Author: Kainat R

Lahore High Court Judges Lose Another Bench Member as Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh Resigns

Kainat R
Exterior view of the Lahore High Court building where Lahore High Court judges preside over cases in Punjab, Pakistan

Lahore, September 3, 2026 — One of the Lahore High Court judges, Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh, has stepped down from the bench. He sent his resignation letter to President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, invoking Article 206 of the Constitution. In the letter, he said he wants to move into legal scholarship, policy research and comparative judicial practice. The exit comes at a sensitive time for the Lahore High Court. The court has been running well below its sanctioned number of judges for over a year, and every departure adds…

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Fair Trial Guarantees in Pakistan Face a New Test After Punjab’s Anti-Terrorism Law

Kainat R
Gavel and law books symbolising fair trial guarantees under Pakistani law

Fair trial guarantees Pakistan citizens are entitled to under the Constitution just ran into a fresh legal experiment, and not everyone likes the results. The Punjab Assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026 on August 31, and within days the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan was warning that parts of the law sit uneasily next to the very rights it claims to protect. At the center of the dispute is a new legal category: the “special security case.” Once a case is designated as one, the people running it —…

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Inside ADB CPS Pakistan: How Islamabad’s New Strategy With the Bank Will Shape Future Lending

Kainat R
Exterior of the ADB Pakistan Resident Mission office building in Islamabad with the Asian Development Bank signage

Behind the headline-grabbing railway deals sits a quieter document that will decide how the Asian Development Bank spends money in Pakistan for the next four years. The bank’s new Country Partnership Strategy, or CPS, for Pakistan runs from 2026 to 2030, and it was formally launched earlier this year through the ADB Pakistan Resident Mission in Islamabad. It is the framework that everything from ML-1 railway financing to smaller provincial water projects will now be measured against. Background A Country Partnership Strategy is essentially the ADB’s medium-term game plan for…

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Pakistan Eurobond Rate Hits Record High as Islamabad Raises $3 Billion

Kainat R
Pakistan flag beside a rising financial bond yield chart representing the Pakistan Eurobond rate in 2026

Pakistan’s Largest-Ever International Bond Sale Draws Nearly $6bn in Orders ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has raised a record $3 billion through a dual-tranche Eurobond sale, marking the country’s single largest transaction in the international capital markets. The Ministry of Finance confirmed the news on Thursday, describing it as a milestone for the country’s return to global debt markets. The offering attracted close to $6 billion in investor orders, nearly double the amount actually issued. This level of demand reflects a Pakistan Eurobond rate environment that is now far more favourable than it…

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Atif Aslam Says Coke Studio India Lacks the Magic of Coke Studio Pakistan

Kainat R
Atif Aslam performing on stage during a Coke Studio Pakistan session

Singer Atif Aslam has once again put the spotlight on the long-running rivalry between the two regional versions of the same music franchise. Talking about Coke Studio India, he said the show is missing the spark that made Coke Studio Pakistan a household name across the region. Summary Atif Aslam, one of Coke Studio Pakistan‘s most recognisable voices, said Coke Studio India relies too heavily on commercial formulas and star power. According to him, that approach has cost the Indian version the raw, organic feel that defined the Pakistani show…

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Apple Maps Renames Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for US Users

Kainat R
Apple Maps interface displaying Lake Ontario labeled as Lake America for US users

Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on Apple Maps, but only for people browsing from the United States. The update rolled out on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. It follows a similar change that Google made to Google Maps just days earlier. The switch affects the web version of Apple Maps first, with the change expected to spread across iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps shortly after. Users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario” as before. People browsing from outside North America will see both…

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Suthra Punjab Authority Launches E-Challan System to Fine Littering in Lahore

Kainat R
Suthra Punjab Authority enforcement team issuing an e-challan for littering on a Lahore street

Summary The Suthra Punjab Authority (SPA) rolled out an e-challan system this week to penalise littering at public places across Lahore. Burning tyres and waste will be treated as a separate, more serious offence, with fines reaching up to Rs500,000 and possible imprisonment for repeat or severe violations. Background Lahore has struggled for years with open dumping, roadside littering and waste burning in markets and along major roads. Earlier in 2026, the Punjab Assembly passed the Suthra Punjab Authority Act, giving the new body legal power to fine and prosecute…

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Indus Delta in Pakistan: The Slow Death of a Once-Thriving Coastline

Kainat R
Cracked, dried-up land of the Indus Delta in Sindh, Pakistan, showing coastal erosion near Thatta and Sujawal

A Region on the Edge of Disappearing The Indus Delta in Pakistan is running out of time. Once a rich, green stretch of rivers, creeks and farmland, it is now drying up, eroding away and sinking under the weight of an advancing sea. Freshwater and sediment that used to flow down from the Indus River barely reach the coast anymore, and the effect on the people who live there has been devastating. Families in Thatta, Sujawal and Keti Bandar are watching their homes, fields and fishing grounds disappear. Many have…

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Pakistan to Phase Out EPZs and SEZs by 2035 Under IMF Conditions

Kainat R
Senate finance subcommittee session on IMF conditions affecting Pakistan's export processing zones

Pakistan will wind down Export Processing Zones and Special Economic Zones across the country by 2035. The commitment falls under the IMF conditions for Pakistan tied to the ongoing Extended Fund Facility, and it was laid out to a parliamentary subcommittee on Tuesday. The goal, according to officials, is to fold every sector into one uniform tax regime instead of letting zone-based enterprises operate under separate rules. Background Pakistan has leaned on EPZs and SEZs for decades to pull in export-oriented investment. Companies inside these zones get tax holidays, customs…

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