ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari commended the security forces for thwarting terrorists’ infiltration attempt along the Pak-Afghan border in the Dir district.

In a statement issued from the President House,  President Zardari hailed security forces for the swift response against the terrorists on the Pak-Afghan border.

The president also emphasized the nation’s unity with the security forces in ensuring national defense, peace, and security.

Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also lauded the security forces for their prompt action in thwarting a terrorist infiltration attempt on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

The minister praised the security forces for their bravery and vigilance in defending the nation and maintaining peace.

Mohsin Naqvi commended the security forces for their timely action, which resulted in the elimination of three terrorists.

“The security forces, known for their bravery and vigilance, took swift action to thwart the nefarious intentions of the terrorists,” the interior minister added.

Mohsin Naqvi expressed his appreciation for the great services of the brave soldiers of the border guards, who are standing with the security forces in maintaining peace and fighting against terrorism.

Earlier on Monday, the security successfully thwarted an infiltration attempt on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and eliminated three terrorists

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, on night 21-22 July 2024, the movement of three terrorists, trying to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by security forces in Dir District.

The infiltrators were surrounded, and effectively engaged and after an intense fire exchange, all three terrorists were eliminated.

ISLAMABAD: Former Federal Minister on Monday shared his perspective over arson and riots at the Corps Commander House on May 9, stating that when the mob decided to go at the Corps Commander’s House, he went back home, ARY News reported.

During an appearance on ARY News program ‘Off the Record’, the Former Federal Minister – Shafqat Mehmood – recounted the events of May 9, explaining that after the arrest of the PTI founder, he joined the protestors at Liberty Chowk.

“When the angry mob asked me to join the protestors outside the Corps Commander’s House, I returned home because I knew that this was not the right way,” he said.

He emphasized that aggressive voices are often more influential within PTI. “There were two different thoughts in the party,” he explained.

“One thought was to engage in opposition, believing the people were with us, while the other was more aggressive, advocating for a front-foot approach.”

Mehmood reflected on the party’s internal politics, stating, “70 percent of politics takes place inside the party and 30 percent outside. The party dynamics have changed, and those who left after May 9 had no idea what would happen to them.”

He also discussed his personal decision to leave politics, despite his respect for the PTI founder. “I wanted to leave politics for a long time and focus on some other work,” he said.

Addressing the dissolution of assemblies, Mehmood remarked, “The thought behind dissolving the assemblies was that elections would be held again. However, the whole world saw that the constitution was not obeyed, and elections were not held within 90 days.”

JEA said it repaired a leaking water main 25 feet below San Jose Boulevard, and all lanes that were closed for the repair have reopened.

The lanes first closed July 8 near Interstate 295. The closure was extended July 15 after JEA ran into a complication with repairs.

As of 5 a.m. Monday, the two northbound lanes that had been closed for nearly two weeks reopened. Then the two southbound lanes reopened by 12:20 p.m.

The closed lanes caused heavy traffic backups and frustration for drivers.

A JEA spokesperson thanked the community for its patience.

This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.

The post San Jose Boulevard reopens after water main repair appeared first on Jacksonville Today.

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday that he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris will be easier to defeat in November’s election than Democratic President Joe Biden who stepped aside as his party’s candidate.

A CNN reporter said on X that Donald Trump made the comments to the network shortly after Biden announced his decision.

President Joe Biden announced on Sunday he was ending his campaign for reelection, while staying on as president for the remainder of his term. In a separate post on X, formerly Twitter, he endorsed Harris.

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made,” Biden wrote. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala Harris to be the nominee of our party this year.”

Joe Biden’s decision comes after weeks of pressure from Democratic lawmakers and donors who feared he lacked the mental and physical stamina to win and serve four more years.

The Democratic party will be taking a historic gamble if it now turns to Vice President Kamala Harris to become its presidential candidate, betting that a Black woman can overcome racism, sexism and her own missteps as a politician to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

In more than two centuries of democracy, American voters have elected only one Black president and never a woman, a record that makes even some Black voters wonder if Harris can crash through the hardest ceiling in US politics.

