Aleena Zara Malik

<p style='margin: 0.75rem 0px 0px; font-family: "Atlassian Sans", ui-sans-serif, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 2; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.005em; color: rgb(41, 42, 46); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;' id="isPasted">That pink salt in your kitchen has a story, and most people get the geography wrong.<p style='margin: 0.75rem 0px 0px; font-family: "Atlassian Sans", ui-sans-serif, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 2; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.005em; color: rgb(41, 42, 46); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'> This episode of Debunkistan traces the real origin of the world&rsquo;s most famous pink salt, why it&rsquo;s often mislabeled, and how history shaped the confusion.<p style='margin: 0.75rem 0px 0px; font-family: "Atlassian Sans", ui-sans-serif, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 2; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.005em; color: rgb(41, 42, 46); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>

Debunkistan

The Pink Salt Myth | Debunkistan

LONDON: Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer&#39;s chief of staff resigned on Sunday over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite his links to US convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. &quot;After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government,&quot; Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street&#39;s chief of staff, said in a statement. &quot;The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself,&quot; he added. &quot;I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.&quot; The 48-year-old Irishman always maintained a low profile but was dubbed by some as the &quot;most powerful man in politics&quot; having played a key role in Starmer&#39;s emphatic election victory in July 2024. He is credited with helping to move the Labor Party towards a more centrist policy agenda following leftist ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn&#39;s ill-fated tenure. He was also said to have been close to Mandelson, who previously helped ex-prime minister Tony Blair transform the party and its fortunes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Fresh inquiry&nbsp;The resignation came as the foreign ministry said it was reviewing an exit payment to Mandelson, who was sacked by Starmer last September over his friendship with the late Epstein. Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics and the Labour Party for decades, received an estimated pay-out of between &pound;38,750 and &pound;55,000 ($52,000 to $74,000) after only seven months in the job, according to a report in the Sunday Times. Documents released on January 30 by the US Justice Department appear to show that Mandelson leaked confidential UK government information to financier Epstein when he was a British minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis. The revelation has placed intense pressure on Starmer and triggered a police investigation into Mandelson, 72, for alleged misconduct in a public office. The Foreign Office said in a statement it had launched a review into Mandelson&#39;s severance payment &quot;in light of further information that has now been revealed and the ongoing police investigation.&quot; Cabinet minister Pat McFadden earlier insisted Starmer should remain in office despite his &quot;terrible mistake&quot; in appointing Mandelson. He said the real blame lay &quot;squarely&quot; with Mandelson for putting himself forward for the job despite knowing the extent of his relationship with Epstein. Opposition pressure&nbsp;Despite McSweeney&#39;s departure, opposition leaders kept their focus on the prime minister. &quot;Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions,&quot; opposition leader Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party posted on X. &quot;But he never does.&quot; &quot;The Prime Minister can change his advisers all he likes, but the buck stops with him,&quot; said Daisy Cooper, leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third party in parliament. Noting that McSweeney had gone, Nigel Farage, leader of the hard-right Reform UK party, said: &quot;My money says Starmer won&#39;t be far behind after Labour&#39;s disaster in the elections this coming May.&quot; Starmer&#39;s deputy, David Lammy, became the first cabinet minister to appear to distance himself from the premier, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph. The deputy prime minister had not been in favor of appointing Mandelson due to his known links to Epstein, the report quoted friends of Lammy as saying. Starmer&#39;s Labour Party took power just over 18 months ago in a landslide election victory. But it has been trailing Farage&#39;s anti-immigrant Reform UK as the government comes under fire over immigration, economic growth, and the cost of living crisis. Reform UK has led by double-digit figures in the polls for the past year. Mandelson, also a former European Union trade commissioner, stood down from parliament&#39;s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords, earlier this week. He is one of numerous prominent figures embarrassed by the latest release of documents in the Epstein files by the US Justice Department. The financier died in jail in 2019 while facing charges of alleged sex trafficking. US officials ruled Epstein&#39;s death a suicide. Law firm Mishcon de Reya, representing Mandelson, said he &quot;regrets, and will regret until to his dying day, that he believed Epstein&#39;s lies about his criminality&quot;. &quot;Lord Mandelson did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death in 2019,&quot; said the statement. &quot;He is profoundly sorry that powerless and vulnerable women and girls were not given the protection they deserved.&quot;

Europe

Resignation comes as foreign ministry says it was reviewing an exit payment to Mandelson, who was sacked by Starmer last September over his friendship with the late Epstein.



UK PM's top aide quits in scandal over Mandelson links to Epstein

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Finance Minister <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-finance-minister-highlight-pakistans-reform-push-at-wef-davos" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Muhammad Aurangzeb</a> held high-level meetings with Saudi and World Bank officials on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference 2026, focusing on investment follow-ups, technology cooperation and long-term development support.&nbsp;According to a finance ministry statement, Aurangzeb met Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim to review progress on Saudi investment commitments in Pakistan and broader bilateral economic cooperation. The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies will be held on February 8&ndash;9, 2026, at Maraya Hall in AlUla.&nbsp;The annual forum is organized by Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s finance ministry in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund&rsquo;s regional office in Riyadh, and brings together finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers and international institutions from emerging economies.&nbsp;The engagements come as Pakistan seeks to deepen economic partnerships with key regional and multilateral partners, using the AlUla Conference as a platform to advance investment, trade and development priorities.&nbsp;During the meeting, the Saudi minister praised Pakistan&rsquo;s growing technology sector. He &ldquo;highly appreciated the quality of artificial intelligence and technology talent being produced by Pakistan,&rdquo; noting that it ranks &ldquo;among the top one or two globally,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;Alibrahim also expressed Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s &ldquo;keen interest in leveraging Pakistani tech professionals&rdquo; to support the Kingdom&rsquo;s ongoing technological transformation.&nbsp;Aurangzeb said Pakistan is working to formalize overseas employment pathways, sharing that the country is creating &ldquo;a structured pipeline of skilled human resources for key international markets, including Saudi Arabia,&rdquo; aimed at generating &ldquo;mutual economic benefits.&rdquo;&nbsp;The two sides also discussed progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement, with emphasis on boosting trade and economic exchanges.&nbsp;Aurangzeb assured that &ldquo;dedicated Pakistani teams are actively leading the process to finalize Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s investment commitments in Pakistan,&rdquo; and thanked the Saudi government for hosting what he described as a &ldquo;strategically significant conference.&rdquo;&nbsp;Separately, the finance minister met World Bank Group Managing Director Anna Bjerde to review Pakistan&rsquo;s reform and development agenda.&nbsp;According to the finance ministry, the meeting assessed progress under Pakistan&rsquo;s Country Partnership Framework and followed up on the recent visit of the World Bank president to Pakistan.&nbsp;Discussions covered priority sectors including energy, education, health, climate resilience, infrastructure, fiscal reforms and debt-for-development swaps.&nbsp;Both sides stressed the need for &ldquo;a more focused approach, clear performance trackers, and robust implementation&rdquo; to ensure measurable outcomes.

Foreign Affairs

Economy

Pakistan’s finance minister meets Saudi and World Bank officials at AlUla Conference, advancing investment, technology cooperation and development support, while reaffirming commitments to trade, reforms and long-term economic partnerships.

At AlUla Conference, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia advance investment and tech cooperation

CORTINA D&#39;AMPEZZO, Italy: Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill on Sunday, brutally ending the American skiing great&#39;s improbable dream of winning a medal despite competing with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. Vonn was just 13 seconds into her run in bright sunshine in Cortina d&#39;Ampezzo when she lost control, twisted in the air and crumpled in the snow.&nbsp;The 41-year-old&#39;s cries of pain could be heard on the microphones as medical staff attended to the stricken skier on the piste.&nbsp;Thousands of spectators at the bottom of the run fell silent as they watched the images of the crash on giant screens.&nbsp;Vonn was eventually strapped into a stretcher and winched into the air by helicopter to be flown to hospital.&nbsp;Her US teammate Breezy Johnson went on to win the gold medal, but her first thoughts were for Vonn, saying: &quot;My heart goes out to her. I hope it&#39;s not as bad as it looked.&quot;&nbsp;Johnson finished in front of Germany&#39;s Emma Aicher by just 0.04sec with Italy&#39;s Sofia Goggia taking bronze in front of her home fans.&nbsp;Vonn&#39;s sister Karin Kildow, who watched the crash on giant screens at the course, said: &quot;That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see.&quot; Hopes dashedJust two weeks ago, Vonn, one of global sport&#39;s most recognisable faces, looked in contention to cap a remarkable comeback from retirement by winning the second Olympic gold medal of her career -- her last came 16 years ago in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.&nbsp;She had retired in 2019 but returned to the slopes in 2024 after surgery to insert a titanium implant in her right knee to quell persistent pain.&nbsp;But her Olympic plans were thrown into disarray when she crashed in a World Cup race at Crans Montana, Switzerland, on January 30.&nbsp;In a press conference once she arrived in Italy, she admitted she had ruptured her ACL in the crash, but insisted she could still compete for medals.&nbsp;&quot;This is not obviously what I had hoped for.... I know what my chances were before the crash and and I know my chances aren&#39;t the same as it stands today,&quot; she said then.&nbsp;&quot;But I know there&#39;s still a chance, and as long as there&#39;s a chance I will try.&quot;&nbsp;She even batted aside those who doubted her ability to perform with such an injury, taking to social media to fire back at a sports doctor for doubting her ACL tear was as bad as she claimed.&nbsp;In other action on Sunday, the second full day of the Milan-Cortina Games, Czech snowboarder Zuzana Maderova won gold in the women&#39;s parallel giant slalom after the shock exit of defending champion Ester Ledecka.&nbsp;Ledecka crashed out in the quarter-finals as the Czech chased what would have been a historic snowboarding title in three consecutive Olympics.&nbsp;Maderova enjoyed a comfortable victory over Ledecka&#39;s conqueror Sabine Payer, cruising to victory by 0.83sec.&nbsp;In Tesero, Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klaebo racked up the sixth Olympic gold medal of his career by taking the skiathlon title.&nbsp;Later, attention will switch the ice rink as the USA go into the final day of the figure skating team event seeking to resist a stiff challenge from Japan.&nbsp;Ilia Malinin, the US sensation who was upstaged on his Olympic debut on Saturday by Japan&#39;s Yuma Kagiyama, skates again on Sunday in the free programme.

