Pakistan

The Supreme Court Rules 1980 have been repealed, with the new Supreme Court Rules 2025 taking effect from August 6, 2025.

Twenty-four demonstrators were arrested after several people, including a police constable, were injured on Tuesday following a clash during a protest against power outages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district. A case was lodged by Station House Officer Aqib Khan at the Azakhel Police Station today under Sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 324 (attempted murder), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The first information report (FIR) said that residents of Pirpai were protesting on the main Grand Trunk (GT) Road against excessive power outages. “Police reached the scene upon hearing that the people had closed the road from both sides to protest against loadshedding,” the FIR reads. It said that the protesters were l...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued a stay order for the appointments of new opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate following the disqualification and removal of PTI’s Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz from their respective roles. On August 5, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had disqualified Ayub and Faraz, along with other opposition MNAs and MPAs, following their convictions in three cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots. Subsequently, on August 8, both leaders were removed from their posts through notifications issued by the NA and Senate secretariats. A division bench comprising Justices Arshad Ali and Dr Khurshid Iqbal took up separate petitions filed earlier today by Ayub and Faraz against the denotification of their parliamentary roles. PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan appeared as the counsel for both petitioners. The bench issued notices to the ECP and other respondents, directing them to halt the appointments for the opposition leader in both houses of...

Local police in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Hunza and Gilgit districts on Tuesday suspended 35 of their own personnel and halted their salaries after they staged a sit-in demanding benefits. Last night, hundreds of police personnel, both men and women, protested in front of the Chief Minister’s House, demanding an increase in their daily allowances and continued the demonstration throughout the night. In two separate notifications issued by the Reserve Police (RP) of Gilgit and the senior superintendent of police of Hunza, 26 police personnel were suspended in Gilgit yesterday, while nine more were suspended in Hunza today. The notification issued by RP Gilgit cited “grave misconduct/violation of government servant conduct” as the cause of suspension, while the notification from the Hunza simply cited that they had participated in a protest. Both notifications, copies of which are available with Dawn.com, added that the suspended personnel’s salaries had also been stopped. The GB police claimed on social media that 63...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a nationwide alert, predicting more rainfall accompanied by strong winds between August 14 and 22.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday forecast widespread rain, wind, and thundershowers in most parts of the country in the coming days, with monsoon activity expected to intensify from August 17. At least 312 people, including 142 children, have died and 740 others have been injured in flash floods and torrential rains that have battered several parts of Pakistan since late June, according to updated daily data from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The NDMA said the deluges, which began on June 26, have left a trail of devastation across the country. The dead include 113 men, 57 women and 142 children, while the injured include 243 children, 209 women and 288 men. In its latest weather advisory issued today, the Met Office said monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea were continuously penetrating the upper parts of Pakistan, while moist currents from the Bay of Bengal were likely to strengthen midweek. A westerly wave currently affecting the region was also expected to inte...

First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari Tuesday called for united action involving government institutions, health professionals, media, and communities to raise awareness to combat breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in Pakistan and the highest in prevalence in Asia.

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has assured opposition of his full cooperation in holding negotiations with the government.

Pakistan–US ties have witnessed an unexpected upswing, sparking unease in India, the Financial Times reported.

Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed the US’ decision to designate the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade to its Foreign Terrorist Organisation list, according to a Foreign Office (FO) press release. The US State Department made the announcement yesterday, stating that the designations demonstrated the US President Donald Trump’s commitment to counter-terrorism. In today’s press release, the FO emphasised that Pakistan had proscribed the Majeed Brigade — BLA’s suicide squad — as a terrorist entity since July 18, 2024. The BLA itself was proscribed in 2006, according to the National Counter-Terrorism Authority’s list of proscribed organisations. “BLA/Majeed Brigade is involved in multiple terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including the heinous Jaffer Express terrorist incident and the Khuzdar bus attack that resulted in the loss of precious lives,” the release said. At least 26 hostages lost their lives in the Jaffar Express attack in March, for which the BLA claimed responsibility. In the Khuzdar bus attack...

