In line with expectations, former federal minister for interior Faisal Saleh Hayat on Wednesday quit the PPP and joined the PML-N ahead of the upcoming general elections.
According to a Dawn report, the announcement of Hayat switching parties was expected on Monday or Tuesday when PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif were expected to visit Jewana.
However, the announcement was made today (Wednesday) outside Hayat’s residence in Shah Jewana in the presence of Shehbaz only, with his elder sibling and party chief missing.
“We are confident that Hayat’s induction will strengthen the PML-N, especially in Jhang and Chiniot, but also in his other constituencies,” Shehbaz said as he welcomed the latest inductee into his party.
He said that Hayat’s presence in the party will bolster Nawaz’s leadership. “Nawaz will, God willing, become the prime minister for the fourth term. He is not just a politician but also a statesman.”
Hayat, a former PPP and PML-Q member, had given clear indication last week that he was about to switch sides again. On Friday, when he reached in a big procession of his supporters to the office of returning officer to file his nomination papers for NA-108 and PP-125, not a single PPP flag was carried by any of his supporters.
Hayat had first quit the PPP during the Musharraf regime and later joined the PML-Q. He rejoined the PPP in 2017.
In the 2018 general election, he was the PPP candidate but lost the election to PTI’s Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan by just 600 votes in the recount. The PML-N could not field any candidate in his constituency in the last election.
Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful flight test of Fatah-II, the military’s media affairs wing said.
According to the ISPR, Fatah-II is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, sophisticated navigation system and unique flight trajectory.
“The weapon system is capable of engaging targets with high precision up to a range of 400 kilometres,” it said.
The ISPR said that the flight test was witnessed by “senior officers from tri-services and dedicated scientists and engineers”.
It further said that President Dr Arif Alvi, interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir congratulated participating troops and scientists on successfully conducting the flight test.
In October, Pakistan had conducted a successful flight test of the Ababeel Weapon System. The ISPR said the missile system was “aimed at strengthening deterrence and enhancing strategic stability in the region through the operationalisation of Full Spectrum Deterrence in the overall construct of Credible Minimum Deterrence”.
In August 2021, Pakistan had conducted a successful test of “indigenously developed” Fatah-1 guided multi-launch rocket system (MLRS). At the time, the ISPR said the extended-range rocket system was capable of delivering a conventional warhead.
Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon put Australia in the driving seat of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday to leave Pakistan tottering at 194-6, still 124 runs behind on day two.
At stumps, Mohammad Rizwan was on 29 and Aamer Jamal not out two after Cummins took the crucial wickets of Abdullah Shafique (62) and Babar Azam (one), then Agha Salman (five).
Lyon chipped in by removing Imamul Haq (10) and Shan Masood (54), while Josh Hazlewood bowled Saud Shakeel for nine as Pakistan’s dream of a first Test win in Australia since 1995 faded.
The visitors had claimed seven wickets in the morning session on a pitch offering seam and swing, restricting the hosts to 318.
Aamer Jamal spearheaded Pakistan’s charge with 3-64 after Australia resumed on 187-3 after being sent into bat, with Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring on 63.
Openers Haq and Shafique made a positive start in reply, surviving a series of loud appeals.
But veteran spinner Lyon, fresh from taking his 500th wicket during the first Test in Perth, finally earned a reward when Haq edged to Labuschagne at slip.
Undeterred, Pakistan upped the run rate after tea with Masood hitting Lyon for six and Shafique reaching his first Test 50 in Australia, and fifth overall, with a four off Mitchell Starc.
But their 90-run partnership was broken by Cummins, who showed sharp reflexes to stick out his left hand for a catch off his own bowling to end Shafique’s stay.
Fired up, he then clean bowled danger man Azam before Lyon returned to claim his second wicket when Masood miscued and Mitchell Marsh did well to hold a catch with the sun in his eyes.
Hazlewood took care of Shakeel before Cummins brought himself back and accounted for Salman, caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey to leave Pakistan in trouble.
Jamal strikes
Labuschagne had been a rock on day one, digging in for an overnight 44 off 120 balls.
He padded up again alongside Travis Head on nine with the sun shining, smacking a boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the opening over to signal Australia’s intent.
The explosive Head drove Hasan Ali to the ropes off his first ball and followed it up with another in the same over to quickly get in the groove.
But his flair cost him on 17, lashing at a wide Afridi delivery that took a thick edge and was well collected by Salman in the slips.
