The Pakistan Super League’s 11th edition is planned to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday, while also announcing that the auction for two proposed new franchises would take place on January 8. The announcements were made during a PCB investor roadshow in New York, part of an overseas promotional campaign aimed at attracting commercial interest ahead of a potential expansion of the league from six to eight teams. The PCB has previously indicated that expansion is under consideration, though the addition of new franchises has not yet been formally ratified. Addressing attendees at the event, Mohsin said the PCB had taken administrative control of the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium and intended to begin renovation work. He added that efforts were under way to have the venue ready in time for the PSL, though he acknowledged that completion before the tournament was not guaranteed. “We are starting Muzaffarabad’s stadium, which we have taken over, and our target is to get it ready before the PSL. If not, then work will be initiated within this year,” he said. Mohsin also stated that the deadline for submission of bids for the new franchises had been extended to December 22, citing interest from prospective investors. > View this post on Instagram > > On Sunday, the PSL trophy was displayed at Times Square, where members of Pakistan’s cricketing diaspora gathered for photographs and brief interactions with players and officials. The PCB said the event was intended to raise the league’s profile among overseas audiences. Several Pakistan cricketers attended the engagement, including Shan Masood, as well as former players Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja. The PCB also said members of the current national setup were present, though no official matches or cricketing activities were scheduled as part of the programme. Singer Ali Zafar, who has previously been associated with PSL anthems, was also in attendance. The New York event followed a similar promotional stop at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London earlier this year. The PCB has described these activities as part of a broader effort to enhance the league’s commercial value and visibility beyond traditional markets. Launched in 2016, the PSL has grown into Pakistan’s flagship T20 competition, initially staged entirely overseas before returning to home venues in phases. While the league has attracted international players and broadcasters, it has also faced scheduling challenges due to Pakistan’s crowded international calendar and competition from other T20 leagues. The PCB has yet to release detailed information regarding venues, player drafts or confirmation of new teams for the 2026 season.

Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq on Sunday pressed the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan to clean their country of all terrorist groups. He was speaking at the meeting of Special Representatives for Afghanistan in Iran’s capital of Tehran. Iran had invited the Taliban government, but it did not attend, according to a Taliban spokesman. Special representatives for Afghan affairs from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia attended the meeting. “In my remarks, I agreed with the assessment of all participating countries that the continued threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil is a big challenge for the region,” the Pakistani special envoy told the meeting. Ambassador Sadiq wrote on X that he also stressed that the people of Afghanistan have already suffered enough and they deserved better. “It is, therefore, imperative that the current de facto rulers take steps to ameliorate their suffering. And the foremost step in this regard would be to rid their soil indiscriminately of all types of terrorists,” he said. Sadiq said he also made it clear that only an Afghanistan that does not harbour terrorists will inspire confidence in neighbouring and regional countries to meaningfully engage with Kabul, helping to realise the country’s immense economic and connectivity potential. Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Khan said that Islamabad had initiated the process to engage the Taliban and the understanding was to take collective decisions, including the possible Taliban recognition. “The grouping could not become an effective forum as the Taliban did not positively respond,” the former ambassador told _Dawn_ late on Sunday. He said Pakistan wanted Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours to adopt a joint approach about the issues of counter-terrorism, inclusivity, girls’ education and human and women’s rights in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s bilateral relations with Afghanistan have come under strain in recent times as the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains the main point of contention between the two countries. Pakistan has demanded that the rulers in Kabul take action to stop cross-border terrorism and stop providing sanctuary to the TTP, but the Afghan Taliban deny Islamabad’s allegations of terrorists being allowed to use Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan. During a process of dialogue, which followed border _clashes_ between the two countries in October, the two sides had met in an effort to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. On October 25, the second round of _talks_ between the two sides began in the Turkish capital. But Information Minister Attaullah Tarar then announced that the talks “failed to bring about any workable solution”. However, mediators Turkiye and Qatar intervened and _managed_ to salvage the dialogue process with an October 31 joint statement released by Turkiye stating that “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a principal-level meeting in Istanbul on November 6. On November 7, however, after the third round of talks, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif _said_ that talks addressing cross-border terrorism were “over” and “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences between the two sides. Following the failure of the talks, the Afghan Taliban _suspended_ trade ties with Islamabad. Pakistan had already closed its border for trade soon after the October clashes.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday issued a statement denying that the entire crew of a PIA flight disappeared in Toronto, Canada, adding that it was “fake news” circulated by “anti-Pakistan quarters”. “A tweet, circulated by certain anti-Pakistan quarters, claiming that [the] whole crew of a particular PIA flight is missing, is entirely baseless,” the flag carrier said in a post on X, adding that the purpose was to “malign PIA and Pakistan”. “There has been no such incident, and the news is fake,” it added. Meanwhile, a PIA spokesperson issued a separate statement denying the news, claiming that the information had been circulated by an “Afghan and anti-Pakistan account”. “The misleading tweet is part of a well-conceived plan based on hostility towards Pakistan and is aimed at damaging the reputation of the national airline and the country,” the spokesperson said, clarifying that the news held no truth. Missing PIA crew members, particularly in Canada, have been reported in the past, too. On November 21, a PIA flight attendant reportedly went missing in Canada, prompting the airline to launch an inquiry into his disappearance. ​According to PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan, the attendant did not report for flight PK-798 from Toronto to Lahore. “When contacted, he cited ill health as an excuse,” the spokesperson said, adding that the matter is being investigated. “In case of illegal disappearance, departmental action will be initiated against the flight attendant.” Last year in _October_, a cabin crew member was reportedly gone missing while on duty. The missing crew member, based in Islamabad, had disappeared during a layover in Toronto. Similarly, a 47-year-old PIA steward was reportedly gone missing in Canada in _March 2024_. In _February 2024_, another member of the airline’s cabin crew was reported missing while on duty. The member had arrived in Toronto on PIA flight PK-782 from Islamabad but failed to report for duty on the return flight, PK-784 to Karachi.

