Pakistan

Militants in Pakistan suffered their heaviest losses in ten years during the month of October as security forces intensified counter-militancy operations across multiple regions, according to data compiled by an Islamabad-based think tank. This comes after militants were put on the back foot in September, with 69 attacks recorded and a 52 per cent decline compared to the month of August, as per the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). In its latest monthly report issued today, PICSS stated that 355 militants were eliminated in October, while 72 security personnel and 31 civilians, including a peace committee member in Bannu, lost their lives. Another 92 security personnel, 48 civilians and 22 militants were injured across the country, the PICSS Militancy Database showed. While the think tank recorded a 29pc rise in militant attacks from 69 in September to 89 in October, overall human losses in these attacks declined by 19pc. The report highlighted that militants kidnapped 55 people la...

The persistent smog crisis continues to blanket South Asia, with Lahore and New Delhi recording dangerously high air pollution levels, posing severe health risks to millions of residents across the region.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is reviewing a major revision in the solar net metering policy, with plans to slash the buyback rate for surplus electricity supplied to the national grid from Rs23 to Rs10 per unit, sources in the Power Division revealed on Friday.

Jordan and Germany said on Saturday that an international force expected to support a future Palestinian police in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s post-war governance plan should have a UN mandate. Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces in the Palestinian territory. The so-called international stabilisation force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan, as well as secure border areas and prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. “We all agree that in order for that stabilisation force to be able to be effective in getting the job done, it has to have a Security Council mandate,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. Jordan, however, will not be sending its own forces to the Strip. “We’re too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza,” Safadi said, adding his country was nonetheless ready to cooperate with the international force...

Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan said on Saturday that the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been reopened for Afghan refugees returning to their country. Speaking to Dawn, Khyber Deputy Commissioner Bilal Rao confirmed that the Torkham border crossing had been reopened earlier today for the resumption of Afghan refugees’ repatriation. Khizer Shah, the spokesman of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, and Afghan officials also confirmed the development. “Torkham gate is now open for refugees. We welcome our countrymen,” Qureshi Badloon, head of the Information and Culture in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, told Dawn. The repatriation of Afghan families with or without any travel or identity documents was abruptly suspended on October 11 following border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which continued for days before a ceasefire was formalised in Doha on October 19. Pakistan had closed all its borders with Afghanistan for all types of movement. Since then, a large number of return...

Former PTI leader and ex-federal minister Ali Haider Zaidi on Saturday refuted reports of him “planning a political relaunch”, saying that he had no plans of doing so anytime soon. Zaidi was among the top PTI leadership who quit either the party or politics altogether amid a state crackdown on the party following the May 9, 2023 riots, which witnessed military installations being vandalised in protest of Imran’s arrest earlier that day. “Some [are] suggesting that I’m planning a political relaunch. Let me be clear: I am not planning to enter politics anytime soon,” Zaidi said on X. The first reason Zaidi stated for not rejoining politics was that his “financial circumstances and my personal family obligations” would not allow it. “Secondly, there is no politics in a country where the corrupt, the land grabbers, the extortionists, even those with blood on their hands are gifted power through a rigged election, protected by a compromised judiciary, which even today, fails to deliver justice,” he claimed. “When ...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed on Saturday he apologised to United States President Donald Trump over an anti-tariff ad featuring former US leader Ronald Reagan and had told Ontario Premier Doug Ford not to run it. Trump announced he would be hiking tariffs on Canadian goods by an additional 10 per cent and terminated all trade talks following what he called the “fake” anti-tariff ad campaign. “I did apologise to the president. The president was offended,” Carney told journalists in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, adding trade talks would restart when the US is “ready”. Carney also confirmed that he had reviewed the ad with Ford before it aired, but said he had opposed using it. “I told Ford I did not want to go forward with the ad,” he said. The ad, commissioned by Ford, an outspoken Conservative politician who is sometimes compared to Trump, uses a snippet of Republican icon and former president Reagan saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster. Carney also called talks wit...

The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reopened on Friday after 20 days, but only to facilitate the deportation of undocumented Afghan residents from Pakistan, officials confirmed.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has extended the deadline to replace old number plates of vehicles with new Ajrak-themed plates by two more months. According to a notification issued on Friday, the excise and taxation department “is pleased to extend the timeline for replacement of existing number plates with new security-featured number plates to 31st December, 2025 instead of 31st October, 2025 (in respect of all types of vehicles).” Earlier in August, the Sindh government had extended the deadline for citizens to obtain new number plates featuring the Ajrak design until Oct 31, following instructions from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday banned reporters from accessing a core part of the White House press office without an appointment, citing the need to protect “sensitive material”. Journalists are now barred if they do not have prior approval to access the area in the West Wing known as Upper Press — which is where Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s office is located. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the move, saying without providing evidence that reporters had been “ambushing” cabinet secretaries in the area and secretly recording video and audio. “This memorandum directs the prohibition of press passholders from accessing … ‘Upper Press,’ which is situated adjacent to the Oval Office, without an appointment,” said a memo from the White House National Security Council (NSC). The memo, addressed to Leavitt and Cheung, said the aim was “protecting sensitive material from unauthorized disclosure in Upper Press”. The policy comes amid wider restrictions on journali...

