PM EMPHASIZES ENHANCED COLL ABORATION WITH UN IN CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT
Shangla Coalmine Workers Federation s General Secretary Ali Bash Khan also confirmed that the miners were from Shangla CONDEMNATIONS: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast and offered heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased according to the Associated Press of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD S TA
P O R T Six newly appointed Supreme Court (SC) judges were sworn in on Friday with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi administering the oath at a ceremony in Islamabad The appointments were clouded by controversy following a walkout by four Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) members during a meeting on February 10, along with strong opposition from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and protests from the lawyers’ fraternity The JCP meeting proceeded despite calls for postponement by two Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar as well as PTI members Barrister Ali Zafar and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan who objected to the appointments amid concerns over the 26th Constitutional Amendment
Outside the Supreme Court building, lawyers staged protests, holding placards and chanting slogans against the amendment Despite opposition the JCP approved the appointments by a majority vote, confirming six judges and acting chief justices of the high courts
The newly appointed judges are Justices Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui Salahuddin Panhwar
Shakeel Ahmad, Aamer Farooq, and Ishtiaq Ibrahim Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb was sworn in as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court
The oath-taking ceremony was held outdoors in the Supreme Court’s garden for the first time, rather than the traditional ceremonial hall It was attended by SC judges including Senior Puisne Judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, along with Justices Muneeb Akhtar, Ayesha Malik, and Athar Minallah Also present were high court judges the Attorney General of Pakistan and representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday updated its seniority list following the oath-taking of seven newly-elevated judges
The names and profiles of these judges have been published on the official Supreme Court website According to the updated seniority list, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi is followed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah Justice Muneeb Akhtar is placed second in line followed by Justice Ameenuddin Khan as third and Justice Jamal Mandokhel fourth respectively The list goes on to name Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik Justice Athar Minallah Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Musarat Hilali
Other notable entries include Justice Irfan Saadat Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan Justice Shehzad Malik Justice Aqeel Abbasi, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, Justice Hashim Kakar, and Justice Shafi Siddiqui
The updated list reflects the recent changes in the composition of Pakistan s top judiciary body with many new appointments taking effect Earlier in the day, CJP Yahya Afridi administered the oath to six newly-appointed judges of the apex court
The new judges include: Hashim Khan Kakar ex-chief justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC); Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, former chief justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC); Ishtiaq Ibrahim former chief justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Aamer Farooq exchief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC)
membership in
velopment Bank (NDB) established by BRICS countries The committee has endorsed the pur-
NDB, totaling $582 million, with $116
BRICS nations enhancing economic cooperation and access to funding for development projects In addition, the ECC approved a proposal from the Ministry of Commerce to include new Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) mandatory items in the Import Policy Order (IPO) 2022 This will integrate certain PVC and polymer-based products into Pakistan s regulatory framework to ensure compliance with national standards The committee also discussed the transfer of shares of Distribution Com-
panies (DISCOs) into the name of the President of Pakistan, as suggested by the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) Approval was granted, with the condition that the transfer will not incur any financial implications
Another key decision was the approval for Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to establish an International Joint Trading Company in Singapore with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) The Ministry of Petroleum has been directed to ensure thorough due diligence on the company s investments and the timeline for its operations
The ECC also approved several Technical Supplementary Grants (TSGs) to support essential government projects These include:
8 Rs 19 15 billion to transfer to various ministries for the completion of 133 development schemes previously managed by the Pakistan Public Works Department
Rs 5 36 billion for the Ministry of Housing and Works to implement the SDGs Achievement Programme benefiting regions like Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Rs 1 914 billion (USD 6 836 million) to support NADRA’s transition of 43 Citizen Facilitation Centers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of the FATA TDP-ERP project
