Pakistan

Rights organisation Amnesty International on Tuesday criticised Pakistani authorities for “failing to protect the lives and property of civilians” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid a surge in suspected quadcopter and drone attacks. The statement came in response to reports of multiple such attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 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). Last Friday, a child was killed and five others were injured after a suspected drone hit South Waziristan District, prompting condemnations from KP politicians. “Pakistani authorities have failed to take action to protect the lives and property of civilians i...

Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) climbed by 5759.16 points after an earlier halt in trading on Tuesday, in the wake of US President Donald Trump announcing a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end a 12-day war. The KSE-100 index climbed by 6079.16 points, or 5.23 per cent, to close at 122,246.63 points. Earlier in the day, shares at the PSX had climbed by 5,878 points a few hours after it opened. It reached an earlier intraday high of 122,045.62 from the last close of 116,167.47 yesterday, before a market halt was initiated. Yousuf M. Farooq, director of research at Chase Securities, attributed the rise to the overnight announcement of a ceasefire, with broad-based gains across sectors. Farooq said, “The Pakistan market rallied earlier today following the overnight announcement of a ceasefire. “However, reports during the day of Israeli claims that Iran has violated the ceasefire dampened sentiment, pulling the market down from an intraday high of 122,045.62 to 121,926.63 currently. Desp...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to continue working closely with China for successful implementation of ongoing CPEC projects.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will lead Pakistan delegation to the twelfth session of Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission scheduled in Abu Dhabi today.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed bail petitions filed by former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan in eight separate cases linked to the May 9, 2023, unrest.

Iraq will investigate suicide drone attacks on radar systems at two military bases, Sabah al-Numan, the military spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, said on Tuesday, adding that Iraqi forces intercepted several other attempted incursions. “Several small suicide drones targeted multiple Iraqi military sites and bases,” according to the spokesman. No casualties were reported. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and the government has not yet identified any perpetrators. Numan described the attacks as “cowardly and treacherous”. “The assault severely damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar Province” in southern Iraq, he added. Iraqi forces also thwarted other attacks against “four additional sites across various locations”, Numan said, adding that the drones were downed “before they could reach their intended targets”. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered the formation of “a high-level” committee to investigate the attacks and identify the p...

Following the formal ceasefire between Iran and Israel and calmer conditions in the Persian Gulf, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reinstated flights to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dubai.

Justice (Retired) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui has emphasized that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is not a federal entity and should appoint judges from within the Islamabad region.

Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday and praised Pakistan’s active and constructive role at global diplomatic platforms, including the United Nations Security Council, in promoting peaceful regional solutions through dialogue and diplomacy.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has issued a show cause notice to K-Electric (KE) after the power distribution company failed to submit a satisfactory reply over discriminatory policies over loadshedding in Karachi. Nepra had earlier taken serious notice of alleged excessive and persistent loadshedding during summers, and directed KE to end consumers’ miseries. In a letter to the KE chief executive officer, the regulatory body stated that it had received a large number of complaints regarding persistent and excessive loadshedding across various areas of Karachi. In a notice issued on June 23, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the power regulatory said the power distribution companies are obligated to supply electricity on a “non-discriminatory” basis to all consumers, and shall have schedules to shed up to 30pc of its load on instructions of the NTDC. When instructed, power distribution companies (Discos) can announce loadshedding in the order namely: supply to rural areas, ...

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, has warned the UN Security Council that terrorism originating from Afghanistan poses a direct threat to Pakistan’s national security, particularly from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has a presence of around 6,000 fighters near the.

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Indian spin great Dilip Doshi has died aged 77, with former cricketers praising a man they said had been a “gentleman to the core”. Doshi died in London on Monday, Indian media reported. The left-arm spinner was already in his thirties when he made his Test debut in 1979, and finished with 114 wickets in 33 matches. Doshi also played 15 one-day internationals for India between 1980 and 1982. Cricket veteran Sachin Tendulkar said Doshi was a “warm-hearted soul”, adding that he “will miss those cricketing conversations”. Former all-rounder Ravi Shastri said that Doshi was “a gentleman to the core and a fine, fine bowler”. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also paid tribute to the former spinner. A bespectacled Doshi carried forward the Indian spin legacy started by the famous quartet of Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar. Doshi bamboozled world batsmen and played English County cricket, with a long stint with Nottinghamshire.

Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it was proposing to designate Google with “strategic market status” to give it greater control over how the United States tech giant operates search services, according to a report by Reuters. According to a press release by the CMA, Britain’s competition regulator, Google search accounts for more than 90 per cent of all general search queries in the UK — with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet and more than 200,000 businesses in the UK relying on Google search advertising to reach their customers. The CMA said that steps it could take include making it easier for users to access different search providers and ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search. It also proposed more transparency and control for publishers whose content appeared in search results if it goes ahead with the designation in October. Google will be the first company designated since the regulator gained new power...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif paid rich tribute to women diplomats on the occasion of International Day of Women in Diplomacy, calling them a valuable asset to the nation.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday termed the federal budget 2025-26 as a balanced plan focusing on providing maximum relief to masses with the aim at fostering sustainable growth in the country.

The US Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for President Donald Trump’s administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them a chance to show the harm they could face, handing him another victory in his aggressive pursuit of mass deportations. In an action that prompted a sharp dissent from its three liberal justices, the court granted the administration’s request to lift a judicial order requiring that migrants set for deportation to so-called “third countries” get a “meaningful opportunity” to tell US officials they are at risk of torture at their new destination, while a legal challenge plays out. Boston-based US District Judge Brian Murphy had issued the order on April 18. The Supreme Court’s brief order was unsigned and offered no reasoning, as is common when it decides emergency requests. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the two other liberal justices, called the decision a “gross abuse” of the court’s power....

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held urgent telephone discussions with the ambassadors of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and stability.

NSC also reaffirms Pakistan’s close engagement with relevant parties and endorsed its readiness to further continue efforts and initiatives aimed at promoting regional peace and stability.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the formation of three specialized committees: the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee, and the Government Payments Committee to promote cashless economy across the country.