Pakistan

Pakistan has witnessed a staggering 7,906% surge in sugar imports during the first seven months of the current fiscal year, according to the latest Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data.

PPP leader Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday said that PTI founder Imran Khan’s release was “in his own hands” as it depended on his party’s “attitude”. The Sindh senior minister made the remarks while speaking to reporters during a visit to a site of ongoing development work in Karachi. In response to a question regarding Imran’s release, the minister maintained that the incarcerated former premier’s release “was in his own hands and the attitude” of PTI. “I do not have any knowledge of his release; however, it is the blessed month of Ramazan, and I pray for his health, particularly his eye issue”, Memon said. Imran’s health has been garnering attention in recent days, with his family and party raising concerns since his eye ailment — right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) — came to light in late January. Memon assailed the party for “not focusing on the release of their leadership” and instead “creating fuss and staging protests outside of Adiala”. “It is better if they focus on seeking Imran’s release,” h...

Pakistan, along with 13 other nations, has condemned the remarks made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, where he suggested that he would not be opposed to Tel Aviv taking over large swathes of the Middle East, the Foreign Office said on Sunday. Huckabee made the remarks in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Friday, where the envoy asserted that Israel’s borders are based on the Bible when questioned about the country’s current boundaries. In response, Carlson noted that the biblical verse included the region between the Euphrates River in Iraq and the Nile in Egypt. To this, Huckabee, who is a staunch pro-Israel conservative, said, “It would be fine if they (Israel) took it all”. In a joint-statement issued today, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, along with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Gulf...

The Frontier Corps Balochistan continues to play a key role in public service while maintaining law and order across the province.

The Punjab Safe Cities Authority has introduced a modern online tracking system for complaints registered through its 15 helpline, aiming to enhance public welfare, transparency, and accountability.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) thwarted organised cyber attacks targeting the country’s digital infrastructure and vital sectors, the state news agency WAM said on Saturday. The attacks “included attempts to infiltrate networks, deploy ransomware and conduct systematic phishing campaigns targeting national platforms”, and involved artificial intelligence technologies to develop offensive tools, it added. The report did not say who was to blame for the attacks. WAM reported that cyberattacks of a “terrorist nature” aimed to “destabilise the nation and disrupt essential services”. It said that the UAE’s Cybersecurity Council “affirmed that the safety of individuals, the protection of personal data, and the continuity of critical services remain top priorities”. The council said that attacks “also involved the exploitation of artificial intelligence technologies to develop sophisticated offensive tools, reflecting a qualitative shift in the methods employed by terrorist groups and their ability to harness modern...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with British leader Yvette Cooper on the sidelines of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday met federal ministers representing coalition partners to review the country’s overall political and internal security situation.

The federal government on Friday assured that Pakistan faces no risk of a wheat shortage, citing adequate stocks and coordinated procurement measures ahead of the upcoming harvest season.

ISLAMABAD - Security forces on Saturday killed five khwarij terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district, while a lieutenant colonel and a soldier embraced martyrdom when a khwarij rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of the vehicles of the leading group.

RAWALPINDI: As many as 469 trees and 715 shrubs have been relocated from Peshawar Road to other areas as work on three underpasses worth Rs8 billion commenced on the main artery of the cantonment area. The federal and Punjab governments had earlier issued directives not to cut any trees at the development sites following criticism over tree felling in Islamabad’s Shakarparian. After initial work began on Race Course Park, Army Graveyard and the Chairing Cross underpasses, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) was tasked with relocating trees in the middle of the road and along Peshawar Road from Qasim Market to Chairing Cross. Cantonment Executive Officer Amir Rasheed told Dawn that the RCB decided to relocate the trees to protect them in nearby areas. 715 shrubs and 74 dead trees also removed; RCB pledges to plant 10 trees for each dead one He stated that 469 trees had been moved from Qasim Market to Chairing Cross and planted elsewhere around the area. “A total of 469 trees and 715 shrubs were affected in t...

ISLAMABAD: With the 5G spectrum auction scheduled for March 10, the Ministry of Industries has also initiated the move to roll out advanced compatible phone devices at the same time that telecom operators are ready. Due to the spectrum auction across several bands, the 4G coverage area in the country will expand, increasing the service area, but this will also push demand for smartphones. The Ministry of Industries and Production has finalised the Mobile and Electronic Devices Manufacturing Policy 2026-33 at a meeting chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar Khan. Mr Khan said that the policy is a milestone initiative and, starting with mobile phones, will eventually help the country’s industrial sector, as electronics have dominated all spheres. Govt finalises policy as spectrum auction looms The industry has welcomed the new policy, noting that with fresh spectrum scheduled for next month, demand for new and more advanced phones, including 5G-compatible sets, will increase. “The new ...

