The Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned caretaker prime minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar in person on November 29 in a case pertaining to Baloch missing students.
In today’s verdict, the court asked the federal government to present 55 Baloch missing students as per the recommendation of the Baloch Enforced Disappearance Commission.
The court has asked the defence and interior ministers and the sectaries from both ministries to present before the court in person and has sought a report within a week from the federal government committee.
“We are sitting in Islamabad and talking about the rights of Balochistan. I’m giving [you] seven days time to ensure the implementation,” IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked.
On the other hand, the additional attorney general for Pakistan requested the court not to summon the prime minister and federal ministers.
IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani was not happy with the report presented before the court by the federal government.
“This report is a matter of shame for this court,” the judge remarked. He also said that caretaker prime minister should have realised that it’s a matter of Baloch students, as he also belongs to Balochistan.
Justice Kayani also said, “Should we send this matter to the United Nations? Should we dishonour our country?”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned transgender women players from playing international women’s cricket. Danielle McGahey became the first transgender woman cricketer to be allowed to play earlier this year after changes to the ICC’s gender rules meant Danielle would no longer be able to play in international cricket.
The 29-year-old batsman hails from Australia but moved to Canada in 2020 and after transitioning from male to female in 2021, she joined Canada in the Women’s T20 America qualifiers in September 2023. McGahey met the ICC’s gender eligibility criteria at the time. McGahey has played six Twenty20 Internationals so far and has scored 118 runs at an average of 19.66 and a strike rate of 95.93.
ICC approved new rules on Tuesday, stating, “Any player who has transitioned from male to female, regardless of surgery or gender reassignment treatment, will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket after the will not be allowed.”
The ICC finalized the new policy after a nine-month consultation process. The rules are based on protecting the integrity, fairness, and inclusion of the women’s game, the board said in a release.
The Peshawar High Court issued a warning on Tuesday, indicating that if the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is not permitted to carry out political activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), it would summon the caretaker chief minister of the province and the chief election commissioner for an explanation.
“Both the chief minister and CEC will be asked about their failure to fulfil the responsibility of holding polls in a free and fair manner amid the PTI’s complaints of restrictions on its activities in the province,” Justice Ijaz Anwar observed during a hearing of a petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party for contempt proceedings against the provincial government and the administration of Mansehra district.
The court observed that if a political party is not allowed to hold a public meeting due to security concerns, it raises questions about the Election Commission of Pakistan’s ability to conduct general elections.
Attorney General Aamir Javed informed the court that a meeting had been called to assess the security situation, and a report would be provided within two days. The court scheduled the next hearing for November 23, focusing on the contempt petition against the caretaker government and Mansehra’s district administration.
The bench fixed Nov 23 (Thursday) for next hearing into the PTI’s contempt petition against the caretaker government and Mansehra’s district administration for “not allowing the holding of a workers’ convention despite the court’s orders.”
The petition was filed by PTI provincial president Ali Amin Gandapur, its provincial legal coordinator Mashal Azam, and Insaf Lawyers Forum provincial vice-president Malik Arshad Ahmad, requesting the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the relevant officers, including the provincial chief secretary, Mansehra DC and DPO, and others.
Lawyers Shah Faisal Uthmankhel, Ali Zaman, Inam Yousafzai, and others appeared for the petitioners and said a high court bench had disposed of on Oct 26 a plea of their clients after allowing the PTI to carry out political activities in the province.
PTI MPA offloaded
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, former PTI MPA Shaukat Ali Yousafzai was offloaded from a flight at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport.
Yousafzai’s flight was scheduled to depart at 9:15 am on Wednesday via Emirates flight EK-637 for Saudi Arabia, where he was to perform Umrah.
He stated that after the boarding process was completed, the airport’s security officials came and took him into their custody “without any reason”, as per Dawn.
The PTI ex-MPA added that when he asked the officials why he was being prevented from boarding the plane, they only replied they had “orders from authorities to not let you fly abroad”.
Yousafzai went on to say that he would approach the Peshawar High Court and file a case against the airport’s security officials for offloading him as, according to him, neither was there a first information report against him nor was his name on the Exit Control List.
PTI leaders arrested
In a related development, Liaqat Ali Yousafzai, PTI’s Shangla chapter president and brother of Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, along with six other party workers were arrested by the police for allegedly violating Section 144 during a party meeting in Shahpur. The PTI criticized the authorities, claiming unequal treatment compared to other political parties allowed to hold public meetings.
The situation reflects a growing tension between the PTI and local authorities, with the Peshawar High Court intervening to address concerns of restricted political activities in KP.
Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period chaotic even by the standards of the notoriously volatile industry.
Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance — the largest crypto exchange in the world — after he and the company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sweeping US money laundering violations and agreed to fines of more than $4 billion.
Here are three of the highest-profile crypto executives who have fallen foul of the law since last year:
Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao
Born in China in 1977, Zhao moved with his family to Canada in the 1980s and later got a degree in computer science from McGill University, according to his profile in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Zhao Changpeng, chief executive officer of Binance, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange keeps getting bigger. Binance.com is adding “a couple of million” registered users every week, with 240,000 people signing up in just an hour on Wednesday, said Zhao. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg
He founded Binance in 2017 in Shanghai, and led the company’s explosive growth into the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange.
An outspoken celebrity in the crypto world with 8.7 million followers on X, Zhao became the richest known figure in the nascent industry. His net worth peaked at around $65 billion in 2022, according to a Forbes index.
With the prestige and wealth came increased scrutiny of Binance’s operations, as prominent crypto firms around the world began to buckle under a wave of criminal investigations.
The United States accused Zhao and Binance of multiple violations, including knowingly allowing transactions to militant groups such as the Islamic State and in barred jurisdictions such as North Korea and Iran.
On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty. The firm has agreed to total penalties of nearly $4.4 billion, while he will pay $50 million, according to court documents.
Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance and while he will reportedly retain his shares in the company, he has been banned from any involvement in its business. He is expected to face sentencing later.
Forbes listed his net worth as $10.2 billion as of Wednesday.
Sam Bankman-Fried
If Zhao was the richest and most powerful person in crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried was easily the most famous.
Born to Stanford University professors, Bankman-Fried graduated from MIT with a degree in physics.
In 2019, he founded FTX, which skyrocketed to become the world’s second-largest crypto exchange.
Along the way, Bankman-Fried built up his image as the unofficial ambassador for the cryptocurrency industry, with high-profile appearances in the media and even the US Congress.
At one point in 2022, he had a net worth of $24 billion, according to Forbes.
But he had been walking a dangerous path — his team used customers’ money for everything from buying posh real estate to covering risky moves by affiliate Alameda Research.
It all came crashing down when these moves were revealed in the media in November 2022. Within hours, rival CZ Zhao said Binance would sell all the FTX tokens it held.
It sparked a stunning collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried’s empire, his fame turning to notoriety.
Arrested in the Bahamas in January, he was found guilty this month of what US prosecutors described as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history”. He faces up to 110 years in prison.
During his trial, the 31-year-old admitted to making “mistakes” but denied trying to defraud anyone.
Do Kwon
South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon co-founded Terraform Labs in 2018, developing the cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna.
Do Kwon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terraform Labs, poses in the company’s office in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Kwon is counting on the oldest cryptocurrency as a backstop for his stablecoin, which some critics liken to a ginormous Ponzi scheme. Photographer: Woohae Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Stanford grad successfully marketed them as the next big thing in crypto, attracting billions in investments and global hype.
Media reports in South Korea described him as a “genius”.
But in May last year, the value of these currencies — marketed as “stablecoins” — plummeted, wiping out around $40 billion in investments and sending a shock wave through the rest of the industry.
It led to more than $500 billion in further losses on global crypto markets, industry data suggested.
Experts said Do Kwon — whose full name is Kwon Do-kyung — had marketed a glorified Ponzi scheme.
Brash and outspoken on social media, Do Kwon left South Korea before the collapse and spent months on the run.
He was arrested in Montenegro this year after being caught trying to catch a flight using fake Costa Rican travel documents.
He faces multiple criminal charges in the United States and South Korea.
On November 21, 2023, a touching reunion happened in Makkah, bringing together families who were separated during the partition. Hujra Bibi, whose family was split during India’s partition, moved to Pakistan while her sister stayed in India, BBC shared the story.
The partition of India in 1947, led by the British, created two separate countries, India and Pakistan, causing many people to leave their homes.
Hujra Bibi’s story is special because the reunion happened in a different country. After being separated during the partition, Hujra, now living in Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan, met her sister’s family from India in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The credit for this emotional meeting on November 20 goes to Naseer Dhillon, a native of Faisalabad, Pakistan, and his friend. Naseer, through his YouTube channel, has been actively helping families reconnect.
Despite facing challenges from the government, the families remained determined. Hujra applied for an Umrah visa, and Hanifan, her sister’s daughter, applied from India. Naseer’s friend, Pal Singh Gill from the United States, played a crucial role in making the meeting possible.
