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The Punjab Assembly session on Monday was thrown into chaos when two brawls erupted between lawmakers, leading to the suspension of a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA), according to a Dawn.com correspondent present at the scene.

Earlier today, opposition member Khalid Nisar Dogar struck ruling PML-N’s Hasan Riaz during the session, before the two were separated by other lawmakers. Footage of the incident has since gone viral.

Acting speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar called the altercation “highly inappropriate”.

According to the correspondent, the session was adjourned until 2pm on Tuesday by Channar, who summoned government and opposition MPAs to his chambers. He suspended Dogar for 15 sessions under Rule 210 (power to order withdrawal of members or suspend sitting) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997.

Speaking to reporters following the fracas, Riaz called it “a dark day”.

“I was addressing the speaker, but an opposition lawmaker was hurling insults at me,” he said. “When I saw him, he came and attacked me. These people have no control over themselves; they’ve been the same since May 9 [riots in 2023].”

Another altercation later erupted in the assembly’s press hall, where a government MPA’s staff members reportedly hurled insults at opposition lawmakers.

As a result, opposition MPAs Sardar Mohammad Ali Khan and Muhammad Ejaz Shafi also hurled abuse as both sides came face-to-face again. However, security personnel arrived at the press hall and separated both groups of lawmakers.

Video footage recorded in the press hall shows Khan and Shafi claiming that two people came and hurled abuse at their fellow lawmakers before leaving the press hall.

“They insulted our MPA,” Khan emphasised. “You all witnessed that two miscreants abused an honourable member. If you do not raise your voices, this will happen to you too.”

This is not the first time that unruly behaviour has been seen in the Punjab Assembly.

In June, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan ordered the suspension of 26 opposition MPAs for 15 sittings after their protests disrupted the proceedings as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was presenting the budget.

According to an order issued by Malik on June 27, the suspended MPAs “became disorderly, beyond all parliamentary reasoning and practices”, including tearing the agenda papers and hurling torn pieces towards the treasury benches as well as using “offensive, abusive, and unparliamentary language and slogans”.

The order was issued under Rule 210 of the Punjab Assembly Rules of Procedure, 1997.

Godzilla has morphed over the years, but one constant is the devotion of its fans, who celebrated the Japanese monster’s 70th anniversary at the pop culture convention Comic-Con.

The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda.

Godzilla was born on November 3, 1954 with the launch of the first movie about it, directed by Ishiro Honda.

“I am a very big fan of Godzilla,” said Angela Hill, a teacher who travelled from Arizona to take part in Comic-Con, which this year featured events and displays celebrating Godzilla.

One of the world’s largest celebrations of pop culture, Comic-Con brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series.

As the story of Godzilla goes, a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific. It emerges from the sea and attacks Japan in a rage, symbolising the deadly power of nuclear weapons.

“I think because he came from such a historic event — like, a lot of other monsters are just interesting creatures, but they don’t hold the grief of a nation,” Hill said, referring to the US nuclear bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.

At the pop culture watering hole in San Diego, people lined up to shoot pictures and video with an image of Godzilla, which was also the theme of a panel discussion on Friday that featured Shinji Higuchi, who co-directed a reboot in 2016 called “Shin Godzilla.”

The movie franchise includes nearly 40 films and has spawned hundreds of animated productions about the monster as well as TV series and graphic work.

‘Rooting for him’

On Saturday, writers Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed autographs of their book Godzilla: The First 70 Years, which sold out at Comic-Con.

“It’s a rich history,” Ryfle told AFP. “This is the longest-running feature film franchise in cinematic history that’s focused on a single, continuous character. It’s been around longer than James Bond.”

He said the key to its longevity is that Godzilla has evolved over time but stayed faithful to its origins.

“Godzilla has been serious, it’s been scary, it’s been heroic, it’s been funny. But at the same time, this is a movie character that’s rooted in something that’s very real,” Ryfle said.

“And that’s the trauma that Japan experienced, both during World War II, and also the trauma of the aftermath of World War II, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” he added.

