakistan reported.

LPG, long considered the poor man’s fuel, is now what many middle-class families use for cooking and heating. An increasing number of homes end up buying cylinders as temperatures fall.

Earlier this week, Malik assured the public that the government will make utmost efforts to meet the demand for LPG during the winter months.

His remarks come as LPG supply has been disrupted due to the closure of Iranian border crossings, resulting in gas cylinders being sold at twice the official rate in the open market. LPG is widely used for rickshaws, but also for cooking and other purposes by those not on the piped gas network.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Malik said, “Seeing people’s distress and also knowing that from December and January, winter will be at its peak […] even if the most expensive fuel has to be purchased for the piped network, we will bring it in and try to meet demand through LNG (liquefied natural gas).”

The minister assured the public that the government will make “utmost efforts” to ensure piped supply of domestic gas for meal times. Besides this, LPG will be needed for other needs and by those without piped connections, he noted.

Mediators have been working to prevent any resumption of fighting after months of deadlock in the Middle East conflict, which began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

Tehran has sought to limit traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption.

Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Tehran retained control over the strategic waterway and that it would remain closed until its demands were met by the US.

He also said Iran’s forces had grown stronger and more confident, state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

“Today, the Islamic Republic’s armed forces… having gained experience from direct confrontation with the United States and the Israeli regime, are on higher alert and are stronger than they were at the beginning of the war,” he said.

“They now possess greater motivation, commitment, and self-confidence.”

“Under the order of the Supreme Leader, the response of the armed forces will be immediate, effective, and without geographical limitations,” he added.

Reward offered

The US military said it was offering a $20 million reward “and possible relocation” for information about Iran’s nuclear programme.

The programme was established in 1984 under the State Department’s national security rewards programme to offer money for information that protects American lives and interests.

In a statement about the reward, the State Department said Iran’s “lack of compliance with the (International Atomic Energy Agency) on safeguards obligations has led to the agency’s loss of ‘continuity of knowledge’ regarding Iran’s production and inventory of key components like centrifuges.”

It did not specify what type of information would warrant a $20 million reward.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said US forces have effectively obliterated Iran’s nuclear programme.

“If we didn’t hit Iran, you wouldn’t have Israel today,” Trump said Friday night in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East.”

Dialogue

The president also said Iran — which he stressed has had its economy and military severely damaged over eight months of war — is eager to end the conflict.

“We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” he said.

Trump called Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Friday to discuss efforts to end the war.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said this week his government was still trying to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

Early on Saturday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, adding there was no official information about any damage.

Iranian state television reported two explosions on the island.

The Iranian army said early Saturday that its air defences had “struck and destroyed” a US drone that was flying over the island, according to state media. It did not say whether the island was attacked.

The warning comes as UN peacekeeping faces mounting financial and political pressures. The General Assembly has approved a $5.1 billion budget for peacekeeping operations for 2026-27, about 10 per cent lower than the previous year’s allocation. A funding crisis last year had already forced the organisation to reduce mission expenditure and repatriate a quarter of its uniformed personnel from peacekeeping operations.

Against this backdrop, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Syed Haider Shah, called for reforms that improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping without sacrificing the capabilities needed to carry out its mandates.

“What is needed is the political will in the Security Council to use this important instrument when circumstances require,” he told the Fourth Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Friday.

Pakistan is one of the largest and longest-serving contributors to UN peacekeeping. More than 170,000 Pakistani military and police personnel have served in UN missions over the past six decades, with 183 losing their lives. Pakistan also hosts the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

Ambassador Shah’s intervention comes at a time when peacekeeping operations are confronting not only financial difficulties but also increasingly complicated political and security environments. Growing reliance on regional arrangements and ad hoc operations, he argued, demonstrated that the need for a credible UN presence on the ground remained undiminished.

Welcoming the secretary-general’s review of peacekeeping operations, Pakistan outlined six priorities for reform: giving primacy to political solutions; ensuring focused and adequately resourced mandates; preserving the institutional strengths of peacekeeping; preparing for future military and police requirements; improving the safety and security of peacekeepers; and maintaining peacekeeping as a collective UN responsibility.

The central concern was the widening gap between the responsibilities assigned to peacekeeping missions and the resources made available to them.

