Pakistan

At least 16 people have died of heatstroke in southern India so far this summer, officials said on Sunday, as a heatwave grips swathes of the country following official health warnings. India is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. Temperatures in several cities across the country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45 degrees Celsius. The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for “statewide vigilance” to safeguard public health. “The intensity of the heat has reached unprecedented levels” and officials in Telangana should issue advance warnings about precautions to be taken during heatwaves, Reddy’s office said in a statement. Health experts say that extreme heat can lead to dehydration that thickens the blood and, in particularly severe cases, causes organs to shut down. The local government...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled for a busy day in Hangzhou as he continues his visit to China.

At least 14 people, including three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), were martyred while several others sustained injuries in a blast near a railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta on Sunday, according to the Balochistan government spokesperson.

In a message to Pakistani pilgrims in Makkah, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf urged them to show patience, unity, and discipline, saying their behaviour represents Pakistan on an international level.

Pakistan secured $11 billion in external financing between July and April, an increase of around 83 per cent compared with the $6 billion received during the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said Pakistan will continue its sincere efforts to promote lasting peace, mutual respect, and stability in the region.

TOBA TEK SINGH: A TikToker from Faisalabad, who made a video using obscene words about women at lake Saiful Muluk, was arrested on his return home. According to details, Yousuf, a resident of Chak 236 RB Faisalabad, allegedly made a video of female tourists present at lake Saif-ul-Muluk in Naran a few days ago and used obscene language for them. The accused later uploaded the video on social media. The Roshanwala Police identified the accused and registered a case against him on the complaint of ASI Mubashir Hafeez and arrested him on Saturday. In a video statement after his arrest, the suspect ‘confessed’ to making videos of women as a profession and using obscene words about them. He claimed in the video that the police had ‘convinced’ him and had also “updated his software”. He said, “I sincerely apologise to my mothers and sisters. All TikTokers should consider women as their mothers and sisters and think a thousand times before making such videos”. RAPE: A 16-year-old girl suffering from cancer was alleg...

ISLAMABAD: As the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to resume hearing on the high-profile One Constitution project on Monday, intriguing new facts have surfaced in the court record, including a 2012 interim arbitration award issued by incumbent Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and a former chamber president to resolve disputes between two main partners. The arbitration award, dated September 13, 2012, was issued by Khawaja Asif and Mian Hamid Javed, former president of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The agreement was meant to settle differences between Abdul Hafeez Sheikh of M BNP and Nadeem Zia Pirzada of M/s Paragon regarding the five-star hotel project. According to the settlement placed on record, the parties agreed that BNP’s ownership would ultimately be 75 per cent with Sheikh and 25 per cent with Pirzada, subject to a forensic audit to determine financial contributions, loans and liabilities. Interestingly, the award records that bank loans taken by Sheikh and his family for ...

HANGZHOU/ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that Pakistan and China are entering a new phase of practical, people-centric and development-oriented cooperation.

ISLAMABAD - The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) and the Muttahida Ulema Council Azad Kashmir on Saturday formally announced an electoral alliance for the upcoming elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved a Rs.

• CM, city mayor among others perform groundbreaking of the landmark project at Clifton’s Beach View Park • Murad says museum will preserve stories and legacy of migrants, traders, intellectuals for generations to come KARACHI: For now, it is only a piece of turf by the seaside. But this part of the Beach View Park in Clifton is where a new, one of its kind, digitally interactive museum to preserve and celebrate the history and heritage of Sindh and the Pakistan independence movement will come up soon. It is where the Sindh government, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) hosted the ground-breaking ceremony of the Karachi Museum of History on a very breezy Saturday afternoon. Planned as a landmark cultural and educational space, the Karachi Museum of History will be built on globally recognised museum practices to create an immersive cultural institution that brings Pakistan’s independence and Sindh’s 5,000-year history to life through storytelling, technology,...

AS Pakistan and China celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, an important question emerges that goes beyond symbolism: what direction will the relationship take in a rapidly changing world and regional order? No longer merely a rising power, China is now in the ranks of global superpowers alongside America. This transformation has profound implications for Pakistan. Sharing borders with an emerging superpower presents opportunities, dependencies, pressures and strategic dilemmas that Pakistan has never experienced before. Pakistan’s long association with the US has seen fluctuating phases of cooperation, mistrust and tra­­nsactional alignments. Geographic distance was a critical factor that allowed Pakistan to have divergent strategic priorities. Washington not only tolerated it but also took advantage whenever needed. But with China, it is a different story. The relationship is rooted in strategic convergence, regional connectivity, defence cooperation and political trust developed over decades. Yet Chi...