He said Honda, who directed the first Godzilla movie, was a veteran who used the film to send a message against war and, in particular, against nuclear weapons.

Michelle Pena, a Godzilla fan who waited in line to get the autograph of the two writers, said part of the monster’s charm is how it has changed over the years.

“Good, bad, hero, anti-hero, you know. And I like that,” she said.

“He’s not, like, lovable,” she added. “He’s a big dinosaur-looking thing, you know. He’s scary. But, like, you really, really find yourself rooting for him.”

The first meeting of the newly established Executive Council of Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) reappointed Zubair Habib as the head of the CPLC for the next three years, it emerged on Wednesday.

He previously served as CPLC chief as well, being appointed in October 2015 when its board accepted the resignation of former chief Ahmed Chinoy and appointed Habib in his place.

“The Sindh home minister in consultation with the executive council directed the CPLC chief Zubair Habib to continue his position,” said an official statement issued today.

Habib told Dawn.com that previously, the CPLC worked under the police rules. The Sindh Assembly had passed the Police Act in 2019 under which the CPLC was declared as a statutory body, under which its new configuration was required.

Previously, the Sindh governor was the head of the advisory council, but now the home minister would be its chairman. Similarly, the home minister would be the head of the executive council, whose members included the home secretary, law secretary, inspector general (IG) of police, public safety commission secretary and the CPLC chief.

The operational head of the CPLC would be its chief, who would be nominated by the Executive Council (EC). Habib said it was the first meeting of the EC, which appointed him as the CPLC head for the next three years.

The meeting also appointed five members from the private sector. They included former additional IG Saleem Vahidy, businessman Ziad Bashir, Advocate Qurban Ali Malano, Panjwani Foundation chairperson Nadira Panjwani and businessman Saqib Sheerazi. The participants of the meeting also established a “finance committee” and Shabbar Malik was appointed as deputy chief of the CPLC for operations.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar gave instructions to submit recommendations for increasing financial help to the CPLC for the financial year of 2025-26.

Lanjar said Sindh was the only province where the CPLC had been established and worked successfully. He termed it as an example of “public-private partnership for fighting against crimes and redressing grievances of the people”.

The minister directed the CPLC chief to expand its network in upper Sindh, saying that the provincial government would help in the provision of its office and resources.

In September last year, retired Justice Nazar Akbar tendered his resignation from the office of the CPLC EC chairman in protest over the “illegal” continuation of the CPLC chief for the past five years without any official notification from the home department.

The former judge of the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court had sent his resignation letter, along with detailed reasons behind his decision, to the chief minister. According to the letter, Justice Akbar had informed the chief minister that Habib was continuing to “illegally” hold the office for the last nine years for the third consecutive term.

A man allegedly shot dead his daughter and nephew in Quetta on Tuesday in the name of ‘honour’, just days after the Degari case, in which a couple was gunned down in broad daylight, drawing widespread condemnation, according to the police.

Shalkot Sub-Divisional Police Officer Athar Rashid told Dawn.com, “The daughter and the nephew died in the firing, while the suspect managed to escape after the incident.”

The bodies were taken to the hospital for medicolegal formalities, after which they were handed over to the heirs.

Rashid added that a team from Kechi Baig police station was conducting raids to arrest the suspect.

“The suspect will be arrested soon, while further investigation into the incident is underway,” he said.

The incident comes two days after the police arrested at least 14 suspects for their involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in Quetta’s Degari area, who were shot dead on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha for so-called ‘honour’.

The arrests were made after a video of the killing went viral on social media, in which a group of people could be seen shooting the couple.

In Pakistan, ‘honour’ killings continued to claim the lives of women throughout 2024, perpetuated by deeply ingrained societal beliefs about family dignity and shame.

Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan shows that in 2024, ‘honour’ killings continued to be a serious issue across Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab. From January to November, a total of 346 people fell victim to ‘honour’ crimes in the country.

The previous two years also saw a consistent rise in murders related to the so-called ‘honour’.

