Pakistan

Gold and Asian stocks were on the rebound on Tuesday as trade took a calmer tone after wild swings in metals markets and a deal to cut US tariffs on India helped the mood, while the Australian dollar rose after an interest rate hike. Australia’s central bank joined Japan as the only developed-world economy to tighten policy, saying above-target inflation and a tight labour market justified a unanimous decision to lift the cash rate 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent. Markets had mostly anticipated the move, though are now rushing to price in a follow-up in May, which was enough to push the Aussie about 1pc higher and over 70 US cents. India’s rupee, and stocks cheered an announcement by US President Donald Trump that tariffs on Indian goods would be cut from 50pc to 18pc in return for New Delhi halting Russian oil purchases and lowering trade barriers. Details, however, were scarce. Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei jumped 4pc to recoup Monday’s losses, and South Korea’s KOSPI rose 5pc. S&P 500 futures ESc1 were up 0.1...

The federal government on Tuesday appointed former Punjab inspector general of police Dr Usman Anwar as the new director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), following a recent reshuffle in the province’s top police leadership.

The naval chiefs of Pakistan and Azerbaijan have pledged to strengthen their existing bilateral defence relationship, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. Islamabad and Baku maintain robust defence cooperation. In 2024, Azer­bai­jan signed a massive $1.6 billion deal with Pakistan to acquire JF-17 Block III fighter jets, developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf met with Commander Azerbaijan Naval Forces (ANF) Rear Admiral Shahin Mammadov, at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad today, where the two leaders “pledged to further strengthen and diversify the scope of [the] existing bilateral defence relationship”. The two, during the meeting, also “discussed matters of mutual interest, regional maritime security situation, and avenues for enhanced cooperation in training and defence”. The Azeri naval commander, upon arrival at the headqua...

On the special directives of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON Engineer Amir Muqam, and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr.

Shab-e-Barat will be observed across the country tonight with religious devotion and solemnity, as Muslims engage in special prayers and acts of worship seeking divine mercy and forgiveness.

Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) on Tuesday issued a traffic advisory, announcing temporary diversions on major roads of the federal capital during the evening hours.

Commander of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces (ANF), Rear Admiral Shahin Mammadov, called on Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf at Naval Headquarters on Monday, where the two sides discussed regional maritime security and avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation.

The Punjab government has appointed Rao Abdul Kareem as the new inspector general (IG) of Punjab Police, replacing Dr Usman Anwar, in a significant reshuffle of the province’s top law enforcement leadership, official sources said on Monday.

Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said the provincial government is making concerted efforts to provide better health facilities to the people.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued revised property valuation rates for Islamabad, reducing values by 30 to 50 percent following demands from traders, according to an official notification.

Cuba’s government on Monday told AFP that it was in “communication” with US President Donald Trump’s administration but not yet in formal talks on a deal to end Washington’s pressure campaign on the island. “Today we cannot talk about having dialogue with the United States, but it is true that there have been communications between the two governments,” deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said in an interview. Trump on Sunday claimed the United States was in talks with “the highest people” in Cuba and that he expected to “make a deal” with its leadership, without saying what a deal might look like. De Cossio repeated that Cuba was “open to dialogue” with the United States amid calls from Cubans for the government to negotiate to avert a humanitarian crisis. Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Havana since the January 3 capture by US special forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a top Cuba ally and financial backer. Pressured by Washington, Venezuela’s new administration has cut crude...

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has consistently highlighted the Kashmir issue at every international forum.

The use of NADRA’s Pak-ID application is steadily increasing, with daily applications crossing the 15,000 mark for the first time, reflecting growing public trust in digital government services.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic republic was struck. Following the Iranian authorities’ response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran, but also warned late on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached. Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression. Iranian state media reported on Monday that President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with Washington. Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of nuclear talks. “I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreason...

The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has submitted a comprehensive 27-point plan to the Lahore High Court to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply and effective safety measures during the Basant festival.

Pakistan is participating in the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial at the US Department of State on Wednesday, as Islamabad seeks to expand foreign investment and forge strategic partnerships in the minerals and energy sectors. Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik is representing Pakistan at the two-day conference, which is expected to bring together delegations from more than 50 countries to discuss strengthening and diversifying global supply chains for critical minerals—materials essential for advanced technologies, clean energy transitions and defence industries. Hosting the meeting, the US State Department said the ministerial aims to “advance collective efforts to strengthen and diversify critical minerals supply chains” and to create momentum for international collaboration to secure resources “vital to technological innovation, economic strength, and national security”. Opening remarks at the conference are scheduled to be delivered by US Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Ma...

LAHORE: The government of Pakistan’s decision on Sunday not to play its T20 World Cup group match against India, scheduled for Feb 15, has prom­pted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to initiate back-channel efforts to resolve the issue and avoid significant financial losses, Dawn has learnt. The decision was announced around 15 days ahead of the scheduled fixture, giving the ICC sufficient time to explore possible options, including accommodating any reservations Pakistan may have, sources said. According to sources, a couple of other cricket boards have also stepped in to assist the ICC in its efforts to reach an amicable solution with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan announced its decision without citing a specific reason for boycotting the match against India. In the past, however, Australia and the West Indies forfeited their World Cup matches against Sri Lanka in 1996 on security grounds following instructions from their governments. England and New Zealand similarly forfeited matches ag...

THATTA: The greenery leading to Haleji Lake — tall eucalyptus trees, neem, peepal, coconut and other wild vegetation — point to the high water table level in the area. Yet the lake is not doing so well. It is slowly drying. A recent visit to Haleji Lake organised by Green Media Initiatives in collaboration with Accountability Lab Pakistan and the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) helped highlight several issues with this sanctuary. A man-made lake, Haleji, located some 88 kilometres from Karachi, was constructed during World War II, between 1940 and 1943, by the British rulers in India to provide water to their troops stationed in Karachi. According to In Charge Haleji Wildlife Sanctuary, Sohail Ahmed Khoso this was initially a saltwater lake. But then the British created a small natural depression into a reservoir fed by a feeder canal from the Indus River. “That is how fresh sweet water from the Indus was stored here and supplied to Karachi,” he said. “Soon after, migrant birds from Siberia started frequentin...

PAKISTAN’S boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India raises two fundamental questions: why the PCB took this decision, and what it hopes to achieve by it. The fact that neither answer is particularly clear invites a deeper concern, whether this dramatic gesture was fully thought through at all. To begin with, let’s be clear on a few points. The ICC is controlled by India. It is a governing body that behaves like a wholly owned subsidiary of the BCCI. The ICC does not run international cricket, the BCCI — and therefore the Indian government — does. This is realpolitik. The rule of “might is right”. India is in charge, both as policymaker and paymaster, however you describe it. India’s malign dictatorship of international cricket is to be condemned, just as the previous dominance of England and Australia had been condemned. Today, India is the Pied Piper of cricket, playing a seductive tune that brings the rats of the world’s cricket boards under its control. Something does need to be done, namely ICC’s ...

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Khalifa Abu-al-Qasim Haftar, Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, along with Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ) on Monday.