Author: i2wtc

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism and ensuring lasting peace and development in Balochistan. Chairing a high-level meeting on the province’s security situation, President Zardari highlighted the threat posed by terrorist elements aiming to destabilize the region. “The situation is clear—the state will continue to exist, and we must win the war against terrorism,” he asserted. The meeting was attended by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Acting Governor of Balochistan Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari, and other senior…

Postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri accused of ‘spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism’.An Indian postdoctoral researcher in the United States who has spoken out against Israel’s war in Gaza is facing deportation after being detained under US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, was designated for deportation for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism” on social media, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said on Wednesday. “Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas,”…

Listen to article The Sindh High Court’s constitutional bench has ordered the appointment of a blind lawyer as a judicial magistrate under the Sindh Judicial Services Rules, Express News reported. The decision was announced on a petition filed by lawyer Syed Sadiq Hussain, seeking relaxation in recruitment rules. The court directed authorities to ensure his appointment within four weeks. If no vacancy is available, he should be accommodated in the next available position. “The petitioner is a practising lawyer and earns his livelihood through legal work,” the bench stated. “The matter of his seniority is left to the administrative committee.” The court…

Listen to article Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has stated that retail sugar prices should not exceed Rs 164 per kilogram following concerns over price manipulation in the sugar market. Dar’s comments come after the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) warned sugar mills against engaging in anti-competitive activities that could further inflate prices, Express News reported. During a press briefing, Senator Dar stated that the Prime Minister had set up a committee to address the issue of sugar prices. Despite government efforts to maintain sugar prices at Rs 130 per kg, retail prices in some markets have surged above Rs 180 per kg,…

The US fell to its lowest-ever ranking in the 2025 edition of the World Happiness Report amid rising social isolation and political polarisation, while Finland and other Nordic countries remained at the top of the index. Published on Thursday by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the report evaluates various factors, including health, wealth, freedom, generosity, and freedom from corruption, to measure overall happiness across societies based on self-reported assessments from 147 countries. Finland continued in the top spot this year, followed by Denmark, Iceland,…

Listen to article The UK’s Air Safety Committee is set to hold a crucial meeting on Thursday, March 20, to review the five-year ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other Pakistani carriers. According to sources, the committee will assess the case of Pakistani airlines, which have been barred from operating in the UK and Europe since July 2020. The restrictions were imposed following the fake pilot licence scandal that raised serious concerns over aviation safety standards in Pakistan. Officials from Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) expressed optimism regarding a positive outcome from the meeting. “With the recent resumption of flights to…

EXPLAINERFrom big-name players to key talking points, Al Jazeera’s lowdown on cricket’s most lucrative franchise T20 league.The Indian Premier League is set to return for its 18th season on Saturday as the Kolkata Knight Riders open their title defence at their home ground, the Eden Gardens. The tournament will see 10 teams vying for the chance to win the world’s most lucrative franchise Twenty20 cricket league. Here’s what you need to know about IPL 2025: What’s the schedule of IPL 2025? The two-month-long tournament will begin on March 22 in Kolkata and conclude on May 25 in the same city.…

Listen to article Federal Shariat Court has declared that any custom by virtue of which any female member of a family is being or has been denied or deprived of her right of inheritance, which is granted by the Holy Quran and Sunnah as un-Islamic, hence having no legal force whatsoever. “We have concluded that the inheritance right of women, if denied, under any form and manner whatsoever on the pretext of local custom or usage, is un-Islamic, although the respondent departments, i.e. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Commissions on the Status of Women and Ombudspersons are working rightly but there is…

Israeli army says forces retake part of key land corridor to expand a ‘security zone and create a partial buffer’.Israeli troops have resumed ground operations in the besieged Gaza Strip, reclaiming control of a key land corridor while continuing a wide-ranging bombardment of the besieged enclave as a truce with Hamas collapsed. The Israeli army said its forces retook control of the centre of the Netzarim Corridor on Wednesday to expand a “security zone and create a partial buffer between the north and south of the Strip”. Last month, Israeli troops withdrew from the corridor, which bisects Gaza, allowing civilians…

Listen to article Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has indicated that Pakistan may conduct operations in Afghanistan to target terrorists. Speaking to a private channel, the defence minister said, “If we have to go after Pakistan’s enemies in any country, we will do so.” He emphasised that Pakistan can take strong action against forces that provide safe havens to hostile elements. Regarding the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Khawaja Asif accused the Afghan government of supporting TTP terrorists. He further claimed that during the tenure of former prime minister Imran Khan, the TTP was brought back to the region in order to establish a…