Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday assured the Shanghai Electric Power Company that “any outstanding issues” would be amicably resolved as he invited the firm to invest in Pakistan’s energy infrastructure. The firm last week decided to terminate its offer to acquire up to 66.4 per cent of K-Electric Ltd due to changes in Pakistan’s business environment. It added that since the planning of the “major asset purchase”, the company had strictly adhered to relevant laws, regulations, and normative documents, actively promoting the various tasks involved in this major asset purchase. “Given that the counterparty has consistently failed to meet the conditions precedent for closing and the changes in the business environment in Pakistan have rendered this transaction no longer aligned with the company’s international development direction, after careful study and analysis, in order to effectively safeguard the interests of the company and all its shareholders, the company has decided to terminate this major asset p...

The United States and China have reached a framework agreement to switch short-video app TikTok to US-controlled ownership, top US officials said on Monday, with President Donald Trump set to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the agreement after a meeting between senior US and Chinese officials in Madrid, but declined to give any of the commercial terms of the agreement. Bessent told reporters that further details would wait to be determined in a call on Friday between Trump and Xi. Trump said on Monday that trade talks with China had gone very well and hinted that a deal had been reached to resolve issues the US has over TikTok ownership. “The big trade meeting in Europe between the United States of America, and China, has gone very well! It will be concluding shortly,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “A deal was also reached on a certain company that young people in our Country very much wante...

Pakistan suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of India, who beat them by seven wickets after beating the paltry 128-run target set by the Green Shirts during yesterday’s Asia Cup game. However, the match had been marred by controversy from the beginning due to calls from across the border to “boycott” the fixture. It seems the pressure got to the players as well, with the Indian team refusing to shake hands with their rivals at the toss and after the match. Furthermore, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was said to have “politicised” the win by bringing up the Pahalgam terrorist attack in India-occupied Kashmir, over which the two countries fought a four-day military conflict in May, saying the victory was “a perfect gift” for his nation. From cricketers and politicians to fans and analysts watching the game, social media was rife with their takes on the scene. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his disappointment over the “lack of sportsmanship” in a post on X shortly after the...

Two fresh polio virus cases have been detected in the south of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, taking the nationwide tally to 26, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Monday. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. According to a press release issued by the NIH, one of the cases was detected in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali tehsil in a 19-month-old infant, while the other case was confirmed in an 11-month-old infant in Lakki Marwat’s Suleman Khel tehsil. The two new cases have taken the total number of cases reported in KP to 18, the highest out of any province in the country. The nationwide tally now stands at 26, with six cases from Sindh, 18 from KP and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, NIH said. Detailing the results of August’s environmental sewage samples regarding polio — collected from 87 ...

The Balochistan Fisheries Department has announced a decisive crackdown on illegal trawling along the province’s coastline in a bid to protect marine ecosystems and safeguard the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Social media influencer Samiya Hijab on Monday agreed to withdraw her complaint in her alleged harassment and kidnapping case, with the court granting bail to the suspect. The suspect was arrested on September 2 and a case was registered in the capital’s Shalimar Police Station at her complaint under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 392 (punishment for robbery), 500 (punishment for defamation), 509 and 511 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He is currently on judicial remand. During today’s hearing at an Islamabad district and sessions court — presided over by Additional District and Sessions Judge Amir Zia — Samiya recorded her statement before the court, stating that the case had been resolved and she withdrew her complaint. “I have no objection to granting bail to the accused and his acquittal,” Samiya said in her statement. When asked by the judge if she was forgiving the su...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has announced that the province carried out the largest rescue operation in Pakistan’s history after the recent devastating floods.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) maintained its policy rate steady at 11 per cent on Monday for a third straight meeting as policymakers weighed inflation risks from flood-hit crops against a fragile economic recovery. After slashing the interest rate by 1,000 basis points (bps) from 22pc since June 2024 in seven intervals, the central bank has maintained it at 11pc since May. However, the business community had expressed disappointment over the decision. “The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 11 per cent in its meeting today,” an SBP statement said. The MPC noted that inflation remained “relatively moderate in both July and August, whereas core inflation continued to decline at a slower pace”. “Economic activity — as captured by high-frequency economic indicators, including large-scale manufacturing (LSM) — gained further momentum. However, the near-term macroeconomic outlook has deteriorated slightly in the wake of the ongoing floods,” the committee noted. It cauti...

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The water level in the Indus River is gradually receding at Guddu Barrage but continues to rise at Sukkur Barrage, according to the barrage control room on Monday.

India and the United States will hold trade talks in New Delhi on Tuesday, weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on the South Asian nation’s exports, slowing its overall shipments to a nine-month low in August. India and the US will “fast-track” trade talks, Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator and a special secretary in its commerce ministry, told reporters at an event for the release of trade data, but gave no details. “US Trade Representative for South Asia Brendan Lynch is set to make a one-day visit to New Delhi on Tuesday,” Agarwal said. India’s exports slowed to $35.10 billion in August from $37.24bn in July, and its trade gap narrowed to $26.49bn, from $27.35bn in July. The US imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil starting August 27, taking the total on Indian exports to 50 per cent, among the highest for any US trading partner. Exports to the United States fell to $6.86bn in August from $8.01bn in July...

A female doctor went missing after allegedly jumping into a nullah in Karachi’s Scout Colony in an apparent suicide attempt, police said on Monday.

ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry has asked manpower from five different departments and forces, including Islamabad police, Frontier Constabulary (FC), and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Dawn has learnt. A few months ago, AJK police initiated a strike with an 11-point charter of demands. These include increases in medical allowance, conveyance allowance, house rent, and the implementation of a career progression system similar to that of Punjab police. Additionally, there are demands for improved retirement policies, training, housing, and educational facilities for the children of police personnel. In July, AJK police observed a pen-down strike and subsequently organised a state-wide strike to demand better rights and facilities in major districts. The manpower for law enforcement in AJK should consider the police protests and strikes in the region. Moreover, the government suspects that the AJK police may extend their protests and strikes, potentially expressing further resentment. Sources within the i...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday visited the Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shanghai, accompanied by First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Authorities have decided to reissue the advertisement for the sale of the Nasla Tower plot after its auction failed to attract any buyers, sources confirmed on Monday.

The management of Qadirpur Gas Field has confirmed that floodwaters from the Indus River have reached the platforms of its gas wells, raising serious concerns over energy production and infrastructure safety.

Ambassador of Poland to Pakistan, Maciej Pisarski, called on Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, with a particular focus on expanding trade, investment, and cooperation in strategic sectors.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday announced that it has decided to maintain the policy rate at 11 percent, keeping it unchanged in its latest monetary policy decision.

Vice President of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Senator Sherry Rehman, in her message on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, extended greetings to all democracy supporters around the world.

Pakistan has dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid for Gaza under the supervision of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with Al-Khidmat Foundation.