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• 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

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has raised serious concerns over the systemic failure of law enforcement in tackling the narcotics trade beyond its most vulnerable participants, observing that prosecutions overwhelmingly target only drug “carriers” – mostly from underprivileged backgrounds – while major perpetrators remain untouched.

The observations came in a 17-page written judgment authored by Justice Athar Minallah, in which the court acquitted two individuals who had earlier been sentenced to life imprisonment in a narcotics case.

The ruling was issued by a three-member bench headed by Justice Minallah, and comprising Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan.

“There are several law-enforcement agencies vested with powers to apprehend and prosecute those who are involved in the crimes relating to narcotic drugs, including a special agency, the Anti-Narcotics Force established under the Act of 1997,” the verdict notes.

The judgment calls into question the effectiveness of these institutions, particularly when viewed against the scale and pervasiveness of the drug menace.

“The people of Pakistan have to bear the financial burden for maintaining these law enforcement agencies entrusted with the onerous task to eradicate the menace of narcotic drugs from the society. Have they achieved their designated goal? The answer is an emphatic ‘No’,” it reads.

The court further lamented the growing spread of narcotics across the country, stating: “The evil of narcotic drugs has spread throughout the country and it cannot be disputed that it has reached the educational institutions where they are freely accessible.”

The bench pointed out that even in the few cases where arrests are made, prosecutions often do not result in convictions, raising further doubts about the integrity and professionalism of investigative processes.

“The law enforcement agencies have not gone beyond arresting carriers and then, in many cases, failing to prove the guilt even to their extent. If the society has to be freed from the evil of narcotic drugs then each law enforcement agency has to perform effectively and in the most professional manner.”

“They have to be held accountable for their omissions and lapses committed during the investigations or while prosecuting a case. The future generations cannot be exposed to the menace of narcotic drugs merely because the several law enforcement agencies entrusted with the onerous duty to free the society from this evil fail to perform effectively or are seen as complicit.

“The buck stops with the Federal and Provincial Governments, as the case may be, because they are ultimately responsible for the overall and general supervision of the law enforcement agencies. The responsibility does not end with the Executive branch of the State because the Judicial branch is also equally responsible in ensuring that the trial is conducted fairly and that a just decision is reached.

“This case also shows that the trial court had failed in exercising its powers vested under the law.

“We, therefore, expect that the Government of Sindh which, according to section 5 (1) of the Act of 2009, exercises general superintendence over the Prosecution Service and is responsible for ensuring achievement of the objectives of the Act of 2009, will take effective steps so that cases involving crimes relating to narcotic substances are dealt with effectively and in accordance with the duties and responsibilities of the investigators and Prosecutors.

“The Prosecutor General Sindh is expected to examine this case and take appropriate action so that the omissions observed in this case are not repeated. The prosecutor General is further advised to consider issuing guidelines in exercise of its functions under section 9-A (1) of the Act of 2009 for the Prosecutors and officers responsible for investigations relating to effective and efficient prosecution.

The High Court is also expected to consider laying down a policy of regular training of judicial officers relating to conducting of criminal trials. The order also said that this case has emanated from the province of Sindh where the Provincial Assembly of Sindh has promulgated and enacted the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution Functions and Powers) Act 2009.

“The Criminal Prosecution Service of Sindh has been established under this legislation. The Act of 2009 sets out the powers, functions and responsibilities of the prosecution service in conducting prosecutions on behalf of the Government.

“The administration of this service vests in the Government. Section 9 (1) explicitly provides that the Prosecutors shall be responsible for the conducting of prosecutions on behalf of the Government. The Prosecutor General is empowered under section 9-A (1) to issue general guidelines for the Prosecutors or officers responsible for investigation for effective and efficient prosecution.