Pakistan

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Pays tributes to ZA Bhutto for laying foundation of AIOU which helps distant learning at any age

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The past year proved to be a historic one for Punjab's state apparatus, marked by an increased centralization of power

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Patients complain of delay in provision of medicines

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More than 4,400 cases registered against illegal hunting

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Pistol snatched from victim during altercation

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Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday termed Pakistan-China friendship “vital” for regional peace and stability as both leaders co-chaired the 7th round of the Pakistan–China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Beijing. Dar reached Beijing on Sat­urday at Wang’s invitation, primarily to co-chair the strategic dialogue. Following the dialogue today, the Foreign Office (FO) in a statement on social media platform X said: “Highlighting the salience of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, both leaders reaffirmed that the Pakistan–China friendship is vital for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and for the two countries. “They also agreed to enhance coordination at bilateral and multilateral fora,” the FO added. The two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of Pak–China relations and discussed “key issues at the regional and global levels”. The FO further said views were exchanged on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), trade, multilateral coop...

KARACHI: Five members of a family, including two children, were rescued on Sunday after falling into an open drain in Korangi’s Mehran Town area, according to Rescue 1122 officials. A Rescue 1122 spokesperson said the Central Command and Control received the alert and immediately dispatched a water rescue team and trained divers to the site. “The rescue team carried out a rapid operation and rescued all five affected individuals, who were heading to attend a wedding ceremony,” he said. The spokesperson said all affected individuals were rescued and taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre by ambulance for medical treatment. However, one of the women rescued from the drain was reported to be in critical condition, the spokesperson added. The spokesperson told Dawn that four people – two women and children – were on their way to attend the wedding ceremony. Upon reaching the corner of the street to board the bus, they ascended over a rain drain near the mosque covered with slabs; however, it could not be...

Bangladesh will not play their T20 World Cup matches in India after its cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the countries. Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (BCCI). Bangladesh are scheduled to play three T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7-March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift its team’s games to Sri Lanka. “The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” a BCB statement read. It said its decision was made due to “growing concerns regarding the safety and security” of its players, and based on its government’s advice. “In light of this decision, the B...

Additional staff have been deployed at M-Tag centres in Islamabad as over 120,000 vehicles have registered ahead of the January 15 deadline. The M-Tag is a prepaid radio frequency identification (RFID) sticker for a car windshield that automates toll payments. As a vehicle passes through a toll plaza, scanners identify the vehicle and entry point; upon exiting, the system automatically deducts the fare from the balance, eliminating the need to wait in long queues. To ensure the security of the federal capital and link vehicles with electronic monitoring, the administration has decided that vehicles without M-Tags will not be allowed to enter Islamabad from the now-extended deadline of January 15. With 12 days remaining before enforcement begins, authorities in Islamabad have reported steady progress in the M-Tag registration drive. Officials said 120,447 vehicles have been fitted with M-Tags so far, while 3,392 vehicles were registered in the last 24 hours alone. Excise and Taxation Department Director Genera...

LAKKI MARWAT/ BANNU: Three traffic police personnel were martyred in firing by suspected terrorists in the Serai Naurang area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Sunday. Qudratullah, spokesperson for the district police officer (DPO), told Dawn the three traffic policemen were on duty near the Dil Begu Khel area when “unidentified terrorists, who were on a motorcycle”, opened fire on them. As a result, they died on the spot, the spokesperson said. Ticketing officer in-charge Jalal Khan was among the martyred, he said, adding that two other personnel were identified as Azizullah and Abdullah. The bodies were moved to Naurang Hospital, and police have launched a search operation at the site of the incident, Qudratullah said. Later in the day, the funeral prayers of the martyred traffic cops were offered at the Lakki Marwat Police Lines with official honours. Police and district administration officers, the bereaved family members and other residents attended the prayers. Funeral prayers of three tr...

The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the militant Islamic State (IS) group to store weapons. “Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation,” the statement added. The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyra had posed any risk to civilians. IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country’s vast desert. Last month, Washington said a lone IS gunman in Palmyra attacked American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian. US forces said they struck dozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation.

PESHAWAR: At least six people were killed, including a mother and three daughters, and five were injured on Sunday after the dilapidated roof of a house collapsed in Shabqadar tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district, police said. Per the police, most of the victims were guests who had arrived to attend a wedding ceremony at the house where the incident occurred. The event was scheduled for Sunday evening. “The incident occurred at around 4am when the dilapidated roof collapsed on the family and guests, prompting the neighbours to rush to the site and manage to pull out the bodies and the injured from the debris,” a statement from the police said. Rescue 1122 teams arrived at the scene later, launching relief operations and shifting the injured and deceased to the hospital. The bodies and injured were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Shabqadar, the statement added. Roof collapses are largely caused by substandard construction, use of poor-quality materials, and lack of enforcement of bu...

KARACHI: Police have arrested the prime suspect accused of killing four people whose partially decomposed bodies were found in a pit off Karachi’s Mai Kolachi Road earlier this week, authorities said on Sunday, adding that the suspect had confessed to the crime. According to police, the four bodies — of a woman and her three children — were recovered from a pit off Mai Kolachi Road on Friday night in the limits of the Docks police station. Police said the bodies had marks of torture, and the deceased appeared to have been killed with an axe or another sharp-edged object. A statement by the office of Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said today the prime suspect in the case had been arrested by Kaemari police and had confessed to the crime during interrogation. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Asad Raza also confirmed the development to Dawn, saying that digital forensics of the mobile of the deceased woman had established that the suspect had been in contact with her. “He wanted to get rid ...

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday amid mounting international alarm over the United States’ military action in Venezuela and concerns that the crisis has now moved beyond bilateral tensions. On Saturday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the crisis in Venezuela could undermine the foundations of international law by setting a “dangerous precedent“ for similar actions in the near future. The meeting was requested by Colombia and supported by China and the Russian Federation, with Venezuela also formally appealing to the Council. According to the Council presidency, the session will be held under the agenda item “Threats to International Peace and Security,” and the secretary general is expected to brief the members. In a statement issued through his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, Secretary General Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today’s (Saturday) United States military acti...