Who is Kamala Harris?

Harris, 59, is two decades younger than Trump and a leader in the party on abortion rights, an issue which resonates with younger voters and Democrats’ progressive base.

In 2021 she made history, becoming the first woman and first black and South Asian American to serve as US vice president.

The United States has never elected a woman president, and Harris has spent much of her time as vice president struggling to distinguish herself in a role that is by definition a supporting one.

Kamala Harris began work in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and became the district attorney – the top prosecutor – for San Francisco in 2003, before being elected the first woman and the first black person to serve as California’s attorney general, the top lawyer and law enforcement official in America’s most populous state.

Born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents – an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father – her parents divorced when she was five and she was primarily raised by her Hindu single mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist.

She had her sights set on becoming the first woman US president when she competed against Biden and others for their party’s 2020 nomination. Harris dropped out of the race after a campaign hurt by her wavering views on healthcare.

Her biracial roots and upbringing help her engage with many American identities.

She grew up engaged with her Indian heritage, joining her mother on visits to India, but Harris has said that her mother adopted Oakland’s black culture, immersing Kamala and her younger sister Maya – within it.

“My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters,” she wrote in her autobiography The Truths We Hold. “She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday rejected Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s statement on dissolving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly and resigning from other legislatures, ARY News reported.

In a statement, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar expressed ignorance about the statement and clarified that PTI has not discussed dissolving the assembly or resignations. He stated that there was no consultation or decision with Fazlur Rehman in this regard.

Sources within PTI revealed that the party has agreed with Maulana Fazlur Rehman on holding new elections, and both parties are in consensus that fresh elections should be held in the country.

Earlier in the day, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman claimed that the PTI is ready to dissolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and resigning from other legislatures which would pave the way for fresh ‘transparent’ elections.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman proposed that the provincial assemblies be dissolved to pave the way for new elections. He also suggested that parliamentary and local body elections be held simultaneously.

Read More: JUI-F wants PTI to be ‘serious’ for result-oriented talks

Fazl said that the JUI-F formed a committee to hold talks with PTI to devise the strategy. He said that the committee will be led by Kamran Murtaza and includes Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Fazl Ghaffar, Aslam Ghori, and Maulana Amjad.

The JUI-F said that fabricated cases should not made against any political leader including PTI founder Imran Khan.

“The establishment should change its policy or else the country will not run. The martial’s law or emergency will no longer work in the country,” he added.

KARACHI: A 6-year-old Karachi girl on Saturday recovered from drain after being torture and attempted to rape by the man residing in her neighbourhood of Quaidabad, ARY News reported.

The accused, Javed, allegedly attempted to rape her and subjected her to torture before throwing her to nearby drain.

According to SSP Malir, Kashif Abbasi, the neighbor threw the girl into a drain after threatening her, while the girl was rescued from the drain, and is now in stable condition.

During a press conference, SSP Kashif Aftab revealed that the accused had held the girl hostage to rape her.

The police swiftly took action against the accused and arrested Javed, meanwhile after registering a case against the accused an investigation in the case will be launched.

A leaked call between the leader of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Noor Wali and his associate revealed the plans to carry out terrorist attacks on schools, hospitals, and security forces, ARY News reported. 

The TTP leader, Noor Wali, can be heard directing his associate to target government schools and hospitals with explosives and not to claim responsibility for the attacks.

He also directed his sub-ordinate to attack the homes of police and military personnel, and to target schools and hospitals in order to create fear and chaos.

Noor Wali can be heard saying that on the call to blow up the houses of the police and army personnel who are on duty.

Read More: No plans to enter into any talks with TTP: FO

Earlier on July 11, Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday said that it has no plans to enter into any talks with the banned TTP.

At her weekly news briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the terrorist entity is involved in the killing of Pakistani and foreign citizens inside the country.

She said that Pakistan respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We expect the Afghan authorities to uphold their sovereignty and take action against terrorist groups which have found sanctuaries inside Afghanistan and using their territory for terrorist attacks against Pakistan,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch added.