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military’s chief legal officer resigned on Friday over a criminal inquiry into the leaking of a video that showed soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee arrested during the Gaza conflict. Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi said that she was stepping down because she had approved the video’s leak in August last year. The abuse investigation led to criminal charges against five soldiers and stirred an uproar. The inquiry drew condemnation from right-wing politicians and prompted protesters to storm two military compounds after investigators sought troops for questioning in the case. A week after the break-in at the bases, a security camera video showing the moments of the alleged abuse was leaked to an Israeli television channel. It showed soldiers taking a prisoner aside and crowding around while holding a dog and blocking visibility of their actions with their riot gear. On Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said that there has been an ongoing criminal inquiry into the video ...

• Analysts warn warming US-China ties may undermine India’s multipolar world vision, weaken Quad-like groups • Pakistan assessing impact of deal, says Foreign Office NEW DELHI: India and the United States on Friday inked a 10-year defence framework agreement, a deal India’s defence minister described as a “signal” of growing strategic alignment, even as warming US-China ties raised questions about the region’s geopolitical landscape. Indian reports confirmed the defence pact was sealed at a meeting here between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Peter Hegseth. The “convergence” however seemed undermined by a potentially opposite view on the Obama era encircling of China that Chinese and US presidents presented at a globally watched meeting in South Korea. Indian newspaper The Hindu noted that the meeting of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan “sent ripple effects to India”. Following the talks, US tariffs on China were cut to 47 per cent, leaving India ...

KARACHI: The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has reduced the validity of Umrah visas from three months to one month from the date of issuance, Saudi news channel Al Arabiya.net reported. The new amendments, which will go into effect from next week, also includes the cancellation of the visa 30 days after its date of issuance in case the pilgrim has not entered the kingdom within this period. Reducing the visa’s validity, however, will not affect the permitted duration of stay after the pilgrim arrives in Saudi Arabia. All those arriving to perform Umrah are allowed to stay for three months. The changes were made to prevent overcrowding of pilgrims in the two holy cities during cooler months, according to Ahmed Bajafar, adviser to the National Committee for Umrah and Visit. Although Umrah rituals are solely performed in Makkah, many Umrah pilgrims seize the chance to visit Madina during their short trip to Saudi Arabia. In October, Riyadh introduced stricter Umrah rules, including mandatory pre-booking of acc...

• Trials to be held in Rawalpindi ATC • Home dept says move will help ensure PTI founder’s security, prevent untoward incidents RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has notified that all eleven FIRs registered against former prime minister Imran Khan in connection with the violent protests of May 9, 2023, will now be tried in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi. The trials will be conducted via video link from Adiala jail, where the PTI founder remains incarcerated. According to a notification issued by the Home Department, the decision has been made under Sections 15(2) and 21(2)(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The order directs that proceedings in all eleven FIRs — registered at various police stations, including RA Bazaar, Civil Lines, City, Waris Khan, New Town, Morgah, Sadiqabad, Saddar Wah, and Cantt — be held at the Rawalpindi ATC through video link from Adiala jail. The Home Department stated that the arrangement aims to ensure Imran Khan’s security and prevent any untoward incident during the ...

• Islamabad says ceasefire with western neighbour not ‘open-ended’; any breach will trigger ‘all options’ • Foreign Office insists Istanbul statement a ‘preface’, not full text of accord • Says Taliban privately acknowledge TTP, BLA presence in Afghanistan • Khawaja Asif hints at multi-nation monitors, says ‘terrorism must stop’ ISLAMABAD: Islamabad on Friday viewed the Istanbul agreement with Kabul as a conditional truce and a step forward, but not an end-state as it awaited the next high-level engagement with the Afghan Taliban regime scheduled for Nov 6 in Turkiye. “Afghanistan should understand that this arrangement is a conditional truce, one which hinges on demonstrable responsibility by the Afghan side,” a senior security source said on condition of anonymity, underscoring Pakistan’s cautious optimism after five days of intense talks in Istanbul mediated by Turkiye and Qatar. The round of negotiations, which concluded earlier this week, produced a three-point understanding — the continuation of the cea...

• Critical Minerals Forum chief meets Aurangzeb • Islamabad welcomes move; asks team to revert with a detailed framework for collaboration ISLAMABAD: A leading US delegation met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad on Friday, seeking to build secure and transparent mineral supply chains for American industry amid Washington’s growing concerns over China’s upper hand in global rare earth materials. The delegation led by Robert Louis Strayer II, president of the US government-funded Critical Minerals Forum (CMF), “discussed avenues of cooperation in the minerals and mining sector, strengthening supply-chain security, and encouraging responsible and sustainable investment in Pakistan’s critical minerals landscape” with a Pakistani team headed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, according to an official statement. The meeting took place as the US and India announced a 10-year defence framework agreement. The CMF’s focus is driven by the strategic threat posed by Beijing’s control over key resources. “China’s...

Pakistan warns ceasefire not 'open ended'; Terms Istanbul understanding 'interim' deal

The federal government on Friday night increased the price of petrol by Rs2.43 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.02 per litre for the next fortnight. In a late-night announcement, the Ministry of Finance said the revision followed movements in international markets and recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and relevant ministries. According to the notification, the price of petrol now stands at Rs265.45 per litre from Rs263.02 per litre. Meanwhile, the price of diesel has increased to Rs278.44 per litre from Rs275.42 per litre. Most of the transport sec­tor runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middl...

Platform presents opportunity to diversify textile footprint beyond West

Onions, sugar, wheat flour drive weekly inflation to 0.12%; CPI projected at 5.2%