Pakistan

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Cadet College Wana on Saturday to acknowledge the efforts of Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel who successfully foiled a recent terrorist plot.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, congratulated the national cricket team on winning the tri-One Day International (ODI) series against the visiting Sri Lankan team.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) will vote on the US-sponsored draft resolution authorising an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza on November 17 (Monday), diplomatic sources told Dawn on Saturday. The vote comes as Washington presses members to endorse US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, while Russia has formally placed a rival text before the UNSC, arguing that the American draft falls short of established international legal principles. Pakistan had joined other key Muslim and Arab states on Friday in expressing support for the US resolution. In a post on X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration’s plan “is the best path to peace in the Middle East”, noting that the resolution “enjoys broad international and regional support”. “We are grateful to Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkiye for their endorsement,” he wrote, adding that the Middle East has “never been this close to a real and lasting peace”. Soon after the US circulated its d...

United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is considering agreeing to a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets, which are made by Lockheed Martin. “They wanna buy a lot of jets,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I’m looking at that. They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ‘35’ — but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets.” The potential sale comes as Trump plans to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House next week, when they are expected to sign economic and defence agreements. Asked about the talks, Trump told reporters it was “more than meeting, we’re honouring” Saudi Arabia. He repeated that he hoped Saudi Arabia would soon join the Abraham Accords, which have normalised relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations. Riyadh has resisted such a step absent agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood. A Pentagon intelligence report has raised concerns over the potential F-35 deal, warning that ...

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would likely sue the BBC next week for as much as $5 billion after the British broadcaster admitted it wrongly edited a video of a speech he gave but insisted there was no legal basis for his claim. The British Broadcasting Corporation has been plunged into its biggest crisis in decades after two senior leaders resigned following accusations of bias, including over the editing of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol. Trump’s lawyers had initially set a Friday deadline for the BBC to retract its documentary or face a lawsuit for “no less” than $1bn. They also demanded an apology and compensation for what they called “overwhelming reputational and financial harm,” according to a letter seen by Reuters. The BBC, which has admitted its editing of Trump’s remarks was an “error of judgement,” sent a personal apology to Trump on Thursday but said it would not rebroadcast the documentary and rejected the defamation claim. “We’ll sue the...

KARACHI: The city commissioner on Friday announced a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for placing chairs and tables on walkways and pavements along the roads that are 100 feet wide or more and strictly prohibited restaurants and eateries from encroaching on these areas. As per the new standard operating procedures, no outdoor placement of chairs and tables or any obstruction on footpaths, service lanes or road shoulders along the major arteries (100 feet or more) would be allowed. However, eateries on 60-100 feet commercial roads and below 60 feet neighbourhood streets can use the space with a prior no-objection certificate (NOC) from the town office and deputy commissioner concerned without obstructing movement of pedestrians or vehicles. As per the mechanism of obtaining the NOC, the proprietor of an eatery will submit an application to the town municipal office with a trade licence, rental agreement and an undertaking. Commissioner announces ‘zero tolerance’ against encroachments by roadside food outlets, tea shops...

Justice Aminuddin takes oath as Chief Justice of FCC Three of six judges including Justice Rizvi, Justice Farooq, Justice Najafi also sworn in Full Court unanimously updates Supreme Court rules 2025.

RAWALPINDI: After observing poor police performance, the Rawalpindi police have formed a special task force capable of detaining Afghan nationals illegally residing in the district and shifting them to the holding centres on a daily basis for their repatriation. According to official sources, the task force comprises 13 special teams each having four personnel, one detective foot constable and one official each from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), security branch and the Special Branch field staff. Mohammad Saifullah will be heading the Pirwadhai police station team, Waqar Haider Ratta Amral, Shafiqul Hasnain will be heading the Taxila police team, Gulzar Hussain police station Wah Cantt, Omer Farooq police station Saddar Wah Cantt, Azhar police station Mandra, Shahid Jamil police station Jatli, Shahid Mehmood Rawat police station and Mohammad Tasleem police station Saddar Barooni. Likewise, Mohammad Faizan will be heading the team of police station Dhamial, Yasir Iqbal Chontra team, Naeem Raj Wali po...

A petition has been submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the recently approved 27th Constitutional Amendment, with petitioners arguing that it clashes with the foundational principles of the 1973 Constitution.

Punjab remained engulfed in dense, toxic smog on Saturday, with Lahore continuing to face dangerously high air pollution levels and holding its position as the world’s second most polluted city.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II is set to arrive in Pakistan today (Saturday) for a two-day state visit on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marking a renewed push to deepen relations between the two nations.

