Pakistan

• Despite official denials, checkpoints set up at province’s exit points to curtail movement • Flour prices in KP jump 68pc; 20kg bag hits Rs2,800 • KP Assembly passes unanimous resolution against Punjab’s move LAHORE: Punjab’s unannounced ban on the interprovincial movement of wheat has ignited a new crisis, causing a severe flour shortage and soaring prices in other provinces. The move has drawn sharp criticism from politicians and flour millers who argue it violates constitutional rights and a recent deregulation agreement. While Punjab officials de­n­ied a formal ban, they acknowledged establishing checkpoints to curb what they termed “unusual” whe­at movement. Critics, however, argued that these mea­sures are against the spirit of a deregulated market. The ban has been met with strong condemnation from other provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtu­nkhwa and Sindh, which heavily depend on Punj­ab’s wheat supply. The All-Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has labelled the policy unconstitutional, citing...

TOBA TEK SINGH: The Faisalabad Sahianwala police booked three persons on Tuesday for allegedly gang-raping a six-month pregnant woman. In her complaint, the victim’s mother said that her son-in-law had to live in another village for work. She alleged that during his absence, his younger brother and his two accomplices gave her daughter a sedative mixed in tea on Sept 1. She further alleged when the victim became unconscious, the trio not only gang-raped her but also committed sodomy. Furthermore, the complainant alleged that the accused and his family locked the victim in a room and refused to let her contact her mother or husband. She claimed that neighbours informed her about the incident on phone. The victim was recovered by the police on the orders of the additional district and sessions judge. Police spokesperson claimed that raids were being conducted to arrest the accused persons. DROWNS: A 17-year-old boy drowned in the river Ravi when he fell in the water while stepping off a boat near the shrine of ...

GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone claims to have arrested a human trafficking agent involved in sending illegal immigrants to Japan as football players using fake credentials and certificates. A senior FIA official said that suspect Waqas Ali, a resident of Pasroor, Sialkot, was arrested in a case on Sept 15. The official said the suspect, with the connivance of 17 immigrants, managed to get 15-day visit visas of Japan on the invitation of Boavista Football Club. The official claimed that he used forged Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) registration letter and a fake NOC from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The official claimed that the suspect extorted Rs4 to 4.5 millions from each of the 17 person. He said that they travelled to Japan on January 1, 2024 and never returned. FIA Gujranwala Director Muhammad Bin Ashraf told Dawn that a case had been registered against the suspect and further investigation was ongoing. The suspect was also nominated in another similar case at FIA ...

GURDASPUR: The fields are full but the paddy brown and wilted, and the air thick with the stench of rotting crops and livestock — the aftermath of record monsoon rains that have devastated India’s breadbasket. In Punjab, often dubbed the country’s granary, the damage is unprecedented: floods have swallowed farmlands almost the size of London and New York City combined. India’s agriculture minister said in a recent visit to the state that “the crops have been destroyed and ruined”, and Indian Punjab chief minister called the deluge “one of the worst flood disasters in decades”. Old-timers agree. “The last time we saw such an all-consuming flood was in 1988,” said 70-year-old Balkar Singh in the village of Shehzada, 30km north of Amritsar. The gushing waters have reduced Singh’s paddy field to marshland and opened ominous cracks in the walls of his house. Floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon season on the subcontinent, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned dev...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday formally inaugurated Mashreq Digital Retail Bank in Pakistan, marking a significant step toward transforming the country’s banking landscape into a modern, paperless, and digital economy.

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/ LAHORE - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed all provinces and relevant institutions to conduct a thorough assessment of the damages caused by recent floods and rains as the official death toll in the Punjab province swelled to 112.

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered removal of Major General (retired) Hafeezur Rehman from his post as Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is leaving for Riyadh today on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.

ISLAMABAD: Days after Pakistan asked the Afghan Taliban to choose whether they want to stand with their neighbour, or the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pak­­i­s­tan (TTP) militant group, a key US official has called on Islamabad to seek a political settlement with Kabul. Zalmay Khalilzad, who was named US special representative to Afghanistan during the previous Trump administration, also called on Afghanistan to “help Pakistan with such negotiations”. The former diplomat recently undertook a visit to Kabul alongside US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, where he met with key members of the Afghan Taliban regime. In a tweet posted after he wrapped up his visit, Khalilzad noted that violence between Pakistan’s security forces and the TTP had resulted in the deaths of a significant number of security personnel and citizens. Imran echoes Khalilzad’s views, terms dialogue with Kabul only way to achieve lasting peace Saying that he believed pursuing a military solution to this challenge was a mistake, he called on Islamabad...

ISLAMABAD - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday visited the embassy of Qatar in Islamabad and met with Qatari Ambassador Ali bin Mubarak Al-Khater, where he condemned recent Israeli attacks on Qatar and expressed solidarity with the Gulf state.

LAHORE - With dwindling wheat reserves and soaring prices, the federal government has initiated a process of consultation with provincial governments to formulate Pakistan’s first nation-wide wheat policy.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday clarified that widows of the retired judges are not covered under the Presidential Order No.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and 15 other countries yesterday expressed their concern about the security of the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, a civil society initiative in which citizens of their countries are participating.

ISLAMABAD - The National Anti-Dengue Campaign 2025 was launched by the Federal Minister Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday, emphasizing prevention as the key to combating the mosquito-borne disease.

RAWALPINDI - The health teams on the first day vaccinated 24,179 girls with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) across the district achieving 6% of the campaign’s total target, and meeting 73% of the daily goal of 32,967 vaccinations.

QUETTA - In a landmark move toward transparency and digital governance, Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti Monday announced the launch of country’s first-ever automated digital financial e-filing system in Balochistan.

Removes Justice Jahangiri's name from cause list; AGP to assist court on maintainability of plea; IBC observes strike

Uncertainty hangs over Pakistan-UAE clash

Proposals include fresh levies on over 1,100 imports

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday cancelled the pre-match press conference of the Pakistan-United Arab Emirates (UAE) men’s Asia Cup match as the crisis from the fallout of the Pakistan-India match worsened. The PCB had lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against match referee Andy Pycroft over his alleged violations of rules pertaining to the “Spirit of Cricket“, with the board claiming that the referee had asked the Pakistan and India captains “not to shake hands at the time of the toss” for last Sunday’s match. “Pakistan will not be holding their pre-match press conference today,” the Asian Cricket Council confirmed in a statement on Tuesday ahead of Pakistan’s match against the UAE tomorrow. The PCB confirmed in a statement later in the day that the board had still not taken a final decision on continuing participation in the Asia Cup. “The Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet taken any final decision regarding the Asia Cup, “PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said in a statemen...