Chamber of commerce president , two Customs officers abducted in South Waziristan
Business communit y demands urgent ac tion as securit
COMMENT
Along with reaffirming ties, also made several crucial agreements
TU R K I S H President Recep Taying Erdogan had come to attend the rth session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, and also to have bilateral interaction with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif Apart from the religious, cultural and historical ties binding the two countries, in the present day both are faced with similar territorial challenges, Pakistan with that over Kashmir with India, Turkiye with that over Cyprus with Greece They support each other on these issues, which in turn has made their cooperation on other issues easy, such as the economy and defence Most notable was the two leaders’ decision to raise bilateral trade to $5 billion This is especially important for Pakistan as Turiye is an applicant for EU membership and even though there are strong objections to it it still provides an entry into European trade
The MoUs signed reflect this especially the one on agriculture which was about halal food This shows not just the kind of cultural affinity that makes the two countries such a good fit but also shows awareness of the potential for halal products wherever part of a Muslim diaspora lives not just in Europe but in both North and South America Defence cooperation has so far centred around the air forces and navies; with the Pakistan Navy have inducted Turkish-built vessels into its fleet It should be noted that their cooperation is no longer of the sort that one bound them in the same CENTO alliance but between their respective defence industries
It should be noted that while both countries aspire to be modern countries fully enjoying the fruits of technology and industry they also are active parts of the Islamic Ummah and have supported the aspirations of the Palestinian Turkish Cypriot and Kashmiri people
The two countries have a particularly important role within this context They illustrate that contrary to some Western propaganda Islam is not merely an Arab religion what with Turkiye and Pakistan being firmly Muslim and firmly non-Arab The affinity between the two goes back to before the First World War when neither state in its present form yet existed That cooperation and friendship has persisted and President Erdogan’s latest visit shows that the friendship is between the two peoples not just the two states There is a lot that can be done and this visit must be seen as part of an ongoing process rather than as a culmination
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
TH E development of technology, particularly digital technology, has become a driving force behind new trends in politics, economics, media and virtually every other aspect of human life This technological revolution is reshaping the world as we know it altering the way societies function interact and compete One of the most profound areas impacted by this transformation is the realm of warfare The advent of advanced technologies has not only changed the tools and methods of combat but has also influenced the strategies tactics and decision-making processes that define modern and future conflicts As we observe today there is a relentless arms race among global and regional powers with non-state organizations such as Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda, also playing significant roles
These groups, often characterized by their terrorist objectives, seek to gain advantages not only in technological capabilities but also in psychological operations cyber activities and tactical innovation
Emerging technologies such as directed energy weapons hypersonic missiles drones and autonomous vehicles equipped with precision weaponry, are revolutionizing the battlefield
These advancements are forcing military leaders to rethink traditional approaches to warfare and adapt to the rapidly evolving landscape of modern combat Despite these technological advancements the fundamental nature of war has remained remarkably consistent throughout history From the ancient teachings of Sun Tzu and Thucydides to the strategic theories of Clausewitz and through the major conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries, war has persisted as a tool for achieving political and economic objectives It remains an extension of state policy a means by which nations and groups seek to assert their influence secure resources or achieve ideological goals However the tools and methods have evolved dramatically and shows no signs of slowing down As technology continues to advance, the ways in which wars are fought will become increasingly complex, with new domains of conflict emerging and traditional boundaries blurring While technology is a critical factor shaping the future of warfare it is not the only one Environmental changes particularly those driven by global warming are poised to have a profound impact on the geopolitical landscape The scarcity of essential resources such as food and water, exacerbated by climate change, is likely to trigger economic instability, mass migrations and heightened tensions between nations These environmental pressures could lead to significant disruptions in the global order creating fertile ground for conflict In addition to environmental challenges the rise of ideological extremism presents another major threat Terrorist organizations, driven by radical ideolo-
