Category: 1. Pakistan

BERLIN: A German court ruled on Tuesday that the government is obliged to issue visas to Afghan nationals and their family members who were accepted into a humanitarian admissions programme that the new centre-right coalition intends to shut down.

A foreign ministry official said the government was reviewing the decision, which is not yet legally binding. After the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 by Western allies, Germany established several programmes to resettle local staff as well as particularly vulnerable Afghans.

Since May 2021, Germ­any has admitted about 36,500 vulnerable Afgh­a­­ns including former local staff by various pathways. Some 2,400 Afghans appr­oved for admission are waiting in Pakistan to travel to Germany without a clear idea of when, as the programme has been suspended pending a government review, the foreign ministry in Berlin said this month. The court decision, in response to an urgent appeal by an Afghan woman and her family, ruled that the government was legally bou­nd to honour its “irrevocable” commitment to them.

“The applicants assert that they are entitled to a visa and can no longer remain in Pakistan. They face deportation to Afgh­anistan, where they fear for their lives,” it said.

However, the government is within its rights to end the programme for Afghans and refrain from issuing any new admission commitments going forward, according to the court in Berlin.

NGOs have said that an additional 17,000 Afghans are in the early stages of selection and application under the now-dormant scheme.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday inaugurated the General Post Office (GPO) underpass on the Mall and the Nawaz Sharif Flyover on Adiala Road.

The work on the Nawaz Sharif Flyover started in January and its initial cost was Rs2.1 billion, which later escalated to Rs3.6 billion. The work on the GPO underpass started in February for Rs4.6 billion.

In a briefing, the CM was informed that 67 road projects, stretching up to 607 kilometres, had been launched in Rawalpindi, out of which 51 had been completed.

The newly inaugurated Nawaz Sharif Flyover, which starts from Kutchery Chowk on Adiala Road, will benefit traffic passing through GT Road, Ring Road, and the Chakri Interchange on the Motorway.

It was further apprised in the briefing that the traffic from Gorakhpur, Adiala, Khalsa Khurd, Khalsa Kalan, Dhalan, Jarrar Camp, Dhok Awan, and other surrounding localities will benefit from the flyover. A two-kilometre service road has also been constructed around the Nawaz Sharif Flyover.

The CM was informed that for the first time, the latest intelligent signal systems had been installed as part of the GPO Underpass project. The nearly two-kilometre-long underpass will provide easy access to the National Highway N-5 via Kashmir Road. It was further apprised in the briefing that the GPO underpass will also facilitate millions of patients coming to the CMH, MH, and AFIC.

At the inauguration ceremony, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also announced that the government would launch clean drinking water projects across Punjab. She announced potable water projects for south Punjab and Potohar. The chief minister also hinted at the early resolution of the water supply problem in Murree, besides the preparation of a project for the construction of an expressway along Leh Nullah in Rawalpindi.

She said, “…the Nawaz Sharif Flyover project will reduce the travel time from Rawalpindi to Chakri by one hour. Most of the road construction and rehabilitation projects have been completed in Rawalpindi.”

According to the CM, the Punjab government has constructed and repaired 12,000 km of roads, and within a few weeks, 19,000 km of roads will be repaired and rehabilitated across the province.

She maintained, “People acknowledge that roads are being built in a record period, it seems as if giants are working. Roads which had not been built for the last 30 years have been built now.”

She congratulated the relevant official for ensuring the timely completion of the Nawaz Sharif Flyover and the GPO underpass. “This project, which will facilitate the plying of two lakh vehicles daily, has been made state-of-the-art,” she added.

The CM also said that the Rawalpindi Ring Road would be completed in record time. “All schools in Rawalpindi are being revamped and will be completed soon. I am personally monitoring the beautification projects of Rawalpindi city,” she added.

More than 1250 health centres across Punjab have been revamped and turned into mini hospitals. The condition of hospitals has entirely changed in a record period of time,” she added.

