Pakistan

Pakistan continues to face ongoing threats from terrorist groups operating across its borders, some of which are backed by hostile elements, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Monday.

The Sindh government has declared December 26, 2025, as an additional public holiday to mark Christmas celebrations for the Christian community, alongside the already scheduled holiday on December 25.

The Federal Shariat Court has been formally moved to the premises of the Islamabad High Court, where it will now carry out its judicial functions.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (Apnec) on Tuesday condemned the ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group and its outlets and lamented the attack on freedom of expression. The HRCP expressed grave concern over the “rapidly shrinking space for independent and critical news reporting in the country”, including the ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group and its outlets. The development comes as several media bodies have condemned the government’s unannounced restriction on advertisements to Dawn Media Group’s TV and radio outlets — imposed after curtailing ads to its flagship newspaper — and called on the authorities to immediately rescind the ban. “The HRCP expresses grave concern over the rapidly shrinking space for independent and critical news reporting in the country, including the reported 13-month ban on government advertisements to the Dawn Media Group, which has recently been extended to Dawn News and...

President Asif Ali Zardari, on Tuesday, stressed the need to expand bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Ireland in trade and investment as well as in sustainable development, climate change, critical and emerging technologies, education, culture, and tourism.

Indonesia has welcomed the arrival of the first giant panda born in the country, marking a significant milestone after years of efforts to breed the vulnerable species. The cub was born on Nov. 27 at the Taman Safari Indonesia wildlife park in Bogor, West Java, to giant panda pair Cai Tao and Hu Chun. Both pandas arrived in the park in 2017, under a 10-year joint research programme and as a symbol of the friendship between Indonesia and China. Taman Safari Indonesia’s Corporate Communication Manager Trully Erlynda said the birth is the culmination of a decade-long international collaboration. “We welcome the panda cub’s birth with gratitude and joy. It is a proud year-end milestone for Indonesia and a sign of advancing international conservation cooperation,” Trully said on Monday. In August, the veterinary team at Taman Safari Indonesia, working with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, performed an artificial insemination procedure on giant pandas Cai Tao and Hu Chun in an ef...

US governors brand Muslim groups as “terrorists” without authority, escalating Islamophobic politics into state action

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In a message on the 11th anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the nation stood firm and united in its resolve to eradicate terrorism. In the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history, at least 144 people ─ mostly schoolchildren ─ were killed when heavily armed militants stormed the army-run public school on Dec 16, 2014. Seven soldiers of the Special Services Group and two officers were among the wounded. In a message posted on his X account, PM Shehbaz said, “Today, we commemorate the martyrs of the APS Peshawar tragedy — the innocent children, teachers and staff whose sacrifice is forever etched in our national conscience. “Their sacrifice remains a constant reminder of our collective responsibility to defeat terrorism,” the premier stressed. “The Pakistani nation will always stand united, firm and unwavering in its resolve to eradicate the scourge of terrorism,” he added, praying for the families of the martyrs. In his message, President A...

At least two people, including a constable, were killed after unidentified assailants attacked a polio team in the Salarzai tehsil of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the police said, as the nationwide polio campaign entered its second day. The attack comes a day after the government launched the final polio campaign of 2025, which is set to run until December 21. Public Relations Officer (PRO) police, Israr Khan, confirmed to Dawn that two people, including a passerby and a policeman guarding the polio team, were killed in the attack on Tuesday afternoon in the Thangi area of Salarzai. Khan identified the martyred cop as Constable Sajad Ahmed, who passed away after sustaining critical injuries, while another civilian was “shot dead by the armed men when he attempted to chase after the assailants.” “Local residents also confirmed the account, while the assailants managed to escape,” Khan said, adding that the police had launched a search operation. He also confirmed that no polio workers were harmed in t...

