ATC rejects Aleema's plea for int'l forensic

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi on Tuesday rejected a plea filed by Aleema Khan seeking an international forensic audit of a USB containing video evidence related to the November 26 protest case. ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah announced the reserved verdict, dismissing the application. Arguments on the plea had been concluded by both sides on August 11, following which the court reserved its judgment. During the proceedings, special prosecutor Zaheer Shah raised objections against the request, which were accepted by the court.

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5.4-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of K-P

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake originating in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region jolted parts of Pakistan on Wednesday, with tremors felt in Islamabad, Peshawar and other areas of Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The PMD said the earthquake was recorded at 12:51pm, with a depth of 187 kilometres. Its epicentre was located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Tremors were felt in Islamabad and its adjoining areas, as well as Peshawar, Malakand and other districts of K-P, according to reports. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), however, measured the earthquake at magnitude 5.3 and located its epicentre 35 kilometres south-southwest of Jurm, Afghanistan. Last week, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck Dalbandin in Balochistan, with its epicentre located 100 kilometres southwest of the town. Earlier in June, three people were injured after earthquake tremors were felt in Balochistan’s Barkhan district and adjoining areas, causing fear and panic among residents. In May, a series of mild to moderate earthquakes jolted parts of the country, with tremors felt in Islamabad, Balochistan’s Khuzdar district and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. No casualties or damage were reported.   ............................... More to follow.

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Sindh Police break silence on Mir Raza murder case after 19 days

The Sindh Police broke their silence for the first time in 19 days on the Mir Raza murder case on Tuesday, sharing a police statement and medical reports with the media as a high-level investigation team examines medical, digital, forensic and other evidence. Raza, 25, was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS before his body was found in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar on July 29. The case had initially been surrounded by uncertainty over whether he had been murdered or died by suicide. However, the findings of the second post-mortem consolidated his family’s longstanding claim that he had been murdered. The police probe is facing constant scrutiny by the public because of earlier lapses that were also admitted by the Sindh Police chief. According to a Sindh Police press release, the investigation team is conducting a detailed review of medical reports, digital evidence and the proceedings of the previous investigation. Information obtained from family members, friends and other relevant sources is also being incorporated into the probe. The team has so far received two post-mortem reports, one final report and three chemical analysis reports, with the latest chemical analysis report received on August 17. The reports are being subjected to a detailed comparative and critical review, the police spokesperson said. Read: GSR, CCTV offer new clues in Wafflix owner's murder The review has identified certain points requiring further clarification and reconciliation, prompting investigators to seek additional information and verification from relevant authorities and institutions. The police have contacted the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for analysis of mobile phone and smartwatch data, while the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has been approached to investigate matters related to digital currency. Officials of Apple have also been contacted for assistance in unlocking the mobile phone, the spokesperson said. Police said clarification of the unresolved points identified in the chemical analysis report was expected to bring significant progress in establishing links among different aspects of the investigation and the available evidence. Jibran Nasir raises concern over ‘ambiguities’ in reports Reacting to the Sindh Police statement, lawyer for the Mir Raza family, Jibran Nasir, expressed concern over the police position that there were ambiguities in the medical and chemical reports. Following tickers issued by Sindh Police today. We strongly condemn continued approach of Police claiming confusion & lack of clarity in medical & chemical reports of #ShaheedMirRaza. Any attempts to push narrative of suicide will be suicide for Sindh Govt & Police's credibility. pic.twitter.com/UzF0t7T24v — M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) August 18, 2026 He said the police’s continued references to confusion and a lack of clarity in the reports were a matter of concern and regrettable. Nasir stressed the need for a transparent investigation based on the available evidence and reports. He warned about the suicide narrative in his tweet on X, “any attempts to push narrative of suicide will be suicide for Sindh govt and police's credibility.”

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ISPR rejects 'highly dramatised, factually inaccurate' Indian documentary on Operation Sindoor

