Pakistan

Dense fog and thick cloud cover continue to blanket Lahore and several other cities across Punjab, intensifying the cold spell as temperatures fall sharply.

Provincial health minister orders DNA testing, inspections, and strict action to ensure child safety

The government on Saturday decided to implement an emergency action plan to address the worsening water shortage in Islamabad, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a high-level meeting to review short- and long-term measures to enhance water supply to the twin cities.

The 13th Pakistan-US bilateral joint military exercise — ‘Inspired Gambit 2026’ — has kicked off with a focus on counterterrorism, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that the two-week-long exercise — which began on Friday and is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Pabbi — will focus on the “counterterrorism domain, involving professional contingents from the armies of Pakistan and the US”. Officials from both sides attended the opening ceremony, it added. “The exercise is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and interoperability through the sharing of counterterrorism experiences, while further refining tactics, techniques, and procedures essential for effective CT operations,” the statement said. “Emphasis is being laid on marksmanship skills during urban warfare, as well as on understanding each other’s operational doctrines and best practices,” it added. The military’s media wing termed the exercise of “vital...

ISLAMABAD: The government has appointed Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), according to a notification issued by the Finance Division on Friday. Dr Sidhu is currently serving as the chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), a position he assumed in August 2023. Under his leadership, the CCP witnessed significant institutional turnarounds in its history. Within two years, the CCP reduced its court case backlog by over 70 per cent, with 434 cases decided out of 567 pending matters, helping restore the regulator’s credibility and enforcement capacity. During Dr Sidhu’s tenure, the CCP recovered approximately Rs1.36 billion in penalties. In contrast, its total recoveries in the last 20 years were merely Rs20o million. The regulator also imposed over Rs2bn in fresh penalties through new enforcement actions. As CCP head, Dr Sidhu launched a renewed crackdown on cartels and market abuse, initiating major investigations and actions ag...

The Pakistan Navy conducted a “comprehensive exercise” in the north Arabian Sea, successfully firing a surface-to-air missile, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, “Pakistan Navy demonstrated its operational readiness and combat preparedness through a comprehensive exercise in the north Arabian Sea, showcasing both conventional and unmanned capabilities, as per dictates of evolving naval warfare. “The exercise included the successful live firing of LY-80 (N) surface-to-air missile from a vertical launching system at an extended range, validating the long-range capabilities of Pakistan Navy’s modern air defence systems,” said ISPR. It said that the missile “successfully engaged and neutralised an aerial target, demonstrating Pakistan Navy’s robust air defence capabilities”. It added that the exercise also featured the “successful engagement” of surface targets using loitering munition, demonstrating Pakistan Navy’s precision strike capabilitie...

The Punjab government has enforced a province-wide ban on the use of mobile phones during working hours in all public sector hospitals to curb disruptions in healthcare delivery.

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A senior Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning after being critically wounded in a bomb blast near a madressah in the Wana bazaar area. Police said on Friday that a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in the Konra Cheena area near a religious seminary to target Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir, who was also the district president of Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia. He was immediately taken to Dera Ismail Khan for medical treatment but breathed his last on the way. Lower South Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Tahir Shah Wazir confirmed that an investigation into the incident was underway. He said law enforcement agencies were examining all aspects of the incident, adding that the evidence collected from the site was being analysed to trace those responsible. The attack on Maulana Sultan is the latest in a series of incidents targeting religious scholars and JUI-F leaders in South Waziristan, particularly in W...

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Supreme Court (SC) set aside a rape conviction, changing it to fornication (consensual sex out of marriage), reducing a 20-year sentence to five years and slashing the fine from Rs500,000 to Rs10,000, sparking fresh calls for better protections for Pakistani women. “Such judgments do not give confidence to women to come out and report sexual violence perpetrated on them,” said Ayesha Farooq, chairperson of the government-notified Committee of the Anti-Rape Investigation and Trial Act, formed in 2021. Despite protective legislation, 70 per cent of gender-based violence (GBV) incidents go unreported. Of those reported, the national conviction rate stands at just 5pc, with some categories as low as 0.5pc and domestic violence convictions at 1.3pc. Senator Sherry Rehman highlighted the stark figures: in 2024, Islamabad recorded just seven convictions out of 176 reported rape cases. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported one conviction from 258 cases, Sindh reported no convictions despite 243 c...

