ISLAMABAD: The government has enhanced the currency transaction threshold by 50pc to Rs3 million for banks to trigger suspicious reports to the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) of the State Bank of Pakistan under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).
The increase in threshold from Rs2m to Rs3m for Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) under the framework for analysing Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and CTRs was approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML-CFT).
An STR is reported when a suspicious transaction or activity involving money laundering and terrorism financing is indicated. However, a CTR is required to be reported when a cash transaction is equal to or exceeds the specified threshold — now raised to Rs3m.
The NEC, led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, is responsible for setting limits for banks, financial institutions or other agencies dealing with financial transactions to generate CTRs and STRs on the amount of currency transactions through notifications in the official Gazette.
It serves as a strategic forum for strengthening Pakistan’s AML-CFT framework and ensuring timely coordination, inter-agency cooperation and consistent monitoring for effective implementation of the measures discussed.
The committee also approved the inclusion of Section 28 of the Pakistan Maritime Zones Act 2023 in Schedule I of the AMLA, meaning that maritime piracy has been covered as a predicate offence.
Section 28 of the Maritime Zones Act 2023 defines “piracy” as any illegal act of violence, detention or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft and directed against another ship or aircraft or against persons or property onboard.
The NEC also approved the inclusion of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) in Schedule IV of the AMLA, meaning that the crypto body would also have regulatory powers over virtual and digital assets to meet AML-CFT requirements, like the SBP, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue, among others.
Under the AMLA, the FMU is designated to receive STRs and CTRs from reporting entities, analyse them and, if need be, seek the entire record and information related to the transaction in question from any agency or individual in Pakistan.
All agencies and individuals are bound to promptly provide the requested record and information to enable the FMU to share its analysis on a confidential basis with the concerned investigating or prosecuting agencies, or with the financial intelligence units of other countries to make reciprocal arrangements to share, request and receive information relating to money laundering, the financing of terrorism and other offences.
An official statement said the meeting reviewed compliance with its past decisions and progress on Pakistan’s AML-CFT regime, including the performance of the FMU, institutional capacity and initiatives involving artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Aurangzeb emphasised the importance of regular and timely follow-up and stronger coordination among the relevant institutions to ensure effective implementation of the national AML-CFT framework. He also called for strengthening the FMU’s analytical and operational capacity through a clear implementation roadmap with defined timelines.
The NEC also highlighted the importance of keeping Pakistan’s AML-CFT framework responsive to evolving financial risks and emerging technologies, while strengthening the analytical capabilities of relevant institutions.
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court’s (SC) Justice Ayesha Malik on Tuesday challenged victim-blaming assumptions that suggested that women ‘invite’ rape and called for such attitudes to be re-examined.
The judge was addressing participants at the launch of a bench book on the adjudication of rape cases for judges of gender-based violence (GBV) courts in Islamabad. The event was held in collaboration between the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR), the Legal Aid Society (LAS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Delivering the keynote address at the event, Justice Malik expressed concern that sexual violence had become so routine that it no longer provoked sufficient outrage.
She challenged assumptions that blamed female victims of sexual violence by suggesting that they ‘invite’ rape, calling for a fundamental re-examination of attitudes towards women that allowed such assumptions to persist.
The bench book provides a practical reference to support fair trials and judicial decisions grounded in law and evidence, according to a statement by the MoHR. It was launched alongside a national study on low conviction rates in GBV cases.
The two publications address connected challenges across the criminal justice process, the statement said.
Director general of the MoHR’s Child Protection Institute, Rabeea Hadi, presented the study on low conviction rates, prepared by the ministry alongside the Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights. The study examined “where cases falter, from the first report through investigation, medico-legal examination, prosecution and trial”.
Meanwhile, LAS Director of Gender, Inclusion and Development, Advocate Maliha Zia, presented the structure of the bench book and its intended use during court proceedings.
The bench book brings together applicable law and judicial guidance in 10 chapters following the sequence of a trial, and supports judges in assessing evidence that is placed before them, according to the rights ministry.
“The bench book takes what Parliament enacted, together with what the superior courts have held, and places it within reach of the judge who has to apply it,” she said.
LAS Chief Executive Officer Barrister Haya Emaan Zahid illustrated the survivor’s journey by highlighting the pressures survivors face and the need to assess delayed reporting, gaps in medical evidence and family power dynamics in their proper context.
UNFPA Pakistan’s Representative Dr Luay Shabaneh linked fair adjudication to Pakistan’s international human rights commitments, noting: “A judgment that is correctly reasoned protects everybody in and outside the courtroom.”
The British High Commission’s Senior Governance Adviser Mary Kate Thomson highlighted that public trust was shaped by how everyday cases were handled, and influenced whether survivors came forward.
Opening the event, Abdul Khalique Shaikh, secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights, affirmed the ministry’s custodianship of both documents.
“The honest position is that the word on paper and the practice on the ground have not yet converged,” he said, calling for attention to be drawn to how legal protections were delivered in practice.
The event brought together the judiciary, prosecutors, parliamentarians, senior government officials, legal practitioners and development partners, “with a shared focus on translating legal protections into consistent practice throughout the justice process”, the ministry’s statement said.
A total of 3,172 GBV cases were reported across Pakistan during the first half of 2026, including 18 cases involving transgender persons, according to Sahil’s Six Months Cruel Numbers Report (January-June 2026).
The report, available with Dawn, documented 644 murders, 514 cases of torture, 462 abductions, 363 suicides, 280 rapes, 175 injuries, 132 honour killings, and 21 other crimes, including harassment, gang rape and pornography.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva turned 81 on Tuesday, promising to work “24 hours a day” following his historic re-election for a fourth term.
Lula won Sunday’s runoff against Flavio Bolsonaro with 51.8 per cent of the vote to the right-wing senator’s 48.2pc.
He is one of the world’s oldest leaders; US President Donald Trump, who turned 80 in June, is only a few months younger.
“I’m going to deliver the best term any president has ever served in the history of this country,” the leftist leader said in a video posted on Instagram. “I will dedicate 24 hours a day to making this country into the country everyone dreams of.”
Amid questions over his age, he boasted while campaigning that he was “fitter than ever”, jogging during events and posting videos on social media of his gym workouts.
Following his shock first-round defeat to Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of jailed ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro, Lula’s campaign had a social media makeover. The president bought his first-ever cellphone and declared himself “king of the selfie.”
In a speech after his dramatic victory on Sunday, he thanked the “rebellious youth” of Brazil for campaigning on his behalf.
Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) called on supporters to celebrate his birthday outside the presidential residence in Brasilia on Tuesday.
