Pakistan

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Sunday hailed the results of the Ipsos Consumer Confidence Survey for the second quarter of 2025, saying the findings reflected the government’s successful microeconomic strategy over the last 14 months. The survey was conducted by Ipsos, a global market research firm that gathers insights on consumer behaviour, public opinion, and market trends. The firm uses methods like online polls, interviews, and focus groups across 89 countries. A press release by the Ministry of Finance said today that Aurangzeb welcomed the survey findings, calling them a strong affirmation of the improving economic outlook and public sentiment across Pakistan. “The survey reveals a significant surge in consumer confidence, with 42 per cent of Pakistanis now believing the country is heading in the right direction — the highest level recorded in six years,” the release said. Perceptions of the economy being strong also reached their most favourable levels since August 2019. Notably, optimism had ...

An operative of the militant Islamic State group (IS) was captured at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in a joint intelligence operation conducted by Pakistan and Türkiye, the latter’s security sources said on Sunday. Paki­stan and Turkiye, which share strong bilateral relations, reaffirmed their commitment to enha­ncing defe­nce and security cooperation during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Istanbul. Ozgur Altun, also known by the codename “Abu Yasir Al Turki”, was arrested in a precision operation jointly conducted by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation (MİT). Following intelligence sharing, the ISI had been briefed on Altun’s presence in Afghanistan and his intent to cross into Pakistan. After his arrest, he was deported to Türkiye for further investigation. Altun was identified as the highest-ranking Turkish member of IS and played a key role in the group’s media and logistics networks. Türkiye’s MİT had tracked Altun’s activities and foun...

India’s Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had “misled the nation”, amid a furore about the now-acknowledged aircraft losses to Pakistan during the recent conflict. The remarks come a day after India’s top general confirmed that his country’s fighter jets were downed by Pakistan but did not specify a number. That admission followed a statement by Subrahmanyam Swamy, a member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but a staunch critic of the Indian premier, that Pakistan had downed five Indian planes. “The Modi govt has misled the nation. The fog of war is now clearing,” Kharge wrote in a post on X. He said that in the wake of the remarks made by India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan in Singapore during an interview, there were some very important questions which needed to be asked. “These can only be asked if a Special Session of the Parliament is immediately convened,” he said. “The Congress party demands a comprehensive rev...

The Global Water Organisation (GWO) has officially launched its operations from its headquarters in Riyadh, with founding member states, including Pakistan, signing its charter. The newly established organisation — formed under the leadership of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and the patronage of the Saudi environment minister — aims to enhance international collaboration to address the growing pressures on global water systems. Aside from Pakistan, the founding countries of the GWO include Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Greece, Senegal and Mauritania. According to a statement from the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) on Sunday, the launching event “marked a major milestone in fostering international collaboration to address global water challenges.” Federal Minister for Water Resources, Mian Muhammad Mueen Wattoo, represented Pakistan at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadley, to share the country’s perspec...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has left for London for a medical check-up.

Pakistan’s top military man General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has stressed the need to move towards conflict resolution instead of management, warning that its absence could result in a destructive escalation. The remarks follow a recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan over New Delhi’s allegations against Islamabad, without evidence, about a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. As New Delhi launched air strikes in early May, killing civilians, Pakistan downed five Indian jets in retaliation. After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire. Gen Mirza, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, made the remarks at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue 2025 organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore on Saturday evening. During a panel discussion, titled “Regional Crisis-Management Mechanisms”, Gen Mirza said: “It has become imperative to move beyond conflict management...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met President Asif Ali Zardari at Governor House, Lahore on Sunday to discuss the country’s political, economic, and foreign affairs.

President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan intends to forge strong bilateral relations with Bangladesh in all areas including commerce, trade, sports, culture and people-to-people ties.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi reaffirmed their commitment to regional connectivity through the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project during a telephone conversation on Sunday.

Bangladesh on Sunday restored the registration of the Jamaat-i-Islami party, allowing it to take part in elections, more than a decade after it was removed under the now-overthrown government. The country’s supreme court overturned a cancellation of Jamaat-i-Islami’s registration, allowing it to be formally listed as a political party with the election commission. “The election commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law,” commission lawyer Towhidul Islam told AFP. Jamaat-i-Islami party lawyer, Shishir Monir, said the supreme court’s decision would allow a “democratic, inclusive and multi-party system” in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. “We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,” Monir told journalists. After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister in August, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 high court orde...

Flash floods and landslides after torrential monsoon rain over the last two days killed at least 30 people in India’s northeast, officials said on Sunday. State disaster management officials said eight people died in Assam, and nine in Arunachal Pradesh, many of them in landslides as earth loosened by the water slumped into the valley below. Another five people died in a landslide in the neighbouring state of Mizoram, state authorities said. The officials said that six people lost their lives in Meghalaya, while at least two others were killed in the states of Nagaland and Tripura. A red alert warning was issued for several districts in the region after the non-stop downpour over the last three days. Rivers swollen by the lashing rain — including the mighty Brahmaputra, which rises in the Himalayas and flows through India’s northeast towards its delta in Bangladesh — broke their banks across the region. The Indian army said that it had saved hundreds “in a massive rescue operation” across Manipur state. “Peop...

