RjNews

The PTI has decided to release a white paper which will “disclose” evidence of the government’s alleged role in rigging the recent by-elections, corruption , the poor law and order situation in the country, malintent in recent legislation and the economic meltdown in Pakistan. Party stalwart and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser told Dawn he was hopeful that the white paper would be released next month, as different teams would be working on it and all the findings would be compiled. He alleged that the recent rigging in the by-elections, especially in Haripur, once again proved that the incumbent government had failed and become unpopular. “The white paper will cover all issues, including economic conditions, corruption, election rigging, law and order situation, etc,” Qaiser said. “Moreover, we will also give the comparison of the performance of the incumbent government with the tenure of PTI.” Replying to a question, Qaiser said that the legal team headed by PTI Se...

Barrick Mining Corp remains committed to its Reko Diq copper mine in Pakistan, one of the world’s largest undeveloped deposits of the metal, its interim CEO said on Tuesday after reports of a possible withdrawal. The $7 billion project in Balochistan is held in an equal partnership between the company and the government and is expected to start production by the end of 2028. Barrick’s board had raised the possibility of splitting the company’s assets, which could include an outright sale of the Reko Diq mine and the company’s African assets, Reuters reported this month, citing sources familiar with the company’s thinking. “Barrick remains committed to the Reko Diq project and to Pakistan,” Mark Hill told Reuters . Security, scale, stake Balochistan suffers frequent attacks by terrorists, making security a major concern for the mine. The project also requires a railway line upgrade to transport copper concentrate to Karachi for processing abroad. Lenders, including the Interna...

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitu­tional Court’s (FCC) jurisdiction to hear intra-court appeals (ICAs) came under question on Monday when a senior counsel objected to the court taking up appeals that had earlier been filed under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023. “If the FCC hears and decides ICAs that were moved against decisions of the Supreme Court, it will create the impression that the court is sitting as an appellate forum over Supreme Court judgements, whereas the 27th Constitutional Amend­ment contains no such provision,” argued senior counsel Ibad-ur-Rehman Lodhi. Consequently, Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, who was heading a six-member FCC bench, adjourned the proceedings to allow the counsel to file an appropriate petition on the matter. The counsel later told Dawn that he would file a miscellaneous application within the present ICA instead of submitting a separate petition. The issue arose when the FCC bench, also comprising Justices Syed Hasan Azhar...

United Nations experts on Monday sounded the alarm over “serious human rights violations” in Indian-occupied Kashmir by the Indian government, issuing the warning in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation, triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict . In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Indian forces arrested more than 2,000 Kashmiris and demolished several homes in a sweeping crackdown . The arrests were carried out across multiple districts, including Srinagar, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kupwara, Baramulla, Budgam, Islamabad, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam. “We unequivocally condemn the brutal terrorist attack on a tourist area and extend our condolences to the victims, their families, and the Government of India. However, all governm...

The PTI lashed out on Monday at the incumbent government for the turnout of the recent by-elections , alleging that it resurrected the 1971 blueprint of taking the people’s mandate away to sustain its own rule. According to provisional results, the PML-N won all six National Assembly (NA) seats and six of seven Punjab Assembly seats up for grabs. One provincial seat was won by the PPP, which fielded its candidates in only three of the 13 constituencies. Most of these seats were vacated following the disqualification of PTI members due to their convictions in May 9 cases . Reacting to the results, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram slammed the authorities for repeating history’s “gravest mistakes”. He insisted that the country was on the verge of security, economic, political and social collapse, and urged the authorities to learn from past mistakes by taking corrective and remedial measures instead of repeating old blunders while expecting different results. Akr...

Written several decades ago in a time much different from today, Kishwar Naheed’s feminist poem ‘ Hum gunahgar aurtain ’ (We sinful women) still rang true at the 10th edition of the Adab Festival held in Karachi, where conversation at a panel discussion centred around the rage, anger, and hope that fuels Pakistani women in their personal and professional lives. Opening the conversation at the panel titled ‘Power women of Pakistan: her story, our future’, classical dancer, social activist and founder of the cultural action group Tehrik-i-Niswan, Sheema Kermani read out loud a poem by famed feminist poet Fahmida Riaz, ‘ Ek ladki se ’, which recounts the tale of a “captive princess”. The panel also included MNA Sharmila Faruqui, TCS Group President Saira Awan Malik and was moderated by journalist Zarrar Khuhro. Female rage As Kermani finished reciting Riaz’s work, Khuhro asked, “There is as much hope in these words as there is anger. Would you be here today if you did not have this ra...