Pakistan

In a bold statement during an interview with Al Jazeera TV, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, warned India of severe consequences, including potential control over all six rivers flowing from Kashmir, if New Delhi breaches the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has once again refused to undergo a polygraph test in connection with the May 9 cases.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday chaired a high-level executive committee meeting to review progress on the establishment of the Daanish University of applied and emerging Sciences.

A major solar energy initiative intended to power 130,000 households in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has hit a roadblock due to bureaucratic and procedural delays.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Punjab has issued an alert about severe heatwave in Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha Districts from Thursday.

Romania Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr.

The Senate on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Khuzdar, labeling the targeting of schoolchildren as inhumane and called for a stronger defense against external threats and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to safeguarding its citizens.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday strongly condemned the recent terrorist incident in Khuzdar and called for a united response to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a meeting with a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department.

THE death penalty awarded to Zahir Jaffar for the brutal killing of Noor Mukadam in 2021 has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The court has reiterated that the murderer must pay for the crime with his life. It is, no doubt, a dire sentence — this paper, in principle, opposes capital punishment. The judges, it must be noted, did commute the death sentence on the rape charge to life imprisonment, and the kidnapping sentence from 10 years to one. However, when it came to the murder charge, it appears they felt it necessary to match the severity of the crime with the severity of the punishment. Many well-wishers hope that the verdict will bring the Mukadam family some closure after their long ordeal to secure justice for their murdered daughter. Noor’s brutal killing had shaken the Pakistani public out of its reverie to take note of the misogyny and domestic violence prevalent in society. The case had been closely followed. The evidence, eyewitness accounts, and sequence of events stitched together by the media ...

Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late on Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine”. authorities said, with US and Israeli leaders expressing shock and outrage over the killings. US President Donald Trump quickly condemned the attack, saying, “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, must end, now!” “Hatred and radicalism have no place in the USA,” he added on social media. Gunfire broke out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum in the centre of Washington as the venue held a social event for young professionals and diplomatic staff. The victims were a young couple who planned to get married, the Israeli ambassador said. A video clip circulating on social media showed a young bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away by police. Police confirmed the suspected shooter walked into the museum after the shooting and had been detained. “We believe the shooting was committed by a...

The National Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution strongly condemning India’s unilateral decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), terming it a blatant violation of international law and an act of war.

PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan has felicitated Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for his elevation to the rank of field marshal, saying that he now had more responsibility to “make the situation better”. Earlier this week, the government promoted Gen Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his “strategic leadership and decisive role” in defeating India during the military confrontation between the two countries that ended with a US-mediated ceasefire. Field marshal is the highest rank in armies modelled after the British Army. In Pakistan, it was awarded only once before, to General Mohammad Ayub Khan in 1959. Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail yesterday after meeting with incarcerated ex-premier Imran Khan, Gohar said: “A long time has passed. The PTI is a major party, Khan sahib is the most popular leader. We want these difficulties to end now. “This is why I am saying that the [army chief] has gotten this new honour of field marshal. [We] have congratulated but after this...

Japanese police said on Thursday they arrested a former taxi driver on suspicion of drugging and raping a female passenger, with media reports saying there could be dozens more victims. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily and Jiji Press reported that police found about 3,000 videos and images of him sexually assaulting around 50 women in his taxi or his home. Last year, the man “got a woman, then in her 20s, to take sleeping pills which caused her to lose consciousness, took her to his home and committed an indecent act, which he filmed,” a Tokyo police spokesman told AFP. Police arrested the 54-year-old on Wednesday on “suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and violation of the law on punishment of filming of sexual parts,” he added without elaborating further. Traces of sleeping pills were detected in her hair, according to media reports. The footage recovered on the man’s phone and other devices dated back to 2008, the reports said. Media also said that he was arrested last October on suspicion of drugging ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries widened by 34.64 per cent, reaching $9.787 billion in the first ten months of the current fiscal year (FY25), compared to $7.269 billion during the same period last year. Exports witnessed significant growth to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, spurred by recent changes in the regional political landscape. However, trade with these countries continues to face considerable challenges, largely due to unfavourable government policies. Despite this positive development in exports, the overall trade gap with regional countries widened, primarily due to increased imports from China, India and Bangladesh during the period under review. In FY24, the trade deficit with these countries stood at $9.506bn, up 49pc from $6.382bn in the preceding year. Export gains to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka offset by soaring imports Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka saw a hefty growth in July-April FY25. Still, exports to othe...

RAWALPINDI: Six people were injured after a sewer pipeline exploded due to gas accumulation on Wednesday morning, leaving behind a big crater on the road that connects the Holy Family Hospital Road with Phagwari Road. Due to the incident, a traffic jam was witnessed on the slip roads, which created problems for the residents, while the site was cordoned off by the authorities. According to the district administration officials, gas accumulated in the pipeline caused the explosion. They said that the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials were informed about the incident and asked to check the reason behind it. District Emergency Officer Sibghatullah told Dawn that Rescue 1122 received a call about the explosion in the sewer line and rushed to the site. He said that two people were injured in the first gas explosion and four people were injured in the second explosion. He said the injured were moved to Holy Fam...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an advisory stating that a low-pressure area (LPA) has formed over the east-central Arabian Sea, approximately 1,075 kilometers southeast of Karachi.

The Awami National Party (ANP) has called for the immediate dismissal of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman, citing his incompetence and inability to grasp crucial telecom reforms and technical issues.

The festive occasion of Eidul Azha is likely to be celebrated across Pakistan on June 7, 2025, according to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco). In a statement, the commission issued a prediction regarding the sighting of the crescent moon for the month of Zilhaj 1446 AH, “based on scientific analysis, astronomical data, and modern observational techniques.” It said according to astronomical models, the birth of the new moon for Zilhaj will occur on May 27, 2025, at 8:02pm PST. The scientific analysis for May 27, 2025 (29 Ziqa’ad) in Pakistan indicates the age of the moon at sunset will be approximately 11 hours and 34 minutes, it mentioned. “Even under the most optimal weather conditions, the possibility of the moon being sighted across the country is extremely low, as there will only be a 37-minute interval between sunset and moonset,” it added. The commission said 1st Zilhaj is expected to fall on May 29. Therefore, Eidul Azha will be celebrated across Pakistan on June 7. It added ...

Senator Faisal Vawda on Thursday called for a substantial increase in the defence budget and a doubling of salaries for armed forces personnel, even if it means reducing national expenditures, including the development budget.