He made the statement while addressing a press briefing. Naqvi’s remarks come as the party prepares for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad on Sept 27 to press for the release of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan.

“We have clearly told them (PTI) that they can never achieve anything through such drama, and I will say again that there is still time; they should not go into this situation,” he said, advising the party to “not enter a dead-end street”.

Naqvi vowed the government will not “leave any loopholes” in its response if the party went ahead with the protest.

The interior minister held that PTI’s majority leadership was not in favour of the march. However, “if they do, then we have the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, and the government will ensure its implementation”.

He appealed to PTI to adopt a different approach.

“Do not harm yourself and your workers,” he said.

On being asked if the government had any “long-term solution” to PTI’s frequent protest calls, the interior minister said, “I believe this time we will find a permanent solution; we will not leave it halfway”.

Asked whether PTI’s basic demand was to shift Imran Khan to a hospital, what the issue was, and why he had not been shifted to one, Naqvi said the party’s demand was for Imran to undergo a medical check-up at a hospital.

“There is no need for us to tell them that if this is their demand, then it may already have been fulfilled, as the check-up may have taken place at a hospital during the night,” he said.

“As for the treatment that is prescribed under the law, we will do everything according to the law. But we will not do it simply because they are demanding it,” the interior minister added.

More to follow.

The system has become better at managing careers than solving problems. It rewards position rather than expertise and performance, and protects procedure more readily than outcomes. Moreover, a bureaucracy built primarily for routine administration can hardly meet the ever-growing economic, technological, environmental and social challenges confronting the government. It is against this backdrop that a ‘new’ civil service restructuring plan has been unveiled by the planning minister. The plan proposes professional cadres, seeks changes to the CSS examination, opens up senior posts to wider competition and links performance to rewards. It also proposes a new civil-service training structure. These ideas may not be new but they do make sense.

However, the problem is that the plan represents a piecemeal approach. Several reform programmes were proposed in the last couple of decades; none was implemented due to resistance from bureaucracy and lack of political will. This plan could have provided a useful starting point for comprehensive civil service reform had it not cherry-picked proposals from an earlier reform exercise.

The report, on which the new proposals draw, was prepared by the Institutional Reforms Committee headed by Dr Ishrat Husain in 2021, and covered recruitment, training, career progression, specialisation, performance management, accountability and the structure of the senior bureaucracy. It explicitly said that civil service reform had to be holistic. Reforming one segment of the system without addressing the others, it warned, could backfire. That raises the more important question: why are these proposals being put forward again, instead of building on the earlier blueprint? The government needs to explain what happened to the previous reform exercise, which of its recommendations were implemented, which were rejected and why. Instead, the government appears to have taken selected recommendations from it. That risks producing another reorganisation plan without actually changing the way the bureaucracy and state function.

Civil service reform is not about creating new cadres, changing examination rules or merging training institutions. It is about changing incentives and institutional behaviour. The state needs specialists who can understand increasingly complex problems. It needs managers who can deliver. It needs promotion based on performance rather than seniority alone. And it needs accountability that applies to failure as much as success. Most importantly, reform requires consistency. The 2021 blueprint already provided much of the framework needed for this. If it fell short of anything, it should have been fixed instead of being discarded.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Washington has been signing deals with developing countries to take migrants who cannot legally be sent home.

The investigation by Forbidden Stories found the administration has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to the receiving countries, or to UN agencies to facilitate the returns.

At least 25,447 people had already been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026, according to data compiled by Forbidden Stories with a consortium of international journalists.

The vast majority — around 20,000 — were sent to Mexico, but the rest were dispersed to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific, and agreements have been finalised with seven more. The deals vary, including over which nationalities can be deported and whether people with criminal records can be accepted.

An investigation earlier this year found Washington is using visa bans and restrictions on African countries to strongarm them into accepting deportees. Lawyers said that deportees were being thrown into a “legal black hole”, held without charge in countries where they have no ties and few if any rights.

Forbidden Stories said 49 of Africa’s 54 countries had been approached about accepting third-country deportees. A little-known State Department division called the Office of Remigration, created in May 2025, has handled most of the negotiations and payments, according to Forbidden Stories.

The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat who previously worked as a security officer. The report details his visits to Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the US in December on accepting deportees. A week later, it also signed a five-year health assistance programme worth nearly $400 million.

The following month, the State Department said it would provide a further $30 million to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Cameroon to “facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.” The first plane carrying deportees arrived in Cameroon on January 14.

Payments

Other agreements have involved direct payments to governments. Palau, a small Pacific island nation with a population of under 18,000, signed an agreement in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in return for $7.5 million.

