Pakistani | Pakistan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday dismissed Indian media reports claiming that a man arrested in the US for illegal possession of a machine gun was Pakistani, clarifying that he is an Afghan national.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday that a man arrested by the US police last week in Delaware after he was found in possession of a handgun, ammunition and written plans for an attack was not of Pakistani origin and was an Afghan. “He is not [a] Pakistani national or [of] Pakistan origin. He is an Afghan, spent a few years as a refugee [in Pakistan] and then went to the US, where he spent most of his life,” Andrabi said in a statement shared with journalists. His clarification came after several media reports, including those from Indian and American news outlets, identified the suspect as a man of Pakistani origin. A USA Today report said the arrested man, Luqman Khan, was a Pakistan-born US citizen, who was arrested on November 24. Similarly, reports by the New York Post and India’s Hindustan Times and Times of India, among others, also identified him as a Pakistani immigrant. According to a report by The Associated Press from earlier today, which also does not identify Khan as ...

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday emphasised that the mandate of the planned International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza should be focused on monitoring the ceasefire and securing the territory’s borders, as he suggested a broader Pakistani role in the reconstruction and recovery of the conflict-battered territory. “Our position on the stabilisation force is clear that its main mandate must be monitoring the ceasefire on the ground to ensure that both sides abide by their commitments, and securing the borders of Gaza,” he said while talking to Dawn shortly after landing in Islamabad for a two-day visit during which he would discuss with Pakistani leaders a wide agenda — from consultations on conflicts, including Gaza and Sudan, and the dispute over the Iranian nuclear programme, to ways of intensifying economic cooperation. His comments came after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar disclosed publicly for the first time that Islamabad had conveyed to international part...

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said on Friday that three Pakistani prisoners in India were repatriated via the Wagah border. The border, which connects Lahore with the Indian city of Amritsar, is the only active land crossing between the two neighbours. It was closed to general traffic following a brief but intense military conflict earlier this year. The high commission identified the prisoners repatriated today as Asghar Ali, Ramzan and Muhammad Idrees, saying that it would continue working towards the “release and repatriation of all Pakistani prisoners in India”. The Foreign Office (FO) told Dawn the identities of the arrested fishermen and when they were taken into custody. Ramzan, 43, from Lahore, was arrested in 2010 by India on charges of illegally crossing the border and possessing narcotics. After receiving consular access, his status as a Pakistani national was confirmed in February 2011. Meanwhile, Muhammad Idrees from Narowal was arrested in 1995 for allegedly crossing the border illeg...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P) Senator Attaul Haq on Thursday stated that Afghans with Pakistani passports travel abroad and if they engage in crime, it reflects badly on Islamabad. Speaking during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, he said, “Fifty per cent of Afghans travel abroad using Pakistani passports. Whenever Afghans are caught by authorities abroad, they are carrying Pakistani passports.” An official from the interior ministry acknowledged that this had occurred, but assured the committee that the practice had stopped. “In the past, when people were deported from Saudi Arabia, it was found that deportees were Afghan citizens carrying Pakistani passports.” Earlier today, the committee condemned Justice Ali Baqar Najafi’s remarks in the Noor Mukadam case that surfaced a day earlier, deeming them “ridiculous”. Justice Najafi, who is now part of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), observed that the Noor Mukadam case was the direct result of a “vice” spreading in soci...

A Pakistani diplomat in Afghanistan met a key Afghan governor amid tensions over rising terror incidents in Pakistan, saying efforts were underway to thaw bilateral ties, according to Afghan state media and Pakistani sources who spoke to Dawn. The meeting was held hours after three Federal Constabulary men were martyred in a suicide attack on the force’s headquarters in Peshawar’s Saddar area this morning. Security forces quickly neutralised the attackers. This was the first high-level contact in months between the Pakistani Consul General in Jalalabad, Shafqatullah Khan and Nangarhar Governor Mullah Muhammad Naeem Akhund. Akhund is an important Taliban leader and is considered a confidant of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Governor Akhund has previously served as deputy minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs and deputy minister of Civil Aviation during the Taliban’s first government from 1996-2001. He had played a key role in the Taliban’s military commission during the 20-year war against the ...

South Korea’s Lotte Chemical said on Thursday it has sold about 75 per cent stake in its Pakistani subsidiary to Dubai-based PTA Global Holding for $68.94 million (98 billion won). The South Korean company is trying to restructure its portfolio under a government-led programme aimed at aiding loss-making petrochemicals in the country due to poor demand and abundant supply. Lotte Chemical Pakistan produces 500,000 tons of high-purity terephthalic acid (PTA), used in polyester fibers, industrial yarns, and PET bottles, annually at its plant in Karachi. Adnan Afridi has been appointed the firm’s chief executive officer following the stake sale, Lotte Chemical Pakistan said in a statement late on Wednesday. “The acquisition marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the company’s journey — one defined by innovation, operational excellence, and strategic growth, positioning Lotte Chemical Pakistan as a key industrial growth agent for PET and PSF customers in Pakistan,” the statement said. The statement also...

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday said that the suicide bomber who carried out the attack outside the Islamabad district and sessions court building was “not a Pakistani national”. Twelve people were killed and 36 were injured in a suicide blast on Tuesday outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area. The incident occurred as international events were being hosted in the capital, including the first one-day international (ODI) match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. A clearance operation was also carried out in Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan against terrorists hiding inside the educational institute. Statements from the leadership had linked the attacks to Afghanistan and India. Elaborating on the matter in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Chaudhry said: “The suicide attacker in the Islamabad blast was not a Pakistani. I am confirming this to you. He did not know Pakistan’s language nor did he know of the c...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested a suspect accused of selling the personal data of Pakistani citizens online.

