ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide within two weeks the pleas of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, seeking the suspension of their sentence in the controversial social media posts case.

Until the IHC decides upon the petitions, the matter will remain pending before the apex court, a three-judge SC bench, consisting of Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shafi Siddiqui, ordered.

During the hearing, the couple’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi H, argued that the legal requirements were not met in the trial against his clients. He asserted that they did not get the opportunity to be cross-examined and statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code were also not recorded.

He presented his arguments as the SC took up the couple’s plea seeking to set aside an IHC order denying interim relief to them in the case.

The lawyer said that the IHC had kept his clients’ pleas for the suspension of their sentences pending despite the passage of two months.

“Which court should the accused go to if the high court denies relief or if the SC chooses not to go into the merits of the case,” the counsel argued.

At this, Justice Siddiqui wondered how the SC could interfere in a matter which fell under the jurisdiction of the high court.

The lawyer contended that the SC could hear applications seeking the suspension of a sentence without the high court’s final decision. He said that if the court asked him to, he could explain the circumstances his clients were facing.

Justice Waheed, however, observed that the SC was aware of the circumstances the appellants were facing, since they had mentioned the details in their applications.

“Now there are two options: one is to direct the high court to decide the matter and the second is to give instructions to the high court and keep this application pending in the SC,” Justice Waheed suggested.

The lawyer suggested keeping the matter pending before the SC while issuing instructions to the IHC. In this way, the shadow of the SC will remain upon the high court, the counsel argued.

“Not only the shadow of the Supreme Court, but also of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC),” Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan observed. The judge also reminded that the IHC did not dismiss the request for the suspension of the sentences.

Justice Afghan explained that if a high court rejected the request for suspension of sentence, then the SC could go into the merits of the case.

“To me, the SC is the only superior court in the country,” the couple’s lawyer responded.

“Don’t say this. The FCC has been established under the Constitution and all lawyers appear before it regularly,” Justice Afghan responded, adding that bringing amendments to the Constitution was Parliament’s prerogative.

The counsel, however, contended that the SC was the highest court to decide appeals in criminal matters. He contended that Imaan was like a sister to him and, above all, a daughter of this country.

The case

Imaan and Hadi have been in jail since their arrest in January in a case registered against the two for protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president. While the arrest prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians, and journalists, who stressed the couple’s right to a fair trial, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years in prison in the social media posts case just a day after the development.

The controversy at the centre of the case stems from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, by the assistant director (investigating officer) at the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency Islamabad, before the Cybercrime Reporting Centre, FIA, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca).

The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations,” while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.

In January, the sessions court sentenced the duo 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 10 (cyber terrorism), five years’ imprisonment under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years’ imprisonment under Section 26-A (false and fake information) of Peca.

In December 2025, the couple moved the SC to overturn the IHC’s decision refusing interim relief in the case. The appeal was filed against a December 1 IHC order that denied ad-interim relief of staying the trial without a just legal cause.

In her appeal, Imaan argued that the high court had “erroneously and illegally refused” to exercise the discretion to grant ad-interim relief to the petitioners to stay the criminal trial, as recording of evidence before the trial court in their absence was not only a violation of Section 353 CrPC, but also their due process and fair trial rights under Article 10A of the Constitution.

On Monday, their counsel submitted additional documents to the SC in relevance to the appeal, consisting of the charge sheets of different dates against the petitioners, their statements before the trial court and the orders issued by the court.

The petitioners pleaded before the SC to allow bringing these documents on record in the interest of justice since they were “essential and relevant for adjudication of the present case”.

They explained that the said documents were not available at the time of filing the appeal, since the paper books were not prepared by the office of the IHC; the trial record was obtained after filing the appeals.

On April 30, the duo had moved another appeal in the SC, seeking an early hearing of their pleas against their conviction.

Moved under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, the application requested the grant of leave to appeal against the Feb 19 IHC order. Through that order, the IHC had admitted the appeal against the trial court’s Jan 24 decision of handing down a 17-year sentence to the couple.

And while it had issued notices to the respondents on the application for the suspension of sentence, it had not suspended the sentence.

The petition contended that the appeals be accepted and the sentence awarded to the petitioners through the impugned trial court’s judgement be suspended till the disposal of the criminal appeal pending before the IHC.

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on Tuesday forecast that Eidul Azha was expected to fall on May 27.

“The new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH is expected to be born on May 17 at 1:01am,” it said in a statement.

It said that at sunset the same day, the age of the new moon would be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes. It estimated an interval of 60 minutes between “sunset and moonset along the country’s coastal belt”.

“Based on these astronomical parameters, the chances of sighting the Zilhajj crescent on the evening of May 17 are considered favourable,“ Suparco said, adding it would be subject to clear weather conditions and visibility near the horizon.

