Pakistan

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Continues to serve public while preserving proud legacy of Pakistan's postal heritage

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Border closure halts two-way trade; costs of essentials skyrocket

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JIT formed to probe financial misconduct and violations of approved plans

Rural health faces inquiry over dubious patient referrals

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The vehicle of DIG Traffic Pir Mohammad Shah was issued an e-challan on Wednesday for violating traffic rules. In June, the Sindh government decided that e-challans for traffic violations would be delivered to vehicle owners’ registered home addresses. Vehicles with unpaid fines would not be allowed to be sold or transferred. The decision came amid the port city witnessing a surge in traffic accidents, particularly involving dumpers and water tankers, that killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. The e-ticket was issued to the DIG’s vehicle at the Lyari Interchange as the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. “My driver was issued the e-challan for not wearing a seatbelt,” said the senior police official while speaking to Dawn.com. He added that his driver was fined a sum of Rs10,000. According to a press release by the Sindh police dated October 28, 1,535 challans have been issued for not wearing a seat belt, 507 challans for riding a motorcycle without a helmet, 419 for o...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia had successfully tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo that military analysts say is capable of devastating coastal regions by triggering vast radioactive ocean swells. As United States President Donald Trump has toughened both his rhetoric and his stance on Russia, Putin has publicly flexed his nuclear muscles with the test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21 and nuclear launch drills on October 22. There are few confirmed details about the Poseidon, named after the ancient Greek god of the sea, but it is essentially a nuclear-capable cross between a torpedo and a drone. Putin, over tea and cakes at a hospital in Moscow with Russian soldiers wounded in the Ukraine war, said the test had taken place on Tuesday. “For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time,” Putin said. “The...

Authorities have started preparations to transfer Rano, a bear currently residing in Karachi Zoo, to Gilgit-Baltistan on the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) directives. Earlier this month, SHC ordered the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to relocate the animal from Karachi Zoological Gardens to the Bear Sanctuary managed by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board within two days, marking an end to the years-long plight of the brown bear. Today, Chief Secretary Sindh Asif Hyder Shah chaired a high-level meeting at the Sindh Secretariat to review the arrangements for Rano’s relocation, a statement by the secretary’s spokesperson Farhat Imtiaz Janwari said. The meeting was attended by the Secretary Forest and Wildlife, Municipal Commissioner KMC, Conservator Sindh Wildlife Department, representatives from the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, and other wildlife experts. The participants briefed the chief secretary on the progress made so far regarding the bear’s transfer, the statement added. The Sindh Wildlif...

Posts from pro-Afghan and Indian users on social media platform X on Wednesday were sharing a video claiming it showed Russian President Vladimir Putin warning Pakistan’s army and offering support to Afghanistan amid the current tensions between the two countries. However, the video is dubbed over and has nothing to do with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan is witnessing a deterioration in ties with Afghanistan, with recent border skirmishes, counter-statements and allegations. The hostilities began earlier this month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghanistan on the night of Oct 11. The attack had followed an allegation from the Taliban of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan — an accusation which Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied. For its part, Islamabad has long demanded that the Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil. Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to grapple with th...

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin as its candidate for the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), marking a significant political shift in the region.

Pakistan and the United States have recently seen an upswing in bilateral relations, particularly after US President Donald Trump mediated a ceasefire between Islamabad and New Delhi following a four-day military escalation in May. Since then, Trump has frequently highlighted his role in averting what he described as a potential nuclear confrontation between the two neighbours. On June 19, President Trump extended an unprecedented invitation to Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for a historic luncheon at the White House. The US president has since lauded Munir on several occasions, even referring to him as “my favourite field marshal.” Field Marshal Munir became the first serving Chief of Army Staff to have a face-to-face meeting with a sitting US president after joining the US President. The occasion also marked the first time a serving Pakistani army chief had been formally received at this level, without holding political office or governing under martial law. Previous military rulers — such...

A report by the United Nations’ special rapporteur on Palestine has revealed that 63 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, were complicit in Israel’s two-year genocide in the Gaza Strip, it emerged on Wednesday. The report, written by Francesca Albanese and available with Dawn.com, notes that Israel’s actions were not carried out in isolation, but with the aid of “third states”. “The genocide in Gaza was not committed in isolation, but as part of a system of global complicity,” the report stated. “Rather than ensuring that Israel respects the basic human rights and self-determination of the Palestinian people, powerful third states — perpetuating colonial and racial-capitalist practices that should have long been consigned to history — have allowed violent practices to become an everyday reality.” The report adds that foreign countries facilitating Israel and shielding it from accountability have enabled Tel Aviv to “embed its regime of settler-colonial apartheid in the occup...

Lahore continued to rank as the most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality, global monitor IQAir said on Wednesday. A day ago, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a severe peak of 422 but dropped to 341 today — still categorised as “hazardous” — keeping it at the top of the list of cities with the poorest air quality. Behind the Punjab capital in the rankings were New Delhi with an AQI score of 232, Beijing at 222, Kinshasa and Kathmandu at 155 each, and Karachi at 140. The Punjab government has taken notice of the situation and raised a high alert, including revising school timings across the province to begin at 8:35am. In response to the crisis, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has also launched a large-scale anti-smog operation, deploying 16 mechanical washers, 50 regular washers, and 400 workers for road washing and water sprinkling. Meanwhile, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, in a statement, praised the efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in handling the...

Air India’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson acknowledged on Wednesday that airspace closures posed a challenge to the airline’s timely performance. The airline has faced delayed jet deliveries and airspace closures due to geopolitical tensions, including bans imposed by Islamabad since April, when tensions with New Delhi intensified. “Airspace constraints are a challenge to on-time performance,” CEO Wilson said at an Aviation India event in India’s capital city, speaking publicly for the first time since the June crash of the Boeing Dreamliner in Ahmedabad. “We’re always looking at how we can keep improving,” CEO Wilson stated. “This year will be quite challenging from a business perspective … We’re also working with the investigators,” he added. On April 24, in response to India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect. India and Pakistan foug...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again praised both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir while reiterating his role in ending a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India in May. Earlier this month, Trump had thanked PM Shehbaz and COAS Munir, his “favourite”, for their efforts in achieving peace in Gaza. He had also called both of them “great people” while offering to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Today, while addressing a luncheon at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) — which is being hosted in Gyeongju, South Korea this year — Trump talked about both Pakistan and India, as well as the conflict between the countries earlier this year. “I’m doing a trade deal with India and I have great respect and love as you know for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as you know. We have a great relationship,” he said. “Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the Field Marshal — they have a Field Marshal. You know why h...

Pakistan on Wednesday received its first-ever shipment of US crude with the cargo arriving at Cnergyico’s offshore terminal, marking a new chapter in Pak-US trade relations. The cargo arrived aboard the Suezmax vessel MT Pegasus and docked at Cnergyico’s Single Point Mooring (SPM) port situated on the coast of Balochistan. In August, it was reported that Cnergyico will import 1 million barrels of oil from Vitol this month. “The arrival of Pakistan’s first-ever US crude oil cargo marks an important milestone for the country’s energy sector and for Cnergyico,” Vice Chairman of Cnergyico Pk Limited Usama Qureshi told Dawn.com. “This first shipment will be followed by another in mid-November and a third in January 2026,” he stated, adding that collectively, “these three cargoes are expected to improve Pakistan’s trade balance with the United States by around $200 million”. Qureshi said the SPM facility, the country’s only offshore crude handling terminal, can efficiently receive large vessels, reduce logistics co...