Category: 1. Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Friday challenged the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court’s order in the transfer of judges to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The former prime minister, on Friday, filed an Intra-Court Appeal (ICA) under Section 5 of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, read with Article 184(3) of the Constitution, praying to set aside the impugned order dated 19-06-2025.

The Constitution Bench on June 19, 2025 by majority of 3 to 2 held that transfer of judges under Article 200 is within the framework of the Constitution, and transfer (permanently or temporarily) cannot be construed as a fresh appointment.

SC decision on transfer of judges to IHC challenged

The bench without upsetting the notification of transfer of judges in the IHC remanded the matter of seniority to the president of Pakistan to determine the seniority after examining/vetting the service record of the transferee judges as soon as possible, including the question of whether the transfer is on a permanent or temporary basis.

The petitioner contended that the constitutional bench erred in remanding the matter to determine whether the transfer was “temporary” or “permanent”. This is a judicial question, and delegating it to the president undermines judicial autonomy and violates the principle of separation of powers.

He stated that the Constitutional Bench failed to appreciate the distinction between the term “functions” and “powers” of the president under the Constitution.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

LOS ANGELES: An explosion at a Los Angeles law enforcement training facility early Friday that killed three deputies was being investigated as a possible training accident, officials said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the deputies were members of the arson and explosives unit, a team that goes through in-depth training and responds to more than 1,000 calls a year.

“They have years of training,” he said. “They are fantastic experts and, unfortunately, I lost three of them today.”

The explosion was reported about 7:30 a.m. at the Biscailuz Training Facility, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida said. It was not immediately known what caused the explosion or what the deputies were doing at the time.

Luna said it took more than four hours to render the scene safe and the deaths are being investigated by the department’s homicide detectives, who are being assisted by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. No one else was injured in the explosion, he said.

An early line of investigation was looking at a possible training accident, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter who was not authorized to discuss it and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

In a post on X, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the explosion “appears to be a horrific incident” and federal agents are at the scene to learn more.

“Please pray for the families of the sheriff’s deputies killed,” Bondi wrote.

Altogether, the three deputies had served in the department for 74 years, Luna said. He said the deaths marked the department’s worst loss of life in a single incident since 1857 and noted that he couldn’t release the deputies’ names because he had yet to speak to one of the families.

“I have met with two of three families thus far. Those were extremely challenging conversations,” Luna said, his voice breaking.

Arson investigators from the Los Angeles Fire Department and members of the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad were also assisting the investigation at the training facility, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said he’s been briefed and that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is in contact with the Sheriff’s Department and closely monitoring the situation. He later posted on X that members of the State Fire Marshal were helping with the investigation at the request of the ATF.

Aerial footage from KABC-TV shows the explosion happened in a parking lot filled with sheriff patrol cars and box trucks. Three covered bodies could be seen near a truck with a ramp attached to a side door. A sheriff’s patrol cruiser parked nearby had its rearview mirror shattered by the blast.

ISLAMABAD:

In a bold assertion of its regulatory autonomy, Pakistan’s power watchdog has notified K-Electric’s long-delayed multi-year tariffs for supply, distribution, and transmission through 2030 — despite an unresolved review motion by the federal government.

The power regulator has notified Rs6.15 per unit increase in base tariff for KE consumers. The government implements uniform across the country and government provides subsidy for KE consumers to implement uniform tariff.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) moved ahead with the notification after determining that no legal bar existed to halt implementation. It invoked its enhanced powers under a 2021 legal amendment, which allows the regulator to issue tariff notifications directly — authority that previously rested with the federal government.

The landmark move reflects pressure from international lenders, notably the IMF and the World Bank, to depoliticize tariff-setting and fast-track power sector reforms.

“This situation could impair KE’s financial health and undermine power supply continuity, ultimately affecting consumers and the broader energy market,” Nepra warned in its statement.

The newly notified average power supply tariff for KE stands at Rs 39.97 per kilowatt-hour for 2023-24, comprising Rs 31.96/kWh in power purchase cost, Rs 2.86 for transmission, Rs 3.31 for distribution, and Rs 2.28 as the supply margin. A prior year adjustment of minus Rs 0.44/kWh has also been included.