“Consequently, the 1st Zilhajj 1447 AH is anticipated to fall on Monday, May 18, marking the conclusion of the holy month of Zilqad,” it said.

Therefore, Eidul Azha will fall on May 27, Suparco said.

“The final decision regarding the sighting of the Zilhajj crescent and the commencement of the holy month will be made by the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee of Pakistan, which is the sole competent authority to announce the beginning of Islamic months on credible witness testimonies and verified observations from across the country,” the statement concluded.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump arrives in China on Wednesday for a three-day state visit that is expected to mainly focus on trade and economic ties. But, the US-Iran conflict is likely to dominate the strategic calculations of both Washington and Beijing.

The May 13–15 visit — the first by a sitting US president to China in nearly nine years — comes at a moment when the world’s two largest economies are struggling to stabilise relations after months of tariff disputes, geopolitical rivalry and growing tensions in the Middle East.

US President Trump is scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with the Chinese president, attend a state banquet and tour Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven during the three-day visit. Yet behind the ceremonial optics lies a more urgent diplomatic objective: securing Chinese cooperation on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz crisis, which continues to disrupt global trade and energy markets.

White House press secretary described the trip as a “visit of tremendous symbolic significance,” saying the president hoped to “deliver more good deals” during his stay in Beijing.

The expected composition of the presidential delegation underscores that while economic diplomacy remains central to the visit, the US-Israeli war on Iran is reshaping its strategic context.

Trump has invited senior executives from some of America’s largest corporations — including Elon Musk of Tesla, Tim Cook of Apple, Larry Fink of BlackRock and Kelly Ortberg of Boeing — signalling Washington’s intent to revive commercial engagement even amid geopolitical tensions.

Executives from Citigroup and Qualcomm are also expected to participate in discussions on investment, manufacturing and technology cooperation.

The trip had originally been planned for March or April but was postponed after the Middle East conflict intensified. Since then, the war has become an increasingly central factor shaping the US-China diplomacy.

Washington is expected to press Beijing to use its considerable influence with Tehran to help de-escalate tensions and ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for Chinese energy imports and global oil supplies. US officials also hope China will avoid obstructing efforts at the United Nations to condemn attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf.

China, meanwhile, has quietly positioned itself as a potential mediator. Together with Pakistan, Beijing has backed diplomatic initiatives aimed at securing a ceasefire and reopening maritime routes through Hormuz. Chinese and Pakistani officials reportedly advanced a five-point framework earlier this year designed to restart negotiations and contain the regional conflict.

China’s proactive diplomacy reflects not only strategic ambition but also economic necessity. The prolonged conflict has added fresh strain to an already slowing Chinese economy. Rising oil prices have increased production costs for industries reliant on petrochemicals, including plastics and textiles.

Although China’s large oil reserves and rapid transition toward renewable energy and electric vehicles have softened the blow, the conflict continues to threaten export-driven sectors that remain essential to Chinese growth.

Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit appeared to highlight China’s influence in the region and seemed intended toward coordinating positions ahead of Trump’s arrival.

The United States closely monitored the visit. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked: “I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told. And that is that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy in this.”

Analysts say Washington increasingly recognises that any sustainable diplomatic opening with Tehran may require Beijing’s involvement. Yet asking Beijing for assistance also exposes Washington to political criticism at home.

Prominent Middle East scholar Vali Nasr warned that Trump could face difficult trade-offs in Beijing.

Reposting a Financial Times report on the visit on X, Nasr cited a US official as saying: “I would expect the president to apply pressure” on China over Iran when he goes to Beijing. He added that this would not be easy, noting that Trump would effectively have to ask Xi for help — which could be seen as a sign of weakness, would likely come at a cost, and could fail if China refused.

In another post, Nasr said there was concern in China that the US could escalate the war after Trump’s visit, potentially straining Beijing’s relations with Tehran.

US President Trump himself has publicly downplayed China’s support for Iran. Asked recently about Beijing’s ties with Tehran during the conflict, he responded: “It is what it is, right? We do things, too, against them.”

Trump also faces mounting domestic criticism over the war.

A Senate Democratic leader recently accused the president of dragging the country into “an illegal, costly war without any goals or any endgame”.

“The best way to lower costs and end this chaos is to end this illegal war,” Chuck Schumer said on X, adding that Democrats would force another vote on a War Powers Resolution to withdraw US troops from hostilities involving Iran.

“If Republicans vote against our resolution, they will continue to bear the blame for Trump’s war,” he warned.

Despite these tensions, both Washington and Beijing appear determined to prevent the Iran conflict from pushing an already fragile relationship into deeper confrontation. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to make a return visit to Washington later this year, underscoring that, even amid intensifying rivalry, both sides still see value in maintaining high-level engagement.

