Pakistan: Media regulator accused of ‘moral policing’

Some social media users and media publications are using photos from a 2022 blast that claim to show the aftermath of the suicide bombing that killed at least 100 people in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday. We tell you where these photos are really from in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Last week the online encyclopedia was blocked over what Pakistan's media regulator deemed "blasphemous material." The government has unblocked the site following a public outcry.

India is pushing for changes to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. The deal, brokered by the World Bank, was once hailed as a massive success.

The devastating floods which hit Pakistan last year raised the pressure on the government to fight climate change. But many climate activists have faced retaliation from the state for speaking out in the past.

Most of the victims in a suicide bombing in the Pakistani city of Peshawar were police officers. The attack has raised alarms among officials over a security breach at a time when the Pakistani Taliban are particularly targeting the police and military.

Pakistan's deputy foreign minister tells DW how NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan has led to an uptick in violence in Pakistan. Hina Rabbani Khar also explains why she isn't optimistic about the future course of relations between India and Pakistan.

The state media watchdog has banned TV stations from showing speeches by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing him of "leveling baseless allegations."

Opposition leader Imran Khan is demanding fresh polls to steer Pakistan out of a protracted political crisis. But holding general elections is a costly affair, and the South Asian country's coffers are empty.

Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, thousands of Afghan families have found refuge in neighbouring Pakistan. Many Afghans decided to flee their country in order for their daughters to have an education, the Taliban having imposed a ban on secondary and higher education for girls. Pakistan does not offer real prospects of integration or employment to refugees.

Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan confronted police outside his home in Lahore. Authorities have tried to arrest Khan, who has been entangled in a string of legal cases.

Lahore's air pollution rose to PM2. 5 levels of 97.4 micrograms per cubic meter from 86.5 in 2021, replacing Bhiwadi in Indiaas the most polluted city globally. Bhiwadi and Delhi were next in the rankings, ,with pollution levels reaching up to 92.7 and 92.6 respectively.

The ruling means Khan can now travel to Islamabad without being detained to face corruption charges. The former cricketer-turned-politician has been holed up in Lahore as his supporters clashed with police.