Author: i2wtc
Report cites poor construction, substandard machinery, long delays in hydropower schemes PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy and Power has completed its inquiry into four incomplete Mini and Micro Hydropower Projects (MHPPs) launched in 2014 in Upper Dir district, Shangara, Derai, Berari, and Sarafu, and submitted a detailed report to the provincial government. The committee found severe construction flaws, low-quality materials, and prolonged delays in completion. According to the committee’s report, serious irregularities were discovered in civil works, including poor-quality water channels and retaining walls. The committee has recommended rebuilding these structures using proper materials, replacing substandard…
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed that the petition challenging the appointment of District and Sessions Judge Nasir Javed Rana be fixed for hearing in the second week of November. Judge Nasir Javed Rana, who presided over an accountability court in Islamabad earlier this year, sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million corruption case. Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar on Friday took up a miscellaneous application filed by petitioner Usama Riaz, seeking an early hearing of the main case against the appointment of Judge Nasir Javed Rana. The chief…
Flood victims. Photo: File LAHORE: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) announced on Friday that the survey of flood-affected families across Punjab has been completed, marking a major milestone in the province’s post-flood rehabilitation efforts. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the floods began on August 26 and affected 27 districts across Punjab. “The survey, launched on September 27 with the assistance of 11,500 field personnel, has now been completed,” he said. He added that only two tehsils — Rojhan and Sadiqabad — could not be covered due to their remote katcha terrain. He said the PDMA survey was…
Pakistan warns ceasefire not ‘open ended’; Terms Istanbul understanding ‘interim’ dealDefence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid shake hands following the signing of a ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha on October 19. Photo: Reuters ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may have welcomed the understanding reached with Afghanistan in Istanbul under the mediation of Türkiye and Qatar but officials on Friday clarified the agreement was “interim” and the ceasefire was neither open-ended nor unconditional. According to official sources, the key conditions of the understanding include Afghanistan must not allow its territory to be used…
He warned that if Afghan territory is used against Pakistan for terrorist activity, the country would respondKhawaja Asif dismisses Afghan claim that TTP militants are ‘Pakistani refugees’ Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has criticised an Afghan delegation’s claim that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants are “Pakistani refugees” residing in Afghanistan, describing it as “baseless and illogical”. At the Istanbul talks, the Afghan delegation suggested the militants “were simply returning to their homes”. Responding via social media, Khawaja Asif questioned how they could be considered refugees while apparently armed with highly destructive weapons. Afghan delegation’s claim that TTP terrorists are actually Pakistani refugees…
Cabinet includes 10 provincial ministers, two advisors, and one special assistant Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath to a 13-member provincial cabinet during a ceremony at the Governor House. Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, Provincial Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, lawmakers from both the national and provincial assemblies, party leaders, and senior officials attended the event. At a ceremony held at the Governor House in Peshawar, ten members of the provincial cabinet took oath as ministers. Those sworn in included Mina Khan Afridi, Arshad Ayub Khan, Amjad Ali, Aftab Alam Afridi, Fazal Shakoor Khan, Khaliq-ur-Rehman, Riaz Khan, Syed…
Says the name of the prime minister of Azad Kashmir will be announced from Kashmir, not from IslamabadPakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a press conference after a meeting of the PPP Azad Jammu and Kashmir Parliamentary Party on Friday. Photo: NNI Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has claimed that the party is in a strong position to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the sitting prime minister faces a no-confidence motion. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Bilawal said, the PPP would serve the people of AJK during the remaining…
Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda gets out of a Tesla Motor’s Roadster electric car with Tesla Motors Chief Exective Officer Elon Musk (behind car) upon their arrival at a news conference in Tokyo November 12, 2010.Issei Kato | ReutersEight years ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promoted a next-generation Roadster, basing the name of the sports car on the company’s debut electric vehicle from 2008.The updated version has yet to hit production. But Musk is again promising that a new one is on the way.In a discussion with podcaster Joe Rogan that was published on Friday, Musk was asked about the long-delayed vehicle. He…
Min-Liang Tan speaks during a conference at SXSW Sydney on October 16, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.Nina Franova | Getty ImagesArtificial intelligence is set to have a huge impact on the gaming industry and its billions of players, according to Min-Liang Tan, the billionaire CEO and co-founder of gaming firm Razer.From the ways in which games are developed to hacks for completing levels, Tan said the technology’s ramifications across the sector can’t be overstated.”For us at Razer, the way we see it is that AI is going to completely disrupt everything, or change everything in gaming,” Tan told CNBC’s “Beyond the…
Election Commission of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given the Punjab government two and a half months to complete the delimitation process ahead of the upcoming local government elections. Punjab Secretary of Local Government Shakeel Ahmad Mian confirmed on Friday that the provincial government had sought an extension, which was approved. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led Punjab government will complete delimitations in accordance with the recently passed Local Government Act 2025 and hand them over to the ECP. The electoral body has sought the recently amended set of rules under the new law, maps…