Athletics

Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill on Sunday, brutally ending the American skiing great's improbable dream of winning a medal despite competing with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Vonn crashes out of Winter Olympics in brutal end to medal dream

DHAKA: Bangladesh has requested assistance from the United Nations human rights office for an investigation into the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/violence-erupts-in-bangladesh-after-wounded-youth-leader-dies" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">killing</a> of Sharif Osman Hadi, a popular leader in the country&#39;s 2024 youth-led uprising, the government said Sunday. The Bangladeshi mission in Geneva had sent a diplomatic note requesting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support a &quot;fair, impartial and expeditious&quot; probe into the killing, the interim government&#39;s press wing said. &quot;The note requests technical and institutional assistance from the UN human rights office to support the investigation,&quot; it added. Hadi, 32, was <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/violence-erupts-in-bangladesh-after-wounded-youth-leader-dies" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">shot</a> by masked assailants in Dhaka last December and later died of his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. His death set off a wave of violent protests. Hadi&nbsp;had planned to run as an independent candidate in polls taking place on Thursday to determine the country&#39;s first elected government since the overthrow of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The interim government, which is led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, also reiterated its commitment to ensuring &quot;the highest standards of transparency and accountability&quot; in the case and pledged to identify and prosecute those responsible.Hadi was an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the July 2024 uprising that overthrew her government. His supporters hailed him as a martyr and a symbol of the anti-establishment youth movement reshaping Bangladesh&#39;s volatile political landscape.

Asia

Bangladesh has requested UN assistance to investigate the killing of uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi, whose death triggered protests, as the interim government pledged transparency, accountability, and prosecution of those responsible

Bangladesh seeks UN help to probe killing of uprising leader

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf paid an official visit to Malaysia and held meetings with the leadership of the Royal Malaysian Navy to strengthen bilateral naval cooperation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.&nbsp;Upon arrival at the Royal Malaysian Navy Headquarters, Admiral Naveed Ashraf was received by Admiral Tan Sri (Dr.) Zulhelmy bin Ithnain, Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy, and was accorded a guard of honour.&nbsp;During the meetings, both sides discussed aligning strategic perspectives and enhancing <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-navy-showcases-modern-warfare-capabilities-in-north-arabian-sea" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">cooperation in operational matters</a>, capacity building, and coordinated responses to maritime security challenges.&nbsp;Admiral Naveed Ashraf highlighted the Pakistan Navy&rsquo;s role in promoting regional stability, particularly through its Regional Maritime Security Patrols (RMSP) and participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).&nbsp;As part of the visit, the naval chief also toured Malaysia&rsquo;s National Hydrographic Centre, where discussions focused on strengthening collaboration with Pakistan&rsquo;s National Hydrographic Office in areas such as training, data sharing, and professional engagement.&nbsp;According to ISPR, the visit reaffirmed the longstanding Pakistan-Malaysia naval partnership and underscored the shared commitment to expanding future-oriented maritime cooperation.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf meets Royal Malaysian Navy leadership during his official visit to Malaysia on February 8, 2026. (Photo: ISPR)

Security

Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy, Admiral Tan Sri (Dr.) Zulhelmy bin Ithnain receives Admiral Naveed Ashraf.

