Pakistan

Five Australian women who say they were pulled from a Qatar Airways flight by armed guards and strip-searched have won the right to sue the airline, after a court on Thursday overturned an earlier decision to throw out the case. Women on 10 Qatar Airways flights, including 13 Australians, were subjected to invasive examinations to see if they had recently given birth after a newborn baby was found abandoned at Doha’s Hamad Airport in October 2020. The incident made headlines around the world, sparked outrage in Australia and strained diplomatic ties with Qatar. A group of five women on a Sydney-bound flight launched legal proceedings in 2022 against Qatar Airways, the operator of Doha Airport Matar, and Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority. They brought claims under the Montreal Convention, which covers airline liability, as well as negligence, assault and false imprisonment. The women sought damages for the impact on their mental health, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from the ...

A bogie of the Quetta-bound Bolan Mail sustained partial damage on Thursday after an explosion targeted a railway track in Balochistan’s Sibi district, railway and security officials confirmed.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday hailed the positive environment in which the council’s annual general meeting (AGM) was held and said the fate of the upcoming Asia Cup would be announced soon. The meeting, hosted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), comes ahead of the Asia Cup tournament, scheduled to be hosted by India in September. The tournament remains in limbo amid strained India-Pakistan ties following a military encounter in May. On Wednesday, Hindustan Times reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), reversing an earlier decision, would attend the Asian Cricket Council’s annual meeting virtually. The BCCI had previously declined to travel to Dhaka, citing tensions with Bangladesh and threatening to boycott the meeting. The AGM was held in Dhaka today with 24 other members in attendance. Addressing the media after the meeting, Naqvi said: “The meeting went very well. We have 25 ACC members and all of them pa...

A landmark contribution to the field of diplomacy, “The Currency of Influence: Economic Diplomacy and Public Perception through Public Diplomacy,” authored by Ambassador (Retd) Dr.

Twelve workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been sentenced to six months in prison by two separate courts in Islamabad for staging a protest on November 26 without official permission.

Britain and India signed a free trade agreement on Thursday during a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sealing a deal to cut tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky and cars and allow more market access for businesses. The two countries concluded talks on the trade pact in May after three years of stop-start negotiations, with both sides hastening efforts to clinch a deal in the shadow of tariff turmoil unleashed by United States President Donald Trump. The agreement between the world’s fifth and sixth largest economies aims to increase bilateral trade by a further 25.5 billion pounds ($34bn) by 2040. It is Britain’s biggest trade deal since it left the European Union in 2020, although its impact will be a fraction of the effect of leaving the orbit of its closest trading partner. For India, it represents its biggest strategic partnership with an advanced economy, and one which could provide a template for a long-mooted deal with the EU as well as talks with other regions. It will take effect aft...

The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese shipping giant, Shandong Xinxu Group, on Thursday in a move that is set to bring about a “major transformation” in the shipping sector. PNSC, headquartered in Karachi, is Pakistan’s premier national flag carrier, operating under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. The Shandong Xinxu Group Corporation, based in Zibo City, Shandong Province, is a leading Chinese enterprise engaged in international trade and shipping. A statement from the Press Information Department said the MoU signing ceremony took place between the PNSC CEO and the chairman of Shandong Xinxu Group Corporation in Islamabad with Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry present. “The Pakistani shipping sector is set for a major transformation following the signing of a MoU,” he was quoted as saying by the statement. Addressing the signing ceremony, he said the development symbolised a “growing partnership” between Pakistan and...

Javelin ace Arshad Nadeem could miss two upcoming Diamond League championships next month as he undergoes post-surgery rehabilitation in London, in the hopes of a full recovery ahead of the Tokyo World Athletic Championships this September. The Olympic champion was set to travel to England this month to prepare for the World Championships, ahead of the Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland on August 16 and Zurich, Switzerland on Aug 27-28. Last week, however, he underwent surgery on his calf muscle to address a recurring injury. The interventional procedure was done by Dr Ali Bajwa at Spire Hospital in Cambridge, United Kingdom. View this post on Instagram “We are now doing rehab work with a physiotherapist in London,” Arshad Nadeem’s coach, Salman Butt, told Dawn.com. “This is a two-week plan before we test ourselves for going back to regular workouts,” Butt added. “We are trying to achieve good form for the World Championship in Tokyo and maybe compete in one competition before Tokyo if Arshad regains good...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has announced a decisive end to the policy of tolerating so-called “Good Taliban,” declaring that their presence will no longer be accepted anywhere in the province.

Pakistan is ready to engage in dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, but the next move depends on New Delhi, said Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan during a weekly press briefing on Thursday.

The body of Dr Mishal Fatima’s three-year-old son, Abdul Hadi, who went missing during a recent flash flood at Babusar Top, has been recovered after three days.

Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) has launched the “Apna Meter, Apni Reading” program, aimed at empowering electricity consumers to take control of their monthly meter readings and ensure transparency in billing.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, said the Pakistani shipping sector is set for a major transformation following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Shipping Corporation and China’s Shandong Xinxu Group.

Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday emphasized the urgent need to address the root causes of terrorism, asserting that lasting peace requires more than the absence of conflict—it demands justice and inclusive development.

Vice Admiral Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Ghraibi, Head of the Royal Saudi Navy, visited the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Thursday, where he held a meeting with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the need to enhance the quality of higher education across the province, calling for urgent reforms in universities and government colleges.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former provincial minister Raja Basharat was briefly detained by Rawalpindi police on Thursday, shortly after appearing before an election tribunal in connection with the NA-55 case.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met with the World Bank’s Regional Vice President for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP), Mr.

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday visited King Edward Medical University (KEMU), where he received a warm welcome from the university administration and students.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to deepening bilateral ties with China, lauding Beijing’s vital role in Pakistan’s socio-economic development and regional stability.