A high-profile debate at the Oxford Union that was scheduled to feature senior figures from Pakistan and India was cancelled after the Indian delegation withdrew at the last minute, prompting strong reactions from Pakistan’s High Commission in London and triggering speculations about why India pulled out last minute.
According to statements issued by the High Commission, the debate centred on the motion “This House Believes India’s Policy Towards Pakistan is a Populist Strategy Sold as Security Policy” had been confirmed weeks in advance. It is scheduled for 12:30am PKT.
Pakistan’s delegation, comprising former Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman Lt Gen (R) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and former diplomat Dr Mohammad Faisal, was already in London for the event.
The High Commission claimed that India’s originally announced speakers, General M.M. Naravane, Dr Subramanian Swamy and politician Sachin Pilot, “withdrew at the eleventh hour”, leaving the event without its opposing panel.
It further alleged that India later proposed “obscure and low-profile replacements” that did not match the level of the Pakistani delegation and “undermined the credibility and balance of the debate.”
“The collective retreat of the Indian delegation amounted to an unchallenged victory for Pakistan,” the High Commission stated, adding that India’s withdrawal “exposed the weakness of its narrative on a neutral academic platform”.
Sources familiar with the matter told Dawn that the last-minute shift was “very bizarre”, noting that such debates were typically finalised far in advance and that delegations typically agreed knowing who they were debating.
While the High Commission criticised what it described as India’s reluctance to face open questioning, many on social media questioned the reason behind India’s withdrawal, speculating that it may have been pressure from the Indian government on the panellists.
Jurist’s body Lawyers for Lawyers published an open letter on Wednesday condemning the “ongoing judicial harassment” of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta and urging the government to drop the cases against them.
The National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCIA) had registered a case against Mazari and Chattha, accusing the two of attempting to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and of creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country.
Their lawyer, appointed by the court, refused to cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses during the most recent hearing on Tuesday, saying that he could not “ask questions dictated” to him.
In a press release, Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Law Society of England and Wales, the International Commission of Jurists and the International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk expressed concern over the case.
“We have received credible information indicating that the recent indictment and criminal proceedings against the couple, marred by serious irregularities and the denial of due process guarantees, are intended to obstruct their legitimate legal work and retaliate against them for exercising their right to freedom of expression,” it read.
Lawyers for Lawyers noted tweets made by the couple criticising the armed forces and that the trial progressed rapidly but was “marred by procedural irregularities and apparent judicial bias, raising serious concerns about [its] fairness and legitimacy”.
“The ongoing trial is part of a broader troubling trend of judicial harassment aimed at exhausting the lawyers’ time and resources, discrediting their work, and obstructing their ability to represent victims of state violence,” Lawyers for Lawyers said.
The body urged the authorities to:
The PTI has decided to release a white paper which will “disclose” evidence of the government’s alleged role in rigging the recent by-elections, corruption, the poor law and order situation in the country, malintent in recent legislation and the economic meltdown in Pakistan.
Party stalwart and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser told Dawn he was hopeful that the white paper would be released next month, as different teams would be working on it and all the findings would be compiled.
He alleged that the recent rigging in the by-elections, especially in Haripur, once again proved that the incumbent government had failed and become unpopular.
“The white paper will cover all issues, including economic conditions, corruption, election rigging, law and order situation, etc,” Qaiser said. “Moreover, we will also give the comparison of the performance of the incumbent government with the tenure of PTI.”
Replying to a question, Qaiser said that the legal team headed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja will look into issues related to law, election rigging and legislation passed by the government as part of the white paper.
“It is a fact that the incumbent government has passed a number of bills and has done legislation, but not a single legislation was done to address the issues of the masses,” he added.
Regarding the section of the white paper dealing with economic downturn and corruption, Qaiser said that party leaders, including Taimur Khan Jhagra, Muhammad Zubair and Muzzammil Aslam, would work on it.
“Similarly, other teams will work on different issues and in the end all will be compiled in the white paper, which will be released next month,” he said.
While talking to media persons earlier, Raja also announced that the white paper would be released, but said that “the law will also be followed”.
He said that during the hearing in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Ali Bukhari demanded that all party members should receive the same treatment, as leaders from Punjab travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and made statements, but the ECP did not take the issue up seriously.
