Pakistan

Members of political parties and federal ministers attend the fifth in-camera session of the Special Committee of Parliament in this still taken from a video. — Geo News/YouTubeISLAMABAD: After days of deadlock, mainstream political parties, including the opposition, on Friday sit together to discuss the contentious constitutional package.
Major political parties, including the opposition decided to move towards reaching a consensus and bring about a “joint draft” later on for amending the Constitution, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.

The constitutional package, among other things, aims to set up a federal constitutional court and fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for three years.The government had aimed to present the bill to amend the Constitution last month, but its allies as well as members from the opposition benches vehemently opposed the proposal, forcing the administration to begin a consultation process.Fazl, while talking to journalists today, said that the government presented their draft for the constitutional amendments before his party for the first time.The statement came after a meeting of the Special Committee of Parliament today to hold a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendments.The fifth in-camera meeting was attended by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians and federal ministers.The JUI-F top leader said that the PPP had also given suggestions, adding that the parties will begin consultations with the government in this regard.He said that the JUI-F would hold consultations with the PPP separately.Moreover, the party will also share its draft with the PTI as well to reach a consensus, the veteran politician added.Fazl, however, declined to mention the time by which the constitutional matter will be resolved.”Right now, we have just agreed to reach an agreement on the proposed constitutional amendments,” the seasoned politico added .Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that many suggestions have been presented before the committee.”At least the uncertainty, which had been created, has now come to an end,” he added.Commenting on the contents of the joint draft, the law minister said that the amendments suggest what should be the authority and formation of the judicial commission.Moreover, the establishment of constitutional courts and judges’ transfer has also been discussed.Addressing a press conference after the meeting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that all the political parties expressed their opinion in the meeting.PPP also presented its “draft” before the committee, while the government informed the committee about its consultation with the lawyers’ bodies.”Maulana Fazlur Rehman reiterated his stance that he wants to present the ‘joint draft’ with the PPP,” he said while referring to the JUI-F chief.”I also repeated the same stance that all the political parties should be on board,” he added.Bilawal went on to say that the law minister expressed confidence about having the “complete numbers”.If the federal government wants to bring a “joint draft” despite having a two-thirds majority then it is for the best, he said.However, he said that how long will the government wait for a joint draft to be finalised, with all the other tasks pending.Bilawal said that he wants JUI-F to present its draft before the PPP as the latter has presented before the former.Bilawal, the former foreign minister, further said that the ruling coalition decided that they would not bring the constitutional amendments before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.A report published by The News said that the PML-N and the PPP have made significant progress in their discussions, reaching a consensus on the draft of proposed constitutional amendments.This breakthrough occurred during Thursday’s crucial meeting at the Punjab House between PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal.Meanwhile, sources said that the PTI had not yet made any statement regarding today’s meeting. They said that the Imran Khan-led party would make the “final statement” after meeting him in Adiala jail where he is currently prohibited.

A representational image showing raindrops on a car window. — Geo.tv/FileKARACHI: Some parts of Karachi received rainfall coupled with strong winds on the second consecutive day, bringing relief to citizens amid hot and humid weather.
Heavy showers with strong winds hit Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Johar area, whereas, downpours also lash areas near Sharea Faisal and Karsaz which caused trouble for commuters due to overflowing of drains and traffic jams.

Traffic jam was also witnessed at Sharea Faisal as rainwater submerged both tracks of the arterial road from Drigh Road to Karsaz.Additionally, at least four persons sustained injuries after two buses collided near Drigh Road Railway Station, which further affected the flow of traffic at Sharea Faisal, according to police.The fresh spell of isolated rains was already predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) which also forecast earlier today that it will not bring down the provincial capital’s soaring temperature.Mercury in the port city may reach up to 40°C and won’t be impacted by the possibility of rain, PMD Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said.The residents of Karachi, a day earlier, got some respite from the sweltering heat after brief showers accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms hit some parts of the port city, turning the weather pleasant.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa. — Supreme Court websiteISLAMABAD: A full court reference has been summoned on October 25 for outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the Supreme Court’s registrar confirmed in a letter.“The full court reference has been scheduled in Court Room No.1, Supreme Court Building, Islamabad on October 25 (Friday),” SC registrar Jazeela Aslam wrote to Supreme Court Bar Association President Shahzad Shaukat.

