Pakistan

The Punjab government has appointed Rao Abdul Kareem as the new inspector general (IG) of Punjab Police, replacing Dr Usman Anwar, in a significant reshuffle of the province’s top law enforcement leadership, official sources said on Monday.

Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said the provincial government is making concerted efforts to provide better health facilities to the people.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued revised property valuation rates for Islamabad, reducing values by 30 to 50 percent following demands from traders, according to an official notification.

Cuba’s government on Monday told AFP that it was in “communication” with US President Donald Trump’s administration but not yet in formal talks on a deal to end Washington’s pressure campaign on the island. “Today we cannot talk about having dialogue with the United States, but it is true that there have been communications between the two governments,” deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said in an interview. Trump on Sunday claimed the United States was in talks with “the highest people” in Cuba and that he expected to “make a deal” with its leadership, without saying what a deal might look like. De Cossio repeated that Cuba was “open to dialogue” with the United States amid calls from Cubans for the government to negotiate to avert a humanitarian crisis. Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Havana since the January 3 capture by US special forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a top Cuba ally and financial backer. Pressured by Washington, Venezuela’s new administration has cut crude...

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has consistently highlighted the Kashmir issue at every international forum.

The use of NADRA’s Pak-ID application is steadily increasing, with daily applications crossing the 15,000 mark for the first time, reflecting growing public trust in digital government services.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic republic was struck. Following the Iranian authorities’ response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran, but also warned late on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached. Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression. Iranian state media reported on Monday that President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with Washington. Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of nuclear talks. “I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreason...

The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has submitted a comprehensive 27-point plan to the Lahore High Court to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply and effective safety measures during the Basant festival.

Pakistan is participating in the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial at the US Department of State on Wednesday, as Islamabad seeks to expand foreign investment and forge strategic partnerships in the minerals and energy sectors. Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik is representing Pakistan at the two-day conference, which is expected to bring together delegations from more than 50 countries to discuss strengthening and diversifying global supply chains for critical minerals—materials essential for advanced technologies, clean energy transitions and defence industries. Hosting the meeting, the US State Department said the ministerial aims to “advance collective efforts to strengthen and diversify critical minerals supply chains” and to create momentum for international collaboration to secure resources “vital to technological innovation, economic strength, and national security”. Opening remarks at the conference are scheduled to be delivered by US Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Ma...

LAHORE: The government of Pakistan’s decision on Sunday not to play its T20 World Cup group match against India, scheduled for Feb 15, has prom­pted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to initiate back-channel efforts to resolve the issue and avoid significant financial losses, Dawn has learnt. The decision was announced around 15 days ahead of the scheduled fixture, giving the ICC sufficient time to explore possible options, including accommodating any reservations Pakistan may have, sources said. According to sources, a couple of other cricket boards have also stepped in to assist the ICC in its efforts to reach an amicable solution with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan announced its decision without citing a specific reason for boycotting the match against India. In the past, however, Australia and the West Indies forfeited their World Cup matches against Sri Lanka in 1996 on security grounds following instructions from their governments. England and New Zealand similarly forfeited matches ag...

THATTA: The greenery leading to Haleji Lake — tall eucalyptus trees, neem, peepal, coconut and other wild vegetation — point to the high water table level in the area. Yet the lake is not doing so well. It is slowly drying. A recent visit to Haleji Lake organised by Green Media Initiatives in collaboration with Accountability Lab Pakistan and the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) helped highlight several issues with this sanctuary. A man-made lake, Haleji, located some 88 kilometres from Karachi, was constructed during World War II, between 1940 and 1943, by the British rulers in India to provide water to their troops stationed in Karachi. According to In Charge Haleji Wildlife Sanctuary, Sohail Ahmed Khoso this was initially a saltwater lake. But then the British created a small natural depression into a reservoir fed by a feeder canal from the Indus River. “That is how fresh sweet water from the Indus was stored here and supplied to Karachi,” he said. “Soon after, migrant birds from Siberia started frequentin...

PAKISTAN’S boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India raises two fundamental questions: why the PCB took this decision, and what it hopes to achieve by it. The fact that neither answer is particularly clear invites a deeper concern, whether this dramatic gesture was fully thought through at all. To begin with, let’s be clear on a few points. The ICC is controlled by India. It is a governing body that behaves like a wholly owned subsidiary of the BCCI. The ICC does not run international cricket, the BCCI — and therefore the Indian government — does. This is realpolitik. The rule of “might is right”. India is in charge, both as policymaker and paymaster, however you describe it. India’s malign dictatorship of international cricket is to be condemned, just as the previous dominance of England and Australia had been condemned. Today, India is the Pied Piper of cricket, playing a seductive tune that brings the rats of the world’s cricket boards under its control. Something does need to be done, namely ICC’s ...

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Khalifa Abu-al-Qasim Haftar, Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, along with Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ) on Monday.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday acknowledged the World Bank Group’s valuable support which had been instrumental in advancing Pakistan’s economic development and reforms.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday inaugurated the Punjab Transport Company (PTC) headquarters and the Electric Vehicle (EV) Command and Control Centre, reiterating the provincial government’s commitment to providing clean, safe and modern public transport across Punjab.

ISLAMABAD - The Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chairman, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, on Monday bade farewell to the outgoing Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, Syeda Tanzeela Sabahat, on the completion of her one-year deputation period.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to UNESCO’s core values in advancing inclusive and quality education, safeguarding cultural heritage and strengthening resilience in the face of global challenges.

Islamabad - Secretary General of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), Major General Mohammed Bin Saeed Al-Moghedi, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi.

Shehbaz Sharif tells Sohail Afridi to intensify efforts to combat terrorism Assures cooperation to improve infrastructure, education, health in KP Afridi says PM took seriously matters he raised during talks Meeting with PM was not political desire but constitutional requirement.

LAHORE: The federal government has decided to transfer Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar and appoint him as the director general (DG) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), it emerged on Monday. A highly-placed source confirmed to Dawn that the government has given approval to change the Punjab police high command. The source said that a summary has been submitted to the prime minister for final approval. It added that Anwar’s posting as the FIA DG was likely on Tuesday. Meanwhile, reports suggested that the provincial government has prepared a panel of three candidates for the role of the Punjab police chief. Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana, Punjab Counter Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General Wasim Sial and Special Branch Additional Inspector General Rao Abdul Kareem are among those under consideration. As per reports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed is also in the race. Dr Anwar was appointed Punjab IG during a large reshuffle b...