Pakistan

Islamabad - Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, during an official visit to the Republic of Turkiye, held high-level meetings with General Ziya Cemal Kad?oglu, Commander Turkish Air Force, Yasar Guler, Minister of National Defence, and Mr.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Friday said the United States never sought the use of Pakistani airspace or land routes for any action against Iran, while reaffirming that Pakistan would continue playing its role as a facilitator and mediator for peace and de-escalation in the region.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed administrative and police officers across Punjab to remain in the field during Eidul Azha instead of staying in offices, as the provincial government finalised extensive arrangements for security, cleanliness and public facilitation during the holidays.

RAWALPINDI: No passenger was hurt after a Metro bus caught fire on Saturday morning near the 6th Road stop. According to Rescue 1122, the Metro bus was destroyed after it caught fire while passing the bus stop on 6th Road. It said that rescue officials rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control. Following the incident, the service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad was suspended. The reason behind the fire has yet to be ascertained. It is worth mentioning that the plumes of smoke emanating from the gutted bus could be seen from afar. Videos shared on social media showed the red bus engulfed in flames as rescue workers tried to douse the blaze. Last year, at least seven passengers suffered injuries when they jumped out of a Metrobus soon after it caught fire in Lahore on Ferozepur Road near Naseerabad Station. In another similar incident in 2021, a Metro bus caught fire and was completely burnt, apparently due to a short circuit near Minar-i-Pakistan station in Lahore.

ISLAMABAD - Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Ambassador Sohail Mahmood undertook his first official visit to Azerbaijan since assuming office in January 2026, participating in the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum 13 and the D-8 High-Level Energy and Urban Dialogue held in Baku from May 17 to.

The government reduced the price of petrol by Rs6 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs6.80 on Friday, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division. Following the decrease, the price of petrol stands at Rs403.78 per litre and HSD’s at Rs402.78. The Petroleum Division’s press release notifying the decrease said the new prices would be effective from May 23 (Saturday). This is the second consecutive week in which the government has reduced fuel prices. Last week, the prices of petrol and diesel were reduced by Rs5. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators. The government has been revising petroleum prices every week on Friday night following the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The war also led to a global fuel crunch caused by the closure of th...

The Punjab government has approved the establishment of a new cancer hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan as part of efforts to improve healthcare facilities in southern Punjab.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered imposition of a Rs50,000 fine for throwing animal waste and offal in streets, on roads, into drains and canals during Eid days. The CM directed the administrative and police officers across Punjab on Friday to remain in the field during Eidul Azha days, as the provincial government finalised extensive arrangements for security, cleanliness and public facilitation during the holidays. Chairing a video-link meeting on Eidul Azha arrangements here, the chief minister issued guidelines to all deputy commissioners and district police officers, warning that negligence or poor implementation of orders would not be tolerated. She also directed strict enforcement of the restriction on sale of sacrificial animals at non-designated places instead of cattle markets and action against illegal livestock trading in unauthorised areas. The meeting was informed that digital monitoring and vigilance operations would be carried out at cattle markets, while strict security arrangem...

KARACHI: While the federal government had announced a three-day Eid holiday — from May 26 to 28 (Tuesday to Thursday) — the Sindh government has officially announced a four-day holiday, including Friday, the third day of Eidul Azha, in its holiday schedule. Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah issued a notification in this regard, stating that the Eidul Azha holidays would be observed from May 26 to May 29 in the province. “The government of Sindh hereby declares 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th May, 2026 as public holidays on the occasion of Eidul Azha throughout the province of Sindh, for all government offices, autonomous bodies, semi-autonomous bodies, corporations, and local councils, except essential services and departments/offices engaged in preparation of budget for financial year 2026-27,” reads the notification. Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026

ISLAMABAD: In a move ostensibly aimed at ensuring continuity at the helm of the country’s premier civilian intelligence agency, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a four-year contract extension for Fuad Asadullah Khan as director general of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). According to two separate notifications issued by the Establishment Division on Friday, the PM has extended the contract appointment of the grade 22 intelligence officer. While one notification confirms that Mr Khan will continue to remain posted as director general “until further orders”, another clarifies that his contract as additional director general has been extended for a fresh period of four years, effective July 14, 2026, on existing terms and conditions. The notifications, carrying the reference number 1/22/2022/E-VI, effectively consolidate Mr Khan’s position as the head of the Intelligence Bureau Division. Mr Khan is a career intelligence officer known for remaining firmly behind the curtain. He has been at the helm of IB d...

CHIEF of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir is embraced by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni upon his arrival in Tehran.—AFP • Rubio says US in constant contact with Field Marshal Munir as the latter arrives in Iran • Notes ‘some progress’ made but insists more work needed • US considers ‘Plan B’ with willing Nato countries over Hormuz • Iran rules out deal if US demands handover of enriched uranium • Qatar joins mediation push in coordination with US • UAE says Iran’s N-programme now top concern ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir reached Tehran on Friday as efforts to broker an interim understanding between the United States and Iran entered a decisive phase amid cautious hopes that a fragile ceasefire around the Persian Gulf could be stabilised before tensions spiral again. The visit came at a time when negotiations appeared to have moved beyond political signalling into detailed bargaining over a narrow interim framework dealing with the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear...

