The Karachi Commissioner issued a notification to impose Section 144 for a 48-hour period starting on December 31, it emerged on Sunday.
New Year’s Eve in Karachi sees citizens performing aerial gunfire and using fireworks which have caused injury in the past.
On December 31, 2023, then-Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Rajput imposed Section 144 “to safeguard the people of the city during New Year’s celebrations”.
According to a notification, the commissioner while exercising powers delegated by the provincial home department imposed the ban from December 31 to January 1, 2024.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
According to the notification dated December 24 — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi has imposed the ban based on information that “a large number of youngsters from different areas of the city will move to Seaview on motorcycles and cars for the celebrations of New Year”.
The notification adds that the presence of these people creates traffic jams and inconveniences “the residents of the area”.
South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) requested the ban on displaying firearms, aerial firing and the use of fireworks to “safeguard the precious lives of the citizens”.
The commissioner noted that on New Year’s Eve, “some individuals get involved in aerial firing that may cause untoward incidents/loss of human lives”.
A “complete ban on carrying/display of arms, aerial firing and use of firecrackers on New Year’s Eve-2025” was notified, with the ban applicable within the local limits of Karachi from December 31 to January 1, 2025.
More than 112,000 Syrians forcibly disappeared under the Baath regime remain unaccounted for, with evidence suggesting many were killed in detention, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported.
The scale of torture and extrajudicial executions in Syrian prisons has been increasingly revealed following the collapse of the 61-year Baath Party regime on December 8.
The SNHR’s database includes records of approximately 136,000 individuals who were detained or forcibly disappeared during the Baath regime. The organisation has documented the release of about 24,200 prisoners from detention facilities across Syria since President Bashar Al-Assad’s ouster.
SNHR Chairman Fadel Abdul Ghany told Anadolu that the group is currently verifying details of those freed from prisons in Aleppo on November 28, Hama on December 5, Homs on December 7, and Damascus on December 8.
“After excluding recent releases, 112,414 individuals detained by the regime remain unaccounted for and were most likely killed,” said Abdul Ghany. “Since their bodies have not been returned to their families, they are still categorised as forcibly disappeared … There is no evidence to suggest they are still alive.”
Ghany said the regime deliberately delayed recording deaths in civil registries to prolong families’ anguish.
He highlighted that people killed by the Baath regime often had two dates recorded in the civil registry: the actual date of their death and the delayed date of its registration, sometimes years apart.
“They were killed and registered without notifying their families, leaving them to endure ongoing suffering while awaiting news or the discovery of mass graves,” he said, adding that the regime used this tactic to give false hope.
Ghany noted that dozens of mass graves remain undiscovered across Syria. “Only a few mass graves have been uncovered, and there are rumours of many more,” he said.
He stressed that identifying bodies and matching them with samples from families of the disappeared is a highly complex process, emphasising that only when bodies are identified can the fate of the forcibly disappeared be confirmed.
He also cautioned against fostering false hope among families regarding rumours of secret underground prisons. Ghany said that all of the regime’s prisons were opened after December 8. There is no one left in these facilities, nor are there any secret prisons.
Established in June 2011 to document systematic human rights violations in Syria, the SNHR continues its efforts under Abdul Ghany’s leadership as thousands of families await news of their missing loved ones.
The Israeli government on Sunday approved a plan to double the population of the occupied and annexed Golan Heights, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the prime minister’s office said.
The government had “unanimously approved” the 40 million shekel ($11 million) “plan for the demographic development of the Golan … in light of the war and the new front in Syria and the desire to double the population”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau, since 1967 and annexed that area in 1981 in a move recognised only by the United States.
Netanyahu said, “The strengthening of the Golan is that of the State of Israel and it is particularly important at this time. We will continue to establish ourselves there, develop it and settle there”.
The occupied Golan Heights are home to about 23,000 Druze Arabs, whose presence predates the occupation and most of whom retain Syrian citizenship, as well as around 30,000 Israelis.
Last week, Netanyahu declared that the annexed Golan would be Israeli “for eternity”. That followed an order he gave for troops to cross into a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces since 1974. Troops also seized areas beyond the buffer, including on Mount Hermon.
Israel portrayed the move, which drew international condemnation, as a temporary and defensive measure after what Netanyahu’s office called a “vacuum on Israel’s border and in the buffer zone”, following Assad’s fall.
In the aftermath of Assad’s overthrow, Israel also launched hundreds of strikes on Syria — according to a war monitor — targeting strategic military sites and weapons, including chemical weapons.
On Sunday, the Israeli premier said his country had “no interest in confronting Syria. Israel’s policy toward Syria will be determined by the evolving reality on the ground”.