Ukraine has relinquished its aim to join the Nato military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday as peace talks got underway in Berlin. Zelensky aired the concession as he flew to the German capital, where he began meetings with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in efforts to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two. The move marks a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join Nato as a safeguard against Russian attacks and has such an aspiration included in its constitution. It also meets one of Russia’s war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow. Zelensky met the US envoys at talks hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who, a source said, had made brief remarks before leaving the two sides to negotiate. Other European leaders are also due in Germany for talks on Monday. Security guarantees from the United States, Europe and other partners instead of Nato membership represented a compromise on Ukraine’s side, Zelensky said ahead of Sunday’s discussions. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Nato Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, senior Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany on December 14. — Reuters “From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join Nato; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat. “Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries, Canada [and] Japan are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelensky said. “And it is already a compromise from our part,” he said, adding that the security guarantees should be legally binding. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine officially renounce its Nato ambitions and withdraw troops from about 10 per cent of Donbas, which Kyiv still controls. Moscow has also said that Ukraine must be a neutral country and that no Nato troops can be stationed there. Russian sources said earlier this year that Putin wants a “written” pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the US-led Nato alliance eastwards — shorthand for formally ruling out membership to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics. Zelensky had earlier called for a “dignified” peace and guarantees that Russia would not attack Ukraine again. Under pressure from Trump to sign a peace deal that initially backed Moscow’s demands, Zelensky accused Russia of dragging out the war through deadly bombings of cities and Ukraine’s power and water supplies. Sending Witkoff, who has led negotiations with Ukraine and Russia on a US peace proposal, appeared to be a signal that Washington saw a chance of progress nearly four years after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Zelensky said Ukraine, the Europeans and the US are looking at a 20-point plan and that at the end of it there is a ceasefire. He said Kyiv has no direct talks with Russia. A ceasefire along the current front lines would be a fair option, he added. ## ‘Critical moment’ Britain, France and Germany have been working to refine the US proposals, which in a draft disclosed last month called for Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its Nato ambitions and accept limits on its armed forces. European allies have described this as a “critical moment” that could shape Ukraine’s future, and sought to shore up Kyiv’s finances by leveraging frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Kyiv’s military and civilian budget. Putin hosted Witkoff and Kushner at a meeting earlier in December that the Kremlin praised as “constructive”, although no major breakthroughs were reached. Zelensky said hundreds of thousands were still without power after Russian strikes on energy, heating and water supplies across Ukraine. “Russia is dragging out the war and seeks to inflict as much harm as possible on our people,” he said. Residential buildings during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent Russian missile and drone attacks, amid the Russia-Ukraine war, in Odessa, Ukraine on December 14. — Reuters Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused relations with the West to plummet and has cranked up warnings from Nato and European leaders that Putin would not stop there. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday that Nato should be “prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured” and asserted that “we are Russia’s next target”. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed such claims. “This seems like a statement by a representative of a generation that has managed to forget what World War Two was actually like,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday. “They have no understanding, and unfortunately, Mr Rutte, making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about,” Peskov added.

The Federal Investigation Agency’s immigration wing has arrested a passenger arriving from Cambodia at Jinnah International Airport, exposing a migrant smuggling and international fraud network with links to Southeast Asia. According to a statement issued by the FIA on Saturday, the suspect was taken into custody during a major operation at the airport. Initial investigations revealed that the suspect was involved in organised migrant smuggling and online fraud activities operating out of Cambodia. The FIA said the suspect had travelled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, where he worked for an online fraud company. “He later began recruiting individuals from Pakistan as agents, allegedly facilitating their movement to Cambodia under false pretences,” the statement said. During forensic analysis of the suspect’s mobile phone, investigators recovered passport photographs of several individuals, payment receipts and records of financial transactions. The agency said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts as well as cryptocurrency accounts, indicating the use of multiple channels to move illicit funds. The FIA said the suspect has been handed over to its anti-smuggling circle in Karachi for further legal proceedings. “Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network and potential victims,” the statement said. In January, more than 30 officers of the FIA were _booked_ and dismissed from service over their alleged collusion with human smugglers in sending Pakistanis abroad illegally. The FIA began the purge following the capsizing of a boat carrying illegal immigrants near Greece in December _last year_. According to estimates, more than 80 Pakistanis drowned in the accident, and 36 were rescued. The remaining were presumed dead. In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had _ordered_ the authorities to take action against the human smugglers and officials aiding them. Since then, a countrywide crackdown has been launched against human smugglers, leading to the arrests of dozens of suspects. Consequently, FIA Lahore _arrested_ 177 human smugglers in the following months. Statistics from the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 2.5 million people are smuggled across the globe annually.

The PTI on Saturday expressed grave concern over a report issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, saying it exposed the “degrading treatment” of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan during his incarceration at Adiala Jail and amounted to a “blatant violation of international law and fundamental human rights.” The report, released on Friday, claimed the PTI founder is being held in conditions that could “amount to inhuman or degrading treatment and called on authorities to comply with international norms and standards.” In a statement issued by PTI’s Central Media Department, the party said the UN report unequivocally confirmed what it has consistently maintained for a long time: that Imran Khan was being subjected to “inhuman, unlawful, and degrading treatment motivated entirely by political vendetta.” > The PTI asserted that the report reaffirmed Imran’s 23 hours of solitary confinement, constant CCTV surveillance, isolation from the outside world, obstruction of meetings with legal counsel and family, denial of religious practice, and deprivation of basic human necessities, which constituted a blatant violation of prison rules and a flagrant breach of international human rights law. “According to the United Nations, solitary confinement exceeding 15 days falls under the category of psychological torture, while Imran Khan has been subjected to this agonising process for months,” the PTI added in its statement. The party said that subjecting a 72-year-old suffering from serious medical conditions, a spinal injury and wounds from a prior assassination attempt to such conditions, while denying adequate medical care, amounted to deliberate and calculated cruelty. PTI demanded the immediate cessation of solitary confinement, the provision of detention conditions consistent with human dignity and international standards, unrestricted access to personal physicians and the removal of all barriers to meetings in strict compliance with judicial orders. “This matter is no longer just about a political prisoner but has become a test of the credibility of law, justice, and human rights in Pakistan. If the treatment being meted out to Imran Khan is not stopped, it will be considered the worst example of state-sponsored violence,” the statement concluded. However, Prime Minister’s aide Rana Ihsan Afzal dismissed the rapporteur’s findings and insisted that Imran is being treated “according to prison rules and the jail manual”. “His children have access, and he should schedule [a call] and put in the appropriate request. There is no issue or obstacle from the government of Pakistan,” said the premier’s aide. He added that the PTI founder is being provided facilities “greater than his rights” as a B-class prisoner. “He has the facilities of exercise available, good food is available, and ample space is also available.” Imran, _imprisoned_since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a _£190 million corruption case_ and also faces _pending trials_ under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. The PTI has regularly raised concerns about his health and that of his wife. Imran’s son, Kasim Khan, _expressed fear_ during a December 1 interview that authorities are concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition. However, Uzma Khanum, Imran’s sister, said on December 2 that her incarcerated brother was “perfectly fine” after she was allowed to meet him, putting to rest rumours surrounding the former premier’s health. In a _short talk_ with the media after the meeting, she said: “Imran Khan’s health is perfectly fine. However, he was very angry and said that they are subjecting him to mental torture.” She added that Imran was confined to his cell throughout the day and was allowed only a short time outside. Uzma further said that he was not in communication with anyone, and the meeting between them lasted around 30 minutes.

