Year 2024 for Pakistan

The Year 2024 has been in its twilight days. It will become past on January 1st, 2025. Pakistan has passed through an intense political turmoil and confrontation throughout the year 2024 causing an irreparable loss to the polity, economy, the state as well as general public the key stakeholders and sufferers from the prevalent situation.

SC upholds Musharraf’s death sentence

The Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the 2019 death sentence of former president General Pervez Musharraf on January 10, who died in February 2023.

The Supreme Court upheld the 2019 death sentence of late former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, awarded to him by the Special Court in the high treason case for proclamation of emergency in 2007.

A bench of the apex court headed by then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, set aside the January 13, 2020 decision in the case by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The four-judge SC bench also comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah — took up a set of appeals pertaining to the 2020 Lahore High Court (LHC) order declaring unconstitutional the death sentence awarded to Musharraf.

In December 2019, a special court in Islamabad found Musharraf guilty of high treason and handed him a death sentence under Article 6 of the Constitution. It marked the first time in Pakistan’s history that a military chief had been declared guilty and punished.

Iran-Pakistan tit for tat strikes

Iran launched a missile attack in Balochistan, targeting what it described as terrorist sites.

Pakistan called the action an “unprovoked violation” of its airspace resulting in the death of two children and injuries to three others.

In response to the missile attack Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Iran the next day.

On 18 January the Pakistan Air Force launched airstrikes on Baloch separatist targets inside Iran in retaliation of the country’s missile attack in Balochistan.

Camps belonging to the Baluch Liberation Front and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were reportedly targeted in PAF airstrikes. Explosions reported in the city of Saravan. Four women and three children were killed in the strikes, all of whom foreign nationals, according to local media reports.

On January 27, unknown assailants gunned down at least nine Pakistani nationals and injured three others in the suburb of the city of Saravan in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan Baluchestan.

According to reports, among the victims, five hailed from different areas of Alipur in Punjab province and had been working in Iran for the past decade.

“Witnesses said this morning unknown gunmen killed nine non-Iranians in a house in the Sirkan neighbourhood of Saravan city” in Sistan-Baluchistan province, the Iranian news agency reported. No group or individuals had claimed responsibility, the agency added.

Pakistani general election 2024

Voters elected members of the 16th National Assembly of Pakistan and provincial legislatures of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh in general election on February 08 under stringent security measures.

Mobile phone services suspended and thousands of troops deployed to protect polling stations.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed victory amid allegations of rigging and irregularities in the election.

The candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf of former prime minister Imran Khan won most seats in the National Assembly as independents with different election symbols. In the run-up to the elections, a Supreme Court ruling stripped the PTI of their electoral symbol for failing to hold intra-party elections.

The elections were held following two years of political unrest after Imran Khan was removed from office by a no-confidence motion.

Independent candidates ended up winning 103 general seats in election including 93 backed by the PTI, followed by 75 from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and 54 by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

In Punjab and Sindh provinces, the PML-N and the PPP respectively emerged as the largest parties. Independent candidates backed by the PTI won the most number of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while Balochistan voted for the PPP and the PML-N as the largest parties.

Election Rigging Allegations

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali and other party leaders alleged election rigging and claimed that the party had won 180 National Assembly seats as per provisional election results.

PTI-backed independent candidates did not secure a majority, but they managed to win more seats than any other single party. The party declined to forge alliances with other parties to establish a coalition government and opted an opposition role in parliament.

PMLN-PPP Coalition Govt

The PML-N, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and other allied parties announced to form a coalition government in Centre.

At a press conference on 13 February 2024, it was announced by the leaders of the PML-N and the PPP that they would form a coalition government with the PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister.

The MQM-P, the PML-Q, the IPP and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) also expressed their intent to join the governmental coalition.

Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan on March 03, securing 201 votes against the 92 votes received by the PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan. Shehbaz became prime minister with support from allies, the PPP, MQM-P, PML-Q, BAP, IPP and other smaller groups.

Sharif, 72, served as prime minister until August last year when the National Assembly was dissolved to make way for a caretaker government, tasked with holding elections.

Supreme Court rules Bhutto denied fair trial

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on March 06 unanimously ruled that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was denied fair trial before his execution by hanging in April 1979.

