Pakistan

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said that social media influencer Sana Yousuf’s killer should receive an exemplary punishment and that this should be a “test case” so that no such crime occurs in the future. Islamabad Police arrested Umar Hayat, the main suspect in the 17-year-old’s murder, on June 3, nearly a day after she was gunned down in her house in the federal capital. Police claimed the man murdered Sana because she repeatedly refused his advances. An Islamabad court on Friday extended Hayat’s physical remand for another three days. Tarar visited Yousuf’s home and extended condolences to her family, telling them that the prime minister and the interior minister had taken strict notice of the murder. He noted that the police arrested the suspect within hours of the incident and lauded the investigation. “The culprit should get the strictest punishment to make an example,” Tarar told reporters outside the house, adding that the family has a “good legal team” and a strong case. “The impo...

Naveed Asghar Chaudhry has been appointed to the position of acting chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday. The appointment of Asghar follows the resignation of retired Lieutenant General Sajjad Ghani earlier in the day. Ghani served in the role for almost three years before stepping down. Asghar previously served as the interim Wapda chairman in 2022 after retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain resigned due to “personal reasons”. He then passed the role to retired Lt Gen Ghani three months later. He will now serve again as Wapda chairman “for a period of three months or until the appointment of [a] regular chairman […] with immediate effect and until further orders”, the ministry said. Asghar will take on the position in addition to his current role as Wapda’s Member (Finance) under the Water Resources Division. Asghar previously accompanied Ghani as he visited the sites of major projects during his time as cha...

The Pakistani government said on Saturday it has decided to formally recommend US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” during the recent India-Pakistan crisis. The move by Pakistan was another indication of improved bilateral ties with the US. In a post shared on X, the government said the international community had “bore witness to unprovoked and unlawful Indian aggression, which constituted a grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly”. Following the Indian aggression, Pakistan “launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos — a measured, resolute, and precise military response”, the post read. It noted that the response was executed to exercise the country’s “fundamental right to self-defence” and “carefully to re-establish deterrence”, defending its “territorial integrity while consciously avoiding civilian harm”. The ...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has warned that any rudeness or misconduct from the opposition will be met with an equally strong response.

New Delhi’s civil aviation regulator has ordered Air India to remove three officials from their roles over “systemic failures”, according to a directive seen by AFP on Saturday, as the carrier comes under scrutiny after a deadly crash. The instruction from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) did not detail whether it was linked to the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board. At least 38 others on the ground were killed. The DGCA directive noted that the airline’s voluntary disclosures “point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability”. “Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” said the order, which was issued on Friday. “These officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses,” it said. The regulator has directed Air India to remove three officials named in the order “from all roles and responsibili...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Sana Yousuf’s murder should be a test case so that no one in the future can dare commit such a crime.

Senior PTI leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Adviser Barrister Dr.

The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has approved bail for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the May 9 Shadman arson case.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police killed a terrorist and injured two others belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group on Saturday in Dera Ismail Khan as they attempted to attack the police. A statement issued from the police said the TTP terrorists targeted a police party near the Malang area within the jurisdiction of Hathala Police Station as they were returning from duty in the Takwara area. “The police retaliated vigorously and repelled the terrorists’ attack. In the retaliatory action of the Dera Police, an active terrorist of the banned TTP-Gandapur group … was killed while two more terrorists were injured,” the statement said. It added that District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada led a police contingent, including the Saddar superintendent of police and DIK Police, and launched a search and strike operation to arrest the injured terrorists upon reaching the scene. The statement said KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed congratulated the Dera Police for standing as a wa...

Today marks the 72nd birth anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first female prime minister and a symbol of democratic resilience.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has postponed the hearing of the reserved seats case, initially scheduled for Monday.

RAWALPINDI: Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan, who had been in police remand for two days, was produced before a judicial magistrate on Friday as police sought an extension of his physical remand. However, the former senator was sent to judicial jail for 14 days and will be produced before the court again on July 4, 2025, after the completion of his judicial remand. Chaudhry Tanveer has been charged in the murder case of former parliamentary secretary and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) member of the provincial assembly, Adnan Chaudhry. He was taken into custody on Tuesday after his counsel informed Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench that they were withdrawing the pre-arrest bail application and had decided to join the police investigation in the case. Following the withdrawal of the bail petition, the police took Chaudhry Tanveer into custody in accordance with the bail cancellation order issued by the subordinate court. He was later pr...

The Government of Pakistan has officially announced its intent to recommend former US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, lauding his diplomatic efforts during the recent military standoff between Pakistan and India.

The Punjab government has announced the imposition of Section 144 across the province from the 1st to the 10th of Muharram-ul-Haram to maintain law and order during the holy month.

Pakistan on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urgently step in and help facilitate a peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, warning that the situation threatens to destabilize the entire region.

Today, the world observes the summer solstice — the longest day and shortest night of the year 2025.

Pakistan on Friday strongly rejected Indian media reports suggesting that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar had admitted Pakistan requested a ceasefire following recent hostilities with India.

SUKKUR: Shikarpur sessions judge on Friday summoned head muharrars along with FIR registers to the court and had them lodge cases against a DSP, three SHOs and IT in-charge of district police on charges of committing house robberies. The court had ordered registration of cases against the police officials after receiving complaints from public but the police stations concerned had been dragging their feet over the FIRs for over a month. Finally, the judge took the extraordinary step to have the cases filed in his presence. Shikarpur SSP and his PRO did not respond to Dawn’s queries when this reporter contacted them to get their comment. A case was lodged on Ms Irshad Lehar’s complaint against Khanpur DSP Rana Nasrullah, Khanpur SHO Tufail Ahmadani, New Faujdari SHO Akhtar Abro, District Police IT Branch In-charge Saifullah Chandio, head constable Abdullah Shah and others under sections 395, 365, 427, 454, 148, 149, and 220 of the PPC on charges of committing house robbery. Head muharrars summoned to court to ...

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Climate change, shortage of irrigation water and weather conditions suitable for pest attack reduced the mango yield by up to 45pc this year. The most affected variety is Chaunsa, which is also called Samar Bahisht in Rahim Yar Khan and Multan areas. Similarly, the impact of Iran-Israel war has also totally suspended the export of Sindhri mango variety, a favourite in Iran. There are many mango orchards in Rahimabad, Bhong, Jamaldinwali, Sheikh Wahan, Yousafabad, Mianwali Qureshian, Sardar Garh, Zahirpir, Khanbela and Taranda Muhammad Pannah in district Rahim Yar Khan where the fruit is cultivated on over more than 60,000 acres of land. According to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda), there are around 2,300 to 2,500 orchards of medium and large size growing in Rahim Yar Khan and there about 2,300 growers in the area. Some sources give the estimate of total mango production from Rahim Yar Khan alone as 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes. Yield is estimated to be 45pc less thi...

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development hosted the thematic meeting of the Budapest Process, marking a significant milestone in Pakistan’s engagement with this international platform.