Pakistan

Fighters riding camels rounded up a couple of hundred men near the Sudanese city of al-Fasher at the weekend and brought them to a reservoir, shouting racial slurs before starting to shoot, according to a man who said he was among them. One of the captors recognised him from his school days and let him flee, the man, Alkheir Ismail, said in a video interview conducted by a local journalist known to Reuters in the nearby town of Tawila in the country’s western Darfur region. “He told them, ‘Don’t kill him,’” Ismail said. “Even after they killed everyone else — my friends and everyone else.” He said he had been bringing food to relatives still in the city when it was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Sunday — and, like the other detainees, was unarmed. Reuters could not immediately verify his account due to the conflict but has verified earlier material obtained from the journalist. Alkheir Ismail, one of displaced Sudanese who gather and sit in makeshift tents after fleeing Al-Fasher c...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said PPP remained committed to resolving the political turmoil in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), reflecting on the party’s “reputation for finding solutions.” The PPP chairman’s remarks come amidst the party preparing to move a no-confidence motion against the current AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, after the PPP’s ranks in the 53-member AJK legislative Assembly swelled to 27 after ten — all elected on PTI tickets in the July 2021 general elections — from the forward bloc joined the party on Sunday. Speaking to the media in Islamabad today, Bilawal said that his party “was in a position to form a government in Kashmir, being a majority,” while reaffirming that the party remained committed to “resolving the issues of Kashmir and honouring the hopes and dreams of its people.” “Whatever the issues are, PPP has a reputation for finding political solutions,” Bilawal asserted. The PPP Chairman acknowledged that the current legislative assembly, until the electi...

The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip for a fourth day on Friday, killing three people, Palestinian health authorities said, in another test of a fragile ceasefire agreement. Residents reported Israeli shelling and gunfire in northern Gaza on Friday, as Israel continued to bombard areas of the enclave despite saying that it remains committed to a ceasefire brokered by United States President Donald Trump. The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. Another Palestinian died of wounds sustained from previous Israeli shelling, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported. The US-brokered ceasefire, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip unresolved, has been tested by periodic outbreaks of violence since it came into place three weeks ago. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with bombardments that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people. More bo...

A 13-member provincial cabinet picked by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took the oath of office on Friday in Peshawar. According to a statement from the KP government, the cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony took place at the Governor’s House in Peshawar. “KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath,” the statement said. “Those sworn in as provincial ministers included Meena Khan Afridi, Arshad Ayub Khan, Amjad Ali, Aftab Alam Afridi, Fazal Shakoor Khan, Khaleequr Rehman, Riaz Khan, Syed Fakhar Jehan, Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Khan Tarakai. “KP Governor Kundi congratulated the newly sworn-in provincial ministers and expressed his best wishes to them,” it added. According to an earlier summary sent to the KP governor by the provincial government, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, CM Afridi had selected his cabinet members, while also picking Muzammil Aslam and Taj Muhammad as advisers, and Shafi Jan as a special assistant. The PTI’s KP chapter had also confirmed the names in a po...

The Federal Investigation Agency has withdrawn a corruption case filed against former Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman Shabbar Zaidi, it emerged on Friday. On Thursday, the FIA booked him over allegations of issuing unauthorised income tax refunds amounting to Rs16 billion during his tenure as FBR chairman. Sources said the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle had accused Zaidi of criminal misconduct, abuse of authority, and unauthorised disbursement of public funds. According to the FIA, three private banks, two cement factories, and one chemical company were the beneficiaries of these refunds. The agency alleged that these entities were clients of Zaidi’s private audit and consultancy firm prior to his appointment as FBR chairman, raising concerns of conflict of interest. However, a notification issued by the agency’s Karachi division on Thursday said: “The Director, FIA Karachi Zone, has been pleased to accord permission for cancellation of case FIR No. 32/2025 dated 29.10.2025 … as well as classification o...

The Sindh High Court (SHC) court on Friday ordered a committee formed by the Sindh chief minister to visit the Karachi Zoo on November 2 and prepare a report on the condition of the animals there, including Rano, the brown bear. The case of Rano, a female Himalayan brown bear who stirred public outcry over her ailing health in the zoo, has brought into sharp focus the neglect of animals kept in captivity in Karachi. She will be relocated to a bear rehabilitation centre under the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, before being moved to Gilgit-Baltistan on the SHC’s directives. In a previous order dated October 17 — available with Dawn.com — SHC Justice Iqbal Kalhoro ordered the committee to visit the Karachi Zoo in the company of petitioner Jude Allen Pereira, Dr Nazeer Hussain Kalhoro from the Sindh Institute of Animal Health, Advocate Jibran Nasir and wildlife photographer Zafeer Ahmed Shaikh and prepare a detailed report highlighting the “number of animals, their physical and mental condition and the circ...

Air pollution across Punjab has reached alarming levels, with Faisalabad emerging as the most polluted city in the province on Friday.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrani said on Friday that Pakistan does not seek further tension with Afghanistan and hopes that Afghan soil will not be used against it.

Bulls were in control at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday as the benchmark KSE-100 index rose by more than 4,800 points with analysts attributing the rally mainly to the extension of the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The KSE-100 index rose by 4898.86 points, or 3.13 per cent, to close at 161,631.73 points, breaking a seven-day losing streak. Yousuf M. Farooq, director of research at Chase Securities, told Dawn.com that the market rebounded today on “reports of Pakistan–Afghanistan ceasefire talks, the end of rollover week, and renewed institutional buying after the recent correction opened up valuations”. “Focus now shifts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review and any revenue measures (including possible tax increases) needed to meet targets,” he said, adding that investors will also watch Monday’s trade balance data for cues on the economic outlook. “Retail investors should use equities primarily for long-term wealth creation, set asset allocation by age, liquidity needs an...

