Month: July 2026

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari, accompanied by a high-level delegation, met with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov Nurgozhoevich in Bishkek on Tuesday during an official visit to Kyrgyzstan.

President Zardari’s visit, underscores the enduring friendship and time tested relations between Pakistan and Kyrgysztan, based on common faith, shared history and cultural affinity, a press release issued by the President House Media Wing said.

The meeting was preceded by an official Welcoming Ceremony held in honour of the President of Pakistan at the Rukh Ordo Cultural Centre.

In the meeting, both leaders discussed ways to further deepen the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explored opportunities in trade, energy, connectivity, political and commercial cooperation, culture, education, people-to-people exchanges and progress on CASA-1000 Project, highlighting the potential for expanding economic, cultural, inter-parliamentary and strategic partnership.

The President recalled the Kyrgyz President’s recent State Visit to Pakistan in December 2025, the first visit by a Kyrgyz President to Pakistan in two decades, saying that the visit imparted fresh momentum to this bilateral relationship and resulted in signing of 16 Agreements/MoUs. He said that Kyrgyzstan occupy an important position for Pakistan’s ‘Vision Central Asia’ policy.

President Zardari also congratulated the Kyrgyz President on the country’s historic election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term.

The President stated that Pakistan looks forward to continued close coordination with the Kyrgyz Republic at the United Nations, OIC, ECO, SCO and other multilateral platforms and said that enhanced parliamentary, defence, security and strategic-policy exchanges to build greater mutual understanding on regional and global developments will be welcomed.

Both sides exchanged views on a range of important regional and international developments and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to promoting peace, stability and progress through dialogue.

A Memorandum of Understanding, between the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), was signed by Mr Damirbek Osmonov, the Kyrgyz Minister of Health and Dr Mukhtar Bharath, Minister of State for National Health Services.

A Joint Statement was later signed by the two Presidents on this occasion.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry; Minister of State for National Health Services, Dr Mukhtar Bharath; Senator Saleem Mandviwalla; Dr Asim Hussain; Spokesperson to the President, Mr Murtaza Solangi and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan were also present during the meeting.

The meeting was followed by an official reception, hosted by the Kyrgyz President, in honour of the President of Pakistan.

Islamabad: Leaders of the Pakistan Romania Business Council (PRBC) attended a cultural evening organized by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Karachi, featuring ‘KANYA Wonder Dance from Colombo.’

The event brought together diplomats, business representatives, and members of the cultural sector at Port Grand Karachi to celebrate Sri Lankan culture through music and dance.

The performance was choreographed and led by Sri Lankan Dance Director Chandana Wickramasinghe. The program highlighted Sri Lanka’s cultural traditions and provided an opportunity for guests to engage through artistic exchange.

Representing PRBC at the event were Atif Farooqi, Advisor and Chief Operating Officer, and Sohail Shamim Firpo, Chairman of PRBC. Their participation reflected the Council’s efforts to support cultural engagement alongside its work in promoting trade and economic cooperation.

PRBC officials said cultural events play an important role in strengthening relations between countries by creating opportunities for interaction between people, institutions, and business communities. They noted that such initiatives complement ongoing efforts aimed at expanding international partnerships and economic cooperation, including activities involving Pakistan and Romania.

During the event, PRBC leadership thanked the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Karachi for organizing the program and providing a platform to showcase Sri Lankan dance and cultural traditions. They said cultural exchanges help build understanding and create opportunities for future cooperation in different sectors.

The gathering concluded with interaction among participants from diplomatic, business, and cultural circles, reflecting the growing importance of cultural engagement in supporting international relations and community-level connections.I can also adapt it into a newspaper-style report with a stronger headline and dateline format if needed.

Islamabad: The Federal Constitutional Court on Tuesday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to produce the complete record of all recruitments of Class IV sanitation workers made since 2016, saying it would examine whether the appointments were carried out in accordance with the law and prescribed rules.

A bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi issued the order while hearing a petition challenging the recruitment process.

During the proceedings, counsel for the petitioners argued that appointments had been made despite a ban on political interference and alleged that some candidates were recruited on the basis of recommendation letters issued by a member of the provincial assembly.

The Additional Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, however, rejected the allegation, saying the letter attributed to the Member Provincial Assembly was fake as it carried neither signatures, nor a reference number, nor an official seal. He remarked that such forged documents could easily be generated on a computer.

Justice Aamir Farooq responded that at least such fake documents should not be produced before the court, drawing laughter in the courtroom.

During the hearing, it also emerged that candidates holding Master’s degrees had applied for the sanitation worker posts.

Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi observed that even if highly educated candidates were appointed as sanitation workers, they would not actually perform sanitation duties. He remarked that such employees often remained in uniform while the city continued to suffer from poor cleanliness. He further noted that one of the petitioners had received religious seminary education and described it as unfortunate that educated people were being compelled to seek Class IV jobs because of limited employment opportunities.

