Pakistan

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has reaffirmed that it is the Punjab government’s duty to defend the rights of its people, asserting the province’s long-standing role in supporting the nation during times of crisis.

Australian police charged a 60-year-old man on Monday after he allegedly opened fire on a busy Sydney street, wounding 16 people in a chaotic attack. Police were called on Sunday evening to Croydon Park, in the city’s Inner West, where the alleged gunman was firing from his property, randomly targeting passing cars and police. A large contingent of police swarmed the area and locked down the street, before entering the property above a business and arresting a 60-year-old man. A rifle and ammunition were allegedly seized from the scene, New South Wales Police said. Office worker Joe Azar said he was working across the road when he heard what he thought were fireworks or rocks being thrown at the windows. “Some guy’s windshield blew up, then the bus stop glass shattered,” Azar told The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. “The surreal feeling kicked in like, ‘Oh, this is what’s happening’,” he said. “It was frantic. It all happened so quick, so I couldn’t comprehend what was going on,” he added. Police had initial...

President Asif Ali Zardari held a telephonic conversation with Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi amid rising tensions between the Sindh and Punjab governments, calling him to Karachi for urgent consultations.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with British Member of Parliament Lord Shaukat Mahmood on Monday to discuss ways to further strengthen Pakistan–United Kingdom relations and expand cooperation across multiple sectors.

France’s new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned on Monday, barely 14 hours after appointing his new cabinet, after allies and foes alike threatened to topple his government, driving French stocks and the euro sharply lower. His swift resignation was unexpected and unprecedented, and marked another major deepening of France’s political crisis. The far-right National Rally immediately urged President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap parliamentary election. After weeks of consultations with political parties across the board, Lecornu, a close ally of Macron, had appointed his ministers on Sunday and they had been set to hold their first meeting on Monday afternoon. But the new cabinet line-up had angered opponents and allies alike, who either found it too right-wing or not sufficiently so, raising questions on how long it could last, at a time when France is already mired deep in political crisis, with no group holding a majority in a fragmented parliament. Lecornu handed his resignation to Macron on Monday...

The price of per tola of 24 karat gold increased by Rs5,400 on Monday and was sold at Rs415,278 compared to its sale at Rs409,878 on last trading day, according to the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association.

At least four people have died and another 28 have been injured over the last 24 hours in rain-related incidents across Punjab as the province received heavy rainfall, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 Punjab said on Monday. According to a weather alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) last week, a strong westerly weather system was likely to affect the upper catchments of all major rivers, along with Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, causing “heavy to very heavy wind-thunderstorms and rains” from October 5 to October 7. Punjab Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said in a statement: “Over the last 24 hours, four people, including two children, were killed in rain-related incidents, while another 28 were left injured.” He added that in Faisalabad, a 12-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy lost their lives as the roof of their house caved in due to heavy rains, injuring another seven people. “A 70-year-old man was killed in Nankana Sahib, while a 65-year-old man died in a si...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed his deep grief over the tragic loss of lives and extensive damage caused by the floods and landslides in Nepal.

The United Nations Human Rights Council will decide on Monday on an EU proposal to set up a UN investigation into abuses in Afghanistan, which could enable criminal investigations into suspected violations by both the Taliban and foreign troops. The European Union motion calls for investigators to prepare evidence for future court proceedings and is among the strongest forms of UN rights probe, on par with existing investigations into crimes in Syria and Myanmar. The United States, which had troops in Afghanistan until 2021 within a NATO coalition, has previously opposed scrutiny of its actions, for example, by the International Criminal Court, but backed research into suspected Taliban violations. US President Donald Trump has disengaged from the council and did not take a stance in these negotiations, diplomats said. However, a State Department spokesperson said: “Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States government will not tolerate international organisations that attempt to exert unlawfu...

Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Information & Broadcasting for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Affairs, Ikhtiar Wali Khan, reiterated Pakistan’s commitment for peace rather than war.

