Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A government delegation called on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence yesterday to discuss the evolving political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

ISLAMABAD - The Taliban regime should not allow its land to be used for terrorism against other countries and it should focus on formation of an inclusive and truly representative government, instead of engaging in baseless propaganda, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said on Monday.

RAWALPINDI - Namaz-e-Janaza for the 12 Shuhada who embraced Shahadat while defending the motherland against the unprovoked and cowardly aggression committed by Afghan Regime on night of 11/12 October 2025, was offered here on Monday at Chaklala Garrison.

• Taliban foreign minister claims omission of women journalists from his first media interaction was ‘unintentional’ • UN terms Afghan restrictions on women ‘gender apartheid’ • India’s Ministry of External Affairs denies any role in Friday’s press interaction at Afghan embassy A PICTURE is worth a thousand words — and the image splashed across Indian newspapers on Monday, showing female journalists seated prominently in the front row at the Taliban foreign minister’s press conference in Delhi, perfectly embodies that sentiment. The conference — Amir Khan Muttaqi’s second press event at the Afghan embassy within 48 hours — was convened following widespread outrage over the exclusion of female journalists from his initial briefing on Friday, BBC News reported. Mr Muttaqi said at Sunday’s conference that the exclusion was unintentional and not “deliberate”. “With regard to the [Friday’s] press conference, it was on short notice and a short list of journalists was decided, and the participation list that was pre...

ISLAMABAD - The Third Trilateral Speakers’ Meeting of the Parliaments of Pakistan, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan, hosted by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, concluded in Islamabad with the unanimous adoption of the “Islamabad Declaration.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday said that Pakistan desires peace and trade ties with neighboring country but infiltration of terrorists from Afghan borders would not be tolerated at any cost.

Islamabad - The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) strongly condemns the cowardly attack that resulted in the martyrdom of its officials Sepoy Muqaddar Ali and Sepoy Nazar Muhammad of the Regional Tax Office (RTO), Peshawar.

• Dozens arrested, several injured as armoured vehicles, water cannon used to disperse charged crowd • Police say inspector martyred; around 50 cops badly injured in violent clashes • Conflicting reports emerge about fate of TLP chief; IGP says Saad Rizvi ‘not in custody’ • Second-tier leaders call on TLP supporters to converge on Lahore for protest on 17th LAHORE: The fate of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi remained shrouded in mystery after law enforcement agencies launched a sweeping pre-dawn operation on Monday to dismantle the religious party’s protest camp in Muridke, triggering violent clashes, widespread chaos and dozens of arrests. The operation, which began around 3:30am, quickly spiralled into one of the most serious confrontations between police and TLP in recent months, continuing for nearly six hours. According to officials, some 1,500 police personnel in full anti-riot gear, supported by four armoured personnel carriers and water cannons, surrounded the protest camp along the ...

