RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the flood situation across the country and the ongoing relief operations The session focused on the impact of flooding in various regions, particularly in Punjab, where the Sutlej River ’s rising waters have caused widespread disruption Rescue operations must be accelerated in the flood-affected districts of Punjab, he directed, highlighting the urgency of the situation He also ordered an expedited evacuation of individuals trapped in the affected areas and emphasised the importance of ensuring the timely supply of food medicine and tents to those in need
PM Shehbaz instructed the chairman
of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to maintain close contact with the Disaster Management Authority of Punjab for coordinated efforts
According to a briefing during the meeting flood warnings for the Sutlej River had been issued in advance allowing for the evacuation of residents from surrounding areas As a result no casualties have been reported from the river s affected regions so far In total, over 174,000 people have been safely relocated to higher ground with rescue operations continuing in the worst-hit districts Efforts are also underway in Narowal district where floodwaters from the Lahri Bund have prompted the evacuation of residents In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, power restoration efforts are underway in floodhit areas while the national highway in Gilgit-Baltistan remains submerged over
e p o r t Authorities in Punjab have evacuated close to 150,000 people from low-lying
a two-kilometre stretch with recovery efforts ongoing The meeting also noted severe flooding in areas such as Gundasinghwala on the Sutlej River, Jaister on the Ravi River, and Marala on the Chenab River Furthermore, the Dek Nullah region is experiencing intense flooding Federal ministers for Planning Climate Change Communications Power Information Religious Affairs and senior government officials attended the meeting
to discuss the ongoing relief operations and strategies for flood management PDMA issues flood warning for Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej Meanwhile, Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, Irfan Ali Kathia has warned of rising water levels in key rivers in the province raising concerns over potential flooding
dar vows to boost pakistan’s ties with egypt, algeria, turkiye through mutual cooperation
JEDDAH
s ta f f r e p o r t
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar vowed to strengthen Pakistan’s ties with the North African countries of Egypt Turkiye and Algeria as he met their foreign ministers on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia
Dar arrived in Jeddah on a two-day visit yesterday where he spoke on Israel’s ongoing Gaza onslaught during the 21st extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers
On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the OIC meeting Dar met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Algeria s FM Ahmed Attaf
Terming his discussion as a meaningful interaction , Dar said: I reaffirmed Pakistan s commitment to further strengthening ties with our brotherly countries in North Africa Algeria and Egypt through enhanced connectivity and broader cooperation across diverse fields
The foreign ministers discussed the “grave situation in Palestine” Dar said on X
The trio stressed the “urgent need for humanitarian access a ceasefire and lasting peace while underscoring the importance of unity within the Muslim Ummah in these challenging times” At the OIC session yesterday, Dar slammed Israel’s “annexationist and rogue mindset and condemned Tel Aviv s plan to take control of Gaza City as threatening regional peace
He also presented seven “urgent and essential steps” for the international community and Muslim nations to halt Israel s war
on Gaza already termed a genocide by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and secure enduring peace in Palestine Pakistan also fully endorsed and joined the statement issued by 31 Arab-Islamic countries and the secretaries general of the OIC, the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s comments about Greater Israel
Algeria s Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama has called for sanctions on Israel in response to its Gaza City plan
Pakistan has brotherly ties with Egypt and Algeria bonded in shared religion and culture In April, Islamabad and Cairo agreed to enhance bilateral collaboration in the health sector with a specific focus on eliminating Hepatitis C It was also reported earlier this year that Egypt s renowned Al-Azhar University had plans to set up its campus in Pakistan
Meeting with Turkiye’s foreign minister
The deputy PM also met with Turkiye s FM Hakan Fidan on Tuesday expressing his deep appreciation to Turkiye for its leadership role in the capacity of chairing the OIC ministerial session “We affirmed firm solidarity with Palestine noting the worsening humanitarian crisis and famine and the urgent need for humanitarian aid and relief Dar noted
The two ministers also reaffirmed the brotherly PakistanTürkiye relations, and looked forward to further strengthening our multifaceted cooperation Dar had also met with the top diplomats of several other friendly countries yesterday on the sidelines of the OIC meeting They included Saudi Arabia’s FM Faisal Bin Farhan Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi Malaysia s Mohamad Haji Hasan and Bangladeshi Adviser for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Touhid Hossain