The Supreme Court announced its reserved opinion on the presidential reference against the controversial death sentence awarded to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, saying that the former prime minister Bhutto did not get a chance to a “fair trial”.

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, a nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court reserved its verdict in a long-pending presidential reference, seeking to revisit the 1979 death sentence to ZAB.

The bench also comprised Justice Tariq Masood, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin Ud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Musarrat Hilali.

“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not get a fair trial and due process enshrined in Articles 4 and 9 of the Constitution,” said CJP Isa while announcing the short order. A detailed opinion will be issued later by the SC, said CJP.

The proceedings were broadcast live on the Supreme Court’s website.

Previously, former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had conducted five hearings on the presidential reference — whose last hearing was held on November 11, 2012.

Former President Asif Ali Zardari had approached the Supreme Court in 2011 through a Presidential Reference under Article 186 of the Constitution, seeking to revisiting the trial of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was handed death sentence during former military ruler General Ziaul Haq’s regime.

The first elected prime minister of the country was charged with the murder of a political rival Nawab Mohammed Ahmed Qasuri and a trial took place.Amid petitions and appeals of clemency, and mercy from several heads of states, Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979.

The Supreme Court has given a historic verdict by accepting that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not given the right of fair trial, Bilawal Bhutto said.Commenting on the top court’s decision in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto presidential reference, Chairman People’s Party said, “We are waiting for the court’s detailed verdict”. “We will talk to lawyers after release of the detailed verdict”.

Also Read: Year 2024 International Breaking News Timeline

Asif Ali Zardari elected President

Asif Ali Zardari was elected as President of Pakistan for the second time on March 10. Zardari also held the President’s office from 2008 to 2013.

He is the widower of former prime minister of Pakistan and the PPP’s iconic leader Benazir Bhutto. Zardari served as federal investment minister and chairperson of Pakistan Environmental Protection Council during Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure as PM in 1993. He was also elected member MNA from 2018 to 2023, and in 2024.

He was incarcerated and nominally served in Parliament after being elected to the National Assembly in 1990 and Senate in 1997. He was released from jail in 2004 and went into self-exile to Dubai, but returned when Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007.

As co-chairman of the PPP, he led his party to victory in the 2008 general elections. He spearheaded a coalition that forced Gen. Pervez Musharraf to resign from presidential office. He was elected president on September 06, 2008.

Zardari achieved the passage of the 18th Amendment in 2010, which constitutionally reduced his presidential powers. His attempt to prevent the reinstatement of Supreme Court judges failed in the face of protests led by his political rival Nawaz Sharif.

Senate Elections

Pakistan’s Senate elections were held on April 02. However, the elections of the upper house of the Parliament were deferred by the election commission in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Senate election held after 52 out of 100 Senators including 4 merged FATA region members were retired after completing their 6 year terms. After the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the region’s seats were abolished after completion of term.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bagged nine out of 12 Senate seats from Punjab, sweeping the elections conducted for two seats each for women and technocrats and for one minority.

Earlier, seven candidates for general seats from Punjab were elected unopposed including independent Mohsin Naqvi with PML-N and PPP votes, PML-N’s Ahad Cheema, Pervaiz Rashid, Nasir Mehmood, Talal Chaudhry and Sunni Ittehad Council’s Hamid Khan and Raja Nasir Abbas.

The PPP bagged 10 out of 12 seats in the Senate elections from Sindh with MQM-P and independent candidate Faisal Vawda winning a seat each.

Polling for the 11 Senate seats from Balochistan rendered unnecessary after all the candidates, comprising seven for general seats and two each for seats reserved for women and technocrats, elected unopposed ahead of the scheduled election on April 2.

Earlier, seven Senate candidates from Balochistan on general seats returned unopposed after retirement of a candidate.

Former caretaker prime minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar elected unopposed on Senate as an independent candidate.

The elections on 11 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seats of the Senate were postponed by the election commission over the dispute with the province’s ruling PTI party over oath-taking to the lawmakers on reserved seats.

The ruling alliance candidates won two federal seats of the Senate as the PML-N’s Ishaq Dar and PPP candidate Mahmood ul Hassan elected to the upper house of parliament.