KARACHI: The lament of rising cost of living notwithstanding, the sale of appliances like refrigerators and deep freezers has picked up in the run-up to Eidul Azha. Although peak summer is creating extra demand for cooling gadgets, dealers claim that prices remain the same as of last year. Sohail Malik, finance secretary of the Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA), told Dawn that “the sales of fridge and deep freezers have been 25-30 per cent higher during this Eid season than last year, while the number of ACs sold shows no big difference”. To avoid any risk of losing a sizable quantity of meat, many families are buying new cooling appliances, he said. Consumers usually keep Qurbani meat frozen for at least two to three months. Sale of refrigerators, deep freezers jumps by a quarter Before the sighting of Eidul Azha moon, airconditioner was the appliance most in demand, but after the sighting of Eidul Azha moon, consumers’ focus has shifted towards fridge and deep freezers, Sohail Malik pointed out....

ISLAMABAD: A day after its members protested in different parts of the country, the PTI spo­kesperson on Saturday denou­n­ced the government for an alle­ged crackdown on the ‘nationwide protests’ and demanded the release of a few workers detained by the authorities. In a statement, PTI Inform­at­­ion Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed a large number of PTI supporters took to the streets on Friday despite the hurdles created by the government. He alleged pre-dawn raids, fabricated cases, and heavy police deployment to stop the protesters, who “rejected the government and took to the streets in large numbers”. He claimed the PTI protest proved “public power” could not be crushed by using force while condemning the arrests of protesters and demanding their immediate, unconditional release. He dismissed the government’s portrayal of family meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as “confidence-building measures,” calling it “cynical theatre”. He pointed out that these were the basic constitutional rights, not ...

• Envoy urges return to US-facilitated peace talks, ceasefire to end Ukraine war • Unicef warns children are paying the price of conflict UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for an immediate ceasefire and renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, warning the UN Security Council that the escalating conflict is exacting a devastating toll on civilians, including children. Speaking at an emergency meeting on Friday, convened after a reported strike on a college dormitory in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the worsening humanitarian situation demanded urgent action. “We are deeply perturbed by the escalation in fighting lately and the consequential worsening humanitarian impact,” Mr Ahmad told the 15-member council. He underscored that civilians must not be attacked in situations of armed conflict anywhere, calling for purposeful efforts to end this protracted conflict. “Military means cannot bring lasting peace. Only a resolute commitmen...

• Thousands of Trump supporters stormed building in 2021 during certification of Biden’s victory • Over 1,500 people were charged after riot • Justice Dept says press releases deleted from website WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department has removed from its website hundreds of press releases detailing criminal charges brought against individuals involved in the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Congress, according to media reports. The Jan 6 attack happened after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Trump repeatedly claimed that the election was stolen from him. Thousands of Trump supporters marched to the Capitol building while Congress was meeting to officially confirm Biden’s victory. Rioters broke through police barriers, smashed windows and entered the building. Lawmakers were forced to hide or flee. Several people died and many police officers were injured. After the attack, the Justice Department carried out one of the biggest investigations in US history. More than 1,500 people were...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has affirmed that imposing concurrent sentences in cases involving multiple murders substantially diminishes the seriousness of additional offences and artificially equates the taking of one life with the taking of several. “To direct all sentences to merge into one concurrent term in cases of multiple murders would substantially dilute the gravity of the additional offences and create an artificial equivalence between the taking of one life and the taking of several,” observed Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar in a judgement he authored. Justice Kakar, who headed a three-judge SC bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard a jail petition filed by Qaiser Abbas against a May 11, 2018, judgement of the Lahore High Court. Qaiser Abbas was convicted of killing Faiza Bibi and Abiha on June 23, 2011. The prosecution stated a quarrel had taken place a month earlier between the deceased, Faiza Bibi, the complainant’s wife, and Shameem Bibi, the petitio...

• Two policemen, two civilians also martyred in exchange of fire • Police defuse 10kg bomb planted near mosque BANNU: A fierce clash erupted on Saturday between police, a peace committee and terrorists in the Barakzai Akh­undkhel area of Miryan tehsil in Bannu district, leaving at least 25 terrorists dead and several others injured, police said. Two police personnel and two civilians were martyred in the exchange of fire, while seven policemen and three civilians sustained injuries. District Police Officer Yasir Afridi told Dawn that more than 25 terrorists were killed during the police operation. According to sources, the police peace committee received information about the presence of a large number of terrorists in the area and immediately launched an operation. The Lakki Marwat police peace committee also arrived to support the Bannu police. Terrorists had erected barricades at various points along the routes, which police managed to clear while advancing. Police sources said that despite intense firing,...

• ISPR says ‘intensive negotiations’ resulted in ‘encouraging progress’ towards agreement • Trump claims MoU on peace deal ‘largely negotiated’, will only sign when ‘we get everything we want’ • Tehran says accord in ‘finalisation’ stage • Ghalibaf asserts Iran has rebuilt military capabilities during lull in fighting ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir concluded a high-stakes visit to Tehran on Saturday after intense negotiations that produced encouraging progress towards a final understanding between Iran and the United States to end the conflict. The two-day visit marked the most consequential mediation effort since the direct talks hosted by Pakistan last month. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir had held “high-level engagements” with the Iranian leadership “as part of ongoing mediation efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and constructive engagement”. “The discussions remained focused upon expediting the consultative process underway t...