US seeks Pakistan’s help to balance China’s mineral grip

• Critical Minerals Forum chief meets Aurangzeb
• Islamabad welcomes move; asks team to revert with a detailed framework for collaboration

ISLAMABAD: A leading US delegation met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad on Friday, seeking to build secure and transparent mineral supply chains for American industry amid Washington’s growing concerns over China’s upper hand in global rare earth materials.

The delegation led by Robert Louis Strayer II, president of the US government-funded Critical Minerals Forum (CMF), “discussed avenues of cooperation in the minerals and mining sector, strengthening supply-chain security, and encouraging responsible and sustainable investment in Pakistan’s critical minerals landscape” with a Pakistani team headed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, according to an official statement.

The meeting took place as the US and India announced a 10-year defence framework agreement.

The CMF’s focus is driven by the strategic threat posed by Beijing’s control over key resources. “China’s dominance of critical mineral supply chains has become a well-known threat to US national security, economic competitiveness, and long-term strategic objectives,” Strayer wrote in his only article on the CMF website.

Mr Strayer told Pakistan that the CMF is working globally to support reliable supply chains for US industry, particularly in emerging markets.

The forum, he said, “focused on rare and niche metals, including copper and antimony, and aims to de-risk investments from both financial and security perspectives”.

He also promised a commitment to support technology transfer, intel­lectual property protection, and US private-sector investor confidence.

Mr Strayer noted that the US viewed Pakistan’s science, engineering, and mathematics talent as a competitive advantage and “acknowledged Pakistan’s potential to become a future hub for critical mineral development,” the statement added.

Natalie Baker, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad who accompanied the delegation, noted the Embassy’s support for American commercial engagement in Pakis­tan and “emphasised the importance of ensuring strong investor confidence and enabling regulatory frameworks in the minerals sector”.

In response, Mr Aurangzeb said Pakistan is working on significant legal and regulatory reforms and would welcome structured proposals. “We encourage you to return with a detailed framework for collaboration. Pakistan will evaluate it with a view to facilitating responsible investment and ensuring mutual benefit,” the minister said.

Mr Aurangzeb also positioned Pakistan as navigating a complex geopolitical landscape, highlighting its strengthened partnerships. “Pakistan today stands at a constructive intersection of global relationships—renewed momentum in Pakistan-US ties, time-tested relations with China, and forward-looking strategic cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.

He stressed that Pakistan’s mineral sector represents a “transformational opportunity” that could shift the country from “consumption-driven cycles to export-led growth.”

He added, “A strong minerals policy framework will help Pakistan break the cycle of periodic balance-of-payments pressures and reduce future reliance on multilateral support.”

The minister also updated the delegation that during his recent visit to Washington he met multiple global financial institutions, including Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), which expressed interest in expanding investments in Pakistan.

US stakeholders are concerned about China’s growing control over global critical minerals. The CMF president noted Chinese dominance stems from government subsidies, vertical integration, and lax regulations, especially in processing, which is energy and compliance-dependent, contrasting with US under-investment.

According to the influential US Atlantic Council, critical minerals are foundational to the modern economy and state power, essential for advanced technologies in energy, military, and commercial applications. They range from permanent magnets in fighter jets to batteries in electric vehicles.

The Atlantic Council warned that these “supply chains have become increasingly brittle: concentrated in a handful of countries, overwhelmingly refined in China, and increasingly exposed to extreme weather disruption.” It noted that China has shown a “willingness to weaponise its dominance”, tightening export restrictions on materials like graphite and antimony in retaliation for US trade controls.

However, a major obstacle to US investment remains, Strayer said, citing the “unusually high uncertainty of both production costs and mineral prices”.

He added that this uncertainty has “a chilling effect on new investment by profit-seeking companies, as investors prefer to make investments in projects with higher risk-adjusted expected profits.”

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025

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Govt hikes petrol price by Rs2.43, high-speed diesel by Rs3.02

The federal government on Friday night increased the price of petrol by Rs2.43 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.02 per litre for the next fortnight.

In a late-night announcement, the Ministry of Finance said the revision followed movements in international markets and recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and relevant ministries.

According to the notification, the price of petrol now stands at Rs265.45 per litre from Rs263.02 per litre. Meanwhile, the price of diesel has increased to Rs278.44 per litre from Rs275.42 per litre.

Most of the transport sec­tor runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly 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.

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

Ogra also notified a Rs5.88 per kilogram (2.83pc) cut in LPG’s consumer price to Rs201.60 per kg (from Rs207.49 per kg).

The price of an 11.8kg cylinder has been set at Rs2,378.89 for November, down Rs69.44 from Rs2,448.53 for October. The government charges about Rs37,342 per tonne in GST and petroleum levy on LPG.

The government charges about Rs99 per litre on both petrol and diesel. Although the general sales tax (GST) is zero on all the petroleum products, the government charges Rs79.50 per litre on diesel and Rs80.52 per litre on petrol and high-octane products on account of the petrol levy and climate support levy.

It also charges about Rs17-18 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD, irrespective of their local production or imports. In addition, about Rs17 per litre of distribution and sales margins are going to oil companies and their dealers. Petrol and HSD dominate consumption at 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes a month compared to about 10,000 tonnes for kerosene.

Petroleum levy collections reached Rs1.161 trillion in FY25 and are budgeted to rise about 27pc to Rs1.47tr in the current fiscal year.

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PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi hospitalised in Lahore due to gallbladder complications

Senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was hospitalised at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute in Lahore for gallbladder stone complications, his daughter stated on Friday.

Shah Mahmood has been indicted in multiple cases pertaining to the May 9, 2023 riots and has remained behind bars since August 2023. In July 2024, the PTI leader was indicted by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in a case registered by the Shadman police over allegedly attacking and burning the police station.

Meher Bano Qureshi took to X today to announce that the PTI leader was undergoing baseline tests for the stones, which he had “lived with … for years”.

“In 2023, while incarcerated in Adiala Jail, doctors had advised surgery after his condition deteriorated. He chose not to undergo any procedures, then unwilling to do so while in solitary confinement,” she wrote.

“Since then, the stones have increased in size and surgery is now unavoidable. We await the doctors’ final report and a confirmed date for the operation,” Meher Bano added.

She added that Shah Mahmood also had a “cardiac emergency” while imprisoned at Kot Lakhpat Jail near Lahore earlier this year.

“What remains deeply painful is knowing that he is not alone in this suffering,” Meher Bano wrote. “Every single PTI leader and worker who has endured imprisonment over the past year has faced serious health consequences under inhumane and unjust conditions.

“Many continue to battle the effects of prolonged confinement, neglect and isolation … some of our workers have also lost their lives whilst unjustly imprisoned,” she added.

Former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also took to X and wrote that Shah Mahmood has been in the hospital for several days and was visited by family members and constituents.

“If the PTI leadership can’t even go to inquire about him, then saying that we shouldn’t even visit him is strange logic,” Chaudhry wrote. “We have not only met Shah Mahmood Qureshi but also met workers and leadership in Kot Lakhpat Jail.”

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Fact-check: Viral ‘Move on Pakistan’ poster of COAS Munir is doctored; not present in any cities

Posts from multiple social media users, including PTI supporters, shared an image on social media platform X on October 29, 2025, allegedly showing a ‘Move on Pakistan’ banner of Field Marshal Asim Munir with text referring to his tenure. However, the poster is doctored.

In September 2025, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan said that the tenure of the army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, would end in 2027 and a decision whether to extend it or not will be taken at that time.

He said that earlier, the army chief’s term comprised four years, and it was reduced to three years before it was extended to five years. The army chief’s tenure and extension have been under discussion for a while.

