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Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi passes away in Lahore

By
Shafek Koreshe
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0

ISLAMABAD, Nov 19 (APP): APP Digital NewsAllama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan breathed his last Thursday night at Lahore, his party announced. He was 55.

No reason for his death was given. His party officials said he was rushed to a hospital after he had problem breathing and had fever for past few days. However he was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

Senior TLP leader Syed Inayat-ul-Haq Shah also confirmed the news and asked the TLP workers to proceed to Lahore to participate in his last rites. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik announced that his funeral would be held on Saturday at 10 in the morning at Minar-e-Pakistan.

Videos on several social media accounts showed large number of his followers rushing to his home and crying over his sad demise.

The fire brand clerk was known for his protest marches, that often became violent and created law and order problems. His last protest was relatively shorter at Faizabad and ended only after a two day blockade of the twin cities on Monday.

Immediately after the confirmation of the news condolences poured in from all sections of society; including the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, Information Minister, Chief of Army Staff, Chief Minister Punjab and political leaders of many parties.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet expressed his grief over the sad demise of Allama Khadim Rizvi and conveyed condolences to his family.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa also conveyed his condolences over the demise of the TLP leader.

 

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information in Punjab also expressed grief over his sad demise.

Amir Jamat Islami also expressed his grief and prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent stance on Kashmir

By
Shafek Koreshe
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0

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance on Kashmir at international fora to highlight gruesome human rights violations by India

 

Indian media’s fake “civil war” in Pakistan, falls flat on face

By
Shafek Koreshe
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0
APP Digital Small logo
By Shafek Koreshe

In an abortive attempt to create diversion from Narendra Modi’s human rights abuses in Kashmir, the Indian media went berserk by propagating fake news about a “civil war” like situation in Karachi, triggering a hilarious response from the twitterati in Pakistan, who enjoyed every bit of the ridiculous reports.

#CivilWarInPakistan and #KarachiCivilWar were in no time the top trends, with the young twitter users going crazy by posting video clips from action movies, comics, images of the Indian MiG pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, shot down by Pakistan Air Force inside Pakistan’s territory, as scenes from the Civil War, getting an equally enthusiastic response with numerous retweets and likes.

The arrest of PML-N leader Captain (Retd) Safdar on charges of political sloganeering at Quaid’s Mausoleum and leave applications by senior police officers was exploited by the top Indian news channels, who portrayed an administrative issue as a “civil war” and went to the extent of even reporting casualties, and armed clashes.

Indian Media ditches professionalism to dip at to its lowest 

#FakeNews CNN18News
#FakeNews CNN18News

The news reports were part of a persistent barrage of fake news from Indian mainstream media and its RAW controlled assets on social media over the past few months. The trend has witnessed a sharp spike as part of India’s fifth generation war (5GW) against Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on the “malicious and fabricated propaganda” by Indian mainstream and social media claiming civil unrest in Pakistan, said planting such baseless stories were reflective of the “Pakistan-obsessed BJP-RSS” mindset.

“Needless to say that Indian media continues to hit new lows,” he said, when asked to respond over the series of fake news flashed as breaking news across the Indian media about a “civil war in Pakistan”.

“Indian media continues to hit new lows”: FO

The Spokesperson said through “peddling fake news and running propaganda machinery”, India could not wash away the truth about its own gross and systematic human rights violations in Indian Ilelgally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Rather than reporting on humanitarian crisis in IIOJK, the Indian media chooses to spread fake and sensational news about Pakistan to detract from core issues,” he said.

5th Gen War – Twitterati bust RAW’s #Fake letter attributed to COAS

 

#FakeNews - Yet another figment of imagination of Indian Media
#FakeNews – Yet another figment of imagination of Indian Media

The Indian media tried hard to appease its own consumers and to create a diversion from its human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir. However in its abortive attempt it created history by churning out fake news overpowered by the anti-Pakistan hysteria, undermining its professional ethics and credibility.

#FakeNews - India Today with its concocted news story
#FakeNews – India Today with its concocted news story

The unleashing of the Indian media did not go unnoticed, as Michael Kugelman, deputy director at the @AsiaProgram and South Asia senior associate @TheWilsonCenter in a tweet pointed that the Indian disinformation accounts were exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis, and “falsely claiming that the country is no experiencing urban warfare.”

