Category: National

Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench has acquitted a woman who was sentenced to death and imprisonment on blasphemy charges, ordering her immediate release.

According to reports, Aniqa Atiq was sentenced to death in January 2022 by a special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Rawalpindi for allegedly sending blasphemous messages. The conviction was overturned on Wednesday after a detailed hearing.

A two-member bench, consisting of Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Chaudhry Waheed, ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the case against the accused.

Aniqa Atiq was the first Muslim woman and the third woman overall to receive a death sentence in a blasphemy case. The other two women, Asia Bibi and Shagufta Bibi, belonged to the Christian community and were later acquitted as well.

During the appeal hearing, Aniqa’s lawyer, Advocate Saif-ul-Malook, argued that the case was based on false allegations. He pointed out that the cybercrime authorities did not collect any forensic evidence to support the charges.

He told the court that the FIR was filed ten days after the alleged incident in April 2020, and that the authorities never seized Aniqa’s mobile phone for investigation.

When Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan asked the prosecution whether a forensic examination of the phone had been conducted, they replied that the phone did not belong to Aniqa but to another woman, and therefore it was not sent for analysis.

The judge questioned why the woman who owned the phone or SIM card was not made a co-accused in the case. The court observed that since no evidence was presented on record against Aniqa, sentencing her to death was unjustified.

The bench also questioned the complainant, identified as Hasnat Farooq, saying it was unclear how he remained in contact with a woman for a year and a half despite having no religious connection with her.

The court then accepted Aniqa Atiq’s appeal and ordered her acquittal.

The case was originally registered by the FIA Cybercrime Wing in Rawalpindi in 2020 on the complaint of Hasnat Farooq. 

It included charges of blasphemy, religious insult, and violations under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. Aniqa had denied all charges when she was indicted.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended heartfelt birthday wishes to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz as she celebrated her 52nd birthday on October 28.

In a message shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the prime minister wrote, “Warmest birthday greetings, Maryam beti. May you always be blessed with health, happiness, and enduring success in your noble service to the nation.”

Warmest birthday greetings, Maryam beti @MaryamNSharif .
May you always be blessed with health, happiness, and enduring success in your noble service to the nation.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 28, 2025

Responding to the prime minister’s message, Maryam Nawaz expressed her gratitude in a heartfelt reply, saying, “Many many thanks dearest Uncle. I’m doing my best to rise to the standards you’ve set … to carry forward your legacy with the grace, strength, and excellence that define you and that you have so generously taught me ❤️ .”

Many many thanks dearest Uncle.
I’m doing my best to rise to the standards you’ve set … to carry forward your legacy with the grace, strength, and excellence that define you and that you have so generously taught me ❤️ https://t.co/ZwzSlurqr3

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) October 28, 2025

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, marked her birthday with celebrations across the country under the banner of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). Party leaders and supporters organized events, cut cakes, and paid tribute to her political and social contributions.

Born on October 28, 1973, Maryam Nawaz married Captain (R) Safdar in 1992. She began her political career during the 2013 general elections, playing a key role in leading the PML-N’s campaign that brought her father to power for a third term.

Punjab Minister for Information and Culture, Azma Zahid Bokhari, also shared her greetings and praised the chief minister for her leadership and development initiatives in the province.

She posted a special video highlighting Maryam Nawaz’s work for public welfare and expressed prayers for her long life, health, and continued service to the people of Punjab.

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has gifted Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza a book, the cover of which bears a map showing some Indian territories as part of Bangladesh.

As per the details, General Mirza on Monday met Yunus in Dhaka where both sides underscored the significance of strengthening bilateral defence and security cooperation.

With the meeting ending, Yunus gifted the CJCSC a coffee table book titled ‘Art of Triumph, Graffiti of Bangladesh’s New Dawn’. A now-viral photograph of the presentation, however, did not sit well with Indians as they pointed out that the map printed on the cover of the book showed India’s northeastern states as part of “Greater Bangladesh”.

More Bangladesh-India drama. “Yunus…has created a controversy after gifting a senior Pakistan Army general a book that has a distorted map of his country on its cover. The map shows the northeastern states of India as part of Bangladesh.”https://t.co/7IS8u7JJuH

— Derek J. Grossman (@DerekJGrossman) October 27, 2025

While India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not yet issued an official reaction, it may be noted that a strong protest was lodged by the ministry last December when a similar map was used by a key aide of the interim setup in Bangladesh.

Mahfuz Alam had posted on Facebook a map purportedly showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam as parts of Bangladesh, deleting the post after it triggered backlash.

At the time, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had reminded all concerned to be “mindful” of their public comments.

“We have taken this up with the Bangladeshi government. We have strongly registered a protest on this issue. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down,” he had said.

Earlier this year, Yunus had also referred to India’s northeast region as landlocked and invited China to expand in the region by propagating Bangladesh as “Guardian of the Ocean”, drawing a sharp response from India and rebuke from Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.

Karachi traffic police have released data from the newly launched e-challan system, which went into effect on Monday. 

According to reports, more than Rs12.5 million in fines were issued within just six hours of the system’s launch.