In 2024, the government extended the tenure of the chiefs of the army, navy and air force from three to five years under the Pakistan Army Amendment Act 2024. The hasty passage of the law was severely criticised by opposition parties such as the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami, with even the PPP, a federal coalition partner of the PML-N, also later distancing itself from the development.

On Oct 29, a user who appears to be a PTI supporter based on his previous posts, shared an image on X showing a banner featuring Field Marshal Munir with the text: “For God’s sake, let go of the talk about leaving“, while questioning the authenticity of the banner.

The post was captioned: “Is this panaflex really hanging on Rawalpindi Murree Road? Need guidance from friends in Rawalpindi. A friend sent this picture from Pindi, which I didn’t believe, and now he has sent it again at night.”

The post gained over 51,100 views.

Mirza Shehzad Akbar, former adviser to ex-PM Imran Khan on accountability and interior, also shared the same image of the banner featuring COAS Munir and compared it with similar banners of former army chief Raheel Sharif, captioning it: “Nothing has changed in ten years! Not even the poster.”

That post received 66,000 views.

The same image, along with similar claims, was also shared by several other PTI supporters on X as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively garnering more than 62,000 views.

Except for one, none of these posts mentioned anything about the location where the alleged poster was seen or provided any other contextual information or alternate pictures.

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the matter.

A keyword search conducted to corroborate whether such a poster was reported about by credible mainstream news outlets did not yield any reports or other images and videos from different angles and viewpoints from the public or media outlets on any such alleged banner.

Observing the image closely revealed visual inconsistencies. The English text at the bottom right of the banner is not decipherable and appears to be gibberish — a common feature of text generated using AI.

The same is also the case with the text on the logo inscribed on the banner. Moreover, the edges appear smudged, and the internal text looks half-rendered or fuzzy, typical of AI-generated symbols.

This is in contrast to similar posters featuring former army chief Gen (r) Raheel Sharif that were hung in major cities in 2016 by Move on Pakistan, a political party established in 2013 by a businessman from Faisalabad and working for education, health and peace. The posts were also reported about by mainstream news outlets such as Dawn, Express Tribune, Dunya News and Al Arabiya English.

The posters were strung up in the year that the former army chief retired at the end of.

The current banner featuring Field Marshal Munir follows the same design. However, in the original post showing Gen Sharif, the text on the banner reads coherently and says: “Education”, “health” and “peace”.

Analysing the current image through verification tools for potential manipulation showed that AIorNot flagged the photo as likely created using artificial intelligence.

Only one of the numbers mentioned on the banner picked up when called for corroboration with the person on the end of the line denying having printed the poster or having anything to do with it. He said the poster circulating on social media was likely AI-generated and he would publicly address the matter as well.

Dawn correspondents in major cities across Pakistan — Imran Gabol in Lahore, Malik Asad in Islamabad, Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi, Abdullah Zehri in Quetta, Zahid Imdad in Peshawar and Imtiaz Ali in Karachi — also confirmed that they hadn’t seen the posters in their respective cities or heard about them.

Lastly, a keyword search yielded a November 8, 2022, fact-check report by Geo Fact Check titled: “Fact-check: Posters requesting army chief to seek extension are fake”.

The report showed that manipulation of the original Gen Sharif poster is not a new phenomenon and was done previously as well with the image of former army chief Gen (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa crudely doctored onto the original banner and shared in the same way as the current one featuring Field Marshal Munir.

Therefore, the fact-check determined that the claim that a viral image shows a ‘Move on Pakistan’ banner of Field Marshal Asim Munir is false. The poster is doctored.

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This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.

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Fact-check: Website impersonating Dawn.com circulates false report

A supposed news website impersonating Dawn.com is currently online and accessible. The website is actively sharing fake news and disinformation while pretending to be a part of the Dawn Media Group.

The website is not part of, associated with or has any connection to the Dawn Media Group.

The website, operating from the url https://dawn.newspot.live, recently shared a ‘news report’ on PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan allegedly complaining about institutional overreach. When checked through multiple AI text detectors, the text of the ‘news story’ was deemed to be AI-generated.

A screenshot of the fake website posing as Dawn.com. — Screengrab by Dawn.com

The main image used on the imposter website’s ‘news report’ is also badly cropped, with different images layered over one another, and it carries the title of the fake ‘news report’. Dawn.com does not use images in its news reports with text overlays.

The font used in the image is misaligned, and the font size also varies. In addition to all these inconsistencies, the text seems to have been edited with a basic paint-like tool, with the letter ‘P’ added for Pakistan, as it was cropped out of the display image being used.

A screenshot of the fake website posing as Dawn.com. — Screengrab by Dawn.com

The right side of the fake webpage is also blank, suggesting that it does not have Google Ads support when compared to traditional news media outlets.

When checked through website hosting checkers, it appears that the imposter site is hosted via US-based Namecheap, Inc.

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Trump amplifies Pakistan’s narrative against India

US President Donald Trump

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has at least “25 times” cited claims that five to seven “brand new, beautiful” planes were shot down during the May conflict between Pakistan and India, according to Indian media tracking.

The actual number of losses remains disputed, but Trump’s remarks have helped validate Pakistan’s version of events and strengthened its diplomatic position.

Speaking at a regional meeting in South Korea on Wednesday, Trump again credited himself with preventing a full-scale war by threatening both India and Pakistan with 250 per cent tariffs — the highest he has mentioned for any country. “If you look at India and Pakistan … they were going at it,” he said. “Seven planes were shot down. They were really starting to go.”

Trump also praised Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, calling him a “great fighter”.

Asserts ‘brand new, beautiful’ planes shot down during conflict

“I’m doing a trade deal with India and I have great respect and love, as you know, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as you know. We have a great relationship,” he said.

“Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the field marshal — they have a field marshal. You know why he’s a field marshal? He’s a great fighter. He really is. He’s a great guy, too.”

A day earlier, addressing business leaders in Japan, he used almost identical language, describing how “two big nuclear powers” were heading towards war before his intervention. New Delhi continues to deny that any of its aircraft were lost and rejects Trump’s claim of mediation, insisting that the ceasefire was mutually agreed.

Trump’s version again contradicts India’s stance. He said he personally called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s leaders to warn that Washington would halt trade and impose “massive tariffs” if the fighting continued.

Analysts see a broader shift in Washington’s tone. Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan.”

Kugelman observed that while commercial interests drive White House engagement, “the wider administration’s messaging has gone further.” Rubio, he added, even described Pakistan as “an ally” — a rare term in recent US policy.

The ripple effects of Trump’s statements are evident in the diplomatic sphere. US and Indian outlets reported that Prime Minister Modi chose to join the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur (Oct 26-28) virtually, apparently to avoid being publicly upstaged if Trump praised Pakistan in his presence. India’s opposition Congress Party called the move “a diplomatic retreat,” with Rahul Gandhi alleging Modi had skipped “another global stage out of fear of embarrassment.”

Pak-Afghan clashes

Trump has also spoken about the Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes, calling them “an easy one for me to solve” and praising Pakistan’s leadership as “great people.” His self-styled image as a “war-solver” projects US influence while keeping Pakistan central to regional diplomacy.

Yet, despite this apparent tilt towards Islamabad, Trump in Seoul signalled that a trade deal with India is imminent.

Trump’s rhetoric may have lent international weight to Pakistan’s account of the air war, but his economic priorities force him to seek a deal with India.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2025

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No-confidence motion against embattled AJK premier ready

• PPP keeps cards close to chest as PML-N’s backing raises number of votes to 36
• ‘N’ vows to support the motion, not PPP’s candidate

ISLAMABAD: While a joint no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq — signed by PPP and PML-N members — has been finalised, the former has yet to announce its nominee to succeed him.

