Pakistan

Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) confirmed the first wild polio case of 2026 in a four-year-old child from Bello Union Council in Sindh’s Sujawal District on Thursday. Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with the timely completion of all essential immunisations. In a press release, NEOC said the case was reported through the polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. “The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is already analysing the best response to tackle and prevent further transmission,” it said. Despite challenges, eradicating the global public threat of polio in Pakistan and worldwide is within reach, and the PEI continued to “intensify its efforts to leave no child behi...

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday unanimously approved an agreement with Pakistan for the application of safeguards at Unit-5 of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant, the Foreign Office of Pakistan said.

The Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Thursday ordered tighter security measures and intelligence-based operations following heightened regional tensions and reported casualties in Karachi linked to recent strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel.

WASHINGTON: The White House has acknowledged that the Donald Trump administration is deliberately avoiding categorical statements on Iran, as doing so could limit the president’s flexibility in a fast-evolving security environment. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said deploying US ground troops into Iran is not part of the current military strategy, but declined to rule out the option entirely. “It’s not part of the current plan, but I’m not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table,” she said. Leavitt suggested that previous administrations had sometimes narrowed their strategic space by prematurely dismissing potential actions before fully assessing how unfolding developments might alter the situation. The present approach, she indicated, is designed to preserve maximum latitude for decision-making. The calibrated message reflects a broader doctrine in US national security policy: maintain ambiguity to strengthen deterrence while avoidi...

Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has announced the discovery of significant oil and gas reserves in Kohat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, describing it as the largest find in the sector so far this year.

Peshawar - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has formally launched the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Women Empowerment Policy (2026–2030).

The ongoing war in the Middle East has intensified the regional aviation crisis, with more than 20,000 flights reportedly cancelled across eight countries over the past five days.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday forecast mainly dry weather in most parts of the country over the next 24 hours, while cold and partly cloudy conditions are expected to persist in hilly areas.

ISLAMABAD: A former senior adviser to the US Secretary of Defence, has claimed that the US Navy is increasingly relying on Indian ports for docking and unloading operations due to escalating tensions with Iran. Former US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor’s remarks, made in a recent interview on One America News, have sparked discussion on social media, particularly in South Asia, highlighting what some view as a potential shift in US military logistics away from traditional Persian Gulf bases, according to a media report. He argued that threats to US installations in the Gulf had prompted this pivot towards Indian facilities, suggesting the move formed part of broader American operations potentially linked to conflicts involving Iran. However, New Delhi has termed these reports “baseless and fabricated”. In a post on X, the MEAFactCheck account of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the claim that Indian ports are being used by the US Navy are fake and false. Official US-India defence cooperation, stren...

A MAP detailing US strikes on Iran, which was shown at Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon briefing.—X / IdreesAli114 • Ex-Khamenei aide says Tehran has no intention of negotiating • Israel plans another ‘one, two weeks’ of attacks • Death toll in Iran crosses 1,000; Tehran hits back at targets in Gulf; Qatar, Turkiye condemn strikes • US expands bombing further into country; claims killing leader of Trump assassination plot • UN Iran probe body says war violates Charter • White House eyes ‘post-war role’ in Iran DUBAI / TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Even as US and Israeli forces continued to pummel targets across Iran, Iran claimed “complete control” of the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The Revolutionary Guards said Iranian forces had “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for world oil and gas supplies, and any vessels seeking to pass risked damage from missiles or stray drones. A security official close to IRGC said its new head, Ahmad Vahidi, was present in every high-ranking meeting and that its overriding obj...

Analysts hail government's foreign policy

87 bodies recovered off Sri Lanka; Iran claims control of Strait of Hormuz; Turkey says missile detroyed by NATO

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Minister says measures afoot to deal with disruption in import of fuels

Field Marshal Asim visits troops in Wana; says peace hinges on Taliban renouncing terror

PM hosts politicians for in-camera briefing on diplomacy

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PTI chief says party's parliamentary presence not acknowledged