The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended a Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruling that had granted Pakistani citizenship to an Afghan man on the basis of his marriage to a Pakistani woman.

The information ministry on Tuesday rubbished what it said was a “completely fabricated” report about an alleged meeting of the Pakistani leadership with the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency and Israel’s Mossad that would see Pakistan sending troops to Gaza for a peace force. A cornerstone of the US-brokered Gaza Peace Agreement is the establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), composed mainly of troops from Muslim-majority countries. According to officials close to the discussions, an announcement is expected soon from the federal government regarding the decision. Officials familiar with the deliberations, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said discussions within the government and military establishment were at an “advanced stage”. According to them, the tone of internal consultations suggests that Islamabad is inclined to take part in the mission. Earlier today, Indian news outlet First Post reported that per CNN-News 18, top intelligence source...

Posts from Afghan media outlets and users on social media platform X on Wednesday shared a video allegedly showing a Pakistani tank captured by the Afghan Taliban. However, the tank in the clip is not Pakistani. On Sunday, fierce border clashes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban resulted in the martyrdom of 23 troops and left over 200 Taliban fighters dead, including a number of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorists. Both nations claimed to have destroyed the border posts of the other side. On Tuesday, fighting flared up again between the neighbours in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The next day, the third major skirmish also took place, with the Pakistani security forces saying an attack by the Afghan Taliban was repulsed in Spin Boldak, killing about 15-20 Taliban fighters. Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a social media post that the Afghan forces were “forced to retaliate” after attacks by Pakistani forces in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. Mujahid claimed...

Pakistan is expanding its trade and investment footprint in Saudi Arabia, with over 100 Pakistani information technology (IT) firms now formally registered to operate in the Kingdom.

he Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has announced fully funded PhD scholarships under the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor Project, offering Pakistani students the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies at top 300 QS World-Ranked universities in the United States.

Google announced on Thursday that Pakistani students of age 18 and above will be able to gain access to a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. According to a press release by the company, the offer is designed to help students “enhance their learning, research, and creativity through advanced AI tools — at no cost”. The Gemini AI Pro Plan allows these students to access Google’s most capable AI features. These include the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, which gives higher access to its “most capable model” for features like Deep Research to assist with assignments, research, and creative projects. Gemini is also available in Google Apps, “bringing AI assistance directly into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, helping students summarise emails, create study presentations, and analyse data more efficiently”. Students also gain access to NotebookLM, Google’s personalised, AI-powered research and writing tool, and are given higher limits to tools for creating videos from text or photos, including Veo 3 in Gem...

ISLAMABAD - First Lady of Pakistan, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, lauded the compassion and dedication of Chinese doctors in saving the lives of Pakistani children suffering from congenital heart disease.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani banks led the Asia-Pacific region in equity performance during the third quarter (July-September) of 2025, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The Bank of Punjab topped the list of publicly traded banks in the region with a market capitalisation greater than $100 million, delivering a total return of 176.4 per cent during the quarter. The Lahore-based bank, with a market cap of approximately $320m as of September 30, outperformed other regional lenders. The Bank of Khyber, based in Peshawar, ranked second with a total return of 108.2pc. Other Pakistani banks among the top 15 performers included National Bank of Pakistan, JS Bank, Askari Bank, and Habib Bank, bringing the total number of Pakistani banks in the top rankings to six. Six banks feature in the region’s top performers list Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index also saw notable gains, advancing 11pc in July and 11.4pc in September. Investor sentiment was bolstered by the resolution of a military conflict with...

Pakistan Army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that India failed to shoot down any Pakistani aircraft during the Maarka-e-Haq battle, emphasizing that Pakistan’s defense capabilities are based on effective strategy and modern technology rather than an arms race.

Pakistani film Moklani: The Last Mohanas has won the country’s first-ever award at the Jackson Wild Media Awards, according to a press release from production company Jawad Sharif Films. Formed in 1991 as the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, the Jackson Wild Media Awards recognise achievements in wildlife filmmaking. According to the group’s website, it works to “maximise the impact of storytelling that highlights our urgent and collective responsibility to protect and restore our planet”. According to the press release, the film — directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker Jawad Sharif — was chosen from a pool of over 500 entries and declared the winner in the Global Voices Category at the Awards Gala in Jackson, Wyoming, on October 2. “Over 200 international judges screened more than 1,000 hours of media before selecting the film as [the] winner in the Global Voices Category,” the press release read. “The film tells the story of the Mohanas of Manchar Lake, an indigenous fisher folk community whos...

Civil society and advocacy groups gathered on Thursday outside the Karachi Press Club to protest against the detention of activists aboard the Gaza Sumud Flotilla (GSF), calling on the government to demand the release of the Pakistani delegation, led by former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. On Wednesday, the GSF, carrying aid to Gaza in its attempt to break Israel’s blockade, was intercepted by Israeli military forces. On board the GSF were over 400 activists from 40 countries, among them a five-member delegation from Pakistan. Thursday’s demonstration, organised by the Pakistan Palestine Forum (PFF) in collaboration with the Palestine Action Coalition (PAC) and the non-profit organisation Human Rights Council of Pakistan, aimed to mobilise the public against the state’s inaction. People of all ages gathered, chanting slogans for a free Palestine. The demonstrators demanded the immediate release of the detained Pakistanis and called on the government to take concrete action against Israel. “...