Informed sources told Dawn that although only 14 signatures are required to submit a no-confidence motion, the number of signatories is much higher. Those who have signed include PML-N’s AJK chief Shah Ghulam Qadir, its parliamentary leader in AJK Legi­s­lative Assembly Raja Far­ooq Hai­der, and all six members of the forward bloc aligned with AJK Pr­e­sident Barrister Sultan Mehmood.

The PML-N has agreed to support the motion but, according to party sources, will not vote for the new prime minister from the PPP. The party’s ministers are expec­ted to resign after submission of the motion, and will sit on the opposition benches.

A day after a meeting at the Presidency in Islamabad decided that the PPP would form the government in AJK after unseating Anwarul Haq, 10 members of the forward bloc joined the PPP ranks, placing the party in a position to remove the AJK prime minister even without PML-N’s backing.

The development has raised the PPP’s strength from 17 to 27 members, matching the magic figure need­ed for a majority in the 53-member house.

Also, Muh­a­mmad Iqbal, a UK-based busi­nessman elected on a rese­rved seat for overseas Kashmiris, reportedly resigned.

With PML-N’s support, the total number of members ready to vote out Anwarul Haq rises to 36. A PPP source, however, claimed that the party already enjoyed the ‘open support’ of 37 members, with more in contact.

TV channels, citing party sources, reported that the PPP finalised Chaudhry Yasin, the president of PPP AJK, as its nominee for the office of prime minister, though he denied the media reports later in a post on X. He said the PPP leadership had not formally announced its nominee.

Sources said the formal announcement of the PPP nominee will be made after a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which could not take place on Wednesday.

In a related development, President Zardari chaired a meeting of senior party leaders, attended by PPP Chairman Bila­wal Bhutto-Zardari, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Yaseen, AJK Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, and former AJK prime minister Sardar Yaqoob Khan.

The meeting focused on the political situation in Azad Kas­hmir, particularly the no-confidence motion against Anwa­rul Haq and the formation of a PPP government.

A meeting of PPP’s AJK parliamentary party will be held on Friday (tomorrow) at Zardari House. According to informed sources, the meeting will be chaired by PPP chairman, and the name of the next AJK PM will be announced afterwards.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2025

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At least 13 people, including 2 cops, injured in separate attacks across Balochistan: officials

At least 13 people, including two police officials, were injured as two separate attacks were reported in Balochistan on Wednesday, according to local officials.

A grenade attack on a police mobile was reported along the national highway in the province’s Dera Murad Jamali area, which injured 13 people, including 2 officers.

According to police officials, unknown suspects attacked the vehicle while it was patrolling along the highway.

Immediately after the attack, police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and started an investigation into the incident, while security in the area was tightened.

Civil Hospital Dera Murad Jamali Medical Superintendent Dr Naseer Ahmed Imrani confirmed that 13 people, including two policemen, were injured in the attack and transported to the facility.

“A woman and two children are also among the injured, who are being provided medical assistance,” Imrani said. “The police have started investigating the incident.”

Meanwhile, Nasirabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ghulam Sarwar Bhiyo told local journalists that unidentified suspects fired four rockets at Jaffar Express on the railway track near Nutal.

“The attack was on the Jaffar Express, but fortunately, there was no loss of life,” he said. “FC and police personnel immediately retaliated, as a result of which the attackers fled the scene.”

Police officials said that the incident took place at Altafabad, where four rockets were fired, but the train safely reached Dera Murad Jamali railway station.

Security forces reached the area and established a cordon to sanitise the incident site.

“The Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail have been sent to Jacobabad after clearance from Dera Murad Jamali,” SSP Bhiyo said. “After the incident, security forces have further tightened security around the railway track.”

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Cooperation, not loans, offers path to recovery: PM

• Premier says Pakistan has learned from mistakes of the past; rues ‘disaster-recovery-disaster’ cycle country finds itself trapped in
• Islamabad, Riyadh sign Economic Cooperation Framework to launch ‘strategic and high-impact projects’
• Energy, industry, mining, IT, tourism, agriculture and food security sectors to be main focus

ISLAMABAD: Ruling out loans as a driver of economic recovery, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for mutual cooperation to support countries like Pakistan that are battered by climate catastrophes.

Speaking during a high-level roundtable discussion at the 9th Future Investment Initiative Conference 2025 in Riyadh, PM Shehbaz said that repeated loans would erode the economic might of such countries, stagnating economic development.

“If humanity had to move forward, it should proceed in unison, share its bounties and grievances together and extend modern technologies with those countries which can use it to grow its production in the areas of agriculture, industry, and employment among others,” he said.

The PM’s remarks came after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia launched the Economic Cooperation Framework, based on shared economic interests.

The decision to launch the framework was taken during a Monday meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

“As part of the framework, several strategic and high-impact projects will be discussed in the economic, trade, investment and development fields that will contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two governments, enhan­cing the pivotal role of the private sector, and increasing trade exchange between the two countries,” the statement read.

It added that the deal would prioritise sectors including energy, industry, mining, information technology, tourism, agriculture and food security. Additionally, Islamabad and Riyadh are studying several joint economic projects, including signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for an electricity interconnection project between the two countries, and cooperation in the energy field.

“This framework represents an extension of both countries’ efforts to strengthen their fraternal relations and reaffirms their shared vision toward building a sustainable partnership across various economic, trade and investment fields in a manner that fulfils the aspirations of their leaderships and the brotherly peoples of both nations and serves their mutual interests,” the statement read.

Celebrating the announcement, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said: “Another historic chapter unfolds in Pakistan-Saudi relations.” He said the developed marked a “high point” in the bilateral partnership in trade, energy and investment.

Investment summit

Participating in a discussion at the 9th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was rich in resources. He said “very honest mistakes” were made in the country’s history but it had learnt from them. “Important thing is to learn from your mistakes and that is what we are doing. At this point in time, we are undertaking most robust changes and deeprooted reforms which are deeply required,” the premier said, pointing to the digitisation of the Federal Board of Revenue to tackle corruption.

The prime minister said Pakistan was among the countries most exposed to the effects of climate change through no fault of theirs, adding that the country’s carbon emissions were “less than a fraction of one per cent”.

He said Pakistan was stuck in a loop of climbing the ladder and coming back down due to repeat climate disasters such as the 2022 and 2025 floods. “This is not acceptable. This is not where humanity should be directed towards.” If humanity was to move forward, it would have to do so in unison while sharing its “bounties and grievances together”, he added.

He said Pakistan was fast moving towards the inc­r­e­asing adoption of technology and artificial intelligence, though he did also warn about the risks of the latter. He said the global north and the global south should sit down and come to an agreement on the equitable distribution of resources for an egalitarian economy for all.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025

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Pak-Afghan talks failed to bring about workable solution, says information minister

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said early on Wednesday that the latest round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul “failed to bring about any workable solution”.

He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X, saying: “Over the last four days of dialogue, the Afghan Taliban delegation repeatedly agreed to Pakistan’s logical and legitimate demand for credible and decisive action against [militant] organisations and terrorists.

“Sufficient and irrefutable evidence was provided by Pakistan which was acknowledged by Afghan Taliban and the hosts, however, regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurance,” the minister said.

“The Afghan side kept deviating from the core issue, evading the key point upon which the dialogue process was initiated. Instead of accepting any responsibility, the Afghan Taliban resorted to blame game, deflection and ruses. The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution,” he said.

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More to follow

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12 Pakistanis survive as 18 killed in fresh migrant shipwreck off Libya: IOM

The United Nations’ migration agency on Tuesday said that 18 people were killed when a wooden vessel carrying dozens of migrants capsized off the coast of Libya on Tuesday, while 64 people — including 12 Pakistanis — were rescued.

