Pakistan

A new chapter in Pakistan’s politics began in Karachi as journalist and former wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, Reham Khan, announced the launch of her own political party—the Pakistan Republic Party.

A camel that lost its leg to mutilation in Sindh’s Sanghar district last year stood up for the first time on Tuesday with the help of a prosthetic leg. The camel, now named Cammie, had her front leg allegedly chopped off by a landlord in June 2024, as punishment for foraging in his field for fodder, for which six suspects were remanded. She was taken in by the Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) Benji Project for Animal Welfare in Karachi, where she has spent over a year. Today, the shelter provided an update that Cammie had stood up for the first time since her mutilation, along with a video showing her getting used to walking with her new prosthetic leg. “It’s been a year of tears, setbacks, rehab, pain, and quiet perseverance. A year where we were told to give up, to move on, to stop delaying the inevitable. But we chose to stand by her. And today, she stood for us all.” The shelter thanked its team and supporters, as well as PPP MNA Shazia Marri, PPP Senator Quratulain Marri and the Sindh gove...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional stability, multilateral cooperation, and peaceful dispute resolution during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tianjin on Tuesday.

Indonesia’s Defence Minister, Lieutenant General (Retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, led a delegation to General Headquarters on Tuesday, where he met Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Mashhad as part of his official visit to Iran.

A Lahore sessions court on Tuesday discharged an elderly man named Muhammad Sajid, involved in recently using inappropriate language against the Punjab chief minister in a viral video, in a case dating back to 2024. A few days ago, a video of Sajid riding a motorcycle in the rain went viral on social media, in which he could be heard using abusive language against the chief minister. A sessions court on Monday sought a reply from Johar Town police on a habeas corpus petition seeking his recovery. Sajid’s son Muhammad Umar had filed the petition for the recovery of his father. According to the court order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, “No incriminating evidence is present against the accused person to be sent to judicial remand. “Hence, the request of the investigating officer (IO) has been turned down, the accused person is discharged from the instant case … first information report, and the IO is ordered to release the person forthwith”. The Lahore court discharged Sajid after he was nominated...

Posts from users and Indian accounts on social media platform X on Monday were claiming that China has removed Pakistan from its list of countries allowed visa-free entry. However, no such development has occurred since Pakistan was never included in China’s list of countries with visa-free entry. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership rooted in mutual trust, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity. Over the decades, ties have expanded across different sectors, including trade, energy, infrastructure, and media collaboration, with initiatives like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor symbolising a shared vision for development. On July 14, a user, who appears to be a PTI supporter based on his previous posts, claimed in a post on X that China has removed Pakistan from its list of visa-free countries. A social media graphic from a news outlet accompanying the post reads: “China just announced visa-free entry for 74 countries, but Pakistan didn’t make the list.” The post garnered ...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has advised Pakistan to implement a uniform 5 per cent general sales tax (GST) for all digital transactions to encourage nationwide adoption of e-commerce platforms, reduce cash-related inefficiencies and document the economy. In its latest report on Pakistan’s Digital Ecosystem issued yesterday, the ADB cautioned that steep and inconsistent taxes on digital infrastructure in the country pose a serious risk to foreign investment, growth, and the expansion of digital services. “Pakistan’s digital infrastructure faces a major challenge from high taxation. Taxes on this sector, both federal and provincial, are some of the highest globally and regionally, and the tax policies tend not to be very consistent,” the report said. “The cost of service provision exacerbates the digital divide, especially for women and marginalised groups, who face asymmetric cost and cultural barriers to accessing the internet.” The report further added that the telecom sector in Pakistan “experienced a ...

Five people — four from the same family — were killed in two separate road accidents in Karachi on Tuesday, according to police and rescue officials. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. At least four people lost their lives and another six were injured — all from the same family — after their speeding car crashed into a wall next to a nullah on Hawkesbay Road in the city’s Mauripur area, according to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza. DIG Raza speculated that the family was most likely returning from the Hawke’s Bay beach. The incident took place at 9am on Tuesday, he added. “The accident most likely happened as a result of speeding,” said the DIG, adding that further investigation was underway. The deceased included a man and woman — identified as Yousuf and Khalida — along with two children, six-year-old Zaina...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the federal government to establish a commission within 30 days to investigate blasphemy-related cases, with a mandate to complete its inquiry within four months.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with Turkiye, praising the Turkish people’s courage and resilience during the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016 – a defining moment he described as a “beacon of democratic will and national.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to explore and expand collaboration with Indonesia in joint ventures of investment in mutually beneficial projects.

India’s opposition parties have called for the governor of occupied Kashmir to resign with an apology to the people of the territory after he admitted to a “security failure” in the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. On April 22, 26 tourists were killed at a hill station in India-occupied Kashmir’s (IoK) Pahalgam. India has blamed Pakistan for the horrific attack, an accusation the latter denies. Islamabad has called for an international independent probe into the massacre. In an interview with the Times of India on Monday, IoK Lieutenant Governor and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoj Sinha said, “I take full responsibility for the incident, which was undoubtedly a security failure.” In response to the admission, numerous Indian politicians slammed him for negligence and for his delay in taking accountability and called for his resignation. The Indian National Congress |(INC) suggested that Sinha intended to shield “unspecified officials” in the union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The ...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) plunged over 500 points on Tuesday, failing to continue its upward trajectory despite crossing the 137,000 barrier in intra-day trading. The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 1,237.03 points, or 0.91 per cent, to stand at 137,739.56 points at 11:39am, from the previous close of 136,502.53 points. Finally, it closed at 135,939.87 points — dropping 562.66 points, or 0.41pc, from yesterday’s close. The market had opened on a positive note, rising by 1,205.1 points, or 0.88pc, to reach 137,707.63 points at 9:45am. It then dropped to 136,498.16 points at 10:15am before regaining its bullish momentum. Earlier today, Samiullah Tariq, head of Research and Development at Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Ltd, had attributed the early gains to strengthened macroeconomic indicators. “Improvement in macroeconomic indicators and better result expectations, especially in commercial banks, is the primary reason for the increase in the [stock] market,” he told Dawn.com. Awais Ashraf, research...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified Jamshed Dasti from the National Assembly over fake educational degrees.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for quality education and training for all segments of society.

Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information, Broadcasting on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Affairs, Ikhtiar Wali Khan, on Tuesday strongly criticized Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over its decision to stage political activities on August 5, calling it a damage to the Kashmir cause and also a move that aligned with India’s.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held an important meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, on Tuesday, met the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the SCO CFM in Tianjin, China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that Beijing and New Delhi should work towards mutual trust and “win-win” cooperation, after talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, state news agency Xinhua reported. China and India should “adhere to the direction of good-neighbourliness and friendship” and “find a way for mutual respect and trust, peaceful coexistence, common development and win-win cooperation”, Wang said, according to Xinhua. The two foreign ministers met in Beijing on Monday as the two rivals seek to repair ties following a 2020 clash on their border. The world’s two most populous nations are intense rivals competing for strategic influence across South Asia, and their 3,500-kilometre frontier has been a perennial source of tension. The 2020 clash between their troops led to a four-year military standoff, but they agreed in October on patrols in disputed areas. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping met for the first time in five years late...