Senior Puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah is set to replace CJP Isa as the country’s top judge.The full court reference is a customary practice to bid farewell to the outgoing chief justice.The confirmation follows weeks of political uncertainty, with rumours suggesting that the ruling coalition was planning to extend the chief justice’s tenure through a ‘closely-guarded’ judiciary-centric legislation.However, the government failed to even table the amendments in parliament after JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman refused to support the government’s judicial package, leaving the contentious amendments hanging in the balance.Ostensibly, the government was short of 13 votes in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate as the said legislation requires a two-thirds majority in both houses.Amid speculations, CJP Isa clarified that he would not accept any “individual specific” proposal on fixing the tenure of the country’s top judge. Reacting to the CJP’s statement “misreported” in the media, CJP’s Secretary Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad had clarified last month that the top judge was surrounded by journalists who spoke to him and asked him questions following the commencement of the proceedings of the event to mark judicial year.“The Chief Justice made it clear that he was talking to them off the record, but since the conversation has been misinterpreted and widely disseminated it is necessary to accurately reproduce what transpired,” the statement added.The chief justice informed the journalists that he told the law minister, “if the proposal was individual specific, and if enacted, it would not be something he would accept”.A brief profileJustice Isa became the 29th top judge of the country when he took the oath as CJP in September 2023.Born on October 26, 1959, in Quetta, Justice Isa is the son of the late Qazi Mohammad Isa of Pishin, who was at the forefront of the Pakistan movement, and the grandson of Qazi Jalaluddin, who was the prime minister of Khanate of Kalat in the pre-partition India.In his early years, Justice Isa was a part of the Bar of England and Wales in the 1980s and was enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court from Balochistan.He has practiced law for over 27 years before all the high courts, the Federal Shariat Court and the SC.Later, he also served as a member of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association, and Life Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and chief justice of Balochistan during different periods.When called upon by the high courts and the top court, the jurist rendered his services as amicus curiae and also conducted international arbitrations.He is a strong advocate of adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law, which is reflected in his judgements.The senior jurist is also the founder of a system of transparent induction of officials and officers in high courts via advertisement.On September 5, 2014, Justice Isa took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Workers of political parties are seen gathered outside the ECP office in Saddar on October 11, 2024. — Screengrab via YouTube/Geo News LiveKARACHI: The process of vote recount for the port city’s NA-231 (Malir-III) constituency saw violence unfold as masked men burned a sack of ballot papers and stole another at the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) regional office in Saddar.Workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) placed the blame for the incident on each other after the situation took a violent turn.