The vessel “capsized only a few hours into its journey due to high waves”, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement, adding that the accident had occurred off the coast of Surman, Libya.

“Among the survivors are 29 Sudanese men, one Sudanese woman, and one Sudanese child; 18 Bangladeshi men; 12 Pakistani men; and three Somali men,” it said.

No information was yet available about the nationalities of those who died.

“This latest shipwreck is a stark reminder of the grave dangers faced by people undertaking perilous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity,” the IOM said.

It said the central Mediterranean route from northern Africa across to Europe remained “one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors”.

The agency said its Missing Migrants Project has documented 1,046 deaths and disappearances along that route so far this year, including 527 off the coast of Libya.

Tuesday’s accident came after 40 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were found dead following a shipwreck off Tunisia last week.

The IOM said it was working with local partners to ensure survivors of Tuesday’s shipwreck received health assistance and access to essential services. It appealed for “urgent action to prevent further tragedies at sea”.

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What you need to know about Karachi’s new e-challan traffic system

The Sindh government has introduced a new e-challan system that aims to improve the city’s traffic while minimising the traffic police’s interaction with the public.

Under the new system inaugurated recently, at least 5,500 challans have already been issued to traffic rule violators throughout the city. Here is what you need to know about the system.

What is the e-challan system?

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Admin Karachi Traffic Police Kashif explained that the system has been introduced as part of the Karachi Safe City Project.

A total of 1,076 cameras have been installed on main thoroughfares in the first phase.

When phase 2 and 3 of the initiative are completed, up to 12,000 cameras will have been installed in all areas of Karachi as well as on toll plazas.

Once a challan is initiated, it will be sent via Pakistan Post to an address linked to the number plate issued by the Sindh Excise and Taxation Department.

While the total time to pay off the challan is 21 days, if it is paid within 14 days, the violator would get a 50 per cent waiver on the amount.

However, failure to pay within 21 days will result in the total amount being doubled on the 22nd day.

How can you appeal?

If you believe you’ve been fined unfairly, there’s a system to file an appeal as well.

Desks have been established across 11 police stations across the city in case you believe you’ve been charged with a challan despite not breaking any traffic rules. The addresses of the said stations can be found on the back of the challan itself.

Once you file a complaint, a token will be issued while a committee of three members will review the appeal.

The committee, established in every district, is led by a senior superintendent of police (SSP) and includes a senior police official and one offcial from the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

The CPLC is a non-political statutory organisation that provides community safety and crime prevention services in Sindh.

If your appeal is successful — the processing of which will take three to four days — the challan will be removed from the system. During the process, the timer of 21 days for challan payment remains on pause.

What if you don’t pay the challan?

Failure to pay the challan in three months can result in suspension of one’s driving license.

If the traffic tickets remain unpaid for 6 months, the National Database and Registration Authority will be approached, for blocking of Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC). Nadra will notify the traffic rule violator, and if the challan still remains unpaid, the CNIC can be blocked by the authority.

Moreover, a demerit points system has been built into the e-challan process to further discourage transgression of traffic laws. Every violation a vehicle driver commits will have a demerit point, with 30 demerit points in a year resulting in driving license suspension.

While the mechanism is currently only operational for number plates registered in Sindh, discussions are underway to include vehicles from other provinces.

‘Fear, responsibility, accountability’

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Traffic Karachi Pir Mohammed Shah told Dawn.com, “This system represents a significant milestone in ensuring compliance with traffic laws and enhancing effective monitoring.”

He said the e-challan system is built on the principles of fear, responsibility, and accountability — fear of being captured by cameras, the responsibility that arises from that awareness, and the accountability that comes with knowing that any violation will be recorded and acted upon.

Unlike the previous manual system, where discretion rested with individual officers on the road, the new digital process ensures complete transparency and uniform enforcement, added the traffic police chief.

In addition, citizens can make use of the Trax4Citizens App, available on the Sindh Police website.

The app can be found on the main page (bottom right corner). To download and access it, users simply need to enter their CNIC, mobile number, and e-mail address.

Once registered, the app displays all vehicles registered under the CNIC, along with details of violations and warnings issued against them.

“The application not only allows users to track the status of their challans but also serves as an educational tool, helping citizens understand their driving patterns and avoid future violations,” said the senior traffic cop.

By studying the warnings generated by the system, users can become more aware and responsible drivers, contributing to safer roads for all, said DIG Shah.

“With public cooperation, this system will continue to improve further,” he said, urging citizens to follow traffic rules strictly so that the city’s traffic flow can be improved and road accidents reduced.

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AJK PM’s ‘days numbered’ as allies close ranks

• PML-N to support PPP in potential no-trust vote against AJK premier, but won’t join govt
• Insiders say Haq likely to resign seeking ‘honourable exit’, sit on opposition benches

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Anwarul Haq’s days seem to be numbered, as the coalition partners in the federal government — the PPP and the PML-N — ratchet up pressure on the embattled premier to step down from the post, or face a no-confidence motion in the assembly.

The coalition partners met at the Presidency on Monday to discuss possible options for the formation of the AJK government to be led by the PPP. The PML-N panel, led by Ahsan Iqbal and comprising Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam, called on President Zardari to discuss the AJK affairs with the PPP in light of the current situation.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said his party would support the no-trust motion against the AJK PM but would not become part of the government. He said the PPP will form the government after the success of the no-confidence motion, while they would sit on the opposition benches.

PM’s aide Rana Sanaullah said the PML-N’s parliamentary party has expressed distrust over the incumbent AJK government. He said the current AJK government failed to perform its duties, adding that free and fair elections would be held in the region after completion of the AJK assembly’s term next year.

“The incumbent government has become a problem itself instead of a problem-solver,” PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira said. Mr Kaira slammed PM Haq’s administration and said political stability in AJK was the need of the hour.

He also welcomed the PML-N’s decision, which further strengthened the PPP’s position to oust the sitting premier. Mr Kaira said that both sides respected each other’s decisions as they aimed to bring political stability to the region.

Numbers game

The PPP has 27 members in the AJK Legislative Assembly after 10 lawmakers joined the party on Sunday, and with the PML-N’s backing, it has garnered the support of at least 36 lawmakers to oust the incumbent premier. The PPP also claims Sardar Atiq of the Muslim Conference and Sardar Hasan Ibrahim of the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party will also support it.

The AJK Legislative Assembly has 52 members and to achieve a simple majority, a party requires the support of 27 members. In light of this situation, sources said the incumbent PM was advised to opt for an “honourable exit” as he had lost the support of the majority.

With the PPP having 27 members in the house, he has three options: dissolve the assembly to prevent the party from coming to power, step down, or face a no-trust vote.

The final decision, however, will be taken today (Tuesday), but the premier is likely to step down, the source added. He also dispelled the impression that the PM was waiting for the announcement of a nominee for the coveted slot in the hope that such a decision would polarise the alliance against him.

The source further said that PM Haq and his six associates would sit on the opposition benches after he quits.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2025

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9th Pakistan-Bangladesh JEC meeting held in Dhaka after 2-decade hiatus

The 9th Session of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission (JEC) was convened in Dhaka on Monday, after a hiatus of 20 years, marking another important milestone in strengthening bilateral economic and development cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting was co-chaired by Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik and Bangladesh Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.

At the conclusion of the session, both sides signed the Agreed Minutes of the 9th JEC, reflecting “significant progress” in multiple areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment and industries, agriculture, transport and communications, education, information technology, banking, health, tourism, energy, climate change, information and broadcasting, and the textile sector.

The two sides emphasised the importance of enhancing cooperation between the national shipping corporations, with Pakistan offering the use of Karachi Port Trust as a gateway for Bangladeshs’s trade with regional countries, including China and the Central Asian States.