The CM also highlighted the ‘Suthra Punjab’ project, saying commendable work was being carried out across the province under this project.

“When visitors reach Barian (in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) from Murree, where the jurisdiction of Punjab ends, a visible difference in cleanliness and infrastructure is witnessed,” she elaborated.

She emphasised that teamwork had become their distinguishing feature in Punjab. The entire team worked with dedication and devotion during Muharram, which was appreciated by the public, particularly the Shia community.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

• Peshawar High Court orders ECP to modify notification of women seats in KP Assembly
• Sets aside notification declaring JUI-F’s Gorpal Singh minority lawmaker
• IHC also issues notice to Election Commission over KP reserved seats

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday barred two women MPAs-elect of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from taking oath and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to modify its last year’s notification on the allocation of these seats.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal also set aside the ECP’s notification dated March 26, 2024, which had declared Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Gorpal Singh as MPA-elect on a seat reserved for non-Muslims in the KP Assembly.

The court directed the ECP to reallocate reserved seats for women and non-Muslims within 10 days in accordance with the law, after hearing all relevant political parties, their representatives and contesting candidates.

Until the ECP issues a new decision, the bench ordered that the oath should not be administered to JUI-F MPAs-elect Naheeda Noor and Arifa Bibi, who were elected on the disputed seats.

The bench issued a short order on a petition filed by the PML-N through its KP President Amir Muqam, who challenged two ECP notifications dated March 4 and March 26, 2024. These notifications declared candidates from various parties as MPAs-elect on reserved seats for women and non-Muslims.

The PML-N argued that both it and JUI-F had seven MPAs in the KP Assembly, but while PML-N received eight reserved seats for women, JUI-F was allotted 10. On the non-Muslim seats, JUI-F was granted two out of four seats, whereas PML-N was allocated only one.

The petition also challenged the ECP’s cut-off date of Feb 22, 2024, for independent MPAs to join political parties, after which reserved seat allocations were made.

The bench declared that the ECP’s use of the Feb 22 date for allocating reserved seats was illegal and contrary to the mandate of Article 106 of the Constitution, Sections 18 and 104 of the Elections Act 2017, and Rule 92 of the Elections Rules 2017.

The bench pointed out that the electoral college for reserved seats must include all members of political parties, as well as independent candidates who have joined parties, as of the actual date of election or allocation of the reserved seats.

A panel of lawyers, including Aamir Javed, Saqib Raza and Syed Inayat Shah, appeared for the petitioner and stated that the PML-N had initially won five seats in the Feb 8 general elections, and two independents later joined it.

Mr Javed said that the ECP allegedly calculated reserved seat allocations based on only six MPAs rather than seven. He noted that although an independent MPA joined PML-N on Feb 22, the same day he was officially notified as an MPA-elect, the ECP did not include him in the final seat tally.

Initially, the ECP allocated five women’s seats on Feb 22 — two each to PML-N and JUI-F, and one to PPP. On March 4, it issued a second notification for the remaining 21 seats, resulting in JUI-F receiving a total of 10 reserved seats and PML-N eight.

As for the four seats reserved for non-Muslims, one each was initially allocated to JUI-F, PML-N and PPP. The petitioner contended that the fourth seat should have been decided through a draw between JUI-F and PML-N, but the ECP unilaterally awarded it to JUI-F candidate Gorpal Singh.

The ECP was represented by Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal, legal counsel Mohsin Kamran Siddique, Special Secretary (Law) Mohammad Arshad and Deputy Director Saima Tariq Janjua. Advocate Naveed Akhter appeared for JUI-F and argued that his party had not been made a respondent in the petition despite being directly affected.

IHC issues notice to ECP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday also issued a notice to the ECP on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P), seeking suspension of the ECP’s July 2 notification allocating 21 reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the plea. PTI-P’s legal team, comprising Advocates Sultan Muhammad Khan and Tufail Shahzad, appeared in court alongside the party’s Central Secretary General Malik Habib Noor.