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday rejected an Indian documentary on so-called Operation Sindoor, accusing Indian content creators of distorting history and presenting a “highly dramatised, coloured and factually inaccurate” account of the military operation. In a statement, the military’s media wing said that more than a year after “Marka-e-Haq”, India had refused to face what it described as the reality of the conflict and instead sought to portray the outcome in a manner acceptable domestically. The ISPR said the documentary featured senior Indian political and military leadership and relied on selectively edited interviews, emotional narration and cinematic, Bollywood-style reconstructions to alter facts and rewrite the operational outcome. “For its lack of nuance and seriousness, the documentary can be characterised as a tragedy and a comedy at the same time,” the ISPR said. It said the documentary’s narrative contained “fundamental contradictions” that exposed what it called a belated attempt to manufacture a domestically palatable version of events. The ISPR particularly rejected what it described as an attempt to establish a deliberate link between an address by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir on April 16, 2025, and the Pahalgam incident of April 22, 2025. It said the documentary sought to create a conspiracy theory by linking the two events. More significantly, the ISPR pointed to what it described as a contradiction in India’s own account of the Pahalgam incident. It said India had subsequently claimed that the three alleged perpetrators of the incident were identified and eliminated on July 28, 2025, or 82 days after Operation Sindoor. “Yet the documentary presents so-called Operation Sindoor as the punishment for those responsible for Pahalgam,” the statement said, asking: “If the alleged perpetrators were eliminated on 28 July, India must explain, who it claims to have punished on 7 May 2025?” The ISPR also rejected the documentary’s claim of “100 percent mission success”, saying the assertion was inconsistent with what it called the operational record of the conflict.  It said during “Marka-e-Haq”, Pakistan’s armed forces thwarted Indian aggression and shot down eight military aircraft. It further said Pakistan subsequently conducted Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, employing Fatah precision-guided rockets and missiles, Pakistan Air Force precision munitions, long-range loitering munitions and precision artillery against 26 military targets. The ISPR said the targets included facilities used to target Pakistani citizens and entities allegedly involved in fomenting terrorism against Pakistan. The ISPR said the documentary itself undermined its claim of clear Indian dominance by featuring acknowledgements from Indian military leadership of extensive Pakistani missile, drone and air activity, sustained engagements along the Line of Control and the activation of Indian air-defence systems. “Such admissions are difficult to reconcile with its repeated portrayal of Pakistan being decisively defeated,” it said. The ISPR also challenged the documentary’s account of how hostilities ended, saying its own narration confirmed that the fighting ended following communication between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries and an agreed cessation of military action. It said this contradicted an attempt to portray Operation Sindoor as a unilateral Indian military triumph. “A cessation of hostilities, facilitated by US, cannot subsequently be repurposed as evidence of unconditional victory,” the statement said. Pakistan and India engaged in a four-day confrontation after the latter launched strikes inside the former on May 7, 2025 weeks after unknown militants targeted tourists in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India had codenamed the operation as Operation Sindoor, which Pakistan countered by launching Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos on May 10, the very day when US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

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FO rubbishes India's 'baseless assertions' linking Pakistan to arrests of terror suspects

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday rubbished what it said were "baseless assertions" by the Indian home minister linking Pakistan to the recent arrests of terror suspects. Earlier today, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said that security agencies arrested more than 200 "terror operatives" allegedly linked to ​Pakistan, thwarting potential "subversive attacks" around the country's Independence ‌Day last week, in one of the largest such crackdowns in years. A multi-state ​operation against what Shah said was a terror ​group, which he accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of backing, ⁠was carried out across 14 Indian states on August ​12, three days before India celebrated its 80th year ​of freedom from British colonial rule. Shah ​said agencies had ​recovered pistols, ⁠live cartridges and grenades allegedly bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings and crude bombs. Modi govt destroyed the ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day and thwarted its plans for subversive attacks by arresting more than 200 operatives. Indian security forces ripped apart the network by launching coordinated operations across… — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 17, 2026 Questioned about the allegations, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said: "Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations made by India’s Home Minister, attempting to link Pakistan with certain arrests in India," adding that such propaganda was yet another demonstration of India’s "malicious campaign against Pakistan" to divert attention from its domestic security challenges and to blame Pakistan for narrow domestic political gains. "At home, India is a repressive state, brutally oppressing its minorities and silencing dissent. Externally, India is exporting terror and abetting terrorists," Andrabi stated. He further said that "unfounded Indian insinuations" could not divert international attention away from India’s state-sponsored terrorism, targeted assassinations, and subversion in foreign territories, adding that Pakistan had repeatedly shared evidence of India’s involvement in terrorism and destabilising activities in Pakistan. Read: Terrorism, narratives and Indo-Pak tension "The convicted and serving Indian naval commander, Kulbhushan Jadhav, is undeniable proof of India’s direct involvement in subversion and terrorism in Pakistan," the spokesperson noted. 🔊PR No.2️⃣1️⃣8️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ Statement by the Spokesperson 🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MeM52jK0CJ — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 17, 2026 He stated that Pakistan had urged the international community to reject baseless Indian allegations and hold India accountable for its state-sponsored terrorism in the region. This is not the first time that India has accused Pakistan of fomenting terror. Pakistan has also similarly accused India of funding and supporting terrorist groups in the country. Last month, while responding to Indian allegations of cross-border terrorism in a recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, First Secretary Ansar Shah had said that "the baseless assertion regarding terrorism is in fact an effort by India to conceal its sponsorship and financing of terrorism against Pakistan. India's terrorist proxies, the TTP, BLA and Majeed Brigade have killed thousands of civilians and law enforcement personnel, including women and children on our soil". Read More: Pakistan rejects India's UNSC remarks on IWT, terrorism as 'futile attempt' to distort facts "India's involvement in extraterritorial executions, including in North America, is also well known. India is not a victim of terrorism. It is a sponsor of terrorism," Shah had added. Right of Reply by First Secretary Ansar Shah In Response to Remarks by Indian Representative At the Security Council High-Level Open Debate (22 July 2026) ******* President, 2. Pakistan is compelled to take the floor again to respond to India’s misleading statement, which is a… pic.twitter.com/AqbjPsz8qg — Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) July 23, 2026 "India is also a perpetrator of state terrorism, including in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir – whose population is being denied its right to self-determination in gross violation of numerous resolutions of the Security Council," Shah had further said.    

