Pakistan

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has called for resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people to ensure durable peace in South Asia.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian this afternoon and conveyed Pakistan's condemnation of the US attacks on Iran.

The US entered Israel’s war with Iran late on Saturday when president Donald Trump authorised strikes against Iran targeting three nuclear facilities, which he called a “spectacular military success”. The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Tehran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence that it could never have a nuclear weapon. Tehran has consistently denied the claim, saying its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian purposes. Israel had launched wide-scale air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, killing top commanders, scientists and hundreds others. Both countries have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since then. Critics, analysts and key US lawmakers have debated the legality of Trump’s decision to strike Iran without prior approval from Congress. US President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation alongside US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Defence Secretar...

Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari has directed all distribution companies (DISCOs) across the country to take urgent and comprehensive measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply during Muharram ul Haram.

An eight-member delegation comprising of Kashmiri leaders and human rights activists has left for Geneva to attend 59th session of the Human Rights Council.

Punjab Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz Sharif has reaffirmed her commitment to the safety and well-being of the people of the province.

India’s counter-terrorism agency said on Sunday it has arrested two men in Indian-Occupied Kashmir for allegedly harbouring gunmen behind a deadly attack on civilians that sparked a days-long conflict between the two countries. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed the two suspects were from the Pahalgam area, where gunmen killed 26 people two months ago. “The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had… selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity,” a statement by NIA said. The agency identified the two men as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, claiming the duo “have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack”. New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing the attack without making public any evidence — an allegation that Islamabad denies. The April 22 killings triggered a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures by the nuclear-armed countries and led to intense exchanges of missile, dron...

PESHAWAR: As the heat wave persists, different localities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are experiencing prolonged power outages daily. In Peshawar, the power consumers, including women on Saturday held protest meetings in different areas against the power outages and demanded smooth power supply to their areas. The main Charsadda road remained blocked for some time, which also affected the traffic flow. The protesters said the situation was even worse in rural areas, where sixteen to twenty hours of power outages have become order of the day. “It is very difficult to spend even an hour without electricity in such extreme heat,” one Mushtaq Khan of Bakhshipul said. Criticising the Peshawar Electric Supply company (Pesco), he said whenever complaints were logged with the relevant authorities; they stated due to power theft, the area has been marked as a high-loss zone. “But since we pay our bills regularly, why are we being deprived of electricity?” he questioned, urging Pesco to avoid power outages in their areas. Li...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has strongly condemned the United States' strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, warning that the move could dangerously escalate tensions in an already volatile region.

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry says followers of all religions are equal citizens in Pakistan and they enjoy all constitutional rights.

The reaction of world leaders after US forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday ranged from Israel lauding President Donald Trump’s decision to the UN calling for de-escalation and Iran and some other nations condemning the attacks. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump, calling Washington’s move a “bold decision”. In a video message, he said, “Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history… History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.” Iran’s Abbas Araghchi calls US strikes a ‘grave violation of UN charter’ “The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” Iran’s...

The Power Division on Sunday instructed power distribution companies (Discos) to take measures to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in the month of Muharram keeping the heat waves in view, according to a press release by the department. Muharram is a month of mourning, observed in particular by Shia Muslims worldwide. It commemorates the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, where amongst many, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Imam Husain, was martyred, and other family members were martyred or subjected to humiliation. On Saturday, the Punjab government imposed Section 144 across the province from Muharram 1 to 10 to ensure peace and religious harmony. Federal Power Minister Awais Leghari, in a letter addressed to the officials of Discos, said, “Since the holy month of Muharram is falling in the month of July and heat waves are expected. “It is very much imperative that all necessary measures are taken to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to facilitate religious gatherings and avoid a...

LAHORE: The Punjab government will plant 42 million trees on 50,869 acres under the CM Plant for Pakistan Initiative. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Saturday that large-scale tree plantation and environmental projects were being launched under the Punjab Green Programme. She said around 1.375 million trees were being planted on 3,790 acres of forest wasteland under the Agroforestry Initiative. She said the scope of the Green Pakistan Programme had been expanded to plant 466.4 million more trees on 251,000 acres. Plantation of 5m trees in rows on 10,223 avenue miles along canals of Punjab had been initiated, she added. She said the provision of world-class facilities for promotion of eco-tourism at the Lal Suhanra National Park and Salt Range were being ensured. She said wireless network, digital cameras, GPS devices and CCTV cameras were being provided for eco-tourism. She said, “Construction of an eco-friendly LEED certified multi-storey building has been started to establish a protected nature area and...

Pakistan has strongly condemned recent U.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Iran, calling it a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional and global peace.

For nearly half a century, the United States has squabbled with Iran, but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable. With President Donald Trump’s order of strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the United States — like Israel, which encouraged him — has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come. “We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want,” said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran’s sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes. Trita Parsi, an outspoken cri...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Adviser, Barrister Dr.

ISLAMABAD: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has issued a forecast for a prolonged monsoon season in the India-Pakistan border region from late June to October. According to the UN body, a strong pre-monsoon surge is expected in late June, with above-normal rainfall forecast along the Indo-Pakistan border. The weather system is likely to continue into early July, followed by near-normal rainfall throughout the rest of the month. Meanwhile, anomalous rainfall is predicted in the desert regions of both nations from July to September, according to a report released by the FAO on Friday. The monsoon season is exp­e­cted to be strong and prolonged with precipitation falling to near-normal levels in October. November will be dry before the wet weather returns in December. The report said early and abundant summer rains are likely to create favourable conditions for small-scale breeding of locusts in eastern Pakistan and Rajasthan, India. However, the breeding activity is expected to disappear when monsoon...

TAXILA: The water level in Khanpur Dam has fallen to a critically low level, just eight feet above the dead level, raising alarms about a looming crisis for its civic beneficiaries of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Water supply for irrigation purposes to both KP and Punjab had already been suspended around a month ago. According to Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), the reservoir level stood at 1918 feet on Saturday which is significantly below the conservation level of 1980 feet and alarmingly close to the dead level of 1910 feet. The inflow into the dam has declined to just 29 cusecs while the outflow is being maintained at 106 cusecs. With the plummeted water level, water sports activities in the dam have declined to the lowest level of the year. During high temperatures the dam becomes a favourite tourist destination. Wapda authorities said presently civic agencies of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were receiving only 50 cusecs of water, which was also at the risk of being halted. Officials are hopeful t...

A spell of rain in Lahore on Sunday brought much-needed relief from the persistent humidity, turning the weather pleasant and lowering temperatures across the provincial capital.