Islamabad | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: As authorities draw criticism over the large-scale cutting of trees in Islamabad, Minister of State for Health maintained on Thursday pollen allergy cases in the federal capital had been on a decline following targeted felling. He expressed these views during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, which was chaired by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman and focused on the management of paper mulberry trees and ecological restoration in Islamabad. Recently, large-scale tree removal took place in at least three locations in Islamabad, including acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. Islamabad’s CDA has maintained that only paper mulberry trees were removed as they had been causing pollen allergies. WWF-Pakistan had also disputed Islamabad authorities’ stance, stating that the action was also linked to infrastructure development. During the briefing on Thursday, the state minister shared the National Institute of Health’s data in connection with mitigating Islamabad’s severe seasonal po...

The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation to establish a formal regulatory framework for online ride-hailing services operating in Islamabad, aiming to address safety, accountability, and administrative challenges in the rapidly expanding sector.

The sisters of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan on Tuesday abandoned their sit-in near Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail and headed to Islamabad for a protest rally. Sit-ins a short distance away from the prison on Tuesdays and Thursdays by PTI workers and supporters, as well as Imran’s sisters, have become a usual occurrence as the former premier’s family continues to be restricted from meeting the ex-premier. A court order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 24, 2025 mandated that meetings with Imran would be permitted twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Despite the IHC’s order, Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi — along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have tried and failed to meet Imran. On Tuesday, the party and Imran’s sisters had staged a sit-in near Adiala jail after again being denied a meeting with the incarcerated prime minister. However, on Tuesday night, the party’s media coordinators told Dawn that the sisters suddenly ended the demon...

Authorities in the federal capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags, with more than 166,000 cars now registered under the system, according to data released on Sunday, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.

ISLAMABAD: Concerned citizens and experts speaking at a webinar raised apprehensions over the growing environmental crisis in Islamabad, caused by rapid, unplanned and largely irreversible urban development by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and various housing societies, often in violation of zoning rules and regulations. Speakers stressed that the city’s green spaces were steadily being replaced by concrete due to weak governance, elite capture and a persistent conflict between populist decision-making and professional, science-based planning. A key outcome of the discussion was a strong call for a new, collaborative approach to sustainable urban development through the establishment of a dedicated Islamabad-focused think tank. Participants emphasised the need to bring together independent professionals, policymakers, civil society and creative communities, including architects, designers and artists, to develop long-term, people-centred solutions. The webinar underscored that environmental degradat...

Concerned citizens and environmental experts have raised serious concerns over a growing environmental crisis in Islamabad, blaming rapid, unplanned and largely irreversible urban development carried out by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and private housing societies in violation of zoning laws.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed local government elections in Islamabad after withdrawing the previously announced election schedule.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday withdrew the schedule for local government polls in Islamabad. The development came after the promulgation of an ordinance that changed the structure of local government and the mode of elections in the federal capital. On Monday, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the ordinance, which introduces several amendments to the Local Government Act 2015. Besides replacing the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) with three town corporations, the ordinance gives the government-appointed administrator more powers and an indefinite tenure. The statement issued by the ECP today stated that since “the structure of Local Governments and mode of Local Government Elections in Islamabad Capital Territory have been changed” after the “promulgation” of the local body ordinance, the schedule issued earlier is being withdrawn. Thousands of people from all 125 Union Councils of the federal capital had already submitted nomination papers for the elections. Meanwhile, the or...

Wheat prices have surged sharply over the past ten days across Punjab and Islamabad, triggering concerns over flour availability and rising costs for consumers.

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday issued directions to law enforcement authorities to arrest lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, “within 24 hours”, warning them of contempt in case of non-compliance. Mazari and Chattha have been facing legal proceedings in a case on accusations of inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. During today’s hearing, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka issued strict orders to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Islamabad, Jawad Tariq, to arrest Mazari and her husband within 24 hours. “Take them from Pakistan, India or Afghanistan. You have 24 hours. I don’t know whether they are at sea or in the sky. Wherever they are, arrest Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha within 24 hours, otherwise contempt of court proceedings will be initiated,” the judge remarked during the heari...

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday revoked the bail of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to controversial social media posts, directing law enforcement authorities to arrest them and present them before the court.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Pakistan Assan Khidmat Markaz in Islamabad, aimed at providing integrated public services to residents of the federal capital.