bid openings, evaluating grievance redressal processes, assessing project delays suggesting a way forward and reviewing any related matters
The committee is also required to submit a report with actionable recommendations to the Prime Minister s Office within one week The Ministry of Communications will serve as the secretariat On the other hand the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division (EAD) directed the NHA to submit documentary evidence within two days to prove transparency in the contract award, warning that failure to comply could result in cancellation of the contract and disqualification of the successful joint venture (JV) The CAREC Tranche-III contract was
awarded to a JV of NXCC, Dynamics Constructors, and Rustam Associates, despite NXCC’s prior disqualification by NHA for failing to complete an earlier CAREC project
The Tranche-III project includes four road segments: Lot-1 58km from Rajanpur to Jampur; Lot-2, 64km from Jampur to D G Khan; Lot-3, 112km from D G Khan to Tibbi Qaisrani; and Lot-4, 96km from Tibbi Qaisrani to D I Khan Parliamentary committees have repeatedly requested documents to confirm the JV s technical and financial eligibility and compliance with PPRA rules, but the NHA has not provided sufficient evidence During a previous Senate committee meeting on August 2 the NHA was given a 15-day deadline to submit all required documentation
g Package includes Rs15 18b foR voluntaRy sePaRation scheme and Rs13 8b foR vendoR liabilities
g Re vie w will assess design, imPlementation, PRogRess and goveRnance, including useR adoPtion, meRchant PaRticiPation
PR OFIT M o N i to r i N g D e s k
The federal government has decided on an independent review and audit of its Cashless Economy Initiative 2025 aimed at evaluating the initiative s design, implementation, impact, and governance mechanisms, according to a news report The national program seeks to transition government systems and the wider economy towards digital payments with objectives including improved transparency increased financial inclusion, enhanced public service delivery, an expanded tax base, and reduced transaction leakages The audit will cover compliance with directives and national policies feasibility of targets against existing regulatory institutional and technolog-
ical capacities effectiveness of implementation strategies, resource allocation, and coordination mechanisms It will also review the performance of oversight committees, monitor internal and external evaluation systems and examine quantitative progress including the number of users merchants transaction volumes geographic coverage, Raast and QR-code payments, digital wallet adoption, and public-sector digital transactions The consultancy will provide actionable recommendations to strengthen current and future phases of the initiative suggest improvements for timely execution and advise on new measures to further advance the Cashless Pakistan agenda Earlier, a high-level committee chaired by the prime minister was formed in June 2025 to oversee the ini-
tiative conducting weekly progress reviews and issuing directives and a roadmap for all implementing agencies Three functional committees focused on Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Digital Public Infrastructure and Government Payments have been established to drive implementation and ensure coordination across public and private institutions Key elements of the initiative include digitising government-to-person (G2P) and person-to-government (P2G) payments onboarding retailers to digital payment methods and establishing essential digital infrastructure To ensure the program meets its targets, the government will engage a qualified consultancy firm through an international competitive bidding process to conduct a comprehensive performance audit
Pakistan to clear over Rs100b dues to Chinese power plants ahead of PM’s visit
Outstanding payments reduced by nearly one-four th as par t of CPEC obligations; payments be made from power sec tor subsidies
mand as consumers often prefer imported mildly damaged vehicles over locally manufactured ones The IMF has required Pakistan to allow commercial import of used cars up to five years old from September and remove age and other restrictions entirely from July next year Local industry bodies, including Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) and Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories
Manufacturers (PAAPAM), have lobbied against the government and IMF plans and presented their concerns to the committees Ashfaq said that over the next four years the 40% import tariff on used vehicles will gradually be
