Pakistan

Chambers highlight logistical constraints, propose skills development

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited the grieving family of a three-year-old boy who fell into an open manhole and drowned in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Wednesday night, assuring them of an impartial inquiry and action against those found negligent. The body of the boy, who drowned in an open manhole near Nipa in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Sunday night, was found on Monday, around 15 hours after the incident occurred. The child’s tragic death, particularly the lack of cooperation from relevant civic agencies to launch an immediate search, had angered relatives and area residents, who staged a protest on University Road on Sunday night and again during the day on Monday. On Tuesday, many political parties held protests against the provincial administration and demanded that the Karachi mayor resign, while pleas were also filed in courts demanding action against city officials. A post by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation on X on Wednesday night said the mayor visited the boy’s family and extended his condolences. “An imparti...

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday called for a South Asia where connectivity replaces divisions and regional cooperation drives peace, prosperity, and sus-tainable development.

KARACHI - Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto inaugurated the dialysis and lithotripsy centers of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation Hospital in Karachi on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday directed the federal government to submit a detailed progress report on the investigation into the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.

ISLAMABAD - Chair of Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman, has called for an urgent national shift toward sustainable, circular, and climate-resilient construction.

LAHORE - The Punjab government on Wednesday issued the Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, officially ending an 18-year ban on kite flying (Basant festival) while imposing strict new rules to prevent accidents and loss of life, especially among children.

ISLAMABAD - Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov arrived here yesterday on his two-day maiden state visit to Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday underscored that full transparency and merit would remain the government’s foremost priorities in the ongoing privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), announcing that the bidding process would be broadcast live on national television across the country.

ISLAMABAD - Lieutenant General Fahad Bin Saud Al-Johani, Commander Royal Saudi Land Forces, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), at Gen-eral Headquarters (GHQ), in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

Peshawar - A joint darbar of police force and civil officers held at the Chief Minister House, here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi.

KARACHI - China has donated 58 solar-powered street lights to Karachi, in what officials described as a small but practical boost to the city’s public safety and local infrastructure.

PESHAWAR - As part of its drive against the narcotics trade, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has carried out two major operations in Nowshera and Malakand, seizing substantial quantities of drugs and arresting a key suspect with a history of criminal activity.

Lahore - Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Wednesday said that devolution of powers at the grassroots level was essential for effective governance, stressing that durable solutions to public issues were not possible without a strong and empowered local government system.

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Wednesday emphasized that addressing Balochistan’s challenges remains a top priority for Parliament.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, held a meeting with FAO Director-General Dr.

Peshawar - Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, strongly condemned the bomb blast targeting a police mobile in Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Ms.

.

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for a two-day maiden state visit. The Kyrgyz president and his high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers, top officials and prominent business leaders landed at Nur Khan Airbase, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari received them. State-run Radio Pakistan reported that a 21-gun salute was presented in honour of the visiting dignitary while children, dressed in traditional attire, offered him a bouquet. PM Shehbaz later said in a post on X the visit was the first by a Kyrgyz president in 20 years. “This long-awaited visit marks a significant moment in our enduring brotherhood. “I look forward to a meaningful and forward-looking engagement. Pakistan and Kyrgyz Republic are poised for a bright future together.” A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office earlier said the invitation for the visit was extended to the Kyrgyzstan president by PM Shehbaz. Separately, Deputy PM and Foreign Mini...