Pakistan | News

Heavy snow has been reported in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of Pakistan over the past two days, with the Meteorological Department on Friday forecasting more rain and snowfall from Sunday night till Tuesday. Amid the extreme weather, the Met department has advised tourists to remain extra cautious and avoid unnecessary travelling during this period. It has also asked the authorities concerned to remain vigilant and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation. Tourists gather during a snowstorm in Murree on January 23, 2026. — AFP Locals gather and enjoy the snow on the outskirts of Quetta on January 22. — AFP A citizen is blanketed during a snowstorm in Murree on January 23,. — AFP Children play in a snow-covered area on the outskirts of Quetta on January 22. — AFP A bulldozer is used to clear heavy snow from a road in Murree on January 23. — AFP A man helps a motorcyclist to steer out of a snow-covered road on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir on January 23...

Senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the Pakistan team for the T20I series against Australia this month, as national selectors on Friday announced the 16-member squad. The duo were left out of the squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month, where all-rounder Shadab Khan made his comeback. He will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement today. The matches will take place at Lahore’s Gadaffi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1 and will begin at 4pm PKT. Pakistan squad and player support personnel are expected to convene in Lahore on Jan 24 and will begin their preparations for the series the following day, PCB said today. Meanwhile, Australia is set to arrive in Pakistan on January 28 and will play just their second series in the format on Pakistani soil after a solitary T20I in April 2022, also at Gaddafi Stadium. A day earlier, Ba...

Pakistan has stepped up its call at the United Nations for reinforcing the primacy of international law and reforming the Security Council, warning that selective compliance with treaties and parallel diplomatic initiatives risk weakening the UN at a time of heightened global conflict. Speaking at the International Law Year in Review 2026 Conference on Thursday, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the erosion of treaty obligations and uneven application of international law were undermining the foundations of collective security built after World War II. “There must be no space for selective compliance or legal exceptionalism,” the ambassador said, adding that the principles of the UN Charter must be applied “more consistently, more courageously and more faithfully” if the rules-based international order was to survive. Ambassador Asim linked the debate on international law directly to the functioning of the Security Council, noting that divisions among major po...

Pakistan clinched a comfortable 8-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in Harare during the team’s last group-stage match in the ongoing U19 World Cup, advancing into the Super Six round. After facing a 37-run defeat by England in their tournament opener, the Green Shirts made a comeback, beating Scotland and Zimbabwe in back-to-back matches. With the win, Pakistan has secured second place in the group rankings, with England on top. As per the tournament’s format, the top three teams from the four groups will qualify for the Super Six round, where they will be divided into two groups of six teams, each playing two matches. This means that despite the loss, Zimbabwe will also advance into the Super Six stage. Pakistan U19 captain Farhan Yousaf had won the toss and elected to field first at Takashinga Sports Club. Pakistan’s bowlers maintained a strong grip over the Zimbabwean batters, with a dominating performance by Ali Raza, who took three wickets and bowled four maiden overs. Mohammad Sayyam, Abdul Subhan, and Momi...

Nestle on Thursday announced that it would invest an additional $60 million in Pakistan and would also “undertake a robust expansion of its operations in the country”. The development came as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Remy Ejel, the executive vice president and chief executive officer for Asia, Oceania, and Africa at Nestle, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, according to a statement issued by the finance ministry. The ministry said Aurangzeb chaired a high-level business roundtable on the sidelines of the WEF, bringing together chief executive officers and senior leaders of leading global corporations to discuss Pakistan’s reform trajectory, investment climate, and long-term growth potential. “The roundtable formed part of the government of Pakistan’s ongoing engagement with multinational investors to promote policy predictability, economic formalisation, and sustainable, export-oriented growth,” it said. “A major highlight of the discussion was the announcement by Eje...

ISLAMABAD: Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s top three agencies, on Wednesday affirmed Pakistan’s long-term debt ratings at ‘B-’ (B-negative), which it had upgraded in April last year, and assigned a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4’ following the removal of the ratings from Under Criteria Observation (UCO). In a statement issued from its regional office in Hong Kong, the agency said the rating actions reflect the application of Fitch’s new Sovereign Rating Criteria, effective September 2025, and the inclusion of recovery assumptions into sovereign debt ratings for the first time. The recovery rating RR4 denotes ‘average’ recovery expectation from default in a scale of six categories, starting from RR1 for outstanding, RR2 for superior, RR3 for good and RR4 for average. This is followed by RR5 for below average and RR6 for poor. The senior unsecured long-term debt ratings of Pakistan and The Pakistan Global Sukuk Programme Company Ltd are equalised with Pakistan’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR)...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that export-led growth was the only way forward for Pakistan. The premier made the remarks while addressing a breakfast event at the Pakistan Pavilion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. In his remarks, the premier said Pakistan “is moving forward with a sense of achievement and a sense of purpose”, noting a drop in the inflation rate and a reduction in the policy rate. However, he noted that exports were facing challenges and that social indicators “need to be improved through continuous joint efforts”. “Our exports, collectively, do face different kinds of challenges,” the premier noted. “But the way forward is very clear: Pakistan has to have export-led growth,” he asserted. PM Shehbaz said that the government brought in “fundamental structural changes” to the system, such as digitalising revenue collection. He stated that the tax collection-to-GDP ratio stood at 10.5pc, compared to 9pc two years ago, hailing it as a “significant achi...

Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Wednesday released a statement announcing their decision to join US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Board of Peace’. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar welcomed the invitation “extended to their leaders” by Trump. “The ministers announce their countries’ shared decision to join the Board of Peace. Each country will sign the joining documents according to its respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures, including Egypt, Pakistan, and the UAE, that have already announced to join,” the joint statement said. It should be noted that all eight countries had worked with Trump in October last year on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza. The UAE had announced its decision to join the board on Tuesday while Pakistan and Egypt had separately announced it on Wednesday. “The ministers reiterate their countries’ support for the peace efforts l...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said Pakistan’s economy was showing clear signs of improvement and the country was moving forward with renewed confidence, as key economic indicators continued to strengthen.

Pakistan has extended the ban on Indian-registered aircraft from using its airspace for another month, with the restriction now in place until February 24, 2026, according to a Notice to Airmen (Notam) issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Tuesday.

Pakistan has warned that India’s unilateral decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance has triggered an unprecedented crisis for the country’s water security and poses serious risks to regional stability.

Pakistan has warned that India’s unilateral decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance has created an unprecedented crisis for Pakistan’s water security and regional stability. Calling the move a deliberate “weaponisation of water,” Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said India’s actions amounted to material breaches of the landmark 1960 treaty. Speaking at the Global Water Bankruptcy Policy Roundtable hosted by Canada and the United Nations University on Tuesday, Ambassador Jadoon said that since April last year, India had committed several serious violations of the treaty, including unannounced disruptions of downstream water flows and the withholding of critical hydrological data. “Pakistan’s position is unequivocal; the treaty remains legally intact and permits no unilateral suspension or modification,” he said. He stressed that for more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty had provided a time-tested framework for the equitable and predictable ma...

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA), in collaboration with the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI), organized a book launch ceremony for Nuclear Regulatory Regime in Pakistan 1956–2020 at the PNRA Headquarters, Islamabad.

Defence Minister says Pakistan stands firmly with people of Iran in difficult circumstances.

Pakistan has prolonged the restriction on its airspace for Indian aircraft for another month, maintaining the ban amid continued tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.

The Pakistan Airports Authority has extended the airspace ban for Indian aircraft until February 24 for another month, according to a Notam (notice to airmen) issued on Tuesday. The extension in the ban has been notified just three days before the restriction, last extended on December 17, was set to expire on January 23. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people. According to the latest Notam, Pakistan’s airspace will remain closed for India-registered aircraft until 5am on February 24, extending the restriction that is already in place. The restriction applies to all India-registered aircraft as well as any aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines or operators, including military flights. The airspace closure applies from ground level up to unlimited altitude. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — K...

A diplomatic row has erupted between New Delhi and Warsaw after Indian Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar took aim at Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s recent visit to Pakistan, Indian media reported. According to The Hindu, the visit by the Polish minister was the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Warsaw in August 2024, from where he travelled to Ukraine as well. The report added that Jaishankar, in televised remarks, said he wanted to discuss Sikorski’s “recent travels to the region”, calling it a direct reference to the Polish minister’s visit to Pakistan in October last year. During Sikorski’s two-day visit to Islamabad, Pakistan and Poland had agreed to deepen their political and economic ties during talks in Islamabad, with both countries pledging to transform their relationship into what they called a “comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership”. The Hindu reported that during the meeting between Jaishankar and Sikorski, the former said, “Poland should disp...

Pakistan and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) today signed three loan agreements worth six hundred three million dollars.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan, essentially an agrarian economy, held immense and largely untapped potential in agriculture and can transform its agri-sector not in years, but in months by adopting modern technologies, improving productivity and strengthening cooperation with China.

ISLAMABAD - Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan on Monday said Pakistan is preparing to launch its first-ever National Women Entrepreneurship Policy, a landmark initiative that will place women entrepreneurs at the center of economic planning.