Pakistan

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Thursday emphasised the army’s zero-tolerance policy towards any threats to national security, according to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The statement said CDF Field Marshal Munir made the remarks while addressing officers during a visit to Lahore Garrison. He also reaffirmed the military’s resolve to respond to evolving challenges with professionalism and determination, it added. “He said the armed forces remained committed to safeguarding Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and internal stability, while promoting discipline, excellence and selfless national service,” ISPR said. During the visit, where he was received by the Lahore corps commander, CDF Field Marshal Munir was given a comprehensive briefing on the formation’s operational preparedness, training standards and key initiatives to enhance combat efficiency, it said. The statement added that he witnessed a “specialised...

Pakistan’s air chief met high-ranking Saudi defence officials, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday, adding that the latter appreciated Islamabad’s “constructive role” in promoting regional peace and stability. A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan Air Force Air (PAF) Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu called on Royal Saudi Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz and Saudi Armed Forces’ Chief of General Staff General Fayiadh bin Hameed Al-Rowaily during a visit to the kingdom. “During the meetings, matters pertaining to bilateral defence cooperation, regional security environment and future avenues of collaboration were discussed,” it said. It added that the Saudi defence leadership “praised the professionalism, operational excellence and combat readiness of [the] PAF and expressed strong interest in enhanced joint training and operational collaboration, particularly in the domain of multi-domain operations“. “They ...

Bangladesh and Pakistan are to resume direct flights after more than a decade, Dhaka’s national airline said on Thursday. Biman Bangladesh Airlines is scheduled to fly its first Dhaka-Karachi flight on January 29 and will be operated twice weekly, the first regular flights since 2012. “We are relaunching the Dhaka-Karachi route with two weekly flights,” airline manager Bosra Islam told AFP on Thursday. “The resumption of direct flights will significantly improve connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan, supporting business travel, tourism, and family reunions,” Biman Bangladesh Airlines said in a statement. Travellers between Bangladesh and Pakistan must currently use connecting flights through Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha. Cargo ships had resumed sailing from Karachi to Bangladesh’s key port of Chittagong in November 2024. Last month, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider had expressed the hope that direct flights between Karachi and Dhaka would start in January, during a meeting wi...

Bangladesh and Pakistan are set to resume direct flights after more than ten years, signaling warming ties between the two countries, Dhaka’s national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines announced on Thursday.

Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said that Pakistan’s armed forces remain fully alert and prepared at all times to defend the country’s borders and ensure internal security.

A US immigration officer shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis on Wednesday, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders who rejected White House claims she was a domestic terrorist. The woman, identified in local media as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was hit at point blank range as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, which they said was blocking their way. Footage of the incident shows a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fire three times into the Honda SUV, which then hurtles out of control and smashes into stationary vehicles, as horrified onlookers hurl abuse at the federal officers. Her bloodied body is then seen slumped in the crashed vehicle. US President Donald Trump’s administration moved quickly to claim Good had been trying to kill the agents, an assertion Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called “bullsh**” and urged ICE to get out of his city. Thousands of protesters took to the frigid streets of Mi...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the Beijing Police College, where he toured various sections of the institution’s high-tech training facilities and witnessed a demonstration by the Beijing Police on apprehending suspects using vehicles.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert around $2 billion of Saudi loans into a deal for JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, according to two Pakistani sources, signaling a major step in deepening defence cooperation between the two allies.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in Quetta today (Thursday) on a day-long visit, sources said.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast cold and dry weather for most parts of the country, while a severe cold wave is expected to continue in mountainous regions.

Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhail has announced that five Danish Schools will be established in different cities of the province during the current year to promote quality education.

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Wednesday reportedly blocked an increase in dealers’ commission and oil marketing companies’ profit margin approved by its Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) early last month. Informed sources told Dawn that the federal cabinet, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has linked the ECC-sanctioned Rs2.56 per litre additional bounty to the oil industry’s retail business for complete supply chain digitisation. On Dec 9, Finance Minister Muham­mad Aurangzeb presiding over the ECC meeting approved an additional build-up of Rs2.56 per litre on petrol and diesel prices in two phases to improve the profitability of oil marketing companies (OMCs) and their dealers. The ECC announced that it had approved a proposal to revise the margins of OMCs and petroleum dealers on petroleum and high-speed diesel, adjusting them in line with the national Consumer Price Index for 2023-24 and 2024-25, with increases capped between 5pc and 10pc. “It also decided that half of the increase in the marg...

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he wanted to increase the US defence budget by half next year to a giant $1.5 trillion to deal with “troubled and dangerous times”. Trump has frequently employed the US military — which is currently funded at record spending levels — since returning to office, including strikes on Yemeni rebels, Iranian nuclear sites and alleged drug-smuggling boats, as well as a brazen special forces raid to abduct Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. “I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,” Trump said on Truth Social. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe,” the US president said. Trump said the increase is possible due to revenue from the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on friend and foe al...

The US needs to control Venezuela’s oil sales and revenue indefinitely to stabilise that country’s economy, rebuild its oil sector and ensure it acts in America’s interests, top US officials said on Wednesday. The comments reflect the importance of crude oil to US President Donald Trump’s strategy in Venezuela after US forces abducted and deposed the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a raid on the capital Caracas on Saturday. “We need to have that leverage and that control of those oil sales to drive the changes that simply must happen in Venezuela,” US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at the Goldman Sachs Energy, CleanTech & Utilities Conference in Miami. He said the revenues would be used to stabilise Venezuela’s economy and eventually to repay oil majors Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips for losses when their assets were nationalised by former president Hugo Chavez nearly two decades ago. US Vice President JD Vance said that controlling Venezuela’s oil meant controlling the country. “We control the energ...

Ship pursued from off Venezuela coast to N Atlantic; Rubio to meet Denmark officials for Greenland talks

National Dialogue Committee proposes confidence-building measures

Naqvi meets Chinese counterpart Wang in Beijing

Speaker Sadiq ready to convene committee once opposition responds

Afridi warns fresh operations will deepen public suffering

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