The two countries also agreed to work actively toward establishing direct air connectivity, recognising its vital role in promoting tourism and business exchanges.

A significant development during the session was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Halal Trade between the Pakistan Halal Authority and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute, paving the way for enhanced collaboration in standardisation and certification of Halal products.

Pakistan also highlighted the establishment of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, which includes an offer of 500 new and fully funded scholarships for Bangladeshi students.

Furthermore, the delegation said Pakistan has increased the number of training slots under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme from five to 25.

Both sides agreed to cooperate in the areas of medical and religious tourism, and to promote greater cultural exchanges between the two countries.

It was decided to organise the inaugural meeting of the Joint Working Group on Trade. It was also discussed to establish joint working groups in key sectors such as maritime affairs, and information technology, which will hold regular meetings to ensure sustained progress.

The two sides agreed to explore a concessionary trade arrangement and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening trade, agricultural and industrial cooperation to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in both countries.

The 9th JEC concluded in a “spirit of friendship and mutual respect, reaffirming the shared commitment of Pakistan and Bangladesh to further deepen bilateral relations and regional economic integration”.

Malik thanked the government of Bangladesh and the finance adviser for the hospitality extended to him and his delegation during the visit.

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Can Donald Trump serve a third term as US president?

President Donald Trump on Monday declined to dismiss speculation that he would seek a third term and said he hadn’t considered whether he would go to court to contest the US constitution’s two-term limit for presidents.

Here is a look at the legal barriers Trump faces.

What does the US constitution say?

The 22nd Amendment states in part: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

The amendment was ratified in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with a self-imposed two-term limit set by presidents since George Washington, the nation’s first.

Roosevelt, a Democrat who was president during the Great Depression and World War Two, served a third term and then died months into his fourth term in 1945.

Wayne Unger, a law professor at Quinnipiac University, said the Constitution was clear that presidents are limited to two terms of four years each. He said that while that had not been tested in court, any challenge by Trump would likely be unsuccessful.

“I would predict the Supreme Court to say nope, it’s clear, two terms of four years each, Donald Trump, you cannot run for a third,” said Unger, who teaches constitutional law.

Can Trump’s allies change the constitution?

Yes, but that is highly unlikely in an era of intense political polarisation between Democrats and Trump’s Republican Party.

Any constitutional amendment would require two-thirds support in the House and Senate or a convention called by two-thirds of the states, and then ratification by 38 of the 50 state legislatures.

Republicans hold a razor-thin 219-213 majority in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Republicans control 28 state legislatures.

Andy Ogles, a Republican US representative from Tennessee and a strong Trump supporter, in January proposed amending the 22nd Amendment to allow people to serve three non-consecutive terms as president.

Since Trump’s terms beginning in 2017 and in 2025 were non-consecutive, the amendment, if passed, would allow him to serve a third term starting in 2029.

Could Trump run as vice president?

Trump dismissed on Monday the idea that he could run as vice president and then have the candidate for president resign after taking office, which would return Trump to the presidency.

“I’d be allowed to do that,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Tokyo from Malaysia.

But he added: “I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute.”

However, Trump is barred from running for vice president because he is not eligible to be president.

The 12th Amendment to the US Constitution reads, “No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”

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16 TLP activists on nine-day remand

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday granted nine-day physical remand of 16 activists of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to the police in multiple cases registered under terrorism charges.

ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill heard the police’s request when the suspects were produced before the court.

The investigating officer sought a 27-day physical remand, arguing that the custody of the suspects was needed for interrogation in cases of violent protests and attacks on law enforcement officials.

After examining the record, the judge allowed a nine-day remand and directed the police to produce the suspects again on November 3, along with a progress report on the investigation.

The suspects are facing cases registered with the Nawab Town, Kahna and Shahdara police stations under different provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

CONVICTION: An ATC on Saturday sentenced two members of a banned outfit to five-year rigorous imprisonment each after finding them guilty of possessing explosive material.

Judge Arshad Javed announced the guilty verdict in the presence of convicts Habibullah and Muhammad Jawad.

The judge also ordered the prosecution to confiscate the properties of the convicts as part of the punishment.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) registered the case against the convicts in 2024 under relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

The CTD had recovered explosive material from the possession of the convicts, who were members of a banned organization.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025

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US, China reach rare earths, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider: US officials

Top Chinese and US economic officials on Sunday hashed out the framework of a trade deal for US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to decide on later this week that would pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, US officials said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur had eliminated the threat of Trump’s 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports starting November 1. Bessent said he expects China to delay implementation of its rare earth minerals and magnets licensing regime by a year while the policy is reconsidered.

Chinese officials were more circumspect about the talks and offered no details about the outcome of the meetings.

Trump and Xi are due to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea to sign off on the terms. While the White House has officially announced the highly anticipated Trump-Xi talks, China has yet to confirm that the two leaders will meet.

“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters after he and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang for a fifth round of in-person discussions since May.

Bessent said he anticipates that a tariff truce with China will be extended beyond its November 10 expiration date, and that China will revive substantial purchases of US soybeans after buying none in September in favour of soybeans from Brazil and Argentina.

US soybean farmers “will feel very good about what’s going on both for this season and the coming seasons for several years” once the deal’s terms are announced, Bessent told the ABC programme ‘This Week’.

Greer told the ‘Fox News Sunday’ programme that both sides agreed to pause some punitive actions and found “a path forward where we can have more access to rare earths from China, we can try to balance out our trade deficit with sales from the United States”.

Chinese caution

China’s Li Chenggang said the two sides reached a “preliminary consensus” and will next go through their respective internal approval processes.

“The US position has been tough,” Li said. “We have experienced very intense consultations and engaged in constructive exchanges in exploring solutions and arrangements to address these concerns.”

Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his first stop in a five-day Asia tour that is expected to culminate in a face-to-face with Xi in South Korea on Thursday.

After the talks, Trump struck a positive tone, saying: “I think we’re going to have a deal with China”.

Trump threatened new 100pc tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs starting on November 1, in retaliation for China’s expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.

China and the United States rolled back most of their triple-digit tariffs on each other’s goods under a trade truce due to expire on November 10.

The US and Chinese officials said that in addition to rare earths, they discussed trade expansion, the US fentanyl crisis, US port entrance fees and the transfer of TikTok to US ownership control.

Bessent told NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme that the two sides have to iron out details of the TikTok deal, allowing Trump and Xi to “consummate the transaction” in South Korea.

Talking points

On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, Trump hinted at possible meetings with Xi in China and the United States.

“We’ve agreed to meet. We’re going to meet them later in China, and we’re going to meet in the US, in either Washington or at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said.

Among Trump’s talking points with Xi are Chinese purchases of US soybeans, concerns around democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, and the release of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

The detention of the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has become the most high-profile example of China’s crackdown on rights in Hong Kong.

Trump also said that he will seek China’s help in US dealings with Moscow, as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.

Fragile truce

Tensions between the world’s two largest economies flared in the past few weeks as a delicate trade truce, reached after a first round of trade talks in Geneva in May and extended in August, failed to prevent the United States and China from hitting each other with more sanctions, export curbs and threats of stronger retaliatory measures.

China’s expanded controls of rare earths exports have caused a global shortage. That has prompted the United States to consider a block on software-powered exports to China, from laptops to jet engines, according to a Reuters report.

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Medical entrance exam across country today

ISLAMABAD: More than 140,000 candidates are competing for 22,000 seats in medical and dental colleges today (Sunday) as the mandatory Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) is being conducted nationwide at 32 venues, including an international centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Several institutions are organising the test, including the Uni­ver­sity of Health Sciences in Lahore, Suk­kur IBA University, Khyber Medical Uni­versity in Peshawar, Bolan Uni­versity of Medical and Health Scie­nces in Quetta, and Shaheed Zulfi­qar Ali Bhutto Medical University in Islamabad.