Organized crime and policing
Technology and the changing face of war fare
gies will continue to seek ways to destabilize existing power structures and establish their own visions of order, such as the creation of an Islamic caliphate These factors compel us to look ahead and consider how to mitigate future threats, particularly those of a military nature As the nature of conflict evolves so too must the strategies structures and capabilities of military organizations \ The role of armed forces in state policy is largely determined by their organizational structure and the resources they possess These factors, in turn, are influenced by a nation’s geopolitical conditions, the nature of potential adversaries and the alignment of strategic interests with other international actors For nations with significant disparities in power security often hinges on participation in political alliances or the creation of regional security frameworks The development programmes of armed forces are typically designed to address known threats to national security In modern militaries, such as those of the USA and Great Britain the process of transformation is guided not only by immediate threats but also by long-term strategic goals anticipated theatres of operation and assessments of both friendly and enemy capabilities
It is important to clarify the terminology used to describe armed conflict and war While these terms are often used interchangeably they carry distinct meanings According to a ruling by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on 2 October 2 an armed conflict exists whenever there is a resort to armed force between states or prolonged armed violence between governmental authorities and organized armed groups, or between such groups within a single state The concept of armed conflict is broader than that of war encompassing all manifestations of armed struggle In contrast the term war typically refers to conflicts in which states or societies mobilize the majority of their resources and engage in highly intensified military activity
The primary objective of this study is to outline the potential course of future armed conflicts based on forecasts from leading research centres and to emphasize the need for a fresh perspective on these issues one that transcends the current global tensions
The focus of the research is on armed conflicts particularly the ways in which they may be conducted
character and integrity The officers who surrender self-respect and honour to their venal desires become weak and cowardly in their decisions The community and public guages the character of officers in command Policing is an inviolable trust and a sustained community service Policing is neither meant for serving political masters nor currying favour for lucrative postings Police leadership has more responsibilities than the officers serving in subordinate positions Fighting against the evils of society and rising crime has never been an individual crusade; it demands a dedicated team and financial resources The police command walks on a tightrope in fighting against giants of crime who are in cahoots with so-called pressure groups The leadership often found themselves in catch22 situations Tapping the available resources in a befitting manner reflects the professional acumen of the police command This is true when we witness the key performance indicators of certain police officers who are commanding huge divisions and independent units Rana Abdul Jabbar IGP AJK Dr Muhammad Abid Khan DIG Headquarters CPO Lahore Ahsan Younas MD Punjab Safe City Authorities, Zeeshan Asghar RPO Faisalabad, nnd Rana Ayaz Saleem CPO Gujranwala to my knowledge are the best police officers who are truly embodiments of integrity courage firmness impartiality justice goodness and fairness Talking about the operational and administrative potential of DIG Dr Muhammad Abid Khan it can be fairly said that he displayed unprecedented calibre and professional perspicacity in combating crime of all nature and elimination of corrupt elements during his posting tenure He made gigantic efforts to provide justice to the victims of murder rape sodomy kidnapping for ransom dacoity with murder and fostered an environment of fair evenhanded justice More so, his judicious supervision of the
cases of murder, property dispute, land grabbing and gang rape ensured fair, just investigation and conviction of hard-core criminals Under his visionary supervision first ever domestic Champions League One- Day Cricket Cup 2024 in Faisalabad was successfully accomplished with wide acclaim and achievement The landmark completion of Punjab Safe City Authority” Faisalabad in just 45 days is another feather in his cap Being RPO Faisalabad Dr Muhammad Abid Khan weathered many a crisis but did not falter at any point He bravely defused the Jaranwala incident and arrested all accused and facilitators Moreover, he did not let it spill over to other cities of Punjab He shunned the societal and political pressure and emphasized upon the field officers to serve the community without vested and financial interests He earned the public trust goodwill and respect through taking stern actions against the corrupt and inefficient police officers He has the courage to say NO to illegal and unprofessional demands It is undoubted that the remedy of all ills in terms of rickety law and order is the hardearned vision to depoliticize the police giving it leverage to act operationally with every police officer