“The KP chief minister has directed that the bureaucracy must implement the law and there should not be rigging,” Raja said. “It is the duty of the CM to ensure that the laws are implemented and followed.”
KP CM Sohail Afridi said that he has informed the ECP that, in case of rigging, legal action would be taken against the officials.
“In Haripur, presiding officers were KP government servants, but the returning officer was from the ECP and his office employees were from the federal government, so they issued Form 45 despite ‘pressure’,” he said.
Replying to a question, the CM said that the PTI would continue criticising policies that violate the law and claimed that Form 45 has signatures of polling agents from both sides, but the tickers shared from the RO office were different.
CM Afridi also said that the federal government should pay Rs3 trillion to the KP government so that development work could get started.
“The movement for the release of Imran Khan is ongoing and will continue,” he added.
United Nations experts on Monday sounded the alarm over “serious human rights violations” in Indian-occupied Kashmir by the Indian government, issuing the warning in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.
Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation, triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Indian forces arrested more than 2,000 Kashmiris and demolished several homes in a sweeping crackdown.
The arrests were carried out across multiple districts, including Srinagar, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kupwara, Baramulla, Budgam, Islamabad, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam.
“We unequivocally condemn the brutal terrorist attack on a tourist area and extend our condolences to the victims, their families, and the Government of India. However, all governments must respect international human rights law while combating terrorism,” the experts said in a press release issued today on India’s response to the attack.
They noted that Indian authorities launched sweeping operations across the territory in the attack’s wake, resulting in the arrest and detention of around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders.
They pointed out that some were detained and charged under the Public Safety Act or the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which permitted prolonged detention without charge or trial and contained “vague and overbroad definitions of terrorism”.
The experts noted that some detainees were allegedly tortured, held incommunicado, and denied access to lawyers and family members.
“We condemn reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions, suspicious deaths in custody, torture and other ill-treatment, lynchings, and discriminatory treatment of Kashmiri and Muslim communities,” the experts said.
They further highlighted reports of punitive house demolitions and forced evictions and arbitrary displacement, targeting families of individuals perceived as supporting freedom fighters, and carried out without court orders or due process.
“Such actions constitute collective punishment and defy the 2024 ruling by India’s Supreme Court, which found that such demolitions are unconstitutional and violate the rights to life and human dignity, which includes the right to protection against arbitrary displacement,” the experts said.
They also expressed concern at communication blackouts and restrictions on press freedom, saying that authorities reportedly suspended mobile internet services and blocked around 8,000 social media accounts, including those of journalists and independent media outlets.
“These measures are disproportionate restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” the experts noted.
They remarked that India’s response to the attacks was “also felt elsewhere in India”, with Kashmiri students subjected to surveillance and harassment, following government directives requiring universities to collect their personal data.
“Hate speech and incitement to violence increased against Muslims, inflamed by political figures in the ruling party. Demolitions were reported in Gujarat and Assam, where thousands of Muslim homes, mosques, and businesses were destroyed.”
“Nearly 1,900 Muslims and Rohingya refugees were also expelled to Bangladesh and Myanmar, often without due process,” the press release said.
The experts stressed that such expulsions violated the international obligation of non-refoulement, which prohibited returning individuals to countries where they risked persecution, arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, or other serious harm.
They further highlighted what they said was the “persistent nature of violations” in the territory with several human rights defenders, including Irfan Mehraj and Khurram Parvez, being arbitrarily detained for years under draconian security laws.
“We urge the immediate unconditional release of all individuals arbitrarily detained in Jammu and Kashmir.”
The experts also urged India to bring its counter-terrorism laws and practices “in line with international human rights obligations and independently investigate all alleged violations” and ensure accountability, including through prosecutions.
“Excessive counter-terrorism measures not only violate human dignity, the Indian constitution and international law but counter-productively fuel social division and grievances that can spiral into further violence,” the experts warned.
They lastly asked Pakistan and India to peacefully resolve the Kashmir dispute, which they said had “fuelled human rights violations and the destructive cycle of cross-border violence”.
Pakistan Shaheens defended a modest 125 to beat Bangladesh ‘A’ in a nerve-shredding Super Over thriller and successfully defend their Asia Cup Rising Stars title at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha on Sunday night.
In a final that swung wildly in the space of 40 minutes, Pakistan were bowled out for 125 after yet another top-order meltdown, only for their spinners to rip through Bangladesh ‘A’ and leave them reeling at 53 for 7.