In a video statement following a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump, Netanyahu said Syria had attacked Israel in the past and allowed others including Lebanese Hezbollah to do so from its territory.
“To ensure that what happened in the past does not happen again, we have taken a series of intensive actions in recent days,” he said. “Within a few days, we destroyed capabilities that the Assad regime had built over decades.”
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the head of the rebels who toppled Assad who now goes by his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Saturday accused Israel of “a new unjustified escalation in the region” by entering the buffer zone.
However, he said, “The general exhaustion in Syria after years of war and conflict does not allow us to enter new conflicts”.
Washington in 2019 became the first and so far only country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, during Trump’s first term.
Karachi police on Monday launched an investigation to ascertain possible motives behind the murder of an army man who was gunned down in Bahadurabad the previous night, officials said.
Police said that Adnan Abbasi, 47, was shot and killed by “an unknown suspect due to unknown reasons” near Mariam Masjid, Adamjee Nagar on Sunday. He was killed in the presence of his family while riding a motorcycle, officials said.
Bahadurabad Station Investigation Officer (SIO) Amir Altaf told Dawn.com that police registered a murder case on the complaint of the family and launched a probe.
He said Abbasi was an army soldier and was riding a motorcycle with his wife and children when the suspects attacked him. “He suffered critical bullet injuries and was transported to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced him dead.”
Karachi Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Odho told Dawn.com that the police were probing the incident from different aspects.
According to him, the circumstances and events suggested that it was a targeted murder motivated by some considerations, probably personal enmity.
“The suspects were already present there and they did not attempt to loot any bike-riders passing through the area, thus it did not appear to be a robbery-related incident though the investigators did not ‘completely’ rule out the possibility of the robbery,” IGP Odho said.
He said the family insisted on lodging the first information report (FIR) under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code, not robbery-related, which meant they had “some information” about the possible suspects.
Relatives told the police that they would approach them after the burial of the victim in his native area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to SIO Altaf.
According to a statement by East police spokesperson Syed Umair Shah, the incident occurred around 10:03pm on Sunday.
“A suspect who wore a helmet resorted to firing on Adnan Abbasi. The suspect’s accomplice was standing at ‘considerable distance’. The killer ran towards his accomplice after the firing,” the police statement said.
Some evidence has been collected from the spot, with one such “evidence” suggesting that the killer was waiting there for around 20 minutes, motorcycles were passing by in the meantime.
“When the victim arrived there, the armed suspect ‘all of a sudden’ opened fire on him,” the statement said.
The incident is being probed from “different aspects”.
“It would be premature to conclude that the murder was an outcome of robbery resistance or other aspect was involved,” the statement added.
Syrian rebels advancing against government forces pushed close on Tuesday to the major city of Hama, rebels and a war monitor said, after their sudden capture of Aleppo last week rocked President Bashar al-Assad.
Rebels and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said insurgents had captured villages, including Maar Shahur, a few miles north of the city. Syrian state media said reinforcements were arriving in the area.
An attack on Hama would ramp up pressure on Assad, whose Russian and Iranian allies have scrambled to support him against a reviving rebellion. The city has remained in government hands since civil war erupted in 2011.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview that Tehran would consider sending troops to Syria if Damascus asked, and Russian President Vladimir Putin urged an end to “terrorist aggression” in Syria, RIA reported.
Iraq Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani said Baghdad would not be “a mere spectator” in Syria and blamed Israeli military strikes on the Syrian government for the rebel advance, his office said.
Compounding Assad’s problems, fighters from a US-backed, Kurdish-led coalition battled government forces in the northeast, both sides said, opening a new front along a vital supply route.
Last week’s rebel seizure of Aleppo — Syria’s largest city before the war — marked the biggest offensive for years.
The front lines of the conflict have been frozen since 2020 after Assad clawed back most of the country from rebels, thanks to help from Russian air power and military help from Iran and its network of regional militia groups.
Now, however, Russia has been concentrating on the war in Ukraine, while Israeli strikes over the past three months have decimated the leadership of Hezbollah, the strongest Iran-backed force fighting in Syria.
On Monday, hundreds of Iran-backed Iraqi militia fighters entered Syria to back up Syrian government forces, Iraqi and Syrian sources said, but Hezbollah does not plan to send forces now.
A rebel source said Iran-backed militia fighters were among the forces they were battling outside Hama.
In recent days, Russian and Syrian government warplanes have intensified airstrikes against rebels, both sides have said. Rescue workers have reported deadly strikes on hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib.