accountable to his misdeeds The intelligence-led policing focusing on identifying and arresting the nefarious elements and busting the criminal gangs is the silver bullet solution to organized crime More so, better community engagement and traditional “Thikri Pehra” Vigilance has the potential to reduce crime in society Moreover a crackdown on dacoit gangs drug peddlers and proclaimed offenders will definitely help in mitigating the crime intensity in the society Competent, trustworthy, honest, visionary and empathetic police officers are the need of the hour Policing is tough phenomenon It requires resilience vigilance prompt action and professional prudence in making decisions implementing the policies and culmination of rigorous tasks for the maintenance of law and order, betterment of community and engendering the sense of justice and peace in society
The writer is an inspector of police and a PhD in Political Science from Govt College University Faisalabad He can be reached at rizwanbh79@gmail com
Competent, trustwor thy, honest, visionar y and empathetic police officers are the need of the hour. Policing is tough phenomenon. It requires resilience , vigilance , prompt action and professional prudence in making decisions, implementing the policies and culmination of rigorous tasks for the maintenance of law and order, betterment of community and eng endering the sense of justice and peace in society
GMO Dilemma
even are This lack of awareness is concerning especially when paired with the alarming rise in cancer rates in Pakistan According to a 2023 report cancer cases have surged by nearly 12 per cent over the last decade with dietary factors playing a significant role While no direct link between GMOs and cancer has been conclusively proven, the debate
Lawlessness in Hub
Dr MuhaMMaD riZwan Bhatti
are enshrined in the American Constitution Now we have a wannabe dictator who wants to usurp these fundamental rights, which underpin the banner of America s greatness
The executive orders that Trump issued in a blizzard during the first three weeks of his presidency are unconstitutional inhumane and beyond the pale of absurdity They destroy the values that Americans have held deep and sacrificed themselves for, which Trump is bent on destroying
IT is heart-wrenching to watch Trump nonchalantly sign off on scores of executive orders that are unconstitutional, defy existing laws, and adversely impact the lives of millions of people, especially the young What is glaringly obvious is that he wants to demonstrate how powerful he is and that nothing will stand in his way of shaping America in his image But what is also manifestly obvious is that he cares less about the implications and the consequences of his malevolent acts, which, if anything, betray what America stood for, for two and a half centuries
Fortunately the judiciary in this great country largely operates above the fray Several federal judges issued injunctions blocking many of Trump s orders Oregon s attorney general put it succinctly when he recently stated, No president should be able to rewrite 120-plus years of interpretation of the Constitution with a stroke of a pen That is the existential threat ”
FREEZING FOREIGN AID: Witnessing the devastating impact of Trump s executive order to freeze almost all foreign aid is heartbreaking His decision has left millions of vulnerable children without access to lifesaving food across the globe Over 1 2 million people in Sudan who were supported by US-funded programs are now left without access to food essential medicine and clean
water which they need to survive The consequences are equally devastating in refugee camps in Ethiopia where 3000 malnourished children relied on USsupported efforts through Action Against Hunger Trump’s inhumane decision is not just heartless; it shatters the very ideals of compassion and leadership that once defined the USA A nation that once led the charge in fighting hunger and saving lives is now under Trump s savage assault abandoning millions of innocent children to starvation and inevitable death His wanton action demeans rather than preserves America’s greatness
F R E E D O M O F E X P R E S S I O N:
Trump s executive order targeting international students who participated in protests against the war in Gaza, deporting them under the accusation of supporting the terrorist organization Hamas, is deeply troubling This executive order is not just about deporting foreign students; it s about silencing dissent Students may now fear deportation simply for exercising their right to speak out against injustice and atrocities Labeling peaceful protests as potential support for terrorism undermines democratic values and stifles free speech on critical issues of human rights and justice which is the hallmark of dictatorship and no American should stand for it
Moreover, it is essential to clarify that not all students who protested are foreign students Many American citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish students, have also participated in these protests and spoken out against the war in Gaza Will they be deported too? And where to? The rights of freedom of speech press and peaceful protest