One of the suspected shooters in a gun attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday has been identified by police, a senior law enforcement official told the public broadcaster _Australian Broadcasting Corporation_ (_ABC_). Ten people were killed and around a dozen were wounded when gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event at the beach, Australian officials said. New South Wales police said two people had been taken into custody, and the _ABC_ said one of at least two gunmen was among those killed. According to the law enforcement official, the suspect was identified as Naveed Akram, who lives in the Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg. _ABC_ gave no information on his nationality. “The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Akram’s home … was being raided by police on Sunday evening,” _ABC_ reported. Australian police said an “improvised explosive device” had been found in a car linked to a suspect in the deadly shooting. “We have found an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a news conference. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident “shocking and distressing”, adding that “emergency responders are on the ground and working to save lives”. “I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere,” 30-year-old local Harry Wilson, who witnessed the shooting, told the _Sydney Morning Herald_. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by “vile terrorists”. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting. “These are the results of the anti-Semitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the anti-Semitic and inciting calls of ‘Globalise the Intifada’ that were realised today,” he alleged. One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings. “If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it’s something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It’s a horrific thing,” Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told _Sky News_ , adding his media adviser had been wounded in the attack. Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled his weapon off him. A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge. Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. _Reuters_ could not immediately verify the footage. The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff. Sussan Ley, the leader of Australia’s opposition Liberal party, said the loss of life in the incident was “significant”. “Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi,” she said. ## President, PM express solidarity with Australia President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and extended their condolences to the victims in separate statements. In a statement from the Presidency, President Zardari expressed sorrow over the incident, praying for the victims’ families and wishing the injured a speedy recovery. “Pakistan, itself a victim of terrorism, stands in solidarity with Australia and condemns violence against innocent civilians,” the statement read. > Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz extended his condolences and said Pakistan condemns terrorism in all of its forms. “We stand in solidarity with the people and government of Australia in this difficult time,” he wrote. > * * * _Additional input from AFP_

Security forces have killed 13 terrorists during two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. “On 12-13 December 2025, thirteen _khwarij_ belonging to Indian proxy _Fitna Al Khwarij_ were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. _Fitna-al-Khawarij_ is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It said that the first intelligence-based operation (IBO) was carried out on the reported presence of the terrorists in KP’s Mohmand district. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the _khwarij_ ’s location, and after an intense fire exchange, seven _khwarij_ were sent to hell.” It added that the second IBO was conducted in the province’s Bannu district, where security forces neutralised six more terrorists. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored _kharji_ found in the area as a relentless counterterrorism campaign under [the] vision “Azm e 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 menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement said. Pakistan has witnessed a _surge_in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP _ended_ its ceasefire with the government in November 2022, vowing to attack security forces, police, and law enforcement personnel. Last month, security forces eliminated 22 terrorists during an operation in the Bannu district.

As the nationwide polio campaign begins from Monday (tomorrow) to vaccinate over 45 million children, first lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has urged parents, caregivers, public representatives and community leaders to actively support the drive. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. So far, the country has recorded 30 polio cases, with the highest number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 19. This will be the last polio campaign of the year, which will conclude on December 21. “The success of the campaign depends on our collective responsibility, so we must ensure that every child under five years of age receives polio drops,” she said in a statement. The campaign aims to vaccinate 45.4 million children nationwide, including 23.3 million in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in KP and 2.66 million in Balochistan, with the remaining children covered in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory. The drive is being conducted in coordination with Afghanistan’s December polio campaign to curb cross-border virus transmission. Recalling the legacy of late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Aseefa said “Pakistan’s first nationwide polio eradication campaign was launched under her leadership in 1994, and her vision continued to guide national efforts to eliminate the disease.” She shared that she feels a deep personal connection to the cause, remembering that her mother, as the former prime minister, personally administered the first polio drops to her. “That moment marked the beginning of Pakistan’s national fight against polio and shaped my lifelong commitment to the effort,” she said. Aseefa Bhutto shared that the campaign will follow a three-day house-to-house vaccination drive with one catch-up day. In high-risk areas, community-based vaccination and special mobile team strategies will be implemented, and the five-day campaign will be conducted with two additional catch-up days. A total of 408,484 frontline polio workers, including area in-charges, union council medical officers and mobile, fixed and transit teams, have been deployed across the country. Aseefa also called upon elected representatives, local government officials, religious leaders and community elders “to stand with polio teams, facilitate access to communities and help counter misinformation and hesitancy.” She urged citizens to welcome vaccinators, report missed children and support frontline workers, saying that only united action can stop the virus and protect the future of Pakistan’s children.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Sunday issued a press release condemning a ban on government advertisements for various outlets operated by the Dawn Media Group, terming the ban an “attack on press freedom”. Over the past several days, multiple media bodies came together and condemned the 13-month ban, which initially affected the newspaper but extended to _DawnNewsTV_ and the radio channel _City FM 89_. In its press release today, the PFUJ condemned the ad ban and called it “an attempt to control media and stifle free expression”. “In a joint statement, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari expressed deep concern over the government’s decision, stating that it is an attack on freedom of expression and an attempt to financially cripple a respected media outlet,” the union said. “Dawn was founded by the father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the paper is respected globally for its unbiased reporting,” it added, quoting its president and secretary general. The PFUJ urged the government to withdraw the ad ban for the promotion of “free and responsible journalism” and emphasised the importance of traditional media’s role amid the ubiquity of fake news. “[The] PFUJ views this as an attempt to force the media group to change its editorial policy, which is unacceptable,” the press release read, adding that the union would stand in solidarity with the Dawn Media Group and called on the government to “respect the principles of press freedom and freedom of expression”. Earlier this year, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) noted in its ‘Islamabad Declaration’ that _Dawn_ has been denied advertisements by the federal and Punjab governments since October 2024 “because of its professional and critical approach in reporting and editorials”. The Sindh government, too, has periodically withheld its ads for arbitrary reasons. This was not the only way in which authorities have tried to obstruct Dawn’s reporting – after the so-called ‘Dawn Leaks’ saga, the paper’s circulation was blocked in large parts of the country, especially the cantonment areas, on the orders of certain individuals.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi asked PTI supporters on Sunday to “be ready” in case a call was made for a protest, adding that “we will together seize [our] _Haqiqi Azadi_ (true freedom)” from the country’s current rulers. Afridi’s intimation came during a PTI rally in Kohat, where he reminded the crowd that incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, had delivered the message from jail of “freedom or death”. > “So if we go this time around, we will either return in shrouds or after getting freedom,” he said, adding that Imran had given the responsibility of making decisions — be it about talks with the government or protests — to Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.* The two leaders are part of the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) along with the PTI, which has also nominated them as the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate. “For my part,” Afridi said, “I met them and assured them of any kind of support.” He added, “So whenever a call comes from them, you have to be ready. And we will together seize _Haqiqi Azadi_ from them (country’s current rulers).” The CM claimed that “all institutions and the government want to eliminate the PTI”. Even the judiciary did not heed PTI’s grievances, he said. Provincial Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights Aftab Alam Afridi lamented that Imran’s family and CM Afridi were not allowed to meet the incarcerated party chief. He also condemned Imran being called a “security threat” to the country, saying, “Yes, Khan was a threat, but only to those who had owned business empires in this country.” Speaking to the participants of the rally, PTI’s provincial president and MNA Junaid Akbar said the workers of the party “could never be threatened with police cases or press conferences.” He also said that the party and its workers were ready to protect CM Afridi’s government. “If someone tried to impose governor’s rule in KP, you must reach and lay siege to the governor’s house. We protected our vote, and we will protect our government, too,” he said. Meanwhile, MNA Shehryar Afridi said that the PTI will take Imran’s case to every corner of the country. “No power on earth could challenge Pakistan if the country were united,” he said, adding, “Imran Khan is a matter of pride for us.”