KARACHI: The government borrowed almost five times more from banks in the first seven months of FY26 than in the same period last year, reflecting growing spending despite higher revenue collections. The government’s appetite for more bank money has shot up, leaving little room for the private sector to borrow. The private sector is not performing well enough to spur economic growth, given persistent tight monetary policy despite low inflation. The data issued by the State Bank showed that the government borrowed Rs1,912 billion in 7MFY26 from the commercial banks compared to Rs408bn a year ago. However, the government ended FY25 with total borrowing of Rs5.4 trillion, indicating most of the borrowing was carried out in the second half of that fiscal year. Raises Rs1.9tr from banks in 7MFY26, leaves little room for private sector The situation is even worse this year, as the government has already borrowed about Rs2tr, and if the pace continues, the total would surely exceed the Rs5.4tr borrowed in FY25. It m...

• Highlights its major peace mission role • Opposes adding new permanent members to Security Council, calling it contrary to sovereign equality UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar has cautioned that the deepening liquidity crisis at the United Nations is significantly undermining peacekeeping operations, reinforcing urgent concerns previously raised by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Antonio Guterres earlier this month warned that the United Nations could face an “imminent financial collapse” unless member states pay their dues fully and on time, or reform budget rules that require the organization to return unspent funds despite cash shortages. Ambassador Iftikhar speaking at the opening of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, said funding shortages are undermining mandate implementation, civilian protection, violence deterrence, and the safety of peacekeepers. He stressed that UN peacekeeping remains vital to international peace and security but is facing mounting politic...

WASHINGTON: As a guilty plea in New York confirms India’s involvement in an assassination attempt on US soil, Pakistan has highlighted Indian-sponsorship of extraterritorial terrorism and threats against dissidents abroad, warning that the Modi government, in the garb of extremist Hindutva ideology has become the leading state sponsor of terrorism. Islamabad has shared “irrefutable and concrete evidence of Indian sponsorship of terrorism and terrorist groups operating in Pakistan from across our borders,” said Tahir Abdrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a recent press briefing. The warning comes as Nikhil Gupta, an American citizen, formally stands convicted in a US federal court after a Manhattan judge accepted his guilty plea in a murder-for-hire conspiracy targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh activist living in New York. The case carries a maximum prison exposure of 40 years. Observers say conviction confirms Indian plot to kill Sikh activist, but it does not resolve bro...

• Trump tells reporters 32,000 killed during last month’s nationwide protests; UN expert puts toll at 20,000 • Pezeshkian says Tehran will not bow to pressure as threat of war looms large TEHRAN: The Iranian government has demanded evidence after the US President Donald Trump told reporters that 32,000 people were killed during last month’s nationwide protests in the Islamic Republic, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the government released a list of 3,117 people, including about 200 security personnel, whom he described as “victims of recent terrorist operation”. “If anyone disputes accuracy of our data, please share any evidence,” the diplomat, who has previously stated that 690 people on the list were “terrorists” armed and funded by the US and Israel, wrote on X. His comments came as the threat of war looms increasingly large over the country and potentially the region, with Serbia on Saturday becoming the latest country to call on all its citizens to immediatel...

LONDON: Prime Min­ister Shehbaz Sharif arr­ived in London in the early hours of Saturday morning after attending the in­augural meeting of the ‘Board of Peace’ in Was­hington, convened by US President Donald Trump. The prime minister’s spe­cial aircraft touched down at Luton Airport, after which he travelled to his residence in the British capital. Sources said he would remain in London for two days before leaving for Pakistan on Monday. He is accompanied on the visit by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar. The premier had travelled to the United States at President Trump’s invitation to participate in the high-level gathering foc­u­sed on Gaza and broader peace efforts. Addressing the gathering in Washington, PM Shehbaz stressed the need to end ceasefire violations in Gaza, calling it “very important” for achieving long lasting peace in the war-torn territory. “The people of Palestine have long endured illegal occupation and immense suffering,” he said, adding that pro...

• Opposes ‘muscular’ approach to debt recovery • Calls blocking ID cards as unreasonable as cutting off water or electricity • Says courts shouldn’t curtail basic rights ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that a judgement debtor’s Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) cannot be blocked as a mode of executing a money decree, declaring that such a practice is beyond the jurisdiction of executing courts. A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar and including Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, made the decision after hearing an appeal from Agha Abid Majeed Khan, who had challenged an Aug. 1, 2023, ruling by the Sindh High Court that rejected his plea. In a three-page order authored by Justice Akhtar, the Supreme Court observed that a CNIC is not a luxury or a mere statutory requirement. “In these times it has become essential to being able to carry on a normal way of life in the ordinary course,” the judgement said. Petitioner Agha Abid was a judgement debtor in a summary chapter suit where a de...

Pakistan has struck seven “terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban of [Fitna al Khwarij] and its affiliates and [the Islamic State-Khorasan Province] at the border region of Pakistan Afghan border,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced in an post early Sunday on social media platform X. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The action was taken, “in the aftermath of recent suicide bombing incidents in Pakistan, including Imam Bargah at Islamabad, one each in Bajaur and Bannu, followed by another incident today in Bannu during the holy month of Ramazan,” the information ministry’s statement said. “Pakistan has conclusive evidence that these acts of terrorism were perpetrated by Khwarij on behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers. Responsibilities for these attacks were also claimed by Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban belonging to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK) and their affiliates, an...

Five terrorists also killed in K-P IBO; Army averts major catastrophe in city