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KABUL: A firing incident was reported from the central Afghanistan, resulted in the deaths of four people, including three foreigners, ARY News reported on Friday. The Taliban officials released an official statement, confirming the death of three foreigners, including a women, along with an Afghan citizen in the gun attack. A spokesman for the Taliban’s interior ministry disclosed that seven other people, including four foreign nationals were wounded in the attack. The attacker managed to flee from the scene, meanwhile, the law enforcers arrested four suspects at the scene in Bamyan province, for their alleged involvement in the attack. However, no one claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/S7YMelV

BHAKKAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman once again lambasted over alleged rigging and said that those who had no role in the polls ‘played’ a key part in the general elections 2024, ARY News reported. In a statement, Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that the general elections 2024 were ‘rigged’. “Those who had a role in holding the elections did nothing and the ones who have nothing to do with the polls played a key role,” he added. He said that the JUI-F is a big political party and was defeated with a ‘massive’ rigging in the general elections held on February 8. Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the JUI-F are different political parties and have own narratives. “When we (JUI-F and PTI) sit together, only then we could decide whether or not we can form an alliance,” he added. Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that if the country is to be run well, the ‘political government’ ‘should be formed. He said that Pakistan has a constitut

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday conducted an operation in Gujranwala and arrested a human trafficker involved in the abduction of Pakistani nationals in Iran, ARY News reported. The FIA spokesperson in a statement asserted that the facilitator, named Atif Bilal, of the international human trafficker gang has been arrested from Hafizabad area of Gujranwala. The arrested accused used to receive ransom money from the family members of the abducted Pakistani citizens and transferred it to Iran through hawala/hundi channels. The spokesperson added that the aforementioned gang was being operated from Iran. While recounting the operations of the gang, the FIA spokesperson revealed that the gang used to deceive citizens by promising employment opportunities in Iraq. The FIA representative further added that the citizens trapped by the said gang were abducted in Iran. The human trafficker gang also used to make videos of torture abducted citizens to received ransom mon

LAHORE: The Punjab government reiterated its commitment to eliminate plastic bags, announcing a complete ban on the use of all types of shopping bags and polythene bags from June 6, ARY News reported.   Speaking at Punjab Assembly floor today, provincial Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq said that the decision has been taken on the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and a comprehensive cleanliness plan will be launched in the next four months. According to Zeshan Rafiq, the cleanliness system will be implemented at the tehsil level, and waste will be collected from every household. “The streets will be cleaned daily, and nearly 100,000 new jobs will be created under the new system,” he noted. The Minister also announced that landfill sites are being established in Punjab for the purpose of dumping waste, and over 2,000 water supply schemes have been closed due to contamination. Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to land, water and air quality, exacerbating e

KARACHI: The law enforcers have prepared a foolproof security plan for the Karachi Cattle market established at Northern Bypass, ARY News reported on Tuesday. According to reports, the largest temporary cattle market for Eid-ul-Adha 2024 has been set up in Karachi’s Northern Bypass area. Traders from various regions, including Sindh, Punjab, and other parts of the country, have begun arriving at the site. This year, special security measures have been implemented for citizens intending to visit the cattle market. The cattle market management, along with senior police officers, has devised a foolproof plan to ensure the safety of visitors. The system of street lights on the main roads leading to the cattle market, Northern Bypass, Gulshan Maymar and Gadap are being made effective to ensure safe night traffic. Police and Rangers checkpoints are also being constructed on these routes, while operations will also be conducted to suppress the criminal elements in the adjacent areas. Ac

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has raised further objections to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intra-party elections, questioning the party’s status after ‘losing organisational structure’, ARY News reported on Monday. On December 22, 2023, the ECP stripped the PTI of its election symbol due to irregularities in its intra-party elections. The Supreme Court later upheld the ECP order, forcing the party to field its candidates as independents in the Feb 8 general elections. After the general elections, the party once again conducted its intra-party elections on March 3. The party now demands that the ECP issue its notification. However, the ECP has once again raised objections to the new party polls and sent a two-page questionnaire to the Imran-founded party. The electoral watchdog questioned the current “status” of the PTI as a political party, noting that the party did not hold intra-party elections within five years, in accordance with Section 208(1). “Henc

