Pakistan

Jirga seeks justice, security assurances after drone strike targets MPA Anwarzeb Khan

Governor cites party's welfare legacy, nuclear programme achievements

With a lack of preventative planning and public awareness, patients with respiratory ailments are left without medical

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday said that the notification regarding the Chief of Defence Forces’ (CDF) appointment would be issued “in due course of time”, the process for which had started. “Please be informed that the process has been initiated. PM is returning shortly. Notification will be issued in due course of time,” Asif said in a post on social media platform X. The CDF position, created under the 27th Constitutional Ame­nd­ment, replaced the now-abolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which formally ended on Nov 27. It will be a dual-hatted position combined with the office of the army chief. Officials and observers had expected the new notification to coincide with the abolition of the CJCSC post, but November 29 was seen as a critical marker, being the date on which the original three-year tenure of the incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Asim Munir, was set to expire. Asif’s statement came as the November 29 date passed without any notific...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday warned that anyone who attempts to revoke the constitutional guarantees related to provinces’ rights as provided under the 18th Amendment was akin to “playing with fire”. Bilawal made the remarks in a video address to mark the PPP’s 58th foundation day, with his speech being live-streamed in “more than 100 districts” across the country, as per the party. Bilawal recalled that the ruling PML-N had also proposed constitutional tweaks related to the provinces’ financial rights under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, which were then rejected by the PPP and did not make it to the final version of the 27th Amendment. “The PPP considers that there were a lot of faultlines in this country and remain,” Bilawal said, adding that the PPP had tried to address those by giving provinces their rights and due representation, and restoring democracy in the past. “Those people who are trying to play with the NFC Award or the 18th Amendment or other such matters, or are t...

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Sunday rejected rumours surrounding the notification for the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), confirming that the appointment process has formally begun.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that party founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto laid the foundations of democracy and the 1973 Constitution, marking a defining moment in the country’s political evolution.

Doors are not yet closed on all-rounder Shadab Khan to make a comeback in the Pakistan side ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, skipper Salman Ali Agha said on Saturday. Shadab last featured for the national side back in June during the T20I series against Bangladesh before an injury ruled him out. Since then, Pakistan have found their main all-rounder in Mohammad Nawaz, who has starred with both bat and ball across past six months as the team won a tri-series in the UAE before making it to the Asia Cup final. On Saturday, Pakistan won another tri-series, this time at home, after beating Sri Lanka clinically in Rawalpindi — the match seeing Nawaz take three wickets to turn the game around for the hosts. Apart from Nawaz, opener Saim Ayub has also consolidated his role as Pakistan’s impactful spin option while Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq have announced themselves as worthy specialists. Salman, however, didn’t rule out the possibility of Shadab’s return when the teams flies out to Sri Lanka — the co-hosts of th...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday expressed concerns about Israel’s commitment to peace in Gaza, saying that Muslim countries that had supported the peace treaty may need to “reassess their stance” in the face of continued violations of the fragile ceasefire in the region. Despite the declaration of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on October 9, Israel has continued to bombard the territory while a long-term plan for peace is discussed. The defence minister posted today on social media platform X that the ceasefire agreement had been criticised for being one-sided and that Israeli forces “continue to violate the truce, killing Palestinians including children”. “The agreement, signed in Sharm el-Sheikh, was meant to bring stability to the region, but Israel’s actions have raised concerns about its commitment to the deal,” Asif said. The defence minister added, “Muslim countries that supported the treaty, including Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, may need to reassess their stance given the ongoing vio...

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday criticized the Gaza ceasefire agreement as ‘one-sided,’ citing continued violations by Israeli forces that have resulted in the deaths of Palestinians.

Pakistan and Egypt have agreed to strengthen collaboration in political dialogue, defence, trade and counterterrorism efforts, following high-level talks in Islamabad on Monday.

Authorities investigating the 24 November suicide attack on the Federal Constabulary (FC) Headquarters in Peshawar have confirmed that all three attackers were Afghan nationals.

