Pakistan

Over 220 standardised carts to be issued in first phase across five major city roads

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Hidden behind the mountainous backdrop of Cambodia’s Koh Rong Island lies a serene mangrove forest within the Koh Rong Marine National Park. Within the forest, an eco-tourism community offers a unique blend of natural beauty and leisure.  This tranquil retreat, managed by the Prek Kongkang Koh Rong Ecotourism Community, provides visitors with unforgettable experiences while preserving the island’s delicate ecosystem. Established in April 2021, it spans 40 hectares of lush mangrove forests.  Founded through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Environmental Conservation Association and the National Council for Sustainable Development, the initiative aims to bolster local livelihoods, generate income and create employment opportunities. “Our community not only enhances tourism in Koh Rong and Sihanoukville but also plays a vital role in conserving mangrove forests and biodiversity on the island,” explained community chief Sok Sreng. With nearly 4,000 residents on Koh Rong, the project also strengthen...

Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding with crypto exchange Binance to explore the “tokenisation” of up to $2 billion in sovereign bonds, T-bills and commodity reserves to boost liquidity and attract investors, the finance ministry said on Friday. Tokenisation is the process of creating a digital version of an asset. Separately, Pakistan also gave initial clearance for Binance and HTX, a digital-asset platform, to register with regulators to set up local subsidiaries and begin preparations for full exchange licence applications, the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) said. The ministry said the agreement paved the way to explore a potential collaboration aimed at enabling the tokenisation and blockchain-based distribution of real-world assets, including sovereign bonds, treasury bills, commodity reserves such as oil, gas, metals or other raw materials owned by the government. “Under the proposed arrangement, Binance and/or its affiliates may provide technical expertise, advisory s...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on the international community on Friday to urge Afghanistan to fulfil its international “obligations” and rein in terrorist outfits operating from its territory. The premier made these remarks while addressing an international forum in Turkmenistan, where he also held bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. During those meetings, he stressed the need for the rulers in Kabul to take “meaningful action” and “fully address” Pakistan’s security concerns. Pakistan, which has been grappling with the problem of terrorism for long, has been demanding that the rulers in Kabul take action to stop cross-border terrorism. But, the Afghan Taliban deny Islamabad’s allegation of terrorists being allowed to use Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan. The two sides also engaged in border skirmishes in recent months, following which a ceasefire was reached. Pakistan and Afghanistan have also held talks with the mediation...

PML-N President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday asked his brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to give funds to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in accordance with the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. Nawaz’s suggestion on including AJK and GB’s share in the NFC is significant, as smaller provinces have previously rejected this federal plea several times. The proposal was formally initiated when NFC talks started under then-prime minister Imran Khan, while current Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had also suggested the same in the past to reduce the financial burden on the Centre. “Funds should be given to Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan under the NFC award. I will speak to PM Shehbaz Sharif in this regard,“ the PML-N supremo said while talking to party leaders in Lahore. “A certain amount every year must be given to both provinces — Azad Kashmir and GB. This is very important,” he said, adding that these two provinces must have the capacity to spend this money. H...

After Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan alleged on Friday that “corruption of billions of rupees” was being committed daily at the foreign affairs ministry in the attestation of documents, a Senate body decided to raise the matter with the Foreign Office (FO). Dawn has reached out to the FO for a comment. The attestation of documents, such as educational and marriage certificates, by the foreign affairs ministry is typically required for recognition by international and foreign entities. The matter came up during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, where Senator Hassan of the PPP alleged corruption in the process and remarked: “Overseas Pakistanis are either running from post to pillar for a single signature or paying money for corruption.” He said that people had been complaining about having to spend nights on pavements to get their documents attested. The attestation process should either be digitised or union councils and deputy commissioners should be authorised to attest documents...

The Pakistan Meterological Department (PMD) on Friday forecasted rain-thunderstorm and snowfall in the western and northern parts of the country over the weekend. “A shallow western disturbance is likely to approach western parts of the country on 12 December night,” it stated in its latest weather update, posted on X. Under the influence of the weather system, light to moderate rain-thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills is expected in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, including “Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Malakand, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from December 13th to 15th, with occasional gaps,” the statement said. “Partly cloudy conditions with light rain/storm is expected in Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Waziristan, Quetta, Ziarat, Zhob, Sherani, Chaman, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, and Noshki on December 14th or 15.” It also forecasted drizzle in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Potohar region and light rain or ...

Setting aside their political differences, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz have exchanged greetings on social media platform X, with the former thanking the latter for the “positive gesture”. On Thursday, Maryam, in a post on X, had extended a “warm welcome” to Bilawal, who is currently visiting the province. “Punjab is your home, and you will always find a place of respect here,” she said. “Thank you for your gracious remarks. You have my heartfelt good wishes and prayers,” she added. Although Maryam did not specifically mention which comments she was referring to, Bilawal, during a media talk in Lahore this week, had said he would be very happy if the Punjab chief minister chose to contest polls from Sindh. In response, Bilawal on Friday said, “Thank you, madam chief minister for the warm welcome and positive gesture.” The PPP and PML-N, who are allies in the Centre, engaged in a war of words in September and October. The bad blood had escalated to the point that l...

