Pakistan

Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday announced the establishment of an aquaculture park in Karachi’s Korangi Fish Harbour to bolster Pakistan’s blue economy. The government aims to develop the maritime sector and tap the economic potential of the country’s over 1000-kilometre-long coastline. Under the recently launched “Maritime at 100“ Vision, the country aims to grow the sector into a $100 billion economic force by 2047. Chaudhry announced the establishment of a “state-of-the-art” aquaculture park at the Korangi harbour at an estimated cost of Rs3bn, according to a press release issued by the ministry. The development came as Chaudhry chaired a high-level meeting on the development of a blue economy. The meeting was attended by Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Chairman Noorul Haq Baloch, as well as representatives from the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KoFHA), the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD), and the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The estimated annu...

The spillways of Rawal Dam will be opened at 6:00 AM on Sunday (July 20) after the reservoir’s water level surged to 1,748 feet following continuous rainfall in the federal capital.

Fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) won top awards in two categories at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2025 in the United Kingdom, state-run PTV reported on Saturday. RIAT, which runs from July 18 to 20, is one of the world’s largest military airshows, has been running for over 50 years and powers the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, according to its website. On Thursday, a PAF contingent comprising “state-of-the-art JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter aircraft and the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, landed at the Royal Air Force Base Fairford in the UK to participate in the prestigious” RIAT 2025, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The JF-17 Block-III was awarded the “Spirit of the Meet Trophy” for its “striking livery and the incredible journey from Pakistan with non-stop air-to-air refuelling,” PTV reported. According to ISPR’s press release earlier this week, the JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighters executed successful Air-to-Air Refuelling operations en rout...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit the United States next week to attend high-level events of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and “certain” other engagements in Washington, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday. Earlier this month, Pakistan assumed presidency of the UNSC, marking the country’s eighth term on the 15-member body and its first presidency since 2013. Islamabad began its current two-year term as a non-permanent member in January 2025 and will serve through the end of 2026. Dar will visit the US to “attend the high-level signature events of Pakistan’s UN Security Council (UNSC) Presidency in New York, as well as for certain engagements in Washington”, the FO said in a statement. The statement, which did not specify the dates of Dar’s visit, mentioned at least four UNSC-affiliated events that he will attend. His expected engagements in Washington, the hub of the White House, come amid ongoing trade talks between the countries. To express Pakistan’s “strong commitment a...

The federal government has officially assigned the responsibility of electricity bill distribution to Pakistan Post, marking a significant shift in utility service operations.

The business community in Karachi observed a partial strike on Saturday against the tax measures and arrest powers of the federal tax authority under the Finance Act FY26. The call for a countrywide strike was issued last week by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), backed by trade bodies, industrial area associations, petroleum dealers, transporters, and chain store operators. The KCCI protested against what they described as anti-business measures and proposed provincial labour policies. “A partial strike was observed in Karachi on the call of industrialists and supported by traders of markets against enhancing FBR’s powers to conduct raids and arrests of businessmen,” All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Chairman Atiq Mir told Dawn.com. All Karachi Tajir Ittehad is an association of markets and shopkeepers in the metropolis. Mir said that the markets at Gul Plaza, Teen Talwar in Clifton and Nursery remained open. However, the majority of traders have supported the strike, though some of the traders ha...

The body of local mountaineer Iftikhar Hussain who lost his life when his four-member international expedition team was caught in an avalanche on the K2 peak was brought to his hometown of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Skardu on Saturday, officials said. K2, standing at 8,611 metres above sea level, is the second-highest peak in the world, attracting a host of local and foreign tourists. Last summer, GB authorities issued a total of 175 permits to climbers aspiring to conquer the mountain, despite the treacherous climb and harsh weather conditions. The senior vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), Karrar Haidri, told Dawn.com that at approximately 12:30pm on Friday, an avalanche struck Camp 1 on K2, located about 500m above the base camp. Four climbers were caught in the avalanche. “A foreign climber sustained minor injuries, while two others successfully returned to the Advance Base Camp,” Haidri said in a statement. However, high-altitude porter Iftikhar Hussain from Sadpara in Skardu lost his life in th...

Syria’s interim government said its security forces were deploying in the predominantly-Druze southern city of Sweida on Saturday and urged all parties to respect a ceasefire, after days of factional bloodshed that has left hundreds dead. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in a separate speech, said that “Arab and American” mediation had helped bring calm, and criticised Israel for airstrikes against Syrian government forces in the south and Damascus during the week. Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, which began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, before Damascus sent in government security forces. Israel has carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus, saying it is protecting the Druze minority, of whom there are a significant number in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to end hostilitie...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday commended the police force for killing four Khwarij terrorists during the Hangu operation.

An avalanche struck Camp 1 on K2— the world’s second-highest peak—on Friday, July 18, at approximately 2:30 PM, resulting in the death of a Pakistani climber and injuries to a foreign mountaineer, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said the government aims to follow the ongoing trade talks with the United States by discussing investment, terming it a potential “game-changer” for economic ties between the two countries. He made the remarks after meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on Friday as part of a critical round of trade talks aimed at securing tariff relief and expanding bilateral economic cooperation. “One thing we discussed was that we have to move beyond the immediate trade imperative, which is obviously very critical, but besides that, for the Pakistan-US relationship to be brought to the next level and bring in a real step change, [there is] an investment imperative that will hopefully emerge,” Aurangzeb said in a video statement. “Areas [for investment] have already been identified,” the minister said, mentioning minerals and mining, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and cryptocurrency. “We feel this will...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a series of high-level diplomatic engagements this week, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening ties with key regional partners.

Trade relations between Pakistan and the United States have gained positive momentum following the recent visit of Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to Washington, according to a Bloomberg report.

All candidates contesting the Senate elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been elected unopposed following a mutual understanding between the provincial government and the opposition parties.

United States President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion on Friday over the publication of a bombshell article on his friendship with the infamous alleged sex trafficker of underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein. The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, saw the 79-year-old Republican hitting back at a scandal threatening to cause serious political damage. “We have just filed a powerhouse lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, fake news ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is The Wall Street Journal,” Trump posted on Truth Social late on Friday. The Journal reported on Thursday that in 2003, the then-real estate magnate wrote a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and alluding to a shared “secret”. The lawsuit, which also names two reporters, the Dow Jones corporation and Murdoch’s parent company News Corp as defendants, claims that no such letter exists and tha...

The fourth spell of monsoon rains is set to begin across Pakistan from tomorrow, with heavy rainfall and thunderstorms forecast for Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan, according to the Meteorological Department.

The Pakistan Airports Authority has extended its airspace ban on Indian aircraft for another month, now effective until August 23, 2025.

The Pakistani government has announced a five-year ban on the construction of new hotels around scenic lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan, aiming to curb environmental degradation in the ecologically fragile region.

ISLAMABAD: Five senior judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC), who challenged the transfer of the incumbent Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court (LHC), have been sidelined in the recent reshuffling of key committees. The IHC has constituted a new administrative committee, comprising four judges, in the light of amendments to the High Court Rules that have significantly reshaped the court’s internal power structure. According to a notification issued by the registrar’s office with the approval of the chief justice, the newly-formed committee will be headed by Justice Dogar himself, while Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Azam Khan will serve as members. The formation of the new committee follows a major administrative reshuffle at the IHC which has notably curtailed the powers of senior puisne judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. Previously considered one of the most influential judges in the court, Justice Kayani has been excluded from the a...

Karachi - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of newly constructed buildings at NED University and the distribution of Chromebooks to top performers of the People’s Information Technology Programme (PITP), emphasized his government’s dedication to higher education, digital.