Trump says Blackhawk was ‘flying too high’; black boxes found

WASHINGTON: In what appeared to be a major disclosure about the investigation, US President Donald Trump said on Friday the Blackhawk helicopter that collided with a regional passenger jet in Washington, D.C. was flying too high at the time of the accident.

The US Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US military helicopters regularly fly a route over the Potomac river near the busy Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, known as Route 4. For safety reasons, the altitude on those helicopter flights is capped at 200 feet (61 metres).

“The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

The crash remains under investigation by federal transportation authorities.

Department of Defence to examine military chopper’s flight recorder; report expected in 30 days

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier said there appeared to have been an elevation issue with the Blackhawk, and said army investigators were on the ground looking into the matter.

However, Hegseth and the army said the three-member crew of soldiers on the Blackhawk were experienced. The army said the instructor pilot, who was the designated pilot in command, had 1,000 flying hours while the other pilot had 500 hours.

The third soldier was a crew chief, typically riding in the back of the helicopter.

Investigators also recovered the so-called black boxes from the plane, an American Airlines Bombardier jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, which collided with the Blackhawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River as it prepared to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

No one survived. The names of all the victims have not been released, but they included promising young figure skaters and people from Kansas, where the flight originated.

Senator Maria Cantwell said that the dead also included citizens from Russia, the Philippines and Germany, and Chinese state media Xinhua reported two Chinese citizens had been killed in the crash.

Initial report in 30 days

Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 passenger jet, the National Transportation Safety Board said. A preliminary report about the incident is expected within 30 days.

NTSB member Todd Inman said the military helicopter was equipped “with some form of recording devices and those will be read either by DOD or by us.” He said NTSB and DOD have agreements to share data on those recorders.

The agency has begun collecting wreckage, including portions of the helicopter, and is storing it at a hangar at Reagan National. Washin­gton’s fire and emergency department said its divers had searched all accessible areas and would conduct additional searches to locate aircraft components on Friday.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both aircraft had been flying standard flight patterns on Wednesday and there had been no breakdown in communication.

“Everything was routine up to the point of the accident,” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin insisted. More than half of the bodies had been recovered, he said.

The airport is just across the river from Washington in Virginia.

President Trump, however, without providing evidence said that “federal diversity efforts” could have been a factor, reiterating a theme that has become a focus of his presidency. Rights groups and Democrats complained he was politicising the disaster.

Trump also criticised the helicopter pilots and suggested air traffic controllers were to blame.

Radio communications showed air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approaching jet and ordered it to change course.

Air traffic controllers

One controller rather than two was handling local plane and helicopter traffic on Wednesday night at Reagan National, a situation deemed “not normal” but considered adequate for lower volumes of traffic, accor­ding to a person briefed on the matter.

The decision to combine duties in the evening is not uncommon, the source said. The New York Times first reported the “not normal” designation.

A shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States in recent years has spurred safety concerns. At several facilities, controllers work mandatory overtime and six-day work weeks to cover shortages. The Federal Aviation Administration has about 3,000 fewer controllers than it says it needs.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2025

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Petrol sees slight rise by Re1, high-speed diesel by Rs7 in new prices

The government on Friday slightly raised the price of petrol by Re1 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs7 for the next fortnight.

A press release from the Finance Division said the new prices were decided after Ogra reviewed and adjusted consumer prices for petroleum products given “recent fluctuations in the international oil market”.

The new petrol price is Rs257.13 and that of HSD is Rs267.95.

Any changes in the prices of light diesel oil and kerosene oil were not mentioned.

Informed sources had earlier said the ex-depot petrol price was estimated to go up by Rs2-3 per litre depending on the final calculation today. Kerosene and diesel prices were estimated to rise by about Rs6 per litre.

The estimates were based on the bullish trend in the international market. The Brent prices have risen by up to $2 per barrel last fortnight.

These sources said the average prices of HSD increased by more than $2.50 per barrel in the international market while that of petrol inched up by about 50 cents per barrel last fortnight. The ex-refinery cost of kerosene also went up. Import premium on petrol increased by around 40 cents to $8.84 per barrel while it remained unchanged on diesel. The exchange rate also generally remained stable.

As a result, the latest calculation as of Jan 29 showed an increase of around Rs5 to Rs6 per litre in both HSD and kerosene and about Rs2-2.50 per litre in petrol.

The ex-depot petrol price is Rs256.13 and HSD Rs260.95 per litre. Kerosene’s official rate is Rs169.25 per litre, but it is seldom available at this rate in the market.

Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and it directly affects the budget of the middle and lower middle classes.

Most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary as it is mainly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.

Currently, the government is charging about Rs76 per litre tax on petrol and HSD. Although the general sales tax is zero on all petroleum products, the government charges Rs60 per litre PDL on both products, which usually impacts the masses.

The government also charges about Rs16 per litre of customs duty on petrol and HSD, regardless of their local production or imports. In addition, about Rs17 per litre distribution and sale margins are charged by oil companies and their dealers on both products.

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Trump set to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada starting on March 1: sources

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce new tariffs against Canada and Mexico that will begin on March 1 but will include a process for the countries to seek specific exemptions for certain imports, three people familiar with the planning told Reuters.

The tariff situation remained fluid on Friday and no decision is final until Trump makes a public announcement.

The sources, who asked not to be named because they are not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said they did not have details on a final tariff rate, but noted Trump has consistently said that he plans to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from the two countries on Saturday.

Separately, an administration official said Trump was reviewing tariff plans today which may allow for some exemptions. Still, any exemptions would be “few and far between”, the official said.

While the announcement of tariffs may roil financial markets and strain the US relationship with its top two trading partners, offering a 28-day window before implementation and a process for exemptions would suggest a more careful approach by the Trump administration.

It also would buy time for negotiations over actions by Canada and Mexico to meet Trump’s stated goals for the duties, to pressure the two US neighbours to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and deadly fentanyl across the US border.

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LHC overturns decision in Attock Refinery case

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawal­pindi bench has set aside a previous order in a case involving Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) and the federation of Pakistan, directing that the matter be reconsidered by a single judge of the high court.

A division bench, comprising Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad and Justice Jawad Hassan, ruled on an intra-court appeal (ICA) filed by ARL against a Nov 10, 2020, order issued by a single judge in chamber.

The court found that the previous ruling wrongly delegated the case to the Collector of Customs, who lacked jurisdiction to determine the constitutionality of a law.

The case originated from ARL’s writ petition, which challenged the vires of Section 31(A) of the Customs Act, 1969, and Sections 6(1) and 6(1A) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.

Orders rehearing, rules Customs collector lacked jurisdiction

Instead of addressing the constitutional challenge, the single judge referred the case to the Collector of Customs, a decision the LHC bench ruled was improper, as higher courts have exclusive jurisdiction over constitutional matters.

The court referenced key Supreme Court rulings to support its decision, including Abdul Majeed Khan v. Maheen Begum (2014 SCMR 1524) and Lahore Development Authority v. Imrana Tiwana (2015 SCMR 1739). These judgements reinforce that authorities without jurisdiction cannot adjudicate on the validity of legislation.

In its ruling, the LHC bench reinstated the writ petition, instructing the single judge to hear the case afresh in accordance with the law. Furthermore, the court ruled that any actions taken in compliance with the previous order are legally void.

The appeal had been pending since 2020, with multiple hearings conducted between December 2022 and January 2025.

Efforts to mediate the dispute were made, but respondents, including the Collector of Customs, failed to appear or provide instructions, prompting the court to issue its ruling based on the available record.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2025

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Imran urges CJP Afridi to bring an end to ‘state terror and brutality’

Incarcerated PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has penned a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, extolling the top judge to bring about an end to the “terror and brutality by the state and the suppression of democracy”, it emerged on Thursday.