Court orders restoration of social media platform X

The Sindh High Court ordered the federal government to restore public access to X following its blockage during the general election in February.

The high court directed the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to restore social media platform X services across Pakistan.

The order was issued by the SHC bench, headed by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, on a petition against the “unconstitutional” internet outages across the country in recent days.

The chief justice questioned on whose directions was X services suspended. “The court must ask PTA to disclose who issued them directives to suspend social media site X,” the counsel replied.

Earlier, the court summoned report from PTA for suspending internet services on election day and issued notice to federal government.

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, continues to remain inaccessible to users in Pakistan after internet watchdog groups started to report outages on Saturday.

NetBlocks, an organisation that monitors accessibility issues on the internet, On February 17 confirmed that a “national-scale disruption” has hit X in Pakistan in the aftermath of widespread protests in the country triggered by the alleged vote rigging in general elections.

Azad Kashmir Protests

Four people, including a police officer were killed during protests against rising prices in Azad Kashmir from May10-13.

The Awami Joint Action Committee had announced to end protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) against soaring inflation a day after the government accepted their demands.

The government issued a notification implementing the new electricity tariff, with rates of Rs3 per unit for up to 100 units, Rs5 per unit for 100-300 units, and Rs6 per unit for above 300 as per the agreement signed.

The region witnessed violent clashes between the police and activists of a rights movement amid a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the territory, which left at least four people dead and several others injured.

The Joint Public Action Committee (JAAC) observed a complete strike in Azad Kashmir on December 5 against a controversial presidential ordinance. Educational institutes and shops were closed on the protest call, while transport was also suspended in the region.

The regional gopvernment withdrawn the ordinance banning peaceful protests, following successful talks between the government and the protest committee.

Under the presidential ordinance, the government enforced 7-year jail term for the people protesting in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The committee and other civil society groups called the ordinance infringing on the people’s constitutional right to peaceful assembly and expression, raising questions about the balance between maintaining public order and safeguarding civil liberties in the territory.

The AJK Supreme Court suspended the enforcement of ‘Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance, 2024’, while admitting two appeals against a high court ruling that had upheld the contentious law.

Washuk bus accident

A bus travelling from Turbat to Quetta falls off a ravine in Washuk, Balochistan, killing 28 people on the spot and injuring 20.

A school is destroyed in an arson attack in North Waziristan.Four Pakistanis are killed and two others are injured after their vehicle is fired upon by Iranian border guards near Mashkel, Balochistan.

PTI founder’s conviction overturned in state secrets case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in cipher case.

Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict on the pleas challenging the conviction in the cipher case.

In January this year, PTI founder and party’s vice-chairman were sentenced to 10 years each in prison in the case.

A special court on January 30 handed 10-year jail term to former prime minister and PTI founder and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Both the PTI leaders were accused of conspiracy to misuse the contents of the cipher to fulfill nefarious purposes.

The court in its verdict said the prosecution had enough evidence to prove the charges against the former prime minister and ex-foreign minister.

The FIR was registered on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act on the complaint of the Home Secretary.

Invalid Marriage Case

An appeals court on June 27 upheld Imran Khan’s conviction for entering into an invalid marriage with his wife Bushra Bibi.

A court in Pakistan has acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife on charges of unlawful marriage, according to his party and lawyer.

Khan and his wife Bushra Khan, also known as Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to seven years in prison, days before Pakistan’s election in February, a court ruling at the time that their marriage in 2018 violated Islamic law.

In June a court rejected their plea to have the February ruling suspended.

But on July 13 Islamabad court granted appeals of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

Pakistan heat wave deaths

At least 568 people die from heat-related illnesses due to extreme temperatures and humidity, mainly in sothern parts of Pakistan, with at least 427 deaths reported in Karachi alone.

The 2024 Pakistan heat wave is a currently ongoing extreme heat event occurring in June 2024.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported Severe Heatwave conditions occurring on 21–31 May 2024 through most of the country, and primarily in Sindh.
Temperatures soar to 40–42 °C in Karachi and 42–44 °C in Thatta, Badin and Sujawal districts, causing 2,547 reported instances of heat stroke and 133 livestock deaths.

