Pakistan

The fifth Pakistan Water Week concluded in Islamabad on Friday with a strong call for collective action and sustained partnerships to tackle the country’s escalating water and climate challenges.

Spouses of officials also under radar for siphoning public funds into personal accounts

Suspects assault victim in Tarnol and force ATM withdrawal

Over 90 units outsourced under Punjab govt initiative will provide 'free treatment, lab facilities'

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Artists from across country open festival with traditional performances, cultural displays

Annual education moot gathers policymakers, educationists

'Sangam Gala' bolsters Pakistan-China ties

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a bilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the Presidential Palace in Baku, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. The statement added that Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was also present in the meeting. The prime minister arrived in Baku earlier today for a two-day official visit to Azerbaijan at Aliyev’s invitation, where he will attend the country’s Victory Day ceremony. Victory Day is observed to “commemorate the historic victory in the 44-day-long Karabakh Liberation War against Armenia”, according to the PM’s Office. PM Shehbaz, accompanied by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, was received at Heydar Aliyev International Airport by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Fariz Razayev, Pakistani Ambassador to Azerbaijan Qasim Mohiuddin and diplomatic staff. The statement read: “The prime minister thanked the President of Azerbaijan for ex...

Pakistan and Iran on Friday vowed to enhance cooperation to eradicate terrorism from the two states and reiterated their commitment to peaceful means of dialogue and diplomacy for the resolution of all outstanding disputes around the world. Pakistan and Iran share close ties and have signed multiple agreements across sectors such as energy and trade. The two sides also expressed eagerness to further foster cooperation with each other in the fields of mutual interest. The commitments were made when Speaker of Iranian Parliament Dr Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a statement from the PM’s Office said. “Both countries condemn state-sponsored terrorism and have always supported each other in the wake of unilateral aggression against their sovereign states”, the statement quoted the PM as saying. The prime minister said Pakistan and Iran had unfortunately been victims of terrorism; thus, they firmly shared the resolve of global peace, prosperity and positive cooperation in the reg...

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EPA told to deploy officers at all entry, exit points

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has arrived in London, where she is staying at Avenfield House.

A demolition operation carried out at a bird market in Lahore’s Bhati Chowk area, near Data Darbar, has become mired in controversy, with shopkeepers accusing the Punjab government of killing dozens of birds and other caged pets, allegations the government has denied. The operation was conducted on Wednesday morning by joint teams of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) to launch the Bhaati Chowk remodeling project, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and control pollution. “The market consisted of a total of 149 shops, including some tuck (pan) shops. Around 13 to 14 [shops] were situated in the front, where the shopkeepers were able to take out the birds and cages late at night. The other shopkeepers could not do this since they closed the shops in the evening as per routine,“ Bahu Khan, Lahore Bhaati bird association office bearer told Dawn. “Thus, all birds (parrots, sparrows, etc) were buried to death after the field operation teams raise...

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Friday told a PTI delegation that the matter of the nomination of the opposition leader in the house is “sub judice”. After the conviction of Omer Ayub Khan in the May 9 cases, the party nominated Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as opposition leader in the National Assembly. The speaker stated that the matter is under consideration during a meeting with a parliamentary delegation of the PTI — led by party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and comprising former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and other PTI members — at Parliament House. An official handout issued by the NA Secretariat also said that “during the meeting, detailed discussions were held regarding the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in the House and the speaker informed the delegation that the matter was currently sub judice.” The speaker emphasised that the Parliament was the most important and credible institution of democracy, and all political parties s...

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that his party would oppose any proposed amendment that seeks to reduce the powers granted to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held consultations with ruling allies to secure support for the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, with the government expected to table the bill in the Senate within days. “The provinces have a constitutional right to an increased NFC (National Finance Commission) award, not a reduced one,” he said, warning that if provincial rights were stripped, the JUI-F would “strongly oppose it.” Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Fazl said his party had agreed on certain points in principle, but would only comment further once a draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment was presented. Commenting on proposed changes to Article 243, he said the matter must be viewed in two ways: “If it is used to affect democracy, the Constitution or politics, we will not accept it. But if it is purely...

Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi says Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul freight train service will be resumed by the end of this year.