Balochistan Assembly condemns ‘honour killings’

The Balochistan Assembly, during its session today, strongly denounced ‘honour killings’, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Presided over by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, the assembly passed a joint resolution denouncing the brutal killing of the man and woman in Degari.

Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola presented the resolution, describing the act as inhumane, unlawful, and devoid of any cultural, religious, or legal justification. She reaffirmed that justice lies solely with the state, not individuals who take the law into their own hands, APP added.

The resolution urged the provincial government to ensure swift action against the culprits of the Degari incident and deliver appropriate punishment.

MPA Shahida Rauf decried the incident as barbaric and criticised unauthorised “Jirgas” for dispensing unlawful judgments, calling for tougher legislation and accountability.

Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti proposed forming a parliamentary committee to monitor the investigation and ensure transparency in the dual murder case.

Education Minister Rahila Hameed Durrani emphasised the psychological impact of the incident across society and noted that while it occurred before Eid, it only recently gained public attention after circulating online.

Adviser Meena Majeed Baloch condemned the deep-rooted customs leading to recurring violence against women. She called for the elimination of parallel laws, underscoring the contrast between women’s global achievements and their oppression at home.

Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch addressed the need for both moral upbringing and systemic reform while acknowledging cultural sensitivities around honour. He strongly opposed vigilante justice.

MPA Farah Azeem Shah argued that the incident reflects a societal regression, urging adherence to the Islamic principles of compassion and justice.

She criticised unequal enforcement of law and challenged patriarchal norms surrounding honour.

Minister Haji Noor Muhammad Dummar called for decisive actions to prevent future tragedies, stating no one has the right to claim lives in the name of tradition.

The resolution was adopted unanimously after a thorough and impassioned debate.

One of Jeffrey Epstein’s former attorneys on Sunday called on the US Justice Department to release additional investigative records from its sex-trafficking investigation, and urged the government to grant Epstein’s former girlfriend immunity so that she can testify about his crimes.

In an interview on Fox News on Sunday, Alan Dershowitz said the grand jury transcripts that Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday asked a federal judge to unseal would not contain the types of information being sought by President Donald Trump’s supporters, such as the names of Epstein’s clientele.

“I think the judge should release it, but they are not in the grand jury transcripts,” Dershowitz said on Fox News.

“I’ve seen some of these materials. For example, there is an FBI report of interviews with alleged victims in which at least one of the victims names very important people,” he said, adding that those names have been redacted.

US President Donald Trump has been under mounting pressure from his supporters to release additional information related to the government’s sex-trafficking probe into Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Earlier this year, Bondi promised that the department would release additional materials, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs”.

The department back-tracked on that promise earlier this month, after releasing a joint memo with the FBI which poured cold water on long-running conspiracy theories about Epstein by saying there was “no incriminating client list” or any evidence of blackmail.

The memo also backed a prior FBI investigation, which concluded that Epstein died by suicide and was not murdered in his jail cell.

Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have faced a growing backlash from Trump’s supporters since the memo was issued, prompting Trump last week to order the department to ask a court to unseal grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case.

The US government on Friday filed a motion in a Manhattan federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in the cases of Epstein and former associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of five federal charges related to her role in Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls. Maxwell is appealing her conviction and 20-year prison sentence to the US Supreme Court.

The release of the grand jury documents may fall short of what many of Trump’s supporters have sought, including case files held by the administration, and a judge may reject the administration’s request to make the transcripts public.

Dershowitz on Sunday told ‘Fox News Sunday’ that the information that Bondi did not request to be unsealed would be “far more informative and far more relevant”.

He added that the government should also grant Maxwell immunity so that she could testify before Congress about what knowledge she has of Epstein’s alleged crimes.

“She knows everything. She is the Rosetta Stone,” Dershowitz said of Maxwell. “If she were just given use immunity, she could be compelled to testify.”

Minister of State for Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani on Saturday said that Pakistan and Azerbaijan had agreed to form joint working groups to further the goals of mutual trade and railway cooperation.

