Category: 1. Pakistan

SUKKUR / RAHIM YAR KHAN: Many passenger trains had to be halted at various stations for up to eight hours in the first half of Friday due to the derailment of a goods train at Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district.

The tracks were badly damaged after the locomotive and five carriages of the freight train derailed close to the city’s station.

The train was on its way to Karachi from Punjab. Both ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ tracks were closed to the rail traffic till the tracks were restored at around 12noon, according to Railways officials.

According to sources in the department, the tracks were uprooted and carriages separated from the locomotive.

The ‘6 Down’ Green Line remained stuck at the Rahim Yar Khan station for no fewer than eight hours after it was halted at around 4am. Its passengers experienced an unbearably long wait for the resumption of their journey and that, too, amid sweltering weather conditions.

Many trains halted at different stations; most people struggle to find food and water

Many other ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ trains, including Pak Business Express, Millat Express, Rehman Baba Express, Awam Express, Bahauddin Zakria Express, Tezgam and Karachi Express were halted at different railway stations on the main ML-I track within the Sukkur Railway Division.

They remain stuck at Liaquatpur, Khanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiq­abad, Daharki, Ghotki, Pannu Aaqil and Rohri railway stations, according to Railways sources.

At the Rahim Yar Khan station, Green Line passengers complained that neither the Railways ministry nor the local staff bothered to make arrangements for food and water for them during their eight-hour ordeal.

Some welfare organistions, realising the condition of men, women and children getting worse due to intense heat and unavailability of water, brought food and water to the station and served the passengers.

At Walhar station along Punjab-Sindh border, an ice cream vendor riding his tricycle pulled up and distributed the entire stock he had among perturbed passengers of another train free of cost.

All the stuck up trains were given green signal at about 12noon after a relief train hit the Mirpur Mathelo station when the work for the removal of derailed locomotive and carriages as well as restoration of the tracks was completed.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

LAHORE: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar on Friday revised and approved a comprehensive security plan for Muharramul Haram.

More than 147,000 officers and personnel of the Punjab Police will perform security duties across the province on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. In Lahore, more than 10,000 policemen have been deployed for the security of mourning processions and Majalis.

The IG Punjab said that with the cooperation of religious scholars, community leaders, security agencies, a peaceful Ashura would be ensured.

A Punjab Police spokesperson said that on Ashura, 4,418 processions would be taken out across the province and 6,667 Majalis would be held. He said that more than 62,000 community volunteers would also assist with the security arrangements. In the provincial capital, 125 processions and 605 Majalis would be held.

About security arrangements for the 8th Muharram, the spokesperson said more than 58,000 personnel performed duties for 1,365 mourning processions and 3,940 Majalis across the province. More than 27,000 community volunteers also assisted the police, he added.

In Lahore, 3,600 police personnel were deployed for the security duties at 86 processions and 416 Majalis. The IGP said that implementation of Section 144 imposed was being ensured and aerial firing, display of weapons, promotion of hateful content, and incitement were prohibited. The CTD, Special Branch, Traffic Police and Dolphin Squad, along with other field formations had been deployed for security duty.

Dr Anwar directed officers to ensure strict implementation of the Loudspeaker Act. He said that control rooms established in all districts were connected with the central control room. He directed the RPOs, CPOs, and DPOs to go into the field and monitor the security arrangements.

The Punjab Police is taking action against promotion of objectionable content on social media and 35 such incidents had been reported in the last 24 hours. As many as 20 cases have been registered for sharing objectionable content, resulting in the arrest of 22 suspects. In the past five days, 103 cases were registered and 119 individuals had been arrested for sharing objectionable content on social media.

Earlier, flag marches were held by the police across the province in the context of Muharram on the instructions of IG Punjab. District police, Dolphin Squad, Police Response Unit, Elite Force, and Traffic Police mobile vehicles and personnel participated in the flag marches.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

LAKKI MARWAT: Two terrorists were arrested in an intelligence-based operation in Lakki Marwat late Thursday night.

District police officer Mohammad Jawad Ishaq told Dawn the police had intensified actions against terrorists on directives of Bannu Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan to eliminate the menace and maintain peace in the region.

He said a party of Shahbazkhel police station backed by Elite Force commandos and armoured personnel carriers reached the rural area on information about the presence of terrorists there.