A gritty 43-run eighth-wicket stand between Rakibul Hasan and SM Meherob threatened the unthinkable, before three huge sixes in the 19th over from Abdul Gaffar Saqlain took the game to a Super Over.
Ahmed Daniyal lean-bowled both batters in the first four balls of the Super Over to restrict Bangladesh to just six.
Ripon Mondol, Bangladesh’s hero with the ball in the main game, started superbly with two yorkers but Saad Masood’s flicked four off the third legitimate delivery sealed a famous victory for Pakistan Shaheens.
Earlier, Shaheens’ batting woes resurfaced on a tricky two-paced surface. They lost Yasir Khan to a run-out off the very first ball when Gaffar’s brilliant direct hit caught the opener short.
Two balls later, Mohammad Faiq was castled by left-arm spinner Meherob and when Ghazi Ghori played down the wrong line to Rakibul, Pakistan were 25 for 3 in the powerplay.
Maaz Sadaqat counter-attacked briefly with a 23-ball 23, but once he chopped on against part-time off-spinner Jishan Alam, the innings fell away.
Only Arafat Minhas (25) and a fighting 38 from 26 balls by Saad — the only batter to strike at above 100 after the powerplay — offered resistance.
Bangladesh’s spinners strangled the middle overs, Rakibul finishing with 2-16 and Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby a miserly 0-17 from his four.
Mondol then blew away the lower order with a devastating 19th over that yielded three wickets for just two runs, including two pinpoint yorkers.
Chasing 126, Bangladesh looked well set at 36 for 1 after four overs, Habibur Rahman Sohan having launched Ubaid Shah for a huge six. But the introduction of spin turned the game on its head.
Arafat Minhas struck with his third ball, trapping Jishan lbw, and in his next over removed Mahidul Islam Ankon in identical fashion.
Saad then produced a rank long-hop that Sohan spooned to midwicket, and when Sufiyan Muqeem skidded one through Akbar Ali’s gate, Bangladesh had lost four wickets for eight runs.
Sufiyan, the outstanding bowler of the tournament, was unplayable at times, finishing with 3-11 from four overs including two googlies that crashed into the stumps.
At 53 for 7, Pakistan appeared home and dry, only for Rakibul (24) and Meherob (19) to add 37 crucial runs and keep Bangladesh hopes flickering.
The drama peaked in the final two overs; Shahid Aziz was hammered for three sixes in the 19th as Saqlain took 20 runs off it.
Needing seven off the last over, Daniyal kept his nerve, conceding just three runs and two byes off the first five balls before a leg-bye off the final delivery forced the tie.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top security official denied on Friday that he had agreed to a Trump administration peace plan, and European leaders hastily sought a response to a draft that endorses most of Russia’s key wartime demands.
Washington has presented Kyiv with a 28-point plan that would require Kyiv to give up additional territory, scale back the size of its military and forever abandon hope of joining the Nato alliance.
Ukraine’s European allies said they had not been consulted over the plan and scheduled an urgent phone call to discuss the situation. Britain and Germany said their leaders would take part.
Zelensky’s office did not say whether he would join in.
US officials said the plan was drafted after consultations with Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, a close Zelensky ally who served as defence minister until July.
“This plan was drawn up immediately following discussions with one of the most senior members of President Zelensky’s administration, Rustem Umerov, who agreed to the majority of the plan, after making several modifications, and presented it to President Zelensky,” a senior US official said on Thursday.
But Umerov said on Friday he had not discussed the plan’s terms, much less approved them.
“During my visit to the United States, my role was technical organising meetings and preparing the dialogue. I provided no assessments or, even more so, approvals of any points. This is not within my authority and does not correspond to the procedure,” he wrote on Telegram.
After meeting a visiting US delegation on Friday, Umerov said Kyiv would not accept a plan that violates its sovereignty.
Zelensky, who met a US Army delegation on Thursday, has acknowledged receiving the plan but has not commented directly on its contents.
“Our teams — Ukraine and the USA — will work on the points of the plan to end the war,” the president wrote overnight on Telegram. “We are ready for constructive, honest and prompt work.”
The Kremlin, which has so far been cautious in public, said Russia had not received anything official from the United States about a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine.
Kyiv should make a “responsible decision” and do it now, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The plan, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, includes terms that Ukrainian officials have previously dismissed as tantamount to surrender after their soldiers fended off a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly four years at huge cost.