I M M I G R AT I O N: Trump’s actions to shut down safe and legal migration pathways are a direct assault on the rights and dignity of people fleeing war persecution and poverty By suspending refugee resettlement terminating parole programs, and revoking Biden s efforts to create orderly asylum processes, Trump is imperiling countless lives and pushing desperate individuals back into the hands of human traffickers and dangerous journeys This is not about security; it s a cruel and inhuman political strategy that ignores humanitarian obligations and debases our moral values Indeed, Trump’s harsh immigration policies are more than just a domestic issue His mass deportation campaign doesn’t just tear families apart in the USA but also causes a horrific chain reaction in the countries these migrants originate from such as increased poverty due to decreased remittances, and overtaxed public services, such as schools, from large numbers of returned migrants Organizations like the Migration Policy Institute warn of the pressure this will place on resources and the lives of vulnerable people seeking refuge This isn t just about borders; it s about human lives being treated as political hostages Immigrants are what made America great, and Trump is shattering this uniquely American legacy B I RT H
S H I P: On his very first day back in office Trump signed a xenophobic executive order attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship, enshrined in the Constitution s 14th Amendment His attempt to unilaterally redefine the meaning of the 14th Amendment claims that birthright
citizenship does not extend to those born in the USA whose mother was unlawfully present or simply visiting or on a student or work visa at the time of their birth
This interpretation is particularly unusual and contradicts the established precedent set in the 1898 United States v Wong Kim Ark decision which found that any person born within the USA was entitled to citizenship While it is highly likely that Trump s executive order will collapse under legal challenges, the fact is that it almost doesn’t matter The true outcome of this outof-bound and ominous order is to sow bigotry and confusion tearing the American people further apart Trump must remember that birthright is sacrosanct; and neither he nor anyone else can tamper with it in the name of his fake notion of making America great again
T R A N S G E N D E R R I G H T S: Trump’s continued attacks on the very existence of transgender people are disgraceful and pointedly cruel In the USA 1 6 million adults and youth aged 13 and older identify as transgender (including transgender men, transgender women, and gender non-conforming individuals) less than one percent of the total population; the percent and number of people who identify as transgender has remained constant over time according to the Williams Institute at UCLA, disproving claims to the contrary Indeed, transgender people have existed throughout history across numerous cultures The targeting of such a small portion of the population is bigotry plain and simple which Trump exemplifies as he is trying to legislate them out of existence entirely mandating that any government-issued IDs list
Will Iran’s next supreme leader be its last?
Khamenei has yet to publicly name a preferred heir Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader’s son, is a clear front-runner
For instance, Abdul Reza Davari, a former adviser to the highly conser vative former Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has compared him to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Ali Asghar Hejazi, the chief of security in the supreme leader’s office, is the official Khamenei appears to trust the most and the only to attend all of Khamenei’s private meetings
FAFFAIRS A k B A r G A n j i
OR years, Iran watchers have been spreading rumors about the demise of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei When the Islamic Republic’s Assembly of Experts pushed back a major 2024 meeting from September to November some theorized that Khamenei was ailing When Khamenei spent time at that meeting detailing how to choose his successor, others asserted that his end was near And whenever Khamenei disappears for too long, people speculate that the supreme leader has already died Right now rumors of Khamenei’s demise are greatly exaggerated He is still working and his comments about succession merely restated Iran s constitutional provisions But from an actuarial perspective, Khamenei s reign is almost certainly in its final years The supreme leader is an 85-year-old cancer survivor In 2022, when he visited the Imam Reza shrine in 2022, he told those traveling with him that it would probably be his last such trip In the not-too-distant future the Assembly of Experts will have to anoint a new supreme leader Khamenei has yet to publicly name a preferred heir And over time, most of the candidates once seen as favorites have fallen out of contention But there is a clear front-runner: Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader ’s son The 56-year-old cleric already wields significant political power manipulating elections to help his favored candidates The elder Khamenei s allies have been touting Mojtaba as the leader the country needs They have, for example, praised Mojtaba as a distinguished Islamic jurist and thinker They have simultaneously suggested that he is a modernizer who can eliminate corruption, fix the country’s stagnant economy and calm an angry public Like any new supreme leader Mojtaba would adjust Tehran s policies once in office He might for example lift some Internet restrictions in hopes of giving angry Iranians an outlet Yet the idea that he will truly fix Iran is fanciful The country s main problem is not just bad political leadership but a bad political system Iranians want a full-fledged democracy not an autocracy They want an end to discrimination and religious rule But the younger Khamenei is just as committed to the Islamic Republic as the older one is Mojtaba s rise or the rise of any other cleric, will thus prompt the country s people to further pressure Tehran The result could be mass protests, or even an outright revolt, against the government The United States and its allies cannot spark such an uprising themselves But they can help Iranians
