ISLAMABAD: Energy prices are projected to surge by 24 per cent this year to their highest level since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as the war in the Middle East sends a severe shock through global commodity markets, the World Bank Group said in its latest Commodity Markets Outlook.

Overall, commodity prices are forecast to rise 16pc in 2026, driven by soaring energy and fertiliser prices and record-high prices for several key metals, according to the assessment.

“The shock will have serious implications for job creation and development,” the analysis indicates.

The World Bank noted: “Attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 35pc of global seaborne crude oil trade, have triggered the largest oil supply shock on record, with an initial reduction in global oil supply of about 10 million barrels per day.

“Even after moderating from their recent peak, Brent oil prices remained more than 50pc higher in mid-April than they were at the start of the year. Brent oil is forecast to average $86 a barrel in 2026, up sharply from $69 a barrel in 2025.”

These forecasts assume that the most acute disruptions end in May and that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz gradually returns to pre-war levels by late 2026, the analysis concludes.

On this, the group’s Chief Economist  Indermit Gill said, “The war is hitting the global economy in cumulative waves: first through higher energy prices, then higher food prices, and finally, higher inflation, which will push up interest rates and make debt even more expensive.

“The poorest people, who spend the highest share of their income on food and fuels, will be hit the hardest, as will developing economies already struggling under heavy debt burdens. All of this is a reminder of a stark truth: war is development in reverse.”

Fertiliser prices are projected to increase by 31pc in 2026, driven by a 60pc jump in urea prices, according to the analysis.

“Fertiliser affordability will fall to its worst level since 2022, eroding farmers’ incomes and threatening future crop yields. If the conflict proves more prolonged, these pressures on food supply and affordability could push up to 45m more people into acute food insecurity this year, according to the World Food Programme.”

Moreover, prices for base metals, including aluminum, copper, and tin, are also expected to reach all-time highs, reflecting strong demand related to industries including data centres, electric vehicles, and renewable energy.

Precious metals continue to break price and volatility records, with average prices forecast to increase 42pc in 2026, as geopolitical uncertainty fuels demand for safe-haven assets, the assessment says.

It further states that rising commodity prices caused by these shocks will increase inflation and dampen growth worldwide.

“In developing economies, inflation is now projected to average 5.1pc in 2026 under the baseline assumptions — a full percentage point higher than was expected before the war and an increase from 4.7pc last year. Growth in developing economies will also deteriorate as higher prices for essentials weigh on incomes and exports from the Middle East face sharp curbs.

“Developing economies are expected to grow by 3.6pc in 2026, a downward revision of 0.4 percentage point since January. Economies directly impacted by conflict will be hardest hit, and 70pc of commodity importers and more than 60pc of commodity exporters worldwide could see weaker growth than was projected in January.”

According to the analysis, commodity prices could rise even higher if hostilities escalate or supply disruptions from the war last longer than projected.

Brent oil prices could average as high as $115 a barrel in 2026 in a scenario where critical oil and gas facilities suffer more damage and export volumes are slow to recover, it says, adding that this, in turn, would have ripple effects on prices for fertiliser and alternative energy sources such as biofuels.

“Under this scenario, inflation in developing economies could rise to 5.8pc this year, a level exceeded only in 2022 over the past decade.”

World Bank’s Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose says, “The succession of shocks over the decade has sharply reduced the fiscal space available to respond to the current historic energy supply crisis. Governments must resist the temptation of broad, untargeted fiscal support measures that could distort markets and erode fiscal buffers. Instead, they should focus on rapid, temporary support targeted to the most vulnerable households.”

The report finds that oil-price volatility during periods of rising geopolitical risk is roughly twice as high as during calmer periods, with a geopolitically driven 1pc decline in oil production pushing prices up by an average of 11.5pc.

“Critically, these effects spill over into other key commodity markets, with an impact roughly 50pc larger than under normal market conditions … A 10pc oil price increase triggered by a geopolitical supply shock leads to natural gas price increases peaking at about 7pc and fertiliser price increases peaking at over 5pc. These peaks typically occur about a year after the initial oil price shock, with adverse consequences for food security and poverty reduction,” it states.

US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if President Donald Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the two-month-old war that ​has killed thousands and become a political liability for the White House, two US officials and a person familiar with the matter said.

The intelligence community is ‌analysing the question along with others at the request of senior administration officials. The goal is to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from a conflict that some officials and advisers worry could contribute to deep Republican losses at the midterm elections later this year, according to the sources.

