Category: National

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police arrested a cop involved in facilitating the suicide bomber behind the blast at the police line mosque in Peshawar last year.

Inspector General (IG) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Peshawar, revealed that a policeman named Mohammad Wali was arrested a few days ago from Jamil Chowk, and two suicide jackets were recovered from him.

“It was revealed during the investigation that the suspect belonged to the police department,” KP IGP said.

The incident took place on January 2023 at the Central Hall mosque, located in the Police Line area, leading to over 100 casualties.

The suicide attacker was reportedly present in the first row of the prayer during Zuhur time when he exploded himself.

The Fitna al Khawarij (formerly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) had taken the blast responsibility in 2023.

IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stated that following Mohammad Wali’s contact with the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) in 2021, he travelled to Afghanistan, where he met with terrorists, including Mohammad Khurasani, spokesperson of JuA.

Moreover, IGP unveiled that Wali transported the suicide bomber on January 20, 2023, identified as Qari, an Afghan national, from Charsadda Mosque to the Police Line mosque for reconnaissance.

Wali took the bomber on a motorcycle to Rahman Baba Cemetery, where the bomber was given a police uniform and a suicide vest. Wali then left “suicide attacker near the Police Line,” IGP added.

Additionally, Akhtar Hayat Gandapur claimed: “Mohammad Wali did this in exchange for Rs 2 lac, received via hawala-hundi at Chowk Yadgar,” further noting that the suspect was also involved in the Warsak Road bomb blast.

A video was shown in which Wali confessed to his horrific crimes during a press conference.

He stated that after his arrest by Afghan forces, a Jamaat-ul-Ahrar member, Junaid, helped secure his release.

He further confessed that he contacted the JuA’s member Junaid through social media in 2021, noting, “I personally expressed my intent to join Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, support it, and work for it.”

Mohammad Wali maintained that he joined the police department on December 31, 2019.

He, however, mentioned that following the suicide blast at the police line, he was then posted to the BRT.

The federal government has announced the Hajj Policy for 2025, which permits pilgrims to pay their Hajj fee in instalments.

The authorities have stated that a total of 179,210 pilgrims from Pakistan will perform Hajj in the coming year.

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain shared the Hajj Policy 2025 in a presser on Monday.

While millions of Muslims from around the world come to Saudi Arabia for the annual religious congregation, Pakistan notably receives one of the highest Hajj quotas from Saudi Arabia.

Hajj quota

The minister informed the media that the “Hajj quota has been divided with a ratio of 50-50 between the government and private Haj schemes”, with 89,605 seats each reserved for the state and the private Hajj schemes, respectively.

However, 5,000 seats will be kept for sponsorship under the government Hajj scheme and 
30,000 seats will be reserved for sponsorship by private Hajj tour operators.

Additionally, foreign exchange must be sent through a banking channel to participate in the sponsorship scheme.

Unlike in previous years, the government clarified that the sponsorship scheme will operate on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and will be exempt from balloting.

The minister also mentioned that the government will use foreign exchange collected through the sponsorship scheme exclusively for Hajj-related expenses in Saudi Arabia.

Details of stay in Saudi Arabia

The Government Hajj Scheme includes the traditional long stay of 38 to 42 days.

Meanwhile, the short stay will be for 20 to 25 days.

Religious Affairs Minister also asserted that each organised private Hajj group must consist of at least 2,000 pilgrims in compliance with Saudi rules.

Cost of Hajj

As per Hajj Policy 2025, the cost of Hajj is expected to range between Rs1,075,000 to Rs1,175,000, while the additional cost for the Qurbani as part of the mandatory ritual of Hajj will be Rs55,000.

The minister has revealed that all the applicants choosing double-bed and triple-bed accommodation in Makkah will have to deposit an additional amount of Rs 75,000 and 220,000, respectively.

Instalments

The government has also introduced an instalment policy for paying Hajj dues.

Rs200,000 must be deposited along with the Hajj application under the Government Hajj Scheme as the first instalment.

The second instalment of Rs400,000 must be deposited within 10 days of balloting. 

The remaining amount, however, as part of the third and last instalment, must be deposited by February 10.