Thousands of Paris Saint-Germain supporters took to the streets of the French capital on Saturday to celebrate their club’s victory in the Champions League final, but clashes with the police led to the arrest of over 500 people, while two people lost their lives amid the celebrations in separate instances. As per the French interior ministry, a woman riding a scooter died after she was hit by a car in the southwest of Paris, while a 17-year-old in the southwestern town of Dax was stabbed to death during the celebrations. In total, 559 people were arrested, including 491 in Paris. The majority of fans celebrated peacefully, but Paris police said scuffles broke out near the city’s Champs-Élysées avenue and PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, where 48,000 had watched the 5-0 win against Inter Milan in Munich on big screens. Most of the people detained were suspected of possessing fireworks and causing disorder, Paris police said. AFP journalists saw police use a water cannon to stop a crowd reaching the Arc de Triom...

Less than 24 hours after striking gold in the javelin final at the Asian Athletics Championship, javelin phenom Arshad Nadeem on Sunday thanked the nation for its support and prayers, dedicating the win to Pakistan. Yesterday, Arshad returned to international competition and won a gold medal with a throw of 86.40 metres in the men’s javelin final in Gumi, South Korea. India’s Sachin Yadav took silver with an 85.16m and Japan’s Yuta Sakiyama took home bronze with an 83.75m throw. Both athletes threw a personal best. In a post on Instagram today, Nadeem said: “It is because of all your prayers that Allah made me successful in the finals, and gave respect to Pakistan, when I won gold at the Asian Athletics Championship. View this post on Instagram “This is a result of your prayers, and the hard work of me and my coach, Salman Iqbal Butt,” he said in a short video message as he adorned a green and white Pakistan jersey. He noted that he would be arriving at Lahore International Airport at 10:20pm tonight. “It giv...

• Chauhan curious why their jets were downed • Claims conflict never came close to a nuclear war • Says ‘channels of communication’ with Islamabad were open • BJP leader says PAF shot down five Indian aircraft NEW DELHI: A day after a BJP politician and staunch critic of Prime Minister Nare­ndra Modi, Subrahmanyam Swamy, claimed Pakistan had downed five Indian planes in the recent military escalation, India’s top military general admitted losses. In an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan admitted losses but dismissed Pakistan’s claims that it shot down six Indian jets, including four Rafales, as “absolutely incorrect”. “What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down… Why they were down, what mistakes were made — that are important. Numbers are not important,” he said. In a separate interview to Reuters, Gen Chauhan said the losses India suffered were in the initial stages, on May 7, when ...

The final day of Pakistan’s nationwide anti-polio campaign is underway with strong momentum, with the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) reporting a remarkable 97% vaccination coverage across the country.

In a move aimed at safeguarding public safety during Eidul Azha, the Punjab Home Department has imposed a province-wide ban on all temporary mechanical rides set up during the festive days.

An explosion occurred near a house on Sunday in Darra Adam Khel, district Kohat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing two people, rescue officials said. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Jawad Afridi said the blast took place at a tube well near a house in Akhorwal village. Two people died on the spot in the explosion. Rescue medical and disaster teams reached the scene after receiving information about the incident. The house was completely destroyed in the explosion, the rescue official said. In another incident, an under-construction building was heavily damaged when an improvised explosive device (IED), reportedly planted by unidentified terrorists, exploded in Bannu district. Muhammad Usama, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, Bannu told Dawn.com that the explosion occurred around at 1am today when unidentified attackers reportedly detonated an IED that severely damaged the building. He said the targeted structure, located in the Kaki tehsil of Bannu district, belonged to the Rescue 1122 emergency services. However, no casual...

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) of Pakistan, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, has warned of the increasing danger of nuclear conflict in South Asia, urging the urgent establishment of crisis management frameworks and meaningful dialogue between regional powers.

Pakistan Express, bound for Rawalpindi, derailed near Mubarakpur Railway Station on Saturday, causing a major disruption in rail traffic on both up and down tracks, according to Pakistan Railways officials.

SUKKUR: Larkana sessions judge and in-charge of Anti-Terrorism Court survived attack by a gang of highwaymen who opened fire on his car and his security detail following him in police mobile van on Khairpur-Larkana road late on Friday night. A police constable, Maqbool Sheikh, died and his colleagues, Iqbal Baloch and Safeer Ahmed Kehar, suffered gunshot wounds in the attack that took place within the jurisdiction of Tando Masti police station in Khairpur district. Police officials said the judge, Samkan Ahmed Mughal, and his security squad came under fire from the armed dacoits but the judge remained unharmed in the attack. The judge was on his way to Larkana last night after attending an event at the Sindh High Court’s Sukkur bench, they said. They said that the armed highwaymen were standing by the road within the limits of Tando Masti police station when they signaled the judge’s convoy to stop. In reply to media persons’ questions if it was a targeted attack on the judge and linked to some cases he was h...