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expressed serious concerns over the ‘deteriorating’ situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and asked Prime Minister (PM) AJK Chaudhry Anwarul Haq to step down, ARY News reported. In a statement issued here, the PTI spokesman demanded that the killing of citizens should be investigated and those responsible must be held accountable “The PTI is deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating situation in Azad Kashmir. The authorities concerned should conduct a serious analysis of the genuine motivations behind public protests and accept legitimate demands,” the PTI demanded. The PTI spokesperson said that the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir must use ‘peaceful protest’ as a democratic right. The Imran Khan-led party demanded that the rule of law and the people’s mandate should be made mandatory in the country. Read More: AJK protests: Clash erupts between protesters, Rangers It is pertinent to mention here that Azad Jammu and Kashmir wi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has rejected the offer of ‘grand dialogue’, tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, saying that talks can only be held with ‘real powers’, ARY News reported on Sunday. In a recent episode of ARY News program ‘Sawaal Hai,’ Rauf Hassan asserted that the PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah and Shehbaz Sharif are ‘dummies’, PTI will only holds dialogue with the ones with the ‘real powers’. Rauf Hassan remarked that engaging in dialogue with Rana Sanaullah or Shehbaz Sharif is futile since they lack the ability to offer anything substantial. He maintained that the ‘messages’ are constantly being communicated through Rana Sanaullah and Shehbaz Sharif, who are merely spokespersons of the people having ‘real powers’. “They [real powers] are politically ‘covering’ the dialogue, PTI wants to hold dialogue directly as they have no alternative,” Rauf Hassan said. PTI’s spokesperson added that the negotiations have been taken place w

Delhi Capitals (DC) bowler Ishant Sharma and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Viral Kohli engaged in a friendly banter during their game in the IPL 2024 on Sunday. After opting to bat first, RCB’s Kohli continued to smash the DC bowlers despite losing his batting partner Faf du Plessis early in the game. At one stage of the game, Viral Kohli was facing Ishant Sharma, who is the Indian batting star’s childhood friend, resulting in friendly banter between the two. The competition between the two began when Kohli edged a delivery that went for a boundary after which Sharma had an exchange of words with Kohli. However, the star batter hit Sharma for a no-look six on the next ball and threw a few verbal jibes at the DC bowler. https://arynews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ssstwitter.com_1715536703542.mp4 Sharma had the last laugh as he managed to dismiss Kohli caught behind in the same over. Read more: Virat or Anushka? Who does Akaay Kohli bear striking resemblance with? V

SHIKARPUR: Sindh Rangers arrested three suspects ‘involved’ in heinous crimes in an operation conducted Katcha area (riverine area) of Shikarpur on Saturday, ARY News reported. The Rangers spokesperson in a statement said that the paramilitary forces conducted an operation on the reported presence of hardcore criminals. Three suspects were nominated in murder, attempted murder, dacoity, and kidnapping for ransom cases. The spokesperson said that weapons and mobile phones were also recovered from the suspects who have been handed to police for further course of action. Earlier on March 22, Sindh Rangers and police arrested 21 suspects allegedly involved in numerous criminal activities in a j oint operation in Katcha area . According to the Sindh Rangers spokesman, the arrested accused persons were wanted in many cases of murder, attempted murder, robbery, and kidnapping for ransom. The arrested accused are also involved in the murder of a teacher named Allah Rakhyo, the spokesman

