Author: admin

QUETTA: A senior officer belonging to security forces was martyred in a bomb attack at the Western Bypass area on Saturday, according to officials.

Police said a magnetic explosive device was attached to the officer’s vehicle, which exploded in the Jabl-i-Noor area, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta.

Dawn withheld the martyred officer’s name and rank as there was no official announcement regarding the martyrdom.

However, officials said CCTV footage from a nearby camera showed a motorcyclist passing close to the vehicle moments before the explosion. He reportedly attached the explosive device to the driver’s side door. A few seconds later, the blast took place.

Security forces cordoned off the area after the attack and moved the officer’s body to the Combined Military Hospital, Quetta.

Initial investigation revealed it was a remote-controlled explosion. The window panes of nearby shops and buildings were smashed due to the intensity of the blast.

Police said the officer had gone to the Jabl-i-Noor graveyard to offer fateha on the grave of his father. He was leaving the graveyard when he was targeted.

No other casualty was reported in the blast.

Police and CTD officials were investigating the incident.

The martyred officer belonged to the Muslim Bagh area of Pishin and was serving in the army for the last 10 years. He is survived by a wife and three sons.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025

• Business community warns of escalation as govt fails to meet tax reform demands
• Islamabad, Rawalpindi and a few other cities remain normal

KARACHI/LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Karachi and Lahore — Pakistan’s two largest commercial cities — witnessed a near-complete shutdown on Saturday as traders observed a strike against what they described as harsh and anti-business taxation measures introduced through the Finance Act 2025-26.

The strike, called by the Karachi and Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry, marked one of the most widespread protests by the business community in recent years.

In Karachi, nearly 90 per cent of commercial activity remained suspended, including wholesale markets, retail shops, industries, and fruit and vegetable markets. KCCI President Jawed Bilwani told Dawn that this was the first time in the chamber’s history that the city’s entire business community had voluntarily shut down operations in protest.

Mr Bilwani said industrial production had come to a halt in all seven industrial zones, while no export consignments were sent to the port. Goods transporters also suspended operations, halting the movement of imported raw materials and finished goods. While Karachi Port Trust (KPT) officials claimed port operations remained unaffected, they could not confirm the flow of consignments to and from industries.

He said the economic cost of the strike could be gauged from Karachi’s significant contribution — around 70pc of federal tax revenues and 54pc of national exports.

Explaining the choice of Saturday for the strike, Mr Bilwani said the decision was taken unanimously by stakeholders, despite the usual weekend closures in multinational and large private companies. He stressed the strike was not a rebellious act but a last resort following repeated government inaction.

Among the business community’s core demands are the immediate suspension of Sections 37A and 37B of the Sales Tax Act — provisions that allow for the arrest and prosecution of taxpayers without due process. Other demands include the withdrawal of Section 21(s), which penalises cash-based transactions, and the restoration of the Final Tax Regime for exporters.

Mr Bilwani said these concerns were shared in detail with a committee led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Finance Haroon Akhtar Khan, but only verbal assurances were received. “Frustration has reached a boiling point,” he warned, adding that failure to receive written assurances or progress by next week would prompt further nationwide consultations on future actions.

He expressed appreciation for the unity shown by the seven town associations of Karachi and other trade bodies including the PHMA, Knitwear Exporters, Electronic Dealers, and Petroleum Dealers Associations. He also thanked chambers from other cities for their solidarity.

Complete shutdown in Lahore

Lahore also witnessed a widespread shutdown, with traders from major markets strongly protesting against the new taxation regime and expanded FBR powers. Despite the FPCCI’s announcement of strike withdrawal, major Lahore markets observed a complete closure in support of the LCCI’s call.

Closed markets included Shah Alam Market, Hall Road, Urdu Bazaar, Anarkali, Azam Cloth Market and many others. Some markets, like Abid Market, remained partially open. Traders vowed to continue protests until their charter of demands is met.

LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad called the strike a historic show of unity and resistance. “July 19 will go down as a defining day in the struggle for economic justice,” he said at a press conference.

“We have been left with no option but to protest either through shutdown strikes or rallies. And we will continue it till acceptance of our charter of demands,” commented a trader. “We will not surrender, and the government must listen to this well,” he warned.

Mr Shad noted that Lahore and Karachi together represent over 60pc of Pakistan’s economy. “Today, that 60pc was silenced by choice — not force — to send a clear message to the government,” he said.

He revealed that the LCCI held nearly eight hours of virtual talks with senior government officials, including SAPM Haroon Akhtar, FBR Chairman Rashid Langrial and others, but no written commitment was offered. The chamber had sought urgent revisions to Sections 37A/B, the e-invoicing and e-Bilty systems, the 16pc sales tax on property rent, and 20pc tax on transactions above Rs200,000.

Twin cities remain open

In contrast, business activity remained unaffected in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where markets continued to operate as usual. Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Nasir Qureshi stated that the chamber had chosen to wait for the outcome of the recent assurances given by SAPM Haroon Akhtar.

Ajmal Baloch, President of the All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran, announced a nationwide protest campaign starting with demonstrations on July 26, followed by phased strike actions if their demands were not addressed.

He criticised the bureaucracy, accusing it of misleading the government and warned of intensifying protests if the new FBR powers are not revoked.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025

• Punjab Assembly speaker says allegations of constitutional violations need to be first proven in ‘court or tribunal’
• Notices issued to 10 MPAs for payment of damages caused during budget session withdrawn

LAHORE: In a significant step towards de-escalation of political tensions in the Punjab Assembly, PA Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has formally rejected the petitions seeking the disqualification of 26 PTI members.

