Deadly Karachi chemical factory fire kills 17 labourers

At least 17 labourers have lost their lives in a fire that broke out at a chemical factory in Karachi on Friday.

The blaze broke out at a factory in Mehran Town, Korangi.

According to Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed, the bodies of 16 labourers have been retrieved from inside the building and the area has been "cleared", but fire fighters are sweeping the area once more for the satisfaction of the affected families who are in search of their loved ones.

"After the search operation is complete, we will begin to examine the events that occurred," he said, adding that no cause had yet been determined for the fire.

Rescue officials said they had asked for heavy machinery to break the factory walls. It was earlier reported that they faced difficulties in the rescue operation due to smoke. Till 1:35pm, the police said more than 20 people were feared to be inside the factory.

According to eye witnesses, the fire brigade arrived late to douse the blaze. But Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab denied these reports, saying that the fire broke out at 10:09am and the fire brigade was alerted and left for the scene by 10:10am.

Jinnah hospital officials confirmed receiving 16 bodies, of which 12 have been identified and the the process to ascertain the identity of the remaining four is underway.

Two firefighters were injured while trying to put out the blaze.

Fire brigade officials said that a chemical used in the manufacture of various items was present in the factory and the fire broke out in the drum of the chemical and spread throughout the factory.

In an earlier update on the blaze, the chief fire officer said that 13 fire tenders and a snorkel were being used to put out the blaze.

He said a rescue vehicle and water board tanker were also present on the scene.

"There is only one way to enter the factory," the chief fire officer said, explaining that the roof of the factory was also locked, making it difficult for the labourers to escape.

The fire has been brought under control and the cooling process is underway, he said.

Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah wants to know how the fire erupted

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the fire at Karachi's chemical factory and sought a report from the commissioner Karachi and labour department on how the fire broke out.

This was shared by Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab.

The Sindh CM has asked the concerned authorities to explain how the incident took place, what precautionary and safety arrangements were taken in the factory and how so many lives were lost.

The CM gave orders to extend full support to the bereaved families and said the injured should be given full treatment.

'Something can happen' at Afghanistan border 'but we are ready': DG ISPR

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar addressed an important press briefing on the Afghanistan issue on Friday and said that "something can happen" at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border but "we are ready" for all sorts of situations.

He said that Pakistan "trusts that the Taliban will take effective measures to ensure TTP does not operate against any country."

Speaking about the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border from a military perspective, the DG ISPR said that things at the moment are "fairly normal."

"We have taken every possible step to maintain security at the border and every movement is under control there," he said.

The DG ISPR said that other than the people of Afghanistan, Pakistanis have been the biggest target of violence in Afghanistan.

Speaking about the situation at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the DG ISPR said that after August 15, the border had to be closed and reopened several times.

"Soldiers of the Afghan National Army sought refuge in Pakistan several times," he said. "We treated them in line with military values and made their return possible."

Answering a question, Maj Gen Iftikhar said: "We trust Taliban will take effective measures to ensure TTP does not operate against any country."

He went on to say that India's role in Afghanistan had been "extremely negative" and the international community needs to understand it.

Replying to a question related to the "possible refugee crisis" at the border, the DG ISPR said that at the moment, there are no refugees at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The DG ISPR also spoke about the recent attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan and said that "comprehensive security measures" are in place.

"The ministry of interior is looking after the matter, and if there is a requirement, the security will be beefed up further."

Replying to another question, he said that while there was "always a fear of a civil war" taking place in Afghanistan, the situation is volatile and nothing can be said about it as of now.

"Right now, there is no civil war in Afghanistan," he said.

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3 Levies personnel martyred in landmine blast in Balochistan's Ziarat

Three Levies personnel were martyred and as many injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Balochistan's Ziarat district on Thursday.

The explosion occurred when the Levies vehicle ran over a landmine near Mangi Dam, provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said.

He further said the injured were sent to a hospital in Quetta for treatment.

According to Shahwani, the martyred personnel included a risaldar major, havaldar and a sepoy. The three injured were all sepoys.

Security sources said four labourers working at Mangi Dam were kidnapped by unidentified armed suspects. The Levies party was travelling to the area to get the workers released when it hit the landmine.

The Balochistan Levies is a force in charge of maintaining law and order in the tribal areas of the province.

Only CJP can take suo motu notices, says SC as it wraps up petition against journalists' harassment

The Supreme Court on Thursday wrapped up the matter of a suo motu notice taken by a bench of the apex court against the harassment of journalists, ruling in a written judgment that the authority to do so rests solely with the chief justice of Pakistan.