While no decision has been made, and Trump could easily ramp back up military operations, a quick de-escalation could ease political pressure on the ​president, even as it could leave behind an emboldened Iran.

The sources spoke ​on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.

It is not clear when the intelligence community would complete its work, ⁠but it has previously analysed the likely reaction of Iran’s leaders to a US declaration of victory.

In the days following US-Israeli strikes in Iran in late February, intelligence agencies assessed that if ​Trump were to declare victory and the US drew down its forces in the region, Iran would likely view it as a win, one of the sources said.

If Trump instead said the US ​had won but maintained a heavy troop presence, Iran would likely see it as a negotiating tactic, but not one that would necessarily lead to the end of the war, the source said.

The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the US is still engaging with the Iranians on negotiations and would “not be rushed into making a bad deal”.

“The president will ​only enter into an agreement that puts U.S. national security first, and he has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” she said.

High political costs

Opinion polls show the ​war is overwhelmingly unpopular with Americans. Only 26 per cent of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week said the military campaign has been worth the costs, and only 25pc said it has made the ‌US safer.

Three people ⁠familiar with White House discussions in recent days have described Trump as keenly aware of the political price being paid by him and his party.

Twenty days after Trump declared a ceasefire, a flurry of diplomacy has failed to fully open the economically vital Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran closed by attacking ships and laying mines in the narrow waterway.

Choking off the shipping that carries about 20pc of the world’s crude oil has driven up energy costs worldwide and the price at US gasoline pumps. Iran’s ability to disrupt commerce gives it powerful leverage against the United ​States and its allies.

A decision to scale ​back the US military presence in the ⁠region, paired with a mutual lifting of the blockade, would eventually bring down gasoline prices.

So far, however, the two sides appear far from any agreement.

Last weekend, Trump cancelled a trip by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to meet Iranian officials in Pakistan, telling ​reporters on Saturday that it would take “too much time” and that if Iran wanted to talk “all they had to do was call.”

Military options remain on table

Various military ⁠options remain formally on the table, with renewed airstrikes on Iran’s military and political leaders among them, according to a separate person familiar with administration dynamics.

One of the US officials and another person familiar with the discussions said, however, that the most ambitious of those options, such as a ground invasion of the Iranian mainland, appear less likely than they did a few weeks ago.

A White House ⁠official described the ​domestic pressure on the president to wrap up the war as “enormous.”

SpaceX’s board approved a compensation plan for founder Elon Musk with goals as futuristic and celestial as the company’s ambitions: colonising Mars and running data centres in outer space.

The details of Musk’s sweeping pay package were revealed in the company’s confidential registration statement filed in recent weeks with the Securities and Exchange Commission and have been reviewed by Reuters.

The lofty rewards dangled for Musk by SpaceX show the challenge of holding the attention of the serial entrepreneur as he prepared to take the rocket maker public. They also potentially set up SpaceX investors for tensions with shareholders of Tesla, where Musk is chief executive officer (CEO), said corporate governance experts.

Connecting science-fiction visions with accounting commitments, the SpaceX board in January approved a pay package for the world’s richest man that would award 200 million in super-voting restricted shares if the company hit a market value of $7.5 trillion and established a permanent human colony on Mars with at least one million people, according to excerpts from the company’s registration statement reviewed by Reuters.

His Mars-shot performance package also gave him as many as 60.4m in restricted shares awarded on March 23, if SpaceX met separate valuation goals and operated data centres in space that provided at least 100 terawatts of compute capacity — a colossal amount of power equal to 100,000 gigawatts — or about 100,000 one-gigawatt nuclear reactors running all at once.

Both awards came with super-voting Class B restricted stock, which carried 10 votes to every one Class A share, and vested in tranches as the company’s value rose.

Conditional rewards, stock options

However, he would not receive a single share if the company failed to reach the board’s lofty valuation targets, which were not tied to a specific timeline other than his continued employment.

He received a nominal salary from SpaceX of $54,080 per year since 2019. The value of the pay package could not be determined since SpaceX is privately held.

SpaceX is targeting an initial public offering around the time of Musk’s birthday on June 28, which could value the company at some $1.75 trillion.

As of December 31, he held 68.8m in previously awarded Class B stock options with a strike price of about $42 that expires in 2031, allowing Musk to pocket any profit above that amount if he exercises the options before that date.