However, only three people have so far been sent under the agreement. In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 out of a possible 160 under an agreement worth more than $5 million. It has accepted deportees with criminal records, the investigation found.

Of the $410 million planned for the agreements, internal State Department records showed that $81 million was earmarked for signatory governments. The rest was intended for aid organisations, including more than $178 million for the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, and $123 million for UNHCR.

The agencies have faced criticism over their involvement, although UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding was being used in line with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.

An IOM spokesperson told Forbidden Stories that the agency’s decisions to accept funding rested “on a single question: whether our engagement will improve the lives of the migrants affected. In these instances, we believe strongly it does.”

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

“Therefore, respondent (Dr Munir Ahmad Malik) cannot be made to suffer merely because the Selection Board did not convene or accord its approval during the period of his posting as Project Director, Punjab AIDS Control Programme (PACP),” observed the FCC while rejecting an appeal filed by the Punjab government against the Jan 10, 2025 Lahore High Court (LHC) order.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had also issued a similar directive, stating that employees cannot be made to suffer due to administrative or bureaucratic delays, inefficiencies, systemic delays, or in-house oversights or inadvertences of departments, as recognised under service laws jurisprudence.

A three-judge FCC bench, headed by Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha and Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, upheld the LHC judgement and directed the payment of a Rs150,000 monthly incentive allowance to Dr Munir Malik, the former PACP project director, whose application for the allowance had earlier been declined.

FCC rejects Punjab govt’s appeal against LHC verdict; upholds Rs150,000 monthly allowance for ex-PACP official

The dispute arose after Dr Malik was appointed as the PACP project director, with effect from July 15, 2019. Through a Dec 31, 2019 notification, the Punjab government had sanctioned an incentive allowance for in-service regular government servants posted in projects, programmes and authorities, subject to approval by the Selection Board.

Dr Malik applied for the allowance, but his application was declined by the then PACP project director on April 19, 2021, primarily on the grounds that the allowance could not be granted retrospectively.

The department argued that the Selection Board had approved the allowance on March 19, 2021, after Dr Malik had already been transferred from the post on Feb 22, 2021.

The respondent challenged the denial before the LHC, which allowed the petition, prompting the Punjab government to appeal before the FCC. The provincial government argued that the incentive allowance was not an automatic right and was conditional upon approval by the Selection Board, which came after Dr Malik’s transfer.

Authored by Justice Arshad Hussain Shah, the judgement observed that the case involved questions concerning the legality and validity of the action and its conformity with the applicable statutory framework.

It stated that convening the Selection Board meeting and the timing of its decision were matters exclusively within the domain and control of the competent departmental authorities. To uphold the department’s decisions would mean permitting the authorities to take advantage of their own wrong, omission or delay and would result in manifest injustice to the employee, the verdict said.

The FCC also cited its 2022 judgement in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Service Commission case, in which it was held that “where the employee was otherwise entitled and the denial, delay or deferment of the service benefit occurs not because of any fault on his part but because of departmental omission, inaction, error or illegality, the department cannot be allowed to gain a legal advantage upon its own wrong, nor can the employee be made to suffer the continuing prejudice of that wrong”.

“In view of the foregoing discussion, the irresistible conclusion is that the LHC judgement is based on a proper appreciation of the facts and the applicable law and does not suffer from any illegality, infirmity, misreading or non-reading of record, or jurisdictional defect warranting interference,” the FCC observed.

Consequently, no ground was made out for the exercise of the FCC’s jurisdiction to disturb the well-reasoned findings recorded by the LHC. While concluding, the FCC said it did not find any merit in the present case and therefore dismissed the appeal accordingly.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

GILGIT: Pakistan is considering special visa-on-arrival arrangements for Chinese tourists travelling to Gilgit-Baltistan through the Khunjerab Pass, with officials proposing a pilot programme initially covering Hunza and Nagar districts to promote cross-border tourism and economic activity.

The proposal was discussed during a high-level meeting titled “Restora­t­i­­on of Visa Facility on Arri­val at Sost for Chinese Tou­rists” held at the Special In­­­vestment Facilitation Council (SIFC) Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad on Sept 15.

The session, chaired by the joint secretary for SW-B at the SIFC, brought together officials from the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) home and tourism departments, the Pakistan Tourism De­­v­elopment Corporation, the ministries of inter-provincial coordination, interior and foreign affairs, Pakis­t­­an Association of Tour Ope­­rators (Pato) and Green Tourism Pakistan Limited.

According to the meeting minutes, the foreign affairs ministry expressed no objection in principle to the proposal, subject to security clearance.

