Pakistan

A five-member Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court on Thursday referred a plea against the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee chief Mahrang Baloch to the Practice and Procedure Committee, which forms benches and fixes cases under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023. The plea, filed by Mahrang’s sister Nadia Baloch through senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi in June, urges the SC to set aside an April 15 order of the Balo­ch­istan High Court (BHC) that rej­ected a petition against Mahrang’s detention under the Main­tenance of Public Order— a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain individuals suspected of posing a threat to public order initially for a period of 30 days. Mahrang is currently detained at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta on charges of attacking Quetta Civil Hospital and inciting people to violence. The plea filed by her sister was taken up by the CB today. The CB was headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprised Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali...

A promising 17-year-old Australian cricketer died on Thursday after being struck by a ball, with his family saying they were “utterly devastated”. Ben Austin was in the nets with a helmet on before a Twenty20 game in Melbourne on Tuesday when he was hit in the neck while facing a ball-throwing device. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition. “We are utterly devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben, who died earlier on Thursday morning,” his father Jace Austin said in a statement. “This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he did for so many summers — going down to the nets with mates to play cricket. “We would also like to support his teammate who was bowling in the nets. This accident has impacted two young men and our thoughts are with he and his family as well.” Austin was an emerging bowler and batter, considered by his Ferntree Gully Cricket Club as a “star cricketer, great leader and an awesome young man”. Deaths in cricket are rare. The most ...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stated that India is waging a “low-intensity” war against Pakistan from Afghanistan, adding that New Delhi is trying to “settle the score” after facing defeat in the four-day conflict with Islamabad in May. Asif expressed these views during an interview with Al Arabiya English that was released late on Wednesday. His remarks are a continuation of the censure he has been directing toward Kabul in connection with terror incidents in Pakistan, recent border hostilities and the subsequent failure of talks with its Taliban rulers. He was asked during his interview with Al Arabiya about the evidence he had to back his assertions that New Delhi was “pulling the strings” during talks with Taliban representatives in Doha and Turkiye. “When it comes to showing the evidence, or tabling the evidence, we will do that. We have the evidence,” Asif replied, highlighting that the Afghan foreign minister was visiting the Indian capital when border clashes began between Pakistan and Afghanistan...

The provincial capital once again earned the dubious distinction of being the world’s most polluted city on Thursday, as a dense blanket of toxic smog engulfed large parts of Punjab, severely affecting air quality and visibility.

Security forces have killed eighteen terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy outfit Fitna al Hindustan in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted on October 28 and 29 in Balochistan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

US President Donald Trump said he had struck a deal to reduce tariffs on China on Thursday in exchange for Beijing resuming US soybean purchases, keeping rare earths exports flowing and cracking down on the illicit trade of fentanyl. His remarks after the face-to-face talks with China’s leader Xi Jinping in the South Korean city of Busan, their first since 2019, marked the finale of Trump’s whirlwind Asia trip on which he also touted trade breakthroughs with South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations. The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, lasted nearly two hours. Trump shook hands and escorted Xi to his car before the US president was given a red carpet send off at the airport. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said the meeting with Xi yielded an extendable one-year deal on the supply of crucial rare earths. “All the rare earths has been settled, and that’s for the world,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that th...

In a major stride toward agricultural innovation and export diversification, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to establish three state-of-the-art date processing plants in Pakistan, marking a new chapter in Pak-UAE agri-trade cooperation.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the renewed attacks by the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, which have reportedly resulted in civilian casualties.

Minister brands Kabul regime a proxy of India; Questions legitimacy of Taliban government

PM says ties with Turkiye entered new era

Says menstrual products are essentials, not luxuries

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the Afghan Taliban regime was to blame for the breakdown of talks between Islamabad and Kabul as the two countries engaged in a lengthy round of dialogue to try and achieve a permanent ceasefire and cessation of terrorist attacks originating from Afghan soil. Pakistan witnessed a rapid deterioration in ties with Afghanistan, with both sides engaging in recent border skirmishes, counter-statements and allegations. The hostilities began earlier this month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghanistan on the night of October 11. The attack had followed an allegation from the Taliban of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan — an accusation which Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied. For its part, Islamabad has long demanded that the Afghan Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil. Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to grapple wit...

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, met with the Ambassador of Lebanon, H.

ISLAMABAD - The High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan, Mr.

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, has assured the nation on Wednesday that Pakistan Navy remains fully prepared to uphold the national sovereignty and ensure the defence of every inch of maritime frontiers.

ISLAMABAD - The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has agreed to support the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in nominating Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai for the slot of leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Islamabad - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Security forces killed at least seven terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij in an intelligence-based operation in Kurram on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Wednesday, said Turkiye, a forward-looking country, stood with Pakistan in wars and devastating earthquakes and floods.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, addressed the meeting of Justice Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, hosted by the Russian Federation, said a press release issued here Wednesday.