Category: Pakistan

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced that Islamabad will gradually reduce its 109 city entry points to 25 and make the Red Zone fully operational as part of a comprehensive strategy to enhance security and public services in the federal capital. The decisions were taken during a meeting in Islamabad on Friday attended by the chief commissioner of Islamabad, Islamabad inspector general of police, deputy commissioner, DIGs, SSPs, SPs, and all assistant commissioners. The minister directed the development of an effective plan to implement these measures, stressing that security at…

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KARACHI: The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has warned that petrol pumps across the country will shut down indefinitely from March 27 if the government fails to increase the dealers’ margin to 8 per cent. The association made the announcement on Friday during an emergency press conference at the Karachi Press Club. PPDA Chairman Abdul Sami Khan said petroleum dealers would resist if their demands were not met. “We were promised an eight per cent margin by the government, but due to rising petroleum product prices, our margin has now…

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ISLAMABAD: On Friday, PTI leaders once again expressed serious concern over the health of jailed party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and demanded his immediate treatment at Islamabad Shifa International Hospital. Addressing the media, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the party made every possible constitutional and legal effort to ensure Imran receives treatment in the presence of his family and doctors, but their requests were not accepted. “Imran Khan is not an ordinary individual; he is a former prime minister of Pakistan,” Afridi said. The former…

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The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has issued a new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing the temporary closure of six sectors of the Lahore Flight Information Region on March 16, during which commercial flights will be unable to land or take off at Islamabad airport. The suspension will be in effect between 8.30am and 10.30am. Aircraft already airborne during this window will be required to hold and wait for clearance to land. Aircraft captains have been instructed to carry additional fuel in anticipation of potential delays. Read: Six Middle East airlines cancel…

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LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Azam Khan Swati on Friday urged the country’s decision-makers to end what he described as an atmosphere of hatred and take PTI founder Imran Khan on board in the prevailing circumstances. Talking to media outside the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) after attending proceedings in a case related to the May 9 incidents, Swati said Imran Khan is a significant political leader and called on authorities to understand the sentiments and concerns of the public. He said the gap between the public and decision-makers had widened…

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LAHORE: Punjab has remained peaceful despite heightened regional tensions following the Iran-Israel conflict, with authorities crediting coordinated security arrangements and the role of religious scholars in promoting sectarian harmony during recent religious events. Officials said two consecutive Fridays as well as Ramazn 21 passed across the province without any incidents of terrorism or sectarian violence, describing the situation as a positive sign of stability at a time when tensions in the wider region remain high. The provincial government, under the supervision of Provincial Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Committee…

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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has emphasised the utility of deterrent punishment in criminal cases, stating that such punishment maintains balance with the gravity of the wrong done by a person and also makes an example for others. “The purpose behind the infliction of a sentence is two-fold. Firstly, it creates an atmosphere that deters people who have an inclination towards crime, and secondly, it serves as a means of reforming the offender,” said a 13-page judgment authored by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. Justice Ibrahim was part of a three-member bench led…

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The Pakistan military carried out strikes on oil storage sites at Kandahar airfield during the night of March 12 and 13, security sources said on Saturday, releasing video footage of the operation. According to the sources, the footage shows scenes from before and after the strikes on the oil dump sites at the airfield. They said the oil storage facilities at Kandahar airfield were effectively targeted and destroyed during the operation. Security sources alleged that the oil storage sites were being used by the Afghan Taliban and terrorist organisations for their…

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan can only be resolved through dialogue and consultation. China Xinua News reported that the use of force would only complicate the situation and intensify the contradictions, which would be of no benefit to either side and threaten regional peace and stability, he said. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi at the latter’s request. Muttaqi…

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President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday strongly condemned drone attacks carried out by Afghan Taliban elements targeting civilian areas across Pakistan, calling the strikes a provocation by an “illegitimate regime” that had crossed a “red line.” Further, the president expressed best wishes for those struck and injured by drone debris in Quetta, Kohat and Rawalpindi. Read: Air blitz wipes out terror dens in Afghanistan “The illegitimate regime of Afghanistan, installed by terror and brute force, continues to renege on its commitments not to provide safe sanctuaries to terrorist groups,” Zardari said in a…

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