It would require Ukraine to withdraw from territory it still controls in eastern provinces that Russia claims to have annexed, while Russia would give up smaller amounts of land it has captured in other regions.
Ukraine would be permanently barred from joining the Nato military alliance, and its armed forces would be capped at 600,000 troops. Nato would agree never to station troops there.
Sanctions against Russia would be gradually lifted, Moscow would be invited back into the G8 group of industrialised countries, and frozen Russian assets would be pooled in an investment fund, with Washington given some of the profits.
One of Ukraine’s main demands, for enforceable guarantees equivalent to the Nato alliance’s mutual defence clause to deter Russia from attacking again, is dealt with in a single line with no details: “Ukraine will receive robust security guarantees”.
A US delegation in Kyiv was expected to brief European embassies there on its contents later on Friday. European countries are now funding Ukraine’s defence alone after US President Donald Trump cancelled financial support.
“We have always said [the] for any plan to work, it needs to be with Ukraine and the Europeans on board,” the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in Brussels.
Trump, who returned to office this year vowing to quickly end the war, has accepted some of Russia’s justifications for its 2022 invasion of its neighbour while also expressing some impatience with Moscow.
Last month, he cancelled a proposed summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and imposed sanctions on Russia’s two main oil companies, a step not taken by his pro-Ukrainian predecessor Joe Biden.
The full force of those sanctions was due to come into effect on Friday, Washington’s deadline for foreign buyers of Russian oil to wind down purchases.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a news briefing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff had quietly worked on the plan for about a month and that Trump supports it.
“This plan was crafted to reflect the realities of the situation, after five years of a devastating war, to find the best win-win scenario, where both parties gain more than they must give,” she said.
The acceleration in US diplomacy comes at a time when Ukrainian troops are on the back foot on the battlefield and Zelensky’s government has been undermined by a corruption scandal. Parliament fired two cabinet ministers on Wednesday.
Ukrainian forces repelled Russia’s initial assault on Kyiv in 2022, but their attempted counteroffensive failed in 2023.
With the war’s fourth winter approaching, Russian troops occupy almost one-fifth of Ukraine and have been grinding slowly forward along a 1,200-kilometre front line while bombarding Ukrainian energy supplies.
Russia says it has taken control of the city of Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine and most of Pokrovsk in the east, its first big prizes in nearly two years. Kyiv denies losing control of those cities but has acknowledged that Russia is advancing.
Security forces killed 23 terrorists in separate operations launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), two intelligence-based operations (IBO) were conducted and the terrorists belonged to Fitna al Khawarij.
Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“On [the] reported presence of khawarij, a targeted operation was conducted by the security forces,” the statement read, without elaborating on the exact location.
“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, 12 khawarij were sent to hell,” it added.
The ISPR further said that security forces, “capitalising on intelligence with respect to [the] presence of another group of khawarij”, killed 11 terrorists in another IBO.
“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharji found in the area as a relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.
Earlier today, the ISPR said in a statement that security forces eliminated seven terrorists in three operations across KP. The terrorists, belonging to “Fitna-al-Khawarij”, were killed in operations conducted over two days, November 18 and 19.
An IBO was carried out in KP’s Mohmand district on the reported presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij’s location and after an intense fire exchange, four khawarij were sent to hell.”
Another IBO was conducted in the Lakki Marwat district. In the ensuing fire exchange, “two khawarij were effectively neutralised by the security forces,” the ISPR said.
It added that during the third encounter in the Tank district, security forces killed one more terrorist.
Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in terror activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan. The spike in incidents follow the TTP ending a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowing to attack security forces, police, and personnel of law enforcement agencies.
Last month, Islamabad-based think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies said that violence had surged in the country over the past three months due to a spike in militant attacks and intensified counter-terrorism operations.
At least 25 Palestinians were killed in four Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday in Gaza since a shaky ceasefire took effect in October, health authorities said.
Medics said 10 people were killed in the Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun, two in the Shujaiya suburb to the east and the rest in two separate attacks in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military claimed its forces struck Hamas targets across Gaza after members of the Palestinian group fired on its troops in violation of the nearly six-week-old ceasefire. No Israeli forces were injured.
Multiple air strikes have pointed to the fragility of the ceasefire. Israel and Hamas have traded blame for what both call violations of the US-brokered truce, the first stage of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for a post-war Gaza.
