Pakistan

At least 18 migrants died in a shipwreck off the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya over the weekend, and 50 are still missing, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday, citing reports. Ten survivors have been accounted for so far, the IOM said. Tobruk is a coastal city near the border with Egypt. Since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a Nato-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a transit country for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the desert and over the Mediterranean. “This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the deadly risks people are forced to take in search of safety and opportunity. Libya remains a major transit point for migrants and refugees, many of whom face exploitation, abuse, and life-threatening journeys,” the IOM said. Last month, at least 60 migrants were feared dead after a pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya. The first ship went down on June 12 near a Libyan port in Tripoli, with 21 people, including women and children, reported m...

The government’s crackdown on black market dollar trading has strengthened the rupee, but traders say under-the-counter deals have swiftly shifted to smartphones and home deliveries instead. Many unlicensed exchange shops have been shut since July 22, when the military spy agency summoned representatives of the sector to explain the US dollar’s rising cost in the open market. Soon after, raids were carried out by the Federal Investigation Agency, which tackles financial crime and smuggling. Since the crackdown began, the rupee has rebounded from a sharp fall against the dollar earlier in July. In the open market, it firmed from 288.6 per dollar on July 19 to about 286 in recent sessions. But traders and bankers say the trade continues, suggesting the crackdown’s effects could be short-lived. The black market operates outside official channels and includes unlicensed dealers, personal networks, and digital peer-to-peer exchanges, with customers seeking to skip tax declarations, avoid burdensome paperwork and b...

India’s aviation watchdog found 51 safety lapses at Air India in its July audit, including lack of adequate training for some pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, according to a government report seen by Reuters. The annual audit was not related to the deadly Boeing 787 crash last month that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad, but its findings come as the airline faces renewed scrutiny after the accident. The Tata Group-owned airline is already facing warning notices for running planes without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts in time and forging records, along with other lapses related to crew fatigue management. The 11-page confidential audit report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) noted seven “Level I” significant breaches which need to be fixed by July 30, and 44 other non-compliances classified which need to be resolved by August 23. Officials said they found “recurrent training gaps” for some unspecified Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, sayin...

The Islamabad Police on Tuesday said that some students were “shifted” during an operation to vacate the hostels of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) that generated intense criticism. Videos circulating on social media since the early hours of today showed police personnel outside the hostels with some of them about students being arrested or taken away. The videos elicited strong criticism with many decrying why action was being taken against students and saying that over 70 were arrested. A statement from the Islamabad police confirmed the development, saying: “At the request of the university administration, [the] Islamabad police provided legal police assistance. The students had vacated 11 hostels, while regarding the remaining four hostels, the university administration stated that some students were not vacating them despite instructions from the university administration and were residing there illegally. “Upon the written request of the Quaid-i-Azam University administration, assistance was provided to t...

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has commended the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal for supporting vulnerable populations with cancer and other rare diseases.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Deputy Ameer Liaqat Baloch has affirmed that the "Haq Do Balochistan March" will proceed as planned, stressing that no one in Balochistan feels secure.

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) on Tuesday directed three pharmaceutical companies to recall “substandard” medical devices from the market and advised pharmacists and chemists to stop supplying these products. “[The] Central Drugs Laboratory Karachi informed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan that the samples of the below-mentioned medical devices have been declared as ‘Substandard’,” an alert issued by Drap stated. The alert identified Zindagi Auto Disable Syringe 5ml, the Ultra Fine SMD Painless Syringe 5ml and Ultra Fine SMD Painless Syringe 3ml as the substandard devices. “Use of these syringes, in invasive or intravenous procedures, poses a significant risk of introducing microbial contaminants into the patient’s body, which may result in localised infections, abscesses, or life-threatening systemic infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals,” Drap said. “All pharmacists and chemists working at distribution and pharmacies should immediately check their stocks and st...

Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), an attached department of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD), would export the manpower to the State of Kuwait.

An anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Tuesday acquitted two Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) workers facing charges of involvement in the 1997 murder case of former Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) managing director Shahid Hamid. The two accused — Mohammad Minhaj Qazi alias Asad, and Mehboob Ghufran alias Athar — along with their alleged accomplices, had been charged with the killing of the then-managing director of the KESC, his driver and a guard in Karachi’s DHA neighbourhood on July 5, 1997. An ATC had already sentenced Saulat Mirza to death in 1999 in this case and he was executed in Balochistan’s Machh jail in 2015. During the proceedings held at Karachi jail today, the court acquitted Qazi and Ghufran for lack of evidence and ordered their release, if they were not nominated in any pending case. Defence counsel Advocate Mushtaq Ahmed contended before the court that Qazi had no connection with the case. He said that according to the first information report, the complainant had only seen Mirza o...

