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Imran Khan’s sisters PM DUBS LAPTOP SCHEME ENABLING ECOSYSTEM among 400 booked FOR YOUTH TO UNLOCK POTENTIAL, GAIN EXCELLENCE under terror charges Thursday, 18 December, 2025 | 26 Jamadiul Sani, 1447
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PREMIER SHEHBAZ LAUNCHES PM’S LAPTOP SCHEME 2025 IN KP AT UNIVERSITY OF HARIPUR WITH OFFICIALS, YOUTH LEADERS, AND BENEFICIARIES IN ATTENDANCE
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 163 | 8 Pages | Islamabad Edition
STRESSES MERIT-BASED OPPORTUNITIES, HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT ACROSS ALL PROVINCES, SAYING OVER ONE MILLION STUDENTS BENEFITED FROM SCHEME SINCE INCEPTION
ANNOUNCES DAANISH SCHOOL IN HARIPUR, WOMEN’S CAMPUS, AND HARIPUR BRIDGE, REVEALS SENDING YOUTH DELEGATIONS TO CHINA FOR AI AND ADVANCED TECH TRAINING HARIPUR
Staff RepoRt
RIME Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated the Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme 2025 distribution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling the initiative a transformative platform for youth empowerment that goes beyond merely handing out laptops. Speaking at the University of Haripur, he said the scheme creates an ecosystem enabling students to unlock their potential, achieve excellence, and gain global recognition. The event high-
lighted the government’s commitment to education, technology, skill development, and holistic regional development across all federating units. The ceremony, attended by government officials, youth leaders, and beneficiaries, celebrated the impact of the scheme, which has already benefited over a million students nationwide. A special documentary showcased the scheme’s success since its inception in 2013 and outlined the ambitious 2025 vision for Pakistan’s youth under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister underscored his long-standing vision for youth empowerment, stressing the
Imran Khan’s sons plan Pakistan visit in January amid father’s ‘death cell’ detention
importance of opportunities based on merit. “The future of this nation lies in the hands of our students, who are not just brilliant but capable enough to conquer the world,” he said, reflecting on his youth-fo-
cused initiatives dating back to 1997. He emphasized that national progress depends on holistic development across all provinces, citing efforts such as sending 600 students to China during his tenure as Chief Minister Punjab, training 1,000 students in agriculture, and distributing laptops to young learners nationwide. Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the people of KP and Hazara Division for their resilience against terrorism and ongoing security challenges, and he lauded police, law enforcement agencies, and armed forces for their sacrifices in securing the nation.
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‘Hostile countries’ behind campaign to malign Pakistan after Bondi shooting: Tarar
LONDON (STAFF REPORT): Imran Khan’s sons, Kasim and Suleiman, have applied for visas and plan to visit Pakistan in January, revealing in an exclusive interview with Sky News that their father is being held in what they described as a “death cell.” The interview coincided with another protest outside Adiala Jail by Imran Khan’s sisters, who were demanding access to meet the former prime minister and were dispersed using water cannons, which PTI claimed contained chemicals. In the interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, the London-based brothers discussed their attempts to communicate with Pakistani authorities to seek permission to meet their father. Despite being previously discouraged from travelling, Kasim said, “We are now planning to because they said it openly. So—unless they go against their word—we should hopefully be going in January. We have applied for our visas. It hasn’t come through yet. We are expecting it to come through, so we are planning a trip in January.” When asked what message they would convey to their father and whether they would urge him to negotiate a deal, Kasim stressed that Imran Khan’s political struggle is deeply personal. “What you have to understand is it’s his life. It’s literally his passion and his goal. He calls it his life’s purpose to help rid Pakistan of corruption,” he said.
ISLAMABAD (STAFF REPORT): Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday strongly condemned a false media campaign linking Pakistan to the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia, calling it a “deliberate attempt by hostile countries to malign the nation.” He asserted that unverified claims circulated in international and Indian media alleging that one of the attackers was from Lahore were entirely baseless and deliberately spread to damage Pakistan’s reputation. Briefing foreign media, Tarar described the December 14 attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration as “a very sad and highly condemnable incident.” The shooting left 15 people dead, including a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, and 10-year-old Matilda Britvan, while two police officers remained in critical but stable condition, according to New South Wales police. He paid tribute to a Syrian-origin Australian citizen who subdued one of the attackers, saving multiple lives. Tarar emphasized that Pakistan, having suffered decades of terrorism, fully empathizes with the pain of the Australian people. He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and the government had expressed categorical condemnation and solidarity with Australia.
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over Adiala Jail sit-in RAWALPINDI
Staff RepoRt
Police on Wednesday booked the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan along with around 400 others on terrorism and multiple criminal charges after an overnight sit-in outside Adiala Jail turned confrontational when authorities stopped them from meeting the jailed former prime minister, officials said. A first information report (FIR) was registered at Police Station Saddar Beroni against Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi, Qasim Khan, Aliya Hamza, Salman Akram Raja, Naeem Panjotha, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and others under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The case also invokes Section 120 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for allegedly planning a criminal conspiracy against the state, attacking police personnel and violating Section 144. According to the police, Khan’s sisters, accompanied by hundreds of PTI supporters, staged a sit-in outside the prison late last night after the authorities barred them from meeting the former prime minister. The FIR states that the protesters raised slogans against the government and the state, blocked the road, interfered in official duties and incited other PTI workers. The report further alleges that the suspects pelted stones and hurled glass bottles at police personnel. Police said 14 suspects were arrested on the spot and were produced before an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism following his ouster from power through an opposition-led no-confidence motion in April 2022. His incarceration has repeatedly emerged as a flashpoint between the government and the PTI, with protests, scuffles with police and confrontations with jail authorities continuing over meetings with the former premier. Last week, police forcibly dispersed an hours-long sit-in staged by Imran Khan’s sisters outside Adiala Jail after official visiting hours ended. In November, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also held a 16-hour sit-in outside the facility. The most recent meeting with the jailed PTI founder took place on December 2, when his sister Uzma was allowed to see him after the party raised concerns about his health and threatened protests outside the Islamabad High Court before marching towards the jail. Amid the continued tensions, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah have hinted at the possibility of transferring Imran Khan to another prison.