Pakistan

Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday again extended an olive branch to India, asking the neighbouring country forge a partnership to pursue peace and jointly combat terrorism. “Pakistan is ready to forge a historic, phenomenal partnership with India to jointly combat terror,” he said while addressing an international conference on ‘Pakistan Fighting War for the World against Terrorism’ at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute. “Not as adversaries playing a zero sum game but as neighbours who share a moral and civilisational obligation to save a billion souls from the plague of extremism. “All it requires is from India’s leadership is to step down from the high horse heading in the abyss and pursue peace with Pakistan.” Bilawal also called on the Indian leadership to resolve all outstanding dispute including the Kashmir and the water crisis. “Let us resolve Kashmir in accordance with the aspirations of the people. Let us end the weaponisation of water. And instead, build peace as might...

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Khan Kundi Wednesday, called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and briefed him on the tragic incident of River Swat in which a number of tourists lost their lives.

The National Disaster Management Authority said on Wednesday that flash floods and heavy rain across the country have killed 64 people and injured 117 in a week. The highest toll was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 23 dead, including 10 children, the authority said. Fourteen of the victims were swept away in a flash flood in the Swat Valley last week. Flash floods and homes collapsing in heavy rain killed 21 others in Punjab, including 11 children, the authority said. In Sindh, 15 people were killed, while five people died in Balochistan. Separately, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast a significant intensification of monsoon activity across the country beginning from the evening of July 5, with widespread rain, thunderstorms and the possibility of flash floods and urban flooding in several regions. According to the Met Office, moist monsoon currents were continuously penetrating the country and would likely strengthen over the weekend. A westerly wave was also expected to approach the upper part...

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Wednesday announced that the mandatory registration process for Hajj 2026 is currently in progress and will continue until July 9, 2025.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has notified the names of returned candidates against the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the National Assembly, Khyber Pakhtunkwha, Punjab and Sindh assemblies.

In a rare move, police in Haveli, Kahuta (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) on Wednesday arrested Sessions Judge Raja Imtiaz Ahmad for contempt of court after he unlawfully granted bail to a known narcotics trafficker, defying a clear directive from the Supreme Court of AJK.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan has reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to enhancing trade through rail, road, and air routes.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will lead the Pakistan delegation at the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which is being held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, on July 3-4.

Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, a measure drawn up in the wake of unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites. The war between Iran and Israel, which broke out on June 13 and lasted for 12 days, has intensified tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill to suspend cooperation with the agency. State media said today that the legislation had cleared the final hurdle and was in effect. The text, published by Iranian media, states that the legislation aims to “ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran” under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and “especially uranium enrichment”. The issue of enrichment was at the core of disagreements between Washington and Tehran in nuclear negotiations that had been derailed by the war. Israel and some Western countries h...

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq strongly condemned the tragic explosion that took place at Saddiqabad near the railway crossing Mela in Bajaur district.

The Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) continued its upward momentum against the Pakistani Rupee (PKR), trading at 929.

Bulls continued their reign over the trading floor at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday as shares scaled the 130,000-point barrier to reach a new high after climbing by 2,100 points. The benchmark KSE-100 index opened on a positive note, rising by 1,430.07 points (1.12 per cent) to reach 129,629.49 points at 10:07am, from the previous close of 128,199.42 points. Shares then rose further to reach 130,344.03 points at close, gaining 2,144.61 points (1.67pc) from yesterday. The PSX extended its record-breaking rally for the fourth consecutive session today, which analysts attributed to easing inflation and signs of macroeconomic stability. Awais Ashraf, director of research at AKD Securities, said the increase in tax rate on income from debt securities, along with a change in the taxation structure for mutual funds to proportionate holdings of equities and fixed income, has resulted in inflows to equities from fixed income. “Significant reduction in inflation rate — fell to a low of nine years — wit...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday has forecast a significant intensification of monsoon activity across the country beginning from the evening of July 05, with widespread rain, thunderstorms and the possibility of flash floods and urban flooding in several regions.

In a major development to modernize traffic enforcement, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has announced the deployment of advanced drone technology to monitor traffic violations and enhance road safety.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday approved a reduction of Rs1.

Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has emphasized that the Sindh government’s development budget goes beyond financial allocations and embodies a broader vision to enhance public welfare.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote peace in the Middle East and acknowledged its significant role in facilitating a ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India.

At least four people were killed and several others injured in a powerful explosion targeting the assistant commissioner's vehicle in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Wednesday.

Bangladesh on Wednesday convicted fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina of contempt of court and issued a six-month prison sentence in absentia, the first verdict since she was ousted last year. Hasina, 77, fled to neighbouring India at the culmination of the student-led uprising in August 2024, and has defied orders to return to Dhaka. “She will serve the sentence the day she arrives in Bangladesh or surrenders to the court,” chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told reporters after the court decision. The case centred around comments that prosecutors said she had made after she was ousted from power, which they said threatened witnesses in ongoing court hearings. “The prosecution team believes her comment created an aura of fear among those who filed the cases and among the witnesses,” Islam said. Shakil Akanda Bulbul, a fugitive leader of her now-banned Awami League, was sentenced to two months in prison in the same case. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August last year, according to th...

US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, saying that Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal, as its forces also stepped up operations in the Palestinian territory. Nearly 21 months of relentless Israeli bombardment have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations. The civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people today. Trump, in a post on social media, said his representatives had met with Israeli officials about the raging conflict, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington next week. “Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalise the 60-day ceasefire, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war,” Trump wrote. He said representatives of Qatar and Egypt, mediators in the conflict, would deliver “this final proposal”. “I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this...