ISLAMABAD: Power Minister Awais Leghari told the Senate on Tuesday that the government has decided to scrap the electricity slab system that punishes consumers for crossing the 200-unit threshold even by one unit, and to provide targeted subsidy only to those deserving.
Under the current mechanism, consumers using up to 200 units per month fall under the “protected” category and avail a subsidy of around Rs13 per unit. However, any consumer exceeding the limit by even one unit has to pay up to Rs33 per unit and is then not allowed to avail the facility for six months.
Speaking in the Upper House, Leghari said work was being expedited to abolish the system under which a consumer crossing 200 units has to pay a much higher cost per unit and remains ineligible for relief for the next six months.
The minister was responding to a calling-attention notice moved by PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali regarding tariffs charged by distribution companies (Discos)and the financial burden on consumers.
Ali highlighted that when monthly consumption increased from 200 to 201 units, the tariff jumped from Rs15 to Rs30 per unit, forcing a consumer to pay bills under the 400-unit slab for just one extra unit.
“The cruel slab system effectively punished the poor and drained the common man for months,” he said.
Acknowledging it as a genuine problem, Leghari said the ministry was seriously working to abolish the six-month bar.
He said the government was considering two options: raising the threshold from 200 to 250 units; or abolishing the six-month penalty by allowing consumers to get the protected category benefit for the month in which they restrict consumption to 200 units.
“It will take one and a half months to finalise the plan,” the power minister outlined, adding that the government was working on a new system to provide relief based on income rather than consumption.
He pointed out that the number of protected consumers had increased from 10 million to 20-25m during the last two years due to the use of solar energy. Many of them, including consumers using 700 to 800 units, were limiting grid consumption to 200 units by installing solar panels and availing relief meant for lower-income households.
“It would not be appropriate to offer equal discount to everyone using less than 200 units,” Leghari said, adding that the government was providing a 65 per cent subsidy to protected consumers which was being availed by rich and poor alike.
The new mechanism would restrict subsidy to those living below the poverty line and lower-middle income groups, he explained.
Turning to the power sector’s financial situation, Leghari said circular debt had declined to around Rs1.67 trillion and was no longer increasing every year.
The government had set a target to eliminate it within the next four years under the reprofiling of the financing scheme, and the debt servicing surcharge of Rs3.23 per unit would also be abolished during the same period, the minister added.
Leghari recalled that when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took office in 2024, the annual losses of Discos, including theft and non-recovery, were Rs591bn. The losses had come down from Rs360bn last year to Rs325bn this year due to efforts to improve efficiency.
He maintained that the Power Division was getting Rs1.18tr in budgetary support from the finance ministry in 2024, which was expected to come down to between Rs700bn-750bn this year, reducing the burden on the annual budget by about Rs200bn.
However, Leghari acknowledged that since consumers did not bear the losses of companies, and it was the finance ministry that bore the burden, the benefit of reduced losses had not yet been passed on to consumers.
He said preventing electricity theft remained the government’s top priority, but consumers would not be burdened arbitrarily.
Govt to implement national AI ecosystem
The Senate was also informed today that the government is implementing a national artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, encompassing AI infrastructure, human capital, research, startups, financing and responsible AI governance.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the House during Question Hour that the National Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Development Programme — approved earlier this year — was one of the government’s most significant upcoming interventions for AI development.
He added that the government had announced a $1bn investment for Pakistan’s AI Ecosystem by 2030, and was also implementing the National AI Advancement Initiative to accelerate AI adoption and build practical AI capacity.
Responding to a supplementary question, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar informed the House that the first council meeting of the World AI Cooperation Organisation is expected in mid-December.
The organisation is a China-led initiative aimed at promoting transparency, openness and cooperation in artificial intelligence. Pakistan had joined the body in July as a founding member.
Dar said around 50 members had joined the organisation, which would be headquartered in Shanghai.
ISLAMABAD: A sub-committee constituted by the prime minister has set a 120-day deadline to prepare a roadmap to expand shrimp farming, improve value addition and boost exports.
Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the sub-committee on aquaculture and the shrimp value chain, according to a press release.
The 120-day deadline was set as part of a broader 24-month implementation and review process.
The meeting brought together provincial fisheries officials and relevant federal institutions to develop a “coordinated strategy” for transforming aquaculture into a competitive, export-oriented industry.
PM Shehbaz has termed achieving export-led economic growth as the government’s top priority, with the federal budget for the current fiscal year (FY27) formulated with the same objective.
The sub-committee will prepare a comprehensive report based on verified data and stakeholder recommendations, Tuesday’s statement said.
“The exercise will establish a baseline for the sector, identify bottlenecks across the value chain and propose measures to improve production, processing and export competitiveness,” it added.
Furthermore, the sub-committee approved seven technical working groups and a projection and costing cell to prepare 14 reports and export projections, assigning responsibilities to the relevant institutions.
It also adopted a common framework for data collection and validation, prioritising challenges, developing reform proposals and monitoring progress.
An initial 14-day action plan was approved, with participating institutions directed to complete their assigned tasks within the stipulated deadlines.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the fisheries departments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Officials from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the ministries of food security and maritime affairs were also present.
According to the statement, Chaudhry said the exercise would identify constraints and develop practical solutions to expand shrimp farming, strengthen value addition and increase exports.
He added that the federal government would work with provincial governments and other stakeholders to pool expertise and develop a coordinated approach to harness the country’s potential in shrimp farming.
Sindh’s secretary for livestock and fisheries was quoted as saying that a feasibility study was being prepared for a 3,500-acre shrimp farm in the province. He also highlighted the need to address challenges in value addition and traceability.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Aquaculture and Fisheries Secretary Rana Saleem Afzal said that relevant departments of the provincial government were working to introduce shrimp farming in Punjab.
“Many areas in Punjab were non-cultivable due to high salinity in the underground water, and efforts were under way to establish hatcheries in such areas,” he was quoted as saying.
However, he acknowledged that establishing an effective value chain remained a major challenge.
Other participants presented proposals to improve shrimp processing and value addition for exports as well as local consumption, as shrimps and prawns remain in high demand in Punjab and KP.
It was agreed that the next meeting would review identified bottlenecks as well as available baseline data essential for promoting shrimp farming.
In April, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz noted that progress had been achieved in developing infrastructure for shrimp farming projects in Sargodha Estate, Aliwala and Shahgarh.
Punjab had launched the Blue Economy Programme to develop unused lands and introduce a modern scientific system for shrimp farming.
Earlier this year, the federal government said Pakistan’s exports of fish and fish preparations had reached a record $568 million in the previous fiscal year (FY26). Seafood exports are mainly shipped to China, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Indonesia and the United States.