The United States and its allies cannot spark such an uprising themselves But they can help Iranians who do protest the nex t supreme leader by lifting punishing sanc tions
sources to successfully challenge the Islamic Republic
FORTUNATE SON: In some ways, Mojtaba’s rise has been unusual Although there is nothing uncommon about autocrats passing power to their children Iran is a Shiite theocracy and traditional Shiite philosophy strongly condemns hereditary rule In Shiite theology the authority of imams stems from divine duty not from inheritance Shiite political leaders should thus be selected based on religious qualifications not based on who their parents happen to be Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader appealed to this principle when he blocked his own overambitious son from succeeding him in the late 1980s Khamenei once shared Khomeini s view In a speech delivered in January 1990, he decried monarchical systems, mocking the transfer of sovereignty from a king to his son as the equivalent of a man passing a copper washbasin on to his heir But today, Khamenei seems to have a different view Religious scholars affiliated with him have begun claiming that Mojtaba is a distinguished jurist one whose expertise qualifies him to be supreme leader In video clips circulating on social media prominent clerics have referred to Mojtaba as an ayatollah, a rank he has not yet earned They have argued that if he were to become supreme leader, it would be justified on the basis of his religious expertise not the fact that he is Khamenei’s son Yet there is little evidence that the younger Khamenei possesses the religious background the Iranian constitution requires According to that document, the supreme leader must have juridical qualifications for expressing proper views on various areas of Islamic jurisprudence ” Mojtaba does not Whereas the elder Khamenei had published multiple books on theological topics before rising to power the younger one has published none Mojtaba does teach classes on Islamic law but none of his instruction has been made public He has never given any public speeches Iranians can find clips of Mojtaba talking, but they are all less than five minutes long
To some of Mojtaba’s supporters, the lack of religious qualifications and oratorical skills may not matter In fact some dissimilarity between Mojtaba and his father is a plus Several conservative Iranian newspapers have argued that the younger Khamenei would revitalize Iran s old and sclerotic government, in part by cleaning up corruption In a November 2024 interview, Abbas Palizdar, the former secretary of the Iranian parliament’s judiciary committee, accused multiple high-level Iranian officials of graft He then praised Mojtaba as the only honest anticorruption and freedom-loving candidate to succeed his father going on to pray that Mojtaba would become supreme leader
Other influential Iranians have gone further, claiming that Mojtaba is a progressive For instance, Abdul Reza Davari, a former adviser to the highly conservative former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has compared him to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who although hardly a liberal has opened Saudi Arabia s economy and lifted many social restrictions Notably Iranian security forces and intelligence organizations have not fielded any objections to this comparison, even though the Islamic Republic has routinely vilified the crown
prince as anti-Islamic and corrupt
The supreme leader must have ‘juridical qualifications for expressing proper views on various areas of Islamic jurisprudence ’ Mojtaba does not
Yet these claims are just as absurd as the assertions that Mojtaba is an Islamic legal expert The younger Khamenei is certainly experienced in Iranian politics, but his interventions have almost always been on behalf of hard-liners When the reformist Mohammad Khatami won the presidency in 1997 Mojtaba fought back tooth and nail Along with his allies in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mojtaba successfully prevented Khatami from lifting political and social restrictions They shut down reformist newspapers and imprisoned activists and dissidents Khatami even publicly protested their actions declaring that “every nine days a crisis was created for my government Sometimes Mojtaba has been even more extreme than his father In the 2005 presidential election the elder Khamenei and his inner circle supported the candidacy of the regime insider Ali Larijani But Mojtaba and his partners successfully swung the election to Ahmadinejad To do so they rigged the vote including by submitting forged ballots In response two of the other main candidates Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mehdi Karroubi publicly rebuked Mojtaba s schemes Karroubi wrote a letter to Khamenei decrying interference by your respected son, Agha Seyyed Mojtaba, in favor of one of the candidates ” But Khamenei was unmoved When two other senior Iranian officials complained to Khamenei about his son’s political interference Khamenei replied He is a man of substance on his own