Category: 1. Pakistan

A group of private foreign exchange companies in Pakistan met with the head of an intelligence department this week to discuss the local rupee’s slump.

“We briefed them about the current currency market situation,” said Malik Bostan, the chairman of the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan, referring to a July 22 meeting with Major General Faisal Naseer, a director general in the Inter-Services Intelligence.

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Updated On: Thu, 24 Jul 2025

17:57:19 PKT

PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has strongly denied reports claiming that pre-marked ballot papers were handed to assembly members by the polling staff during the Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In its official statement, the Commission clarified that ballot papers were provided to members strictly in accordance with the law.

Members marked their ballots inside the polling booth as per their own choice and then cast them into the ballot box, which remained in plain view throughout the process. It further stated that no objections were raised by polling agents of any candidate during the polling.

The ECP also claimed that the Senate elections were conducted impartially and in full compliance with the Constitution and the law. The media was kept informed in real-time throughout the polling process.

 

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Updated On: Thu, 24 Jul 2025

14:39:01 PKT

ISLAMABAD (APP) – President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday appreciating China’s role in Pakistan’s socio-economic development, highlighted the vast potential for increasing bilateral collaboration in the areas of trade, economy, culture, and regional connectivity.

The president, in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, who called on him here, said that Pakistan attached utmost importance to its relations with China and was keen to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

He emphasized the need to work together for the promotion of peace, security, and prosperity in the region.

The president said that China had always stood by Pakistan in times of need, and the people of Pakistan remained grateful to their iron-clad brother country for its consistent support and role in Pakistan’s socio-economic development.

On the occasion, the Chinese ambassador conveyed a special birthday message from President Xi Jinping, extending warm wishes to President Zardari on his upcoming birthday.

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan because of their identity or personal history, a UN report said Thursday, which the Kabul administration has denied.

Pakistan and Iran are expelling millions of Afghans who they say are living in their countries illegally. Afghan authorities have urged nationals to return, pledging amnesty for anyone who left after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

But rights groups and the UN have repeatedly warned that some of those returning are at risk of persecution because of their gender, links to the former Western-backed administration or profession.

Thursday’s report from the UN mission in Afghanistan said some people have experienced serious human rights violations, while others have gone into hiding or relocated for fear of Taliban reprisal.

The violations include torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security at the hands of the Taliban, according to the report.

A former government official told the UN mission that, after his return to Afghanistan in 2023, he was detained and severely tortured with sticks and cables. He was waterboarded and subjected to a mock execution.

A non-binary person said they were beaten severely, including with the back of a gun.

Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said nobody should be sent back to a country where they faced the risk of persecution on account of their identity or personal history. This was even more pronounced for Afghan women and girls, who were subjected to a range of measures “amounting to persecution based on their gender alone,” he added.

The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan girls and women, cutting off education beyond sixth grade, most employment and access to many public spaces.

Responding to the report, Taliban authorities denied mistreating Afghan returnees and rejected allegations of arrest, violence, intimidation or retaliation against people because of their identity or personal history.

Afghans returning from neighboring countries were provided with facilities related to documentation, transportation, resettlement, and other legal support, they said, while the Interior Ministry provides a “warm welcome.”

They called on the UN mission to prevent forced deportations, adding the United Nations as a whole “should not hesitate” in providing basic needs to refugees, such as food, medicine, shelter and education.

Afghans who left their homeland in the millions over the decades are either being pushed out in expulsion campaigns, like those in Iran and Pakistan, or face an uncertain future because of reduced support for refugees.

On Monday, thousands of Afghans in the US lost protection from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone US President Donald Trump administration’s decision to end their legal status.

Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. But groups helping Afghans with this status say the country is still extremely dangerous.

The Trump administration’s January suspension of a refugee program has left thousands of Afghans stranded, particularly in Pakistan, and a travel ban on Afghans has further diminished their hopes of resettlement in the US.

Rescue teams recovered the body of a retired colonel on Thursday, who had been missing since his car was swept away by rainwaters and slipped into a drain in Rawalpindi last week. The search for his daughter, who was with him at the time, continues.

The incident occurred when the father and daughter’s car was carried away by the fast-moving waters of a seasonal stream that connects sector 4 and phase 7 of a private housing society in Islamabad.

Read: Search on for father, daughter lost in flood

Eyewitnesses reported seeing both signaling for help, but due to the heavy flow of water, they could not be rescued.

A joint rescue operation involving the Pakistan Army, PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority), Rescue 1122, and other agencies began immediately after the car was swept away.

Despite relentless efforts throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, the operation was unsuccessful in locating the missing father and daughter.

The search resumed early on Thursday with renewed hopes of finding them.