The interior ministry, however, noted that visa-on-arrival access had been suspended for all countr­i­­es after security concerns prompted a policy change at the highest level, and said any exception for Chi­nese nationals would need approval at the same level.

Delegates from the Fed­e­­­ration of Pakistan Cham­bers of Commerce and Ind­ustry (FPCCI) argued that expanding Chinese tourism could boost foreign ex­­c­­hange earnings, create jobs and stimulate local economies, at a time when Pakistan is seeking greater foreign investment.

Officials and stakeholders from GB proposed that a special or trial arrangement for Chinese tourists could be considered.

They said tourism underpinned livelihoods across the region and that a downturn in visitor numbers, driven by wider global instability, had hit local businesses hard.

Officials pointed to Hunza-Nagar’s existing tourism infrastructure and said no significant security threat had been identified along the proposed route. The GB government expressed willingness to provide security arrangements for tourists.

Raja Nazimul Amin, adviser to the president on international trade and tourism investment at FPCCI, who attended the meeting, told Dawn that all relevant stakeholders had agreed to special arrangements for on-arrival visas for Chinese tourists travelling through the Khunj­erab Pass in phases.

“Initially, it has been proposed that the visa on arrival will be given to Chinese tourists up to Hunza and Nagar districts under phase one,” Amin said. “If the trial basis remains successful, then it would be extended to the whole of Gilgit-Baltistan in phase two.”

Mr Amin said the plan could generate billions of dollars in economic activity. He said the recommendations would be forwar­d­­ed to Prime Minister She­hbaz Sharif for appro­val, which he expected to be granted.

Meanwhile, the Minis­try of Inter-Provincial Coordi­nation (MOIPC) called for the visa process to be stre­amlined, proposing a single online portal for no-objection certificates (NOCs).

The GB Home Depart­m­ent, which currently issues NOCs through a multi-step police clearance process, agreed to explore a more efficient one-window system at Sost.

The SIFC has asked the GB government to submit a detailed proposal. The plan will then go to MOIPC, before being referred to the interior and foreign ministries for concurrence and passed to higher authorities for a final decision.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

According to officials, security forces launched an IBO on the information about the presence of armed militants in Koh-Prom and the Aphan area of Panjgur district.

“Four armed terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan were killed in the heavy gunbattle during the operation,” they said, adding that a large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized from the hideouts of the terrorists.

During the last one week, security forces have killed more than 35 terrorists in multiple actions conducted in several parts of Balochistan under the Radd-ul-Fitna operation.

Search for kidnapped Kharan DC continues; two cricketers abducted from Dera Bugti

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti praised the security personnel for the successful operation against militants in Panjgur.

He said that these operations would continue until the complete elimination of terrorism and that the government was pursuing a policy of zero tolerance against elements hostile to the country.

Search operation underway

Meanwhile, investigators have found no clue to the whereabouts of the Kharan deputy commissioner, who was kidnapped alongside three others two days ago.

DC Munir Soomro and three other people were kidnapped as they were travelling in a car the other day.

Officials said that police and other security personnel were searching different areas to recover Mr Soomro, but had made no headway so far.

They said that Mr Soomro was heading to Kharan from Quetta along with his driver, a guard and another person in a private car.

The armed men intercepted his car in Lajah area of Kharan district and took it along with their car. Police said that after receiving information about the missing deputy commissioner, several attempts were made to establish a contact with him through his cellphone, but his phone was found silent.

The provincial administration has involved tribal elders of the area to contact the kidnappers for their safe release, but no progress has been made.

Meanwhile, two local cricketers were kidnapped near the Kachhi Canal area in Dera Bugti.

According to police, Zakir and Wadan Bugti, residents of Sui, were returning home after playing a match in Kandhkot when they were stopped by armed men near the Kachhi Canal area.

After their abduction, security personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the two cricketers so far.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

Speaking at a news conference at his residence on Monday after a central council meeting of his party, the JUI-F chief demanded that parliament should be taken into confidence on important national and foreign policy issues noting that the country was passing through a critical juncture.

The JUI-F chief also called for an in-camera session of parliament on the regional security situation.

The Maulana said some political parties had announced protests, but the government had filled Islamabad with containers ahead of the demonstrations. “By adopting such tactics, you are creating rebels yourself,” he said.

JUI-F chief demands in-camera session of parliament on govt policies, regional security situation

He said the PTI decided to hold protests and it was its right to do so. He recalled that the JUI-F had staged long marches in the past without causing damage to public property, saying even the Metro Bus service had continued to ply during the Lahore March.

