Pakistan

The Punjab Home Department has directed authorities to take strict action against kite flying and related activities across the province, reiterating that the ban on kite manufacturing and flying remains in place.

The Punjab Prisons Department has transferred Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, according to an official notification.

The Met Office has forecast snowfall and rain in the country’s northern areas from Friday (tomorrow) and has also predicted showers in parts of Sindh, including Karachi, and Balochistan from January 21 to 23. The Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) forecast issued on Thursday said: “A shallow westerly wave is likely to approach upper parts of the country from January 16 and may persist till January 19.” It added that the weather system was expected to strengthen from January 20 and grip most parts of the country from January 21. The PMD said that rain and thunderstorm was expected in various parts of Sindh, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze, Kashmore, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Ghotki on January 22 and 23 with “occasional gaps”. It also predicted the same for multiple areas of Balochistan, including Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Noushki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Barkhan, Sibi, Loralai, Musakhel, Turbat, Gwadar, Jiwani, Lasbell...

Police in Khairpur Tamiwali tehsil have reported that the main suspect in the desecration of a teenage girl’s grave was killed during a late-night police operation, allegedly after being shot by his own accomplices.

Pakistan on Thursday expressed hope that the United States would “soon” resume immigrant visa processing, adding that it viewed the recent suspension as part of an internal review. The US on Wednesday announced the suspension of immigrant visa processing for Pakistan and 74 other countries, effective January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes. In its statement, the State Department had said the “freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people”. Responding to a query about the move despite Pakistan’s improved relations with Washington in recent months, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi acknowledged coming across the “reports”. “Basically, it was a brief statement by the US State Department on their social media account about the internal review of processing immigrant visas that they are in the process of,” he said. “We are in touch with the US authorities to a...

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday removed director Najmul Islam following protests from players ahead of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches over his comments against the country’s cricketers, The Daily Star reported. The first BPL match scheduled for 1pm local time today was delayed as players from Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express did not show up at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium for the game, according to The Daily Star. Islam was handed a show-cause notice by the BCB a few hours before the match was set to begin. However, the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) had called for a nationwide boycott on all forms of cricket unless Islam tenders his resignation. In a media release today, the BCB said the decision to remove Islam was taken by president Aminul Islam Bulbul “following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organisation”, and that it would come into effect immediately, The Daily Star reported. “The decision has been taken ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi landed in Karachi on Thursday for a brief visit, just days after concluding his mobilisation drive in the city. CM Afridi boarded a flight from Islamabad to Karachi earlier in the day, according to his focal person for digital media Yar Muhammad Khan Niazi. Late in the afternoon, the PTI said on X that the KP CM had arrived in Karachi to offer condolences to the family of Bilal Mehsud, a party worker who the PTI said died in a “tragic accident that took place during the rally in Karachi”. It said CM Afridi would directly head to Mehsud’s family residence in Sohrab Goth from the Karachi airport, where he would meet the worker’s relatives and convey his sympathies. The PTI said party leaders and workers accorded a warm welcome to the KP chief minister, and raised slogans in favour of ex-premier Imran Khan. Shortly after 11am, the chief minister’s X account said he had departed for Karachi on a one-day visit. An accompanying video showed Afridi arriving at the airp...

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Thursday recommended the confirmation of 11 additional judges for the Lahore High Court (LHC) out of a total list of 13. Presided over by Chief Justice of Pakis­tan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, the JCP met at the Supreme Court (SC), a press release issued by the SC said. After due consideration of the relevant data forms, ant­ecedents and evaluation material placed before it, the JCP, by a majority, recommended the confirmation of 11 additional judges of the LHC as permanent judges. These were Justices Hassan Nawaz Makhdoom, Malik Waqar Haider Awan, Sardar Akbar Ali, Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi, Malik Javid Iqbal Wains, Muhammad Jawad Zafar, Khalid Ishaq, Malik Muhammad Awais Khalid, Chaudhry Sultan Mahmood, Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh, and a female judge, Abher Gul Khan. The JCP, by a majority, recommended the extension of Additional Judge Tariq Mahmood Bajwa for another six months. Additional Judge Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan was “not confirmed”, the press release added. This week, the JC...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Pakistan Assan Khidmat Markaz in Islamabad, aimed at providing integrated public services to residents of the federal capital.

The Met Office on Thursday forecast likely rainfall in Karachi as a weak westerly wave system is expected to enter the country from January 16.

