Pakistan

TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Saturday Tehran “will not yield” following US President Donald Trump’s threat to aid protesters, while warning that domestic “rioters” must be “put in their place” amid swelling unrest over soaring inflation. Speaking in a recorded television appearance marking a holiday, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the mounting crisis facing Iran’s leadership. He adopted a dual approach to the demonstrations that have flared across more than two dozen cities since Sunday, acknowledging legitimate economic grievances while drawing a hard line against political dissent. “We will speak with the protesters, but talking to rioters is useless,” Khamenei said. “Rioters should be put in their place.” Khamenei’s defiance came just one day after Trump warned that the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go” regarding the situation in Iran. Although Trump did not specify what action he might take, the threat adds to the pressure on Tehran following US and Israeli airstrik...

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over his repeated absences in a case registered against him under the cybercrime law for allegedly making online remarks against state institutions. Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah observed that the CM had repeatedly ignored summons and remained absent from proceedings without any lawful justification. The court noted that despite being given multiple opportunities to present himself before the court and respond to the allegations, the accused failed to comply with judicial directions. The court took a serious view of the persistent non-appearance and termed it a deliberate attempt to evade the legal process. Consequently, the judge ordered law enforcement authorities to ensure Mr Afridi’s production before the court. Following the issuance of the arrest warrants, the court adjourned proceedings till January 17. According to the case record, the matter stems from a complaint register...

LAHORE: A constitutional petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the recent privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Filed by Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahloon, the petition seeks to set aside the sale of the national carrier, describing it as illegal and unconstitutional. The Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) had endorsed a Rs135 billion bid from an Arif Habib Group-led consortium for a 75 per cent stake in the airline. The winning bid was approximately 35pc higher than the government’s reference price of Rs115bn. The consortium has pledged to invest an additional Rs80bn to Rs125bn into the airline for fleet modernisation and operational restructuring. The petitioner argues that the privatisation process, specifically the Expression of Interest (EOI) published on May 7, 2025 and the subsequent sale on Dec 23 violates the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (Conversion) Act, 2016. Petitioner says Dec 23 move is in violation of law governing the airline He ...

I am an airport person — not because I travel often, but because I love their peculiar atmosphere: the sense of transition, the emotion of crossing borders. Yet I have come to recognise another dimension: airports often capture the essence of the society that built them. Earlier in October, I booked my flight from Berlin to Karachi after completing my postgraduation in Germany. This was not my first time travelling the Berlin-Doha-Karachi route and, like every time, I looked forward to my three-hour layover at the Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. DOHA’S DOUBLE-EDGED LUXURY A brief stay at this airport feels like a delight for the senses; an artificial tropical garden, endless dining options and other curated attractions look like something from a fairytale. I realise that my liking sits at odds with my sociological leanings. The Doha airport represents all that I dislike about the region’s neoliberal culture: hyper-consumerism, late-stage capitalism and an undue fixation on aesthetics. Yet the airp...

Strawberry plant in a clay pot | Photos by the writer They are the jewels of romance: plump, heart-shaped strawberries, dipped in chocolate or shared by hand, their scarlet hue evoking passion and their sweetness a classic gesture of affection. For centuries, they have served as an edible symbol of love. But the strawberry is not just a token of love. It is also one of the most forgiving and rewarding plants that you can cultivate at home. And a ripe strawberry is more than just a sugary treat, offering a slew of health benefits. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and contains manganese, potassium, folate and fibre. These antioxidants strengthen the immune system and improve heart health. For those growing at home, strawberry cultivation begins with planting seedlings or runners in well-draining, nutrient-rich soil. As the plants mature, they enter the flowering phase, where white or pink blossoms appear, each containing both male (stamens with pollen-bearing anthers) and female (pistils) reproductive par...

Everybody calls the Deosai Plateau the ‘land of giants.’ Even the Dawn correspondent in Gilgit wrote that it ‘is sometimes called the land of giants.’ But is it? And if it is, where does the title come from? But before that, a bit of geography: the rolling, well-watered grassland sits at an average height of 4,000 metres above the sea, just south of Skardu in Baltistan division. Covering an area of roughly 4,500 square kilometres, it is hemmed in by peaks rising another 1,000 metres higher. It is home to a wide variety of mammals, the Tibetan brown bear being its signature species. SPLICING IN HISTORY The earliest reference we get to it, only by association, is from the Shah Jahan Nama, when we hear that, in 1637, the Lahori Arain Zafar Khan, then governor of Kashmir, led an army comprising 2,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry to capture ‘Little Tibet’, as Baltistan was known. This was after an earlier attempt during Jahangir’s rule had ended in a disastrous retreat, with a huge loss of life. The Shah Jahan Nama...

ISLAMABAD: The increasing use of AI, along with the impact of the global “chip war”, is becoming evident even in local markets, as smartphone prices have started to rise. While Infinix and Tecno have already announced higher rates, other brands, including Vgotel, Vivo, Realme, Oppo, etc., plan to announce new rates in the coming week. Manufacturers say this is due to the high cost of chipsets. “The memory chips have become costlier, between 20 and 30 per cent, and all of it is imported,” said Muzaffar Paracha, Senior Vice-Chairman of the Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Ass­ociation (PMPMA). Manufacturers cite higher memory-chip costs, AI-driven demand and global supply constraints for rising handset prices Manufacturers noted that the cost of memory chips has increased by $20-30 per set. This is because the world is facing a shortage of memory chips. “There are only three key producers of mobile phones — Apple, Samsung and Chinese brands that dominate world markets,” said Amir Allawala, a senior member of...

Special forces remove Venezuela president, wife to NY; US takes control of Venezuela's huge oil reserves

Will take all possible measures to secure IWT water share

With 600km range, air-launched missile is designed for low-altitude flight and high accuracy strikes

Islamabad - Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar will co-chair two-day seventh round of the China–Pakistan Strategic Dialogue commencing in Beijing on Sunday (today).

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday held virtual consultations with his counterparts from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusing on regional developments and underscoring the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in easing tensions, the Foreign.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Air Force on Saturday successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Taimoor Weapon System, marking another significant milestone in the advancement of national aerospace and defence capabilities.

RAWALPINDI - Three individuals, including an Army Captain, a soldier and a civilian embraced martyrdom after a snow slide struck an overnight snow clearance operation at Burzil Pass.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Saturday firmly rejected the irresponsible assertions made by the Indian External Affairs Minister, aimed at deflecting attention from its own troubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability.

Notes no real production expansion; suggests enabling policies for businesses

Commissioner attributes improved performance to strict enforcement of laws, regulations

RRI-developed grain measures 9.66mm, offers higher yields; exporters see potential in premium rice markets

Banks see weak uptake as urban property prices outpace financing

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