Starting on 20 June 2024, temperatures in Sindh began to rise due to a prolonged heat wave, with temperatures in Karachi rising above 40. The heat was coupled with high humidity, causing the temperature to feel the as high as 49 °C.

Rawalakot prison escape

In a major security breach in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 19 inmates, including six on death row, escaped from the Rawalakot prison while one inmate, who was injured during the escape, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.

The incident occurred in Rawalakot, the district and divisional headquarters of Poonch.

The thirty-year-old prison located adjacent to the district courts in the heart of the town has been in a dilapidated state.

In light of the jailbreak, eight prison officials, including the deputy superintendent, were detained for investigation while the AJK government formed an inquiry committee to investigate the incident.

Kenya Court rules in Arshad Sharif killing case

A court in Kenya on July 08 ruled that the 2022 killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif by police in Nairobi was unlawful and ordered the Kenyan government to pay 10 million Kenyan shillings ($78,000) as compensation to his family.

Arshad Sharif, senior journalist and former ARY News anchor, was shot dead in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on October 23, 2022 where he was living in self-exile.

The official police statement later expressed “regrets on the unfortunate incident.”

While delivering her judgement, Justice Stella Mutuku ruled that the use of lethal force against Arshad Sharif by shooting him in the head was unlawful and unconstitutional.

Arshad Sharif’s wife Javeria Siddique through her lawyer, had requested the court to order the Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions, Inspector General of Police, Independent Policing Oversight Authority, and the National Police Service Commission (the respondents) to provide her with copies of all documents, evidence, films, photographs, and video recordings in their possession related to Sharif’s shooting.

Pakistan extends Afghan refugees stay

The Pakistani government on 10 July granted an extension of residence permits to Afghan refugees carrying proper documentation until June 30, 2025.

Pakistan announced it will extend the registration cards of nearly 1.5 million Afghan refugees after a senior UN official urged the country to halt its deportation plan.

“The federal cabinet approved one-year extension of the validity of POR (Proof of Registration) cards of 1.45 million Afghan refugees. Their PoR cards have been expired on June 30, 2024. The extension has been granted until June 30, 2025,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement after the conclusion of a cabinet meeting.

Supreme Court ruling on reserved seats

The Supreme Court on July 12 ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was unlawfully deprived of at least 20 reserved seats in the National Assembly following the results of the general election in February.

In a major legal victory for the PTI, the apex court overturned the denial of reserved seats to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict on a petition filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an ally of the PTI.

Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Shahid Waheed, Muneeb Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Mazhar Ayesha Malik, Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Irfan Saadat Khan ruled in favour of the PTI.

The top court nullified the Peshawar High Court’s order wherein it had upheld the ECP’s decision denying the reserved seats to the SIC.

In its order, the apex court said that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision of allocating reserved seats to the ruling coalition was unconstitutional.

The bench accepted SIC’s petition and ruled that the party is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats. The apex court also accepted PTI as political party and asked Imran Khan-led party to submit reserved seats candidates list to the ECP within 15 days.

The verdict said that the ECP had incorrectly declared members of PTI as independents.

The full bench-led by CJP Isa, also comprises Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

Reserved seats issue

The reserved seats issue came to limelight after over 80 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidates emerged victorious in the February 8 elections. The SIC then approached the ECP on February 21 seeking allocation of reserved seats.

The PTI suffered a setback after the electoral body, citing the party’s failure to submit its list of candidates, denied allocating the reserved seats to the SIC via its 4-1 majority verdict on March 4.

The election commission distributed the reserved seats for women and minorities among other political parties. The PTI-backed SIC had approached the court after the ECP refused to allocate the reserved seats due to the party’s failure to submit its list of candidates before the deadline.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) upheld the ECP’s decision, leading the SIC to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Faiz Hameed arrested

Faiz Hameed, the former head of Inter-Services Intelligence, was arrested on charges of abuse of power involving a raid on a private property development business when he was in office.

The military announced that Hameed had been taken into custody by the army on charges of land grabbing and forcibly taking valuables from the owner of a private housing society, as stated by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

According to the Pakistan Army’s media wing, court-martial proceedings had also been initiated against former director general (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed.“Complying with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed court of inquiry was undertaken by the Pakistan Army, to ascertain the correctness of complaints in the Top City Case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd).