“The cops raided a suspected hideout and arrested two terrorists, identified as Bilal, a resident of Nawerkhel, and Asif Nawaz of Kattakhel,” he said, adding the arrested men were wanted by law enforcement agencies in various terrorism-related cases. They were shifted to the police station.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed praised Lakki Marwat police for a successful operation against terrorists, saying that police were determined to eliminate terrorism and continue the struggle until peace was established in the entire region.

Meanwhile, the police on Friday claimed to have solved a blind murder case of an army soldier by arresting two suspects during a raid in Karak district.

A police official said that soldier Tahir Irfan left home on a motorcycle in the afternoon of June 21, but he did not return.

He said that the family tried to contact him on his mobile phone but both his SIM cards were switched off.

“Next day, while the family members were searching for him, they found his body dumped in the mountain,” the official said.

He said Karak district police officer Shahbaz Elahi took notice of the murder and constituted a special team headed by DSP Saadat Ali to trace the killers.

“The police experts launched an investigation into murder and found a clue about the suspects with the help of advanced technology and human intelligence,” he claimed, adding that the cops arrested two suspects, identified as Nadim and Samiullah, during a raid and seized a pistol used in the crime and a motorcycle of deceased soldier from them.

Separately, unknown terrorists blew up an abandoned police post in the Kharoba area of Lakki Marwat late Thursday night.

Police said that an explosive device planted along the building of the police post went off with a bang, badly damaging the structure.

They said that the post had been abandoned by the police as it had been declared unfit for use several years ago.

The blast was heard in the vicinity, however, no casualties were reported.

A large police contingent reached the place and launched a search for the saboteurs in the area.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday declared Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders Hammad Azhar and Rana Shahbaz Ahmed proclaimed offenders (POs) in two cases related to attack on police during the party’s October protests.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill issued the order while hearing applications submitted by the police, requesting to declare both political leaders as PO.

According to the police, the suspects were wanted in two FIRs registered at Islampura and Shafiqabad police stations. It said the suspects, despite advertisements published to summon them, went into hiding to avoid arrest.

The judge, upon reviewing the record, declared the PTI leaders POs.

These PTI leaders have already been declared POs in multiple cases of the May 9 violence.

BAIL: An anti-terrorism court on Friday adjourned proceedings on the bail petitions of former provincial minister Dr Yasmin Rashid in five cases of May 9 riots, including the Askari Tower attack, due to the unavailability of police records.

A prosecutor informed the court that the case records were currently with the Lahore High Court and requested more time to present the same.

Accepting the request, the court adjourned the proceedings till July 10.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

KARACHI: Phrases and idioms in any language are coined primarily to relay a message that contains wisdom.

In the English language, the phrase ‘a rainy day’ means a probable time when money will be needed, unexpectedly. This may also suggest that while rain, in a certain way, has romantic and feel-good connotations, it can also bring with it a number of difficulties. The latter seems to be apt for Karachiites.

Every time — and it’s been happening for years now — it rains heavily in the city, citizens are found complaining about at least a few things: nerve-jangling traffic jams, damaged roads, sudden appearance of potholes and puddles, stagnant rainwater on roads and streets, and power failure.

Power failure, surely, in turn makes the availability of water supply a huge problem because in most localities in the city, water is pumped into pipes through machines run by electricity. Don’t the authorities concerned know that?

By authorities concerned one means the bodies responsible for managing Karachi: the provincial government, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the cantonment board, etc.

Every year, during monsoons, a blame game starts which ends without a positive or permanent resolution to the issue. On June 27 and 28, heavy rains disrupted life in Karachi in a painful way. Despite the fact that June 28 was a Saturday, when a majority of the offices were closed, the snarl-up at thoroughfares such as Sharea Faisal was agonising. If one was in District South heading towards the airport, it took at least two hours to move from the Hotel Metropole roundabout to Drigh Road Railway Station.

As if it was an understandable consequence of Nature’s interference in Karachiites’ daily lives, there were reports of a prolonged power breakdown on June 28.

De-silting of major drains is yet to be completed by KMC

In DHA Phase V, for example, electricity went kaput in the afternoon and was restored at 4am. Similarly, quite a few blocks in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, suffered power shutdowns for up to 10 hours.

The worrisome thing is that the monsoon season has arrived early (as it usually begins in July). Have the authorities pre-empted the situation? One can’t be sure.

What adds to the worry is that at some places — for example, from Jail Road to Nipa — construction work has been going on for many a month. If rains come down heavily in July, these projects might get affected. No one knows how much money has so far been invested in the making of these yet-to-be-completed underpasses, overhead bridges and new roads. Whatever the amount may be, they need to be protected from uncalled-for interventions. Also, one hopes that construction work completes as soon as possible because it’s already a massive traffic issue.