• UN-OCHA sit-rep says cold conditions precipitated by La Nina will especially impact KP, GB • Phenomenon likely to disrupt Kharif crop harvesting, raise Glof risk ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to face one of its coldest winter this year in decades due to the La Nina climate pattern. According to the latest situation report on Pakistan’s monsoon floods, compiled by the Intersector Coordination Group in collaboration with other partners, this could lead to colder-than-usual winter conditions, further stretching coping mechanisms of households affected by the floods, particularly in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan. A La Nina occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean cool abnormally, triggering extreme weather shifts worldwide. In its forecast for October, the report published by UN-OCHA says that the continued marginally negative phases of both the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole will drive rainfall across Pakistan. Northern Punjab, KP,...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday night issued a strongly-worded statement telling Afghanistan to focus on issues pertinent to itself and not to interfere in Islamabad’s internal affairs. The FO was responding to a statement by Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid slamming the police crackdown on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The TLP, which began its protest march in Lahore on Friday, was planning to reach Islamabad and stage a demonstration in support of Gaza and Palestine outside the US embassy. On Monday, police and law enforcement agencies launched an early-morning operation to disperse the protesters, who were encamped in Muridke. The clashes left a police officer and four civilians dead, including three TLP workers. Mujahid issued a statement earlier today in which Kabul expressed its condolences and said it was “profoundly saddened” by the violence and deaths and noted that the demonstrations were carried out “in accordance with the country’s legal framework”. “We extend our heartfelt...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that as of today, there are “no ties” between Islamabad and Kabul in the fallout of Afghanistan’s unprovoked attack on the Pak-Afghan border over the weekend. “It’s a stalemate right now. You can say there are no active hostilities, but the environment is hostile,” Asif said on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’. “There are no ties, direct or indirect, as of today.” Asif said hostilities between the two sides can resume “at any time”. “We can not rule that out, but there is certainly a lull in hostilities. “We cannot lower our guard,” warned the defence minister. When asked if Islamabad will negotiate with Kabul, Asif replied that if Afghanistan wants negotiations while threatening Pakistan at the same time, “then they should act on their threats and we’ll negotiate after”. “This is a natural thing. If you are attacked, you instantly have the right to react and target wherever the attack is originating from,” the defence minister explained. “We did ...

Torrential rains that lashed Mexico last week killed at least 64 people and 65 more are missing, the government said on Monday, after a tropical depression triggered landslides and flooding in parts of the Gulf Coast and central states. The unnamed depression came toward the end of the rainy season, battering land and bursting rivers that had already been soaked by months of rains, while forecasters were focused on tropical storms and two hurricanes on the Pacific coast. “This intense rain was not expected to be of such magnitude,” President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters. Admiral Raymundo Morales, Mexico’s Navy secretary, said the flooding was the result of the coming together of warm and cold air fronts over rivers that were already filled to the brink and mountains weakened by months of rain. Around 100,000 homes were affected, Sheinbaum said. She is set to meet with the finance ministry later in the day to discuss rebuilding efforts, and visit some hard-hit states. Laura Velazquez, national coordinator ...

United States President Donald Trump especially thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “my favourite” Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday for their efforts in achieving peace in Gaza, among many other world leaders. Trump was addressing a ceremony following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt. He also invited PM Shehbaz to deliver a special address at the ceremony. Taking the podium, PM Shehbaz thanked Trump and the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for their efforts in securing the peace deal. “Today is one of the greatest days in contemporary history because peace has been achieved after untiring efforts led by President Trump, who is genuinely a man of peace [and] who has relentlessly and untiringly worked throughout these months, day in and day out, to make this world a place to live with peace and prosperity.” ’’I would say that Pakistan had nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding and extraordin...

South Africa’s lower order once again came to the rescue after a top order collapse, edging out Bangladesh by three wickets in a nail-biting finish in the Women’s World Cup in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Chasing 233, the Proteas were on the ropes at 78-5, but their tail refused to throw in the towel, showing the same grit that saw them turn the tables on India in their previous outing. A gutsy 85-run stand for the sixth wicket between Marizanne Kapp, who made 56, and Chloe Tryon, 62, steadied the ship and gave the chase a fresh lease of life. Both batters brought up their half-centuries, but their dismissals reopened the door for Bangladesh, who sniffed an upset. Then, Nadine de Klerk, South Africa’s player for a crisis, walked in and saw her side over the line. Her unbeaten 37 off 29 deliveries guided her side home with three balls to spare. “I am lost for words, actually. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I’m happy we pulled this off,” said Tryon, who was named player-of-the-match. “We just wanted to stay calm ...

Only five days remain for intending pilgrims to complete their bookings under the Private Hajj Scheme 2026, as registrations will close at midnight on Friday.

Trump declares end of Gaza war as last Israeli hostages swapped for Palestinian detainees US signs document with m

PTI's nominee wins 90 votes as rivals record none

Governor's objections over Gandapur's resignation deepen rift

Five including policeman and 3 TLP members killed

PTA says maintenance may cause up to 18-hour connectivity delays