Pakistan

Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders have been told to release fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said on Saturday, amid growing tensions between the countries. The development comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som’s criticed Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for inducting Mustafizur in his franchise, calling Khan a traitor. Mustafizur’s selection to play for KKR had come amid allegations mostly by the Indian right-wing over attacks on Hindus. Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death. “Due to recent developments going on all across, the BCCI has instructed the franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to relea...

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed “Taimoor” weapon system, the military’s media affairs wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the development marked another significant milestone in the advancement of national aerospace and defence capabilities. “Taimoor air-launched cruise missile is capable of engaging enemy land and sea targets with high precision at a range of 600 kilometres, carrying a conventional warhead,” it said. “Equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and guidance system, Taimoor is designed to fly at very low altitudes, enabling it to effectively evade hostile air and missile defence systems,” it said. “Its precision-strike capability significantly enhances the conventional deterrence and operational flexibility of PAF, further strengthening the country’s overall defence posture,” it added. “The successful flight test underscores the technical maturity, innovation and self-reliance achiev...

BAJAUR: A man was killed while three others, including two cops, were injured after unknown terrorists attacked a police post in Bajaur district’s Barang tehsil in the early hours of Saturday. Police and local residents said the attack on the police post, located in the hilly Kohi Sar area about 22 kilometres from Khar, the district headquarters, occurred at around 2am. Israr Khan, the spokesperson for the district police, told Dawn that the deceased was identified as 60-year-old Naseem Gul, a local resident. He added that the injured included two cops, 35-year-old Constable Suliman Khan and 58-year-old Constable Saz Muhammad, and 28-year-old Sahibzada, a school watchman. He said the injured were taken to the District Headquarter Hospital in Khar for treatment, where their condition was said to be stable. He said terrorists used both heavy and light weapons in the attack. The police spokesperson said that soon after the attack, a joint team comprising security forces and police reached the area and launched a...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday rejected the “irresponsible assertions” made by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, saying that New Delhi was again seeking to “deflect attention from its own troubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability”. Although the FO statement did not make a specific mention of the remarks by the Indian minister, its rebuke came after Indian media reported Jaishankar as saying on Friday that New Delhi had a right to defend itself against terrorism while talking about “bad neighbours”. “You can also have bad neighbours … unfortunately, we do. When you have bad neighbours … if you look to the one to the West — if a country decides that they will deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism, we have a right to defend our people against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He also spoke about the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which has been a major bone of contention between the two countries fol...

WASHINGTON: A fresh round of diplomatic talks on the formation of a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza is expected to be held in a Middle Eastern capital in the coming days, diplomatic sources told Dawn as Muslim countries, including Pakistan, continue to press for clarity on the force’s mandate, operational scope, and political objectives. The ISF, a central element of a US-brokered Gaza peace plan, is envisioned to stabilise the territory following over two years of Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip, protect civilians and humanitarian corridors, and assist in establishing transitional governance through a proposed “Board of Peace”. However, several core issues remain unresolved, including the force’s legal authority, chain of command, funding, duration, and whether it would play a role in disarming Hamas or other Palestinian groups. Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, and other states have expressed willingness to participate in a stabilisation effort that genuinely restores order and facil...

A court in the federal capital on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in a case pertaining to alleged dissemination of misleading content and attempts to damage the reputation of state institutions.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Taimoor Weapon System, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to enhance its aerospace and defence capabilities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has departed for China to co-chair the seventh round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, scheduled to be held in Beijing on January 4, 2026, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.

Pakistan and Azerbaijan have agreed to finalise an investment framework aimed at facilitating Azerbaijani capital inflows into Pakistan, marking a new phase in bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries.

Renowned businessman and founder of the Arif Habib Group, Arif Habib, has expressed confidence in turning Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) into a profitable enterprise while assuring protection for its workforce following the airline’s privatisation.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has ordered immediate action against individuals found to be illegally occupying government residences and retaining official vehicles in Peshawar, according to an official memo issued on Saturday.

Australian police said they would bolster staffing at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the fifth Ashes Test starting on Sunday, weeks after gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city. The father-and-son gunmen are alleged to have carried out the attack at a Hanukkah event at the famed Bondi Beach on December 14. Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades shocked the nation and stoked fears of rising antisemitism in the country. The massacre has sparked more active policing in Sydney, Australia’s most populous city and the capital of New South Wales state. Authorities on Saturday announced a “high-visibility” police presence for the marquee cricket series between Australia and England, which is held every two years. Measures at the cricket ground, some 5km from Bondi Beach, would include the riot patrol unit, officers on horseback and officers carrying rifles. “The difference will be in the visibility of long arms and a stronger presence,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon sai...