The minister noted that there would be a deduction of Rs50,000 on a refund of the first instalment and a deduction of Rs200,000 if the third instalment is not deposited after the balloting, but there would be no deduction for refunds if an application is withdrawn before the last date of submission. 

No refund policy will apply after February 10. 

In case of the applicant’s death, the deductions will not be applied.

The process of receiving applications for the upcoming Hajj will begin from November 18 to December 3, while balloting will be held on December 6.

The Vigilance Department of Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has announced new rules for all the people coming along to pick up or see off passengers. 

The department attributed the decision to measures taken to tighten security at Karachi Airport. 

New rules have been imposed on those who come to receive or send off passengers.
Geo’s Tariq Abul Hassan has reported that it is mandatory to carry a copy of the ticket for those who come to pick up or leave passengers at Karachi Airport.

Additionally, attendees will be asked to show tickets when asked for checking by security agencies at the time of entry to the airport.

Gone are the days when the whole family could come to drop off one person about to board as the Vigilance department has announced that only four people will be able to go to the airport with one passenger. 

If the attendees do not have a copy of the ticket, they will not be allowed to enter the airport.

Geo’s sources said that under the new rules, citizens who come to pick up the passengers will also have to carry ID cards to be allowed entry into the premises and must facilitate verification for airport security staff. 

Notably, these steps have been taken in view of the recent terrorist attack near Karachi Airport.

A massive terror attack occurred last month on a road near the airport, killing three people — including two Chinese nationals — and injuring at least 16 others.

So far, the Karachi police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) have arrested three terrorists, including the mastermind and a woman accomplice. 

Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar on Monday announced the arrest of three terrorists, who were found to have used 70-80 kilogrammes of explosives planted in a double-cabin vehicle. The attacker crashed the explosives-laden car into the coaster bus carrying the Chinese nationals as it approached the airport. 

Geo’s sources from the Pakistan Airports Authority said, “These steps aim to enhance security and minimise risks to airport visitors and personnel.”

The Vigilance Department of Pakistan Airports Authority has prepared the plan, and implementation will begin soon.

Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Shahid Karim has reprimanded missing officials of the Punjab Government while also alluding to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman’s absence from the city.

He remarked that the court ordered all kinds of construction work to be stopped for two months, yet it has not been implemented. “Educational institutions are closed, so why are construction sites not being closed,” he asked. 

The court questioned WASA’s Senior Legal Advisor Advocate, Mian Irfan Akram, along with the officers and lawyers of the relevant departments. 

During the hearing, Justice Shahid Karim said that the Deputy and Assistant Commissioners should go out on roads to perform their duties. He further remarked that the CCPO and DIG should also look for measures being imposed when they go out for work.

The Punjab government submitted a report regarding the measures that have been taken so far to tackle smog before the court. The provincial government’s lawyer said that officials in the administration will go and inspect the lorry and truck stands themselves. He informed the court that three major terminals on the busy Bund Road have been closed.  Meanwhile, 400 vehicles were checked.

The Judge then questioned the officials about the vehicles that were inspected and their condition. 
The lawyer replied that 42 vehicles failed the inspection. However, he defended the government by saying: “All the Deputy Commissioners of Punjab will be informed to conduct these  inspections, but because it was Sunday, the Secretary of Transport could not issue instructions.”

To this, Justice Shahid Karim expressed his disappointment and said, “What are you talking about? Look at the situation outside. Every minute is very important. I am ready to hear this case even on Sunday.”

The court further remarked that despite the seriousness of the matter, the transport department did not even come to hear the court proceedings.

The lawyer of the Punjab Government went on to explain that operations were conducted at three bus stands in Lahore while action was taken against 60 exhaust-emitting buses.

Justice Shahid Karim reprimanded the absent Deputy Commissioner Lahore asking could he not work on a Sunday. 

One of the members of the Judicial Commission present inside the court said that simply stopping the buses on the roads is not the solution; rather, the buses should not be allowed to leave the bus stand.

Justice Shahid Karim remarked that while the city is battling with smog, “the people responsible are not present in the city.”