Consequently, appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd), under provisions of Pakistan Army Act,” the ISPR said.

UK Riots: Arrested Lahore web developer acquitted

A freelance web developer in Lahore was arrested on suspicion of spreading online misinformation regarding the 2024 Southport stabbing that contributed to the 2024 United Kingdom riots. He was acquitted on 26 August.

A court acquitted Farhan Asif, a 32-year-old web developer, who was charged with spreading misinformation that helped spark widespread rioting in the U.K. in August.

Farhan Asif, was arrested in a raid on his home in Lahore, and charged with cyberterrorism.

After a hearing, the judge ordered the release of Asif. He told the judge that he deleted his post on social media only six hours after realizing that it was not correct.

Federal investigators told the judge that they had no evidence to prove that he was guilty of intentionally spreading misinformation.

The Federal Investigation Agency had accused Asif of spreading misinformation on YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people on July 29 at a dance class in northwest England.

Musa Khel Killings

Armed men killed at least 23 passengers in Balochistan’s Musakhel district after offloading them from trucks and buses police said on August 26.

They stopped the vehicles on the inter-provincial highway in the Rarah Sham area of Musa Khel and killed at least 23 passengers hailing different parts of Punjab. The armed men also set 10 vehicles on fire.

The Musakhel attack comes nearly four months after a similar attack targeting people from Punjab. In April, nine passengers were offloaded from a bus near Nushki and shot dead after gunmen checked their ID cards.

Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar Killing

Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar, a senior medical officer accused of blasphemy, was allegedly killed in a staged police encounter in Mirpur Khas on September 19, after his arrest by Umerkot police on September 18, 2024, from Karachi.

Following the direction of Sindh Police chief, Ghulam Nabi Memon, an inquiry committee completed the investigation of Umerkot incident and exposed the misconduct of police.

The inquiry report, issued after intense public pressure, revealed severe violations of law by police officials from Umerkot and Mirpur Khas.

The high court ordered authorities to place the names of all accused on Exit Control List (ECL) in Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar’s murder who was killed in a suspected fake police encounter in Umerkot.

Earlier, a case was registered against 45 individuals including the high-ranking police officials.

The inquiry committee, tasked with investigating the incident, confirmed that the police encounter was fabricated to give legal cover to an extrajudicial killing.

It was the second such killing in a September week. On September 12, a 52-year-old man in Quetta was killed while held in custody at a police station for blasphemy accusations.

Earlier, a mob burns down a house and factory in Sargodha on May 25 over alleged blasphemy by its Christian owner, who died on June 03 after sustaining injuries from the attack.

More than 100 people subsequently arrested on suspicion of participating in the attack.

On June 25 A man in Madyan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was killed after being lynched for alleged blasphemy by a mob that also sets fire to the police station where he was being held.

26th Constitutional Amendment

The National Assembly and Senate passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment bill on October 21, with a two-thirds majority.

A 12-member parliamentary committee will select the new Chief Justice from a panel of the three most senior judges under the constitutional amendment.

The 26th amendment, has fixed the term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan at three years.

A 12-member parliamentary committee will nominate the new Chief Justice of Pakistan from a panel of the three most senior judges.

The committee, comprising eight members from the National Assembly and four from the Senate, will propose the name to the Prime Minister, who will then forward it to the President for final approval.

Besides, a Judicial Commission of Pakistan, led by the Chief Justice and including three senior judges, two members each from the National Assembly and Senate, the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, the Attorney General, and a nominee of the Pakistan Bar Council, having not less than fifteen years of practice in the Supreme Court, will be responsible for appointments of the judges of the Supreme Court.

Acting on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari signed 26th constitutional amendment bill into law.

Following President Zardari’s signature on the bill, the gazette notification of constitutional amendment issued, which means the 26th amendment was made part of the 1973’s constitution of Pakistan.

Justice Yahya Afridi was selected by a parliamentary committee on 22 October to become the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Armed Forces chiefs tenures extended

The National Assembly on November 04 voted in favour of extending the tenures of heads of the Pakistan Armed Forces and its service branches from three to five years.

