Pakistan

ON April 23, India unilaterally declared the Indus Waters Treaty to be “in abeyance” — a term neither recognised in treaty law nor found in the IWT itself. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) — the authoritative international agreement on treaty law — instead describes a party’s releasing itself from its treaty obligations as a ‘suspension’. Treaties such as the IWT are not limited by time, continuing instead in perpetuity under Article 42 of the VCLT. And under Article 57 of the VCLT, a treaty can only be suspended if it allows for such suspension, or with the mutual consent of all contracting parties. The IWT, a multilateral treaty with India, Pakistan and the World Bank as signatories, does not provide for suspension and can unilaterally only be terminated or suspended if a party commits a material breach of treaty as described under Article 60 of the VCLT. India’s accusations of Pakistan’s alleged role in the Pahalgam attack are completely unsubstantiated; but in any event, that attack has...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif commended the country’s parliament for its unified and determined response during the recent tensions between Pakistan and India.

DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry commended Iran’s efforts in promoting peace amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the recent Pahalgam attack.

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has turned down a petition filed by Aleema Khan, sister of former prime minister Imran Khan, in which she sought exemption from personal court appearances and permission to travel abroad.

PESHAWAR: Terrorist group Islamic State’s regional affiliate Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the May 11 suicide blast, which martyred two police officials and injured three here. In its weekly publication Al-Naba on Friday, the ISKP insisted that one of its members, Abu Ibrahim al-Khorasani, carried out the suicide attack by detonating his explosive belt when the police tried to stop him at a checkpost in the jurisdiction of the Chamkani police station. Police investigators believe that the police weren’t the target of the suicide bomber, who actually wanted to attack a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl gathering at the party’s Mufti Mehmood Markaz headquarters, which was attended by leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman the same night. “It appears that the bomber’s target was the JUI-F gathering, but it has yet to be confirmed,” a source in the police’s counter-terrorism department told Dawn. Police believe bomber was planning to target JUI-F rally He, however, said an investigation was ...

British Foreign Minister David Lammy on Saturday said the United Kingdom is collaborating closely with the United States to ensure the recently brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan holds, and to encourage dialogue and confidence-building measures between the two nations, reported by Reuters.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Pakistan to gradually withdraw federal financial support for provincial development initiatives under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), urging provinces to become financially self-reliant.

The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has blocked the X (formerly Twitter) account of senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and Senator Sherry Rehman, drawing strong condemnation and reigniting concerns over digital censorship and freedom of expression.

Former foreign minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been moved from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on Saturday after he suffered heart pain, his lawyer said on Saturday. Qureshi has been indicted in multiple cases pertaining to the May 9, 2023 riots and has remained behind bars since August 2023. Speaking to Dawn.com today, Advocate Rana Mudassar, Qureshi’s lawyer, said his client suffered heart pain early in the morning after Fajr prayers. He underwent a medical assessment by prison doctors. “He was shifted to the PIC by Rescue 1122 after his health failed to improve,” Mudassar said, adding that Qureshi was currently undergoing various tests at the hospital. The PTI leader’s family had been informed about his condition, the lawyer added. In a post on X today, Qureshi’s son urged the nation to pray for his speedy recovery. In July 2024, the PTI vice-president was indicted by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in a case registered by the Shadman police over alleged...

