Category: Islamabad

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed all parties to file para-wise comments before the next hearing in a case concerning the regularization of 43 contract employees of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Grade 16 and above.

Justice Muhammad Azam Khan issued a two-page written order following the hearing. The court allowed the petitioners’ miscellaneous application seeking to place additional documents on record.

The order noted that despite the passage of considerable time, the respondents had failed to submit their para-wise comments. Counsel for the federation, other respondents and the Additional Director of the NCCIA sought further time to file their replies.

The court directed all respondents to submit their para-wise comments before the next hearing and fixed July 24, for further proceedings.

The court’s earlier interim order restraining the NCCIA from taking disciplinary action against the petitioners will remain in force.

Islamabad: Pakistan called for inclusive, human-centered, and equitable artificial intelligence governance at a high-level discussion held at the United Nations Headquarters on Thursday, jointly organised by the Permanent Missions of Pakistan and Tajikistan and the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.

The event brought together diplomats, UN officials, technology experts, academics, and youth representatives to explore how AI can advance sustainable development through innovation, inclusion, and resilience while ensuring that no country or community is left behind.

Speakers warned that unequal access to digital infrastructure, financing, technology, and skilled human resources could widen existing global inequalities, particularly for developing countries.

They stressed that AI must become a tool for shared progress by expanding access to technology, investing in capacity building, and placing young people at the centre of sustainable development efforts.

Chairman Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to prepare its youth for an AI-powered future.

He said the government has allocated Rs 40.58 billion to the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme for 2026-27, reflecting its commitment to building a skilled and digitally empowered generation.

He said more than 600,000 laptops have been distributed, while 73,000 young people have received training in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and data science.

More than 217,000 technical skills scholarships have also been awarded across 8,000 courses.

He added that the Digital Youth Hub has registered over 804,000 users, created access to 114,000 employment opportunities, and partnered with more than 3,180 organisations.

Mashhood said Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy aims to train one million AI professionals and 10,000 AI trainers by 2030 while expanding AI education, research, and innovation across the country.

He called for stronger international cooperation to bridge the global AI divide through investments in digital infrastructure, skills development, and responsible AI practices.

Tajikistan’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Abdurahmon Abdurahmonzoda, highlighted his country’s leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.

He said Tajikistan has adopted Central Asia’s first National Artificial Intelligence Strategy until 2040, declared 2025 to 2030 as the Years of the Development of the Digital Economy and Innovation, and established the Regional Artificial Intelligence Centre to strengthen regional cooperation and digital skills development.

The discussion featured Jennifer Louie of the United Nations Development Programme, Google AI expert Hashim Syed and Youth Delegate Bisma Qamar, alongside representatives from China, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The panel stressed that AI governance frameworks must evolve alongside technological advances to address emerging risks, including cybersecurity challenges.

The participants underscored that young people must be recognised not only as beneficiaries of technology but also as innovators, partners and decision makers.

They called for expanding initiatives such as the Digital Youth Hub, the National Youth Council, and innovation programmes to widen opportunities for young people.

In his closing remarks, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said humanity must shape the future of artificial intelligence and not the other way around.

The ambassador warned that without equitable access, AI could deepen the digital divide between developed and developing countries.

Ambassador called for greater coherence in global AI governance and outlined four priorities, including bridging the AI divide, ensuring equitable development outcomes, empowering youth as leaders of technological change, and promoting ethical, transparent, safe, and accountable AI systems.

Ambassador Asim said the collective goal must be to build strong international partnerships that ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence contribute to greater inclusion, resilience, and sustainable development for all.

Islamabad: A delegation of officers from the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, currently on a two-day official visit to the Supreme Court of Pakistan under an institutional capacity-building and experience-sharing programme, called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, Thursday.

Welcoming the delegation, the Chief Justice underscored the importance of institutional collaboration, continuous professional development, and the exchange of best practices in strengthening judicial administration and enhancing service delivery.

