Pakistan

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Preliminary inquiry claims heart attack as cause of death

Victims from same extended family were returning from funeral

Wildlife dept warns of legal action for undeclared exotic animals

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suffered a significant political setback in Azad Kashmir as two senior members of the Legislative Assembly officially joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of the Naval Staff, Pakistan Navy visited PAF Air War College Institute, Karachi on Monday.

A high-level delegation from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Monday visited the Pakistan Hajj Mission, extending heartfelt appreciation and congratulations on the successful completion of Hajj 2025.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday welcomed the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague to issue a “supplemental award” in the Indus Waters case, urging India to resume the functioning of the Treaty, which it has held in abeyance since May. According to the PCA’s rules, a supplemental award is an additional ruling issued by a court or tribunal after its initial decision, usually to address a specific issue that wasn’t fully resolved or to clarify certain points, such as jurisdiction, competence, or interpretation of a treaty or agreement. India in April held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. “In a supplemental...

Spanish authorities on Monday detained former top socialist party official Santos Cerdan in a corruption case that is a new blow for left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, judicial sources said. Former transport minister José Luis Ábalos has also been implicated in the investigation into kickbacks for public contracts, which has created the biggest political crisis Sanchez has faced since taking office in 2018. The sources said a Supreme Court judge ordered the detention of Cerdan, who has quit as the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party organisation secretary — the ruling party’s number three post — as there was a “risk” he might try to flee or destroy evidence. He is being held without bail on allegations of corruption, money laundering and criminal association, the sources said. Cerdan denied the accusation in an audience with the lead investigating judge on Monday, saying he was the victim of a political plot, they said. Sanchez has sought to distance himself and the Socialist party from the scandal, which i...

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, gave on Monday the strongest indication yet that the 600-year-old institution would continue after his death, at prayer celebrations for his 90th birthday. The Dalai Lama joined thousands of Buddhist followers on Monday in the prayer celebrations, a landmark event resonating far beyond the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades. “As far as the institution of the Dalai Lama, there will be some kind of a framework within which we can talk about its continuation,” he said, speaking in Tibetan. The leader, who turns 90 on July 6, is according to Tibetans the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. He and thousands of other Tibetans have lived in exile in India since Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959. Draped in traditional maroon and yellow robes, the Dalai Lama sat and listened to speeches and chants of monks, nuns, pilgrims, as well as well-wishers from across the world on Monday. “Though I am 90 years old, physica...

The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, requesting that the final ruling in the reserved seats review case be reissued as a formal Order of the Court, complete with signatures from all 12 judges on the bench.

Leading experts, diplomats, and policymakers unanimously urged on Monday to embrace a shift toward human-centered, integrated development for Balochistan under Phase-II of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to establish the latter as gateway to sustainable growth and development.

Pakistan on Monday called on India to immediately restore the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty and fulfill its obligations under the agreement.

Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure this month. “Customs officers… foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes… seized from passenger returning from Thailand,” said customs officers in the airport in the Indian financial hub. The passenger, who arrived on Sunday, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with “further investigation underway”. The live snakes included reptiles often sold in the pet trade, and were largely non-venomous, or with venom too weak to affect people. They included garter snakes, a rhino rat snake and a Kenyan sand boa, among others. In early June, customs officers stopped a passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand. Days later, officers stopped another traveller carrying 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums. Wildlife trade monitor Traffic, which battles the smugglin...

Tremors were felt in Zhob and adjoining regions of Balochistan on Monday as a 4.

After years on the front lines of danger, a four-legged hero has taken his final bow. Deep, an 11-year-old British Labrador and one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police’s “most trusted” explosives sniffer dogs, retired last week after nearly a decade of sniffing out threats, saving lives, and earning the respect of his human colleagues. Trained in explosives detection, Deep was part of the KP Police’s elite K9 Unit, formed in 2014 to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts and support criminal investigations. Over the years, he worked alongside officers during high-stakes operations, security sweeps, and major public events, where his instincts often proved life-saving. During his nearly 10 years of service, Deep showed that he was more than just a service dog: he became a symbol of loyalty and bravery. To honour Deep’s outstanding contributions, the KP Police Special Branch K9 Unit held a modest but heartfelt retirement ceremony last Tuesday. The event was attended by unit officials and K9 handlers and marked the first...

Palestinians in northern Gaza reported one of the worst nights of Israeli bombardment in weeks after the military issued mass evacuation orders on Monday, while Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the Trump administration. A day after US President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old conflict, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected at the White House for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran, and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, there was no sign of fighting letting up. “Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, 60, a father of five children, from Gaza City. “In the news, we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground, we see death, and we hear explosions.” Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of the Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of fami...

Diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran cannot resume unless the US rules out further strikes on Iran, its deputy foreign minister told the BBC late Sunday. Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the British broadcaster that the US had signalled it wants to return to the negotiating table, a week after it struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. “We have not agreed to any date, we have not agreed to the modality,” said Takht-Ravanchi. “Right now we are seeking an answer to this question. Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?” The US needed to be “quite clear on this very important question”, he said. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was not offering Iran anything nor talking to it “since we totally obliterated” the country’s nuclear facilities. “I am not offering Iran anything, unlike Obama,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The two countries were in talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme when Israel hit Iranian nuclear sites and military inf...

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, said on Monday that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed the transformation of Islamabad into a pilot smart city under an integrated strategy using emerging technologies.