Musk is already worth $776 billion by Forbes’ estimate. SpaceX aside, he could more than double that if he achieves separate, ambitious performance goals at Tesla — the EV automaker he also runs. He owned about 20 per cent of that company’s stock as of November, according to the registration statement.

SpaceX and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.

The Information and Reuters previously reported SpaceX paid targets for Musk linked to a Mars colony and to space data centres.

Executive compensation expert Eric Hoffmann, who is chief data officer for corporate governance consulting firm Farient Advisers, said he knew of nothing remotely comparable in compensation packages at other companies.

Space targets stand alone

“I am not a physicist or astronomer, and I wouldn’t know where to start,” he said.

“The measuring stick is: has it been done in human history? These haven’t. So that’s hard. Now, SpaceX and Tesla are effectively competing over Musk,” Hoffmann added.

He noted how just last autumn, Tesla’s board argued it needed to pay Musk generously to keep him focused on the automaker. Musk, in fact, threatened to leave Tesla if shareholders failed to approve the plan, Tesla previously disclosed.

“What’s interesting about this situation is now, SpaceX and Tesla — both effectively controlled by Elon Musk — are now bidding against each other for his attention,” Hoffmann said.

Equilar Director of Research Courtney Yu also said the goals of colonising Mars and building space data centres stood out because he could not remember any other company aside from Tesla using metrics beyond standard financial ones, like measures of earnings or revenue to set CEO pay.

It is up to the boards of the respective companies — SpaceX and Tesla — to determine how best to structure Musk’s time, Yu said.

While a $7.5 trillion market capitalisation for SpaceX may seem extraordinary, Yu said in a telephone interview, “it does help with setting expectations for investors as to what the goals of the company really are”.

Former FBI director James Comey has been indicted for threatening the life of Donald Trump, officials said on Tuesday, five months after a previous case against the outspoken critic of the US president was thrown out. The indictment by a grand jury in North Carolina stems from an Instagram post the 65-year-old Comey made in May last year that showed the numbers “86 47” spelled out in seashells. Trump alleged in an interview with Fox News at the time that “86” was slang for kill and “47” was a...

Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday survived a bid by opposition politicians to subject him to a parliamentary probe over his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to the US. Members of parliament voted against referring Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over giving Mandelson, an ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the plum diplomatic post. It was the latest development in an unrelenting scandal that has plagued Starmer’s...

Britain’s King Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday that despite an ⁠age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the UK and the US would ⁠always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily...

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday that Cambodian authorities had agreed on the early repatriation of 54 Pakistanis arrested following a raid on a “scamming compound”.

The statement came after reports emerged that more than 200 Pakistanis were in the custody of Cambodian police in overcrowded facilities and facing a lack of basic facilities.

In the statement issued on Tuesday, the FO said that the embassy in Cambodia had actively pursued the matter with the Cambodian government.

It said that this was in line with the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to “take all possible actions aimed at facilitating the Pakistani community abroad”.

“As a result of the embassy’s efforts, the host authorities have agreed to the early repatriation of 54 Pakistani nationals detained in Siem Reap province. These individuals were arrested following a raid on a scamming compound,” it said.

The FO added that embassy staff were taking steps to ensure the welfare of the detained Pakistanis.

“These detainees will leave Cambodia as soon as flight arrangements are finalised,” it added.

The statement further said that “as a goodwill gesture” from the Cambodian authorities, the detainees would be repatriated without any legal proceedings against them.

A multibillion-dollar scam industry has ballooned in Cambodia in recent years, with thousands involved, some willingly and others forced by the organised criminal groups, experts say.

Last year, the United Nations said in a report that Asian crime syndicates behind the multibillion-dollar cyberscam industry were expanding globally, including to South America and Africa.

Syndicates have adapted, shifting operations between the most remote, vulnerable, and underprepared parts of Southeast Asia, especially in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia, and beyond, exploiting jurisdictions with weak governance and high rates of corruption, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said.

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Additional input from AFP and Reuters

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Tuesday withdrew ab initio the requirement of a licence along with Rs1,000 per kW licencing fee for solar net-metering consumers with systems below 25 kilowatts.

The development comes two days after the Power Division, facing severe public criticism for “taxing sunlight”, directed Nepra to abolish the requirements.

Complying with the directive, Nepra issued a notification stating that prosumers’ regulations had been amended and there would be no licencing fee on up to 25kW distributed generation. It said higher capacity prosumers would have to deposit a one-time fee of Rs1,000 per kilowatt.