Naseer highlighted the importance of their efforts, mentioning that despite the distance and obstacles, love and friendship can bring families back together. Hujra BiBi and her niece finally met in Makkah, ending years of being apart. Naseer traveled all the way from Dubai to Saudi Arabia to make this reunion possible. He said, “We thanked Allah for making it happen.” This story shows how families can stay strong and connected, even when they are separated by borders and obstacles. It’s truly amazing how love and determination can bring people together.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has instructed the federal caretaker government on Wednesday to remove Islamabad Inspector General Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan and Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon from their posts.
Dr Akbar Khan is a grade 20 officer, and Irfan Nawaz Memon is a grade 19 officer in the Pakistan Administrative Service.
ECP had earlier directed the government on October 26 to remove both officials from their posts, but the Secretary Establishment Division didn’t implement the order at that time.
Now there is progress in the matter, as the interior ministry wrote a letter to the Establishment Division to change officials.
Dr Akbar Nasir Khan was appointed as IGP on May 21, 2022. He was serving in the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) then.
In October of last year, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab registered a corruption case against IGP. ACE Punjab summoned him multiple times, seeking a reply on corruption charges, accusing him of tampering with documents to award contracts and causing Rs30.5 million loss to the government.
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has released the latest “most wanted terrorists” list, which shockingly includes the name of a prominent tribal journalist and author, Ihsanur Rehman Dawar.
The counter-terrorism department on Tuesday placed the name of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) assistant director Ihsanur Rehman Dawar on the list of most wanted fugitives announcing a bounty of Rs1 million for information leading to his arrest.
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has released a latest “most wanted terrorists” list. The list includes a name of a prominent tribal journalist and author, Ihsan Dawar. What a …..Joke pic.twitter.com/0Yjvz6canA
Mr Dawar, a former journalist and an author, is part of the list along with over 150 other proclaimed offenders. The profile shared by the CTD has incorrectly named him Ihsanullah Khan.
Dawar expressed shock at the inclusion, stating that he has been residing in Peshawar since 2011 and has no criminal record.
Dawar asserts that his father’s name, home address, and picture are correctly identified as per Dawn.
“This is how our institutions are working. They have ruined my reputation,” Dawar lamented, vehemently denying any connections to militants within his family.
The CTD in Pakhtunkhwa has included the name of a well known senior journalist and spokesman of PDMA for merged districts Ihsan Dawar in the list of its “most wanted terrorists”. This is ridiculous beyond words. This is a prime example of just how dysfunctional their system is. https://t.co/aPqmRKmQTr
The CTD, in a statement, insisted that Ihsanullah Khan was nominated in an FIR for attacking an army picket in North Waziristan in 2019, leading to his proclamation as a wanted offender.
The department justified the Rs1 million bounty, claiming it was recommended by the district police officer and duly notified by the home department.
The Miramshah Press Club criticized the CTD’s move, describing Dawar as an “honorary member” and denouncing the reward for his arrest.
The case in question involves a 2019 firing incident at the Khar Kamar checkpost, which resulted in casualties. Dawar was declared a proclaimed offender, but lawmakers Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar were acquitted in 2020.
The CTD’s most-wanted list, however, has raised eyebrows, with several inaccuracies noted.
– The Counter-Terrorism Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued a list comprising 152 individuals deemed as the most wanted in the state.
– Umar Mukaram Khorasani, is among those named.
– The collective bounty on the heads of the individuals listed amounts to 23 crore… pic.twitter.com/ANRfhncY2W
The inclusion of surrendered TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan, and individuals previously reported dead in Afghanistan, such as Omar Mukarram Khurasani, has underscored concerns about the authenticity and verification of information within the CTD’s records.
Some of the individuals on the wanted list include Jalaluddin, Muhammad Asif Khan, Asif Siddiqui, Muhammad Fayyaz, Inam Qari, Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Rizwan, Shehkar Din Bhatti, Wajid Khan, Niaz Muhammad, Naqab Khan, Kaleem Khan, Zarif Saeed, Yasir Ilyas and Muhammad Kashif.
According to the fresh list, Said Qadar of Mardan carries the highest reward of Rs8 million while Zahid Qadar of the same district carries Rs7 million head money.
In October this year, to combat militancy effectively, the CTD launched an aggressive initiative aimed at apprehending 135 of the most-wanted terrorists, announcing bounties on their heads.
The CTD unveiled a comprehensive list containing the names and photographs of the 135 most-wanted terrorists. This initiative, designed to combat militancy, also included the unprecedented inclusion of a female suspect in the K-P province.
