Pakistan

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iranians were “looking at freedom, perhaps like never before” and that Washington was ready to offer support as protests continued to spread across the Middle Eastern country. “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “The USA stands ready to help!!!” The president later repeated the message in other posts as well while US media reported that Washington was mulling potential strikes against Iran. Iran has witnessed waves of protests since late December, triggered largely by a sharp decline in the value of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. The demonstrations began on Dec 28 near Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and later spread to several other cities. On Friday, Trump said Iran was “in big trouble” as unrest grew, adding that the United States was “watching very closely” and warning Iranian authorities against using lethal force against protesters. Iranian officials have ac...

A severe cold wave continues to grip large parts of Pakistan, with heavy snowfall in the northern mountainous regions and biting winds sweeping across the plains, disrupting daily life and transport links.

DARKNESS has descended over next-door Iran, where widespread, violent protests refuse to abate, posing the most serious governance and security challenges to the government in recent memory. With a nearly complete communications blackout in place, it has been difficult to obtain verifiable information from the country, and with various global powers taking increasingly assertive positions in the ongoing unrest, it is almost impossible to discern facts from propaganda in international reportage on Iran’s unfolding crisis. We do know that, on Saturday, the Iranian army issued a statement saying it would safeguard strategic infrastructure and public property, while urging Iranians to “thwart the enemy’s plots”. Clearly, things have reached a point where the protests are being seen as a national security threat. Inflammatory rhetoric from American leaders, including the US president, has not helped and, indeed, may have put Iranians in greater jeopardy by fanning paranoia. There have been concerning reports of st...

• Banks receive 30pc fewer dollars in 1HFY26 • Untraceable outflows raise questions over currency flows KARACHI: Banks received 30 per cent fewer US dollars from exchange companies in the first half of the current fiscal year, according to official data. Exchange companies sold about $1.4 billion to banks during July-December FY26, compared with around $2bn in the corresponding period of FY25, reflecting a decline of nearly 30pc. Exchange companies are required to sell surplus foreign currency in the banking market. However, they are also allowed to sell dollars to individuals for specific purposes. “The customers bought about $1.2bn in six months from exchange companies, kept $400m in bank accounts and the remaining $800m is not traceable,” said Malik Bostan, Chairman of the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP). The untraceable $800m is believed to have been used for purchasing virtual currencies. Trading in virtual currencies remains unregulated in Pakistan, though the State Bank is working on ...

• Warns funding gap could derail IMF-linked Rs157bn budget surplus for FY26, provision of essential services in merged districts • Transfers under divisible pool stand short by Rs76bn in first half of 2025-26 ISLAMABAD: At a time when the federal government is grappling with its own fiscal shortfall, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has raised concerns that revenue transfer shortfalls from the centre during the first half of 2025-26 have jeopardised the province’s ability to meet its annual budget surplus target, as agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The provincial government further warned that the delayed and reduced federal transfers are exerting significant pressure on its finances, particularly impa­cting the delivery of essential services in the merged districts of the former Federally Admini­stered Tribal Areas (Fata). The issue was formally raised in a two-page letter from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Adviser on Finance to the Chief Minister, Muzammil Aslam, to Federal Finance Minister Muhamm...

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview published by The Economist said that he hopes to “taper off” Israeli dependence on US military aid in the next decade. Netanyahu has said Israel should not be reliant on foreign military aid but has stopped short of declaring a firm timeline for when Israel would be fully independent from Washington. “I want to taper off the military within the next 10 years,” Netanyahu told said. Asked if that meant a tapering “down to zero”, he said: “Yes.” Netanyahu said he told President Donald Trump during a recent visit that Israel “very deeply” appreciates “the military aid that America has given us over the years, but here too we’ve come of age and we’ve developed incredible capacities.” In December, Netanyahu said Israel would spend $110bn on developing an independent arms industry to reduce dependency on other countries. The US and Israeli governments had signed a memorandum of understanding for the 10 years through September 2028 that provides $38...

QUETTA: Prolonged gas shortages amid a severe cold spell triggered protests in parts of the provincial capital on Saturday, as residents blocked roads and burned tyres against low pressure and supply suspensions, while Siberian winds continued to lash Quetta and other towns in northern and central parts of the province following rain and snowfall last week. The severe cold has reduced gas supply in several areas, causing serious difficulties for residents trying to keep their homes warm. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been implementing loadshedding in Quetta and surrounding areas from midnight to 5am. People in Kalat, Mastung, Ziarat, Pishin and several other areas are also facing similar gas shortages amid the ongoing cold spell. However, residents say many localities in the provincial capital and its outskirts are not receiving gas properly even outside these hours. “We are getting gas for a very limited time without any timetable,” Mehmood Khan, a resident of the Sariab area, told Dawn, adding tha...

