Pakistan

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar exchanged views on “the current regional situation and recent developments” with his Saudi counterpart in a telephone call on Tuesday, according to the Foreign Office (FO). Both nations have a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed a landmark mutual defence agreement in September this year, which outlined that an attack on one party would be treated as an attack on both. In a post on social media, the FO said that Dar expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations between Islamabad and Riyadh during the exchange, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan “reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening and enhancing bilateral ties”. Dar also conveye...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday staged a walkout during a Punjab Assembly session in solidarity with journalists who have been boycotting the provincial legislature over alleged “ill-treatment” during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s visit to the assembly. During his three-day visit to Lahore over the weekend, the KP chief minister had given an address at the Punjab Assembly to opposition MPAs last week. However, the visit was marred by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials, while heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also witnessed. Speaking during the session today, Bokhari staged a walkout to show solidarity with journalists from the Punjab Assembly’s press gallery, who she said were “beaten and pushed around” by people accompanying the KP CM. During yesterday’s assembly session, a statement by opposition member Col. (retd) Shoaib Amir about the press gallery, calling them “sellouts”, also sparked outrage. “The whole wo...

LAHORE: An election tribunal dismissed on Tuesday incarcerated PTI leader Yasmin Rashid’s petition that challenged PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s victory from Lahore’s NA-130 in the 2024 general elections. The tribunal, comprising retired Justice Rana Zahid Mahmood, dismissed Rashid’s plea on technical grounds. It said in its decision that the petitioner had failed to comply with the requirements under the Election Act, 2017 for filing an election petition. A written order of the tribunal is yet to be issued. Rashid had filed the petition challenging Nawaz’s victory notification on April 16, 2024. The petition argued that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had issued Sharif’s victory notification in violation of the law. Rashid requested in her plea to set aside the victory of the former prime minister and to declare her a returned candidate. She alleged that the ECP manipulated the election results to ensure her defeat. The ECP had issued the notification of Nawaz’s victory from NA-130 on February 13 la...

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi reached Mithi, the main city of Tharparkar district, on Tuesday after a daylong visit to Nagar Parkar at the foothills of the Karoonjhar Hills.

An election tribunal has declared valid the notification of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s victory from Lahore’s NA-130 constituency and dismissed the petition filed by Dr Yasmin Rashid challenging the result.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched the largest tractor distribution scheme in the province’s history, aiming to ensure economic independence for farmers and enhance agricultural productivity.

Wifaq ul Madaris al-Arabia Pakistan, the country’s largest federation of Islamic seminaries, has barred both male and female madaris from collecting money from students for annual convocation ceremonies, citing financial exploitation and practices contrary to the spirit of religious education.

In a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that the Centre’s cooperation was vital for eliminating terrorism in the province. In a statement released on the social media platform X, the interior ministry said that Kundi called on the interior minister in Islamabad. It added that the two discussed security measures in KP’s border areas and ongoing operations against khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to the statement, the interior minister gave assurances of the government’s full cooperation for peace and security in KP. “Establishing peace in KP is the top priority,” he was quoted as saying. He said that the federal government was “prepared to provide support in this regard in every possible way”. “We appreciate the sacrifices made by the people of KP in the war against terrorism,” Naqvi said. “Fitna al Khawarij and their facilitators are be...

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Tuesday that it was resuming direct flights to London in March 2026 after a six-year hiatus. In a statement, the PIA spokesperson said the national flag carrier was increasing its flights to the United Kingdom. He said the airline would operate four weekly flights from Islamabad to London from March 29, 2026. He said that the flights would be operated from Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4. “The flights are being resumed after a long gap of six years,“ he added. The spokesperson further said that London was the airline’s “first-ever” international destination and remained one of its most important routes. He maintained that the national carrier was already operating three weekly flights to Manchester. In June 2020, the European Union Air Safety Agency had barred PIA from operating in EU countries over safety concerns after a flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed near Jinnah International Airport, killing around 100 passengers. The ban on flights followed the ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday condemned reports regarding the targeting of the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a “heinous act”. In a post on X, the prime minister said,“Pakistan condemns the reported targeting of the residence of His Excellency Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation.” He said that such a “heinous act constitutes a grave threat to peace, security and stability, particularly at a time when efforts aimed at peace are underway”. “We reiterate our firm rejection of all forms of violence and acts intended to undermine security and threaten peace,” he said. While the premier did not mention any names, Russian has accused Ukraine of trying to attack Putin’s residence and vowed retaliation, a claim Kyiv dismissed as baseless and aimed at derailing arduous peace talks. The angry exchanges between the warring neighbours on Monday, including a statement by Russia that it was reviewing its stance in negotiations in response to the attack, dealt a new blow ...

