- Alyani pledges equitable development in Balochistan
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has said that the coalition government has undertaken development projects for the industrial town of Hub and other areas without considering whether people of this area would “vote for us or not”.
Speaking at a public meeting after reaching his native town Bela, Mr. Alyani said that all districts of the province would be developed as much as his own district Lasbela. Earlier, a large number of people, including tribal elders, notables, and leaders and workers of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party, welcomed him on his arrival at Bela and took him to the venue of the rally in a motorcade.
- TV anchor Asad Kharal held for ‘shooting at police’
The Kahna police have arrested TV anchor Asad Kharal on charges of an armed attack on a police officer, holding him and a constable hostage and snatching their official weapons.
Kharal, however, denies the allegations.
The police lodged the first information report (FIR) against Kharal under multiple serious charges and picked him up from his Valencia Town residence with the support of police commandos on Tuesday night. The suspect is now on a four-day physical remand granted by a local court.
- Khadija Siddiqui stabbing case: ‘Early’ release of convict upsets civil society
The civil society is upset about ‘early’ release of Shah Hussain who is convicted for stabbing 23 times law student Khadija Siddiqui, from the jail as the government is being asked to explain the remissions extended to the convict.
The rights activists and members of the civil society took to social media and condemned the release of the convict as a result of “relaxation in his sentence”.
“Shah Hussain stabbed @khadijasid751 23 times, released from jail after serving 3.5yrs against his 5yr sentence. Can PTI explain how when Govt can’t remit sentence without Khadija’s consent nor does he qualify for good behavior release given conviction under 324PPC @ShireenMazari1,” Jibran Nasir, a lawyer, and a rights activist, said in one of tweets.
- Kashmiris can opt for independence even after accession: PM
Reiterating an earlier commitment to the Kashmiris, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday twice assured them that Islamabad would grant them the right to live as an independent nation if they decided to do so even after acceding to Pakistan through the United Nations-sponsored plebiscite.
Speaking at two big election rallies in the towns of Tarar Khal and Kotli on the last day of the election campaign, he brushed aside allegations by his opponents that he wanted to convert Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) into a province and said he did not know as to where this idea had stemmed from.
- PTI likely to win Sunday’s AJK elections: survey
Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is seen as a favorite party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to win the upcoming elections in the region, according to a survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan.
- President Xi makes rare trip to Tibet
President Xi Jinping is on a rare trip to China’s politically sensitive region of Tibet, the first such visit by the country’s top leader in more than three decades.
Tibet has alternated over the centuries between independence and control by China, which says it “peacefully liberated” the rugged plateau in 1951 and brought infrastructure and education to the previously underdeveloped region.
- EU warns Bosnian Serb leaders against genocide denial
The European Union on Friday warned Bosnian Serb leaders against denying the massacre at Srebrenica as genocide after they opposed a ban on genocide denial instituted by the UN’s representative in Bosnia.
The UN High Representative in Bosnia on Friday used his discretionary powers to ban genocide denial in the country, in a move widely thought aimed at the Srebrenica massacre and immediately contested by the Serbian member of the presidency.
- US top diplomat to visit India
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to India next week, the State Department said on Friday, in the top US diplomat’s first visit to the world’s largest democracy and an important US ally in Asia.
Blinken will also visit Kuwait and meet senior officials there at the end of the July 26-29 trip.
The United States sees India as an important partner in efforts to stand up to China’s increasingly assertive behavior. Blinken’s trip will follow a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China and coincide with one to Southeast Asia by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
- France, Argentina suffer shock defeats as Brazil beat Germany
France’s Olympic men’s football campaign got off to a dreadful start when they were thrashed 4-1 by Mexico while Argentina suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Australia as the group stage kicked off.
- PCB, franchises agree on PSL-7 dates
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and all six franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have unanimously decided to hold the next edition of the league in January and February next year, with all fixtures planned on home soil, while also ensuring that maximum matches should be included in the home series against Australia who are due to tour the country in February and March.
COVID-19 Updates
- With 1,841 new COVID-19 cases, 32 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours
- 54,122 COVID-19 cases are active in the country
- The total death tally of Covid-19 stands at 22,971
- 1,310 people recovered from Coronavirus in the last 24 hours
- The positivity rate of Covid-19 is recorded at 5.6%
- Over 192.5 million are infected globally
- More than 4.1 million have died due to the virus
- Over 170 million recovered from COVID-19
- Hanoi goes into lockdown as virus cases soar
- Pakistan has lowest deaths per million from Covid-19 in region: Asad Umar
- One more athlete tests positive for Covid-19 at Tokyo Games
- US has shipped 22 million vaccine doses to other countries this week
- Australia’s Victoria reports 12 coronavirus cases, down from day earlier