A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, while hearing another matter, took up the issue on August 20 when former president of the Press Association of the Supreme Court (PAS), Abdul Qayyum Siddiqui, brought to the court's notice an application over the alleged harassment of journalists.

The court directed filing a petition which was later filed by petitioners Imran Shafqat and Aamir Mir along with the Press Association of Supreme Court (PAS).

The court held that harassing journalists and depriving them of performing their professional obligations is a matter of public importance, as the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

Filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, the petition requested the apex court to initiate action to ensure their fundamental rights and take action against all those who are violating them.

In an order issued on August 20, the SC summoned the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Islamabad police chief as well as the secretaries of interior, information and religious affairs on August 26.

However, the next day a five-judge SC bench was constituted, headed by Acting Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial,and including Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmad and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, to provide clarity with regard to the court’s suo motu jurisdiction.

The new bench, on Monday, put the August 20 order in abeyance, observing that its implementation may "obscure and unsettle the practice of invoking suo motu jurisdiction".

The August 20 order now stands withdrawn, the SC said in its written judgment today.

According to the judgment, no bench can take a suo motu notice without explicit permission from the chief justice, and order an inquiry by any competent authority.

The judgment went on to state that a bench may recommend to the chief justice to take suo motu notice but cannot do so on its own.

It further stated that all such suo motu notices, which were taken without the knowledge of the chief justice, hereby stand dismissed. However, all pending suo motu cases under benches set up by the chief justice will continue, the judgment said.

It said that now, the PAS petition will be put before the chief justice.

The judgment also shed light the principles of suo motu notices under Article 184-3 of the Constitution.

A detailed decision on the authority to take up suo motu notices will be issued later, the Supreme Court said.

On Wednesday, in a letter to the CJP, Justice Isa said the two-member bench was not informed before the five-member larger bench was constituted.

The Constitution of Pakistan lists various jurisdictions of the Supreme Court, he said, adding that the apex court has no jurisdiction to monitor the affairs of its own bench.

A five-member bench has no jurisdiction to hear the case, Justice Isa said.

If a five-member larger bench continues hearing the case, it will be unconstitutional, he wrote.

Justice Isa argued that once the case was decided, if anyone felt it was not dealt with in accordance to the Constitution, they had the option to review it.

He said the Constitution does not allow "monitoring jurisdiction".

Criticising the SC registrar, Justice Isa said that the registrar had acted to "serve the interest of the executive and to protect his colleagues".

Justice Isa also said that a copy of his letter should be uploaded on the website of the Supreme Court.

Kabul airport blast kills at least 13, including children: Taliban official

An explosion outside Kabul airport killed at least 13 people, including children, and wounded many Taliban guards, a Taliban official told Reuters.

Earlier, the United States military confirmed that a large explosion occurred outside the airport, as the US-led airlift of thousands continued inside the compound.

“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” said Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby.

The explosion appeared to be caused by a suicide bomb, US officials said, citing an initial report and cautioning that it could change.

Unconfirmed reports put the explosion at the airport's main Abbey Gate, where thousands of people have massed over the past 12 days hoping to be evacuated after the Taliban seized power.

Other reports located it close to the Baron Hotel near the gate, which Western nations had used to stage some evacuations.

US and allied officials have said they had intelligence that suicide bombers were threatening to attack the airport.

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion, according to a White House official.

Biden was in a meeting with security officials about the situation in Afghanistan, where the United States is in the final steps of ending its 20-year war, when the explosion was first reported, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Britain's defence ministry said it was working urgently to establish what had happened at Kabul airport following reports of an explosion.

“We are working urgently to establish what has happened in Kabul and its impact on the ongoing evacuation effort,” the defence ministry said on Twitter.

“Our primary concern remains the safety of our personnel, British citizens and the citizens of Afghanistan. We are in close contact with our US and other Nato allies at an operational level on the immediate response to this incident.”

However, The Turkish Defence Ministry said there were two explosions, adding that there was no damage to Turkish units.

Earlier today, Western nations warned their citizens to immediately leave the surrounds of Kabul airport over a terrorist threat, as thousands of people try to reach a dwindling number of evacuation flights.

The US government and its allies raised the alarm with a series of coordinated and specific advisories for their citizens to avoid the airport.

“Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” said the US State Department, citing unspecified “security threats”.

Australia's department of foreign affairs said there was an “ongoing and very high threat of terrorist attack”. “Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you're in the area of the airport, move to a safe location and await further advice.”

London issued a similar warning, adding “if you can leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should do so immediately”.