Al-Qadir Trust case: NAB forms spl legal team
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday constituted a special legal team to pursue the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam — commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case — against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
According to an official notification, NAB Prosecutor General Syed Ihtesham Qadir Shah formed the five-member prosecution team with the approval of the NAB chairman.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel attacks Syrian military installations, weapons
sraeli soldiers stand on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, as seen from the Golan Heights, December 10, Listen to article At least 95 Palestinians have been killed and 440 injured by Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The war in Gaza is having a devastating effect on pregnant women and nursing mothers, with an estimated 50,000 at serious risk due to shortages of food and essential medicines, according to a hospital in central Gaza, reported Al Jazeera. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, said rates of miscarriage had increased sixfold since the outbreak of war and had been accompanied by a large rise in premature births, Wafa reported. That had left Gaza's embattled neonatal units overwhelmed, he said. Al-Daqran said Israel's targeting of the healthcare had brought it to the brink of collapse, with far-reaching impacts on patients in Gaza. More than 23 hospitals had been put out of action, with those that remained only partly functioning, as a result of severe shortages of medical supplies and fuel, he said. That meant more than 12,000 cancer patients were left without treatment, resulting in about five deaths a day, while dialysis patients were also dying through a lack of essential treatment. According to Middle East Monitor, 41% of kidney failure patients have died since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli assault, as a result of their inability to receive dialysis treatment due to the destruction of medical facilities and the collapse of essential health services. Aid suspended Meanwhile, the United States- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) suspended aid distribution in the war-torn territory on Wednesday, a day after Israeli forces again opened fire on Palestinian aid seekers near a GHF distribution site, killing at least 27 and injuring more than 100. Read: 27 killed, dozens injured by Israeli fire near Gaza aid site Israel's military also said that approach roads to the aid distribution centres will be 'considered combat zones' on Wednesday, and warned that people in Gaza should heed the GHF announcement to stay away. 'We confirm that travel is prohibited tomorrow on roads leading to the distribution centers…and entry to the distribution centers is strictly forbidden,' an Israeli military spokesperson said. In a post on social media, GHF said the temporary suspension was necessary to allow for 'renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work'. 'Due to the ongoing updates, entry to the distribution centre areas is slowly prohibited! Please do not go to the site and follow general instructions. Operations will resume on Thursday. Please continue to follow updates,' the group said. The temporary suspension of aid comes as more than 100 Palestinian people seeking aid have been reported killed by Israeli forces in the vicinity of GHF distribution centres since the organisation started operating in the enclave on May 27. The killing of people desperately seeking food supplies triggered mounting international outrage with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanding an independent inquiry into the deaths and for 'perpetrators to be held accountable'. 'It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,' Guterres said. 'It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,' Guterres said. The Israeli military has admitted it shot at aid seekers on Tuesday, but claimed that they opened fire when 'suspects' deviated from a stipulated route as a crowd of Palestinians was making its way to the GHF distribution site in Gaza. 'Syrian weapons struck down' Separately, the Israeli military said in a statement it struck weapons belonging to the Syrian regime in southern Syria, in a second attack that Israel launched after claiming that two projectiles were fired from Syria into Golan Heights on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the two projectiles, according to Reuters. Syrian state news agency and security sources reported a series of Israeli strikes, the first major ones in nearly a month, targeting several sites in the Damascus countryside and Quneitra and Daraa. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had said earlier that he held Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible for the two projectile launches. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz claimed. אנו רואים בנשיא סוריה כאחראי ישירות לכל איום וירי לעבר מדינת ישראל והתגובה המלאה תגיע בהקדם. לא נאפשר חזרה למציאות של ה-7 באוקטובר. — ישראל כ'ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 3, 2025 The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards Israel had not been verified yet and reiterated that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, state news agency SANA reported. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilize the region to achieve their own interests," the Syrian foreign ministry added. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Israeli military earlier said that two projectiles crossed from Syria towards Israel and fell in open areas. Several Arab and Palestinian media outlets circulated a claim of responsibility from a little-known group named "Martyr Muhammad Deif Brigades," an apparent reference to Hamas' military leader who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024. Reuters could not independently verify the statement. Syrian state media earlier reported an Israeli strike in the southern Daraa province, an attack the Syrian foreign ministry later said resulted in "significant human and material losses." Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of Syria's military infrastructure. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the past of the country's new rulers. Around the same time that Israel reported the projectiles from Syria, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile from Yemen. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they targeted Israel's Jaffa with a ballistic missile. The group says it has been launching attacks against Israel in support of Palestinians during the Israeli war in Gaza. Read: Israel 'without a doubt' committed war crimes in Gaza: Mathew Miller War crimes Moreover, Hamas described recent comments made by US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller on Sky News, where he acknowledged Israeli war crimes as a "significant acknowledgement", Al Jazeera reported. 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In a statement to Al Jazeera, Hamas said the remarks 'denounce the Israeli occupation, validate its atrocities, and reveal efforts by the US administration to conceal the reality of this brutal war targeting innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip.' Israel's war on Gaza The total death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 54,607 killed and 125,341 injured since October 7, 2023, according to Palestinian health sources. Israel has killed 4,335 Palestinians and injured 13,300 since breaking a ceasefire in March this year. Israel's atrocities have displaced around 90% of Gaza's estimated two million residents, created a severe hunger crisis, and caused widespread destruction across the territory. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Despite crushing defeat, Modi remains unlearned
In a fiery address from Bhuj in his home state Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stark yet hollow warning to Pakistan, declaring, 'Live a life of peace and eat your roti in calm, or else, my bullet is always ready.' Delivered in the humiliating aftermath of Operation Sindoor, where India suffered a crushing and comprehensive defeat on all fronts, Modi's bluster masked the reality of India's exposed vulnerabilities, broken illusions of regional dominance, and the utter failure of its military might against Pakistan's far smaller yet far more agile and resolute forces. His speech, laced with threats, revealed a dangerous refusal to reflect on India's strategic miscalculations and a desperate attempt to spin humiliation into hollow bravado. As Pakistan's air force, missile command, cyber units, and the sheer resilience of its people stood tall, Modi's empty threats only deepened the cracks in India's facade of strength, revealing a nation unprepared for the consequences of its reckless aggression. This aggressive rhetoric, however, is neither new nor constructive. It follows a well-worn script that Modi has often played before elections, invoking Pakistan as a perpetual threat, demonizing an entire nation for internal incidents, and overlooking the possibility of homegrown actors or third-party provocateurs. Modi's framing, once again, reduces Pakistan to a target and portrays India as the victim, demanding retribution without introspection. Yet, what he ignores — either willfully or due to political expediency — is the ground reality that Pakistan is not Gaza, and India is not Israel. Any bullet fired from one side will inevitably trigger a response—two bullets, five, or even more—escalating into a cycle of retaliation with catastrophic consequences for both. This is not conjecture; it is history. Qamar Bashir Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
19 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Two witnesses record testimonies in gifts case
The Toshakhana is a repository which stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and other officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. PHOTO: FILE Two more prosecution witnesses on Tuesday gave their testimonies in a case related to alleged misuse of the official gift repository rules by PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi during the former's term as the prime minister. Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand conducted the hearing of the case in a courtroom inside Rawalpindi's Central Prison popularly known as Adiala Jail. Both Imran and Bushrawho are detained in the prison facility — attended the hearing. After the testimonies, the counsel for Imran, Arshad Tabriz, cross-examined both the witnesses. Lawyer of Bushra Bibi, Qosain Faisal Mufti, will cross examine the witnesses at the next hearing. Bushra Bibi had refused to attend the last hearing of the case — also called the Toshakhana II casedespite repeated summonses by the court. The judge had later warned of cancelling her bail in the case. The court will resume hearing on June 11. According to the charge-sheet, Imran misused his position to acquire a Bulgari jewelry set that the Saudi crown prince presented as a gift during the couple's visit to Saudi Arabia between May 7 and 10, 2021. The set included a ring, bracelet, necklace, and a pair of earrings. According to the evidence gathered during the investigation, Imran and Bushra unlawfully retained the set. On May 18, 2021, the deputy military secretary informed the section officer of Toshakhana about the need to assess and declare the price of the gift, but it was not deposited. Bulgari sold the necklace for 300,000 euros and the earrings for 80,000 euros to a Saudi franchise on May 25, 2018. However, the price of the bracelet and ring could not be determined. As of May 28, 2021, the total estimated value of the Bulgari jewelry set was approximately Rs75,661,600. The necklace alone was valued at Rs56,496,000, and the earrings at Rs15,065,600.