All three attacks were far beyond an agreed-upon imaginary “yellow line” separating the areas under Israeli and Palestinian control, according to medics, witnesses and Palestinian media.
The Zeitoun attack was on a building belonging to Muslim religious authorities and the Khan Younis attack was on a UN-run club, both of which house displaced families.
The October 10 ceasefire in the two-year Gaza war has eased the conflict, enabling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza’s ruins. Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased.
But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed at least 305 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce, nearly half of them in one day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops.
Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began and claimed it has targeted scores of fighters.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday said that a 28th Constitutional Amendment, dealing with “public issues”, could be introduced if there is political consensus.
Last week, President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent to the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment, enacting it into law.
Speaking to reporters in Chiniot, the PM’s aide said that the amendment would deal with “public issues, such as local bodies, population, the National Finance Commission … health-related issues”.
“There is a need to review how we can better serve the people according to the present needs of the provinces and the Centre,” Sanaullah stated.
“This is being debated and if there is any consensus, then we can bring the 28th Amendment forward,” said the PML-N leader.
Referring to the recent resignations by judges of the Supreme Court and LHC, the PM’s aide said that “those who stepped down did so due to their personal motives”.
He maintained that the parliament has the constitutional right to pass amendments, while judges are meant to protect the laws of the state.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment bill was tabled in the Senate on November 8, just hours after it was approved by the federal cabinet in a meeting chaired by PM Shehbaz via a video link from Baku. It was subsequently referred to the parliamentary standing committees on law and justice, which approved it the very next day with some minor changes to the initial draft.
The bill proposed the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) as well as changes to the military leadership structure.
The law minister tabled it in the Senate for voting on Nov 10. The contentious bill was approved by the upper house of Parliament after 64 lawmakers voted in its favour, with members of the opposition staging a noisy walkout. The PML-N led coalition government had managed to secure a two-thirds majority to get the bill passed with the unexpected support of two opposition senators who voted against their party lines.
On November 12, the bill was passed by the National Assembly after the introduction of some changes, mostly related to the chief justice of Pakistan.
In the house of 336 members, 224 votes were required to meet the mandatory two-thirds majority for the passage of the bill. The ruling lawmakers cast 234 votes in its favour, while four votes were polled against the bill by the JUI-F members. The JUI-F has 10 MNAs, but only four attended the sitting. The PTI members, meanwhile, boycotted the process by staging a walkout.
The bill, however, was referred back to the Senate due to the fresh changes and was approved after a second round of voting amid the opposition’s protest.
Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the south of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday.
The Marburg virus is one of the deadliest known pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea and has a 21-day incubation period.
Also like Ebola, it is transmitted via contact with bodily fluids and has a fatality rate of between 25 and 80 percent.
The head of the World Health Organization, Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed on Friday that at least nine cases had been detected in southern Ethiopia, two days after Africa CDC was alerted to a suspected haemorrhagic virus in the region.
“Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory (in Ethiopia),” Africa CDC said.
“Further epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses are underway and the virus strain detected shows similarities to those previously identified in East Africa.” It said Ethiopian health authorities had acted swiftly to confirm and contain the outbreak in the Jinka area.
It said it would work with Ethiopia to ensure an effective response and to reduce the risk of the virus spreading to other parts of east Africa.
An epidemic of Marburg virus killed 10 people in Tanzania in January before being terminated in March.
Rwanda said in December 2024 it had managed to stamp out its first known Marburg epidemic, which caused 15 deaths.
There is no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for the Marburg virus, but oral or intravenous rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms increases patients’ chances of survival.
Last year, Rwanda trialled an experimental vaccine from the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday he wants the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate links between the late alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and former Democratic president Bill Clinton.
Seeking to turn the tables after a new trove of Epstein emails reignited questions over his own ties to the disgraced financier, Trump also demanded a probe into US bank JPMorgan Chase, ex-Harvard president Larry Summers and others.
Republican Trump accused rival Democrats of “using the Epstein Hoax” to distract from the party’s recent compromise to end a record US government shutdown, and said the scandal involved “Democrats, not Republicans.”
“I will be asking AG Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JP Morgan, Chase and many other people and institutions,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘island’.”
Clinton has long faced scrutiny over his ties to Epstein and flew on his private plane, although he has never been accused of wrongdoing in the scandal.