Karachi police said on Sunday that eight suspects, “involved in running an extortion network” were arrested during a raid at the residence of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) chairman Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri in Karachi. Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imran Khan confirmed Saturday night’s development during a press briefing in Karachi today. At the same time, he also clarified that Qadri was neither wanted by police nor had he been arrested. Moreover, the official said police had no evidence of the suspects’ association with any party. The SSP also clarified that police had found no evidence of the involvement of the PST chief or any other member in the extortion network. SSP Khan said multiple cases had been registered against the arrested suspects, who were associated with an extortion network run by two men, who he identified as Wasiullah Lakho and Abdul Samad Kathiawari. These two “most-wanted” suspects were reportedly “in hiding abroad”, the official said, adding that three other suspects had been playing a key role in running the extortion network in Karachi. The official identified those three suspects as Mullah Shahzaib, Jawwad alias Waja Qadri and Rehanuddin. The SSP said the Karachi additional inspector general had constituted a special task force for action against extortion last week. The team comprised west zone deputy inspector general (DIG), Crime Investigation Agency DIG, central SSP and SIU SSP, he added. Two days ago, he continued, the SIU arrested suspect Rehanuddin in an injured condition. “He is named in a case of extortion and firing at a car showroom, which was registered at the Jamshed Quarters police station a month ago.” “During initial interrogation, the suspect revealed the names of other members and heads of the [extortion] group,” the official said, adding that based on the information shared by him, the SIU and central police conducted a joint raid in the jurisdiction of Rizvia police station on Saturday night. Seventeen people were detained during the raid, he said, adding that nine weapons, including G-3 rifles, submachine guns and pistols, were also confiscated. Initial investigation showed that eight of the detained suspects had criminal records, including Mullah Shahzaib and Jawwad. Apart from them, three suspects accused of firing while carrying out extortion activities and three “facilitators” were arrested, he added. Ten cases had been registered with the SIU against nine suspects involved in extortion, including Rehanuddin, the SSP said. He said further investigation of the matter was under way. Replying to a question, he said if it was established that anyone had provided shelter to the suspects or kept them in hiding, action would be taken against that individual as well. He also confirmed that among the suspects, Rehanuddin had contested elections in 2024 as an independent candidate for an MNA seat.

Ten people were killed and around a dozen wounded when gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, Australian officials said. New South Wales police said two people had been taken into custody, and the _Australian Broadcasting Corp_ (ABC) said one of at least two gunmen was among those killed. Around a dozen people were taken to local hospitals after the shooting, a New South Wales ambulance spokesperson said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident “shocking and distressing”, adding that “emergency responders are on the ground and working to save lives”. “I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere,” 30-year-old local Harry Wilson, who witnessed the shooting, told the _Sydney Morning Herald_. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by “vile terrorists”. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting. “These are the results of the anti-Semitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the anti-Semitic and inciting calls of ‘Globalise the Intifada’ that were realised today,” he alleged. One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings. “If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it’s something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It’s a horrific thing,” Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told _Sky News_ , adding his media adviser had been wounded in the attack. Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled his weapon off him. A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge. Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. _Reuters_ could not immediately verify the footage. The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff. Sussan Ley, the leader of Australia’s opposition Liberal party, said the loss of life in the incident was “significant”. “Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi,” she said.

The finance ministry said on Sunday that the 11 targets, being categorised as “new conditions” under the ongoing programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), represented “continuity, sequencing, and deepening of Pakistan’s agreed reform agenda” rather than the “imposition of abrupt or unprecedented conditions”. The ministry’s clarification follows reports of the government agreeing to 11 new targets, including additional tax measures and expenditure cuts from early next month, to make up for rising revenue shortfalls and to keep the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) on track. This was revealed in documents released by the IMF earlier this week, according to which commitment to the new or revised structural benchmarks, together with completion of two “prior actions”, enabled the conclusion of a staff-level agreement on the second review of the EFF and its _approval_ by the IMF Executive Board for the disbursement of about $1.2bn for Pakistan on December 9. A press release issued by the finance ministry today said that it had “clarified the intent, context, and continuity of reform measures under Pakistan’s IMF Extended Fund Facility programme, particularly in response to recent commentary regarding so-called “new conditions”. “The purpose is to reaffirm that the measures referenced are part of a phased, medium-term reform agenda agreed with the IMF, many of which are extensions or logical progressions of reforms already initiated by the Government of Pakistan,” the press release read. It said that the EFF was designed to support countries in implementing medium-term structural reforms aimed at achieving agreed policy objectives. “These reforms are implemented in a sequenced and step-by-step manner over the duration of the programme,” it said. “Each review builds upon prior actions to ensure that the ultimate policy goals agreed at the outset of the program are achieved. “Accordingly, actions under the EFF are structured as logical steps, with additional measures incorporated at each successive review.” The press release said the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) with the IMF finalised after the second EFF review supplemented the MEFP agreed during the first review and reflected this phased approach. During IMF discussions and negotiations, the government presented its planned policy reform initiatives, it said. “Where the IMF assesses that these initiatives contribute to the agreed programme objectives, they are incorporated into the MEFP. “As a result, many of the structural benchmarks and actions included in the latest MEFP are derived from reforms already undertaken or initiated by the government of Pakistan, rather than being externally imposed or newly introduced conditions.” > The ministry issued clarifications for each of the 11 measures characterised as “new conditions”. Regarding the public disclosure of _asset declarations_ of civil servants, it said that this reform had been part of the EFF programme since the initial MEFP in May 2024. “The current structural benchmark represents the second step, following the successful legislative amendment to the Civil Servants Act, 1973,” it said. Commitments to _strengthening_ the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) operational effectiveness and independence were also agreed during earlier reviews, it said, including coordination with provincial anti-corruption establishments. “The development of action plans for high-risk agencies is a continuation of this commitment and runs parallel to, rather than stemming from, the Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment Report,” the ministry added. On empowering provincial anti-corruption establishments, it said that allowing these bodies access to financial intelligence aligned with the ongoing Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) reform agenda, which had been “integral to the EFF since its inception”. The ministry further said that strengthening _remittance_ inflows was “critical to Pakistan’s external stability”. “Following measures to curb informal channels, remittances increased by 26 per cent year-on-year from FY24 to FY25, with a further increase of 9.3 percent projected for FY26. “The government, in coordination with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), has been working to remove structural bottlenecks in cross-border payments. The IMF has built upon these efforts by incorporating them into the MEFP,” it added. The ministry also said that the IMF staff report that had been published in May 2025 had _recommended_ a comprehensive study to identify bottlenecks in the local currency bond market to broaden the investor base. This recommendation has now been formalised as a structural benchmark, according to the press release. On the _deregulation_ of the sugar industry, it said that the initiative originated from the government. “A task force, notified by the prime minister’s office and chaired by the minister for power, has been mandated to recommend full liberalisation of the sugar market and propose a national policy in consultation with provinces. Given its alignment with the EFF objective of reducing government intervention in commodity markets, the IMF has included this initiative as a structural benchmark,” it said. The ministry added that the development of a comprehensive roadmap for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was part of a broader domestic resource mobilisation reform agenda led directly by the prime minister. “Key actions already taken include approval of the transformation plan, establishment of the Tax Policy Office, and strengthening of compliance risk management. This structural benchmark builds upon commitments made with the IMF in May 2024 and March 2025,” it said. Further, the ministry called the requirement to develop and publish a medium-term tax reform strategy “a logical extension of earlier reforms, particularly the establishment and operationalisation of the Tax Policy Office to separate tax policy formulation from FBR’s operational functions”. It said that the _privatisation_ of distribution companies (Discos) had also been a core component of the EFF programme since its inception, adding that it was “envisaged to occur in phases”. “Finalising preconditions for private-sector participation in Hesco (Hyderabad Electric Supply Company) and Sepco (Sukkur Electric Power Company) represents the next step following initiation of the process for the first batch of Discos. Additionally, the signing of Public Service Obligation (PSO) agreements with the seven largest entities reiterates an earlier programme commitment,” it added. Regarding regulatory reforms and corporate compliance, it said, “Amendments to the Companies Act, 2017 to strengthen compliance for unlisted firms are part of the broader regulatory reform agenda aimed at improving the business climate, an objective embedded in the EFF from the outset.” It added that, similarly, the structural benchmark related to a concept note for amendments to the _Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act_ follows the successful completion of a prior benchmark involving an SEZ assessment study. Finally, it said that contingency measures to address potential revenue shortfalls had also been part of the MEFP framework since May 2024, adding that the initial MEFP itself included a structural benchmark for introducing a 5 per cent Federal Excise Duty on fertiliser and pesticides. “In conclusion, the measures outlined in the latest MEFP represent continuity, sequencing, and deepening of Pakistan’s agreed reform agenda under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility, rather than the imposition of abrupt or unprecedented conditions,” the ministry said.

Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Bilal Bin Saqib has said that the no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued to global cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and HTX were not a “blanket approval” but the “first step under a risk-mitigated, phased, supervised entry framework”. > View this post on Instagram > > Saqib’s video statement, televised on Sunday, comes after Pakistan gave initial clearance for Binance and HTX on Friday to register with regulators to set up local subsidiaries and begin preparations for full exchange licence applications. The clearances allow the exchanges to register on the Anti-Money Laundering system, set up local units and prepare full applications. Speaking about the development, Saqib said the issuance of the NOCs to Binance and HTX was the “first practical step” that reflected a “new mindset”. He further said that the step was based on the “Pakistan-first” approach. Saqib detailed that by working under a supervised entry framework, authorities had been able to establish “control” in three areas, namely money laundering and terrorism financing; transparency of ownership and fitness and propreitary checks; and paving the way for licensing through the enforcement of timelines. “It is mandatory for every platform to register on the AML [system] and have direct linkages with the financial monitoring unit,” he said, further asserting that no platform would be allowed entry in the country without “disclosures and verification”. Moreover, he said, the process of licensing would be initiated for entities after they would “move forward in line with Pakistan’s law and with its oversight”. Saqib said this model was not unique to Pakistan and the world’s leading financial centres had been approaching new industries in a phased manner. Reiterating that a “Pakistan-first approach” was being employed in the crypto sector, he said, “We will first control this industry and then scale it.” He said Pakistan ranked among the world’s top three “crypto-adoption countries”, adding that it was estimated that there were 30 to 40 million crypto users in the country. “They have adopted this industry without any regulatory framework, classroom and education,” he said. “The good thing here is that this shows that our youth is world class. But are our systems world class? Are our regulations world class?” Saqib further questioned whether it would be wise for the state to stay out of a sector in which people were involved on an extensive scale. “You cannot ignore innovation,” he said, stressing that not introducing the “right policies will weaken the country and make people unsafe”. Keeping this in view, he continued, “our country’s leadership has tried to narrow this gap”. Stressing the need for regulation, he said countries that would take an early initiative in this regard would be able to attract capital. “Few countries have the opportunity that Pakistan has,” he said, adding, “We are not trying to promote crypto but to regulate it as people here have already adopted it. “Our country is the fifth-most populous country with tech-savvy youth and where digital adoption is growing fast. But, the [country will be able to] benefit from this talent when they have a legal, structured path [to follow]. When they will have a framework. Otherwise, they will leave.” He said it was the responsibility of the state to create an enabling environment for emerging technologies. “There needs to be smart regulation here so that capital from [around the world] flows into the country.” He said that through the framework devised for the crypto sector, the government aimed to prepare for the “industries of 2035 and 2025”. “We do not want the Pakistani youth to be just consumers but evolve into builders and global experts.” Saqib emphasised that the country needed to prepare for the future and be globally trusted. “So that we are able to strengthen our sovereignty and economy through technology.” He said his message to the international community was that Pakistan was open to business and welcoming innovation in the area of digital assets, but only from those entities who would follow the country’s rules, create opportunities for the youth here and operate in line with a “Pakistan-first approach”. Coming back to the NOCs for Binance and HTX, he said while addressing the youth, “This is not our destination. This is the foundation of a building that you have to construct.” “Pakistan’s future should not be imports. It should be built here, by your hands. Pakistan should emerge as a global case study in the area of global assets.”

KARACHI: A provincial anti-corruption court has exonerated Dr Asim Hussain, former petroleum minister and close aide of President Asif Zardari, from all charges of corruption on the recommendations of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Sindh. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had in 2016 filed a reference against the former petroleum minister and others for their alleged involvement in depriving the state of Rs462.5 billion from 2010 to 2013. The accused were charged with causing financial losses of Rs450bn through a fertiliser scam, Rs9.5bn through land encroachment / fraud and Rs3bn through money laundering. However, the reference was transferred to the anti-corruption court after tweaks in the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO). The ACE filed an investigation report before Judge Muhammad Aminullah Siddiqui of the special provincial anti-corruption court seeking cancellation of graft charges against Dr Asim and others. > Judge asks ACE Sindh to file report on Rs3bn money laundering allegations in relevant court; NAB transferred graft case to provincial anti-corruption court after accountability law tweaks The IO filed the report under Section 173 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) seeking disposal of the case in class C (cancelation). In the report, the IO submitted that after holding a fresh investigation, the allegations were found within the domain of the provincial anti-graft body and being recommended for cancelation. The judge in his order said, “Upon appraisal of the material so placed, it prima facie appears that the investigating officer has justifiable concluded that the ingredient of the offences related to corruption, misconduct, or abuse of authority, [which] offences triable exclusively by this court, have not been substantiated during investigation. Consequently, the classification of such allegations as C-class appears to be in consonance with the settled principles governing disposal of the cases where the foundational facts do not support prosecution.” However, the court accepted the report to the limited extent of those allegations falling within the statutory jurisdiction of the court under the anti-corruption laws. About allegations of money laundering, the judge noted that this court “has lacked jurisdiction to take cognizance of the same” while the “AML Act was a special law providing for a distinct mechanism, designated forums and exclusive jurisdiction”. Therefore, the court directed the IO to prepare and submit a separate and independent report under Section 173 of the CrPC before the competent court under the relevant law without any undue delay. NAB accused Dr Asim and others of getting plots allotted fraudulently and encroaching upon state land for expansion of his hospital, money laundering and commission through fertiliser cartel for illegal curtailment of gas for exploitative price hike. After amendments to the NAB law, Dr Asim had approached the Sindh High Court seeking transfer of the reference from an accountability court to a court having jurisdiction. In September 2023, the SHC had ordered an accountability court to return the corruption reference to the NAB chairman so that he could refer the matter to a relevant forum as per law. Thereafter, NAB had transferred the matter to the ACE. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

