Pakistan

Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday criticised US President Donald Trump’s call for dialogue, accusing Washington of “hostile and criminal behaviour” after his remarks to Israel’s parliament about being ready to strike a deal with Tehran. The ministry said in a statement that Trump’s call for peace is in conflict with his actions towards Iran. “Mr Trump can either be a President of Peace or a President of War, but he cannot be both at the same time,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a separate comment on X on Tuesday. In June, the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities after five rounds of indirect nuclear talks with Tehran that stalled over issues like domestic nuclear enrichment. The foreign minister reiterated his position that Tehran has always been open to “respectful and mutually beneficial diplomatic engagement”. US demands that Tehran stop enriching uranium were rejected earlier this year as “excessive and outrageous” by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said Teh...

Pakistan is poised to sign a staff-level agreement (SLA) on a review of its loan programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said. Last week, an IMF mission led by Iva Petrova concluded talks with Pakistani authorities on reviews of the implementation of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and $1.1bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The programme’s performance as of the end of June this year — the period under review — has been mixed. The mission left Pakistan without signing an SLA on the second review of the EFF — agreed in 2024 to shore up the economy after a severe financial crisis — and the first one of the RSF climate loan. However, the Fund said “significant progress” had been made towards reaching the staff deal. “During the course of this week, we’re hoping that we can get the SLA done,“ Aurangzeb told Reuters during an interview on the sidelines of the IMF World Bank annual meeting in Washington. “The mission was on the gro...

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the world had witnessed the genocide of Palestinians, describing the recent ceasefire in Gaza as a welcome but fragile development.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi clarified that he never refused to administer the oath and is fully committed to performing his constitutional responsibilities.

Lahore police announced that they have traced Hafiz Saad Rizvi and Anas Rizvi just a day after the two went into hiding.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered the Karachi Zoo administration to move the female brown bear Rano to a sanctuary within 48 hours, amid uproar over her worsening condition. On October 7, a two-judge SHC bench directed the senior zoo director and Sindh Council for Conservation of Wildlife (SCCW) secretary to appear in court today along with a report about the health of the brown bear. Animal rights activist Jude Allen Pereira petitioned the SHC and submitted that he approached the court in the public interest to seek a declaration of recognition of animal cruelty to the female brown bear, currently confined at Karachi Zoo, in violation of relevant law. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and including Justice Syed Fiazul Hassan Shah, resumed hearing the petition today. Justice Kalhoro expressed his anger at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). “How could the bear be kept in such conditions,” he asked, in reference to Rano’s condition, and ordered the handing over of...

Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Muhammad Ali Randhawa on Tuesday met with a delegation of architects and consultants from Baku, Azerbaijan, here, to discuss bilateral cooperation on the establishment of the Asan Khidmat Markaz — a one-stop citizen service center planned for Islamabad.

A day after experiencing a significant downturn, the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 index rebounded by 7,000 points on Tuesday, recouping the previous day’s losses. Bearish sentiment had taken hold of the market on Monday, with the 100-Index plummeting 4,600 points, wiping out Rs534 billion from market capitalisation, amid rising tensions with Afghanistan, political instability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and violent protests in Punjab. The market had closed at 158,443 points, lower by 4,654 points, or 2.85 per cent. Today, the KSE-100 index surged 7,032.6 points, or 4.44pc, to close at 165,476.02 points. Of 483 active scrips, 391 advanced , 69 declined while 23 remained unchanged. Yousuf M. Farooq, director of research at Chase Securities, told Dawn.com that the market had rebounded today as “tensions with Afghanistan and domestic unrest following the breakup of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protests had eased overnight”. “After entering a corrective phase following the trade data released o...

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFE&PT) is planning to expand and enhance the Pink Bus Service, which is a free-of-cost public transport facility for working women and girl students in Islamabad, to ensure wider accessibility, safety, and convenience for female commuters.

Pakistan’s federal authorities have ordered the immediate closure of all Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, directing refugees to return to Afghanistan.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday dismissed the presence of an insurgency in the province, blaming “India-backed so-called separatist movements” for the worsening security situation. In recent months, Balochistan has witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces. Addressing participants of the 17th National Workshop in Quetta, the chief minister maintained that there was “no insurgency in Balochistan but so-called separatist movements” in the province. “The purpose of these anti-state elements is to harm and divide Pakistan,” he said. He added that the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was behind the deterioration of the security situation in the province. “The Indian agency RAW has a clear role behind the deteriorating situation in Balochistan,” he said. “Separatists are pleased with India but want to harm Pakistan.” CM B...

Police have arrested 57 people in a crackdown against individuals accused of spreading unrest and propaganda on social media following the recent Muridke protest.

Police have filed cases against the leadership and workers of a religious party for holding protests in violation of Section 144 in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.

Iran Air has announced the launch of its flight operations to Pakistan, beginning with a weekly direct flight between Mashhad and Lahore starting October 29, marking the resumption of air connectivity between the two cities.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reiterated his praise for United States President Donald Trump, stating that Pakistan would continue to “express admiration” for the American leader’s “unique contribution” to peace. The statement comes a day after Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye had signed a declaration meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. PM Shehbaz had also attended the ceremony held at the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. At a later press conference, the US president had especially mentioned the premier and the army chief. In a post on X, the premier said: “As I board the plane to return home after the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, I want to share some reflections on the potentially transformational nature of what took place and why Pakistan has been so deeply involved.” He stated that Pakistan’s biggest priority was the “immediate cessation of the genocidal campaign imposed on Gaza”, which he said he ...

Despite a recent political truce between the two ruling coalition partners, tensions have resurfaced as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) expressed strong reservations over an alleged anti-PPP social media campaign by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Senior lawyer Abid Shahid Zuberi on Tuesday told the Supreme Court’s (SC) Constitutional Bench (CB) that the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) had the power to form a full court as it took up a set of petitions against the 26th Amendment. The 26th Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the CJP’s term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also paved th...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a constitutional petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) under Article 255, challenging the delay in administering the oath to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s newly elected Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi.

A Levies official was martyred when unidentified assailants attacked a polio vaccination team in the remote Anzar Tangay area of Biakan, located in Swat’s Matta tehsil.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed immediate steps to ensure the reduction in prices and smooth availability of vegetables across the province.