Epstein said that Clinton had “never ever” been to his notorious private island in the Caribbean, according to several emails in the latest trove dating from 2011 and viewed by AFP.
There was no immediate comment from Clinton, Summers, LinkedIn founder Hoffman or JP Morgan Chase, which in 2023 agreed to pay $290 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by victims of Epstein, its former client.
Trump’s message broke two days of silence over the scandal, with the emails released on Wednesday renewing questions over the 79-year-old’s long, close relationship with Epstein.
Epstein died in prison in 2019 — by suicide, authorities ruled — before he could face trial on federal sex charges. But questions over his alleged masterminding of a sex ring where powerful men were provided with underage girls only grew.
Trump himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing, yet the scandal has dogged Trump since his return to the White House in January, despite his attempts to put a lid on the issue.
Trump and some of his close allies, including his FBI chief Kash Patel, had in the past promised his right-wing base they would seek the release of all the evidence against Epstein, including details of his alleged clients.
But there was a furious MAGA backlash after Trump’s Justice Department, in a July memo, reaffirmed he died by suicide, and that a “client list” Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed to have been reviewing did not in fact exist.
The scandal peaked again on Wednesday with the release of emails subpoenaed by Congress from Epstein’s estate.
The email traffic between Epstein and friends said Trump “knew about the girls” and had spent “hours” with Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims and the main accuser.
The White House says Giuffre, who herself died by suicide in April, had declared that Trump “couldn’t have been friendlier”.
Now the House of Representatives will vote as early as next week on demanding release by the Justice Department of its materials on Epstein, after a rebellion by a handful of MAGA lawmakers provided sufficient votes.
Those materials could include far more damning evidence than has been previously seen on the links between Epstein and his circle, which over the years ranged from Trump to Britain’s ex-prince Andrew.
Trump made clear he does not want the effort to proceed.
“Don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a country to run!” he said on social media.
The information ministry on Thursday said that all terrorists involved in the attack on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan were Afghan citizens.
Security forces confirmed a day ago that they had successfully foiled a terrorist attack on Cadet College Wana, killing all the attackers after an intense clearance operation.
The attackers had targeted the main gate of the college on Monday evening and gained entry to the educational institution, but a timely response from security forces averted a major tragedy.
Government ministers had linked the attack to Afghanistan and said it was orchestrated from there.
“The attack on Cadet College Wana was planned and controlled from Afghanistan. The attack was planned in Afghanistan by kharji Zahid and the final approval was given by kharji Noorwali Mehsud. All the khwarij who attacked Cadet College Wana were Afghan citizens. The equipment for this attack was provided from Afghanistan, which included American-made weapons,” said the information ministry in a statement today.
The ministry further said that the identities of the “Afghan terrorists” killed in the attack “firmly establish the links of terrorists in their bases in Afghanistan”.
It added that the responsibility for the attack was accepted by an unknown terrorist group, “Jaishul Hind”, on Mehsud’s orders.
Mehsud is the chief of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group.
The information ministry added he wanted to shift the responsibility from the TTP, adding that this was why the “Afghan terrorist” kept mentioning ‘Jaishul Hind’ in the video made during the attack.
“The Afghan Taliban pressurise Fitna al-Khawarij not to accept responsibility of attacks as that leads to pressure from Pakistan and friendly countries.
“The attack on Cadet College Wana was aimed at increasing security concerns in Pakistan, on demand of the Indian agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing).”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had said on Tuesday that it was “clear” that Afghanistan was directly involved in the attack.
Noting that the terrorists had been identified as Afghan, the interior minister said the attackers’ “communication with their people in Afghanistan also continued the entire night”.
Referring to multiple visits carried out by top Pakistani leadership to Afghanistan, Naqvi said: “The foreign minister, deputy prime minister, defence minister — we all have gone numerous times and presented them with evidence and details on how they (terrorists) are being trained in Afghanistan, how they plan and then come here to carry out attacks.”
“We are very clear in this that Afghanistan must stop them under all circumstances. In case of not stopping them, we will have no other option but to deal with the terrorists who are attacking our country,“ he asserted.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had also said that attacks on terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan could not be ruled out after the incidents in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Sindh Police on Friday eliminated 12 “wanted criminals” during an ongoing search operation against dacoits in Ghotki, including those who had bounties placed on them by the Sindh government, according to a statement.