At the other end, Labuschagne kept plugging away to bring up his 17th Test half-century.
Marsh was given out twice in successive balls during a fiery Ali over while on seven by West Indian umpire Joel Wilson. He reviewed both decisions — for lbw and caught behind — and survived.
But just as the match appeared to be slipping away from Pakistan, Jamal bagged the wicket of Labuschagne, who edged to Shafique at slip.
Carey and Starc quickly followed as Pakistan cashed in with a new ball, before Marsh holed out to Jamal off Mir Hamza on 41 and the tail folded.
Australia won the first Test of the three-match series in Perth by 360 runs.
Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Tuesday confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle and said he was in excellent spirits despite a tiring 20-day journey to get there.
Navalny posted an update on social media platform X via his lawyers after his allies lost touch with him for more than two weeks while he was in transit with no information about where he was being taken, prompting expressions of concern from Western politicians.
His spokeswoman said on Monday that Navalny, 47, was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony north of the Arctic Circle located in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometres northeast of Moscow.
“I am your new Father Frost,” Navalny wrote jokingly in his first post from his new prison, a reference to the harsh weather conditions there.
“Well, I now have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat (a fur hat with ear-covering flaps), and soon I will get valenki (traditional Russian winter footwear).
“The 20 days of the transfer were quite tiring, but I’m still in an excellent mood, as Father Frost should be.”
Navalny’s new home, known as “the Polar Wolf” colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh and temperatures are due to drop to around minus 28 degrees Celsius there over the next week.
About 60km north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labour camps, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.
Navalny, who thanked his supporters and everyone else for their concern about his welfare during his long transfer, said he had seen guards with machineguns and guard dogs and had gone for a walk in the exercise area which he said was located in a neighbouring cell, the floor of which he said was covered with snow.
Otherwise, he said he had just seen the perimeter fence out of a cell window.
“Anyway, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m awfully glad I finally made it here,” said Navalny.
Iran has reversed a months-long slowdown in the rate at which it is enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons grade, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.
Many diplomats believed the slowdown, which had begun by June, was the result of secret talks between the United States and Iran that led to the release of US citizens held in Iran earlier this year.
Iran already has enough uranium enriched to up to 60pc, if enriched further, to make three nuclear bombs, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) theoretical definition, and more at lower enrichment levels. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Iran has “increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023”, the IAEA said in a statement summarising a confidential report to member states seen by Reuters that was sent minutes earlier.
Iran is enriching to up to 60pc, close to the roughly 90pc that is weapons grade, at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant in its sprawling Natanz complex and at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is dug into a mountain.
Since the slowdown, those plants have been enriching uranium to up to 60pc at a rate of about three kilogrammes a month, the IAEA said.
“The agency confirms that, since the end of November 2023, the rate at which Iran has been producing uranium enriched up to 60pc U-235 at these two facilities combined has increased to approximately 9kg per month,” the report to member states said.
By the IAEA’s theoretical definition, around 42kg of uranium enriched to 60pc is the amount at which making a nuclear bomb with it cannot be excluded.
IAEA inspectors first observed a change in production at Fordow on November 25, after which Iran said the change was made on Nov 22, and that the rate of production was returning to the pre-slowdown level there, the report said.
Inspectors observed an increase in the production rate at Natanz on Nov 27, it added. The IAEA then verified the amount being produced at Natanz on December 19 and Fordow on Dec 24, it said. The IAEA did not formally notify its member states of the reversal of the slowdown until Tuesday’s report.
SmartNet Private Limited, a technology arm of Capital Smart City and part of the HRL Group, has joined forces with One Network and Cybernet to build a high-speed data highway for Pakistan’s smart city initiatives.
According to a press release, the landmark fiber lease agreement will see SmartNet deliver terabytes of data per second to Capital Smart City, Lahore Smart City, and motorway projects. This robust infrastructure boost aims to position Capital Smart City as a tech leader, enabling advancements in IoT, big data, AI, and other areas.
Looking beyond domestic ambitions, SmartNet eyes fostering connections with Silicon Valley and promoting Pakistani technology exports as part of the “Digital Pakistan” vision. An incubation center is also planned to nurture local innovation and tech entrepreneurship.
“We are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey with our esteemed partners, One Network and Cybernet,” said retired Brig Arshad Kayani, Chief Technical Officer at SmartNet. “This collaboration underscores our unwavering commitment to advancing smart and innovative solutions, while simultaneously fortifying our infrastructure for the seamless integration of cutting-edge communication technologies, including 5G and Wi-Fi 6+.”