Any sustained escalation in Syria risks further destabilising a region already alight from conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah group took effect last week.
The retreat by Assad’s forces over the past several days has led to jockeying for control among other groups that control pockets in the northwest, north and east.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group which controls territory in Syria’s east with US support, said early today that its Deir al-Zor Military Council had “become responsible for protecting” seven villages previously held by the Syrian army.
The Deir al-Zor Military Council comprises local Arab fighters under the SDF, an alliance mainly led by a Kurdish militia, the YPG.
Syrian state media reported that the army and allied forces were repelling an SDF assault on the villages, the only Syrian government presence along the east bank of the Euphrates River, an area otherwise mostly held by the SDF.
A Syrian military officer said the SDF push was aimed at exploiting government forces’ weakness after the rebel advance, and said the army and allied Iran-backed militia groups were sending reinforcements.
Airstrikes also targeted Iran-backed militia groups supporting Syrian government forces in the strategically vital region, a security source in eastern Syria and a Syrian army source said.
The US military, which has a small number of troops based at a gas field in the area, carried out at least one strike in self-defence overnight, a US official said, adding it was not related to the ongoing rebel advances.
The battlefield is crowded in northern Syria, with the US, Russia, Iran and Turkiye all involved in the renewed fighting, underscoring the messy global politics at play.
On Monday, Iran said there would be a foreign ministers meeting with Turkiye and Russia in Doha next weekend as part of a diplomatic process that had earlier been used to stabilise borders.
The SDF was the main Western-backed ground force in eastern Syria fighting the Islamic State, which ran a jihadist mini-state there from 2014-17. Turkey says the SDF’s main fighting force, the YPG, are Kurdish separatists it regards as terrorists and sent troops across the frontier in 2017 to push them back.
Rebel advances in recent days have dislodged the YPG from areas in and near Aleppo, including Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud district and a corridor around Tel Refaat to the north.
The SDF presence in northeast Syria along much of the border with Iraq also complicates supply lines for Iran-backed regional militia groups supporting Assad.
On Monday, Reuters reported that hundreds of Iran-backed Iraqi fighters had crossed the border into Syria to help government forces.
Israel has regularly struck Iran-backed forces in Syria. Hezbollah said an Israeli strike near Damascus today killed one of its senior officers liaising with the Syrian military. Israel’s military said it does not comment on reports in foreign media.
Liverpool piled on the misery for Manchester City as the Premier League leaders beat the troubled champions 2-0 at Anfield, while Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim earned his first league win with a 4-0 rout of Everton on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s side moved nine points clear of second-placed Arsenal after Cody Gakpo’s first-half opener and Mohamed Salah’s late penalty dealt another blow to reeling City, who are languishing 11 points behind Liverpool in fifth place.
City have lost four successive top-flight games for the first time since 2008, making them the first Premier League champions to endure such a dismal run the year after claiming the title.
In the 32 Premier League seasons, only three times have teams come from 11 or more points behind at any point to win the title.
City have clawed back significant deficits to win the Premier League in the Guardiola era, but they have never managed to lift the title after being behind by more than 10 points.
City’s seven-game winless run ranks as boss Pep Guardiola’s longest barren streak in his glittering managerial career.
Just weeks after he signed a new two-year contract, Liverpool fans taunted Guardiola with chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning”, prompting a defiant response from the Spaniard, who held up six fingers to illustrate the number of titles he has won with City.
Liverpool have won 18 of their 20 games in all competitions since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the close-season. The Reds have won 11 of their 13 Premier League matches and are firm favourites to win the title for the first time since 2020.
Guardiola sprang a surprise by starting Stefan Ortega in goal instead of the dropped Ederson, but the German had to pick the ball out of his net after just 12 minutes.
City’s defence was in disarray as Salah curled a shot towards the far post and Gakpo pounced to poke home from virtually on the line.
Salah’s 78th-minute penalty, awarded for Ortega’s foul on Luis Diaz, was a dagger in the heart of City’s title hopes.
Amorim stole the spotlight in Sunday’s early games by extending his unbeaten start with United to three matches.
United were held to a 1-1 draw at Ipswich in his first Premier League game last Sunday before the Portuguese boss earned his maiden win with United in a 3-2 success against Bodo/Glimt at Old Trafford in the Europa League on Thursday.
The 39-year-old, who arrived from Sporting Lisbon to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, has warned United would “suffer for a long period” before they can expect to challenge for the title.
This was the most encouraging result of Amorim’s brief time at ninth-placed United as they recovered from a slow start to dispatch lowly Everton.
Marcus Rashford’s 34th-minute drive from the edge of the area took a deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite before flashing into the net.