KHYBER: Preparations for a decisive action against terrorist groups in the restive Tirah valley have entered the final phase as security officials verbally agreed on a possible timeframe for the operation and facilitation of the departing families. Sources in the valley told _Dawn_ that hectic deliberations had been taking place between the Tirah Bagh Brigade Headquarters and local elders since Wednesday (Dec 10) to develop a mechanism for the ‘willful’ relocation of families from the valley and an acceptable package for the new internally displaced persons (IDPs). They said that while expressing satisfaction with the voluntary repatriation of families from different areas of Tirah in the last few weeks, officials posted to the Bagh Brigade Headquarters made it clear to local elders that those unwilling to vacate their houses would face “utter difficulties” after the launch of the operation. A Malakdinkhel elder, who was part of the negotiating team, told _Dawn_ on condition of anonymity that the launch of the military operation was a matter of time now while the security officials were now insisting on devising modalities which could minimise chances of collateral damage to residents and reduce their misery. > Security officials, elders discussing mechanism for families’ relocation He said that security officials in Peshawar and Rawalpindi were pondering over the timeframe of the Tirah military operation as the General Headquarters and 11 Corps were insisting on the shortest possible duration in order to minimise the sufferings of local families. The elder said that security officials agreed to give residents time for voluntary displacement and offered transport and other facilities to them. “The security forces are showing the maximum restraint by not imposing curfews in different parts despite clear-cut instructions from high-ups, while avoiding indiscriminate shelling on troubled areas,” he said. The Malakdinkhel elder further said that a warning was issued about the closure of most exit routes, including Dwa Theoye, Arhanga and Haider Kandaw, if the residents failed to avail the deadline for willful repatriation. Security officials also told Tirah elders that the new IDPs would be allowed to return in the two months’ time at maximum on the successful completion of military operation, while a verbal assurance was given about the meeting of the “legitimate” demands of Tirah residents through the execution of development schemes. The security officials also urged elders to form local peace committees on return following the military operation. However, as there was no mention of the committees’ responsibilities, the elders didn’t disapprove of the idea. On Wednesday, the Tirah elders submitted a long list of demands to the officials of Brigade Headquarters, including advance payment of Rs500,000, provision of free transport, formal IDP status for the newly-displaced families and a firm assurance that no military operations and forced displacement will take place after the completion of operations and return of IDPs. The elders also called for a written agreement about all decisions made during their meetings with security officials, with the Supreme Court chief justice, interior minister, Peshawar’s corps commander, the provincial chief minister and the 27 Brigade acting as guarantors. Sources said that while agreeing to continue parlays, both sides failed to make a deal. Both MNA Iqbal Afridi and MPA Abdul Ghani from Bara along with representatives of Bara Siyasi Ittehad and elders from Bara were kept out of Tirah deliberations. They have vehemently opposed any fresh military operation in Tirah and forced displacement of residents. While Tirah elders and security forces were busy sorting out modalities for the operation and evacuation, the families in different parts of the valley continued to vacate their homes and departed for Bara and Peshawar. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

LAHORE: Sundar police on Saturday arrested four suspects allegedly involved in gang-raping two sisters. The mother of the victims, a resident of Theme Park, had submitted a complaint against five suspects for raping her two daughters. She said that her daughters had left home for work to Umar Block of Theme Park the other day. When they returned the same day, they told their mother about their ordeal. The complainant added that her daughters went to meet their two acquaintances, identified in the FIR, who called another armed suspect to the location. The armed suspect called his accomplices to the site and they all raped both the sisters. All suspects were identified by the rape survivors. Their mother demanded registration of a case and provision of justice. Sundar police registered a case against the five suspects on rape charges and arrested four of them. They are conducting raids to arrest the fifth suspect. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

LAHORE: Punjab’s air quality has plunged to alarming levels this week, with Lahore emerging as one of the most polluted cities in the world, according to real-time data from IQAir. The situation looks bad even in the coming days with no rain prediction that may bring some respite. On Saturday, the city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 527 at 8pm, classified as hazardous, following Delhi (710). Lahore’s three-day average AQI hovered above 300. Some hotspots in the city such as Allama Iqbal Town (802), Bedian Road (674) and CERP Office (672) performed worst. The air pollution crisis in the country extends beyond Lahore. Cities across Punjab reported AQI readings well above safe thresholds between December 11 and 13, prompting widespread health warnings. Khurrianwala registered an AQI of 558, Faisalabad 547, Kahna Nau 350, Gujranwala 284, Gujrat 254, Islamabad 246, and both Bahawalpur and Sialkot at 244. Health experts warned that such high concentrations of PM2.5 particulate matter that penetrates deep into the lungs and pose serious risks to public health, especially for children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. Residents have been advised to avoid outdoor activities, keep windows closed, wear protective masks and use air purifiers indoors. Pakistan’s average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 stood at 73.7 µg/m³, nearly 15 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s annual guideline of 5µg/m³. This places Pakistan as the third most polluted country globally, underscoring the scale of the environmental challenge. Experts say the pollution is due to a combination of industrial emissions, vehicular exhaust, crop residue burning, biomass and waste incineration and domestic fires. Winter conditions exacerbate the crisis with temperature inversions, low wind speed and reduced rainfall trapping pollutants close to the ground. Trans-boundary pollution from India further compounds the issue, especially during the post-harvest stubble burning season. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

ISLAMABAD: The country’s top tax machinery is confronted with a big dilemma of nil-filers, which has reached an alarming level of nearly 39 per cent of total income tax returns in the tax year 2025, _Dawn_ has learned from official sources. This presents a big challenge for the government in identifying individuals not paying their taxes, with 2.262 million out of 5.912 million filed up to Oct 31, potentially concealing their taxable income. This means that only 3.650m taxpayers declared incomes in their returns for tax year 2025 (TY25). The pattern of nil-filers are across the three main categories — individuals, associations of persons (AoPs) and the corporate sector. The nil returns are submitted for one-time financial transactions or to take advantage of lower tax rates for placement on the Active Taxpayers List (ATL). Concerns are mounting within the FBR that Pakistan’s income tax system is failing to capture the true wealth of its citizens, as approximately half of taxpayers continue to declare nil incomes far below the lavish lifestyles they maintain. > Zero income with lavish lifestyle exposes weak enforcement as millions stay on the rolls without paying a rupee In TY25, the number of nil-filers, both salaried and non-salaried individuals, remained significantly high. Out of 5.805m total individual returns filed, 2.206m were nil-returns, declaring no taxable income. This means 38pc of all individual filers fell into the nil-filer category, highlighting a growing trend of non-contributory filings and raising concerns about the quality of the tax base. In TY24, almost a similar trend of nil-filers was recorded, which shows consistency of the trend. Despite being considered a highly documented segment, the corporate sector posted the highest proportion of nil-filers in TY25. Of the 17,873 corporate returns filed, 13,739 companies, accounting for 76.87pc, declared nil income. This means only 4,134 companies reported any taxable income, raising concerns over underreporting and the effectiveness of enforcement within the formal business sector. The second-largest category of nil-filers in TY25 was Associations of Persons (AOPs). Out of 89,510 AOP returns filed, 42,834, or 47.85pc, declared nil income. This indicates that only 46,676 AOPs reported any taxable income, highlighting significant underreporting within this segment of taxpayers. This pattern appears to be continuing for the last few years owing to the government’s introduction of the higher rates for non-filers. It was also proposed that non-filers be prohibited from engaging in any financial or investment activities. As a result, the junk filing has become a routine practice, which gives a feel good figure of returns filing to FBR. People are living in palatial houses, enjoying 24/7 air conditioning, riding fancy cars, wearing branded clothes, making multiple international trips, buying branded watches/jewellery and other luxuries but their income tax returns do not reflect their lifestyles. Income declared and tax paid is not reflective of their living standards, as pointed out after an internal analysis of the tax returns filed with the FBR. A senior tax officer told _Dawn_ that junk returns resulted from tax policy lacunas. He stated the existing policy encourages people to submit tax returns without paying taxes to benefit from reduced tax rates. He said the FBR would have to redefine the terms filer and non-filer and relate tax return filing exclusively to tax payment. He went on to say that the present system suffers from data integration issues. Pakistan’s cash-driven and largely undocumented economy continues to shield undeclared wealth from formal scrutiny. This undocumented economy continues to frustrate efforts to broaden the tax base. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

