Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari, visited Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) Wah on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday informed the National Assembly that it has been decided to reduce 18 percent Sales Tax proposed in the federal budget on imported components of solar panels to 10 per cent.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has called on the international community to hold accountable those who spread hatred under the guise of freedom of expression.

ISLAMABAD - Vice Chairperson, Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA), Jahan Ara Manzoor Wattoo, attended the National Kick-Off Workshop of the “Lead the Change for Social Protection” initiative, organized in collaboration with GIZ in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD - On the special directives of Federal Minister for Communications, Abdul Aleem Khan the National Highway Authority (NHA) for the first time will conduct an open auction of its toll plazas on Thursday (today).

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday said that nearly two dozen member nations of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have strongly condemned the recent Israeli aggression against Iran in a joint statement issued last day.

RAWALPINDI - Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) on Wednesday swiftly evacuated an injured seafarer from MT HIGH LEADER and transferred him to a local hospital in Karachi for emergency medical treatment.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Salman Akram Raja Wednesday resumed arguments on review petitions against the Supreme Court judgment in reserved seats case.

LAHORE - The scheduled departure of Pakistan’s first freight train to Russia has been cancelled due to regional instability, triggered by the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, Pakistan Railways sources confirmed on Wednesday.

• Govt agrees to reduce GST on solar panels from 18pc to 10pc • Collection of tax on digital services handed over to provinces • PIDCL to oversee federal projects in all provinces • Funds for Sindh varsities to be maintained ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the ruling PML-N has finally agreed to four major demands of its key ally PPP, thus paving the way for the federal budget’s smooth passage in the National Assembly. Taking the floor during the budget debate in the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar revealed that after extensive consultations with PPP leaders, including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government had accepted the PPP’s key demands, including reduction in the proposed General Sales Tax (GST) on solar panels. The assurance came in the wake of constant criticism from the members, mostly from the PPP, on a number of budgetary proposals during the ongoing...

ISLAMABAD: The Global Peace Index 2025 has put the disputed region of Kashmir at the forefront of the critical escalation hotspots in the world, where tensions between India and Pakistan remain ‘perilously high’. The index released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) with headquarters in Sydney, says the situation in Kashmir exemplifies the fragility of ceasefire agreements in volatile geographic settings and underscores the dangers posed by non-state actors capable of triggering international crises. The index, a snapshot of the global state of peace, ranked Pakistan at 144, showing ‘low state of peace’ while India ranked 115 position with ‘medium state of peace’. Ukraine and Russia have been placed at the bottom of the rankings of 163 countries. Global Peace Index ranks Pakistan at 144, India at 115; says South Asia tensions remain perilously high About conflict history and escalation hotspots in India, the index report says the conflict is highly likely in the Kashmir region over the next year. ...

R. Kelly cries during prison call and pleads for release as health worsens and fear for his life grows, lawyer says.

Cassie allegedly threatened to kill a man who claimed he saw her in a freak-off video, says Diddy’s legal team.

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he was “honoured” to meet Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for talks at the White House — also marking the first time a US president has hosted Pakistan’s army chief at the White House unaccompanied by senior civilian officials. The meeting, listed on the president’s official schedule, was held in the Cabinet Room and closed to the press. The lunch is being seen in Islamabad as a major diplomatic win, particularly because earlier this month, an Indian delegation met US Vice President JD Vance and Indian media depicted it as a diplomatic success, contrasting it with the apparent inability of the Pakistani delegation to secure a similar meeting. Gen Munir’s invitation to the White House is now being projected by officials in Islamabad as a diplomatic counterpoint to those narratives. When questioned about the meeting in an interaction with the media later, Trump said, “I was honoured to meet him (Field Marshal Munir) today.” Asked whether the talks includ...

The Test vice-captain has broken into the top 10 batters

Pak semi-final hopes hinge on Malaysia vs Japan match

Both sides settled with a goalless draw

Mushfiqur-Shanto record stand of 264 puts BD in control

Both sides settled with a 1-1 draw in their CWC opener

The Argentine side overpowered their Japanese opponents at Lumen Field