Pakistan

Sindh govt's civic agencies fight over share in fee collected from builders to improve infrastructure

Bench rules accused's statements broadcast on media not admissible in courts

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The Parliamentary Delegation of Pakistan led by Speaker of National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Tuesday visited the “ASAN Service” Center in Baku.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Qatari royal, Sheikha Asma Al Thani, as Pakistan’s Brand Ambassador for Mountains and Tourism following her successful summit of Nanga Parbat.

A German court ruled on Tuesday that the government must issue visas to an Afghan family previously accepted under a programme for those at risk after the Taliban seized power in 2021. The new government under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has frozen the programme, but Berlin’s administrative court said the family had been given a “legally binding” commitment and must be allowed to travel to Germany. About 2,500 Afghans with similar approvals are estimated to be in Pakistan waiting to be able to travel to Germany. The programme was set up for those who worked with Germany’s army or other institutions in Afghanistan, as well as journalists and activists judged to be threatened by the Taliban. However, the new government under Merz — who made a crackdown on immigration one of his key election pledges — has said in its coalition agreement it wants to end the programme “as far as possible”. The family concerned by Tuesday’s decision is currently in Pakistan and had lodged an urgent appeal, telling the co...

A high level defense delegation led by Lieutenant General Wang Gang, Chief of Staff of People's Liberation Army Air Force, called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, revealed that Imran has directed party members to dedicate themselves fully to the ongoing movement for freedom and the rule of law.

The federal government on Tuesday approved the import of half a million tonnes of sugar in a bid to maintain affordable prices of the commodity. A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had emphasised the need for a coordinated policy approach to ensure market stability for essential commodities and food items. He chaired a committee meeting today to assess the sugar situation in the country and evaluate import requirements. “The committee approved the import of up to 500,000 metric tonnes of sugar to ensure a stable supply and maintain affordable prices nationwide,” said a statement posted on X. Dar stressed the government’s commitment towards “price stability and safeguarding consumer interests”, the statement said. The meeting was attended by the food minister, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the secretary of the food ministry, senior officials from the Ministry of Industries and Production, and industry representatives. The Ministry of National Food Security...

Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and the three acting chief justices of the high courts took their oaths on Tuesday as the regular top judges. The oath-taking ceremonies were held a day after President Asif Ali Zardari appointed them, based on the nominations by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP). President Zardari administered the oath of office to Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, who has been serving in an acting capacity since February, during a ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by IHC judges, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, ministers, parliamentarians and the legal fraternity, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. View this post on Instagram The development comes less than a month after the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench, by a majority of 3-2, upheld the constitutionality of transferring three judges from other provincial high courts to the IHC and referred the matter of seniority determinati...

At least 29 schoolchildren and their driver were injured after a van plunged off a treacherous hilly road in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Tuesday, police said. Fatal accidents are common on roads in the mountainous regions of the country due to traffic rule violations, treacherous terrain and poor infrastructure. The van, carrying boys and girls from the private Islamia Public School in Chikar, was returning students to their homes when it met with the accident near a spot known as Tambrial Mor, Jhelum Superintendent of Police (SP) Mirza Zahid Hussain told Dawn.com. Chikar, a town and hill station in AJK’s Jhelum Valley district, is situated at an altitude of 5,272 feet above sea level and lies about 46 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, the state capital. As a winter resort, Chikar’s educational institutions do not observe extended summer vacations, unlike other areas. “It is assumed that after negotiating a bend, the vehicle went out of the driver’s control and fell down the road, causing injuries to almost e...

At least 29 schoolchildren and their driver were injured on Tuesday when a school van plunged off a steep mountainous road in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday praised her administration's pace and dedication in completing development projects across the province, calling it a milestone achievement in record time.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to set up ‘Chief Minister Health Vigilance Squad’ in the province, besides banning the use of mobile phones by nurses and paramedics. Presiding over a meeting here on Monday, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also directed implementation of ‘Red & Blue Code Emergency System’ in the hospitals across the province. She ordered that doctors at the public hospitals should be trained in the use of the code system. “The CM Health Vigilance Squad will visit the hospitals and review implementation of the directives of Ms Nawaz,” the meeting was told. The chief minister also directed provision of ventilators for children and adults in every teaching and district headquarters hospital. She reviewed the plan to deploy trained doctors in the districts in a phased manner, besides setting up catheterisation laboratories in the hospitals. Nurses, paramedics barred from using mobile phones She underscored the presence of consultants and heart surgeons in the district headquarters hospitals ...

Acknowledging strong Pak-ASEAN cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday underscored the potential to further deepen ties across diverse areas including trade, tourism, connectivity, IT, and education.

An Islamabad court ordered the blocking of 27 YouTube channels for allegedly airing anti-state content and spreading “false, misleading and fake” information, it emerged on Tuesday. The federal government established the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to probe illegal activities on social med­ia. The NCCIA, operating under the Interior Divi­sion, has a key role in combatting cybercrime in Pakistan. Sub-Inspector (SI) Waseem Khan of the NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Circle informed the Islamabad judicial magistrate on June 24 that under Section 37 (unlawful online content) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, the department was conducting an inquiry regarding 27 “Youtube channels who are involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state Institutions which is likely to cause fear, panic, disorder or unrest in the general public or society along with defamatory and fake remarks/information, which violates the privacy and harms the dignity of the off...

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman delivered a forceful press conference in Lahore, warning that any attempt by Pakistan to recognize Israel or join the Abraham Accords would be met with strong public resistance.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday issued an alert for heavy rainfall in several parts of the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northeast Punjab, Azad Kashmir and parts of Balochistan, for the next two days. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat. They are crucial to replenishing water supplies and agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security. However, they also wreak havoc by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. At least 19 people lost their lives in Balochistan, KP, and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi due to rain-related incidents in the past two days. An alert by the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) about a possible flood-like situation in various parts of the country has prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) stands as the most vulnerable province in Pakistan to the ongoing monsoon crisis, revealing critical infrastructural weaknesses and governance gaps that intensify the disaster’s impact.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday appointed Qatari mountaineer and royal family member Sheikha Asma Al Thani as the brand ambassador for Pakistan’s mountains and tourism after she recently successfully summited Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest mountain on Earth located in Gilgit-Baltistan region. Known as the “Killer Mountain,” the 8,126-metre-high peak is considered one of the world’s most dangerous climbs due to its severe weather conditions and rough terrain. In a post on X, the premier felicitated Sheikha Asma on the achievement. “I am pleased to appoint Her Highness Sheikha Asma Al Thani as the Brand Ambassador for Pakistan’s mountains and tourism. “My heartfelt felicitations to Her Highness on her recent feat of scaling Nanga Parbat. It is truly inspiring,” he wrote. “Her achievement sends a powerful message of courage and determination, and stands as a testament to the enduring friendship between Pakistan and Qatar,” he added. In a post on Instagram, Sheikha Asma described the relentless challeng...