Pakistan

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Sunday extended the remand of a suspect, who allegedly threatened and attempted to abduct social media influencer Samiya Hijab. The suspect was arrested on Monday and a case was registered in the capital’s Shalimar Police Station at her complaint under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 392 (punishment for robbery), 500 (punishment for defamation), 509 and 511 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He was later remanded in police custody by a judicial magistrate. According to a copy of the court order issued today, available with Dawn.com, police requested that the suspect be further remanded for eight days, but the court ordered three days. “Learned counsel for the accused has opposed the request of the IO (investigating officer) and submitted an application that on a previous date, two days [of] physical remand was granted, thus the accuse...

President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the Anti-Dumping Duties Amendment Bill 2025.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned on Sunday, ushering in a potentially lengthy period of policy uncertainty at a shaky moment for the world’s fourth-largest economy. Having just ironed out final details of a trade deal with the United States to lower President Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs, Ishiba, 68, told a press conference he must take responsibility for a series of bruising election losses. Since coming to power less than a year ago, the unlikely premier has overseen his ruling coalition lose its majorities in elections for both houses of parliament amid voter anger over rising living costs. He instructed his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) — which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war period — to hold an emergency leadership race, adding he would continue his duties until his successor was elected. “With Japan having signed the trade agreement and the president having signed the executive order, we have passed a key hurdle,” Ishiba said, his voice seeming to catch with emotion. “...

Swabi police have arrested a TikToker who was allegedly making videos while dressing as a girl and uploading them to his account to “mislead people, especially the youth”, senior police officials said on Sunday. Swabi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ijaz Abazai and Saidul Amin, Station House Officer (SHO) at Swabi city police station, told Dawn.com that the TikToker was filming videos while dressing as a woman and “striking controversial poses”. “There was severe resentment and anxiety among society,” SHO Amin said. “Aamir Khan, the in-charge of Bamkhel outpost, traced the TikToker, and police have taken immediate action and arrested the suspect, a resident of Bamkhel.” A first information report (FIR) has been filed against the TikToker at the Swabi city police station — available with Dawn.com — stating that the police came to know that he was making videos performing obscene acts on social media, “which had a very bad impact on society”. The FIR was registered under Section 294 of the Pakistan Penal ...

With Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announcing his resignation, attention turns to who will next steer the world’s fourth-largest economy. The process to pick Japan’s next leader is more complicated than before, as Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for most of the post-war period, and its junior coalition partner lost their majorities in both houses of parliament during his tenure. Party leadership race First, the LDP must pick a new president to replace Ishiba. The date has not been set yet. In the last party leadership race in September 2024, candidates needed to secure 20 nominations from the party’s lawmakers to be eligible to run. Candidates will embark on a period of debates and campaigns across Japan, culminating in a vote by lawmakers and rank-and-file party members. In the last race, there were nine contenders, and Ishiba won in a run-off. LDP vote Based on the last leadership race, each lawmaker has a vote with an equal number distributed among the rank-and-file ...

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) stands as a symbol of national pride and dignity.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Sunday has issued a warning for extremely heavy rainfall across southeastern Sindh from September 7 to 10, cautioning that the downpours may lead to urban flooding in low-lying coastal districts.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu will pay an official visit to Pakistan from September 8 to 9, leading a 13-member high-level delegation, including the country’s Minister of Transport.

Pakistan is set to host a T20 International (T20I) tri-series for the first time from November 17 to 29, according to a press release issued by the country’s cricket board on Sunday. Apart from Pakistan, the “three-nation tournament” would feature Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, the press release said. It added that the series was organised to “provide all teams with valuable preparation” ahead of next year’s International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka. Detailing its schedule, it further stated that the hosts would take on Afghanistan on November 17, marking the beginning of the series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It also mentioned that “will be Afghanistan’s first-ever T20I in Pakistan”. “On November 19, Sri Lanka will face Afghanistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the remaining five T20Is of the tri-series, including the final on November 29, will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore,” the press release said. Tri-series schedule Nov 17: P...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Workers Welfare Board has suspended 15 principals across the province following poor performance in the matriculation examinations, it emerged on Sunday. According to a September 4 notification seen by Dawn.com, the suspensions were carried out “on account of producing poor results in SSC annual examinations 2024-2025”. The suspended principals include those at schools in Akora Khattak, Aman Garh, Ghoriwala and Haripur-II. Similarly, the principals of schools in Hattar, Karak, Kohat-I, and Kohat-II have also been removed. The action further extends to the principals in Peshawar-II, Mardan, Shehbaz Azmat Khel, Swabi and Swat, along with the principals of an institution in Takht Bhai and a higher secondary school. “The vice principals of the concerned schools shall look after the duties of principal as [a] stopgap arrangement in their own pay scale till further orders,” the notification read. “However, where the vice principals are not available, the seniormost employee (BPS-16/17)/acting...