KARACHI: A man accused of stealing over 50 mobile phones from women after luring them to a farmhouse in Gadap under the pretext of job interviews was beaten by the aggrieved during a court appearance on Tuesday.
The suspect was arrested by the police on Monday for his alleged involvement in stealing the mobile phones of 59 women, who were brought to the farmhouse in October under the pretext of a job interview.
He was presented before the Malir judicial magistrate on Tuesday. During the hearing, the investigating officer (IO) informed the magistrate that the suspect was arrested yesterday and mobile phones had been recovered from his possession.
The officer said that more mobile phones needed to be recovered, while the suspect’s accomplices were also at large. He requested physical remand of the suspect, which the court approved, granting police one-day physical remand.
Meanwhile, a number of the affected women were present at the premises. In a video seen by Dawn, the women could be seen asking the police to show the suspect’s face, gathering around him and then proceeding to beat him with slippers and slap him.
As the suspect tried to move away, the group of women could be seen chasing him until the police took the suspect inside a room.
A day earlier, Malir Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada told Dawn that the police had recovered 40 mobile phones from the suspect’s possession.
Acting on a tip-off, police arrested the prime suspect while he was on his way to sell 40 mobile phones in an attempt to “destroy” evidence.
Pirzada said police had obtained clues suggesting that the remaining 19 mobile phones were in the possession of another absconding suspect. Concerted efforts were underway to arrest him, he added.
The Malir SSP said the main suspect, allegedly with a female suspect’s help, had created a WhatsApp group and placed job advertisements to lure the women. He subsequently hired a bus and took them to the farmhouse.
A first information report, invoking Section 379 (punishment for theft), Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered with the Gadap City police station on the complaint of one of the victims.
Israel continued to commit genocide in Gaza after last October’s US-brokered ceasefire in the enclave, a UN commission said in a report published on Monday.
The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, examined violations against Palestinian civilians, including children, since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, up to September this year.
It said Israeli authorities had kept committing “genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza”, and that the situation had also continued to deteriorate in the occupied West Bank.
Another report by the commission in September last year found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts — accusations that Israel called scandalous.
The Israeli mission in Geneva said the latest report was part of a misinformation campaign to demonise the State of Israel.
“The attempt to destroy the Jewish state … continues today through efforts by actors such as the UN Commission of Inquiry to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and deny its fundamental right to exist and defend itself,” Ambassador Daniel Meron claimed in a statement.
Heavy munitions hit populated areas, commission says
The commission found that Israeli forces continued using heavy munitions, drones, quadcopters, artillery and sniper fire in densely populated areas during the ceasefire in Gaza.
It said the “Yellow Line”, which was presented as a temporary ceasefire demarcation, was encroaching increasingly into Gaza, and becoming a de facto border, which the report said reflected Israel’s expanding territorial control of Gaza.
Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
In its report to the UN General Assembly, the commission said the situation in the West Bank had also deteriorated sharply, with the number of Palestinians killed in airstrikes increasing from six between 2008 and Oct 6, 2023, to 254 between Oct 7, 2023 and Sept 30, 2026.
The report said Israeli military operations, alongside sustained settler violence, formed part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population in the West Bank since Oct 7, 2023.
“The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and forces have committed the crimes against humanity of extermination, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the West Bank, as well as persecution based on intersecting discriminatory grounds, with nationality, race and ethnicity at its core.”
Commenting on the report, the Israeli mission said the international community should reject what it described as distortions, and “repudiate the Commission’s findings”.
Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the intentional killing of Palestinian civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank formed part of a broader strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians.
Military operations since January 2025 have led to the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, with 34,176 Palestinians remaining displaced as of August 2026, the report said.
The commission also faulted the Palestinian Authority, saying it had targeted Palestinians who voice dissenting views and that journalists and human rights defenders had been killed and injured.
ISLAMABAD: The government is set to roll out a new private equity policy framework covering enhanced risk portfolios, targeting $10 to $15 billion in tax-neutral investment from domestic and international players in the private equity market.
The government aims to finalise the policy framework within the next two weeks, which would entail policy actions to be introduced through the finance bill for the next fiscal year (FY27-28).
Regulatory actions would follow immediately after the finalisation of the framework without waiting for the next year’s budget, an official told Dawn.
The framework is based on models such as those in the United Kingdom, the Middle East and India, which are estimated to have attracted $100-150bn. This was conveyed to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb during a meeting of the prime minister’s committee for developing the National Private Equity Framework.
The meeting reviewed progress on regulatory and tax reforms, domestic capital mobilisation and the development of investment opportunities to support a robust private equity ecosystem in Pakistan.
It also reviewed the potential of Pakistan’s private equity market, including opportunities arising from acquisitions, business consolidation, new projects and exits by existing investors.
The introduction of regulatory changes for banks enhancing their exposures to real estate investment trusts (REITs) had increased the portfolio from Rs22bn in 2021 to over Rs280bn now, a participant said, adding that the potential for private equity investments had no limits, provided a conducive environment was created.
Additionally, the meeting focused on the mobilisation of domestic institutional capital, including resources available with banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, pension schemes and development finance institutions, alongside potential participation from local corporations and family offices.
The committee also discussed various investment structures and mechanisms to facilitate the deployment of these resources into private equity funds and commercially viable businesses and projects.
Informed sources said foreign investors and institutional funds, particularly those from friendly nations, always sought a proper policy framework with rules-based exit and entry facilitations to secure their investments whenever top government Pakistani delegations sought investments or presented various investment opportunities, including in minerals, real estate, agriculture, oil and gas, tourism or manufacturing.
The prospects of developing a substantial pipeline of investable opportunities over the next five to 10 years were also discussed, supported by significant domestic liquidity that could be channelled towards productive economic activity through an effective private equity ecosystem.
Aurangzeb appreciated the progress achieved across key workstreams and underscored the importance of translating regulatory and policy reforms into practical investment opportunities.
He emphasised the need for a transparent, commercially viable and investor-friendly framework that would help mobilise domestic savings, attract institutional investment and support private-sector-led economic growth.
Moreover, he noted that mobilising domestic capital should be the immediate priority, providing the foundation for a credible and functioning private equity market capable of subsequently attracting foreign institutional investors and facilitating international co-investment.
Reviewing progress on regulatory reforms, the committee discussed measures concerning fund structures, transparency, investment arrangements and the participation of financial institutions in private equity funds.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) briefed participants on recent regulatory changes, including the enhancement of the permissible investment limit for banks in a single private equity fund from 10 per cent to 20pc.
On taxation, the meeting reviewed recommendations for establishing a clear, competitive and predictable tax framework for private equity funds. Discussions included the proposed treatment of private equity funds as pass-through vehicles, with taxation applied at the investor level, as part of efforts to develop a globally competitive private equity ecosystem.