Kayani’s announcement followed a high-level meeting he chaired at the Ministry of Railways that brought together key stakeholders to explore avenues for strengthening cross-border linkages and advancing mutual economic interests.

“Railway Board Secretary Muhammad Yousaf, briefed the participants on the Pakistan Railways network,” Kayani said.

“Discussions were also held on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan rail agreement, and both sides agreed to form joint working groups to further the goals of mutual trade and railway cooperation,” the minister added.

Talking to the media in Jhelum, the state minister said that he led a dialogue with an Azerbaijani delegation headed by Deputy Chairman Arif Aghayev of Railways, who participated in the meeting via video link.

Railways Secretary Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, Yousaf, as well as senior officials from the Special Investment Facilitation Council, National Logistics Cell, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the State Bank of Pakistan, were also at this meeting.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has had several meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev throughout the year. Earlier this month, both nations agreed to sign deals to boost bilateral investment volumes to $2 billion.

In May, the prime minister thanked Aliyev’s country for its steadfast support during the Pakistan-India confrontation and “acknowledged the public expressions of solidarity from both the leadership and the people of brotherly Azerbaijan”.

Additional input from APP

The United States has rejected an agreement adopted by members of the World Health Organisation to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to Covid-19, the American government said on Friday.

The State Department and Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement they had transmitted on Friday the official US rejection of the legally binding pact, which was adopted in Geneva in May after three years of negotiations.

The pact aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20 per cent of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access.

US negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the US, by far the WHO’s largest financial backer, from the agency when he took office in January. Its exit means the US would not be bound by the pact.

“Developed without adequate public input, these amendments expand the role of the WHO in public health emergencies, create additional authorities for the WHO for shaping pandemic declarations, and promote the WHO’s ability to facilitate ‘equitable access’ of health commodities,” the US statement said.

“Terminology throughout the 2024 amendments is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions,” said the statement, jointly issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, who has a long history of sowing doubt about vaccine safety, had slammed WHO in a video address to the Assembly during its vote, saying it had failed to learn from the lessons of the pandemic with the new agreement.

Kennedy and Rubio said on Friday that the rejection protects US sovereignty. The pact leaves health policy to national governments and contains nothing that overrides national sovereignty, however.

In Syria’s Druze-majority city of Sweida, residents said they have been living in terror since the arrival of government forces who have been carrying out what witnesses and a war monitor have called summary executions.

Syrian government forces entered the majority-Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday with the stated aim of overseeing a ceasefire agreed with Druze community leaders following days of fighting with local Bedouin tribes.

Syria’s Druze community follows a religion derived from Islam and is part of a minority group that also has members in Lebanon, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

In Syria, the community is concentrated in the Sweida region bordering Jordan, in areas adjoining the Israeli-occupied Golan, and in Damascus’ Jaramana suburb.

Echoing arrangements for the Alawites, French colonial authorities established a state called Jabal al-Druze centred on Sweida until 1936.

After Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, Druze held protests against Assad but were spared most of the mass violence that unfolded elsewhere in the country. They faced periodic attacks from other groups, including from President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and other militants who regard their sect as heretical.

The Druze maintain a degree of secrecy about the practice of their faith that emerged in the 11th century and incorporates elements from Islam and other philosophies, emphasising monotheism, reincarnation and the pursuit of truth.

Friction between Druze and Syria’s new authorities has broken out into fighting several times this year, notably in Jaramana and Suweida. Israel has intervened with airstrikes against Syrian government forces during the clashes with the stated aim of protecting the Druze.

‘Catastrophic situation’

“A lot of my friends were killed, including a doctor who was going to the hospital,” said Osama, 32, by telephone on Wednesday, adding he was in the centre of the southern city.

“There were summary executions in the streets,” he told AFP, crying, declining to provide his surname.

“If they reach here, I’m dead,” he said, adding: “I fear massacres similar to those on the coast.”

Paramedic Munzer, 43, said he was stuck at home in Sweida, unable to respond to calls for help.

“Entire families have been decimated. I know a family of four who were killed in their home,” he said.

