Category: 1. Pakistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan recognised terrorism as a serious threat as the inaugural round of the Additional Secretary-Level Mechanism between the Foreign Ministries of Pakistan and Afghanistan was held in Islamabad on Monday.

The talks are the latest in a series of steps between both nations to improve ties, such as the revival of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and the upgrading of each country’s diplomats from the rank of chargé d’affaires to ambassador.

According to a press release from the Foreign Office, the Pakistani delegation was led by Additional Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani, while the Afghan side was led by the Director General of the First Political Division at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor.
 

“Discussions covered key areas of bilateral interest, including trade and transit cooperation, security, and connectivity. Both sides recognised terrorism as a serious threat to regional peace and security. The Pakistani side emphasised the need for concrete actions against terrorist groups operating on Afghan soil, noting that such groups undermine Pakistan’s security and hinder regional development.”
 

According to the FO, both sides discussed deepening trade and transit cooperation and reviewed the implementation of measures announced to facilitate Afghan transit trade during the April visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Kabul, including the removal of a 10 per cent processing fee, the provision of an insurance guarantee, reduction in scanning and examination and making the track and trace system operational.
 

The delegations “underlined the importance of enhanced regional connectivity as a catalyst for sustainable growth and shared prosperity”, the FO said, adding that they agreed to work towards finalising the framework agreement for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway.
 
“The two sides also discussed matters related to the repatriation of Afghan nationals,” the FO said.

According to the statement, Pakistan highlighted its efforts to facilitate documented travel from Afghanistan through the issuance of over 500,000 visas across a range of categories, such as medical, tourist, business, and study, from January 2024 till now.

“Both sides agreed to work together to further strengthen the legal movement of individuals across borders,” the press release read.
 
The delegations reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining engagement and addressing mutual challenges, the FO said.

“They recognised lasting security as a cornerstone for both the region’s optimal development as well as for further advancement of bilateral relations.”
 
The delegations decided to convene the next round of additional-secretary talks at mutually convenient dates.

A 19-year-old newlywed was admitted to Civil Hospital Karachi in critical condition after allegedly enduring “brutal sexual violence” at the hands of her husband, who has since been arrested, officials said on Monday.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com, “As per the family and the police record, the 19-year-old girl married in Lyari on June 15. She is now in a coma. Her physical examination findings are consistent with sexual violence.”

According to the contents of the first information report (FIR) registered at the Baghdadi Police Station on July 5 under Sections 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd) and 376-B (punishment for gang-rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code, the complainant, the brother of the victim, said that he was a resident of Shah Beg Lane in Baghdadi, Lyari.

“On the third day of her marriage, my sister was subjected to brutal sexual violence allegedly by her husband. She remained admitted at a private hospital in the city and was later taken to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre of Civil Hospital Karachi in a critical condition the other day,” the FIR read.

The complainant said his 19-year-old sister married the suspect on June 15. Her health condition deteriorated on June 30, compelling the family to bring her back home. She informed the parents that on July 17, her husband subjected her to an “unnatural sexual act”, per the FIR.

It added that the husband also sexually assaulted her with a foreign object. Subsequently, the husband subjected her to sexual violence, leading to bleeding. As per the FIR, the suspect threatened his wife with “dire consequences” if she disclosed anything to anyone.

The complainant said the family took his sister to a private hospital on Garden Road when her condition deteriorated, but no improvement was seen. The in-laws again took the victim to their home. Later on, she was brought to the trauma centre on July 4, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), the FIR said, adding that the complainant was seeking legal proceedings against the suspect.

South Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com that the suspect had been arrested and an investigation has been launched.

Despite the presence of anti-rape laws — with punishment for rape either resulting in the death penalty or imprisonment of between 10 and 25 years — cases continue to prevail in the country.

Last week, police had said that they had arrested the primary suspect allegedly involved in the gang-rape of a girl in Ittehad Town.

In May, two sisters were subjected to a sexual assault in their home in North Karachi, police and doctors had said.