Pakistan Navy chief visits Malaysia, discusses maritime cooperation

PARIS: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-us-talks-with-iran-very-good-more-negotiations-expected" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">negotiations</a>&nbsp;with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States. The minister, Abbas Araghchi told a forum in Tehran attended by AFP, that Tehran had little trust in Washington and even doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously. &quot;Why do we insist so much on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-defies-us-threats-to-insist-on-right-to-enrich-uranium" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">enrichment</a>&nbsp;and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior,&quot; Araghchi &quot;Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,&quot; he said, referring to the arrival of an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Arabian Sea. The United States and Iran reopened negotiations on Friday, for the first time in years, in Oman. Iran is seeking to have US economic sanctions on the country lifted, in exchange for what Araghchi said at the forum could be &quot;a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear program.&quot; Western countries and Israel, thought to be the Middle East&#39;s only country with nuclear weapons, say Iran is seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb, which the latter&nbsp;denies. &quot;They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not looking for one. Our atomic bomb is the power to say &#39;no&#39; to the great powers,&quot; Araghchi said. &#39;Peace through strength&#39; Araghchi&#39;s comments came after US lead negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the aircraft carrier on Saturday, signalling the persistent threat of US military action against Iran. The US military&#39;s Central Command (<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-launches-onewayattack-drone-force-in-middle-east" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">CENTCOM</a>) said the two top officials visited the nuclear-powered vessel. In a social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group was &quot;keeping us safe and upholding President Trump&#39;s message of peace through strength&quot;. The threat of war continues to hover over the negotiations, even as Trump called the talks &quot;very good&quot; and Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on social media that they &quot;constitute a step forward&quot;. Following Friday&#39;s first round in Oman, Trump signed an executive order calling for the &quot;imposition of tariffs&quot; on countries still doing business with Iran despite US sanctions. The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran&#39;s oil exports. At the Tehran forum Sunday, Araghchi called into question the United States&#39; commitment to negotiations. &quot;The continuation of certain sanctions and military actions raise doubts about the seriousness and readiness of the other side to conduct genuine negotiations,&quot; he said. &quot;We are monitoring the situation closely, assessing all the signals and will decide on the continuation of the negotiations.&quot; Protests toll Talks between the two arch enemies came amid a major <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-military-to-prioritize-homeland-and-curbing-china-limit-support-for-allies" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">US military</a> buildup in the region in the wake of Iran&#39;s crackdown on protests that began in late December, driven by economic grievances. The authorities in Iran have acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed in the recent protests, publishing on Sunday a list of 2,986 names, most of whom they say were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders. International organizations have put the toll far higher. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which has kept a running toll since the onset of the protests, says it has verified 6,961 deaths, mainly of protesters, and has another 11,630 cases under investigation. It has also counted more than 51,000 arrests.

Men look at Iranian daily newspapers reporting on the first round of talks between Iran and the United States at a kiosk in Tehran. (AFP)

Middle East

Iran’s foreign minister rejects abandoning uranium enrichment as talks with the United States resume, while questioning Washington’s sincerity amid new sanctions, military deployments and threats of war during renewed nuclear negotiations.

Iran defies US threats to insist on right to enrich uranium

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam and International Cricket Council (ICC) Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday as talks continued over Pakistan&rsquo;s refusal to play India in the ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 World Cup 2026.&nbsp;The meeting was week after the Pakistan government formally announced that the national team would participate in the tournament but would not take the field against India in the February 15 Group A match in Colombo.&nbsp;&ldquo;The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026; however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled for February 15, 2026, against India,&rdquo; the government said in a statement posted on its official X account.&nbsp;Pakistan opened their World Cup campaign with a victory over the Netherlands on February 7.&nbsp;According to sources, the ICC delegation led by Khwaja arrived in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore around 4 pm to meet PCB leadership and senior officials in an effort to find a way forward. Aminul Islam&rsquo;s presence in the discussions highlighted broader regional concerns surrounding the tournament.&nbsp;The ICC has urged the Pakistan board to reconsider its position. &ldquo;We hope the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications of this decision and explore a mutually acceptable resolution that protects the interests of all stakeholders,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;The controversy follows an earlier disruption to the tournament after Bangladesh refused to play matches in India over security concerns. The ICC subsequently replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after rejecting Dhaka&rsquo;s request to relocate its fixtures to co-host Sri Lanka.

