With Israel’s election yielding no clear winner, US President Donald Trump could face prolonged uncertainty over who will lead Washington’s closest Middle East ally as he confronts challenges from Iran and Gaza across the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc secured the most seats in Israel’s parliament but still lost its parliamentary majority on Tuesday, despite Trump having endorsed him against a rival alliance of parties led by hawkish former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

While Netanyahu seemed in a stronger position, neither side was projected to have an outright path to form a new government after Israel’s first election since the Hamas-led attacks of Oct 7, 2023, and the ensuing wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

The stage appeared to be set for a period of painstaking coalition bargaining or possibly another election while Netanyahu remains in power in a caretaker capacity.

The outcome will have implications for US-Israeli relations, which have been dominated by the joint fight against Iran, stalled Gaza peace efforts and signs of eroding US public support for Israel.

The uncertainty comes at a sensitive moment for Trump, when he and Netanyahu have threatened to join in another round of attacks against Iran.

“Israeli politics can be messy,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser in Democratic and Republican administrations.

From the US perspective, he said, “It would be good to get some clarity, but that’s easier said than done.”

Which outcome would Trump prefer?

Netanyahu a consummate political survivor who has had a close but sometimes turbulent relationship with Trump dating back decades may have survived again.

He is the longest-serving Israeli prime minister and the only one the US president has ever worked with.

Eisenkot, who projected an image as a political outsider and security-minded former general during the campaign, has seen his governing chances dimmed but not extinguished. He is not known to have ever met Trump.

Some analysts say creation of a broad unity government keeping Netanyahu in power might serve Trump’s interest in a politically stable Israeli partner. But neither side has shown a willingness to take that path.

Asked whether he was going to get involved in an effort to form a Netanyahu-led unity government, Trump told Axios on Wednesday he hadn’t thought about it, adding: “I will take a look.”

What does the election mean for the war in Iran?

Topping the list is how Trump might engage with Israel in the war against Iran, which has rocked the Middle East.

The eight-month-old conflict has disrupted global energy supplies, pushed up US gasoline prices and driven down his approval ratings, imperiling his Republicans’ control of Congress in the Nov 3 midterm elections.

Trump, in his Oct 18 endorsement, insisted he wanted Netanyahu to remain in power to help him soon “finish the job” against Iran. The president said overnight that Netanyahu, who outperformed pre-election polls, had done “very well” and that his backing had boosted the Israeli leader.

Trump has repeatedly signalled that the US and Israel could restart attacks on Iran after the midterms, with some critics, including in Israel, suggesting Netanyahu might see it as a way to bolster his political standing as caretaker prime minister.

Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy US national intelligence officer on the Middle East, said any future Israeli leadership would likely be on the same page as Trump if he decides to escalate from the current stalemate with Israel’s regional arch-foe.

“It’s hard to imagine any real daylight between them on that point,” said Panikoff, now at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.

Where Netanyahu and many Israelis have sometimes differed with Trump is when he has offered concessions in now-stalled negotiations with Tehran.

What are the implications for Gaza peace efforts?

No matter how Israel’s next government shapes up, there is little reason to believe there will be any sweeping shift in tough policies toward the Palestinians.

This does not bode well for breaking the diplomatic deadlock between Israel and Hamas and fully implementing Trumps Gaza peace plan following the war there.

Israel, in response to the group’s deadly cross-border attack, levelled much of the enclave and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Administration officials have privately expressed frustration over what they see as intransigence by Netanyahu, who has insisted that Hamas must first disarm.

Eisenkot, who lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war, stressed his military credentials while positioning himself as a centrist domestically during the election campaign.

He has vowed to break with Netanyahus far-right coalition allies, but not with the hawkish approach to security that has become more entrenched since the 2023 Hamas attack.

Like Netanyahu, Eisenkot opposes Palestinian statehood and says Hamas’s military wing must be destroyed.

But he has pledged to prevent violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which Netanyahus government has been accused of tolerating. Settler attacks have drawn criticism in recent weeks from US officials worried the territory could become another Middle East flashpoint.

What about Israel’s growing isolation?

Even as Israel’s political climate is expected to remain unsettled for some time, Trump may have to contend with what opinion polls project could be the Democrats’ takeover of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterms.

That could mean increased pressure from Democrats, whose support for Israel plunged over its conduct in the Gaza war, to curb billions of dollars in US aid and weapons supplies.

Some members of Trumps MAGA base have also become increasingly critical of Israel, accusing it of having misled Trump who campaigned for a second term on a promise to avoid foreign military interventions into believing Iran could easily be defeated.

Trump, in an interview with Axios in June, cautioned Netanyahu about Israel’s deepening international isolation, and most analysts say the trend may be irreversible, even with a new government.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is known for his unassuming and mild manner, but all eyes will soon be on him as he decides who to task with forming the next coalition government.

The decision is a weighty one given that partial results from Tuesday’s elections show neither the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor that of his rival Gadi Eisenkot securing a majority in parliament.

After the official announcement of the results, Herzog will consult with party representatives and name a candidate who has the best chance of forming a government — not necessarily the one whose party holds the most seats.

Under the law, the president, whose position is otherwise largely ceremonial, is afforded broad discretion, with no guidelines on how to make the choice.

As votes were being tallied on Wednesday, Herzog said he would receive the official results the following week, after which consultations would begin.

“One thing must be clear, and I said this before the elections too: we must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections,” he said.

“So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s pivotal vote, Herzog acknowledged there would be tremendous pressure, but vowed not to let outside influence, notably from US President Donald Trump, sway his decision.

“I don’t think the president of the United States or anybody else can intervene in my discretion,” he told US outlet MS Now.

“It’s Israel’s democracy and Israel’s constitution, and that’s what counts for me.”

Herzog told MS Now he would do everything he could to avoid a fresh election — a possibility if neither camp can cobble together a coalition — including backing a unity government between Netanyahu and Eisenkot.

‘Worthy and wonderful man’

Modest, diplomatic and with a strong political pedigree, 66-year-old Herzog was sworn in as Israel’s president in 2021 after being elected by lawmakers in a landslide.

Yair Lapid, now a member of Eisenkot’s broad opposition bloc, praised Herzog at the time as “a worthy and wonderful man who is always focused on the good of the country and the Jewish people”.

As president, Herzog has faced pressure from Trump to grant Netanyahu a pardon in his long-running corruption trials, which could land him in prison if he loses power.

In April, Herzog invited Netanyahu’s lawyers and prosecutors to his residence for talks on the issue.

Before he served as head of state, Herzog was elected to Israel’s parliament in 2003 and held portfolios including housing, tourism and welfare.

In 2015, as leader of Israel’s centre-left Labour party, Herzog vied to oust Netanyahu as prime minister, presenting himself as a subdued, even-keeled alternative to the bombastic “Bibi”.

Netanyahu, now 77, is Israel’s longest-serving premier, having governed on-and-off for nearly two decades.

Tuesday’s election was seen as a referendum on the veteran leader’s tenure after he pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of military campaigns in response to Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack.

‘Bring a real change’

In an interview with AFP in March 2026, Herzog said the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran marked a “historical juncture”.

“There comes a moment that after well over a generation of endless wars, bloodshed and terror, the root cause of it, which comes from Tehran, will be blocked and stopped, and the whole direction of the region will change,” he said.

“Let’s help us bring a real change so that there will be a different future in the region.”

He also stressed the importance of talks with Lebanon, with the two sides sitting down the following month for direct negotiations that are still ongoing.

Herzog’s Irish-born father, Chaim Herzog, served as head of Israel’s military intelligence, then went on to become its ambassador to the United Nations and finally its sixth president, from 1983 to 1993.

Herzog’s grandfather and namesake — Rabbi Yitzhak (Isaac) HaLevi Herzog — was the first chief rabbi for Israel’s Ashkenazis, the branch of Judaism whose roots are in eastern Europe.

At the helm of the Labour party, Herzog worked to steer its focus back to peace with the Palestinians.

He answers to the nickname “Bougie” — reportedly given to him by his Egyptian-born mother, who mixed the French word for doll “poupee” with its Hebrew equivalent “buba”.

LAHORE: Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi was moved from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology on Wednesday due to high blood pressure, her lawyer said.

Three sisters of the ex-premier — Noreen, Aleema Khan, and Uzma Khan — have been detained since Sept 21 under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 (MPO) on the Lahore deputy commissioner’s (DC) orders. They are currently serving the second term of a 30-day detention under the MPO, which was extended on Oct 7.