By Thursday afternoon, rescue teams recovered the vehicle’s door and bonnet beneath the Soan River bridge, which spans the drain where the car was believed to have gone.

Excavations have focused on the deeper sections of the river, and officials have expressed optimism now that water levels have receded.

Rescue 1122 confirmed that Colonel (retired) Qazi Ishaq’s body was found beneath the bridge connecting the housing society’s sector 4 and phase 7.

The search for his daughter continues, with recovery teams still focused on the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), rain, wind, and thundershowers are expected in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, and northeast Balochistan over the next twelve hours.

Heavy rainfall is likely in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, the Pothohar region, and northeast Punjab, during this period, PMD added, warning that these conditions could lead to localised flooding and disruption.

Meanwhile, PMD forecasts hot and humid weather in the southern regions of the country.

Temperature readings this morning: Islamabad 25°C, Lahore 28°C, Karachi 30°C, Peshawar 27°C, Quetta and Gilgit 26°C, Murree 15°C, Muzaffarabad 24°C.

The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan because of their identity or personal history, a U.N. report said Thursday.

Pakistan and Iran are expelling millions of Afghans who they say are living in their countries illegally. Afghan authorities have urged nationals to return, pledging amnesty for anyone who left after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

But rights groups and the U.N. have repeatedly warned that some of those returning are at risk of persecution because of their gender, links to the former Western-backed administration or profession.

Thursday’s report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said some people have experienced serious human rights violations, while others have gone into hiding or relocated for fear of Taliban reprisal.

The violations include torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security at the hands of the Taliban, according to the report.

A former government official told the U.N. mission that, after his return to Afghanistan in 2023, he was detained and severely tortured with sticks and cables. He was waterboarded and subjected to a mock execution.

A non-binary person said they were beaten severely, including with the back of a gun.

Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said nobody should be sent back to a country where they faced the risk of persecution on account of their identity or personal history. This was even more pronounced for Afghan women and girls, who were subjected to a range of measures “amounting to persecution based on their gender alone,” he added.

The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan girls and women, cutting off education beyond sixth grade, most employment and access to many public spaces.

Responding to the report, Taliban authorities denied mistreating Afghan returnees and rejected allegations of arrest, violence, intimidation or retaliation against people because of their identity or personal history.

Afghans returning from neighboring countries were provided with facilities related to documentation, transportation, resettlement, and other legal support, they said, while the Interior Ministry provides a “warm welcome.”

They called on the U.N. mission to prevent forced deportations, adding the United Nations as a whole “should not hesitate” in providing basic needs to refugees, such as food, medicine, shelter and education.

Afghans who left their homeland in the millions over the decades are either being pushed out in expulsion campaigns, like those in Iran and Pakistan, or face an uncertain future because of reduced support for refugees.

On Monday, thousands of Afghans in the U.S. lost protection from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s decision to end their legal status.

Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. But groups helping Afghans with this status say the country is still extremely dangerous.

The Trump administration’s January suspension of a refugee program has left thousands of Afghans stranded, particularly in Pakistan, and a travel ban on Afghans has further diminished their hopes of resettlement in the U.S.

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Updated On: Thu, 24 Jul 2025

13:56:45 PKT

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The body of retired colonel Ishaq Qazi, who was swept away along with his car in a flash flood in a private housing society in Islamabad, has been recovered, while the search for his daughter continues for the third consecutive day.

Due to heavy rainfall in the federal capital, retired Army officer Ishaq had left home with his daughter when their car broke down. At that moment, a strong water current swept both father and daughter away along with the vehicle.

For the past two days, search operations had been underway to locate the missing father and daughter. A day earlier, the search in the drainage channel of the private housing society had been completed, after which rescue teams started operations at the entry and exit points of the Swaan River.

Rescue teams had earlier found the car’s bumper and side mirror, but the vehicle itself remained missing.

Now, the body of colonel Ishaq has been recovered from the Swaan River, while the search for his daughter is still ongoing.

Read also: Body of Dr Mishal’s 3-year-old son found after three days near Babusar Top

Rescue officials remain hopeful that with the water level receding after the rain has stopped, the search operation in the river will be completed today.

Earlier, the body of Dr Mishal Fatima’s 3-year-old son, who went missing in the recent flash flood at Babusar Top, has been found after three days.

Local residents spotted the body of Abdul Hadi, son of the late Dr. Mishal Fatima, near the Dasar area close to Babusar, and immediately informed the authorities. Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts recovered the child’s body from the stream and shifted it to Chilas Hospital.

It is worth noting that a few days ago, a family from Lodhran, returning from a picnic in Skardu, was swept away by a flash flood at Babusar Top. Dr. Mishal Fatima and her brother-in-law Fahad Islam lost their lives in the incident, while her 3-year-old son, Abdul Hadi, was also carried away by the floodwaters.