Page 5 - Pakistan Government

Pak court awards death sentence, 80-yr-imprisonment to four over blasphemy

A Pakistani court has awarded a death sentence and 80-year imprisonment to four persons for uploading blasphemous content on Facebook, an official said on Saturday. Additional Sessions Judge Mohammad Tariq Ayub on Friday convicted four suspects -- Wajid Ali, Ahfaq Ali Saqib, Rana Usman and Suleman Sajid -- for insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his companions, and his wives. The court official said the convicts uploaded blasphemous content on Facebook from four different IDs. "The judge after hearing arguments of both prosecution and defence and witnesses accounts awarded the death penalty and 80 years imprisonment to each of them on different counts," the official said. They were also slapped with a fine of PKR 5.2 million. Pakistan's Federal Investigation (FIA) Cybercrime registered a case under Section 11 of the PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act) and 295A, 295B, 295C, 298A, 109 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Shiraz Farooqi, a citizen. According t

Pakistan's Peshawar HC suspends deportation of 100 Afghan musicians

A high court in Peshawar has stopped the forcible deportation of over 100 Afghan musicians seeking political asylum in Pakistan and directed the federal government to decide their cases in two months. A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) disposed of the case after hearing arguments on Friday and instructed security agencies not to take any action against them during the two months. The bench headed by Justice Waqar Ahmad gave the judgement during the hearing of the petition filed by Hashmatullah who argued they belonged to Afghanistan but migrated to Pakistan after the establishment of the Taliban government as their lives were under threat. The petitioner argued they had already lost their livelihoods and in Pakistan, they faced further harassment and threats of forced deportation, which they asserted is a violation of human rights. They argued that under international laws, the Pakistani government cannot forcibly deport them. The petitioner's lawyer Mumtaz Ahmad

4 civilians injured in IED blast targeting paramilitary forces in Pakistan

Militants targeted a truck carrying paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel with an improvised explosive device in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, injuring four civilians, police said on Saturday. The attack happened in the Chaman city of the province on Friday. Police officials said the militants used an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting the truck but no FC personnel were injured. The IED was planted on a motorcycle on the roadside and when the truck passed from there, it was triggered remotely, one police official said. Rabia Tariq, public relations officer for the Balochistan inspector general of police's office, also confirmed the incident. A statement from Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind condemned the blast as a cowardly act, adding that the government was committed to protecting the people and would thwart the plans of all elements against peace. The last three days have seen a sharp spike in attacks from the banned separatist group the

258 Pak citizens deported from 7 countries, 16 arrested in Karachi

As many as 258 Pakistanis were deported from seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, the (UAE), and China in the last 24 hours, officials said. A spokesperson of the Immigration department at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport said, among them, 14 had Pakistani passports, while 244 were deported on emergency travel documents. We arrested 16 deportees at the Karachi airport, including one with a suspicious identity, while the rest were released after questioning, he said. He said nine of the persons deported from Saudi Arabia were professional beggars. Two of them were caught performing Hajj without permits and were sent back after completing their sentences, he added. He said that many of those deported from Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were working without sponsorship while four were deported on drug charges. One individual each was deported from China, Qatar, Indonesia, Cyprus, and Nigeria. The trend of deportations has been rising significantly, he said. In the past 24 hou

12 miners trapped after explosion in Pakistan's coal mine, rescue ongoing

At least 12 miners were trapped in Pakistan on Thursday after an explosion caused a coal mine collapse in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The mishap occurred in the Sanjdi area outside the capital city of Quetta. Chief Mines Officer Abdul Ghani Baloch said that a gas explosion caused a coal mine in the Sanjdi area to collapse from the inside, the Dawn newspaper reported. Efforts are being made to pull all the miners out alive, he said. In an official statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said rescue teams had arrived at the site. There are reports of twelve workers being trapped in the mine, Rind added. Balochistan Minister for Mining and Minerals Mir Shoaib Noshirwani ordered Chief Mines Officer Baloch to send two more teams to participate in rescue operations. If prevailing mining procedures were violated, legal action should be taken against the mine owner, Noshirwani warned, ordering rescuers to expedite efforts to extract the trapped miners.