He described the trend as “dangerous and disturbing”, as several of these accounts were verified and had huge followings.

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said the Indian media was in “hyper drive with fake news on Pakistan” and regretted that it was “unfortunate that Twitter is [deliberately ignoring it].”

All major media outlets in so-called world’s biggest democracy decimated all journalistic norms as none bothered to fact-check such a huge gaffe. India’s News18, India Today, Zee News, India.com and several others quoted the International Herald which showed old videos of bomb explosions in Pakistan and portrayed it as the ongoing civil war.

#FakeNews - Indian International Herald tweet
#FakeNews – Indian International Herald tweet

The Institute of Policy Research in a report said their data indicates a pattern of Indian propaganda against Pakistan on digital media that grew exponentially after 2018 General Elections in #Pakistan. The propaganda hovers around largely 4 key themes.

IPRI Timeline of Indian Propaganda
IPRI Timeline of Indian Propaganda

Minister for Ports and Shipping pointed that the Indian propaganda was at its peak and “sadly fueled by the PDM Circus.” He said the food inflation was artificially manufactured, but was being brought under control.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs also lambasted the “fake, fabricated and malicious propaganda campaign to malign State institutions of Pakistan. He urged @Twitter to take action against Indian accounts for #FakeNews against Paksitan.

However, this idiocy of Indian media gave the Twitterati a perfect chance to enjoy as the microblogging site was flooded with messages to ridicule the Indian media’s insanity.

“Karachi civil war has gotten so bad that my food panda delivery boy had to crawl through mine fields carrying his AK47, RPG & 9mm along with my nihari and Biryani. This thing is getting so serious. Multiple cows have been killed & people are dying of over eating. #IndianMedia,” commented renowned singer Fakhr-e-Alam.

Besides numerous other fake photos, the Indian media also used an image of a building collapsed following a gas leakage blast in Karachi earlier in the day to substantiate its fake news of civil war.

“A little investigation would have informed Zee News that it wasn’t a bomb blast in ‘civil war’ in Pakistan but the result of a  gas leak in Karachi. Whither truth, objectivity, balance and fairness in reporting?,” said Farhatullah Babr, former senator of Pakistan Peoples Party which rules Sindh province.

“An Aircraft shot during civil war in Karachi… and the pilot captured…,” commented another Twitter user Fasihuddin while sharing the images of Indian aircraft MiG-21 and captured injured pilot Abhinandan following an aerial dogfight during India-Pakistan standoff in 2019.

Pakistan to host 10th ECO ministerial meeting on disaster risk reduction in Islamabad

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is set to host the 10th Ministerial Meeting of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) from 21 to 22 January 2026 at NDMA Headquarters, Islamabad.
This marks the first time Pakistan is hosting an ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction, reflecting the country’s growing leadership role in regional disaster resilience and cooperation. The high-level regional gathering will bring together ministers and senior officials from ECO Member States, along with representatives of the ECO Secretariat and regional and international partner organizations.
The meeting aims to strengthen regional cooperation on disaster risk reduction and climate resilience, with a particular focus on ensuring regional resilience through innovation and technology, enhancing coordination mechanisms, harmonizing disaster risk reduction frameworks, and improving collective preparedness against transboundary and climate-induced hazards across the ECO region. Emphasis will be placed on leveraging technological solutions, data sharing, early warning systems, and innovative practices to address the region’s evolving risk landscape.
Delegations from ECO Member States, including Pakistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, are expected to participate in the two-day engagement. The proceedings will commence with a High-Level Working Group Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction, followed by the Ministerial Meeting on 22 January 2026, during which key regional initiatives and the draft Islamabad Declaration will be considered for endorsement.
Hosting the 10th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction underscores Pakistan’s commitment to regional solidarity and its dedication to advancing coordinated, inclusive, and forward-looking approaches to disaster risk reduction, while promoting innovation and technology as critical enablers of sustainable resilience across the ECO region.

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Mr.Zhao Leji during their official visit.