“This notification shall be applicable and deemed to be effective from February 9, 2026,” the order said.

Earlier in the day, Nepra member Amina Ahmed said the regulator was considering the government’s proposal but could not hold press conference or “leak policy decisions” at public hearings.

Then, within hours, Nepra issued the notification in compliance with the Power Division’s directives.

On Sunday, the Power Division said in a statement it had “formally asked” Nepra to abolish the requirement on the instructions of Power Minister Awais Leghari. It recalled previously alerting Nepra about the negative effects of enforcing the licence and licencing fee requirement, as well as requesting the regulator to align its decision with old regulations.

For his part, Leghari had stated in a post X: “Our government is pro-solar, pro-consumer, and committed to clean energy. We want to remove unnecessary barriers, reduce costs, and provide as much relief as possible to the people of Pakistan.”

Under the previous 2015 regulations, distributed generation facilities of 25kW or below did not require a licence from Nepra. Applications were processed directly by power distribution companies (Discos) without any fee, serving as a major fiscal incentive for residential users.

However, the new Prosumer Regulations centralised the approval authority with Nepra and imposed an application fee even on small users.

The Power Division noted in its Sunday statement that the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) had flagged the regulatory shift and requested Nepra to maintain consistency with the earlier approvals regime for systems of 25 kW or below.

Additionally, during public hearings, the Pakistan Solar Association, Primage (Pvt) Ltd, the Pakistan Alternative Energy Association, and Siddiq Renewable Energy (Pvt) Ltd had formally objected to the changes, arguing that removing approval authority from Discos would create unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.

The Power Division had warned that the new approach risked slowing the national drive toward alternative energy adoption.

Over the last few years, Nepra has become a virtual rubber stamp for the requirements of the government, particularly the Power Division.

The Power Division originally made several attempts to shift solar net metering to net-billing to significantly curtail financial benefits to prosumers and backtracked after public criticism.

Then it shifted the responsibility to Nepra, which reduced benefits to prosumers in November last year by even withdrawing many benefits for existing prosumers having valid licences.

As the government faced criticism, Nepra restored the net-metering facility to existing prosumers and introduced new applications for net-billing, and the requirements of a licence from Nepra at a one-time licence fee of Rs1000 per kW in February this year.

As applications started to pour in at Nepra, a social media campaign emerged against the government and the power minister for allegedly fleecing the public for a natural energy resource, thus discouraging solar adoption.

The Power Division had distanced itself from the licence fee for weeks, saying it was Nepra’s domain and outside its powers.

Balaclavas and e-bikes have become the armour of teenage boys zooming around London streets, snatching mobile phones from unsuspecting commuters and tourists.

As AFP joined a patrol on a sunny Friday night, police officer Hayden O’Connor spotted potential victims everywhere — people holding out phones to follow directions or listening to music.

“You see, your bus is in 20 minutes, you get your phone out, start scrolling Instagram, and before you know it, there’s a whizzy whirl of an e-bike coming towards you and your phone is gone,” he said.

O’Connor is part of the interceptor teams now driving around London in unmarked vehicles.

They follow reports of stolen phones, but the chances of getting one back are “really, really slim”, his colleague, police officer Hayley Carr, conceded.

London’s Metropolitan Police force has invested heavily in clamping down on the phenomenon, which has seen the city dubbed Europe’s phone theft capital.

Tackling phone theft has been made a priority, and extensive operations using drones, live facial recognition, and interceptor teams have led to some success.

Phone thefts fell by 12.3 per cent from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 in 2025, according to Met figures.

There were 13,000 fewer mobile phone thefts over the past financial year ending on March 31.

Aluminium foil wrap

What seems like a petty street crime has far-reaching tentacles, with phones stolen in London often exported, reactivated and resold overseas within days.

One of the most high-profile victims in recent months was Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s former top political aide, Morgan McSweeney, who had his phone snatched in October.

Last year, the Met dismantled one international gang suspected of smuggling some 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China.

“In just one week, we cut e-bike-enabled crime, which is linked to phone theft, by nearly 40pc,” said Detective Superintendent Gareth Gilbert.

“Our message is simple: if you commit these crimes, we will catch you.”

AFP joined a Friday night patrol around London Bridge, as office workers enjoyed a pint and throngs of tourists explored the popular Borough Market.

