Thai Army Accuses Cambodia of Using Ancient Temple as Military Base

KARACHI: An Additional District and Sessions Court in Karachi has acquitted Anmol alias Pinky in three drug cases registered at Gizri Police Station. The court announced the decision on Thursday after hearing arguments from the defence. Pinky was arrested by Karachi police in May during a joint operation with a civil agency at an apartment in the Garden area. Police had accused her of operating an organised narcotics supply network in Karachi. Investigators alleged that the network was involved in processing and distributing cocaine and had links with other major cities, including Lahore and Islamabad. According to police, the three cases against Pinky were registered at Gizri Police Station in 2020, 2021 and 2022. She had remained a fugitive in the cases before her arrest. During Thursday’s hearing, Pinky’s defence counsel argued that two other accused persons in the cases had already been acquitted. The lawyer told the court that co-accused Ali and Fehmida were acquitted in 2024. He argued that Pinky had subsequently been implicated on the basis of statements attributed to the acquitted co-accused. The defence maintained that after the acquittal of the two co-accused, there was insufficient legal basis to convict Pinky in the cases. The court accepted the defence arguments and acquitted her in all three cases. Before her acquittal, investigators had made several allegations about Pinky’s alleged role in the narcotics trade. Police claimed she supplied drugs to customers in affluent areas of Karachi, including DHA and Clifton. Investigators also alleged that she personally prepared cocaine and used female riders and online platforms to facilitate deliveries. Police further claimed that her alleged network extended beyond Karachi to cities including Lahore and Islamabad. During interrogation, investigators attributed statements to Pinky regarding the quality and sale of cocaine. Police alleged that two categories of cocaine were being sold through the network at different prices. Pinky, however, made separate allegations during interrogation. She claimed she was being pressured to name politicians and members of the entertainment industry. She also alleged that she had been subjected to physical mistreatment during questioning and accused an investigation officer of threatening her.

ISLAMABAD, July 26: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that facilities and development projects built for the public should not be described as gifts. He said these projects are the people’s right. In a video statement, Bilawal said people were being told about promises involving buses, roads and airports. He welcomed every project aimed at improving public facilities. He said he would welcome every new bus service. He would also welcome every road, hospital and airport built for the people. However, Bilawal stressed that such facilities should not be presented as gifts to the public. He said the people have a right to better transport, healthcare, roads and other basic services. The PPP chairman said his party had also taken practical steps instead of making only promises. He claimed that around 3,000 new employment opportunities had been created through PPP initiatives. Bilawal also spoke about Mirpur Airport. He said he had personally worked to secure funds for the airport in the previous budget. He said the allocation was made during the budget process to support the airport project. He presented the initiative as part of efforts to improve facilities for the people of the region. Bilawal also criticised his political opponents while discussing development work in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said it appeared that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were standing with their minister. The PPP chairman also referred to a stadium where his political opponents had recently addressed a gathering. He said the stadium was constructed during a previous PPP government. Bilawal said his focus was not limited to development projects. He said he wanted the people of Kashmir to receive their fundamental political and economic rights. He specifically mentioned the right to governance, ownership and employment. According to Bilawal, providing these rights to the people would be more important than announcing development projects as gifts. He said people should have ownership over the resources and development of their region. They should also have access to employment opportunities. Bilawal maintained that governments must fulfil their responsibilities towards citizens. Public infrastructure, he said, should be viewed as an entitlement. He added that roads, hospitals, transport services and airports are built using public resources. Therefore, they should not be used as political gifts.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to receive another spell of monsoon rainfall from August 13 to 15, with the upper and central parts of the country expected to experience rain, thunderstorms and occasional heavy downpours. The Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Wednesday that monsoon currents were entering the upper parts of the country while a westerly wave was also influencing the weather system. Rain and thunderstorms are expected across parts of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Several districts, including Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Bagh, Mirpur, Diamir, Astore, Skardu, Hunza and Gilgit, are likely to receive rainfall. Several areas of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also expected to experience showers. The affected districts include Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Malakand, Shangla, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Galiyat, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi and Haripur. In northeastern Punjab, rain is expected from the night of August 12 through August 15. Murree, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib are among the areas likely to receive showers. The weather system is also expected to affect Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the Pothohar region from the night of August 13 to August 15. The Met Office has forecast rain, strong winds and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls. Other parts of Punjab, including Sargodha, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, are also likely to receive rainfall between August 12 and 15. Parts of Balochistan, including Zhob, Barkhan and Musakhel, may also experience showers. In Sindh, partly cloudy to cloudy conditions are expected in southeastern and coastal areas. Tharparkar, Umerkot and Sanghar may receive rain and thunderstorms on August 12 and 13, while hot and humid conditions are expected elsewhere in the province. The Met Office has warned of urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore. There is also a risk of landslides in vulnerable mountainous areas of upper KP, Gilgit-Baltistan, Murree, Galiyat and Kashmir. Authorities have urged residents and visitors in these areas to remain cautious. Tourists have been advised to take extra care while travelling to mountainous regions during the wet spell. Farmers have also been asked to plan agricultural activities according to the changing weather conditions. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 155 people have died and 460 have been injured in rain-related incidents during the ongoing monsoon season.