For decades, dozens of dacoit gangs armed with sophisticated weaponry have operated with impunity in northern Sindh as well as southern Punjab. Kidnappings for ransom, extortion rackets that cripple local businesses, brutal killings and robbing people on highways have become a daily reality.
The Sindh Home Department’s statement said that the operation was carried out under the supervision of Sukkur Deputy Inspector General Faisal Abdullah Chachar, with Ghotki Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anwar Khetran, Sukkur SSP Azhar Mughal, Obaro Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Qadir Soomro, and their teams actively participating.
“Twelve extremely dangerous criminals were killed, some of whom had bounties placed on them by the Sindh government,” the Sukkur DIG said. “A reward of Rs5 million was placed on the dacoit Shah Nawaz alias Shahu.”
The DIG added that police took custody of the bodies of seven dacoits, while five bodies were taken by their accomplices under the cover of darkness.
“The slain criminals were members of the Shar gang,” he said. “Around ten armed dacoits were also seriously injured during the encounter, and their accomplices managed to flee with them.”
DIG Chachar added that the dacoits were forced to retreat due to the strong and effective response by the police, and the search operation is still ongoing in the area.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar reaffirmed the government’s resolve that the Sindh Police will not rest until all criminal elements are completely eliminated, the statement added.
“Lanjar lauded the outstanding performance of Sukkur DIG, Ghotki SSP, Sukkur SSP, and their teams for conducting a successful operation against dacoits in Ghotki.”
“Your courageous actions and the operation have brought the police a truly successful outcome,” Lanjar was quoted as saying. “The elimination of dacoits, who were considered symbols of danger and fear among the public, has boosted the police morale.”
He further said that the Ghotki Police deserve appreciation for their effective control over law and order and commendable performance against crime, according to the statement.
Last month, at least 72 riverine dacoits surrendered to the authorities as part of the provincial government’s ‘Sindh Surrender Policy’, a press release issued by the Sindh Home Ministry said.
“Around 72 dacoits surrendered under the Sindh Surrender Policy, and laid down more than 200 small-scale and heavy ammunition,” the press release read.
The weapons included 62 G3 rifles, 97 submachine guns, 48 double-barreled guns, two RPG-7s, an anti-tank recoilless rifle and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday said there are no major roadblocks and impediments with respect to the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held meetings with the delegations of multiple parties in what appeared to be efforts by the government to prepare the ground to get the 27th Constitutional Amendment approved by parliament. Tarar was present during these meetings.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the minister said consultations among political parties on the proposed amendment were taking place in a “positive environment” and that a broad consensus appeared to be emerging.
“The feeling I got during today’s meetings, in which different political parties were present … I got the feeling that there is no major roadblock or impediment,” he said.
“There was no need for any further discussions or debate. Ideas were shared in a positive environment, some of which were agreed upon.”
The information minister added that the objective is “always to strengthen governance, defence and relations between the federation and the provinces”.
Tarar mainstained that he “looked forward” to the outcome of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting, which was being held on Thursday night. “I feel that good ideas will emerge from that meeting,” he said.
The minister added that once the proposals are tabled in parliament, a joint committee comprising leaders of all parliamentary parties from both Houses would be formed to review them.
“The Constitution is a living document that can be updated in line with the country’s evolving needs,” he explained.
“The [idea of the] 27th Amendment was born from the 26th,” Tarar said, adding that debates on the idea of a constitutional court had been ongoing since around 2005, and based on the demands of lawyers, a constitutional bench had been formed.
The minister also “categorically” clarified that amid talks about the 27th Amendment, no one would be meddling with the 18th Amendment. He added that Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also previously assured the National Assembly that the 18th Amendment would not be rolled back through the new legislation.
A day earlier, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, while speaking in the parliament, termed the proposed 27th amendment an “attack on the House” and said his party would continue to raise their voices against it.
“Whenever there is a constitutional amendment anywhere in the world, it happens with a consensus and amends things according to the country’s needs,” he had said.
The PTI chairman said the proposed amendment is “against the spirit of this House and the Constitution”, asserting that the country cannot have further division and urged that no amendments be presented that put more pressure on the courts.
Meanwhile, responding to some points raised by opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry called for bringing “negative and false propaganda” to a halt.