In April, in a rare verdict, an additional district and sessions judge in Gujranwala handed down 10-year rigorous imprisonment to a man for subjecting his wife to an unnatural sexual offence.

Pakistani authorities confiscated eighteen lions kept illegally as pets in the densely populated Punjab region during a targeted operation, provincial officials said Monday.

Authorities launched a crackdown after a lion escaped from a house in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and attacked a woman and two children. The incident, which took place last week, was captured on video.

None of the people suffered life-threatening injuries, according to provincial officials. The lion, which was kept without a license in a house in Lahore, was confiscated.

The lion was sent to a local safari park, according to Mubeen Elahi, director general of the provincial Wildlife and Parks Department. 

Police said the owner was arrested.

Keeping big pets considered a status symbol

Keeping a lion at home without following the legal requirements for ownership of big cats is an offense punishable by up to seven years in jail, Elahi told the Reuters news agency.

As well as confiscating the 18 animals, the department raided 38 lion and tiger breeding farms and arrested eight people for violating the rules, he said.

There are more than 500 lions and tigers in homes and breeding farms in Punjab, Elahi said, adding they would be inspected by the end of the week.

Keeping exotic animals is considered a status symbol among some wealthy Pakistanis, despite the high fees associated with ownership. 

Edited by: Wesley Rahn 

The Traffic Police have announced a detailed traffic diversion plan ahead of the 12th Muharram procession on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Karachi.

The procession is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM from Imambargah Sahib-e-Zaman in Block 14, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and will conclude at Imambargah Akhir-ul-Zaman in Block 19.

It will pass through key areas including Rado Bakery, Johar Chowrangi, Perfume Chowk, and Johar Mor.

According to officials, all roads along the procession route and its connecting arteries will remain closed from 5:00 PM Tuesday until 4:30 AM Wednesday.

Both lanes of Kamran Chowrangi, leading to and from Johar Mor, will be closed for traffic. The Johar Underpass will also remain inaccessible during this time.

Traffic heading from Drigh Road and Dalmia toward Johar Chowrangi will be halted before the Nipa Flyover at the Chase Value U-turn and diverted through Ave Q Banquet, Overseas Flats, Naveed Bungalows, and Haroon Royal City.

Likewise, vehicles coming from Nipa to Drigh Road will be diverted via Alauddin U-turn to University Road.

Traffic from Mussamiyat via Kamran Chowrangi will be redirected towards Works Society using a U-turn at the Haskol Pump near Imambargah Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen. For travelers heading to Mussamiyat and Johar, alternate routes will be available via Pehlwan Goth and PHA Road.

Authorities have also warned of traffic congestion on Rashid Minhas Road, Dalmia Road, and areas near the Nipa and Johar flyovers. Heavy vehicles will not be allowed on affected routes during procession hours.

Citizens are urged to plan their travel in advance, use alternative routes, and cooperate with traffic personnel deployed for safety and guidance.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Monday defended his recent move to seek the disqualification of 26 PTI MPAs for their “unparliamentary conduct”, saying he was fulfilling his responsibility to uphold the Constitution.

On June 27, the speaker ordered the suspension of 26 opposition MPAs for 15 sittings of the provincial legislature after their protests disrupted Chief Mi­­nister Maryam Nawaz’s speech and caused chaos in the house. Days later, he filed a disqualification reference with the Election Com­mission of Pakistan against them.

Out of those MPAs, 17 were listed as belonging to the Sunni Ittehad Council, which PTI-affiliated candidates joined last year after their party was deprived of its election symbol. At least eight others, however, were stated as PTI MPAs.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore today, Malik stressed that his responsibility was to uphold the Constitution and he did not discriminate against any party.

“I am someone who brings things into my domain. I will accept criticism wholeheartedly, but while doing the calculations, while having a conversation.”

The speaker questioned the criticism against him from the opposition and the media, which suggested that the speaker did not have the authority to file such a reference.

“Many credible names in journalism who have a biblical position, […] editorials were written as well that a Constitutional red line must be there, and not a party leadership red line,” Malik noted.

