Pakistan | News

KARACHI: Newcastle United cult hero Nolberto Solano landed in Pakistan on Saturday, being garlanded upon his arrival at the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters in Lahore after taking over as the head coach of the national senior and under-23 teams. The Peruvian wing wizard dazzled during his time in the English Premier League but the highlight of his coaching career came back in 2018 when, as assistant coach, he took his home country to their first World Cup finals in 36 years. “We need to work really had to make Pakistan competitive at international level,” Solano said in an in-house PFF interview. “My ambition is like everyone in the federation. We want to have a solid foundation and build a competitive league that allows the talent in the country the opportunity to play.” Solano stressed he wanted to build a solid team that would play attacking football “to win games”. His first assignment comes next month when Pakistan face hosts Cambodia, Iraq and Oman in Group ‘G’ in the qualifiers for the 2026 AF...

LAHORE: Pakistan’s new remote sensing satellite has successfully rea­c­hed orbit and begun operations, sources at the Spa­ce and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Su­­parco) said on Saturday. The satellite was laun­ch­­ed from China’s Xich­ang lau­­nch centre on July 31. The satellite has established stable communication links with ground stations and started acquiring high-resolution images for sending them to the ground. This will make data available for various sectors of national life. The satellite has high-quality imaging capabilities that will revolutionise urban planning and infrastructure development. It will also help monitor urban sprawl and development trends. It will strengthen the na­­tural disaster prevention sys­­tem and enable rapid response by providing tim­ely data that could alert authorities to possibility of floods, landslides, earthquakes and other disasters. The satellite will also play a role in environmental protection, such as monitoring melting of glaciers and deforestation. Ac...

KARACHI: The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) confirmed that Pakistan’s newly launched remote sensing satellite has successfully reached orbit and is performing optimally. The satellite was launched on July 31, 2025, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) in China. Following deployment, it established stable communication with ground stations and has begun transmitting […]

Russia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkiye extend support to Pakistan

Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed profound grief over the widespread devastation caused by recent floods in Pakistan, extending condolences to the government, people, and bereaved families.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Saturday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further enhancing cooperation with Bangladesh in political, economic, and cultural spheres.

ISLAMABAD: Specialised committees set up by the prime minister to promote a cashless economy have outlined ambitious national targets for the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), aimed at accelerating the growth of digital financial services and fintech adoption across the country. Under the PM’s Cashless Economy initiative, key goals include raising the number of active digital merchants to 2 million by the end of 2025-26, increasing mobile and internet banking users from the current 95 million to 120m within a year, and doubling annual digital payment transactions to 15 billion. According to finance ministry sources, another primary target is routing 100pc of overseas remittances through bank accounts or mobile wallets, up from the current 80pc. This move seeks to eliminate cash payouts and boost transparency in remittance flows. Following the directives of the committee chaired by the prime minister, the SBP is expected to play a pivotal role in expanding mobile banking services to all segments of society. 2m dig...

ISLAMABAD/UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned and rejected recent statements made by the Israeli Occupying power, alluding to the creation of so-called “Greater Israel,” and its designs aimed at the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said that counterterrorism dialogue between the United States and Pakistan would help in formulating a joint action plan to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has taken the lead in rallying regional support for a fair and effective Global Plastics Treaty, calling for equitable access to green financing and technology for developing nations.

Islamabad - Pakistan yesterday expressed deep grief at the tragic loss of precious lives and extensive damage to property caused by the recent cloudburst in Kishtwar, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSR&C) convened the National Inter-Agency Coordination Committee (NICC) to bolster Pakistan’s immunization efforts, particularly the upcoming Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign on Friday.

ISLAMABAD: Under the directives of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s federal government has instantly activated 911 emergency helpline nationwide, in response to the flood disaster across Pakistan, ARY News reported. The initiative aims to deliver instant assistance to citizens facing natural disasters and other critical situations. According to the Ministry of Information Technology […]

ISLAMABAD: Government of Pakistan has officially opened Letters of Credit (LCs) to get the 85,000 metric tons of sugar imported under the government-to-government Sugar agreement, ARY News reported. By this strategic step, the government aims to balance domestic sugar shortages and price instability. The official sources have mentioned that, LCs have been communicated to banks, […]

Pakistan has strongly rebuked recent Israeli statements hinting at a so-called “Greater Israel” and the forced eviction of Palestinians from Gaza, branding the remarks “provocative, illegal, and utterly unacceptable.

Advocacy groups filed a criminal case against Germany’s foreign and interior ministers on Friday, accusing them of failing to protect Afghan nationals in Pakistan with German admission approvals from deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Pakistan has begun deporting documented Afghan refugees ahead of a September 1 deadline, a move the United Nations warns could force more than one million to leave. The decision followed the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that PoR cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30. A letter from the interior ministry, dated August 4, was sent to the chief secretaries and police chiefs of the four provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, detailing the implementation of the ongoing Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP). Among those at risk are more than 2,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Germany under programmes for peop...

Pakistan has taken the forefront in uniting regional partners to advocate for a just and effective Global Plastics Treaty, emphasizing the need for equitable access to green financing and technology for developing nations.

Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Dr Musadik Malik called for equitable access to green financing and other resources for developing nations at a meeting in Geneva on Friday, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He chaired the meeting on the sidelines of the fifth session of the plastic pollution treaty negotiations taking place in Geneva. Billed as the most important environmental deal since the 2015 Paris climate accord, the 10-day summit brought delegates from 185 countries to finalise a global treaty to control plastic pollution. “Pakistan led a regional dialogue with Bangladesh, Egypt, Tajikistan, Malaysia, and Sudan for an interactive briefing,” according to a statement posted by Malik’s team on X. “Minister Musadik called for a fair Global Plastics Treaty and equitable green financing, so support reaches nations most impacted by pollution and climate challenges,” the statement added. At the meeting, the climate minister noted, “those responsible for the highest levels o...

Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia have formally established diplomatic relations to open up avenues for bilateral cooperation. The Federated States of Micronesia are an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean that joined the United Nations in 1991, according to the UN’s website. Both countries’ permanent representatives to the UN signed an agreement at a ceremony in New York, the Pakistan Mission to the UN said in a press release on Thursday. “Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, and Federated States of Micronesia’s counterpart, Ambassador Jeem S. Lippwe, signed a joint communiqué to formalise the relationship between the two countries,” the Pakistan Mission said. Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Ahmad noted: “The relations would open up avenues for cooperation in the field of human resource management, capacity building and climate change.” Both Missions would “work closely on key matters, especially promotion of international peace and s...

Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia, an island nation in the western Pacific Ocean, formally established diplomatic relations at a ceremony held at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations on Thursday.