Pakistan

In its efforts to sell its struggling flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the government has received expressions of interest from five parties, including business groups and a military-owned firm, the Privatisation Ministry said on Thursday. The bids were submitted ahead of a June 19 deadline to acquire up to 100 per cent of PIA, which has accumulated over $2.5 billion in losses in roughly a decade. Still, following major restructuring, it posted its first operating profit in 21 years in the 2024-25 fiscal year. The sale is seen as a test of Pakistan’s ability to shed loss-making state firms and meet conditions of a $7bn International Monetary Fund bailout. It would be the first major privatisation in nearly two decades. Eight parties submitted their expression of interest, but only five of them provided documents of qualification, the ministry said in a statement. Among the five groups is a consortium of major industrial firms: Lucky Cement Ltd, Hub Power Holdings Ltd, Kohat Cement Co Ltd an...

One of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test in Texas late on Wednesday, law enforcement said according to AFP, adding that no one was injured. The Starship 36 suffered “catastrophic failure and exploded” at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11pm (9am PKT Thursday), a Facebook post by the Cameron County authorities said. Musk’s SpaceX said the rocket was preparing for the tenth flight test when it “experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase”. View this post on Instagram “A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX added on social media. “There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.” Starbase, on the south Texas coast near the border with Mexico, is the headquarters for Musk’s space project. Standing 123 metres tall, Starship is the world’s larges...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye, to participate in the 51st Session of the Council of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation being held on 21 and 22 of this month.

The federal government today launched National Electric Vehicle Policy 2025- 30 Launching the policy at a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, called it a historic and transformative step in Pakistan’s journey towards industrial, environmental, and.

Focus on climate-resilient seeds, soil health, high-tech breeding strategies

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Federal Minister for Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh on Thursday said that the government had presented a well-balanced and people-friendly budget.

A police constable and his uncle were injured when terrorists attacked them in their village in the Martung area of Shangla on Thursday, according to a police official. Puran circle sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Usman Munir Khan told Dawn.com that the constable’s mother had died and was receiving visitors at his home at the time of the attack. “The policeman was shot twice in the right thigh and once each in the lower abdomen, arm and shoulder,” SDPO Khan said. “His uncle was shot in the chest. Both of them have been moved to the Martung Rural Health Centre for treatment”. The SDPO said that the injured cop was serving in the district security branch’s local intelligence service, adding that a first information report (FIR) had been filed against unidentified terrorists and that a search operation was being conducted in the area to trace the culprits. “The area where the incident occurred has been a site of militant activity in the past,” he said. Earlier today, two people, including a woman, were kill...

A Chinese post-graduate student convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in the UK and China and suspected of having attacked more was on Thursday jailed for life by a London court. And London police say they have evidence to suggest he could have targeted more than 50 other women. Serial rapist Zhenhao Zou, 28 — described in court as “calculated and predatory” — targeted young Chinese women who he invited to his London flat for drinks or to study before drugging and attacking them. Zou filmed nine of the rapes with hidden or handheld cameras but only two of the 10 victims have ever been identified. Sentencing him at Inner London Crown Court, Judge Rosina Cottage said there was “no doubt that you planned and executed a campaign of rape” that had caused “devastating and long term effects”. To the world, he appeared “well to do, ambitious and charming”, but this was a mask hiding a “sexual predator”, she added. He treated his victims “callously” as “sex toys” for his own gratification and “desire to assert pow...

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned PTI leader and former federal minister Azam Swati on June 23 in connection with an ongoing investigation into the Kohistan corruption scandal.

Senator Faisal Vawda has praised Field Marshal Asim Munir’s recent visit to the United States, calling it a major diplomatic success for Pakistan.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has credited Pakistan’s progress in military, diplomatic, and economic spheres to strong civil-military cooperation, emphasizing the effectiveness of the country's "hybrid model" of governance.

he Balochistan government has unveiled plans to declare the historic Hinglaj Mata Temple in Lasbela district a global religious tourism destination, aiming to highlight the province’s cultural diversity and promote interfaith harmony.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday resumed hearings on review petitions challenging its previous decision regarding reserved seats in the assemblies.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday predicted that pre-monsoon rains will fall across the country between June 20 and 23. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. They are also vital for agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people. According to a statement, “currents from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are penetrating the central and northern areas of Pakistan, while a westerly wave is expected to approach the north. Both of these weather systems are expected to arrive on June 20 (tomorrow).” It added that duststorms, thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, H...

Cambridge International Education (CIE) on Thursday confirmed that question papers of three AS and A Level examinations were partially leaked across Pakistan. CIE, part of Cambridge University Press and Assessment, offers internationally recognised exams to over 10,000 schools in 160-plus countries. In Pakistan, O Levels (grades 9–10) cover a broad subject range, while A and AS Levels (grades 11–12) are more specialised and advanced, providing pathways to higher education in Pakistan and abroad. CIE exams are typically held twice a year, in June and November, with results released in August and January, respectively. “We have written to our schools in Pakistan to tell them that, against our regulations, some content from three question papers was available before the timetabled exam dates in Pakistan,” the CIE said in a statement. The examinations that were affected include: Cambridge International AS/A Level Mathematics Paper 12, where one question was shared before the exam was taken. Cambridge Internationa...

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday adjourned the hearing of review petitions against its earlier verdict on reserved seats until Friday, June 20.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed for early finalization of national industrial policy in consultation with all stakeholders for lasting solution of problems faced by industries and accelerating industrial growth.