Pakistan

Afridi's brother among five arrested in separate murder case

The Foreign Office on Friday firmly rejected the “baseless and misleading remarks” made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to the Indian-held Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack. The indian premier arrived in occupied valley today to open a strategic railway line. According to Indian news media outlets, Modi, during his visit, said that Pakistan attacked ’insaniyat’ and Kashmiriyat’ (humanity and the Kashmiri identity) in Pahalgam. The Indian premier alleged that Pakistan was “also the enemy of poor’s bread and butter”. He warned that anyone trying to derail the development in Indian-held Kashmir would have to “face Narendra Modi first”. Responding to the Indian premier’s remarks, the foreign office today said: “Pakistan firmly rejects the baseless and misleading remarks made by the prime minister of India regarding the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” It added that such statements represented a “deliberate attempt to deflect international attention from the grav...

In a bid to tighten traffic regulation enforcement, the Sindh government on Friday approved a set of legal changes, including a ban on four-seater rickshaws, mandatory third-party vehicle fitness checks, and sharp increases in traffic violation fines, as part of an overhaul aimed at improving road safety and accountability. The decision comes as Karachi witnesses a surge in traffic accidents, particularly involving dumpers and water tankers, that killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. The spate of deadly incidents triggered protests over citizens’ deaths, prompting the provincial government to ban heavy vehicles during daytime hours and require them to obtain fitness certificates. According to a statement from the home department, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar chaired the meeting to discuss necessary amendments to the Motor Vehicles Rules in light of the alarming increase in the number of accidents in the province. Briefed by the secretaries of law and transp...

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump is not interested in talking with Elon Musk, a White House official said on Friday, signaling the president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. The White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no phone call between Trump […]

The Foreign Office on Friday “unequivocally” condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and southern parts of Lebanon, urging the international community to hold Tel Aviv accountable and take immediate action against the offensive. According to Al Jazeera, the attack on Thursday targeting Hezbollah marks the fourth time Israel has bombed Beirut after a ceasefire was signed in November 2024. The Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in a statement after the strikes, voiced “firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression,” calling the attack — carried out on the eve of Eidul Azha — a “flagrant violation of an international accord.” Israel and Hezbollah started trading fire on Oct 8, a day after Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and sparked the Gaza offensive. Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, says its attacks aim to support Palestinians who are under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. The Foreign Office, in a statement, extending solidarity to Lebanese people during “this difficult time” and highlighted that “the reckless ...

The Foreign Office on Friday firmly dismissed recent remarks by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, labelling them as baseless and misleading.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held an important meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his official visit to Saudi Arabia, ARY News reported. The leaders exchanged Eid ul-Adha greetings and discussed strengthening ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Shehbaz Sharif was accompanied by a high-level Pakistani delegation, including Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the […]

Veteran journalist and news director of the Associated Press for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kathy Gannon on Friday said that the presence of various militant groups on Afghan soil posed a significant challenge to regional security. Speaking at an event titled “Geopolitical Shifts and Security Challenges: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Regional Power Play” organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad, Gannon — who in 2014 was attacked and wounded while reporting from Afghanistan — said, “While Afghanistan might not want all the militant groups on its territory nor did Kabul invite them all, but they were still there.” According to a press release, Gannon emphasised the importance of restoring trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, appreciating the recent positive developments in relations between the two neighbours. She said that “Pakistan could better influence the Afghan government by treating it as an equal and a partner in pursuing its regional objectives.” “She also urged Islamabad to...

Posts on social media platforms X and Facebook since Wednesday were sharing an alleged threat alert from the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) of a possible terror attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. However, the threat alert is fake. On Wednesday, a post on X by a user claimed that Nacta had issued a threat alert on the same date regarding a possible terrorist attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. The caption of the post said: “Intelligence warns of a potential terrorist attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. Law enforcement on high alert. Citizens urged to stay vigilant and report anything suspicious.” The same notification was circulated by other users as well as can be seen here, here, here and here. It was also widely shared on Facebook, as seen here and here, and circulated in various WhatsApp groups. A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim given its close proximity to the upcoming holiday and its potential to cause undue worry and panic in the public. Analysing the do...

Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has said that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and our political and military leadership demonstrated exemplary restraint during the recent tensions with India.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that, for the first time, green spices are being sold at affordable prices during Eid ul Azha.

Senior PML-N leader and former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique was rushed to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on Friday after experiencing severe chest pain.

US President Donald Trump is not interested in talking with his former ally Elon Musk, amid a bitter feud over the president’s sweeping tax-cut bill, a White House official said on Friday, adding that no phone call between the two men was planned for the day. A separate White House official had said earlier that Trump and Musk were going to talk to each other on Friday. Earlier, Donald Trump threatened to cut off government contracts to Elon Musk’s companies and the world’s richest man suggested the US president should be impeached, marking a stark end to an unlikely alliance and leaving onlookers wondering what was next. The hostilities between the former allies intensified when the president criticised Tesla CEO Musk in the Oval Office and the pair then lobbed verbal barbs at each other on their social media platforms: Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted. ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, currently on a two-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, performed Umrah on the night of Thursday and Friday, offering prayers for the country’s success in Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, the government said on its X account. The delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for a visit from June 5 to 6, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. The visit is focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in key areas between both nations. PM Shehbaz is also expected to thank the Saudi leadership for its constructive role in de-escalating the recent Pakistan-India conflict. PM Shehbaz was accompanied by Army Chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, who also performed the Umrah. The gates of the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, were specially opened for the delegation, where th...

The Kremlin said on Friday that the Ukraine war was “existential” for Russia, after it launched a wave of retaliatory drone and missile strikes that killed at least three in Kyiv. AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and explosions ring out over the capital throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence batteries intercepted waves of Russian drones and missiles. Kyiv announced that Russia had fired 45 missiles and 407 drones in the barrage, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for an audacious Ukrainian attack on several Russian airbases. President Volodymyr Zelensky in response urged allies to “decisively” ramp up pressure on Russia to halt the war, which has left tens of thousands dead over more than three years of fighting. “We heard a drone — we heard it coming very close, and then there was an explosion,” Ksenia, a Kyiv resident, told AFP outside a multiple-storey housing block that was left with a charred and gaping hole. “Our windows and window panes were blown out, but we got away ...

Pilgrims on Friday were performing the last major ritual of the Haj — the stoning of the Jamarat, also known as the “stoning of the devil”, which symbolises the rejection of evil, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of Eidul Azha. Pakistan will celebrate Eidul Azha tomorrow (Saturday). Starting before daybreak, the more than 1.6 million pilgrims taking part in the Haj threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah. Droves of pilgrims had already set out from their camps and accommodations in the sprawling tent city in Mina before dawn, taking advantage of the shade and cool temperature. The ritual commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s stoning of the Jamarat at the three spots where Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son. “Our experience in Mina was easy and simple. We entered and within five minutes we had completed the stoning of the devil at the ‘Jamarat’,” said 34-year-old ...

Former Prime Minister and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif offered Eid prayers in London and prayed for Pakistan’s prosperity and the well-being of its people.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA), Islamabad Police, and district administration on Friday finalized a joint action plan to ensure foolproof security, traffic management, and efficient waste disposal across the city during Eid-ul-Azha.

Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (MCI) has shut down over 100 illegal cattle sale points and seized 1,675 animals, relocating them to official markets.

The Meteorological Department has forecast intense heat across Pakistan during the Eid al-Azha holidays and the following week, warning of a severe heatwave in many regions from June 7 to 12.