United struck again seven minutes later as Branthwaite lost possession to Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes teed up Joshua Zirkzee to convert with ease.
Rashford underlined United’s superiority just 20 seconds after the interval as he applied a cool finish to Diallo’s incisive pass for his seventh goal this season.
Zirkee struck again in the 64th minute with a composed strike from the influential Diallo’s assist after shambolic Everton defending.
“The result was good but we were pragmatic. It was not pretty,” Amorim said. “It is a rollercoaster. We have some moments when we are good but then we have moments when we have to suffer.”
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa, whose dismal winless streak reached eight matches.
Enzo Maresca’s men look capable of securing Champions League qualification after a third successive win in the space of eight days moved them level on points with second-placed Arsenal.
Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez scored in the first half before Cole Palmer struck in the closing stages.
Seventh-placed Tottenham’s top-four hopes were dented by a 1-1 draw against 10-man Fulham.
Brennan Johnson slotted Tottenham into the lead from Timo Werner’s 54th-minute pass, but Tom Cairney curled Fulham’s equaliser into the far corner after 67 minutes.
Cairney was sent off with seven minutes left after his foul on Dejan Kulusevski was upgraded from referee Darren Bond’s initial yellow card to a red after VAR intervened.
The federal government on Saturday hiked the petrol price by Rs3.72 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.29 per litre for the next fortnight.
The new petrol price is Rs252.1 while that of HSD is Rs258.43.
Meanwhile, the prices of kerosene oil and light-diesel oil were slashed to Rs164.98 and Rs151.73 with cuts of Rs0.62 and Rs0.48, respectively.
A notification issued by the Finance Division said: “Ogra has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products as per variation in the oil price in the international market. It has accordingly been decided that the prices of petroleum products for next fortnight starting from Dec 1, 2024, would be slightly revised.”
The prices were estimated to remain mostly unchanged for the next fortnight owing to a negligible change in international prices and a minor gain in the exchange rate.
Informed sources had said the average prices of petrol and HSD had slightly increased in the international market in the last fortnight. Import premium on both petrol and diesel remained unchanged. The exchange rate moved slightly in favour of the rupee.
As a result, the latest calculations as of Nov 28 showed around Rs3 per litre increase in the prices of petrol, HSD and kerosene, despite a slight decline seen in international prices for the last two days of the month.
Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of middle- and lower-middle class.
On the other hand, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. 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.
At present, the government is charging about Rs76 per litre tax on both petrol and HSD. Although the general sales tax is zero on all petroleum products, the government is charging a Rs60 per litre petrol development levy on both petrol and HSD that normally impact the masses.
The government is also charging about Rs16 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD, irrespective of their local production or imports. In addition, about Rs17 per litre distribution and sale margins are going to oil companies and their dealers.
On the other hand, it is charging Rs50 per litre on light diesel and high octane blending component and 95RON petrol used by the wealthy in luxury imported vehicles.
The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has said PTI founder and ex-prime minister Imran Khan was “guilty” in a case related to the May 9 riots, it emerged on Saturday.
Following the arrest of the ex-premier on May 9, 2023, from the Islamabad High Court’s premises, riots erupted across the country and went on for at least 24 hours.
The state subsequently launched a crackdown against him and his party, filing several other cases against Imran since the events of May 9, in many of which he has been acquitted.
The ATC on Wednesday had dismissed Imran’s petitions seeking post-arrest bail in eight May 9 cases, including an attack on the corps commander’s residence.
ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill had reserved a verdict after hearing the final arguments of the lawyers for the petitioner and the prosecution, which he announced later in the evening.
In a written order issued today, available with Dawn.com, for one of the petitions regarding a case registered at the Mughalpura Police Station about an attack on a police official’s vehicle, Judge Ali Gill observed: “It is not an ordinary case of abet ment, instigation or conspiracy.”
He said that as per the case record, Imran was alleged to have plotted a “conspiracy” at his Zaman Park residence with other party leaders for the public and party workers to “attack upon the state machinery as well as military installation throughout Pakistan and also attack upon police officials, jam the state machinery by overawe the law enforcement agencies.
“Same directions and instigation was complied with not only by the other senior leadership but also the general worker and supporters.”
The order said the statements of prosecution witnesses were available on the record regarding the allegation of conspiracy and “the prosecution has also other audio-visual evidence to prove the instigation, abetment of the petitioner and the commission of offence by other leadership and workers.”
The order said that Imran’s role in the conspiracy was also discussed in detail by the Lahore High Court while deciding the post-arrest bail of PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhary.
