Pakistan

Pakistan on Wednesday stressed that Iran’s envoy in Islamabad, Reza Amiri Moghadam, was “widely respected” after the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added him to its Most Wanted list for his alleged role in the 2007 disappearance and suspected abduction of retired FBI agent Robert A. “Bob” Levinson. “As far as Pakistan is concerned, the ambassador of Iran is widely respected for his role in the promotion of Pakistan-Iran relations,” FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told Dawn.com in response to a request for comment on the matter. “He is entitled to all the privileges, immunities and respect due to [being an] ambassador, that too, from a friendly neighbouring country,” Shafqat highlighted. Levinson arrived on Iran’s Kish Island on March 8, 2007 and went missing the following day. Notably, a 2013 Associated Press (AP) investigation revealed that Levinson had been sent on a spy mission by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysts who had no authority to run such an operation. Levinson’s fami...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday made the auction of 10 cricket and 10 football grounds in the federal capital by the CDA, conditional on a court decision.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has said that the recruitment quota for the children of the police martyrs to the posts of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) has been increased from 5% to 12.

The Pakistan Navy’s Command and Staff Conference concluded at Naval Headquarters under the chairmanship of Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, according to a statement from the Navy’s media wing.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the performance of ministries will be evaluated every two months following the determination of key performance indicators, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. Chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad, the prime minister said the ministries demonstrating strong performance will be commended. “From this year, we will determine key performance indicators for the ministries to evaluate their performance every two months,” he said, emphasising that enhancing ministries’ performance was ultimately about delivery and service to the nation. Expressing satisfaction over the stock market touching record levels this week, the prime minister said that the development reflected the positive business sentiment and that collective efforts were being made for the economic growth of the country. PM Shehbaz also expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in recent monsoon rains across the country. He especially regretted the incident in Swat, emphasising...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday congratulated Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on the lifting of the United Kingdom’s ban on Pakistani flights, calling it a significant milestone for Pakistan’s aviation sector and international standing.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, where the pair discussed and reaffirmed mutual support in core sectors, including agriculture, mining, industry and security, Chinese media reported. Dar was on a three-day visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tianjin on Tuesday. According to the Foreign Office (FO), Dar and Wang were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the event. The Foreign Office (FO) said in a post on X: “The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on key areas of mutual interest, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and multilateral cooperation.” According to Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN, the top diplomats reaffirmed their mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests. “China is ready to work with Pakistan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and push forward the building of a China-Pakistan community wit...

Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, while welcoming the United Kingdom’s Air Safety Committee decision on Wednesday, termed the removal of Pakistan’s name from the British Air Safety List (ASL) as an important milestone.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with a delegation from the Beijing Police Department, led by Deputy Director General Gao Jianzan.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for causing billions in losses to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), citing a reckless statement by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan during the PTI government.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, has revealed that nearly 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims who traveled to Iran, Iraq, and Syria are either missing or have overstayed, with no official record of their whereabouts.

The federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has approved a 15% increase in pensions for Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pensioners, effective January 1, 2025.

The quiet energy revolution has spread from wealthy neighbourhoods to middle- and lower-income households as customers look to escape soaring electricity bills and prolonged power cuts. Down a cramped alley in Karachi, residents fighting the sweltering summer heat gather in Fareeda Saleem’s modest home for something they had never experienced before —uninterrupted power. “Solar makes life easier, but it’s a hard choice for people like us,” she says of the installation cost. Saleem was cut from the grid last year for refusing to pay her bills in protest over enduring 18-hour power cuts. A widow and mother of two disabled children, she sold her jewellery — a prized possession for women in Pakistan — and borrowed money from relatives to buy two solar panels, a solar inverter and a battery to store energy, for Rs180,000 ($630). As temperatures pass 40 degrees Celsius, children duck under Saleem’s door and gather around the breeze of her fan. Fareeda Saleem, a local resident, shows a newly installed inverter at he...

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that every government employee has the legal right to be considered for promotion based on performance, emphasizing transparency and fairness in public service advancement.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday announced a Rs100 million grant for the Asia Cup Wheelchair Cricket Tournament in major support for sports involving persons with disabilities. According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s House, aside from the Rs100m grant, Murad also announced an annual grant of Rs15 million for the Pakistan Wheelchair Cricket Council (PWCC), along with a dedicated customised coaster (minibus) for the national wheelchair cricket team. PWCC is the governing body of wheelchair cricket in Pakistan and a founding member of the International Council of Wheelchair Cricket (ICWC). It focuses on providing sporting and recreational activities for people with disabilities. The Pakistan Cricket Board has previously endorsed the achievements of the Asian champion Pakistan wheelchair cricket team, according to the organisation’s website. The announcement was made during a meeting with the two-time Asian Champion Pakistan Wheelchair Cricket Team at the CM House. The meeting was ...

Pakistan is witnessing a rapid shift towards solar power as citizens across income brackets turn to rooftop panels to escape soaring electricity bills and persistent power outages.

Two policemen were gunned down in a “terrorist” attack on Wednesday in Kulachi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, police said. Speaking to Dawn.com, DI Khan Police Spokesperson, Yaqoob Khan, said, “The two police personnel were on their way to buy food when the terrorists opened fire on them.” The deceased have been identified as head constable Ghulam Muhammad and constable Shahzad, both of whom were ex-servicemen. Following the attack, police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel tracked down the terrorists and killed one of them during an operation, while the other two, though injured, fled. “Weapons and ammunition have been recovered from the slain terrorist, while a search operation is underway for the terrorists at large,” according to the spokesperson. Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, paying tribute to the martyred personnel. He saluted the “sacrifices made by the brave sons” of KP in their fight against terrorism. Expressing sympathy for t...

The US Congress may soon urge President Donald Trump’s administration to consider imposing sanctions on countries that suppress religious freedom and violate human rights, Republican Congressman Christopher H. Smith suggested during a congressional hearing on Pakistan on Tuesday. “One of the biggest disappointments — regardless of who is in the White House or at the State Department — is the absence of sanctions,” said Smith, who co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC). Smith recalled that the only individual ever sanctioned under US religious freedom laws was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the 2002 Gujarat riots. “We are going to call on the Irfa office to consider imposing [sanctions] — especially in light of the terrible acts committed against people of various faiths,” he said. The Irfa office, based at the State Department, enforces the International Religious Freedom Act, which authorises the US government to designate and penalise countries that engage in or tolerate se...

Sweeping foreign aid cuts led by the United States will cause international health funding to plummet to the lowest level in 15 years, a study said on Wednesday, warning the world has entered a new “era of global health austerity”. Money that provides healthcare to some of the poorest and most in-need people across the world has been dramatically slashed this year, led by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The new study published in the prestigious Lancet journal also pointed to recent steep aid cuts announced by the UK, France and Germany. After reaching an all-time high of $80 billion in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the total amount of global health aid will sink to $39bn this year, the US-led team of researchers estimated. That would be the lowest level since 2009. Such a dramatic change will result in the world entering a new “era of global health austerity”, the authors of the study warned. Sub-Saharan African countries such as Somalia, the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo and Ma...

Vehari - Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami South Punjab Syed Zeeshan Akhtar has said that the country is facing its worst-ever crisis due to corrupt and self-serving rulers who have pushed the nation into poverty, unemployment and lawlessness while living in luxury.