ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) overturned the decision of Pakistan’s election regulatory authority to revoke the symbol of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, declaring it unconstitutional and enabling the PTI to regain it.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took away the “cricket bat” as PTI’s election symbol in an order issued on December 22 after declaring its intraparty polls null and void for violating its regulations.
Khan’s party moved the PHC against the decision which led to the restoration of its election symbol ahead of the Feb. 8 national polls. Later, the court temporarily upheld the ECP order in a review petition, though it continued the case proceedings and ultimately issued its verdict in favor of the party.
“The Peshawar High Court has announced that the Election Commission of Pakistan took the ‘bat’ symbol from PTI forcefully and it was snatched away by issuing an illegal order,” Barrister Ali Zafar told the media after the verdict was announced. “That decision has been declared null and void, and the ECP has been asked to give the ‘bat’ symbol back to the PTI immediately.”
“No one can stop the PTI from winning the elections after this,” he added.
Election symbols are crucial in Pakistan where, according to World Bank data, the adult literacy rate is just 58 percent.
The cricket bat is reflective of ex-PM Khan’s past as a successful cricketer, who led Pakistan to their only 50-over World Cup win in 1992, propelling him to an unrivaled position among the country’s cricket greats.
Political analysts previously said without the restoration of their election symbol, the PTI leaders would have to contest the upcoming elections as independent candidates.
“The election commission cannot snatch a party’s election symbol even if it does not hold intraparty polls,” Zafar told the PHC a day earlier. “The ECP’s verdict [against the party] should be nullified since it has been made with malafide intention.”
The PTI has frequently complained in recent months it is not getting a level playing field ahead of the next general elections.
Many of its top leaders are facing a number of legal cases against them and are currently incarcerated in high-security prisons in different Pakistani cities.
Pakistani court restores ex-PM Khan’s party symbol ahead of national polls, rules revocation unconstitutional
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Pakistani court restores ex-PM Khan’s party symbol ahead of national polls, rules revocation unconstitutional
- The country’s election body took away ‘cricket bat’ as PTI’s symbol while declaring its intraparty polls null and void
- PTI leader Barrister Ali Zafar says no one can stop his party from winning the elections after the high court decision
Pakistan slashes petroleum prices by up to Rs5 per liter
- The government cut the petrol price by only Re0.50 to Rs255.63 per liter
- Pakistan revises fuel prices every fortnight based on international rates
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has slashed the prices of petroleum products by up to Rs5 per liter for the next 15 days, the Finance Division announced late Friday.
The government slashed the price of high-speed diesel by Rs5.31 to Rs258.64 per liter, while that of petrol by only Re0.50 to Rs255.63 per liter.
The price of kerosene oil went down by Rs3.53 to Rs168.12 and that of light diesel oil by Rs2.47 to Rs153.34, according to a Finance Division notification.
“The Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has reviewed & adjusted consumer prices for petroleum products in view of recent fluctuations in the international oil market,” it read.
Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed and adjusted fortnightly. The mechanism ensures that the net impact of changes in import costs is passed on to consumers, helping sustain the country’s fuel supply chain.
Petrol is mostly used in Pakistan for private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers. At the same time, any increase in the price of diesel is considered highly inflationary as it is mostly used to power heavy transport vehicles and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
Pakistani entrepreneur sees ‘Meet the Drapers’ as boost for local startups as four firms compete
- The reality TV show allows businesses to compete for $1 million by pitching ideas to a panel of investors
- This is the first time Pakistani firms are featuring on the global show that also allows audiences to invest
KARACHI: The founder of a Pakistani startup participating in a leading international reality TV show, which allows businesses to pitch innovative ideas to prominent investors, said Friday the appearance of early-stage companies from her country on such global platforms can strengthen the local startup ecosystem.
Her remarks came after the latest episode of “Meet The Drapers” featuring Pakistani entrepreneurs, marking the first time in seven seasons that the country was represented in the competition hosted by venture capital icon Tim Draper. The show offers contestants the opportunity to compete for funding and exposure, with the audience also able to invest in promising startups.
Among the four Pakistani entrepreneurs featured this season is Maha Shahzad, the Karachi-born founder of BusCaro, a tech-based mobility startup offering transport solutions in Pakistan.
“We did our pitches in the [San Francisco] Bay Area, and then the Meet The Drapers team came down to Karachi where we picked iconic locations for the shoot,” she told Arab News, adding that she appeared on the program against the backdrop of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum, as she felt it symbolized Karachi.
“For the overall ecosystem, it is important for Pakistani startups to be shown on international platforms,” she continued. “The media portrayal globally of Pakistan and its businesses versus our reality is very different. So that exposure is very important.”
Pakistani startups gained significant traction in recent years, attracting record investments in 2021 and early 2022, particularly in e-commerce, fintech and mobility solutions. The surge generated optimism about the country’s emerging tech ecosystem, prompting the government to invest in the sector, introduce tax incentives and push for higher IT exports to mitigate economic challenges.
Shahzad, a Pakistani-American, has been running BusCaro for two and a half years, offering a bus-hailing service across Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Her company partners with businesses to facilitate employee commutes while also allowing individual users to access its services.
She and the other three Pakistani entrepreneurs joined “Meet The Drapers” through Paklaunch, a Pakistani community platform that connects investors, professionals and startups globally. Paklaunch facilitated the show’s entry into the country, leading 100 local startups to compete. After several rounds of shortlisting, four Pakistani companies reached the pitching stage, with the episode filmed during a conference in San Francisco last October.
“A show like this is obviously helpful for potential fundraising and adds a lot of value to any business,” Shahzad said. “For me, it’s been an honor to meet Tim Draper and be a part of the show more than anything else.”