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) President Dr Rizwan Taj said that all participating universities had assured him that the necessary arrangements for the test have been made.

“All universities conducting the MDCAT were advised to thoroughly review and implement all required arrangements to ensure the fair, tr­­a­­­nsparent, and secure conduct of the examination,” Mr Taj said. He added that security measures in­­­­­c­l­u­­de the installation of jammers to blo­­­ck unauthorised electronic devices.

Over 140,000 hopefuls compete for 22,000 spots

“Examination venues will be eq­­u­ipped with proper seating arra­ngements and adequate facilities to ac­­commodate all candidates co­­mfortably,” he said.

“Furthermore, universities are instructed to make ap­­­propriate arrangements for heating or cooling of the examination halls according to weather conditions and to ensure that drinking water is readily available to all candidates,” he added.

To ensure transparency and proper record-keeping, specific protocols have been established for the exam materials.

“Universities shall provide bubble sheets with carbon copies to the candidates and must ensure complete secrecy and confidentiality of all question papers,” Mr Taj stated.

“Question papers shall be ope­n­­ed only in the presence of witnesses to maintain transparency. After the conclusion of the examination, all bubble sheets must be collected promptly and kept in a safe and secured location”, he added

He also mentioned that the original examination papers of the MDCAT would be retained by the respective universities for a minimum period of 12 months from the date of the result declaration.

Mr Taj emphasised a swift and tra­­nsparent process for releasing results. The official answer key will be uploaded to university websites immediately after the exam, with full results expected within one week.

Mr Taj said that a comprehensive post-hoc analysis report had to be prepared and submitted within 10 days of the announcement of the final results. He further mentioned that universities were required to provide a facility for the re-checking of marks within three days following the announcement of the results.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025

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AJK government shake-up on cards as PPP eyes premier slot

• PPP lawmakers from Kashmir separately meet Zardari, Bilawal to ‘discuss political situation’
• Insiders say decision ‘almost finalised’, incumbent premier may be given choice of ‘honourable exit’

ISLAMABAD: As the PPP plans to install its own prime minister in Azad Jammu Kashmir, the party lawmakers from the region separately met party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari to mull options for the removal of the incumbent PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.

Only a picture of Mr Zardari’s meeting with the lawmakers was issued by Saturday night, while a handout issued by the PPP regarding the meeting with Mr Bhutto-Zardari also did not mention the possibility of a no-confidence motion against the AJK premier. The party leaders discussed the AJK’s “political situation” in the meeting, said the official statement.

Sources, however, claimed the party meeting considered names for Mr Haq’s successor. They said the PPP had “almost finalised” the decision to oust the AJK prime minister through a no-trust motion. A formal decision, according to sources, is likely in a day or two.

The insiders said the party leaders deliberated upon all possible options, including giving some time to the AJK prime minister for “an honourable exit”, before making any move to remove the premier through a no-trust vote.

According to the sources, the meeting also explored potential successors, with Chaudhry Yaseen, Chaudhry Latif Akbar and Sardar Yaqoob emerging as strong contenders for the coveted post. In the AJK assembly, the PPP, with the support of the PML-N, has the support of more than 27 lawmakers — a magic number required to form the government. The PPP has 17 members in the house, 10 of whom are ministers and two are advisers, while AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar also hails from the PPP.

It may be noted that the PPP had already decided it would not remain a part of the government, but it remained undecided about whether to sit on the opposition benches or form its own government in the region.

Meanwhile, the official statement by the party said that Mr Bhutto-Zardari presided over the PPP AJK Parliamentary group meeting and “discussed the political situation” in AJK.

The statement added that the PPP leaders of the AJK chapter discussed improving the organisational structure of the party in the region and the current political situation in AJK.

The meeting was also attended by former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and former Kashmir affairs minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, who had recently led a federal government delegation to talk to the protesters in AJK and remained successful in ending the protest after an agreement was signed in the first week of October. At least 10 had been killed while scores were injured in clashes between the law enforcers and the protesters that lasted for days. PPP Women Wing’s Central President Faryal Talpur was also present in the meeting.

Others who attended the meeting included Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, Faisal Mumtaz, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Sardar Javed Ayub, Sardar Muhammad Yaqub Khan, Mian Abdul Waheed, Javed Iqbal Bandhanvi, Syed Bazil Naqvi, Syed Zia Qamar, Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Chaudhry Aamir Yasin, Aamir Ghaffar Lone, Javed Butt, Rafiq Nayyar, Nabila Ayub, Chaudhry Muhammad Riaz, and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.

Kalbe Ali also contributed to the report

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025

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Lahore tops pollution charts as air quality turns hazardous

• Citywide AQI hits 412; PM2.5 concentrations far above safe limits
• Citizens urged to wear masks, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity
• PDMA says smog intensity expected to rise from Nov to mid-Dec
• Govt imposes blanket ban on stubble, solid waste, plastic burning

LAHORE: Lahore has ranked as the world’s most polluted city for the past three days, with air quality plummeting to hazardous levels as smog blanketed the city and the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 412, prompting health warnings and a province-wide crackdown on pollution sources.

Data revealed that Lower Mall was the worst-affected neighbourhood, with an AQI of 680, followed by Iqbal Town (577), Syed Maratib Ali Road (543), Shadman (507), the Punjab University area (506), and Shalimar (495).

Environmental experts have urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, particularly in the morning and evening, and to wear masks when outside. PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore’s air are multiple times above global safety thresholds, raising risks of respiratory and cardiovascular illness among other serious health issues, especially for children and the elderly.

The Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a high alert across eastern districts of the province, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Khanpur.

“The intensity of smog is expected to increase from November to mid-December,” warned DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia, citing forecasts from the Meteorological Department. The PDMA has directed all commissioners and deputy commissioners to ensure the implementation of government measures to combat smog.

The authorities have announced a strict, multi-pronged strategy to tackle the pollution at its source. A comprehensive ban has been imposed on the burning of crop residues, solid waste, tires, plastic and rubber.

Mr Kathia stated that a case would be registered for any violation, including the burning of crop stubble and garbage.

Simultaneously, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has intensified its anti-smog operations, using advanced drone cameras to monitor industrial zones, agricultural land, and urban areas.

In the last 24 hours, this tech-driven initiative identified over 460 smog-related violations. More than 200 e-challans were issued to smoke-emitting vehicles, with real-time data shared with departments for immediate action.

While enforcement is critical, the government is also pushing for long-term, sustainable solutions. At a seminar in the Kabirwala town of Khanewal district, the Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Change educated farmers on using modern machinery to manage crop residue, particularly rice stubble, without burning.

Officials and experts highlighted that this waste can be repurposed in biomass plants to generate steam and energy, turning an environmental problem into an economic opportunity.

“Smog is a serious environmental and public health issue, requiring collective and coordinated efforts to address it,” said Project Coordinator Dr Younus Zahid.

As the government leverages technology for enforcement and promotes alternative farming practices, the public has been urged to play its part.

Citizens have been asked to report smog-inducing activities on the emergency helpline 15, with authorities emphasising that only a collective effort can clear the hazardous air and protect public health.

Earlier, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that nine departments were conducting large-scale operations against smog.

The minister said that the environmental protection force and the department were fully mobilised, that all sectoral squads were present in the field, and that brick kilns were being monitored through drones, in addition to issuing a live report.

