Pakistan

.

ISLAMABAD: The government decided on Monday that markets and shopping malls in the country, barring those in Sindh, would close by 8pm as part of energy conservation measures. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, a statement by the PM’s Office said. It added that markets in divisional headquarters in KP would be allowed to remain open till 9pm and consultations were under way regarding business hours for markets in Sindh. Meanwhile, the meeting decided that markets and shopping malls in the rest of KP, Punjab, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would close by 8pm, the statement said. Regarding the decision to allow markets in divisional headquarters in KP, the statement said it was taken in consultation with the provincial government. The statement added that shops selling daily-use items and departmental stores would also close by 8pm. It said it had also been decided that bakeries, restaurants, tandoors and shops sell...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has taken a major step toward digitizing its economy by introducing the Digital Payment Act 2026 in the provincial assembly.

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) on Monday came under fire for insufficient and lethargic online integration and automation of stock and supply position of oil products for improved visibility and monitoring. Subsequently, the government decided to activate law enforcement and investigation agencies for improved monitoring of retail petroleum outlets and to check hoarding. The development came during a meeting of the cabinet committee, constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to monitor petroleum prices in the wake of the emerging situation. During the meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, members raised questions over certain loopholes in petroleum pricing, particularly in the diesel rate build-up. Informed sources said Climate Change Minister Dr Musadik Malik, who previously held the positions of energy and petroleum minister, suspected that the oil industry had apparently been allowed a windfall and proactive corrective measures were...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a nationwide alert warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and snowfall over the next 12 to 24 hours.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has dismissed a proposal to close markets at 8pm across the province, offering relief to traders and business owners concerned about potential revenue losses.

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday issued a flood advisory for several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from April 7 to 8, stating that the Kabul River in Nowshera was likely to witness low to medium-level flood during this period The advisory, issued to the deputy commissioners of several districts, stated that according to met department’s latest analysis, the Kabul River at Nowshera was expected to attain low to medium flood levels and flash flooding was also expected in its associated tributaries along with Kohat Toi, Kurram and Gomal rivers. The advisory said that urban flooding was also expected in Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera during the period. The authority asked the district administrations to take all precautionary measures to avoid any loss of life, damage to infrastructure/crops, and animals. Further, it said that all authorities concerned were requested to take the safety measures, including identification of vulnerable points and at-risk communities; devising...

Multiple people were sharing a video on several social media platforms since April 4, claiming it showed Iranian forces capturing an American pilot after shooting down a US F-15 fighter jet. However, the video is old and shows a Libyan soldier performing a parachute jump. The Middle East war has entered its 35th day with no let-up in hostilities. The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel carried out coordinated airstrikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, including missile systems and nuclear-related facilities. The strikes marked a significant escalation in tensions between the countries, following a period of heightened regional instability and previous confrontations. On April 3, Iranian state media said the country’s forces shot down a US jet over its southern region. The US later said that it rescued two of its pilots from Iran. On April 4, a parody account named after former Iranian interim supreme leader Ayatullah Alireza Aarfi shared a video on X allegedly showing Iranian force...

ON March 20, 2026, Pakistan’s prime minister delivered a somewhat unwarranted and empty address to the nation — merely to announce that he had declined one among a dozen or so summaries placed before him each day. The announcement of not consenting to an additional hike in oil prices at the time, came in the wake of previously announced, lukewarm austerity measures. While burdening the poor, such ‘plasters on a bullet wound’ measures provide neither long-term financial reforms nor alter the fundamental societal inequality. The outrageous purchases of a Rs11 billion Gulfstream jet, a Rs90 million luxury vehicle for the Senate chairman and seven luxury cars for judges not simply betray but completely shatter the government’s much-trumpeted commitment to austerity. On the same day, March 20, 2026, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also unveiled a set of austerity measures. Called a “social shield”, he approved a €5bn economic support package of 80 specific reforms focused on tax relief and direct aid to preve...

The Foreign Office of Pakistan has adopted a cautious approach regarding reports that Islamabad has proposed a framework to help end the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday granted bail to 24 PTI workers and leaders who were arrested a day earlier for staging a protest near Karachi Press Club (KPC) against the increase in fuel prices due to the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. PTI workers and leaders were arrested after they clashed with police near the press club on Sunday. Judicial Magistrate Abdul Ahad Memon issued the order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, and granted bail to the 24 workers and leaders against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each. However, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) sent four PTI leaders, who were arrested on Sunday, to prison on judicial remand in a case pertaining to rioting during a rally at Banaras Chowk on Aug 24, 2025. PTI counsel Advocate Shujaat Ali Khan told Dawn that after arresting the four leaders — Alamgir Khan, Meeraj, Khalid Mehmood and Daawa Khan — a day ago, police had also implicated them in the old case pertaining to rioting during a rally at Banaras Chowk registered at Peerabad police station. He...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, on Monday, alluding to the recent regional situation and spiraling global petroleum prices, underlined the need for the introduction of environment-friendly electric vehicles (EVs) across the country, thus saving the country’s precious foreign reserves.