Police said a total of 2,662 challans were recorded during the first six hours. These included 419 for overspeeding, three for lane violations, four for stop-line violations, 1,535 for not wearing seatbelts, 166 for crossing red lights, and 507 for riding motorcycles without helmets.

The report added that four challans were issued for wrong-way driving on one-way streets, seven for tinted windows, five for wrong parking, 32 for using mobile phones while driving, three for driving in the wrong direction, and another five for illegal or no-parking violations.

Officials said the e-challan system marks a major step forward in improving traffic monitoring and aims to encourage citizens to follow traffic rules.

The traffic police urged citizens to cooperate by adhering to traffic laws, adding that public support will help further enhance the system’s effectiveness.

Discussions within the government and the military are at an advanced stage to finalise whether Pakistan will be sending troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

Official sources have told news outlets that Pakistan is leaning towards sending troops to secure Gaza, for the international peace-keeping mission.

The ISF is part of the US-brokered peace agreement and consists of troops from Muslim-majority countries.

The force will maintain internal security, help in disarming Hamas, secure borders and also help with humanitarian relief. They will be working under a transitional Palestinian authority and help with reconstruction of the city.

The US has already stated that they will not be sending US soldiers and the force might include troops from Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan.

Turkey was also on the list but Israel has openly opposed Turkey’s inclusion in the ISF because of the Turkish President Tayyib Erdogan’s open criticism of Israel. Israeli PM Netanyahu has also said that Israel will decide who to allow in Gaza and hinted that Turkey would not be included.

Israeli media has reported that members of the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee were told during a closed-door briefing that the ISF would comprise troops from Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia, and would help Israel in ‘securing borders and preventing weapons being smuggled into the territory’. 

Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Jordan and Egypt recently, while reports have come to light post his visit.  His visit was described as promoting ties but reports suggest that implementation of the Gaza peace plan was also discussed in depth. 

Both the meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II included appreciation and acknowledgement of Pakistan’s role and contribution towards peace and regional security. 

There is little information yet about how the security force will be deployed, but according to news sources, an unnamed Pakistani official has stated that Pakistan prefers it be under a UN mandate.

In the past, Pakistan has deployed more than 200,000 Pakistanis to the United Nations peace force, across 40 operations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

A case has been filed with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against nine officers of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for allegedly misusing their authority, media reports have stated.

The case includes six officers who were missing for several days before the FIA confirmed their arrest on charges of bribery and abuse of power. An FIR was lodged on the complaint of Aroob Jatoi, wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman, also known as Ducky Bhai, who is under arrest on charges of promoting gambling apps on social media.

Those named in the FIR include Additional Director Sarfraz, Acting Lahore Deputy Director Zawar Ahmad, Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Sub-Inspector Yasir Ramzan, Assistant Director Mujtaba Zafar, Islamabad Deputy Director Operations Muhammad Usman, Deputy Director Ayaz Khan, and Salman Aziz.

The FIA has registered the case under Sections 109 and 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Section 5(2)47 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which deals with criminal misconduct by public servants.

Earlier, the lawyer representing the six arrested officers submitted an application to a Lahore judicial magistrate, demanding their immediate production before court. The application, filed by Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq, claimed that neither the officers’ families nor their lawyers had been allowed to meet them since the arrests.

The lawyer argued that the FIA’s actions violated the Constitution and legal procedures outlined in the Criminal Procedure Code and Police Rules. He said the officials should have been presented before a court within 24 hours of detention.

He added that such practices amounted to illegal confinement and violated the suspects’ fundamental rights under Articles 9, 10, and 10A of the Constitution. The plea also urged the court to direct the FIA’s Lahore director and deputy director to produce the detained officers immediately “in the interest of justice.”

Reports suggest that Additional Director Sarfraz was previously transferred to Islamabad following multiple controversies, including investigations into YouTubers such as Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt for their alleged links with online gambling and unregulated trading.

According to reports, the missing officers’ disappearance was linked to the ongoing probes into social media influencers and related financial crimes.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court last week granted police one more week to trace missing Cybercrime Deputy Director Muhammad Usman. His wife, Rozina Usman, had earlier filed a petition claiming that armed men abducted her husband on October 14. 

The court also noted that Rozina herself went missing after filing the plea, and it sought updated reports from the police on both disappearances.

Authorities in Karachi have sealed seven milk shops for selling milk containing urea, bringing the total number of sealed shops to 27.

According to a statement from the Karachi Commissioner’s Office, the crackdown against adulterated milk continues across the city. On Tuesday, officials sealed three shops in the South district, three in the East, and one in Malir for selling unsafe milk.

A spokesperson for the commissioner said that 27 milk shops have been sealed in the past two days.

Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi chaired a meeting attended by the Director General of the Sindh Food Authority and other officials. The participants decided to continue inspections and the campaign against adulteration.

The commissioner said that sealed shops will not be reopened without heavy fines. He added that shop owners will also have to submit a written assurance that they will sell milk free of urea and other harmful chemicals.

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari and the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto, has bashed American whistleblower, author, journalist and former intelligence officer John Chris Kiriakou over his claims regarding alleged corruption by Benazir as premier.