In D I A n intentions behind its recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty have become obvious by its behaviour in the current monsoon It is not about grand schemes for diverting Pakistan s water, but a series of exhibitions of pettishness and bad behaviour an avoidance of its responsibilities not just under the Treaty but as an upper riparian The prime example is the release of waters by India into the Sutlej and Ravi from its reservoirs thus causing floods which caused devastation along the course of these riverbeds in kasur Pakpattan and Banawalpur districts villages have flooded, homes and crops destroyed, and livestock destroyed, all because of deliberate action and none of which will be compensated by the perpetrators/ India has ignored the normal mechanism of communication between the Indus Water Commissioners, which have been established by the IWT in favour of using diplomatic channels, with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad informing the Pakistan Foreign Office of the release of waters
Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner has also disclosed that India has yet to exchange data as mandated by the Treaty This shows the depths to which India is willing to sink in exhibiting its animus It is only a matter of time and investment of a little effort before the Indian High Commission and the Pakistani Foreign Office develop the necessary expertise in making such communications,
Democratic par t y leaders need to recognize realit y on Palestine
Ev e n though the bottom has fallen out of Democrats support for Israel, some in the party still can’t bring themselves to recognize this reality While support for Israeli policies has been in decline for more than a decade the war on Gaza has resulted in a dramatic sea change in opinion In a recent Gallup poll only eight percent of Democrats said they approve of Israel s military actions in Gaza When another recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac asked Americans whether their sympathies were more with Israelis or Palestinians only 12 percent of Democrats said Israel while 60 percent said their sympathies were more with the Palestinians And when The economist Magazine asked voters how they feel about a range of issues related to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the results among those who say they are Democrats or lean toward Democrats were staggering:
n When asked whether Israel was justified in attacking Gaza in response to the threat from Hamas only 13 percent said it was justified with 67 percent saying it was not
Paid to Israel, were opposed to Israel’s actions in Gaza, supported recognition of Palestinian statehood etc ) This change in the opinion of Democrats toward Israel and its policies has translated into congressional action Last month 27 of the 47 Democrats in the US Senate voted to block sending US military equipment to Israel And a companion bill in the House of Representatives calling for withholding US offensive weapons to Israel now has 35 Democratic co-sponsors Additionally a number of Democratic State Party conventions have passed similar resolutions as did the national Young Democrats of America Given these developments it should not have been surprising that a newly elected member of the Democratic national Committee would introduce a “Gaza Resolution” calling on the national party to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza a suspension of military aid to Israel and a call to members of Congress
n When asked about military aid to Israel, 61 percent of voters who say they are Democrats or lean toward voting for Democrats responded that they either want to reduce or eliminate such aid while only 25 percent said they favor either increasing or maintaining the current level of military aid to Israel
n Sixty-eight percent said they agree that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, only eight percent disagreed n Seventy-two percent said they agree it was right to call for a Palestinian state with only five percent opposing (It s important to note that with regard to each of the above questions, either majorities or strong pluralities of all respondents were in favor of cutting military
Mangla, Rawal, khanpur, Simly, and Hub dams together can hold just 13 68 MAF of water, barely enough for a month’s needs Yet in July and August alone, 14 MAF is expected to be lost downstream to the sea even if our dams are filled to capacity Pakistan cannot save as much water as it wastes in just two months By contrast India can store 170 days of water and the USA nearly 900 Pakistan, with its river-fed plains and vast agricultural base, survives on a meagre 30 days This is not a shortfall- it is an existential threat The agricultural opportunity cost is colossal Pakistan has 76 43 million acres of arable land of which 59 70 million acres are under cultivation leaving more than 20 million acres idle With just 1 MAF of conserved water, 877,000 acres can be irrigated Saving the entire 14 MAF currently lost could bring 12 2 million acres of wasteland under cultivation each MAF lost therefore costs Pakistan nearly a billion dollars in agricultural wealth The solution is not hidden in abstract plans; it is tangible and technical Pakistan needs to build around 170 small dams, each comparable in size to kurram Tangi Dam with a capacity of 0 084 MAF This is not simply about storage; it
is about national survival Dams generate hydroelectricity feed industries and secure food supply chains And yet while consensus exists among experts political bickering continues to paralyze decision-making The visuals of kotri s outflows in August, swinging wildly between abundance and scarcity, are a metaphor for Pakistan’s larger mismanagement - an abundance of water in moments of flood and desperate scarcity in times of drought