Noreen’s counsel Rana Mudassar Umer told Dawn that she had been taken to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology on the recommendation of the jail doctors.

She was brought to the hospital at around 7:30pm and hospital sources said doctors were performing her tests, he added.

No family member has been informed about her deteriorating health condition, the lawyer claimed.

Umer further alleged that the jail authorities were consistently denying medicines to Imran’s sisters. He said Uzma, who was a heart patient, had also been denied medicines, adding that they were eventually delivered to her upon the Lahore High Court (LHC)’s order after her husband approached the court.

When contacted, a senior jail officer refuted the accusations, telling Dawn that medicines and daily-use items were allowed to be provided to the inmates and that the three sisters were getting all such items.

Noreen’s lawyer further said that no family members or counsel had been allowed to meet the sisters. Umer said he had filed multiple petitions before the Punjab home secretary and the Lahore DC seeking meetings of the detained sisters with their family and lawyers, but the DC had not responded.

Regarding the meetings, the jail officer said this was the jurisdiction of the Lahore DC, and jail authorities could allow such meetings on a by-name written order issued by the DC.

Imran’s sisters were detained by authorities in September, under Section 3 of the MPO, as the PTI geared up for a planned protest march towards Islamabad.

Their detention was ordered for 30 days and would have expired on Oct 19 for Aleema and Oct 20 for Uzma and Noreen, according to Umer. However, they remained in jail, and the government later informed the LHC that their detentions had been extended on Oct 7.

On Sept 24, the LHC had turned down a request to immediately suspend the preventive detention notifications issued against Noreen and Dr Uzma.

Earlier this month, Imran’s cousin, Qasim Zaman, was also taken into custody when he went to Adiala jail to meet the ex-prime minister.

The detention had come amid reports of a crackdown on the PTI ahead of its countrywide protest and march to Islamabad, which the party had called to demand Imran’s release from jail and mobilise people for the supremacy of the Constitution.

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam—Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday accused the government of misusing the Constitution and resorting to unconstitutional measures in imposing governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Centre imposed governor’s rule and emergency in KP on Oct 11, citing the provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The move had drawn criticism from the opposition, as well as Fazl, who had made efforts to reduce tensions between the federal and the KP governments.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, Fazl noted the Centre’s stance was that it took the measures according to the Constitution.

He alleged, “The government has misused the Constitution […] Here, just as the law is misused, the Constitution was misused.”

The senior politician asserted that by imposing governor’s rule in KP, transfer of power took place “by force”, rather than by public opinion.

“I may have my reservations about the [KP] government, but this is not the way to enact change, by bringing about a revolution and upending everything. You must go to the people for that.”

He also blamed Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for failing to protect the sanctity of the Constitution and the Parliament.

Responding to the JUI-F chief’s accusations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said that governor’s rule in KP was only in place for six months, and the emergency was imposed in only a few districts affected by terrorism.

“You have to be on one side, either remain with the state of Pakistan or be supportive of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the minister said.

He noted that the situation in Balochistan was different to that of KP, where he said the chief minister, PTI’s Sohail Afridi, was using provincial resources to march on Islamabad. Chaudhry alleged that Afridi “even defended the terrorists”.

Fazl calls for ‘Charter of Democracy’

While criticising the government in his speech, Fazl called for establishing a new Charter of Democracy to save the country from “unconstitutional” actions and potential violence.

“This Parliament is a representative institution of the people, but the capacity for tolerance has ended and matters are deteriorating,” the veteran politician contended.

Fazl said the simultaneous imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in KP might be the first instance in history that such provisions were applied but only in certain areas of the province.

“Governor’s rule [is in force] in half of the province, emergency in the other half,” he said, apparently referring to the special emergency measures in 12 districts that are overseen by a council.

Fazl also recalled his efforts to defuse political tensions during the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad and said that the party’s leaders had asked him to play a role in resolving the matter.

He said that after subsequent discussions with senior PML-N and PTI leadership, he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who asked for the PTI’s long march to be called off.

“The following day, [Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister] Ishaq Dar called me and said that the cabinet was not agreeing to the proposal and that governor’s rule must be imposed in KP,” Fazl recalled.

Narrating the events of Oct 11, Fazl said he received a phone call at around 9:30am wherein he was told that his efforts were being discussed in the cabinet meeting, which later decided to impose emergency and governor’s rule in KP.

“At 10:30am, I received a phone call from Ishaq Dar saying that the cabinet is not agreeing to this. And they are saying that governor’s rule must be imposed there at all costs,” the JUI-F leader said.

“So I said that all the effort made since yesterday was being negated. I was hoping that you brought about a consensus, but the government negated it.”

Maintaining that all of his efforts had been aimed at “preventing bloodshed”, Fazl questioned the government’s ability to maintain law and order, particularly in Balochistan, asking whether the situation there was worse than in KP with the reported kidnapping of commissioners.

“How can the federal government claim that it has succeeded in maintaining law and order?” he asked.

Fazl responds to those ‘doubting his patriotism’

Fazl also said those who doubted his patriotism should know that his party had made significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and regretted that its martyrs and contributions were being ridiculed.

Days after the Centre imposed emergency in KP, the JUI-F chief accused it of depriving the provinces of their rights and raised doubts over its reasoning that there was a lack of cooperation by the KP government on counterterrorism.

The next day, following rebuke from several federal ministers, Fazl stressed that his party’s criticism of the government was directed at policies, not institutions, and was intended to bring about corrective action rather than undermine the sacrifices made in the fight against terrorism.

“My party is a party of martyrs. You do not see our martyrs, and our sacrifices are being mocked,” Fazl told the House.

The JUI-F chief said Pakistan belonged to all its citizens and not to any one person, while questioning the government over the debate on mineral resources.

He added that his party was mobilising its political strength to resist what he described as “government encroachments”, insisting that the JUI-F had not violated any limits.

“If the government is prepared for a confrontation, we are also ready to confront it,” he said, reminding the government of times when he stood at the forefront to support efforts to protect the country from political turmoil.

Urging the government to refrain from pursuing a policy of force, he warned, “We are prepared to die. We are prepared to die at your hands, but we are not prepared to die at the hands of history. If you are prepared for a confrontation, we are sitting here ready for it.”

He went on to say that the state was like a mother, “but this mother is not treating all her children fairly”.

The federal government on Oct 11 imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in KP under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution following the president’s approval of the recommendations by the federal cabinet.

The move drew criticism from the opposition, including Fazl, as well as Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayin-i-Pakistan.

In the days preceding the imposition of governor’s rule in KP, political tensions between the Centre and the opposition — including the PTI which was in power in KP — had remained high since jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party announced a protest march to Islamabad to demand his release.

On Oct 16, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the “head of a party” was “extremely upset over being denied a role in the new setup in KP and not getting the governorship”, seemingly referring to Fazl.

This politician, Naqvi told journalists in Lahore, had remained “dependent on the establishment for decades to advance his political career”.

The next day, Fazl termed the allegations levelled against him by federal ministers as character assassination.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday dismissed a statement by Afghanistan’s defence ministry regarding the firing at Angoor Adda border area, terming it a “fabrication of lies”.

Afghan security forces opened unprovoked fire on Pakistan Army border posts and residential areas in the border area in Lower South Waziristan on Tuesday. The attack, which violated border protocols, claimed the life of one local and injured five, while provoking a swift response from security forces.

Subsequently, the Afghan defence ministry claimed that Pakistani military personnel “without any provocation or justification” launched drones targeting the Angoor Adda bazaar and the commissioner’s office in Paktika province. It claimed that Afghan forces “launched retaliatory strikes against a nearby Pakistani military base and outposts”, alleging that Pakistan was the aggressor.

In response, the ministry’s fact-checking account on X said: “[The] Afghan Taliban regime’s latest fabrication of lies on Angoor Adda border incident again confirms their deceitful character.

“Fact of the matter is that their cowardly forces initiated unprovoked fire and mortar shelling on unarmed civilians on [the] Pakistani side,” the ministry said, adding that the actions were following the “pattern and instructions of their proxy masters India”.

Pakistan’s security forces gave an immediate and effective response, the ministry said, adding that they inflicted heavy casualties as well as material losses on the Afghan side, including the destruction of seven posts.

“Such lies of [the] Taliban regime’s so-called official spokespersons carry no value and are part of a litany of fabricated stories that they keep on telling, mostly to their own people suffering under their imposed and non-representative regime,” the ministry said.

Earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the firing from the Afghan side, asserting that Pakistan would “never tolerate” attacks on its people or violations of its sovereignty.

The governor added that KP had “sacrificed thousands of lives in the fight against terrorism, and we will not allow anyone to threaten our people or undermine our security”.

“Any aggression against Pakistan will be confronted with unwavering resolve. Our armed forces have the full backing of the nation to defend every inch of our soil, and no threat or hostile act will weaken our determination to protect Pakistan,” he warned.

According to officials, the firing originated from posts located inside Afghan territory and targeted Pakistani border posts with small and heavy weapons.

Sources said that Pakistani forces launched an immediate and effective retaliatory action, engaging multiple Afghan Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive bunkers with small and heavy arms, including artillery. The “intense and accurate response” forced the Afghan Taliban to abandon their posts and flee.

The border at Angoor Adda is one of the most important and sensitive crossings along the Pak-Afghan border, serving as a key trade route and one of the main points of public movement between the two countries.

Border violations from the Afghan side have become a routine matter as ties between the two neighbours have remained strained in the past few years over counterterrorism measures.

Pak-Afghan tensions

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, that are used for attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

September witnessed another bout of conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

On Sept 21, in response to recent major terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan conducted “calibrated” airstrikes in the border region with Afghanistan against terrorist hideouts, with the government saying more than 28 terrorists were killed.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the action as part of Operation Ghazab lil Haq, which was launched on the night of Feb 26 in response to unprovoked cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban.

Days later, Pakistan shot down eight drones launched from across the border that had entered Pakistani airspace near the Torkham border and Kohat. It was also reported that the Afghan Taliban engaged in unprovoked firing the night before near Kurram as security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to cross into Pakistan.

In retaliation for the drone incursion, Pakistan conducted “precision aerial and drone strikes” in 10 locations across Afghanistan.

A demarche was also delivered to the Afghan side on Sept 26 on account of the Sept 23 airspace violation by drones, the Foreign Office said.

On Oct 1, Pakistan again carried out “well-planned and calibrated” airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, the information ministry said, adding that the strikes resulted in the deaths of “multiple terrorists”.

Around mid-October, the state media reported that security forces had again responded to unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in KP’s Upper Kurram.

It quoted security sources as saying that several personnel of the Afghan Taliban were “reportedly killed during the Pakistan Army’s retaliatory action along the Ghuzgarhi border”. The sources further said that in the Upper Kurram sector, the army targeted the Afghan Taliban’s Topsar post and Shipola base camp with artillery fire, reportedly completely destroying the latter.

The border skirmishes came a day after the Foreign Office said that talks with Afghanistan could not be unconditional, but also rejected suggestions that Islamabad was unwilling to engage with its neighbour and said it would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries to help resolve the dispute.

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Wednesday dubbed the progress on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hydropower and Renewable Energy Development project “moderately unsatisfactory”, with “substantial risk” to its $727 million loan meant for strengthening provincial institutions and increasing renewable energy generation.

In its public disclosure, the Washington-based lending agency rated the progress towards the achievement of project development objectives as “moderately unsatisfactory”. Various segments of the loan were approved in 2020 with a targeted completion date of Nov 30, 2027.

However, the World Bank rated the overall implementation progress as “moderately satisfactory” and described the overall risk rating as “substantial”.

The rating was based on “moderate” risk in the political and governance and technical design categories, but “substantial” risks emanated from macroeconomic, institutional capacity, fiduciary issues and environmental and social parameters.

According to a World Bank document, each dimension is rated on a four-point scale — high, substantial, moderate, or low— depending on the likelihood that the risk will materialise and the expected severity of its impact if it does materialise.

The bank said it processed restructuring of the project to align its scope and financing with implementation priorities at the request of the government.

The report stated: “Overall, implementation has gained momentum, with key milestones achieved under the Gabral-Kalam Hydropower Project, including commencement of civil works, progress on land acquisition and advancement of the electro-mechanical works procurement.

“The project will continue to focus on timely implementation, effective contract management, and compliance with applicable environmental and social requirements.”

The original loan package, approved on Sept 24, 2020, involved a $594m investment in hydropower development and renewable energy, $59m in environmental and social management, $55m for institutional strengthening and project implementation support, besides about $15m in financial charges on the bank loan itself.

The market-based bank loan worth $200m became effective in Sept 2020, but only $3.95m has been disbursed so far, accounting for less than two per cent.

The concessional development loan of $240m became effective around the same time and its disbursements amounted to $34m to date, about 14pc of the size.

The KP Hydropower and Renewable Energy Development project was conceived as a transformational programme to help build capacity and institutions for harvesting the vast renewable energy potential in the province.

To achieve the objectives, the project was designed to be implemented through four components: one of them being the development of public sector investments in hydropower and renewable energy projects, including the Gabral-Kalam Hydropower Plant (GKH), an 88-megawatt (MW) run-of-river hydropower project capable of generating 339 gigawatt hours (GWh) annually.

Another component covered cascade development of river basins and financing the construction of 157MW Madyan and other hydropower facilities on the Swat and other river basins.

The total hydropower potential of the Swat River Basin was estimated to be more than 2,000MW for which several projects had been identified and new potential sites were required to be examined.

Additionally, floating or land-based solar photovoltaic systems (a type of solar panel) on hydropower assets were envisioned.

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday, where the United States government would grant them entry visas after he refused to comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court order to surrender his passports.

Bolsonaro, who lost last Sunday’s presidential election to leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left Brazil under a shroud of secrecy after the court order, which relates to a money-laundering investigation in which he denies wrongdoing.

Images showed Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters disembarking from a Gulfstream G400 and heading into Miami’s Opa-Locka Executive Airport.

Their journey to the United States captured attention across the region. They entered northern Argentina late on Tuesday evening, according to the country’s migration department, and then took a private jet to the Ecuadorean city of Guayaquil. From there, they flew to Miami.

Neither Argentina’s presidency, Ecuadorean ministries nor Baires Fly, the operator of the private jet, responded to requests for comment.

Fresh Brazil-US rift

Bolsonaro’s departure threatens to deepen a rift between the two most populous nations in the Americas.

Lula has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaro family to help return them to power. Ahead of Sunday’s election, Reuters reported on a US State Department campaign to restore the Bolsonaros to office.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he would approve of Bolsonaro coming to the United States, after his State Department said it would give them entry visas.

Trump has previously alleged that Flavio’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil.

Jair Bolsonaro also travelled to the United States after refusing to concede defeat to Lula in 2022, during Joe Biden’s presidency. He eventually returned to Brazil but was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia.

Flavio Bolsonaro had been widely expected to win Sunday’s election but suffered a shock defeat.

Bolsonaro, who loses his immunity from prosecution when his Senate term ends in February, said on Monday after the order to hand in his passports that he had no plans to flee.

“I have never thought about leaving the country,” he said. “I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me.”

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday regretted the course adopted by a bench of the Supreme Court on an already determined matter by describing the approach as “something that raises serious concerns regarding judicial discipline, legal norms and institutional propriety”.

“The course adopted in the subsequent order, authored by Justice Munib Akhtar, raises serious concerns regarding judicial discipline, legal norms and institutional propriety, particularly when the earlier determination remained operative and was already the subject of review proceedings,” observed FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan in his order.

A two-judge FCC bench, comprising Justice Aminuddin and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, had taken up dozens of review petitions against a Dec 28, 2021 SC judgment, whereby leave to appeal was refused in a batch of petitions arising out of Sindh High Court’s 2020 order concerning the constitutional validity of the Income Support Levy Act 2013.

The two-judge SC bench had upheld that the Income Support Levy Act, having been enacted through the Finance Act 2013 without observance of the legislative procedure prescribed by the Constitution, did not acquire the status of a valid law.

The bench comprised Justice Aminuddin — who now heads the FCC formed under the 26th Amendment — and Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who went on to become the SC chief justice in 2023. Justice Isa penned the judgment.

Despite the 2021 decision and the pendency of the present review petitions, a subsequent three-judge SC bench, including Justice Akhtar, through its June 21, 2022 order, granted leave on substantially identical constitutional questions and expressly contemplated reconsideration of the earlier determination.

In his judgment, the FCC chief justice also criticised the SC’s subsequent conduct by describing the development as an aspect of institutional significance concerning judicial discipline and consistency of judicial pronouncements.