It has to be said, though, that the one step that the KMC has taken, in terms of preparing in advance for the rains, is that a few days back the corporation had begun the process of cleaning the stormwater drains in the city.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab himself witnessed the process during which he had said: “In addition to the 46 major drains, smaller drains are also being cleaned. A joint strategy will be employed to ensure the drainage of rainwater across all towns. As soon as the rains begin, staff, machinery and pumps will be dispatched to major roads. We believe in working indiscriminately across all districts of Karachi and will respond to critics through our work.”

It all sounds good. But, thus far, not all drains have been cleaned.

The clouds, as the month of July sets in, look ominous. There’s likelihood that citizens will soon be faced with a wet season. And if preventive measures are not taken in totality, Karachiites are in for a toilsome time.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Friday warned the administrations of five districts about the high risk of glacial lake outburst floods due to a significant rise in temperatures and upcoming weather system.

In an advisory issued to the deputy commissioners of Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Swat and Upper Kohistan, the PDMA said that Pakistan Meteorological Department had formally informed it that as there was a significant rise in temperatures and upcoming weather system in northern parts of the country, the risk of Glofs was very likely to increase in glaciated areas of the province.

“The persistent high temperatures may accelerate snow and glacier melt and subsequent weather events, potentially triggering Glofs and flash floods in vulnerable valleys and surrounding regions in the current and upcoming week,” it said.

The PDMA said that in view of the above weather conditions, you are requested to kindly take all necessary precautionary measures to avoid any loss of human and animal life and damage to infrastructure and crops.

It urged authorities to undertake proactive monitoring and surveillance of vulnerable Glof sites to ensure timely early warning and response, conduct evacuation drills in at-risk communities to ensure full preparedness and ensure that safe evacuation sites are fully stocked and ready for utilisation in case of any eventuality.

The PDMA also called for the availability of necessary emergency equipment for rapid response in case of any eventuality, launch of mass awareness campaign about Glofs in at-risk areas, risk of the washing away of vehicles in water channels, and introduction of a community-based alert system for the people in low-lying areas.

It asked authorities to prepare evacuation plans for at-risk communities and its timely execution and issuance of warning to visitors to at-risk and vulnerable areas about travel risks.

The PDMA saidthe district administrations should coordinate with National Highway Authority, Frontier Works Organisation and the communication and works department for the timely restoration of roads in case of blockage, obstruction and damage.

It said that in case of heightened risk, controlled breaching of vulnerable Glof sites could be coordinated with the relevant departments to prevent sudden outburst events.

Last Wednesday, the PDMA alerted the district administrations across the province to the possibility of a new rain spell across the province from July 5 to 11.

In an advisory issued to the deputy commissioners across the province, it quoted the PMD as informing that moist currents were penetrating into most parts of the region and likely to become intensified in the next couple of days.

“A westerly wave is also expected to approach on July 5 evening or night. Under the influence of these weather system and rain showers with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds with isolated/scattered heavy falls (at times very heavy) are expected in Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Battagram, Shangla, Kohistan, Kolai Pallas Kohistan, Torghar, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Kohat, Hangu, Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and North and South Waziristan from July 5 to July 11 with occasional gaps,” it said.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday unveiled the “KP Good Governance Roadmap” with a two-year-implementation plan to improve public service delivery and institutional efficiency through an in-built reward and accountability system.

“There is always room for improvement and learning,” Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur said during the launching ceremony at his official residence here.

The event was attended by international donors, bureaucrats and cabinet members.

Chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah presented the roadmap and said it was anchored around three priority pillars, good governance, robust security and smart development encompassing interventions in twelve governance, one security and three development domains.

CM says new system of governance will be introduced if current doesn’t deliver

He said the high impact domain included health, education, social protection, economic uplift, infrastructure development, agriculture, energy, tourism and digitisation.

“In the health sector, the roadmap will seek to upgrade 250 basic health units and rural health centres into 24/7 maternal care facilities with provision of essential medicines at hospitals, while 54 Category-D hospitals will be outsourced through public-private partnership to enhance management and improve services,” he said.

Mr Shah said the education reform featured the reduction of out-of-school children by 50 per cent and upgradation of learning outcomes in public schools.

