Pakistan

Indian forensic investigators have identified all 260 people killed in last month’s crash of a London-bound passenger plane, health authorities said on Wednesday, ahead of a hugely anticipated preliminary report into what went wrong. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the probe into one of the deadliest air disasters in decades, with an initial report expected on Friday. All but one of the 242 people aboard the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed on June 12. It ploughed into housing just after takeoff in the western city of Ahmedabad, and authorities have also identified 19 people killed on the ground. No details have been released about the probe, in which British and US air accident investigation agencies have also taken part. But specialist website The Air Current, citing multiple sources familiar with the investigation, reported it had “narrowed its focus to the movement of the engine fuel switches”, while noting that full analysis will “take months — if no...

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad said on Wednesday the institution plans to launch a pilot for a digital currency and is finalising legislation to regulate virtual assets as the government ramps up efforts to modernise the country’s financial system. Central banks globally are exploring the use of digital currencies as interest in blockchain-based payments grows. Pakistan’s move follows similar steps by regulators in China, India, Nigeria and several Gulf states to test or issue digital currencies through controlled pilot programmes. At the Reuters NEXT Asia summit in Singapore, Ahmad said Pakistan was “building up our capacity on the central bank digital currency” and hoped to roll out a pilot soon. He was speaking on a panel alongside Sri Lanka’s central bank governor, P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, with both discussing monetary policy challenges in South Asia. Ahmad said a new law would “lay down the foundations for the licensing and regulation” of the virtual assets sector and that the central...

A drone attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district claimed the life of a woman and left three others injured, police confirmed on Wednesday.

Christian Horner was sacked on Wednesday by Red Bull after 20 years as team principal of the Formula One outfit. The 51-year-old has been in charge since the team was formed in 2005 and has led them to eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ crowns. Dutchman Max Verstappen has won the past four drivers’ titles for Red Bull, matching the achievement of Sebastian Vettel, who dominated for the team from 2010 to 2013. Horner’s dismissal as CEO and team principal comes 17 months after he was accused by a female colleague of “inappropriate behaviour”. The Englishman was twice cleared over the claims by the Formula One team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, and his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, stood by him. But there have been rumblings of discontent within the team, with several high-profile departures, while form on the track has nose-dived. “Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today (Wednesday) and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing...

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday accused Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval of being the “chief architect” of terrorism in Pakistan. The interview comes amid tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries in the wake of their recent military confrontation, sparked by New Delhi’s baseless allegations against Islamabad over a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. During an exclusive interview with Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, the military’s spokesperson branded Doval the “evil chief architect of India’s terror enterprise” and accused him of being responsible for not only acts of terrorism in Pakistan, but also terrorism within the region and transnational killings. “Do you think it’s happening on its own? This terror enterprise cannot be sustained without the sponsorship of India,” the DG ISPR said. “Who is the chief architect? Mr Ajit Doval.” According to the ISPR chief, India provided funding, planning, intelligence and tech...

The Parliamentary delegation led by Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Wednesday, met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, in Baku.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has launched the second phase of its flagship initiative – Digitising Pakistan’s Oil supply chain.

Today is the final day for mandatory Hajj 2026 registration, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said Pakistan and Turkiye were pursuing the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Turkish entrepreneurs in Karachi. The announcement came after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad earlier today on an official visit. Turkiye’s Minister of National Defence Yasar Guler is also visiting Pakistan. Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy strong bilateral ties built on shared cultural, religious and historical bonds, as well as mutual respect. In February, the two countries pledged to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Islamabad. “We are pursuing the establishment of a Special Economic Zone dedicated to Turkish entrepreneurs at Karachi,” Dar said, addressing a press conference alongside Fidan at the Foreign Office (FO). Dar also mentioned other engagements, including the revival of the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad train, saying, “Our delegations are meeting in the coming weeks to finalise t...

The Islamabad Excise and Taxation Department has set a new benchmark in revenue collection, surpassing previous records by a significant margin, collecting Rs 21.

The Rawalpindi Police on Wednesday said they arrested a man for allegedly killing his daughter for ‘honour’ over not deleting her account on social media platform TikTok. The first information report (FIR) of the case was registered at Rawat Police Station a day ago on the complaint of Head Constable Shahbaz Anjum Kayani under Section 302 (Punishment of qatl-i-amd), and Section 311 (Waiver or compounding of qisas) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Under Section 311, the state becomes the complainant, as this provision is non-compoundable, and the case must proceed to a logical conclusion. The punishment for ‘honour’ killings, under Sections 311 and 302, includes the death sentence or life imprisonment. The option for a 25-year sentence under Section 302C is not applicable when Section 311 is invoked. The FIR said the incident occurred at 11:30am a day ago in Dhok Chaudhrian, within the limits of the Rawat Police Station when Kayani received a tipoff from a source about the suspect asking his daughter to delete her ...

Around 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the severe heatwave that ended last week, according to a rapid scientific analysis published on Wednesday. The study targeted the 10 days, ending July 2, during which large parts of Western Europe were hit by extreme heat, with temperatures breaching 40 degrees Celsius in Spain and wildfires breaking out in France. Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe, according to the study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous,” said Dr Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London. The study covered 12 cities, including Barcelona, Madrid, London and Milan, where the researchers said climate change had increased heatwave temperatures by up to 4°C. The...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved its decision on a petition challenging the election of National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, following final arguments from both parties.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) said two of its pilots were killed as a Jaguar fighter jet crashed near a village in Rajasthan’s Churu district on Wednesday. “An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident,” the IAF said in a post on X. The statement added that no damage to any civilian property had been reported. “IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief,” the statement read, adding that a court of inquiry had been constituted to determine the cause of the accident. The aircraft was a Jaguar jet, originally a British-French-made aircraft, that crashed in an agricultural field at around 1:25pm, Rajaldesar Station House Officer Kamlesh told Press Trust of India. Human body parts were found near the crash site, SHO Kamlesh had added. An investigation and rescue operations are underway after authorities rushed to the scene...

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Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has strongly denounced Indian state-sponsored terrorism, condemned extremist threats posed by the so-called “Khawarij” groups, and reaffirmed the security and strength of Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed his satisfaction at the record-high remittances received during the fiscal year 2024-25 and resolved that the government was committed to economic prosperity after bringing economic stability.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has emphasized the need for coordinated and actionable steps to restore cotton’s central role in the economy and improve returns for farmers.

One person was killed while three children were injured after militants carried out two quadcopter attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Wednesday, according to police. The incident comes after reports of multiple quadcopter and drone attacks in KP and Balochistan over the past year. In March, at least 11 people were killed in Mardan in what locals insisted was a drone strike, while in May, a suspected quadcopter munitions drop claimed the lives of four children and injured five others in North Waziristan District’s Mir Ali tehsil. The military clarified that security forces were “falsely implicated” in the incident and that it was carried out by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kulachi told Dawn.com: “Two quadcopter incidents occurred in the district today. In the first quadcopter attack by militants, one woman was killed while three children were injured, including two of the woman’s children.” The woman’s body and the injured people w...

Temu, the ultra-discount international e-commerce platform, is facing intense backlash in Pakistan following a sudden and dramatic increase in product prices.