What makes the crisis even more painful is that the numbers are not hidden They are publicly available, flashing across charts and daily updates every citizen can see how much water has flowed out, how much has been wasted, and how much could have been saved Yet the debate on water remains hostage to politics rhetoric and inaction People ask: where did the water go? Who used it who wasted it and who denied the rights of the communities living downstream? These are not just technical questions but moral ones, because in every drop wasted lies a family’s lost harvest, a farmer ’s debt a child’s malnutrition and a nation’s shrinking prosperity Dams are equivalent to survival economy and progress Without it Pakistan is destined to remain a nation adrift rich in rivers but poor in planning
The writer can be reached at hamnaobaidkhokher@gmail com
Tourist humiliation
Ratta system
Hamna Obaid
tween Pakistan and its neighbouring regions
dr aSim FarOOq
Pthat stretches approximately 890 km from Hasan Abdal in Pakistan to the khunjerab Pass at the China border extending beyond a 400 km road connects khunjerab to kashgar China making the total road linkage around 1 300 km Additionally a proposed 1 100 km railway line from kashgar to Havelian would further enhance the strategic and economic integration along this corridor
The extreme altitude and presence of high mountain peaks make the region prone to natural disasters including glacial activity and landslides Despite these challenges the Silk Route remains a symbol of resilient trade historical legacy and modern cooperation be-
Although Pakistan contributes relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains one of the countries most severely affected by climate change In recent years, Pakistan has consistently ranked among the top five hottest countries globally with some regions recording extreme temperatures as high as 53 C in 2025 Climate-related disasters have already impacted over 33 million people, resulting in billions of dollars in damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and livelihoods Despite facing frequent floods heatwaves and droughts environmental risks are often not addressed with the urgency they require Landslides are becoming increasingly common especially in mountainous areas along the historic Silk Route, where the fragile terrain remains highly susceptible In addition to environmental risks, these areas also experience socio-political tensions including sectarianism and extremism particularly near the Swat valley The intersection of environmental vulnerability and social instability calls for comprehensive risk management, early warning systems, and resilient infrastructure planning to mitigate future impacts Over the past decade Pakistan has witnessed billions of dollars in human and infrastructure losses due to climate-induced events The Silk Route region has been particularly hard-hit, suffering from recurring natural hazards such as landslides, earthquakes, and flash floods In 2020, a landslide near the Mohmand Marble Mine claimed 20 lives blocking critical access In 2024 near the Dasu Dam in Upper kohistan a landslide struck a passenger bus on the karakoram Highway killing three including two military personnel and injuring one Torrential monsoon rains triggered multiple rockslides, closing highway segments and cutting off kohistan from Gilgit for several days The trend continued in 2024 with a fatal landslide near Chilas followed by a major disruption in March 2025 near Lotar in Upper kohistan, where around 700 meters
of the kkH was rendered impassable In June and July 2025 regions near Ghizer and Babusar faced closures due to a combination of landslides and floods Despite these challenges, the GilgitBaltistan region continues to attract high volumes of tourists According to sources including the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department and Pamir Times the region generated approximately Rs 399 5 million in revenue in 2024–2025 with Rs 275 million derived from tourism alone During that period 16 500 foreign and nearly one million domestic tourists visited the region, underscoring both its economic significance and vulnerability Landslides in this region are often the result of both natural and human-induced factors These include soil erosion internal soil movement slope instability and human activities such as material blasting near the Dasu Dam and along the kkH routes During monsoon seasons and glacial melt periods the risk is heightened necessitating urgent attention to mitigation measures and climate-resilient infrastructure planning From a neutral expert standpoint it is in-
creasingly evident that technological solutions must play a central role in addressing the growing risk of landslides in vulnerable regions like Gilgit-Baltistan During a recent academic exchange at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, one promising model was observed at the research lab of Professor Mowen Xie founder of iSafety International His work in developing early warning systems for landslides
Ultimately, even when clear, preventable causes are known and viable technological solutions are within reach, attributing ever y trag edy solely to „GodÊs will‰ can become a way to avoid responsibility Technology alone cannot resolve these issues unless there is a collective willingness to adopt it, invest in it, and act with foresight The future of the Silk Route , the safety of its travelers, and the stability of regional connectivity all depend on our ability to transform intention into action