“It was also written that it is an extreme step,” the speaker added, apparently referring to a Dawn editorial.

“It was further written that jurists think that the speaker does not reserve the right to approach the election commission,” Malik said.

The speaker highlighted he wanted to address the matter and the relevant laws, considering “such a huge editorial was written [and] such respected people were voicing their opinion on the media, including anchorpersons”.

Malik emphasised he had always tried to present himself as a “custodian”, with an understanding of his Constitutional responsibilities.

“If, as a speaker, the opposition believes I am a custodian and must protect their rights, should I not also give the same right to the treasury benches to be heard, to speak? […] Is that not their right?”

The speaker strongly rejected the allegations that the move to disqualify the MPAs was a means of silencing the opposition, saying that he “prioritised every point of the opposition […] at every opportunity”. “I have given them their due.”

He asserted he made every effort to ensure the opposition members were given as much time as possible to speak and that their rights were respected, adding, “I am not a man who steals the right to representation in assemblies.”

Malik recognised the MPAs’ right to protest under the Constitution, but said that it did not override his rights: “You cannot say vandalism is your absolute right or obstructing the house is your absolute right.”

The PML-N leader stressed that this applied regardless of party affiliation.

Malik acknowledged that assemblies and parliaments often featured scuffles and raised voices, rejecting the notion that a speaker had to take a “draconian position” against these. However, he stressed the need for this fighting to have limits.

“I have been in this House for two decades,” Malik said, adding that during that period he had never heard a finance minister — of any government — make a budget speech without being met with “noise, budget books being torn, uproar in the assembly, even attacks on the finance minister”.

Ten Punjab MPAs, including six who were suspended, have been fined Rs203,550 each for allegedly damaging public property during the June 16 session, when opposition members had tried to interrupt the budget speech by Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman.

“Will a finance minister not be able to make a speech for 22 years?” Malik said.

“Will any leader of the House […] ever have the right to speak here? Will their freedom of expression here become [suppressed] and will only the expression of the ones causing an uproar be treated as the right to protest?

“Will this be the order of the day? Will this be a new normal?”

The speaker further said: “If the leader of the House wants to speak, even if he was [PTI Founder] Imran Khan, should my party members obstruct him? I don’t support this. I only recognise one point: that you have taken an oath, that you will uphold the proceedings of the assembly according to the rules.”

QUETTA:

Three officials of the highway police were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near their vehicle in Balochistan’s Nasirabad district on Monday.

The explosion occurred when an IED, reportedly planted by unidentified individuals, detonated near the patrol unit, partially damaging the vehicle.

The injured officers were immediately shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Nasirabad, where hospital authorities implemented emergency protocols to ensure timely medical care.

Following the incident, police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the perpetrators. A detailed investigation is underway. 

Read More: At least two terrorists killed in Balochistan’s Duki district: ISPR

Balochistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities in recent days. However, the Pakistan Army has thwarted numerous attacks and neutralised Indian-backed terrorists in intelligence-based operations.

Last week, a 16-year-old boy lost his life and seven others sustained injuries in a terrorist attack in Mastung district, while two Indian proxy assailants were shot dead during a counter-operation carried out by security forces.

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said the armed men targeted key government installations, including the Tehsil office, a local bank, and other administrative buildings. They opened indiscriminate fire, killing a teenage student on the spot and leaving at least seven others injured.

Police said that the assailants entered the city in the morning and set government offices and two banks on fire. Security personnel from the Frontier Corps (FC), Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and Levies Force responded promptly and engaged the attackers in a counter-terror operation.

Also Read: Tump assistant commissioner abducted

Earlier in June, security forces killed two Indian-backed terrorists and arrested two others during an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Duki district.

The operation was launched on reports of the presence of members of Fitna al Hindustan, described by the military as an Indian proxy group operating in the region.

“Security forces effectively engaged the Indian-sponsored terrorists’ location,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement. “After an intense exchange of fire, two Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell, while two were apprehended.”