Pakistan

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a former foreign minister, on Friday said that the lifting of sanctions on Iran would not only benefit Pakistan but also the wider global community.

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday notified that all shops, markets and shopping malls in Karachi and other divisional headquarters of the province will close at 9pm throughout the week, including Saturday and Sunday, as part of austerity measures and in line with the federal government’s decision. In a notification dated April 10, the provincial government further stated that markets, shops and shopping malls in districts other than divisional headquarters will close at 8pm. Tandoors (as standalone shops), milk and dairy shops, bakeries, medical stores and pharmacies, medical laboratories, clinics and hospitals, as well as fuel stations, will remain exempt from the order. It further stated that hotels, restaurants, and food outlets will be allowed to operate between 7pm and 11:30pm for dinner timings. However, there will be no restriction on home delivery and takeaway services. The notification further stated that all marriage/wedding halls and banquets in the province will operate between 8pm and midni...

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday upgraded Pakistan’s economic growth rate to 3.5 per cent for the current fiscal year, but warned of downside risk from global economic uncertainty amid the Middle East crisis. “Pakistan is expected to sustain its economic performance in the medium term, with real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast at 3.5pc in FY2026 and 4.5pc in FY2027, from 3.1pc in FY2025, as manufacturing recovers and investment increases“, the Manila-based lending agency said in its flagship Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2026. However, it warned that “despite recent stabilisation and recovery, Pakistan’s economic outlook faces significant downside risks from global economic uncertainty, leading to elevated inflationary, fiscal, and external account pressures”. The bank had earlier forecast 3pc growth for the current fiscal year. “Pakistan’s economy has stabilised and begun to show stronger momentum, supported by progress in implementing key economic reforms amid a cha...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday announced that delegates, journalists and other representatives travelling to the country for the Islamabad Talks would be granted visas on arrival.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast largely dry weather across most parts of the country over the next 24 hours, with chances of rain accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms at scattered locations in northeast Balochistan and lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the afternoon.

LAHORE: The Lahore-bound Shalimar Express derailed near Sheikhupura on Friday, leaving rail traffic on the Faisalabad–Lahore section suspended. According to official sources, one of the passenger coaches of the train derailed while it was heading towards Lahore. No injuries or casualties were reported. Rail traffic on the route has been suspended. “The relief train dispatched from Lahore is currently at the site working to put the derailed coach back on track, enabling the train to proceed to Lahore,” said a railways official while talking to Dawn. Shalimar express derailed near Sheikhupura on Friday, Apr 10. —Photo provided by author On Wednesday, the same train, Shalimar Express, derailed near Shahdadpur railway station. Railway officials said that coaches numbered 4, 5, 6 and 7 went off the track when the train was being diverted to a loop line due to a faulty Awami Express on the main track at the station. They added that the Shalimar Express was moving at a very slow speed while entering the loop line, w...

RAWALPINDI: Extraordinary security measures were in place in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad ahead of crucial talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. The local administration and police closed Old Airport Road and roads leading to Nur Khan Airbase on Thursday by placing containers and barbed wire. The security measures taken by law enforcement agencies turned the area into a prison for local residents, as their movement was restricted to their houses. Areas that have been blocked include Shah Khalid Colony, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Airport Housing Society, Mangtal Town, Faisal Colony and others. Traffic diversions and the blocking of roads with shipping containers caused inconvenience to the public, already facing difficulties moving within the city and cantonment areas due to the closure of Old Airport Road from Rahimabad to Koral Chowk. Strangely, the service road from Koral Chowk to Airport Chowk, along with link roads and streets, was also closed, forcing residents to remain confined to ...