India has cut red tape to speed business visas for Chinese professionals, two officials said, a major step to boost ties between the Asian giants and end chronic delays that cost output worth billions of dollars because of scarce technicians. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautiously rekindles ties with Beijing in the face of punishing US tariffs, the officials said New Delhi dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month. Both officials who confirmed the development to Reuters spoke on condition of anonymity. India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbours clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, widening its vetting of business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries. The issues around securing visas have now been completely resolved, said one of the officials with knowledge of the matter. “We have removed the layer of administrative vetting and are processing the business visas within four weeks,” the official ...

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday warned that anyone acting against Pakistan’s integrity would face firm and decisive action.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cautioned that a “new wave of terrorism is originating from Afghan soil,” urging the international community to push Afghan authorities to meet their obligations in curbing militancy.

The Punjab Local Government Department, in partnership with NADRA, has introduced a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM)–based E-Registration App to fully digitise civil record services across the province.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is expected to retain interest rates at 11 per cent on Monday, a Reuters poll showed, as analysts push back rate-cut forecasts to late 2026 after the International Monetary Fund warned inflation risks persist and policy must stay “appropriately tight”. All 12 analysts surveyed expect no cut in the policy meeting scheduled for Monday. A majority of them see inflation hovering at 6pc–8pc in the coming months before rising again towards the end of fiscal 2026 as base effects fade and food and transport prices stay volatile after flood-related supply disruptions. Most respondents now believe the SBP will not begin easing until the closing months of FY26, which ends in June 2026, with some analysts pushing forecasts for the first cut into fiscal year 2027, beginning July 2026. IMF warns against premature easing The IMF, in a second review released on Thursday, said monetary policy needs to remain “appropriately tight and data-dependent” to keep expectations anchored and noted that ...

Five cops were injured after terrorists launched a late-night attack on a police checkpost in Shaikh Landak area located within the Havaid police jurisdiction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu, it emerged on Friday. A statement released by the spokesperson for the regional police officer, Kashif Nawaz, said Fitna al Khawarij terrorists attacked the post late on Thursday night. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The statement said that police personnel showed courage, bravery and acted in a timely manner, managing to repel the attack. “As a result of the effective and vigorous retaliatory fire by the police, the terrorists suffered heavy casualties,” the statement said. It said that the exchange of fire continued for three hours, adding that reports suggested that several terrorists had been killed and injured. It added that armed tribesmen and members of the peace committee backed police personnel in the gunfight with the terrorists....

A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Friday, the weather office said, days after an even larger tremor shook the region and injured at least 50. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded Friday’s quake to magnitude 6.7 and warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) could hit the northern Pacific coastline. In the end, waves of up to 20 centimetres were recorded on the main northern island of Hokkaido and in the Aomori region, the JMA said, before the tsunami advisory was lifted. Broadcaster NHK said there was no obvious change at either of the ports where the waves hit. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also said that the quake measured 6.7 and was 130 kilometres (81 miles) off the city of Kuji in Iwate prefecture on the main island of Honshu. NHK said that the level of shaking was less than the bigger 7.5 tremor late on Monday, which knocked items off shelves, tore apart roads, smashed windows and triggered tsunami waves of up to 70 centimetres. In the ...

A US congressional hearing this week noted that President Donald Trump has repeatedly described Pakistan as a “key regional partner” even as his administration seeks to further strengthen ties with India. The hearing — held by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia — also exposed sharp disagreements among lawmakers and analysts over the direction of Washington’s India policy. Witnesses warned during the hearing that tariff battles, visa restrictions and political mistrust had pushed the relationship into what several described as a “political standstill”. Jeff Smith of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, long considered sympathetic to New Delhi, acknowledged that the partnership had entered “choppy waters”, attributing the downturn to Trump’s sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and India’s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan after the May conflict between India and Pakistan. The conflict, the worst between the old foes in decades, was sparked by an attac...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone on Thursday, as New Delhi seeks relief from 50 per cent US tariffs on some of the country’s key exports to punish India for its Russian oil purchases. “We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments,” Modi said in a post on X. A White House official confirmed the call took place, but gave no details about what was discussed. Modi and Trump have spoken three times since Trump doubled tariffs on imports from India to as much as 50pc, hitting exports of textiles, chemicals and food items such as shrimp. Modi described his conversation with Trump as “warm and engaging” and said their countries would continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity. Trade negotiations between the two sides collapsed in late July, after India resisted opening its market for US farm products and declined to acknowledge Trump’s role in mediating during a conflict betw...

LAHORE - Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari on Thursday firmly rejected rumours circulating on social media about multiple Basant celebrations, clarifying that the festival will be held only on February 6, 7 and 8.