Appearing on ANI Broadcast – the Indian news agency’s interview series – Kiriakou, who worked for the United States’ (US) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), had recalled his interaction with the late former PM during her time in exile in Dubai.

He spoke of Benazir and Zardari’s “$5 million house” and collection of Bentleys, saying it made him wonder if they were “not ashamed” given how people back in Pakistan “did not have shoes to wear and food to eat”.

Instagram Post

“I understand that corruption is a problem there, but that level of corruption?” Kiriakou had questioned in the viral video, which prompted Bakhtawar to set the record straight on Sunday.

“The implication that she was born with nothing and had to be dependent on something illicit to afford her lifestyle is incredibly dishonest and just absolutely false. She was paid $100,000 for a single lecture whilst in exile. This doesn’t even include any of her inheritance or agricultural land(s),” she commented on the video.

Bakhtawar went on to say she pitied Kiriakou’s envy of a successful woman’s house that came with incredibly hard work and sacrifice.

“She worked to maintain her lifestyle & family even when wanted by a military dictator & fighting politically motivated cases (that saw her own father hung) but relentlessly continued to work and fight whilst her husband was imprisoned for over 11 years. Pathetic to attack and attempt to defame someone who is no longer in this world for some desperate clicks with nothing but absolute disinformation.”

As for her father, Bakhtawar said, he was wealthy in his own right and could buy whatever car he wanted.

“Again, the implication that the only means of success must translate into crime is absolutely ludicrous – he came from a land owning family who had multiple business ventures including building and owning the first cinemas in Pakistan in the 1960’s,” she added.

“The state of Pakistan & rampant poverty was certainly not a fault of my parents like you try and make it out to be – though you could spend 5 minutes to see what accomplishments they did for the working class despite their very privileged backgrounds and the difference it did make – not that we need your validation it does come in the form of votes from the very same people you very colonially assume cannot afford to eat,” Bakhtawar concluded.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced that schools across the province will follow new timings during the winter season.

Taking to X, he shared that schools will open at 8:45 a.m. and close at 1:30 p.m. The Punjab School Education Department is expected to issue an official notification soon.

The new schedule aims to protect students from cold weather and make mornings easier as temperatures continue to drop across Punjab.

Rana Sikandar Hayat has been regularly sharing updates on education reforms and administrative decisions on social media to keep parents and teachers informed.

Similar winter adjustments were made in previous years to help students avoid exposure to the cold during early school hours.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned of an all-out war with Afghanistan if ongoing negotiations between Islamabad and Kabul fail to resolve issues that led to clashes reported earlier this month.

Speaking to journalists in Sialkot, the defence minister said that the country’s armed forces and police were sacrificing their lives to safeguard the nation, and the reason we sleep peacefully is because our protectors remain vigilant.

“Pakistan hosted Afghans for 40 years, and those we are negotiating with in Doha all grew up in Pakistan,” he said in reference to negotiations taking place since after a ceasefire that put cross-border clashes on hold starting last weekend.

The two countries agreed to the ceasefire in Doha after days of border clashes that killed dozens, the worst such violence since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

Taliban forces, along with India-backed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had resorted to an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, prompting a strong response from Islamabad. At least 200 Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants were killed in said clashes while 23 Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom.

 
The attacks that came as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on an official visit to India, ended with the ceasefire agreed to at the request of Afghan Taliban on the evening of Oct 15.

Ground fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-kilometre frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul control terrorists it says operate from safe havens in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, Asif questioned why, despite all hospitality, Afghanistan was resorting to such behavior towards Pakistan, alleging that the country was acting as a proxy for India against Pakistan.

He further claimed that Afghan refugees had taken over employment and business opportunities during their stay on this side of the border.

Saying Pakistan only had one agenda – to achieve regional peace while living in harmony with its neighbours – Asif noted that no terror incidents had taken place over the past four or five days. He, however, reiterated that if negotiations fail, the country will be in an all-out war with Afghanistan.

It may be noted that the defence minister’s statements come as Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are set to hold the second round of talks in Türkiye later in the day to discuss the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism aimed at countering the threat of terrorism.

According to reports, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi and Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid have confirmed the meeting, which will take place in Istanbul.

“The second round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan will be held in Istanbul, Türkiye. The purpose of this dialogue is to stop terrorism originating from Afghan soil against Pakistan and prevent further loss of Pakistani lives,” read a statement issued by the FO.

Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif also said that the ball was in Afghanistan’s court for a permanent end to cross-border hostilities.

 
Addressing a federal cabinet meeting on Pak-Afghan border tensions, the premier said that Pakistan remained ready to hold talks with the Taliban regime on reasonable terms, adding that the recent cross-border aggression from Afghan side was at India’s behest.

  
“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, [Taliban regime in] Afghanistan did not prioritise peace and adopted the path of aggression,” reports quoted the premier as saying during the meeting.

 
Highlighting the recent spike in terror incidents in the country, he said Pakistan had to launch a full-scale retaliatory action as patience had run out amid Afghan Taliban regime’s inaction over Islamabad’s concerns.