Category: 1. Pakistan

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) announced on Wednesday that it is moving toward full digitalization of its operations while also introducing a question bank for the upcoming Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT).

According to officials, the regulator has begun shifting its systems to technology-based platforms to cut down human involvement in key processes such as student registration, monitoring, and college inspections. The move, they said, is aimed at increasing transparency and efficiency in medical education oversight.

At a briefing in Islamabad, PM&DC President Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj and the examination department highlighted details of the MDCAT 2025. They explained that while the council will handle registrations and provide supervision, the actual test will be set, conducted, and marked by public universities, a system meant to ensure impartiality.

The newly developed MDCAT question bank is based on a uniform syllabus agreed upon by all provinces. Officials said it will help reduce mistakes and address regional concerns by giving all applicants the same standard of preparation.

So far, more than 97,000 students have signed up for the exam, and the number is expected to reach 150,000 before registration closes. Thirty test centers have been designated across the country.

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, who inaugurated the question bank, called the initiative “a step toward restoring public confidence” and warned that lapses in fairness would not be tolerated.

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 21 (APP):Tarbela Dam reached its maximum conservation level of 1550 feet above mean sea level on Thursday, with 5.728 million-acre feet live water storage in the reservoir.

Filling of Tarbela Dam to its maximum conservation level is a good sign for irrigated agriculture and hydel generation in the country, said a press release.

Tarbela Dam has been playing a key role for socio-economic development  in Pakistan for the last 50 years by providing water for agriculture at the time when it is needed, controlling floods and generating low-cost hydel electricity.

The position of the river inflows and outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages is as under:

Rivers: Indus at Tarbela: Inflows 268300 cusecs and Outflows 238900 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera: Inflows 44600 cusecs and Outflows 44600 cusecs, Khairabad Bridge: Inflows 258100 cusecs and Outflows 258100, Jhelum at Mangla: Inflows 38600 cusecs and Outflows 7000 cusecs, Chenab at Marala: Inflows 67600 cusecs and Outflows 49000 cusecs.

Barrages: Jinnah: Inflows 325800 cusecs and Outflows 319400 cusecs, Chashma: Inflows: 403500 cusecs and Outflows 351600 cusecs, Taunsa: 485000 Inflows cusecs and Outflows 479700 cusecs, Guddu: Inflows 439100 cusecs and Outflows 417700 cusecs Sukkur: Inflows 363500 cusecs and Outflows 315400 cusecs Kotri: Inflows 129200 cusecs and Outflows 125800 cusecs, Trimmu: Inflows 79400 cusecs and Outflows 68300 Panjnad: Inflows 70500 cusecs and Outflows 56300 cusecs.

Reservoirs (Level and Storage):

Tarbela: Minimum operating level 1402 feet, present level 1550.00 feet, maximum conservation level 1550 feet, live storage 5.728 MAF.

Mangla: Minimum operating level 1050 feet, present level 1217.45 feet, maximum conservation level 1242 feet, live storage 5.423 MAF.

Chashma: Minimum operating level 638.15 feet, present level 643.30 feet, maximum conservation level 649 feet, live storage 0.094 MAF.

HYDERABAD, Pakistan: On a busy street in Pakistan’s southern city of Hyderabad, the red-brick façade of Besant Hall now stands with quiet dignity, its symmetry and arches evoking a bygone era.

For much of the last century, the colonial-era landmark embodied the city’s intellectual and political energy. But in recent decades, the building fell into despair, its walls cracked, doors eaten by termites and halls used as a den by addicts.

Named after British socialist and theosophist Annie Besant, the hall was inaugurated by her in 1917 during the height of the Indian independence movement. For decades it remained a space for reformist gatherings, but its fortunes declined after the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947. By the 1980s, it was reduced to a marriage hall before being abandoned entirely.

In 2019, the Endowment Fund Trust (EFT) of the Sindh provincial government stepped in, launching an ambitious restoration project. The task was painstaking: red bricks were brought from Lahore to replicate its original look, layers of lime and cement that had dulled its character were replaced, and termite-infested windows rebuilt. Archivists salvaged fragile materials, some so badly infested they caused skin reactions in handlers.

Today, Besant Hall has been returned to life. Its rooms once again ring with the voices of students, scholars, and artists. The restored structure now houses the Jehangir Siddiqui Children’s Library and the Syed Abdullah Shah Scholar Library, and regularly hosts book readings, exhibitions, and cultural programs.

“This building, Besant Hall, was given to Annie Besant on lease in 1901 by Col. Alcot,” said Sobhia Ali, the director who now oversees the revived cultural center. She did not provide Alcot’s full name, but records show a Col. Henry Steel Olcott, co-founder of the Theosophical Society, of which Besant was a member. He died in 1907.

