ISLAMABAD: A high court judge in Islamabad found himself in the unfamiliar position of defendant on Monday, standing before his own colleagues to defend the validity of his law degree and his right to sit on the bench, even as he challenged the panel’s authority to hear the case against him.
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Pakistan launches final polio drive of 2025 targeting 45 million children
ISLAMABAD: The health minister on Thursday inaugurated the final nationwide polio vaccination drive of 2025, a push to immunise more than 45 million children under 5 in a country that, along with Afghanistan, remains one of the last holdouts where the virus is endemic.
Kites back in Lahore skies: Basant festival scheduled from Feb. 6
LAHORE: The Punjab government has lifted an 18-year ban on the historic Basant festival, paving the way for a three-day celebration of kites, colors and spring in Lahore starting Feb. 6, 2026, under strict new regulations aimed at preventing the deadly accidents that led to the prohibition.
ECP says it cannot recognise Gohar Khan as PTI chairman as intra-party polls remain under court stay
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has refused to recognise Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the chairman of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, citing a pending legal dispute over the group’s internal elections that has left its leadership in limbo.
Stones, tear gas and arrests as Sindh Culture Day rally defies police route in Karachi
KARACHI: Police in Karachi arrested 45 people on Sunday during a rally celebrating Sindh Culture Day after participants allegedly pelted stones at law enforcement personnel, prompting a response that included baton charges and tear gas shelling, a senior police official said.
Judge’s son walks free on family pardon after fatal hit-and-run kills two women
ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate on Saturday ordered the release on bail of the son of an Islamabad High Court justice in a fatal hit-and-run case that killed two young women, after the victims’ families appeared in court to say they had forgiven him.
Military restructuring complete as Munir takes dual command
ISLAMABAD, The Ministry of Defence on Friday officially notified the appointment of Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir as the country’s first chief of defense forces, consolidating operational, administrative and strategic authority over the armed services in a single office and completing the most sweeping military restructuring since the 1970s.
Pakistan to launch AI-powered immigration overhaul to curb migrant smuggling
ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday announced a sweeping overhaul of its immigration and document verification systems, vowing to deploy artificial intelligence tools and impose stricter penalties in a bid to combat migrant smuggling and the use of fraudulent travel papers, following a series of recent incidents where passengers were barred from flights.
Parliament passes minority rights bill amid furor over Ahmadi protections
ISLAMABAD: In a raucous joint session of Parliament on Tuesday, lawmakers approved a long-delayed bill to create a national commission dedicated to protecting the rights of religious minorities, but only after excising a clause that had ignited fierce opposition over its potential implications for the Ahmadi community, a group long subjected to persecution by extremist elements in Pakistan.
Civilian deaths surge as militant violence edges up in Pakistan, report says
ISLAMABAD: Militant violence in Pakistan escalated slightly in November, with a sharp increase in civilian fatalities even as losses among security forces plummeted, according to a report released by a leading think tank on Monday.