He said 1,500 schools would be outsourced to improve quality of education, while higher education would be re-aligned with market needs via launch of industry-relevant degree programs and internships.

“Appointments and postings will be performance-based subject to monthly reviews,” he said.

The chief secretary said that mega development projects would be completed on priority basis for quick public impact including Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, Peshawar New General Bus Stand and Northern Bypass, while in the tourism sector, 50 new tourist destinations and 25 sites would be developed.

“We are committed to delivery. With defined Key Performance Indicators, continuous oversight and an inclusive feedback mechanism, we are determined to ensure that every rupee spent translates into meaningful outcomes for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

Additional chief secretary (planning and development) Ikramullah Khan gave a quick overview of the reform roadmap to ensure immediate and quick public impact projects.

Chief Minister Gandapur said the government would have to come up with a new system of governance if the current system didn’t deliver.

He said he had ensured that all schools in his constituency had furniture, and yet, when prodded to submit demand for new furniture, the schools sought Rs400 million.

“This means that the furniture was either stolen or never delivered,” he said.

The chief minister said that reforms were necessary to bring transparency and accountability.

He said that it was important to fix responsibility and punish those responsible. He said that he would personally review the performance of officers and would reward the best performers with better posting and punish those who failed to deliver.

“Bureaucrats and politicians are equally responsible for bad governance and corruption,”he said.

The roadmap seeks to ensure timely implementation and accountability, a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system.

Its working paper says that the roadmap is based on detailed action plans prepared by the department themselves which will be reviewed on the weekly and monthly basis by the office of the chief secretary and quarterly at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

The chief secretary will directly oversee administrative and institutional reform, while the Performance Management and Reform Unit will utilize dashboard and geo-tagging evidence to track and verify progress.

“We are offering ourselves for scrutiny,” he said.

The chief secretary said that an effective communication strategy had also been prepared to augment the reform roadmap through a mix of traditional and digital media and social media platforms integrated with the CM’s Complaint Cell.

He responded to questions from participants and urged them to study the “living document” to study improvements.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

• ISPR says several attackers belonging to ‘Indian proxy’ TTP gunned down over two nights
• Hassan Khel area witnessed similar action in April, when around 54 militants were killed while trying to cross into Pakistan
• Army calls on Kabul govt to check use of Afghan soil against Pakistan; ISPR’s official X account ‘reactivated’

PESHAWAR: Security forces on Friday foiled another infiltration attempt from Afghanistan by an ‘Indian proxy’, killing at least 30 terrorists in North Waziristan district, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

In a statement, the military’s media wing said troops detected a large group of terrorists from Fitna al Khwarij — the state’s terminology for the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — attempting to infiltrate the Pak-Afghan border in the Hassan Khel area.

“The security forces effectively engaged and thwarted the militants’ attempt to infiltrate,” the statement read, adding that as a result of a precise and skillful engagement, all the 30 terrorists were gunned down on the nights between July 1-2 and July 2-3 .

A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was reportedly recovered from the killed terrorists.

“The security forces demonstrated exceptional professionalism, vigilance and preparedness, and prevented a potential catastrophe,” the ISPR said.

The statement called on Afghanistan’s government to control its side of the border.

“Interim Afghan government also needs to check and prevent the use of Afghan soil by ‘foreign proxies’ for orchestrating militant activities against Pakis­tan,” the ISPR said, adding that security forces remained unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers.

The encounter was the second major incident in the area in the past couple of months.

On April 27, security forces killed 54 militants in what the military billed as the single-biggest blow to the TTP and its affiliates.

That engagement also occurred in Hassan Khel, when a group was neutralised while trying to breach the Pak-Afghan border.

At the time, the ISPR said intelligence reports indicated that group was infiltrating at the behest of their “foreign masters” to conduct high-profile terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

The ISPR also claimed that it was the highest number of militants killed by the security forces in a single engagement during the entire campaign against terrorism.

The persistent infiltration attempts highlight ongoing security concerns that prompted a high-level meeting in January.

On Jan 13, political leaders met with the Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, expressing concerns over the law and order situation in the province.

According to sources privy to the meeting, the political leadership asked the military to engage with Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s internal security problems and urged the full implementation of the country’s National Action Plan against terrorism.

Separately, the ISPR’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account became active once again. The account, which last posted in 2023, was updated on Friday with the official statement regarding the N. Waziristan incident.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday finally announced the schedule for the long-overdue Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, setting July 21 as the polling date.