The police control centre soon called with a stolen phone having been tracked to Deptford.

The unmarked car’s blue lights flashed on, and O’Connor hit the accelerator.

The team swerved through London’s snarled evening traffic, but the phone’s tracking signal was lost. Criminals wrap the precious booty in aluminium foil, the officers said, blocking the signal.

Organised crime

Beneath the balaclavas, the phone-grabbing bikers are usually just teenagers.

“Normally they’re 16, 18,” said O’Connor. On one recent patrol, he even caught a pair of 13-year-old boys.

“They are young teenage boys and they are recruited by larger organised crime groups,” Gilbert told AFP.

Even if the thieves think it’s just one “small, minor, individual isolated crime … it works into a bigger network”, he said.

“That leads upstream into organised crime groups and then actually worldwide.”

The thieves usually make between 100 and 200 ($135 to $270) per phone.

“That for a 13-year-old is a huge amount of money,” said Gilbert. But it can lead to links to gangs and wider criminality.

Police said later that six people were arrested around midnight on that Friday night patrol.

Police motorbikes have more success as the unmarked cars are in an impossible race against e-bikes, even if they run red lights.

Met commissioner Mark Rowley has urged manufacturers to help bust the thefts, setting a June 1 deadline to “design out crime” by making stolen phones worthless.

Otherwise, he will ask for the government to bring in legislation.

The best advice? Report a stolen phone swiftly and use tracking services like Find My iPhone. Don’t just report the theft later.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t leave us in a position to do anything about it,” said O’Connor.

ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of deteriorating water quality in the country’s rivers and irrigation systems, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has asked the provincial governments to ensure that untreated wastewater does not fall into rivers and natural streams.

The water regulator has reported deteriorating water quality due to pollution, salinity, odour, etc., in the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS).

“Recent studies and reports have highlighted an alarming deterioration of water quality in Pakistan’s rivers due to the discharge of untreated wastewater,” said Irsa Chairman Amjad Saeed in a letter to the provincial chief secretaries.

Based on these reports, sources said Irsa had deputed its own teams and sought reports from field formations of the provinces’ irrigation authorities.

In the letter, the provinces and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pepa) were reminded that under the Indus River System Act, 1992, the water regulator was mandated to regulate and distribute the surface water resources of the Indus River System — the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world — among the provinces in accordance with the allocations and policies of the Water Apportionment Accord 1991.

Nearly 90 per cent of irrigation in the IBIS is carried out through its vast canal network, making Pakistan’s agriculture, food production, and food security heavily dependent on the Indus River System.

The Irsa chief pointed out that “in particular, the Ravi River and Sutlej River are reported to be severely polluted. In the lower Indus, salinity levels increase from upstream to downstream, particularly during low-flow months, while water in Manchar Lake has been reported unfit for drinking or irrigation due to high salinity.”

The water regulator also noted that water quality degradation in Kabul, Swat and other major rivers was also emerging as a serious public health concern in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Field observations further revealed visible pollution — foaming and foul odor — at major barrages, including Sukkur, Kotri and Aral Head Regulator of Manchar Lake.

It said that studies showed the total dissolved solids level increasing from upstream to downstream and from wet season to dry season in water samples. “Concentration of chloride and the sodium absorption ratio (SAR) increased in the lower reaches of the Indus River. Likewise, dissolved oxygen was higher in the wet season as compared to the dry season,” the Irsa chairman said.

The provinces were told that the matter was deliberated at a recent meeting of the Irsa — a body representing the federal and provincial governments and relevant stakeholders — where the authority expressed grave concern over deteriorating water quality in IBIS rivers and canals. During the meeting, it was decided to issue advisories to Pepa and the provincial governments for remedial actions while acknowledging and appreciating corrective measures already undertaken by the provinces.

Therefore, Irsa asked the provincial governments and Pepa to issue the necessary directions to the departments concerned under their respective jurisdictions and take immediate remedial measures to ensure that wastewater was properly treated before its disposal into rivers and other natural streams.

“Coordinated federal and provincial efforts are essential to protect the integrity of the IBIS and to safeguard the constitutional right of citizens to clean and sustainable water resources,” the Irsa chairman emphasised.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Tuesday approved the transfer of three judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to other high courts.

According to an official handout, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi chaired a meeting of the commission at the Supreme Court.

