Pakistan

Pak-US relations historically strong.

The process of receiving applications under the government’s Hajj Scheme 2026 has officially concluded, with 118,060 pilgrims applying from across Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi among other commitments also met Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ at Islamabad.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Turbat and reaffirmed the military’s unwavering support for initiatives aimed at improving Balochistan’s socio-economic conditions, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. The government has repeatedly voiced its commitment to the development of Balochistan — a province with severe infrastructure deficits, recurring protests and a bleak law and order situation. In June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed it one of the top priorities. Field Marshal Munir interacted with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and representatives of the Turbat civil administration during his visit, according to a press release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “The visit aimed to review the prevailing security situation, assess development initiatives, and reinforce coordination between military and civil institutions for the stability and prosperity of Balochistan,” the statement read. During his interaction with the Turbat administration’s represent...

SLAMABAD - Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) has formally called for the creation of new provinces in the country, aimed at improving governance, public service delivery and overall administrative structure.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has expressed satisfaction with the relief and rehabilitation operations underway in flood-affected areas, being carried out by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in coordination with.

TOBA TEK SINGH - From the road, the old railway station looks like it has been asleep for decades.

Orders early warnings to at-risk populations ahead of upcoming rain spell.

ISLAMABAD - Lieutenant General Md Faizur Rahman, Quarter Master General, Bangladesh Army, yesterday called on General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI, NI (M), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), at the Joint Staff Headquarters, Rawalpindi, ISPR said in a statement.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will pay a two-day official visit to Bangladesh from today (August 23), the Foreign Office said yesterday.

LAHORE - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Friday handed over Shahrez Khan, nephew of PTI founder and son of Aleema Khan, to police on an 8-day physical remand in the May 9 Jinnah House attack case.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari has emphasized the need to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Austria, and Germany in diverse fields, particularly trade, economy, and culture.

The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), with the support of an intelligence agency, announced on Saturday that it had dismantled a terrorist network linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and arrested four suspects involved in the assassination of social worker Razaullah Nizamani.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast heavy rains in Sindh and eastern and southern Balochistan from August 27 to 29, as a fresh monsoon system moves in from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

India is working with a French company to develop and manufacture fighter jet engines in the country, New Delhi’s defence minister said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in May approved the prototype of a fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), calling it a “significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities”. Singh, in a speech at a conference in New Delhi on Friday, gave more details about developing fighter jet aircraft engines in the country. “We are moving forward to manufacture aircraft engines in India itself,” Singh said, in comments broadcast by Indian media. “We are collaborating with a French company to start engine production in India.” Singh did not name the company, but Indian media widely reported the company to be Safran, which has been working in India for decades in the aviation and defence sectors. There was no immediate confirmation. India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made rep...

GUJRAT: In a major breakthrough, the ruling PML-N has managed to muster support of disgruntled former MNA Dr Nisar Cheema and his brother Zulfiqar Cheema, a retired IGP, for NA-66, Wazirabad, by-election. The ballot is scheduled for Sept 18. The seat fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan de-seated Punjab PTI President MNA Ahmed Chattha in the wake of his conviction in May 9 riots. In the upcoming by-poll, the PML-N did not award ticket to its last two-time aspirant Dr Nisar Cheema, who won the seat in 2018 and lost in February 2024 as a runner-up. The party announced ex-MPA Bilal Farooq Tarar, the brother of federal minister for information Attaullah Tarar, as its candidate in the Wazirabad by-poll. Following the nomination of the PML-N candidate, the Cheema group got annoyed as earlier Nisar Cheema’s elder brother Justice retired Iftikhar Cheema had won the seat thrice as PML-N candidate. However, on Friday the PML-N president and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Dr Nisa...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday began a landmark visit to Bangladesh, the highest-level Pakistani trip to Dhaka since 2012, in what officials describe as a significant step toward resetting bilateral ties.

DUBAI: Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has expressed confidence in the country’s emerging talent, backing youngsters to step up in the absence of former mainstays Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Babar and Rizwan, once Pakistan’s revered T20I opening pair, have been sidelined from the format as the team pursues a more aggressive approach under new leadership. The transition follows the appointments of Mike Hesson as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach and Salman Ali Agha as T20I captain earlier this year. Hesson has publicly stated that Babar and Rizwan need to refine their T20I skills to reclaim their spots in the national XI. With the senior duo out of favour, Pakistan are relying on less-experienced players such as Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Mohammad Haris to bolster the top order, while Hasan Nawaz has emerged as a promising middle-order batter. All featured prominently in Hesson’s first three assignments and are set to play when Pakistan begin their tri-nation series in the United Arab Emir...

Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, told a top Justice Department official in July that she was not aware of any “client list” belonging to the late financier and never saw United States President Donald Trump behave inappropriately, according to a transcript of an interview released on Friday. “I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way,” Maxwell said, according to the transcript of her two-day interview last month with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The president was never inappropriate with anybody.” During the interview, the imprisoned 63-year-old former British socialite also said she did not witness any sexual abuse by Epstein, her longtime boyfriend, and did not implicate any other prominent individuals in wrongdoing. “He kept a lot to himself and he didn’t like to share,” Maxwell said of Epstein. “He was not a sharer. Well, at least not with me.” The Justice Department’s release of t...

KASUR: In another incident in Kasur, a suspect, who had molested a minor girl, was shot in his private parts during an alleged encounter in the limits of Chunian Police Station on Friday. The suspect was seen with a 10-year-old girl at Zaheerabad Colony of Chunain through a viral video. The child was in the street when he molested her and CCTV footage captured him committing the crime. The girl child’s father had reported the matter to the police and registered an FIR. The police claimed when they conducted a raid to arrest the suspect, he tried to attack them with his pistol that went off. As a result, his private parts were critically injured. The suspect was hospitalised in an injured condition. According to sources in the police, he belonged to the same area as that of the child he molested. He is stated to be 27/28 years old, a daily-wager with no regular job. He is married and has a daughter. About three weeks back, a video of a man molesting a girl child who was playing in the street of Shah Inayat Col...