He assured the National Assembly that the 18th Amendment would not be rolled back through the 27th Amendment.
Chaudhry also denounced the attempts to make the proposed amendment controversial even before the official draft saw the light of day on the basis of assumptions and guesswork.
A couple of days after an inquiry report on alleged irregularities in awarding the Rs170 billion Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (Carec) Tranche-III project was submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Sherheryar Sultan was removed and directed to report to the Establishment Division.
In another blow to the highway authority, its member administration Omar Saeed Chaudhri has been repatriated to his parent department, the Ministry of Defence.
The Establishment Division has issued two separate notifications regarding the removal of the NHA chairman and the repatriation of the member to the Ministry of Defence.
When contacted, the NHA spokesman said no one in the NHA and the Ministry of Communication was aware of the reason why the chairman was removed suddenly. “The chairman worked in the office today (Wednesday) till 6pm, and the decision came in the night that stunned all in the NHA,” he added.
The removal of the chairman is believed to be the fall of the biggest wicket in the NHA amid the Carec controversy, as before this development, PM Shehbaz had already suspended eight senior officials of the NHA for being involved in irregularities in the award of Carec Tranche III project, including ghost tendering, by the authority.
Meanwhile, a source in the NHA told Dawn that the chairman was removed mainly because of the Carec controversy.
The Carec Tranche-III project has also come under scrutiny in five standing committees of the Senate and the National Assembly and the Public
Four days ago, the inquiry committee, formed by PM Shehbaz to investigate irregularities Carec project, had submitted its report.
A source in the Prime Minister’s Office had said the findings had been submitted to the premier in a sealed envelope, who is likely to decide the fate of the probe in “a day or so”.
In August, the premier had suspended eight senior NHA officials and formed a committee to probe irregularities in the award of the contract, including ghost tendering, by the authority.
PM Shehbaz had tasked inquiry to review NHA’s current practices related to blacklisting contractors; examine whether the NHA undertook due diligence during the opening of technical bids of Carec Tranche-III project; assess whether the NHA conducted the grievance redressal in the instant process transparently and judiciously; evaluate all stages in the award of the project so far to ascertain unnecessary delays, if any; suggest a way forward on the current process; and review any other matter ancillary to the above.
In September, the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division recommended blacklisting a joint venture of three firms, which were awarded a project by the National Highway Authority in violation of the rules.
The Senate panel meeting also recommended sending a letter to the donor, the Asian Development Bank, to apprise them that the bids were “technically invalid and were manipulated due to the mala fide intention of the NHA officials and contractors”.
Carec is an Asian Development Bank-supported initiative that was created in 1997 to encourage economic cooperation among countries in the Central Asian region.
Tranche I, II and III road projects are underway or have been completed. Tranche-III has four lots as Lot-1 (58 kilometre road from Rajanpur to Jampur), Lot-2 (64km from Jampur to DG Khan), Lot-3 (112km from DG Khan to Tibbi Qaisrani), and Lot-4 (96km from Tibbi Qaisrani to DI Khan).
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sidestepped answering a question on whether Pakistan had conducted a test of a hypersonic ballistic missile, saying such matters should not be asked about publicly.
“Now don’t ask all these questions. Ask such things in private,” he said while responding in an interview on Samaa TV show ‘Mere Sawal’ on Friday, when asked to confirm whether Pakistan had conducted the missile test or not.
The question came in the wake of a “rare lenticular cloud formation” observed over Quetta in the early hours of Tuesday had left the public puzzled over the phenomenon and its origins.
Citizens had reported sighting the phenomenon around morning prayers from many parts of Balochistan and speculation was rife about the likely cause. Many social media accounts had hinted that the cloud formation was the result of a missile test or a new technology tested by the military.
In a post on X later in the day, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the sight was a “lenticular cloud formation” which was observed early morning over the Koh-i-Murdar region.
“The cloud appeared before sunrise, persisted for approximately 20 minutes, and dissipated just prior to sunrise.”
As per the United Kingdom’s Met Office, lenticular clouds are lens-shaped orographic wave clouds that are formed when the air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains from the same or similar direction at different heights through the troposphere.
“These strange, unnatural-looking clouds sometimes form downwind of hills or mountains … They look a lot like the traditional shape of flying saucers in science fiction, and real lenticular clouds are believed to be one of the most common explanations for UFO (unidentified flying object) sightings across the world,” it said.