‘Mediation role’

When asked by journalists, the JUI-F chief turned down the mediation offer and said that his party had reservations about this government. “We are an opposition party. How can we mediate?” he asked. He said dialogue could take place when there is a representative of the government. “The government should talk to those who are protesting. We ourselves are a party to the political dispute,” he said.

The JUI-F chief said his party considered the hybrid government nothing but a representative of the military establishment and stressed that political dialogue required a government with genuine political authority.

“We have decided to raise these issues from our own platform because economy and inflation are issues concerning everyone,” he said.

The Maulana condemned the arrest of PTI founder’s sisters, saying political workers and parties should be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to hold protest rallies. He also criticised the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, questioning circumstances in which a provincial minister was allegedly shot and taken away.

Referring to reports about possible constitutional amendments, the JUI-F chief said he would welcome provincial autonomy, but added that the issue should be discussed in the context of the constitutional position that existed 25 years ago.

He said the party had played a key role in difficult circumstances in the past, recalling that in 2003 it spent 10 days working to help bring Pakistan-India relations out of a quagmire.

He said the role played at that time should also be kept in view while discussing the political and diplomatic options available at the present.

He alleged that the country had lost the confidence of Beijing. According to him, state institutions are in a defensive position while the country is facing serious internal challenges. “The country is in difficulty and we are sitting on a powder keg,” he said, adding that the issues confronting the country should be brought before the parliament.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

ISLAMABAD: Residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and their adjoining areas are set to brace for another possible confrontation between the personnel of the law enforcement agencies and protesters, as the police have already deployed more than 2,000 containers at various locations in the capital and at Attock Bridge, an entry point to the Punjab from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of the country.

The Islamabad police have requested Rs827 million to bear expenses related to the planned protests by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Kissan Ittehad.

The amount will be spent on container rents, accommodation, food and transportation of police personnel and the purchase of anti-riot equipment, including tear-gas shells and rubber bullets.

Background interviews with some of the police officials revealed that the authorities are expecting between 20,000 and 25,000 protesters to gather in Islamabad.

According to them, the PTI’s long march is expected to begin from various parts of the country on Sept 27 and may reach the capital within three to four days. They have been directed that all security arrangements should be in place by Sept 26 evening. They further expect that the situation may continue for about a week or so.

They told Dawn that arrangements had been made to “intercept” the protesters outside Islamabad. However, a final decision will be made under the guidance and orders of the government.

Sources said various contractors had committed to providing 1,550 containers, including 350 required to seal the Red Zone. A wall of containers has already been erected around the Red Zone, with the police placing containers on roads as well as on greenbelts along its boundary. Out of these containers, around 1,000 will be used to block entry points, major roads and highways and the high security zone, from Margalla Road to Faisal Avenue, Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy and Third Avenue, besides the Expressway, Srinagar Highway and other major roads.

The Red Zone has seven designated entry points, including Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy, the Old Parade Ground/Jinnah Avenue, and Aga Khan Road. Gates at these points will also be closed.

After placing the containers at the entry points and on major roads, they are being welded together and filled with gravel and sand to prevent their removal.

The police have requested 16,000 police personnel and 4,000 anti-riot kits from the Punjab Police and 2,000 officials and 3,000 anti-riot kits from Sindh Police. Besides, three deputy inspectors general of police, seven senior superintendents of police, and 18 superintendents of police have also been called from the Punjab and Sindh.

Besides arranging containers, the contractors have also been asked to arrange 70 coasters, 30 double cabins and buses which will be used to transport the police force.

About 50 portable washrooms and toilets were also being arranged for the police near the duty points.

Educational institutions closed

Over four dozen buildings have been acquired for lodging of the police personnel. The buildings include government schools, marquees and other government buildings, like Sports Complex and Pak-China Friendship Centre. The police personnel from the provinces are likely to start arriving in the capital from today (Tuesday).

Educational institutions where accommodation has been arranged for the visiting police personnel are being closed from today (Tuesday) and the students and their parents have already been informed about the decision.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon was approached for comment but did not respond.

The extensive deployment of containers and closure of major roads and entry points are likely to cause serious inconvenience to commuters in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

With key routes such as the Expressway, Srinagar Highway, Margalla Road and roads leading to the Red Zone expected to face restrictions, motorists may have to use alternative routes, leading to prolonged travelling times and traffic congestion. Commenting on the frequent protests in the capital, a diplomat once stated during an informal gathering that “Islamabad has five seasons – summer, winter, spring, autumn and containers.”

Rawalpindi

Additional security measures have been introduced in Rawalpindi’s “Red Zone”, including the establishment of nine police pickets. A special security plan has been chalked out by the police, under which personnel will be deployed at the pickets round the clock in two 12-hour shifts.