Unlike other reality shows, “Meet The Drapers” primarily focuses on tech-based startups with mass-scale potential. Entrepreneurs from around the world participate, with season seven featuring 44 contestants from Abu Dhabi, Paris, London, New York and Pakistan, among others.
Participants pitch live to a panel of celebrity guest judges for a $1 million grand prize, with the second and third-place winners receiving $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.
Another Pakistani startup, a streaming platform called Myco, is also competing this season. Founded by Islamabad-born Umair Masoom Usmani, who moved to Dubai and launched the business there in 2021, Myco operates out of the UAE but considers Pakistan its largest market in terms of users, revenue and consumer base.
Myco also secured the exclusive rights to stream “Meet The Drapers” in Pakistan, with the first episode airing on January 17, 2025.
“When I presented my pitch on the show, Tim Draper expressed his support for Myco and asked us to stream ‘Meet The Drapers’ in Pakistan,” Usmani told Arab News over the phone on Friday.
The startup enhances entertainment through live streaming, integrating a reward system for both consumers and advertisers.
“It was a big win for us to get the rights to stream the show,” he continued. “The opportunity to meet Tim Draper was huge, as was the connection built with the ‘Meet The Drapers’ team. It will hopefully be a long-term relationship.”
Usmani hopes to make it to the finale based on consumer votes. The six finalists, to be featured in the April 18 episode, will include three chosen by judges and three selected through public voting.
The other two Pakistani startups featured in the “Meet The Drapers” episode include Laam, a fashion platform connecting consumers with brands and designers, and Reup Cycle, an app promoting sustainability by converting used plastics into industrial materials.
Bodies of 12 Pakistani migrants who died in boat sinking have been repatriated
- The boat was carrying Europe-bound migrants with more than 60 Pakistani nationals
- Officials say 37 Pakistani were rescued while 16 died and 10 remain unaccounted for
PARACHINAR: The bodies of 12 out of at least 16 Pakistanis who died this month when a boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants sank off Libya’s coast have been repatriated to Pakistan, officials said Friday.
Most of the victims who died in the capsizing were from Kurram, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The boat was carrying more than 60 Pakistani nationals, and out of them 37 people were rescued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Ten people remained unaccounted for.
Ashfaq Ahmed, a government administrator, said nine of the 12 bodies were sent to Kurram by helicopters on Thursday and Friday. He said the bodies of the four remaining victims will be brought home soon.
Libya, which shares borders with six nations and has a long coastline along the Mediterranean, is a main transit point for migrants escaping war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East to seek better lives in Europe.
Every year, hundreds of Pakistanis die while attempting to reach Europe via perilous land and sea routes, often facilitated by human smugglers. In January, authorities said dozens of Pakistanis died when a boat capsized off West Africa.
Security forces kill six militants in Pakistan’s northwest
- The incident occurred in North Waziristan during an intelligence-based operation
- Killing of militants came on the same day a suicide attack claimed six lives in KP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed six militants in an operation in the country’s northwest on Friday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
The intelligence-based operation was conducted in Ghulam Khan Kalay, an area in North Waziristan, a district bordering Afghanistan that was once a stronghold of militant groups before Pakistan launched military offensives to reclaim the region. The area, along with the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has seen a surge in militant violence since a fragile ceasefire agreement collapsed between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in late 2022.
Pakistan labels TTP fighters as “khwarij,” a historical reference to an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority, declaring other Muslims apostates, and justifying their killing.
“On 28 February 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the general area of Ghulam Khan Kalay, North Waziristan District, on reported presence of khwarij,” ISPR said. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, as a result of which six khwarij were sent to hell.”
The statement added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who had been actively involved in attacks on security forces and the killing of civilians.
ISPR said a “sanitization operation” was underway to eliminate other militants in the area, reiterating that Pakistani security forces remain determined to wipe out militancy from the country.
The killing of the militants came on the same day a suicide attack at a seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed six lives, including that of a prominent cleric, during the Friday prayer congregation.
In another incident, an improvised explosive device blast in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, injured nine people, including a paramilitary soldier.
Pakistan to begin Ramadan on Sunday, a day after Saudi Arabia, as moon remains unseen
- Country’s central moon sighting committee says it did not receive testimonies of Ramadan crescent
- Pakistan’s space agency had already predicted it would be difficult to sight the moon on Friday
ISLAMABAD: The head of Pakistan’s central moon sighting committee announced on Friday the Ramadan crescent was not seen across the country, adding the first day of the Muslim fasting month will fall on Sunday, a day after the ninth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar begins in Saudi Arabia.
Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide through fasting from dawn to sunset, with most practicing Muslims considering it a time of spiritual reflection, self-discipline and devotion. Fasting serves as a means of strengthening faith and developing empathy for the less fortunate.
The month holds special significance as it was during one of its nights that the first verses of the Holy Qur’an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in what is considered its most sacred night. Muslims mark Ramadan with increased prayer, charity and community gatherings, culminating in the festival of Eid Al-Fitr.
“There has been no reported sighting of the Ramadan moon,” Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, chairman of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, said while speaking to the media in northwestern Peshawar city. “The first day of the holy month of Ramadan will be on Sunday, March 2, 2025.”
Pakistan’s national space agency had already predicted the Ramadan moon would be invisible to the human eye in Pakistan on February 28, explaining the crescent would be difficult to sight due to its low altitude and distance.
It had also said people in the South Asian country were likely to mark the beginning of the holy month from March 2.
In Pakistan, however, the moon sighting committee is tasked with determining the start of new Islamic months.
The dates for Ramadan and Eid festivals are confirmed through visual observations and testimonies from different parts of the country reporting the crescent’s sighting.