“When we received the building in 2019, it was full of cracks and in a very poor state… It had become a haven for drug addicts. We wiped everything out, restored it, not only restored the architecture but also its cultural and traditional value.”

The building, with its Roman-inspired entrance and Tudor-style windows, is one of Hyderabad’s most significant surviving colonial relics, and a lasting reminder of the woman it was named after.

SOCIALIST, THEOSOPHIST, WOMEN RIGHT’S ACTIVIST

Besant’s influence in South Asia was profound.

A British socialist, theosophist, and women’s rights activist, she became the first woman to preside over the Indian National Congress in 1917 and was a leading figure in the Home Rule Movement. The campaign sought self-governance for India, inspired by similar struggles in Ireland and other British colonies.

According to historian Dr. Kaleemullah Lashari, theosophy — an occult movement originating in the 19th century with roots that can be traced to ancient Gnosticism and Neoplatonism — took root in the Subcontinent by the early 1900s, after Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. Besant’s arrival in 1893 gave the movement new vigor.

“Many of its offices were established in various cities, with people showing great cooperation. In Karachi, our Theosophical Hall, located in front of Radio Pakistan, is quite well-known,” Lashari said. “Similarly, it also started in Hyderabad, where there was already a movement related to women. Our Hindu women in Hyderabad were very active, socially engaged.”

Author and historian Dr. Zaffar Junejo, whose book Hyderabad and Beyond was published earlier this year, said the hall’s history is entwined with the city’s colonial rise.

“The defeat of Sindh’s Talpur Mirs in 1843 sealed its future within the British Empire. By the 1920s, wealthy Sindhi Hindu merchants, known as Sindhworkies, had transformed Hyderabad into a commercial hub,” Junejo said.

“It is no wonder that [Indian polymath] Rabindranath Tagore called Hyderabad the most fashionable city in all of India.”

Besant Hall, alongside Homestead Hall, also became a vital stage for reformist debate. Its significance deepened when Besant herself launched the Home Rule Movement from its platform. The space was also remarkable for its inclusivity: Muslim leaders such as G.M. Syed and Hyder Baksh Jatoi joined Hindu intellectuals in theosophical sessions, making it a rare non-denominational forum.

“One could say that Besant Hall became an ideal place for educational, social, cultural and political activities,” Junejo said.

But the hall did not survive unscathed through the decades. In the 1990s, ethnic violence between Sindhis and Urdu-speaking migrants reduced its library and reading hall to ashes. Later, land mafias attempted to seize the property.

The EFT’s 2019 intervention, under a 10-year agreement with the Hyderabad district government and the Theosophical Society, marked a turning point.

Today, the hall’s legacy has been reclaimed. Children study in its libraries, community groups gather for cultural events, and Hyderabadis once again see the red-brick landmark as a living part of their city’s story.

“We have not only restored its architecture but also revived the tradition and the original purpose for which Annie Besant had this building constructed: intellectual gatherings, academic and cultural activities and cultural reforms,” Ali said.

Islamabad, Pakistan – With clasped hands and half-smiles, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban posed as they gathered in Kabul on Wednesday for a trilateral meeting.

It was the second such meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar and their Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in 12 weeks, after they huddled together in Beijing in May.

That May meeting had led to the resumption of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan after a period of high tension between them. It also set the stage for talks on extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – into Afghanistan. The BRI is a network of ports, railroads and highways aimed at connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.

But as China plans to expand its footprint in the region, its attempts to forge peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan reflect its unease over the security of its interests even along the existing CPEC, say analysts.

And while Beijing is a vital partner to both Islamabad and Kabul, experts believe its influence over both remains untested, as does China’s willingness to take on the risks that it might confront if it seeks to bring Pakistan and the Taliban, once thick allies but now embittered neighbours, back into a trusted embrace, they say.

The Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue was held on 20 August 2025 in Kabul between Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan @MIshaqDar50, Foreign Minister of China @MFA_China, and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan @mfa_afghanistan, focusing on political,… pic.twitter.com/i6n8I2oYgr

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 20, 2025

Shifting regional dynamics

The Beijing conclave took place under the shadow of a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, but much has changed since then on the regional chessboard.

In recent months, Pakistan – long seen as China’s closest ally and reliant on its northeastern neighbour for military and economic support – has strengthened ties with the United States, Beijing’s main global rival.

