Pakistan

• Spokesperson says Islamabad ‘committed’ to working with existing eight-nation forum • Calls upon India to choose between belligerence and talks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday ruled out the creation of an alternative forum to the already existing South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc). “Pakistan remains committed to the principles and objectives of the Saarc charter. It has actively been participating in different Saarc activities,” the foreign office spokesperson said about the eight-nation organisation, which included Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In his weekly press briefing, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan desires Saarc to function as an “important forum for regional cooperation”. He rejected the reports about the creation of a Beijing-led alternative to Saarc. Regarding cooperation among Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh, the member of the purported coalition, Mr Khan said China was a very important country that enjoys friendly ...

The 9th of Muharram is being observed across Pakistan today with deep religious devotion and solemnity to commemorate the martyrs of Karbala.

KARACHI: Over 1.6 million children, between five and 17 years of age, in Sindh have been found to be trapped in child labour, revealed the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2022–2024. Conducted by the provincial labour department with technical support from Unicef and the Bureau of Statistics Sindh, the survey also revealed that over half (50.4pc) of child labour victims aged 10-17 worked in hazardous conditions, exposing them to excessive hours, extreme weather and unsafe tools. Labour Director General Muhammad Ali Shah, who is also the project director of the survey, told Dawn that the survey had been submitted to the provincial government. He said that the incidence of child labour has seen a significant decline, reduced by nearly 50pc compared to the 1996 baseline. According to Pakistan’s first and only National Child Labour Survey, conducted in 1996, the prevalence of child labour in Sindh was recorded at 20.6pc of the total child population at that time. The latest survey also revealed that school attendance am...

KARACHI: Microsoft has decided to close its office in Pakistan and laid off five employees, Dawn has learnt. Earlier, media reports suggested that the global tech giant had moved its operations out of the country. These were based on a LinkedIn post by Jawad Rehman, the former head of Microsoft in Pakistan. Citing sources, he claimed the company “is officially closing its operations in Pakistan”. Microsoft had an on-ground presence in Pakistan until recently, albeit with a significantly reduced local workforce. Most of its operations were handled from foreign offices and by partners in Pakistan, people familiar with the matter told Dawn. In response to Dawn’s query, a Microsoft spokesperson said, “We will serve our customers through both our strong and extensive partner organisation, and other closely located Microsoft offices. We follow this model successfully in a number of other countries around the world.” Spokesperson says company to provide services through local partners, offices abroad The decision to...

KARACHI - At least 13 people including four women, six men, and a seven-year-old boy died and eight others were wound-ed after a five-story dilapidated residential building collapsed o them in the Baghdadi area of Karachi’s Lyari on Friday, rescue workers said.

ISLAMABAD - Security forces have eliminated at least 30 Indian-backed terrorists trying to infiltrate through Pak-Afghan border in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Hassan Khel area, North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

jeremy Corbyn • Zarah Sultana says their alternative is ‘rooted in justice & equality’ • Group includes MPs Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed LONDON: In an overnight reshaping of Britain’s political landscape, Zarah Sultana, the MP for Coventry South, has announced she will co-lead the formation of a new political party alongside former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The move signals a break with the Labour Party, which both politicians accused of abandoning its core values. Sultana declared her resignation from Labour on Thursday evening in a statement that described Westminster as “broken” and accused the two major parties of offering “nothing but managed decline and broken promises.” She urged supporters to join the duo in building an alternative, rooted in justice and equality. Though Corbyn has long floated the idea of a more formal vehicle for left-wing and pro-Palestinian politics, Sultana’s announ-cement surprised many within the Independent Alliance, the loose group of five MPs, in...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday ruled out joining any multi-country military alliance - reaffirming its commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and peaceful coexistence.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on hospital authorities during a surprise inspection of District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Pakpattan as she ordered the arrest of senior officials and a criminal case over alleged gross negligence, corruption, and patient mistreatment.

KARACHI: Despite a brief military conflict and the continued closure of borders, trade between Pakistan and India persisted in May, with official data showing that imports from India reached a three-year high during July-May FY25. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), imports from India totalled $211.5 million in the first 11 months of FY25 — surpassing $207m in FY24 and $190m in FY23. In May alone — when the four-day conflict broke out in the first week—imports stood at $15m, slightly down from $17m in the same month last year. However, Pakistan’s exports to India remained negligible. In May, they were recorded at just $1,000, while total exports during July-May FY25 were only $0.5m. In FY24 and FY23, exports stood at $3.44m and $0.33m, respectively—highlighting the highly one-sided nature of bilateral trade. Traders were reluctant to discuss the continuation of imports during the tense period. One trader suggested the goods might have arrived through third countries, with payments made prior to the...

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s higher education sector under Vision 2047, with a strong focus on accessibility, technology integration, and institutional development.

LAHORE - An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday declared two senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders — Hammad Azhar and Rana Shahbaz — as proclaimed offenders (POs), in cases related to party’s protest on October 5 and alleged violence against police.

WASHINGTON: With less than a week to go before the July 9 deadline, Pakistan and the United States have concluded a critical round of trade negotiations, reaching an understanding on a deal that could shape the future of the country’s key export sectors. The Pakistani delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Jawad Paal, was scheduled to return on Friday after completing four days of talks in Washington. While both sides have reached an understanding, a formal announcement is expected only after the US concludes similar ongoing negotiations with other trade partners. The delegation arrived in Washington on Monday with the aim of finalising a long-term reciprocal tariff agreement that would prevent the re-imposition of a 29 per cent tariff on Pakistani exports — primarily textiles and agricultural products. Formal announcement expected once Washington wraps up talks with other nations The tariff relief, temporarily paused earlier this year, was at risk of expiring if no progress had been made by the July 9 deadlin...

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday issued the schedule for Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, setting July 21 as the polling date.

Rahim Yar Khan - Another major train accident occurred on the Khanpur–Rohri railway section Friday morning, when the engine and five carriages of a coal train derailed due to excessive speed near Reti, a border town on the Punjab-Sindh boundary.

Vehari - Deputy Commissioner Vehari Imrana Touqeer said on Friday that on the directives of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, comprehensive arrangements had been made for Muharram-ul-Haram across the district.

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He has contributed to setups in BD, SL, Afghanistan and Australia

Govt clearance awaited for tournament at Rajgir, Bihar

He won country's first gold in the Asian Games in Manila