LAHORE - In a significant development for minority rights, the Punjab government has decided to introduce sweeping reforms to Christian family laws, offering long-awaited relief to millions of Christian families across the province.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has ruled that the computerised national identity card (CNIC) is not a “movable property” of its holder and cannot be blocked, impounded or attached by civil courts as a coercive measure in civil proceedings. Justice Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh handed down the ruling at Multan Bench, while allowing a writ petition filed by Muhammad Ali Ansari, who had challenged the blocking of his CNIC by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on the directions of a civil court in execution proceedings. A civil suit was filed against the petitioner, which came into his knowledge when Nadra blocked his CNIC in pursuance of a civil court order in the execution proceedings. The petitioner’s counsel argued that the coercive measure adopted by executing court/civil court was in flagrant violation of Section 18(2) of the National Database and Registration Authority Ordinance, 2000. The court rules civil court has no authority to direct Nadra to block CNIC as a coercive step He said the civi...

• First one was reported last month • A resident of East district dies from dengue, says health dept KARACHI: As authorities struggle to contain the mpox outbreak in Khairpur, a public health crisis seems to have emerged in Karachi, which saw its second suspected case of local transmission of mpox and the first death from dengue on Thursday. According to the health department, the dengue victim was a resident of city’s East district, while the mpox patient, a resident of Buffer Zone, is currently under treatment at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre (SIDH&RC). “He is a 20-year-old student. He is stable and has no travel history,” SIDH&RC Medical Superintendent Dr Abdul Wahid Rajput told Dawn. Sources said it’s the second case of mpox in Karachi, indicating local transmission of the viral disease. The first one was reported last month at the SIDH&RC. The patient was discharged after complete recovery. Health department officials shared that a team led by focal person Dr Shankar has been...

• Worshippers describe an ‘indescribable happiness’, one calls it ‘a miracle’ • Tensions flare as police disperse Muslims at Al Aqsa for Jewish visitors JERUSALEM : Just before 5am at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque compound, a Muslim worshipper prayed in tears. A few hours later, similar emotion overcame Christians and Jews as the city’s holy sites reopened following the truce with Iran. Jerusalem’s Old City contains major holy sites for all three Abrahamic religions, which had been shuttered since the start of the war sparked by the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28. For the first time in 41 days, Muslim worshippers returned to Al Aqsa Mosque, Jews to the Western Wall and Christians to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. At Al Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site which was closed during most of the Muslim holy month of Ramazan this year, thousands of worshippers performed the ritual dawn prayer under a heavy police presence. One man stood by the entrance of the Al-Qibli prayer hall, handing out paper tissues to...

• Govt spends only 41.5pc of development budget in first nine months • PSDP already cut by Rs90bn to fund fuel subsidies • Parliamentarians’ schemes see 70pc utilisation in just four months ISLAMABAD: Barring about 70 per cent utilisation of public funds for ruling parliamentarians’ schemes, the government and its agencies struggled with the development programme, spending less than half of the budget allocations for public welfare projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year. According to the Ministry of Planning and Develo­pment, total utilisation of PSDP funds amounted to Rs415 billion in the first nine months (July-March), accounting for 41.5pc of the Rs1 trillion budget allocation. The utilisation was slightly better than 36.4pc in the same period last year, when PSDP expenditure amounted to Rs400bn against an allocation of Rs1.1tr. Towards the end of March, the government slashed PSDP allocations by Rs90bn to finance fuel subsidies ...

• Vows to support US, Iran in reaching a peaceful settlement • PM, army chief review mediation efforts, arrangements for talks • Israeli strikes in Lebanon threaten to derail negotiations • Iran says it was ready to retaliate before Pakistan intervened • Warns continued attacks could make talks ‘meaningless’ ISLAMABAD: Field Marshal Asim Munir calls on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.—APP ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday vowed to support Iran and the United States in reaching a peaceful settlement as Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued to weigh on the prospects of the upcoming dialogue, with Islamabad stepping up diplomatic engagement to keep a two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington from collapsing. The commitment came during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, where they reviewed the progress of Pakistan’s mediatory efforts and finalised arrangements for the talks. “They expressed satisfaction over the de-escala...