Advocate Khan argued that the ECP’s notification was based on flawed calculations and had deprived PTI-P, founded in 2023 by the former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak, of its lawful share of reserved seats. He maintained that the party should have received additional seats based on its performance in the Feb 8 general elections.

Justice Minhas inquired whether any court had suspended the notification. The lawyer confirmed that no stay had been granted so far. The court declined to suspend the notification immediately but issued a notice to the ECP to submit a response and adjourned the hearing.

PTI-P argued that allowing lawmakers elected through the disputed notification to take oath would cause “irreversible prejudice” and undermine the party’s main petition.

The party contended that the ECP’s March 4, 2024, notification erroneously recorded PTI-P as having secured only one general seat in KP, whereas it had actually won two — PK-73 and PK-103. This misrepresentation allegedly cost the party at least three reserved seats.

The matter was also earlier under review in the PHC, which had granted a stay on the oath-taking of MPAs on reserved seats. However, after a two-member PHC bench raised questions about the petition’s maintainability in light of similar proceedings at the IHC, PTI-P withdrew its petition from the PHC, resulting in the dismissal of the case and recall of the stay order.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

• Lyari residents protest against ‘building safety’ crackdown
• Governor visits affected people, announces 80-sq-yd plots for displaced families
• Five-member inquiry committee tasked with investigating building collapse holds first meeting

KARACHI: With the provincial government setting up a high-powered committee to investigate the recent collapse of a multi-storey building in Lyari that killed 27 people, authorities have ordered occupants of nine “dilapidated” buildings to vacate their homes as an operation begins to demolish one of the “weakened” structures in the same vicinity.

The developments came in the wake of the tragedy, which also left several families displaced and raised alarm over the state of “ageing and illegally constructed buildings” in the city.

Some occupants of such buildings were seen emptying their homes on Tuesday and transporting their belongings to temporary abodes.

A number of residents also staged a protest demonstration, demanding that the government provide alternative housing before demolishing the properties they had purchased with their hard-earned money.

In the early hours of Tuesday, demolition crews began tearing down one of the nine newly identified structures as part of an emergency safety drive.

Officials said the buildings had been found to be structurally “unsound” and posed a severe risk to occupants and nearby residents.

A spokesperson for the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) confirmed that notices had been issued to the occupants, urging them to vacate immediately in order to avoid further tragedies.

Governor visits displaced families

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Tuesday visited the site of the collapsed building.

During the visit, he faced a group of emotional residents and activists demanding accountability and immediate relief.

Public outrage over the tragedy continues and has led to street protests in the affected area.

Mr Tessori, accompanied by senior administration officials, met with the affected families and promised swift support.

He announced that each displaced family would be allotted an 80-square-yard residential plot.

“We stand with the victims during this difficult time. We will ensure no family is left without shelter,” he said, adding that interim housing arrangements would be made until permanent plots are allocated.

Speaking to the media, Governor Tessori vowed to personally look into the matter.

“I will be sending all my recommendations regarding this tragedy to the Sindh government through a formal letter. This is no minor matter. There will be no silence, and those responsible will be held to account,” he stated.

He also urged the provincial government to provide six months’ rent and temporary relocation within the same locality for residents evacuated from the dangerously unsafe buildings.

He further assured that the Governor House would remain actively engaged in relief efforts, offering essential support including ration supplies and employment opportunities for the affected families.

As the government continues to identify more dangerous structures, questions remain about the authorities’ capacity to both enforce regulations and ensure humane treatment of residents displaced by such enforcement.

Five-member committee notified

The Sindh government on Tuesday formed a five-member inquiry committee headed by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi, comprising Special Secretary Ayesha Hameed, SBCA’s Nadeem Ahmed and Asif Ali Langah and the local government department’s Hammadullah Seehar.

“The committee has been directed to conduct a thorough inquiry into the incident, which occurred on 4 July 2025, and submit its findings within 48 hours. The Terms of Reference (ToRs) also mandate the committee to identify those responsible for negligence and propose recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future,” said a statement detailing the notification.