Titled “Meltdown of the constitutional order in Pakistan”, the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was dated January 24 and signed from Adiala Jail where he is incarcerated.

Following the arrest of the ex-premier on May 9, 2023, from the Islamabad High Court’s premises, riots erupted across the country and went on for at least 24 hours. The state subsequently launched a crackdown against him and his party, filing several other cases against Imran since the events of May 9, in many of which he has been acquitted.

The period since has been one of political instability with the government and opposition at loggerheads with each other.

“You are hereby called upon to exercise all powers vested in the Supreme Court of Pakistan to bring to an end the terror and brutality by the state and the suppression of democracy that are today denying to the people of Pakistan their basic human rights. One or more judicial commissions may be set up to examine the grievances of the people of Pakistan, some of which have been referred to in this letter,” Imran concluded in his 18-page letter that was attached with over 300 pages of evidence for the ex-premier’s assertions regarding the highhandedness against his party and the state of the country.

Imran said several petitions highlighting the “assault on fundamental human rights and the electoral process” were filed over the last eighteen months and more before the Supreme Court to safeguard the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of the people.

“When all organs and agencies of the state that are mandated by the law to exercise power in order to safeguard life, liberty and democracy stand subjugated by brute force and are acting in aid of persecution and fraud it is the duty of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to intervene.

“The Supreme Court of Pakistan has not been vested with enormous power by the Constitution of Pakistan in order to act as a bystander. Unfortunately, none of the petitions filed before this honourable court, including by me, have been taken up. This has allowed a free hand to a reign of brutality and fraud,” Imran alleged.

Imran said the evidence he attached pertained to the “ongoing murders, injuries, abductions and torture carried out against members and supporters of the PTI in order to sustain the regime in office”.

Lashing out at the current setup, he said it was “the result of oppression and of large scale electoral fraud carried out on February 8 and 9, 2024. Unarmed protesters have been met with barbaric state brutality. Reference may be made to the dossier … provides the names and photographs of some of those who lost their lives or sustained firearm injuries on November 26, 2024”, referring to the allegations of rigging in the general elections and the events of November in Islamabad last year that saw clashes between PTI supporters and law enforcement.

“A list of 172 individuals injured on November 26, 2024 is placed here … Hospital records of the martyred and the injured were sealed and tampered with by state personnel. Police stations refused to register first information reports. Over 10,000 PTI supporters were arrested between November 24-27, 2024 all across Pakistan,” the PTI founder alleged.

Criticising how his own arrest on May 9, 2023, was carried out, the former prime minister claimed that the events of the day were “used as a pretext to arrest thousands of members and supporters of the PTI all across the country” with over 100 people handed over to military custody for military trials.

“Military court trials of civilians with no appeal to an independent court are an egregious violation of the fundamental human rights recognised by the Constitution of Pakistan and by human rights law the world over.”

Pointing out his own continued incarceration, the PTI founder said over 200 “fake and frivolous cases” were registered against him. “The entirety of my detention has been marked by routine mistreatment and a systematic curtailment of my rights as a political prisoner. The abuse intensified during the period from October 3-25, 2024, for not just me but also for the other over 8,000 other prisoners in Adiala Jail. During this time, I was held incommunicado from the outside world, in solitary confinement, denied essential privileges, and subjected to degrading treatment,” he added.

Regarding the treatment meted out to the PTI leadership and party base, he said: “The targeted attacks against the leadership, workers, and supporters of the PTI are nothing short of a sustained campaign of political persecution and terror.

“PTI’s political cadre, from its senior-most leaders to its grassroots supporters, has been subjected to relentless threats, abductions, and enforced disappearances. Their homes and offices have been brazenly ransacked, and their families have faced direct intimidation, creating an environment of pervasive fear and insecurity.

“Such individuals are not merely kidnapped and intimidated; they are forced, often under threat or through psychological and physical abuse, to act according to the dictates of their captors. The coercion includes, but is not limited to, voting in parliamentary sessions according to their abductors’ desires, having had family members kidnapped, domestic servants abused and beaten, children threatened, detention in the dark of the night from within the precincts of parliament.

“Remarkably, forcible or public renunciation of political affiliation often results in a reclamation of liberty. This manipulation of political expression and freedom represents a dire affront to democracy and the rule of law, turning basic rights into bargaining chips at the mercy of shadowy forces operating with impunity.”

Imran also highlighted the constraints placed on his party’s attempts at electoral and political campaigning such as restrictions on holding protests and assemblies.

The PTI founder alleged that the “abusive and coercive” tactics against his party had extended well beyond to cover all those critical of the government with abductions, torture and intimidation becoming “the order of the day”.

The ex-premier also pointed to developments in the country’s legal landscape such as the continued lack of implementation of the apex court’s reserved seats verdict and changes to the election laws and judicial apparatus.

“It is clear that given the persistent abuse of the law by state authorities, that the very idea of the rule of law and of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution has become a mere allusion. This coordinated abuse of the law is a betrayal of the trust reposed in these institutions by the citizens of Pakistan, who rightfully expect integrity and justice in the discharge of their duties.”

International concern

The PTI founder is not the only one to highlight such issues in the country’s recent sociopolitical landscape.

The European Union has warned Pakistan not to take its GSP+ status for granted.

Olof Skoog, the EU Special Rep­resentative for Human Rights who is currently on a week-long visit to Pakistan, has urged the government not to use military courts to pursue cases against citizens, and opposed recent moves to restrict freedom of expression.

Talking to Dawn, he said he had conveyed these messages in separate meetings with top government functionaries, including the army chief, chief justice and members of the federal cabinet.

The focus of his visit is to engage with the government on pressing human rights issues and learn about Pakistan’s plans to address them ahead of the upcoming GSP+ monitoring mission, due in June 2025.

US lawmakers and rights activists also urged the new Congress last week to take a stand against the military trials of civilians in Pakistan and to advocate for the reversal of anti-democratic measures targeting the PTI.

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New US admin has nothing but respect for Pakistan, says Trump aide

• Beach plays down Richard Grenell’s pro-PTI remarks, says he may have been ‘misled’
• Govt offers support as US investors eye Pakistan for investments in several areas

ISLAMABAD: A close aide to US President Donald Trump, who is currently leading a delegation of investors to Pakistan to explore business opportunities, said on Wednesday the US administration has nothing but respect for the incumbent leadership of Pakistan, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Gentry Beach, who also met PM Shehbaz, made these remarks at a press conference as journalists asked him questions about Richard Grenell — Trump’s special missions envoy in the new administration — who had tweeted in support of incarcerated PTI chief Imran Khan, stirring controversy.

The US investor said Mr Grenell “may have been misled” about Pakistan. “He personally told me there are a number of deepfakes, AI presentations on the internet … it’s not true or real,” he said in response to a question.

According to Mr Beach, Mr Grenell had a very defined view and “supports everything we are doing in Pakistan”.

“I believe [Grenell] probably has a better understanding today than he did previously of the current situation here … I have seen no evidence that our administration in the US has anything but respect for their leadership here. Period,” he added.

‘Billions of dollars’

Mr Beach said US President Donald Trump believed in economic diplomacy and that their ongoing visit was part of that effort. “We plan on investing billions of dollars in Pakistan across a number of different areas, including critical minerals and real estate […] From a real estate perspective, we brought our real estate development partners, and I am going to build some of the most high-end and luxury properties ever seen in Pakistan,” he added.

He also mentioned energy, tec­hnology, artificial intellige­nce, and other areas that needed attention and investment.

Mr Beach said there were great investment opportunities in Pakistan with an amazing base of intelligent people, which he said remained “overlooked” in the past, across diverse fields.

“We view Pakistan as one of the biggest global opportunities [ … ] which is very unique,” he said.

Mr Beach said he had remai­n­ed very close to the Trump adm­i­nistration for a long time, and that now the US was entering a new era of peace and prosperity under President Trump’s leadership.