It added that the offences fell within the prohibitory clause of Section 497 (when bail may be taken in ease of non-bailable offence) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Section 497 gives the right to apply bail on the ground of statutory delay provided that delay in the trial has not been occasioned by an act or omission of the accused or any other person acting on his behalf.
“Petitioner was found guilty. It is also in the mind of this court that the petitioner is not an ordinary man. He is chairman of PTI and his directions and communication carries weight to the workers, other senior leaders, voters and supporters. None from the other leadership of PTI even think about to deny or reject the directions and command of the petitioner being chairman/founder of the party.
“As per police the incident in hand as well as dozens of other like nature episodes took place on the same day. In all the such like incidents only the army installations, government institutions and police officials were under attacks by the protestors. No independent or private property was damaged or attacked,” the order reads.
The judge said he found no merit in Imran’s bail petition and dismissed it.
Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar told Dawn.com that the legal team would approach the high court next for bail.
The post-arrest bail petitions were filed after the Lahore High Court on July 25 quashed Imran’s physical remand in 12 cases.
ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed on Nov 8 granted post-arrest bail to Imran in four cases, including burning the PML-N office in Model Town, a container near Kalma Chowk, police vehicles in Gulberg, and violence at Sherpao Bridge during the May 9 riots.
Several members of US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration have received threats, including bomb alerts, a spokesperson for the president-elect said Wednesday.
“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them,” said transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a statement.
Without saying who was targeted, Leavitt said these incidents ranged from bomb threats to “swatting”, a practice in which police are summoned urgently to someone’s house under false pretences.
Elise Stefanik, a Trump loyalist congresswoman tapped to be UN ambassador, said her residence in New York was targeted in a bomb threat. In a statement, she said she and her husband and small son were driving home from Washington for the Thanksgiving holiday when they learned of the threat.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents” and that “we take all potential threats seriously.”
As he prepares to return to the White House in January, Trump has already swiftly assembled a cabinet of loyalists, including several criticised for severe lack of experience.
The Republican, who appears set to avoid trial on criminal prosecutions related to attempts to overthrow his 2020 election loss, was wounded in the ear in July in an assassination attempt.
Three terrorists were killed in two separate engagements with security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber and South Waziristan districts, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations issued today said that an intelligence-based operation was conducted in Khyber’s general area of Bara.
“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged” the location of the terrorists and eliminated two, Haqyar Afridi alias Khyberay and Gulla Jan.
The ISPR said that in another incident, the movement of a terrorist group that was trying to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was detected by security forces in South Waziristan.
“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate,” the ISPR said, adding that one terrorist was killed while three were injured.
It said the two engagements took place on Thursday and Friday.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said, adding that Afghan authorities were expected to fulfil their obligations and deny the use of their soil by terrorists for perpetuating terrorism against Pakistan.
“Security forces of Pakistan are determined and remain committed to secure its border and eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country.”
President Asif Ali Zardari praised security forces for the successful operations.
“The nefarious intentions of the enemies of humanity will continue to be crushed in the same way. The entire nation stands with the fearless youth of the security forces in the war on terror. The government is active for the complete elimination of terrorism from the country,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement paying tribute to the security forces.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also congratulated the security forces and said terrorism would be wiped out from the country.
The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and KP, with at least 55 security personnel being martyred in the first three weeks of November, according to a think tank.
Attacks escalated after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.
The Foreign Office on Thursday expressed grave concern over the growing threat posed by terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to take decisive action against militants sheltering in Afghanistan.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had emphasised the regional and global ramifications of unchecked terrorism from Afghanistan.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Friday night notified that the prices of petroleum products will remain unchanged for the next fortnight.
Earlier this week, the prices of major petroleum products — petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) — were estimated to go up by about Rs4-5 per litre for a fortnight owing to higher international prices and import premium on petrol.
Informed sources said the average prices of petrol and HSD increased in the international market by about $1.7 and $4.4 per barrel, respectively, in the last fortnight.
The import premium on petrol was up to almost $1 per barrel. Depending on final exchange rate calculation and existing tax rates, the prices of petrol and HSD are projected to increase by up to Rs4 and Rs5 per litre, respectively.
According to a finance division notification seen by Dawn.com, Ogra decided that the prices will remain unchanged “based on the price trends in the international market during the last two weeks”.
The notification states that the price of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) will remain at Rs255.14 per litre, while the price of petrol (MS) will stay at Rs248.38 per litre. These prices will stay the same for the next 14 days.
The United States has charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to assassinate president-elect Donald Trump, the Justice Department said on Friday.