“The meetings were convened by the secretary of the JCP in exercise of powers conferred by clause (22) of Article 175A of the Constitution, as the chairman of the Commission, while giving reason therefor, declined to convene the meeting on the requisition by one-third of the total members,” it said.

The statement said the commission approved the transfer of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani to the Lahore High Court (LHC), the transfer of Justice Babar Sattar to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the transfer of Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to the Sindh High Court (SHC).

The statement said that the transfers were approved by the majority.

The JCP also decided that any vacancy arising as a result of the transfer of a judge from a high court “shall be filled through transfer only”, and such a vacancy “shall not, in any manner, be treated as a vacancy for initial appointment”, the handout said.

The statement also said that the member who had requisitioned the meetings for the proposed transfer of Justice Arbab M. Tahir from the IHC to the Balochistan High Court, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from the IHC to the SHC, “withdrew the respective proposals”.

The transfers have come at a time when deliberations are under way for the induction of new judges to the IHC. Several prominent lawyers are being considered for elevation, including Ayyaz Shaukat, a former advocate general and tax law expert who was recently appoi­­n­ted chairman of the Social Media Pro­tection and Regulatory Authority. Other names under consideration inclu­­de Usman G. Rashid Cheema, Umair Maje­­ed Malik, and Sultan Mazhar Sher Khan.

In addition to members of the bar, two serving district and sessions judges, Shahrukh Arjumand and Humayun Dilawar, are also among the leading candidates for elevation to the IHC.

‘Lacking transparency’

The Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) raised alarm on the transfers, saying that they were, “prima facie, lacking transparency”. The lawyers body warned that “selective transfers undermine judicial independence”.

In a statement, IBC Vice Chairman Asif Irfan and Executive Committee Chairman Muhammad Zafar Khokhar demanded a “structured, periodic and across-the-board rotation policy” for IHC and subordinate court judges, based on uniform criteria.

“The council has taken serious notice of the recent transfer of three judges from the IHC, which appears to be lacking transparency and raises concerns of mala fide intent,” the statement said. The council did not name the judges or specify when the orders were issued.

The bar argued that “isolated and non-uniform transfers, undertaken without any disclosed objective criteria” damage public confidence and judicial integrity.

“Any rotation policy must be based on objective, uniform and transparent criteria, applicable equally to all judges,” the council said, adding that transfers must be “free from arbitrariness or extraneous considerations.”

Separately, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) stressed that “decisions impacting the composition of the courts carry significant institutional importance and must be approached with due care. It is imperative that such measures do not, in any manner, undermine the independence of the judiciary, which remains a cornerstone of the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system”.

The association reaffirmed its commitment to upholding judicial independence and expected that all relevant authorities will continue to be guided by these fundamental principles.

The bar urged “competent authorities” to formulate a comprehensive rotation mechanism in the interest of “fair and transparent administration of justice.”

CJP’s reservations

Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, who also serves as chairman of the JCP, had earlier raised serious constitutional concerns over the prospect of transferring judges from the IHC.

In his response to informal requests by IHC Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar, the CJP had warned that such transfers could undermine federalism and equitable representation, reducing judicial appointments to temporary and reversible administrative decisions.

The IHC chief justice had also sought a JCP meeting to consider the transfer of five judges, and while the CJP initially declined to endorse the proposal, a requisition signed by five JCP members was submitted on April 7. Under Article 175A(22) of the Constitution, the chairman must convene a meeting within 15 days upon such a request. Hence, a JCP meeting was held today.

But the CJP had earlier warned that transferring five out of nine IHC judges without immediate replacements would create significant vacancies and institutional instability.

Questioning the lack of stated reasons, the CJP said that such transfers could assume a punitive character, effectively amounting to removal without due process. He had emphasised that the Constitution provided a mechanism under Article 209 through the Supreme Judicial Council for addressing allegations against judges.

According to him, allowing transfers that function as de facto removals would bypass constitutional safeguards and set a dangerous precedent, eroding judicial independence and public confidence.

Fissures within IHC

The transfers from the IHC follow an amendment to Article 200 of the Constitution, which empowers the JCP to recommend such transfers without requiring the consent of the judges concerned.

Prior to the amendment, introduced through the 27th Constitution Amendment, a judge’s consent was mandatory for transfer from one high court to another. The revised provision has now vested this authority in the JCP.

It also stipulates that a judge who refuses to accept a transfer may face proceedings under Article 209 before the Supreme Judicial Council.