ISLAMABAD: Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, revealed on Thursday that US President Donald Trump informed Tehran that he will not attack the country and asked that Iran also exercise restraint. Moghadam made the remarks during a visit to the National Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Authority, where he met the authority’s chairman, Khurshid Ahmad Nadeem. Protests have taken place across Iran in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing internet restrictions. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters. On Wednesday, Trump said that he had been informed the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, and added that he would “watch and see” about threatened military action. The Iranian envoy also disclosed that he received information at around 1am, which indicated that Trump did not want war and had asked Iran not to attack the US interests in the region. Speaking of the protests, the envoy maintained that the ...

Iran’s economy is going through one of its most difficult periods in years, fueled by sanctions, high inflation, and a significant drop in the value of the national currency, the rial. These pressures have had a direct impact on living standards and have also fueled recent protests. The protests began on Dec. 28 in commercial hubs in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions, and have since grown into nationwide anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others across multiple cities. The Iranian president said Sunday that his government is determined to address Iran’s economic problems amid the protests. Masoud Pezeshkian said the government admits to “shortcomings and problems” and is working hard to alleviate the people’s concerns, especially on the economy. Currency collapse at the centre of crisis The Iranian rial has s...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from cutting trees in the federal capital until February 2 and sought a detailed report on the ongoing tree-felling drive, amid allegations of large-scale environmental damage. IHC’s Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Naveed Ahmad of the Centre for Justice and Rights, which invoked Article 199 (jurisdiction of high court) of the Constitution. Advocate Muddasir Latif Abbasi appeared as the petitioner’s counsel, while Assistant Attorney General Sarfraz Rauf was present on the state’s behalf. At the outset of the hearing, Advocate Abbasi contended that massive tree felling was being carried out across Islamabad in violation of rules and regulations. He argued that the indiscriminate cutting had led to serious environmental changes, posing dangers to public health and ecology, and amounted to a violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 (PEPA). ...

Oil prices fell more than three per cent on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said killings of demonstrators in nationwide protests in Iran were stopping, tempering concerns over military action against Iran and supply disruptions. Brent futures LCOc1 were down $2.19, or 3.3pc, at $64.33 a barrel by 8:45am GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1had slipped $2.07, or 3.34pc, to $59.95 a barrel. Brent futures rose above $66.50 a barrel on Wednesday before giving back most gains after Trump’s remarks reduced expectations of a potential US attack on Iran. Trump turned the oil market mood by saying he had received assurances that killings of demonstrators in Iran had stopped, said PVM analyst John Evans, adding that prices on Thursday reflect the narrative of a near-term future of oversupply. Further weighing on prices, US crude and gasoline inventories rose last week more than analysts had estimated, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Also on the supply side, Venezuela has be...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a report from the Ministry of Interior over its failure to remove former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry’s name from the travel ban list, despite clear court orders.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reminded lawmakers to submit the details of their assets and liabilities, warning of suspension if they fail to do so by January 16. “The members of Senate, National Assembly and provincial assemblies who have not submitted details of their assets and liabilities are directed to submit it on the prescribed Form B under Section 137 of the Election Act by January 15, 2026,” said a statement issued by the ECP. “In case of failure to submit the statement, the membership of the concerned lawmakers will be suspended from January 16, 2026,” it stated. The ECP further informed that the offices of the political finance wing (Kohsar Block) at the commission would remain open for the receipt of statements until 12 midnight on January 15. Last week, the ECP said 446 lawmakers failed to submit their statement of assets and liabilities with the commission by the due date of December 31, 2025. It notified them to submit it by January 15. Out of these, 125 lawmakers are m...

Pakistan has formally requested Saudi Arabia to increase its Hajj quota for 2026 to 230,000 pilgrims, in proportion to the country’s population, to allow more people to perform the pilgrimage.

ISLAMABAD: A district court on Thursday cancelled the bail of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial social media posts case, following repeated non-appearances and heated scenes in the courtroom. In the case, registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca), the two have been accused of inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. The hearing on Thursday was conducted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammed Afzal Majoka, with Prosecutor Rana Usman representing the state. At the outset, neither Mazari nor Chattha appeared before the court. An assistant counsel sought an exemption from appearance for Mazari, submitting that Chattha was engaged in proceedings relating to a contempt case before the high court. The court expressed displeasure over the absence of the accused and observed that the request for exem...

An accountability court in Lahore has indicted former Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and others in a corruption case related to development projects in Gujrat.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has been inundated with applications for new gas connections following the federal government’s decision to lift the years-long ban on domestic gas connections.