Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asia Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday refuted claims by Indian media that he had apologised to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the trophy handover issue at Sunday’s Asia Cup final. The closing ceremony of the men’s Asia Cup descended into farce on Sunday as the Indian cricket team refused to collect the winners’ trophy from the ACC chief, marking a historic low in cricketing relations between the two countries. Subsequently, Indian skipper Surya­ku­mar Yadav complained his side were denied the trophy after winning the Asia Cup. Later, Indian media alleged that Naqvi had himself refused to hand the trophy over to the Indian team. Today, several Indian outlets, including IndiaToday, Financial Express and Hindustan Times, reported that Naqvi had now apologised to the BCCI, but that he still refused to hand them the trophy. Responding to an India Today post about their report on social media platform X, Naqvi stated, “Indian media thri...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has allowed an underage girl to live with her husband but recommended steps to strengthen the legal framework around child marriages to protect minors, it emerged on Wednesday. According to the United Nations’ International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), Pakistan is home to over 19 million child brides, with nearly 1 in 6 young women married before the age of 18 and as many as 4.8m girls married before the age of 15. “In view of the fact that the alleged detenue has attained puberty and appears to have given free and voluntary consent, she shall be at liberty to reside with the petitioner,” read a verdict issued by Justice Muhammad Azam Khan for a hearing held on July 11. The verdict was issued on a plea filed by Muhammad Riaz, challenging a June 23 order by an Islamabad-East district judge that denied the recovery of the girl after her family members allegedly “forcibly” took her away from the man’s house on June 21. According to the order, the birth certificate, which was...

The ocean hidden under the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus harbours complex organic molecules, a study said on Wednesday, offering further evidence that the small world could have all the right ingredients to host extraterrestrial life. Just 500 kilometres (310 miles) wide and invisible to the naked eye, the white, scar-covered Enceladus is one of hundreds of moons orbiting the sixth planet from the Sun. For a long time, scientists believed Enceladus was too far away from the Sun — and therefore too cold — to be habitable. Then the Cassini space probe flew past the moon several times during a 2004-2017 trip to Saturn and its rings, discovering evidence that a vast saltwater ocean is concealed under the moon’s kilometres-thick layer of ice. Since then, scientists have been sifting through the data collected by Cassini, revealing that the ocean has many of the elements thought to be needed to host life, including salt, methane, carbon dioxide, and phosphorus. When the spacecraft passed over the moon’s sout...

A man allegedly shot dead his brother, sister-in-law, and their two daughters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Abbottabad district on Wednesday, according to the police. Abbottabad Police Spokesperson Azam Mir Afzal told Dawn.com that the incident took place in the Bandi Attai area of Havelian. “The suspect allegedly killed his brother along with his family members, but the motive behind the murders could not be immediately ascertained.” He said a police team had been dispatched to the area and a first information report (FIR) was being registered at the Havelian police station. According to the spokesperson, the suspect killed his brother, his sister-in-law, and two nieces before fleeing the scene. The spokesperson added that police had reached the spot and the bodies of the victims were shifted to the Havelian hospital for post-mortem. More to follow

Foreign observation mission Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has officially released its report on Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, highlighting “conditions which appeared to limit fundamental political rights and impacted one party’s ability to fairly contest the election”. “Additionally, it noted a shutdown of cellular services on election night, which reduced the transparency of the process and impacted the efficiency of receiving results,” a COG press release said on Tuesday. The report had been the subject of some controversy after media reports suggested the Commonwealth had buried the report after finding the elections to be riddled with problems. The COG noted areas for improvement and provided recommendations for strengthening the independence of the country’s democratic institutions, the press release said. A “Letter of Transmittal”, written by COG Chairperson Dr Goodluck Jonathan and included in the report, noted the denial of election symbol to the PTI, the consecutive convictions of the party’...

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has issued its long-delayed final report on Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, voicing strong concerns over transparency, fairness, and curbs on political freedoms.

The federal government has stepped up reconciliation efforts with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) by initiating direct engagement with its leadership to ease ongoing tensions.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have extended heartfelt felicitations to the government and the people of the People's Republic of China on their seventy-sixth National Day.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza. Subsequently, eight Arab or Muslim-majority nations — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — “welcomed the role of the American president and his sincere efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza”. In Pakistan, the government’s so-called approval of the plan had drawn flak from politicians, journalists and activists alike, who termed the deal a “two-state surrender’’ with the scales weighing heavily in Israel’s favour. Subsequently, signs began appearing that not everyone was happy with the draft made public by the White House. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar seemingly distanced Pakistani decision-makers from the plan. He also made it clear in so many words that the US peace plan for Gaza would not be acceptable if the am­e­ndments — jointly pro­posed by eight Muslim co­u­n­tries — were not included. This came after Trump had previously...