Nepra estimated KE’s total revenue requirement for FY 2023-24 at Rs 606.9 billion, with Rs34.7 billion allocated for supply margin and Rs 36.2 billion set aside to cover recovery losses.

Despite the formal tariff approval, KE’s finances remain under severe pressure. With bill recovery slipping to 91.5pc in FY 2023-24 and projected to fall to 90.5pc next year, the utility could face cumulative under-recoveries nearing Rs97 billion over two fiscal years. Nepra cautioned that KE’s permitted Rs21.6 billion return on distribution operations might be wiped out without government support or adjustments.

Nepra simultaneously approved a distribution tariff of Rs 3.31/kWh and Rs 2.684/kWh specifically to support a Rs 43.4 billion investment plan over the seven-year Multi-Year Tariff period.

The government had challenged K-Electric’s multi-year tariff (2024-30) approved by the power regulator last week, alleging the utility got an undue favour of Rs750 billion over the seven-year period at the cost of the national exchequer, power consumers across the country and taxpayers at large.

In a statement, the power division had announced that the six tariff interventions allowed by Nepra to KE entailed a financial impact of Rs453bn spread over seven years.

On top of that, the division added, a fuel cost impact higher than the national average for 2024-25 alone meant an additional cost of Rs41bn, which even if it remains flat would translate into Rs287bn in seven years.

The division said the government position was to seek review of the Nepra determination to ensure fairness and uniformity, tariff must reflect actual costs and reasonable returns to protect consumers and there should be no extra allowance for inefficiency.

GILGIT:

The administration in Gilgit-Baltistan will ban for five years the construction of new hotels around picturesque lakes in the north that attract tens of thousands of tourists each year, a government agency said.

Unregulated construction of hotels in G-B — which boasts around 13,000 glaciers, more than any other country outside the polar regions — has sparked major concerns about environmental degradation.

The natural beauty of the region has made it a top tourist destination, with towering peaks looming over the Old Silk Road, and a highway transporting tourists between cherry orchards, glaciers, and ice-blue lakes.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that encouraging the use of electric vehicles (EVs) will help save billions of dollars in valuable foreign exchange spent on fuel, support environmental protection efforts, and promote the local industry.

Chairing a meeting on encouraging usage of electric vehicles in the country, the prime minister directed to prepare a comprehensive government-level action plan to make electric vehicles accessible to the common citizen.

He announced that the federal government will provide electric bikes to top-performing students of all educational boards across the country including the federal board.

He further stated that unemployed individuals will be provided with electric rickshaws and loaders on priority, to support employment generation.

A briefing was given in the meeting regarding the current status of the industry in the country related to the manufacturing of electric vehicles and the government’s supportive measures to make them accessible to the common people. It was informed in the meeting that the government was taking steps to facilitate the acquisition of electric bikes, rickshaws, and loaders through low-cost loans and easy terms.

More than 100,000 electric bikes and over 300,000 and loaders will be made available to the public under easy loans and at low costs through government support.

The meeting was informed that under this scheme, students who perform well at the intermediate level in educational boards across the country, including the federal board, will be provided free electric bikes.

Civil service

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to align the country’s civil service with modern technology and international standards of public service, and its revitalisation to enhance effectiveness.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting on civil service reforms, said that the civil service played a key role in the practical performance and effective implementation of the government’s policies across various ministries and sectors.

The comprehensive and effective reform of the civil service a government’s priority, he directed the inclusion of input from public representatives and those of government officials in administrative and institutional reforms of the civil service.

Agri graduates

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed his pleasure as the first batch of around 300 Pakistani agriculture graduates completed their hands-on practical training in China.

“Very heartening to know that the first batch of around 300 Pakistani agriculture graduates have successfully completed their hands-on practical training in Shaanxi Province, China,” the prime minister wrote on his X timeline.

Current account surplus

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday hailed the increase of current account surplus to $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2024-2025.

In a statement, he said current account surplus had reached the highest level in last 22 years which was a very positive development.