Justice Aminuddin recalled that the constitutional validity of the Income Support Levy Act had already been examined by the two-judge SC bench in the ‘Commissioner Inland Revenue versus Muhammad Mustafa Gigi’ case in which the appeal was refused.

The FCC top judge went on to express “serious concerns” over the 2022 SC ruling by Justice Akhtar.

“It is a settled principle that coordinate or subsequent benches must accord due regard to earlier judicial determinations and any departure therefrom must conform to the established principles governing judicial precedent and the prescribed institutional procedure,” he stated.

Although refusal of leave does not invariably preclude consideration of a distinct petition, a subsequent grant of leave cannot, by itself, operate to review, modify or displace an earlier determination, ruled the FCC.

Judicial independence must be exercised consistently with judicial discipline, restraint and institutional decorum, the FCC chief justice stressed.

He added that the course adopted in the subsequent proceedings, insofar as it contemplated reconsideration of the 2021 judgment, “without recourse to the appropriate judicial mechanism, was inconsistent with these requirements”.

“We reiterate that adherence to judicial discipline is indispensable to maintaining certainty, consistency and the institutional integrity of judicial adjudication,” Justice Aminuddin observed.

Referring to the present review petitions, he noted that the 2021 SC judgment under review does not suffer from any error apparent on the face of the record or other fundamental defect warranting interference in review jurisdiction.

The constitutional questions raised therein were duly examined and determined, and no sufficient legal ground was established for their reconsideration, Justice Aminuddin observed.

Consequently, the instant review petitions were dismissed, and the Dec 28, 2021 judgment “shall remain undisturbed”.

The FCC order recalled that the principal controversy determined by the 2021 SC ruling concerned the constitutional character of the Income Support Levy introduced through the Finance Act 2013, and whether the legislation imposing such levy could validly be enacted as a Money Bill within the contemplation of Article 73(2) of the Constitution.

Upon consideration of these provisions, it concluded that the levy, notwithstanding its financial implications, did not fall within the constitutional classification of a Money Bill and that its enactment was consequently required to undergo the ordinary legislative procedure involving both Houses of Parliament.

“The distinction between a Money Bill and ordinary legislation is substantive and reflects the constitutional allocation of legislative authority between the two Houses of Parliament,” the FCC noted.

It said that Article 73 (procedure with respect to Money Bill) constituted a “limited exception to the ordinary legislative procedure” prescribed under Article 70 (introduction and passing of bills) and cannot be expanded “merely by characterising a legislative measure as a levy or incorporating it into a Finance Act”.

As labourers gathered at a roadside in northern Afghanistan, Ghulam Sakhi Barat joined the search for work, with millions of new arrivals intensifying pressure for jobs and homes.

More than six million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan in little over three years as the neighbouring countries have launched deportation drives after decades hosting those fleeing conflict.

With seven relatives to support in Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province, Barat said “people are going hungry” as a result of the influx.

“Since the returnees arrived, there have been fewer jobs for local people,” the 83-year-old said, wearing a frayed waistcoat.

“Help is being given to the returnees, but no help is being given to the people who were already living here.”

Jawzjan may be hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the frontiers with Iran and Pakistan, but Afghans have travelled far and wide to reach areas they or their relatives fled years earlier.

Abdul Qader Hotak, 60, returned to the province after two decades in Pakistan, despite his family having no land or property in the area.

“My children used to go to school and study in Pakistan … Now, all of them collect rubbish to earn something,” he said, eight months after being deported.

In one part of the province, Aqcha, the United Nations projects the population will surge by more than 26 per cent due to the mass returns, with water becoming a “critical flashpoint” in the drought-hit district.

Faqir Mohammad Khudabakhsh, a mason who has spent two decades going back and forth to Iran, said he is now only able to get work three days a week.

“Everyone who has returned to Afghanistan needs a place to live and a job, but they have neither,” the 54-year-old said, surrounded by fellow labourers in Sheberghan.

“Instead of spending money on food and clothes, they have to spend it on rent. I’m sorry to say this, but we are suffering from malnutrition,” he added, in paint-splattered khaki trousers.

Nearly one in three Afghans — 15.9 million people — are facing food insecurity at crisis levels or worse, according to UN data.

Competition for housing is fierce, with residents who spoke to AFP reporting rent surging by as much as 150 percent in recent years.

‘God will surely provide’

At the provincial information directorate, the director said there are “no unresolved issues facing local residents or returnees”.

“We have no unemployed people in Afghanistan, unless someone is simply too fond of their own comfort and chooses not to work,” said Saifuddin Muhtasem, sitting beside a globe and a bookshelf shaped like the map of Afghanistan.

The government has established a committee operating nationwide to control rent prices and prevent hikes, he said.

But a 30-year-old civil servant told AFP he had never heard of such a committee and that his rent has doubled in 18 months.

“Economic problems have increased since the returnees arrived,” said Ahmadi, who only gave one name for security reasons.

Sustained support is vital for both the returnees and the communities hosting them, the UN warned in September.

“Competition over scarce resources risks fuelling grievances, increasing displacement and promoting instability,” said Georgette Gagnon, the deputy special representative of the UN mission in Afghanistan.

The challenges are compounded by prolonged drought in Jawzjan, where the air is imbued with dust and the landscape dotted with domed mud homes and camels grazing.

Most of the province’s water is now unfit for drinking or farming, said the information director, putting his hopes in a canal project which is expected to take another two years to complete.

“While the people of Afghanistan are not dying of hunger or thirst, they are in dire need of shelter,” said Muhtasem, who encouraged international organisations to come and build homes for returnees in the province.

“As for the rest, God will surely provide.”

KARACHI: Around 51,000 metric tonnes of imported wheat arrived at Karachi Port on Wednesday, according to the Karachi Port Trust (KPT).

“The geared vessel MV GOKOVA M, carrying a declared manifest of 51,000 metric tonnes of wheat, was allocated Berths 16 and 17 and arrived at Karachi Port at 1225 hours on Oct 28,” the press release said.

It added that another geared vessel, MV GREAT RAINBOW, carrying 59,132 metric tonnes of wheat, was expected to arrive on Nov 3.

“Together, the two vessels represent a declared wheat cargo volume of over 110,000 metric tonnes,” the KPT said, highlighting the port’s capacity to facilitate bulk commodity handling through Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose Limited (KGTML) and support the smooth flow of essential imports.

“The KPT is facilitating the handling of bulk wheat cargo at KGTML, reinforcing Karachi Port’s role in supporting the country’s essential commodity imports and ensuring efficient cargo operations,” the press release said.

On Monday, Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain announced that the government would maintain strategic wheat reserves of up to six million tonnes.

He asserted that there would be no shortage of wheat in Pakistan this year as adequate arrangements were in place to meet the national requirements. He further stated that arrangements could be made to import up to 550,000 metric tonnes of wheat in accordance with provincial requirements and demand.

Expressing concern over recent fluctuations in wheat prices, Hussain described the prevailing price hike as artificial and manipulated by certain market elements.

He maintained that sufficient wheat stocks were available in the country and expressed confidence that prices would return to normal within the next few days.

The food security minister emphasised that the government was closely monitoring market developments and would take necessary measures to discourage artificial shortages, speculative practices and unjustified price increases.

Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced the indicative price of Rs4,500 per maund of wheat for 2027, raising the price by Rs1,000 from last year.

DPM Dar chairs meeting on wheat

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee on Wheat on Wednesday.

“The committee evaluated overall grain availability across the country and examined import plans aimed at keeping local supplies steady,” according to the Foreign Office.

It said Dar stressed that “maintaining sufficient stocks and preventing any disruption in grain supply remain a top priority for the government”.

He noted that smooth coordination between federal and provincial bodies is vital to keep prices affordable for the public, the statement said.

The deputy prime minister “directed the concerned authorities to monitor market trends closely and ensure that the supply of wheat is adequate and atta prices are on a downward trajectory,” it added.

In a recent meeting, DPM Dar had directed federal and provincial governments to take all necessary measures, including increasing market supply, to bring wheat prices under control.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed that artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation could improve Pakistan’s trade, exports and other areas of development and called for effective implementation of the government’s strategic partnership with global marketing company Alibaba.

The premier was chairing a meeting in Islamabad reviewing progress on the use of AI and digitalisation in the economy and governance, as well as cooperation with Alibaba in these areas, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The secret to Pakistan’s development lies in artificial intelligence and digitalisation,” the PMO quoted him as saying.