According to sources, foolproof security arrangements have been made to protect important government buildings and installations located in the Red Zone, stretching from The Mall of Rawalpindi to the old airport.

Special police pickets have been established at The Mall, MH Chowk, TM Flashman Chowk, Metro Station Saddar Chowk, T&T Chowk, RA Bazaar Road, Chungi No. 22, Shalimar Chowk and Marka-i-Haq Square.

The Dolphin Force will also patrol designated areas round the clock.

The concerned DSPs and SHOs have been tasked with checking hotels and inns as part of the security arrangements.

Attock

Security arrangements have been intensified across Attock district, a key entry point, with containers and sand-filled bags being placed at strategic crossings linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab.

A large number of containers have reportedly been positioned at Attock Bridge and Haroon Bridge, two major crossings connecting KP with Punjab. The security measures are particularly focused on GT Road and motorway routes near Haroon Bridge, where sandbags have reportedly been placed on both sides of the road.

According to sources, security has also been tightened at other important entry and exit points, including Chach and Ghazi interchanges, while additional police personnel from different districts have been mobilised.

Punjab Police sources said around 30,000 personnel, including senior officers, were being deployed in Attock as part of a wider security plan for the planned protest.

Educational institutions in Hazro city have reportedly been closed temporarily. Some schools have also been earmarked to accommodate police personnel deployed for security duties.

The Attock crossings are considered strategically important because they provide major road links between KP, northern Punjab and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi region, making Hazro and the surrounding bridges a key focal point of preparations for the proposed march.

— Mohammad Asghar from Rawalpindi and Amjad Iqbal from Taxila also contributed to the report

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

The couple, identified as Dr Umer, 45, and Mehwish, 35, their daughter Zainab, 10, and two other minor daughters were found dead on Sunday inside a room of the flat located on the seventh floor of the building, officials said, adding that the bodies were recovered after the door, which was locked from the inside, was broken open.

On Monday, IGP Odho asked the city police chief to form a committee and make highly trained investigating officers and forensic experts its part.

“All facts of the incident should be brought to light with the help of modern investigative and technical means,” he said, adding: “No aspect should be overlooked during the investigation process and the probe should be taken to its logical conclusion on the basis of evidence.”

City police chief says investigations underway but no evidence of homicide found so far

Karachi police chief Azad Khan told Dawn that the exact cause of death had not yet been ascertained.

“So far, no evidence had emerged to suggest that it was a homicide. It had been verified that the doctor was facing acute financial problems and had also been diagnosed with kidney cancer. He had left his job at a private hospital. However, no final conclusion could be drawn at this stage,” he said.

As the corpses were shifted to the Edhi morgue, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that the bodies were handed over to their relatives late on Monday evening.

The city police chief said that the deceased doctor’s brother and father-in-law had arrived in the city from Punjab in the evening. He said investigators would take the relatives to the spot and conduct a thorough search in their presence.

He said that an FIR had not been registered yet.

East SSP Investigation Mohammed Usman Sadozai told Dawn: “We are investigating the case from every possible angle.”

SITE Superhighway Industrial Area SHO Mohammed Nawaz said that neighbours had informed the police that the doctor had been a victim of street crime.

The neighbours also told the police about tough financial conditions the family was undergoing.

The SHO said not a single penny was found in the flat, while the kitchen and refrigerator were also empty.

He said after his diagnosis, the doctor had reportedly stopped going to the hospital where he worked since August without any intimation.

The hospital administration told the police that they tried to persuade him not to quit as they would arrange for his treatment but he left the job.

He formally resigned from the hospital on Sept 15, saying that he was going to Punjab for his treatment.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, he said in a post on X.

DPM Dar hoped the step would “further facilitate high-level engagement and institutional exchanges, and contribute to advancing our enduring and brotherly strategic partnership across all areas of mutual interest”.

The two countries share robust bilateral cooperation, with frequent high-level diplomatic exchanges on both sides.

On August 7, ​​​​​​​Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, alongside Turkiye, also signed a joint defence agreement pledging to strengthen collective security, deepen defence cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond.

Later that month, the two countries agreed to boost Pakistani agricultural and food exports to the Gulf state up to $3 billion. The agreement was reached during the visit of a Saudi delegation led by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadley.

In July, Saudi Arabia had also launched a multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity from the date of issuance, enabling pilgrims to enter the kingdom multiple times, with a cumulative stay of up to 90 days each year. In 2024, in another relief, Riyadh eased tourist visa requirements for Pakistani travellers, allowing them to submit a bank statement showing a minimum monthly credit amount of $750 or its equivalent.