Pakistan cautioned against allowing financial ceilings to determine operational requirements. Political objectives, Ambassador Shah argued, should first establish what a mission is expected to accomplish. Its mandate should then determine the personnel, equipment and financial resources required.

Peacekeeping missions can help stabilise conflict situations, protect civilians, sustain ceasefires and preserve space for negotiations. But these functions depend on political processes and adequate operational capabilities working together.

Pakistan also urged member states to preserve the distinctive advantages of UN peacekeeping, including its universal legitimacy, predictable financing, established command and logistics systems, and ability to draw personnel and specialised capabilities from across the UN membership.

“Efficiency and cost reduction must therefore strengthen peacekeeping, not hollow out the capabilities that give UN peacekeeping its unique value,” the ambassador said.

The protection of peacekeepers and accountability for crimes committed against them formed another major part of Pakistan’s intervention.

Pakistan, alongside Denmark, played a leading role in advancing UN Security Council Resolution 2823, which was unanimously adopted with a record 153 co-sponsors. The resolution seeks to strengthen accountability for crimes against UN peacekeepers, an issue Pakistan has repeatedly raised at the UN.

Welcoming the secretary-general’s first report on accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, Ambassador Shah also noted the appointment of Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Spehar as Senior Focal Point on the matter.

He called for the resolution’s effective implementation through stronger investigations and prosecutions, better tracking of cases and greater support for national capacities to ensure that those responsible for attacks on peacekeepers were brought to justice.

Pakistan also stressed the importance of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, known as C-34, describing it as the universal intergovernmental forum for collectively shaping peacekeeping policy.

The consensus achieved within the committee, together with the broad support for Resolution 2823, demonstrated that member states continued to regard peacekeeping as an important instrument of international cooperation.

Pakistan’s position was that reform should make peacekeeping more effective and adaptable to changing circumstances, rather than weaken the institution at a time when international conflicts and political divisions make its role increasingly important.

“Peacekeeping remains a vital, effective and cost-efficient means for ensuring peace and security. We will need this instrument again. We should ensure that it is ready when we do,” Ambassador Shah concluded.

Captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were sent home in disgrace and found by a Cricket Australia investigation to be the only three players with prior knowledge of the ball-tampering plot.

Smith was banned for a year and sacked as skipper, Warner was suspended for 12 months and stripped of all leadership roles, while Bancroft was slapped with a nine-month ban.

But former opener Khawaja, who retired this year after 88 Tests, told the Sydney Morning Herald that everyone knew.

“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,” he said ahead of the release of his autobiography next week where a chapter is dedicated to the issue.

Bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon all denied publicly in 2021 that they knew about it.

Khawaja said he spoke in the dressing room after the Cape Town Test urging the team to take collective responsibility, rather than scapegoating Warner, Smith and Bancroft.

“In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this,” Khawaja said.

“I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth. The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now.

“Maybe I thought Davey (Warner) would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more. I just didn’t think it was going to come down to this.” Darren Lehmann, who was head coach at the time, denied there was widespread knowledge of the plot, while claiming ball-tampering was once ever-present in international cricket.

“I don’t think everybody would have known,” he told national broadcaster ABC.

“I can’t speak for them (the players) at all. I only know what I know, and I know that ball-tampering was a big part of the game of cricket.
“Now it’s obsolete, but that doesn’t make it right either and we paid a heavy price for that.”

Comfortable

Lehmann, who quit after the series, said Khawaja’s claims dredged up “bad memories” for him, the players and their families.

“For the families and the people involved, I feel for them right now because it’s taking them back to a really bad place,” he said.

“It’s been eight years. You get to a place where you move on, and I’ve moved on with my life.” In the book, according to the newspaper, Khawaja recounts that discussions about ways to rough up the ball were first held in the dressing room during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha.

It culminated in the discovery that sandpaper was effective, and at this point Smith allegedly walked away, saying he did not want to know about it.

Bancroft then allegedly volunteered to use sandpaper in South Africa’s first innings in Gqeberha, where the ball swung significantly.

Cricket Australia said in a statement it was “comfortable” with the findings of its original investigation, but remained open to new evidence.
“There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month’s series in South Africa,” it said.

“During this time there has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case.

“All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process. “