Pakistan

The Punjab government has announced the imposition of Section 144 across the province from the 1st to the 10th of Muharram-ul-Haram to maintain law and order during the holy month.

Pakistan on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urgently step in and help facilitate a peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, warning that the situation threatens to destabilize the entire region.

Today, the world observes the summer solstice — the longest day and shortest night of the year 2025.

Pakistan on Friday strongly rejected Indian media reports suggesting that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar had admitted Pakistan requested a ceasefire following recent hostilities with India.

SUKKUR: Shikarpur sessions judge on Friday summoned head muharrars along with FIR registers to the court and had them lodge cases against a DSP, three SHOs and IT in-charge of district police on charges of committing house robberies. The court had ordered registration of cases against the police officials after receiving complaints from public but the police stations concerned had been dragging their feet over the FIRs for over a month. Finally, the judge took the extraordinary step to have the cases filed in his presence. Shikarpur SSP and his PRO did not respond to Dawn’s queries when this reporter contacted them to get their comment. A case was lodged on Ms Irshad Lehar’s complaint against Khanpur DSP Rana Nasrullah, Khanpur SHO Tufail Ahmadani, New Faujdari SHO Akhtar Abro, District Police IT Branch In-charge Saifullah Chandio, head constable Abdullah Shah and others under sections 395, 365, 427, 454, 148, 149, and 220 of the PPC on charges of committing house robbery. Head muharrars summoned to court to ...

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Climate change, shortage of irrigation water and weather conditions suitable for pest attack reduced the mango yield by up to 45pc this year. The most affected variety is Chaunsa, which is also called Samar Bahisht in Rahim Yar Khan and Multan areas. Similarly, the impact of Iran-Israel war has also totally suspended the export of Sindhri mango variety, a favourite in Iran. There are many mango orchards in Rahimabad, Bhong, Jamaldinwali, Sheikh Wahan, Yousafabad, Mianwali Qureshian, Sardar Garh, Zahirpir, Khanbela and Taranda Muhammad Pannah in district Rahim Yar Khan where the fruit is cultivated on over more than 60,000 acres of land. According to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda), there are around 2,300 to 2,500 orchards of medium and large size growing in Rahim Yar Khan and there about 2,300 growers in the area. Some sources give the estimate of total mango production from Rahim Yar Khan alone as 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes. Yield is estimated to be 45pc less thi...

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development hosted the thematic meeting of the Budapest Process, marking a significant milestone in Pakistan’s engagement with this international platform.

The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province from Muharram 1 to 10 to ensure peace and religious harmony. Section 144 is a legal provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. A Punjab Home Department order issued on Friday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, stated that the section was imposed to prevent “disruption of public peace and instability”, along with ensuring the public’s “safety and security of lives and property”. The notification cited “potential threat to the public peace and tranquillity, religious harmony, and general law and order situation in the province from miscreants, violent extremists, and antisocial elements”. For the first 10 days of Muharram, which is likely to begin on June 27 or 28 in Pakistan, the government has prohibited “innovations of Muharram processions [and] majalis”. It has also banned carrying any article that may be us...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan called on Deputy Chairman Senate, Syedal Khan Nasir at the Parliament House, here on Friday.

Field Marshal Asim Munir engages US think-tank, articulates Pakistan’s strategic vision and regional role Says Pakistan committed to regional peace, stability Notes malign influence of certain regional actors in sponsoring terrorism as a tool of hybrid warfare.

PESHAWAR - The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Is-lamabad, has confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in District Bannu, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

ISLAMABAD - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy Friday called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi.

ISLAMABAD - Upon the invitation of Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar attended the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum’s (ICYF), Grand Youth Award Ceremony held in Istanbul on Friday.

ST PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin quipped on Friday that in his view the whole of Ukraine was “ours” and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy as part of a bid to carve out a buffer zone along the border. Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 after eight years of fighting in the country’s east, also said he was not seeking the capitulation of Ukraine or denying its sovereignty, but that Ukraine had to be neutral. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70pc of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Asked about fresh Russian advances, Putin told the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be one people and “in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours”. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow’s claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and ...

ISLAMABAD - The counsel for Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Friday sought more time from the constitutional bench to complete his arguments in the reserved seats case.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the relevant authorities to prepare a business plan for Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) and present it within two weeks, which should include a strategy to save the annual $4 billion burden on the national exchequer.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Friday visited President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence and inquired about well being of his younger son Asjad Mehmood.

LONDON: Seven men were arrested on suspicion of assault after an “altercation” on Friday outside Iran’s embassy in London left two men injured, police said. London’s Metropolitan Police banned protesters from gathering in the area in west London after seven men were arrested “on suspicion of grievous bodily harm”. The Met said two people had been treated at the scene and taken to hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening. The fighting was thought to have broken out within the protesting group. Protesters opposing Iran’s clerical leadership had gathered outside the embassy in west London since Sunday, hanging up flags from the nation’s ousted monarchy alongside some Israeli flags. They support the exiled Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s pro-Western monarchy toppled by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. UK withdraws embassy staff from Tehran Photos published by The Telegraph showed two men receiving medical attention on the road beside the encampment. One more man was arrest...

• Restrictions on used vehicles up to five years old to be lifted from Sept • Age limit to be fully removed from July 2026; quality standards to remain mandatory • 40pc regulatory duty to end by 2029 • Panel sends its proposals to Senate ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb informed a parliamentary committee on Friday that restrictions on commercial imports of used vehicles up to five years old will be lifted from September, in line with an International Monetary Fund condition and as part of a tariff strategy to gradually phase out overprotected sectors. As of July 1, 2026, the age limit for importing used cars and vehicles will be lifted entirely. However, while age restrictions will end, strict compliance with quality standards will remain mandatory. Although the matter was not listed on the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue’s agenda, the minister disclosed the government’s four-year roadmap for used vehicle imports, which aims to align tax treatment for used and new vehicles. The ...

• Drops proposal for 4pc uniform rental valuation on commercial properties • Exclusive clubs charging Rs1m or more membership fees brought under tax net • Arrest powers of tax officials curbed; prior approval and inquiry mandatory ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Friday rejected a proposal to fix a uniform rate for rental valuation of commercial properties, while endorsing another measure to expand the tax net to high-end clubs nationwide and reinforce safeguards against tax fraud. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance resumed deliberations on the Finance Bill 2025 on Friday, as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and his team addressed queries raised by committee members. The session was chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, who provided input on various provisions of the Bill. On the issue of a uniform 4 per cent rental valuation rate on commercial properties, MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig urged the tax authority to lower the proposed rate, a suggestion FBR chairman countere...