Picture this: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, India and the World Bank sitting around the same table with a shared mission — creating one of the world’s most successful examples of international cooperation. This isn’t diplomatic wishful thinking; it’s exactly what happened in the 1950s when these nations came together to forge the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). While headlines today focus on border skirmishes and political discord between India and Pakistan, this remarkable partnership of countries quietly built something extraordinary: a regional public good that has fed 300 million people, powered two economies, and survived the Cold War and border skirmishes for over 60 years. THE STAKES — THEN AND NOW When Pakistan gained independence in 1947, potential water wars in the Subcontinent posed a global threat. Rather than leaving it to chance, the international community acted decisively. Each country brought different strengths — financial resources, technical expe...

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow on a two-day official visit to further cement bilateral ties, the Foreign Office said on Sunday. Pakistan and Kazakhstan maintain friendly diplomatic relations, with bilateral trade worth $239 million, according to its envoy Yerzhan Kistafin. Nurtleu will undertake an official visit to Pakistan from September 8 to 9, the FO said in a statement, adding that the trip will serve as a precursor to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit scheduled in November 2025. During his stay, the visiting dignitary will “hold a tête-à-tête” with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, followed by delegation-level talks. Nurtleu is also expected to call on President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif, according to the FO. “The discussions will provide an opportunity to review preparations for the upcoming presidential visit and to deliberate comprehensively on the entire spectrum of Pak-Kazakh bilateral cooperation, ...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in a rescue boat tragedy in Jalalpur Pirwala.

President Asif Ali Zardari has given his approval to the National Institute of Health (Reorganization) Amendment Bill 2025.

Global tech giant Microsoft on Sunday said network traffic for its Azure cloud computing platform was experiencing increased delays in parts of the Middle East due to “undersea fibre cuts” in the Red Sea. Microsoft did not provide an explanation for what caused the cuts to the submarine lines, but noted its network had been affected since Saturday. “Network traffic that does not traverse through the Middle East is not impacted,” the company said in a statement. The internet access monitoring organisation NetBlocks noted that a series of submarine cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in several countries, including in India and Pakistan. Global internet and telecom cables have followed shipping routes through the Red Sea, but there has been growing anxiety about the state of the lines after Yemen’s Houthi rebels began attacking passing merchant vessels in late 2023, in actions the group said were in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the Israeli war on Gaza. The laying and operati...

A teenager who died of leukaemia in 2006 became the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation on Sunday, in a Vatican ceremony led by Pope Leo and attended by thousands of young worshippers from dozens of countries. Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian boy who died aged 15, learned computer code to build websites to spread his faith. His story has drawn wide attention from Catholic youth, and he is now at the same level as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi. Leo, the first US pontiff, canonised Acutis on Sunday along with Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian man who was known for helping those in need and died of polio in the 1920s. In impromptu remarks to crowds in St. Peter’s Square at the opening of the event, Leo said Acutis and Frassati were examples of holiness and of helping those in need. “All of you, all of us together, are called to be saints,” the pontiff told the young crowd, which had spilt out of the square down the main boulevard into the Vatican from Rome. Acutis’ canonisation had b...

Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu on Sunday said the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was committed to advancing its capabilities in electronic warfare and cyber technologies. He made the remarks while addressing the central Martyrs’ Day ceremony held at Air Headquarters in Islamabad, as the nation observes the Pakistan Air Force Day to honour PAF martyrs. “He (ACM Sidhu) affirmed that Pakistan Air Force would remain committed to advancing its capabilities in space, electronic warfare, cyber technologies, niche domains and indigenous defence production to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation,” said a press release by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). The PAF solemnly observed Martyrs’ Day across all its bases nationwide, ISPR noted. The day commenced with special prayers and recitation of the Holy Quran, “dedicated to the martyrs of the 1965 and 1971 wars, as well as to all those who have rendered the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty since the creation of Pa...

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s firm support for the Palestinian cause during a meeting with a delegation led by Dr Mahmoud Siddiqi Al-Habbash, Advisor on Religious Affairs to the President of Palestine, at Parliament House.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expelled Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan along with 11 members of the provincial assembly on charges of serious violation of party discipline.

A blockbuster between India and Pakistan headlines the Asia Cup starting on Tuesday as they face off for the first time in cricket since their military conflict in May. Along with regional bragging rights, the T20 competition will serve as a build-up towards the T20 World Cup in February-March in India and Sri Lanka. The eight-team event in the United Arab Emirates begins when Afghanistan play minnows Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan clash in Dubai on September 14, with Pakistan bowling great Wasim Akram saying players and fans from both teams should “remain disciplined and not cross the line”. The neighbours have not met on either side’s soil in a bilateral series since 2012 and only play each other in international tournaments on neutral ground as part of a compromise deal. The two Asian cricketing giants have been clubbed together in the same group and could potentially meet three times in the tournament, which concludes on September 28. There have been tensions in the build-up after ...