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
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.
Islamabad says eight Pakistanis deported from United States
- Diplomat confirms this is the first such flight since President Trump returned to power
- White House says the US president plans to carry out a mass deportation operation
ISLAMABAD: Eight Pakistan nationals residing illegally in the United States have been deported to Pakistan, Islamabad said Friday, with a diplomat calling it the first such flight since Donald Trump returned to power.
“We can confirm that eight Pakistani nationals, who were staying illegally in the US, have indeed returned yesterday,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told a press conference.
A Pakistani diplomat confirmed that this was the first such flight since Trump’s second term began in January.
“But (it is) not the first ever as in 2019, several such flights also arrived in Pakistan,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.
On his first day in office the Republican signed orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border with Mexico and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”
The White House has also said Trump plans to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in US history.
In addition, Trump’s administration has halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.
China’s BYD starts delivering vehicle in Pakistan, aim to roll out 100 units in 48 hours
- BYD partnered with Mega Motor Company last year to introduce electric vehicles in Pakistan
- Both companies plan to establish 15 experience and care centers across Pakistan this year
KARACHI: China’s BYD, the world’s largest New Energy Vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, and Pakistan’s Mega Motor Company (MMC) started delivering vehicles in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on Friday, with plans to roll out 100 units within the first 48 hours, confirmed their official statement.
The milestone comes after BYD and MMC partnered last year to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) in Pakistan, aiming to accelerate the country’s transition toward sustainable mobility.
BYD, a global leader in battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, has expanded aggressively in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Mega Motor, a subsidiary of Pakistan’s Hub Power Company (HUBCO), is spearheading the local manufacturing, distribution and sales of BYD-branded vehicles.
“It is an honor to embark on this crucial development chapter in Pakistan,” said Lei Jian, BYD country head in Pakistan.
“BYD has long been dedicated to fulfilling people’s aspirations for a better life through technological innovation,” he continued. “We firmly believe that BYD’s new energy vehicles and technologies are destined to make even greater contributions to Pakistan’s green development journey.”
The companies have launched BYD Experience and Care Centers in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, offering customers access to their advanced automobiles.
he initial rollout includes models such as SEAL and ATTO 3, with plans to establish 15 centers across Pakistan this year to expand accessibility.
“We are thrilled to begin vehicle deliveries across Pakistan,” said Danish Khaliq, VP Sales and Strategy at MMC. “This marks the beginning of an exciting journey for BYD and our customers, as we introduce world-class NEV technology to drive Pakistan toward a cleaner and more sustainable future.”
NEVs refer to alternative-fuel vehicles that rely on electric, hybrid, hydrogen, or other non-traditional power sources instead of conventional gasoline or diesel engines.