“The bombardment didn’t stop all night,” said Munzer, also declining to provide his surname. “We have nothing left to eat in the fridge, just some dry biscuits, and some fruit and vegetables that have gone bad because the power has been cut off for 48 hours.

“I have four children, but I don’t know how to protect them.”

But the hardest thing, according to Munzer, is being unable to do his job as a paramedic.

He said he had received more than 50 calls for help and was worried about the “catastrophic situation” in the city’s main hospital, where he usually works.

An AFP correspondent in the city saw men wearing defence ministry uniforms, some with their faces covered, launching mortars near the bodies of two Druze fighters, as other combatants went house to house carrying out searches.

The city of some 150,000 residents was deserted, and shops were closed.

Another AFP correspondent saw on Wednesday some 30 bodies on the ground, including government forces and fighters in civilian clothes whose affiliation was not immediately clear.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, more than 300 people have been killed since fighting erupted on Sunday between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, sparking government intervention, and Israeli strikes in support of the Druze.

Most of the dead are fighters, but they also include 40 civilians, 27 of them summarily executed by security force personnel, according to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

The Syrian presidency on Wednesday condemned “heinous acts” and vowed to punish those responsible.

A committee tasked to investigate the coastal massacres in March was supposed to issue its findings earlier this month, but no report has been announced.

A congressional inquiry into the attempt to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally a year ago lamented on Sunday “inexcusable” failures in the Secret Service’s operations and response and called for more serious disciplinary action.

On July 13, 2024, a gunman shot the then-Republican presidential candidate during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear.

One bystander was killed and two other people, in addition to Trump, were wounded before a government sniper killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

“What happened was inexcusable, and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation,” said the report released by the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The dramatic incident energised Trump’s bid to return to the White House, with his campaign using a photo of him bloodied and pumping his fist as he was hurried offstage to woo voters.

The report did not shed new light on the gunman’s motive, which still remains a mystery, but accused the Secret Service of “a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life.”

“The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement,” said the committee’s Republican chairman, Rand Paul.

“Despite those failures, no one has been fired,” he added. “It was a complete breakdown of security at every level—fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats.

“We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again.”

‘Mistakes were made’

The Secret Service cited communication, technical and human errors and said reforms were underway, including on coordination between different law enforcement bodies and establishment of a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.

Six unidentified staff members have been disciplined, according to the agency. The punishments range from 10 to 42 days’ suspension without pay, and all six were put into restricted or non-operational positions.

Reflecting on the assassination attempt earlier this week, Trump said “mistakes were made” but that he was satisfied with the investigation.

In an interview with his daughter-in-law on Fox News’ ‘My View with Lara Trump’, Trump said the sniper “was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn’t do that, you would have had an even worse situation.”

“It was unforgettable,” Trump said of the events.

“I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that. Fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming.”

A labourer was killed while two others were hospitalised on Saturday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district after inhaling toxic gas in an under-construction water well they were working on.

The incident occurred in the Dabgay Shamozo area of Utman Khel in Bajaur.

Bajaur Rescue 1122 spokesperson Amjad Ali told Dawn.com, “Three labourers were digging a water well in the Dabgay Shamozo area when they suddenly fell unconscious.”

He said the Rescue 1122 team responded to the emergency and moved the labourers to the District Headquarters Hospital Bajaur in Khar.

He said one of the labourers was declared dead by the doctors in the hospital emergency department while the remaining two were in critical condition.

Last month, five men, including a sanitation worker and two brothers, died after inhaling toxic gases in an underground water tank in Karachi’s Ibrahim Hyderi.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced that Saud Shakeel will lead an 18-member Pakistan Shaheens squad to tour England from July 17 to August 6 for two three-day and three 50-over matches.

Pakistan Shaheens, the name for the men’s ‘A’ team, last featured in a match against the Bangladesh ‘A’ side in Dubai in February of this year.

“Saud Shakeel is set to lead the team, while he will be joined by three other Test-capped players in Mir Hamza, Musa Khan and Sajid Khan,” the PCB said.

