Pakistan

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The inaugural Board of Peace meeting came under discussion during a phone call between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. In a post on the social media platform X, the Foreign Office said DPM Dar spoke to Bayramov while in London. “The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, regional and international developments, including the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, which they both attended,” the FO said. Both countries are among the founding members of the Board of Peace, which came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of devastating Israeli onslaught in Gaza. The plan’s second phase calls for the disarmament of Hamas. US President Donald Trump on Thursday promised $10 billion and five Muslim-majority nations — Morocco, Albania, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo — offered funding and troops for Gaza at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting...

No respite for consumers in Lahore markets as food prices spike

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With Punjab govt passing almost a dozen ordinances, critics believe spirit of legislature is at risk

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Man pays dearly for recording viral video of tribal cricket star

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow its head to pressure from world powers amid nuclear talks with the United States. “World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads … but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech carried live by state TV. The comments come after US Pre­si­dent Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval build-up in the Middle East aimed at pressuring Tehran to reach a deal to curb its nuclear programme. The latest warning came after Iran’s foreign minister said a draft proposal for an agreement with Washington would be ready within days, following negotiations bet­ween the two sides in Geneva earlier this week. Trump had suggested on Thursday that “bad things” would happen if Tehran did not strike a deal within 10 days, a deadline he later extended to 15 days. Asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was contemplating a l...

England captain Harry Brook said on Saturday that it would be “a shame” if Pakistani players were shut out of England’s domestic white-ball Hundred competition by Indian-owned franchises. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Friday urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to “act fast” on BBC reports that Pakistani players will be “overlooked” in the player auction next month. Ahead of England’s opening Super Eights clash against Sri Lanka in Kandy on Sunday, Brook — who will play for Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds in the Hundred this year — was asked about the issue. “Our main focus now is what’s coming up in the T20 World Cup. It’s not really any of our business, to be honest,” said Brook. “But what I would say is Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years.” Long-standing political tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the border rivals only playing each other in international cricket events. Their Colombo showdown at the ongoing T20 World Cup only went ahead after Pakistan...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that affects people with ovaries and often leads to an imbalance in sex hormones, particularly an increased level of androgens (male hormones). This hormonal imbalance can show up on the skin in different ways, like causing acne, excess hair growth or oily skin. According to the Office on Women’s Health, one in every ten women of childbearing age has PCOS. Dermatologist Dr Prativa Shrestha shares how PCOS and skin diseases are connected. What are some common skin problems seen in people with PCOS? PCOS is a complicated problem because hormones are not balanced. Women usually have some male hormones, but in PCOS, these hormones become too high, affecting the body’s normal functions. Male hormones influence the transition of soft, light and less pigmented hair into dark, thick, pigmented hair in areas such as the upper lip, chin, middle of the chest, back, upper and lower abdomen, and upper arm. It makes the glands that produce oil work too much, leading t...

PESHAWAR: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police claimed to have averted a major incident after arresting a suspected female suicide bomber during a raid in the Sheikh Yousaf Khema Basti area of Dera Ismail Khan, officials said on Saturday. According to a CTD spokesperson, the Dera region received intelligence regarding the presence of a young woman allegedly linked to a banned outfit and preparing for a suicide attack. Acting on the tip-off, a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team conducted a raid at the specified location. Officials said the suspect, identified only by the initial “Z”, was taken into custody after preliminary questioning. During interrogation, she allegedly disclosed that she had remained under the training of a militant commander, identified as Shah Wali alias Tariq Kochi, who is reportedly deceased. The suspect further claimed that she had recently consented to carry out a suicide attack and that a suicide vest and target were to be provided by another ...

LAHORE: Police on Saturday registered a kidnapping case against unidentified suspects after a Canadian national pursuing doctoral research allegedly went missing in Lahore three days ago. A police station in Defence Housing Authority registered the case under kidnapping charges on the complaint of Yousif Rasheed, a friend of the Canadian citizen who has been identified as Hamza Ahmad. According to the first information report (FIR), Ahmad arrived in Pakistan on February 13 to work on his PhD thesis and was staying with his friend in DHA Phase 10. The complainant stated that Ahmad had booked a cab and left the home between 1am and 2am on February 19 but did not return. He said that the friends searched for Ahmad on their own but were unable to trace his whereabouts. The FIR stated that unknown persons may have kidnapped Ahmed, requesting legal action against those responsible. Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed to Dawn that a kidnapping case had been registered against uni...

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Saturday passed a resolution declaring Karachi an “inseparable part” of the province and opposing any move that suggested otherwise. The resolution, tabled by CM Murad and passed with a majority, stated that the House “unequivocally condemns and rejects any conspiracy aimed at the division of Sindh or the creation of a separate province comprising Karachi”. “Karachi is, and shall forever remain, an integral and inseparable part of Sindh,” it declared. The chief minister’s move comes after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has repeatedly called for the Centre’s intervention in Karachi, demanding that the metropolis be made a “federal territory”. The resolution urged “all political stakeholders to refrain from divisive rhetoric or actions that threaten provincial harmony and national cohesion”. It reaffirmed that the “unity, territorial integrity, and historic identity of Sindh are sacred trusts inherited from our forefathers and shall be defended through constitutiona...

The Sindh government reinstated Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Pir Muhammad Shah as the chief of the Karachi Traffic Police, it emerged on Saturday. According to a notification issued by the provincial government on Friday, Shah’s posting relieves Sindh’s Central Police Office Headquarters DIG Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh of his additional charge “with immediate effect”. “Syed Pir Muhammad Shah … is posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police, Traffic, Karachi, relieving Mr. Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh, an officer of PSP (BS-20) Deputy Inspector General of Police, Headquarters, Central Police Office, Sindh from the additional charge of the post,” the notification stated. A copy of the notification is available with Dawn. A notification issued by the Sindh government on Feb 20 reinstating Syed Pir Muhammad Shah as the chief of Karachi Traffic Police. — via Imtiaz Ali Shaikh was transferred and posted as the new traffic police chief after the government removed Shah as the chief of Karachi traffic police at the end of Jan...

A lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were martyred in a suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Saturday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. In a press release, ISPR said a security forces’ convoy was “targeted by Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij” while an IBO was being conducted on the reported presence of terrorists, including a suicide bomber. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The military’s media wing added that five terrorists were also killed during the operation. “A vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading group, foiling his nefarious design to target innocent civilians/law enforcement personnel in Bannu City, averting major catastrophe,” the ISPR stated. It added that the terrorists were located during the operation and after an “intense fire exchange, five khwarij were sent to hell by the security forces”. The statement added: “However,...