HYDERABAD: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday alleged, without naming anyone, that “some powers” wanted to rob Sindh of its rights and transfer its resources to Islamabad on the pretext of claims that the provincial government had performed poorly. He made this statement while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of Tharparkar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology in Tharparkar. “Efforts are made, a campaign is run to assassinate the character of not just Tharparkar but your entire province as part of a conspiracy and for a particular objective. Some forces want to rob your province of its rights and resources and have them transferred back to Islamabad on the pretext that the Sindh government has not done anything,” he alleged. He added, “I believe that the answer to this false narrative is Tharparkar. You can see how Tharparkar was before 2008, before the 18th Amendment, and how it is in 2026. Yes, there are problems, but the Tharparkar of 2026 is before you a...

Emir Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Hafiz Naeemur Rehman demanded that local body polls in the federal capital be held as per the earlier announced schedule. President Asif Ali Zardari approved an ordinance that introduces several amendments to the Local Government Act 2015. The new ordinance was introduced at a time when the local governments in Islamabad were scheduled to be held on February 15. Chances are now slim that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will assert holding the elections as scheduled. “The elections should be held on time and on the basis of nominations that have been done, while the ordinance needs to be abolished and undemocratic practices need to end,” he said, while speaking to the media in Islamabad. The JI chief claimed the officials did not intend to hold elections as they had also removed a clause in the ordinance that specified its duration of six months. “Usually, it is considered that the administration of Islamabad is well-established, but the federal capital is facing a severe cr...

The PPP on Wednesday continued questioning the government on the recent deforestation in Islamabad, expressing dissatisfaction with the answers given by the government in a session of the National Assembly (NA) a day earlier. In the past few days, there has been widespread criticism over the cutting of thousands of mature trees in various locations of the federal capital, including the levelling of acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. On Tuesday, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry had informed lawmakers that 29,115 trees had been removed from the Islamabad Capital Territory region (ICT), but that more than this number would be planted in the coming months. PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri, addressing a press conference, said that the issue had been raised in the NA as “all parliamentarians were concerned”, hoping that they would receive answers to the “questions that have been flying about”. However, she said, the response by the state minister for interior during Tuesday’s NA session had only raised...

WWF-Pakistan on Tuesday disputed Islamabad authorities’ stance that paper mulberry trees were removed in the capital for causing allergies, stating that the action was also linked to infrastructure development. Recently, large-scale tree removal took place in at least three locations in the federal capital, including acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) has maintained that only paper mulberry trees were removed as they had been causing pollen allergies, and earlier on Tuesday Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry assured lawmakers that more trees would be planted in the coming months. “WWF-Pakistan’s field assessments indicate that vegetation loss in the capital is not limited to Paper Mulberry management alone, but is also linked to infrastructure development in multiple locations,” the environmental body said on social media. “Beyond pollen and allergies, Islamabad’s recent tree removal reflects broader challenges in urban planning,” it added. Soc...

ISLAMABAD - At least eight people were killed and 12 others injured in an explosion at a house in Islamabad’s Sector G-7/2 at 07:24 am on Sunday, officials said.

ISLAMABAD: At least eight people died, and 12 others were injured in an explosion at a house in Islamabad’s Sector G-7/2 during wedding festivities on Sunday, officials said. The officials said the deceased also included the bride and the groom. According to Pak­is­tan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil, six bodies and 11 injured people were brought to the hospital, where the injured were being provided medical treatment. She told Dawn that an emergency was imposed in Pims after the incident on the directives of Executive Director (ED) Dr Rana Imran Sikander. One of the injured was being treated at the hospital’s burns centre as he had sustained 20 per cent burn injuries, she said. Dr Aneeza later told Dawn that nine of the 11 injured had been discharged, and among the two at the hospital, the condition of one was “unstable”. The victim would have to undergo surgery, she added. Meanwhile, Islamabad Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Sahibzada Yusuf reached the site of the ...

The government on Saturday decided to implement an emergency action plan to address the worsening water shortage in Islamabad, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a high-level meeting to review short- and long-term measures to enhance water supply to the twin cities.

PESHAWAR: In what is being interpreted as a tac­it acknowledgement of Pak­­istan’s grouse with Ka­­bul, the leader of a notorious terrorist outfit has reportedly urged his ‘commanders’ to avoid recruiting and deploying foreign fighters — most notably Afghans — to fight in Pakistan, warning of serious consequences if his instructions are violated. The instruction was rel­ayed by Hafiz Gul Baha­dur, who heads the so-cal­led Ittehadul Mujahideen Pakistan, in an audio message released to his cadres a few days ago, The Khorasan Diary reported. This also seems to fly in the face of Kabul’s stance that the terrorist threat plaguing Pakistan is “an internal problem”. The issue of Afghan soil and fighters being used to stage terrorist attacks in Pakistan has remained a critical bone of contention between Islamabad and Afghanistan, escalating into border skirmishes and leading to the eventual closure of the Pak-Afghan border in October last year. In recent months, Pakis­tan’s civilian and military leadership has mainta...