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GSR, CCTV offer new clues in Wafflix owner Mir Raza’s murder

Crucial CCTV footage and a forensic report on Monday shed new light on the murder of Mir Raza Ali, the young owner of the popular dessert brand Wafflix, revealing the timeline of the discovery of his body, the arrival of police and an Edhi ambulance, and the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on his body. Ali, 25, was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS before his body was found in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar on July 29. The case had initially been surrounded by uncertainty over whether he had been murdered or died by suicide. However, the findings of the second post-mortem consolidated his family’s longstanding claim that he had been murdered. The police probe is facing constant scrutiny by the public because of earlier lapses that were also admitted by the Sindh police chief. According to the footage, a nursery employee was the first to spot Ali’s body at 11:52am on July 29 and alerted the police. Two motorcycle-riding policemen reached the scene first, followed by a police mobile. Investigative sources said the head moharrir of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and other police officials were present at the scene, along with a policeman operating the search device. However, the former station house officer of Gulistan-e-Jauhar did not reach the scene despite being informed. An Edhi ambulance arrived at 12:50pm and left with the body at 1:46pm. The Crime Scene Unit (CSU), however, had not reached the site even after more than two hours, meaning crime-scene evidence could not be collected, sources said. The footage also showed that no dead body was present at the site a day earlier. On July 28, when Ali was reported missing, the nursery employee had watered the area but did not see anything unusual. لاش ملنے کے مقام کے قریب واقع مسجد پر نصب کیمرے کی سی سی ٹی وی فوٹیج بھی تفتیشی حکام کو موصول ہوگئی مزید پڑھیے:https://t.co/rHRhDYsxMO#MirRazaAli #Wafflix #ExpressNews pic.twitter.com/EfpanTEmsC — Express News (@ExpressNewsPK) August 17, 2026 Investigators conducted geo-fencing around the spot where the body was found and reviewed additional CCTV footage, sources added. Meanwhile, following the exhumation of Ali’s body, a medical board collected 13 samples and sent them to the University of Karachi’s Forensic and Industrial Laboratory for analysis. The laboratory has now submitted its report. Read: Mir Raza murder probe widens as two more officers join According to sources, results for four samples were available, while the remaining nine had deteriorated because of decomposition. The report confirmed the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on both hands, the waist and chest of the deceased. Investigators believe the presence of GSR on both hands suggests that Ali may also have fired a pistol. They suspect he may have opened fire in self-defence after sensing a threat. Further CCTV footage showed that Ali was walking past a wedding hall on July 28. At 4:37pm, a camera at the hall recorded the sound of a gunshot. Hearing the sound, the hall guard came outside and searched the surrounding area with a torch. Seconds later, another CCTV camera captured Ali walking again, sources said.

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New provinces debate set for parliament today

The National Assembly and Senate will meet today (Monday) after a prolonged recess to take up important legislation, including a proposed unanimous resolution on the Makkah Peace Accord and a detailed discussion on the creation of new provinces. According to the agendas issued by the two houses, a total of 17 bills will be presented for approval, with 10 bills scheduled for consideration in the Senate and seven in the National Assembly. The Senate has a 69-point agenda, which includes consideration of several pieces of legislation. Among the bills listed for approval is the Election Act (Amendment) Bill. The upper house will also take up the Anti-Rape Investigations and Trial (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Imports and Exports (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The agenda also includes the Science and Technology Zones Authority (Amendment) Bill, the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill and the Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill. Apart from legislation, both houses are expected to take up matters of wider national and political importance, including a proposed unanimous resolution concerning the Makkah Peace Accord. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7- a collective security pact dictating that an armed attack on any single member nation will be considered an attack on all three. The issue of creating new provinces is also expected to generate detailed debate, with lawmakers likely to discuss the constitutional, administrative and political implications of establishing new federating units. Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit 2026 in Islamabad on July 31, Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi called for creating additional administrative units or provinces to overhaul the country's outdated governance system. The statement sparked a strong reaction, with leaders of various parties speaking both against and in support of Naqvi's point of view.

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