During the meeting, he said the effective use of digitalisation, AI and modern technology could play a “vital role in improving trade, exports, agricultural productivity, ease of doing business and the quality of public services in Pakistan”, PMO said.

PM Shehbaz welcomed Alibaba’s cooperation in facilitating Pakistani agricultural exports to Chinese markets, highlighting that modernising the agricultural sector was essential for national development. He also welcomed cooperation with Alibaba on automation in agriculture.

The prime minister directed that an AI-assisted cancer early-detection system be implemented at the earliest in collaboration with Alibaba. He also directed that a 15-day AI training programme for IT graduates be launched soon under the IT ministry’s Ignite programme, in collaboration with Alibaba.

The prime minister recalled that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Alibaba at the company’s headquarters in Hangzhou during his visit to China in May.

He said the government’s top priorities included making full use of its strategic partnership with the global company to improve small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) access to global markets and create new opportunities for technology-driven development in the country.

The prime minister directed all relevant authorities to ensure that cooperation with Alibaba was translated into tangible results through clearly defined targets, timelines and effective monitoring of all projects. He instructed the relevant ministries to complete all necessary measures by November and submit a progress report.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) was directed to introduce an analytics system for monitoring the petroleum products supply chain in collaboration with Alibaba, the PMO statement said, adding that Ogra was being provided with AI tools for it.

The Export Promotion Board was also instructed to work with Alibaba to help increase Pakistan’s exports.

During the briefing on progress in strategic cooperation between Alibaba and the Pakistani government, the meeting was informed that work was under way on AI-based models for agriculture, track-and-trace technology for tobacco, and digital platforms to facilitate the export of citrus fruits and olives.

A dedicated Pakistan pavilion has also been established on Alibaba’s platform to promote Pakistani products in international markets, PMO added. A system for the digital verification of trade documents through Pakistan Single Window has been made operational as well.

Meanwhile, a two-year programme is being launched through collaboration between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and Alibaba to provide SMEs with access to international markets, training and e-commerce opportunities.

The meeting also reviewed progress on developing an advanced data platform and a central data hub for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL), as well as a proposed pilot project for AI-assisted cancer diagnosis.

Initiatives involving the use of digital technology and AI in higher education, railways, postal services and urban administration are also “in the final stages of completion”, the statement added.

Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan, Dr Musadik Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Syed Mustafa Kamal and Abdul Aleem Khan attended the meeting, along with Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and relevant senior officials.

During the premier’s four-day visit to China in May this year, Pakistan expressed its support for “China’s initiative of establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), believing that this represents a concrete step toward promoting the development of artificial intelligence for good and for all”.

In July, Pakistan became a founding member of WAICO after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement establishing the forum in Shanghai, China.

Earlier this year, PM Shehbaz announced the government’s plan to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030.

Most of us feel a small knot in the stomach when someone mentions a “tax return”. We picture stacks of paper, a consultant’s fee, and a long queue at a tax office.

The good news is that none of that is needed any more.

If you are a salaried person, you can file your return yourself, from home, on the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) online portal, IRIS.

It is free and with your papers in hand it usually takes under an hour.

This guide walks you through it, one click at a time.

For Tax Year 2026, the last date to file is Oct 31.

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Why should I bother filing at all?

Think of your tax return as the yearly hisaab (account) you settle at your neighbourhood shop.

All year, your employer has been paying tax on your behalf every month, just like items going onto a shop’s khata (record). The return is the day you sit down with the shopkeeper, match the totals and sign off.

If the shop owes you, you get it back. If you owe a little, you clear it. Either way, the book is closed and you walk away with a clean slate.

Once your hisaab is settled, your name goes onto the FBR’s “Active Taxpayers List” (ATL). That is what people mean when they say someone is a “filer”.

Being a filer matters in everyday life. Non-filers pay noticeably higher tax on things like bank transactions, buying a car or property, and other big-ticket dealings.

And being late has become expensive. From this year, an individual who misses the deadline must pay a surcharge of Rs 25,000 to get back onto the ATL. Until last year it was Rs 1,000.

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Do I need to file?

You should file if any of these apply to you for the year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026:

• Your salary was more than Rs600,000 for the year (Rs50,000 a month).
• You own a car with an engine capacity above 1,000cc, or own a plot or house of 500 square yards or more, or a flat in a city.
• You earned rent, profit on savings, dividends or business income.
• You want to enjoy filer rates on banking, property or vehicle deals.

A common misunderstanding that comes up every tax season is the following: “My employer already cuts tax from my salary, so I’m covered.”

You are not. Your employer pays the tax, but only you can file the return. Without it, you will not appear on the ATL.

A simple rule of thumb: if in doubt, file. Even if you owe nothing, a return showing zero tax still makes you a filer.

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What does ‘Tax Year 2026’ mean?

This one confuses almost everyone.

Tax Year 2026 simply means the income you earned from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. It is named after the year in which it ends.

So the return you are filing now, in October 2026, is for the salary you received over the last financial year.

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What do I need before I start?

Keep these ready before you open the website. IRIS can be slow during the filing season, so the less you have to hunt for midway, the better.

• Your Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC)
• A mobile number registered in your own name, and an email address you can open.
• Your salary certificate (also called the annual tax deduction certificate) from your employer. It shows your total salary and the total tax deducted for the year. Ask your HR or accounts department.
• Tax deducted on other things, such as your mobile phone bills, car token tax, and profit on bank savings. Your bank can give you a withholding tax certificate.
• A list of what you own and what you owe on June 30, 2026: property, car, cash at home, bank balances, gold, any loans.
• Rough figures for your household expenses for the year: rent, utilities, school fees, travel and so on.
• Last year’s return, if you filed one. It makes the wealth statement much easier.

Tip: write all these figures down in a notebook or a simple spreadsheet first. Typing them into IRIS from a ready sheet is quick and stress-free.

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Step 1: How do I register if this is my first time?

If you have filed before, skip to Step 2.

• Go to iris.fbr.gov.pk.
• Click “Registration for Unregistered Person”.
• Enter your CNIC (without dashes), your name, your mobile number and your email address. Use a SIM that is registered against your own CNIC; shared or relatives’ numbers are a common cause of trouble.
• FBR will send you two one-time codes: one by SMS and one by email. Enter both.
• You will then receive your login password, again by SMS and email.
• Log in using your CNIC as the user name. You will be asked to fill a short registration form (called Form 181) with your address and source of income. If you are salaried, you will need your employer’s name and National Tax Number (NTN), which Human Resources can give you.
• Submit it. Once accepted, your CNIC number becomes your NTN number.

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Step 2: How do I open the return form?

• Log in at iris.fbr.gov.pk with your CNIC and password.
• From the top menu, click “Declaration”, then choose the income tax return.
• Select the period 2026.
• If most of your income comes from salary (more than half), choose Form 114(I). This is the simplified return made for salaried people, and it is by far the easiest.

Your personal details will already be filled in from your registration. Just check them.

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Step 3: How do I enter my salary?

Take out your salary certificate. You need two numbers from it:

• Total salary for the year.

• Total tax deducted by your employer.

Enter them in the salary section exactly as they appear. Do not round off and do not estimate. The figures should match what your employer has reported to FBR.

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Step 4: How do I claim the tax I have already paid elsewhere?

Throughout the year, small amounts of tax were also taken from you in other places. These are called “withholding taxes” and many of them can be “adjusted”, meaning they count towards your total bill.

Common ones include tax on:

• mobile phone bills

• internet bills

• car token tax

IRIS often fills some of these in automatically. Check each figure against your bills and certificates, and add anything that is missing.

Going back to our shop: this is like reminding the shopkeeper of the payments you already made on the side. They belong in the hisaab.

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Step 5: What is the wealth statement and how do I fill it?

The wealth statement is a snapshot of what you owned and what you owed on 30 June 2026.

You list your:

• Assets: house or plot, car, bank balances, cash in hand, gold and jewellery, investments.

• Liabilities: home loan, car loan, money borrowed from someone.

• Personal expenses for the year: rent, utilities, school fees, travel, and so on.

Here is the part that confuses people. IRIS checks that your story adds up.

What you owned last year + what you earned this year − what you spent = what you own this year.

If these do not match, IRIS shows an “unreconciled amount”. It must come to zero before you can submit.

This is the shopkeeper’s khata again. The opening balance, plus what came in, minus what went out, must equal the closing balance. If it does not, usually an expense or an asset is missing or mistyped. Go back, check your figures, and adjust honestly.