KOHAT: Four terrorists were killed in two operations carried out by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police in Kohat and Karak districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security officials said on Friday. The terrorists killed in Bazid Khel village of Darra Adam Khel on Thursday late night were identified as Muhammad Qasim, Shahid and Sahir alias Pata, all belonging to the Saad alias Shah Gul group, the officials said, adding that they were involved in attacks on police, including the killing of Constable Younis on Sept 17. Sahir was also involved in an attack on a police check post in Tor Chappar on Oct 6, in which Constable Bahadar was martyred. District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi said the SHO of Muhammad Riaz Shaheed police station was on routine patrol when unknown gunmen opened fire at 1:22am. Police retaliated, leading to an intense exchange of fire that resulted in the killing of the three terrorists. Weapons were recovered from them. In Karak district, the CTD killed another terrorist in the Banda Da...

• Opposition lawmakers tear copies of the bill, surround speaker’s dais, shout slogans during the session • JUI-F’s Younis Zehri terms the bill ‘against Islamic teachings’ • CM Bugti cites Shariat Court’s judgement in response • Opposition vows to challenge legislation in court QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Friday adopted the Child Marriage Prohibition Bill with majority votes amid strong protests by opposition members. The presentation and passage of the bill triggered heated scenes in the House, with opposition lawmakers shouting slogans and creating a ruckus. During the chaos, opposition members encircled the speaker’s dais and tore copies of the bill. The session, chaired by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, began with the draft law on banning child marriage being presented to the House. Speaking on the bill, Leader of the Opposition Younis Zehri of the JUI-F said the legislation was against the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah and was being introduced merely to please a non-governmental organisation....

• Global watchdog ranks country 27th out of 100 • India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh fared better • China, Iran and Russia at bottom ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been ranked 27th out of 100 — ‘Not Free’ — in terms of internet freedom by a global democracy watchdog in a recent report, which cited government measures to expand censorship practices. During June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025, the report issued by the US-based Freedom House noted that the authorities threatened to block virtual private networks (VPNs) and adopted amendments to the country’s cybercrime law that rights groups said could be abused. On the other hand, countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are markedly more open, classified as ‘Partly Free’, with much higher freedom scores of 51, 53, and 45, respectively. The watchdog was unable to track Afghanistan’s score. The countries placed at the bottom are China, Myanmar, Iran and Russia with scores of 9, 9, 13¸and 17, respectively. The watchdog noted that governments in the countries that suffered...

• Seniority principle seen flouted as ex-CB judges sidelined • Lawyers fear judges chosen for loyalty, not competence • Five judges boycott oath-taking ceremony • President accepts Mansoor, Minallah resignations; lawyers hail duo as ‘national heroes’ • Full court skips FCC, resignations issue; okays SC Rules ISLAMABAD: The Federal Consti­tutional Court (FCC) formally commenced on Friday after its chief justice and four judges took oath, though the proceedings were overshadowed by a boycott from five senior judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and questions are being raised over what principle, if any, guided these appointments. Critics point out that if seniority was the yardstick, none of the appointees — except Justice Aminuddin Khan, who has been elevated as chief justice of the FCC — is senior to members of the now-defunct Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court, several of whom have been ignored. View this post on Instagram This, they argue, is done in contrast to the spirit of the 1996 Al-Jih...

• Asia suffered 47pc of total losses over 33 years • Floods in Pakistan affected 9m people, destroyed crops on large scale ISLAMABAD: Disasters have caused an estimated $3.26 trillion in agricultural losses worldwide over the past 33 years — an average of $99 billion annually, or roughly four per cent of global agricultural GDP — according to a new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on Friday. The report, titled Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2025, highlights how digital technologies are transforming the way farmers, governments and communities monitor risks, anticipate impacts and protect livelihoods. “The global agricultural sector stands at a critical juncture, facing an unprecedented convergence of disasters, while simultaneously witnessing remarkable advances in digital technologies that offer new possibilities for understanding, predicting and managing disaster risks,” it added. Between 1991 and 2023, disasters wiped out 4.6bn tonne...

President appoints six judges to new court; Shah, Minallah resignations accepted; FCC strength set to reach 13 judges

Islamabad says regional connectivity only after Kabul acts against terror safe havens

Govt is seeking to divert 24 cargoes in 2026 as local demand stands low

Treet plans 35 new products as Gen Z reshapes demand, women’s segment in focus