China, for its part, has resumed engagement with India, Pakistan’s arch adversary and its key competitor for regional influence. India has also continued to deepen ties with the Afghan Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since August 2021, following the withdrawal of US forces.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, meanwhile, remain at odds. Islamabad was once the Taliban’s chief patron. Now, it accuses the group of providing a safe haven to groups carrying out cross-border violence, while Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of human rights violations by expelling Afghan refugees.

Amid this, China has positioned itself as mediator, a role driven largely by the CPEC, the $62bn infrastructure project running from the Pakistan-China border in the north to Gwadar Port in Balochistan.

A senior Pakistani diplomat with direct knowledge of the recent Pakistani interactions with their Chinese and Afghan counterparts said China, as a common neighbour, places a premium on neighbourhood diplomacy. For China, he added, a peaceful neighbourhood is essential.

“China has attached high importance to stability and security to pursue and expand its larger BRI project, so expansion of westward connectivity and development can only succeed when, among others, these two countries are stabilised,” the official told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity.

“Development and connectivity cannot be achieved in the absence of security. Hence its efforts to bring the two neighbours together,” he added.

CPEC under strain

CPEC, launched in 2015 under then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, elder brother of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been hailed by many in Pakistan as a “game-changer” for the country – a giant investment with the potential to create jobs and build the economy.

But the project has slowed down in recent years. Later this month, Prime Minister Sharif is expected to travel to China to formally launch the second phase of the CPEC.

While political upheaval has hampered progress, China’s primary concerns remain the safety of infrastructure and the security of its nationals, who have frequently been targeted.

Separatist groups in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, have long attacked Chinese personnel and installations, accusing them of exploiting local resources. Attacks on Chinese citizens have also occurred in Pakistan’s north.

Nearly 20,000 Chinese nationals currently live in Pakistan, according to government figures. Since 2021, at least 20 have been killed in attacks across the country.

Stella Hong Zhang, assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington in the US, said China has long wanted to bring Afghanistan into the CPEC, to expand the project’s scope and to promote regional integration.

But Zhang, whose research focuses on China’s global development engagement, said it is unclear how convinced Beijing is about investing in either Afghanistan or Pakistan.

“China might promise investments, but even though we are seeing actions on China’s diplomacy front,” she told Al Jazeera, it is uncertain whether officials in the two nations “will be able to convince China’s state-owned enterprises and banks to invest in further projects in both countries, given CPEC’s disappointing track record and the substantial risks in both countries”.

For Muhammad Faisal, a South Asia security researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, improvement in Pakistan’s internal security is paramount for China.

“This concern is what guides Beijing’s push for improvement in Pak-Afghan bilateral ties since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is operating from the Afghan soil, while Baloch militant groups have also found space in Afghanistan,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Through high-level trilateral talks, Beijing is aiming to narrow Islamabad-Kabul differences and also urge both sides to address each other’s security concerns to avert a breakdown of ties,” he added.

Pakistan Taliban, also known as TTP, founded in 2007, is a group which is ideologically aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan but operates independently both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Taliban has repeatedly rejected allegations that it allows its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan and has consistently denied any ties with the TTP.

Security challenges

Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both bordering Afghanistan.

Islamabad has repeatedly alleged that Afghan soil is being used by armed groups, especially the TTP, to launch attacks across the porous frontier.

Data from the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) shows that in the first six months of 2025, 502 fighter attacks killed 737 people, including 284 security personnel and 267 civilians.

Compared with the first half of 2024, fighter attacks rose 5 percent, deaths surged 121 percent, and injuries increased 84 percent, according to PICSS.

China, too, has also voiced concern over the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), accusing its fighters of using Afghan territory to launch attacks against China.

Abdul Basit, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said that since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, China has emerged as South Asia’s main geopolitical player.

“Without addressing Pakistan’s Afghan-centric security concerns, BRI’s Pakistan component, CPEC, will remain underutilised and underdeveloped. Hence, China has started the trilateral to help Afghanistan and Pakistan resolve their security issues under a holistic policy which tries to isolate economy and diplomacy from security trouble,” he told Al Jazeera.

Faisal, of the University of Technology Sydney, added that China brings political weight, offering both diplomatic backing at multilateral organisations – particularly on counterterrorism – and the promise of economic inducements.

But he was cautious about Beijing’s long-term leverage. “Beyond underlining the importance of stability via enhanced security coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the outcomes of China’s efforts have been limited, partially due to Beijing’s own security anxieties,” he said.

The senior Pakistani diplomat said China’s BRI and related projects have brought it leverage in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, and expressed optimism that Beijing could bring about change between Pakistan and Afghanistan “armed with the political, diplomatic, economic and financial tools”, even if results have so far been limited.