Lahore Smog Crisis

Authorities declared a health emergency in Punjab on November 15 due to severe smog that also forced lockdowns in Lahore and Multan.

Senior Minister for Information and Environment Protection Marriyum Aurangzeb stated that the Health Department has been issued directives to take immediate action.

She said that the smog has led to an increase in respiratory issues, with over 600,000 people affected in Punjab in just one week, and 65,000 hospitalizations in a week.

Paramedical staff leaves canceled, and OPD timings extended until 8:00 pm. Aurangzeb warned that the health risk is at an extreme level.

In the wake of smog, the Punjab government earlier sealed dozens of shops, wedding halls and restaurants as authorities intensified enforcement of early market closures at 8 p.m. to address smog issues.

A report from the Green Master Plan shed light on the alarming rise of Lahore smog, highlighting six main causes contributing to the increase in smog and air pollution in the city.

According to the report, the city’s rapid development has transformed Lahore into a concrete jungle, exacerbating the Lahore smog issue. Reduced green spaces have led to a rise in temperatures, turning the city into a ‘heat island.’

The report revealed that 33 square kilometers (km) of industrial zones are situated near residential areas, significantly contributing to the city’s smog problem. It warns that if dispersed industries are not relocated to designated industrial areas within the next decade, irreversible damage may occur.

The report also suggests that rising temperatures have worsened urban air quality during winter. The increase in vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, and the continuous loss of green cover are major contributors to the rising temperatures. Additionally, landfill sites near the city are causing a spike in methane levels.

The report emphasises the urgent need to construct scientific landfill sites away from populated areas to mitigate Lahore’s smog problems.

Kurram massacre

At least 42 people were killed while 20 others injured in a gun attack on a convoy carrying Shiite Muslims in Kurram district.

Subsequent clashes between groups of Sunni and Shiite sects in Kurram from 21 until 23 November left several dozens dead and injured.

According to government figures shared in December said that the clashes between warring tribes in Kurram region resulted in over 100 fatalities since November.

Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Ali Saif recently said that a consensus has reached between the tribes to bring lasting peace in Kurram district.

Barrister Saif, providing details on the ongoing peace talks, told the media that the jirga would be convened again on Tuesday after the forum, via mutual consultation, decided to grant two days’ time to one of the parties who asked for more time for further discussion with its leaders on a few points.

Jalal Bangash, Secretary of Anjuman Association and member of the peace jirga told the media that all demands and proposals put forward had been accepted and the Turi Bangash tribe had signed the agreement.

He said that progress in peace talks, underway at Kohat, was aimed to broker an agreement for lasting peace between the warring tribes whose clashes have resulted in over 100 fatalities since November last in Kurram.

The district has been declared “disaster-hit” by the provincial government with authorities airlifting medical supplies to the area and evacuating people in critical need.

PTI Protest on26 November – At least six people are killed in clashes in Islamabad between police and PTI supporters demanding the release of Imran Khan.

PTI Protest-‘The Final Call’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) organized the final call protest, also referred to as do-or-die protest, from 24–27 November 2024.

During the protest, led by Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and PTI Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, supporters of Khan clashed with police in Islamabad as their march to the capital was obstructed.

According to reports at least six people, including four security personnel, were killed when a vehicle rammed into them on November 26.

Several people reported injured during crowd containment via tear gas and rubber bullets by the law enforcement personnel.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that security forces would retaliate if protesters fired at them.

A crackdown in response to the clashes on 27 November, resulted in casualties. The government denied using live ammunition, asserting that the situation was under control after clearing the protest area.

The PTI alleged killings and claimed use of live ammunition by the law enforcement agencies during the final phase of the protest. Government ministers denied any fatalities among PTI protesters during the security forces crackdown in Islamabad, with interior minister Naqvi refuting these claims as “propaganda” and challenging the party to provide names of the deceased.

Islamabad’s police chief reported five security personnel killed during the clashes and described significant damage caused by protesters.

The PTI announced to suspend the protest in a post on its official X account stating the government’s alleged brutality.

Pakistan witnessed an unending political strife and political instability during Year 2024 caused by several unanswered questions in the state’s politics as well as in the society and the economy.