“Due to government measures, foreign exchange reserves have crossed $19 billion,” he added.

PESHAWAR: Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are set to be held unopposed, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has officially endorsed the list of candidates selected by party founder Imran Khan.

PTI’s political committee met on Friday and endorsed the same nominees previously proposed by the party’s parliamentary board.

The move clears the way for a smooth and unopposed election in the province, following a broader understanding reached between the provincial government and the opposition.

According to the official statement, PTI has fielded Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Khan Afridi, and Pir Noorul Haq Qadri for general seats.

Rubina Naz will contest the women’s seat, while Azam Khan Swati has been nominated for the technocrat slot. Mishaal Yousafzai will be the candidate for the seat left vacant by Sania Nishtar.

The committee also confirmed that dissenting PTI members who had initially filed nomination papers for the Senate elections agreed to withdraw.

Earlier in the day, the disgruntled candidates held two separate meetings with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur but reportedly declined to step aside until a final decision came from the political committee.

Last week, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and opposition reached an agreement on holding uncontested Senate elections based on a 5/6 seat-sharing formula.

Under the deal, PTI will secure six seats while the opposition will take five.

With both sides now aligned and PTI’s internal disputes resolved, the province is set for a rare unopposed Senate election.

RAWALPINDI:

Commander in Chief of Libyan Armed Forces Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Friday at General Headquarters.

Meeting encompassed discussion on matters of mutual interest, evolving regional dynamics, security challenges and matters pertaining to defence cooperation, said a press release issued by the ISPR.

Both leaders agreed to undertake defense industrial collaboration and exchange of technical expertise to address contemporary security challenges.

Upon his arrival at GHQ, he laid a floral wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada to pay homage to the martyrs of Pakistan Army.

Lieutenant General Haftar also called on Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Naveed Ashraf here Friday at Naval Headquarters.

Upon arrival at Naval Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief of Libyan Armed Forces was received by Chief of the Naval Staff, said a press release issued by Directorate General Public Relations (Pak Navy).

During the meeting, both leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, regional maritime security situation, and avenues for enhanced cooperation in training and defence.

Lieutenant General Haftar along with his delegation called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met, at the Prime Minister House here Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister welcomed the Libyan Commander-in-Chief and his delegation to Pakistan.

The meeting discussed cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan airbase, which was hit by Indian missiles during Operation Sindoor over two months ago, is still not operational, an indication of the extent of damage the strategic military installation suffered. Pakistan airport authority is learnt to have issued another ‘Notice to Airmen’, aka ‘Notam’, for its runway, declaring it unusable till Aug 5, sources said.The airbase, located around 230 km south of Bahawalpur, holds a strategic place in Pakistan’s southern air defence due to its proximity to India’s Rajasthan border. It had suffered massive damage in the precision strikes carried out by India early in May. In May-end, PM Narendra Modi had said at a rally in Rajasthan’s Bikaner that the airbase was in ‘ICU’.

Located within the perimeters of an international airport, the airbase had issued the first Notam on the evening of May 10 declaring the runway non-operational for a week (May 18), and later extended it. Notam was again issued in early June, extending the closure of the airbase until July 4. The latest notice said the runway is unavailable for flight operations due to “work in progress”.The airbase serves as a forward operating base for the Pakistan Air Force central command and was used heavily for military purposes. The missiles fired at Rahim Yar Khan airbase caused a massive crater on its runway, a Pakistan district commissioner had told the local press in May. However, the damage, clearly, was much bigger than a crater as the airbase has been non-functional for over two months.Besides this airbase, simultaneous attacks were carried out on Nur Khan airbase at Chaklala in Rawalpindi, the Rafiqui airbase at Shorkot in Punjab, the Murid airbase in Chakwal and the Chunian airbase in Punjab. Pakistan officials had acknowledged damage to transport aircraft at Nur Khan and technical facilities at Chunian.Similarly, the Markaz Subhan Allah terror camp in Bahawalpur, reduced to rubble in airstrikes, has been shut down indefinitely with the Jaish-e-Muhammed brass looking for a new address, preferably in a densely populated area, sources said.