“Furthermore, the committee is tasked with developing a mechanism for the evacuation of residents from buildings deemed dangerous. It has been authorised to co-opt any relevant officer required during the course of the inquiry.”

The committee held its maiden meeting on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The chair­per­son of the Senate Standing Com­mittee on Climate Change, Sena­tor Sherry Rehman, has urged collective climate action to address the cascading polycrisis.

Speaking at the conf­erence on ‘Pakistan’s Final Warning: Climate Calamity or Col­­lective Action’, the PPP senator said that despite unprecedented clim­a­­te shocks, there was a trou­­­bling silence in policy corridors.

“I see no alarm bells ringing anywhere in power corridors. No budgets are being recalibrated for coping better with the crisis,” she noted.

“If there is one priority for collective climate action in Pakistan it has to be water conservation. The water crisis means we have either too much water in the system and rivers at the wrong time, or too little when and where we need it, to sustain food security and livelihoods across the country.

Pakistan, she noted, is deeply underprepared for the scale of climate investment required: “To meet the climate crisis head on, everything will have to be scaled up. Finance is just one part of it. And let’s be clear — it’s not coming in anywhere close to the quantum needed by frontline ecosystems like ours.”

She also reminded the in­­t­ernational community of their responsibilities and str­­essed the importance of public-private partnerships.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

KARACHI: A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced filmmaker Jamshed Mahmood Raza, popularly known as Jami, to two years in prison for defaming fellow director Sohail Javed in 2019, Dawn.com reported.

He was taken into custody and moved to the Karachi central prison to serve his sentence, his lawyer has confirmed.

The court convicted him under Section 500 (defamation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and also imposed a fine of Rs10,000.

The case involved a letter Jami read out from an anonymous sexual assault survivor at the Lahooti Melo and also posted to his Facebook page.

The letter was from an unnamed survivor who described being assaulted by a very well-known figure in the entertainment industry but did not name the alleged abuser. Jami didn’t name the alleged abuser in his Facebook post either.

However, Javed argued that in the comment section of the post, many people guessed it was him and Jami did nothing to stop the speculation or deny the accusation.

Javed filed a defamation lawsuit against Jami, who denied the accusations and said the letter was handed to him by the organiser of the Lahooti Melo and he did not know the content at the time of reading it.

However, the court observed that Jami did not “produce the letter’s author, any communication with the Lahooti Melo organisers or any credible evidence to show that he was unaware of the content beforehand”.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD:

The PPP had to finally issue a statement to put to rest speculations about possible removal of President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the party

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, the PPP-Parliamentarians secretary general, on Tuesday clarified that there is no truth to the rumors circulating on social media regarding President Zardari.

“Those making such speculations have no understanding of the Constitution or the law. Zardari is the duly elected president of this country and this system cannot function without him,” he added.

It all started with a couple of journalists “revealing” on social media that a plan was underway to remove Zardari, whose party did not become a part of the coalition government after the Feb 8 general elections but supported it after securing constitutional positions including that of the president.

On June 5, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also dismissed the “rumours”, stating that some people were uncomfortable because politicians, the government and the military stand united.

“For the first time, politicians, the government and the military establishment are on the same page, and that bothers certain individuals. These people are spreading such stories,” Naqvi, who does not belong to any of the ruling parties but is regarded close to Zardari, added.

The PPP secretary general claimed that even the government could not function without the support of the PPP and that those spreading such rumors aimed to destabilize the country.

He stated that removing a PM or a CM through a vote of no confidence does not destabilize the system.

“It is unconstitutional methods or protest-based strategies that destabilize the system. If a no-confidence motion caused instability, it wouldn’t have been included in the Constitution,” he added.

PPPP’s central spokesperson Shazia Marri also emphasized that President Zardari and the PPP have a consistent track record of facing challenges head-on. “The PPP and President Zardari have proven that we never abandon the field,” she said.

