Day: July 15, 2026

Islamabad: Director General Safe City/Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Traffic Muhammad Haroon Joiya chaired a meeting with officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), 1 Network (Pvt.) Limited and the Safe City team to review progress on the Safe City Expansion Project.

An official told reporter on Tuesday that the meeting discussed the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras and smart policing solutions to automate traffic management at major intersections across the federal capital.

He said participants reviewed measures to improve enforcement of traffic laws and maintain smooth traffic flow, particularly during peak hours, through intelligent traffic management systems.

The official said the meeting also examined other key components of the Safe City Expansion Project to accelerate its implementation and ensure timely completion.

Haroon Joiya emphasized effective coordination among all stakeholders for successful execution of the project and directed the relevant teams to ex
pedite work.

The official added that the expansion project would strengthen technology-driven policing, improve traffic management and enhance public safety through modern surveillance and smart enforcement systems.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday lauded his economic team for achieving significant progress in promoting digital payments and advancing Pakistan’s transition towards a cashless economy over the past year, saying the shift would enhance transparency, improve financial inclusion, and support sustainable economic growth.

Chairing a meeting on the promotion of a cashless economy and digital payments, the prime minister praised the economic team for increasing the number of active merchants using QR code-based digital payments by 300 percent within a year.

He also described the rise in mobile banking application users from 95 million to 137 million as a major achievement.

The prime minister directed the authorities to further strengthen awareness campaigns to encourage greater adoption of QR code-based digital payments among merchants. He also called on banks and financial institutions to play a more proactive role in accelerating the country’s transition to a cashless economy.

He directed that 100% of overseas remittances should be received through digital channels.

The prime minister appreciated the initiative to shift Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) payments to a digital system, describing it as more transparent, faster, and more convenient for beneficiaries.

During the briefing, it was informed in the meeting that from June 2025 to June 2026, the number of merchants receiving digital payments increased by 300%, reaching 2,003,000 while 99% of NADRA’s payments have been digitized, and cash payments have declined from 71% to just 1%.

Similarly, it was informed that all payments to 10 million Benazir Income Support Programme beneficiaries are now being made through digital wallets. The current number of mobile banking app users stands at 137 million.

Between July 2025 and June 2026, a total of 11.9 billion digital transactions were recorded.

During the past year, 92% of remittances from overseas Pakistanis were received through digital channels.

An independent third-party validation of the cashless economy initiative is currently underway, and the final report, along with recommendations, will be presented in November 2026, the prime minister was informed.

The Pakistan Banks’ Association has assigned targets to its member banks to promote digital payments, including the RAAST instant payment system.

The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, the Chairman of NADRA, and senior officials from relevant institutions.

Islamabad: Zong, Pakistan’s leading technology services enterprise, has partnered with WWF-Pakistan to strengthen conservation efforts for the endangered Indus River Dolphin (Platanista minor), one of the world’s rarest freshwater dolphin species and an iconic symbol of Pakistan’s natural heritage.

Through its support for WWF-Pakistan’s ongoing Indus Dolphin Conservation Programme, Zong is contributing to enhanced rescue operations, ecological monitoring, community engagement and environmental awareness to help safeguard the species and its fragile river ecosystem.

The partnership was marked by the inauguration of the Indus Dolphin Rescue and Mobile Awareness Ambulance at the WWF-Pakistan office.

The ceremony was attended by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik, Zong Chairman and CEO Huo Junli, WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan, Yang Guangyuan of the Chinese Embassy, and senior representatives of the partner organizations.

Speaking on the initiative, Zong Chief Regulatory Officer Kamran Ali said, “It is a great honour to be part of this moment. For Zong, the Indus Dolphin Rescue Ambulance is a concrete expression of our commitment to inclusive growth and environmental stewardship-a meaningful initiative rooted in the enduring friendship between China and Pakistan.

“For nearly two decades, Zong has established deep roots in Pakistan, remaining dedicated to bridging the digital divide and serving Pakistani society through cutting-edge technologies. We hope this project marks a new beginning, enabling us to better protect the environment and contribute to building an even closer China-Pakistan community.”

WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan said Pakistan is home to an estimated 2,000 Indus River Dolphins, describing it as a remarkable conservation success story.

He said WWF-Pakistan has, since 1992, worked closely with the provincial wildlife departments-particularly those of Sindh and Punjab-alongside other partners and the private sector to rescue and release more than 200 stranded dolphins.

“The addition of this dedicated dolphin ambulance will significantly strengthen our emergency response and monitoring capacity, helping ensure that stranded animals receive timely assistance. This partnership demonstrates how businesses can move beyond conventional corporate philanthropy to invest in practical, measurable conservation solutions,” he added.

Found exclusively in the Indus River system, the Indus River Dolphin has faced decades of habitat fragmentation, shrinking freshwater flows and accidental canal strandings, making it one of the world’s most endangered cetaceans.

The initiative will deploy a specialised mobile rescue and awareness unit covering the largest global population of the Indus River Dolphin between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages in Sindh.

The ambulance will enhance monitoring of stranded dolphins, support timely rescue and safe translocation efforts, engage more than 1,500 fisherfolk and riverine community members as frontline conservation partners, and deliver 50 awareness sessions across remote settlements.

Aligned with Zong’s sustainability pillars of Green and Low Carbon Operations and Inclusive Growth, the partnership reflects the company’s commitment to biodiversity protection and community empowerment, demonstrating that environmental stewardship and socioeconomic development can advance hand in hand towards a more sustainable future for Pakistan.

Islamabad: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned until July 16 the hearing of an important legal question concerning its jurisdiction over National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases following amendments to the NAB law, directing the petitioner’s counsel to submit rejoinder arguments in response to the federal government and the NAB prosecution.

A three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan heard the case.

During the proceedings, the Attorney General argued that following the amendments to the NAB law, the Supreme Court no longer had jurisdiction to hear such matters. He maintained that bail petitions and appeals against convictions in NAB cases now fell within the jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court.

He further argued that it would not be legally feasible for one part of a case to be heard by the Supreme Court while another part was decided by the Federal Constitutional Court. The NAB prosecution supported the federal government’s stance.

Counsel for the petitioner, Ibad ur Rehman Lodhi, contended that the amended NAB law did not explicitly state that bail petitions would be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court.

He argued that the amendments transferred only appeals against convictions to the Federal Constitutional Court, while the Supreme Court retained jurisdiction over bail matters.

The petitioner’s counsel further submitted that even after the amendments, the Supreme Court had granted bail in a NAB case and, at that time, the NAB prosecution had raised no objection to the Court’s jurisdiction.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar then asked the NAB prosecutor whether any objection regarding jurisdiction had been raised during the earlier proceedings. The prosecutor replied that no such objection had been made during the hearing held on March 18.

Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan observed that jurisdiction was the foremost legal issue in any case and remarked that NAB itself had overlooked the matter by failing to raise the objection at the appropriate stage. He added that the failure to challenge jurisdiction reflected negligence on the part of the prosecution.

Justice Musarrat Hilali also questioned why NAB had suddenly changed its position on the issue of jurisdiction.

The Court subsequently directed the petitioner’s counsel to prepare rejoinder arguments and adjourned further hearing of the case until July 16.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Tuesday said those who sacrificed their lives to defend Pakistan’s borders are the pride of the nation.

In a statement, he said, “Today, Pakistan’s value, stature and prestige in the Muslim world and among the community of nations are owed to the Pakistan Armed Forces.”

The minister said living nations regard those who lay down their lives for the country as national benefactors.

“Our martyrs and war veterans are the guarantors of our freedom,” he said.

Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that, at this critical juncture in history, questioning the services of these defenders was a great injustice to the country and the nation.

He said, “We must all place our political interests below the national interest. We should avoid using language that undermines the morale of our soldiers or hurts the sentiments of the families of our martyrs.”

Islamabad: The Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) on Tuesday

hosted a high-level roundtable discussion titled ‘India’s Sea-Based Nuclear Capabilities: Implications for Pakistan.’

The event brought together prominent strategic experts, diplomats, and military analysts to examine the qualitative shift in South Asia’s deterrence architecture following the operational deployment of India’s sea-based nuclear arsenal, said a press release.