LAKKI MARWAT: At least seven people, including two policemen, were martyred on Tuesday in a blast in the Serai Naurang tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, police said.

Lakki Marwat district police officer’s spokesperson Qudratullah Khan, in a statement, said that 23 others had also been injured in the incident.

Commenting on the nature of the incident, he said that it was not yet clear whether an explosive-laden loader rickshaw was parked in the area or a suicide bomber detonated it.

He said that experts from the Bomb Disposal Squad were working on determining the nature of the blast.

He identified the martyred police officials as Adil Jan and Rahatullah, adding that the bodies had been shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, while some of the injured were rushed to hospitals in Bannu.

A teenage girl and a woman were among the injured, he added.

The spokesperson added that traffic police wardens were performing their duties as usual at the busy square to regulate traffic between Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan.

Videos circulating on social media platforms showed several shops and three-wheelers damaged in the blast.

The police official said that a large police contingent led by the Naurang Circle deputy superintendent of police reached the site of the blast. The team cordoned off the area and collected evidence.

In an earlier statement, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shahdab Khan had confirmed the blast, stating that ambulances and teams had been dispatched to the site of the incident. He had requested the public to cooperate with rescue agencies and avoid the blast site.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, as per a statement, took notice of the incident and sought a report from KP inspector general of police.

He expressed sorrow at the loss of life, vowing “full facilitation” to the families of the deceased on the part of the provincial government. He also directed authorities to ensure the provision of the best medical facilities to the injured.

The development comes after at least 15 police personnel were martyred on Saturday night in a suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police post in Bannu.

On Monday, the Afghan chargé d’affaires was summoned and handed a “strong demarche” over the attack in Bannu. The Foreign Office said that investigations showed the attack was masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday paid tribute to a brave citizen who sacrificed his life while averting a suicide attack in Attock’s Jand tehsil a day earlier.

According to reports, the incident occurred near a key security post on the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtu­nkhwa bor­der, located in Jand, some 70km from Attock.

A local shepherd, identified as Liaqat, noticed a suspicious individual in the area while grazing his goats nearby. Witnesses said Liaqat confronted the suspect after sensing something unusual about the man’s behaviour. As he approached, the suspect detonated himself with a powerful explosion, claiming Liaqat’s life in the process.

In separate statements issued on Tuesday, the president and the prime minister lauded Liaqat’s sacrifice.

PM Shehbaz said that as a responsible citizen, Liaqat stopped the terrorist and asked for his identification, who then blew himself up, resulting in the shepherd’s martyrdom.

He said that Liaqat’s sacrifice would always be remembered, as he set a noble example of extraordinary courage, duty and patriotism.

“Such brave and fearless citizens are the true symbol of the national resolve against terrorism. Shaheed Liaqat’s sacrifice is a guiding light for every individual of the nation,” he said.

President Zardari said that brave citizens like Liaqat were a shining example of national resilience, patriotism and collective awareness in the fight against terrorism.

“The entire nation stands united with its security forces and law enforcement agencies for the elimination of the scourge of terrorism. The war against terrorism resulting from external support will continue,” he said.

The president also directed Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to locate Liaqat’s family and convey a message of complete national solidarity.

He said that the entire nation stood shoulder to shoulder with its security forces and law enforcement agencies against the menace of terrorism.

Greg Abbott was planning his summer holiday with half an eye on the Iran war. He intended to stay closer to home in Europe and was lining up a plan B, wary of rising air fares and cancellations.

The 54-year-old Britain-based Australian was planning a cycling trip with friends in Austria, a festival in Barcelona and possibly a yoga retreat in France. But he did not want to go too far and was keeping travel options open.

“We’ll almost certainly be doing short-haul Europe, and almost certainly be doing trains, because they run on electricity,” said Abbott, head of operations for a broadcasting company, adding cost was a key factor against longer trips.

“The prices are just crazy at the moment.”

Across Europe and beyond, tourists are reshaping plans in a world of $100 oil, tight jet fuel supply, higher costs and Middle East conflict disrupting popular routes. Many are booking later and building in flexibility.

“We observe travellers becoming more cautious and deliberate,” said Susanne Dickhardt, co-founder of camper van and motorhome hire firm Roadsurfer.

Most are adapting rather than cancelling, she said, staying nearer home, driving and choosing formats that keep costs down.

‘People get nervous’

Tourism and aviation are among the sectors most exposed to the war. Slow-moving peace talks point to a prolonged stand-off, hitting Gulf airlines and popular hubs such as Dubai, while nearly doubling jet fuel prices.

