Pakistan

Pakistan witnessed an alarming spike in militant violence in August this year, registering a 74 per cent increase in militant attacks compared to July, becoming the “deadliest month in over a decade”, according to data released by the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) on Monday. In July, PICSS documented 82 militant attacks across the country, resulting in 101 fatalities and 150 injuries, a 5pc rise in militant attacks compared to June. According to the think tank, those killed in July’s militant attacks included 47 civilians, 36 security personnel, and 18 militants. Among the injured were 90 civilians, 52 security personnel, seven militants, and a member of a peace committee. “With 143 militant attacks recorded, August became the deadliest month in over a decade, surpassing all monthly figures since February 2014, as per the PICSS Militancy Database,” the think tank’s latest report read. The wave of violence left 194 people dead, including 73 security for...

The world’s biggest academic association of genocide scholars has passed a resolution saying the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, its president said on Monday. Eighty-six per cent of those who voted among the 500-member International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) backed the resolution declaring Israel’s “policies and actions in Gaza” had met the legal definition set out in Article II of the 1948 UN Convention on genocide. Israel launched its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after fighters from Hamas attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages. Since then, Israel’s military action has killed 63,000 people, damaged or destroyed most buildings in the territory and forced nearly all its residents to flee their homes at least once. A global hunger monitor relied on by the United Nations says parts of the territory are now suffering a man-made famine, which Israel also denies. The three-p...

Chief of Staff of Bahrain Defence Force Lieutenant General Thiab Saqer Abdulla Al Nuaimi called on Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu in Islamabad today.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited flood-hit areas of Jhang on Monday, reaching Trimmu Barrage to review the situation on the ground.

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday adopted a statement condemning terrorism in Pakistan and India amid tense ties between the two nations that have seen allegations against each other for alleged involvement in militant attacks. The Jaffar Express train was hijacked on March 11 when Balochistan Liberation Army terrorists ambushed the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, opening fire and taking hostages. Security forces launched a two-day operation, concluding on March 12. On May 21, at least six people, including three students, were slain while over 40 others — mostly students — were injured after a bomb targeted a school bus near Zero Point in Khuzdar on the Quetta-Karachi highway when it was on its way to drop the students at the Army Public School in Khuzdar Cantonment. On April 22, assailants conducted an attack in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 pe...

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that India has offered to reduce its tariffs on US goods to zero amid deteriorating ties between the two countries. While calling the US’s relationship with India “one-sided”, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.” The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Trump’s comments, which follow the implementation of total duties as high as 50 per cent on Indian goods. Relations between the two countries have plummeted, with 50pc levies on many Indian imports into the US taking effect last week as punishment for New Delhi’s massive purchases of Russian oil, a part of US efforts to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine. Since his return to the White House this year, Trump has wielded tariffs as a wide-ranging policy tool, with the levies upending global trade. Amid this dispute, India has grown closer to Beijing and Moscow. Indian Pr...

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday called for support from the country’s business community for victims of the earthquake that killed at least 800 people and left more than 2,500 injured. The quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was 27km from the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). “The (ACB) calls upon all national businessmen, traders [and] rich countrymen to extend their support to the affected families of Kunar and other eastern provinces in this dire situation, while also recognising its own responsibility in this regard,” the governing body said in a statement on X. “The leadership of the ACB, along with all the players and staff, express its deepest sorrow over the loss of lives and casualties caused by the severe earthquake in the eastern provinces, particularly in Kunar. “In this time of immense grief, we consider ourselves united with all our people.” It added that the earthquake had caused many deaths an...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan and China enjoyed an enduring friendship which had a prominent and unique place in the world as both the countries were supporting each other.

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday issued a joint declaration strongly condemning recent terrorist attacks in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Pakistan’s Khuzdar district, and on the Jaffar Express.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on Monday reviewed full spectrum of bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, energy, connectivity, defence, education, and people-to-people exchanges and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in the bilateral relations.

Dr Hassan Daud Butt, former Project Director of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Senior Advisor at the China Study Center, and Energy China Pakistan highlighted the significance of CPEC Phase-II, emphasizing that the new phase would lead to increased foreign direct investment (FDI), generate vast employment opportunities, and promote.

Turkmenistan will propose including the item “Neutrality – for the Sake of Peace and Security” in the agenda at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the anniversary session.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday raised the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) issue at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) summit in China and called for a “structural” dialogue on all outstanding disputes. PM Shehbaz arrived in China on Saturday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit held from August 31 to September 1. Besides Pakistan, the SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Another 16 countries are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”. “We respect all international and bilateral treaties and expect similar principles to be followed by all SCO members,” PM Shehbaz said at the summit today, in an apparent reference to fellow SCO member India and its unilateral move to hold the IWT in abeyance in April. “Uninterrupted access to due share of water as per existing treaties among SCO members will strengthen the SCO working smoothly and will support the achievement of broader goals for which the SCO was establis...

The National Assembly session commenced on Monday at 5:02 p.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of state summit underway in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin (Aug 31–Sept 1) showcases the group’s ambition to anchor what analysts describe as an ‘alternative model’ of multilateral cooperation within the rules-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) framework at a time of heightened global economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The bloc has showcased itself at Tianjin as a ‘pillar of multipolarity’ rooted in the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ characterised by “mutual trust, equality, benefit and respect for diversity”. The timing of the summit is crucial as the world is torn by recent wars, rising US-led trade protectionism and climate emergencies. The meeting is expected to push deeper economic and security cooperation among member states and signal the emergence of an alternative to a global order dominated by the US-led West. The gathering’s significance is underscored by its scale, as leaders from more than 20 countries and 10 international organisations are in Tian...

The Punjab government has announced that Assistant Commissioner (AC) Pattoki, Furqan Ahmed Khan, who lost his life during flood relief operations, will be honored with a top civil award.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb during a meeting with Hongta Securities Chairman Jing Feng in Beijing discussed strengthening capital market cooperation and enhancing financial sector linkages between Pakistan and China.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to establish an autonomous Climate Action Board to lead policymaking and practical measures against the growing threat of climate change.

A powerful earthquake jolted eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan late on Sunday, killing at least 800 people and injuring 2,500 others, with authorities fearing a rise in the death toll. Surrounded by mountains, Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes as it sits near the junction of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a highly active seismic zone. Many of the recent quakes have had shallow depths, which increased the intensity of shaking on the surface and destruction. Here is a timeline of major earthquakes that struck the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and before. August 31, 2025: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Kunar province, killing more than 800 people and injuring more than 2,000 others, and flattening hundreds of houses and buildings. Afghans dig graves for the victims’ bodies from the earthquakes in Sarbuland village, Zendeh Jan district of Herat province on Oct 8, 2023. — AFP October 7, 2023: A 6.3 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks in Herat province kil...

Karachi’s population has crossed 20 million people, indicating the economic promise and perilous byproducts of the ambition to cash it. However, in these trials of the city’s resilience lies the immense potential for Karachi to become a model of regenerative urbanism. Regenerative infrastructure design Metropolitan cities must actively regenerate ecosystems disturbed through infrastructure design for long-term sustainability. For Karachi, this could mean adapting the urban environment to restore biodiversity, manage heat, and mitigate floods. Examples include the treatment of industrial runoff and the construction of wetlands in Malir and Korangi, due to their proximity to waterways. Green corridors can be connected to urban public spaces, such as Karachi University, Safari Park, and the Malir River, to form a biodiversity belt. Using permeable paving in all public spaces could help restore aquifers and groundwater. Greener mobility A mobility system that prioritises people instead of vehicles is needed. Curr...