Pakistan

Pakistan is set to become the first South Asian nation to ratify the 2001 Unesco Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH), marking a significant step toward safeguarding its submerged maritime legacy, a statement from the Press Information Department (PID) said on Friday. In recent years, underwater cultural heritage has attracted increasing attention from both the scientific community and the general public. For scientists, it represents an invaluable source of information on ancient civilisations, maritime practices, human use of land and marine environments, and climate change, according to Unesco. The announcement was made by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry during a meeting with Unesco representative Dr Cristina Menegazzi in Islamabad today. The two sides discussed collaborative efforts to document, preserve, and promote Pakistan’s rich underwater archaeological resources. “Pakistan is set to become the first South Asian nation to ratify the 2...

A year ago to the day, Arshad Nadeem stunned the world with a monstrous javelin throw that propelled him to global stardom and salvaged Pakistan’s plummeting sports glory with its first individual gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The javelin star sweetened the deal when his 92.97m throw shattered the Olympic record — not once, but twice, to the delight of a roaring crowd at Paris’ Stade de France. But a year on from the historic triumph, Arshad is undergoing physiotherapy in London following surgery on his calf muscle. The two upcoming Diamond League championships he was set to compete at this month have been scrapped from his sports calendar as he recovers in time for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. But there is no disappointment from Arshad or his coach Salman Butt, who doubles as his mentor, manager, and much more. “Things are looking good for Tokyo,” he told Dawn.com in a call from London. “We’re hoping to accomplish a lot there.” A gold medal at the World Championships will...

Extreme heat is breaking records around the world, with wildfires and poor air quality compounding the crisis and some areas including southern Pakistan exceeding 45 degrees Celsius, according to a report from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released on Thursday. Extreme temperatures caused approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, with 36 per cent occurring in Europe and 45pc in Asia, the report said. The health impacts of heat are especially severe in cities due to the so-called ‘urban heat island effect’ — the over-heating of dense city areas compared with their rural surroundings — which is magnifying problems as urbanisation continues, it was pointed out. Amid rising 21st-century temperatures, the WMO underscored that July 2025 was the third-warmest July ever recorded, behind those in 2023 and 2024. In this record-breaking July, heatwaves especially impacted Sweden and Finland, which experienced unusually long spells of temperatures above 30°C. Southeast Europe...

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday extended its stay order against the removal of K-Electric CEO Moonis Alvi until September 12, while hearing his petition challenging the Provincial Ombudsman’s order to remove him over harassment allegations.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the construction of the long-awaited 306-kilometre Hyderabad–Sukkur Motorway at an estimated cost of Rs363 billion.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has paid rich tribute to Major Tufail Shaheed on his martyrdom anniversary, honoring his unparalleled courage and sacrifice for the motherland.

Two terrorists planning to attack the police in Punjab’s Mianwali district were killed during an operation, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Friday. The CTD regularly carries out operations across the province to prevent and investigate terrorism-related activities and gather intelligence. Operating under the provincial police department, the Punjab CTD plays a key role in maintaining internal security and countering terrorism within the country. In a statement today, the law enforcement agency said, “Punjab CTD killed two terrorists during an operation near Kundian in Mianwali.” It said that the CTD acted on a tip-off after receiving intelligence that the terrorists were planning to attack police and other institutions. “During the operation, the CTD and terrorists engaged in an exchange of fire, as a result of which two terrorists were killed by their own accomplices, while six of them managed to escape.” According to the statement, the CTD recovered “explosive materials, two rifles, hand gren...

RAWALPINDI: In the second such incident reported within a week, police on Thursday arrested a member of an alleged organ trafficking ring operating from a private house in a housing society in Rawalpindi. Six other suspects, including a surgeon, managed to escape during a pre-dawn raid, according to the police. Earlier this month, Airport police had also unearthed a similar illegal operation in which a man was found undergoing a kidney removal procedure. Police said on Thursday that Sub-Inspector Wasim Sarwar registered an FIR with the Rawat police, stating he and his subordinates heard screaming of an individual from inside a house during an anti-crime patrol at 12 o’clock midnight in Rafi Block, Phase VIII of Bahria Town. He said an ambulance and other suspicious vehicles were also seen moving outside the house. “When the police reached the house located on the main road at 12:10am, they heard screams from inside,” the SI said. He stated in the FIR that the police knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, ...

The 67th martyrdom anniversary of Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed, Nishan-e-Haider, is being observed today to honour his extraordinary bravery and supreme sacrifice for the nation.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has launched Phase 6 of its Double Shift School Programme to bring more out-of-school children into the formal education system.

Karachi’s electricity consumers will receive a relief of Rs1.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has extended the summer vacation for all public and private schools across the province until Aug 31 with institutions set to reopen on Sept 1. The decision, announced through an official notification by the School Education Department on Wednesday, supersedes the previous directive to resume classes on Aug 14. According to the notification, all district education authorities (DEAs) have been instructed to ensure strict compliance with the revised schedule. The extension comes amid ongoing extreme weather conditions in the province, though the notification did not explicitly cite a reason for the decision. This marks the second adjustment to the academic calendar this summer. Parents and students are advised to note the revised date, while school administrations are expected to adjust their academic plans accordingly. The Punjab government has not yet indicated whether the extended break will affect the overall academic year schedule or examinations. Punjab School Education minis...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday termed Pakistan’s annual population growth rate of 2.

ISLAMABAD - In a controversial move, the government has announced privatise 24 major state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by 2029.

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN - At last two people died and 14 others wounded in a powerful explosion near a police mobile in the Rustom Bazaar area of Wana here on Thursday.

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday dismissed a petition challenging the ban on keeping birds in areas surrounding the Lahore airport and other localities.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Head of Mission at the Russian Embassy Ms Natalia Shmeleva and Press Attaché Igor Kolesnikov called on Advisor to Chairman Senate Ms Misbah Khar and Senior Director General Tariq Bin Waleed, at the Parliament House on Thursday.

LAHORE - The Punjab School Education Department on Thursday extended the summer vacations across the province.

QUETTA: The Quetta-bound Jaffar Express narrowly escaped disaster on Thursday when a bomb planted near the track close to Sibi Railway Station exploded just after the passenger train passed. Pakistan Railways authorities confirmed the explosion, which occurred near the outer signal of the track linking Balochistan to the rest of the country. “The explosive device was planted near the outer railway signal and detonated shortly after the train passed, causing significant damage to the track but leaving the train unharmed,” a senior official told Dawn. However, the railway track was badly damaged in the blast. “A portion of the railway track was blown up in the blast,” railway police officials said, adding that train service has been suspended after the explosion and Quetta-bound trains stopped at Jacobabad station. The repair of the damaged railway line has started. Following the explosion, security forces rushed to the scene to investigate. Preliminary findings revealed that the explosive device had been remot...

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf called on military and naval leadership of Azerbaijan during an official visit to Azerbaijan.