In a statement, the department said that Shakeri had informed law enforcement “that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill” Trump, the department said.
The department described Shakeri as an IRGC asset residing in Tehran. It said he immigrated to the US as a child and was deported in or about 2008 following a robbery conviction.
The department said it had charged two other individuals in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to kill a US citizen of Iranian origin in New York.
In September, Trump claimed that he received threats to his life from Iran.
“Big threats on my life by Iran. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again,” the Republican presidential nominee said on Truth Social. He also said the entire US military is “watching and waiting”.
Trump thanked the US Congress for unanimously approving additional funding for the Secret Service, noting that he is now surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than ever before.
Trump’s comments came after gunshots were heard near his location in Florida on September 15, though officials later confirmed he was safe.
The rhythmic beat of dhol drums welcomed Republican supporters at the White House early on Wednesday, celebrating Donald Trump’s return after a four-year hiatus from the political spotlight.
Once it became clear he had defied obstacles to reclaim the presidency, a lively group of his supporters gathered to mark what they saw as an extraordinary comeback.
“This is the greatest political comeback in US history,” declared Sajid Tarar, leader of “Muslims for Trump,” who brought a group of drum-beaters, Muslim, and Sikh supporters to celebrate.
Tarar, who had recited Surah Fateha at Trump’s inauguration in 2016, was emphatic about Trump’s return: “He will make America great again.”
Standing beside Tarar was Irfan Yaqub, who explained his support: “Trump at least pledged to end the war in the Middle East, which Kamala Harris never committed to. That’s why I’m here celebrating his victory.”
Trump’s supporters, who drummed outside the White House, had travelled from the Maryland and Virginia suburbs to celebrate his victory.
In stark contrast, an overwhelming sense of gloom and defeat hung over Washington, long a bastion of Democratic street power.
On Wednesday, the city streets were eerily quiet, as Democratic activists and political workers remained absent, still grappling with the aftermath of their election defeat.
Washington residents voted decisively for Harris on Tuesday as well.
The contrast was evident against the jubilant atmosphere at Trump’s campaign headquarters in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where supporters gathered for an official watch party that erupted in celebration with every favourable update.
Kamala Harris’s supporters, meanwhile, gathered at Howard University in Washington, DC, anticipating a historic moment.
The mood at Howard’s Yard was electric early on, with campaign co-chairs leading songs and dances as they awaited the results.
But as the night wore on and updates increasingly favoured Trump, the excitement ebbed.
By the time Cedric Richmond, a campaign co-chair, took the stage to announce that Harris would not address the crowd, the disappointment was palpable. “The energy was so high at the start,” one volunteer said, “but it fizzled out quickly.”
At Trump’s Florida headquarters, the optimism only grew. Trump met with top aides, reaching out to key battleground states like Pennsylvania, while his supporters, decked out in “Make America Great Again” hats and bright reds, cheered as news networks reported leads in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
As the night continued, the mood at Howard University shifted further, with rows of empty seats and discarded flags left behind by Harris supporters who quietly dispersed.
Small groups tried to keep the enthusiasm alive by dancing to the music of pro-Harris performers, but a bittersweet tone lingered.
“We thought we were witnessing history,” said Margaret Dean, a Howard student. With results from Georgia and North Carolina favouring Trump, anxiety ran high.
“It was tense to watch,” echoed Fred Hanson, another student.
Howard University’s Yard became a gathering place for supporters to come to terms with an outcome they hadn’t anticipated.
By Wednesday afternoon, Harris supporters were beginning to reflect on the loss. For many, like Hadi Jawad, a Texas-based campaign organiser, the result served as a rallying cry. “The real work begins the day after the election,” he said, urging fellow Democrats to press on. “All is not lost. Organise, organise, organie.”
Others, like Fayyaz ul Hassan, a Democratic delegate, emphasised resilience. “The fight continues. We don’t give up,” he stated firmly. “A new dawn comes after every dark night.”
For Zulfi, a party strategist, the moment called for introspection. “Democrats alienated young progressives — their base — by sticking with an outdated strategy for too long,” he commented, “and missed critical issues like immigration and inflation. This defeat is a wake-up call.”
As the dust settled, Democratic supporters resolved to move forward with renewed commitment, already focusing on regrouping for the future.
Security forces killed seven terrorists in separate operations on Monday, with one terrorist killed in Balochistan and the other six killed during two operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said.
“In the wee hours of Monday, six khawarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” said a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“An intelligence-based operation was conducted by Security Forces in general area Dosali, North Waziristan District,” the press release said. “During conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij’s location, resultantly one kharji Ahmed Shah Intizar was sent to hell.”
