Pakistan

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is set to depart for Baku on Saturday (today) for a three-day official visit to participate in the World Urban Forum, where she will present Punjab’s flagship affordable housing initiative on an international platform.

BAHAWALPUR: Following the revelations by cocaine trafficker Ms Anmol alias Pinki, who is in Karachi police’s custody, that one of her countrywide drug supply network’s member, Tahir Saleem, belonged to Hasilpur, Bahawalpur district, the district as well as regional police have swung into action to nab the suspect. The district and regional police officials in Bahawalpur confirmed to Dawn that Tahir Saleem hailed from Hasilpur and was allegedly a drug trafficker. District police spokesperson Naeem Ahmed confirmed to Dawn that Tahir Saleem was a resident of Chak No 16-Fordwah in Hasilpur tehsil. Quoting Hasilpur police officials, he said that Tahir later shifted to Chak 62-Fateh in Hasilpur tehsil, but he left the place too. According toHaji Saqib Ajmal, the PRO of the regional police officer, Tahir had moved to Lahore, where on Oct 27, 2019, a drug trafficking case (FIR No.1334/19) was registered against him at Liaquatabad police station of Lahore district, under the relevant sections of the Control of Narcoti...

QUETTA: Despite the passage of more than 48 hours, no clue has been found regarding the vice chancellor, pro-vice chancellor, and two other employees of Gwadar University who went missing while travelling to Quetta from the port city of Gwadar on Friday. Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Pro-Vice Cha­n­c­ellor Prof Dr Syed Manzoor Ahmed; VC’s staff officer Irshad Ahmed; and driver Hatim Ali left Gwadar on Wednesday morning in an official vehicle. They rem­ained in contact with their families until reaching the Mastung area, after which their mobile phones were switched off. After losing contact with them, the vice chancellor’s family informed the police and other authorities about their disappearance in the Mastung area. Police believe the educationists may have been abducted by unidentified individuals. Security forces launched an intelligence-based search operation and raided various suspected locations for the safe recovery of the senior officials of Gwadar University. However, ...

GILGIT: Preparations for a visit by Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, have reached fever pitch, prompting a large-scale mobilisation of federal and regional resources in Gilgit-Baltistan, officials said on Friday. Authorities have been directed to complete all arrangements for the visit, scheduled for May 21-25. Prince Rahim will be accorded the status of a state guest as he visits GB areas, attends public gatherings, and addresses different ceremonies. The plans were reviewed on Friday at a meeting, where Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Amir Muqam, was briefed on the details. Officials anticipate large gatherings in the Passu Cones area of Hunza; Gilgit City, Gahkuch Bala, and Taus Yasin. The administration is considering holding multiple sessions at certain venues to manage the expected crowds, officials told the minister. For security and travel, the federal government has been requested to provide a bulletproof vehicle. Recommendations were also mad...

• Araghchi says uranium issue off the table for now • Pezeshkian seeks ‘strategic cooperation’ with Iraq • 11 Pakistanis, 20 Iranians being repatriated from US-seized ships, says Dar • Riyadh floats idea of non-aggression pact between Gulf nations, reports FT IRAN’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday hailed the country’s “courageous resistance” as having strengthened Tehran and making it better prepared to confront the United Stated, as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the stockpile of enriched uranium was “not under negotiation”. In a statement marking National Persian Language Preservation Day, the supreme leader said Iran “has demonstrated during the recent sacred defence [against the US-Zionist invasion] that Ferdowsi’s legendary tales are a reality of their lives and a reflection of their heroic character,” Al Jazeera reported. Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Valiant, Quranic concepts” in the epic poem Shahnameh by poet Ferdowsi “unite all Iranian ethnicities and social strata in prese...

KARACHI: State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad on Friday revealed that the designs of new currency notes have been finalised and forwarded to the federal cabinet for approval. The SBP governor disclosed this while responding to a question about the delay in the introduction of new currency notes during his meeting with members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Friday. In January 2024, the SBP had invited the general public to submit designs for new currency notes as it initiated the process of replacing the existing banknotes. According to the central bank, the new notes would have advanced security features and address the issue of counterfeit notes. The SBP had said that it was an “established practice” to introduce new banknotes every 15 to 20 years for security purposes. At the KCCI meeting, Jameel Ahmad clarified that exchange company rates are fully determined by market forces, and the State Bank has no direct role in setting exchange rates. He said progress was underway on the licens...