In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Khalid Mehmood, Chairman of the Board of Governors ISSI, emphasized the gravity of the evolving regional security dynamics.

Highlighting the critical strategic challenges, he stated that the operationalization of India’s sea-based nuclear deterrent marked a qualitative and structural shift in regional security.

He further added that these developments demand a clear-eyed reassessment of both deterrence postures and diplomatic frameworks to safeguard regional peace and stability.

Earlier, Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director of ACDC, opened the session by outlining the scope of the discussion and welcoming the participants.

He highlighted that the profound disruption to South Asian strategic stability would require a rigorous evaluation of the potential doctrinal and technological posture adjustments necessary for Pakistan to maintain a credible deterrent.

Setting the agenda for the roundtable, Ms. Ghazala Yasmin Jalil, Research Fellow at ACDC, highlighted the profound structural turning points confronting the region – from recessed deterrence to mated warheads.

She raised vital questions regarding how Pakistan can preserve robust, Full Spectrum Deterrence without slipping into an expensive, open-ended naval arms race, suggesting that ultimate security lies in negotiating robust maritime Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs).

The event featured detailed thematic evaluations from a panel of distinguished strategic thinkers. Vice Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Ahmed Saeed HI(M), former President of the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), highlighted the growing strategic imbalance in the Indian Ocean driven by India’s massive investment in acquiring advanced conventional and nuclear submarines (SSBNs).

He warned that this rapid naval expansion creates a severe defence asymmetry that lowers the nuclear threshold and heightens the risk of inadvertent escalation between two contiguous nuclear-armed states. To mitigate these maritime risks and prevent an unchecked arms race, Admiral Saeed advocated for robust bilateral Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) alongside a renewed diplomatic push to declare the Indian Ocean a non-nuclear domain, concluding that maritime nuclear conflict offers no path to military victory and demands mutual strategic restraint.

Ambassador (Retd.) Zamir Akram, Advisor to the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), warned that India’s rapid vertical proliferation is driving a dangerous shift away from its “No First Use” policy toward a pre-emptive first-strike posture aimed at neutralizing Pakistan’s Full Spectrum Deterrence.

Dismissing the notion that these assets are solely directed at China, he highlighted the “deafening silence” and double standards of the international community regarding India’s expanding sea-based capabilities. This development poses a threat extending far beyond South Asia and actively undermines strategic stability at both the regional and global levels.

To counter this, Ambassador Akram urged Pakistan to expose India’s irresponsible nuclear behavior in the global arena, establish robust crisis-management mechanisms rather than relying on weak bilateral deals, and reinforce its defensive posture by fully operationalizing and deploying nuclear warheads across its land, air, and sea-based triad to guarantee a credible, survival-assured second-strike capability.

Air Commodore (Retd) Khalid Banuri, Senior Advisor JCCL, Air Headquarters, said that in a major structural shift for South Asian deterrence, India’s transition to a permanently mated sea-based nuclear presence had effectively compressed political-military decision-making windows to a frightening degree, eroding traditional peacetime buffers to zero.

He unpacked the escalating crisis instability risks, emphasizing that the opacity of the sea leg entangles conventional and nuclear signaling, heavily raising the danger of unintended escalation and inadvertent launch. With India’s “No First Use” doctrine rendered practically meaningless under this new posture, Pakistan’s credible deterrence faces severe strain, compounded by fiscal constraints and the destabilizing integration of emerging technologies.

To preserve strategic stability and avoid a ruinous arms race, he suggested that Pakistan’s optimal response must combine the pursuit of modern technologies, a survivable and strengthened second-strike capability, and proactive diplomatic initiatives.

Dr. Aqeel Akhtar discussed the security dilemma surrounding sea-based nuclear deterrence, emphasizing that the growing deployment of nuclear submarines introduces new challenges for command and control, crisis communication, and strategic stability. Looking ahead, he stressed the importance of strengthening secure communication systems, reducing the risks of miscalculation, and developing robust safeguards to prevent inadvertent escalation in an increasingly complex maritime security environment.

The presentations were followed by an interactive open discussion session, where members of the strategic community, academia, and media engaged on the policy choices available to Pakistan to maintain strategic equilibrium.