ISLAMABAD: The Su­­p­­­reme Court has imposed major disciplinary penalties on three officers of its Karachi registry for serious lapses in administrative response, and on one officer of its Lahore registry over transparency issues. According to a statement issued on Saturday, the apex court reiterated that institutional integrity, discipline, and strict adherence to prescribed procedures were non-negotiable, particularly in matters relating to official conduct and the administration of justice. In disciplinary proceedings concluded under the Supreme Court Establishment Service Rules, 2015, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi imposed ma­­jor penalties on three offi­cers of the SC’s Karachi registry. The penalties were im­­posed for serious lapses in administrative respo­nse, including delayed reporting, failure to seek timely written directions, and delays in reconstructing judicial records from available digital copies, resulting in institutional concern. Disciplinary proceedings were also concluded agains...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has taken exception to the raids by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at private healthcare centres, asking the prime minister to take notice of “aggressive”, “commando-style” searches by tax officials. In a statement, the representative body of healthcare professionals said the “unannounced and aggressive entry of FBR teams into private healthcare facilities — particularly across Punjab — has reached an intolerable level of harassment”. Such measures threaten the very fabric of healthcare delivery in the country, said PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro in a statement. “The PMA highlights that recent raids, which forced the immediate suspension of Outpatient Department (OPD) services, are not merely administrative issues; they constitute a direct interference in patient management and a violation of the sanctity of life-saving institutions,” according to the statement. It said the presence of enforcement officials in clinics “creates an atmosphere o...

NUUK: Greenland’s political parties said they did not want to be under Washington as US President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory, raising concern worldwide. The statement came after Trump repeated that Washington was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”. European capitals have been scrambling to come up with a coordinated response after the White House said this week that Trump wanted to buy Greenland and refused to rule out military action. “We don’t want to be Ame­ricans, we don’t want to be Danish, we want to be Gre­en­landers,” the leaders of five parties in Greenland’s parliament said in a joint statement. “The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders.” US president asserts Russia or China may occupy Greenland if America doesn’t They said no other country could meddle in this. “We must decide our country’s future ourselves — without pressure to make a hasty decision, without procrastination, and withou...

• Achakzai calls those violating Constitution ‘security risk’, says Nawaz sidelined for following law • Opposition alliance leaders visit Minar-i-Pakistan; supporters denied entry LAHORE: The Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) has appealed to the people to take to the streets on Feb 8 to oppose “fascism, restore the Constitution, and safeguard the country’s sovereignty”. “Those playing with the Constitution of Pakistan are a security risk,” TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said while speaking to journalists at the Lahore Press Club on Saturday. Mr Achakzai invited people from all walks of life to join the movement for the restoration of the Constitution and to take to the streets on Feb 8, marking the second anniversary of the February 2023 elections. “If we do not come out on the roads to stop fascism, restore the Constitution and the country’s sovereignty on Feb 8, we will all be responsible for Pakistan’s downfall,” he warned. Flanked by TTAP Vice Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Haqooq-i-Kha...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced the formation of a committee, headed by Planning Min­ister Ahsan Iqbal, to review the progress of federal government-sponsored development projects in Khyber Pak­h­tunkhwa. The committee will visit Peshawar and, in coordination with public representatives, review the progress of these schemes. According to the PM Office Media Wing, the premier met political representatives from KP and assured them about timely completion of ongoing Centre-funded development projects in the province. He stated that the federal government was fully aware of the problems faced by the people of KP and taking tangible steps, within its jurisdiction, to ensure sustainable solutions to those issues. A detailed discussion was also held on the overall political situation in the province and the challenges faced by the public. Matters related to public welfare, development projects and governance were discussed as well. ‘Lack of governance’ The participants informed the pri...

HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday evening rejected allegations of a ‘political-terror nexus’ in KP as he addressed journalists at the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC). The KP CM reached Hyderabad earlier today for a day-long trip to mobilise the public for a nationwide street movement. Speaking at a ‘meet the press’ event, Afridi complained that KP was being meted out “stepmotherly treatment” by institutions that were supposed to strengthen democracy in the country and claimed that the PTI government was “toppled as a result of a London plan”. Afridi said a 15-point agenda was presented before Pakistan and “everyone agreed” that a military operation was not the solution to any problem. “The actual problem is that decisions are always taken in closed rooms,” he said. Afridi further added that if a military operation were launched in KP, the provincial government would be obliged to stand with its people. “I have asked my administration to facilitate all those people, whether they...

Says govt 'fully aware' of problems faced by province

.

.

.

.

ISLAMABAD - The government on Saturday decided to pursue an emergency action plan to address the worsening water crisis in the federal capital.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reaffirmed that institutional discipline, integrity and strict adherence to procedural rules remain non-negotiable, particularly in matters relating to official conduct and the administration of justice.