The incident, therefore, triggered commotion at the electoral body’s regional office. ballot paper geo exclusiveVideo Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:21Loaded: 26.84%0:00Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently behind liveLIVERemaining Time -0:21 1xPlayback RateChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedQuality LevelsHDHigh DefinitionSDStandard DefinitionAutoA, selectedAudio Tracken (Main), selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorTransparencyBackgroundColorTransparencyWindowColorTransparencyFont SizeText Edge StyleFont FamilyReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. The ECP has ordered the recount of four polling stations of the National Assembly constituency at the regional election commission office.
The commission’s direction came after an election tribunal of the Sindh High Court had directed the provincial election commissioner to examine and recount all the ballots cast at four polling stations — PS 65, 71, 98, and 175 — of NA-231.The order came on an election petition filed by Khalid Mehmood Ali, a candidate backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), against the election results of NA-231, where the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Abdul Hakeem Baloch was declared the returned candidate.The commission’s personnel, following the violence, began removing the burnt material from the site of the incident.The South senior superintendent of police (SSP) has said that action will be taken against the elements involved in the attack. “The stolen goods will also be recovered,” he added.Regional Election Commissioner Imtiaz Kalhoro and Election Commission Officer Mushtaq briefed journalists regarding the matter in the wake of the violence that left Naib Qasid Zubair injured.”We were about to start the recount process on the court order,” he said, speaking with journalists, adding that there was a sudden attack.The official, Mushtaq, maintained that the ECP officials are trying to save lives owing to the lack of security following the incident.”Such an attack took place despite police security,” he said, highlighting that a letter was written for summoning Rangers, but they were not deployed for the recount.Zubiar, who was injured in the violence, said that he was in the ECP office when suddenly the masked men entered and attacked.Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, speaking with journalists about the incident, said the regional election commission’s issues are a result of the weakness and incompetence of the ECP.”The election commission did not demand security from the chief secretary even in the meeting,” he said, adding that this is an internal problem of the ECP, as they counted the votes at the wrong place. In the wake of the violence, the regional election commission has sent a report of the incident to the ECP and Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar. Lanjar said that the report sent by the election authority is being reviewed. “Security should have been sought from the Rangers or the Home Department,” he said, stating that no arrests have been made in regard to the incident and that a case will be registered against unknown persons. “It is not known whether the attackers were PTI or PPP people,” said Lanjar. As per a report from the police, unidentified armed masked men attacked the office at 11am during the recount. The armed men, it added, broke the gate and forced their way into the regional election commission office. They entered the committee room of the regional election commission and damaged office property, the report revealed, adding that the armed men forcibly took polling bags from four polling stations. The unidentified gunmen, it stated, set polling bags on fire in front of the office, despite heavy police deployment and mobile units present at the site during the recount. The report added that the masked men attacked the office despite the presence of police. “Immediate action should be taken regarding the incident and a case should be registered,” the report stated.

Police officials stand alert in Lahore on April 21, 2024. —APPLAHORE: In order to maintain law and order during the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, the Punjab government has imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi for about one week.Exercising the authority vested under Section 144, the Punjab government announced to prohibit any form of gathering, rally, sit-in, protest, pillion riding, aerial fire, pigeon flying and use of drones or laser lights in the metropolis from October 10 to 17.

This came as part of Pakistan’s efforts to ensure the smooth conduct of the high-level summit. Islamabad is set to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting next week with major foreign leaders, including Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visiting the country.The Punjab government said it took this decision on the district administration’s request to ensure security of people, installations, buildings and thwart any potential threat or untoward activity.

Meanwhile, the federal government has deployed Pakistan Army’s troops in Islamabad from October 5 to 17, under Article 245 of the Constitution, to ensure law and order situation in the federal capital during the SCO summit.The meeting of the SCO — which comprises nine full members, including China, India, Iran and Russia — is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.A day ago, officials also announced the closure of marriage halls, restaurants, and cafes for a period of five days — October 12 to 16 — in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.Additionally, notices were issued to traders and hotel owners by the police, warning that any violations will result in penalties.

A dust storm envelopes buildings in Karachi on October 10, 2024. — AFPKARACHI: The port city’s residents will have to bear with the rising temperatures for a few more days as mercury may rise up to 40°C, said Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz on Friday.According to the Met Office official, some parts of the city are expected to receive light rain and wind; however, it will not cool down the blistering heat.

A day earlier, Karachi received some respite from the hot weather after brief showers accompanied by strong winds and hailstorm hit some of the areas.
The city was reeling under sweltering heat when dark clouds blanketed different areas of the city and it started raining with some areas witnessing hailstorm.Areas across Karachi witnessed unexpected showers, drenching its central parts including Malir, North Karachi, Bufferzone, Gulshan-e-Hadid, Gulistan-e-Johar and Shah Faisal Colony.”Even today, the temperature in Karachi can reach 40°C,” said the weather expert during Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’, adding that the temperature will likely decrease in the city.The PMD official said that rainfall was expected in the city’s suburbs with temperatures rising up to 39°C and 40°C. However, Karachi’s eastern and north eastern parts witnessed rain instead with some isolated, concentrated cells gathering in the same place.The weather expert said that the windstorm in the city was caused by the production of convective energy due to the earth’s heat.Sarfaraz revealed that night time temperatures in the northern regions has reached single digits.Separately, Sarfaraz told Geo News that low air pressure has formed in the south-east of the Arabian Sea, which may intensify and turn into depression during the next one to two days.”A depression can become a hurricane if the atmosphere is favourable,” said the weather forecaster.He maintained that most of the post-monsoon cyclones are directed towards Oman and there is currently no threat to Pakistan’s coastline from this system.

