Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to secure the best possible deal for the state-owned enterprises proposed for the privatisation, warning against any red tape or delay in the process.

Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad, detained by Israeli forces during last week’s Gaza aid flotilla interception, has left Jordan for Pakistan.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued the schedule for the by-election in NA-1 Chitral Upper-cum-Chitral Lower, following the disqualification of MNA Abdul Latif under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution.

Google announced on Thursday that Pakistani students of age 18 and above will be able to gain access to a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. According to a press release by the company, the offer is designed to help students “enhance their learning, research, and creativity through advanced AI tools — at no cost”. The Gemini AI Pro Plan allows these students to access Google’s most capable AI features. These include the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, which gives higher access to its “most capable model” for features like Deep Research to assist with assignments, research, and creative projects. Gemini is also available in Google Apps, “bringing AI assistance directly into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, helping students summarise emails, create study presentations, and analyse data more efficiently”. Students also gain access to NotebookLM, Google’s personalised, AI-powered research and writing tool, and are given higher limits to tools for creating videos from text or photos, including Veo 3 in Gem...

Italy are struggling to qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup finals and the pressure on the team is exacerbated by the tension surrounding next Tuesday’s qualifier with Israel in Udine. Italy was the scene of some of Europe’s biggest pro-Palestinian protests last weekend, as Israeli forces continue their offensive in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered across Italy in anger at Israel’s actions, and calls for the country to be barred from international sport have grown louder. The protests were in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, which was sparked by the attack by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023, on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip. During Friday’s massive strike action in support of the Palestinians, demonstrators went to the Italian national team’s training centre in Florence to demand the match against Israel be called off. As of Tuesday only around 4,000 tickets had been sold for the game in Udine, a small city in Italy’s far north-east, which was picked speci...

In a bid to conserve marine biodiversity, Pakistan has launched a project — estimated to cost Rs90 million — to protect sea turtles during shrimp trawling using Standardised Turtle Excluder (TEDs), the maritime affairs ministry said on Thursday. Sea turtles along Pakistan’s coast face many anthropogenic threats, including habitat degradation, plastic pollution, and entanglement in fishing gears such as deep-sea trawlers. Pakistan’s shrimp exports to the US have been banned since 2017 because fishermen were not using the TED in their nets, endangering turtles. A TED is a specialised mechanism fitted into shrimp trawl nets that allows sea turtles and other large marine animals to escape while retaining shrimp, the statement said. “Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has announced the launch of a PKR 90 million initiative aimed at protecting sea turtles during shrimp trawling operations, as part of broader efforts to sustain marine biodiversity and ensure the long-term health of ...

Shehbaz calls for Pak-KSA joint efforts for global strength pledges to work for realisation of Pak-Saudi joint business ventures Assures to address AJK people’s concerns.

A cop was martyred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan as a police checkpoint came under attack from multiple sides by terrorists late on Wednesday, officials confirmed on Thursday. Recently, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of terrorist attacks, particularly targeting police personnel. DI Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ashfaq Anwar confirmed to Dawn.com that a police checkpoint in DI Khan’s Khutti area was attacked by terrorists from multiple sides. When asked to confirm if the checkpoint in charge — identified as Ahmed Nawaz — was seriously injured during the attack and later succumbed to his injuries, Anwar said, “Yes.” Funeral prayers for the deceased were offered today at the Ijaz Shaheed Police Lines, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. In attendance at the funeral were: RPO Ashfaq Anwar, District Police Officer Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmad, SPs of CTD, investigation, city, and headquarters, officers of security forces,...

World Post Day is being observed today (Thursday) across the globe, including Pakistan, to raise awareness about the crucial role of postal services in people’s daily lives, business operations, and overall social and economic development.

A major of the Pakistan Army was martyred and seven terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. The development comes a day after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 11 security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, were martyred in an exchange of fire between the forces and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists in KP’s Orakzai district. According to the ISPR’s statement issued today, security forces carried out the IBO on Wednesday on the reported presence of “khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij” in the Daraban area of DI Khan. Fitna al Khwarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned TTP. During the operation, the ISPR said, seven “Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell” due to effective engagement by security forces’ troops. However, during the intense exchange of fire, 30-year-...

A Pakistan Army major embraced martyrdom, while seven Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday night, the military’s media wing said.

Foreign observation mission Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has clarified that the time taken to write and release its reports “varies considerably” with each group and that the report on Pakistan’s 2024 general elections was finalised by the end of that year. The COG report, released to the public on September 30, had been the subject of some controversy after media reports suggested the Commonwealth had buried the report after finding the polls to be riddled with problems. According to the letter of transmittal appended to the report, it was submitted by the COG to the Commonwealth secretary general on Nov 20, 2024. “The length of time taken to write COG reports, and similarly, the finalisation and release of the publication, varies considerably with each COG. Other factors affecting the release dates include legal challenges and disputes. In this case, a comprehensive report of over 160 pages was finalised by the end of 2024,” the Commonwealth said in a statement on Tuesday. It added that its secretariat...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday welcomed the announcement of an agreement to end the genocide in Gaza, terming it a historic opportunity to secure lasting peace in the Middle East.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that it had made “significant progress” toward reaching a staff-level agreement (SLA) in its talks with Pakistani authorities. An IMF mission led by Iva Petrova met with Pakistan’s economic team in Karachi and Islamabad from September 24 to October 8 to review 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. Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had urged the lender to take into account the recent flood damage in its review for the country. In a statement released early on Thursday, the Fund quoted Petrova as saying, “The IMF mission and the Pakistani authorities made significant progress toward reaching a staff-level agreement on the second review under the 37-month extended arrangement under the EFF and on the first review of 28-month arrangement under the RSF”. “Programme i...

Warns India any imaginary new normal will be met with a new normal of swift retributive response Unwarranted warmongering likely to lead to heightened tensions Army top brass welcomes Pak-Saudi strategic mutual defence agreement Notes existing nexus between terror and crime with vested political patronage.

PTI announces Sohail Afridi to replace Ali Amin Gandapur as KP CM Salman Akram Raja says sad and angry PTI founder was left with no other choice except to remove Gandapur.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has fulfilled another major condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as assets of government officers from Grade 17 to Grade 22 will not only be declared but also made publicly available, allowing citizens to view their holdings from the date of joining service till the pre-sent.

ISLAMABAD - Nineteen Indian sponsored Khwarij terrorists were killed by security forces while eleven security personnel including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major martyred in an intelligence based operation in Orakzai district on Wednesday.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday dismissed speculation about divisions within the Sharif family and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), asserting that the party remained united “like a wall of steel” despite repeated attempts by rivals to sow discord.

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate e Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados, to participate in the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) being held under the theme “The Commonwealth: A Global Partner.