The press release added that among other players, Azan Awais and Maaz Sadaqat, who finished as the leading run scorers, respectively, in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy 2024-25, have been selected.

Other batters include Ali Zaryab, Haider Ali, Mohammad Suleman, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shamyl Hussain, while Rohail Nazir will perform the wicket-keeping duties. The pace arsenal consists of Mushtaq Ahmed, who bagged 77 wickets in the two most recent first-class competitions (QeA Trophy & President’s Trophy), Fata pacer Shahid Aziz and Ubaid Shah.

Wrist spinner Faisal Akram will accompany left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz and off-spinning all-rounder Mubasir Khan to form the spin quartet along with experienced Sajid for the Shaheens across the red and white-ball fixtures.

The 18-member squad will take part in a training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi before departing for England on July 16, the press release added.

Pakistan Shaheens will also visit Darwin, Australia, later this year to take part in the Top End T20 Series, the PCB confirmed earlier in the week.

“This year’s edition of the Top End T20 Series will take place in Darwin from Aug 14 to 24 with Pakistan Shaheens taking on Bangladesh ‘A’ in the opening match of the tournament on Aug 14 at the TIO Stadium in Darwin,” the PCB said.

Squad:

Saud Shakeel (captain), Ali Zaryab, Azan Awais, Faisal Akram, Haider Ali, Maaz Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Suleman, Mubasir Khan, Musa Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Shahid Aziz, Shamyl Hussain and Ubaid Shah

Pakistan women’s training camp continues in Karachi to prep for Ireland tour

Meanwhile, preparations for the Pakistan women team’s tour to Ireland continued in Karachi for a fourth day today.

The 27-day camp is being conducted at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre and the Oval Ground, with an emphasis on refining skills and improving fitness levels ahead of the upcoming Ireland tour.

“Women cricketers practised batting, bowling, and fielding intensively for 5 hours,” the PCB said in a post on X.

Under the supervision of Head Coach Muhammad Wasim, women players underwent practical exercises in batting, bowling and fielding, the PCB said.

“Women players put in tremendous effort at the skills and fitness camp, according to the press release.

Junaid Khan taught bowling techniques to women fast bowlers, while Tahir Khan guided spinners.

A separate training camp for the Ireland-bound squad will be held from July 28 to August 2. A 15-member squad, to be selected by the national women’s selection committee, will take part in this phase of the preparations.

The national side is set to depart for Ireland on August 3, where they will feature in a three-ma­tch T20 International series against the hosts. All matches are scheduled to be played at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin.

The Balochistan government on Thursday said that it has received information about the kidnapping of some passengers near Sardhaka and a search operation is underway to recover them.

A statement from Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said terrorists belonging to the Fitna-al-Hindustan had carried out attacks in Quetta, Kalat, Mastung and Sardhaka.

“Information has been received about the kidnapping of some passengers near Sardhaka. A search operation has been launched in the area to safely recover the passengers,” he said.

Rind added that the security forces responded “immediately and vigorously” at all three locations, saying they were fully alert to protect the lives, property and belongings of the people.

The police and security forces have not provided details at the moment of the other incidents.

In May this year, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna-al-Hindu­stan — a new phrase aimed at framing India’s alleged role in terrorism as a deliberate destabilisation strategy, potentially to galvanise domestic support.

In March, five people were killed by armed men who blocked the highway in the Kalmat area of Gwadar district, while three long-body trailers carrying urea from Gwadar port were set on fire in the Tajaban area.

In February, seven Punjab-bound passengers were offloaded from a bus and shot dead in Barkhan district. The incident came days after 12 were killed in a blast targeting a bus carrying coal miners in Harnai.

Balochistan has witnessed a spate of attacks targeting those hailing from Punjab. In two separate incidents in April 2024, nine people were killed after being forced off a bus near Noshki, while two labourers from Punjab were shot in Kech.

In May last year, seven barbers from Punjab were shot dead near Gwadar, while August saw 23 travellers offloaded from trucks and buses and shot in the Musakhail district.