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials stand guard in this undated image. —Radio Pakistan/ FileLAHORE: Terrorists opened fire on law enforcement officials and gunned down two of their accomplices involved in 2021 Dasu Hydropower Project (DHPP) attack as they were being moved from the Sahiwal prison, said the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).The terrorists were on death row and were being moved from the prison due to security concerns, said a CTD spokesperson, adding one of them was mastermind of the attack.

“Accomplices of the arrested terrorists opened fire on police to get them freed, resultantly shooting both of them dead,” the spokesperson said. The incident took place on Sammundari road in Sahiwal.At least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals working on the Dasu Hydropower Project (DHPP), were killed in an explosion on July 14, 2021.A probe into the incident had later revealed that it was an act of terrorism involving the nexus between India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS).Following the explosion, the Chinese firm working on the project had stopped working on the site citing “security concerns” and laid off all but the most essential Pakistani workers.However, the company had later withdrawn the notification and the work on the project was resumed after a few months.In November 2022, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) handed down the death sentence on 13 counts to each of the two men arrested in the DHPP terrorist attack case.The court had also imposed Rs40 million fine on the two convicted terrorists, besides awarding them a total of around 800 years of imprisonment; including life imprisonment.The Foreign Office on November 14, 2022, welcomed the verdict saying the decision demonstrated Pakistan’s commitment to counterterrorism.”[…] the proactive investigation, prosecution and judgment in this case have once again demonstrated Pakistan’s abiding commitment to counterterrorism.”

People gathered outside a medical facility where bodies of the deceased miners were kept, seen in this still taken from a video. — ReporterCitizens and traders recorded their protest on Friday against the deadly rocket attack on coal mines in Balochistan’s District Duki which left at least 20 miners dead and seven others injured. The attack came as the latest incident of violence in the southwestern province

The mineral-rich region borders Afghanistan and Iran has been troubled for decades due to frequent incidents of violence.No group has yet claimed responsibility. “A group of armed men attacked the mines in the Duki area in the wee hours [of Friday] using heavy weapons,” said Humayun Khan, the police station house officer for the town, located east of the city of Quetta.They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, he added.Following the deadly attack, citizens staged a demonstration at Bacha Khan Chowk with the bodies of the slain miners.Meanwhile, traders announced a shutter-down strike in the entire district in condemnation of the dastardly attack. All trade centres and markets remained closed across Duki on Friday. The area surrounding the coal mines were cordoned off by the police and FC personnel and a search operation was launched soon after the attack. Bodies of the slain miners and the injured were rushed to nearby medical facility, Teaching Hospital Loralai for medical care.The police had initially reported the deaths of two miners but the death toll soared to 20 in the following hours, Medical Officer Dr Johar Sadozai confirmed. As per the official, two of the deceased miners belonged to Pishin and two others were residents of Qila Saifullah while one of them was from Kuchlak and three others came for work from Afghanistan, according to the medial officer.The owner of the coal mines, Haji Khairullah Nasir, said that the attackers not only carried out an assault on the mining site but also set the machinery on fire.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack and sought a report from the authorities concerned on the matter and reiterated his government’s resolve to purge the country of terrorism.He expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and conveyed his sympathies to the families of the slain miners.Taking notice of the matter, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the incident and ordered action against the “terrorists” involved in the attack.
“Terrorists working on the agenda of destablising Pakistan. Labourers are soft targets in cowardly attacks by terrorists,” he said, pledging to punish the elements involved in such activities. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since the Taliban government returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021, mostly in the northwestern border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also in southwestern Balochistan, which abuts Afghanistan and Iran.Against this backdrop, the federal cabinet in June this year approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee’s recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.

Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik (left) accompanying Saudi Arabian Minister for Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih (right) in Islamabad on October 9, 2024. —Facebook/ @DrMusadikMalikSaudi Arabian Minister for Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih has said he followed advice of Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik on how to build industrial cluster in Saudi Arabia. Speaking at the Pak-Saudi Business Forum in Islamabad on Thursday, he said the industrial cluster led to growth of their industrial sector.

