April | Pakistan

The Supreme Court has fixed the hearing of Zahir Jaffer’s review plea in the Noor Mukadam murder case for Wednesday, April 8. Noor, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir’s Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured by him before being beheaded. Zahir’s death sentence by the trial court had already been upheld by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), but he had sought a review of the verdict in July of last year. The convict, Zahir, seeks a review of his conviction in the 2021 murder case. In a cause list published online by the SC on Saturday, the date for Zahir’s hearing was fixed for April 8. The 47-page review petition was filed by Advocate Khawaja Haris on behalf of Zahir under Article 188 of the Constitution (review of judgments or orders by SC). The state and Noor’s father, Shaukat Ali Muqadam, were made the respondents. The petition contended that the issue of Zahir’s alleged “unsoundness of mind or mental capacity” that was raised before the SC in an application had not...

• City breaks 41-year-old rain record with 38.7mm downpour in 24 hours • Mercury drops to ‘lowest ever’ night-time temperature in April • Met official warns of two more rain spells KARACHI: Several cities in the province set new records for heavy rains and lowest night and daytime temperatures for the month of April, the Met Office said on Friday. According to the Met department’s data, Karachi saw 38.7 millimetres of rain within 24 hours on Friday — the heaviest rain ever recorded in the month of April in the city. Previously, the highest rainfall for April in a 24-hour period in Karachi was 37mm, which was recorded on April 2, 1985. In the rural parts of the province, light to moderate showers were observed with Dadu seeing 23mm rain in 24-hours, breaking its earlier record of 22mm set on April 14, 2017. The cities which set records in the lowest daytime temperature were: Badin, Dadu, Hyderabad, Jacobabad, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Padidan, Sakrand, Shaheed Benazirabad and Tandojam. Karachi, however, set a recor...

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Tuesday notified a whopping 35 per cent increase in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) rates, jacking up the cost of an 11.8kg domestic cylinder by Rs924 for April as a consequence of a surge in the global market In a notification, the authority set the price of LPG at Rs304.15 per kg for April against Rs225.84 per kg in March. As such, the price of an 11.8kg domestic cylinder was set at Rs3,588.60 for April against Rs2,664.88 in March. As per the Ogra calculation, the producer price of LPG (which comprises 40pc propane and 60pc butane) was determined at Rs262,817.53 per tonne for April against Rs184,537 per tonne in March. The new price included an excise duty of Rs85 per tonne. Therefore, the producer price for an 11.8kg cylinder was worked out at Rs3,101.25 for April against Rs2,177.54 in March. This also included a petroleum levy of Rs4,669 per tonne and 18pc general sales tax (GST) at Rs40,091, which was Rs26,552.94 in March. For the consumer price, an...

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced that all educational institutions across the province will resume in-person classes starting April 1.

Schools in Sindh and Balochistan will resume classes from April 1 (Wednesday) and follow a five-day working week amid the fuel crisis, the provincial governments said on Tuesday. On March 9, the Balochistan provincial government had announced that educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, would remain closed from March 10 to March 31 due to the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. According to a notification posted on the provincial government’s X account, it was announced that “all schools (public and private) in Balochistan shall re-open with effect from April 1 (Wednesday)”. However, it added that due to the current fuel situation, “all schools (public & private), the provincial directorate, divisional directorates and the district offices of the School Education Department shall observe a five-day working week (Monday to Friday)”. Saturday and Sunday will remain off, the notification said. “All examinations/assessments shall be conducted as per the notif...

GILGIT: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned about a risk of glacial lake outburst floods (Glof), flash floods, and landslides in areas of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from April 1-10. According to an alert issued by the NDMA, there was an “increased risk” of Glof, flash floods, mudslides and landslides in the vulnerable areas of GB and KP and the surrounding regions, particularly near the glacier terminus, due to the “expected widespread weather spell, especially from April 1 to 10”. “Over the past few days, temperatures over the northern mountainous regions remained above normal,” it pointed out. The NDMA advised local communities to remain vigilant, while the relevant authorities were requested to take precautionary measures to safeguard lives and infrastructure. In light of the prevailing situation, it urged all federal ministers and departments, provincial governments and their departments, as well as district and municipal administrations, to proactively monitor a...