Former Senate chairperson Raza Rabbani emphasised on Monday that the federal government should “immediately” take parliament into confidence on its “new US policy”, particularly mentioning media reports about the sale of rare minerals and the supposed plan to offer Pasni port to Washington. “The federal government has not taken the people or parliament into confidence on the dynamics of the new relationship with the United States,” Rabbani stated in a press release. He added, “It is the right of the people to know the details and the direction of the foreign policy. In history, the US has never been a reliable friend to depend upon.” On the sale of precious and rare minerals to American metals company US Strategic Metals (USSM), he said it was “unfortunate” that information about the deal had come through the media. He stressed that “real stakeholders” in this matter were the provinces, which should have been taken into confidence through the Council of Common Interests. “The federal government fails to reali...

Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori has announced to take significant steps towards modern and eco-friendly transportation in the province.

The death toll from an Indonesian school collapse rose to 63 on Monday, officials said, as workers pulled more remains from the rubble of the building that collapsed last week. Part of the multi-storey Islamic boarding school on Indonesia’s Java island collapsed as more than 150 students gathered for afternoon prayers. Around half a dozen youngsters are still unaccounted for. “We hope we can conclude the recovery today (Monday), and we will return the bodies [to the families],” National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) operations director Yudhi Bramantyo told a press conference on Monday. The collapse was Indonesia’s deadliest disaster so far this year, Budi Irawan, the deputy head of the national disaster agency (BNPB), said. Investigators have been examining the cause of the collapse, but initial indications suggest that substandard construction may have contributed to the incident, according to experts. The families of the missing agreed last Thursday for heavy equipment to be used, after the 72-hour “g...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed ongoing diplomatic efforts, through Pakistan’s embassy in Amman, to ensure the safe return of former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired the 29th meeting of the provincial cabinet, which approved the largest-ever flood relief and rehabilitation package in the province’s history.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the passing of retired Pakistan Administrative Service officer Humayun Farshori.

Saudi Arabia has announced that visitors and residents holding any type of visa will now be permitted to perform Umrah while in the Kingdom, a statement from the Ministry of Haj and Umrah said on Sunday. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry has indicated that people holding “personal and family visit visas, electronic tourist visas, transit visas, work visas, and other types of visas” will be able to perform Umrah in the kingdom during their stay. The ministry said the move was part of the Kingdom’s efforts to streamline procedures for Umrah performers and broaden access to services within the Haj and Umrah system, in support of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. “This step reflects the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to facilitating the arrival of Muslims from around the world to perform their rituals with ease and tranquillity,” the statement said. Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quota...

An Islamabad anti-terrorism court on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul and central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram in a case pertaining to the Sangjani rally in September last year. On Sept 8, 2024, clashes took place between PTI leaders and the Islamabad police as party supporters rallied on the outskirts of the city, demanding the “immediate release” of ex-premier Imran Khan and criticising the government for marginalising the party. Following that, at least 10 PTI MNAs were arrested on Sept 9 and 10 last year from different areas of Islamabad, including the Parliament House. Today, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra presided over the hearing, where lawyers Sardar Masroof Khan, Amna Ali and Murtaza Toori appeared on behalf of the PTI leaders. The judge rejected Ayub’s application seeking an exemption from the hearing. “None of them have appeared before the court even once,” Judge Sipra observed. Subsequently, he ordered that the three PTI leaders be arrested and ...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and Zartaj Gul in the Sangjani rally case.

The Foreign Office said on Monday it was making efforts for the safe evacuation of former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Muhstaq Ahmad Khan, who was detained by Israel last week after it intercepted a flotilla of boats carrying aid for Gaza, and hoped that the process could be “successfully concluded within the next couple of days”. Mushtaq led the Pakistani delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). The 45-vessel flotilla, with activists and politicians including Greta Thunberg on board, left Spain last month to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine. However, as it approached Gaza, Israeli forces intercepted it and detained the activists on board. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, through its embassy in Amman, is working tirelessly to secure the safe evacuation of former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan,” the FO said in a statement. “With the invaluable assistance of the Jordanian government, we are hopeful that the process can be successfully concluded within...