In the second incident, the ISPR said that a group of *khawarij“ were attempting to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border when they were intercepted by security forces in Khamrang, in KP’s South Waziristan District.
“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate,” the press release said. Five khawarij were “sent to hell”, while three others were injured.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR added.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Meanwhile, in Balochistan’s Noshki district, one terrorist was killed during a gun battle with security forces the military’s media wing said in a press release.
“On 4 November 2024, a fire exchange took place between own troops and the terrorists in Nushki District of Balochistan,” said the ISPR in a separate statement.
Security forces exchanged fire and one terrorist “was sent to hell”. Weapons and ammunition were seized after the gun battle subsided.
“[A] sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR added.
“Security Forces of Pakistan are determined and remain committed to secure its borders and eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country,” said the ISPR.
The ISPR added: “Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan.”
In July, the government, through an official notification, designated the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as Fitna al Khawarij, while mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.
On November 2, four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan region.
“In the early hours of November 2, 2024, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in general area Sarwakai, South Waziristan District on reported presence of khawarij,” the ISPR said. The ISPR said that security forces engaged the terrorists, with four khawarij “sent to hell”.
F1 Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen won a chaotic, rain-lashed Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, roaring back from 17th on the grid to reignite his push for a fourth successive world title.
The Red Bull driver came home ahead of Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who benefitted when the race was earlier red-flagged, with title rival and pole-sitter Lando Norris only managing a sixth-place finish in his McLaren.
The victory was Verstappen’s first in a grand prix since Spain in June and he now boasts a 62-point lead in the championship with three races left in the season. “You know what that is? Simply lovely,” said Verstappen on the team radio as he crossed the finish line.
George Russell was fourth in a Mercedes with Charles Leclerc fifth in a Ferrari while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was seventh. Yuki Tsunoda of RB Racing was eighth with teammate Liam Lawson in ninth and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton filling out the top 10.
The race was suspended on lap 32 after a huge crash involving Williams driver Franco Colapinto. The Argentine lost control on the treacherous surface, smashing into a wall and tearing off the left side of his car.
Colapinto appeared unhurt but had to retire from the race. The race was red-flagged while debris was cleared.
At the time of the suspension, Ocon was leading ahead of the championship leader after the early pace-setters, including Norris, had pitted. After the delay, the race resumed under a rolling start.
Pakistan and India have renewed their agreement to facilitate pilgrims via the Kartarpur Corridor for an additional five-year period, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday.
A statement issued by the FO said that the “Agreement between the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan” had been signed for an additional period of five years.
Originally signed on October 24, 2019, for a five-year term, the agreement was set to complete its initial duration on Thursday.
“Its renewal underscores Pakistan’s enduring commitment to fostering interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence,” the statement read.
“The agreement continues to offer visa-free access to pilgrims from India enabling them to visit the sacred site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, where Baba Guru Nanak, the revered founder of Sikhism, spent his final days,” the statement read.
Since its inception, the corridor has facilitated the pilgrimage of thousands of worshippers to this holy site, the statement added.
“The Kartarpur Corridor fulfils the long-cherished aspirations of the Sikh community for access to one of their most revered religious landmarks.
“It reflects Pakistan’s recognition of the importance of safeguarding the rights of religious minorities,” the statement said.
The initiative has earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres who described it as a “Corridor of Hope”, according to the statement.
Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a statement on X that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will continue to facilitate our Sikh community’s access to their holy sites.”
For up to 30 million Sikhs around the world, Kartarpur is one of their holiest places. When Pakistan was carved out of colonial India at independence from Britain in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the western side of the border — though most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For them, it is tantalisingly close — just four kilometres inside Pakistan, so near that Indian Sikhs have been known to stand on the other side and simply gaze across the divide at the site.
But decades of enmity between India and Pakistan has left extreme restrictions on their ability to visit.
Former prime minister Imran Khan formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor at a colourful ceremony in November 2019, paving the way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their religion’s holiest sites in Pakistan without needing a visa.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui announced on Thursday that major parties had reached a consensus on “90 per cent” of the points in the much-touted constitutional package, adding that it would be presented in the Senate tomorrow.
The much-talked-about Constitutional Package is legislation proposing a set of constitutional amendments, including the extension of the top judge’s term.
Three separate drafts of the constitutional package were being prepared — one by the government, the second by the PPP, and the third by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). A committee, led by PPP’s Khursheed Shah, has the representation of all parties, including the PTI. It was formed by the National Assembly speaker for reconciliation among lawmakers, particularly between the PTI and the government, after a raid by plainclothesmen to round up the PTI men from the Parliament House.