Police in Rhode Island were searching for a suspect late on Saturday after a shooting at Brown University in Providence left two students dead and eight others critically wounded at the Ivy League school, officials said. A ninth person was hurt by bullet fragments, the mayor said. Streets around campus remained blocked and packed with emergency vehicles hours after the shooting and law enforcement officials heightened security around the city as police continued their manhunt. “The individual responsible is still at large,” Mayor Brett Smiley told reporters at a 9:30pm (7:30am PKT) press conference. Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said the suspect had not been identified. Officials said they are looking for a male dressed in black and were releasing a video of the suspect, who O’Hara said may have been wearing a mask. He said officials had retrieved shell casings from the scene of the shooting, but that police were not prepared to release details. Officials said the gunman escaped after shooting students in Brown’s Barus & Holley engineering building, where exams were taking place at the time. “We are a week and a half away from Christmas. And two people died today and another eight are in the hospital,” Smiley said earlier in the evening. “So please pray for those families.” Brown is on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island’s state capital. The university has hundreds of buildings, including lecture halls, laboratories and dormitories. “This is the day one hopes never happens, and it has,” Brown’s president Christina Paxson told reporters, confirming all or nearly all of the victims were students. As news of the shooting spread, the school told students to shelter in place. Brown student Chiang-Heng Chien told local TV station _WJAR_ he was working in a lab with three other students when he saw the text about the active shooter situation a block away. They waited under desks for about two hours, he said. Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee vowed that the shooter would be brought to justice. “We’re going to make sure that we catch the individual that brought so much suffering to so many people.” The search for the suspect was hampered in part because downtown Providence was crowded with holiday shoppers and thousands of people attending concerts, local media said. Federal law enforcement and police from surrounding cities and towns were assisting in the search, officials said. According to local news reports, venues across the city were bringing in extra security. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been briefed on the situation, which he called “terrible”. “All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt.” Compared to many countries, mass shootings in schools, workplaces, and places of worship are more common in the US, which has some of the most permissive gun laws in the developed world. The Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as any incident in which four or more victims have been shot, has counted 389 of them this year in the US, including at least six such shootings at schools. Last year the US had more than 500 mass shootings, according to the archive.

• Says paternity challenges cause humiliation, stigma and harm to family honour • Warns against judicial intrusion into sanctity of family life and women’s reputation ISLAMABAD: Overturning a lower court order for a DNA test to ascertain the parentage of a petitioner, the Supreme Court has ruled that the right to privacy — recognised as an entitlement to personal sanctuary — requires protecting individuals from undue intrusion into their private lives. “The unnecessary public challenge to the paternity of a person inherently res­ults in societal embarrassment, humiliation, and severe psychological stigma,” observed Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar while accepting an appeal filed by petitioner Khalid Hameed. On Nov 3, 2022, a special judge of the Anti-Corruption Court, Pakpattan, had ordered the respective circle officer to conduct DNA tests of the petitioner and one Mohammad Haneef, holding that the real dispute in an inheritance matter centred on the petitioner’s paternity. The directive was challenged through a revision petition before the Lahore High Court, which rejected the plea on Dec 6, 2022. The controversy involved several res­pondents allegedly involved in forgery and corruption pertaining to a material alteration of the petitioner’s parentage in educational records, purportedly to deprive him of his rightful inheritance. The Supreme Court said challen­ges to paternity must not be taken light­­ly, as compelling a DNA test without ade­quate grounds inherently casts serious aspersions on the character and moral integrity of the mother — a course the top court has previously declared impermissible. Such judicial directives, when lacking proper legal basis, amount to an unwarranted intrusion into the sanctity of family life and a woman’s reputation, which should never be tolerated under the gui­se of legal process, observed Justice Kak­ar, who was heading a two-judge bench. “This protection extends to personal data, communications, family life, and all facets of the personal sphere against un­­w­arranted interference by the state or pri­v­a­te entities,” the six-page judgement said. Justice Kakar observed that any de­­m­and for a DNA test, particularly to determine parentage, encroaches upon fundamental privacy rights, as genetic information contains comprehensive data about lineage and physical characteristics. These fundamental rights, the jud­gement said, safeguard bodily integrity and ensure an individual’s autonomy to refuse unsolicited medical procedures. The right conferred under Article 14 does not concern any premises, home or office, but the person — the man or woman wherever he or she may be, Justice Kakar underscored. He said that obtaining someone’s DNA without due process fundamentally violates rights to privacy, autonomy, and liberty, as it involves extracting extre­mely sensitive personal information. While intrinsically linked to the rig­hts to existence and autonomy, the right to privacy has evolved into an independent fundamental guarantee under Article 14, representing the ultimate honour of the human person and the essence of individuality, the judgement stated. It protects a zone of choice and self-determination, enabling individuals to make intimate decisions without fear of surveillance or unauthorised disclosure. “The inviolability of privacy is direc­tly linked with the dignity of man,” Jus­tice Kakar remarked, adding that preserving human dignity requires safeguarding privacy from invasion and unlawful intrusion. The judgement warned that such encroachment carries the serious risk of misuse or unauthorised dissemination of an individual’s genetic blueprint, potentially causing grave personal and professional harm. The right to liberty under Article 9, it said, goes beyond protection from physical detention and encompasses freedom from arbitrary or purposeless restraints on personal autonomy that are inconsistent with public interest or statutory provisions. A judicial order for DNA testing without consent or legal justification, therefore, is not a mere procedural flaw but one that causes profound adverse effects on an individual’s life and dignity. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