Imran Khan's PTI agrees to 3rd round of talks with govt to ease tensions

The development came a day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Tuesday demanded unrestricted access to the party founder, Khan, as a precondition for engaging in the next round of talks

Pak govt takes Musk-style DOGE action, abolishes 150,000 jobs to cut costs

Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday announced that the federal government has decided to cut the number of affiliated agencies by half, abolishing 150,000 jobs, as part of a sweeping cost-cutting and efficiency drive. "We are reducing the federal government's size step by step. So far, 80 departments have been consolidated into 40," Aurangzeb said at a press conference where he highlighted the government's goal to complete these reforms by June 2025. He added that 60 per cent of vacant positions have been abolished, which comes to 150,000 government jobs. He said that right-sizing was part of the restructuring initiative launched in mid-2024 by a committee formed under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to rationalise expenditures and improve performance. According to the minister, the committee was to look into 43 ministries and their subordinate agencies. He said that the federal government's annual expenditure on these departments was Rs900 billion. He said tha

World Bank to approve $20 billion lending package for Pakistan: Report

The World Bank is set to approve a USD 20 billion indicative lending package for Pakistan a pioneering 10-year initiative to protect its funded projects from political transitions and focus on six targeted areas, according to a media report. The programme, titled "Pakistan Country Partnership Framework 2025-35", aims to improve social indicators in the most neglected but important areas, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing official documents. It will focus on reducing child stunting, combating learning poverty, enhancing climate resilience, decarbonising the environment, expanding fiscal space, and boosting private investment to improve productivity. These areas have broad support across the political spectrum and are expected to remain unaffected by government changes during the 2025-2035 period, which is anticipated to include at least three general elections. This 'Country Partnership Framework' is scheduled to be approved by the World Bank board on January 14, ...

Internet shutdowns face legal uncertainty, says Pak telecom authority

When questioned about restrictions on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), the PTA chairman clarified that he had not authorised their shutdown

19 convicts involved in May 9 violence granted pardon, says Pak military

Pakistan military on Thursday said that it has accepted the mercy petitions of 19 convicts involved in attacks on the army facilities on May 9, 2023. On May 9, 2023, former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party supporters allegedly attacked several military installations, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the ISI building in Faisalabad, to vent their anger against the arrest of their party founder in a corruption case. Hundreds of suspects were arrested in the countrywide swoop. Cases of more than 100 civilians were sent to the military court for trial because they were involved in the attack on military installations. In December, military courts sentenced 85 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to ten years for their roles in the violence. According to a statement issued by the army on Thursday, the sequel to the promulgation of punishments to the May 9 tragedy convicts, they have exercised their right to appeal and have asked for mercy

Pakistan appoints Shafqat Ali Khan as foreign ministry spokesperson

Pakistan has appointed senior diplomat Shafqat Ali Khan as the new spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a media report said Wednesday. Shafqat, currently serving as Additional Foreign Secretary for Europe, previously represented Pakistan as an ambassador to Russia and Poland, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. He has extensive experience in diplomatic affairs. He replaces Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, who has been serving as the Foreign Office spokesperson since Nov 2022. According to media reports, Baloch is likely to be appointed as ambassador to France.

Warring tribes in Pakistan's Kurram reach peace deal after weeks of clashes

A peace agreement was reached between two warring parties in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district after more than three weeks of efforts to broker a ceasefire amid sectarian violence, officials said on Wednesday. Representatives from the Alizai and Bagan tribes signed the 14-point agreement, agreeing to demolish all private bunkers and surrender heavy arms to the administration, said Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Sectarian clashes between the two tribes resulted in the killing of 133 people between November 21 and December 2. Tribal council member Malik Sawab Khan confirmed that 45 representatives from both sides signed the agreement, which included a ceasefire, commitments to dismantle fortifications and surrender their weapons. One party signed the peace pact few days ago while the other party signed it on Wednesday, Saif said. "We congratulate the people of Kurram on the signing of the peace agreement," he said, noting