Be truthful here. Penalties for hiding assets or giving misleading information have been raised sharply this year. Declaring what you own is your protection, not a risk.

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Step 6: How do I know if I owe anything?

Click “Calculate”. IRIS will work out your tax and compare it with what has already been paid. You will see one of three results:

• Zero: your employer has paid exactly the right amount. This is the most common outcome for salaried people.

• Refundable: you have paid more than you owed. You may claim this back.

• Payable: you owe a little more.

For a sense of scale, here is roughly what a salaried person owes for Tax Year 2026:

Monthly salary	Yearly salary	Yearly tax
Rs 50,000	Rs 600,000	Nil
Rs 100,000	Rs 1,200,000	Rs 6,000
Rs 200,000	Rs 2,400,000	Rs 162,000

If your employer has been deducting tax properly, most of this will already be paid.

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Step 7: How do I pay if there is a balance?

• In IRIS, create a payment slip for income tax. This generates a PSID, a payment slip ID number.
• Pay that PSID through your bank’s mobile app, internet banking or at a branch.
• Once paid, you get a CPR (Computerised Payment Receipt) number.
• Enter the CPR number in your return so IRIS knows the tax has been paid.

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Step 8: How do I submit?

• Check the unreconciled amount once more. It must be zero.
• Click “Submit”.
• Enter the PIN you created when you first registered.
• IRIS will issue an acknowledgement slip. Download it and keep it safe, along with a copy of your return. This is your proof of filing.

Congratulations. Your hisaab is closed for the year.

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Step 9: How do I check that I am now a filer?

Once the ATL is updated, you can check your status in two easy ways:

• By SMS: type ATL, a space, then your 13-digit CNIC, and send it to 9966.

• Online: search your CNIC on the ATL section of FBR’s website.

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What if IRIS is slow or keeps giving errors?

You will not be alone. IRIS has been sluggish this season, especially close to the deadline.

• File early. Do not wait for the final day.

• Try during quiet hours, early morning or late at night.

• Click “Save” often. The auto-save feature has been removed this year, so an unsaved page can be lost.

• Keep your figures on paper or in a spreadsheet, so re-entering them is quick if something goes wrong.

• If an error message makes no sense, take a screenshot and contact the FBR’s helpline or a tax practitioner.

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Myths vs reality

Myth: “My employer deducts tax, so I don’t need to file.”
Reality: Your employer pays the tax. Only you can file the return.

Myth: “My income is too low to bother.”
Reality: Filing a return showing zero tax still makes you a filer, and that saves you money elsewhere.

Myth: “If I declare my car or plot, I’ll get a notice.”
Reality: It is hiding assets that gets you into trouble, and penalties for that have gone up.

Myth: “I need to pay a consultant.”
Reality: Not for a simple salaried return. This guide is all you need.

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When should I get professional help?

You can do a simple salaried return yourself. Consider a tax practitioner if you have:

• A business or freelance income

• More than one property or rental income

• Sold property or shares during the year

• Income or assets abroad

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The bottom line

Filing your return is not a favour to the government. It is a small, once-a-year chore that keeps your own finances clean and saves you real money on the big purchases of life: a car, a home, your children’s future.

Gather your papers, set aside an evening, and settle your hisaab.

Do it before Oct 31, and do it once properly. Next year, it will take you half the time.

Dates and rules quoted are as announced by FBR at the time of writing. Please check iris.fbr.gov.pk or FBR’s announcements for any further changes before you file.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday ordered local government (LG) elections to be held immediately in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts where delimitation had been completed, excluding those included in the 12 districts with special emergency measures.

A day earlier, the ECP had reserved the verdict after hearing the provincial government’s request to defer local government elections, citing law and order, the imposition of emergency and deployment of troops under Article 245.

The federal government on Oct 11 imposed emergency in KP and placed the province under governor’s rule, taking note of the “provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism”.

In its order, issued on Wednesday and seen by Dawn, the ECP directed its office to submit the election programme for its approval in respect of districts where the delimitation process had been completed.

The bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan heard the case.

The electoral watchdog issued orders for KP districts, excluding 12 which were deemed to face intense security challenges and an Area Representative and Development Council (ARDC) was formed to oversee them under emergency measures.

In its order, the ECP directed its office to “submit the election programme for the commission’s approval in respect of districts in which the delimitation process has been completed”, excluding Bannu, Mohmand, Orakzai, Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan specified in the federal government’s order dated Oct 11.

The ECP also sought the issuance of the delimitation schedules for the remaining districts, excluding Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Lower South Waziristan and Upper South Waziristan.

It issued the directives under Articles 218(3) (Election Commission), 140A(2) (local government), 219(d) (duties of ECP), 220 (executive authorities to assist ECP) and 222 (electoral laws) of the Constitution, read with Sections 219 (ECP to conduct elections) and 221 (delimitation of LG constituencies) of the Elections Act 2017, and “all other enabling provisions of law”.

The order further directed the ECP’s office to adjust and determine the number of village councils/neighbourhood councils and category-wise reserved seats in respect of each tehsil council in seven districts, ie, Karak, Hangu, Swat, Bar Swat, Battagram, Paharpur and Allai as per current revenue limits in accordance with separate order of the commission of even date to ensure timely conduct of LG elections and delimitation in the districts other than designated districts.

The local government elections in KP have remained pending since the terms of existing local bodies expired — the first phase in March 2026 and the second phase in June 2026.

In July this year, the KP government had assured the ECP of “all possible support” in holding LG polls where delimitation was complete. Later, the ECP had opposed a key amendment in KP’s local government law regarding the population of village and neighbourhood councils, terming it a delaying tactic.

ISLAMABAD: The government is considering establishing two new bodies — a regulatory authority and a marketing entity — for the construction industry along with a three-year defect liability period for major construction projects in the country.

Private sector figures in construction and the government, however, differ over the financial size for the application of a defect liability period, with the construction industry seeking a minimum threshold of Rs20 billion and the government pushing for lower amounts.

These issues were discussed at an exploratory meeting, chaired by Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, on introducing reforms for the country’s construction sector, improving project delivery and addressing key issues faced by the industry.

Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Secretary Housing retired captain Muhammad Mahmood and other senior officials also attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed the proposed Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) Bill, with Cheema stressing that it required detailed consideration, including whether to establish a single body for the construction sector or two separate entities — one to regulate the sector and another to promote the construction industry and handle related matters.

The participants decided to continue engagements with stakeholders, including the relevant agencies led by Kayani and representatives of the Constructors Association of Pakistan (CAP), and to fine-tune the proposed institutional structure.

Retention money deposited by contractors during the defect liability period was also discussed, with a proposal considered to place these funds in accounts that earn a return, with the principal amount and interest paid back to contractors after the stipulated period.

Cheema called for further consultation to develop a workable mechanism.

Additionally, the meeting considered applying the existing Dispute Avoidance and Adjudication Board (DAAB) mechanism to government projects. DAAB would monitor project implementation and help prevent or resolve disputes as they arise, while CAP proposed applying the mechanism to projects valued at Rs20bn and above.

However, Cheema called for the proposed threshold to be lowered and further consultation among relevant stakeholders to determine an appropriate limit.

The forthcoming framework for the construction sector will also draw on the rules and standards of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). Cheema underscored the importance of using these international standards as a key reference.

The meeting also directed the Pakistan Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) to begin work on introducing a defect liability period for major projects of at least three years or more, with the measure to be extended to smaller projects in phases.

In August, it emerged that the government was contemplating a comprehensive package to invigorate the construction industry, aiming to simplify regulations, attract investment, and bolster institutional support.

The package envisaged a series of measures, including the establishment of a Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the evaluation of a dedicated Construction Development Bank (CDB), the rationalisation of import and export policies, and targeted tax reforms for the construction sector.

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Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the government was considering the establishment of two regulatory authorities for the construction industry. The error is regretted.

Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, have alleged that the case against them pertaining to a security breach was “nothing more than harassment” for their legal and human rights work, falling under the broader pattern of targeting through “reprisals”.

On Tuesday, the case concluded at Adiala Jail, with the anti-terrorism court (ATC) reserving its verdict. 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.

Imaan and Hadi are facing a jail trial in a 2024 case on 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, were indicted on Oct 7.

“The evidence produced during this trial is not against us, but in fact a charge sheet against (prosecution witnesses)/police officials and the state,” Imaan and Hadi said in their separate similar recorded statements available with Dawn.