WASHINGTON: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Friday a sweeping policy change that would require most foreigners seeking permanent residency in the United States to leave the country and apply for immigrant visas from abroad, sharply restricting the long-used “adjustment of status” process. In a policy memorandum, the USCIS said applicants already in the US on temporary visas — including students, tourists and temporary workers — would generally be expected to pursue green cards through consular processing overseen by the US Department of State. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to tighten both legal and illegal immigration pathways. The USCIS said adjustment of status inside the US would now be granted only in “extraordinary circumstances” and on a “case-by-case basis”. “We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said in a statement released with the memo. T...

The government reduced the price of petrol by Rs6 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs6.80 on Friday, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division. Following the decrease, the price of petrol stands at Rs403.78 per litre and HSD’s at Rs402.78. The Petroleum Division’s press release notifying the decrease said the new prices would be effective from May 23. This is the second consecutive week in which the government has reduced fuel prices. Last week, the prices of petrol and diesel were reduced by Rs5. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators. The government has been revising petroleum prices every week on Friday night following the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The war also led to a global fuel crunch caused by the closure of the Strait of...

LAHORE: Actor and model Momina Iqbal on Friday filed an application with Chung Police for the registration of a first information report against a PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar, levelling serious allegations of blackmail, harassment and death threats. In her application, she alleged that the PML-N MPA had been making threatening calls to harass her and her fiance. Momina claimed that the lawmaker turned abusive when she refused his marriage proposal, after it transpired that he was already married to two women. Subsequently, she said Chadhar began blackmailing her. Momina also mentioned WhatsApp messages and video calls from the suspect in her application. She further alleged that the the MPA also sent the same threatening messages to her sister’s mobile phone. According to reports, Momina visited Chung Police Station along with her lawyers, met Station House Officer Faheem Imdad, and briefed him about her complaint. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also warned that any attempt to exert political press...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, scheduled from May 30 to June 4 in Rawalpindi and Lahore. According to a press release issued by the cricket board, “Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas and Rohail Nazir are the three players selected in the squad who are yet to represent Pakistan in ODI cricket”. It added that left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead the side, while Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim — who were not part of the away ODI series against Bangladesh in March — have been recalled. Muhammad Ghazi Ghori and Nazir have been named as the two wicketkeeper-batters in the squad after Usman Khan was not considered for selection due to illness, the PCB said. The board further stated that Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for selection as they had earlier been ruled out due to injuries and “will continue their rehabilitation programmes under the supervision of the PC...

ISLAMABAD: PTI’s Islamabad wing held a protest in the federal capital on Friday despite Section 144 being in place, which restricts public gatherings. It is worth mentioning that Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and PTI had given a call to hold countrywide protests against former prime minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment, rising inflation and other issues on Friday. The protest, held on Lehtrar Road near Taramri Chowk, was organised under the direction of PTI Islamabad President Aamir Mughal and led by General Secretary Malik Aamir Ali. PTI Islamabad Senior Vice President Raja Sajjad Dhanyal, Women’s Wing President Maimoona Kamal, Youth Wing President Murad Bukhari, Insaf Students Federation representatives and other leaders and activists participated in the protest. The protesters also demanded the release and proper medical treatment of the PTI founder and highlighted concerns over soaring inflation, deteriorating law and order, and the recent increase in petroleum product prices. Mughal, speaking to...

Mohsin Naqvi held a telephone conversation with Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif to discuss matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.

Tulsi Gabbard said on Friday she is resigning from her job as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, saying her husband had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and that she was stepping away from her role to help him. Gabbard advised Trump of her intention to step down during an Oval Office meeting on Friday, Fox News Digital reported earlier. The resignation is effective June 30, it said. A source familiar with the matter said that Gabbard had been forced out by the White House. In her resignation letter posted on X, Gabbard told Trump she was “deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half.” She cited her husband’s recent diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming post,” she said. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Principal Deputy...

The Pakistan Air Force and the Turkiye Air Force reaffirmed their “growing strategic convergence” in defence, aerospace innovation and emerging technologies, the military’s media wing said on Friday. Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, during an official visit to Turkiye, held high-level meetings with Turkish Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, and Baykar Technologies Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Selçuk Bayraktar, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. During these engagements, ACM Sidhu reaffirmed “the growing strategic convergence and shared commitment of both nations towards enhanced collaboration in defence, aerospace innovation and emerging technologies”. At the headquarters of the Turkish Air Force, the air chief was accorded a guard of honour. During the engagement, ACM Sidhu “discussed enhancing interoperability through joint exercises, training programmes, and professional exchanges”. “The Turkish air chief appreciate...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday inaugurated the 39-kilometre-long Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway, linking Karachi’s Qayyumabad to the M-9 Motorway. He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of an expressway project linking Karachi Port to Qayyumabad. Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the expressway has six interchanges, six lanes and a 5-kilometre elevated section. He said the PPP chairman had inaugurated the first 9-kilometre segment of the project in January 2025. The second 4-kilometre segment was inaugurated in June last year, and the remaining portion is now being inaugurated in May 2026. CM Murad emphasised that the project took 4 to 4.5 years to complete, and that it could have been finished earlier had the government not prioritised avoiding the displacement of any population along the route. “If you need to travel outside Karachi, whether to Sindh, Punjab or Balochistan, this project will reduce travel time by around an hour.” He added tha...