A recent report from the Kaspersky Response and Detection Team has unveiled a staggering 300 percent increase in espionage-related cyber-attacks in Pakistan during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The findings underscore a concerning trend in cyber warfare, with attacks involving direct human involvement exceeding two per day in 2023. Across various industries, including finance, IT, government, and industrial sectors, the surge in cyber incidents has been evident. The public sector recorded a 22.9 percent increase in attacks, followed by IT companies with 15.4 percent, and financial and industrial sectors reporting 14.9 percent and 11.8 percent increases, respectively. The report provides comprehensive insights into the annual incidents, their nature, distribution by industry, and geographical regions, highlighting prevalent tactics, techniques, and tools employed by attackers, with human-driven events constituting 25 percent of the total incidents.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb highlighted the efforts being made by the Pakistan government to stabilise country’s economy. According to press statement issued by the finance ministry, Chief Economist and Director for the Economics and Evaluation Directorate in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Professor Adnan Qadir Khan and British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ms. Jane Marriot called on Muhammad Aurangzaib here. In the meeting, the finance minister also highlighted the achievements including increased forex reserves, stable currency, decreasing inflation, and a flourishing stock market. He outlined key reforms, including privatisation and restructuring of state-owned enterprises, digitization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), export-driven growth initiatives, and energy sector reforms. Acknowledging the support extended by the UK government, Muhammad Aurangaeb emphasized that KPI-based project would l

ISLAMABAD: Senator Faisal Vawda said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) needs to show ‘responsibility’ as children have to apologise to their father or guardian. In an interview on ARY News’ programme “Off the Record”, Senator Faisal Vawda said that only the government can offer the PTI for talks, adding that no such offer has been made so far. “We even get into arguments with a father but eventually, we have to apologise,” he added while responding to PTI leader Asad Qaiser’s remarks that his party does not want to engage in talks with anyone. Senator Faisal Vawda said that the PTI needs to show responsibility. He added that even if PTI received votes from the people, still, it should not resort to ‘personal enmity’. The Senator said that everyone in the PTI is not anti-establishment. “In every political party, there is a group that creates chaos. A mischievous group in PTI has adopted an aggressive plan,” he added. Senator Faisal Vawda said that a number of PTI members want th

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar on Tuesday emphasised that the government’s actions regarding the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline would prioritise national interests and deter any external interference. Addressing a press conference, the deputy prime, to a query regarding Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, said Pakistan, as a sovereign country, would take decisions in the best national interests and would not allow interference into its international obligations. He also termed the Iranian President’s visit to Pakistan as very productive. In the visit, both countries reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy domain, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines and Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project. To another query, he replied that Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman would undertake a bilateral visit to Pakistan soon and they would receive a date in this regard, in the current month. Re

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar reacted to the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan’s order to suspend the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Peshawar High Court (PHC) verdict on Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) reserved seats plea, ARY News reported. In a statement issued here, the law minster said that it would have been appropriate if the larger bench of the Supreme Court heard the matter. “Under the Supreme Court Practice and Procedures Act, a five-member larger bench would have been appropriate to hear the appeal as it was a matter of interpretation of Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution,” Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar added He was of the view that a stay order should have been avoided in the matter of the legislative power of the Parliament. The law minister hoped that the decision of the ECP and the PHC would be upheld in the final decision of the apex court. Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said that Article 67 clearly states that legislation passed

Hamas on Monday said it had accepted a proposal for a truce in the seven-month-old war in Gaza, after Israel told Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate ahead of a long-threatened invasion of the city. There was no immediate official response from Israel, and its close ally the United States said it was “reviewing” Hamas’s response. Hamas in a statement said that its leader Ismail Haniyeh had informed mediators Qatar and Egypt “of Hamas’s approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement”. A senior Hamas official said Israel must now decide whether it accepts or “obstructs” a truce in the Palestinian territory after seven months of war. “The ball is now in the court of Israeli occupation, whether it will agree to the ceasefire agreement or obstruct it,” the official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Earlier Monday, Israel called on Palestinians to leave eastern Rafah, amid increasing global alarm about the consequences of an Israeli ground invasion o