He said the leadership of both the US and Pakistan shared the same vision for peace and prosperity, noting that for the last four years, “we all have been under attack” and criticised the policies of the Biden administration.

“These are the things that Pre­sident Trump is cleaning up, and he has brought the right team to address them. I believe your leadership in this country is very aligned and like-minded, and I think it is very important that we build a strong bridge between both these groups,” he said while recalling the strong historical ties between the two countries.

Govt offers support

Separately, PM Shehbaz Sha­rif reaffirmed his government’s unwavering commitment to fac­i­l­itating foreign investors by ens­uring a conducive business environment, streamlined processes, and robust institutional support.

In a meeting with a delegation of international investors led by Mr Beach, the PM underscored the country’s unique appeal as a global investment destination, highlighting its strategic location, skilled and youthful workforce, and rapidly expanding consumer market.

Discussing Pakistan’s dyna­mic investment landscape and promising economic potential, he exp­r­e­ssed gratitude for the delegation’s keen interest in exploring business opportunities in Pakistan.

Mr Beach commended Pakistan’s immense economic potential and conveyed his delegation’s enthusiasm to explore diverse investment opportunities across key sectors, including mining and minerals, renewable energy, infrastructure development, and technology.

He acknowledged the government’s pro-investment policies and expressed confidence in the nation’s future growth trajectory.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025

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US-born girl shot dead by father in Quetta over TikTok videos: police

A man who recently brought his family back to Quetta from the United States on Wednesday confessed to shooting his teenage daughter dead, motivated by his disapproval of her TikTok content, according to the police.

The shooting happened on a street in Quetta on Monday night. The suspect initially said that unidentified gunmen shot and killed his American-born 15-year-old daughter before he confessed to the crime, Gawalmandi Station House Officer (SHO) Babar Baloch said.

“Our investigation so far has found that the family had an objection to her dressing, lifestyle and social gathering,” Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zohaib Mohsin said.

“We have her phone. It is locked,” he told Reuters. “We are probing all aspects, including ‘honour’ killing.”

The family recently returned to Balochistan after having lived in the US for about 25 years, SHO Baloch said. He said that the suspect has US citizenship, adding that the suspect told him the girl began creating “objectionable” content on TikTok when she lived in the US.

The suspect told police that she continued to share videos on the platform after returning to Pakistan.

Baloch said the suspect’s brother-in-law was also arrested in connection with the killing, while police said they had charged the suspect with the murder.

Police did not offer proof of Haq’s US citizenship except for the suspect’s own testimony and declined to say whether the US embassy had been informed of the incident.

A press release by the SCIW said the police was alerted about the incident on Monday night, following which the suspect filed a case at the Gawalmandi Police Station under Pakistan Penal Code Section 302 (intentional murder).

It added that the suspect and his brother-in-law confessed to the crime when they were included in the investigation. It further said the suspect had arrived with his daughter in Lahore from New York on Jan 15 and in Quetta on Jan 22.

His family declined to respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

More than 54 million people use TikTok in Pakistan, with authorities blocking the video-sharing app several times in recent years over content moderation.

Authorities take issue with what they term “obscene content” on the social media platform, which has lately started complying with requests to remove certain content.

Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan showed that in 2024, ‘honour’ killings continued to be a serious issue across Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab. From January to November, a total of 346 people fell victim to ‘honour’ crimes in the country.

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Govt decides to give fuming PTI a little more leeway

• Dialogue committee to continue working till Jan 31 as speaker says ‘doors still open’ for talks
• PTI woos JUI-F again to put up a joint front; Asad Qaiser and Kamran Murtaza tasked with making sure there are no misunderstandings this time around

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to give one more chance to the PTI to rejoin the dialogue after the opposition party did not turn up for the fourth round of talks on Tuesday, in which the government had promised to share its response to its charter of demands.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government negotiation team, said they would wait for the PTI until the end of the month.

“Following the meeting of the committee, which was skipped by the PTI, we (the government) sat together and decided… we will wait till Jan 31, the deadline given by the PTI for the fulfilment of their demands.”

He said the talks were “practically” at an end after the opposition party skipped the fourth round, adding that they would approach the prime minister for the dissolution of the body since he had formed this committee for talks.

Asked if the government had shared its response with the meeting, the PML-N senator said that the PTI would have found the response quite satisfactory had they attended the meeting on Tuesday. The senator said their response was quite close to the fulfilment of their demands. “More flexibility could have been shown by the government had the PTI not left the dialogue process,” he added.

“If they can approach the speaker by their deadline of January 31 or if they think this door should be opened again…then they can contact the speaker and our committee will still sit down and talk to them before the 31st, or even after that date we can continue this process,” he added.

Senator Siddiqui said the government “took this process forward with a lot of patience” and the onus was now on the other side to approach the NA speaker to restart this process.

In reply to a question about the government’s response to the PTI demands, he said their response was still unannounced. “…we won’t share publicly since it had been decided that this was a committee-to-committee matter and they (PTI) didn’t join,” he said, adding that PTI could have shared their disagreements in the meeting. The PML-N senator added that the committee would consider its next plan of action if the PTI reconsidered its decision.

Meanwhile, NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq said his doors remained open and expressed hopes that the opposition would hold talks to find a way forward.

“The committee met today. We waited for about 45 minutes for our friends in the opposition to come. We messaged the secretary to leader of the opposition who said ‘it seems like they won’t be coming to the meeting’,” he added.

“My doors remain open. I again express hopes for the government and the opposition to hold talks to find a way forward,” he said, adding, “In negotiations, you don’t put forward conditions first — you sit (for talks) and negotiate, where decisions are made on what is accepted and what isn’t, whether there is an alternate proposal.”

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told media persons the government team had come to the meeting with an answer to the PTI’s demands. “We had prepared for the talks; I wish they had come,” he said, noting that the talks are within the ambit of the constitution.

But later in the day, a scathing post on PTI founder Imran Khan’s official X account said the government was avoiding the formation of judicial commissions and that the PTI could not move forward without action on this demand.

“The fact is that when we came for negotiations for the sake of the country, they ran away in a panic as soon as they heard the demand of the commission because their intentions were flawed,” the tweet said.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told reporters in Islamabad that the party had already made it clear that it was not sitting down for talks for “hi hello or photo sessions”, adding that the government had still not announced the commissions as demanded.

PTI, JUI-F meet again

Meanwhile, the PTI stepped up its efforts to form a joint opposition front and called on the JUI-F leadership to join hands.

Both sides had decided to come on a single platform against the government earlier as well, but things did not move forward and the PTI started negotiating with the government to defuse tensions.

A delegation of PTI, led by Omer Ayub, visited the residence of JUI-F Mau­lana Fazlur Rehman and held initial consultations regarding the appointment of the chief election commissioner and two commission members.

“The government has not fulfilled any of the demands placed by us for the talks,” Mr Ayub said after the meeting.

“Neither the commission to probe November 26 and May 9 incidents has been formed, nor did the government release our workers and office bearers in accordance with the law. We have not been allowed to meet our leader Imran Khan without interference…” he said.

“It was during the negotiations that I was arrested outside Adiala jail, whe­reas the police recently raided the seminary of MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the chief of the Sunni Ittehad Council,” the PTI leader claimed.

JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza said the strained relations between the two parties that existed before the 26th amendment had been buried.

He added that a two-member committee, comprising himself and Asad Qaiser, had been established to ensure a smooth working relation. between the two parties.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025

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26th Constitutional Amendment based on ‘one letter’: IHC judge Kayani

Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior puisne judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Tuesday said that the 26th Constitutional Amendment — which brought numerous changes pertaining to the judiciary — was based on “one letter”.