The Musakhail incident was part of a flare-up of violence, where dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians.

Earlier today, Field Marshal Asim Munir said India was “doubling down to further its nefarious agenda through its proxies of Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan”.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik on Wednesday warned that the government could deny entry to the sons of PTI founder Imran Khan if they travelled to Pakistan and “spread discord”.

Imran’s sons — Suleman Khan (28) and Qasim Khan (26) — had called attention to their father’s incarceration in a rare public appearance in May. Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in the £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023, protests. It was the first time the two had publicly talked about their father’s incarceration.

On Monday, Qasim uploaded a post on X calling for his father’s release, saying that the PTI founder had been imprisoned for 700 days and cut off from his family and even his personal physician.

Imran’s sister Aleema Khan told reporters a day ago outside Adiala Jail that the two would join an upcoming PTI protest movement. She claimed that the sons would go to the United States to present their father’s case before coming to Pakistan to join the movement.

Addressing the matter on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Malik said the government had no issue with Qasim and Suleiman entering Pakistan, provided they do not engage in protests or political activity.

Malik noted that, being British nationals, Qasim and Suleiman could not legally participate in Pakistani political activity. He alleged that the boys are “coming to spread discord and there is no permission for this”.

“If they intend to get a visa to visit Pakistan, the concerned authorities in the interior ministry will look at their purpose of visit … But their aunt (Aleema) said … that they are coming to join the PTI movement,” the minister asserted.

“We have no issue with them coming here, but we have an issue with them participating in political activity as foreign nationals.”

He further said: “I do not believe that they will actually come here … If they had any family values, they would have come to see their father earlier.”

Malik said the PTI needed to “perform a political stunt” and the party, Aleema and Imran were “using these boys as trump cards”. “This is their last option,” he added.

On a different note, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said while talking to reporters earlier today: “His children should come and get to know what their father has done with the country. It is a very good thing but they won’t come.”

However, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah stated in an interview on the ARY News show ‘Khabar’ a day ago that the sons could face arrest.

“Their coming here [will achieve nothing] except difficulties for them and then the UK Embassy will have to get them released and take them back.”

Questioned if he meant they could be arrested upon participation in the PTI protest, Sanaullah said: “Why won’t they be arrested? If they come here to lead a violent movement, then what will be the consequence of that?”

Asked about his supposing the movement to be violent, he said the PTI could no longer be trusted after the events of its past protests.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that this year’s Independence Day would be celebrated under the banner of “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) to demonstrate the nation’s resilience, progress, and pride.

The Pakistan Army had named the period of conflict with India since the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the May 10 conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos as “Marka-i-Haq” in May.

The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as the former blamed Islamabad for the April 22 Pahalgam attack without evidence. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took a US-brokered ceasefire for both sides to finally drop their guns.

Iqbal presided over a preliminary meeting today under the prime minister’s directions to celebrate this year’s Independence Day with “full national spirit and renewed resolve”.

Senior representatives from the Inter-Services Public Relations, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, Ministry of Education and Professional Training, Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination and other departments participated in the meeting to discuss how to make the day “truly reflective of the feelings, aspirations and pride of the people of Pakistan”, according to a press release.

Iqbal said that this year’s Independence Day was being dedicated to the theme of “Marka-i-Haq” to “honour the courage, faith, and resolve of the nation”.

He said that the celebrations would send a “clear message to the world that Pakistan stands proud, strong and committed to its sovereignty”.

The minister added that at the same time, the government aimed to highlight the steady progress being made in economic recovery, defence resilience and international recognition of the country’s leadership, financial stabilisation and expertise, showing that Pakistan’s journey was “not just about survival but about rising to its full potential”.

While discussing the activities of the scheduled celebrations, the minister emphasised that every sector and official in charge should ensure that all universities and schools observe the day in the same format. The same was advised for provincial celebrations and celebrations abroad in collaboration with the Overseas Ministry.

“A robust discussion took place where the committee members shared the planned activities and innovative ideas for celebrations at the federal and provincial levels,” the press release said, adding that Iqbal said that a comprehensive plan should be developed with budgets.