A top U.N. official on Sunday accused Israel of continuing to deny the United Nations humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip, where the U.N. food chief warned a “full-blown famine” has taken hold in the north of the enclave of 2.3 million people. While not a formal famine declaration, World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain said – in an NBC News interview broadcast on Sunday – that based on the “horror” on the ground: “There is famine, full-blown famine, in the north, and it’s moving its way south.” The head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, on Sunday accused Israel of continuing to deny the United Nations aid access in Gaza as it tries to avert famine. “Only in the past 2 weeks, we have recorded 10 incidents involving shooting at convoys, arrests of UN staff including bullying, stripping them naked, threats with arms & long delays at checkpoints forcing convoys to move during the dark or abort,” Lazzarini posted on X. Lazzarini al

ISLAMABAD: The Former Caretaker Prime Minister, Anwarul Haq Kakar, downplays the wheat import issue as a ‘Storm in a Teacup’, ARY News reported on Sunday. During his interview on ARY News program ‘Sawal Yeh Hai,’ Kakar emphasized the importance of understanding the intricacies of the wheat import mechanism. He highlighted the government’s efforts to save tax money, facilitate private-sector wheat purchases, and generate revenue from import duties. The former caretaker prime minister underscored that the decision to allow private sector wheat imports was made in response to the country’s wheat demand, aiming to maintain a balance between supply-demand ratios. While denying the allegation of corruption and crisis, he credited the actions of the caretaker government for the decrease in inflation in the country, asserting that his claim can be confirmed through the records of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). While answering a question, the former caretaker prime minister rev

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday termed the remarks of former caretaker prime minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar regarding ‘Form 47’ a ‘confession’ of alleged rigging in general elections 2024, ARY News reported. Anwaarul Haq Kakar and PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi had a heated exchange over the wheat import scandal, during which the former premier warned that if he were to “spill the beans about Form-47, the party would have nowhere to hide”. Abbasi was confronted for pinning the blame for the wheat scandal on Kakar’s tenure as caretaker premier during an interview with a news channel. “Abbasi said that he was merely speaking the truth in the TV programme,” the sources said. akar upped the ante by hinting at dropping a bombshell regarding Form-47, insinuating that it “would leave the PML-N red-faced”. The statement hints at possible tampering in Form-47, a veiled reference to allegations also made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose candidates allege rigging

ISLAMABAD: Cement exports in Pakistan have increased by 45.96 percent in April 2024 as compared to the same month the previous year, ARY News reported According to data issued by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, cement exports stood at 614,264 tons in April 2024 while exports of 420,857 tons were recorded in the same month last year. The data added that during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year (2023-24), cement exports saw a 65.35 percent increase, with 5.715 million tons exported during the period. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association’s spokesperson said the total cement sales during the first 10 months of the current year stood at 37.447 million tons, a 2.45 percent increase from the 36.551 million tons sold during the same period last year. Meanwhile, local cement sales during this period stood at 31.732 million tons, with a 4.12 percent decrease from the 33.095 million tons sold during the same period last year. Read More: Govt comm

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif sacked Secretary Food Security Muhammad Asif and formed a high-level inquiry committee to probe into the matter of wheat import in the country, ARY News reported. The prime minister constituted a committee headed by the Secretary Cabinet Division and tasked it to conduct a thorough into the matter. Chairing a high-level review meeting regarding the current status of wheat reserves in the country, PM Shehbaz questioned as to why the decision to import wheat was taken despite the good production of the commodity last year. The prime minister inquired from the Ministry of National Food Security about the import of wheat last year. Expressing satisfaction over bumper crop production of wheat this year, the prime minister stressed to ensure that there is no delay in the purchase of wheat. “All necessary steps should be taken regarding the purchase of wheat,” he said adding the farmers should be immediately paid for their hard work. Federa