Justice Aamir Farooq observed that even if the petitioner had been appointed, such recruitment would still have fallen within the category of appointments made in violation of the recruitment ban. He added that accommodating two individuals in a Class IV post would not make any significant difference.

The Additional Advocate General informed the court that the petitioners were now 47 years old and, therefore, granting them age relaxation was not legally permissible.

The court directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to submit the complete record of all sanitation workers recruitment made from 2016 to date and adjourned further hearing until next week.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, on Tuesday emphasized the need for specialized judicial education to equip judges with the knowledge and skills required to address emerging legal challenges arising from rapid technological advancement, evolving commercial practices, and changing societal needs.

The Minister made these remarks while addressing a delegation of Additional District and Sessions Judges participating here in the Research Society of International Law (RSIL) and Sindh Judicial Academy’s Cross-Provincial Judicial Fellowship Programme during their visit to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Senator Tarar observed that the justice sector must continuously evolve to keep pace with technological innovation and changing societal needs. He stressed that expertise in technology law, commercial disputes, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was becoming increasingly essential for the judiciary and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to judicial capacity building and legal reforms.

Highlighting ongoing justice sector initiatives, the Minister informed the participants that nearly 1,400 judges, lawyers, government officials, academics, and professionals have so far benefited from the International Mediation and Arbitration Centre (IMAC)’s capacity-building programmes. He also noted that the Government was undertaking a comprehensive review of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), proposing over one hundred amendments to modernize Pakistan’s criminal justice system and improve the efficiency of criminal proceedings.

Earlier, Ehsan Ullah Khan, Registrar, IMAC, welcomed the delegation and underscored the importance of closer engagement between the judiciary and public institutions. Jamal Aziz, Executive Director, RSIL, and Dr. Arif Rajput, Director, Sindh Judicial Academy, briefed the Minister on the objectives of the Cross-Provincial Judicial Fellowship Programme.

During the visit, Ms. Aisha Rasool, Senior Consultant (Research), Ministry of Law and Justice, and Project Director, IMAC, highlighted the Centre’s mandate, achievements, and ongoing initiatives to strengthen mediation, arbitration, and judicial capacity in Pakistan. She also briefed the delegation on IMAC’s efforts to promote internationally accredited ADR training and support the Government’s broader justice sector reform agenda.

Earlier, Mr. Gulfam Hameed, Additional Director, presented an overview of the Ministry’s mandate and major legal reform initiatives.

The programme concluded with remarks by Raja Naeem Akbar (H.I.), Federal Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, who reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to judicial reform, institutional collaboration, and strengthening the rule of law. He underscored the Ministry’s commitment to supporting judicial capacity-building initiatives and fostering a modern, accessible, and efficient justice delivery system.

The visit concluded with an interactive discussion between the judges and senior Ministry officials on legislative reforms, ADR, judicial modernization, and the future of Pakistan’s justice system.

The visit formed part of the Fellowship’s institutional engagement programme, designed to expose judicial officers to the Ministry’s key legal reforms, institutional innovations, and justice sector initiatives.

Islamabad: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday issued a landslide alert for the JSR Skardu Rondo Road, warning that heavy rainfall and slope erosion could trigger landslides between July 7 and 9 in Skardu and adjoining areas, prompting authorities to activate preparedness measures and urge travellers to avoid unnecessary movement.

The alert was issued by the NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC), which said the evolving weather situation is consistent with its earlier forecast.

The NEOC added that it continues round the clock monitoring, risk assessment and timely dissemination of information to all relevant authorities to minimise the impact of weather related hazards.

According to the advisory, landslides are likely in several vulnerable locations, including Buromdo Nala, Chamcho, Malupa, and the Dambudas, Tormik and Haramosh section of the Skardu Rondo Road over the next two days.

The NEOC warned that soil erosion, rockfalls and debris movement in local streams could further increase the risk to commuters, making travel on mountainous routes particularly hazardous.

The NDMA advised travellers and tourists to avoid unnecessary travel in landslide prone areas, exercise extreme caution while passing through vulnerable slopes, and stay updated on weather and road conditions before undertaking any journey.

The authority has also directed the local administration and all concerned departments to remain on high alert and ensure emergency response arrangements are in place to deal with any contingency.

The NDMA urged the public to rely on official advisories and use the Pak NDMA Disaster Alert App for timely alerts, weather updates and safety guidance.

Islamabad: Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik on Tuesday urged the leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to focus on public welfare instead of pursuing what he described as personal interests.

Speaking to a private television channel, the minister said the KP government should prioritize resolving the issues faced by people across the province and improve governance.

He said public representatives have a responsibility to address the challenges confronting citizens rather than seeking personal facilities or advancing individual agendas.

Responding to a question, he said the Centre is taking all possible measures to provide facilities and improve services for the people.