Pakistan | Pakistan

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) on Sunday imposed a lifetime ban on Salman Butt, coach of Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem “for gross violations of the AFP Constitution” in an attempt to “uphold transparency, constitutional compliance, and organizational integrity within the federation”. The decision against Butt comes against the backdrop of AFP seeking reasons behind a sharp decline in Arshad’s performance where he finished 10th in the men’s javelin final at the World Athletics Champ­ionship held in Tokyo last month. In his reply to AFP, Butt said that it was due to the heat and humidity in the Japanese capital as well as a calf pain that Arshad couldn’t perform up to his usual standards. According to a press release issued by AFP, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the federation in its executive committee meeting held on October 10 under the chairmanship of AFP president Wajahat Hussain Sahi, “has taken significant disciplinary and administrative decisions to uphold transparency, constit...

President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed that Pakistan remains firmly committed to safeguarding its national interests, regional sovereignty, and security.

KARACHI: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) aimed at promoting collaboration in information technology and sports, marking a step forward in bilateral engagement focused on youth development and technological cooperation. The Letters of Intent (LoIs) were signed at a ceremony held at the Governor House late Friday night in the presence of Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council (SPJBC) Chairman Prince Mansour bin Mohammad bin Saad Al Saud and Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori. Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Saeed Al-Malki, Consul General Mohammed Abdullah Al-Subaie and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Farooq also attended the event. Under the MoUs, both countries agreed to collaborate on IT education, youth exchange programmes, joint training initiatives and sporting events to promote skills development and people-to-people connections. KCCI urges Saudi investment in petrochemicals and agriculture Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Tessori described Pak-Saudi relat...

Pakistan has successfully conducted its first-ever corneal transplant using tissue donated by a female donor, marking a historic advancement in the country’s medical field.

Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the security and well-being of its people.

BRIDGETOWN - Pakistan’s presence at the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Bridgetown, Barbados carried a unique distinction this year, as three members of the Gillani family represented all legislative houses of Pakistan at the prestigious international forum.

Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to defend its territory and defeat terrorism through unity, determination.

In the dry hills west of Karachi, a caracal moves silently across rocky terrain, its long, black-tufted ears twitching at every sound. A hidden camera captures the fleeting moment, offering rare evidence that one of the country’s most elusive wild cats still survives. The caracal, a medium-sized wild cat native to arid regions of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, is now critically endangered in Pakistan. Wildlife experts warn that habitat loss, increasing human intrusion and retaliatory killings have pushed the species to the brink of local extinction. “Local people either kill the cat to protect their sheep, goats, deer and other small animals, or in retaliation for its preying on small livestock,” wildlife expert Saeedul Islam told Anadolu. Hunting for the illegal pet trade poses another threat. “This has left the animal’s population in only a few hundred, not even a thousand, in Pakistan,” he said. Javed Mahar, conservator with the Sindh Wildlife Department, said the caracal still exist...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday received US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where both sides reviewed the growing momentum in Pakistan–US relations and discussed avenues to further enhance bilateral cooperation.

Otis Khan missed a penalty as Pakistan played out a goalless draw against Afghanistan at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Thursday, securing their first point in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Nolberto Solano’s side had the better of the opportunities against the jaded visitors, who only arrived in Islamabad less than 24 hours before kickoff due to a prolonged visa problem. However, the hosts weren’t able to capitalise on the chances — notably Otis’ opportunity when he blazed his spot-kick over the bar midway through the second half — in front of a fervent home crowd. The draw meant Pakistan and Afghanistan both got off the mark in Group ‘E’, and they trail joint-leaders Syria and Myanmar by five points. Syria were hosting Myanmar later on Thursday in a clash between two teams with maximum points from their two games. The winner of the group advances to the tournament finals in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan received $3.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday said Pakistan welcomes the agreement on first phase of the Plan, including an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages and prisoners, and unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad, detained by Israeli forces during last week’s Gaza aid flotilla interception, has left Jordan for Pakistan.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that it had made “significant progress” toward reaching a staff-level agreement (SLA) in its talks with Pakistani authorities. An IMF mission led by Iva Petrova met with Pakistan’s economic team in Karachi and Islamabad from September 24 to October 8 to review the implementation of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and $1.1bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The programme’s performance as of the end of June this year — the period under review — has been mixed. Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had urged the lender to take into account the recent flood damage in its review for the country. In a statement released early on Thursday, the Fund quoted Petrova as saying, “The IMF mission and the Pakistani authorities made significant progress toward reaching a staff-level agreement on the second review under the 37-month extended arrangement under the EFF and on the first review of 28-month arrangement under the RSF”. “Programme i...

