Month: July 2026

Islamabad: The Virtual University of Pakistan (VU) and Foundation University Islamabad (FUI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic partnership focused on advancing higher education, digital learning, research, and innovation.

The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr. Arshad Saleem Bhatti (S.I, T.I) Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan, and Maj. Gen. (R) Dr. Raza Ali Khan, HI(M), Rector, Foundation University Islamabad, during a ceremony held at Foundation University Islamabad.

The VU delegation included Prof. Dr Ather Azim Khan, Registrar; Prof. Dr Asif Nadeem, Head, Department of Biological Sciences; Mr. Aamer Rafique, Director Campuses and Additional Registrar; Dr Baber Ali, Director Administration and General Manager Television; and Ms. Rubina Ali, General Manager Marketing.

Under the partnership, both institutions will strengthen Online Learning (ODL), organise joint training programmes, workshops, and faculty development initiatives, undertake collaborative research and quality assurance activities, facilitate academic resource sharing and student exchange opportunities, and implement joint academic and outreach initiatives to expand access to quality education across Pakistan.

The partnership reflects the shared commitment of both universities to academic excellence, innovation, and expanding learning opportunities for students and faculty. Together, VU and FUI are building stronger pathways for the future of higher education.

Islamabad: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights Wednesday called for adopting a uniform minimum marriage age across the country and directed the Ministry of Human Rights to strengthen coordination among relevant ministries and departments to effectively address social issues that are affecting the society.

The committee, which met at Parliament House under the chairpersonship of MNA Asiya Naz Tanoli, also appreciated the Ministry of Human Rights for successfully organizing the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women in Islamabad, saying the event would contribute to promoting women’s socio-economic empowerment, digital inclusion and political participation.

Expressing concern over different minimum marriage ages prescribed under federal and provincial laws, the committee directed the Ministry of Human Rights to take concrete measures, in consultation with all provinces, to make the marriage age uniform across the country.

The committee also voiced concern over what it described as the poor performance of ministries and departments responsible for addressing social evils, attributing the situation to inadequate coordination among institutions. It observed that many policies remained confined to paper with little implementation at the grassroots level.

The committee directed the Ministry of Human Rights to establish effective coordination among all relevant ministries and departments to curb social issues, including rape, harassment, child abuse, drug abuse and begging. It also asked the ministry to launch a comprehensive media awareness campaign highlighting the services it provides to improve public awareness and enhance institutional performance.

Earlier, officials briefed the committee on the performance of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the Child Protection Institute (CPI), highlighting challenges faced by the organizations. They sought the committee’s support for increased budgetary allocations and recruitment against vacant posts to improve service delivery.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Danyal Chaudhary, Shamsher Ali Mazari, Zeb Jaffar, Tamkeen Akhtar Niazi, Dr. Nelson Azeem, Sehar Kamran, Shahida Rehmani, Naveed Aamir, Sabheen Ghoury (via Zoom), Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, and senior officials of the Ministry of Human Rights and its attached departments.

Islamabad: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Bilal, an accused in a case involving alleged links with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), while raising questions over the prosecution’s evidence connecting him to the outlawed group.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case.

During the proceedings, the state counsel sought additional time to submit further documents, arguing that the prosecution intended to place on record evidence regarding the accused’s alleged connection with a suicide bomber.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan questioned how the prosecution had established Bilal’s alleged links with the BLA.

“The accused is a bank manager. How does transferring money for the purchase of a vehicle amount to a criminal offence?” the judge remarked.

He further observed that the bank manager had merely processed the transfer of funds and could not have known that the vehicle would allegedly be used in a bombing.

The bench also directed the state counsel to clarify the nature of Bilal’s alleged association with the banned organisation and to produce credible evidence supporting the claim.

According to the prosecution, the accused is facing charges in a case registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Karachi.

After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition seeking cancellation of the accused’s bail and disposed of the case.

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, formally presented his credentials to the President of Uzbekistan, H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during an official ceremony held in Tashkent, marking the beginning of his diplomatic assignment in the Central Asian country.

Following the ceremony, Ambassador Tipu shared the occasion on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating:

“I was privileged to present my credentials to the Honorable President of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev. I conveyed the warm regards and best wishes of the President of Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.”

He added that he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening and expanding bilateral relations with Uzbekistan, particularly in the fields of trade, investment, tourism, and regional connectivity.

According to the ambassador, President Mirziyoyev appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace, stability, and dialogue. Muhammad Mudassir Tipu is a senior career diplomat with extensive experience in Pakistan’s Foreign Service. Before his appointment to Uzbekistan, he served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran from October 2023.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as Additional Secretary as well as Director General for the Americas and China between 2019 and 2023. His overseas diplomatic assignments include serving as Consul General in Chengdu, China, Political Counsellor/First Secretary at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C., and Beijing, and earlier as Third Secretary at the Embassy of Pakistan in Tokyo.

An Oxford graduate, Ambassador Tipu has edited several publications and has been a speaker at the World Economic Forum in Geneva. He is also a prolific writer on foreign affairs and public policy, with articles published in leading Pakistani and international newspapers. Over the years, he has addressed audiences at numerous prestigious international forums and universities.

The presentation of credentials reflects Pakistan’s continued commitment to enhancing its strategic partnership with Uzbekistan and expanding cooperation across economic, diplomatic, and regional sectors.

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought a report from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after it emerged that a petition challenging the blocking of a citizen’s bank accounts was linked to an alleged human smuggling inquiry rather than the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the petition filed by Muhammad Usman against the freezing of his bank accounts. Despite the court’s directions, the Director General of the NCCIA did not appear before the court. However, a government lawyer, FIA officials and other parties attended the hearing.

During the proceedings, the government counsel informed the court that the matter did not fall within the jurisdiction of the NCCIA but was related to human smuggling and was being investigated by the FIA.

The court inquired who had ordered the bank accounts to be blocked. The government lawyer replied that the accounts had been frozen on the recommendation of the FIA, adding that Rs6 million had been transferred into the petitioner’s account in connection with a UK work visa arrangement, while an additional £2,000 had also allegedly been paid.

According to the FIA, an inquiry was initiated into the transactions, following which the bank accounts were blocked.

Counsel for the petitioner argued that although the allegations being levelled against his client were factually correct, the FIA had wrongly treated the matter as a money laundering case and frozen the accounts on that basis.

Justice Azam Khan observed that the court would examine the matter after receiving the FIA’s response and directed the agency to submit its report. The hearing was subsequently adjourned.