From economy to cricket, it is all ‘depressing’ news says Pak CJI

Agencies

June 20, 2019

Islamabad, Jun 20: Pakistan’s chief justice Asif Saeed Khosa Wednesday lamented that Pakistanis were only hearing “depressing” news these days -- on the state of the economy, politics and even from the cricket field.

Addressing a ceremony to highlight the work of model courts in Pakistan, the Chief Justice of Pakistan said that the reports of the ‘national economy in ICU’ were not good news.

“We hear about the economy and we are told that either it is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or it has just come out of the ICU,” he said, referring to the serious balance of payments crisis that threatens to cripple Pakistan’s economy.

The cash-strapped government of Prime Minister Imran Khan is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for bailout packages worth billions of dollars.

“We see the noise coming out of Parliament and we see that leader of the house as well as the leader of the opposition, they are not even being allowed to speak. It depresses,” he said, pointing out to the confrontation between the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the National Assembly.

“We change the channel, we look at the Cricket World Cup, unfortunately again the news is depressing,” Khosa was quoted as saying by Dunya News. Apparently commenting about the recent ICC World Cup loss Pakistan suffered at the hands of arch-rival India, Khosa said: “We try and get away from all the negativity around us and turn on the TV, change the channel and we see our team losing the match.”

During such chaotic times, the only good news people are hearing comes from the courts of Pakistan, the chief justice said.

“Now in this depressing atmosphere, I am very happy to say that at least there is one sector in our society from where some good news is coming. “As the relevant organ of the state and in charge of dispensation of justice, it is our constitutional responsibility to provide inexpensive and expeditious justice. This is a gigantic task,” he said. Khosa has said 5,800 trials were decided through model courts in 48 working days.

The priority of the judiciary is to provide justice to public without delays, he said, adding that the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was being introduced in Pakistan’s judicial system which will factor in with the due process of inquiries.

“The AI system will help in taking us closer to the truth and would be able to help the judges know about the verdicts they have given in the past.

Khosa said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan is the first apex court in the entire world, which has started hearing cases online. He said a state of the art Research Centre has been established at the Supreme Court, where five to six search engines will be installed to facilitate the legal fraternity and researchers, Radio Pakistan reported.

“I am proud of the good news coming out from the judiciary and God willing they will continue to come,” he added.

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Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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‘This is how it began in Gujarat’: Modi outlines BJP’s political ambitions in Kerala

News Network

January 23,2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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