Pakistan

A criminal case against Myanmar’s newly-elected President Min Aung Hlaing was filed in Indonesia on Monday by a group of civil society organisations, accusing the leader of acts of genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group. Myanmar is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), but relations have come under strain since a 2021 coup led by Min Aung Hlaing, leading to civil war and a humanitarian crisis, with large numbers of Rohingya Muslims displaced and forced into refugee settlements. Indonesia, which hosts ASEAN’s headquarters, is the biggest Muslim-majority country in the world, and is among the destinations for Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar or the refugee camps by boat. Myanmar’s armed forces, under thenjunta chief Min Aung Hlaing, launched an offensive in 2017 that forced at least 730,000 Rohingya from their homes and into neighbouring Bangladesh, where they recounted killings, mass rape and arson. The complaint to Indonesia’s Attorney General’s office was filed by Yasmin Ullah, ...

President Asif Ali Zardari, on Monday, expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the death of the mother of Amir of Bahawalpur Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi.

The Foreign Office said on Monday that the peace process is “ongoing” but declined to confirm or deny reports that Pakistan has proposed a framework to end the US-Israel war on Iran, according to state broadcaster Pakistan TV. “There have been several reports of a 45-day ceasefire offer, or 15-point exchange. We do not comment on these individual, specific incidents,” said FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi. The comments by the FO spokesperson follow a Reuters report that claimed Iran and the United States have received a plan to end hostilities, which was put together by Pakistan. The Reuters report, which cited a “source aware of the proposals”, claimed the framework was exchanged with the two sides overnight. Axios, citing US, Israeli and regional sources, first reported on Sunday that the US, Iran and regional mediators were discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire as part of a two-phase deal that could lead to a permanent end to the war. Separately, Iran said it has formulated its positions and demands in resp...

Authorities in Khairpur have confirmed that four children died of Monkeypox amid a wider outbreak of skin-related illnesses that has claimed seven young lives in total.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has successfully conducted a test flight of its previously grounded Boeing 777 aircraft, marking its return to service after being out of operation since May 2025.

The Supreme Court on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on judicial cooperation with Turkiye’s Constitutional Court. On Sunday, the SC said it will be hosting a high-level delegation from Turkiye’s Constitutional Court from April 6 to 9, led by its president Kadir Özkaya, for the signing of an MoU. The agreement was signed at a ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Islamabad attended by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and Özkaya. Addressing the ceremony before the signing, CJP Afridi expressed hope that the agreement will “provide a forward-looking framework for collaboration between the two judiciaries”. “One that emphasises the exchange of judicial knowledge and best practices, the promotion of comparative constitutional jurisprudence, strengthening of institutional linkages and the advancement of capacity building through joint programmes, research, and judicial exchanges,” CJP Afridi said. He noted that under the MoU, a joint working group comprising judges from the Federal Con...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought a report from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman and other respondents on a contempt of court petition alleging violation of its restraining order against tree felling in the federal capital. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the petition filed by Muhammad Naveed Ahmed, sought a detailed report from the civic authority, and adjourned the hearing indefinitely. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that technically, the matter should have been listed before Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who had previously been hearing the main case. However, Justice Minhas observed that the court would take notice of the matter and called for a report. Advocate Mudassar Latif Abbasi and Umair Asad appeared on behalf of the petitioner, contending that despite a clear order issued on January 15, 2026, restraining the CDA from cutting trees, the authority had initiated work on the expansion of Ataturk Avenue from D-Chowk to Ayub Chowk. ...

Authorities in Punjab have continued the process of deporting illegal foreign residents, officials said on Friday, adding that tens of thousands have been repatriated so far.

The National Disaster Management Authority on Monday issued a countrywide weather alert, warning of rain, thunderstorms and strong winds in multiple regions over the next 12 to 24 hours.

South Korea’s spy agency now believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter has been positioned as his successor, lawmakers said on Monday, citing a recent public display of her driving a tank that was likely intended to dispel any doubts. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers its assessment was not based on circumstantial inference but on what it described as “credible intelligence” collected by the agency, according to briefings by ruling and opposition party members after a closed-door parliamentary meeting. The NIS said the imagery of the daughter driving a tank was intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir, lawmakers said. North Korea’s state-run media KCNA last month published photos of Kim and his daughter driving a new tank, following earlier images showing her firing a rifle at a shooting range and using a handgun. Such scenes are intended to pay “homage” to Kim’s own public military appearances during the early 2010s when ...

Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has said that every moment of his tenure is dedicated to the people of Punjab, as he chaired a meeting to review progress on the establishment of a new Nara Tehsil in Attock.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed authorities to accelerate reforms in Pakistan Railways, emphasising the need to transform it into a modern, safe and reliable transport system.

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to eliminate distortions in petroleum pricing at the earliest, even though it had tacitly accepted the Rs152 billion subsidy cap extended by the federal government to consumers amid a historic global price surge following the US-Israel attacks on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Senior officials told Dawn that the staff-level agreement (SLA) announced by the IMF on March 29 remains intact, and that the Rs152 billion federal petroleum subsidy had been introduced with the Fund’s prior knowledge. Sources said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his team will update IMF management on provincial contributions to the petroleum subsidy during the upcoming spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank next week. However, the IMF continues to oppose across-the-board subsidies on major petroleum products. Initially, the government attempted to balance finances by adjusting the petroleum development levy (PDL) between petrol and diesel....

A meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad has decided to transform the existing Safe City project into a Capital Smart City initiative.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association and Lahore Bar Association have announced a judicial boycott in protest against the recent increase in petroleum product prices.

Pakistan is witnessing a sharp rise in WhatsApp hacking incidents, with many users falling victim to fraud and blackmail schemes.

Efforts by Pakistan, Türkiye and Egypt to mediate between Iran and the United States have yet to produce tangible results, according to U.

LAHORE: In a bid to keep the current fares and freight charges unchanged for three months to facilitate passengers and goods transport customers, the federal government will pay around Rs6 billion to Pakistan Railways (PR) for the increase in operational costs due to the recent increase in diesel prices. “The increase due to the massive surge in diesel price amounts to around Rs1.9 billion per month and the total difference for three months, till June 30, jumps to about Rs6 billion as calculated by the finance ministry for PR operations,” PR Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch explained while talking to Dawn on Sunday. According to him, as soon as the petroleum prices increased, the PR administration was left with no option but to increase fares and freight charges by 30pc. However, he said the prime minister sought a report from the finance and railways ministries regarding the likely increase in passenger and freight charges. “On this, we worked out the total amount, around Rs6 billion, the PR will have...

SIALKOT - Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Sunday inaugurated mega development projects worth of billions of rupees across the district.

ISLAMABAD, April 3: The Supr­eme Court will resume, on April 7, the hearing of a review petition filed by PTI founder Imran Khan against the closure of his right to defence in the Rs10 billion defamation case. Headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik, a three-judge bench will take up the review petition, in which the court had earlier stayed proceedings pending before a trial court in Lahore in the Rs10 billion defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against Imran Khan. Earlier, on March 31, a different Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, had adjourned further proceedings in a set of appeals also filed by former prime minister Imran Khan against the April 23, 2025 Lahore High Court (LHC) rejection of his plea to implicate the Punjab government in the Rs10 billion defamation suit brought by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The case was then postponed until a final decision on the present review petition pending before the bench presided over by Justice Ayesha A. Malik. Just...