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Balochistan tragedy

A PALL has descended on Eid festivities. The Sunday suicide bombing in Quetta has left many grieving their loved ones at a time when others will be celebrating the bonds of faith and family. According to the official count, more than a dozen lives were snuffed out, and at least 20 people were left injured; later reports put the toll much higher. Maimed bodies of women and children were seen being carted from the site on stretchers. One wonders what monstrous instinct compelled the perpetrators to commit such senseless violence. Officials and hospital sources later noted that the victims were mainly passengers of the ill-fated shuttle train, on their way to board the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express, as well as pedestrians and residents living along the railway track where the bombing occurred. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed the attack, cementing its credentials as a terrorist outfit that resorts to violence against defenceless victims. The fact ...
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NA panel takes govt to task over budget preparation, reforms

• Naveed Qamar criticises continued reliance on indirect taxes, petroleum levy • UNDP consultants warn Pakistan remains on a ‘fragile stabilisation path’ • Inflation projected to exceed 12pc despite gradual economic recovery ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Monday accused the government of persistently violating its own laws by failing to circulate and publish the Budget Strategy Paper (BSP) by May 10, besides doing little on economic reforms. A meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Comm­ittee on Finance and Revenue, presided over by former finance minister Syed Naveed Qamar of the PPP, also expressed serious concern over the continued heavy reliance on indirect taxes and petroleum levy instead of sustainable expansion of the tax base. The panel was equally worried over sluggish progress on critical structural reforms when briefed by private economic analysts representing the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Qamar voiced concern over the growing burden of ci...
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'Mini version of hell': Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Spain

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38°C, while parts of Italy imposed restrictions on working outdoors. In the UK, the Met Office weather agency said it was the hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8°C at Kew Gardens, southwest London – a full two degrees above the previous high. “This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May,” it said on X. “The weather here, it’s like a mini version of hell. It’s boiling. It’s like really hot,” said 10-year-old Liza Nizari on a visit to London, where temperatures normally average about 17°C or 18C at this time of year....
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Bonds behind financial assistance

Pakistan and China celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 21. The events held around these celebrations underscore that the relationship between the two countries is entering a new phase characterised by greater financial integration, expanding sub-national cooperation and renewed geopolitical cooperation. What began as a strategic and political partnership has gradually evolved into one of Pakistan’s most critical economic relationships. Today, China is one of Pakistan’s largest bilateral creditors, a major investor in infrastructure and energy, and an increasingly important source of financial stability for Islamabad during periods of economic stress. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is visiting China these days in a trip that focuses heavily on trade, industrial cooperation, financial connectivity and the future direction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “The visit is expected to further strengthen...
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PTI confirms Barrister Gohar, Sohail Afridi's meeting with Naqvi; says discussion focused on terrorism in KP

ISLAMABAD: The PTI confirmed on Sunday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and party chairperson Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had held a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in previous days. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told Dawn that the meeting was held to discuss the issue of terrorism in KP, especially in Bannu, where two police personnel and as many civilians were martyred while 25 terrorists were killed in a fierce clash between law enforcers, a peace committee and militants on Saturday. The interior minister “mostly discussed how terrorism can be controlled”, he said. He shared these details after Dawn approached him following an X post by Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan. “Barrister Gohar and Sohail Afridi met Mohsin Naqvi. Our family had no knowledge of this meeting, and neither was any family member present,” she said, addressing another post that said she was also part of the meeting. Spe...
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SC upholds consecutive life terms in multiple murder cases

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has affirmed that imposing concurrent sentences in cases involving multiple murders substantially diminishes the seriousness of additional offences and artificially equates the taking of one life with the taking of several. “To direct all sentences to merge into one concurrent term in cases of multiple murders would substantially dilute the gravity of the additional offences and create an artificial equivalence between the taking of one life and the taking of several,” observed Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar in a judgement he authored. Justice Kakar, who headed a three-judge SC bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard a jail petition filed by Qaiser Abbas against a May 11, 2018, judgement of the Lahore High Court. Qaiser Abbas was convicted of killing Faiza Bibi and Abiha on June 23, 2011. The prosecution stated a quarrel had taken place a month earlier between the deceased, Faiza Bibi, the complainant’s wife, an...
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‘Clever and street-smart’: Police say Anmol did not employ anyone permanently

KARACHI: Anmol alias Pinky, 31, an alleged cocaine queenpin arrested by police in Karachi, is ‘clever and street-smart’ because she did not hire anyone on a permanent basis in her narcotics trade, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said on Saturday. DIG Asad told Dawn that the accused Pinky’s associates supplied cocaine to customers through a network of 35 riders across the country. “She started her own network in Lahore after ending a 10-year marriage with her husband, Rana Nasir, who was also an alleged drug dealer, accusing him of domestic violence,” the senior police official said. He added that around nine or ten riders working for the accused had been arrested in Karachi’s Clifton and Defence areas. “The accused hired lawyers and paid them fees to pursue the cases of the arrested riders. In addition, she remained in contact with different police officers,” DIG Asad said. According to details shared by DIG South, Anmol told investigators that she had wanted...
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