Pakistan

The German government said on Thursday that it would take in 535 Afghans who had been promised refuge in Germany but have been stuck in limbo in Pakistan. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the RND media network that Berlin wanted to complete the processing of the cases “in December, as far as possible” to allow them to enter Germany. The Afghans were accepted under a refugee scheme set up by the previous German government, but have been stuck in Pakistan since conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and froze the programme. Those on the scheme either worked with German armed forces in Afghanistan during the war against the Taliban, or were judged to be at particular risk from the Taliban after its return to power in 2021 — for example, rights activists and journalists, as well as their families. Pakistan had set a deadline for the end of the year for the Afghans’ cases to be settled, after which they would be deported back to their homeland. Dobrindt said that “we are in touch with t...

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shehbaz Khan on Thursday announced a delay of general elections and local bodies polls due to harsh weather conditions in the region, after a multiparty conference held to consult political parties on the holding of the elections. General Elections of the Assembly and local government (LG) elections were scheduled for January 24 and February 14, 2026, respectively. The LG polls are going to be conducted in the region after a gap of 20 years. “The new polling dates for both elections will be announced later,” Khan said. After the GB Assembly completed its five-year tenure on November 24, President Asif Ali Zardari announced the general elections date as it is mandatory to conduct elections within 60 days, while the GB election commissioner also announced the date of local body elections. Meanwhile, the GB Election Commission convened a multiparty conference (MPC), including leaders of PML-N, PPP, PTI and JUI, today at its secretariat to consult political ...

UK teachers will be trained to tackle misogyny in the classroom under a new strategy aimed at halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, the government said Thursday. The new strategy would “deploy the full power of the state to introduce the largest crackdown to stop violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history”, said Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, who is due to unveil details of the new approach in parliament later. The 20 million plan comes as the latest statistics showed over 40 per cent of young men held a positive view of so-called manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, a government statement said. And over the last year alone, one in every eight women was a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking. “For too long, the scale of violence against women and girls has been treated as a fact of life in our country,” said Phillips. Under the strategy, all secondary schools in England will have to teach students about...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Thursday called for proposals to address challenges posed by artificial intelligence in the advertising industry, emphasizing the need to safeguard creative professionals from redundancy.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday acknowledged ‘employment issues’ among creatives within the advertising sector due to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and invited proposals to address the problem. In a post on X, the minister wrote that widespread AI adoption is affecting the employment of creative minds in the sector, specifically referring to content creators, graphic designers and editors, creative directors, actors and models and technicians and cameramen. “I am inviting proposals on how to address this problem and how to save these professions from becoming redundant,” Tarar wrote, urging people to send proposals to an email address linked to the Press Information Department. An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report published in May found that around “one in four workers across the world are in an occupation with some degree of exposure” to generative AI models’ capabilities. “Few jobs are currently at high risk of full automation,” the ILO added. In November, ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved the halal meat export policy and directed relevant authorities to present a comprehensive, three-year strategy within two weeks, comprising measures to increase exports. Pakistan barely has a 0.25 per cent share in the global halal food trade of more than $3 trillion, which reflects the need for the government and private sector to take proactive initiatives to explore the true potential of ‘Made in Pakistan’ products and establish a niche for itself. The decision was made during a meeting of a committee established to enhance Pakistan’s halal meat export market, focusing on the export policy and sector reforms. PM Shehbaz was presiding over the meeting. “A comprehensive strategy, formulated through coordination among all relevant federal ministries and provincial governments, is essential and significant to make Pakistan’s share in the halal meat market of Muslim countries as well as the global market,” PM Shehbaz said. He asked officials to present proposal...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ordered the removal of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri after ruling that his appointment as a judge was illegal due to the absence of a valid law degree at the time of his induction.

Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi has extended warm congratulations to His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar, the Royal Family, and the people of Qatar on the occasion of Qatar’s National Day, lauding the country’s remarkable progress and visionary leadership.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeez ur Rehman on Thursday emphasised the need for greater digital literacy and awareness in an era of rapidly evolving technology, warning that a lack of understanding can expose citizens to serious cyber risks.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued a stern reminder to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other authorities concerned, saying that any person offloaded or restrained from travelling must be provided with written reasons at the time of the action being taken. LHC’s Justice Ali Zia Bajwa made the observations in an order issued after a hearing held at the Multan Bench. On Wednesday, the judge had heard a petition filed by a citizen, Shaheryar Qandeel, against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other authorities following his offloading from a flight despite being in possession of valid travel documents. In the order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Justice Bajwa said, “Let this court take a moment to remind the FIA and all concerned authorities that every exercise of power that infringes upon the fundamental rights of an individual must find its firm and unambiguous foundation in law.” He said that no administrative discretion, however broad, could justify curbing the liberty of cit...

The Election Commission on Thursday announced the postponement of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections due to severe weather conditions prevailing across the region.

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has undertaken an official visit to Libya, where Pakistan and Libya agreed to strengthen defence cooperation at the military leadership level.

A complaint has been filed with police against the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, and Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad in relation to an incident involving the former pulling a woman’s face veil (niqab), according to Indian media. Kumar has been facing criticism after he pulled off a woman doctor’s niqab at a graduation ceremony. A clip of the incident was widely shared on social media, showing the 74-year-old politician handing a certificate to a woman doctor during the event on Monday and motioning to her to remove her niqab. Before the woman could react, Kumar reached out and pulled down the niqab, exposing her mouth and chin. While the clip has sparked widespread outrage across India and Pakistan, with social media users, activists and commentators demanding an apology and resignation of the chief minister, Nishad made remarks belittling the gravity of the incident, questioning the outrage over “mere removal of a burqa”. Indian news agency ANI reported on Wednesday that Samajwadi Party...

The Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday announced the schedule for winter vacations in federal government educational institutions.

Pakistan Virtual Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal Bin Saqib has said that cryptocurrency mining activities are expected to begin in Pakistan within the next few weeks as part of the government’s efforts to regulate digital assets and generate new sources of revenue.

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening defence ties with Libya, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. In a statement, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the field marshal was currently on an official visit to Libya, where he called on the Libyan Armed Forces’ commander in chief, Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, and deputy commander in chief, Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar. “On arrival, the field marshal was accorded a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the Libyan Armed Forces,” the ISPR said. In a meeting with the Libyan Armed Forces’ commander in chief, CDF Field Marshal Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening defence ties with Libya, “based on shared interests”, it said. It added that during the meeting, the two discussed matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics, and avenues for enhancing bilateral defence and military-to-military ...

A least 16 people were injured on Thursday after a fire broke out in a coal-laden truck and an oil tanker parked along the National Highway in Zhob, officials said.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday forecast rain and snowfall in various parts of the country as a western disturbance is expected to enter Balochistan on December 19 and spread to the upper regions a day later.

The Trump administration intends to increase its efforts to strip some naturalised Americans of their US citizenship, according to internal guidance obtained by The New York Times. The move comes as US President Donald Trump, in a prime-time address, pledged to further intensify his hard-line immigration policies, signalling a broader crackdown on migrants and stricter enforcement measures across the country. Internal instructions issued this week to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices direct them to “supply Office of Immigration Litigation with 100–200 denaturalisation cases per month” in the 2026 fiscal year, the Times reported. That would mark a dramatic increase in denaturalisation cases, which, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Centre, stood at about 11 per year between 1990 and 2017. A USCIS spokesperson told Reuters that the agency’s focus was on individuals who “unlawfully obtained US citizenship”, asserting that the expanded denaturalisation push forms part of effort...

Pakistan on Wednesday termed the sudden changes in the flow of the River Chenab “unacceptable” and called on the international community to take serious notice of what it described as India’s violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).