Pakistan

Around 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the severe heatwave that ended last week, according to a rapid scientific analysis published on Wednesday. The study targeted the 10 days, ending July 2, during which large parts of Western Europe were hit by extreme heat, with temperatures breaching 40 degrees Celsius in Spain and wildfires breaking out in France. Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe, according to the study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous,” said Dr Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London. The study covered 12 cities, including Barcelona, Madrid, London and Milan, where the researchers said climate change had increased heatwave temperatures by up to 4°C. The...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved its decision on a petition challenging the election of National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, following final arguments from both parties.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) said two of its pilots were killed as a Jaguar fighter jet crashed near a village in Rajasthan’s Churu district on Wednesday. “An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident,” the IAF said in a post on X. The statement added that no damage to any civilian property had been reported. “IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief,” the statement read, adding that a court of inquiry had been constituted to determine the cause of the accident. The aircraft was a Jaguar jet, originally a British-French-made aircraft, that crashed in an agricultural field at around 1:25pm, Rajaldesar Station House Officer Kamlesh told Press Trust of India. Human body parts were found near the crash site, SHO Kamlesh had added. An investigation and rescue operations are underway after authorities rushed to the scene...

Tremors from a 4.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has strongly denounced Indian state-sponsored terrorism, condemned extremist threats posed by the so-called “Khawarij” groups, and reaffirmed the security and strength of Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed his satisfaction at the record-high remittances received during the fiscal year 2024-25 and resolved that the government was committed to economic prosperity after bringing economic stability.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has emphasized the need for coordinated and actionable steps to restore cotton’s central role in the economy and improve returns for farmers.

One person was killed while three children were injured after militants carried out two quadcopter attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Wednesday, according to police. The incident comes after reports of multiple quadcopter and drone attacks in KP and Balochistan over the past year. In March, at least 11 people were killed in Mardan in what locals insisted was a drone strike, while in May, a suspected quadcopter munitions drop claimed the lives of four children and injured five others in North Waziristan District’s Mir Ali tehsil. The military clarified that security forces were “falsely implicated” in the incident and that it was carried out by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kulachi told Dawn.com: “Two quadcopter incidents occurred in the district today. In the first quadcopter attack by militants, one woman was killed while three children were injured, including two of the woman’s children.” The woman’s body and the injured people w...

Temu, the ultra-discount international e-commerce platform, is facing intense backlash in Pakistan following a sudden and dramatic increase in product prices.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed a missing person petition following the recovery of the individual in question, Muhammad Ashraf.

The Awami National Party (ANP) has suffered a major setback as Samar Haroon Bilour, a prominent figure from the influential Bilour family, officially joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The Trump administration on Tuesday doubled down on its narrative that US President Donald Trump played a central role in defusing a potentially nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan in May. In a high-visibility moment at the White House on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handed Trump a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing, among other things, Trump’s “decisive diplomacy” in resolving disputes. This symbolic endorsement comes amid growing signs that the Trump administration is carefully shaping its South Asia message — amplifying its version of regional stability while deliberately avoiding any confrontation with India or with Pakistan’s current leadership. The evolving narrative was further underscored at the State Department’s daily news briefing — the first to publicly address both the ceasefire claim and ex-PM Imran Khan’s continued detention during Trump’s second term in office. Asked about Indian officials’ repeated denials of Trump’s role in the 2025 Line...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued a 22-page written order in connection with the tragic incident that claimed 17 lives in the Swat River on June 27.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining a consultative policy framework as the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) transitioned its leadership. Aurangzeb met with a delegation of the PBC led by outgoing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ehsan Malik and incoming CEO Javed Kureishi at the Finance Division, the division said in a press release. The minister welcomed the PBC’s transition in leadership and extended his full support to the incoming team, reaffirming the government’s commitment to maintaining an inclusive and ongoing consultative process with key stakeholders in the business community. During the meeting, Aurangzeb appreciated the constructive role played by the PBC, particularly acknowledging the value of its policy input, research, and the extensive sectoral data regularly shared with the government. He underscored the importance of evidence-based policymaking and informed the delegation that the Tax Policy Office had been relocated from the F...

The Sindh government’s recent decision to enforce Ajrak-themed number plates on vehicles has been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC).

Chinese air force chief Lieutenant General Wang Gang has lauded the “exemplary performance” of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the Pakistan-India conflict in May. As New Delhi launched deadly air strikes on Pakistan in early May over allegations about the Pahalgam attack, which Islamabad denied, PAF downed six 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. The praise from Lt Gen Gang came as a high-level defence delegation led by him called on PAF’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at Air Headquarters in Islamabad, the military’s media affairs wing said in a press release on Tuesday. “Lauding the professional acumen and strategic foresight of PAF’s leadership, the visiting dignitary paid rich tribute to the exemplary performance of Pakistan Air Force during the recent conflict with India,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated. Gen Wang, chief of the People’s Liberati...

The Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCOP) has approved the proposed transaction structure for the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in New York, opting for a joint venture model as part of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) ongoing privatization process.

Peshawar - Advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations, Barrister Saif, has issued a strong statement regarding the allocation of reserved seats, urging opposition parties to demonstrate moral courage by refusing seats that, he claims, rightfully belong to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Rawalpindi - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif here on Tuesday inaugurated the recently completed multibillion rupees Nawaz Sharif Flyover at Adiala Road and the GPO–TM Underpass on the Mall Road in the garrison city.

Three people, including two brothers, were killed inside their house by armed attackers in the Mulazai area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. Public Relations Officer (PRO) to the Tank District Police Officer Ahmad Khan told Dawn.com, “The incident took place in the Mulazai village where armed men entered the victims’ house and opened indiscriminate fire on them. As a result, three people, including two brothers, were killed.” According to Khan, initial reports suggested that the incident was related to old enmity. A first information report (FIR) was lodged under sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (punishment of murder) and 324 (attempt to commit murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code against six suspects and further interrogation into the case has begun. The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered on the complaint of the...