Sindh police has launched a training drive to acquaint Karachi police drivers with the newly implemented e-ticketing system, it emerged on Friday. On Monday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS). Under the new mechanism, traffic police personnel monitor real-time violations through surveillance cameras installed across the city and dispatch tickets to the home addresses of the violators. On Tuesday, more than 2,650 electronic challans were issued by the Karachi Traffic Police following the system’s inauguration, amounting to up to Rs1.2 million. Today’s decision was notified in a letter written by the director inspector general (DIG) of the Training Department of Sindh police to DIG Police Karachi, DIGs Traffic Karachi, Technical and Transport, Rapid Response Force, Special Protection Unit, Crime and Investigations, Counter-terrorism department (CTD) and Special Branch. “The training — to begin from November 1 — will aim to strengthen the skil...

The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) on Friday announced the large-scale rollout of smart meters across electricity distribution companies (Discos) in the country, which it described as a “major step” towards improving customer service and operational efficiency. According to the spokesperson of the Power Division, Zafaryab Khan, metering plays a vital role as the key interface between the customer and the service provider. “In line with the ministry’s declaration of 2025-26 as the Year of Customer Service Improvement, Discos have embarked on a comprehensive digitalisation drive to modernise their infrastructure,” said a statement by the Power Division. “This initiative aims to ensure real-time data availability, transparency, and enhanced customer experience.” Recognising that the pricing of smart meters was a major impediment in this transformation, the Power Division actively intervened to rationalise costs, said the statement, adding that out of nearly 38 million electricity consumers nationwide, aroun...

Pakistan and Canada have reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen mutually beneficial economic cooperation, focusing on expanding trade and investment across diverse sectors.

The information ministry on Friday denied “unverified or politically charged claims” by an Indian news channel about Pakistan preparing to dispatch 20,000 troops to Gaza and the country removing the clause from its passports that makes it invalid for travel to Israel. Indian news outlet Republic TV had made the allegations, specifying the number of soldiers Pakistan was planning to send to Gaza “under the supervision of Western countries and Israel.” The channel, according to a statement by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had also “ridiculously claimed that Pakistan had also removed the ‘Not valid for Israel’ clause from the passport.” In a statement on X, the information ministry referred to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa), reiterating that “Pakistan’s stance on Israel remains unchanged, that is, Islamabad does not recognise Israel, and no military cooperation or engagement exists or is under discussion”. Moreover, the ministry clarified that the passport clause remain...

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has reiterated that any external aggression against Pakistan will be met with a “firm and severe” response, a statement from the military’s media wing said on Friday. His comments come against the backdrop of recent tensions with Afghanistan over Islamabad’s long-standing concern regarding terrorist attacks emanating from Kabul. For its part, Islamabad has demanded that the Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. The Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil. Meanwhile, in May, the country faced a military standoff — the worst in decades — with neighbouring India. Following an intense, four-day escalation, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire, mediated by the United States. Addressing a meeting today with students and academics from universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Abbottabad district, the DG ISPR asserted, “The armed forces remain committed t...

Pakistan is expected to experience a weak La Niña phase in November and December, which will result in below-normal rainfall and higher temperatures across most regions of the country, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Thursday.

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad issued a notice to police on Friday on an application for the provision of documents in a narcotics and terrorism case registered against senior journalist Matiullah Jan. The case, registered at Margalla Police Station on November 28 last year, accuses the journalist of snatching a government-issued rifle, hitting a vehicle at a police barrier and possessing narcotics. Initiation of legal proceedings against Jan has drawn strong criticism from journalist bodies and rights groups, who maintain that he is being targeted for investigating reports of alleged deaths during law enforcement action against PTI protesters in November last year. At the outset of the hearing today, lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq submitted a power of attorney to Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra on behalf of Jan. He also contended that the journalist had been “portrayed as a terrorist” in the case. Judge Sipra remarked that the other side needed to be heard as well and issued a notice to police for November 8 on an app...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s new 13-member cabinet — comprising 10 ministers, two advisers, and a special assistant — is set to be sworn in at 3 pm today (Friday) at the Governor’s House in Peshawar.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has categorically dismissed baseless propaganda aired by an Indian television channel, Republic TV, which falsely alleged that Pakistan was preparing to send 20,000 troops to Gaza under the supervision of Western countries and Israel.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand discussed the strengthening of bilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday. In a statement, the FO said Dar received a call the previous evening from Anand. “The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral trade and investment, including sectors such as agriculture and mines and minerals, and collaboration under the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA),” the FO said. It added that the Canadian foreign minister thanked Dar for facilitating market access for imports of Canadian canola to Pakistan. “Both leaders appreciated recent constructive engagements, reaffirmed their commitment to advancing mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” the FO said, adding that the two foreign ministers agreed to remain in close contact. Anand also commented on her phone call with Dar in a post on social media platform X. “We discussed a range of issues ...

The Balochistan government has suspended mobile data services in Quetta district today for 24 hours due to the law and order situation, it emerged on Friday. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Interior and dated October 30 — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — the Balochistan government requested that the relevant authorities be directed to suspend 3G/4G internet services in Quetta on October 31 (today) for 24 hours. “Owing to the peculiar law and order situation and threat perceptions, the services of 3G and 4G services are required to be jammed in district Quetta,” the missive said. In recent months, the security situation in Balochistan has worsened, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The suspension also comes only two months after mobile data services in the province were suspended in August over “security reasons”. However, on August 21— 16 days into the suspension — the Balochistan High Court (BHC) had order...