April | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday fixed appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi against conviction in the £190 million corruption reference for tomorrow (April 30). According to the supplementary cause list issued by the registrar’s office, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif will take up Crl. Appeal 63/2025 (filed by Imran) and Crl. Appeal 64/2025 (filed by Bushra) on Thursday. Both appeals challenge the convictions under the Pakistan Penal Code with sentences exceeding seven years. The cause list mentioned that miscellaneous applications — including those seeking suspension of sentence along with objections — were also pending before the court. The development comes a day after the same bench, during the hearing of separate petitions seeking suspension of sentence in the £190m corruption reference, indicated a structured timeline for concluding arguments in the main appeals. Earlier this m...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday predicted that mild heatwave conditions were likely to develop in the southern parts of the country from April 29 to May 3. In a weather update, it said that the upper parts of the country were likely to be affected by the westerly wave from the night of April 27 to April 29 and from May 3-5, due to which temperatures were likely to drop 2-4 degrees Celsius. The department said that El-Niño conditions were likely to emerge during May-July. El Nino is a naturally-occurring climate phenomenon that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It brings changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns. The last El Nino contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the all-time high. “The observed climate suggests that May and June are the hottest months during the year, while south Punjab, upper Sindh, southern/eastern Balochistan are heat-prone areas of the country, with temperatures sometimes shooti...

The tickets for this year’s HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) are set to go on sale from April 27, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday. The final — with teams yet to be decided — would take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on May 3 (Sunday). The final would also have a reserve day, which is May 4. In a press release, PCB said the tickets will be up for grabs online at pcb.tcs.com.pk from 4pm on Monday, while physical tickets will be available at 18 designated TCS Express Centres in Lahore from 10am on Tuesday. Fans can buy tickets for VIP enclosures (Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan) for Rs6,000, while the premium enclosures (Rajas and Saeed Anwar) will be available for Rs4,000. First-class enclosures, which comprise Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Abdul Qadir, Javed Miandad and Sarfaraz Nawaz, are priced at Rs2,000. Seats in Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Saeed Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq, which are categorised as general enclosures, will be available for a minimum of Rs1,500. The PCB noted that the “thrilling”...

President Asif Ali Zardari will undertake an official visit to China from April 25 to May 1 at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hassan Waqar Cheema refuted on Tuesday a notification that claimed a local holiday had been announced in the garrison city for April 22 (Wednesday). “This notification circulating on social media is fake,” the DC said on X, sharing a photo of the order, which stated that he had declared a “local holiday in the territorial jurisdiction of Rawalpindi on April 22”. Dismissing it, the DC urged the public “to rely only on official sources for authentic information”. On Sunday, Islamabad DC Irfan Nawaz Memon also dismissed as fake a notification announcing that all public and private offices in the federal capital and Rawalpindi would remain closed from April 20 until further notice. The developments take place as authorities take several measures in anticipation of hosting US-Iran talks in Islamabad. In Rawalpindi, some roads have been closed, and many universities and schools have also been shut while others remain open.

The Cabinet Division of Pakistan has directed all federal offices situated in the Red Zone to operate under a work-from-home policy on April 22.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday released its official Mark-to-Market (M2M) currency rates for April 21, 2026, based on weighted-average interbank closing data and international benchmarks.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon on Sunday dismissed as fake on Sunday a notification announcing that all public and private offices in the federal capital and Rawalpindi would remain closed from April 20 until further notice. In a social media post on X, Memon said, “Citizens are requested to refrain from sharing unverified or fake news. Please rely only on official handles of the district administration, Islamabad, for authentic updates.” However, a late-night Cabinet Division notification said that all ministries, divisions and other federal government establishments located in Islamabad’s Red Zone should adopt a work-from-home arrangement on April 20. “All officers and secretarial staff shall remain at the station and be prepared to attend office when required at a short notice,” the notification said. Similarly, a notification by the Islamabad district magistrate said that entry into Red Zone would remain suspended on April 20, and in view of the development, all public and private offices...

The first Hajj flight from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore is scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia on April 18, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Monday.

LAHORE - First Hajj flight from Lahore Airport will be operated on April 18, Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson announced, here on Monday.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday forecast rain-wind/thunderstorms, accompanied by isolated heavy falls and hailstorms, in the upper parts of the country from April 16 to 19 under the influence of a westerly wave expected to enter northwestern regions on April 16.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a fresh weather advisory predicting widespread rainfall, strong winds, thunderstorms, and possible hailstorms across the country from April 16 to 19.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday said that the upper parts of the country were expected to receive rain and thunderstorms from April 16 to 19. In a press release, the PMD said a westerly wave was likely to approach the country’s northwestern parts on April 16 (Thursday) and likely to persist in the upper parts till April 19 (Sunday). Under the influence of the weather system, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls were likely in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In KP, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls/hailstorm (snowfall over mountains) was expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Balakot, Haripur, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Bajaur, Mohmand, Swabi, Charsadda, Kohat, Kurram, Khyber and Hangu from the evening of April 16 to April 19 with occasional gaps. “Light rain wind/thunderstorm is likely at isolated places in Orakzai, Karak, Bannu...