“You’ve got a war happening — a major war,” said Jean-Francois Rial, CEO of tour operator Voyageurs du Monde, adding his firm had seen business drop around a quarter in March, easing to about a 10 per cent decline in April.

“People get nervous; they don’t want to travel anymore.”

Airlines warned profits were under pressure. Air France-KLM expected its jet fuel bill to jump by $2.4 billion this year, while Lufthansa and British Airways owner IAG saw rises of about $2 billion.

US low-cost carrier Spirit went bust this month, stoking fears others could follow.

European budget carriers with thin margins and limited fuel hedging, such as Wizz Air and airBaltic, faced challenges, though were less vulnerable than Spirit, said Rohit Kumar, vice president of corporate ratings at Morningstar.

“Given that summer is the most profitable period for airlines, any disruption to volumes or costs during this peak season will have a material impact on earnings”, he said.

Last-minute bookings

Travellers were delaying decisions.

Jerome Vayr, president of France-based Vacances Bleues, said plans were often made days before departure and trips were shorter.

“Last-minute bookings are rising significantly, by around 15pc,” he said.

“I think people are waiting to see what will happen with inflation, waiting to see whether or not they’ll be able to travel abroad.”

Demand overall remained resilient, airlines and officials said, but destinations were shifting, with domestic travel gaining.

Ricardo Fernandez Flores, head of Spanish online travel agency Destinia, said Spain, Greece and Portugal were viewed as safer bets, with more self-drive holidays.

“What we’re seeing in the data is not a slowdown in travel demand, but a shift in where travellers are choosing to go,” said Jay Wardle, president at travel data group Sojern, highlighting well-connected, stable Mediterranean markets.

Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Spain’s largest hotel chain Melia , expects strong bookings in “safe-haven” regions.

“Spain and the Caribbean are far away enough from conflict zones and close enough to key source markets to offer a sort of safe-haven destination this summer,” he said.

Waiting for things to ‘clear up’

Rail was gaining.

Alvaro Ungurean, director of Trainpal, reported a 25pc rise in Eurostar ticket sales, while nearly twice as many Britons were looking to travel by train in France this year.

Even business trips were shifting, with rail bookings rising, said Charlie Sultan, president of Concur Travel at German software maker SAP.

Alice Woodhouse, based in Hong Kong, planned to stay in Asia and offset soaring fares.

“With ticket prices so high, I’ve been looking at where I can use my airline miles. Southeast Asia or maybe Taiwan is most likely,” she said.

Others are holding off booking. Diego Dutra, who runs a corporate relocation firm from Portugal, was avoiding flying and may opt for a road trip instead of visiting family in Italy.

“We’re just going to postpone until things clear up a bit,” he said.

At 5:13am on May 10 last year, Pakistan launched the retaliatory ‘Operation Bunyan um Marsoos’ against India. Footage aired by state broadcaster PTV showed fireballs lighting up the sky moments before the sun appeared as the air filled with cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’. The war had begun, and everyone was talking about it—inside Pakistan, on the other side of the border and across the world.

But in the Dawn newsroom, and several others as journalists recall, another kind of editorial panic had been unleashed: was it Bunyanum Marsoos? Bunyanun Marsoos? Bunyan-al Marsus? Some news wire services were running Bunyan al-Marsoos. Even transliterations by the government and the military were not always consistent.

The confusion was understandable because the name is Arabic—taken from Surah As-Saff, Chapter 61 of the Holy Quran, and translates to “a solid, cemented structure”. Technically, Bunyanun Marsoos is the correct way to spell it in formal Arabic, but the orthographic variation turned the Arabic un into an Urdu um (the latter serves as a filler word in Urdu to fill the silence or signal a pause).

Just a few minutes after PTV announced the beginning of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, Information Minister Ata Tarar took to X to explain where the rationale behind the title: “Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly,” he quoted. “[It] gives us a single command: that when war is imposed, unite as one and charge at the enemy. Allah will be our supporter and helper.”

The minister’s explanation did little, however, to clear the confusion. But in a war, there is little time to wrangle the finer points of pronunciation.

The next day, someone finally asked the question at a tri-service press conference held immediately upon the declaration of a ceasefire. “We have seen many Islamic terminologies being used in the war…whose idea was it?” one journalist asked the military’s spokesperson.

“In the Pakistan Army, Islam is not just a part of our personal beliefs, but also our training,” Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry replied. “It is part of our faith. Iman, taqwa, jihad fi sabilillah, that is what drives us. That is our motto. And, Alhamdulillah, we have a Chief of Army Staff who has a strong belief. The belief and commitment of the leadership also translates into the operations in various ways. What does this name tell us? It tells us that momins [believers], who fight for the sake of Allah, are a ‘steel wall’. And, praise to Allah, the Pakistan Army acted like a steel wall.”

