Pakistan

• Nepra holds public hearing after CPPA asks for additional fuel cost adjustment due to Iran war disruptions • Regulator seeks report from K-Electric over ‘excessive loadshedding’ in Karachi ISLAMABAD: The price of electricity is likely to be increased by Rs1.74 per unit in next month’s bills due to the higher fuel cost adjustment, in light of an official demand for over Rs16 billion in additional recoveries from power consumers. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) held a public hearing on the Central Power Purchasing Agency’s (CPPA) request for an additional fuel cost recovery of Rs1.73 per unit from consumers for the June billing month. CPPA Chief Executive Officer Rehan Akhtar told the hearing that the reference fuel cost for April had been set at Rs8.25 per unit, but the actual cost turned out to be Rs9.975 per unit, mainly because of the US-Iran war and the resultant disruption in LNG supplies, thus necessitating an additional charge of Rs1.73 per unit on consumers in the billing mon...

The federal government on Tuesday, amid deliberations over its ongoing austerity measures, decided to extend the operating hours of shops, markets, restaurants and other commercial outlets citing longer daylight hours and rising summer temperatures. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The government had announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9 in the wake of the Middle East war to deal with the global energy crisis, which had arisen due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As per the revised schedule, the closing timings are as follows: Shops, markets, malls, and general retail: 9pm Restaurants, cafes and eateries: 11pm (takeaway and delivery services exempt) Marriage halls and event venues: 10pm (no change in timings) Essential services (pharmacies, hospitals, fuel stations, IT & telecom-related services) are exempted. “The Committee also directed provinci...

Fast bowler Nathan Ellis took a career best four-wicket haul as an understrength Australia shocked Pakistan by 41 runs in the second one-day international in Lahore on Tuesday, levelling the three-match series 1-1. Australia’s total of 231-9 in 50 overs had fighting half centuries from Josh Inglis and Cameron Green before Ellis grabbed 4-33 to leave Pakistan 190 all out in 44 overs. Pakistan won the first match by five wickets in Rawalpindi which now sets up a series-deciding match, also in Lahore on Thursday. With a host of top ODI players including skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia’s second string staged a remarkable comeback, countering Pakistan’s spin and batting with confidence. All rounder Shadab Khan played a lone hand for the home team with a resolute 104-ball 71 and was the last man out, stumped off a spinner Tanveer Sangha’s wide ball for Australian victory. Ghazi Ghori made 37 with five boundaries. Shadab hit three sixes and a boundary and repaired Pakistan’s falteri...

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday told lawmakers that Iran had agreed to begin limited negotiations over its nuclear programme, marking what he described as a tentative but meaningful shift in Tehran’s posture as the United States-led conflict continues to destabilise the Middle East. Rubio said that Iran had also indicated interest in discussing parts of its nuclear programme that it had previously refused to engage on, but he cautioned that this did not ensure the negotiations would produce a deal to end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. “They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear programme that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention,” Rubio said. But he added that it’s “not a guarantee that ultimately it will lead to a deal that’s acceptable” by Congress. He said these negotiations had been made difficult by the instability of Iran’s leadership. He also stated that the Trump administration had not proposed sanctions relief in exchange for I...

BANNU: At least 20 people, including women and children, were injured after powerful winds and a severe storm swept across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Tuesday, causing the roofs and walls of houses, shops and other structures to collapse. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had earlier said in an advisory that dust storms and thunderstorms were expected in the upper parts of the country from June 2 to June 5. According to Rescue 1122 Bannu, multiple reports emerged of structures collapsing in different parts of the district as strong winds battered residential and commercial areas. The injured were trapped under debris and were immediately rescued by emergency teams. Rescue 1122 personnel promptly launched relief operations, evacuating victims from the affected sites and shifting them to District Headquarters Hospital Bannu for medical treatment. Emergency responders also provided first aid at the scene before transporting the injured to the hospital. Officials said Rescue 1122 teams remai...

UNITED NATIONS: Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for its 81st session (2026–2027) on Tuesday, defeating Cyprus’s candidate Andreas S. Kakouris in a tightly fought vote that underscores the continuing importance of regional consensus-building within the global body. Rahman secured 99 votes in the 193-member UNGA, while Kakouris received 91 votes. There were no abstentions. The required majority for the election was 96 votes. How the election works The president of the UNGA is elected annually by the 193 member states, with each country holding one equal vote. According to the UN’s Rules of Procedure, the election is conducted by secret ballot unless members agree otherwise, and a candidate must obtain a simple majority of those present and voting to win. While the process is formally competitive, it is shaped in practice by a long-standing principle of geographical rotation, under which the presidency alternates among regional gro...

ISLAMABAD: Four PTI leaders, including the party’s general secretary, were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan while local leaders were detained on Tuesday. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. According to the PTI leadership, the party is not being allowed to campaign in the upcoming elections. “Today, upon entering Gilgit-Baltistan, I, along with Shaukat Basra, Naeem Panjutha, and Zaheer Babar, was stopped by the police within the jurisdiction of Jal Police Station and prevented from proceeding further,” PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed in a post on X. “The DSP informed us that my name had been specifically listed in their records. We and our colleagues from the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) were subsequently surrounded by police vehicles and forcibly escorted out of the province,” claimed the PTI general secretary. Raja said that these actions “represent an attempt to restrict our constitutional right to free move...

Security forces killed 17 terrorists during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in different districts of Balochistan following the suicide car bomb attack against a shuttle train in Quetta, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday. At least 14 people were killed and 20 others were injured in the incident, which took place on May 24. The IBOs were conducted in the districts of Mastung, Nushki, Khuzdar and Kech. The military’s media wing added that multiple terrorist locations were targeted by security personnel during these operations. “Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, 17 terrorists belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Hindustan have been sent to hell, giving a significant blow to the terrorist networks operating in these areas,” the statement read. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. ISPR added that weapons, ammunition an...

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17 terrorists neutralised in Balochistan IBOs

Pakistan's security forces have killed 17 terrorists linked to the Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Hindustan in a series of intelligence-based operations conducted across Balochistan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim countries, on Tuesday condemned the “continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into Al Aqsa Mosque” in the strongest terms, calling for an immediate cessation of all such provocative practices. According to a joint statement released by the Foreign Office (FO), the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates condemned “in the strongest terms the continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers, into Al Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli forces, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards”. “They stress that these provocative and unacceptable actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. The FO added that the foreign ministers reaffirmed their “categorical rejection” of any attempts to alter the historical and legal ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has underscored the importance of industrial development and foreign investment, saying both are vital for achieving sustainable economic growth and long-term prosperity in Pakistan.

Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said Tuesday that Rawalpindi Railway Station will be transformed into the country’s most beautiful and culturally vibrant railway facility, reflecting Pakistan’s rich heritage and historical identity.

Political bigwigs on Tuesday sought to garner public support in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) as PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed rallies ahead of the June 7 elections. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday, after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. Addressing a public gathering in Skardu, where First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari was also present, Bilawal called for greater rights for the people of GB. “I have to struggle along with GB’s new generation […] If we have to implement the manifesto of roti, kapra, makaan in its true sense, then we will have to work on three rules — we will have to attain the right to haq-i-hakimiyat (right to govern), haq-i-malkiyat (right to ownership), and haq-i-rozgaar (right to employment),” Bilawal said. He further said, “The struggle of PPP’s new generation will be to get you your right to govern, and that will happen when GB will get the protections, facilities and powers provided in the 18th Amendment.” “Aft...

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