Marri stated, “history is witness that President Zardari faced dictatorship and imprisonment, but never backed down.”

She added that the party maintains good relations with its coalition partners and pointed out that any change in the presidency would require a two-thirds majority across all four provincial assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate, saying this makes such speculation unfounded.

Marri also credited President Zardari with historic democratic reforms, saying he is the only politician in Pakistan who transferred presidential powers to the Parliament.

“When the country was in crisis, it was President Zardari who raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ [Pakistan needed],” she said, referring to a time of national uncertainty following the assassination of his wife & slain former premier Benazir Bhutto.

In a separate statement, PML-N’s Senator Irfan Siddiqui had also confirmed that there was no proposal under consideration at any level to replace President Zardari. “President Zardari is performing his duties as the constitutional head of state commendably,” he said.

ISLAMABAD:

After a break of almost seven months, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has summoned a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on July 12.

The SJC is a constitutional body empowered to proceed against judges of the superior courts on charges of misconduct.

Currently, CJP Afridi serves as its chairman. Other members include Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Alia Neelum and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Junaid Ghaffar.

The council is presently examining various complaints of misconduct against superior court judges.

During its previous meeting in December last year, the Council discussed proposed amendments to the Code of Conduct for Judges under Article 209(8) of the Constitution, as well as revisions to the Supreme Judicial Council Procedure of Enquiry, 2005.

A committee headed by Justice Munib Akhtar was constituted to prepare the proposed amendments to both the Code of Conduct and the enquiry procedure.

It is expected that the committee will present its proposals at the upcoming meeting.

Last year, six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges had sought guidance from the SJC regarding interference by executive agencies in judicial functions.

However, instead of taking up the matter within the SJC, then Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa initiated suo motu proceedings on the issue.

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has removed top officials of Rescue department and Upper Swat Development Authority following the recent drowning of tourists in the Swat River, said officials on Tuesday.

The provincial inspection team submitted a report blaming the Swat Development Authority for administrative delays, reported Express News.

The report also raised concerns over the DG Rescue’s lack of technical expertise in handling such emergencies.

The incident, in which several tourists drowned due to a delayed rescue operation, had already led the provincial government to suspend six officers earlier.

As part of the latest action, K-P Rescue DG’s services have been handed over to the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), while the Swat Development Authority DG has been removed from his seat and assigned a non-operational role, effectively removing him from active administrative duties.

Commissioner’s findings

The decisions follow a detailed report submitted by the Malakand commissioner to an inquiry committee investigating the mishandling of the rescue operation.

The Swat tragedy has sparked criticism over lack of emergency preparedness in the region, especially during peak tourist seasons.

The provincial government’s disciplinary action underscores growing concerns over tourism safety and crisis response mechanisms in the area.

According to official reports, 17 tourists — 10 from Sialkot, six from Mardan, and one resident — were caught in floodwaters after entering the river in Khwazakhela despite visible risks.

Four tourists were rescued, while 12 bodies were recovered. Rescue efforts for one missing person are ongoing.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) described the flood level as “very high”. The sudden surge raised the Swat River’s flow from 6,738 to 77,782 cusecs within hours, leaving little chance for those trapped to return to safety.

An investigation revealed that nearby construction along the river had altered its natural flow, causing deceptively low water levels at the site.

This misled the tourists and they entered the river. A hotel security guard reportedly tried to stop them, but they bypassed the main entrance and accessed the river through the back. Within 14 minutes of entering, rising water levels prompted a distress call at 9.45am.

Rescue teams arrived at 10.05am — 20 minutes after the call. Before the incident, early flood alerts had been issued by the irrigation department at 8.41am.

Formal warnings were sent to the deputy commissioners of Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera, as well as PDMA and other relevant authorities. A formal flood alert followed at 10.30am.

The report noted that Section 144, prohibiting swimming and boating in the Swat River, had been imposed from 24 June, but enforcement remained lax