The transferred judges were among the six who had, in a startling letter written to SJC members in March 2024, accused the country’s intelligence apparatus of interference in judicial affairs, including attempts to pressure judges through abduction and torture of their relatives and secret surveillance inside their homes.

They were also among the five judges who had formally opposed in February 2025 the then-potential transfer of then-LHC Justice Dogar, warning that his elevation as the IHC chief justice would violate constitutional procedures and judicial norms.

Nevertheless, Justice Dogar was appointed as the acting IHC chief justice on Feb 13, 2025. The next day, he took the oath in a ceremony where all IHC judges were invited, but five of them — including those being transferred — did not attend the ceremony and boycotted it.

Following the development, the IHC went through a major administrative restructuring, which notably reduced the authority of senior puisne judge Justice Kayani — who previously held key decision-making roles — following amendments to the high court rules.

The IHC Administration Com­mittee, previously comprising the chief justice, the senior puisne judge and a senior judge, was restructured to include CJ Dogar and two of his nominees. This reconstitution significantly altered the court’s decision-making authority.

Justice Dogar later took his oath as the IHC CJ on July 8, 2025. And the five IHC senior judges who had opposed his transfer were sidelined in the subsequent reshuffling of key committees.

In September last year, the five judges had submitted separate petitions to the Supreme Court together against a number of issues affecting the court, from the composition of benches to rosters to case transfers.

PESHAWAR: The Kalash valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral district have been inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organisation’s (Unesco) ‘World Heritage Tentative List’, it emerged on Tuesday.

According to Unesco’s website, a country must make an inventory of important natural and cultural heritage sites located within its boundaries, which is known as the Tentative List.

“It is an important step since the World Heritage Committee cannot consider a nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List unless the property has already been included on the state party’s Tentative List,” it says.

Kalash, an enclave of three remote and inaccessible valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Ramboor, is located in Chitral district and inhabited by over 4,000 indigenous people who profess a polytheistic religion and unique cultural practices.

KP Director General of Archaeology and Museums Dr Abdul Samad told Dawn that the development was a significant achievement towards the preservation of Kalash culture.

“It is the first time an entire community and its cultural practices have been listed by the Unesco World Heritage Tentative List,” he said.

He said that his department has been working to get the Kalash culture landscape on the UN agency’s heritage list for more than a decade. Dr Samad said that the enlistment would contribute to the preservation of both the tangible and intangible aspects of Kalash’s culture.

He said that in the first step, a submission needed to be accepted by the World Heritage Centre on its tentative list, followed by a formal notification by the UN body.

However, he said that after tentative enlistment, a dossier needed to be submitted to the UN body, incorporating bylaws and other necessary steps.

Dr Samad said that inscription on the tentative list had put the Kalash culture on the national and international cultural map, providing for bylaws, community development and preservation of tangible and intangible heritage; therefore, it was a major achievement.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, in a post on X, welcomed the development, terming it a “major milestone”.

He noted that KP was “home to some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes and unique cultural traditions, and this recognition is long overdue”.

“A well-deserved moment that brings global attention to the beauty and heritage of our region,” Kundi added.

According to Unesco’s website, “The Kalasha Valley cultural landscape possesses outstanding universal value (OUV) as an extremely rare and exceptionally well-preserved example of a living indigenous cultural system”.

It said that this system has continued without interruption for centuries within its original geographic and cultural setting. Despite historical changes, outside influences, and social pressures, the Kalasha community has successfully maintained its distinct identity, Unesco said.

It continued: “These features are not abstract ideas or symbolic references to the past, as these are actively practised and clearly connected to the physical landscape, where specific places serve as designated locations for particular ceremonies and ritual activities. The landscape itself is directly involved in sustaining and expressing cultural life.”

It said that the tangible heritage includes more than 140 recorded ceremonial structures, ritual platforms, ancestral graveyards featuring distinctive wooden carvings, and traditional villages. Each of these places has its own name, purpose, and meaning within the memory and identity of the community.

The intangible heritage, on the other hand, was equally extensive and well-organised, it said.

“It includes a complete and structured system of religious rituals and seasonal festivals. It also includes a strong tradition of oral storytelling, unique musical forms, traditional dances, distinctive clothing, and customary laws overseen by a council of elders. These elements do not exist separately from one another. Instead, they form a unified and working system that continues to regulate daily life, land management, social relationships, spiritual practices, and community decision-making in a fully integrated way,” it said.