Author: Sajjad Ali

KURRAM:  An armed conflict between two tribal groups in Kurram claimed 10 lives on Friday, with authorities’ efforts to resolve the situation proving unsuccessful so far. The clashes between the Bushehra and Malikhel tribes in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have now entered their third day. A total of 55 others also wounded from both sides. Local sources report that gunfire continues in the areas of Balash Khel, Khar Kale, Piwar, and Teri Mangal. The groups are reportedly using a variety of weapons against each other. Hospital source, however, confirmed that six dead bodies were received and 50 others…

LAHORE: The imposition of Section 144 in Punjab has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday. The petition was filed on behalf of Azhar Siddique Advocate, in which the Punjab government, home secretary and deputy commissioners have been made parties. The petition said that Section 144 in Punjab was imposed on political grounds to stop the peaceful protest of a political party. The petitioner pleaded with the court to declare the notification of Section 144 null and void and the enforcement of Section 144 be suspended till the final decision on the petition. The Punjab Home Department…

QUETTA: The Balochistan government announced on Friday that it would extend summer holidays for schools by two weeks due to severe weather conditions. This decision affects over 13,674 schools and 884,405 students in the southwestern province of Pakistan, which has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country. Schools will now reopen on August 15. The extension of summer holidays was directed by Chief Minister Balochistan, Sarfraz Bugti. Similarly, the Sindh Province also extended its summer holidays. The Sindh Education Department issued a notification stating that all schools in the province, both private and government, will remain closed until…

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police and law enforcement agencies have blocked multiple routes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including the Faizabad to Murree Road stretch and parts of the Islamabad Expressway, by placing containers. These actions have caused significant traffic disruptions amid a protest call by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) today. Heavy contingents of Police from New Town and Sadiqabad stations have been deployed to Faizabad. Half of the road leading to the Expressway is closed, with only one side open to traffic. Containers have been placed under the Faizabad bridge on the expressway, further restricting movement. In…

Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has vowed not to remain silent about the ongoing suffering in Gaza. Speaking to reporters during her first campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, following a critical meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Harris expressed her “serious concern” over the devastating impact of the nine-month conflict. “Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters. What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris stated, emphasizing the human toll of the conflict. “The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing…

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held a meeting of the KP Apex Committee on Thursday and discussed the 16 demands of the Bannu Peace Committee, including the procedure for forming a commission to probe violence broke out during a large rally demanding peace in the area. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, was attended by Peshawar Corps Commander, Inspector General of Police, Chief Secretary, and Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Information, Muhammad Ali Saif. According to a statement released after the meeting, the provincial government will also initiate its own inquiry to identify those responsible for…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s electoral body on Thursday notified 39 MNAs as lawmakers of the jailed former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in line with the Supreme Court reserved seats verdict. “The following returned candidates against general seats of National Assembly are declared to have been returned as candidates of PTI,” said the official handout that also contained the names of lawmakers. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled in an 8-5 majority verdict that PTI is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats, depriving  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition of two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.…

ISLAMABAD: The ‘Hurmat-e-Parcham’ campaign has been launched by Federal Ministers in response to the attack by provoked protesters on the Pakistani Consulate in Germany and the removal of the national flag. As part of the campaign, the Federal Ministers shared their pictures with the Pakistani flag on social media on Thursday. They also posted messages expressing their love and affection for the national flag on various social media platforms. Among those who shared their pictures with the national flag are Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Power Sardar Awais Leghari, Minister for Privatisation Abdul Aleem…

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday declared former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s jail remand in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots null and void. PTI founding chairman Imran Khan had challenged his physical remand in the May 9 cases, including the attack on the corps commander’s residence, in the Lahore High Court, which comes in these cases immediately after the former premier and his wife Bushra Bibi were rearrested in a fresh Toshakhana case, following their acquittal in the Iddat case, which had almost led to their release from jail. A division bench headed by Justice…

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday wrote a letter to the Judges Committee of the Supreme Court against Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The former Prime Minister requested in his petition that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa should not hear any cases related to his family and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He also requested that the three-member judges committee exclude the Chief Justice from the benches dealing with PTI and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) cases. In the application, Khan argued that in 2019, based on legal advice, it was recommended to send a presidential reference against Qazi Faez…