Apple and ChatGPT owner OpenAI on Tuesday asked a US federal judge to dismiss a case filed by billionaire Elon Musk’s xAI, which had accused them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition in the field of artificial intelligence. In a lawsuit filed in August, xAI had said that Apple would have no reason to refrain from more prominently featuring the X app and the Grok app in its App Store if not for its “exclusive” deal with OpenAI. Musk’s company sought billions of dollars in alleged damages. “Apple and OpenAI’s agreement is expressly not exclusive, and it is public and widely known that Apple intends to partner with other generative AI chatbots,” lawyers for Apple said in a court filing on Tuesday, while asking the judge to dismiss the case. Musk’s AI startup xAI and social media X do not “plausibly allege” that the integration of ChatGPT into Apple devices harms competition, they added. Apple in partnership with OpenAI has integrated ChatGPT into its operating system for iPhones, iPads and Macs. xAI did...

Security forces killed ten terrorists during a joint intelligence-based operation in the Gazaband area on the outskirts of Quetta, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari on Wednesday said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz will not apologize for her remarks made during a recent public gathering, despite demands from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Tuesday witnessed an overwhelming shutter-down and wheeljam strike on the second consecutive day amid intermittent skirmishes between law enforcers and activists in the state capital Muzaffarabad. The atmosphere was highly charged following the death of one person and injuries to several others a day earlier. Although government offices remained open, attendance was thin for want of transport. Banks were also open but hardly saw any client. All private businesses and shops, including medical stores, remained closed. Even street vendors were nowhere to be seen. Angry youngsters, some carrying batons, blocked intercity roads in many areas of the state capital till afternoon by placing different obstacles and torching bushes. Nevertheless, some private vehicles and motorcycles were seen running through the roads sporadically, without facing serious resistance from the activists. On receiving information about blockades, police personnel swiftly rushed to clear the ro...

China kicked off a new visa programme on Wednesday to attract foreign talent in science and technology. This is part of ongoing efforts to position itself as a world leader in those sectors ahead of the United States. The Chinese measure, announced in August, starkly contrasts with recent US policy, with the Trump administration suddenly introducing new and expensive changes to its skilled worker visas last month. China’s new K visa significantly simplifies the immigration process for those eligible, according to state media. “Against the backdrop of some countries retracting, turning inward, and sidelining international talent, China has keenly seized this important opportunity and promptly introduced this policy,” state newspaper People’s Daily said in a comment piece on Tuesday. In contrast to many other visa categories, the K visa does not require a domestic employer or entity to invite the applicant. “K visas will offer more convenience to holders in terms of the number of permitted entries, validity per...

A 3.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Karachi on Wednesday morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. According to PMD, the earthquake was recorded seven kilometres north west of Malir at 9:34am, with a depth of 10km. In June, the metropolitan city recorded a series of low-intensity tremors — starting from June 1 and ending on June 22 — mostly near Malir. Their intensity ranged from 1.5-magnitude to 3.8-magnitude on the Richter scale. According to experts, the fault lines passing along the areas of Landhi, Quaidabad, Gadap and Malir had become active after several decades and were releasing accumulated energy in the form of low intensity earthquakes in areas close to them. Previously, experts have often warned that a powerful seismic hazard can put the lives of thousands at risk and damage critical infrastructure. The city’s close proximity to several seismic faults, including the Allahbund fault, which runs parallel to Sindh’s coast, and the junction of the Indian, Arabian and Eurasian ...

Pakistan has repaid its $500 million Eurobond on schedule, with the government saying the timely servicing reflects fiscal discipline, stronger reserves, improved ratings, and a more sustainable debt profile. The bond, meant to raise funds from global investors, was issued in 2015 with a 10-year tenor and matured on September 30 this year. Taking to the X platform, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad announced the development, saying, “Timely debt servicing remains business as usual, reflecting the country’s commitment to financial discipline.” He said the development was encouraging as it comes at a time when external buffers and liquidity have improved, sovereign ratings have been raised, and investor confidence is rising, with Pakistan’s bonds recently trading at a premium. Schehzad further said that the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio had improved from 77 per cent in FY20 to 70pc in FY25. “External debt’s share in total public debt has declined from 38pc to 32pc in FY25, reducing F...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has extended heartfelt congratulations to the leadership, Communist Party, and people of China on the 76th National Day of the People’s Republic of China, reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to the historic and strategic partnership between the two nations.

WASHINGTON: The US State Department’s Trafficking in Per­sons (TIP) Report 2025 has placed both Pakistan and India among the countries that do not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but are making “significant efforts” to do so. The annual report, released in Washington, reviews efforts by governments worldwide to combat human trafficking, which the State Department defines as modern-day slavery involving forced labour, sexual exploitation, and other forms of coercion. The report identifies Pakistan as a destination for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour, particularly migrants from Afg­hanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Traffickers also exploit women and girls — and to a lesser extent, boys — from Afghanistan, Iran, and other Asian countries in sex trafficking within Pakistan. The report notes that individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual remain highly vulnerable to exploitation. Since Pakistani law criminalises same-sex conduct, these groups face systemic...

The Senate and National Assembly will resume their sessions on Friday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted a decrease in rainfall at the onset of the upcoming winter season due to rapid shifts in weather patterns.