Alluding to Chief Minister Punjab’s jibe at the court on the provision of bikes by the government, he said, “I don’t want to go in the details but when the court ordered against government’s policy of providing bikes, some people in the government made fun of it. Do you now have an answer to this.”

The court also expressed anger at the Advocate General Punjab who was not present in the court today, “This is the most important matter, he should have been in the court today, I am very disappointed.” 

The court, while talking to the Punjab government’s lawyer, said that you convey my displeasure to them.

Justice Shahid Karim asked what is the procedure for checking the vehicles at the bus stand. Advocate Punjab Government said that vehicles are checked for smoke emission. Justice Shahid Karim remarked that no one from the transport department is in the court, and Advocate General Punjab is not present in the court. “Is this how the government is taking the matter seriously,”  the court asked. 

The court recounted that it had been giving orders regarding smog for two years. “The government departments have failed to take steps to control smog as it has worsened in the past two months.” 
Additionally, the court remarked, “When you announced the bikes, and I passed the order, then everyone just talked. Now go out and see the situation.”

The court asked about the Chief Secretary of Punjab, who is in Geneva. 

Therefore the court remarked that where is the acting chief secretary is and how the province is being run. 

Justice Shahid Kareem identified that construction is going on in many places in Lahore, which is the main cause of smog. Schools have been closed, construction would have been closed, is there any order that the deputy commissioner will do? Or there is no such order with respect to the Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner.

In his final remarks, Justice Shahid Karim said that the government should impose duties on DCs and ACs across Punjab and ask them to leave their offices. “Has the government issued any notification that if the vehicle is not in good condition, it will be fined Rs.1 lac.”

He added that a fine of 1500 to 2000 rupees will not change the situation, the necessary measures and notifications should be taken by the government, the government should think seriously to stop the construction.

The court made it a point to mention that “I was hopeful that the current government would do better in this regard, but their actions are not enough. I am not giving any orders; I just want to see what the government does. A decision has to be made regarding construction immediately.”

The court adjourned the hearing till November 12 after seeking reports from various departments. 

One day after social media users were facing internet connectivity issues through Virtual Private Networks (VPN) in Pakistan, sources within Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have responded to the development.

Citing safe internet access to users and security risks, sources told Geo News on Monday that the PTA has started the process of banning unregistered and illegal VPNs in Pakistan on Sunday.

PTA reportedly blocked VPNs because it allowed unauthorised access to sensitive data and illegal content for many social media users, sources added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has not issued an official statement yet regarding the initiating process of registering the Virtual Private Networks.

It should be noted here that a number of social media users complained about accessing X (formerly Twitter) through a VPN yesterday.

The use of VPNs has increased in Pakistan since the February general election when the government banned social media platform X. Many users were also forced to use VPNs to access the restricted content in Pakistan during the months-long internet disruption in 2024.

The government reportedly used the recently launched firewall test in Pakistan between 4 pm and 10 pm and impacted the netizens for six long hours.

Earlier, the PTA has called on businesses, such as IT firms, software companies, freelancers, and banks, to register their IPs to maintain VPN access, ensuring uninterrupted internet services for authorised users.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authorities reportedly began the proxy network registration process in 2010, and until now, approximately 20,500 VPNs have been successfully registered.

Pointing out the blockage of proxy networks and the frequent shutdown of the internet nationwide this year, Pakistani citizens expressed rage over the government and seemed concerned about the future of e-commerce in the country.

Pakistani social media activists and netizens sadly responded by saying that Pakistan has become the first country to introduce the concept of “internet load shedding in Pakistan.”

Farieha Aziz, a Digital rights advocate, stated, “It’s completely arbitrary, disrupting everyday life and work, and no one in the PTA and government has yet given a straight answer — other than partially on VPNs, which they have stated they are in the process of registering.”

The incumbent government, in the second quarter of the ongoing year, had reportedly introduced the firewall test in Pakistan, leading to the internet slowing to crawl.

When the government was criticised for slow internet, Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja accused the internet user of using the VPN, which, according to her, caused the internet to slow down.

It should be mentioned here that a firewall can track, block and significantly limit the visibility of content it deems is propaganda.