“Musadik mentioned he was a consultant and a subject matter expert. He mentored and taught me. He was very humble when he called me his boss,” the Saudi minister stated.He said the petroleum minister told him how an industrial cluster could be built in Saudi Arabia, which they followed.”We took his advice and we are very proud that our industrial sector is booming. It is one of the fastest growing and most competitive certainly in the region,” he added. Musadik MalikVideo Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 1:04Loaded: 8.84%0:00Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently behind liveLIVERemaining Time -1:04 1xPlayback RateChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedQuality LevelsHDHigh DefinitionSDStandard DefinitionAutoA, selectedAudio Tracken (Main), selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorTransparencyBackgroundColorTransparencyWindowColorTransparencyFont SizeText Edge StyleFont FamilyReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. The Saudi investment minister is leading a high-level government cum business delegation, that arrived in Pakistan on October 9 for a three-day visit.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Thursday signed 27 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) valuing $2.2 billion in various sectors including industry, agriculture, Information Technology (IT), food, education, mine & minerals, health, petroleum, energy and other areas of mutual cooperation.Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif accompanied by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir witnessed the exchange of the signed copies of the MoUs.Addressing on the occasion, the prime minister said the visit of Saudi business delegation was a true manifestation of great sincerity and affection for people of Pakistan from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.He expressed the government’s resolve to implement these MoUs and to transform them into agreements in future through “hard work and untiring efforts”.“Our Saudi brothers lead by Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Falih have done remarkable job to promote Saudi economy,” he remarked.Warmly welcoming the Saudi investment minister and his delegation to Pakistan, PM Shehbaz informed him about the privatisation programme, stressing that he was determined to remove all obstacles in investment agreements between the two countries.The agreements include a $70 million investment in agriculture sector, establishment of advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, establishment of a textile industry, a white oil pipeline project, an MoU for exploring investment opportunities, a hybrid power project, development of transformer manufacturing facilities in both the countries, cyber security measures for customers and businesses, and the export of spices and vegetables from Pakistan.Additionally, the agreements outline the establishment of a manufacturing facility for surgical and dental equipment and collaboration on the federal government’s E-Taaleem and digitalisation programmes.

Workers sort coal near a coal mine in Datong, Shanxi province, China, on Nov 3, 2021. — AFPQuetta: At least 20 labourers were killed on Friday when unidentified armed assailants launched a deadly rocket attack on their coal mines in the Duki district of Balochistan in today wee hours.The bodies and the injured miners were transported to nearby Teaching Hospital Loralai for medical care. 

Teams of police and FC personnel have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Police earlier said that two labourers were killed in the attack. However, Medical Officer Dr Johar Sadozai confirmed that the death toll from the attack had risen to 20, with seven miners injured.The outlaws gathered the miners at one place and opened fire at them. Police said the assailants used hand grenades and rockets in the attack.
The owner of the coal mines, District Chairman Haji Khairullah Nasir, said that there are ten coal mines located in the area where the attackers not only carried out an assault but also set the mining machinery on fire.Two of the deceased belonged to Pishin and two others were residents of Qila Saifullah while one of them was from Kuchlak and three others came for work from Afghanistan, according to the medial officer.Reuters adds: “A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” said Humayun Khan, the police station house officer for the town, located east of the city of Quetta. They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, he added.“We have received 20 bodies and six injured so far at district hospital Duki,” said Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor in Duki.Terrorism re-surges in PakistanPakistan has witnessed a worrying surge in terrorist attacks in the ongoing year with fatalities in the first three quarters surpassing the numbers recorded in all of 2023.As per the third Quarterly Report (Q3) issued by Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the number of fatalities rose to at least 1,534 in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to 1,523 in 2023.It further said that nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan — the highest percentage in a decade.However, despite the worrying numbers, the data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) show that there has been a significant reduction in militant activity in Balochistan following a surge in August.In September, the western province witnessed 27 attacks, leading to 22 deaths and 48 injuries as opposed to 43 attacks, 125 deaths, and 77 injuries recorded in August.