Pakistan

New Delhi: India’s opposition Congress party criticised the Narendra Modi government on Saturday over the absence of women journalists from a press conference addressed by visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asking the prime minister to clarify his position on the matter. “Mr Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them. In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space. “Your silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the emptiness of your slogans on Nari Shakti,” Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a post on X. Mr Gandhi’s post followed Priyanka Vadra’s earlier message, in which she asked whether the prime minister’s recognition of women’s rights was “just convenient posturing from one election to another”, and questioned how such an “insult to some of India’s most co...

President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed that Pakistan remains firmly committed to safeguarding its national interests, regional sovereignty, and security.

China called President Donald Trump’s latest US tariffs on Chinese goods hypocritical on Sunday and defended its curbs on exports of rare earth elements and equipment, but stopped short of imposing new levies on US products. On Friday, Trump responded to Beijing’s most recent export controls by imposing additional tariffs of 100 per cent on China’s US-bound exports, along with new export controls on critical software by November 1. The revived trade tensions have rattled Wall Street, sending Big Tech shares tumbling, worried foreign companies dependent on China’s production of processed rare earths and rare earth magnets, and could derail a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tentatively scheduled for later this month. Responding to Trump The Chinese commerce ministry’s statement on Sunday was Beijing’s first direct response to Trump’s lengthy Truth Social post on Friday, where he accused Beijing of suddenly raising trade tensions after an uneasy truce was reached six months ago between the ...

LAHORE: This year 48 universities from Pakistan have made it to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2026. The Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, is ranked between 401 and 500 category, followed by Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, which improved by 400 points to be in the 601-800 ranking. Other institutions ranked between 601 and 800 include Air University, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Government College University, Faisalabad, National University of Sciences and Technology, Sukkur IBA, University of Lahore, and University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore. Fifteen institutions ranked between 801–1000 include Abdul Wali Khan University of Mardan, Capital University of Science and Technology, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Government College University Lahore, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Iqra University, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Technology, RYK, Lahore University of Management and Sciences, The I...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned Afghanistan’s provocations in Pakistan’s border areas, expressing deep concern over the hostile actions and reaffirming that there will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defense.

For the third consecutive day on Sunday, several key roads in Islamabad and Rawalpindi remained closed amid a protest by a religious party, though partial relief came as mobile services were restored and the Lahore–Islamabad Motorway reopened.

Every now and then, social media produces a ‘hero’. He/she suddenly rises, lingers and then either fades away or falls off by the wayside. All this can happen within days, weeks, months or within a few years. The appeal of such ‘heroes’ can be universal or entirely local. But the fact remains, their heroic status is almost always short-lived. People move on to search for another hero.  But it is not really about a search as such. It is mostly about construction. According to the University of Richmond (Virginia) Professor Emeritus of Psychology Scott T. Allison, heroism is a concept shaped by social, psychological and historical factors. It is a process that is influenced by our individual biases, and our collective needs and values. So, on most occasions, heroes are constructed by people to broadcast their own ideals, wishes, beliefs and aspirations.  A society, or segments of it, take fragments of information available of an event or of a personality and turn them into a “meaningful whole.” That meaningful ...

“One of the historic errors the US made — going back to the Carter administration — was the fiction of being an honest broker… I think what President Trump understood… was if the world knows nothing else, the world needs to know this: that America stands with Israel.” — Mike Pence, former US vice president speaking to David Friedman, orthodox Jew and former US ambassador to the Zionist entity on Trinity Broadcasting Network “In the last several decades, the Palestinian leadership has missed one opportunity after the other… It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining.” — Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, speaking to heads of Jewish organisations in New York on March 27, 2018 “There is intelligence cooperation between Bahrain and Israel. Mossad is in Bahrain and they are present in the region… intelligence cooperation is part of our ongoing partnership between Bahrain and Israel and will continue.” — Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed A...

• Home minister says bandits must deposit all weapons, explosives with police • Says courts likely to consider laying down arms as a mitigating factor in deciding cases KARACHI: Surrendering dacoits in the Katcha region will face trial without pardon, though voluntary surrender may be considered a mitigating factor in sentencing by courts. As per the Surrender Policy for Dacoits in Katcha Area of Sukkur and Larkana Divisions, recently approved by the Sindh cabinet, surrender does not mean pardon or immunity and all surrendering individuals shall face the prevailing law of the land, officials told Dawn. The policy ensures surrendering dacoits would not face harm from law enforcement and their families would be shielded from any sort of harassment or retaliation, providing a safe passage for reintegration. Speaking to Dawn, Home Minister Zia Lanjhar said that the Sindh government proactively worked to resolve tribal feuds, removing a major factor behind dacoit formation in the area. He said that communities in ...

In a significant step toward digital governance and citizen facilitation, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has made the process of birth and death registration faster, more efficient, and transparent through a new automated system developed in collaboration with provincial governments.

KARACHI: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) aimed at promoting collaboration in information technology and sports, marking a step forward in bilateral engagement focused on youth development and technological cooperation. The Letters of Intent (LoIs) were signed at a ceremony held at the Governor House late Friday night in the presence of Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council (SPJBC) Chairman Prince Mansour bin Mohammad bin Saad Al Saud and Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori. Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Saeed Al-Malki, Consul General Mohammed Abdullah Al-Subaie and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Farooq also attended the event. Under the MoUs, both countries agreed to collaborate on IT education, youth exchange programmes, joint training initiatives and sporting events to promote skills development and people-to-people connections. KCCI urges Saudi investment in petrochemicals and agriculture Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Tessori described Pak-Saudi relat...

Pakistan Army responds with great precision after unprovoked firing from Afghan side at Pak-Afghan border Islamabad rejects highly insensitive India-Afghanistan joint statement.

Thousands reach Muridke as Lahore police fail to contain protesters DIG claims 112 policemen injured, several missing during clashes with TLP workers Authorities shut down mobile, internet services amid roadblocks in Islamabad, Rawalpindi.

RAWALPINDI/DI KHAN - The Law Enforcement Agencies late Friday night foiled cowardly terrorist attack by khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij at Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan, resulting in the killing of six terrorist attackers.

LAHORE/RY KHAN - A fugitive wanted by Lahore police was killed by gunfire from his own accomplices during an alleged encounter near Kot Sabzal police station, Rahim Yar Khan.

ISLAMABAD - Though the war of words between two main coalition partners - PML-N and PPP has ended for now with the interventions of bigwigs, this is unlikely to be the full stop in their ongoing political skirmishes.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has expressed strong disapproval of the police inaction in a case about enforced disappearance, ordering departmental accountability as well as seeking a compliance report from the cabinet secretary about the initiation of proceedings against the police high-ups, including the IGP. In an order issued by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, the court sought a compliance report from the secretary about an earlier order wherein the official was directed to place the matter before the prime minister for initiation of departmental proceedings against the responsible police officers. The incumbent IGP was also asked to submit a report on whether any action had been taken against the joint investigation team members and investigating officers involved. The case stemmed from an FIR registered in 2015 for the recovery of Abdullah Umar and the judge was hearing a contempt petition filed by the victim’s wife, Zainab Zaeem. Justice Kayani reminded the government functionaries about a 2019 ord...

PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has confirmed that the handwritten resignation of the Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur was officially received at half past two on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi on Saturday reaffirmed his commitment to extend access to justice across country’s most remote regions.

LAHORE - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the government is giving top priority to the promotion of information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen Pakistan’s digital economy.