The finance minister stressed the importance of comprehensively evaluating relevant international taxation models and adapting them to Pakistan’s economic and regulatory environment.
He directed that any proposed tax arrangements must support legitimate investment activity while preventing opportunities for tax arbitrage, unintended distortions or regulatory inconsistencies.
The committee also underscored the need for a coordinated approach across regulatory and taxation authorities to ensure consistency in the treatment of different investment vehicles and facilitate the development of a well-functioning private equity market.
The finance minister directed relevant stakeholders to build on the progress achieved, address outstanding regulatory and taxation issues, and advance work on domestic capital mobilisation and the identification of viable investment opportunities to move the National Private Equity Framework towards implementation.
Reiterating the government’s broader reform priorities, the minister advised that the development of a robust private equity ecosystem should contribute to deeper domestic capital markets, improved access to long-term risk capital, greater private-sector investment and sustainable economic growth.
ISLAMABAD: The trial of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the security breach case concluded at Adiala Jail on Tuesday, with the anti-terrorism court (ATC) reserving its verdict.
Imaan and Hadi are facing a jail trial in a 2024 case pertaining to the alleged disruption of an international cricket team’s security route and incitement to public unrest. The couple, accused of removing barriers from the route, was indicted on October 7.
On Tuesday, both accused recorded their statements under Section 342 (power to examine the accused) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, while final arguments by the state counsel also concluded during the proceedings.
Following the completion of the trial and final arguments, the court reserved its verdict and said that it would be pronounced on October 29.
A day prior, the couple approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Oct 19 order refusing to stay the trial in the case.
The IHC had heard their appeals last week against an Oct 10 ATC order dismissing petitions challenging the framing of charges and the inclusion of terrorism-related provisions. The high court issued notices and said it would decide how to proceed after receiving responses from the parties.
The couple has been in jail since their arrest on Jan 23 in a case registered against them for protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the high court Bar Association president. The arrest prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians and journalists, who stressed the couple’s right to a fair trial.
On Sept 17, following months of litigation before the courts, the Supreme Court suspended their sentences in the case. The SC ordered their release pending the IHC’s final verdict on their appeals against the trial court’s decision.
However, the reprieve was short-lived as hours later, Islamabad police arrested the couple again in connection with the security breach case. The case was registered at the federal capital’s Kohsar police station on March 22 last year on the complaint of City Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday called for a “full stop” to conversations regarding the creation of new provinces.
He made the remarks while speaking to the media at Spencer Eye Hospital in Karachi’s Lyari alongside Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
Reiterating his party’s stance in response to a question over “pressure” the PPP was facing regarding the creation of new administrative units and the possibility of rolling back the 18th Amendment, Bilawal said the people of Sindh and their elected representatives had presented their decision and “now we should put a full stop to this conversation”.
He said the Sindh Assembly had also made its stance in the matter evident for “at least seven to eight times now”.
“The people here can determine the fate of this province and the city,” Bilawal asserted.
“I think we should close this topic because the people themselves have closed it,” he said.
When asked about ongoing conversations regarding a 28th constitutional amendment and whether the government had spoken to him in this regard, Bilawal simply replied: “No.”
The PPP chairman was also questioned about the recent dispute between the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Pakistan Railways and the federal government’s lack of interest in the city.
“The federal government should definitely pay attention to this city. Karachi is the country’s economic hub. Everyone else should pay attention to it,” he said.
Bilawal’s remarks come amid an ongoing debate across the country about the creation of new administrative units, sparked by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s proposal for a dialogue among all political parties to bring about reforms to the current governance system and call for new provinces and urgent administrative reforms in July.
At the time, the PPP had referred the question to its top decision-making forum, while the Sindh chief minister flatly rejected it; Lahore’s lawyers also called it unconstitutional and Sindhi nationalist groups have been demanding the minister’s resignation.
However, since Naqvi’s remarks, various political parties have also spoken in favour of it and called for the creation of more provinces or administrative units for better governance.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) — an ally of the PML-N-led ruling coalition — has been demanding that Karachi be designated a province separate from Sindh.
However, the PPP, which rules Sindh and is also an ally of the PML-N government at the Centre along with MQM-P, has strongly opposed the suggested move.
In September, the Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution rejecting all attempts to divide the province or create new administrative units, with the CM Murad declaring that “there will be no compromise on Sindh’s geographical unity”.
UK anti-terrorism police said on Tuesday that two men have been charged with national security offences after an incident last month at a British airbase used by the United States, linking the scare to Iran.
The head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, said two British men aged 24 had been charged: one with assisting a foreign intelligence service, believed to be in Iran, and another with entering a prohibited place for a purpose “prejudicial” to the United Kingdom.
This is the first time that anyone has been charged over the incident at RAF Fairford, after police arrested seven suspects in the days afterwards, before releasing them on bail.
Police were called to the Royal Air Force’s Fairford base in southwest England in the early hours of Sept 27 after a local farmer reported a group of men with several white vans engaged in “suspicious” activity.
“While some of the circumstances remain unclear, we are confident that this activity was conducted on behalf of a foreign intelligence service,” Taylor told reporters on Tuesday outside Metropolitan Police headquarters in London.
Days after the incident, the US withdrew all its B-1 bombers from the base.
Suspects charged
A week ago police said they had re-arrested two of the suspects, one of whom has now been charged.
Police charged 24-year-old Nouman Essghir with entering or approaching a “prohibited place” for a purpose “prejudicial” to the interests of the UK.
Essghir was arrested at the scene in Gloucestershire and then released on bail, before police re-arrested him a week ago.
The police chief said the charge against Essghir related to “suspected activity” more than a month earlier, on Saturday Aug 22, without giving any details.
The second man who has been charged, 24-year-old Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim, was arrested after being interviewed under caution over the last week, police said.
He has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. “In this case, we believe that country to be Iran,” the police said.
Taylor said Counter Terrorism Policing had seen “a range of incidents in recent months that we believe have been directed by the Iranian state”.
“This is not a theoretical threat. This is something we are responding to every day,” he added.
Both of the charged men live in Westminster, a district in central London.
Six other men remain on bail, one of them a dual UK-Iranian national who had been re-arrested last week.
Taylor acknowledged that some of the police’s “decisions made during our investigations can sometimes appear illogical”.
“But I want to make it very clear that there will always be a good reason or rationale behind them,” he said.
The government and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Tuesday decided to form a joint committee to recommend proposals for expanding the ongoing fuel relief scheme, while JI warned of marching to Islamabad next month if no relief “package” was announced by then.
The decision was made during a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman at the PM House, according to a press release issued by the PM Office (PMO).