A dozen girls whizzed around an English karting track, part of a pioneering drive to draw women into motorsports and maybe even race to the top in male-dominated Formula 1. A special test day in October in Nottingham aimed to address a major gender gap in F1, one of the flashiest of sports. Italian Lella Lombardi was the last woman to compete in an F1 Grand Prix in 1976, and the absence of women on the circuit is linked to young girls’ limited exposure to motorsports, according to gender parity organisations. More Than Equal, a non-profit that supports women drivers, said girls start karting two years later than boys on average. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, for example, got into the format aged just eight. “These are the first steps that a girl could take,” Cameron Biggs, coaching and academy pathway manager at Motorsport UK, told AFP. “We’re really trying to join the dots between grassroots and elite.” Formula 1 is one of the world’s few non-segregated sports but is one of the most male-domninated....

ISLAMABAD: Arif Habib — chairman of the investment firm that headed the consortium that won the auction for a controlling stake in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd (PIACL) — has said the privatisaton of the national flag carrier would lead to an increase in employment in the airline as the new owners were looking to expand its business. An Arif Habib group-led consortium had won the auction for the airline with a bid of Rs135 billion last week after a competitive process, marking the country’s first major privatisation in nearly two decades. The investment firm‘s chairman spoke about the development on DawnNewsTV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’ — televised on Monday night — where he was asked about PIA employees’ concerns, reservations and protests regarding their jobs against the backdrop of the airline’s privatisaion. In response, Habib said the “number of staff [in the airline] was reasonable”, adding that the privatisation would in fact increase employment on the whole as an expansion was planned a...

Pakistan has achieved significant progress in trade and educational cooperation with Tajikistan, driven by initiatives of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), marking a new chapter in bilateral relations.

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) have agreed to enhance mutual collaboration to strengthen the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in the country.

KARACHI: A first information report (FIR) has been registered against more than a dozen lawyers after YouTuber Rajab Butt was physically assaulted during a court appearance in Karachi on Monday, it emerged on Tuesday. On Monday, Butt was physically assaulted, allegedly by some lawyers, at the Karachi City Court premises during the hearing of his bail plea in a case registered against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Butt’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, said on X that “a few lawyers launched a life-threatening attack on him within the court premises”. A video of the incident showed Butt, clad in a shirt torn from places, moving through a crowd surrounding him. The FIR of the incident, a copy of which is available with Dawn, was subsequently registered on the complaint of Butt’s lawyer, Ashfaq. It named Advocate Riaz Ali Solangi, Advocate Abdul Fatah and “another 15-20 lawyers”. It should be mentioned that Solangi is also the complainant in the case registered against Butt for allegedly hurting religi...

Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, died after a prolonged illness, her opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said on Tuesday. Khaleda, aged 80, had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, chest and heart problems, her doctors said. “The BNP chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00am (0000 GMT), just after the Fajr prayer,” the party said in a statement. “We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul,” it added. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said Bangladesh “has lost a great guardian”. “Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions and inspired to regain liberty,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner said in a statement. “I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia’s soul,” ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina said, in a statement on social media by her now banned Awami League party. Desp...

Pakistan has strongly condemned the reported targeting of the residence of Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s residence, describing the incident as a grave threat to peace, security and stability, particularly at a time when efforts toward peace are underway.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday assured Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi of complete federal cooperation in addressing the security challenges faced by the province.

The District Police Officer (DPO) Murree has enforced Section 144 to ensure the safety of tourists and maintain law and order ahead of New Year celebrations.

A father and son accused of a mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach “acted alone” and were not part of a wider terrorist cell, police said on Tuesday. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly killed 15 people in an ISIS-inspired attack targeting a Jewish festival on December 14. The pair travelled to the southern Philippines in the weeks before shooting, fuelling suspicions they may be linked to extremists. Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett said so far, this did not appear to be the case. “These individuals are alleged to have acted alone,” she told reporters. “There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell, or were directed by others to carry out the attack.” Barrett said police would continue to probe why the pair travelled to the city of Davao, where CCTV showed they barely left their budget hotel. “I want to be clear. I am not suggesting they were there for tourism,” she said. Police believe the duo “meticulously planned” the attack for...