Addressing the IHC Bar Association today, the judge lauded the efforts of Islamabad’s bar and lawyer bodies for preserving their rights and those of the nation.

“Only with the law’s correct interpretation and implementation can you see Pakistan on the destination of progress. For that, legal changes, even if it is the 26th Constitutional Amendment, cannot dissuade you from your purposes.

“Such stages have kept coming in Pakistan’s history but ponder this, that one letter has changed the entire system in Pakistan. I don’t need to mention it but you’re all witness that the 26th Constitutional Amendment is based on one letter.

“To what extent this is sustained? I hope that at the end the full bench of the Supreme Court hears and this issue will be resolved for the people of Pakistan and the sake of this country,” he said to applause from the audience.

The judge said the audience was part of the same system which faced a myriad of issues such as that of missing persons and attacks on personal freedoms that were visible to everyone.

Despite that, he said it was important to address the above and hoped that the legal community would play its role for which upright lawyers, judges and media personnel were needed.

Talking about complexes related to the Islamabad bars, he quipped: “The federal government and law ministry need to pay attention that where they bring about changes in the law so quickly, they should take part as promptly in the construction of this building. And the hope is that no one needs to write a letter for that.”

The judge did not elaborate on what letter he was referring to. However, he was one of the six IHC judges who wrote a startling letter in March last year to members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) regarding attempts to pressure judges through abduction and torture of their relatives as well as secret surveillance inside their homes.

Calls had subsequently emerged from various quarters for a probe into the investigation, amid which former chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa summoned a full court meeting of the apex court’s judges.

However, any action on the letter remains pending till now. The SJC in November considered different options concerning the letter and agreed to expand consultations, noting that the code of conduct of judges applied to heads of different institutions as well as judges.

Meanwhile, the Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2024 that became law in October last year is legislation that took away the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered the prime minister to appoint the next CJP from among the three most senior SC judges.

The amendment was criticised for the haste with which it was passed. The International Court of Jurists derided the “blow to judicial independence” when the 26th Amendment was signed into law.

Questions have arisen since then on the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court’s judge with calls for a full court bench to take up the appeals against the constitutional amendment and decide the matter.

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Google Maps to rename ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’ for US users

Google Maps will change the name of “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America” once it is officially updated in the United States Geographic Names System (GNIS), Google said in an X post on Monday.

“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” a spokesman for the search and tech giant said on Monday.

Google said the changes align with its policy of following official US government geographic designations through the GNIS and will come into effect once the GNIS is updated.

The change will be visible in the US but the name will remain “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico. Outside of the two countries, users will see both names on Google Maps.

The Trump administration’s Interior Department said on Friday it had officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and the Alaskan peak Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to Mount McKinley.

“As directed by the president, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America and North America’s highest peak will once again bear the name Mount McKinley,” the Interior Department said in a statement last week.

Google Maps, which is owned by Alphabet’s Google, will make a similar change with Mount McKinley.

President Donald Trump ordered the name changes as part of a flurry of executive actions hours after taking office on January 20, making good on a campaign promise.

The first change reverses then-president Barack Obama’s 2015 decision to officially recognise Denali, the name used by Alaska Natives for centuries for North America’s highest peak.

The second order renames the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” with the executive order citing its importance to US oil production, fishing and tourism.

The term Gulf of America was soon used by the US Coast Guard in a press release on enforcing Trump’s new crackdown on migrants, as well as by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, when discussing a winter storm.

The moves have sparked criticism from indigenous groups in Alaska, who have long advocated for maintaining the Denali name and raised diplomatic concerns with Mexico.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier this month jokingly suggested North America, including the US, be renamed “Mexican America” — a historic name used on an early map of the region.

Reached for comment, a Google spokesperson referred Reuters to the company’s X post.

Google has applied the same locale-based labelling conventions to other locations subject to naming disputes.

Outside of Japan and South Korea, the body of water bordering both nations is listed as the “Sea of Japan (East Sea)”.

In 2012, Iran threatened to take legal action against Google over its decision to drop the term “Persian Gulf” from its Google Maps and leave the waterway between Iran and the Arabian peninsula nameless.

The body of water is now labelled “Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)” in other countries.

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Law minister refuses to give date for CCI meeting

• PPP senators demand moot to discuss proposed canals
• Opposition, journalists walk out over Peca

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar has refused to commit to a date for convening the Council of Common Interests (CCI), to discuss the water-sharing dispute among provinces.

The issue of proposed canals on the Indus River cropped up once again in the Senate on Monday, when PPP members raised the issue and sought a meeting of the CCI, which has all four provincial chief ministers as its members.

Meanwhile, the opposition PTI walked out of the house after staging a noisy protest over the amendments in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.

Journalists also walked out of the media gallery in protest against the proposed legislation, most likely to be passed by the Upper House today (Tuesday), following approval from a Senate standing committee a day before.

Law Minister Tarar chided the opposition for disrupting the proceedings and said the protest was meaningless as the bill was not being passed today.

He said the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, which approved the bill, was headed by a PTI lawmaker.

ANP Senator Umar Farooq presented the committee’s report on the bill.

While expressing his reservations over the bill, he said it violated freedom of speech.

The amendments were moved in haste, Mr Farooq said, adding he was against them as per his party’s policy.

CCI meeting

The controversy over the government’s plan to build canals over the Indus river in Punjab to divert water for corporate farming in Cholistan once again echoed in the Senate.

Law Minister Nazeer Tarar assured the house that the project had already been discussed by the PPP and PML-N top leaders.

The issues would be “amicably” settled within the constitutional framework and water distribution formula under the 1991 agreement for resource distribution among provinces.

He assured PPP legislators that no decision would be made in haste without listening to Sindh and its people.

Mr Tarar added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wants to take along all coalition partners.

PPP’s Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro said neither a meeting of CCI was being convened on this matter nor was it being referred to the Senate’s standing committee concerned.

“A fire is raging in Sindh, as there is already no water in the system, and there is another canal project upon which we have grave reservations,” he said while referring to the widespread protests in the province.

Another PPP senator, Shahidat Awan, said the matter has to be taken up in CCI and wondered when the constitutional forum would meet.

Law Minister Tarar responded that there were logistical issues as the CCI meeting required the availability of all four chief ministers and other members.

The CCI will meet in due course, the minister said, but refused to commit a date.

Mr Ghumro also criticised the government’s claim that the existing water share of provinces would remain intact even if the canals were built.

He said political parties had opposed the Kalabagh Dam on the same grounds that the provinces’ share would be affected.

He pointed out that the Punjab Planning and Development Department had also opposed the project.

Another PPP senator, Bilal Ahmad Mandokhail, also cautioned that the issue was becoming another “Kalabagh dam-like situation”.

The project, he claimed, would even deprive the farmers in Punjab of water.

Even if the water for corporate farming was diverted out of Punjab’s share, it would mean “economic murder” of the province’s farmers.

“Where would you bring this additional water from?” he asked, adding if Punjab had surplus water, it should be given to Sindh and Balochistan.

Senator Palwasha Khan of PPP said both Sindh and Punjab would suffer if the project was executed.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2025

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May 9 GHQ attack case: Rawalpindi ATC rejects Imran Khan’s acquittal plea

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday rejected an acquittal plea by PTI founder Imran Khan in a case concerning the attack on the army’s General Head­quarters during violent protests on May 9, 2023.

The May 9 protests turned violent as supporters torched and vandalised state buildings and military installations, prompted by the arrest of the PTI founder in a corruption case. Following the event, the government launched a crackdown on PTI leaders and supporters, following which several arrests were made. However, many of the leaders were granted bail.

Imran was indicted in the case on December 5 last year. The PTI founder, who has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail since August 2023, was arrested by the Rawalpindi police in the May 9 protest case in January 2024. He, however, filed an application seeking acquittal.