She added that anti-smog cannons and air-quality monitors are deployed and that AQI forecasting, which she said has been introduced for the first time in Punjab, has enabled earlier interventions to curb pollution spikes.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025

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Rabi wheat target set at 30m tonnes

• Adequate water availability anticipated in Punjab, Sindh
• Sugarcane output estimated at 84.7m tonnes, rice at 9.4m tonnes

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has set a wheat production target of around 30 million tonnes for the Rabi season 2025-26, banking on adequate water availability in Punjab and Sindh — the two main wheat-producing provinces.

The wheat production target for the Rabi season 2024-25 was set at 27.92m tonnes, but the government exceeded it by achieving 28.42m tonnes.

The target for 2025-26 was approved at a meeting of the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA), which also finalised the wheat policy to ensure farmers receive fair support prices, enabling them to cover production costs and earn reasonable profit margins, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research on Friday.

In light of recent floods, the FCA recommended launching a campaign for early wheat sowing, ensuring the availability of quality certified seed of improved varieties through a track-and-trace system, timely and affordable fertiliser supply, and the proper use of herbicides. It also called for wider dissemination of production technology through electronic and print media, greater access to agricultural credit, and bringing cultivable and barren wastelands under wheat cultivation through corporate farming.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, who presided over the FCA meeting, said the policy reflects the government’s commitment to safeguarding farmers’ interests and achieving self-sufficiency in staple food commodities.

Production targets for other Rabi crops were fixed at 393,000 tonnes for gram, 8.916 million tonnes for potato, 2.788m tonnes for onion, and 659,000 tonnes for tomato. The committee also reviewed seed availability for Rabi crops.

The director general of the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department informed the meeting that the availability of certified seed for Rabi 2025-26 will remain satisfactory.

Regarding water availability, the Irsa Advisory Committee anticipated no shortage of water for Punjab and Sindh during Rabi 2025-26, allocating 33.814m acre-feet (MAF) of water to the provinces.

The Meteorological Department informed the meeting that below-normal precipitation is expected in most parts of the country during November and December, while near-normal rainfall is likely in January 2026.

The committee emphasised the use of new wheat seed varieties for improved production, suggesting the sowing of drought-tolerant and rust-resistant varieties, and the development of high-yielding, heat-tolerant varieties in response to climate change. It also called for strengthening provincial seed production systems and building farmers’ capacity to produce and maintain pure seed varieties.

The FCA highlighted the need to prevent curtailment of agricultural land to ensure maximum cultivation area and urged the use of innovative technologies, such as those developed by Suparco and the Land Information and Manag­ement System, for production forecasting and better planning. The committee also stressed the adoption of climate-smart agriculture techniques.

The meeting was informed that sugarcane production for 2025-26 is provisionally estimated at 84.7m tonnes from an area of 1.146m hectares, showing an increase of 5.5 per cent in area and 5.9pc in production over FCA targets.

Rice production for 2025-26 is estimated at 9.417m tonnes from an area of 3.039m hectares, indicating an increase of 21.9pc in area and 2.7pc in production compared to targets. Mungbean production is estimated at 150,800 tons. The availability of certified wheat seed for Rabi 2025-26 will meet 44pc of the total requirement.

In line with the government’s agenda to promote the agriculture sector, the minister appreciated the State Bank of Pakistan’s efforts to enhance agricultural credit flow. The SBP has set an indicative agricultural credit disbursement target of Rs2.572 trillion for fiscal year 2025 — 16.3 per cent higher than the preceding year’s Rs2.250tr.

Currently, 47 financial institutions are providing agricultural loans, including five major commercial banks, 13 medium-sized private banks, six Islamic banks, two specialised banks (ZTBL and PPCBL), 11 microfinance banks, and 10 microfinance institutions or rural support programmes.

During FY25, lending institutions disbursed Rs2.577tr, achieving 100.2pc of the annual target and recording 16.3pc growth compared to Rs2.215tr disbursed in the corresponding period last year. The committee was also informed that the supply of urea and DAP fertilisers is expected to remain stable during the upcoming Rabi season.

The minister reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure food security through coordinated federal and provincial efforts. He said farmers are the backbone of the country’s progress, and their prosperity remains a top government priority.

He also underscored the importance of timely policy implementation, impr­oved irrigation management, mechanization, and greater investment in research and development to ensure sustainable agricultural growth.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025

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Extra-judicial killings ‘worst form of violation’ of Constitution: Justice Minallah

Supreme Court judge Justice Athar Minallah on Friday termed extra-judicial killings, custodial torture and the excessive use of force as the most “intolerable crimes” in a democratic society, calling them the “worst form of violation” of the Constitution.

In his dissenting note on the court’s judgement issued in a case pertaining to the killing of Mohammad Hayat Mirza, a Karachi University student, in Turbat, Justice Minallah said that there can be “no tolerance” for such acts and conduct by law enforcement agencies and its member.

In 2020, police arrested a soldier of the Frontier Corps (FC), Shadiullah, on charges of killing Mirza and started an investigation after registering a case against him. The case was registered against the suspect on the complaint of Mohammad Murad Baloch, the brother of the deceased.

The convicted had appealed to the SC following his sentencing by a trial court. The trial court, in a judgment on January 20, 2021, convicted the appellant under Section 302(b) (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and he was sentenced to death.

However, the SC issued its 2-1 majority verdict on Shadiullah’s plea on September 17, 2025, a written order for which was issued yesterday. According to the verdict, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

The ruling was issued by a three-member bench comprising Justices Athar Minallah, Irfan Saadat Khan, and Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, among whom Justice Minallah dissented.

“In a society where grievances relating to enforced disappearances, use of excessive force, abuse of power, extra-judicial killings and violation of fundamental rights by law enforcement agencies are widespread, impunity in case of crimes committed against the citizens becomes the most aggravated form of transgression of law,” Justice Minallah stated.

“The gravity intensifies when a citizen falls victim to aggression by a law enforcement agency or its officers and members,” he said. “Any such act or conduct is intolerable in a society governed under the Constitution.”

Justice Minallah said that the rule of law is “eroded” when law enforcers take the law into their own hands and “arrogate to themselves the role of a judge and an executor”, adding that the appellant had abused his position of authority and trust.

“The officers and members are provided weapons and ammunition for the exclusive use to protect the people and to serve them in their best interest,” he said in his note.

“As a uniformed disciplined force, each officer and member of the FC Balochistan is presumed to be highly trained and that each would demonstrably display high standards of professionalism and exemplary conduct at all times while dealing with the civilian population for whose benefit they have been entrusted with onerous duties and obligations,” he stated.

Deterrent punishment, he said, is not only to maintain a balance between the gravity of wrong done by a person but “also to make the offender an example for others as a preventive measure for reformation of the society”.

“In the case of heinous crimes committed with premeditation and in a gruesome manner, no leniency ought to be shown to the culprits,” Justice Minallah said.

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Violence, racism, and Nazi praise: The dark side of US political group chats

Three separate controversies involving leaked text messages from private online group chats have rocked US political circles this month, revealing racist, anti-semitic and violent statements from figures across the ideological spectrum.

The messages — sent privately but now public — include racial slurs, praise for Nazis, and threats of political violence, raising questions about why those involved felt comfortable expressing such views despite the risk of exposure and censure.

The online posts have also deepened concern among civil society groups and political language experts that violent rhetoric and racist hate speech are becoming normalised in America, particularly after decades of hard-fought civil rights victories that sought to dismantle such ideologies.

People have long expressed violent or racist views in private settings, but experts say the leaks of the text messages are noteworthy because they surfaced the unfiltered — and to many shocking — views of political figures.

A Politico report on October 14 revealed that a group of about a dozen Young Republican leaders had been sending racist and antisemitic messages to each other on Telegram between January and mid-August, referring to Black people as monkeys and with one declaring, “I love Hitler.”