Islamabad - Educational ties between Türkiye and Pakistan have strengthened with the Turkish Maarif Foundation announcing its first school in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD - The federal cabinet on Friday endorsed the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), expressing satisfaction over the successful sale of 75 per cent of the national flag carrier’s shares.

Dense fog blanketed large parts of Punjab and Sindh overnight between Friday and Saturday, prompting authorities to shut several sections of the motorway network as visibility dropped to dangerously low levels, officials said.

WASHINGTON: Dr Faiqa Qureshi — the daughter of PAF Air Marshal Nur Khan — passed away after a traffic accident in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. She was 75. According to the Dinwiddie County Police Department, the crash occurred on I-85 North near McKinney Highway on Dec 29. Dr Qureshi died at the scene when her car reportedly collided with an obstruction and caught fire. Dr Qureshi was a highly respected medical professional, known for her dedication to pae­di­a­tric emergency medicine. Her father was among Pakistan’s most admired military figures, serving as PAF chief and later holding key roles in civil aviation, sports administration, and public service. Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026

• Party warns NYC mayor against ‘interfering’ in New Delhi’s internal affairs • Stays silent on US lawmakers’ letter pushing for bail, fair trial for incarcerated activist New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “interfering” in India’s internal affairs by writing a note to jailed student leader Umar Khalid, asserting that New Delhi will not tolerate any such effort. However, the BJP remained mum on a The Hindu report, which stated that eight US lawmakers have written to Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, urging India to grant bail and a free and fair trial to Mr Khalid “in accordance with international law”. Questioning Mr Mamdani’s locus standi to comment on India’s internal matters, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia cautioned the New York City mayor against such efforts. “If India’s sovereignty is challenged, 140 crore Indians will stand united under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” he asserted. Mr Bhatia added that the peo­ple...

• Becomes available free of charge for nine-year-old girls at EPI centres • Other provinces expected to follow suit KARACHI: In an effort to protect young girls from cervical cancer, the Sindh Health Department, in line with a decision by the Federal Directorate of Immu­nisation, has included the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine in the province’s routine immunisation programme. Other provinces are also expected to roll out similar initiatives in the coming months. According to a notification issued by the Sindh Health Department, the decision has become effective from Jan 1 this year. “The vaccination shall target girls aged nine years with an intended minimum coverage of 70 per cent,” the notification stated. The department has directed all district health officers to adopt a mixed delivery approach, including facility-based vaccination, community outreach, and school-based vaccination activities, to ensure optimal coverage, equitable access, and sustainability. “To ensure accurate monitoring, accountabili...

With the political impasse continuing among the country’s main stakeholders, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had not imposed any “minus Imran” condition on political engagement. A day earlier, the premier’s adviser had proposed “confidence-building measures” between the leadership of the PML-N, the PTI, and the PPP could bring down political temperatures. “Prime Minister Shehbaz has not set any condition of minus Imran Khan [from politics]. We neither seek to minus anyone nor consider it politically viable. Similar efforts were made to sideline us in the past,” Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan. As the leader of the House, PM Shehbaz has offered negotiations to the opposition, saying they [PTI] should sit with him as dialogue is key to parliamentary democracy, Sanaullah added. Maintaining that the opposition PTI had to take a step forward, the senior PML-N leader said that dialogue on behalf of the p...

ISLAMABAD: Local government elections in Islamabad are likely to be postponed once again, for the fifth time in a row, as the federal cabinet on Friday approved several amendments to the Local Government Act, 2015. The elections are scheduled to be held on February 15. However, the cabinet’s approval of fresh amendments to the Act has made it almost impossible to hold the polls next month. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), however, has yet to officially announce the postponement. The federal cabinet approved 14 amendments to the Act, including a change in the name of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, replacing it with “Town Corporations”. According to the new proposal, there will be three town corporations in Islamabad and each town corporation will comprise, as far as practicable, the territorial limits of a National Assembly (NA) constituency within the capital. Islamabad has three NA seats. Cabinet approves changes to ICT Local Government Act 2015 “The cabinet endorsed the decisions made in ...