Four insurgents killed in Pak’s Baloch
KARACHI, July 20: Pakistani security forces have killed four insurgents suspected of attacking a passenger bus that killed three members of a qawwali troupe in the restive Balochistan province. The attack occurred on July 16, when unidentified insurgents opened fire on the bus on the national highway in Kalat. The incident occurred as the bus was taking a qaawali troupe linked to the late Amjad Sabri group for a private function. The incident involved Muhammad Asif, an upcoming popular bass player, Muhammad Bashir Sabri, and Muhammad Raza, long-time members of the qawwali troupe. Insurgent groups have been active in the restive Balochistan province, with incidents of passenger bus attacks increasing in recent months. Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has been in the grip of low-level violence for the last two decades, with ethnic Baloch groups accusing the federal government of exploiting the region’s mineral wealth. (PTI)
7 policemen go missing during patrolling in Pak’s Khyber
PESHAWAR, July 20: Seven police personnel have gone missing during routine patrolling in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Sunday. The police personnel went missing in South Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan, District Police Chief Arshad Khan said. Khan said three policemen, identified as Insaf, Abid, and Ismail, from Laddha police station went missing during a routine patrol in the Laddha area. Separately, four personnel — identified as Sub-Inspector Abdul Khaliq, and constables Irfanullah, Habibullah, and Imran — went missing from the Tangah-Chagmali area within the jurisdiction of Sarwakai police station. He said there was no information yet on the whereabouts of the missing personnel, and search operations were underway. Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terror activities over the past year, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. (PTI)
Indian-origin doctor charged over drug-for-sex case in US
NEW YORK, July 20: Dr. Ritesh Kalra, a 51-year-old Indian-origin internist from New Jersey, has been charged with distributing opioids and other drugs without medical justification in exchange for sexual favors, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Authorities allege Kalra ran a “pill mill” from his Fair Lawn clinic, issuing over 31,000 oxycodone prescriptions from 2019 to 2025—sometimes over 50 in a single day. He is also accused of billing for fake in-person visits and counseling sessions and defrauding New Jersey’s public healthcare program. Kalra made his first court appearance in Newark and was released on home incarceration with a \$100,000 unsecured bond. His medical practice must remain closed while the case proceeds. His lawyer denied the charges. (PTI)