And so, for its most significant operation in decades, Pakistan picked a name from a holy text, one that left zero margin for error. I wondered about the mechanics behind these linguistic choices as I listened to editors in the newsroom make frantic phone calls to sources to ensure Dawn got the spelling right.

How did an army settle on a title for a military operation? A year later, in the newsroom, as we prepared stories for the anniversary of Marka-i-Haq, I saw plans for reams of text on tactical doctrine and strategic calculus. But the question still stuck. I decided to go digging, and what better place to start than the army itself. I spoke to mostly retired officers who graciously shed light on the philosophy that goes into this aspect of perspective management.

How military operations are named

Military operations, exercises, and even administrative actions that require deep planning are routinely assigned names before they are launched, explained Lt General (retired) Naeem Khalid Lodhi. He is a three-star General who served as GOC Bahawalpur, General Headquarters Rawalpindi and Corps Commander Bahawalpur, and as Minister for Defence Production after retiring. According to him, these titles are pre-decided, kept inside classified files hidden in secret places, along with contingency plans and preemptive military exercises. They can’t just be decided while a country is at war, Gen Lodhi told Dawn.

Naming is most usually associated with three broad concerns: the nature of the mission, the terrain where it will unfold, and the psychological effect the name may have on the troops.

The name should be such that it gives the jawaans a boost of morale, which is why Operation Bunyanum Marsoos and several others are drawn from Arabic, the Holy Quran and Hadith, or kept in Urdu, to incite passion among the soldiers and motivate the under-command to do something “big”.

Muslim military history, previous campaigns and overall goals offer obvious inspiration. Operation Rah-i-Rast in Swat was chosen because the military wanted to frame the campaign as bringing people “back on to the right path”. “The idea was that the military will go into Swat and since these are your own people, they have been misguided and are off track, therefore it was needed to bring them back,” said a former military official, who wished not to be named.

In other cases, names can be more functional and geographical. Engineers constructing bridges, for example, may simply label them “Ravi-I” or “Ravi-II”. Relevance, instant recognition and clarity are key.

There are no binding international conventions for naming operations but globally, wars are usually remembered in ways that researchers and historians can identify easily—by the year, the number of days, the countries involved. This is why perhaps we have the First Mohmand Campaign and Third Anglo-Burmese War.

It is telling how imperial forces choose to project their operations. America, for example, pivoted from toponymic names (Vietnam War, Iraq War, Afghan War) and post-9/11 to moral declarative appellatives such as Operation Enduring Freedom. It is not without irony that the British and American style differs; the British would include themselves as agents of action (Anglo-Afghan war), but the Americans prefer to pretend and give the impression that the war is entirely of the enemy’s making.

Who decides the names?

That depends on the scale of the mission. Smaller or localised operations may be named by divisional, brigade or corps-level commanders. “But in main forces’ operations, we have a Military Operations branch in GHQ; they plan and then also decide the name,” Gen. Lodhi said. Operations involving intelligence agencies may be named by the Military Intelligence or the Inter-Services Intelligence instead. Approvals are required unless a free hand is given, but when an operation is conceived at GHQ, the final approval rests with the Chief of General Staff.

Civilian involvement appears limited, even though operations themselves constitutionally require government approval. Public announcements are made jointly. “When the operation is announced, the military spokesperson and government representatives sit together,” a former military officer said. “The Inter-Services Public Relations announces the operation, the goals and the progress to the public.”

Names as strategic communication

The real measure of an operation is whether it achieves its objectives, while names serve a perception management purpose.

Air Vice Marshal (retired) Faaiz Amir explained that naming an operation, especially one as important as an India-Pakistan war, is not just a formality; it is a record that will go down in history, and how your people and the world will remember and make sense of the victors and the defeated.

Perception management has grown in urgency given how the channels for public messaging have evolved dramatically. Earlier wars relied heavily on state television and newspapers. Today, the battles are fought in real-time across television screens, on X, YouTube and WhatsApp. “Now the pulse comes through social media,” Gen Amir said. “The military itself regulates perception all over the world.”

He recalled Operation Swift Retort in 2019 as an example of a name carefully aligned with the nature of the mission. “The word ‘retort’ is a response to something and ‘swift’ is urgency,” he said. “This was probably named after we responded immediately to the Indian attack in Balakot.”

Of course, no amount of public messaging is watertight and there is always the risk that the name of an operation might be interpreted differently across generations or linguistic barriers. “Probably Bunyanum Marsoos came for religious purposes, but it was difficult to pronounce,” said Gen Amir, pointing out that such names were mostly for public consumption. The later use of Marka-i-Haq may have partly reflected concerns over international comprehension and media usage.