By
Wajid
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Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Mr.Zhao Leji during their official visit.
APP63-200126
BEIJING: January 20 –
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Mr.Zhao Leji during their official visit.
APP64-200126
BEIJING: January 20 – Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Mr. Zhao Leji during their official visit. APP/TZD/ABB

Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) Senator Capt. Shaheen Khalid Butt and President Hemophilia Patients Welfare Society, Prof. Dr. Lubna Zafar signing the MoU to enhance medical support to the patients suffering from hemphilia and other inherited bleeding disorders, in a ceremony held at PBM Head Office.

By
Wajid
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Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) Senator Capt. Shaheen Khalid Butt and President Hemophilia Patients Welfare Society, Prof. Dr. Lubna Zafar signing the MoU to enhance medical support to the patients suffering from hemphilia and other inherited bleeding disorders, in a ceremony held at PBM Head Office.
APP62-200126
ISLAMABAD: January 20 – 

Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mr Muhammad Humair Karim, and Vice President of Islamic Development Bank, Dr Rami Ahmad, signed loan agreements worth $603 million to finance the M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway Project, Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood Affected Households Project, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir Education Project for Out-of-School Children.

By
Wajid
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0
Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mr Muhammad Humair Karim, and Vice President of Islamic Development Bank, Dr Rami Ahmad, signed loan agreements worth $603 million to finance the M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway Project, Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood Affected Households Project, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir Education Project for Out-of-School Children.
APP61-200126
ISLAMABAD: January 20 – 

Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr Ahad Khan Cheema, and Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah witnessing the signing of loan agreements worth $603 million between the Islamic Development Bank and the Government of Pakistan.

By
Wajid
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0
Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr Ahad Khan Cheema, and Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah witnessing the signing of loan agreements worth $603 million between the Islamic Development Bank and the Government of Pakistan.
APP60-200126
ISLAMABAD: January 20 – 

Minister chairs meeting on upgrading of hospitals performance

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
PESHAWAR, Jan 20 (APP):Provincial Minister for Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khaliq ur Rehman, chaired an important and high-level review meeting with Medical Superintendents (MSs) of government hospitals across the province to improve overall hospital performance.
It was clearly emphasized in the meeting that health-related data must be accurate, organized, and well-coordinated, as any gap between reported data and ground realities is unacceptable.
The Minister stressed that effective coordination, strong leadership, and positive intent are essential for improving hospital management and service delivery, in which the role of the Medical Superintendent is central and decisive.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Health Shahid Ullah Khan, Director General Health Services Dr Shaheen Afridi, senior officers of the Health Department, and other relevant officials.
During the meeting, a comprehensive and detailed briefing was given on human resources, availability of medical equipment, infrastructure, service delivery, and administrative matters in government hospitals across the province.
Progress at hospital level, existing challenges, and administrative shortcomings were discussed in detail. Medical Superintendents showing good performance were appreciated, while officers responsible for negligence and weak management were held accountable.
The Provincial Minister for Health informed the meeting that the Health Department has prepared a strong and comprehensive plan to ensure the provision of medical equipment, human resources, and basic facilities to hospitals across the province.
He made it clear that there would be no room for negligence, delays, or excuses at any level, and strict action would be taken where required.
It was informed in the meeting that significant improvement has been observed in some hospitals, while certain institutions need to be strengthened on an emergency basis.
The Minister stated that in areas where law and order conditions are affecting health services, relevant units are being outsourced, and positive results have emerged, with clear improvement in service delivery at outsourced units.
The Provincial Minister for Health said that practical work is underway at a fast pace on hospital revamping and the reform agenda, under which infrastructure improvement, expansion of facilities, and strengthening of administrative systems are being carried out. Under the new health policy, provision of quality, timely, and better treatment to patients remains the government’s top priority.
While reiterating instructions regarding data, the Minister said that ground realities are more important than mere statistics, as Medical Superintendents are physically present in hospitals and are fully aware of the actual situation, issues, and needs. He directed MSs to mobilize their teams, ensure discipline, and bring clear, measurable, and practical improvements in hospitals.
Assuring full support to the Medical Superintendents, the Provincial Minister for Health said that political interference in the Health Department has been significantly reduced and the government stands firmly with its officers.
He said, “The Health Department is seriously implementing its reform agenda and is fully committed to providing better healthcare facilities to the public.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Provincial Minister for Health directed all Medical Superintendents to ensure that clear and visible improvement in hospital performance, service delivery, and ground realities is evident in the next review meeting.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr Ahad Khan Cheema, in a meeting with the Vice President of Islamic Development Bank, Dr Rami Ahmad, who along with his delegation, called on him, at Prime Minister’s House.