The agreement coincides with Pakistan’s recent digitisation of motorways, with contactless tolling and AIoT integration planned. This puts One Network, SmartNet, and Cybernet at the forefront of digital infrastructure and urban development.
“We believe that this collaboration will not only enhance the technological landscape of Capital Smart City but will also contribute significantly to the broader digital transformation in urban development,” added General Manager Technology Shahzad Khalil. “Our joint efforts will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of smart cities and setting new benchmarks in connectivity, innovation, and sustainability.”
The SmartNet, One Network, and Cybernet partnership reflects a shared vision for delivering cutting-edge solutions with the highest standards. This venture promises to leave a lasting impact on Pakistan’s technological landscape, driving progress and innovation for the future.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has accepted the PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s declaration of its intra-party polls as unconstitutional and the revocation of the “bat” symbol for hearing.
The hearing is expected to begin shortly.
The development comes after the electoral watchdog last week voided, for the second time in under than a month, PTI’s internal elections in which Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was elected as the party’s new chairman.
The ECP verdict had come following a first-of-its-kind microscopic examination of the inner workings of a political party and declared the party ineligible to obtain an election symbol to contest the upcoming general elections.
“It is held that PTI has not complied with our directions rendered therein order dated 23rd November 2023 and failed to hold intra-party election in accordance with PTI prevailing Constitution, 2019 and Election Act, 2017, and Election Rules, 2017,” the ECP had said in its 11-page order.
The party had termed the decision part of the “famous London Plan” and a “disgusting and shameful attempt to stop PTI from [participating in the] election”.
It had also claimed that the party would still win the general elections, maintaining that it would appeal the decision at every forum. It asserted that its candidates would indeed contest the polls with the ‘bat’ symbol, come what may.
Today, the PTI challenged the ECP order and urged the court to fix the matter for hearing at the earliest.
According to the petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the PTI said the ECP order was “without legal authority and jurisdiction”.
The party insisted that the ECP’s proceedings that questioned the PTI’s intra-party polls were “coram non-judice (without jurisdiction) and without lawful authority”.
It urged the court to direct the ECP to publish the results of the PTI’s intra-party polls on its website and restore the symbol of the party.
Speaking to Dawn.com following the submission of the petition, Gohar said: “We have requested the court to schedule a hearing for our plea today.”
He asked, “What will happen to the 225 reserved seats if a party is stopped from participating in elections under its designated symbol?”
Gohar emphasised the significance of the matter, stating it impacted 250 million people.
According to him, if a party lost its symbol, it would cease to exist.
“We are being denied everything, and a level playing field is far from reality,” he added.
‘Bat’ symbol not allotted to someone else: ECP
Meanwhile, the ECP in a post on social media platform X on Monday said that it did not offer the ‘bat’ electoral symbol to anyone else, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarians Chairman Pervez Khattak.
Yesterday, Khattak, the leader of his own faction of the PTI, in a talk with the media, stirred controversy by claiming that the bat symbol was “offered” to him. He did not specify by whom.
PTI, ECP both at fault: experts
Meanwhile, experts have criticised both the poll watchdog as well as the former ruling party for what they called their contradictory behaviour.
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) head Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said PTI should have been more careful about its intra-party polls. “At the same time we have seen the election commission has been soft over many other things,” he added.
He had told Dawn the PTI had the best-detailed description for holding the intra-party elections and that procedure was followed in 2012. “That excellent democratic process was not witnessed again, possibly the PTI too tried to copy the procedures of other parties,” he opined, adding, “But there is a difference as the constitutions of other parties do not have such detailed description of conducting the intra-party elections.”
Mehboob said PTI’s elections were due in 2021, but because of Covid-19 lockdowns, they were held in June 2022.
“PTI was not careful at that time too and the procedures listed in their constitution were not followed. Later, when the ECP directed it to hold the elections within 20 days the PTI should have been more careful as far as following its own constitution was concerned,” he added.
The Pildat chief also found fault with ECP’s working. He said the watchdog has not been treating all parties even-handedly. “ECP should have taken action when Senator Bugti was inducted into the caretaker cabinet because he was a BAP member of the upper house,” he pointed out. “He was holding such an important portfolio and just as the elections are approaching he has joined another party; this should not be allowed.”
