Pakistan

LAHORE: The Flood Forecasting Division on Wednesday warned of “exceptionally high flood” in River Jhelum in the next 24 hours, producing 350,000- to 450,000-cusec stream and asked “all concerned to remain alert”. Although alert, both Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) responding to warning are jubilant and promising to “absorb” the entire stream at Mangla Dam, where such cushion is available. According to Irsa spokesman Khalid Idrees Rana, the authority would do its best to store the entire stream. “In fact, the authority was hoping, and praying, for River Jehlum to swell during this monsoon and yield some additional water. At present, Mangla Dam is standing at 1,186 feet, against its maximum level of 1,242 feet – it still can go up by 56 feet. It is holding 3.41 million acre feet of water, whereas it can go up to 7.3 million feet. “Irsa’s optimism of absorbing the entire flood wave is based on the filling criteria. Unlike Tarbella, where after reaching a cer...

• Gender pay gap at 25pc hourly, 30pc monthly • Women make up only 13.5pc of workforce ISLAMABAD: Women in wage employment earn substantially lower wages than their male counterparts in Pakistan, according to a report launched by the International Labour Organ­isation (ILO) on Wednesday. The ‘Pakistan Gender Pay Gap Report 2025’ estimates the gender pay gap at approximately 25 per cent based on hourly wages and 30pc based on monthly wages. The gender pay gap in Pakistan is also significant by international standards. In comparison, lower-middle-income countries — the income group Pakistan falls under — have an average gender pay gap of 21pc based on monthly wages and 17pc based on hourly wages. While launching the report, Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to ensuring equal pay for work of equal value. He said the report and accompanying action plan represent a vital step towards identifying and addressing the barriers that hinder women’s p...

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two police constables were martyred when unk­n­own assailants opened fire near Shahi Gate in the Kulachi tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Head Const­able Ghulam Muhammad, from Panyala village in Dera Ismail Khan, and Constable Shehzad, from Aba Khel village in Lakki Marwat district. According to a police spokesperson, the constables were travelling on a motorcycle when the incident took place. One of the constables, who had a disability, was being transported to a hospital by his colleague when they were attacked. The assailants fired upon them as they reached Shahi Gate, resulting in the death of both officers on the spot. Police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area after the attack and initiated a search operation. As the attackers attempted to flee, police returned fire, killing one assailant and injuring two others. A Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition were recovered from the deceased militant. The Counter-Terrorism Depar...

PESHAWAR / ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) recent order and subsequent notifications related to reserved seats have led to partial changes in the party positions in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Asse­mbly, with the JUI-F losing two and PPP losing one seat overall. While PTI-backed lawmakers maintain their tally of 92 members, opposition parties have experienced slight variations in their seat allocations. The development has not impacted the overall seat count for the opposition, but individual party positions have shifted. The ECP reduced one reserved seat each for JUI-F and PPP, while one has been allocated to PML-N. With the latest notifications, JUI-F and PML-N each hold 17 seats in the 125-member house, while PPP holds 10 seats. The Awami National Party (ANP) and PTI-Parliamentarians (PTI-P) each have three seats. ECP fears delay in oath-taking may affect Senate polls; asks PHC to designate ‘oath commissioner’ The fate of one of the 26 seats reserved for women is to be decided by a draw b...

• Karachi-based Sabri qawwals were supposed to perform at a wedding in Quetta • Major leading Awaran operation martyred QUETTA: Just days after the deadly bus attack in the Zhob area of Balochistan, another passenger bus came under attack that claimed three innocent lives, including two Karachi-based Sabri qawwals, and left 13 others injured on the outskirts of Kalat on Wednesday. SSP Shahzad told Dawn that three people who lost their lives in bus firing Kalat included famous qawal Ahmed Hussain Sabri, his son Ahmed Raza Sabri, who left for Quetta along with other musicians of the group in a bus. “My brother, nephew and one musician killed in the armed attack,” famous Karachi-based Qawal Majid Ali Sabri said on the phone. He said his brother, nephew and other musicians were travelling to Quetta for performance at a wedding ceremony. “My close relatives and musicians are among the injured,” added Majid Sabri who along with his wife is due in the provincial capital on Thursday (today). Officials said the armed ...

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), has issued an official reminder to the heads of all political parties to submit their consolidated statements of accounts (Form-D) pertaining to the fiscal year 2024–25 no later than Au­gust 29.

Gas supply to Punjab disrupted as miscreants blow up main pipeline in Lakki Marwat.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China yester­day vowed to bolster bilat­eral ties as they discussed progress on the multibil­lion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Despite IMF objection, new agreement allows exports if stocks exceed 7MMT

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External outflows, SBP purchases also weigh; gold down Rs3,000/tola

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A crush at an aid centre in southern Gaza killed at least 20 people on Wednesday, with the site’s operator blaming “Hamas operatives” within the crowd and the Palestinian territory’s civil defence agency attributing the panic to Israeli gunfire. It was the first time that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the United States […]

LAHORE: A man fell into an open manhole in Rasool Park, Shahdara Lahore, inducing serious action from the Punjab Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Department, ARY News reported. The Lahore manhole accident happened at a rainwater drainage site supervised by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), where safety guidelines, including warning signage and barriers, […]

KARACHI: The U.S. Department of Commerce, in association with the U.S. Department of State and Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs, held a high-impact webinar focused on exploring Pakistan port investment opportunities, ARY News reported. This is a strategic decision to deepen U.S.-Pakistan trade relations. The engaged participants from over 65 American companies signalled growing interest […]

ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) summoned Aleema Khan, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, to question her related to alleged in anti-state activities on social media, ARY News reported. The NCCIA issued a call-up notice to Aleema Khan, directing her to appear at its Lahore office on July 17. […]

DC Studios chief James Gunn shared a new poster for ‘Supergirl,’ starring actor Milly Alcock in the lead role, on Wednesday. To Read Lifestyle Stories in Urdu – Click Here The ‘Superman’ director took to X to drop an image of the ‘House of the Dragon’ star in the ‘Supergirl’ suit. The DC Studios chief […]

The tournament will feature six teams each for men and women

He is also hoping to book a spot in upcoming Ashes

With no official BCB update, users flocked to the site early