Thursday, February 19, 2026
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Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi passes away in Lahore

By
Shafek Koreshe
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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.

Old rules to apply to net metering cases filed before Feb 8: Leghari orders

By
Samina Ch
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0
ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (APP):Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari on Thursday directed that all net metering applications submitted up to February 8 be processed under the previous regulations.
The decision safeguards applicants who filed before the deadline from being affected by subsequent regulatory changes.
According to the announcement, all electricity distribution companies, including K-Electric, have been instructed to provide net metering facilities to these applicants and to ensure immediate implementation of the orders.
Currently, a total of 5,165 applications have been submitted across all distribution companies, including K-Electric, by February 8. These applications represent a cumulative capacity of 250.822 megawatts, which will be added to the national grid once processed.
The decision by Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari has removed uncertainties surrounding existing net metering applications. He also directed the authorities to ensure transparency in the processing of all requests.
Consumers have been advised to register any complaints by calling the helpline at 118.

Gold price surges by Rs 7,900 per tola

By
Samina Ch
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0
ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (APP):The price of 24 karat per tola gold increased by Rs 7,900 and was sold at Rs 523,962 on Thursday compared to its sale at Rs 516,062 on the previous trading day, All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association reported.
The price of 10 grams of 24 karat gold also increased by Rs 6,773 to Rs 449,212 from Rs 442,439, whereas the price of 10 grams of 22 karat gold went up by Rs 6,209 to Rs 411,792 from Rs 405,583.
The price of per tola silver increased by Rs 358 to Rs 8,404 from Rs 8,046, while that of 10 grams silver rose by Rs 307 to Rs 7,205 from Rs 6,898.
The price of gold in the international market increased by $79 to $5,012 from $4,933, whereas that of silver rose by $3.58 to $79.20, the Association reported.

Police arrest 1,299 criminals, recover stolen goods worth Rs 294.7m in 2026

By
Samina Ch
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0
LAHORE, Feb 19 (APP):Punjab Police have arrested 1,299 members of 555 criminal gangs and recovered stolen property worth over 294.7 million during operations across the province this year.
A Punjab Police spokesperson said on Thursday that authorities also recovered Rs 204 million in cash, 25 vehicles, 364 motorcycles, 77 tolas of gold, 181 livestock and 623 mobile phones from the accused.
In addition, law enforcement seized 117 Kalashnikov rifles, 211 rifles, 3,494 pistols, 275 guns, 76 revolvers and 13,950 rounds of ammunition, the spokesperson added.
Inspector General of Punjab Police Abdul Kareem has directed that operations against criminal elements be intensified during Ramazan to ensure public safety and security

Man held for making bogus robbery call to helpline 15

By
Samina Ch
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RAWALPINDI, Feb 19 (APP):The New Town Police arrested a man for allegedly making a bogus robbery call to the emergency helpline 15, a Rawalpindi Police spokesman said on Thursday.
According to the first information report lodged by the police, the caller informed the helpline that three unidentified persons had robbed him. Acting swiftly, the police rushed to the spot and, on investigation, found that no robbery had taken place and that the matter stemmed from a financial dispute between the caller and his rivals.
The New Town Police took the suspect into custody and registered a case against him for misusing the emergency service.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rawal, Saad Arshad, warned that the helpline 15 was an emergency facility for citizens and that strict action would be taken against those who misuse it.
The spokesman reiterated that the misuse of emergency services would not be tolerated.

IGP pays tribute to seven police martyrs on 34th anniversary

By
Samina Ch
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LAHORE, Feb 19 (APP):Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Abdul Kareem paid rich tribute to the seven police officers and officials who embraced martyrdom during an encounter with dacoits in Gujranwala, on the occasion of their 34th death anniversary observed on Thursday.
According to a Punjab Police spokesperson, on this day in 1992, seven officers and personnel of Punjab Police sacrificed their lives while performing their duties in Gujranwala to protect the lives and property of citizens.
The martyrs included two sub-inspectors, one head constable and four constables. Sub-Inspectors Farooq Khan and Saifullah, Head Constable Khuda Dad, and Constables Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Afzal, Iftikhar Ahmad and Muhammad Arshad embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.
IGP Punjab Abdul Kareem said that the great sons of the soil who laid down their lives in the line of duty deserved the highest respect and honour, adding that Punjab Police saluted the martyrs who rendered supreme sacrifices for the protection of the public.
He said the memories of police martyrs who sacrificed their lives for safeguarding the lives and property of citizens would always remain alive in their hearts, adding that Punjab Police were the custodian of the legacy of more than 1,700 martyrs and their unparalleled sacrifices would never be forgotten.

SCCI organizes seminar on Industry–Academia Collaboration

By
Samina Ch
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SIALKOT, Feb 19 (APP):Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Syed Ahtesham Mazhar attended a strategic seminar titled “Industry–Academia Collaboration: The Missing Link for Global Growth – Lessons from China” at SCCI Auditorium, here on Thursday.
The session featured insightful perspectives from Dr. Raza Ullah Shah and was effectively moderated by Prof. Muhammad Umar of Wuhan College (PhD in Finance, Dongbei University).
The discussion highlighted practical lessons from China’s innovation ecosystem, emphasizing stronger industry–academia linkages, effective research integration and technology transfer, sustainable partnerships with universities and ORICs, and innovation-driven strategies to enhance Pakistan’s export competitiveness.

