Overview
- The Supreme Court is setting up a free mediation center, backed by UNDP and ADR groups, to steer disputes into alternative resolution and ease a reported backlog of about 1.82 million cases nationwide.
- The prime minister extended the federal austerity drive to June 13 through a Cabinet Division order, while officials highlighted an export push built on the IT sector, including a forecast of $4.5–$4.6 billion in IT exports, a rise to 5.10 million home internet lines, and $509 million raised in a recent 5G auction.
- After a viral video showed alleged drug network figure Anmol, known as Pinky, entering court without handcuffs, Sindh’s home minister ordered a transparent inquiry, police widened narcotics probes, and Karachi police said they had taken her into custody in a city case as a senior officer urged prosecutors to oppose bail.
- In a missing person case involving an overseas Pakistani, the Lahore High Court summoned the Gujrat regional police chief to appear in person and ordered police to recover the man and present him by May 19, with the judge questioning how officers could seize a citizen without fear of the law.
- Security actions and risks persisted as Islamabad police ran large combing searches checking 559 people and 225 homes, and Bannu authorities reported an explosive attack that damaged a local bridge but caused no casualties, with an investigation underway.