Pakistan

United States military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday, but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, two US officials told Reuters. Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the US might have struck the school. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday acknowledged the US military was investigating the incident. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge that absolves the US of responsibility and points to another responsible party in the incident. Reuters could not determine how much longer the investigation would last or what evidence US investigators are seeking before the assessment ...

BANNU: A video footage showing armed men torturing a 15-year-old girl in Domel tehsil of Bannu has gone viral on social media. According to local sources, the girl identified as Hamshda was reportedly seen moving around in male clothing and adopting a masculine appearance. She was reportedly seen in Domel and Township areas. They said that despite repeated warnings from her family, she continued to wear clothes of men and roam around. They said that unidentified armed men allegedly abducted the girl and took her to an undisclosed location where she was subjected to torture. A video of the incident was also recorded and later circulated on social media. In the video, the girl is made to say that she will not go out in this manner or roam with boys in the future. She was reportedly released after being forced to promise not to repeat such actions. According to Domel police, no formal complaint has been received from any affected party so far, and no FIR has been registered in connection with the incident. Howev...

KARACHI: Traders have been trying to revive trade links with Dubai, as the relationship was disrupted following the US-Israel attack on Iran, which turned Dubai into a war zone. Traders said two flights were likely to depart from Karachi and Lahore for Dubai tonight, but were unable to identify who these people are or why they want to enter Dubai while the war is still ongoing. Dubai is a global financial centre, while hundreds of Pakistani companies operate there to benefit from tax exemptions and other facilities not available in Pakistan. “We have collected foreign currencies and a person is expected to fly to Dubai to buy dollars against these currencies,” said Zafar Paracha, General Secretary of the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP). Foreign currencies such as Saudi Riyal, UAE Dirham, and all currencies other than US dollar are collected and sent to Dubai to purchase dollars. So far, a flight from Lahore was expected to depart at 3.30am for Dubai, and our representative carrying foreign c...

WASHINGTON: A Pakistani man accused of planning to kill President Donald Trump told jurors on Wednesday that he did not willingly work with Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to devise the plot, media said. The Justice Department accused Asif Merchant of trying to recruit people in the United States in the plan targeting Trump and other US politicians in retaliation for Washington’s killing of the Corps’ top commander, Qassem Soleimani. The Corps has a central role in Iran, with its combination of military and economic power and an intelligence network. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly,” the New York Times quoted Merchant as telling a court during his trial for terrorism and murder-for-hire charges, adding that he participated to protect his family in Tehran. Prosecutors reject Merchant’s claim of duress, cite lack of evidence to support ‘coercion’ defence Prosecutors rejected Merchant’s claim, citing a “lack of evidentiary support for a true duress or coercion,” according to a letter s...

• Death toll from clashes in wake of Khamenei assassination reaches 20 • Cases over Gilgit, Skardu violence registered under anti-terrorism laws, says IGP • Insists attacks were organised, carried out with planning; JIT formed GILGIT: Suspects invo­lved in attacks on military installations in Gilgit-Baltistan would be tried in military courts, GB Inspector General of Police Dr Nasir Akbar Khan said on Thursday. Addressing a press conference in Gilgit, he said that cases related to the recent violent incidents in Gilgit and Skardu following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US and Israeli attacks on Iran had been registered under anti-terrorism laws. The GB police chief said it was necessary to inform the public about the current situation after the recent violence in Skardu and Gilgit. He said anti-Pakistan elements were attempting to create internal and external disruption, put pressure on security resources and provoke sentiments among the public that could damage unit...

Kristi Noem, who oversaw United States President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and faced bipartisan criticism in hearings this week, will leave her role as homeland security chief at the end of the month. Trump will tap Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her, he said on his Truth Social platform, a move that would require US Senate confirmation. Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, became one of Trump’s most high-profile cabinet secretaries with social media posts that portrayed immigrants in harsh terms, highlighting cases of alleged criminal offenders and using vitriolic language. She faced criticism in January when she quickly labelled two US citizens fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis as committing “domestic terrorism”. Videos that emerged after the deaths undercut the assertion by Noem and other Trump officials that the two deceased — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were violent aggressors. The public backlash for deaths led the Trump administration to ...

Pakistan expressed “serious concern” on Thursday on recent attacks targeting Azerbaijan and Turkiye, calling for restraint and emphasising the need for dialogue and diplomacy. The calls comes against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Iran and the US and Israel, which has expanded across the Middle East with Tehran targeting US bases and assets in other countries and Tel Aviv targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. On Thursday, a drone struck an airport building in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan and exploded. Two people were injured in the incident, for which Azerbaijan held Iran responsible, but Iran has denied involvement in the incident and blames Israel. On Wednesday, Turkiye summoned the Iranian ambassador after a missile — apparently targeting a Cyprus base — landed in Turkish territory. Iran’s armed forces have also denied firing any missile towards Turkiye. Following the two incidents, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that Pakistan expressed “serious concern” over the recent attacks target...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Friday that a fighter jet, which was on a training mission, crashed in the northeast Indian state of Assam. “The Su-30MKI which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approximately 60km from Jorhat,” the IAF said on X. Search operations are under way, the IAF added. Earlier, the IAF had said that the fighter jet had not returned or made contact at its expected time after taking off from Assam at 7:42pm local time (1412 GMT) on Thursday. “An IAF Su-30 MKI is reported overdue. The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat, Assam and was last in contact at 7:42pm. Further details are being ascertained. Search and rescue mission has been initiated,” it said in a post on X. The IAF has been beset by incidents involving fighter jet crashes in the recent past. Su-30 MKI’s crash comes around 10 days after the IAF lost a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Tejas light combat aircraft as it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase, sustaining major damage to its ...

Araghchi says ready and 'waiting' for US invasion; Tehran strike sparks Bahrain refinery blaze

Cabinet committee mulls Covid-style curbs as Iran war triggers crisis

Islamabad warns country-specific arrangements risk undermining NPT

Security officials say Afghan Taliban regime has become a 'proxy master'

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Procurement done through open bidding, Senate told

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Shariat Appellate Bench seeks responses from federation, provinces

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Legal experts express concern over new amendments to NAO