The meeting was offered by PM Shehbaz last month when urging JI to postpone its Islamabad march, which it had accepted. JI has been demanding the abolition of the petroleum levy to reduce the burden of heightened fuel prices on the public.
Tuesday’s meeting decided that a committee, comprising three members each from the government and JI, will present final recommendations on the following two measures:
Expansion of the scope of the ongoing relief scheme on petrol for the public so that the maximum number of deserving people can benefit from it
Preparation of feasible proposals for the budget for a phased reduction in the petroleum levy
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and the PM’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah will represent the government in the joint committee, PMO stated.
The premier informed the JI delegation in detail about the relief provided so far by the government in the petroleum products quota for the low-income segment, noting that 12.7 million people have registered in the subsidy scheme so far.
The relief scheme for owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and vehicles of up to 800cc was rolled out across the country on Sept 17. PM Shehbaz had announced the subsidies to ease the public’s burden amid rising fuel prices due to the Middle East situation.
During the meeting, the prime minister conveyed to JI that he “fully understands the burden on the public due to the increase in prices of petroleum products”, PMO said.
He highlighted the government’s effort to provide relief through the subsidy scheme and asserted that Islamabad was “making all-out diplomatic efforts to resolve the regional crisis so that the situation can return to normal”.
“The current crisis is not related to government policies but to the increase in oil prices in view of regional and international situations. However, according to financial capacity, the government is providing relief to the public and will continue to do so,” he was quoted as saying.
The prime minister thanked JI for adopting the path of negotiations regarding the prices of petroleum products. PMO noted that the JI delegation “expressed its stance on the abolition of the petroleum levy and relief for the public”.
JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch, Deputy Secretary General Syed Farasat Shah, Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa and Inayatullah were also part of the party delegation.
From the government, Dar, Iqbal, Sanaullah, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, and Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kiani were also present.
‘Cannot simply accept peanuts’
In his press conference in Islamabad, the JI chief affirmed that his party will not postpone its march any further.
He stated: “It will now take place in mid-November, and it certainly will take place. Let them announce this package, provide this relief, and devise a mechanism to abolish this extortionate levy before that, [but] if they do not do so, we might have to sit on the road to talk.
“We are prepared for anything,” Rehman declared.
Asked about the outcome of his meeting with PM Shehbaz, the JI emir refrained from terming it “inconclusive”.
He noted that two sides had consensus on expanding the scope of relief, but there were disagreements over the “modalities” and “procedure”.
“We say eliminate the levy; they say we can move towards it phase by phase,” Rehman elaborated.
Rehman, apparently referring to the new joint committee, said Baloch, Shah and Randhawa would be part of it.
“We cannot simply accept peanuts,” the JI chief said when asked about a reported government offer to reduce the levies by Rs20-30. He stressed that his party stood firm on its stance.
He maintained that JI would continue its preparations and would begin nationwide mobilisation for its planned march to the federal capital, while negotiations would also continue at the same time.
“Our preparations are already complete; we will prepare further [and] we will talk to them (the government) further. However, we will also hold the Islamabad march in mid-November,” Rehman said.
Asked whether JI had presented any alternative to abolishing the levy, he responded in the affirmative, asserting that his party had comprehensive preparations.
Rehman highlighted that all past governments vowed not to take loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but then entered into programmes with it after coming into power.
He said his party pointed this out, adding, “Give relief to the people; do not take retribution for your incompetence from the nation.”
Providing details of his party’s demands, the JI chief said it had also raised the issue of refineries’ margins increasing as well when oil prices rose in the international market.
“That should have decreased, people should have gotten relief,” he said.
Rehman acknowledged that JI was aware of the fluctuations in international oil prices due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, but “we want relief to be provided to the people in this regard as well, and this levy should also be abolished alongside”.
He went on to claim credit for the relief schemelaunched by the government in mid-September. “If Jamaat-i-Islami was not protesting, do you think this relief package would have come?”
Rehman further said, “We have restrained them a little by continuing to push, by taking a stand, stepping onto the field and protesting; otherwise, it is easy money that you just take advantage of this opportunity.”
The JI emir recalled that in April, the government had hiked the levy on petrol to Rs160 per litre from Rs105, but widespread criticism prompted it to reduce the levy by Rs80.
“It is JI that has raised awareness, protested, and built pressure,” he claimed.
Iqbal calls for ‘durable, sustainable path’
After attending the meeting, Iqbal and Sanaullah addressed a press conference and assured the public that the government wanted to ease the burden of the fuel prices.
“The prime minister and JI emir agreed that they share one purpose and intent: they want to reduce the difficulties of the public,” Iqbal said.
“However, for this, we will have to adopt a path that is durable, sustainable, and the cost of which we can afford.”
The planning minister expressed hope that the committee would be able to work together on the topics to find a solution to these issues.
Simultaneously, while acknowledging that every political party had a right to protest, he stressed that the regional conditions warranted that everyone maintain peace and internal stability in the country.
Iqbal assured the public that the government was aware that the increase in international oil prices, and the consequent fuel price hikes, affected ordinary citizens.
He emphasised that PM Shehbaz was “continuously concerned about how to reduce the difficulties of the most affected and vulnerable classes” and said the soaring costs were a result of a global crisis that was not in the government’s control.
The minister stressed that Pakistan was playing its diplomatic role in resolving the Middle East crisis, including facilitating negotiations between the US and Iran, so that reduced regional tensions could lower global oil prices and the relief could be passed on to the public.
The PML-N leader went on to take a jibe at the previous PTI government, saying it reduced fuel prices for “cheap popularity” even as international oil prices rose, bringing the country to the brink of fiscal default.
He contended that if a government made decisions merely to hype its popularity among the masses, that irresponsibility could come back to it as a “nightmare”.
Therefore, he added, the government, including the prime minister, wanted to help people as much as possible “while staying within our resources”.
Addressing the media alongside Iqbal, Sanaullah said, “The government, to whatever extent possible, is providing relief to the common man, the poor man, and is trying to advance it further.”
He said the number of people benefitting from the fuel subsidy scheme was likely to reach 20m in the coming days.
He appreciated the JI’s efforts and its belief that the common man should be provided relief, stressing that this relief should be taken forward “in such a manner that it is targeted, and that maximum relief be given to those people who deserve it more”.
At the same time, Sanaullah urged all political parties to strengthen the position of Pakistan’s military and political leadership, and to create an environment that lent strength to the efforts made by PM Shehbaz and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir to end the US-Iran conflict, as well as to maintain good relations within the Muslim world.
He called for “complete solidarity and complete unity” in the country “so that Pakistan can succeed in playing an effective role in the world”.