The National Institutes of Health on Tuesday confirmed the presence of poliovirus in 42 of 117 sewage samples collected from 87 districts across the country in July. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. According to a press release issued by NIH’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication, out of 127 sewage samples, the institute “confirmed 75 sewage samples as negative and 42 as positive”, while the remaining 10 were still being processed in the lab. The positive results made up nearly 36 per cent of the total samples, compared to 32pc for June, based on NIH press releases. However, the NIH said: “While the overall trend shows a decline in positive detections, reflecting the impact of high-quality campaigns, the virus continues to circulate in certain areas.” “July data shows steady progr...

Pakistan has welcomed the US decision of designating Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, also adding Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the completion of the 100-megawatt solar power project in Gilgit-Baltistan within a year, vowing to personally monitor its progress.

Robust backing from the government and a desire to stage big-ticket events make India a strong candidate to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, a top Indian Olympic Association (IOA) official told Reuters. The world’s most populous nation is bidding for the 2030 edition of the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad to boost its bigger dream of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games at the western Indian city. A Commonwealth Sports delegation visited Ahmedabad last week to share their experience from the previous Games and help the Indian organisers prepare a comprehensive bid to be submitted by the August 31 deadline. “First and foremost, the mood of the country is upbeat for sporting activities and there is a strong will of the government to host global sporting events,” IOA executive council member Harpal Singh said by telephone. “India wants to host larger sporting events — be it Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, or Olympics — and we have the full backing of the government. “The existing infrastructure is very good, and the...

Gul Noor Tambet has etched her name in mountaineering history by becoming the first Turkish woman to reach the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

Pakistani users on social media platforms X and TikTok have been sharing videos since Monday that allegedly showed the Indian Army chief admitting to the loss of six jets and 250 soldiers in the recent military conflict against Pakistan. However, he made no such statement, and the viral video is a deepfake. During the May 7–10, 2025, clashes between India and Pakistan, both sides issued conflicting claims about aircraft losses. Pakistan initially stated that it had downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat on May 7, later revising the figure to six, and claimed it had also destroyed India’s S-400 air defence batteries, unmanned aircraft, and disabled several Indian airbases. Pakistan denied losing any of its own aircraft during the fighting. However, on August 9, Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed that India had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other large aircraft, possibly a surveillance plane, mostly using its Russian-made S-400 missile system. He further alleged that India...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday dismissed talk of any potential legislation regarding a 27th constitutional amendment as “baseless rumours”. Even though the 26th Amendment is still mired in controversy, the power corridors in Islamabad are abuzz with talk of a possible 27th Constitutional Amendment, which, according to the insiders, will further “fine-tune” the structure and the functioning of the superior judiciary. With the 26th Amendment, the government introduced sweeping changes to the judicial framework. Sources had said certain contentious matters, such as a separate constitutional court, left unresolved in the 26th Amendment, would now be taken up in the new amendment. Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad about the matter, Bilawal addressed the “baseless rumours”, stating: “So far, no federal minister, prime minister or party member has approached me regarding any amendments.” He also highlighted that the 26th Amendment was passed after reaching a consensus with compromise from political ...

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has accused the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade of siding with India, announcing plans to push for a United Nations ban on both groups.

The newly appointed Representative of Unicef in Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all children as she began her role in the country, it emerged on Tuesday. The agency supports the government to “accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realise their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children”, Unicef Pakistan’s official website said. After formally taking up the role, Ironside presented her credentials to Special Secretary (UN) Ambassador Nabeel Munir at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a press release. “During the meeting, Ms Ironside reaffirmed Unicef’s commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all children in Pakistan,” it read. As the new Representative, she will provide “strategic leadership across Unicef’s country programme”, which “aims to nurture, educate, protect and support children from their earliest moments through adolescence” with...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik on Tuesday to review ongoing relief efforts for victims of recent rains and floods, as well as preparedness for any future emergencies.