From Operation Grand Slam to Zarb-e-Azb

The greatest shift in naming preference was brought on by Independence. The colonial formula had leaned on toponyms (places) such as the Tochi Valley Expedition and double-barreled adversarial appellatives depending on who Empire was fighting, such as Second Anglo-Sikh War. But after 1947, the enemies changed and the reasons to fight them.

The army of the new country eventually drained of its Etonian echelons and the composition of the officer corps shifted. A sort of ruralisation emerged with the officers more connected to indigenous culture and religious orientations. “A lot has to do with the mindset of the leadership class,” explained a former officer. Earlier generations of military leadership were largely British-trained, urbane, and English-medium educated. “They had a different orientation,” he said. Names such as Knight Riders, Silver King, Iron Horse would appeal to their sensibilities.

Gen Lodhi reiterated the adage that the military is a “microcosm of society”, which is why changes within it mirror broader social transformations. “Nothing in the Pakistan Army is isolated from society,” he added.

This shift became particularly visible after 9/11, when Pakistan’s military found itself fighting an insurgency in Swat and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Fighting an ideological war

The rise in the use of Islamic ideology to name operations is directly linked to the war against militancy. “This began when Swat was taken over, and Nato had landed in Afghanistan,” said the former military officer. “And so the soldier was hesitant … he was fighting his own kith and kin.”

The military leadership feared alienating the tribes and ordinary soldiers if operations appeared to be framed as a war against Islam. He or she had to understand that this was fighting a person who had taken up arms against the legitimate authority of the State.

This is how names with religious overtones became strategically significant as well. The military leadership thought it would better motivate the soldiers. Operation Black Thunder would not land as well as Rah-e-Nijat, which at least fell into the mainstream lexicon.

At the same time, the reliance on Islamic language came with its own contradictions, which were not lost on the officers. One officer was asked what he recited for protection before leaving for work. The Ayaat-ul Kursi? He laughed and responded, ‘So is the man planning to blow himself up in front of my car.’

Israel’s parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian fighters linked to the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The surprise attack, led by elite “Nukhba” force fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas, killed at least 1,200 people. The fighters also took 251 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins.

Israel has been holding an estimated 200-300 fighters — the precise number is classified — captured in Israel during the attack, who have not yet been charged.

The special military court established by the law, to be presided over by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem, could also try others captured later in Gaza and suspected of participating in the attack, or of having held or abused Israeli hostages.

The new law was backed by a wide majority 93 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers, in a rare show of Israeli political unity.

No trial date

Lawmakers from both the governing coalition and the opposition authored the bill, meant to ensure all assailants are brought to justice under existing Israeli criminal statutes for what it describes as crimes against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Proceedings will be public, with major hearings broadcast live. While defendants will attend only key hearings in person and all others by video, surviving victims will be allowed in-person access, according to the new law.

Ya’ara Mordecai, an international law expert at Yale Law School, said the new law raised some concerns about due process, given the military court setting, as well as a risk of atrocity proceedings turning into politicised or symbolic “show trials”.

Knesset member Yulia Malinovsky, one of the bill’s authors, claimed that the legislation ensures a fair and lawful trial.

“They will be sentenced by Israel’s judges, not by the street or by what we all feel,” Malinovsky said before the vote.

“At the end of the day, what makes us great is our spirit, our resilience, ability to cope and withstand this immense pain.”

Option of capital punishment

Israel’s penal code includes capital punishment for some of the charges. If handed down, a death sentence would trigger an automatic appeal on behalf of the defendant, according to the new law.

The last person executed in Israel was Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Nazi Holocaust, hanged in 1962 after being captured in Argentina by Israeli agents. Military courts in the occupied West Bank can sentence Palestinian convicts to death but have never done so.

A separate law passed by Israel in March, making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks, drew criticism at home and abroad and is expected to be struck down by the Supreme Court.

Hamas Gaza spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the new law “serves as a cover for the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza”.

The International Criminal Court is probing Israel’s conduct of the Gaza conflict and has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders who have all since been killed by Israel.

Israel is also fighting a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. It rejects the allegations as politically motivated and has argued that its war is against Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

Ever felt like mosquitoes bite you while ignoring everyone else? Scientists are now making progress in deciphering the complex chemical cocktail that makes particular people more enticing to these disease-spreading bloodsuckers.

“It’s not a misconception — mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others,” Frederic Simard of France’s Institute of Research for Development told AFP.

“But we are not all magnets all the time,” the medical entomologist added.

A range of sensory cues can cause mosquitoes to pick one human over another — mainly the smell and heat our bodies give off, and the carbon dioxide we exhale.

Female mosquitoes — which are the only ones that bite — detect these signals with finely-tuned receptors, then choose their target accordingly.