Flowers were laid on Tuesday in front of the shuttered shop of Ahmed al Ahmed, the 43-year-old tobacco shop owner who locals hailed as the Bondi hero after he wrestled a gun from one of the attackers during a mass shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Ahmed was identified on social media as the bystander who hid behind parked cars before charging at the gunman from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground. The act saved several lives, authorities have said. View this post on Instagram “I think he’s a role model for us all and it really encompasses the Aussie spirit and I’m incredibly proud to live in the area and I think everybody is, it blows me away, absolutely blows me away,” said Adam Pogorzelski, a local resident in Ahmed’s neighbourhood, in the suburb of Sutherland, about 26 kilometres from the centre of Sydney. Ahmed, a father of two, remains in a Sydney hospital with gunshot wounds. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited him earlier on Tuesday and told media that Ahmed will undergo more s...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has turned down Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s objections on a division bench, led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, hearing challenges to the legitimacy of his law degree and appointment as a judge, it emerged on Tuesday. The objections were raised by Justice Jahangiri, also an IHC judge, during the hearing of the petition challenging his qualification on Monday, with CJ Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan presiding over the proceedings. The same bench previously also barred Justice Jahangiri from judicial work in September in the case, but the order was later set aside by the Supreme Court (SC). Justice Jahangiri had appeared in person before the bench yesterday and presented his arguments. A court order issued after the hearing, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said he had raised preliminary objections on the constitution of a division bench instead of a single bench to hear lawyer Mian Dawood’s petition. Moreover, Justice Jahangiri “expressed his no ...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the trial court hearing a case over disputed social media posts involving human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to re-record the statements of prosecution witnesses within three days.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Tuesday that dense fog had affected its flight schedule in Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad, affecting both domestic and international operations. In a statement, the spokesperson for the national carrier urged passengers travelling domestically and internationally to obtain the latest information about their flights before leaving for the airport. The spokesperson said that temporary changes were made to the schedule to ensure passenger safety and to avoid unnecessary delays in flight operations. He said that dense fog affected visibility significantly, creating challenges for aircraft during landing and takeoff. He added that passengers could contact the PIA helpline for updates on the status of their flights. According to the weekly weather outlook issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, cold and dry weather was likely to expected in most parts of the country on Tuesday. “Moderate to dense fog/smog is likely to persist over Punjab, upper Sin...

The serial numbers of four Indian Rafale fighter jets allegedly shot down by Pakistan during the May aerial skirmish have been identified, according to an investigative report published by British defence magazine Key Aero.

In a key development in the process of finalising the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, the federal government has constituted eight committees to address various aspects of resource distribution and fiscal management, sources said.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the trial court hearing the controversial social media posts case against rights activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to record witnesses’ statements afresh within three days. IHC’s Justice Mohammed Azam Khan passed the directives while hearing a petition filed by Mazari challenging the trial court’s November 19 order, when the court had recorded the testimonies of all prosecution witnesses. Chattha had appeared before the court while Imaan’s lawyers had marked her presence. The court, however, had ordered the prosecution to proceed with the witnesses’ testimonies. On Tuesday, IHC’s Justice Khan observed that witnesses’ statements should be recorded again and said that the case was being referred back to the trial court without touching its merits. During the hearing, defence counsel Riasat Ali Azad told the court that senior advocate Faisal Siddiqui had submitted his power of attorney but was busy with cases in Lahore, seeking a hearin...

Police armed with rifles will be part of a beefed up security presence at the third Test between Australia and England at Adelaide Oval after the Bondi Beach shooting attacks, officials said, while flags will be flown at half-mast. South Australia state Premier Peter Malinauskas said extra measures would be in place for the Ashes clash that starts on Wednesday, although there was no intelligence pointing to an elevated threat level. “Given the events that have occurred in Sydney, there will be additional protocols put in place at Adelaide Oval,” he said late Monday. “This is done only as a precautionary measure, but it is appropriate that we are in an increasing sense of alertness just at the moment.” An attack by a father and son on a Jewish celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday killed 15 people with dozens injured. One of the assailants was killed, while the other is in a critical condition in hospital. South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said special security-response police, armed wi...

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s resolve to eradicate terrorism, declaring that there would be no soft corner for terrorists or their facilitators.

Russia and Pakistan are in talks on a potential oil-sector agreement, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told RIA news agency in remarks published on Tuesday. “All of these areas are Russia’s strengths. And we would be very happy if Russia agreed on an agreement in this sector with Pakistan,” Aurangzeb told RIA in an interview when asked about wider cooperation in exploration, production and refining between the two countries. “At present, the issue is being discussed by the energy ministries of both sides.” Russia also discussed upgrading a refinery in Pakistan with Russian companies involved, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev had said in November. Pakistan has stepped up engagement with Russia in recent years as Moscow sought new energy markets after Western sanctions over Ukraine, and Islamabad looked to lower import costs. Pakistan began buying Russian crude in 2023. Aurangzeb also said Russia and Pakistan are looking into building another steel plant in Pakistan, RIA reported.