The delegation was briefed on the judiciary’s reform agenda to build a citizen-centric, technology-enabled, transparent, and efficient justice system, highlighting key initiatives including e-filing, video-link hearings, digital case management, the National Judicial Analytics Dashboard, the Public Facilitation Centre, and other technology-driven reforms. The delegation also received briefings on the Court’s functioning, visited key facilities, including the Public Facilitation Centre, Supreme Court Museum, and Information Technology Directorate.

The delegation appreciated the opportunity and offered to reciprocate institutional support on some of the technology related initiatives, including issuance of digital copies and case management.

The visit concluded with an exchange of views reaffirming the shared commitment of both institutions to sustained cooperation, professional capacity-building, and the continued exchange of best practices in advancing an efficient, accessible, and citizen-centric justice system.

Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday signed the an agreement with the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) on behalf of Pakistan at the signing ceremony held in Shanghai, China.

As a founding member of WAICO, Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to advance international cooperation in the area of artificial intelligence, especially from the perspective of Global South, said a news release issued here.

Pakistan looked forward to working closely with fellow WAICO member states in efforts to help bridge the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) divide and to promote equitable access to AI to advance development for all.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Communications, Abdul Aleem Khan on Thursday paid a comprehensive visit to the Jalalpur Pirwala section of the M-5 Motorway to inspect the progress of various ongoing development projects.

During the visit, the minister issued strict directives to expedite the pace of work. He said all ongoing development projects on the motorway must be completed at the earliest without any further delay and ensure the provision of world-class facilities to commuters, said to a press release.

Secretary Communications and Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA), accompanied the minister during the visit.

Inspecting different project sites, Abdul Aleem Khan instructed the officials to accelerate the pace of work and ensure that all ongoing development projects were completed without delay.

As part of the visit, he also inspected the motorway’s service and rest areas, where he reviewed the newly constructed restrooms, kitchens and overall cleanliness standards.

Expressing his resolve to uplift commuter services, the Minister stated that passengers travelling on the motorway deserve the highest quality of service. He said the rest areas must provide passengers with top-tier, world-class amenities.

He also took notice of the under-construction mosque at a service area and instructed the authorities to complete the project on a priority basis.

Stressing that public health and convenience remained the government’s top priority, Abdul Aleem Khan said no compromise would be made on the quality of food items available at motorway service areas.

He further directed the authorities to establish a robust monitoring mechanism to ensure the continuous maintenance of high standards in motorway services and food quality.

Islamabad: The benchmark KSE-100 Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its bullish momentum on Thursday, gaining 2,837.78 points, a positive change of 1.62 percent, to close at 178,123.57 points against 175,285.78 points recorded on the previous trading day.

During the session, the ready market recorded a trading volume of 736.956 million shares with a traded value of Rs34.609 billion, compared to 583.805 million shares valuing Rs26.045 billion in the previous session. The market capitalization increased to Rs20.040 trillion from Rs19.783 trillion a day earlier.

Out of 496 active companies in the ready market, 342 advanced, 129 declined, and 25 remained unchanged.

Lotte Chemical led the volume chart with 70.092 million shares, followed by TPL Properties with 52.568 million shares and Ittefaq Iron Industries with 35.220 million shares.

The top gainers included Khyber Textile Mills Limited, which surged by Rs129.82 to close at Rs2,061.33, and Nestle Pakistan Limited, which gained Rs40.08 to settle at Rs7,657.58.

On the losing side, PIA Holding Company LimitedB declined by Rs520.50 to close at Rs17,773.50, while Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited fell by Rs374.00 to settle at Rs25,151.00.

In the futures (DFC) market, turnover stood at 153.002 million shares with a traded value of Rs7.259 billion, compared to 133.839 million shares worth Rs6.255 billion in the previous session.

Out of 302 futures-market companies, 274 advanced, 26 declined, and two remained unchanged.