Pakistan

.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday announced a public auction of six Bahria Town properties in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on June 12. The development adds on to NAB’s previous actions against property tycoon Malik Riaz, who owns Bahria Town and is an absconder in the £190 million Al Qadir Trust Case. In a notification today, NAB listed six properties of the project owned by tycoon Malik Riaz, including five in Rawalpindi and one in Islamabad. The properties were being auctioned to recover the defaulted amount of a plea bargain under Section 33E of the NAB Ordinance 1999, it added. NAB media director Birj Lal Dosani confirmed the details to Dawn.com, stating that the amount was being recovered in connection with corruption charges under a plea bargain. Earlier this year, the watchdog warned the public against investing in Bahria Town’s Dubai project and began extradition efforts for Riaz and his son. In February, NAB [filed] a reference against Riaz, ex-Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, M...

• Jailed leader’s sister says rumours being spread to keep masses away from holding protest • Claims ex-PM has cautioned PTI leaders against ‘playing from both sides’ • FIA court holds hearing in Bvlgari jewellery set case ISLAMABAD: While PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday expressed the hope that Imran Khan will be released before Eidul Azha, the ex-PM’s sister said such rumours were being spread to cool down the nation aimed at keeping them from holding protests. Aleema Khan, while quoting her brother, said that soon a countrywide movement will be launched and asked the party leaders to stop playing from both sides. Barrister Gohar said the legal team was hopeful that cases against the incarcerated leader will be fixed soon and he will be released before Eid. He urged the party workers to remain calm and assured them that all possible efforts were being made to get Imran Khan freed. Aleema Khan while speaking to media outside Adiala Jail disagreed with Barrister Gohar’s optimism saying such rum...

EU countries on Tuesday formally approved a new €150 billion loan programme to help rearm in the face of Russia and worries over US reliability, according to the Polish presidency of the bloc. The SAFE borrowing scheme, backed by the EU’s central budget, was proposed by Brussels in March as the bloc rushes to boost its defences. Finalised by member states earlier this month, the text received final approval at a meeting of European ministers in Brussels, with 26 countries voting for and one abstention, the presidency said. EU countries had haggled at length over what the money could be spent on and how countries outside the bloc could access the funds. In the end, the agreement stuck to the original proposal, allowing 35 per cent of the value of the weapons to come from manufacturers beyond the bloc and Ukraine. France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad called SAFE “a major step forward” that asserts “a very clear principle of European preference to support our industries, reduce our dependencies, including fr...

Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has once again called for open and transparent negotiations, urging authorities to come forward rather than engage in secretive discussions.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan, visited the General Staff Headquarters in Tehran during his official tour to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Punjab government has announced that schools will remain open across the province tomorrow as the nation observes Youm-e-Takbeer, and organise special programmes to celebrate the occasion. Youm-i-Takbeer is observed on May 28, marking the historic day when Pakistan became an atomic power. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last year declared a public holiday throughout the country on account of Youm-i-Takbeer, the day when Pakistan’s defence became impregnable after conducting nuclear tests in the hills of Chagai, Balochistan in 1998. The School Education Department has sent a letter to all district education authorities. It stated that educational institutions will remain open and hold special programmes to celebrate the day with a “positive social message for peace and courage”. The letter added that May 28 is a “significant day that marks a milestone in our nation’s history, symbolising strength, resilience, and technological advancement”. It said all schools will conduct activities including morning assemb...

The UAE Dirham (AED) continues to trade steadily at 76.

The Ministry of Housing & Works has issued a notification to abolish 709 vacant posts in its attached department, the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD).

A policeman lost his life in an attack on a polio vaccination team in the Killi Mohammad Hassani area of Nushki, Balochistan, on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the city of Lachin, Azerbaijan, to participate in the Pakistan-Türkiye-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit, alongside the Presidents of Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

Huawei Pakistan, in partnership with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFE&PT), has launched a comprehensive ICT training initiative targeting students from Grades 6 to 10 across Islamabad Model Schools and Colleges.

Youm-e-Takbir will be celebrated with full enthusiasm in the rest of the country tomorrow.

Pakistan women’s left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal reclaimed her position at the top of the ICC Women’s Twenty-20 International (T20I) Bowler Rankings, Cricket’s governing body announced on Tuesday. Sadia was also pivotal to Pakistan’s win in the recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Lahore and was named in the team of the tournament for her nine scalps for an average of 16. Her economy, like her spin twin Nashra Sandhu, was under four, and this meant that the duo provided the hosts the stranglehold during the middle overs and helped them maintain an unbeaten run throughout the tournament. “[Sadia] was one of the leading performers at last year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and rises one spot on the rankings for T20I bowlers to claim top billing”, the ICC statement said. She replaces England spinner Sophie Ecclestone at the top spot who sat out her side’s recent T20I series at home against the West Indies. Her team-mate Lauren Bell however, rose 13 places to jump to sixth overall on the back of her ...

India’s defence minister has approved a framework for building the country’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbours. Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the programme, will shortly invite initial interest from defence firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said. The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of French, Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 at a time when rival China is expanding its air force rapidly. Pakistan has one of China’s advanced warplanes, the J-10, in its arsenal, which it claims to have used to shoot down India’s latest French Rafale jets in the recent fighting. Militaries of nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of fighting this month, which saw use of fighter jets...

A policeman guarding a polio vaccination team was gunned down on Tuesday by unknown attackers in Balochistan’s Noshki district, according to an official. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic, and vaccination teams are frequently targeted by militants waging a campaign against security forces. Noshki Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amjad Hussain Soomro confirmed the “unfortunate incident” to Dawn.com, in which Waheed Ahmed was gunned down in Noshki’s Killi Muhammad Hassni district. He said that police have set up checkpoints at various places to search for the attackers, who will be arrested soon. DC Soomro noted that security of the health department staff working on the anti-polio campaign has been further beefed up. He added that the anti-polio campaign is continuing even after the terrorist incident and the targets given to the anti-polio teams in Noshki district for this national cause will be completed soon. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed that th...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review and reform the province’s traffic management system.

The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been extended to June 19, 2025.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed concerned authorities to accelerate the privatization process of power distribution companies (DISCOs), either through complete privatization or by transferring their management to provincial governments.

A woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed in Mansehra district on Tuesday on the pretext of an “honour killing” for conducting a freewill marriage in 2021, officials said. The incident occurred in the Phulra area of Mansehra district where the woman and her minor daughter were killed inside their home. The woman had reportedly tied the knot against her family’s will through court marriage in 2021. Mansehra District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Gandapur confirmed the incident to Dawn.com and said efforts were underway to apprehend the suspects. He said their bodies had been shifted to a nearby hospital where an autopsy was being conducted, while police teams have been dispatched to the area where the incident occurred to track down the suspects. The DPO said that according to initial reports, the victim tied the knot with Roshan of Bagal tribe, which triggered a clash between the two families. Police have lodged an FIR on the complaint of the victim’s mother. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nasir M...