The federal government on Friday reduced petrol and diesel prices by Rs5, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division. According to the notification, the revised prices will take effect from May 16. Following the decrease, the price of petrol stands at Rs409.78 per litre and that of HSD at Rs409.58. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators. The government has been revising petroleum prices every week on Friday night following the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The war also led to a global fuel crunch caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil and gas used to pass in peacetime. Last week, the government approved a hike of Rs14.92 per litre in petrol and Rs15 on HSD prices. After the US-Israeli war o...

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday witnessed a war of words over the health and treatment of PTI founder Imran Khan and the conditions of political prisoners, with opposition members demanding an independent committee to visit jails and the government advising legal recourse for any relief. PTI Senator Azam Swati said the PTI founder had “lost sight in one eye” and called on the state to grant him and his wife their basic human rights as Pakistani citizens. “We need to unite at this time. Inhumane treatment is never justified,” Swati said, urging the government to “change its decisions and try to improve the situation.” Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. Senate Opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said denying someone their rights was oppression, and that “one who is satisfied with the oppressor’s cruelty is also an oppressor.” “By jailing politi...

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed the framework for a strategic defence partnership on Friday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Gulf nation, the Indian foreign ministry said, as they seek to deepen ties amid the Iran war. India and the UAE also signed pacts on strategic petroleum reserves and supply of liquefied petroleum gas, the ministry said in a statement. Under the strategic defence partnership, “the two sides have agreed on deepening defence industrial collaboration and cooperation on innovation and advanced technology, training, exercises, maritime security, cyber defence, secure communications and information exchange,” it said. The oil pact announced on Friday includes a potential increase of ADNOC’s crude oil storage in India for up to 30 million barrels, Abu Dhabi’s state oil firm said in a separate statement, adding the deal also explores potential crude storage in the UAE’s Fujairah as part of India’s strategic reserve. ADNOC said that it would explore expanded LPG ...

The United States has canceled the planned deployment of 4,000 soldiers to Poland, US officials said Friday, as Washington reorganises its forces in Europe after announcing it would withdraw thousands of troops from Germany. The head of US European Command “received the instructions on the force reduction,” General Christopher LaNeve, the acting chief of staff of the US Army, said during a congressional hearing when asked about the canceled deployment. “I’ve worked with him in close consultation on what that force unit would be, and it… made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,” LaNeve said, referring to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team. Some elements of the unit had already been sent overseas and its equipment was in transit, the general said. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, testifying alongside LaNeve, said the unit’s planned deployment was canceled “a couple days ago.” At the beginning of this month, the Pentagon announced that Washington would pull 5,000 troops from ...

While Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were hailing their friendship for the cameras, it was less amicable for the rival Chinese and US security services. From a standoff over a US Secret Service agent’s weapon to a US staffer trampled during a melee, tensions bubbled to the surface throughout Trump’s visit to Beijing. The mutual distrust was underscored when US officials made the staffers and media, including an AFP reporter, board Air Force One, hand over all badges and pins given to them by the Chinese side. Surveillance cameras are seen near a portrait of former Chairman Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City on May 15, 2026, in Beijing, China. — AFP Along with “burner” phones from the US delegation, the confiscated items were tossed in a trash can at the bottom of the stairs of the presidential jet. For all Xi’s warm words about being “partners not rivals,” this was always a summit between two superpowers with a long history of suspicion. As they vie for supremacy without tipping over into confl...

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that 11 Pakistani nationals detained aboard an aircraft by US authorities have safely returned to the country.

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• Signals acceptance of 20-year halt to enrichment • Araghchi says Pakistan's mediation process facing difficulties

Lebanon truce extended by 45 days

11 Pakistanis, 20 Iranians aboard vessels seized by US off Singapore

Praises CM and his cabinet; inaugurates 11 healthcare projects

Petrol to cost Rs409.78, diesel Rs409.58 per litre

Welcomes IBI Group's setting up of Digital Economy Headquarters in Pakistan

Opposition links jail restrictions to political crisis; govt cites legal, judicial framework