The Pakistan Haj Mission (PHM) has welcomed 38,229 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia (Madina and Makkah) under the government scheme since the start of the month-long pre-Haj flight operation on April 29. These pilgrims arrived via 143 flights under the government scheme, while 3,440 more intending pilgrims through 13 flights will reach the holy land today, said Muhammad Umar Butt, a spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Sharing the details with APP, he said that there are five scheduled flights from Lahore, four from Karachi, three from Islamabad and one from Multan today. This year, the PHM will host over 88,380 pilgrims under the government scheme and more than 23,000 under the private scheme. He said that as possession of the Nusuk Card is a mandatory requirement for entering Haram Sharif, the pilgrims are being given these through Tawafa Company Al-Rajhi, responsible for facilitating Pakistani pilgrims during Haj, soon after their arrival. The PHM is utilising Pak Haj App, two toll-free helplines 80024...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received an invitation to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the new spiritual leader of Catholic Christians Pope Leo XIV, and has nominated two ministers to participate in the event, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the Catholic Church earlier in the month, taking the name Leo XIV, becoming the first American pontiff. Last week, the newly elected Pope welcomed the ceasefire between Pakistan and India in his first Sunday message, the pontiff had said he was glad to hear of the recent Pakistan-India ceasefire and hoped negotiations would lead to a lasting accord between the nuclear-armed neighbours. According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, PM Shehbaz has nominated the Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Kheal Das Kohistani, along with Punjab’s Minister for Minority Affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora, to attend the ceremony. They will represent Pa...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday lauded the people and the Armed Forces for their unmatched courage during the conflict with India.

Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was shifted from Kot Lakhpat Jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) early Saturday after experiencing chest pain, his lawyer confirmed.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif issued a strong warning to terrorists operating within Pakistan, declaring that they would face consequences similar to those suffered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the recent cross-border tensions.

ISLAMABAD - Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday said that the Intra-Court Appeal (ICA) against a judge’s interim order is not admissible.

ISLAMABAD: The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to resume on Saturday after a nine-day hiatus with the league entering a decisive phase as five teams remain in the hunt for the four playoff spots. The league was postponed due to cross-border tensions taking place between Pakistan and India between the early hours of May 7 and May 10, when the escalation seized after a ceasefire agreement. The disruption had seen overseas players fly out of the country before the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to resume the tournament got the six franchises scrambling to get their squads back together. With only eight matches left in the league stage of the 34-match season, the battle for qualification has intensified, with last year’s finalists Multan Sultans already knocked out of contention after losing eight of their nine matches. The Rawalpindi leg will host the final round of league matches before the playoffs shift to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, scheduled from May 21 to 25, with May 24 marked as a rest day. Satu...

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Friday cleared 10 development projects worth Rs143 billion, including a Rs41bn initiative to revamp the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), enabling the government to secure a $150 million loan from the World Bank despite a more than 225 per cent increase in project costs. The CDWP meeting, presided over by Pla­n­­­ning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, also cleared Rs27bn expansion of laptop scheme in Pun­jab and Sindh’s Rs60bn worth of three major projects in the roads and education sectors. The meeting requested the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) to formally approve five projects worth Rs127.1bn and itself approved five other projects worth Rs15.9bn. Under the current financial rules, the CDWP is empowered to approve projects costing up to Rs7.5bn, while the projects of higher estimated costs are approved by Ecnec on the recommendations of the CDWP after clearance on technical grounds. The meeting approved the “Construction of Academi...

Anum Khan Muhammad Sher, a police officer from Sargodha City Police Station, has brought international recognition to Pakistan by winning the prestigious 'Excellence in Criminal Investigation' award at the 2025 World Police Summit Awards held in Dubai.

ISLAMABAD - Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Fri­day visited Combined Military Hospital (CMH) to inquire after the health of Jawans of Paki­stan Army and civilians who were injured dur­ing M’arka-e-Haq (Battle of Truth) against India.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has claimed its leaders and workers have been booked for taking out a ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ rally, after an FIR was registered against them for ‘rioting armed with deadly weapons’, ‘mischief by injury to public road, bridge’ and other similar alleged offences. According to party and police sources, the Lahore police registered the FIR against the PTI leaders and workers for taking out a rally to express solidarity with the armed forces, burning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effigy, and torching tyres on Ferozepur Road near Model Town. The FIR was registered against PTI Lahore president Imtiaz Sheikh, Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Ali Warraich and around 50 other workers under Sections 290 (public nuisance), 291 (Continuance of nuisance after injunction to discontinue), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 431 (mischief by injury to public road, bridge) of the PPC...