ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Tuesday ordered a government probe into allegations that young people are being ensnared in online blasphemy cases, a crime punishable by death and capable of igniting deadly unrest in the Muslim-majority country.
People
Public satisfaction plummets in PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, survey finds
ISLAMABAD: Public satisfaction in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has cratered, a new Gallup Pakistan survey reveals, as residents point to crumbling infrastructure, rampant unemployment, and a lack of accountability under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, founded by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, which has ruled the region for over a decade.
Gilgit-Baltistan bans new hotels construction to save fragile lakes, ecosystems
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan have banned all new hotel construction and expansion near three iconic lakes in Hunza and across ecologically fragile zones in the Baltistan division, a step announced on Monday to shield the region’s delicate ecosystems from rampant development.
Frontier Constabulary soldiers drill on the parade ground at Shabqadar Fort. Their traditions date back to the 1920s, when the British founded this force to patrol what was then part of India.
Pakistan bolsters federal authority with new security force ordinance
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has signed an ordinance transforming the Frontier Constabulary, a border security unit, into the Federal Constabulary, granting the federal government broader powers to tackle national security threats.
Stranded on K2: Climate chaos throws climbing season into disarray
ISLAMABAD: The jagged peaks of the Karakoram Range, home to some of the world’s most formidable mountains, have long beckoned the bravest of climbers. This year, however, the dream of scaling K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II is fading fast.
Thieves swipe WWII memorial shields from Karachi’s historic Frere Hall
KARACHI: Thieves broke into Karachi’s historic Frere Hall during the Ashura holidays, making off with five World War II memorial shields and other valuables, police and local media reported on Saturday.
Pakistan braces for more flooding as monsoon death toll hits 90
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a fresh alert late Friday, warning of potential floods and flash floods in several regions across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan provinces from July 12 to July 17.
NJPMC forms task force on Pakistan enforced disappearances, 30-day deadline
ISLAMABAD: The National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) has established a dedicated committee to develop an institutional response to the country’s persistent human rights crisis of enforced disappearances.
Eight officials and building owner arrested after deadly collapse in Karachi
KARACHI: Authorities arrested eight officials from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the owner of a residential building on Thursday, nearly a week after the structure collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari district, killing 27 people.
Thirty of 102 environmental samples test positive for poliovirus nationwide
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ramping up its fight against a polio resurgence after environmental surveys revealed the virus persisting in communities nationwide.