Pakistan

Suspects allegedly record explicit videos of unsuspecting female friends

Claims she had threatened to hurt them during an argument

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Former hostels in Sectors G-6 and G-7 remain non-functional

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Heavy rain brings relief from heat in twin cities

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The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Wednesday slashed the base power tariff by Rs1.49 per unit for the next fiscal year. Nepra Spokesperson Safeer Hussain confirmed the development to Dawn.com and said the proposal had been sent to the federal government. Last month, against high hopes, the government sought revision in the base electricity tariff for the next fiscal year, proposing only 30 paise to a maximum of Rs2.25 per unit reduction in consumer rates under seven different scenarios. Only in one unlikely case of normal circumstances and a stable exchange rate at Rs280, the average base tariff would reduce by Rs2.25 per unit in fiscal year 2025-26 to Rs24.75 from the prevailing rate of about Rs27 per unit. In case of local currency depreciation to Rs300, the base tariff reduction would be around 30 paise per unit. The reduction mainly stems from lower capacity payments. The average Power Purchase Price (PPP) would be on top of about Rs8.16 to Rs9.52 per unit fuel cost, taking the to...

The Sindh Assembly has approved three point four-five trillion Rupees budget for next financial year along with a supplementary budget of one hundred and fifty-six point zero six billion Rupees for the current financial year.

Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi has stressed on foolproof security arrangements during Muharram-ul-Haraam to thwart nefarious designs of anti-state elements.

The Foreign Office on Wednesday dismissed media speculation, confirming that no meeting is scheduled between Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China.

Nato leaders on Wednesday backed a big increase in defence spending and restated their commitment to defend each other from attack after a brief summit tailor-made for United States President Donald Trump. In a short statement, Nato endorsed a higher defence spending goal of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, a response to a demand by Trump and to Europeans’ fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article Five of the Washington Treaty that an attack on one is an attack on all,” the statement said, after Trump had sparked concern on Tuesday by saying there were “numerous definitions” of the clause. But just before the summit opened, Trump had said of fellow Nato members: “We’re with them all the way.” Trump lauded the “tremendous” summit in the Hague as leaders wrapped up a meeting that saw the alliance back his demand to ramp up defence spending. “I think the summit was fantastic. It w...

Prime Minister’s Advisor Rana Sanaullah has reaffirmed the government’s willingness to engage in political dialogue, blaming the opposition—particularly the PTI founder—for the ongoing deadlock.

A Belarusian man on Wednesday was arrested for allegedly picking up a one-year-old Afghan boy and throwing him to the ground in the arrivals hall at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, inflicting spinal and cranial injuries, Britain’s The Daily Mirror newspaper reported. According to the newspaper, 31-year-old construction worker Vladimir Vitkov was arrested and confessed to “trying to murder” the child, who had arrived in Russia with his family after fleeing Iran due to its 12-day war with Israel. “Yazdan, aged 18 months, is now fighting for his life with serious skull fractures and spinal injuries,” The Mirror read, adding that Vitkov was on board the same flight as the child and his mother. Both The Mirror and British newspaper The Daily Mail reported that the boy suffered skull fractures and spinal injuries, with the latter reporting that the boy was “in a coma”. Graphic CCTV showed Vitkov picking up the boy before “hurling him to the ground of Moscow airport’s arrivals hall”. “The attacker — described as a ‘m...

Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mutual visa exemption during the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday. The session was held following a hiatus of 13 years after it was scheduled in October 2024. The last session was held in Islamabad from November 6-7, 2013. The FO said in a statement that the session, held in Abu Dhabi a day ago, was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. “Prior to the formal proceedings, a working group meeting of the JMC was held under the leadership of Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Bajwa and Minister of State of the UAE Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, the statement said. “The JMC reviewed the full scope of bilateral relations and agreed on concrete measures to strengthen cooperation in trade, banking, culture, investment, aviation, railways, energy, food security, climate change, defe...

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar has firmly stated that parliamentary standing committees are not empowered to terminate legal proceedings, emphasizing that the government will operate strictly within the bounds of the Constitution and the rule of law.

It was a sultry summer morning. Mir Shah Mohammad Talpur was visiting his sprawling mango orchards, located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, to inspect the year’s produce. However, the ruthless sun glaring on his back and mercury rising to 43.2 degrees Celsius were making things difficult for Mir. For the mangoes, though, these climatic conditions were in tandem with their harvest. Mir’s orchard is spread across 450 acres of land. “I have been looking after the bagh for six years … many trees here are around 50 years old,” he told Dawn.com. The 49-year-old wore a black sun cap along with a neck flap to avoid exposure to the intense heat. Like many in the area, Mir too sublets his mango orchard — a practice in vogue, by and large, in Sindh. Only a few growers, including those who believe in progressive farming, manage their own orchards. The province is known for its Sindhri mangoes, harvested in the first week of June. Two workers moving from one part of the orchard to other for picking of fruit. Despite other ...

The Pakistan men’s team will travel to Bangladesh next month to play three Twenty20 internationals as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s tour will be a reciprocal one after they hosted Bangladesh for three T20Is over the last two months, all won by the home team and played in Lahore. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it has arranged various series to build for the T20 World Cup to be co-hosted in India and Sri Lanka next year. “Pakistan will arrive in Dhaka on 16 July before taking on the home side in the matches on July 20, 22 and 24 as part of the build-up for the World Cup,” the PCB said in a statement. All three T20Is will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. From Bangladesh, Pakistan will fly to the West Indies to play three T20Is and as many one-day internationals, the schedule of which will be announced later.

Different federal cabinet members and Members of the National Assembly from various constituencies on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Parliament House.

Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have signed Memorandums of Understanding and a Protocol to further deepening bilateral ties in diverse fields including investment, digital economy and artificial intelligence.