Pakistan

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Nawaz, Maryam chair meeting on heritage revival

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Lack of timely medical care, staff absence suspected as cause of death

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Markets remain open till dawn; one-way traffic plans, drone monitoring in place

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Citizens find fasting and shopping easier; welcome relief after warm spells

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On what should be a time of celebration, families across Pakistan will instead be marking Eid in mourning, after their loved ones working in the Gulf were killed in the Iran conflict. At least 23 workers from countries including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh were killed or reported missing since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, according to an Anadolu tally. Muzaffar Ali, a 28-year-old from Sindh province, was among those killed when shrapnel from a missile struck his car in Dubai. He left behind three young children, the eldest just 7 years old. “He went to Dubai four years ago in search of a better life,” his uncle Abdul Hakim told Anadolu by phone. “He was paying off the loans he had taken from relatives for the move. The last time we spoke, he told me he had nearly paid off everything he owed. Now he could finally settle down.” “Shrapnel wounded his face. He died at the hospital,” Hakim said. “I don’t know who will feed his family. He was the breadwinner.” Ali was among three Pakistanis confir...

KHYBER: The dead body of an Afghan national, lying at Zero Point on the Torkham border for the past several days, was finally handed over to Afghan authorities by a delegation of local tribal elders on Thursday. The development comes a day after Pakistan announced that it had decided on a “temporary pause” in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban in view of Eidul Fitr and “at the request of brotherly Islamic countries”. The dead body was spotted by locals, who had recorded videos and reported the matter to security officials. The delegation of local elders, comprising Malak Tajuddin, Mufti Ejaz, Shah Khalid, Qari Jihad Shah, Qari Nazeem Gul and Saeed Khan, visited the Torkham border to retrieve the body. Khalid, told Dawn that the delegation remained in contact with the local security officials and Afghan delegates during the last week despite the security situation. He said that their Afghan counterparts on March 13 had acknowledged that the dead man was an Afghan national and a dai...

Chairman of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, announced that the Shawwal moon was not sighted anywhere in the country, confirming that Eid al-Fitr will be observed on Saturday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday acknowledged Turkiye’s constructive role in promoting peace efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The development comes a day after Pakistan decided on a “temporary pause” in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban in view of Eidul Fitr and “at the request of brotherly Islamic countries”, including Turkiye. According to a statement by the PM Office, the prime minister held a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which they exchanged views on Afghanistan. “The prime minister acknowledged Turkiye’s constructive role in promoting peace efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in the recently announced temporary ceasefire, over the Eid days,” the statement said. During the exchange, the prime minister reiterated his strong condemnation of the ongoing escalation in the region, particularly the missile attacks on Turkiye, the statement said. “The entire Pakistani nation stood in solidarity with their Turki...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday issued a statement rejecting the comments made by Israel’s ambassador to India, calling them a “baseless characterisation”. The FO statement referred to a video clip of the Israeli ambassador circulating on social media and said: “We firmly reject this baseless characterisation. The real record of aggression and rogue conduct is evident in the illegal occupation, the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the indictment of Israeli leadership in international courts. “Responsible states uphold international law — not deflect from it.” While the statement did not specify which clip was being referred to, it was issued after a video of Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, during an interview with Indian news anchor Arnab Goswami began circulating on social media. During the interview, Goswami asked Azar about a defence pact signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — which was signed in September 2025 and states that “any aggression against either country shall be ...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a countrywide alert, predicting rain, thunderstorms, and snowfall in northern regions within the next 12 to 24 hours.

The federal government has appointed Ayaz Shaukat, a senior lawyer and Islamabad’s Advocate General, as the inaugural chairman of the newly created Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA).