Pakistan

The government on Monday hailed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) recent decision to slash K-Electric’s multi-year tariff, saying it will reduce the “additional burden on taxpayers” and that the move was not against the interests of Karachi’s power consumers. Last week, Nepra reduced KE’s multi-year tariff for the fiscal year 2023-24 by Rs7.6 per unit, from Rs39.97 to Rs32.37. KE warned that the move will have “far-reaching consequences for its stakeholders, including consumers”. Shares of KE, Pakistan’s only privatised and foreign-owned electricity utility, plunged on the stock exchange following the tariff cut, as investors sold heavily. According to a Dawn report, KE’s foreign owners are threatening to take the government to an international litigation forum. Analysts have warned that the tariff revision and regulatory uncertainty could hurt the company’s finances. In a subsequent statement today, the Ministry of Energy’s Power Division termed those opinions a “malicious campaign”....

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday met with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, where the two discussed the country’s political landscape, PPP’s media cell said. The meeting comes amid political turmoil in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after 10 legislators — all elected on PTI tickets in the July 2021 general elections — announced on Sunday that they were joining the PPP, which has been eyeing the premier’s slot in the region. This has significantly increased the likelihood of the PPP becoming the ruling party. In a post on X today, the PPP said that Bilawal met with the JUI-F chief at his residence in Islamabad today, where the two “discussed the country’s political landscape”. The PPP chairman was accompanied by PPP leaders Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Humayun Khan and Jamil Soomro, while JUI-F’s Mualana Asad Mahmood attended the meeting as well. Separately, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported that the two leaders “exchanged views on national issues and othe...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday decided to keep the key interest rate unchanged at 11 per cent as policymakers weighed the impact of recent floods and higher food prices on inflation. “The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 11 per cent in its meeting held on October 27, 2025,” the SBP announced in a post on social media platform X. A monetary policy statement, issued shortly after the announcement on X, said the MPC noted during the meeting that headline inflation “rose significantly” to 5.6pc in September, whereas core inflation remained unchanged at 7.3pc. Regarding the rise in headline inflation, the statement said, “This largely reflected the expected flood-induced increase in food prices; an uptick in energy prices; and sticky core inflation”. The MPC observed that, unlike previous flood episodes, the recent surge in food prices appeared to be milder than anticipated earlier, the statement said, adding that this was reflected by the “recent slowdown in...

Reviewed on PlayStation 5; available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC Battlefield is one of those games that, once you play it, it’ll sit in your memory for ages. Few games on the market offer the experience the first-person shooter (FPS) franchise is known for: combined arms warfare — infantry and ground vehicles, naval vessels and aircraft — combined with very destructible in-game environments. Between 2010 and 2020, Battlefield was the primary competitor to the now wayward juggernaut that is Call of Duty. If you wanted a high-budget military shooter, it was a pick between these two. I remember Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 well from 2011, and how the former’s multiplayer experience blew the latter’s out of the water. Sadly, Battlefield lost its way in 2021 when EA released the abysmal Battlefield 2042. I remember playing the open beta shortly before its launch four years ago and I was greeted by more bugs than in a rainforest. Screen flickering, players’ parachutes not closing an...

Posts from multiple pro-Indian and pro-Afghan users on social media platform X on Monday shared a video, claiming to show recent cross-border shelling between Pakistan and India in Leepa Valley at the Line of Control (LoC). However, the video is old and was previously shared in May 2025 during the Pakistan–India standoff. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply in early May after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam prompted New Delhi to launch “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, targeting sites inside Pakistan and causing civilian casualties. Pakistan later launched the retaliatory “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos”, leading to heavy artillery and drone exchanges before a United States-led push helped broker a ceasefire. On Monday night, Indian forces apparently violated the cea­sefire in the Leepa Sector of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. While there was no official word on losses, locals reported an intense exchange of fire on Sunday evening. Today, an Indian propaganda account shared a video on X wit...

Pakistan has decided to temporarily close portions of its airspace near the Indian border for two consecutive days, according to a notice issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority to all airlines and aviation operators.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday once again issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Aleema Khan, the sister of former prime minister Imran Khan, due to her repeated failure to appear before the court.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has reiterated his party’s steadfast support for the people of Kashmir, vowing to stand with them until they secure their right to self-determination.

American multinational technology company Meta has officially launched Meta AI in Urdu for users in Pakistan, intending to accelerate the process of digital transformation in the country, a press release from the company said on Monday. The announcement was made during an event titled “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation”, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), the release said. Meta also announced the start of an experimental programme for AI education and government digital transformation in Pakistan. “These initiatives aim to accelerate the process of digital transformation in the country,” the release said. “Pakistani users will now be able to interact with Meta AI not only in English but also in Urdu.” Speaking at the event, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said, “Under the Prime Minister’s Digital Nation Vision, Pakistan is moving toward a future where technology empowers every citizen. “Our pa...

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington does not view yesterday’s strike carried out by Israel in Gaza as a violation of a US-backed ceasefire, terming it an act of “self-defence”. Israel claimed it struck a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group on Saturday, accusing the individual of planning to attack Israeli troops. However, Islamic Jihad denied it was planning an attack. Speaking aboard US President Donald Trump’s plane during a trip to Asia, Rubio said: “We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire.” The US top diplomat added that Israel has not surrendered its right to self-defence as part of the agreement brokered by Washington, Egypt and Qatar that saw Hamas release the remaining living hostages held in Gaza this month. “They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that,” Rubio insisted. Rubio said the ceasefire in Gaza, which remains in force between Israel and Hamas just over two years since the confli...

Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Monday that export-led growth was essential to stabilise the economy, as he presented a screenshot of the country’s improving financial situation achieved through the efforts of the government. During a media talk in Islamabad, Kayani expounded on the improvement in Pakistan’s economy over the last 1.5 years, highlighting that the target of primary balance had been achieved. He said the country saw a 26 per cent increase in tax collection during the last fiscal year despite modest gross domestic product (GDP) growth and a low inflation rate. “We also increased the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR’s) tax-to-GDP ratio and decreased the inflation from 33pc to 4.5pc,” Kayani mentioned. The ratio, he specified, saw a 1.4pc increase, going from 8.8pc to around 10.2 to 10.3pc. “We posted the first current account surplus in 14 years, which is also the largest current account surplus in 22 years,” he said, adding that foreign exchange reserves were one of the mos...

Eight people, including seven Levies Force personnel, were injured in a bomb blast targeting the convoy of Kech Deputy Commissioner (DC) Major (retd) Bashir Barech in Balochistan’s Turbat on Monday, according to police. Kech Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Captain (retd) Zohaib Mohsin told Dawn.com that a remote-controlled bomb was used in the attack that took place at Press Club road. “The bomb, which was planted in a motorcycle, was triggered using a remote control when the DC’s convoy was passing by the area,” he said, adding that five Levies personnel and a passerby were injured in the incident. He later told Dawn.com that the number of the injured had increased to eight, including seven Levies personnel. The Kech DC remained safe as he was in a bulletproof vehicle, he added. He was travelling from his home to office and his car was only partially damaged in the incident, the SSP said. “The blast was so intense that four of the vehicles parked nearby and closely located buildings were also damaged,”...

Pakistan and Bangladesh have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral defence and security cooperation, recognizing its importance in promoting regional peace and stability.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has departed for Saudi Arabia to participate in the Ninth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9) being held in Riyadh from October 27 to 29, 2025, at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

The ongoing talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban in Istanbul have so far failed to produce any breakthrough, with both sides expected to hold a third round of negotiations today (Monday) to continue efforts toward resolving key security concerns.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against “unconstitutional restrictions” on the inter-provincial movement of wheat to the province. The development comes as the Punjab government has faced criticism by the KP and Sindh governments for choking wheat flow to the two provinces. However, a day earlier, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari insisted that there was no ban on the inter-provincial movement of wheat, terming the “ongoing propaganda in this regard baseless and contrary to facts”. In a post on social media platform X today, the KP governor said he had written to the premier, urging his “immediate intervention to lift the unconstitutional restrictions” on the inter-provincial movement of wheat to the province. “Such limitations not only affect the province’s food security but also go against the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in our Constitution,” he said. He expressed his confidence that the matter would be r...

Two US Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea in separate incidents on Sunday, officials said, with no fatalities reported. The first crash involved an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, which “went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz,” according to a statement from the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet. All three crew members aboard the helicopter were recovered by search and rescue teams, the statement said. A half-hour later, according to the Navy, a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the South China Sea, also “while conducting routine operations” from the USS Nimitz. The Navy’s statement said both crew members aboard ejected themselves from the vessel and were safely recovered. “All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition,” the US Navy said. “The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation.” The crashes come as US President Donald Trump is in the region, on his first visit to Asia of his second...

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Bangladesh’s air and navy chiefs have vowed to improve defence and security collaboration, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in August last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. According to the press release by the ISPR, during an official visit to Bangladesh, Gen Mirza held separate meetings with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen S.M. Kamrul Hassan. “Both sides expressed optimism about improving defence and security collaboration and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding military-to-military engagements and related initiatives,” the military’s media wing said. ...

A five-member Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on PTI leader Shibli Faraz’s appeal against his disqualification as a senator. On July 31, Faraz, along with PTI’s Omar Ayub and other lawmakers, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by a Faisalabad anti-terrorism court for his involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots. Subsequently, he was disqualified as the Senate opposition leader under Article 63(1h) (disqualification from parliament due to conviction) of the Constitution. After being denied relief by the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Ayub and Faraz approached the SC on October 4 against the former’s order under Article 185(3) of the Constitution (appellate jurisdiction). Headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, the CB took up four appeals — two each by Ayub and Faraz — for hearing today, according to the cause list. The bench also included Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Shakeel Ahmad. ...

A senior BJP leader and regional minister has said that two Australian cricketers who were inappropriately touched by a man last week during the Women’s World Cup would “learn a lesson” from the incident and stay cautious in the future, according to Indian media. The incident in question took place in the central Indian city of Indore on Thursday morning when the two players left their hotel to go to a cafe, a day after Australia’s six-wicket victory over England in the group stage of the World Cup, when they were allegedly approached by a motorcyclist. The two players were not identified by Indian police or Cricket Australia, which confirmed the incident, and one man has been arrested in connection with the case. NDTV reported on Sunday that senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya had stated that the incident was “a lesson for everyone.” “Sometimes, players don’t realise their popularity. Players are very popular, so they should be careful,” Vijayvargiya said. “This incident has ha...