Pakistan | Pakistan

“It’s brought me some closure,” said Shafaq Zaidi, a school friend of Noor Mukadam, reacting to the Supreme Court’s May 20 verdict upholding both the life sentence and death penalty for Noor’s killer, Zahir Jaffer. “Nothing can bring Noor back, but this decision offers a sense of justice — not just for her, but for every woman in Pakistan who’s been told her life doesn’t matter,” Zaidi told Inter Press Service (IPS) over the phone from Islamabad. “It’s been a long and painful journey — four years of fighting through the sessions court, high court, and finally, the Supreme Court.” Echoing a similar sentiment, rights activist Zohra Yusuf said, “It’s satisfying that the SC upheld the verdict,” but added that the crime’s brutality left little room for relief. “It was so horrific that one can’t even celebrate the judgment,” she said, referring to the “extreme” sadism Noor endured — tortured with a knuckleduster, raped, and beheaded with a sharp weapon on July 20, 2021. Yusuf also pointed out that the “background” ...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday termed India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as “a blatant violation and act of water aggression “ and warned that Pakistan will give a befitting response under the decisions taken in the April 24 National Security Committee (NSC).

QUETTA - Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti has stated that India’s intelligence agency, Reasearch and Analysis Wing (RAW) is sponsoring the terrorist group “Fitna-e-Hindustan” to destabi-lise Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan strongly condemned the provocative storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the escalating Israeli atrocities, calling these reprehensible acts, including violations at multiple entrances of the Mosque, a direct assault on the sanctity, historical character, and legal status of the revered Muslim holy site.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s total foreign exchange reserves stood at US$16.6 billion during the week ended on May 30, ARY News reported on Thursday, citing the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Pakistan’s reserves held by the SBP decreased by US$ 7 million to reach US$ 11.51 billion during the same period, the central bank said in a […]

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan’s recent appointment to key UN committees reaffirmed the international community’s trust in the country’s counterterrorism credentials. A day ago, Pakistan was appointed chair of the committee established under Resolution 1988 (2011), which oversees the implementation of sanctions against the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan was also named vice chair of the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which monitors implementation of Resolution 1373 (2001), a core component of the UN’s global counterterrorism architecture. Additionally, Pakistan will serve as co-chair of two important subsidiary bodies: the Informal Working Group on Documentation and the newly formed Working Group on Sanctions. In a post on X, the prime minister said the appointments were a “matter of great pride”. He added: “These key appointments validate the international community’s confidence and trust in Pakistan’s counterterrorism credentials as well as an acknowledgement of...

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Thursday said Pakistan was fighting a full-fledged “intelligence-driven war” funded by India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and carried out through “Indian proxies”. The security situation in Balochistan has deteriorated, with militants escalating attacks as part of a long-running insurgency. Last month, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused India of activating its “assets” post-Pahalgam to intensify terrorism in Pakistan, citing “irrefutable evidence” of state-sponsored attacks directed by Indian military personnel. He said “credible intelligence” showed India tasked groups such as the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban and other militant cells to ramp up activity. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, Bugti referred to the attacks in his province and said: “This is a completely Raw-funded intelligence-driven war against the state of Pakistan.” He said India changed its narrative after suffering a crushing blow...

Head of Parliamentary delegation and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged the international community to support Pakistan in its efforts to achieve peace through dialogue and diplomacy.

ISLAMABAD - In a significant diplomatic development, Pakistan has been appointed as Chair of the UN Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011), which oversees the implementation of the sanctions, measures on the Taliban, and the Vice Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, which monitors the.

ISLAMABAD: United States (US) Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker reaffirmed the strength of Pakistan-US relations and expressed optimism about the future of bilateral cooperation. Marking the 249th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence here at the US Embassy in Islamabad, she said, “Tonight is not only a celebration of our independence, but a reflection […]

Pakistan was appointed as the vice chair of the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee on Wednesday. The committee was established by UNSC resolution 1373 (2001), adopted unanimously on September 28, 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The committee, comprising all 15 UNSC members, is tasked with monitoring implementation of the above resolution, which requested countries to implement several measures intended to enhance their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home, in their regions and around the world. Pakistan was also appointed head of the UNSC committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011), which oversees the implementation of the sanctions measures on the Afghan Taliban. In a press release, the Pakistan Mission to the UN called the appointments a “significant diplomatic development”. It added that Pakistan was also appointed as the co-chair of the UNSC’s Informal Working Group (IWG) on documentation (working me...

More than 200,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the government renewed a deportation drive in April, with Iran also stepping up expulsions of Afghans. Generations of Afghans have fled to Pakistan and Iran during decades of successive wars, seeking safety and better economic opportunities. Both governments have grown weary of large migrant populations and ordered millions to leave under the threat of arrest. Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled, including some who were born in the country or lived there for decades. According to the interior ministry, more than 135,000 Afghans left Pakistan in April, while around 67,000 departed in May and more than 3,000 were sent back in the first two days of June. The number of returnees has slowed ahead of the Eidul Azha holiday later this week, but some Afghans were still crossing the main border points from Pakistan today. “We left behind our orchards” and livelihoods, 21-year-old far...

‘In the quiet hours just past midnight on May 6, a battle unfolded above the clouds that rewrote the rules of modern air warfare. It wasn’t marked by dogfights or dramatic barrel rolls seen in past conflicts between the two arch-rival South Asian neighbours. Instead, the skies over Pakistan and India became a silent battlefield of invisible forces — electromagnetic pulses, jamming beams, satellite interference, and beyond-visual-range missiles slicing through the night.’ This excerpt from a Dawn report describes the recent aerial clash between Pakistan and India, which has been termed as a significant development in the regional air power constellation. This military confrontation took place after New Delhi, without evidence, blamed Islamabad for backing terrorists who killed 26 tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam and launched a series of airstrikes on different Pakistani cities. In its response, the Pakistan Air Force took down six Indian jets, including three advanced French Rafale planes, one Su-30MKI,...

Pakistan has effectively presented its position on escalating regional tensions during a high-level diplomatic visit to the United Nations, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

More than 200,000 Afghan nationals have left Pakistan since the government resumed its deportation campaign in April, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior confirmed to AFP.

Russia has reiterated its desire to enhance cooperation with Pakistan, especially in counter-terrorism efforts, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Lahore Corps Commander Lieutenant General Fayyaz Hussain Shah emphasized that the youth represent the true promise of Pakistan’s future and that it is a shared duty to build a stronger and more secure nation.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday approved an $800 million loan for Pakistan under its Resource Mobilization Reforms Program, according to an official statement.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, revealed that during the recent standoff with India, Pakistan operated independently for 96 hours without seeking external assistance.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $800 million programme to strengthen fiscal sustainability and improve public financial management in Pakistan, according to a statement issued by the Philippines-based lender. The statement read that subprogramme 2 of the “Improved Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Reform Programme” includes a policy-based loan of $300m, and ADB’s “first ever policy-based guarantee” of up to $500m, which is expected to mobilise financing of up to $1 billion from commercial banks. “Pakistan has made significant progress in improving macroeconomic conditions,” said ADB country director for Pakistan, Emma Fan. “This programme backs the government’s commitment to further policy and institutional reforms that will strengthen public finances and promote sustainable growth.” The programme supports far-reaching reforms to improve tax policy, administration, and compliance, while enhancing public expenditure and cash management. “It also promotes digitalisation, investment facilitation, a...