The Punjab government has officially declared all public parks across the province as ‘no smoking zones’ under the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers' Health Ordinance 2002.

Social media platform TikTok on Tuesday launched a new search guide designed to help users in Pakistan access authoritative and up-to-date information during the ongoing monsoon flood season, according to a press release issued by its public relations firm. With the onset of the monsoon season, which typically lasts from late June to September, different parts of the country witness heavy rainfall and a heightened risk of extreme weather events like flash floods and landslides, especially in its northern and western regions. “Now, users searching for flood-related updates on TikTok will now see a prominent banner urging them to verify information through credible sources,” the press release read. “This guide connects users directly with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), from where users in Pakistan can access verified information regarding natural disasters,” it added. The guide also connects users to TikTok’s Safety Centre resources and provides a direct link to TikTok’s Tragic Event Support...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has voiced strong criticism of recent political and judicial developments, warning that sidelining the opposition in a democracy borders on monarchy.

At the prestigious Cercle National des Armées in Paris—France’s historic military command center—a high-level signing ceremony took place, symbolizing a new era of strategic cooperation between France and Pakistan.

Police on Tuesday arrested three suspects over the alleged gang-rape and robbery of a woman in Karachi’s Ibrahim Hyderi area. According to a statement by the Malir Police spokesperson Mohammed Imran, “Police arrested three suspects from the Ibrahim Hyderi area based on technical sources and intelligence information.” The suspects were part of a group involved in the alleged gang-rape and robbery of a woman in the area, the statement said. “The suspects not only looted gold ornaments, cash and valuables from the house but also allegedly raped the woman,” it added. During the initial investigation, the suspects confessed to their involvement with two other accomplices, the statement said. “The suspects forcibly removed the woman’s earrings and fled with them,” it added. Police said that they recovered one loaded pistol from the suspects. It futher said that raids were being conducted at various locations to arrest the other two members of the gang. The statement continued, “The criminal records of the suspects ...

Pakistan on Tuesday signed an agreement with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide free cancer medicines for 8,000 children annually. The WHO and the health ministry formalised Pakistan’s participation in the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines (Global Platform) to “provide quality-assured medicines — free of cost — to children affected by cancer in the country, where over 8,000 new cases are diagnosed annually”, said a WHO press release. The agreement, signed by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Dapeng Luo at a ceremony in Islamabad, will remain in force until Dec 31, 2027 and “may be extended by written agreement of the parties”. In addition to the provision of medicines, WHO will continue to support Pakistan’s Ministry of Health and provincial authorities with technical guidance, resources, and operational support to fight childhood cancer. The agreement aims to increase the survival rate of children fighting with cancer from 30 per cent to 60...

At least 18 people were killed in eastern India on Tuesday after a bus ferrying Hindu pilgrims collided with a truck loaded with cooking gas cylinders, officials said. Visuals from the site in Jharkhand state showed the mangled wreckage of the bus, with its rear portion almost entirely burnt. Local lawmaker Nishikant Dubey said the pilgrims were travelling to a Hindu shrine to celebrate the sacred month of Shravan, coinciding with the onset of the monsoons in the subcontinent. “Eighteen devotees lost their lives due to a bus and truck accident,” Dubey said on social media. The pilgrims were carrying holy water from the Ganges to offer to the Hindu god of destruction, Lord Shiva. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “deepest condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives”. “The road accident in Jharkhand’s Deoghar is extremely tragic,” his office said on social media. Tens of thousands of people die in road accidents in India every year, according to official data. More than 172,000 die...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the schedule for by-elections on 52 vacant local government seats in 19 districts of Sindh, with polling set for September 24, 2025.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transforming the education system to meet international standards.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has thrown down the gauntlet to the federal government and political opponents, daring them to dislodge his government through democratic means.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met Khair Muhammad, father of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Shahzaib Rind, at the PM House and handed over a cheque of Rs5 million on behalf of the government.