Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
Four men were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last week for a string of offenses including drugs operation and road rage, according to media reports.
Akaash Hussain, 23, was sentenced on Thursday (1) along with three others. Hussain jumped on a woman's bonnet, smashed her windscreen without provocation and then punched her in the face, Manchester Evening News reported.
The court heard that he was driving a black Mercedes in Salford on November 24, 2018, when the incident happened.
He was sentenced to six and a half years for conspiracy to supply drugs, assault, and preventing the course of justice.
Mohammed Haq, Mustafa Zaidi, and Zeeshan Hussain were also jailed for other offences.
The Hussain brothers, Akaash and Zeeshan, ran drugs operation out of a flat in Albany Court in Redcar Avenue, Withington, rented by Zeeshan’s girlfriend in 2018.
According to the report, the trio were involved in supplying cocaine, cannabis, and ketamine in a “mid-level” commercial enterprise. Police found business cards at the property and a phone number linked to Hussain brothers. The scheme also used online noticeboard Craigslist to advertise drugs for sale.
Police started investigating after neighbours became suspicious. Zeeshan was then taken into custody.
Several phones were seized from the property, along with around £3,000 of cash found in a drawer, along with £2,755 worth of cocaine, £7,100 worth of cannabis, and £405 of ketamine.
Police said that Akaash is also facing charge of perverting the course of justice, alongside 21-year-old Haq and Zaidi.
The offence is linked to a firearms incident on Slade Lane in Levenshulme in the early hours on June 4, 2019, where several shots were fired at the front of a house.
All four men pleaded guilty to the charges put against them. Zeeshan was sentenced to three years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs, meaning he must serve an additional 18 months imprisonment after his current minimum term for the sentence elapses.
Haq was handed a 28 month sentence for perverting the course of justice, and 15 months for violent disorder, totalling a three year and seven month sentence. Zaidi was given two years and one month sentence for perverting the course of justice.
Taliban security personnel on a Soviet-era tank ride towards the border, during clashes between Taliban security personnel and Pakistani border forces, in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Province on October 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to an “immediate ceasefire” after talks in Doha.
At least 10 Afghans killed in Pakistani air strikes before the truce.
Both countries to meet again in Istanbul on October 25.
Taliban and Pakistan pledge to respect each other’s sovereignty.
PAKISTAN and Afghanistan have agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” following talks in Doha, after Pakistani air strikes killed at least 10 Afghans and ended an earlier truce.
The two countries have been engaged in heavy border clashes for more than a week, marking their worst fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
A 48-hour truce had briefly halted the fighting, which has killed dozens of troops and civilians, before it broke down on Friday.
After the talks in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry said early on Sunday that “the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries”.
The ministry added that both sides would hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire remains in place.
Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the agreement and said the two sides would meet again in Istanbul on October 25.
“Terrorism on Pakistani soil conducted from Afghanistan will immediately stop. Both neighbouring countries will respect each other's sovereignty,” Asif posted on social media.
Afghanistan’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed the “signing of an agreement”.
“It was decided that both countries will not carry out any acts of hostility against each other,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
“Neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan.”
The defence ministers shared a photo on X showing them shaking hands after signing the agreement.
Security tensions
The clashes have centred on security concerns.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks, mainly near its 2,600-kilometre border with Afghanistan.
Islamabad claims that groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operate from “sanctuaries” inside Afghanistan, a claim the Taliban government denies.
The recent violence began on October 11, days after explosions in Kabul during a visit by Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India.
The Taliban then launched attacks along parts of the southern border, prompting Pakistan to threaten a strong response.
Ahead of the Doha talks, a senior Taliban official told AFP that Pakistan had bombed three areas in Paktika province late Friday, warning that Kabul would retaliate.
A hospital official in Paktika said that 10 civilians, including two children, were killed and 12 others injured in the strikes. Three cricket players were among the dead.
Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that Taliban forces had been ordered to hold fire “to maintain the dignity and integrity of its negotiating team”.
Saadullah Torjan, a minister in Spin Boldak in Afghanistan’s south, said: “For now, the situation is returning to normal.”
“But there is still a state of war, and people are afraid.”
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