This decision followed successful negotiations between the government and the opposition, and is expected to pave the way for the swift reinstatement of these suspended lawmakers.

The ruling comes after weeks of parliamentary deadlock, which saw the opposition members suspended for “disorderly conduct” during the budget session on June 27. The suspension for 15 sittings was a direct response to protests that disrupted Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s speech and involved the use of “offensive, abusive, and unparliamentary language and slogans”, as well as alleged physical altercations.

In his detailed written decision, the speaker firmly rejected the petitions. He underscored that the speaker’s role was not merely to act as a “postman” by forwarding such requests to the Election Commission. He cautioned that such an unscrutinised process could “weaken the constitutional framework” and “curtail freedom of expression” within the provincial assembly.

He clarified that while disruptive behaviour in parliaments worldwide often faced stringent measures, the serious allegations of legal and constitutional violations, including those related to oaths, must first be proven in a competent court or tribunal. He asserted that only after a judicial verdict would he be in a position to determine if disqualification under Article 63(2) of the Constitution was warranted, and if the matter should be subsequently referred to the Election Commission.

Four separate applications had been submitted demanding the disqualification of these members, with petitioners citing precedents like the Panama Papers case involving then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and alleging violations of the speaker’s ruling and constitutional oaths. However, the speaker dismissed the disqualification requests that referenced the Panama case and similar decisions made under Articles 199 and 184-3 of the Constitution.

He stated that the petitioners retained the option to approach his office again, but only after securing a definitive decision from a competent court. The speaker also decided to withdraw the notices issued to 10 PTI MPAs for payment of damages caused to the furniture and other assets of the house during the June 27 session. The opposition members obstructed the proceedings of the house on June 27 by tearing agenda papers, hurling them at the treasury, using extreme derogatory language and physically impeding members who approached the treasury benches, according to the ruling, which shared the background of the petitions.

It was learnt that the policy of removing opposition members from the chairmanship of 13 standing committees was also being reversed, and the four chairpersons already removed from their offices through no-trust votes would also be reinstated.

Meanwhile, the opposition has intensified its pressure tactics, holding a ‘public assembly’ on the road outside the Punjab Assembly. During this ‘outdoor session’, the opposition leaders, like Ahmad Khan Bhachar, criticised the government’s handling of recent floods, soaring prices of essential commodities like sugar and petrol, and alleged political victimisation.

Mr Bhachar reiterated that the opposition would not return to the assembly until their suspended members were reinstated. He also presented a resolution condemning the government’s actions, which was passed by the ‘outdoor assembly’. According to political analysts, the decision by the speaker stressed the importance of due process and constitutional principles in parliamentary affairs and aimed to foster a more functional and less volatile political environment in Punjab.

While the government and opposition have agreed on activating the Advisory and Ethics Committees and avoiding indecent language in future sessions, the full reinstatement of the 26 members is now the immediate next step in restoring full parliamentary cooperation.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025

INDIA’S opposition Congress party has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi provide a clear explanation after US President Donald Trump claimed that five fighter jets were shot down during the recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the charge on Saturday, calling on Modi to address the nation regarding the fate of the jets.

“Modi ji, what is the truth about the five [jets]? The country has the right to know!” Mr Gandhi posted on X, as criticism from the opposition mounted over the government’s han­­dling of the brief but intense conflict.

The controversy erupted after Trump, speaking at a White House dinner with Republican lawmakers on Friday, said, “In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually,” referring to the hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Indian premier asked to ‘speak truth’

Trump did not specify which side’s aircraft were downed, nor did he provide further details.

Following the India-Pakistan war, Trump has repeatedly taken credit — over 60 times — for brokering the ceasefire he announced via social media on May 10, after Washington engaged in backchannel diplomacy with both sides.

However, India has challenged his claim, disputing that the truce resulted from US intervention or the threat of cutting trade ties if hostilities continued.

Congress general secretary-in-charge (communications) Jairam Ramesh accused Modi of failing to address Trump’s repeated assertions.

“The Trump missile gets fired for the 24th time with the same two messages, two days before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins,” Mr Ramesh said.

“The prime minister has to now himself make a clear and categorical statement in Parliament on what President Trump has been claiming over the past 70 days.”

As the Indian Parliament prepares to convene for the monsoon session, the opposition has signalled that it will continue to press Mr Modi for answers.

The escalation between India and Pakistan was triggered by an attack in Pahalgam in India-held Kashmir in April.

The attack, which killed 26 men, led to a rapid military escalation, with Islamabad responding to what it called New Delhi’s “unprovoked strikes”. A ceasefire was brokered days later, following US intervention on May 10.

Pakistan has claimed it downed six Indian planes in air-to-air combat, while India’s top military official acknowledged in late May that the country suffered losses in the air on the first day of hostilities before switching tactics and regaining the advantage ahead of the ceasefire.

On May 10, Mr Trump announced on social media that Washington had held talks with both sides. “These are two serious nuclear countries and they were hitting each other,” he said.

“We said, you guys want to make a trade deal. We’re not making a trade deal if you’re going to be throwing around weapons, and maybe nuclear weapons.”

India, however, has pushed back against Trump’s claims, insisting that the ceasefire was the result of direct talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, without outside intervention.

India maintains that it does not accept third-party mediation in its disputes with Pakistan.

The US counts both India and Pakistan as important partners in the region, with Washington seeking to deepen ties with New Delhi as part of its strategy to counter China’s influence in Asia.

The attack in India-held Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, brought the two nuclear-armed countries to the brink of their fifth all-out war. Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for a neutral investigation.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025