They claimed that the prosecution witnesses were “part and parcel” of the state machinery that had allegedly targeted them for their human rights work and provision of pro bono legal assistance and services to the marginalised and oppressed communities, including street vendors and victims of false blasphemy allegations and enforced disappearances.

“I am a prisoner of conscience who has been at the receiving end of state persecution,” the statements by the lawyer couple read.

Imaan pointed out that the entire jail trial had been challenged by the couple in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as well as the Supreme Court (SC).

Further, the trial was conducted with Imaan and her husband being presented in a cage, preventing effective communication with their counsel or the court, she said.

“From day one, our constitutional rights to fair trial, due process and basic human dignity have been infringed,” she stated.

On the charges against the two of removing security barriers placed in connection with the movement of an international cricket team at Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited on Faisal Avenue on Oct 25, 2024, Imaan stated she and her husband were on their way to the court when the police told them that the route had been temporarily closed as an alternative route for the cricket team.

At this, Imaan said that she enquired whether the police officials had a copy of the magistrate’s order for closure, which the police did not have.

She also pointed out that such an order was yet to be produced by the prosecution in the trial.

Imaan denied the prosecution testimonies, saying they were “false, fabricated and contradictory” to the video footage of the incident. She further held that the video had also confirmed that one of the police officials threw a barrier at her lower abdomen, due to which she fell to the ground.

“The timing and mode and manner (including both jail trial in a cage and speed of instant proceedings) of the trial reflect the objective to keep us behind bars at all costs,” Imaan claimed.

She further alleged that prosecution witnesses had been directed by “higher-ups/senior officers to falsely depose against us to punish for our human rights work”.

She also noted that the couple had been incarcerated for over nine months and handed 17-year sentences a day after their arrest on Jan 23.

“We are being made an example to further cement the chilling effect against those who stand (or want to stand) against tyranny, oppression and injustice,” Imaan stated.

The lawyer further highlighted that the two had spent the third year of their marriage in jail and thus “suffered painful separation from one another” very early on.

“We have not done so for any personal gain; in fact, we have endured only hardship for our work (and) activism,” she said. “But we surrender ourselves before the ultimate court where we all must return one day, where all will be held accountable for what they have done.”

Meanwhile, Hadi, in his recorded statement available with Dawn, said: “I am being punished for not only supporting my wife’s work and activism, but for choosing this path of resisting injustice as our life journey together.”

He added: “It is deeply painful for me that while my work on human rights has received recognition abroad, even today, my family and I continue to suffer reprisals for the same in my home country.”

On Monday, the couple approached the SC to challenge the IHC’s 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.

Jailed, sentenced, re-arrested

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 IHC Bar Association president. The arrest prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians and journalists, who stressed the couple’s right to a fair trial.

Just a day later, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act in the controversial social media posts case. The convictions were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts.

On Sept 17, following months of litigation before the courts, the SC 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.

ARTIFICIAL intelligence is usually presented as weightless, almost entirely digital. We ask it to write, calculate, translate or create an image, and the response appears instantly. Yet every answer depends on a substantial physical system. This comprises data centres, specialised processors, cooling equipment etc.

In reality AI has both ‘brain’ and ‘muscle’. Algorithms, software, researchers, engineers and companies comprise its brain. Its muscle consists of electricity, computing infrastructure, minerals, manufacturing capacity and reliable networks. The first phase of global AI competition focused mainly on the brain. As AI becomes more widely used, the muscle is becoming impossible to ignore.

The International Energy Agency expects electricity demand from data centres to more than double by 2030, with AI a major driver. The challenge is not simply producing more power. It is producing reliable electricity supply and expanded transmission networks to accommodate the needs of large data centres. Oil and gas reserves beneath the ground are not the same as electricity delivered to a data centre. Resources become strategic only when they can be converted into dependable infrastructure.

The physical foundations of AI also include copper, aluminium, silicon, and rare-earth materials. Advanced semiconductor technologies depend on specialised materials, while mining and refining remain concentrated in a limited number of countries. The digital economy has not escaped geography! An algorithm can cross a border in milliseconds, but a power plant, mine or factory cannot.

This creates a new geopolitical equation. Countries with the strongest AI research and software ecosystems may still depend on others for energy, minerals and manufacturing. Resource-rich countries, meanwhile, may possess the muscle of the AI economy without the universities, capital, software and semiconductor capabilities needed to turn it into computing power. The long-term advantage may belong to countries that can connect the two.

The digital economy has not escaped geography.

Pakistan illustrates this challenge clearly. It is not currently a leading frontier-AI power and faces serious constraints in reliable electricity, advanced computing, research funding etc. Yet it has a large young population, growing software and IT-services sectors, universities, engineering talent, hydropower and renewable-energy potential, and significant mineral resources. The strategic challenge is therefore not simply to acquire more resources or develop more algorithms, but to connect the country’s physical assets with its scientific and technological capabilities.

That would require moving beyond traditional models of exporting raw materials and low-value services. An AI-era strategy would use reliable energy, connectivity and mineral resources to support data centres, cloud services, local research, advanced applications and value-added manufacturing. AI could strengthen sectors such as agriculture, textiles, logistics, mining, health, education and public administration. In this model, AI becomes an industrial multiplier rather than merely another software sector.

Resource wealth alone, however, guarantees neither technological independence nor prosperity. Natural resources cannot substitute for universities, skilled workers, capital, innovation and capable institutions. The relationship between AI’s brain and muscle is better understood as multiplication rather than addition. A country with excellent algorithms but unreliable power will struggle to scale, while a country with abundant energy but weak research capacity may remain a commodity supplier.

The lesson extends beyond Pakistan. Countries such as the United States have ex­­traordinary stren­gths in research, capital, technology companies and advanced computing. China combines rapidly advancing AI with industrial scale and manufacturing capacity. Gulf countries possess energy and capital, while Australia and Canada have substantial mineral and energy advantages.

None controls every part of the AI system. Interdependence will remain unavoidable, but countries that connect more stages, from energy and minerals to computing and applications, will have greater strategic influence.

For Pakistan and other natural resource-rich countries, the message is immediate. An AI strategy cannot stop at applications, start-ups or policy statements. It must also address reliable electricity, data-centre infrastructure, digital skills, research institutions, mineral value addition and industrial capacity.

The next phase of the AI race will not be decided solely by who builds the smartest models. It will also be decided by who can power them, supply them and apply them productively. AI has a brain. But without muscle, even the most brilliant brain cannot move.

The writer is an educationist.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2026

Pakistan has barred Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace in support of Beijing’s One-China policy, becoming the first country to take such a step, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

“The aviation division follows the One China policy — only mainland China is allowed,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg News.

“We have permitted only Chinese airlines to fly over Pakistan,” he said.

Taiwanese carriers began rerouting flights over the weekend, with China Airlines Ltd and Eva Airways Corp no longer flying over Pakistan since the morning of Oct 25, according to flight-tracking data cited by the report.

At least a dozen flights operated by the two airlines between Asia and Europe have flown over Russia since Sunday, according to Flightradar24 data.

China Airlines and Eva Air declined to comment, while Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration did not comment on the rerouting. It said, however, that it had never banned carriers from flying over Russia.

Pakistan’s restrictions are stricter than those imposed by mainland China, which allows Taiwanese airlines to fly over its territory, the publication added.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory. Pakistan severed official relations with Taiwan in 1951 in favour of closer ties with China.

It remains unclear what prompted Pakistan’s decision. Airspace restrictions, however, can intensify during periods of heightened geopolitical tensions, the report said.

Pakistan and China have strengthened ties under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has channelled billions of dollars into Pakistan. The two countries also maintain close military cooperation, with China being Pakistan’s largest supplier of weapons.

Their defence ties drew international attention during the May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India, when Pakistan used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets.

Taiwanese airlines had avoided Russian airspace since February 2022, in line with many Asian, European and North American carriers, although they were never formally barred from using it, the report said.

The rerouting has added hours to flights between Asia and Europe and increased fuel costs. China Airlines and Eva Air are also routing aircraft over other parts of South Asia and the Middle East, adding to journey times.

Pakistan has repeatedly reaffirmed its support for China on the Taiwan issue. On Jan 3, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad would continue to adhere to the One-China principle and regard Taiwan as an “inalienable part of China”. He described Pakistan and China as “iron-clad friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners”.