“It is our hope, and indeed our belief, that the Jamaat-i-Islami leadership, keeping in view these delicate and sensitive matters, will certainly play their role,” he said.
The PML-N leader emphasised that the government had listened to the JI’s suggestions “very carefully” and held the talks with “complete sincerity of intention and good faith” so that the current relief could be made more effective.
JI protests so far
The JI has been demanding for over two months that the Centre abolish petroleum levies, as fuel prices have skyrocketed due to conflicts in the Middle East since March.
The Centre and JI had agreed to form committees in early September — when the latter had planned a nationwide strike — to recommend measures to reduce the levy.
Rehman on Monday warned that the party would march to Islamabad in mid-November if the premier did not abolish the petroleum levy.
On Aug 16, the JI announced sit-ins in all the provincial capitals of Pakistan against the petroleum levy and had called for a nationwide strike on Sept 3.
On Sept 20, the party launched a protest march towards Islamabad, warning that if the government failed to abolish the petroleum levy, the protest could turn into one to oust the government.
On Sept 22, the JI emir said his party, whose convoy had reached Multan, was postponing its long march at the request of PM Shehbaz, who had assured the other side of a meeting to discuss the matters.
However, in a press release issued last week, the party alleged that the government had made no further contact regarding the planned meeting.
Several social media users, including pro-Houthi accounts based on their past posts, have been sharing an image since October 26, on social media platforms Facebook and X, allegedly showing the Saudi defence minister kissing the hand of the Iranian president amid a meeting in Tehran involving the Makkah Defence Alliance.
However, the image is old and edited using AI.
Iran hosted senior security officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye on Oct 26 for talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian called for regional unity and a coordinated stance among Islamic countries, urging them to strengthen cooperation and oppose actions by the United States and Israel.
The meeting focused on regional security, the consequences of US-Israeli attacks on Iran and efforts to de-escalate tensions. Iranian officials said the four countries agreed to continue talks on regional peace and security, while Saudi Arabia said the visit aimed to promote dialogue and support mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan.
On Oct 26, a Houthi supporter, based on their past posts, shared an image on X allegedly showing Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman kissing the hand of the Iranian president. The post gained 63,000 views.
A pro-PTI user also shared the same image in a similar context with the following caption: “In fact, this is the path to peace. Come to Tehran and pledge allegiance. Welcome, my beloved.” The post attracted 27,000 views on X.
A keyword search was conducted to determine whether any credible Saudi, Iranian, or international media outlets had published the image or reported on an incident in which the Saudi defence minister allegedly kissed the Iranian president’s hand, but yielded no reports.
Investigating the image also found several visual discrepancies, such as deformities around the Saudi official’s fingers and hand as he kisses the Iranian president’s hand.
There were also slight deformities and distortions on the Iranian president’s cheek and neck as well, hinting that the image was likely edited through AI.
The image was then analysed using multiple AI-detection tools to assess whether it had been artificially generated or manipulated. Hive Detect reported a 99 per cent likelihood of AI generation, while DeepAI and TruthScan also indicated a 90pc likelihood that the image was edited using AI.
A reverse image search of the viral photo yielded an Arab News report covering the funeral procession of assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 3, 2026.
The report stated that Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji attended the ceremony, where he met Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The featured image in the Arab News report shows a strong resemblance to the viral photo, with the same background and the officials wearing similar attire.
However, a comparison of the two images reveals a key difference. The viral image depicts the Saudi official kissing the Iranian president’s hand, whereas the original image shows him simply shaking hands with the president.
The same report, featuring the same image, was also published by Saudi news outlet Saudi Gazette and the official Saudi Press Agency.
Therefore, the claim that a viral image shows the Saudi defence minister kissing the hand of the Iranian president is false.
The image is edited using AI, and the older original picture does not even feature the Saudi defence minister.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
LAHORE: At least one individual was killed, while seven others were injured on Tuesday when the roof of an under-construction building collapsed near Multan’s Northern Bypass, Rescue 1122 said.
In a statement, the rescue service said the roof of an under-construction plaza had collapsed near the National College of Business Administration and Economics on Northern Bypass.
The agency said that so far, seven injured individuals had been rescued and shifted to Nishtar Hospital, adding that one person was killed in the collapse, whose body had also been shifted to the hospital.
It added that a Rescue 1122 team would remain at the site until the salvage operation was completed.
A spokesperson for Nishtar Hospital, citing hospital records, also confirmed that an individual had been brought dead.
Rescue officials launch a search and rescue operation after building collapse in Multan on October 27, 2026. — Photo via Rescue 1122
A rescue official confirmed to Dawn that eight labourers were present on the site when the incident occurred. However, the presence of any other individual trapped under the debris could not be ruled out until the wreckage was removed and the site was cleared.
In an earlier statement, Rescue 1122 said its teams “reached the incident site within three minutes” of receiving information about the incident.
The statement said 10 vehicles had been actively engaged in the relief operations, comprising five ambulances, three rescue motorbikes, one rescue vehicle and one fire vehicle.
Rescue officials launch a search and rescue operation after building collapse in Multan on October 27, 2026. — Photo via Rescue 1122
According to the Nishtar Hospital spokesperson, three persons suffered head injuries — whose nature and criticality were unknown — while the other three sustained minor injuries.
The spokesperson said doctors and paramedical staff had been placed on high alert in the emergency room, and the best medical facilities were being provided to the injured.
Building and roof collapses are common in Pakistan, often attributed to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials.
A teacher and 30 students were killed when a school’s roof collapsed in Peshawar earlier this month.
In September, two men died in Pakpattan after the roof of their house collapsed during heavy rain and a windstorm.
On June 30, 14 children lost their lives when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area.
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday rejected a police request for further physical remand of PTI leader Hammad Azhar in the Jinnah House attack case and sent him to jail on judicial remand.
Sarwar Road police had booked several PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking and vandalising Jinnah House during the May 9, 2023 protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
According to his family, Azhar was arrested on Sept 5. However, police said the next day they were unaware of his arrest, and he was produced before an ATC on Sept 7. His initial 21-day physical remand was extended at least twice.
Subsequently, upon the completion of the latest 12-day remand, the PTI leader was presented before ATC Judge Sardar Muhammad Akram Khan on Tuesday.
The investigating officer sought further physical remand of the former finance minister, stating that the police wanted to conduct a polygraph test, also known as a lie detector test.
However, Azhar’s counsel, Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi, argued that a polygraph test required the suspect’s consent.
He argued that according to a Lahore High Court judgment, the procedure was to be conducted during judicial remand.
The lawyer said the suspect was also required to make a statement before a magistrate indicating whether he wished to undergo the test.
