Pakistan | News

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday hailed around $700 million pledges in new foreign investment in the Information Technology (IT) sector and called on international stakeholders to continue supporting Pakistan’s journey as it was ready to lead global digital economy.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has sounded the alarm over credible intelligence indicating that India may launch military action against Pakistan within the next 24 to 36 hours, using unfounded allegations related to the recent Pahalgam incident as justification.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Army on Tuesday said that irrefutable evidence proves that India has been waging state-sponsored cross-border terrorism against Pakistan.

As a severe heatwave grips South Asia, Pakistan is on the brink of matching or surpassing the highest April temperature ever recorded globally — 50°C — previously set in Nawabshah in April 2018.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday called on the UN Security Council to act decisively to prevent new conflicts, resolve protracted ones, and promote the settlement of disputes in accordance with international law in an effort to deal with the global displacement crisis.

ISLAMABAD - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board will meet on May 9 to discuss Pakistan’s first review under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Request for Modification of Performance Criteria, and Request for an Arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar late on Tuesday night said that “credible intelligence” reports indicated that India was planning to conduct a military action against Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours amid tensions between the two countries after the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir last week that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, albeit without proof. Earlier today, India gave its military “operational freedom” to respond to the deadly attack in occupied Kashmir last week. Speaking to the media hours after the development, Tarar said: “Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.” He said Pakistan vehemently rejected “Indian self-assumed hubristic role of judge, jury and executioner in the region” which was completely “reckless”. “Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism itself and truly understands the pain of this scourge,” he s...

Pakistan shoots down two Indian quadcopters

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has issued a stern warning to India, stating that any attempt to interfere with Pakistan’s water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty would be regarded as an act of war.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, on Tuesday said that India hadn’t provided a “shred of evidence for its baseless allegations” against Pakistan concerning the Pahalgam attack, adding that India was involved in “undertaking cross-border terrorism inside Pakistan.” Relations between Pakistan and India have plummeted to their lowest level in years following the April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 men, mostly tourists, and was one of the deadliest armed attacks on civilians in the disputed Himalayan region since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, said it “unequivocally” denied involvement in the attack, after an initial message that claimed responsibility. Says India has not provided evidence for “baseless allegations” against Pakistan Says India has been found operating a terror network inside Pakistan targeting not only military but also innocent civilians Says forensic analysis of retrieved mater...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to becoming the next major tech destination in light of $700 million pledged in foreign investment in the IT sector at the Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) conference in Islamabad. Delegates from around 45 countries arrived in Islamabad to participate in the DFDI conference, the first-ever DFDI conference held in Pakistan. Over 75 foreign investors and CEOs of more than 50 global companies attended the event. The digital sector has long been recognised as a key segment for foreign direct investment (FDI), yet Pakistan has struggled to attract substantial digital FDI. Addressing the DFDI conference today, PM Shehbaz hailed investment in the IT sector, saying: “Pakistan is not waiting for the future but shaping it.” He called on international stakeholders to continue supporting Pakistan as it was ready to lead the global digital economy. The premier highlighted the government’s initiatives in the IT sector including the launch of ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday welcomed approximately $700 million in new foreign investment pledges for Pakistan’s Information Technology (IT) sector, calling it a major milestone in the country’s journey toward becoming a global digital leader.

Pakistan is preparing to launch international legal action against India following its unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a move Islamabad views as a violation of international law.

ISLAMABAD: The rates of gold witnessed an increase in Pakistan, All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewelers Association reported on Tuesday. The price of 24 karat per tola gold witnessed an increase of Rs2,100 and was sold at Rs349,200 against its sale at Rs347,100 on the last trading day. The prices of 10 grams of 24 […]

• Defence minister says military briefed govt on possible conflict with India, next few days ‘crucial’ • Beijing, Washington, Ankara and Doha urge measures to calm tensions as neighbours trade fire across Line of Control ISLAMABAD: As friends in foreign capitals continue to advocate for a de-escalation of tensions in South Asia, Pakistan’s defence min­ister said the country was ready for any incursion by India. The two neighbours have been trading fire across the Line of Control (LoC) for four days now, with each blaming the other for provocation. “We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Khawaja Asif told Reuters on Monday. He said the military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack, but did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent. His remarks follow New Delhi’s increasingly aggressive posturing following ...

The Pakistan Army on Tuesday shot down an Indian quadcopter drone near the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), state media reported, as tensions between the two countries linger on in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. The April 22 attack killed 26 men, mostly tourists, and was one of the deadliest armed attacks in the disputed Himalayan region since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, said it “unequivocally” denied involvement in the attack, after an initial message that claimed responsibility. India, without offering any evidence, has implied cross-border linkages of the attackers, while Pakistan has strongly denied any involvement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a neutral probe into the incident. “Pakistan has successfully shot down an Indian quadcopter along the Line of Control, thwarting a violation of its airspace,” state-run Radio Pakistan and PTV News reported, citing security sources. Specifying the location, security sources said the “enemy at...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Monday renewed efforts to deepen educational cooperation by organising a joint education fair and Vice Chancellors’ Summit at the National University of Technology (NUTECH), where a high-level Kazakh delegation engaged with Pakistani academic leaders under the Higher Education.

The Pakistan Army shot down an Indian surveillance quadcopter after it violated Pakistan’s airspace along the Line of Control (LoC), security sources confirmed.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board will meet on May 9 to discuss the country’s staff-level agreement for a new $1.3 billion arrangement under a climate resilience loan programme, along with the first review of Pakistan’s ongoing $7bn bailout programme, the global lender said. According to the Fund’s website, this will be the first “review under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility”, along with request for an arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Previously, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb during his visit to Washington had said he also expected the IMF Executive Board to approve in early May. Approval from the board would trigger the disbursement of a $1bn tranche under the programme, which Pakistan secured in 2024. The IMF programme has played a critical role in stabilising Pakistan’s fragile economy, providing much-needed external financing and boosting market confidence. Pakis­tan and the IMF had reached a three-year, $7bn aid packag...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation on climate action, nature conservation, and green economic growth under the Pakistan-UK Green Compact.