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah presided over a hearing for the case today. The prosecution argued that the trial was still ongoing and the testimony of 12 witnesses had already been recorded, adding that it was not appropriate to listen to the acquittal plea at this stage and that the prosecution should be allowed to record witness testimonies.

Imran’s appeal was subsequently dismissed by the judge and the hearing adjourned.

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India’s Modi says spoke to US President Trump over phone

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke in a phone call on Monday, Modi said in a post on X, the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump’s inauguration last week.

“We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership,” Modi said in the post, adding that he also congratulated his “dear friend” on his historic second term in office.

“We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security,” Modi said.

The United States is India’s largest trading partner and two-way trade between the two countries surpassed $118 billion in 2023/24, with India posting a trade surplus of $32bn.

Indian and US diplomats are trying to arrange a meeting of the two leaders as early as February, Reuters reported last week.

India, a strategic partner of the United States in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade relations with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas.

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Trumpian purge

IN his efforts to restore America’s supposed greatness, Donald Trump has launched a crackdown on migrants — mostly undocumented but also some with papers.

Soon after re-entering the White House a week ago, the US president signed a raft of executive orders designed to deliver on his campaign promises. These orders have included the rounding up of migrants signalling the start of what the White House press secretary has termed “the largest massive deportation operation in history”.

Moreover, a ‘Muslim ban-plus’ has been announced; it goes even further than the 2017 order, which prevented citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the US.

Foreign students in America who dare to speak up for Palestine also risk being put on a plane back home. Also, the US president has frozen the asylum and refugee programmes; at least 25,000 Afghans waiting to move to the US in Pakistan now find themselves in limbo.

For Mr Trump and his MAGA support base, these moves are necessary to preserve what they view as the American way of life. The fact is that the world over, the far right tends to blame foreigners and migrants for all of society’s ills.

And as history shows, such developments have occurred previously as well. For example, Chinese individuals were barred from entering the US under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

For the atavist in Donald Trump, these are probably models worthy of emulation to restore America’s ‘greatness’. Yet it should be noted that Mr Trump himself has a close connection with migration. His wife Melania was born in Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia, while his late ex-wife Ivana was born in communist Czechoslovakia.

If the directives President Trump is championing had been in effect then, both these women from socialist countries would have likely been kept out of the US. Clearly, the US leader does not have a problem with all migrants.

He once observed that America should admit more people from countries like Norway, and not Haiti and El Salvador. Perhaps the colour of one’s skin, and the religion one follows, are the key determinants qualifying one as a ‘good’ migrant in Mr Trump’s world.

Immigrants from around the world have made the US what it is today. Yet these realities matter little to the champions and supporters of Trumpism. Mr Trump’s moves are likely to fuel greater racism and xenophobia in the US, as all foreigners will be seen as standing in the way of America’s greatness.

The US is basically following Europe’s lead, where the far right has practically declared war on migrants. People from across the globe who seek to reach American shores must now accept the new reality: Mr Trump has pulled the welcome mat.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2025

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Trump border czar defends school, church raids

Donald Trump’s border czar on Sunday defended raiding churches and schools as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration while acknowledging that deporting all undocumented people in the United States was not “realistic.”

Trump began his second term on Monday with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling US immigration. His administration quickly moved to ramp up deportations, including by relaxing rules governing enforcement actions at “sensitive” locations such as schools, churches and workplaces.

Asked about the rule change, Tom Homan, a former head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tapped to oversee Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, said on Sunday that it sends a clear message.

“There’s consequences of entering the country illegally. If we don’t show there’s consequences, you’re never going to fix the border problem,” he told ABC News’ ‘This Week’ programme.

Such actions would nonetheless be made on a “case by case” basis, he said, noting that “many” members of gangs such as MS-13 are teenagers. If there’s a “national security threat or a public safety threat that’s in one of these facilities, then it should be an option,” he said.

On Thursday, leaders of three Catholic organisations blasted the rule change, saying in a joint statement that “turning places of care, healing and solace into places of fear and uncertainty for those in need… will not make our communities safer.”

When pressed on the Catholic opposition, Homan stood firm. “We’re enforcing laws Congress enacted and the president signed. If they don’t like it, change the law.”

Vice President JD Vance, who was also asked about the Catholic pushback in an interview broadcast on Sunday, accused one group of being worried about losing funds in the immigration crackdown.

“I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognise that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” he told CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ programme.

All eyes during Trump’s first week in office have been on immigration enforcement and deportations, though it was unclear to what extent actions have increased from predecessor Joe Biden.

ICE said in posts on X that it had made 593 arrests on Friday and 286 arrests on Saturday.

In the 2024 federal fiscal year, agency data shows ICE made 113,431 arrests, or around 310 per day.

Homan called on Congress to pass additional funding for dealing with those arrested.

“We’re gonna need more ICE beds, a minimum of 100,000. Congress needs to come to the table quick and give us the money we need to secure that border,” he told ABC News. “We’re going to try to be efficient. But with more money we have, the more we can accomplish. “

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Senate confirms Hegseth as US defence secretary in close vote

WASHINGTON: Pete Hegseth narrowly secured enough votes on Friday to become the next US defence secretary, a major victory for President Donald Trump after fierce opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans to his controversial nominee.

Hegseth was confirmed after a 50-50 vote in the Senate, when Vice President JD Vance came to the chamber to break the tie in his role as president of the Senate, after three Republicans joined every Democrat and independent in voting no.

Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and decorated veteran, is promising to bring major changes to the Pentagon. But his leadership will be under intense scrutiny after a bruising confirmation review that raised se­­rious questions about his qualifications, temperament and views about women in combat.

Hegseth is the most divisive candidate to clinch the US military’s top job, a position that has historically gone to candidates with deep experience running large organisations and who enjoy broad bipartisan support.

Confirmation comes after VP Vance breaks tie

It was only the second time in history a cabinet nominee needed a tie-break to be confirmed. The first was also a Trump nominee, Betsy DeVos, who became secretary of education in 2017.

The three Republican senators who voted against Hegseth were Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell, who was the party’s leader in the chamber until this month.

McConnell said Hegseth had failed to demonstrate that he had the ability to effectively manage an organisation as large and complex as the military. “Mere desire to be a change agent is not enough to fill these shoes,” McConnell said in a statement.

The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said in a statement he would watch Hegseth “like a hawk” and “demand accountability”.

Hegseth will lead 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1m civilians who work for the US military, which has a nearly $1 trillion annual budget. Hegseth told lawmakers that, up until this point, the largest group he had managed was 100 people and the largest budget was $16 million.

His nomination was rocked by a series of accusations, including one this week by his former sister-in-law, who said he abused his second wife to the extent that she hid in a closet and had a code word to use with friends if she had to be rescued. Hegseth strongly denied the accusations and his wife had previously denied any physical abuse.

Ahead of Friday’s vote, Trump had admonished two fellow Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who voted against Hegseth in a procedural test vote on Thursday.

“I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do that,” Trump told reporters on Friday morning.

But most Senate Republicans fell into line to defend the nominee who they said would res­tore a “warrior” mentality to the US military.

Hegseth has criticised diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, and, in his latest book, asked whether the top US general has the job because he is Black. Reuters has previously reported about the possibility mass firing among top brass, something Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out during his confirmation process.

For years, Hegseth also strongly opposed women in combat roles but walked back that stance as he courted support for his confirmation, including from military veterans like Republican Senator Joni Ernst.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2025

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Elon Musk addresses German far-right rally by video link

US tech billionaire Elon Musk gave a video address to a campaign rally of Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Saturday, his latest show of support ahead of the country’s election next month.

Musk told a gathering of thousands of AfD supporters in the eastern city of Halle that their party was “the best hope for the future of Germany”.

Musk has raised concern from some mainstream leaders who have accused him of interfering in European politics with comments on his social platform X about politicians in countries including Germany and Britain.

