RjNews

• Municipal commissioner transferred on town chairman’s request • Tussle emerged after private persons given authority over municipal affairs KARACHI: While a tussle going on between the municipal bureaucracy of one of the towns of the metropolis that levelled serious allegations against its elected administration, ranging from “financial corruption” to interference of “outsiders” in official affairs, the Sindh government after transferring one of the most senior officials involved in the dispute has come up with a clear message that it will always stand with the elected representatives whenever a dispute arises between bureaucracy and political leaders. Months-long stand-off between chairman of town municipal corporation (TMC) of Safoora Town Rashid Khaskheli and its municipal commissioner Munawar Hussain Mallah finally came to an end when the Sindh local government department a couple of days ago transferred the officer “with immediate effect” asking him to report to the departmen...

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Food Department has clarified that it has not banned the inter-province or inter-district movement of wheat, blaming a “misinterpretation” of a notification for the confusion regarding grain transportation. Punjab is currently facing a wheat abundance crisis this crop season due to the heavy import of grain by the caretaker setup close to the local harvesting time. Usually, the provincial government procures over four million tonnes of wheat annually. How­ever, this season, it has not bou­ght any wheat despite running a “grow more wheat” drive at the onset of the sowing season last October and November. Growers, reaping a bumper crop, are now at the mercy of free market forces, selling their produce at Rs1,000 per 40kg, way below the official minimum support price of Rs3,900 per 40kg. A notification issued two days ago, circulating on social media, seeking the posting of officers of good repute at check-posts to curb smuggling, gave the impression that...

• Heavy ground offensive, aerial bombardment affect emergency service • UN agency says 800,000 Palestinians ‘forced to flee’ Rafah CAIRO: Israeli troops and tanks pushed on Saturday into parts of a congested northern Gaza Strip district that they had previously skirted in the more than seven-month-old conflict, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, medics and residents said. Israel’s forces also took over some ground in Rafah, a southern city next to the Egyptian border that is packed with displaced people and where the launch this month of a long-threatened incursion has alarmed Cairo and Washington. Israel has conducted renewed military sweeps this month of parts of northern Gaza where it had declared the end of major operations in January. One site has been Jabalia, the largest of Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps. On Saturday, troops and tanks edged into streets so far spared the ground offensive, residents said. In one strike, medics said 15 Palestinians were ...

ISLAMABAD: Hours after the Interior Ministry claimed that union councils across the country would soon start issuing and renewing computerised national identity cards (CNICs), the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) said there were no plans to introduce the facility at the UC level. The confusion stemmed from a meeting, chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, at Nadra Headquarters on Friday. According to the official handout from the ministry, several significant decisions were made to facilitate the public, “including the provision of identity card issuance and renewal facilities at the union council level across Pakistan”. Additionally, the statement said, biometric machines would be installed at the UC-level nationwide. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan , Mr Naqvi directed that a plan be devised within a few days to finalise the issuance and renewal of identity cards at the UC level. But just hours later, in a one-line clarification, Nadra clarifi...

PTI founder Imran Khan on Friday said he was writing a letter to Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for the sake of the country and its current issues. According to a transcript of his talk with the media today in Adiala Jail, posted by the PTI on its X account, Imran said: “I will write a letter to the army chief — not for myself, but for the country. [My] lawyers have been instructed to prepare a letter and inform me.” “In the letter, I will tell [him] what is happening in Azad Kashmir and where the country is going. We have to think about it,” he said, referring to this week’s unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir that saw the killing of a police official and three citizens during clashes. Imran said the army was a very important institution and should never be pitted against the people. Speaking about the political polarisation in the country, he said: “the beneficiaries of [manipulation] of Form 47s start attacking [anyone] who questions them.” He alleged that pressure w...

Displaced Palestinians gather at a water point to fill their jerricans in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.—AFP THE HAGUE: South Africa on Thursday accused Israel at the top UN court of stepping up what it called a “genocide” in Gaza, urging the court to order a halt to Israel’s assault on Rafah. “South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people,” Vusimuzi Madonsela told the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “Instead, Israel’s genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and horrific stage,” he added. South Africa was kicking off two days of hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague, home of the ICJ, imploring judges to order a ceasefire throughout Gaza. Israel will respond on Friday. It has previously highlighted its “unwavering” commitment to upholding international law and described South Africa’s case as “wholly unfounded” and “morally repugnant”. In a rul...

PTI MNA Zartaj Gul said that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmaker Tariq Bashir Cheema tendered an “unconditional apology” to her following misconduct in the National Assembly session on Thursday. According to a Dawn.com correspondent, Cheema delivered a speech in the assembly during which he was interrupted by Gul who jibed that he should talk about the Bahawalpur University case instead. Last year, police had arrested officials of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) on drug charges for possessing crystal meth, along with “objectionable” videos and images of IUB students and staff members. Cheema had denied involvement of his son in the scam. After his speech, the PML-Q leader walked up to the PTI leaders and shook hands with Barrister Gohar Khan and Ali Muhammad Khan, behind whom Gul was seated. He then allegedly hurled abuses at her which resulted in an uproar by the PTI leadership that moved to attack the PML-Q leader and caused a commotion in the assembly, ac...