More and more Israelis are realising that par ticipating in militar y ser vice is to be complicit with the government ’s crimes
ella
O F e r C a S S i F
more and more Israelis wish to frustrate the government In recent months, more demonstrations, vigils and direct action against netanyahu’s war have been taking place United by the basic notion of humanity thousands of Arabs and Jews joined one another on Saturday to protest against the starvation slaughter and carnage Protesters held up pictures of the starved and bombed children of Gaza, knowing that the culprit responsible for their torment is still in power We urged the release of all hostages and unlawful captives – Israelis and Palestinians alike –in a political agreement that would see the Israeli government pulling all military forces out of Gaza But in the wake of news of another round of bombardments in Gaza our message from the rally is best understood from the banner: never again never again will we allow silence to prevail in the face of slaughtered children and starved families never again will we look on quietly as netanyahu orders the destruction of neighbourhoods and the invasion of hospitals never again will we let his government refuse an agreement that will release the hostages never again will the Gaza genocide unfold quietly In 1948, the international community adopted the universal declaration of human rights and the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide In the decades since, we have failed globally many times to safeguard this invaluable truth: that people must not perish in flames and such heinous crimes must not be perpetrated while outsiders stand idly by But never in recent times have people around the world stared into the abyss of annihilation as we are doing today in Gaza As such, never again is not merely a moral reminder but an ethical decree to act Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me as the saying goes It seems that netanyahu manages to fool western leaders time and time again On Friday in response to the IPC declaration of famine the Uk foreign secretary David Lammy said it was an utterly horrifying and wholly preventable man-made catastrophe May I ask Lammy and the rest of the British cabinet – are you among the people responsible for this catastrophe? In July, the Uk prime minister, keir Starmer, announced a conditional plan to recognise a Palestinian state if Israel did not change course Starving people who are under constant threat of bombardment do not enjoy the same patience as suited officials in marble offices They plead for food, water and air while politicians debate conditions and timing Starmer must immediately recognise Palestine unconditionally but he must recognise much more than that He must acknowledge netanyahu as the international war criminal that he is He must support new sanctions to tackle the settler movement including ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich He
Ofer
a member of the Knesset representing the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) since 2019
TH I S coming november or soon after new York City commemorates the 24th anniversary of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks
Delhi cour t blocks disclosure of Modi ’s educ ational records
President X i Jinping meets Russian S tate D uma chairman
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Vyacheslav Volodin chairman of the Russian parliament s lower house the State Duma in Beijing on Tuesday Xi pointed out that China-Russia relations are the most stable, mature and strategically significant major-country relations in today’s volatile and changing world
Persistently promoting the highlevel development of China-Russia relations is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples and is also the source of stability for world peace he said In May this year I paid a state visit to Russia and attended the celebration to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, Xi said, noting that next week, China will hold a grand event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War China and the Soviet Union, as the main battlefields of World War II in Asia and Europe respectively made immense national sacrifice in resisting the aggression of Japanese militarism and German Nazism, and greatly contributed to the victory of World War II Xi said It is
Election Commission under fire from opposition
No Borrowing from State Bank — Punjab's Finances in S urplus: A zma Bokhari
Diplomats Join COMSATS ‘Forever Green Plantation’ Drive for Environmental Sustainability
The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), as part of its ongoing Green Initiative continued its plantation drive On the invitation of Executive Director COMSATS Ambassador Dr Mohammad Nafees Zakaria,
tree saplings were planted by Ambassador of Palestine H E Dr Zuhair Mohammad Hamdallah Zaid; High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, H E Rear Admiral (R)Fred Seneviratne; Ambassador of Somalia, H E SheikhNur Mohamed Hassan; Ambassador of Uzbekistan H E Alisher Tukhtaev; and Ambassador of Zimbabwe H E Titus Mehliswa Johnathan
Abu Basutu Plantation symbolizes efforts for enduring peace and support for COMSATS environmental sustainability efforts