A Dubai restaurant has opened that prides itself on having the world’s “first AI chef”, the latest ostentatious dive into new technology in a city obsessed with being on the cutting edge of the future. The Emirati city has become increasingly known for its growing culinary scene, with thousands of restaurants on offer from luxurious Michelin-starred eateries to greasy spoons serving up bona fide street food from across the Middle East and Asia. But at Woohoo, the brains behind the menu is not a person but an AI programme — known as chef Aiman — trained on thousands of recipes and decades of culinary research and molecular gastronomy. Chef Aiman can also optimise menus and balance flavours, according to the establishment. The real work of preparing and serving the food, however, remains in human hands, for now. “AI is going to create better dishes than humans maybe in the future,” said the restaurant’s Turkish co-founder Ahmet Oytun Cakir. While Woohoo’s menu mostly comprises international fusion dishes, some ...

Four people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting at a family gathering in California on Saturday night, United States police said, calling it a “targeted incident”. The shooting took place inside a banquet hall in Stockton, northeast of San Francisco, just before 6pm (7am Sunday PKT), San Joaquin County Sheriff’s office spokesperson Heather Brent told reporters in a news briefing. The victims, who range from “juveniles to adults”, were taken to local hospitals, Brent said, adding that information on the shooting was limited. “What we have confirmed at this time is that there was a banquet hall where a family was celebrating. We have 14 victims of this shooting. Four of those are deceased,” Brent said. “Early indications suggest that this may be a targeted incident. Investigators are exploring all possibilities at this time.” The sheriff’s office said in a post on social media that detectives were “working to determine the circumstances leading up to this tragedy”. “We are urging anyone with information, v...

A severe cold wave continues to grip Quetta and several other regions of Balochistan, with temperatures dropping sharply across the province.

Pakistan has expressed “deep concern” over observations made on behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the recently passed 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling the remarks ungrounded and politically biased.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari awards certificate to Editor-in-Chief The Nation, Waqt TV, Nawa-i-Waqt Group Rameeza Majid Nizami during the concluding session of the 27th National Security Workshop (NSW-27).

Sri Lankan authorities battled rising floodwaters in parts of the capital on Sunday after a powerful cyclone left a trail of destruction, killing at least 159 people across the country. The northern part of Colombo was facing a major flood, as the water level in the Kelani River continued to rise, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. The death toll had reached 159, with another 203 people missing, the DMC reported, following a week of heavy rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah, which moved away from Sri Lanka on Saturday. “Although the cyclone has left us, heavy rains upstream are now flooding low-lying areas along the banks of the Kelani River,” a DMC official said. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency yesterday to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone and appealed for international aid. India was the first to respond, sending relief supplies and two helicopters with crew to carry out rescue missions. Japan said it will send a team to assess immediate needs and pledged furthe...

KARACHI: The Pakis­tan Population Summit 2025, a dialogue on the country’s high population rate, will be held in Islamabad from Dec 1 to 2. Data compiled by research organisation Population Council, UK Aid and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) shows the average annual growth rate in Pakistan — based on data from 2017 to 2023 — is 2.55 per cent, resulting in a population of 241.5 million, making it the fifth most populous country in the world. The country is on course to cross 300 million within the next five years and edge towards 400 million by 2050. According to a DawnMedia press release, the two-day event will take place at the Serena Hotel. The event will take stock of the situation in Pakistan, as it faces the challenges of rising population growth outpacing available resources. “Urgent and serious action is required to bridge the growing gap between demographic increase and sustainable resource management. Recognising the crucial implications of a high population growth rate on Pakistan’s econo...

TOBA TEK SINGH: Former Jhang District Bar Association president Mehr Muhammad Munir Sadhana, his driver and a passer-by were killed while a shopkeeper was injured when two unidentified persons riding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire on the lawyer’s car on Gojra Road of Jhang on Saturday morning. Jhang Satellite Town police said the attackers managed to flee after the shooting. Munir Sadhana was on the way to Jhang District Courts Complex when his car was attacked near Bilqees Hospital. As a result of firing, his driver Mumtaz Ahmad died instantly while Sadhana himself, shopkeeper and passer-by Mushtaq were shifted to Jhang District Headquarters Hospital where Sadhana and passer-by also succumbed to their injuries. The lawyer was a close aide of former federal interior minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, who was present at the hospital to receive the body of his friend along with relatives of the deceased. Deputy Commissioner Ali Akbar Bhinder and DPO Bilal Kiani were also present. As soon as news of atta...