The Sindh government has announced a province-wide public holiday on April 4 in remembrance of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Nationwide hailstorm, rain forecast until April 4

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday forecast rainfall across the country, starting from April 1 (Wednesday). In a weather forecast, the PMD said that due to a “westerly wave” approaching the “southerwestern parts of Balochistan from April 1”, parts of the country will receive “widespread rain-wind/thunderstorm” in the coming days. It said that the westerly wave “is likely to persist” till April 4 (Saturday). Under the influence of the system, the PMD forecast rain-wind/thunderstorm (with isolated heavy falls/hailstorm) in parts of Balochistan from April 2 (evening) to April 4 with “occasional gaps”. These included Panjgur, Turbat, Kech, Awaran, Makran Coast (Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara), Lasbela, Khuzdar, Kharan, Chaghi, Dalbandin, Kalat, Sibi, Kohlu, Barkhan, Naseerabad, Quetta, Loralai, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Noshki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat and Mastung. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PMD said that rain, thunderstorms, including snowfall over mountains, were expected in ...

Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat said on Monday that educational activities in the province would resume from April 1 (Wednesday), with classes taking place five days a week. He made the statement in a post on the social media platform X. Separately, in an official statement, the minister reiterated that schools in Punjab would reopen on April 1 and that classes would take place five days a week. He also said that the “hybrid system” would not work, adding that the classes would be in-person. “Students should come to school and study,” he said. On March 9, the provincial government had announced that educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, would remain closed from March 10 to March 31 amid the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Monday also stated that a notification circulating on social media regarding classes four days a week was fake. In a post on X, the Punjab government shared a picture of ...

Educational institutions across Punjab will reopen from April 1, operating five days a week, provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday chaired a meeting to review the stock of petroleum products in the country, wherein it was told that the country currently had adequate stocks of petroleum products to meet demand for April and beyond.

The first Hajj flight from Pakistan will depart on April 18, and the month- long operation will continue until May 21, transporting government-scheme pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026.

The members of the committee formed to monitor petrol prices were told on Tuesday that cargo inflows were continuing as scheduled and petrol cargoes for the current month and for April had “largely been secured”, with additional shipments planned to further strengthen supply buffers. According to a post by the finance ministry on X, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a meeting of the committee to review the energy supply situation and assess developments in global oil and gas markets amid evolving geopolitical conditions. “The committee undertook a forward-looking assessment of the national petroleum supply outlook, reviewing stock availability of crude oil and refined petroleum products across the energy value chain. Members were informed that overall inventories remain at comfortable levels, supported by secured import arrangements and ongoing production,” it said. It added that supply lines from import terminals to refineries, storage installations, and retail outlets were reported to be operating...

The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) has extended airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft till April 24, according to a fresh notice to airmen (Notam) issued on Wednesday. The authority said that Pakistan’s airspace would remain closed to all aircraft registered in India. The Notam issued by Pakistan for barring Indian flights in its airspace till April 24, 2026. — PAA website The restriction would also continue to apply to aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines or operators, the Notam said, adding that it also covered Indian military flights. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs. The Notam was issued days before the previous one was set to expire on March 23. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April 2025 in the...

ISLAMABAD: A committee tasked with monitoring petrol prices was informed on Monday that Pakistan was “adequately positioned in terms of fuel availability”, with March requirements fully secured and, based on current cargo planning and supply arrangements, coverage was available up to mid-April. The development comes after the government announced a Rs55 per litre hike in the prices of both petrol and high-speed diesel to deal with the fuel crunch resulting from the ongoing Middle East conflict. According to a finance ministry statement, the committee was briefed today on the national inventory of crude oil and refined petroleum products, ongoing import arrangements, and supply chain logistics. The committee was informed that the country “remains adequately positioned in terms of fuel availability, with March requirements fully secured”. It was further briefed that, “based on current cargo planning and supply arrangements, coverage is available up to mid-April” and efforts were being taken to extend coverage t...

Officials informed the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum that the country may face challenges in meeting the power sector’s gas demand after April 14 due to the unavailability of imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is expected to be run by a new owner from April next year, subject to approvals, and receive fresh capital under a deal to privatise the flag carrier, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali said on Wednesday. A consortium headed by the Arif Habib Corporation emerged as the top bidder in a live-televised auction for a 75 per cent stake in PIA on Tuesday, marking a breakthrough for the government’s long-delayed privatisation of the carrier. The Arif Habib consortium offered Rs135 billion, surpassing a government reserve price of Rs100bn, in a sharp turnaround from last year’s failed sale attempt. Muhammad Ali, the privatisation adviser to the prime minister, told Reuters in an online interview that the state expects a new owner to be running the airline by April, subject to approvals. The process now moves to final approvals by the Privatisation Commission board and the cabinet, expected within days, with contract signing likely within two weeks and fin...

'Euphoria' Season 3 set for April with new character developments

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has issued its decision regarding K-Electric’s (KE) petition for a provisional monthly Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) requested for April 2025, indicating a relief of PKR 4.