Category: Islamabad

Islamabad: Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi held a meeting with Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari on Friday and discussed prolonged electricity load shedding, frequent tripping and other power related issues affecting consumers in the province.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed various proposals aimed at addressing public complaints regarding electricity supply, with particular focus on reducing the hardships caused by load shedding across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting also discussed prolonged power outages and repeated tripping in the southern districts, especially Dera Ismail Khan, where residents have been facing severe difficulties amid the ongoing hot weather.

Governor Kundi expressed concern over the lack of basic facilities and essential equipment at the WAPDA Superintending Engineer (SE) office in Dera Ismail Khan despite its approval.

The federal minister directed the relevant authorities to ensure the early provision of the required facilities and equipment at the SE office to improve consumer services.

Matters relating to Dera Ismail Khan Grid Station-II and Band Korai Grid Station also came under discussion, with both sides reviewing proposals to strengthen the electricity transmission system.

PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Ahmad Karim Kundi, WAPDA Secretary Dr Fakhar Alam and Principal Secretary to the Governor Fazal Khaliq also attended the meeting.

Islamabad: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCCP) has withdrawn the Supreme Court’s general directions imposing restrictions on land conversion in Karachi and ordering the demolition of illegal constructions, holding that building regulations and their enforcement fall within the jurisdiction of the provincial government, not the courts.

In a 10-page written judgment authored by Justice Aamer Farooq, the court observed that the Constitution and relevant laws require the Sindh Building Control Authority and the Sindh government to take action against illegal constructions. It said officials of the SBCA and the provincial government are responsible for enforcing the law and must fulfil their constitutional and legal obligations.

According to the judgment, the matter before the Supreme Court originally concerned an appeal relating to an illegally constructed building in Lyari. However, the scope of the case was subsequently expanded to cover the whole of Lyari and later the entire city of Karachi. The Supreme Court had also issued directions for the demolition of illegal marriage halls, shopping centres, markets and structures constructed in violation of the Karachi Master Plan.

The Federal Constitutional Court held that, while hearing the appeal, the Supreme Court effectively exercised powers akin to suo motu jurisdiction without fulfilling the constitutional requirements, amounting to an overreach of judicial authority.

The judgment further stated that no demolition order could be issued solely on the basis of an SBCA report, as every citizen has the fundamental right to due process and a fair hearing before any adverse action is taken.

The court clarified that its ruling does not legalise any illegal construction. Rather, it emphasises that the Constitution and the law already provide a proper legal framework for taking action against unlawful buildings, which must be followed by the competent authorities.

The judgment noted that the original dispute concerning the Lyari building had become infructuous, according to the parties.

Consequently, the court withdrew all general directions issued by the Supreme Court in the case and disposed of the appeal.

Islamabad: The Committee on Improving Government Efficiency on Friday discussed, deliberated, and finalised the actionable recommendations of the five sub-working groups on restructuring and reforms.

The committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar finalised the recommendations on restructuring of the federal secretariat, upgradation of e-office into a decision-making processing system, transformation of the MS Wing, reforming the Performance Evaluation Report (PER) system, and developing a whole-of-government approach.

The recommendations of the committee will be presented to the Prime Minister for consideration.

The meeting was attended by the ministers for petroleum and information technology, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Bajwa, federal secretaries of Cabinet Division, Establishment Division, Economic affairs, Telecom, and other relevant stakeholders.

Islamabad: Women passengers and students on Friday hailed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for prioritizing women’s mobility and safety, saying that the initiative of five dedicated ‘Speedo buses’ for women on Lahore’s Metro Bus Service will reduce overcrowding and protect commuters from harassment during rush hours.

Interacting with media channels, commuters expressed appreciation for the initiative, saying the additional buses would help create a safer commuting environment for women and reduce concerns during peak travel hours.

Student girls and women commuters said they had previously faced difficulties while travelling in crowded public transport, where they often felt uncomfortable and unsafe, but the new dedicated Speedo buses had brought them a sense of relief and security.

Female passengers shared that rush-hour journeys were often challenging due to overcrowding and unpleasant experiences, adding that the new service would allow them to travel in a more peaceful and dignified manner.

Women commuters described the initiative as a much-needed facility, saying they now felt more comfortable while travelling and appreciated the effort to provide a safer transport option.

A student in Lahore said the dedicated buses would greatly benefit girls travelling to educational institutions, as the service would help them avoid the problems they frequently encountered during busy travel hours.

Female passengers expressed satisfaction with the new facility, saying it was an encouraging step toward making public transport more accessible, secure and convenient for women.

A female teacher passenger described the dedicated Speedo buses as a positive facility that would provide them with a safer, more convenient and stress-free commuting experience.

The commuters demanded that similar services be introduced in other cities as well, saying women and students everywhere deserved access to secure, comfortable and affordable transportation.

They said Metro and dedicated bus services were especially helpful for working women and students by making daily travel easier, economical and more reliable.

Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday appreciated the relevant officials for their hard work in managing the preparations for hosting the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women, and directed them to ensure enjoyable stay and the best of Pakistani hospitality to the foreign delegations arriving from around the world to attend this important event.

The deputy prime minister chaired the 8th meeting of the High-Level Committee overseeing preparations for the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women, to be held in Islamabad on 12-13 July 2026, a DPM’s Office news release said.

The Committee reviewed the final preparations for the Conference. The Secretary, Human Rights, gave a detailed briefing on the arrangements for the conference programme, delegate facilitation, protocol, security, logistics, media arrangements, and inter-ministerial coordination, to ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the Conference.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, SAPM Tariq Bajwa, the Federal Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, and other senior officials from relevant ministries.

Islamabad: The Supreme Court has ruled that heads of educational institutions are legally bound to provide a harassment-free working environment for female teachers and must take immediate and effective action on complaints of workplace harassment, warning that failure to do so may render them accountable for administrative negligence.

According to the detailed judgment, a two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali allowed the appeals filed by the Punjab government and Shazia Iqbal, setting aside the Punjab Service Tribunal’s order that had reduced the penalty of forfeiture of five years’ past service to one year. The Court restored the original departmental punishment of forfeiture of five years’ past service.

The Court observed that a departmental inquiry had established that Shazia Iqbal, Headmistress of the Government Special Education Centre in Faisalabad, failed to take effective action despite receiving complaints that a speech therapist posted at the institution had been harassing female teachers. She was found to have neglected her supervisory and administrative responsibilities.

The inquiry also found that she had unlawfully allowed the employee to reside on the institution’s premises, causing financial loss to the public exchequer.

The Supreme Court held that the departmental inquiry had been conducted in accordance with the law. Female teachers testified before the inquiry, the accused was given full opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses, and their testimony remained unrebutted. The Court observed that extending undue leniency in such serious misconduct cases would be inconsistent with the interests of justice.

The judgment stated that educational institutions are not merely places of learning but are also obligated to provide a safe and dignified environment for female employees and all staff members. It emphasized that when the head of an institution remains silent in the face of harassment complaints, it undermines victims’ confidence and creates an unsafe educational environment.

The Court further stressed that every educational institution should have a clear anti-harassment policy, an effective complaint mechanism, impartial inquiry committees, and safeguards to protect complainants against retaliation.

Referring to the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, the International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 190, and international judicial precedents, the Supreme Court held that all institutions have a responsibility to adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy against workplace harassment.