“This year, we are not just commemorating another Independence Day; we are marking a moment of national revival. A moment that reflects the resilience of our people, the resolve of our state, and the rise of Pakistan as a global voice of strength, peace, and purpose. The world has seen that while Pakistan is a peace-loving nation, it will never compromise on its sovereignty. Our recent defence of our territorial integrity showed our maturity, strength, and our determination to protect regional stability without weakness.

“We must use this opportunity to honour the spirit of ‘Marka-i-Haq’, a defining chapter in our history where our armed forces, our citizens, our government, and every institution stood together. We are also seeing concrete gains across the board: inflation is down, exports are growing, digitisation is transforming governance and innovation is thriving. This is the time to celebrate Pakistan across every field, including military, economic, cultural and scientific and to tell our story to the world with pride and ambition.”

He emphasised that the celebrations must be unified. “One voice, one pride from every district, every province and every corner of the globe where Pakistanis live, so the world hears the unmistakable confidence of one nation standing tall.”

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said while addressing the meeting’s participants: “The nation stands as one united, unshaken, and ready to defeat any designs against it. Our civil and military forces are shoulder to shoulder. These celebrations will reiterate to the world what they are already telling us that we are united and strong,”

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar shared that extensive plans were underway with song competitions, special programming and a documentary. He assured the meeting’s members that the celebrations would be reflective of the country’s achievements and “celebrate the global acclaim the country is receiving”.

The participants shared a range of proposals to ensure that the celebrations reflected the “hearts of ordinary Pakistanis and involve everyone” from the cities to the villages, from students to artists, and from businesses to the diaspora.

Plans were also discussed for national songs, dramas, poetry gatherings, documentaries, cultural fairs, public events, school competitions and global embassy activities, “all designed to inspire the nation and tell its story to the world”.

The Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department on Saturday arrested five individuals and seized 13 lions after launching a crackdown against people illegally keeping the big cats without a licence.

A day earlier, a pet lion escaped from a home and chased a woman and two children down a busy street in Lahore. Police arrested three suspects who had fled from the spot, while the lion was confiscated and sent to a wildlife park.

A press release issued today from the provincial government said that the wildlife department launched a “major province-wide crackdown” on the special directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz against those keeping lions without a licence.

“This operation is being carried out under a zero-tolerance policy and has already led to significant progress,” the press release said, adding that authorities conducted inspections of 22 locations across the province.

“So far, the wildlife department has taken 13 lions into custody. Five individuals have been arrested, five first information reports (FIR) have been registered and two further actions are pending.”

A video shared by the chief minister’s social media team also showed a leopard being seized.

The press release said four lions were recovered in Lahore, with four individuals arrested, one premise sealed and three FIRs registered.

In Gujranwala, four lions were confiscated, with one FIR currently under process, it added.

Two lions were confiscated in Faisalabad, one premise was sealed and one FIR was in progress, while three lions were recovered, one person was arrested and two FIRs were lodged in Multan.

“The illegal trade of wildlife is intolerable and there will be no compromise on public safety,” Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was quoted as saying in the press release.

She said that keeping lions illegally was not only a violation of the law but also posed a serious social threat.

Aurangzeb stressed that strict enforcement of wildlife laws would be ensured and indiscriminate action would continue against individuals involved in unlawful activities.

“The wildlife department has reiterated that the law is equal for everyone and no exceptions will be made,” the press release said, urging citizens to report any illegal possession of lions.

Keeping exotic animals, especially big cats, as pets has long been seen as a sign of privilege and power in Punjab.

In December 2024, an adult lion escaped from its enclosure in another neighbourhood of Lahore, terrorising residents before being shot dead by a security guard.

The incident prompted the provincial government to pass new laws regulating the sale, purchase, breeding and ownership of big cats. The law now requires owners to obtain licences for the animals which are barred from being kept in residential areas.

Breeders have to pay a hefty fee for registration, while farms have to be a minimum of 10 acres in size.