Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering moral, diplomatic and political support for the people of Kashmir, reiterating their fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination as guaranteed by relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for a two-day state visit, where he was warmly received by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Nur Khan Airbase.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday announced the allocation of 3–5 acres of state land to underprivileged citizens under the government’s new initiative, Apna Khait, Apna Rozgar, aimed at providing sustainable livelihoods and promoting inclusive development across Punjab.

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars announced on Thursday that it had directly signed Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for PSL’s 11th edition, spending over Rs60 million. “Our Bangladeshi brother, Mustafizur, picked in 2016 and 2018, is now our direct signing and finally back with the family. Once a Qalandar, always a Qalandar. “Amount spent on DS: PKR6.44 crore,” the announcement on Lahore Qalandar’s X account said. Mustafizur had registered for the PSL in early January, following his release from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 30-year-old left-arm pacer, known for his variations and death-over bowling, was acquired by KKR for INR 9.20 crore in the IPL mini-auction held in December. He was the only Bangladesh player signed for the season. KKR announced his release after receiving instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision came amid strained relations between India and Bangla­desh, linked to reports of a...

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif said she will comply with genetic testing requirements as long as the tests are conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to be able to participate in competitions. Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Games in 2024 amid a gender dispute over her eligibility, after the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her from the 2023 World Championships based on sex chromosome tests. World Boxing, which will oversee boxing competitions in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC, last May announced mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions. Khelif, who lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over World Boxing’s decision barring her from events unless she undergoes genetic sex testing, said she would only undergo the testing if it is administered by the IOC. “Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions,” Khel...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Wednesday condemned India’s actions in Kashmir, saying New Delhi forcibly revoked the region’s constitutional status and subjected its people to decades of oppression.

Kasim Khan, son of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has alleged that he and his brother are being prevented from traveling to Pakistan to meet their father due to deliberate government obstruction of their visa requests.

Gold and silver prices fell sharply in a broader market selloff on Thursday, as an advance in the dollar to a near two-week high and signs of easing US-China trade tensions added further pressure on the precious metals. Spot gold declined 2.5 per cent to $4,838.81 per ounce, as of 05:35am GMT (10:35am PST), retreating from a near one-week high hit earlier in the session. US gold futures for April delivery dropped 1.9pc to$4,855.60 per ounce. “The dollar received a new lease of life with the (Kevin) Warsh nomination (as Federal Reserve chief), and the currency has been able to keep making forward progress … traders are more circumspect now on gold in light of recent extreme volatility,” Tim Waterer, KCM chief trade analyst, said. The dollar rose to a near two-week high on Thursday, making greenback-priced gold more expensive for other currency holders. “Sentiment (has) turned soggy across most asset classes, including precious metals, cryptocurrencies and regional equities, with losses feeding into one another...

The last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States expired Thursday, abruptly ending decades of restrictions on how many warheads the two top powers can deploy and triggering fears of a global arms race. New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), signed during a warmer period of relations, ended with the turn of the calendar to February 5, with US President Donald Trump not following up on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the treaty’s limits for one year. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it a “grave moment for international peace and security” and urged Washington and Moscow to head quickly to the negotiating table. “For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States of America,” Guterres said in a statement, which considered the treaty over at midnight GMT or 7pm in New York. “This dissolution of decades of achievement could not c...

Security forces have concluded Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1 in Balochistan, killing 216 militants during a series of coordinated, intelligence-based operations carried out across multiple districts, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Pakistan’s principled and unwavering support for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, saying the country would continue to stand by them until the realization of their legitimate aspirations.

More than 38.

Pakistan must create up to 30 million jobs over the next decade to turn its youth bulge into an economic dividend or risk instability and outward migration, World Bank President Ajay Banga has stressed. Pakistan is entering the implementation phase of a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) deal agreed with the World Bank last year, while also working with the International Monetary Fund to stabilise its economy. But Islamabad is still facing mounting pressure to deliver sustained growth and jobs. “We’re trying to move the bank group as a whole from the idea of projects to the idea of outcomes,” Banga said in an interview with Reuters in Karachi during a visit to Pakistan this week. “Job creation is the North Star.” ‘Generational challenge’ Pakistan needs to generate 2.5m to 3m jobs a year — roughly 25m to 30m over the next decade — as millions of young people come of age, Banga said. Failure to do so could fuel “illegal migration or domestic instability”. Banga said Pakistan’s population dynamics mean ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday called on the international community to take decisive action to address the worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and to hold India accountable for its illegal and unilateral actions.

A five-year-old boy was critically injured and his one-year-old brother also hurt after a metal kite string slashed their necks in Gulistan Colony, Rawalpindi, in a disturbing incident linked to illegal kite flying.

Train services from Quetta to various destinations in Balochistan and other provinces were restored on Tuesday after a suspension of several days due to security concerns, railway officials said.

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) on Wednesday introduced KWSC Unified App aimed at modernising the city’s water and sewerage services through a single, integrated mobile platform. Describing the app as a major digital reform, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the unified app consolidates all water and sewerage-related services into one system, enabling citizens to lodge complaints, pay bills, book water tankers and track requests with ease. He said the initiative is designed to enhance operational efficiency, improve transparency and ensure greater accountability by reducing manual processes and providing real-time access to services for residents across Karachi. Officials said the app is available in Urdu, English and Sindhi and has been designed with a simple registration and OTP-based verification process to ensure ease of use for all segments of the population. During the launch ceremony held at the KWSC headquarters, a technical briefing highlighted the app’s systems and service-...

• Say right to freedom of expression should never be conflated with criminal conduct • IHC tells Shireen to approach Adiala jail authorities for meeting request ISLAMABAD: Five United Nations experts have expressed alarm over the conviction of human rights activist Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, on multiple charges in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). On Jan 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha to jail. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, UN special rapporteurs Margaret Satterthwaite, Ben Saul, Mary Lawlor, Irene Khan and Gina Romero noted that the two were convicted on multiple criminal charges, resulting in lengthy prison sentences “for simply exercising rights guaranteed by international human rights law”. “Lawyers, like other individuals, are entitled to freedom of expression. The exercise of this right should never be conflated with criminal conduct...

• King Charles’ brother Andrew shunted out of royal residence as police probe claims another woman was sent to royal estate by known convicted child sex trafficker • Peter Mandelson also faces Met Police inquiry; under-fire PM Starmer agrees to release record linked to his appointment WASHINGTON / LONDON / OSLO: The fallout from the revelations contained in the Epstein Files continued to cause upheaval in Europe, with notable British and Norwegian figures — including royals and top government officials — facing intense scrutiny for a variety of wrongdoings. King Charles’ brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has left the Royal Lodge mansion, his home of two decades, after Thames Valley Police said they were assessing allegations that a second woman was sent to the UK by convicted sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, for a sexual encounter with the former royal. In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre became the first woman to publicly accuse the embattled ex-royal of similar encounters. Giuffre filed a civi...

• Araghchi says talks with US ‘scheduled’ for Friday in Oman • Regional leaders urge United States to proceed with dialogue following reports of breakdown • Uncertainty triggered after Rubio said talks should include missile programme; Iran wanted issue kept ‘off the table’ • Trump says Iran supreme leader ‘should be very worried’ • Regional players like Pakistan, S. Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt ‘unlikely’ to take part at this stage ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: The prospects for talks between Iran and the United States seemed fraught with uncertainty on Wednesday, even after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly announced the date and timing of the proposed negotiations. “Nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled to be held in Muscat on about 10 am Friday. I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements,” he posted on X late on Wednesday night. A US official also confirmed that the neg­o­tiations are on track, Reuters reported. The statement came amid swirling speculation tha...