By
Wajid
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0
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr Ahad Khan Cheema, in a meeting with the Vice President of Islamic Development Bank, Dr Rami Ahmad, who along with his delegation, called on him, at Prime Minister's House.
APP59-200126
ISLAMABAD: January 20 –

Commissioner Amir Kareem Khan praying (dua) after installs a Takhti-e-Lohe-Azaaz at the residence of legendary singer Suraiya Multanikar, honoring her lifelong contributions to music.

By
Wajid
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0
Commissioner Amir Kareem Khan praying (dua) after installs a Takhti-e-Lohe-Azaaz at the residence of legendary singer Suraiya Multanikar, honoring her lifelong contributions to music.
APP57-200126
MULTAN: January 20 –

Pakistan, World Bank to deepen bilateral strategic cooperation

By
NNPS Desk
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0

ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP): Pakistan and the World Bank have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral strategic cooperation in diverse areas of mutual interest, especially under the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2026–2035, aimed at boosting growth, improving governance and addressing key financing gaps.

This was highlighted during a meeting between the Economic Affairs Minister, Ahad Khan Cheema, and World Bank Regional Vice President for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), Ousmane Dione, who, along with his delegation, called on the Minister, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.

Discussions focused on the potential collaboration in energy, food security, agriculture, infrastructure development and transport, sectors that are central to Pakistan’s economic stability and reform agenda.

Cheema updated the visiting Vice President on the successful implementation of the wide-ranging economic reforms resulting in stable macroeconomic conditions, renewed confidence, and recovery in economic growth. He reaffirmed the Government of Pakistan’s strong commitment to achieving transformative impacts of the CPF.

During the meeting, both sides agreed on the need to improve the effectiveness of the World Bank’s existing portfolio in Pakistan by promoting better coordination across sectors and strengthening monitoring mechanisms to deliver measurable results for ongoing projects. Both sides also highlighted their longstanding relationship and agreed that the first year of the CPF would be critical in setting the tone for deeper engagement and more effective project delivery.

Mr Dione appreciated Minister Cheema’s leadership in steering the CPF implementation process and assured the World Bank’s continued and enhanced support to complement the Government of Pakistan’s development agenda and reform program aimed at stimulating sustainable economic growth.

He said that the upcoming visit of World Bank Group’s President, Mr Ajay Banga, would provide a great opportunity to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Pakistan and the WBG.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue engaging with each other for a results-oriented partnership that delivers meaningful socio-economic benefits for the people of Pakistan.

Law minister meets delegations of various bars

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar Tiesday held meetings with delegations of various bars association including Islamabad, Gujrat and Murree, during which matters relating to lawyers’ welfare and institutional development were discussed in detail.
The delegation of the Islamabad Bar Association, led by Raja Rizwan Abbasi, Member Pakistan Bar Council, and Naeem Ali Gujjar, President Islamabad Bar Association, presented a proposal for the establishment of a Lawyers’ Academy, which was positively approved by the Federal Law Minister. He assured that practical steps would be taken for its implementation.
Discussions were also held on the recently inaugurated Lawyers’ Chambers Project. Matters related to the project were finalized, and the Federal Law Minister approved the establishment of a free Wi-Fi zone and a multipurpose hall for lawyers’ training at the chambers, stating that these facilities would be provided on a priority basis.
In a subsequent meeting with the Gujrat Bar Association, the Federal Law Minister listened to the issues raised by the bar and assured the establishment of a NADRA desk, renovation of bar rooms, and provision of bar funds. He also pledged to make efforts to facilitate passport-related services for lawyers.
The delegation of the Murree Bar Association also presented its issues, upon which the federal law minister assured full cooperation and continued engagement for the resolution of their concerns.
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