Azhar told the court that he did not want to undergo the test if the law allowed him to refuse it. He said a suspect should not be punished for the prosecution’s alleged lack of knowledge about the legal requirements.
After hearing arguments from the prosecution and the defence over the proposed polygraph test, Judge Akram dismissed the police request for further physical remand and sent Azhar to jail under judicial custody.
Barrister Niazi hailed the verdict, writing on X that his client’s “50-day physical remand finally ends” and that he was sent to Kot Lakhpat jail.
Azhar served as a federal minister for multiple portfolios during the PTI government, including finance, industries and energy.
In the aftermath of the May 2023 riots, when the state launched a crackdown against the party leadership, he had gone into hiding and reappeared in public a year later, on May 22, 2024.
In 2025, he reiterated his decision to step down as the president of the PTI’s Punjab chapter, citing a lack of access to Imran.
Pakistan and China have launched the China-Pakistan Information Corridor (CPIC), with Information Minister Ataullah Tarar saying that the initiative will focus on countering misleading narratives, cultural exchanges and cooperation between think tanks.
The corridor was launched at a ceremony in Islamabad, which was televised on Tuesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning and Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong attended the launch.
In his televised remarks, Tarar expressed his “long-standing“ desire to collaborate with China in the fields of media, information sharing and digital platforms.
Hailing Pakistan and China’s bilateral relations, Tarar recalled the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), noting that it had “turned decades of goodwill into steel, concrete and current”.
“It lit homes, laid motorways across our provinces and gave Pakistan at Gwadar a gateway to the world.”
Tarar said that while the first phase of CPEC connected lands, the next phase will “connect our minds and this information corridor will act as a bridge for connecting the minds of the people of the two countries”.
The information minister said the collaboration under the newly launched corridor will stand on four pillars — media, business and enterprises, think tanks, and culture/tourism.
“First, media. A news exchange working group of 18 Pakistani and Chinese media organisations. From our state broadcasters and private channels to Xinhua,CMG, and People’s Daily now share verified news on our cooperation.”
He added that it will also include a dedicated fact-check mechanism to track misleading narratives and counter them with “concrete facts”.
The second pillar, which includes businesses and enterprise, Tarar said, will draw on leading Pakistani and Chinese commercial groups.
“This pillar has opened its first regional office in Karachi,” Tarar said, adding that under the initiative, a trade portal to track trade, investment, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was being built, along with a podcast series about the stories of Chinese entrepreneurs in Pakistan and vice versa.
He said the third pillar will involve collaboration between think tanks from the two countries.
“Led by the Pakistan-China Institute and joined by our foremost research institutions, this pillar will bring evidence and depth to the bilateral conversation through joint dialogue, research, and publications with Chinese counterparts,” Tarar said.
The fourth pillar, which Tarar described as the “heart of the corridor”, will focus on tourism, with work already underway on the Xinjiang-Gilgit-Baltistan tourism corridor, “extending the journeys of Chinese travellers into the valleys of our north”.
Tarar also shared that the first cohort of CPEC Youth Ambassadors had been nominated from 13 universities across Pakistan.
“Before a community of shared future can be built in steel and stone, it must find its place in the minds of the people,” Tarar said, stressing that the principle was at the core of CPIC.
“If CPEC is its body and the shared future, CPIC will be its voice. If CPEC connects our economies, CPIC will connect our understanding. Through it, a student in Lahore will know the China of today, and not the caricatures of yesterday. A family in Chengdu will see Pakistan as it truly is: warm, resilient, and full of potential.”
He added that the corridor will counter “falsehoods with fact, isolation with exchange, and suspicion with trust,” lauding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision.
“President Xi gave us the vision of a shared future, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given Pakistan the means to reach it,” Tarar said.
For PM Shehbaz, Tarar said the digital revolution was about people and “above all Pakistan’s young people”.
“More than 68 per cent of our nation is under 30 in their hands. A laptop is a passport and a smartphone is a marketplace. Through their talent, Pakistan is taking its place in the global digital economy.”
Tarar further stated that CPIC was at its core a “digital corridor”.
“Its news exchanges, fact-check mechanisms, trade portals, podcasts, social media channels, and youth ambassadors are tools of a digital age put to work for an old and trusted friendship. And here too, Pakistan walks with China,” Tarar said.
The information minister, in his address, also invited Chinese media houses, think tanks, universities, enterprises, and youth ambassadors to join each pillar of CPIC.
Concluding his address, Tarar said that while the Karakoram Highway was carved through the mountains, today Pakistan and China were building a “different highway [..] it is not made of rocks, but it is made of truth, and it will be carried not on trucks, but on voices.
Meanwhile, China’s Ning also addressed the ceremony, noting that China and Pakistan continue to face misinformation and fake news, according to state broadcaster Pakistan TV.
Ning stressed the need for the CPIC, saying that its four pillars can play a key role in highlighting bilateral cooperation.
Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership rooted in mutual trust, economic cooperation and regional connectivity. Over the decades, ties have expanded across different sectors — including trade, energy, defence and infrastructure — with the CPEC symbolising a shared vision for development.
A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Ambassador Zaidong to review progress on CPEC.
During the meeting in Islamabad, Dar praised the ongoing expansion of the “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” between the two nations. Discussions focused on advancing trade, investment, regional connectivity, agricultural modernisation and people-to-people exchanges.
An Indian court has ordered the takedown of an online documentary posted by Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and billionaire Gautam Adani of cronyism, after Adani Enterprises sued, calling it defamatory.
Adani’s flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, told the high court in the eastern city of Kolkata that the documentary, which garnered millions of views on social media in recent days, was riddled with false content and had prompted inquiries from some investors in the company, whom the court order did not name.
The documentary “is not a news report or an account of proceedings. It is a dramatised narrative,” the court’s takedown order for YouTube, X and Meta issued late on Monday said.
Adani Enterprises, Modi’s office and Bhatia did not respond to requests for comment, and neither did the social media companies.
Modi’s opponents have often accused the prime minister of having close ties with Adani, saying the business tycoon has received favourable treatment over the years. The Indian government and the Adani group have repeatedly denied those allegations.
In its challenge, Adani Enterprises told the court that it does not seek to restrain constructive criticism of government policy or of business concentration, but Bhatia had suppressed material facts, according to the court order.
Bhatia, who is based in the US, wrote on his X account that the lawsuit demands 500 million rupees ($5.25 million) in damages. In one X post, he wrote: “Truth is on my side”.
“I believe the documentary has rattled Adani Enterprises Limited and struck a nerve at the highest levels,” he wrote.
Bhatia is the co-founder of the once-popular email service Hotmail, which he sold to Microsoft in 1997.