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission gets licence for largest nuclear plant

Pakistan is set to construct its largest nuclear plant for electricity generation after the country's atomic energy regulatory agency issued the licence for it. The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) issued the licence to build Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5, the largest plant producing electricity through nuclear power with a capacity of 1200 MWe, according to a PNRA press release issued on Thursday. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission applied for the licence in April of this year, along with the Preliminary Safety Assessment Report and other documents about the design and operational aspects of nuclear safety, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, waste management, and nuclear security, the Dawn newspaper reported. After a thorough review and assessment of and fulfilment of regulatory requirements in compliance with the relevant national and international standards, the licence was issued, the PNRA press release stated. C-5 is an advanced ...

Pak army officer dies, 13 terrorists killed in 3 ops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A Pakistani army officer died and 13 terrorists were killed in three separate operations conducted by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing has said. All the operations took place in the early hours of Thursday, it said. In the first operation, security forces targeted terrorists in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district, killing two terrorists. A second operation in North Waziristan resulted in the neutralisation of five terrorists, with eight others injured. However, Major Muhammad Awais, 31, was killed in the gun battle. In the third operation, security forces engaged terrorists in South Waziristan, killing six and injuring eight others. The military emphasised its commitment to eliminating terrorism, saying, "Sanitisation operations are being carried out to eliminate any other kharji (militants) found in the area...such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve." According to recent statistics from the interior ministry,

US, EU slam conviction of Imran's followers: Why it may cost Pak billions

Pakistan Army's military courts recently sentenced 25 Imran Khan supporters to 2-10 years in prison for involvement in attacks on military installations during the May 2023 protests

Pak govt forms panel to negotiate with jailed ex-PM Imran Khan's party

The PTI welcomed the formation of the government committee for negotiations, calling it a "positive step"

Unfortunate, biased: Pak on US sanction on its missile programme entities

Pakistan on Thursday termed as unfortunate and biased the US decision to sanction its commercial entities for alleged involvement in ballistic missile programme. After the US designated its four entities for sanctions, a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) statement said the sanction defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries and claimed that double standards and discriminatory practices undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes. In light of the alleged continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan's long-range missile development, the United States on Wednesday designated four entities for sanctions which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the State Department said. These include the state-owned Islamabad-based flagship aerospace and defence agency National Development Complex (NDC), and three Karachi-based entities, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and

Pak security forces kill 11 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Pakistani security forces gunned down 11 terrorists in three separate operations in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities have said. The operations took place in various regions of the province on December 17 and 18, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The first operation was conducted in the Tank district after receiving information about the presence of militants in the area. Seven terrorists were killed during the operation. The second operation took place in Datta Khel in the North Waziristan district where two terrorists were killed. Two more terrorists were killed in the Mohmand district. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed militants. The third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns in Pakistan, with a 90 per cent surge in violence, according to a report issued by the Centre f

US sanctions on 4 entities supporting Pakistan's ballistic missile project

The sanctions aim to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and prevent further destabilising developments in the South Asian region

Can, but have not blocked any VPNs: Pakistan's telecommunication authority

Pakistan's telecom watchdog made it clear that no virtual private network (VPNs) was blocked in the country, nor it planned to do so in the future despite having the capability. It was announced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Hafizur Rehman on Monday while addressing the launch of the regulator's 'Annual Report'. According to the Express Tribune, Rehman made it clear that so far, no VPN had been blocked and there was no such plan for the future. We have said it before, and I repeat it now: we could block VPNs, but we won't. To date, no VPNs have been blocked. The statement comes after news taking rounds for months that the regulator had initiated the process of registering the VPNs. The deadline for the registration was extended beyond November 30. However, a new deadline had not been announced for the VPN suspension. The government had expressed the apprehension that VPN use might be harmful for the people, while accessing immoral contents on social med