ISLAMABAD: The Nat­ional Registration Exami­nation (NRE) for foreign medical and dental graduates will be held at major regional centres nationwide on Sunday (today), with more than 7,000 candidates set to appear for the mandatory test. The NRE Step-I will be conducted by the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) in Rawalpindi, in accordance with the policy of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). A total of 7,076 graduates registered with the PMDC for the exam, including 6,989 medical graduates and 87 dental graduates, according to council data. According to a statement from the PMDC, the examination will take place at four venues. In Islamabad/Rawa­lpindi, 2,358 medical and 43 dental candidates will appear; in Lahore, 3,562 medical and 30 dental candidates; in Karachi, 499 medical and four dental candidates; and in Peshawar, 570 medical and 10 dental candidates. The candidates are graduates who obtained their medical and dental degr­ees from various countries and are seeking licensure to practice in Pakistan. Under PMDC policy, no foreign graduate is eligible for provisional or permanent registration to practice independently until they pass the examination. “PMDC has consistently ensured a transparent, standardised, and internationally aligned examination system to assess the professional competence of returning graduates,” a PMDC spokesperson said. “Candidates who will successfully clear both steps of the NRE will be issued registration certificates, in accordance with the relevant provisions of law.” All preparations for the examination were completed, with candidates required to report to their centres by 10am for the exam commencing at 12 noon. The PMDC stated that any candidate found violating standard operating procedures (SOPs) would be barred from the examination. In its statement, the PMDC also advised parents sending their children abroad for medical or dental education to enroll them only in recognised, accredited, and PMDC-approved institutions. The council warned that non-compliance with its policies could result in consequences for prospective candidates. It further advised parents and students to exercise “utmost caution and refrain from enrolling in substandard or poor quality medical and dental colleges”. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

ISLAMABAD: Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri is likely to appear as a defendant before the Isla­mabad High Court (IHC) to face accusations that surfaced in a petition that challenged his appointment over a controversy related to his law degree. A division bench comprising Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan will take up the matter for further proceedings on Monday (tomorrow). In a detailed written order issued on Dec 9, the IHC held that the question regarding the validity of Justice Jahangiri’s law degree fell squarely within the scope of a writ of quo warranto — his right to hold public office. The two-member bench ruled that the petition was maintainable and set aside the office objection earlier raised by the registrar. The bench had also gra­nted Justice Jahangiri thr­ee days to respond to the facts unearthed till date. The registrar’s office served the notice at the judge’s chamber due to time constraints. Sources said court staff of Justice Jahangiri received the notice and submitted it to his chamber. They added that Justice Jahangiri dec­ided to appear before the bench at the next hearing. While Justice Jahangiri along with four other IHC judges — Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz — had earlier app­eared before the Sup­reme Court as well on the same matter, it is not yet clear whether his fellow judges will accompany him in the IHC on Monday. However, lawyers are expected to attend the proceedings to express solidarity with him. According to for­­mer president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association Riasat Ali Azad, he, along with scores of lawyers, will be present in the courtroom during the hearing. **Fake degree controversy** The petition, filed by Advocate Mian Dawood under Article 199 of the Constitution, seeks a judicial determination on whether Justice Jahangiri lawfully holds the office of a high court judge in view of allegations concerning his LLB degree obtained from the University of Karachi (KU). According to the order, the bench observed that the petitioner had challenged the judge’s eligibility to hold office rather than alleging misconduct. As such, the matter did not fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of Article 209 of the Constitution, which governs proceedings before the Supreme Judicial Council. During the hearings, IHC Chief Justice Dogar consistently observed that the petition raised a direct question of qualification, whether the respondent fulfilled the statutory requirements to hold judicial office, which could be examined through a writ of quo warranto. The bench also noted that the SC had already directed the IHC to proceed with the matter in accordance with law. The court order referred to a report submitted by KU through the Higher Education Commission (HEC), which highlighted several discrepancies in the academic record of the degree in question. According to the report, a candidate named “Tariq Mehmood” obtained an LLB degree in 1991 under enrolment number 5968. However, university records showed that the same enrolment number had already been issued to another student, Imtiaz Ahmed, in 1987. The report further stated that the transcript for LLB Part-I was issued in the name “Tariq Jahangiri”, while the inquiry revealed that the judge had also been assigned a separate enrolment number (7124) for the same degree programme. The committee observed that this violated university rules, which allow only one enrolment number for the entire duration of a degree. According to the inquiry findings, the existence of multiple identities, duplicate enrolment numbers, and conflicting transcripts rendered the academic credentials “invalid”, although the committee stopped short of declaring the degree “bogus”. The report also noted that the candidate had been debarred for three years in 1988 on grounds of using unfair means but later appeared in examinations under a different name. The university alleged collusion with staff and impersonation of other enrolled students, following which the results were cancelled and a three-year ban was imposed, effective until 1992. In its order, the IHC bench reproduced and relied upon several SC judgements — including Abrar Hassan vs Government of Pakistan, Malik Asad Ali vs Federation, and Sindh High Court Bar Association vs Federation — to conclude that a writ of quo warranto could be issued against a judge in matters relating to eligibility. The bench also referenced the SC’s direction in Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri vs Mian Dawood. It noted that the apex court had explicitly ordered the IHC to proceed with Mr Dawood’s petition. “Keeping in view the stance of the petitioner that Respondent No. 1 [Justice Jahangiri] possesses an invalid/fake LLB degree, as well as a careful perusal of the report submitted by the University of Karachi through [the] HEC, we deem it appropriate to issue notice to Respondent No. 1 to submit his reply within three days,” the order stated. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_

BANNU/LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Three young boys were martyred and another injured after a quadcopter crashed in a residential area of Mamand Khel in Bannu on Saturday, residents said. Also, the Sheikh Landik police post in Bannu came under attack, where terrorists carried out assaults using quadcopters and sniper fire on Friday, according to police. They said terrorists dropped two quadcopter bombs, while sniper firing was also carried out from another direction. Both quadcopter bombs exploded after landing near the police post building. However, no loss of life was reported. On Saturday, however, locals said the quadcopter crashed in the Pattona Mamand Khel area of Bannu, killing Faisal, 16, Abrar, 20, and Muhammad, 12, and injuring nine-year-old Muhammad Aiman. > Afghan girl killed in Lower South Waziristan IED blast Soon after the crash, rescue and security personnel reached the site as locals reached the spot. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation to ascertain the nature and origin of the drone. Police claimed the Sheikh Landik police post had been targeted repeatedly, with at least 14 terrorist attacks within a month. **Afghan girl killed in blast** A minor Afghan girl was killed and a bridge was destroyed after a powerful IED blast occurred on the Wana-Karikot Road in Lower South Waziristan on Saturday, police officials said. Lower South Waziristan DPO Muhammad Tahir Shah Wazir said the explosion took place near a bridge, causing severe structural damage. According to sources, the bridge collapsed due to the intensity of the blast, disrupting traffic in the area. The explosion also caused partial damage to a nearby house and a private vehicle parked close to the site. Police said that at the time of the blast, the minor Afghan girl was present on the roof of her house. The force of the explosion caused a portion of the roof to collapsed, leaving her critically injured. Local residents rushed to the scene and shifted the injured girl to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Wana for emergency treatment. Hospital officials said she was in a critical condition upon arrival and later succumbed to her injuries despite efforts by doctors to save her. Following the explosion, police cordoned off the area, collected evidence from the site, and launched an investigation to trace the perpetrators and determine the nature of the explosive device. _Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025_