He also drew criticism this week for making a public hand gesture that was seen by some as resembling a straight-armed Nazi salute.

“The German people are really an ancient nation which goes back thousands of years,” he said in Saturday’s address. “I even read Julius Caesar was very impressed (by) the German tribes,” he said, urging the supporters to “fight, fight, fight” for their country’s future.

He said the AfD wanted “more self-determination for Germany and for the countries in Europe and less from Brussels”, a reference to European Union authorities.

Musk is a close associate of US President Donald Trump, who has appointed him to head a new department of “government efficiency” in his administration.

Like Trump, the AfD opposes immigration, denies climate change, rails against gender politics and has declared war on a political establishment and mainstream media it condemns as censorious.

Ahead of Germany’s February 23 elections, it is polling at around 20 per cent, a new record for a party that has already shattered a decades-old taboo against the far right in postwar Germany. The mainstream conservative grouping CDU/CSU leads on about 30pc.

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PTI MNA Junaid Akbar becomes head of Public Accounts Committee

ISLAMABAD: Member of the National Assembly Junaid Akbar Khan, belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), was unanimously elected as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during a meeting on Friday.

JUNAID Akbar Khan

The position had been vacant since the February 2024 general elections, which brought the PML-N government to power.

The election process was completed over a month after NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had asked both sides of the aisle in the lower house of parliament to nominate candidates for the PAC chairmanship within a week.

The PAC chairmanship is usually held by leader of the opposition or their nominee, though there is no legal requirement for this parliamentary tradition.

The Friday election followed nominations by senior political figures, including PML-N’s chief whip Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, and Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz. These nominations were supported by other prominent members, such as Riaz Fatiana, Malik Aamir Dogar, and Sardar Muhammad Yousuf Zaman.

In his letter to Speaker Sadiq, PTI chief whip Aamir Dogar nominated four persons, including himself, for PAC’s chairman election. The other nominees were Omar Ayub, Sheikh Waqqas Akram and Junaid Akbar.

Following his election, Junaid Akbar Khan expressed his gratitude to all the members and assured them of an inclusive leadership style. “I am committed to working hard and take along all my colleagues,” he remarked. The committee members congratulated him and pledged their full support in ensuring the smooth and effective functioning of the PAC.

The PTI had earlier nominated Sher Afzal Marwat for the role but then replaced him with party’s spokesperson She­ikh Waqqas, before ultimately endorsing Junaid Akbar.

According to party sources, certain PTI leaders objected to the name of Mr Marwat. Subsequently, the matter was referred to its political committee to pick either him or Sunni Ittehad Council leader Sahibzada Hamid Raza.

However, sources said, the committee later held an election between Mr Marwat and Sheikh Waqqas instead of the SIC leader during which the members consented to the latter’s name.

The sources added that some party leaders had reservations over the election’s process after which the name of Mr Waqqas, too, was dropped. Finally, Junaid Akbar was elected to the position that had been lying vacant for almost a year.

The PAC, which is usually chaired by the opposition leader or his nominee, is responsible for keeping a check on government spending. Being one of the most influential parliamentary bodies, it holds the authority to summon individuals and review financial records from government departments to ensure accountability.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025

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Trump says he will order Fema overhaul on tour of disaster-hit North Carolina

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would like to get rid of the main federal agency that responds to natural disasters during a visit to areas of North Carolina that were devastated by Hurricane Helene in September.

Trump, on his first trip since reclaiming the presidency on Monday, accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) of bungling emergency relief efforts in North Carolina. He vowed to sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally overhauling or eliminating the agency.

“Fema has turned out to be a disaster,” he said during a tour of a neighbourhood destroyed by Helene where trees were downed and homes had boarded-up windows. “I think we recommend that Fema go away.”

Fema brings in emergency personnel, supplies and equipment to help areas begin to recover from natural disasters, and funding for the agency has soared in recent years as extreme weather events increase the demand for its services.

The agency, which has 10 regional offices and employs more than 20,000 people across the country, was run for the last four years by Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration.

During a briefing about recovery efforts, the Republican Trump promised to speedily help North Carolina “get the help you need” to rebuild. He said he would prefer that states be given federal money to handle disasters themselves rather than rely on Fema to do the job.

Trump complained that Biden did not do enough to help western North Carolina recover from the hurricane, an accusation the Biden administration rejected as misinformation.

Trump also sharply criticised Democratic officials’ response to wildfires in Los Angeles that have caused widespread destruction this month. His Republican colleagues in Congress have threatened to withhold disaster aid for the region.

Trump was due to visit Los Angeles later in the day while three massive blazes still threaten that region.

Newsom to greet Trump in Los Angeles

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump threatened to withhold aid to California and repeated a false claim that the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, and other officials have refused to provide water from the northern part of the state to fight the fires.

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water flow down,” Trump said. He has falsely claimed that Newsom, a Democrat, prioritised the preservation of endangered fish over public safety. Newsom has said there is no connection between the fish and the fire.

The governor told reporters on Thursday that he planned to be on hand at Los Angeles International Airport to greet Trump. “I look forward to being there on the tarmac to thank the president and welcome him,” Newsom said.

Trump has accused Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — who was out of the country when the fires broke out — of “gross incompetence,” pointing to what he called a lack of preparation and ineffective or harmful water management policies.

Water shortages caused some hydrants to run dry in affluent Pacific Palisades, hindering the early response. When the fires broke out, one of the reservoirs that could have supplied more water to the area was empty for a year. Officials have promised an investigation into why it was dry.

Mayor Bass and fire officials have said the hydrants were not designed to deal with such a massive disaster and stressed the unprecedented nature of the fires.

Trump has focused some of his criticism on California’s complicated policies for sharing the plentiful water supply found in the northern part of the state with the parched south. The diversion results in the discharge of some water into the ocean, something Trump has depicted as a callous waste.

Newsom has dismissed those attacks as groundless, and experts have said that the diversions, in part designed to protect agricultural interests, have played little or no part in the difficulties encountered in fighting the fires.

Since the fires broke out on January 7, they have killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, authorities say. Much of Southern California remains under a red-flag warning for extreme fire risk due to strong, dry winds.

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Sindh to close educational institutions on Jan 28 to mark Shab-i-Meraj

The Sindh government has announced that all educational institutions in the province will be closed to mark the occasion of Shab-i-Meraj, according to an official notification issued on Friday.

According to the notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, all public and private educational institutions will remain closed on January 28 (Tuesday) on account of Shab-i-Meraj.

Shab-i-Meraj, is observed on the 27th of Rajab to commemorate the Holy Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Night of Ascent.

Schools and workplaces are typically closed to observe the holiday, which occurs every year.

Muslims offer prayers and attend religious gatherings to celebrate the occasion.

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French mother sentenced to life for daughter’s death by starvation

A French woman was sentenced on Friday to life in prison for starving her daughter to death, who died of a heart attack in 2020 at the age of 13 after years of abuse.

Sandrine Pissarra, 54, was convicted of inflicting acts of torture and barbarity against her daughter Amandine at the trial in the southern city of Montpellier. She must serve a minimum of 20 years behind bars before being eligible for parole, according to the terms of the sentence.

The verdict, the maximum sentence for the crime and in line with what prosecutors demanded, was agreed by a panel of three professional judges and six members of the public serving as a jury.

Pissarra’s ex-partner, Jean-Michel Cros, 49, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for depriving Amandine of care. His sentence, which carried no possibility of parole, was more severe than the 18 years demanded by prosecutors although he could have faced up to 30 years.

When Amandine died on August 6, 2020, she weighed just 28 kilogrammes while being 1.55 metres tall. She had also suffered extreme weight and muscle loss as well as septicaemia, according to the medical report after her death. She had also lost several teeth and had her hair pulled out.