merit not a mere son of an official SYSTEM FAILURE: Mojtaba could still lose his bid to become supreme leader Khamenei has already proved willing to set aside front-runners He sidelined Larijani in 2005 for example and former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi fell out of Khamenei s favor as his presidency floundered (Raisi died in a May 2024 helicopter crash ) But Khamenei could ultimately endorse other senior officials Ali Asghar Hejazi, the chief of security in the supreme leader s office, is the most prominent of them He is the official Khamenei appears to trust the most and the only to attend all of Khamenei’s private meetings But Hejazi shares Khamenei’s ideological outlook So for that matter do most of the dark horse candidates That means almost no matter who succeeds Khamenei Mojtaba, Hejazi, or someone else Iran is in for another rough period The country is home to a highly educated population with an intensely critical society Outside information is increasingly available: these days, for example nearly every major book that is published (including those by Israeli novelists) is almost immediately translated into Persian The country s people want freedom democracy human rights and pluralism The gap between these desires and the state s repression has led to mass protests in 1999, 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2022 Notably, this anger is targeted not just at Khamenei but at the entire regime During the 2009 demonstrations for example Iranians protested Mojtaba after the younger Khamenei helped Ahmadinejad secure reelection Mojtaba may you face death before seeing leadership, they chanted The pressure on the next supreme leader will likely be even greater Iranians are growing more assertive;
many political prisoners have acquired smartphones that they use to broadcast their thinking and influence Should Khamenei’s successor maintain clerical rule, Iranian society will demand significant changes The next supreme leader may succeed in cracking down on such unrest through a combination of force and marginal concessions But it is also possible that Iranians will force a
Dr Alon Ben-Meir
INDIA , US AGREE TO RESOLVE TRADE AND TARIFF ROW AFTER TRUMP-MODI TALKS
China warns Philippines over dangers of prolonged US missile system deployment
Saudi and Pakistan forge stronger tourism ties, unlocking unprecedented travel oppor tunities
The CFO of Galaxefi Asif Parvez presents a company memento to Aftab Haider, CEO of PSW PR
PTI DEMANDS JUDICIAL PROBE AS PATTAN ‘UNMASKS TRUTH BEHIND
MOTHER OF ELECTORAL
FRAUD’
Ishaq Khan, and Saman Rafat challenging the transfers of Justice Dogar from the Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from the Sindh High Court (SHC) and Justice Mohammad Asif from the Balochistan High Court (BHC) The petitioners argued that these transfers unfairly affected their seniority However, the challenge was dismissed by former IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq The ruling cited constitutional provisions, specifically Article 200, which allows the president to transfer judges between high courts with their consent and in consultation with the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief justices of the respective high courts The judgment clarified that such transfers do not reset a judge s seniority in the new court Meanwhile, the Ministry of Law and Justice also appointed acting chief justices for other high courts Justice Ejaz Swati was named acting chief justice of the BHC Justice Junaid Ghaffar for the SHC and Justice S M Attique Shah for the Peshawar High Court (PHC)
A recent audit of the Rs97 billion Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) has revealed financial discrepancies amounting to Rs8 48 billion, including misappropriations, unlawful payments and wasteful expenditures The
tracts were awarded at higher rates causing losses of Rs1 7 billion while Rs76 06 million was paid in excessive monthly salaries to consultants Overpricing resulted in an
might transform the latter into an extra-regional threat and an umbrella organization for other terrorist groups operating in the region,” the report said “With over two dozen terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan the security threat emanating from the country is a continuing driver of instability in the region and beyond it said The presence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan posed a serious challenge to the stability of the country, as well as to the security of neighbouring
completion expected by the end of 2026 However, the audit highlights instances of financial mismanagement including unauthorized work cost escalations and payments for unexecuted projects Misappropriated funds included Rs8 8 million paid for work that was never carried out and Rs11 2
audit further identified questionable payments to contractors, including Rs2 53 billion for construction supervision consultancy under unclear circumstances Additional financial losses included Rs11 08 million in unjustified escalations Rs16 13 million in excess payments due to inflated quantities, and Rs157 4 million in irregular escalations for consultants Unauthorized remunerations and overpayments contributed to a total loss of Rs3 73 billion Project delays and cost escalations pushed expenditures up by 41 77 percent, resulting in an additional burden of Rs441 4 million The government also failed to recover Rs105 6 million in delay penalties adding to inefficiencies that cost a total of Rs547 million The audit found that con-