The statement came after China completed military drills around Taiwan in early January, including live-fire exercises aimed at simulating a blockade of key ports and assaults on maritime targets. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory, while Taipei rejects the claim.

WASHINGTON: Mosques in Houston are doubling as voter registration centres ahead of the Nov 3 midterms, and local Muslim leaders say they are helping sign up around 1,000 voters a week.

The drive in Texas’s metropolis follows the Republican-majority State Board of Education’s approval of a new social studies curriculum that Muslim advocates say portrays Islam unfairly.

The contentious high school curriculum, for instance, requires students to learn that “radical Islam” motivated the 9/11 attacks instead of focusing on the terrorist groups involved.

But supporters of the new curriculum defend it as part of a broader emphasis on Western civilisation and the foundations of the United States and Texas.

The dispute has become one example of a broader question facing Muslim Americans: can greater political organisation help them influence public policy and counter discrimination?

In the American political system, advocacy caucuses play a key role in influencing public policy and elections by mobilising voters around shared concerns.

They register voters, educate communities, support candidates and lobby elected officials. Groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) illustrate how organised advocacy can shape political debate.

For Muslim Americans, similar groups offer a way to pool electoral influence, engage candidates and press for attention to their concerns, particularly in closely contested races.

Their concerns range from civil rights, immigration and the economy to US foreign policy, particularly its approach to the Middle East.

Yet a growing political presence does not necessarily translate into electoral power, nor are Muslim Americans a unified voting bloc: their party affiliations, social views and policy priorities vary considerably.

On November 3, Texas voters will decide several key federal and state races, including a closely watched US Senate contest, the governorship and all 38 seats in the US House of Representatives.

Republican Ken Paxton, Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown are contesting the Senate seat, while Republican Governor Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term against Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon.

All 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives and 16 of the state Senate’s 31 seats are also up for election, alongside other statewide offices, State Board of Education seats, judgeships and local positions.

Syed Hassan, the co-chair of the American Muslim Democratic Caucus, stresses the need for political organisation against this backdrop.

Speaking at the caucus’s 2026 national convention, he recalled former US president Barack Obama telling the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston that “there is no Black America and White America, no liberal America and conservative America — only the United States of America”.

A small gathering of Muslim delegates at a mosque in Cambridge around that time helped inspire the caucus, he said.

Hassan urged underrepresented communities to organise around shared democratic concerns. “Our strategy is simple: we unite, we organise, we vote,” he said.

He warned that hostility directed at one minority could eventually shift to another. “Last election, it was our hardworking, honest Mexican and Latino brothers and sisters in the crosshairs. This time, it is hatred against Muslims. Next time, it will be another community entirely,” he said.

Hassan’s approach reflects one strand of Muslim political activism: using elections and party organisations to defend civil rights and influence decisions affecting the community. Others, including Muslim Republicans and independents, pursue a different approach.

Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani-American businessman and founder of American Muslims for Trump, is urging Muslims to support Republican candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. A strong ally of President Donald Trump, Tarar argues that “the Republican platform best serves the interests, safety, and economic prosperity of the Muslim community in the United States.”

A growing community, a divided electorate

The Pew Research Centre estimated in September that the United States now has about 5.5 million Muslims of all ages, up from 2.4 million in 2007.

The figure can be seen as an indication of a growing religious and institutional presence of Muslims, but population growth alone does not establish how many Muslims are eligible to vote, registered or likely to turn out.

Muslims account for a relatively small share of the national electorate, although their concentration in particular cities and electoral districts can make their participation significant in some local and closely contested races.

Survey data about their political affiliations also challenge the assumption that Muslim voters overwhelmingly favour Democrats.

Pew’s analysis of its 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study — in which 1.2 per cent of 36,908 respondents in the US identified as Muslims — found that 53pc of Muslim adults identified with or leaned towards the Democratic Party while 42pc identified with or leaned towards the Republican Party.

On immigration and the value of racial and ethnic diversity, Muslim Americans tended to hold views closer to those of Democrats. On some questions involving family, sexuality and gender identity, their views were closer to those of Republicans. Other issues divided opinion within the community.

Such differences complicate efforts to build a common political agenda. Religious identity may encourage collective action on certain issues, but it does not determine how individual Muslims vote.

Texas becomes a political battleground

Texas offers an example of how disputes over education, religious freedom and the public perception of Islam are spurring political engagement.

In Houston, the Islamic Society of Greater Houston has sought to bring more Muslims into the electoral process. Its president, Emran Gazi, said at a press conference last month that the organisation was helping register about 1,000 voters a week at mosques across the city.

Apart from the curriculum revision, controversies have centred on campaigns against what some Republican politicians describe as the threat of Sharia law to Western values and the US Constitution. Texas Republican state representative Brent Money established the Sharia-Free Texas Caucus while US representatives Keith Self and Chip Roy helped launch a Sharia-Free America Caucus in Congress.

Texas Governor Abbott has also challenged Muslim ablution facilities at two major airports, arguing that they raised legal questions about religious accommodation. In a letter to the Department of Justice in August, he sought a federal probe into the airport ‌facilities, a move that a Muslim advocacy group called an “anti-Muslim political stunt”.

These disputes have added urgency for voter registration and advocacy efforts among some Muslim Texans. But the state’s political dynamics cannot be taken as representative of the entire country. Muslim communities in Michigan, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota and Virginia operate in different electoral environments, and Muslims have won office at both state and national levels.

Foreign policy and party loyalty

US policy in the Middle East, particularly the Israeli assault in Gaza, has become another important factor in Muslim political organising. For some voters, foreign policy is a measure of whether candidates and parties take their concerns seriously. Others place greater weight on the economy, healthcare, immigration, civil liberties or social issues.

These competing priorities make it difficult to assess Muslim political influence solely through party affiliation. A voter may support one party on domestic issues while opposing its foreign policy. Another may hold conservative social views but object to anti-Muslim rhetoric or restrictive immigration measures.

For Hassan, the challenge is to turn political participation into a more effective voice in public affairs.

“We, the people, are the special interest now. Not them,” Hassan told his caucus’s convention, criticising the influence of wealthy donors and lobbyists and calling for a more equal political system.

Whether that ambition translates into measurable influence will depend on more than voter-registration drives.

Turnout, geographic concentration, coalition-building and the willingness of candidates and elected officials to respond to Muslim Americans’ concerns will all help determine how much political weight the community can exercise.

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Header image: Young Muslims protest then-US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before being escorted out during a campaign rally in Wichita, Kansas, March 5, 2016. — Reuters/ File

Rescue workers in Spain on Wednesday were scouring the wreckage for more bodies at the crash scene where at least 64 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided, in the second deadly railway accident in the country this year.

“We are speaking of approximately 64 (dead), but this is probably going to grow even more,” the leader of the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia-Page, told reporters at the scene, raising a previous toll of 31.

Evacuated passengers streamed along a road near the scene, some splattered with blood or with their wounds bandaged, others wheeling suitcases and being given water by volunteers who said it had been donated from neighbouring towns.

Hundreds of ambulances, funeral home vans and helicopters were parked next to a train with several carriages sitting on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line where at least three carriages had plunged.

The accident comes after a collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain in January resulted in the deaths of 46 people.

That crash in January, which occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.

“Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains,” rail operator Adif said in a message posted on X on Wednesday.

A Renfe and an Iryo train crashed just after 9am (1pm PKT), causing two Iryo wagons to derail, a government spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region said, adding that the cause and number of injuries were still being determined.

Miguel, a passenger travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains, described to COPE radio the moment of the accident.

“We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train,” he said.

Adif said the incident occurred on the line from Madrid to Seville.

Manuel Galan, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told Cadena SER that emergency services had asked the town council to prepare emergency facilities, including a sports hall, to accommodate passengers and the injured.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s agenda, published on the Spanish government’s website, had been cleared for the day. The opposition People’s Party also cancelled all campaign events, a spokesperson said.

PM Sanchez, who is seeking re-election next month, said he was “shocked” by the incident.

“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo,” Sanchez said on X about the incident south of Madrid, sending “my love, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families”.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said he was “profoundly grieved by the devastating train collision” and expressed his deepest condolences to Sanchez and the people of Spain.

“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow,” he wrote on X.

President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed deep sorrow over the train accident and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to the injured.

“He expressed solidarity with the leadership and people of Spain in this difficult time and wished a speedy recovery to those injured,” according to a post on X from the President House.