Pakistan

Pakistan and the European Union (EU) on Thursday agreed on bolstering cooperation in security and counter-terrorism among other sectors during a bilateral dialogue, according to a press release issued by the Foreign Office (FO). EU Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Riina Kionka in March had announced that European companies recognised Pakistan as a potential business destination and were exploring new avenues for economic partnership. The EU is Pakistan’s sec­ond-largest trading partner, with the GSP+ status allowing the country to enjoy duty-free or minimum duty on European exports. According to the press release, Pakistan and the EU held their 10th Political Dialogue in Brussels and discussed key regional and international issues, including multilateral cooperation. Both sides agreed to deepen dialogue and discussions on security during the event. “The EU and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of the Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) signed in 2019,” the FO stated. “Both sides aim to further d...

The British government said on Thursday that it would allow 16-year-olds to vote in general elections, a landmark change giving the United Kingdom one of the lowest voting ages worldwide. The ruling Labour Party pledged to lower the age from 18 ahead of winning power last year. It is among several planned changes to the democratic system. Some argue Britain’s democracy is “in crisis”, in particular due to low turnout. The voting age change is contentious, however, with critics previously arguing it is self-serving as newly-enfranchised teenagers are seen as more likely to support centre-left Labour. “I think it’s really important that 16- and 17-year-olds have the vote, because they are old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes, so [they] pay in,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go,” Starmer added. The government will have to bring legislation before parl...

Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi has said that justice is not the responsibility of any single person or institution, but a collective duty shared by all of humanity.

A high-level meeting chaired by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was held at the Cabinet Division to review and approve civil awards for individuals who demonstrated exceptional bravery in safeguarding the country.

Chairman of the Senate, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, on Thursday underscored the need for strong institutions and transparent systems to ensure sustainable development and improved public service delivery in Pakistan.

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent has arrived in the United Kingdom to participate in the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2025, one of the world’s leading military airshows, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Thursday.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar met with Thai Ambassador Rongvudhi Virabutr on Thursday and discussed women’s empowerment, tourism, human rights, and cooperation in the legal sector.

PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram has issued a scathing critique of Adiala Jail authorities, accusing them of ignoring court directives and undermining the justice system.

The Punjab government has enforced Section 144 across the province in response to heavy monsoon rains and flood threats, according to a notification issued by the Punjab Home Department on Thursday.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday continued its renewed bullish momentum as it crossed the 138,000-point barrier. The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 1,785.25 points, or 1.31 per cent, to stand at 138,165.21 points at 11:57am, from the previous close of 136,379.96 points. The index closed at 138,665.49 points, up by 2,285.53 points or 1.68pc. Awais Ashraf, research director at AKD Securities, said: “Investor optimism over a potential rate cut in the upcoming monetary policy, expected later this month, has strengthened following a decline in yields during yesterday’s PIBs (Pakistan Investment Bond) auction. “A stable external account and easing inflation further support the case for bringing interest rates down into single digits,” he told Dawn.com. The PSX had staged a modest recovery yesterday as investors resumed buying, encouraged by the formation of a high-level committee to address the business community’s concerns over the recently introduced taxation measures. The development has helped the...

In a significant breakthrough, five of Pakistan’s most-wanted fugitives have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and extradited to Pakistan, according to an official statement.

Three “wanted terrorists” were killed during a joint operation between the regional police and the Counter Terrorism Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Wednesday night, police said. The spokesperson for the Bannu police, Khanzala Quraishi, told Dawn.com, “The three terrorists, belonging to the Zarar group, had been eliminated in an intelligence-based joint operation conducted in the Bannu city outskirts at midnight.” He said that the “terrorists were wanted for attacks on security forces and the target killing of police personnel”. According to the spokesperson, the terrorists were identified and all of them were residents of Bannu. “Three Kalashnikovs, magazines, pistols and handmade improvised explosive devices were recovered from their possession,” he said. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. KP has seen an ...

Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr.

A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the June 12 crash of a Boeing Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 260 people. A preliminary report into the crash released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday said one pilot was then heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and “the other pilot responded that he did not do so”. Investigators did not identify which remarks were made by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and which by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the “cutoff” position seconds after lifting ...

A massive fire in a hypermarket in al-Kut city in eastern Iraq has left at least 69 people dead and 11 others missing, the city’s health authorities and two police sources told Reuters on Thursday. Reuters’ footage of the aftermath of the overnight fire showed the blackened exterior of “Corniche Hypermarket” building, with rescue teams and security forces still at the site. Videos verified by Reuters showed firefighters spraying water on the blazing building overnight and people climbing from the roof with the help of rescue teams. View this post on Instagram “We have more bodies that have not been recovered still under fire debris,” city official Ali al-Mayahi told Reuters. Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP that his five relatives died in an elevator. Several people told AFP they lost family members, including mothers and children who had gone to shop and dine at the mall. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the province’s governor said initial res...

The Taliban government said on Thursday it had not arrested or monitored Afghans involved in a secret British resettlement plan after a data breach was revealed this week. Thousands of Afghans who worked with the United Kingdom were brought to Britain with their families in a secret programme after a 2022 data breach put their lives at risk, the UK government revealed on Tuesday. The scheme was only revealed after the UK High Court lifted a super-gag order banning any reports of the events. UK Defence Minister John Healey said the leak was not revealed because of the risk that the Taliban authorities would obtain the data set and the lives of Afghans would be put at risk. “Nobody has been arrested for their past actions, nobody has been killed and nobody is being monitored for that,” the Afghan government’s deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, told reporters on Thursday. “Reports of investigation and monitoring of a few people whose data has been leaked are false.” After the Taliban swept back to power in 2021...

The price of 24 karat per tola gold decreased by Rs.

Two people lost their lives and three others were injured after a building’s roof collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area on Thursday.

Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan has said he is not aware of any planned visit by US President Donald Trump to Pakistan.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi has summoned a session of the provincial assembly on July 20, a day before the scheduled Senate elections in the province.