The much-delayed but suspenseful exercise will see elections on 11 seats — seven general and two each reserved for women, ulema and technocrats.

Experts believe the outcome will hinge on how PTI-backed and JUI-F members vote. If the opposition remains united and PTI-backed members strictly follow party discipline — with JUI-F support — the ruling coalition may win only one general seat.

However, the scenario would shift dramatically if some PTI members break ranks and JUI-F strikes a deal with the ruling coalition. In that case, the coalition might bag around five seats, potentially gaining a two-thirds majority in the upper house of parliament. JUI-F already holds five seats in the Senate.

Currently, the ruling coalition has 54 members in the 96-member Senate — 10 short of the two-thirds majority (64 seats).

Polling for the 11 KP Senate seats will be held on July 21, while a separate election for the seat vacated by Senator Sania Nishtar is scheduled for July 31.

According to an ECP statement, the Senate elections in KP were delayed due to an incomplete electoral college. The schedule was announced two days after 25 reserved seats — originally allocated to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) — were redistributed among parties, including PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, PTI-P and ANP.

The elections were earlier postponed in April 2024, exacerbating political uncertainty in the province. Polling for another Senate seat — vacated after the death of Professor Sajid Mir — will also take place on July 21.

An ECP spokesperson said letters have been sent to the speakers of national and provincial assemblies, requesting the oath-taking of members elected on reserved seats and notified on July 2, 2025. This is to ensure they can assume office and vote in the Senate elections in KP and Punjab.

It may be recalled that Senate elections in KP were previously postponed on April 2, 2024, due to the speaker’s refusal to administer oath to newly elected members on reserved seats.

A fresh notification reads: “In continuation of the earlier notification dated April 2, 2024, whereby the poll date for Senate elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against seven general seats, two women seats, and two technocrats including ulema seats was postponed, the Election Commission of Pakistan hereby appoints July 21, 2025, as the poll date for the said Senate election.”

The ECP has also issued a detailed schedule for the seat vacated by Dr Sania Nishtar. The public notice will be issued on July 9, nomination papers can be submitted on July 10 and 11, scrutiny will be held on July 16, and polling will take place on July 31. The former PTI lawmaker had resigned in October last year, but her seat was declared vacant on March 10 this year.

Furthermore, a notification has been issued for the election to the seat left vacant by the demise of PML-N Senator Professor Sajid Mir. The revised list of candidates will be issued on July 15, nomination withdrawals are allowed until July 16, and polling will be held on July 21 at the Punjab Assembly building.

In addition, an election schedule has been issued for two vacant seats reserved for PML-N women from KP in the National Assembly. The returning officer will issue a public notice on July 8; nomination papers can be submitted on July 9 and 10; scrutiny will take place on July 14; and the final list of candidates will be released on July 24. The PML-N’s previous priority list has been exhausted, and a new one must be submitted to the priority list counting officer by July 10.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

WASHINGTON: With less than a week to go before the July 9 deadline, Pakistan and the United States have concluded a critical round of trade negotiations, reaching an understanding on a deal that could shape the future of the country’s key export sectors.

The Pakistani delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Jawad Paal, was scheduled to return on Friday after completing four days of talks in Washington.

While both sides have reached an understanding, a formal announcement is expected only after the US concludes similar ongoing negotiations with other trade partners.

The delegation arrived in Washington on Monday with the aim of finalising a long-term reciprocal tariff agreement that would prevent the re-imposition of a 29 per cent tariff on Pakistani exports — primarily textiles and agricultural products.

Formal announcement expected once Washington wraps up talks with other nations

The tariff relief, temporarily paused earlier this year, was at risk of expiring if no progress had been made by the July 9 deadline.

Officials familiar with the negotiations say the talks were successful, with both sides agreeing to a broad framework.

The agreement, when signed, could lead to incre­ased Pakistani imports of US goods — notably crude oil — and potential Ameri­can investment in Pakistan’s mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Projects like the Reko Diq copper and gold mine and related energy infrastructure were a focus of the discussions. The deal could also pave the way for expanded engagement through the US Export-Import Bank.

Although US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had earlier indicated that Washington might allow limited flexibility on the deadline if meaningful pro­g­ress was evident, Pakistani officials say they pushed for early completion to remove uncertainty for exporters and investors.

Officials remain optimistic that the agreement will sustain Pakistan’s access to the US market and help reset bilateral economic ties, which had been under strain since the high tariffs were introduced during the Trump administration.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025