ISLAMABAD: First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has urged public cooperation as the nationwide anti-polio campaign is set to begin from April 13. The week-long campaign aims to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five across all provinces and regions as part of the ongoing efforts to eradicate polio. In a statement released on Sunday, Aseefa called on families and communities across Pakistan to fully cooperate with the upcoming nationwide polio vaccination campaign to ensure that every child is protected from the crippling disease. Pakistan, she said, stood at a “critical juncture” in its fight against the virus. “Years of sustained effort have brought the country closer to eradication, with the coming phase representing the final stretch where reaching every child is essential,” she stated. “From April 13 to 19, frontline health workers will conduct door-to-door visits, covering urban centres as well as remote communities. “In addition to administering polio drops, children will also receive Vita...

The Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education on Thursday postponed the matric examinations scheduled to be held on April 10 (Friday) — when the federal capital will be abuzz with diplomatic activity during talks between the US and Iran. In a statement, it said that the exams at 64 examination centres across the city had been postponed. However, it said that exams in other districts of Rawalpindi Division would continue as per the schedule announced. According to a statement issued by the Rawalpindi BISE, the postponed exams included compulsory Urdu and geography. A new date for the postponed papers would be announced later, and the candidates would be duly informed, the statement said. The district authorities of the twin cities have declared two local holidays in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on April 9 (today) and April 10 (Friday) to ensure security for the scheduled peace talks between Iran and the United States. Due to the sensitivity and importance of the talks, comprehensive security measure...

District administrations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have announced local holidays in the twin cities on April 9 (Thursday) and 10 (Friday). In a post on the social media platform X, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon said, “Local Holidays Announced in Islamabad – 9th & 10th April.” He also shared the notification by the office of the Islamabad district magistrate. However, he added, essential services will remain operational. According to the official, these included the Capital Development Authority, the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration, Islamabad police, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd and hospitals. “Citizens are advised to plan their activities accordingly. Thank you,” he said. Separately, a notification issued by Rawalpindi DC Hassan Waqar announced a local holiday in the territorial jurisdiction of Rawalpindi on April 9 and 10. “However, all emergency dealing departments/ institutions/ authorities shall remain operational,” the notif...

Pakistan on Wednesday announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, had agreed to an immediate ceasefire, including in Lebanon, effective immediately, and invited their delegations to Islamabad on April 10 for talks aimed at reaching a lasting settlement of disputes. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the ceasefire in an early-morning post on X, welcoming the move and extending his “deepest gratitude” to the leadership of both countries. Both sides have displayed “remarkable wisdom and understanding” and remained constructively engaged in furthering the cause of peace and stability, the prime minister said, expressing hope that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ would succeed in achieving sustainable peace and that more positive developments would follow in the coming days. The prime minister, who helped mediate the ceasefire, also invited delegations from both countries to Islamabad on April 10 to “hold further negotiations towards a conclusive agreement to se...

Pakistan repaid $1.43 billion in external debt, including a $1.3 billion Eurobond maturing on April 8, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Tuesday. “As part of its routine course of external debt management, Pakistan has repaid its $1.3bn Eurobond maturing on April 8 — on schedule and in full,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. “Alongside, the country has also met $126.125 million in coupon obligations on other Eurobond issuances,” he said, adding that this brought total payments on Tuesday to “over $1.426bn”. “Debt servicing continues to be executed as a non-event — reflecting consistency, discipline, and strengthened capacity,” he said. “The seamless execution of large external repayments underscores both capacity and consistency — reinforcing Pakistan’s credibility across global investors and financial institutions,” he said. The development follows Pakistan’s decision to return $3.5 billion in debt to the UAE before the end of this month. According to a senior Pakistan...

The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) on Sunday announced that Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams in Karachi were being rescheduled and would now commence on April 10. The BSEK had earlier announced that SSC annual examinations would be held from April 7 to May 2 in the Karachi Division. A press release issued by the BSEK on Sunday said citing the board’s controller of examinations that the board was currently transitioning from a manual to a digital system. “Therefore, the software application was overloaded and faced temporary disruption. The IT team is working to resolve the issue,” the press release said. In view of the situation, the SSC examinations were being rescheduled to begin on April 10, 2026 to ensure that they were conducted in an “organised … and transparent manner,” the press release said. It further said that a revised examination schedule would be issued soon, while students were to sit their exams at centres already allotted to them.

Pakistan is expected to witness a spell of heavy rains, beginning from Sunday night in Balochistan and lasting till April 9 in the upper parts of the country, according to the Met Office. In a weather advisory issued on Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said it predicted that “another western disturbance is likely to approach western parts of Balochistan” on Sunday evening and was likely to persist in the upper regions till April 9. Under the influence of the weather system, showers with isolated heavy falls or hailstorms were likely in various areas of all provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In Balochistan, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavyfalls/hailstorm was expected in Quetta, Chaman, Chagai, Dalbandin, Kharan, Ziarat, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Nushki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Khuzdar, Barkhan, Mastung, Sibi, Kohlu, Nasirabad and Loralai from Sunday night to the morning of April 7 (Tuesday) with occasional gaps. The same ...