Pakistan

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has reaffirmed that appointments in the province are being made strictly on merit, with a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption.

Strong winds followed by heavy rain and a hailstorm lashed Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Friday, bringing a sudden change in weather and turning the atmosphere pleasant.

MANSEHRA: Police on Thursday rescued a German tourist, who went missing after being separated from her group during a hiking trip in Kaghan Valley. “The woman had lost her way after being separated from her seven-member group. After several hours of hectic efforts, our personnel rescued her and shifted her back to her hotel,” DPO Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told journalists. The tourist, identified as 66-year-old Karun Anne Malarik, was hiking on the Chapra track near Naran along with six other Germans when she lost contact with the group after nightfall in the thick forest. “We mobilised two teams immediately after receiving information from our high-ups. After an intensive search in the mountainous terrain, she was safely rescued and reunited with her group,” said Mr Gandapur. He added that the group of German tourists, comprising four women and three men, had entered Kaghan Valley via Babusar Top after spending several days in Gilgit-Baltistan. They were later heading to Islamabad following the incident and w...

ISLAMABAD - Ambassador of Oman, Fahad Khalaf Al-Kharusi, met with Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Dr.

The government has conditionally authorised the export of donkey hides by amending the Ministry of Commerce’s Export Policy Order, according to a notification issued on Friday.

Peshawar - The 39th meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet was held here on Thursday with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday expressed deep concern and took serious notice of the situation in Azad Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appreciating the “dignified” participation of Pakistani na-tionals in Sumud Gaza Flotilla, demanded their return as they were intercepted on their way to Gaza to supply the humanitarian aid.

LAHORE: Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif addresses a ceremony.

PESHAWAR - Four police personnel were injured when an improvised explosive device hit their vehicle near in Bhanah Mari police station’s jurisdiction, Peshawar, on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday issued notices to parties on the appeal of a Station House Officer (SHO) dismissed from service for abuse of authority.

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday announced that polling for three vacant seats in the Punjab Provincial Assembly—PP-115 and PP-116, Faisalabad— and PP-269 Muzaffargarh will be held on November 23.

ISLAMABAD - Islamabad police Thursday stormed National Press Club Islamabad, vandalised the cafeteria, and assaulted journalists after reportedly mistaking them for Kashmiri protesters.

• PM Shehbaz dispatches eight-member team to Muzaffarabad • Calls for peace, orders restraint by LEAs, seeks probe into deaths • AJK paralysed by fourth day of strike, communications blackout • Funerals in Muzaffarabad galvanise crowds; locals demand justice over alleged police firing MUZAFFARABAD: A high-level government delegation held negotiations with a civil society alliance in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday after days of fierce clashes between protesters and law enforcers that have left at least 10 people dead and scores critically injured. The eight-member committee, dispatched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, comprises federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muq­am, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Rana Sanaullah and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, along with PPP leaders Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira, and former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan. They were accompanied by AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who had been staying at Kashmir House in Islamabad for the past several days. Negotiations...

ISLAMABAD: The senior puisne judge of the Islamabad High Court on Thursday tried to dispel the perception that the judiciary stands divided. “The judiciary will not tolerate fissures within its ranks,” Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said while hearing a contempt of court petition. The petition was filed by Hafiz Ehtesham against lawyer Imaan Mazari. The petitioner, who is known for frequent litigation, objected to remarks attributed to Imaan Mazari in a speech about judges. Hafiz Ehtesham alleged that she implied “five judges” were “victims of division” and “working under pressure”. Justice Kayani put a question to the petitioner: “Which five judges do you mean?” After Ehtesham named five judges — including Justice Kayani himself — the bench intervened immediately, warning him not to continue. “There is no division in this court, and neither shall we allow any division,” Justice Kayani asserted. The five judges are: Justices Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Saman Raffat ...

THE statistics related to the frequency of militant attacks in Pakistan released by two local think tanks are cause for concern. They highlight that the state needs a much more proactive counterterrorism policy. As per the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, the number of militant attacks in the country last month had dropped compared to August’s figures. However, as a report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies points out, the current year may be the deadliest in a decade where terrorism-related fatalities are concerned. According to the PICSS findings, there were 69 militant attacks in September, causing 135 deaths. The overwhelming number of fatalities were those of security men and civilians. Also, in keeping with the general trend, KP and Balochistan were the hardest hit by terrorist violence, with the former recording 45 attacks in September, and the latter province witnessing 21 attacks. The most recent of these was Tuesday’s deadly bombing targeting the Frontier Corps hea...

American multinational corporation Procter & Gamble said on Thursday that it would wind down its manufacturing and commercial activities in Pakistan and rely on third-party distributors to continue to serve customers as part of a restructuring programme. The news comes as various multinational corporations (MNCs) have pulled their operations from Pakistan over the past three years, including Eli Lilly, Shell, Microsoft, Uber and Yamaha. Does this point to a greater trend suggesting that the economic climate in Pakistan is inhospitable for multinationals, or are there other reasons? Here’s what analysts have to say: ‘Companies have own reasons for exiting’ Business and economy journalist Khurram Hussain said that companies have “their own reasons” for exiting. “It is not really about Pakistan, but restructuring at their end,” he said. “Take Shell as an example. They have exited the retail fuel business in Mexico and Indonesia as well as Pakistan, and retail energy more broadly in many other markets,” he said. ...

Ministerial team meets JAAC; Talks hindered by communication blackout; Protest leaders require time for consultation

Munoz and Nketiah seal 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv

FIFA president urges peace and unity amid growing calls to suspend Israel over the conflict