Pakistan

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to arrive in Islamabad on Saturday (tomorrow) for a two-day official visit to Pakistan, the Foreign Office confirmed on Friday.

Islamabad - Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal chaired a National EPI Review Meeting on Thursday, bringing together provincial health leaders and international partners, including UNICEF, WHO, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation.

LAHORE: This year’s Asia Cup which among other nations will feature defending champions India and Pakistan, the two major cricketing giants of the continent, is facing a fresh challenge — this time from the broadcaster, Dawn has learnt. A highly exorbitant rate set for Pakistan’s region by official broadcaster of the Asia Cup based in India plus the uncertainty prevailing over the pinnacle clash of the event between Pakistan and India, the chances are bleak that any sports channel in Pakistan could buy the broadcasting rights for the continental showpiece. The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from Sept 9 to 28 at its new venue — the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — where it was shifted from original hosts India, due to Pakistan-India political tensions and also due to stra­ins between India and Bangladesh. According to well-informed sources, Asia Cup’s official broadcaster has set significantly higher rate for Pakistan’s region. It is learnt that the broadcaster, having secured Pan-Asia broadcast rights in a $170...

ISLAMABAD - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday inaugurated a Turkish cultural photo exhibition in Islamabad, highlighting the deepening cultural ties between Pakistan and Türkiye.

KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah convened a meeting of the vice chancellors of 64 universities, comprising 30 public and 34 private institutions at Chief Minister House to devise a detailed programme for celebrating Independence Day under the theme of “Marqa-e-Haq”.

Pakistan’s largest refiner Cnergyico will import 1 million barrels of oil from Vitol in October, its Vice Chairman Usama Qureshi told Reuters on Friday, marking the country’s first-ever purchase of US crude following a landmark trade deal. The West Texas Intermediate light crude cargo will be loaded from Houston this month and is expected to arrive in Karachi in the second half of October, Qureshi said. “This is a test spot cargo under our umbrella term agreement with Vitol. If it is commercially viable and available, we could import at least one cargo per month,” he said, adding that the shipment was not meant for resale. The deal follows months of multiple negotiations, which first began in April, he said, after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 29pc tariffs on imports from Pakistan. On Thursday, Pakistan hailed a trade deal struck with the US, its top export market, and said the agreement would increase investments. The White House said on Thursday the US will charge a 19pc tariff on imports f...

MANSEHRA: The police on Thursday arrested a man who allegedly posted sacrilegious content on social media. “We have arrested an accused under the blasphemy law and started investigation,” Iftikhar Khan, the sub-inspector, told reporters. A group of people lodged the FIR with the city police, stating that an accused who belonged to the city area had posted sacrilegious content on social media. “We have lodged an FIR against the accused under sections 295a and 298a by the order of the district police officer, Shafiullah Khan Gandapur, and arrested him from his residence,” he said. Mr Khan said that following the arrest of the accused, the team, which also collected the evidence, had started investigation. “The police have also seized the record for forensic analysis,” Mr Khan added. FUNDS SOUGHT FOR LOCAL GOVTS: The Pakistan Muslim League (N) on Thursday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to empower and release development funds to local governments or wrap this system. “This system has become a fina...

ISLAMABAD: The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) held its multi-party conference on Thursday, appealing for a new social contract to restore the Constitution and democracy, claiming that government officials had blocked access to the original venue, forcing them to relocate. The alliance was forced to move its conference to a private farmhouse after authorities placed barriers at its intended venue, Tulip Banquet Hall, organisers said TTAP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that when he and other leaders, including Mehmood Khan Achakzai, arrived at the Tulip Banquet Hall, the venue management was absent. “Barriers were placed there and it was made impossible to go there,” Mr Khokhar said. “We held a press conference there and then we decided to move the venue to my farmhouse located in Tarlai.” Urges ‘democratic’ forces to unite and draft a new charter to restore democracy The conference, attended by opposition parties, lawyers, and media figures, criticised what speakers called t...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United States on Thursday finalised a trade agreement aimed at boosting bilateral trade, expanding market access, attracting investment and fostering cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the State of Pakistan is committed to eliminating the scourge of terrorism at its roots, and the world acknowledges Pakistan’s successful operations against terrorists.

ISLAMABAD - In response to the ongoing sugar crisis in the country, the federal government has taken strict action against sugar mills and seized all sugar stocks nationwide under its control.

BANNU: Smoke billows from an alleged terrorist hideout, which was destroyed by security personnel during an intelligence-based operation.—Dawn LAKKI MARWAT: At least six law enforcement personnel were injured in a quadcopter attack on Miryan police station in Bannu district on Thursday amid an ongoing operation against terrorists in the Nurar area. A police official said a joint intelligence-based operation was launched by police, security forces and Counter-Terrorism Depar­tment (CTD) commandos targeting terrorists in the Miryan police station area. The operation followed intelligence about the presence of “Fitna al-Khawarij” — the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — in the region. “During the aerial att­a­ck, a quadcopter dropped explosives on the police station, causing an explosion that left two army soldiers, three CTD personnel and one police constable inju­red,” the police official said. The wounded officers were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital and the Combined ...

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday addressed the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, where he emphasised the importance of parliamentary cooperation in tackling today’s global challenges.

LAHORE - Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Maliki held a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday to discuss matters of mutual interest, including economic cooperation, defense collaboration, and the unity of the.

PESHAWAR - Mishal Azam, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate, has been elected as Senator on the reserved women’s seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly through a by-election.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to Ghana, Najeeb Durrani, called on President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD - The federal government has slashed the rates of petrol by Rs 7.

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M), who is on official visit to Egypt for the 3rd round of Defence and Security Talks, called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Defence Minister General Abdel Mageed Ahmed Abdel Mageed Saqr, Commander-in-Chief of Egyptian Armed.

• US president criticises India for doing business with Russia, describing both economies as ‘dead’ • Medvedev brushes aside Trump’s attack NEW DELHI: By declaring the Indian economy as dead in the water on Thursday, President Donald Trump has put Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party in a bind. Until recently, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was canvassing support for the US president’s election. Its supporters were holding special prayers and muttering mystical chants for Trump’s victory. There was at least one temple created where a sculptured image of Trump was worshipped. But Trump has ignored the lavish praise and called out India’s energy imports from Russia and its tariff regime as non-negotiable. The Indian government said it was trying to figure out a response by consulting all the “stakeholders”, a euphemism for angry businesses whose hopes were riding on Mr Modi’s daring ability to play both sides of the street. That appears to have hit a dead-end. Encouraging words have come from former Ru...

GILGIT: More cloudburst-induced floods hit Ghizer and Hunza districts on Tuesday, causing widespread destruction. According to the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA), the heavy rainfall led to flooding in Khatam village in Ghizer’s Gupis Valley, blocking the Ghizer-Shandur Road and damaging agricultural land and private properties. The floodwaters also caused significant damage to the irrigation channel in Ghalapan village in Gojal, upper Hunza, which provides water for over 50,000 forest trees, according to residents. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has declared 37 villages across the region as calamity-hit areas. According to a notification issued by the GB Home and Prisons Department, the affected areas include 12 villages in Diamer, nine in Gilgit, five in Ghizer, four each in Skardu and Shigar, two in Ghanche, and one each in Nagar and Kharmang. GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said in a statement that the recent floods across Gilgit-Baltistan have caused an estimated Rs20 b...