Amandine had been locked for weeks in a windowless storage room and deprived of food.

From a very young age, Amandine was the victim of blows, including with brooms, punches, kicks, hair pulling, repeated shouting, insults and jostling, prosecutor Jean-Marie Beney said.

For Pissarra, “domestic tyrant, dictator of the home, executioner of Amandine, there can only be one sentence — a life term with a minimum of 20 years served in prison,” said the prosecutor.

‘Humiliating agony’

Questioned the day after her daughter’s death in the village of Montblanc southwest of Montpellier, Pissarra said Amandine suffered from eating disorders — a claim not confirmed by anyone else.

She said that on the day of her death, Amandine had agreed to swallow only a piece of sugar, a little fruit puree and a high-protein drink before she started to vomit and then stopped breathing.

The mother, who had been running a nail salon, has eight children from three relationships. She has been in custody since May 2021.

The prosecutor had termed Cros meanwhile a “cowardly collaborator” who “deprived Amandine of care until her death”.

The investigating magistrate in charge of the case said in a report there was “no doubt” Amandine endured violence from her mother, “the sole purpose of which was to drag her into shameful and humiliating agony”.

Amandine had from a young age been targeted by her mother, who deprived her of food, inflicted endless “writing punishments” on her and locked her in a storage room under the surveillance of cameras, it said.

According to the psychiatric assessment, Sandrine Pissarra, described by those around her as angry and violent, was seeking to “transfer her hatred” of Amandine’s father onto her daughter’s body.

One of the mother’s lawyers, Jean-Marc Darrigade said earlier that while there was an indisputable “individual responsibility” on her part, “there is also a collective responsibility”.

He had asked the jurors to pronounce a “fair, reasonable sentence”, which would allow her to “return to society” without being “an old lady”.

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Balochistan offers immense investment opportunities: CM Bugti

QUETTA: Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has said Balochis­tan is Pakistan’s gateway to regional and global trade, highlighting that the province offers immense investment opportunities and has the potential to become a leading economic hub for the global community.

“Balochistan is emerging as an attractive destination for investors worldwide, and we are committed to steering it further on the path of development,” he said while addressing an international event organised by the Pathfinder Group in Switzerland.

The chief minister was the guest of honour at the event on Wednesday, which was atten­ded by business leaders and development experts from across the globe.

According to CM House officials, Mr Bugti in his address highlighted that Pakistan, with its population of 240 million, boasts a significant proportion of youth, serving as a crucial asset for the country’s development.

“Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, covering 44pc of the country’s landmass, is rich in natural resources, holds a strategic location, and offers vast economic potential. It is undoubtedly Pakistan’s gateway to regional and global trade,” he said.

He emphasised the strategic importance of Gwadar Port as the cornerstone of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and underscored Baloc­h­istan’s abundant resources, including the Reko Diq copper-gold reserves, chromite, marble, and vast natural gas deposits, as unmatched opportunities for global investors.

CM Bugti also shed light on the province’s agriculture and fisheries sectors, which are ripe for investment.

“Balochistan produces high-quality dates, apples, pomegranates, and grapes, while its coastal areas offer vast prospects for fisheries and aquaculture,” he said.

To facilitate investment, he pointed out the establishment of special economic zones like the Gwadar Free Zone, offering tax exemptions, duty-free machinery imports, and other investor-friendly incentives.

He also mentioned the government’s focus on infrastructure development to connect markets and communities, thereby fostering economic growth.

“Development is not just about economic growth but about bringing positive changes in people’s lives,” he remarked. The provincial government, he said, is prioritising education, healthcare, and employment while ensuring local communities are integrated into development projects to share the benefits equitably.

Inviting global investors, CM Bugti stated: “Balochistan stands on the threshold of a new era of progress. Leveraging these investment opportunities can pave the way for development not only in Balochistan but across Pakistan and for the global community.”

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2025

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US judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order

A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday blocked US President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing an executive order curtailing the right to automatic birthright citizenship in the United States, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional”.

US District Judge John Coughenour at the urging of four Democratic-led states issued a temporary restraining order preventing the administration from enforcing the order, which the Republican president signed on Monday during his first day in office.

“This is [a] blatantly unconstitutional order,” the judge told a lawyer with the US Justice Department defending Trump’s order.

The order has already become the subject of five lawsuits by civil rights groups and Democratic attorneys general from 22 states, who call it a flagrant violation of the US Constitution.

“Under this order, babies being born today don’t count as US citizens,” Washington Assistant Attorney General Lane Polozola told Senior US District Judge John Coughenour at the start of a hearing in Seattle.

Polozola — on behalf of Democratic state attorneys general from Washington state, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon — urged the judge to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from carrying out this key element of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The challengers argue that Trump’s action violates the right enshrined in the citizenship clause of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment that provides that anyone born in the United States is a citizen.

Trump in his executive order directed US agencies to refuse to recognise the citizenship of children born in the United States if neither their mother nor father is a US citizen or legal permanent resident.

In a brief filed late on Wednesday, the US Justice Department called the order an “integral part” of the president’s efforts “to address this nation’s broken immigration system and the ongoing crisis at the southern border”.

The lawsuit filed in Seattle has been progressing more quickly than the four other cases brought over the executive order. It has been assigned to Coughenour, an appointee of Republican former president Ronald Reagan.

The judge potentially could rule from the bench after hearing arguments, or he could wait to write a decision ahead of Trump’s order taking effect.

Under the order, any children born after February 19 whose mothers or fathers are not citizens or lawful permanent residents would be subject to deportation and would be prevented from obtaining Social Security numbers, various government benefits and the ability as they get older to work lawfully.

More than 150,000 newborn children would be denied citizenship annually if Trump’s order is allowed to stand, according to the Democratic-led states.

Democratic state attorneys general have said that the understanding of the Constitution’s citizenship clause was cemented 127 years ago when the US Supreme Court held that children born in the United States to non-citizen parents are entitled to American citizenship.

The 14th Amendment was adopted in 1868 following the Civil War and overturned the Supreme Court’s notorious 1857 Dred Scott decision that had declared that the Constitution’s protections did not apply to enslaved Black people.

But the Justice Department in its brief argued that the 14th Amendment had never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born in the country and that the Supreme Court’s 1898 ruling in United States v Wong Kim Ark concerned only children of permanent residents.

The Justice Department said the case by the four states also “flunks multiple threshold hurdles”. The department said that only individuals, not states, can pursue claims under the citizenship clause and that the states lack the necessary legal standing to sue over Trump’s order.

Thirty-six of Trump’s Republican allies in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday separately introduced legislation to restrict automatic citizenship to only children born to citizens or lawful permanent residents.

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Rubio prioritises ties with India to counter China

• Jaishankar dismisses possibility of trade with Pakistan
• Diplomats trying to arrange Modi-Trump meeting

WASHINGTON: Following the inauguration of Donald Trump, India has flexed its muscle in the US, with its foreign minister being among the first to meet the newly-minted secretary of state, and efforts already underway to arrange a meeting between the new US president and Narendra Modi.

Indian Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, whose meeting with Marco Rubio marked the latter’s first bilateral engagement after taking office, also held a press conference, where he dismissed the possibility of resuming trade with Pakistan any time soon.

Rubio’s tenure began with a clear focus on countering China’s expanding influence, underscoring the US reliance on India as a strategic counterbalance in the Asia-Pacific region.

On his first day in office, Rubio’s multilateral meetings prioritised the Quad nations — India, Japan, and Australia. US media outlets interpreted these moves as a signal that Rubio’s foreign policy agenda aims to elevate India’s role as a pivotal US partner in the Asia-Pacific.

Analysts predict this shift will carry significant implications for US relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Trump-Modi meeting

Meanwhile, Indian and US diplomats are trying to arrange a February meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington, Reuters reported.