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday issued a white paper against what it called massive rigging and irregularities in the February 8 general elections, ARY News reported. Addressing a presser, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and other senior party leaders said that the PTI’s mandate was ‘stolen’ in the general polls. “In the elections held on February 8, we won at least 180 seats according to Form 45 but our mandate was awarded to other parties through Form 47,” Barrister Gohar. The 234-page white paper raised a number of issues, such as alleged election manipulation to ‘exclude’ PTI from the political sphere, accusations of prejudice during the prolonged stay of the caretaker administration, and violations of constitutional mandates for election procedures. The PTI reiterated its demand to release founder Imran Khan immediately. “politically-motivated cases against Imran Khan and other party members should be quashed,” the white paper read. The PTI th

ASHDOD, Israel: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he has still not seen a plan for Israel’s planned offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault. Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half hours, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the US position and a UN warning that it would lead to “tragedy”. “We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed and no, we’ve not seen such a plan,” Blinken told reporters. “There are other ways, and in our judgment better ways, of dealing with the … ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not require a major military operation in Rafah,” he said, adding that it was the subject of ongoing talks with Israeli officials. An Israeli government spokesperson said Israel remained det

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday asked Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah to take strict actions against the criminals in Karachi, dacoits in Katcha area and the drug traffickers in close collaboration with the federal government and other provinces to ensure law and order situation in the province. The President expressed these views while chairing a meeting here on security, and law and order situation in Sindh Province. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui participated in the meeting. While provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah and Ziaul Hasan Linjar also attended the meeting. The representatives of the law enforcement agencies briefed the president about the crimes in Karachi, the Katcha area, and the overall security situation of the province. The president called for devising a system for effective monitoring of the city’s all entrances and exits, emphasising the need to complete the Ka

ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister Asad Umar on Wednesday castigated the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying that the party is currently “burying its own politics”. Speaking at ARY News programme ‘Off The Record’, Umar stated that PML-N is currently standing where the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was standing in 2006, implying that the party has gone back on its political progress. Commenting on Pakistan’s current situation, the former PTI leader severely criticized the country’s leadership, saying that they have failed miserably in addressing the nation’s problems. Asad Umar stated that the leadership has done irreparable damage to the country and its people, and that Pakistan has been left behind while other countries have made progress. He added that the current system has failed to deliver and needs to be changed. He emphasised that democracy is the solution to the country’s problems, but politicians must find a way to work together and make decisions for the

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto once again opposed privatisation of state-owned institutions and recommended the government to operate them under a public-private partnership, ARY News reported on Wednesday. The remarks came as the incumbent government is all set to privatise state-owned institutions, including Pakistan International Airline (PIA), which has piled up arrears of hundreds of billions of rupees. PIA’s privatisation aligns with the government’s commitment to structural economic reforms under the International Monetary Fund’s financial assistance programs. As many as three Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have shown interest in buying the cash-strapped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as the government expedites its privatisation plan . “Our [PPP] stance on privatisation of national carrier and Pakistan Steel Mills [PSM] is clear – we are against it,” Bilawal Bhutto said while speaking at an event on t

KARACHI: In a recent crackdown on gas theft, authorities arrested the owner of a prominent hotel for allegedly stealing gas directly from the service line in Karachi, ARY News reported on Tuesday. The recovery team of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) along with Control Gas Theft Operations (CGTO) raided a tea hotel in the Pathan Colony area of Karachi and arrested the owner of Chai Gulab Hotel. “The hotel owner was operating the hotel by stealing gas directly from the service line,” the recovery team claimed. The SSGC police arrested the hotel owner, named Shamsul Haque, and registered a case while the raiding team confiscated the pipe and other items used in the gas theft. A spokesperson for Sui Southern Gas stated that the accused will be fined based on the quantity of stolen gas, adding that SSGC’s determination to crack down on gas theft, affirming that further actions will be taken against perpetrators to safeguard the country’s resources and the company’s interests. Last mon