The Ambassadors highly appreciated COMSATS endeavors to protect environment They shared their thoughts to underline S&T cooperation and significance of multilateral initiatives in addressing the pressing global challenge of climate change The dignitaries expressed their firm resolve to support the Organization’s endeavors in promoting techbased solutions for a sustainable and resilient future COMSATS is an intergovernmental organization comprising 27 Member States, with a mandate to promote South-South cooperation in scientific research, technological innovation and knowledgesharing for sustainable development The Organization remains steadfast in its commitment to environmental sustainability
ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t
In a landmark initiative to strengthen tourism and cultural ties between Pakistan and Türkiye the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, hosted the first official influencer trip from Pakistan to Türkiye this month The trip was curated by Asiatic Public Relations Network (APR) Six prominent
PM SHEHBA Z L AUNCHES NEW ENERGY VEHICLE POLICY 2025-30
innovation and empower youth Pakistan spends billions annually on petroleum imports while urban air pollution costs us over Rs105 billion in healthcare and productivity losses We are moving beyond vehicle assembly to battery production, charging infrastructure and advanced parts manufacturing ” Akhtar said
Countr y’s polio tally rises to 23 with two new cases
in KP
ISLAMABAD
M o N i to r i N g r e p o r t
Two more poliovirus cases have been confirmed in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising Pakistan’s total count this year to 23, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on Tuesday According to a statement from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad s NIH the latest cases include a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai in Tank district and a 24month-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3 in North Waziristan district
“With these detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 23 including 15 cases from KP six from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan the statement said The NIH reiterated that polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis, adding that the only effective protection lies in repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five, alongside timely completion of all routine immunisations
Despite years of progress Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world where the virus is still endemic alongside Afghanistan Security challenges vaccine hesitancy, and persistent misinformation continue to undermine eradication efforts
The statement cautioned that children in hard-to-reach areas and communities with low vaccine acceptance remain particularly vulnerable It added that both national and provincial Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) are working to ensure the rollout of high-quality vaccination campaigns in response to the new detections
Hajj quota challenged in IHC as operators deny involvement
ISLAMABAD N e w s D e s k
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday began hearings on a series of petitions challenging the federal government s distribution of private Hajj quotas, amid a dispute over the role of tour operators and the Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) Justice Muhammad Azam Khan issued notices to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other respondents after lawyers for the petitioners argued that the allocation of quotas through HOAP was unlawful The court later issued a written order reflecting the day s proceedings The hearing also saw a dramatic turn as a group of 12 tour operators sought to distance themselves from the case Filing separate applications, they informed the court that their names had been added to the petitions without their knowledge or consent Represented by Advocate Chaudhry Usama Tariq they requested the court strike their names from the list of petitioners The court accepted the applications Earlier, lawyers representing the remaining petitioners contended that the government’s
Eight T TP militants k illed in joint operation in Lower Dir
Eight members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were reported dead in a joint security operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa s Lower Dir district, police confirmed on Tuesday Senior Superintendent of Police Bilal Haider said the operation had been underway for three days against the group known as Fitna-alKhawarij He stated that bodies of five militants had been recovered while searches for the others were still in progress He added that the
security personnel and three civilians including a two-year-old child lost their lives Several policemen were also injured Officials reported that seven militants had been killed in the fighting In the districts of Upper Dir and Lower Dir heavy exchanges of fire broke out late Sunday night leaving five suspected militants dead and seven policemen wounded Two civilians caught in the crossfire were also killed Security forces later confirmed that the bodies of the militants were in custody and suggested they may have links across the Afghan border Tensions escalated in Lower Dir s Lajbook Dara area when mil-