Cricket

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam and International Cricket Council (ICC) Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday as talks continued over Pakistan’s refusal to play India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan, Bangladesh chiefs meet ICC official over India T20 World Cup match

ISLAMABAD: Electioneering by contesting candidates in Bangladesh&rsquo;s 13th National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) Election and Referendum will conclude at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, exactly 48 hours before polling begins, the country&#39;s state media reported, quoting the Election Commission. The campaign, which began on Jan. 22, will end in line with electoral rules requiring a mandatory two-day silence period ahead of voting, according to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said all campaign activities must stop by 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 10 to ensure compliance with election laws. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-elections-test-ties-with-india-as-china-deepens-outreach" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">parliamentary election and referendum</a>&nbsp;will be held on Thursday, with voting scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Balloting will take place through transparent ballot boxes across 299 constituencies nationwide. The Election Commission has cancelled polling in the Sherpur-3 constituency following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate, reducing the number of constituencies going to the polls from 300 to 299. According to EC officials, ballot papers have already been dispatched to returning officers in 49 districts, while the remaining consignments are expected to reach their destinations later today. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/281574fd-7a4e-4eb6-a13f-0b78b1653cd0.png" style="width: 1000px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A total of 127.7 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the election and referendum. This includes 64.8 million male voters, 62.9 million female voters, and 1,220 voters from the hijra community. Among the constituencies, Jhalakathi-1 has the fewest voters at 228,431, while Gazipur-2 has the most at 804,333. Overall, 51 political parties are taking part in the election, with 2,034 candidates contesting, including 275 independents. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has fielded the largest number of candidates, with 291 contestants running under its paddy sheaf symbol. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-election-commission-says-poll-preparations-complete" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Polling will be held</a>&nbsp;at 42,779 centres, with 247,482 polling booths set up. Dhaka-12 has the most candidates, with 15 in the race, while Pirojpur-1 has the fewest, with just two candidates. Around 800,000 election officials will be deployed to conduct the polls, while nearly 900,000 law enforcement personnel will be assigned to maintain security. In addition, 55,454 observers from 81 locally registered organisations will monitor the election, including 7,997 central observers and 47,457 deployed at the constituency level. Around 500 foreign observers will also be present, Election Commissioner Brig Gen Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah (retd) said.

This photograph, taken on Jan. 30, 2026, shows Ganosamhati Andolon party election candidate Taslima Akhter (centre R) speaking to her supporters during a rally in Dhaka ahead of Bangladesh’s general elections. (Photo: AFP/File)

Bangladesh

Election commission official says ballot papers have already been dispatched to returning officers in 49 districts, while the remaining consignments are expected to reach their destinations later today.

Bangladesh elections: 2,034 candidates in race as electioneering ends Tuesday

ISLAMABAD: China on Sunday strongly condemned the suicide bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad earlier this week, expressing full support for Pakistan&rsquo;s efforts to ensure national security and stability.&nbsp;In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was deeply shocked by the deadly attack and the loss of precious lives. China extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished a swift recovery to the injured.&nbsp;&ldquo;China strongly condemns this attack, firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and fully supports the Pakistani government in safeguarding&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/four-facilitators-of-islamabad-mosque-attacker-afghan-mastermind-arrested-security-sources" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">national security</a>, social stability and the safety of its people,&rdquo; the statement said. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2020351783026237770&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=468d0e6cfa34031d210f20c53920d0e34cb8bc27&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>The suicide bombing took place on Friday at Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra in the Tarlai area of Islamabad, after Friday prayers.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-condemns-mosque-blast-orders-probe" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">More than 30 worshippers were martyred,</a>&nbsp;and over 100 others sustained injuries.&nbsp;Police said the suicide bomber was intercepted at the gate of the imambargah, where he detonated his explosive device. Footage from the site showed extensive damage, with bodies and debris scattered inside the prayer hall and injured people lying outside as rescue teams rushed to assist.&nbsp;The attack sparked nationwide grief and condemnation from political leaders, religious scholars and the public, while several countries also expressed solidarity with Pakistan.&nbsp;Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said security agencies carried out swift and coordinated operations following the attack, resulting in the arrest of four facilitators, including the mastermind, during overnight raids in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.&nbsp;He said the mastermind was an Afghan national affiliated with the banned terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) and that the terrorist network involved in the attack had been dismantled.&nbsp;Naqvi added that a police assistant sub-inspector embraced martyrdom during the operations, while several security personnel were injured.&nbsp;Investigations into the attack are continuing.

Security personnel cordon off the mosque’s perimeter in Islamabad on February 7, 2026, a day after a suicide bombing. (AFP/File)

Its foreign office says China firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and fully supports the Pakistani government in safeguarding national security.

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