Order to take down
In an interim order in force until January 31, 2027, the court ordered YouTube, X and Meta’s Instagram to remove several posts of the 36-minute film, “The Friendship Files”. It also restrained Bhatia from disseminating the video.
Hearings in the case are likely to resume in January.
Ahead of the court challenge, police in the state of Maharashtra, which is led by Modi’s ruling alliance, sent a takedown notice to Bhatia on October 19, saying the content “made serious unsubstantiated allegations”.
Modi’s political opponents have repeatedly been sharing the documentary, saying it reflected similar allegations they had made about the two men.
The film used archival footage to trace the history of the relationship between Modi and Adani, starting in the western state of Gujarat, where both men come from.
It raised questions about Adani’s winning bid for six airports in 2019 after a government rule change that critics say favoured his enterprise — allegations similar to those levelled by the opposition Congress party.
The Adani group has denied such allegations and the government says all regulations were complied with and there is no favouritism.
Earlier, regional opposition leader and Modi critic Raj Thackeray shared the documentary on his X account, where it garnered 4.8 million views, but took it down, saying he was doing it at the request of the Mumbai police commissioner.
Mahua Moitra, another political opponent of Modi and a lawmaker, posted the documentary on October 11 and said it was still online.
“I posted this on Oct 11th. It is still on my timeline, so do watch it,” she wrote on X on Monday night.
THE government’s plan to distribute 500,000 Chromebooks to students over two years could help narrow Pakistan’s digital divide. The devices, which will come with MiFi internet connectivity, are meant for students handpicked under the scheme. In a country where access to computers and reliable internet still depends heavily on family income and location, that matters.
A student who cannot afford a laptop should not be locked out of online learning, digital skills or job opportunities. But the value of the scheme will depend on how it is carried out. The state should publish clear eligibility criteria, ensure that poorer students are not crowded out by those who already have devices, and explain how the refurbished Chromebooks will be procured, tested and distributed.
The total cost should also be disclosed, along with safeguards against political influence in selecting recipients and suppliers. There should also be a plan for repairs, replacement and technical support. A device that stops working after a few months, or cannot connect reliably outside major cities, will do little to close the gap it was meant to address.
More importantly, access to hardware is only one part of Pakistan’s education problem. A Chromebook cannot compensate for weak teaching, poor literacy, overcrowded classrooms or schools without dependable electricity and internet access. Nor will handing out devices automatically improve learning. Teachers need training to use digital tools well, students need access to useful content, and schools need systems that can blend technology with ordinary classroom instruction.
The government should therefore set measurable goals for the scheme: whether students use the devices regularly for learning, whether their digital skills improve, and whether this leads to better educational outcomes. Independent evaluation would help determine if the programme deserves expansion. There is also a case for giving students in remote and low-income areas greater weight, since they stand to benefit most from access they currently lack.
Pakistan has launched laptop schemes before; what matters now is whether this one produces more than a distribution ceremony. Technology can widen opportunity, but only when it is tied to good teaching, reliable connectivity and clear educational purpose.
Sri Lanka stormed into the final of the One-day International tri-series after overwhelming Pakistan by eight wickets, chasing a modest target of 111 in just 18.1 overs at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.
Left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka delivered a career-best five for 34 to dismantle Pakistan for 110 in 25.3 overs before Kamindu Mendis struck an unbeaten 62 to guide Sri Lanka to 114-2, sealing victory with 31.5 overs to spare.
The result confirmed Sri Lanka’s place in Saturday’s final alongside Pakistan, who had already qualified after winning their first three matches. England’s remaining league fixture against Sri Lanka on Thursday consequently became a dead rubber.
Pakistan’s batting collapsed against a disciplined Sri Lankan attack after captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and elected to field. The hosts struggled to cope with Madushanka’s short-pitched deliveries and never recovered from losing wickets at regular intervals.
Babar Azam top-scored with 29 off 33 balls, including five boundaries, while Hasan Nawaz made 17. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi contributed 15 off 13 deliveries, striking two sixes in a late attempt to lift the total.
Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman for five in the fourth over when he mistimed a short delivery from Madushanka and was caught at point. Maaz Sadaqat, making his first appearance in the tri-series after being added to the squad a day earlier, managed eight before Asitha Fernando trapped him leg-before with a yorker.
Saad Baig fell for five, caught at short cover off Madushanka, while Salman Ali Agha made nine before edging Sahan Arachchige behind. Pakistan were 61-4 when Babar was trapped leg-before by Eshan Malinga for 29, having already lost their two reviews.
The collapse gathered pace as Arachchige dismissed Shadab Khan for two and Dunith Wellalage removed Hasan Nawaz, who was caught by Arachchige for 17. Pakistan slumped to 91-8, leaving the lower order with too much to do.
Madushanka returned to claim the remaining wickets, dismissing Arafat Minhas for 10 and Haris Rauf for one before ending the innings with Shaheen’s wicket. The Pakistan captain’s brief counterattack included two sixes, but he was caught by Wellalage as Madushanka completed his five-wicket haul. Arachchige took two wickets, while Asitha, Malinga and Wellalage claimed one apiece.
Sri Lanka’s reply began aggressively, with Kamindu and Avishka Fernando putting on 50 for the opening wicket in 6.5 overs. Avishka struck two fours in his 17-ball 16 before pulling Shaheen to Fakhar at short midwicket.
Kamindu, however, continued to score freely, reaching his half-century off 43 balls. He survived a dropped catch in Shaheen’s opening over and successfully reviewed an lbw decision before going on to finish unbeaten on 62 from 60 deliveries, with eight fours and two sixes.
Pakistan briefly found another breakthrough when Kusal, who had struck two boundaries in his six-ball eight, was bowled by Arafat for 8. The dismissal came in unusual fashion, as the ball ricocheted off the batter’s bat and into the stumps.
But the hosts could not build on the wicket. Pavan Rathnayake joined Kamindu and remained unbeaten on 23 off 26 balls, striking two fours as the pair guided Sri Lanka home without further loss.
Kamindu’s fluent innings ensured the chase remained firmly under control, while Rathnayake finished the contest by driving Maaz’s spin through cover-point for four.
Shaheen and Arafat took one wicket each, but Pakistan’s total left their bowlers with little margin for error.
Sri Lanka completed a comprehensive victory that capped a strong turnaround in the tournament, with their batters having also impressed in their earlier win over England.
For Pakistan, the defeat exposed familiar top-order weaknesses after their dramatic one-wicket victory over England on Sunday. Shadab’s unbeaten century had rescued that match, but this time the batting line-up failed to provide a competitive total.
Madushanka’s outstanding spell proved decisive, giving Sri Lanka the momentum to secure qualification and setting up a final against Pakistan on Saturday.
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