Zoofishan Ayyaz already knows who’ll be on the women’s national cricket team in the coming years. She, for one, hopes to make it. The dream could very well be a reality given that she captained the Strikers to a four-wicket win against the Conquerors in the National Women’s Under-19 T20 Tournament final, and a performance that saw her take the player-of-the-match award. But she knows, with the firmest of convictions, that the cohort of teenage girls she plays with and against will be the future of women’s cricket in Pakistan “I’m telling you, in the coming times, cricket is about to change so much. We have incredible talent coming up,” Zoofi, as she is known to her teammates, told Dawn.com. “You’re going to see players that make you say ‘wow, Pakistan has this kind of talent’?” Over at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Pakistan recorded their third straight loss in the ICC Women’s World Cup match as they struggled against defending champions Australia. But the 18-year-old from Wah Cantt exuded confidence a...

A superb century from Beth Mooney dragged defending champions Australia back from the brink of disaster before they completed a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo on Wednesday. The Aussies were staring down the barrel at 76-7 and then 115-8 after being asked to bat first with the Pakistan bowlers causing mayhem, left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu finishing with 3-37 from her 10 overs. But a record ninth-wicket stand between Mooney, who was dismissed off the final ball of the innings for 109, and Alana King, who made 51 not out, turned the tide. The pair dragged their side from the doldrums to a competitive 221-9 and that proved plenty as Pakistan’s brittle batting folded meekly for 114 all out in 36.3 overs. A superb century from Beth Mooney dragged defending champions Australia back from the brink of disaster before they completed a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in a Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo on Wednesday. The Aussies were staring down the barrel at 76-...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Wednesday, stressed that Pakistan held the recent joint defense agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in high esteem.

The World Bank has cautioned that Pakistan’s economy is likely to face slower growth and higher inflation in the wake of recent devastating floods that have severely disrupted agricultural activity and food supply chains.

• World Bank cuts forecast by 0.5pc, predicts inflation may shoot to 7.2pc; exports to decline 1.5pc • WB official says removing barriers to women’s participation in job market can boost GDP per capita by 20-30pc ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for Pakistan by half a per cent to 2.6 per cent for the current fiscal year due to the recent floods, which are also expected to push up inflation to 7.2 per cent. “For FY 2025/26, real GDP growth is projected to remain around 2.6pc, as ongoing catastrophic floods have damped the forecast,” the Washington-based lending agency said in its regional economic outlook for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) region. The bank had earlier projected a 3.1pc growth rate for the country in its previous biannual outlook in April 2025. Pakistan had set 4.2pc growth target and has since been looking at 3.5pc as part of its IMF engagements. “Early estimates suggest a drop of at least 10 per cent in agricultural output in Punja...

Still searching for a sense of direction in the ICC Women’s World Cup, Pakistan will take on a rampant Australian side at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday, hoping to spark a turnaround against the tournament’s most complete outfit. Fatima Sana’s charges have endured a tough start to their campaign, slumping to heavy defeats against Bangladesh and India. Their batting has wavered, their bowling has lacked consistency, and their fielding has been short of international standard — a combination that has left them bottom of the eight-team table with little margin for error. But ahead of their clash with the defending champions, Pakistan’s senior batter Sidra Amin struck a note of quiet defiance. “I think tomorrow is a big game for us as a team,” she said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “We are a good batting side, but as batters, we have to spend more time on the wicket so that we can execute our plans and assess the conditions really well.” Sidra, one of the few bright spots in Pakistan’s othe...