PSX turns bearish, sheds 6,682 points to close at 172,170 points

By
Samina Ch
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0
ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (APP):The benchmark KSE-100 Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday witnessed a bearish trend, losing 6,682.81 points, a negative change of 3.74 percent, to close at 172,170.29 points compared to 178,853.10 points on the previous trading day, according to PSX data.
During the session, the ready market recorded a trading volume of 542.979 million shares with a traded value of Rs 27.363 billion, against 697.682 million shares valuing Rs 49.992 billion in the previous session. Market capitalization decreased to Rs 19.514 trillion from Rs 20.227 trillion a day earlier.
Out of 483 active companies in the ready market, 32 advanced, 384 declined, and 67 remained unchanged.WorldCall Telecom topped the volume chart with 84.183 million shares, followed by K-Electric Limited with 62.013 million shares and Trust Sec.& Bro (R ) with 45.71million shares.
The top gainers included Dawood Lawrencepur Limited, which rose by Rs 25.88 to close at Rs 668.89, and Shahmurad Sugar Mills Limited, which gained Rs 20.90 to settle at Rs 399.93. On the losing side, PIA Holding Company LimitedB declined by Rs 1,758.34 to close at Rs 16,576.66, while Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited fell by Rs 627.21 to close at Rs 26,027.79.
In the futures market, turnover stood at 139.974 million shares with a traded value of Rs 8.902 billion, compared to 164.954 million shares worth Rs 13.111 billion in the previous session. Out of 322 futures-market companies, 6 recorded gains, while 316 declined.

SAPM assures chemical manufacturers of policy support, industry friendly budget

By
Samina Ch
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0
ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan on Thursday assured chemical manufacturers of policy support and an industry-friendly federal budget.
He said during a meeting with a delegation of the Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association and discussed key issues facing the chemical industry, the upcoming federal budget, and the proposed petrochemical policy, said a news release.
The meeting was also attended by the CEO of the Engineering Development Board (EDB) Hammad Mansoor.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on the challenges confronting the chemical sector, including high utility costs, elevated taxation, and the high cost of borrowing.
Haroon acknowledged the pressures faced by industries and reiterated the government’s commitment to addressing these concerns through targeted reforms and policy support.
He emphasized that strengthening industries in line with the economic vision of prime minister remains a top priority. “We are taking concrete measures to promote industrial growth and encourage local manufacturing across all sectors,” he stated.
The SAPM  informed the delegation that the National Industrial Policy is being prepared to pave the way for sustainable growth and long-term development. He invited industry stakeholders to submit their detailed proposals and analytical recommendations so that practical and beneficial measures can be incorporated into the upcoming budget.
Under the leadership of the prime minister,  the government ensures comprehensive consultation with stakeholders before finalizing key economic decisions. The EDB will present the Petrochemical Policy after thorough consultation with all relevant industries, he added.
Haroon assured that the forthcoming budget will be industry-friendly and aimed at facilitating businesses while also benefiting the general public. He noted that due to the tireless efforts of PM, economic indicators are gradually moving towards improvement.
The meeting concluded with a mutual understanding to maintain close coordination between the government and industry representatives to ensure inclusive and sustainable economic progress.

Unsafe juice destroyed, Rs100,000 fine imposed

By
Samina Ch
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0
MUZAFFARGARH, Feb 19 (APP):The food safety team of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) destroyed around 1,000 litres of hazardous juice during a raid on a juice production unit in Daira Din Panah, a suburban town of Kot Addu.
According to the spokesperson of South Punjab Food Authority, the team inspected the unit during a crackdown and also discarded 1,000 litres of fungus-contaminated pulp on the spot. The unit was fined Rs100,000 for violating food safety laws and warned against repeating the malpractice.
Officials said the substandard juice was intended to be supplied to markets during the holy month of Ramazan, adding that strict action would continue against those endangering public health.

Court hands down life sentences in double murder case

By
Samina Ch
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0
LAHORE, Feb 19 (APP):A sessions court on Thursday awarded life imprisonment on two counts each to Ali Hassan and his sister Kulsoom Bibi for the murder of a young woman and her fiancé after she refused a marriage proposal.
Additional District and  Sessions Judge Shoaib Anwar Qureshi announced the verdict after the completion of the trial in the case involving the killing of Farzana Bibi and her fiancé Amanat.
During proceedings, Prosecutor Shabbir Ahmed Khan told the court that Ali Hassan wanted to marry Farzana Bibi. Upon her refusal, he allegedly harboured resentment and, with the help of his sister, murdered Farzana and Amanat.
Defence counsel contested the prosecution’s claims during the hearing; however, the court, after assessing the evidence on record, found both accused guilty and awarded two life sentences to each.
According to police, the accused killed the victims in Sheikhupura, placed their bodies in a drum, and later dumped them in the Nishtar Colony area. The case was registered in 2023 by Nishtar Colony Police.
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