The alleged female terrorist, known as Quratulain, is believed to be the wife of Iqbal, also known as Bali Khiyara, who was a prominent commander of a terrorist group in DI Khan. Iqbal’s life came to an end in a recent encounter with the CTD.
A positive shift in market sentiment fueled the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) upward trajectory as the benchmark KSE-100 Index surpassed the historic 58,000 level for the first time in Wednesday’s trading session.
At 12:45 pm, the benchmark index reached 58,203.85, marking a noteworthy increase of 832.27 points, or 1.45 per cent.
Widespread buying, particularly in index-heavy sectors such as automobile assemblers, cement, chemicals, commercial banks, fertiliser, and oil and gas exploration companies, contributed to this surge, with OMCs also registering gains.
The benchmark index climbed by 294 points, or 0.51%, the previous day, settling at 57,371.59.
This sustained bullish trend reflects improved economic indicators in the country and the interim government’s successful negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the first review, unlocking $700 million in funding.
Analysts expect that, following the review, Pakistan will attract additional inflows from both multilateral and bilateral partners.
Commenting on this rapid yet anticipated recovery at PSX, Mohammed Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities, stated, “PSX is experiencing one of the fastest but not unexpected recoveries.”
“If an underage driver causes a road accident, the relevant SHO and sector in-charge will be taken to task,” Justice Ali Zia Bajwa remarked during the hearing of a petition of Afnan Shafqat, the prime suspect in the DHA car accident that resulted in deaths of six members of a family, reports Dawn.
The underage suspect approached the court against alleged harassment by the police and for the protection of his right to fair trial.
However, the court ordered traffic police to continue its crackdown on underage drivers and warned it against any harassment to law-abiding citizens.
CTO Traffic police Mustansir Feroze told the court that a crackdown was underway against driving vehicles without licences and as many as 2,986 cases had been registered in three days.
Talking to the media, the CTO said more than 4,000 cases had been registered during the crackdown against underage driving. He said hundreds of vehicles had been confiscated in police stations and over 16,000 learner permits had been issued in a single day. He said the city had 30 licencing offices, ten mobile vans, and three 24-hour open centres. He said three new licence centres were being established in the city.
09 روز میں 3345 کم عمر ڈرائیورز جبکہ بغیر لائسنس 1670 ڈرائیورز کےخلاف مقدمات درج،190 مقامات پر خصوصی ناکہ جات قائم،کریمنل ریکارڈ بننے سے سرکاری نوکری اور ویزہ حصول میں مشکلات آسکتی ہیں، شہر میں 30 لائسنس دفاتر، 10 موبائل وینز اور 03 سینٹر 24/7 ہیں pic.twitter.com/9IpvDlZWH0
Two Pakistani women have been included into the BBC’s list of this year’s top 100 inspiring and influential women. The list highlights women who became trailblazers in their field and worked to spread awareness about issues like climate change, political instability and natural disasters. Among the list are famous Muslim figures like lawyer Amal Clooney, Pakistani Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Iraqi-American beauty mogul Huda Kattan.
The first Pakistani woman included in the list is Afroze-Numa, one of the last Wakkhi shepherdess who has taken care of goats, yack and sheep for over three decades.
“Having learnt the trade from her mother and grandmothers,” the BBC description reads, “she is part of a centuries-old tradition that is now dying out in Pakistan’s Shimla valley.”
“Every year these shepherdesses take their flocks to pastures 4,800m (16,000ft) above sea level, where they prepare dairy products to barter, while their animals feed.
Their income has brought the village prosperity and allowed them to provide an education for their children. Afroze-Numa still fondly remembers being the first woman in the valley to own a pair of shoes.”
The second Pakistani woman included in the list is Neha Mankani, a midwife who travelled to flood-affected areas in order to provide life-saving birthing kits and midwifery care to mothers and their babies.
“Her typical practice focuses on low-resourced settings, emergency response and climate-affected communities,” the BBC said, adding that Mama Baby Fund has now raised enough money to launch a boat ambulance that will transport pregnant women living in coastal communities to nearby hospitals and clinics for urgent treatment.
Taking to Instagram to share the post, Mankani wrote she was honoured to receive the acknowledgement from BBC.
“Really honoured to be on the @bbc100women list this year as a climate hero, celebrating the important role of midwives in climate emergencies and highlighting my work with @mamababyfund in last year’s floods and in the climate affected island communities of Karachi. Head over to @bbc100women to read about all the really amazing women highlighted this year”
