Pakistan

Pakistan dominated the squash courts on Thursday as five players stormed into the semi-finals of the 32nd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Gimcheon, South Korea. All five athletes had commanding wins over their opponents with 3-0 defeats. Meanwhile, Sehrish Ali was knocked out of the tournament after Malaysia’s Syaurah A Sufian defeated her 3-0 in the Girls U15 quarterfinals. In the Boys U-19 category, third seed Abdullah Nawaz beat Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Kuen in straight sets 11-4, 11-6, 11-6. Top seed Nauman Khan beat India’s Harshal Rana 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 in the Boys U-15, while compatriot Ahmad Rayyan Khan beat Malaysia’s Armann Merzha bin Ashraff 11-7, 11-3, 11-3. Youngster Muhammad Sohail Adnan, top seed in the Boys U13, beat India’s 11-Abhyuday Arora 11-2, 11-8, 11-2. Over on the women’s side, Mahnoor Ali sealed her spot in the semifinals after demolishing India’s Anika Kalanki 11-6, 11-2, 11-3.

Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) on Thursday, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam. India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva. “We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,” said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation, triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplo...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast widespread rainfall across various regions of the country, including Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, as monsoon currents continue to penetrate the region.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned on Wednesday that no negligence will be tolerated in achieving economic targets for Pakistan’s bright economic future.

The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has made it mandatory for both riders and passengers on motorcycles to wear helmets, irrespective of gender.

At least four people were dead and dozens unaccounted for Thursday after a ferry sank in rough seas on its way to Indonesian resort island Bali, according to rescue authorities who said 31 survivors had been plucked from the water so far. Rescuers were racing to find 30 people still missing at sea after the vessel carrying 65 passengers and crew sank before midnight on Wednesday as it sailed to the popular holiday destination from Indonesia’s main island Java. “The ferry tilted and immediately sank,” survivor Eka Toniansyah told reporters at a Bali hospital. “Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead.” Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency chief Mohammad Syafii told a news conference on Thursday that 31 survivors had been found. “Four people died, so 30 people are still being searched for,” he said, adding the national agency sent a helicopter to help the effort. President Prabowo Subianto, who was on a trip to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency resp...

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, has undertaken an official visit to the United States — the first by a serving Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief in more than ten years, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Senior PML-N leader and Senator Irfan Siddiqui has dismissed speculation about any ongoing discussions regarding a no-confidence motion against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

BAJAUR/ PESHAWAR - A devastating bomb blast occurred here on Wednesday near Mela Ground in Tehsil Khar, targeting the ve-hicle of the Assistant Commissioner of Nawagai.

ISLAMABAD - A decisive shift in the political landscape has emerged after the Supreme Court verdict on reserved seats, as the ruling clique has secured two-thirds majority in the National Assembly (NA).

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday urged India to engage in dialogue with Pakistan and work towards lasting peace.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, on her return from Murree, made a surprise inspection of a field hospital located along the Expressway near Mughalabad, on the outskirts of Murree.

HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has taken a notice of a case involving the alleged abduction, child marriage, and forced conversion of a 15-year-old Hindu girl in Matli in the Badin district. According to reports circulating on social media, a ninth-grade student was allegedly abducted at gunpoint near Notkani Chowk in Matli. A complaint filed by her uncle, Majno Maharaj, at the Matli police station alleges that two armed men — Maqsood Dars and Manzoor Dars — forcibly entered the family’s home and abducted the girl, Shahneela, while two unidentified men waited outside in a white vehicle used for the abduction. The victim’s family has expressed the fear that the girl is at imminent risk of being forcibly married to someone and converted — both of which are violations of the country’s law. The suspect’s family has allegedly refused to return the girl despite the family’s appeals, it was stated. SHRC urges law enforcers to ensure safety and recovery of 15-year-old The SHRC has cited ...

ISLAMABAD - Supreme Court judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has raised serious constitutional concerns regarding the President’s determination of judges’ seniority at the IHC.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday re-elected to the Executive Council of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the term 2025–2027.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday visited the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) where he was given a comprehensive presentation on the dynamic data collected by PBS during the historic first digital census and other censuses and surveys.

LAHORE: The Crime Control Department (CCD) of Lahore police on Wednesday arrested a known TikToker and his 13 security guards for “public display of weapons”. The police acted when the suspects blatantly violated the Section 144 imposed by the Punjab government to ensure peace in the city during Muharram. As per CCD sources, TikToker Kashif Zamir, along with his armed bodyguards, traveled on a city road in a double-cabin vehicle. His team recorded video clips showing the weapons displayed by his guards and uploaded the same on social media. The police say such conduct causes harassment to the public. A CCD official says the police arrested the TikToker in a raid and recovered firearms from him and his guards, lodging cases against them. He says the police also recovered videos of the TikToker showing him traveling on different city roads, along with his heavily-armed security guards. The CCD official says that Kashif Zameer is a habitual offender as he was also arrested in the past on the same charges. Later,...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will lead Pakistan delegation at the 17th Summit of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) which is being held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, on July 3-4.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has granted relief to government servant couples by securing their right to promotion, allowing them to change domiciles without fear of being deprived of career advancement. Now, women will be able to get promotions and higher posts after changing their domiciles, as the Supreme Court has ruled that new domiciles will be considered and such changes will not affect the provincial quota. The judgement, a copy of which available with Dawn, was issued by a two-judge SC bench comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi. The petition was filed by Dr Shumaila Naeem, a gold medallist, who joined government service as a medical officer based on her Khyber Pakhtunkhwa domicile. After marrying a civil servant with a Balochistan domicile, she changed her domicile to that of her husband. SC allows domicile change without career risk for couples in govt service Subsequently, based on her new Balochistan domicile, she applied for the advertised post of Associate Prof...

ISLAMABAD - In a significant development aimed at strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and advancing mutual interests, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, undertook an official visit to the United States of America — the first by a serving PAF Air Chief in over a.