Pakistan

Zubair orders probe into fake bids

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Iftikhar vows resistance to curbs on provincial autonomy

The United States consulates in Karachi and Lahore on Thursday requested that all applicants for F, M or J nonimmigrant visas make their social media accounts public for vetting, after similar instructions were issued by the US Embassy in Delhi earlier this week. US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but significantly tightened its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the country, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”, said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. In Instagram posts uploaded today, the consulates said: “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F,...

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has strongly criticized the federal authorities for denying him access to the jailed founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), calling it a violation of constitutional rights.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced a daily closure of Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport from 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM, starting July 1 and continuing until September 15, 2025.

The Finance Bill, 2025, was approved by parliament on Thursday, meaning that the Rs17.57 trillion budget for the coming fiscal year has been greenlit. The PPP on Wednesday voiced strong reservations over a set of politically unpopular provisions in the federal budget for the next fiscal year, urging the government to amend “contentious” clauses ahead of its expected approval in the National Assembly today (Thursday). Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s amendments to various legislation, including the Income Tax Ordnance, 2001, were all approved, while opposition amendments were rejected, according to a Dawn.com correspondent. The bill was read out in the assembly and approved clause by clause. The session has been adjourned until 11am tomorrow. Addressing the House, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said his party would “happily support the budget,” since the government had accepted the party’s proposals. “We appreciate the government’s efforts as BISP’s (Benazir Income Support Programme) budget has been ...

Cocaine production, seizures and use all hit record highs in 2023, the UN drug agency said on Thursday, with the illicit drug’s market the world’s fastest-growing. Illegal production jumped to 3,708 tons, nearly 34 per cent more than in 2022, and more than four times higher than 10 years earlier, when it was at a low, the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its annual report. The current surge is mainly due to an increase in the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated yield data, it added. Global cocaine seizures, too, recorded a high of 2,275 tons, marking a 68pc rise in the four years to 2023. The number of cocaine users also grew to 25 million in 2023, up from 17 million ten years earlier. “Cocaine has become fashionable for the more affluent society,” UNODC chief researcher Angela Me said, noting a “vicious cycle” of increased use and production. While Colombia remains the key producer, cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia...

At least seven people were killed and 39 others were injured in multiple rain-related incidents as Punjab was battered by heavy monsoon showers on Thursday, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 1122. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. They are also vital for agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people. Earlier today, the PDMA said that four people died and 19 were injured in rain-related incidents. According to the data, 13 incidents were reported across Punjab, with the majority of them in the Okara district. Two children are among the four deceased. The majority of incidents were roof collapses caused by rain. “Two citizens were killed by the collapse of dilapidated and decaying buildings in Okara and Bahawalnagar,” a PDMA handout read. “Two citizens drowned in Jhelum … 13 dila...

The head of Gavi on Thursday said the organisation which vaccinates children in the world’s poorest countries, was “disappointed” after Washington announced it was pulling funding in an incendiary video questioning its safety standards. A Brussels summit held by the group to raise money on Wednesday was overshadowed by a video message sent by US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who raised sweeping vaccine safety doubts without evidence and announced an end to Washington’s support. “We were disappointed to see the video,” Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar told AFP in a phone interview. “Of course, we disagree with many of the things that were narrated in the video. It’s unfortunate but we are hopeful of a positive relationship with the United States. We will continue to engage them.” The United States’s funding withdrawal comes as Gavi and the United Nations reported in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and c...

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Thursday issued a clarification regarding viral social media clips showing a damaged slip road near the Jinnah Square Interchange.

The Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad and the United Nations, Pakistan, have agreed to cooperate on mobilizing international participation for the 2nd United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake, taking place from July 27-29, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

German police said on Thursday they had shot dead an Afghan man after he used a knife to attack officers trying to arrest him, seriously wounding one of them. The incident happened in the southern city of Wangen when two officers attempted to detain the 27-year-old man at his home to take him to serve a prison sentence for assault. “In the course of the operation, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the officers without warning,” police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. “As a result of the attack, the police officers fired several shots.” The Afghan died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him, they said. One officer was seriously injured after being stabbed several times, but was not in a life-threatening condition. The authorities have launched an investigation into the use of a firearm by police. Several serious attacks in Germany carried out in recent times — some by migrants — including knife attacks and car-rammings, fuelling a heated debate on immigration. Chanceller Fried...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that the Government of Pakistan was fully cognizant of the challenge of drug abuse and illicit trafficking and through Anti-Narcotics Force was actively working to take stringent steps to eliminate this menace with utmost commitment.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced his party’s full support for the federal budget 2025-26, stating that the government had accepted all of PPP’s demands.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms X and Facebook since Monday shared videos allegedly showing Iranian armed forces thanking Pakistan for intelligence support against Israel. However, the viral clips are AI-generated. Israel launched wide-scale air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, killing top commanders, scientists and hundreds of others on June 13. Both countries traded wave after wave of devastating strikes and missile volleys since then. A ceasefire was achieved on June 24 after 12 days of fighting. On Monday, a pro-military account on Facebook shared a video of two soldiers allegedly recording a video in gratitude to Pakistan. “Our nuclear programme is safe. Thank you, Pakistan, for protecting it with your intelligence support,” they said. The post was captioned: “An Iranian soldier thanking Pakistan, saying: Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The post gained 1.4 million views and 12,000 reactions. The viral clip was also shared here, here, ...

Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani here Thursday said that higher education was imperative for fast track development and guarantee of our country’s bright future.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defence ministers meeting on Thursday, called terrorism a global menace that must not be exploited for political purposes.