On Oct 3, leaked texts published by National Review revealed that Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate to be Virginia’s top law enforcement official, sent a private text in 2022 saying a state Republican should be shot dead and that he would urinate on the graves of political opponents.

And this week, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead a federal watchdog agency, Paul Ingrassia, withdrew from consideration after he lost support among key Republican lawmakers following reports that he had described himself as having a “Nazi streak” in a private text message exchange.

Experts in online culture and political discourse, including a professor from the City University of New York and Alex Turvy, a sociologist who writes for publications including “*Social Media and Society”*, say the persistence of inflammatory group chats reflects a false sense of privacy and safety, despite the fact that the messages form a permanent record and can be leaked.

At the same time, members in group chats sometimes falsely assume they can trust their fellow participants when allegiances, ambitions and motivations can shift over time, especially in politics, said Turvy.

“There is an illusion of intimacy,” Turvy said. “It feels like it’s private speech. But you’re betting that all of the members in the group chat are going to protect you forever.”

Provocative language

The experts said an increasingly powerful social media presence among more extreme elements of both parties, and a phenomenon — especially among younger people — to push rhetorical boundaries, have exacerbated private hate speech.

Reece Peck, an associate professor of media culture at the City University of New York, said Trump’s own rhetoric and attacks on progressive causes have led many conservatives to believe that language that would have been deemed unacceptable before Trump first took office in 2017 is now permissible.

While campaigning last year, Trump accused people in the US illegally of “poisoning the blood of the country.” As president, he has called some of them “criminals,” and described illegal border crossings as an “invasion,” while his White House has posted memes online that critics say have coarsened political rhetoric.

“They feel Trump has seized popular culture and the Democrats are out of touch. The throughline is anti‑woke,” Peck said. “If you can be edgy — say something inappropriate — you establish group membership. That dynamic is central to Trumpism.”

Turvy said this is known as “Edgelord culture,” an online phenomenon where people deliberately post shocking or taboo content to stay relevant within the chat group.

The Black Conservative Federation, a grassroots group that sought to court Black voters for Trump’s second term, called on Republican leaders to denounce the Young Republican group chat texts “without hesitation or excuse.”

Hakeem Jefferson, an assistant professor of political science at Stanford University, also said Trump has helped “give some cover” to some of the speech contained in the texts.

“This is how the president of the United States speaks, and I do think it has opened a space for these people to mimic his behaviour,” Jefferson said.

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said, “President Trump is right to call out heinous criminal aliens who have invaded our country and have murdered innocent Americans.”

Jackson cited the case of a man in the US illegally who allegedly killed three people while driving a truck this week, under the influence of drugs in California.

She said White House memes were successfully communicating Trump’s agenda against people in the country illegally who are committing crimes against Americans.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the content of the Young Republican group chat and the alleged private text messages by Ingrassia.

Trump has criticised Jones for his text messages, saying that he shouldn’t be allowed to run for office.

“You would think he’s totally discredited — anybody would be put in prison for what he said,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on October 19.

Firings, resignations

The text scandals brought widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, although Vice President JD Vance — while calling the Young Republican texts “truly disturbing” — also accused critics of “pearl clutching” and referred to the chat participants as “kids”. Most were in their 20s and 30s.

Vance instead drew attention on X to the texts by Jones.

Jones, in his 2022 text said former Virginia Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert should get “two bullets to the head,” and mused about his children dying in their mother’s arms.

Jones’ campaign referred Reuters to a statement he issued on Oct 3 in which he said he was “embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry” about his texts and had sought to apologise to Gilbert and his family.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll of Virginia voters released on Thursday showed that support for Jones has tumbled since the texts were made public, and a race he had led in public opinion polls is now a tie.

Many of the Young Republicans involved in their group chat have since lost their jobs as political aides or lost their positions as Young Republican leaders. One, a state senator from Vermont, has resigned.

Republican group disbanded

Across 2,900 pages of chats, Black people were referred to as “the watermelon people,” one member talked about raping enemies, and there was talk of sending people to the gas chamber.

Several members of the group were from the New York Young Republicans Club, which was disbanded by the state’s Republican executive committee last week. At least two members from the group, which also included members from states including Kansas, Arizona and Vermont, have apologised.

Hayden Padgett, chairman of the Young Republican National Federation, referred Reuters to a statement the group released on X on Oct 3, in which its board of directors called on all involved to resign.

“Such behaviour is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents,” the statement said.

Ingrassia, a former right-wing podcaster, was Trump’s nominee to head the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates claims of retaliation against government whistleblowers.

His nomination imploded after Politico reported on Monday that Ingrassia told Republican operatives and social media influencers in a text chat last year that “I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time.” He also said the January holiday celebrating Black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. “should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”

A lawyer for Ingrassia, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said in a statement to Reuters that the messages could have been manipulated. He added that if they were authentic, they “clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humour.”

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PSL drama: Multan Sultans owner lashes out at PSL management in acerbic ‘apology’ video

Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen hit out at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) management late on Thursday, stating he is “unhappy at their mediocre mindset”, after his franchise was issued a legal notice threatening suspension over breach of contractual obligations.

Earlier in the day, the PSL management had acted following repeated public statements by Tareen criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and PSL, and had sought a public apology if the latter wished to avoid legal proceedings.

The move marked a significant escalation in the simmering tensions between the board and the Multan franchise.

Tareen then posted a video on social media platform X on Thursday night, in which he could be seen holding what seemed to be the legal notice sent by the PSL management, saying he wanted to apologise but demanded better of the league organisers.

Making sharp remarks targeted the PSL management, he ended the video by tearing up what seemed to be the legal notice he had received.

Tareen had stoked the fire in April when he shared a podcast clip on X questioning the PCB’s pre-season build-up, writing: “How is PSL 10 bigger and better? Same games, same teams – what’s new? Fed up with hollow words. PCB had time to plan innovations, but we’re repeating last year. Our biggest brand deserves more. Explain the vision!”

A few days later, he sought to clarify his stance amid backlash from other franchise owners, posting: “I love PSL — it’s a MADE-IN-PAKISTAN success story we all benefit from. My words were about pushing for real growth, not negativity. Salman Naseer & PCB team are giving their all. Let’s unite as owners to back them and elevate the league. No more stagnation!”

However, the tensions persisted. In July, Ali renewed his criticism in response to a PCB post-season debrief video celebrating PSL 10’s “success”.

He wrote: “Applause? You must be kidding. TV ratings down, attendance plummeting, digital engagement slowing — yet we’re celebrating? PCB, wake up. PSL deserves better planning, not self-congratulation. Time to fix these issues before it’s too late.”

A PCB source said the repeated statements “damaged the league’s reputation and violated the terms of the agreement”.

The board’s notice reportedly outlines specific clauses of the franchise agreement that were breached. PCB officials maintained that the board remains committed to upholding the integrity and professional standards of the PSL.

A Multan Sultans spokesperson told Dawn on Thursday that “the PCB last month sent a legal notice, which is not a notice of termination”.

“The notice threatens termination of our franchise agreement and a lifetime blacklist of Mr Tareen from owning any cricket team in the future,” a statement by the franchise said later.

“Every statement he (Tareen) has made has been in the best interest of the PSL, urging the league to aim higher and do better.

“For the PCB management to treat constructive criticism as a crime is outrageous. It demonstrates the pettiness of the current management and clearly shows that the PSL is not open to questions or accountability, even from those who have given the most to make it stronger.

“Silencing honest feedback is not how great leagues are built,“ it read.

The development comes amid growing concerns over franchise-board relations within the PSL framework, with several stakeholders calling for greater transparency and consistency in the PCB’s dealings with team owners.

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