Pakistan

The European Union has pledged Rs350 million in relief assistance for flood-affected communities in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to further enhance the bilateral ties and cooperation between their countries in diverse fields. In recent years, Russia and Pakistan have engaged in strengthening bilateral ties with each other. In July, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said Islamabad and Moscow were “natural allies”. On June 3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a meeting with PM’s aide Syed Tariq Fatemi, reaffirmed Russia’s desire to expand cooperation with Pakistan, following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last September on multi-sector collaboration. The meeting between the two leaders took place in Beijing today amid their visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of States (CHS) summit a day ago. Addressing the Russian president, PM Shehbaz said: “Relations between the two countries have improved in recent years due to your personal commitment and interest.” He expressed the resolv...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif commended the timely evacuation and rescue operations that, she said, saved the province from a “greater tragedy” as floods wreaked havoc across several areas.

PPP and PTI leaders took exception on Tuesday to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur conditionally backing the construction of Kalabagh Dam, pointing out that three provincial assemblies had adopted resolutions opposing the project in the past. Gandapur said a day earlier that projects like the construction of Kalabagh Dam were necessary for the “sake of the future generation”, but also added that prior to such initiatives, reservations of all stakeholders, including provinces, should be addressed. Doubling down on his comments, today, he said that the very important national project was being stopped because of politics. “Not building the Kalabagh Dam is unfair to the country and to our children’s future,” he said. Gandapur explained that the dam would be good for not just Punjab, but also for Sindh and KP. He called for all parties to talk together and find a solution. Reacting to his remarks, PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro said that Kalabagh Dam’s construction was not just an issue for th...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued fresh figures outlining the scale of destruction caused by relentless rains and floods across Pakistan.

US track star and Olympic champion Gabby Thomas will miss the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next week owing to an Achilles injury, NBC Sports reported on Tuesday. A triple gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Women’s 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m, Thomas has dealt with an Achilles injury since May. It exacerbated in July, NBC Sports reported. “I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I’ve finally come to the realisation that it’s OK to be human and take care of myself,” she said in a statement, NBC Sports quoted her as saying. “As an athlete, you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury,” the 28-year-old said. “Sometimes it’s about patience and making the right decision for the long term. “All the best to my Team USA teammates fighting for medals in Tokyo.” The world championships run from Sept 13-21. More to follow

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Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar on Monday reaffirmed that party members will not withdraw their resignations, stressing that the directive comes directly from PTI founder Imran Khan.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to further enhance the bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members staged a walkout from the National Assembly on Monday, chanting slogans for the release of party founder Imran Khan.

Security forces successfully repelled a major terrorist attack on the Frontier Corps (FC) line in Bannu, killing five militants, including a suicide bomber.

The death toll from Afghanistan’s worst earthquake in years jumped to over 1,400 on Tuesday with thousands more injured, authorities said, as difficult terrain hindered rescue efforts in isolated villages of the country’s mountainous eastern region. At least 1,411 people have died, 3,124 have been injured and over 5,400 houses have been destroyed, Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said. More people are feared trapped under rubble, said the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region. The United Nations coordinator in Afghanistan said the toll was likely to rise. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan later today, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The epicentre of the quake was 34 kilometres northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province, according to the USGS. Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. The earthquake, with a magnitud...

Pakistan’s middle-order batter Asif Ali announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, calling it the “greatest honour” of his life to represent the country. Asif, 33, played 21 ODIs and 58 T20Is, mainly as a finisher in the middle order. “Wearing the Pakistan jersey has been the greatest honour of my life and serving my country on the cricket field has been my proudest chapter,” he said in a post on social media. “To my fans, teammates, and coaches, thank you for your love, belief, and support through every high and low. He made his T20I debut against West Indies in April 2018 after helping Islamabad United win the PSL that year, hitting three successive sixes at a crucial point in the chase in the final. Two months later, an ODI debut followed. “To my family and friends, who stood with me in moments of joy and in ther deepest of trials, including the loss of my beloved daughter during the World Cup, your strength carried me forward,” he said. He added: “I retire with immense gratitude, and I...

Federal Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Mueen Wattoo on Tuesday said surveys were underway to assess flood-related losses, including damage to crops, livestock, and houses, with compensation to be provided to all affected families.

PTI supporters on social media platform X have been sharing posts since Monday related to an alleged visual of digital news outlet Siasat.pk, featuring a quote from senior journalist Suhail Warraich about Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. However, the viral visual is doctored. Punjab remains in the grip of a worsening flood crisis, as the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers surge to “exceptionally high” levels, threatening vast swathes of land, while the Provincial Disaster Management Authority has warned of more torrential rain, which could lead to urban flooding across Lahore, Gujranwala, and Gujrat. On Sept 1, a visual of digital news outlet Siasat.pk was shared on X by a user who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on his past posts and username. The visual featured a quote attributed to Warraich. The text on the image read: “The type of anti-ageing treatment Maryam Nawaz is undergoing has harmful side effects — it causes brain cells to shrink. That’s why Maryam has been acting childishly and behaving with...

Speakers at an international workshop jointly organized by COMSTECH and the Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan, stressed the need to integrate traditional knowledge with modern science to unlock new opportunities in drug discovery, nutraceuticals, and cosmetic industries.

Another 28 members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have tendered their resignations from parliamentary committees, bringing the overall number of PTI withdrawals from these bodies to 47.

Subhan Ali, a young fisherman, couldn’t catch a single fish from the Indus river on Monday. For hours, he waited at the riverbank that touches the Hussainabad neighbourhood in Latifabad — a town situated in the suburbs of Hyderabad — but his makeshift fishing rod came out empty after every attempt. “We call it chambi,” he explained to Dawn.com, referring to the makeshift fishing rod — a wooden frame glued together from multiple pieces of wood and a net tied at one end — as we caught up with him at the downstream Hyderabad-Kotri railway bridge on the left bank of the Indus. Ali had tied a piece of foam around his waist with a rope. “This [foam] helps me float in the river as long as I am in there,” he remarked. A group of young fishermen holding one end of the net while their colleagues venture into the Indus river. Most days, he swims in the river on both sides as well as in the rivercourse, wherefrom the main current of the Indus flows. While entering the river, Ali holds the chambi tight. “As soon as a fish...

Taiwanese Olympic boxing gold medallist Lin Yu-ting will not compete at the world championships starting this week, Taiwan’s association told AFP on Tuesday, despite reportedly submitting her gender test results. Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif were at the centre of a major gender row at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they won titles in separate weight classes. World Boxing said last month that women wanting to compete at the championships in Liverpool on September 4-14 would have to undergo mandatory gender testing under its new policy. The 29-year-old Lin had agreed to undergo the testing, her coach Tseng Tzu-chiang told AFP at the time. Taiwan’s boxing association said it submitted the results to World Boxing and had not received a response, the semi-official Central News Agency reported late Monday. “We cannot allow the athlete to travel to the UK without any guarantee,” the association was quoted as saying. The association told AFP in a message on Tuesday that Lin “will not attend the world champions...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan in Beijing, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.