Business opportunities and investment in Pakistan have seen a significant boost, driven by the efforts of the Special Investment Facilitation Council.

Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu held a meeting with Commander of the Iraqi Air Force, Lieutenant General Staff Pilot Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed Radi Al-Asadi, during his official visit to Iraq.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Saturday issued a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Iran due to the prevailing security situation and growing unrest in the country.

The Punjab government is likely to extend winter holidays for educational institutions by another week due to the prevailing cold weather conditions.

US President Donald Trump on Friday continued to make a case for him deserving the Nobel Peace Prize, yet again highlighting his role in ending the May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India. Taking media queries after a meeting with oil and gas executives at White House in Washington, Trump was asked about Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s offer to share her Nobel Peace Prize with the US president. “Norway is very embarrassed with what took place,” Trump said; the Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for selecting the Nobel Peace Prize laureates. “Whether people like Trump or don’t like Trump, I settled eight wars — big ones,” Trump said — a claim that he has repeated in the past. “Some going on for 36 years, 32 years, 31 years, 28 years, 25 years. Some just getting ready to start, like India and Pakistan, where already eight jets were shot out in the air,” Trump said. He pointed out that he arranged a ceasefire between the two countries in “rapid order without nuclear weapons”. “I ca...

The Foreign Office on Saturday issued a travel advisory urging Pakistani nationals to avoid unnecessary travel to Iran amid growing unrest in the neighbouring country. In a statement, FO said, “For their safety and security, Pakistani nationals are advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until conditions improve.” It also advised Pakistani nationals residing in Iran to exercise “extreme caution, remain vigilant, minimise non-essential travel, and stay in regular contact with the Pakistani missions” in Tehran, Zahidan and Mashhad. The FO also shared the phone numbers for the Pakistan embassy in the three cities; Tehran +98-21-66-9413-88/89/90/91, +98-21-66-9448-88/90, +98 910 764 8298; Zahidan +98 54 33 22 3389, +989046145412; Mashhad +98 910 762 5302, +98 937 180 7175. Protests have taken place across Iran for nearly two weeks in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing internet restrictions. Iranian rights group HRANA said on ...

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Australia and several other countries would join a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies that he is hosting in Washington on Monday to discuss critical minerals. Bessent said he had been pressing for a separate meeting on the issue since last summer’s summit of G7 leaders, and finance ministers had already held a virtual meeting in December. India was also invited to attend the meeting, Bessent told Reuters in an interview after touring the Minneapolis-area engineering lab of RV and boat maker Winnebago Industries. He said he was unsure if it had accepted the invitation. It was not immediately clear which other countries had been invited. The G7 includes the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, most of whom are heavily dependent on rare earth supplies from China. The group last June agreed on an action plan to secure their supply chains and boost their economie...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has unveiled a comprehensive plan to establish state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation (cath) labs in every district of the province to ensure timely and quality treatment for heart patients.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday that security forces killed eleven terrorists in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said the operations were carried out on Jan 8 and that the terrorists belonged to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It said that an IBO was conducted by the security forces in North Waziristan district on the reported presence of terrorists. During the operation, troops engaged the terrorists, and six were killed after an “intense fire exchange”. “Another joint IBO by police and security forces was conducted in Kurram district. In the ensuing fire exchange, five khawarij were effectively neutralised,” it said. The statement said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security f...

Pakistani security forces killed eleven khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

Cold and dry weather is expected to prevail across most parts of the country, while very cold conditions are likely in hilly areas, according to the latest weather outlook.