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Monday rejected a PTI lawmaker’s bill seeking amendments to the Elections Act for enhancing the participation of women in the political process after opposition by almost all the other parties. The development came as the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, under the chairmanship of Senator Tahir Khalil, considered the Elections (Amendment) Bill. One of the provisions sought that all political parties ensure that at least 33 per cent of total office‑bearers at federal, provincial and district levels are women, and that allocation of poll symbol should be denied to those parties which failed to comply. The bill, moved by PTI Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, also proposed conducting intra-party elections by secret ballot under an accredited independent election authority. “At least 33 pc of positions filled through internal elections must be reserved for women, with proportional allocation for non‑Muslims and persons with disabilities,” the proposed bill said. “Th...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, alluding to the recent regional situation and spiralling global petroleum prices, underlined the need for the introduction of environment-friendly electric vehicles (EVs) across the country, thus saving the country’s precious foreign reserves. Addressing a ceremony for the provision of eco-smart EVs to the Islamabad Traffic Police, the prime minister said that such energy-saving initiatives should be emulated by all law enforcement agencies and provinces. He observed that a total of 15 electric vehicles were provided by the interior ministry, which ran on batteries without using petrol and oil, while another batch of vehicles would be inducted soon. Terming the initiative a significant one, the prime minister said such steps would cast positive impact on the country’s foreign reserves. On the occasion, he also congratulated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his team for taking this initiative. Federal ministers, Islamabad police high-ups and relevant authorities were ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed concern over an incident at the Khor Fakkan port in the United Arab Emirates, where a missile interception injured three Pakistani nationals. Gulf countries, including the UAE, have come under attack in Iran’s retaliatory campaign against the ongoing US-Israeli war on the country. In a post on X, the premier said, “Deeply concerned at the incident at Khor Fakkan port in the UAE, where an intercepted projectile caused injuries to civilians, including Pakistani nationals”. He prayed for the “swift recovery” of the injured. The prime minister stated that Pakistan remained in “close contact” with the UAE authorities to extend all possible support to Pakistani nationals in the country. “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brotherly people of the UAE and reiterates the urgent need for restraint and de-escalation in the region,” the premier added. On Sunday, the Sharjah Media Office said that three Pakistani nationals and a Nepalese national sustained injuries aft...

Two Democrats from the US House of Representatives visited Cuba last week, the first such delegation to go to the island this year since US President Donald Trump imposed a de facto oil blockade in a bid to bring Cuba’s communist-run government to its knees. Congressional representatives Pramila Jayapal, a leading member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and Jonathan Jackson, a Democrat with a long interest in Cuba, said they had come to “see the suffering that is happening on the ground” as a result of Trump’s fuel embargo, which they called “an illegal blockade of energy supplies”. The lawmakers’ visit comes at a time of unprecedented tension in the decades-long frosty relationship between the US and Cuba. The Trump administration has closed the tap on remittances to Cuba, threatened to slap tariffs on countries that provide oil to the island and placed it on a list of nations that sponsor terrorism. “This is the most sanctioned part of Planet Earth right now, just 90 miles off our shores,” J...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines has ended all discounts being provided to passengers, with concessions remaining in place only for children and infants, and has also cut its flight operations due to the continuous rise in the prices of jet fuel, the carrier’s spokesperson said on Monday. In recent weeks, jet fuel (JP-1) rates have soared amid global supply chain uncertainty spurred by the US-Israel war on Iran. “The PIA has made a principled decision to end all discounts, with concessions remaining only for children and infants,” the spokesperson said. He added that a strategy was formulated in a high-level meeting to address the rising prices of fuel and potential losses to the airline. The spokesperson said PIA would also restrict its flight operation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to 16 flights per week. “The carrier is also going to suspend flight to Gulf countries, with the exception of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, until the end of April,” he added. Further, he said that the PIA would also...

ISLAMABAD: The country’s fan industry on Monday sought policy interventions to reduce the export of its raw materials for balanced value addition, greater quality exports and energy-efficient fans in the country. They also recommended interventions that could enable financing and energy efficiency initiatives during a virtual meeting with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The group of representatives from the electric fan industry was led by members of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the Pakistan Electric Fan Manufacturers Association (PEFMA). The group highlighted sectoral challenges, export potential, and avenues for policy support. According to an official statement from the finance ministry, Aurangzeb reiterated the government’s commitment to undertaking focused consultations with individual sectors to better understand their operational landscape and support their growth. The group provided an overview of the structure and economic significance of the fan indus...

The Government of Balochistan has officially set the price of Iranian petrol at Rs280 per litre across the province, warning of strict legal action against overcharging.

The four astronauts of Nasa’s Artemis II mission entered the moon’s gravitational sphere of influence early Monday morning as they cruised along a path that will soon take them over the shadowed, lunar far side to become the farthest-flying humans in history. The Artemis II crew, flying in their Orion capsule since launching from Florida last week, are due to awake around 10:50am ET (7:50pm PKT) on Monday for their sixth flight day. By 7:05pm ET (4:05am PKT), they will reach the mission’s maximum distance from Earth of roughly 252,757 miles, 4,102 miles beyond the record held by the Apollo 13 crew for 56 years. As Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen approach the distance record, they will be sailing around the moon’s far side, witnessing it from roughly 4,000 miles above its darkened surface as it eclipses a basketball-sized Earth in the distant background. The milestone is a climactic point in the nearly 10-day Artemis II mission, the first crew...