Pakistan | News

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is scheduled to visit Tehran on July 2 to represent Pakistan at the funeral ceremony of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to official sources.

Pakistan has become a permanent member of the International Olive Council (IOC) for the first time, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday. According to the FO, Pakistan assumed its seat during the IOC’s 123rd session held in Lisbon, Portugal, which was attended by 27 olive-producing countries. A Pakistani delegation, led by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, represented the country at the meeting. The minister briefed council members on Pakistan’s rapidly expanding olive sector and highlighted the country’s efforts to promote sustainable olive production in the context of climate change, according to the FO statement. Pakistan also reaffirmed its commitment to playing a positive and constructive role in the global olive sector and to further strengthening its presence in the international olive market. The minister was accompanied by Pakistan’s ambassador to Portugal, Aisha Farooqui, according to a statement from the embassy. During the session, Pakistan highlighte...

KARACHI: Regional instability continues to influence market sentiment, negatively impacting Pakistan’s domestic bond and equity markets and foreign direct investment, all of which declined at the end of FY26. Several economic stakeholders were unsure whether the Gulf turmoil, which has recently paused, could last longer, analysts said. They said all countries, except Israel, hoped for a permanent end to the Gulf war against Iran, but the business community was looking at the situation the other way. “Even if the war does not start in the near future, the uncertainty is high enough to keep foreign investors away from the country, such as Pakistan, which faces serious problems with its external account and depends largely on friendly countries and international donors to avoid default,” said a senior banker. Uncertainty drives foreign investors away Foreign direct investment declined by 28 per cent over the first 11 months of outgoing FY26; domestic bonds recorded a net outflow of $550 million, while total outf...

Fresh monsoon spell set to drench Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Every year, students across Pakistan contest elections, organize events, and represent their classmates through student councils.

RAWALPINDI - Pakistan will need at least 1.

LAHORE: Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Sunday said that Pakistan was “considering” purchasing cheaper Iranian oil and gas. The option of sourcing Iranian crude oil supplies has again become available to Pakistan after a temporary easing of US sanctions on Tehran. By availing this opportunity, Pakistan could source discounted crude and refine it locally to produce higher-value petroleum products. Sourcing crude oil from Iran could generate import cost savings of $170-340 million for Pakistan, assuming it imports 10-20 per cent of its total petroleum requirement at a discount, including freight savings. But, while industry experts say local refineries are technically capable of processing Iranian crude, commercial and operational challenges remain, particularly due to the high furnace oil yield and the absence of significant domestic demand for the fuel. Against this backdrop, Malik said while speaking to the media in Lahore that Pakistan was now mulling sourcing cheaper crude oil from Iran. He added t...

Pakistan has urged all parties involved in the Middle East conflict to fully observe the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain essential for maintaining regional peace.

UNITED NATIONS - At the United Nations, Pakistan has called for an immediate halt to violence in Sudan, and urged renewed efforts for a Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led political process.

ISLAMABAD - The Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, represented Pakistan at the XIV St.

ISLAMABAD - President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Sardar Tahir Mehmood, has said that empowering teachers with modern teaching methodologies is an investment in Pakistan’s future, as educators are the architects of future generations.

Series of earthquakes jolts Pakistan

Pakistan has recorded steady progress in educational attainment, with the proportion of people aged 10 years and above who have completed at least primary education increasing to 57 percent in 2024-25, according to official data.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that India was increasingly resorting to “covert tactics and the use of proxies” in an attempt to undermine peace and stability in Pakistan. “Pakistan is navigating conflicts and multi-faceted security challenges, marked by a dangerous combination of international and internal threats. Our eastern neighbour, having suffered a humiliating defeat in the conflict in May last year, has increasingly resorted to covert tactics and the use of proxies in an attempt to undermine the hard-earned peace and stability in our country,” the premier said while addressing the passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi during a one-day visit to the metropolis. “At the same time, our valiant armed forces continue to confront the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism emanating from our western borders. The entire Pakistani nation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its brave armed forces. The entire country remains steadfast in its iron resolve to defeat the nefarious ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said 22 Iranian crew members of a tanker earlier seized by the United States have arrived in Pakistan. On April 13, during the US-Iran war, Washington imposed a naval blockade and would target and board oil tankers and other vessels trying to enter or leave Iranian ports. One of these was the M/T Davina, which was seized during an overnight interdiction by American forces. In a post on X, the deputy prime minister said that the 22 crew members served on the Davina, adding: “Arrangements are now being finalised in close collaboration with the Iranian missions in Pakistan to facilitate their earliest and safe return to their homeland.” “We remained in close contact with the US and Iranian authorities throughout this process.” Dar added that this was the fourth group of Iranian crew members whose repatriation was facilitated by Pakistan over the last two months. “So far, we have assisted in the repatriation of over 70 Iranian brethren (including toda...

KARACHI: Pakistan could once again tap Iranian crude oil supplies following a temporary easing of US sanctions on Tehran, reopening the possibility of sourcing discounted crude and refining it locally to produce higher-value petroleum products. While industry experts say local refineries are technically capable of processing Iranian crude, commercial and operational challenges remain, particularly due to the high furnace oil yield and the absence of significant domestic demand for the fuel. Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL) had previously imported Iranian crude under a long-term contract with the National Iranian Oil Company, but purchases halted after US sanctions were imposed. Since then, no Iranian oil has been imported into the country. Commenting on the prospects for refining Iranian crude oil, a former head of a leading refinery in Karachi told Dawn that the scenarios are changing and sanctions are being lifted temporarily. The outcome remains uncertain over the next two months. Discounts, demand and tech upg...

Pakistan and Iran on Thursday agreed to fully activate the Pakistan-Iran Joint Transport Committee and take coordinated measures to resolve transport and logistics issues on a priority basis to enhance bilateral trade and regional connectivity.

It is a pecularity of Pakistan’s criminal justice system that it has treated children as miniature adults, not just in the way their crimes are prosecuted but in how the victims themselves are perceived. “We handle a four-year-old child through the same protocols used for an 18-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, or even a 30-year-old man,” said Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiyya Syed. She is part of the government effort to open the country’s pilot Child-Friendly Medicolegal Clinic at the Office of the Police Surgeon as part of the Anti-Rape Crisis Cell. It was inaugurated last week and fulfils a requirement of the Sindh Medico-Legal Act. In the case of bodily harm, a medico-legal certificate or report needs to be prepared as evidence. The child has to be brought to a government facility where one of its doctors will examine the child and document injuries, their severity and probable cause. The ML certificate is the bridge between medicine and the courts. Every year, Sahil, a nonprofit organisation working on child p...

Pakistan on Thursday extended its condolences and support to Venezuela after powerful earthquakes struck the South American country, resulting in heavy loss of life and widespread damage.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday said Pakistan was now being recognised as a “peacemaker” on the global stage for its role in mediating between the United States and Iran. Speaking to the media in Lahore, he said that following Pakistan’s role in the US-Iran negotiations, the country was now being recognised as a “peacemaker.” “Pakistan, which was once said to have become diplomatically isolated, is now being discussed across the entire world,” Dar said. “Even those countries that did not know Pakistan before, now know Pakistan,” he said. He added that Pakistan was now viewed as a “middle power” with an active diplomatic role internationally. “We now have to become an economic power. For this, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is working day and night,” he said. Recalling the PML-N’s past economic performance, Dar said Pakistan had witnessed strong macroeconomic indicators during 2013–2017. “This was the same country which, from 2013 to 2017, had its voice heard across the world. A...