“We have known for over 100 years that mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide that we exhale — this is the first signal that triggers their behaviour” when they are dozens of metres away, Swedish scientist Rickard Ignell told AFP.

Within around 10 metres, “mosquitoes will start detecting our odour, and in combination with carbon dioxide,” this attracts them even more, said the senior author of a recent study on the subject.

As they get closer, body temperature and humidity make particular humans even more enticing.

Blood type doesn’t matter

However, some popular theories on this subject do not hold water.

The idea that mosquitoes prefer particular blood types “has no scientific basis,” Simard said.

“There have been some studies, but only involving very few people,” he said. “Nor is it related to skin, eye or hair colour,” he added.

Odour, on the other hand, matters greatly.

“A soup of molecules produced by our microbiota is more — or less — appealing to mosquitoes,” Simard explained.

Humans release between 300 and 1,000 different odorous compounds, research has shown, but scientists are only just beginning to understand which ones attract mosquitoes.

For Ignell’s recent study, the researchers released Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — known for spreading yellow fever and dengue — on 42 women in a lab, to see which ones they preferred.

“We have shown that mosquitoes use a blend of odorous compounds (we identified 27 that the mosquitoes will detect, out of the possible 1,000) for their attraction to us,” Ignell said.

The woman the mosquitoes most liked to bite — including pregnant women in their second trimester — produced a large amount of a particular compound made by a breakdown of the skin oil sebum.

That even a small increase of this compound — called “1-octen-3-ol”, or mushroom alcohol — made a difference came as a surprise, Ignell emphasised.

“Mosquitoes are fascinating creatures,” he added.

Beer makes you attractive

Drinking beer has also been linked to attracting mosquitoes, because it raises body temperature, increases the amount of exhaled CO2 and changes skin odour, according to several studies.

For standardised research conducted in Burkina Faso, some brave volunteers drank beer, then several days later water, to see which mosquitoes preferred.

The Anopheles mosquito, which can spread malaria, was more enticed by the scent of the beer drinkers.

For a 2023 study in the Netherlands, 465 volunteers put their arms in cages filled with female Anopheles mosquitoes.

The volunteers who had drunk beer in the previous 24 hours were 1.35 times more attractive to the mosquitoes.

Discovering why mosquitoes prefer particular people has become a more pressing issue as climate change expands the range where they roam.

For example, the tiger mosquito, a vector for the chikungunya virus, is spreading into new areas. Last year, chikungunya reached as far north as France’s Alsace region for the first time.

“This risk is affecting more and more people,” Simard said.

So what can you do to avoid getting bitten? Try loose-fitting clothing that covers your skin, mosquito nets and repellent, Simard advised.

“Try to eat light meals — and go easy on the alcohol,” he added.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday termed a report by an American media outlet claiming that Islamabad “quietly allowed” Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields while playing the role of a mediator in the Middle East conflict as “misleading and sensationalised”.

Citing US officials, CBS News had alleged that days after US President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Air Base.

“Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report claimed.

In a response issued on Tuesday, the FO said, “Pakistan categorically rejects the CBS News report regarding the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase as misleading and sensationalised. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.”

“Following the ceasefire and during the initial round of the Islamabad Talks, a number of aircraft from Iran and the US arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams and administrative staff associated with the talks process,” it said.

The FO said that some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in “anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement.

“Although formal negotiations have not yet resumed, senior-level diplomatic exchanges have continued. In this context, visits by the Iranian foreign minister to Islamabad were facilitated through the existing logistical and administrative arrangements,” it said.

“The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context,” the FO said.

“Pakistan has consistently acted as an impartial, constructive, and responsible facilitator in support of dialogue and de-escalation. In line with this role, Pakistan has extended routine logistical and administrative support where required, while maintaining full transparency and regular communication with all relevant parties,” it said.

“Pakistan remains committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions, and advancing regional and global peace, stability, and security,” it added.

The CBS report comes after its new boss, Bari Weiss, ousted a veteran bureau chief following tensions over coverage of the Middle East, bringing in a new foreign editor who, according to sources, “is more aligned with Weiss’s pro-Israel agenda”, The Guardian reported last month.

The report quoted the former colleague of the new hire Shayndi Raice, a Wall Street Journal editor, saying she had a reputation as “much more sympathetic to the Israeli perspective than the Palestinian [one]”.

“Other sources said colleagues concerned with what they saw as a pro-Israel slant repeatedly flagged concerns to the paper’s standards team … They also said that a review of the paper’s coverage of the conflict under her leadership found an overreliance on Israeli sources and analysts,” the report alleged.