But will China act as mediator and guarantor between Pakistan and Afghanistan? The diplomat was sceptical.

“As for guarantorship, I’m not sure whether China is willing or keen to do so. It certainly can play that role because of a high degree of trust it enjoys, but whether it would do so or not remains to be seen,” he said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted the bail pleas of former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots.

In November 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court had denied Imran bail in the cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots, including an attack on the house of the Lahore corps commander.

The incarcerated PTI leader’s plea challenging that was also rejected by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on June 24. Subsequently, days later, Imran had challenged that dismissal before the apex court.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, which also comprised Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Hasan Azhar Rizvi, resumed hearing the petitions today.

Barrister Salman Safdar appeared on behalf of the PTI founder, while Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi represented the state.

Both concluded their arguments, following which the CJP announced the bench’s decision.

However, Imran has multiple other cases against him. Imprisoned since August 2023 in a case related to state gifts, the PTI founder is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in the £190 million graft case and faces pending trials related to the May 9 riots.

The PTI hailed the SC ruling, using the hashtag “Victory For Imran Khan” in its post on X.

The hearing

At the outset of the hearing, the Punjab prosecutor informed the court that he could not appear yesterday due to illness.

CJP Afridi, noting he had two questions from Naqvi, asked, “You must have read the Lahore High Court’s verdict. Can a final observation be made in a case of bail?”

During the hearing on August 12, the chief justice had raised questions over some observations made by the LHC, noting that the SC will not touch upon the legal findings so as not to affect any party’s case.

Asking his second question, the CJP said, “This same court (LHC) gave bail to a suspect on the charge of conspiracy. Will the principle of precedence not apply to this case?”

The prosecutor responded that a court’s observation in a bail case was always of an “interim nature”. “A court observation does not have any impact on the trial,” he contended.

When the hearing resumed after a brief break, the prosecutor requested that the court allow him to assist on the merits of the case.

However, CJP Afridi observed, “We will not allow anyone to argue on the merits of the case. You may only answer the legal questions pertaining to the conspiracy [charge].”

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More to follow

The Supreme Court on Thursday approved bail for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan in eight cases related to May 9 violent incidents, Aaj News reported.

Hearing the bail petition lodged by the PTI founder, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and comprising Justice Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb overturned the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict against Imran in the cases linked to May 9 mayhem.

Meanwhile, CJ Afridi has called lawyers of the former prime minister and other party to the Special Prosecutor’s chamber at 1 PM for a detailed verdict.

The bench had on August 12 questioned whether the merit of the case could be touched by the LHC in Imran’s post-arrest bail plea.

On the other hand, a division bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Tariq Mahmood Bajwa had dismissed the incarcerated ex-premier’s bail petition last month, citing his alleged involvement in planning attacks on military installations in anticipation of his arrest on May 9, 2023.

Court acquits Shah Mahmood Qureshi, sentences multiple PTI leaders including Yasmin Rashid

Leaders of the embattled PTI have been facing multiple cases for their alleged involvement in the violent protests that erupted countrywide on May 9, 2023 following arrest of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in a corruption case.

Imran, who has been in prison since 2023 facing charges of corruption, land fraud and disclosure of official secrets, is also being tried separately on similar charges related to the riots.

The government accused him and other PTI leaders of inciting the May 9, 2023, protests, during which demonstrators attacked military and government buildings, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and Jinnah House Lahore.

The former prime minister denies wrongdoing and says all the cases are politically motivated to dismantle his party.

LAHORE  –  Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met Seishiro Eto, Chairman of the Japan-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship League, during her official visit to Japan and discussed ways to expand cooperation between Punjab and Japan. According to a handout, Eto congratulated Maryam Nawaz on becoming the first woman Chief Minister of Punjab and welcomed her visit in this historic role. He assured her of his support in promoting investment in Punjab and in initiating joint ventures between Japan and Pakistan.

The meeting focused on strengthening parliamentary contacts, enhancing economic cooperation, and exploring collaboration in agriculture, industry, and workforce development. Maryam Nawaz acknowledged Eto’s longstanding role in advancing parliamentary diplomacy and strengthening Pakistan-Japan relations. She outlined her government’s development vision, emphasizing that Punjab aims to benefit from Japan’s expertise in education, healthcare, urban development, policing, sewage and water treatment, and environmental protection. She said technology transfer and the adoption of modern tools would be encouraged in every sector. The chief minister also announced plans to introduce AI-based smart services in Punjab and to establish research partnerships between Punjab’s universities and leading Japanese institutions. Both sides agreed that stronger parliamentary engagement would help consolidate bilateral relations and open new avenues for joint progress.