• 10,000 security personnel deployed, ‘blue book’ protocol for visitors • Multi-tier security arrangements supervised by military; all roads to red zone, except for Margalla, sealed ISLAMABAD: The federal capital was on ‘red alert’ ahead of crucial peace talks between the US and Iran in the city, with more than 10,000 police and security personnel deployed to ensure the safety of the visiting delegates. Sources said the multi-tiered security arrangement would be supervised by the military, assi­sted by the paramilitary forces, such as Rangers, and the Islam­abad and Punjab police. The Islamabad Traffic Police and the National Highway and Motorways Police will be deployed on roads to ensure smooth traffic flow. About 6,000 personnel of the capital police, 900 Frontier Constabulary, and 3,000 personnel of the Punjab Constabulary, along with the Rangers and Pakistan Army troops, would perform duties. About 1,000 traffic police officials would also be deployed. The army and the Rangers would ensure the protection...

For the longer-term, the new owners have outlined a plan to double the national flag carrier’s fleet to 60 aircraft.—Reuters/file KARACHI: Arif Habib, chairman of the Arif Habib Consortium, which owns Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has said that the national flag carrier currently has 30 aircraft, of which 18 are operational, and five to six require repair and maintenance. Speaking to industrialists at the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Thursday, he said the airline is working to make these aircraft operational, and adding them back to the fleet will bring the total to 26. The long-term target is to expand the fleet to 60 aircraft. Pakistan, he said, had become more economically stable, and that this fiscal year’s figures showed the government had increased revenue, met all expenditure and paid interest on debt. However, he stressed the need to reduce production costs to boost economic growth. He said electricity tariffs remained high because of capacity charges and low consumptio...

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had ordered his ministers to begin direct talks with Lebanon, pushing for Hezbollah’s disarmament amid mounting concern that its ongoing strikes could cause the fragile US-Iran truce to unravel. A Lebanese government official told AFP shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement that Beirut “wants a ceasefire” declared before starting any negotiations with Israel, a day after deadly strikes across the country. At least 300 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the bombardment on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, while Hezbollah said it was engaged in close-quarters combat against Israeli forces on the ground on Thursday in the south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil. Netanyahu’s order for direct negotiations with Lebanon’s government was focused on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace, according to a statement from his office, but he offered no immediate respite from the bombardment. “Lebanon wants a ceasefire before starting nego...

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in his latest written message said that the Islamic republic does not want war with the United States and Israel, but would protect its rights as a nation, state television reported on Thursday. “We did not seek war and we do not want it,” he said in the message read out on state TV, coinciding with 40 days since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran. “But we will not renounce our legitimate rights under any circumstances, and in this respect, we consider the entire resistance front as a whole,” he added, in an apparent reference to Lebanon where Israel has been carrying out strikes that it says target Hezbollah. Iran this week agreed to a two-week ceasefire with the United States that could lead to peace negotiations after threats of annihilation from US President Donald Trump. Khamenei told Iranians that they must “not imagine that taking to the streets is no longer necessary” despite the an...

US First Lady Melania Trump made a surprise statement on Thursday denying any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, or that she herself was a victim of the convicted sex offender. The 55-year-old’s rare on-camera remarks at the White House came out of the blue, in an extraordinary intervention in a scandal that has long haunted her husband President Donald Trump. “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.” It was not clear why the Slovenian-born former model decided to give the public statement, and she did not detail any specific allegations about her and the late, convicted sex offender. Melania and Donald Trump had previously been photographed with Epstein, but she said that she had met her husband independently two years prior to meeting Epstein. “I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump,” Melania said. She said “fake images and statements about...

Lahore - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Thursday formally inaugurated the Punjab Police Pakistan App, enabling citizens to report the loss of essential documents from the comfort of their homes.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has emerged at the center of international diplomacy following its role in facilitating a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, with world leaders reaching out to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to acknowledge Islamabad’s peace efforts aimed at ending regional hostilities, including the US-Israel.