In a meeting at the residence of the Sharif family in Lahore, the ruling parties on Wednesday virtually succeeded in winning over Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F for their reform package.
However, the parties still require cooperation from the PTI to achieve complete consensus on the constitutional amendments, which have become a bone of contention in national politics of late.
The meeting, attended by the heads of all three parties — the PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F — discussed the amendments threadbare and hoped to address the sticking points, besides giving the final touches to the tweaks.
After midnight, they held a press conference to brief the media about the outcome of the meeting. Fazl said agreement on some points had been achieved and the trio was “near consensus” on some issues. He appeared hopeful, saying they were heading towards consensus.
Senator Siddiqui told reporters today that most of the amendments had been agreed upon after attending a meeting of the parliamentary committee deliberating on the package.
“God willing, we have full consensus very soon,” Siddiqui said. “We have reached a consensus on 80-90pc of the larger matters and we are aiming to reach an agreement on smaller issues today.
“The amendments will be presented in the Senate tomorrow,” he added.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub accused the government of bribery and kidnapping PTI lawmakers in order to pass the 26th amendment.
“Zain Qureshi’s wife was taken to an undisclosed location at gunpoint,” Ayub alleged while talking to reporters. “She has been recovered and I spoke with [National Assembly] Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. They have raided the homes of our journalists as well.”
The opposition leader continued: “This is their current state. People are being offered bribes of between Rs700 million and Rs1 billion in cash, anytime and anywhere. These are the offers to our MNAs, along with ministries, and similarly is happening with our Senators. This just proves that they do not have the numbers.”
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said the party was still working on its draft bill, adding that a final draft would be presented once it was accepted by party founder Imran Khan.
“When we meet with him, we will take his recommendations and input into consideration. Then we will present a final draft.”
In an earlier media talk today, Gohar said, “We’ve said that we will consult on the draft with Maulana sahib. We have said this categorically. We need to discuss it with Imran, only then will we present a draft.”
He added that legislation was “not a numbers game, but a game of conscience”. The chairman described the alleged harassment of PTI lawmakers and their families as “unconscionable”.
Gohar also claimed that seven of the government’s potential voters were “not on their side”.
“When they vote, the government will be shocked,” he added.
Later in the day, a PTI delegation visited Fazl to discuss the package and the overall political situation.
An earlier attempt by the ruling PML-N to bulldoze the amendments did not succeed as it failed to win over the JUI-F and the legislation could not be tabled despite houses being in session.
After that, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took the driving seat to evolve a consensus over ‘much-needed judicial reforms’, primarily setting up a constitutional court. According to the PPP leader, this court was an unfinished agenda of the Charter of Democracy signed by his late mother Benazir Bhutto.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday held a telephone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in which they expressed their “deep commitment and support for the people of Palestine and Lebanon”.
A post on X by the Foreign Office said the two diplomats discussed the situation in the two conflict-ridden countries subject to an Israeli military offensive.
The Saudi Press Agency said both also reviewed relations between the two countries and discussed regional and international developments
Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians since it began a year ago and has laid waste to the enclave.
The offensive began after a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, on southern Israeli communities in which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Meanwhile, Israel’s latest fight with Hezbollah started when the group fired missiles at Israeli positions immediately after the Oct 7 attack. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire ever since.
As months of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas went nowhere, Israel in September began ramping up its bombardment of Hezbollah and landed painful blows on the group, including remotely detonating Hezbollah pagers and radios, wounding thousands of the group’s members.
After Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s death, US President Joe Biden called again for a ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched its ground invasion anyway.
Its expanded operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to Lebanon’s government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting. The toll includes scores of women and children.
Separately, a statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued today said the seventh meeting of the Pakistan-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Bilateral Defence Industrial Forum was held in Riyadh on Thursday.
Pakistan’s tri-services delegation was led by Chief of General Staff (CGS), Lieutenant General Muhammad Avais Dastgir, whereas, Assistant Defence Minister Talal Bin Abdullah Al Otaibi led the Saudi Arabian side.
During the meeting, the CGS affirmed Pakistan’s continuing support towards the capacity building of the Royal Saudi Defence Forces.
The Saudi dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s achievements and sacrifices in the war against terrorism and its valuable contributions towards regional peace and stability.
The forum’s participants discussed challenges to global and regional security and their implications for the Defence Forces.
They noted that rapid advancements in modern technologies necessitated further enhancing defence industrial cooperation in critical capabilities between the two allied countries.
In this context, the ISPR said that the progress of ongoing areas of collaboration was reviewed while new areas of collaboration were also agreed upon.