Although it’s not certain the leaders will meet in February, sources told Reuters a bilateral meeting was possible later in the year, including when leaders of the Quad grouping meet at an annual summit, to be hosted by India.

As a senator, Rubio had championed legislative measures to designate India as a key US ally, comparable to Japan, Israel, and Nato countries, particularly in the context of technology transfers.

However, Rubio’s pivot toward India has raised concerns for Pakistan.

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Wilson Centre in Washington, observed, “The next White House will likely accord relatively little priority to relations with Pakistan, though it may increase pressure on Islamabad to ease up on its alliance with Beijing”.

Trade with Pakistan

While fielding questions from reporters at the Indian embassy in Washington, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that there had been no talks on trade between his country and Pakistan, nor had there been any proposals to resume the flow of commerce, Dawn.com reported.

In response to a question about trade with Pakistan, Jaishankar said: “After last year, there have been no talks with Pakistan about trade, nor has any initiative come forward from their side.”

He further claimed about the situation between the neighbours: “We never stopped trade. Any steps taken to stop trade with India were taken from their side in 2019.

“Our concern from the beginning was that they never granted us (Most Favoured Nation) status, even though we granted it to them,” he said.

Last August, Pakistan’s Foreign Office had said trade with India was not on the cards, citing the unchanged situation in Indian-held Kashmir since the events of 2019.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2025

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Indian FM Jaishankar says ‘no talks’ held on trade with Pakistan

Indian Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday said that there had been no talks on trade between his country and Pakistan, nor had there been any proposals to resume the flow of commerce.

Delhi’s top diplomat made the remarks while fielding questions from reporters at the Indian embassy in Washington, where he had travelled to attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday.

In response to a question about trade with Pakistan, Jaishankar said: “After last year, there have been no talks with Pakistan about trade, nor has any initiative come forward from their side.”

He further said about the situation between the neighbours: “We never stopped trade. Any steps taken to stop trade with India were taken from their side in 2019. Our concern from the beginning was that they never granted us MFN (Most Favoured Nation) status, even though we granted it to them.”

Pakistan, under the government of then-prime minister Imran Khan, had downgraded diplomatic relations with New Delhi and suspended all bilateral trade in August 2019, when India revoked occupied Kashmir’s special status by repealing Article 370 of its constitution.

Last August, the Foreign Office (FO) had said trade with India was not on the cards, citing the unchanged situation in Indian-held Kashmir since the 2019 events that led to the initial suspension.

“The situation remains intact, and at this point, there are no bilateral talks between the two countries with respect to bilateral trade between Pakistan and India,” then-FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had said while responding to a question regarding India’s lack of reciprocation to Pakistan’s overtures for restoring trade relations.

In March 2024, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had said that the relevant stakeholders would “seriously examine” the trade situation with India as he highlighted the concerns of the business community.

Leaders of the PML-N government have on multiple occasions, since coming to office last year, expressed the administration’s willingness to reevaluate trade relations with India

In March 2021, the Economic Coordination Committee had announced it would allow the private sector to import 0.5 million tonnes of white sugar from India and cotton via the Wagah border. However, the decision was reversed within days following severe criticism from the opposition.

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A fleeting peace

THE guns have gone silent in Gaza with the ceasefire coming into effect, as life limps back to what is considered normal in the enclave, devastated by incessant Israeli bombing for the past 15 months.

But the war is far from over with the Zionist regime still not willing to end its occupation. It’s only the first phase of the three-stage truce process that is being implemented; there are still questions about Israel fulfilling its promise of complete withdrawal.

An eerie calm prevails, with the people of Gaza continuing to live under siege. Two Palestinian men, including a teenager, were killed by Israeli forces hours after the ceasefire started.

The Israeli prime minister has threatened to resume military operations if the second phase of the truce doesn’t work. There is still no mention of an independent Palestinian state.

It is a tentative peace with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning to the rubble that was once their home. There are still dead bodies buried underneath. Each one of them has lost a family member or acquaintance in the genocide that has left more than 46,000 people dead and thousands of others gravely injured. Most of them are children.

Yet the resilience of the people who have gone through a genocidal war is indomitable. The spectacle of thousands of people celebrating the ceasefire, waving Palestinian flags on the streets of the devastated enclave underscores their resolve in the face of adversity. Israel’s military might, backed by the United States, has failed to destroy the resistance.

Hamas was back taking charge immediately after the ceasefire. Thousands of Hamas fighters have re-emerged from hiding and have re-established control over the enclave. It was apparent that despite the horror it has wrought Israel has failed to achieve its main objective of eliminating the resistance groups.

According to some reports, more recruits have joined the militant outfits, replacing the fighters who were killed by Israeli forces.

The resilience of the people who have gone through a genocidal war is indomitable.

After months of hectic diplomatic engagements that involved Qatar, Egypt and the US, the two sides finally reached a ceasefire agreement last week. The main resistance to the truce had come from Tel Aviv, which was not willing to withdraw its forces from the occupied territory. The three-phase deal finally came through just days before the installation of Donald Trump as US president.

Interestingly, there was no significant change in the peace draft that has been on the table since May last year. There are several factors that seem to have led to the change of stance by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

It may be true that pressure from Donald Trump forced the right-wing Israeli government to step back from its hard-line position. Trump had repeatedly threatened that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released ahead of his January 20 inauguration.

And surely it did happen with some arm-twisting by Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. According to media reports quoting some Arab diplomats involved in the negotiations, a “tense” weekend meeting between PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Witkoff led to a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations.

The first part of the three-phased deal began with a six-week ceasefire and the exchange of the first batch of three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in October 2023, and some 90 Palestinian prisoners by Tel Aviv.

Over the next six weeks, if the deal holds 33 of the roughly 100 remaining hostages still in Gaza, living and dead, and more than 1,000 imprisoned Palestinians held in Israel will be released.

In the second phase a permanent ceasefire would follow complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The third phase envisages reconstruction process lasting from three to five years.

It all sounds good on paper but there is a strong suspicion that Israel, under pressure from its far right, would not abide by the agreement in the second phase. Some coalition members of the Netanyahu government are already talking about not extending the ceasefire to the second phase, which would really mark the effective end of the war.

It remains to be seen how the Trump administration would allow the deal to fall apart. President Trump, who has claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire deal, last week declared that he would build up the momentum of the freshly agreed upon Gaza ceasefire deal to expand the “historic” Abraham Accords.

The US-backed agreements struck during his first term normalised Israel’s relations with several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. “We will continue promoting peace through strength throughout the region” the new US president said.

President Trump would seek to broaden the deal to include major Arab power Saudi Arabia. During his previous term he succeeded to bring Tel Aviv and Riyadh closer. But Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza has halted the move.

Riyadh has said it will not consider normalising relations until Israel commits to a “credible path” to a Palestinian state. “Normalisation and true stability will only come through … giving the Palestinians a state,” declared the Saudi foreign minister.

While there is no indication that the new administration in Washington would press Israel to agree to the two-state solution, President Trump appears optimistic that Saudi Arabia could still be persuaded to come into the fold of the Abraham Accords.

One is not sure that Trump’s Middle East project would work without Israel accepting the two-state solution. In fact, some senior members of Mr Trump’s nominated cabinet favour a further or even complete Israeli annexation of the West Bank, which could make a viable Palestinian state almost impossible. In such a situation there is no hope of ending the Middle East conflict.

Indeed, the ceasefire, along with provisions to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, has provided some relief to the hapless population. But a temporary peace and opening of the food supply cannot heal the wounds of such relentless oppression.

The most crucial question is whether the Palestinians would be able to get their rights and have full control over their land and their lives. How can people in Gaza live in peace while being under an everlasting state of siege?

The writer is an author and journalist.

zhussain100@yahoo.com

X: @hidhussain

Published in Dawn, January 22th, 2025

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