Pakistan

MITHI: Tharparkar — rendered parched by delayed or erratic rains — is now on the brink of famine, the local farming and herder communities say. The situation poses a serious threat to the local population that depends on earning from their crops. The threat of famine looms large as a long dry spell has destroyed crops; and locals have already consumed or disposed of their produce during the period. Livestock is the second source of income for many families but, at present, no fodder is available for millions of animals being reared in the region. For Tharparkar’s farming and herding communities, rainfall in mid-June and mid-August periods is necessary. The timely rainfall is their lifeline. Adequate amount of rain soaks the soil deep enough enabling the farming community to cultivate crops like guar, bajra, sesame, watermelon etc, besides growing fodder on grazing pastures. Growers, herders fear erratic or inadequate rainfall in coming days may invite natural calamity This year, clouds have reached the region...

The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday (August 16) announced a one-day mourning to honour the five crew members of its MI-171 helicopter who embraced martyrdom in a crash during a relief mission.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting on Friday to review the progress on clean drinking water projects, water filtration plants, and other major development projects in the province.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has taken the lead in rallying regional support for a fair and effective Global Plastics Treaty, calling for equitable access to green financing and technology for developing nations.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan has instructed the Federal Secretary Communications and Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) to reach personally and take immediate steps for restoration of roads.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said Pakistan faced the challenge of a rapidly increasing population, which was not merely a matter of numbers, but a defining factor in the country’s developmental trajectory and future prosperity.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed deep concern over delays in adjudication across all tiers of the judiciary, warning that such tendencies erode public confidence, undermine the rule of law, and disproportionately harm the weak and vulnerable who cannot afford prolonged litigation. “Delay in adjudication carries severe macroeconomic and societal consequences: it deters investment, renders contracts illusory, and weakens the institutional legitimacy of the judiciary,” observed Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah. Justice Shah made the observation while heading a two-judge bench, also comprising Justice Ay­esha A. Malik, which was hearing an appeal filed by Abdul Salam Khan challenging the Peshawar High Court’s Nov 3, 2021 rejection of his plea. The judge suggested introducing age-tracking protocols to automatically identify dormant cases, along with the judicious use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to assist in scheduling and triage, while preserving judicial discretion. Justice Shah warns slow ...

Islamabad - Pakistan yesterday expressed deep grief at the tragic loss of precious lives and extensive damage to property caused by the recent cloudburst in Kishtwar, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday directed the provincial government to review its blanket suspension of mobile and data services and to immediately restore public transport, which had been suspended across the province for security reasons. A two-judge bench of BHC, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Sardar Ahmad Halimi, issued the directives while hearing a petition challenging the government’s shutdown orders. The petition was filed by Khair Muhammad Shaheen, chairman of the Balochistan Consumer Civil Society. The Additional Chief Secretary for Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqat informed the court that public transport services were temporarily suspended. The court found this justification for halting public transport services to be unreasonable and ordered the immediate withdrawal of the suspension order. Regarding the mobile network shutdown, scheduled to last until Aug 31, the court instructed the government to reconsider its province-wide ban. The bench directed officials ...

ISLAMABAD - The launching ceremony of submarine PNS/M MANGRO (Desig) was held at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Company Ltd, Shuangliu Base, Wuhan, China.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has declared that in a case of auction of immovable property the issue of delay in adjudication is not merely administrative, it is constitutional.

• Two FIRs registered; 47 suspects named, 300 remain unidentified • Minarets of worship places torn down, one set ablaze; nearby homes also attacked • HRCP calls for strict action on hate speech LAHORE: Dijikot police have registered two cases against 300 people on terrorism charges for setting two worship places of the Ahmadi community on fire in Faisalabad, on the eve of Independence Day. As many as 47 men were nominated, while 300 others remain unidentified in both cases. The cases were registered under Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and sections 295, 425, 446, 380, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIRs, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ticket-holder Hafiz Rafaqat led the mob, which was armed with rods and bricks. The attackers gathered outside one of the larger Ahmadi worship places and pelted it with bricks. Members of the community who tried to resist were severely beaten, leaving several injured. The mob, under the cover of Independence Day processions, delivered h...

ISLAMABAD - The federal government has slashed the rates of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs 12.

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has disposed of a petition regarding a missing person Naseem Butt after it was told that he was in Adiala Jail on judicial remand in a case.

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSR&C) convened the National Inter-Agency Coordination Committee (NICC) to bolster Pakistan’s immunization efforts, particularly the upcoming Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign on Friday.

• CTD claims killing three TTP-linked militants in Peshawar operation • Two excise officials targeted near Dera-Daraban bypass PESHAWAR: Five people, including two personnel from the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) and two Excise Department officials, were martyred, while three militants were killed in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, official sources said. Counter-Terrorism Department officials said their team ambushed a group of militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an intelligence-based operation carried out in Regi Lalma, on the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Thursday night. They said the CTD had been tracking the group, which was involved in 18 different attacks on police and citizens. These attacks took place along Peshawar’s northern border with Mohmand district, southern border with Kohat district, eastern border with Khyber district and western border with Nowshera district. The ambush was based on technical surveillance, the officials said, adding t...

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Friday reported that cloud bursts and flash floods over the past 24 hours have claimed 229 lives and injured 40 people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ARY News reported on Friday. KP floods- LIVE According to the PDMA, the fatalities include 184 men, 14 women and 12 children, while […]

MADRID, SPAIN: A Spanish influencer couple, Mery Caldass and Alejandro Cid, were refused to board on a flight to Puerto Rico after trusting an AI chatbot visa misguidance. The couple, famous for their travel content on TikTok, told that the chatbot advised them, they do not require visa being Spanish citizens traveling to the Caribbean […]

Tel endured taunts following a missed penalty in the shoot-out defeat against PSG

They are affected due to a row over UCI's GPS trackers