Meanwhile, the report said that Weiss, a self-declared “Zionist fanatic” and vocal supporter of the administration’s war on Iran, has long accused the media of an anti-Israel bias.

ISLAMABAD: The Bank of Punjab (BoP) and several flat owners of the capital’s iconic One Constitution Avenue project have filed separate intra-court appeals before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging a single bench verdict that upheld the cancellation of the project’s lease and ruled that third-party buyers would “sink or sail” with the original lessee.

The decision of the single bench, which had dismissed BNP (Private) Limited’s writ petition and upheld the cancellation of the lease, has now been challenged before the IHC’s divisional bench. The Bank of Punjab filed an intra-court appeal against the single bench’s decision, though the Registrar’s Office has raised objections regarding the maintainability of the appeal.

The development marks the latest turn in a longstanding legal battle over the 13.5-acre commercial-residential project located at the end of Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the Convention Centre.

On April 30, 2026, a single-member bench of the IHC dismissed the petition filed by builder M/s BNP (Private) Limited, the original lessee, and upheld the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) decision to terminate the lease over alleged multi-billion-rupee payment defaults.

Appeals filed against ruling that upheld CDA action and linked third-party buyers’ rights to original lessee

The single bench headed by the Chief Justice rejected BNP Company’s application and restored the lease cancellation order. The court also ruled that third-party sub-lessees and purchasers would “sink or sail” with BNP, meaning their rights were dependent on the lessee’s interest.

In its appeal, the Bank of Punjab requested that the single bench’s decision be declared illegal and contrary to the facts. The bank stated that it has a direct stake in the matter, as BNP Company had obtained a loan from the Bank of Punjab and subsequently paid the amount to the CDA.

According to documents available with Dawn, the Bank of Punjab had acquired three floors on sub-lease to establish a branch. A total of 25,420 square feet of space was acquired for the bank in One Constitution Avenue.

The bank was allotted space on the lower ground, upper ground and first floors on sub-lease.

The appellants, including overseas Pakistanis and other bona fide purchasers, have also challenged the judgment to the extent that it affects their vested proprietary rights.

Through their counsel, they requested the divisional bench to declare that the impugned judgment does not authorise the CDA to dispossess, evict or take coercive action against them without due process.

The appellants have heavily relied on Supreme Court of Pakistan orders dated January 9, 2019 and November 6, 2019, which directed the CDA to submit a “viable, fair, transparent, secure and enforceable arrangement” for settling third-party claims.

A notification issued on May 1, 2026 had also barred coercive action pending the prime minister’s final decision.

The divisional bench is expected to take up the appeals for hearing in due course.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday overturned its own 2016 judgement convicting former federal minister for petroleum and natural resources Anwar Saifullah in a corruption reference, observing that an appellate court should not substitute its own view merely because another conclusion on the same evidence was possible.

“Where a trial court has convicted an accused, but an appellate court later reassesses the entire record and acquits him, the presumption of innocence is not only reinstated, but reinforced with greater strength than in an ordinary acquittal by a trial court at first instance,” emphasised Justice Salahuddin Panhwar in a verdict he authored.

Justice Panhwar was a member of a three-judge SC bench headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar.

The bench heard a review petition filed by Mr Saifullah against the Jan 1, 2016 judgement upholding his conviction through a majority decision of the SC.

Saifullah was originally convicted in 2000 by an accountability court under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 for allegedly misusing his authority to facilitate and approve temporary appointments at the Oil and Gas Development Com-pany (OGDCL) by relaxing applicable rules.

Rules appellate court’s acquittal carries greater strength

The Lahore High Court acquitted him in 2002 after a full reappraisal of the evidence. However, in 2016, a majority SC bench reversed the LHC’s decision and restored the conviction, sentencing him to one year’s imprisonment and a fine.

Saifullah later filed a review petition under Article 188 of the Constitution before the SC, challenging the 2016 judgement.

“It is a well-settled principle that the power of the Supreme Court to review a judgement in a criminal case is limited, though not toothless,” observed Justice Panhwar.

“To attract correction in review, the error must not only be manifest, it must also have a material bearing upon the ultimate outcome of the case,” the verdict added.

“Unless there is [a] clear misreading or non-reading of material evidence, or the conclusions drawn are such that no prudent person could have reached them, the acquittal must be allowed to stand,” the judgement emphasised.

Justice Panhwar highlighted that the 2016 majority judgement suffered from multiple legal and factual infirmities, since the conviction was upheld under Section 9(a)(vi), read with Section 14(d) of the NAO 1999, even though the alleged acts occurred in 1996, three years before the ordinance came into force.

The SC allowed the criminal review by setting aside the majority judgement of Jan 20, 2016, thereby restoring the LHC verdict of June 13, 2002, which had acquitted the appellant.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2026