Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has held that while underage marriages may invite criminal liability under the Child Marriage Act, 1929, such unions cannot be declared void, holding that the law provides only for penal consequences and does not invalidate the marriage itself.

Deputy PM says dialogue, diplomacy only way forward Foreign Office says Pakistan to play proactive role in regional de-escalation Spokesperson says PM Sharif personally leading diplomatic outreach to promote understanding among all concerned parties.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari chaired a high-level consultative meeting in Islamabad on Thursday to review the evolving economic and energy situation in the backdrop of oil supply constraints, rising petroleum prices, and regional security developments.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the relevant authorities to formulate a practical strategy to further promote investment in the construction and housing sector and ensure its implementation.

Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, on Thursday formally launched the Good Governance Roadmap 2.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for an unannounced visit, as the war in Iran spurs interest among Gulf countries in Ukrainian arms technology. The two countries are set to sign an agreement on “security cooperation — in particular, the protection of the skies”, later on Thursday, a senior official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. They did not provide further details of what was set to be in the accord. Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations, which are being attacked with the same Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia fires on Ukraine. Zelensky has said that more than 200 Ukrainian anti-drone experts have been deployed to several countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, since the US-Israel strikes on Iran spurred retaliatory drone and missile attacks targetting US assets and bases from Tehran. While Tehran accepts responsibility for some of the attacks, it denies having a role in others, ...

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Thursday approved a Rs100 billion supplementary grant for the prime minister’s austerity fund created to finance the petroleum pricing subsidy. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presided over the ECC meeting, which approved a summary submitted by the Ministry of Finance, seeking a Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) of Rs100bn for onward transfer to the austerity fund. “The committee was informed that, in light of evolving developments in the Gulf region and their potential impact on international petroleum prices, the prime minister had directed the mobilisation of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) resources to meet price differential requirements on petroleum products and to cushion consumers from price volatility,” an official statement said. During the discussion, the ECC noted that the proposed allocation was being met through rationalisation and surrender of PSDP funds by various ministries and divisions, as coordinated by the Ministry o...

Only biological female athletes, whose gender has been determined by a one-time gene-screening test, will now be eligible to take part in female category events at the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday. The IOC unveiled its new policy, following an 18-month consultation phase, on the protection of the female category as part of its initiative to have a universal rule for competitors in female elite sports after years of fragmented regulation that led to major controversies. The new rules essentially stop transgender athletes from competing in female category events at the Olympics. They had previously been eligible to compete at the Olympics once cleared by their respective federations. All athletes wanting to qualify or take part in female category events from the LA2028 Olympics onwards will have to undergo an SRY gene test to determine their eligibility. “Based on scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and re...

Oman’s envoy to Pakistan, Fahad Bin Sulaiman Bin Khalaf Alkharusi, assured Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Thursday that Islamabad’s request for preferential energy cargoes would be “considered favourably”, a statement issued by the Petroleum Division said. The statement detailed the meeting between the two dignitaries in Islamabad, stating that Ambassador Alkharusi “welcomed Pakistan’s push towards diversification and conveyed that Oman stands ready to support Pakistan in enhancing its energy security”. “In this regard, the federal minister expressed optimism that Oman would consider Pakistan’s request for preferential energy cargoes to meet its growing requirements. The ambassador responded positively and assured that the request would be considered favourably,” it added. The statement said that the two discussed the evolving energy situation in the region and avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. “The federal minister highlighted that Pakistan and Oman enjoy long-sta...

A Nepal commission has recommended the prosecution of ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli in connection with the deadly September 2025 uprising that toppled his government, according to a leaked report. At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising on September 8 and 9, which began over a brief social media ban but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship. Four-time prime minister and Marxist leader Oli, 74, was defeated in the polls this month by the 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, whose Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won in a landslide after promising to oust an ageing elite, stem corruption and fix the economy. The commission’s recommendations, set out in a report leaked by Nepali media, came ahead of the swearing-in on Thursday of newly elected members of parliament. “It was decided to recommend to the government of Nepal that an investigation, inquiry, and prosecution be carried out against the then executive head, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli,” reads a ...

With the US-Israel war on Iran in its fourth week, Pakistan has stepped onto the diplomatic stage amid high-stakes wrangling to end the hostilities. Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised that it wants an end to the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. And with the situation fluctuating by the hour, Islamabad has emerged as a potential venue for talks between the two sides. Here’s what we know so far. Rumours abound Since the conflict began on Feb 28, Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership has been engaging with the leaders of regional and friendly countries and calling for a de-escalation of hostilities. Over the past week, several global publications, including Reuters and Axios, claimed that Islamabad had actively offered itself as a facilitator for engagement between the US and Iran. Some reports hinted that a meeting could be held if things proceeded smoothly, with Axios and The Guardian claiming that mediators were considering Islamabad as a potential venue for talks. Amid the speculation, the Forei...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday said that the temporary pause in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban had concluded and the operation would continue “until its objectives are achieved”. FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the remarks while answering questions during his weekly press briefing regarding whether the pause had been extended. Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of Feb 26 following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. “Operation Gazab Lil-Haq is ongoing. It is a precise, targeted operation, military campaign directed against terrorist leadership and their support and command, infrastructure, logistics, logistic networks and facilitators and abettors of these terrorist acts within the Taliban regime and in the Taliban controlled area,” he said. Andrabi said that a temporary pause was observed in “deferrence to Eidul Fitr celebrations and in response to requests from our brotherly Islamic countries”. “The pause has concluded [on] midnight between, I think, March...

Another Pakistani national died due to “falling debris” from missile interception in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said. The development takes the total number of Pakistani nationals killed in the UAE as a result of falling debris from missile interceptions amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran to four. In a post on X earlier in the day, the media office said that an incident “involving falling debris” from the interception of a ballistic missile resulted in “deaths of two unidentified individuals, three injuries, and damage to a number of cars”. It said that the incident occurred on Sweihan Street. In a later post, it confirmed that the incident resulted in the death of “two individuals of Pakistani and Indian nationality”. It added that the incident also resulted in “injuries ranging from serious to moderate sustained by three individuals of Emirati, Jordanian and Indian nationality”. “The public is advised to obtain information only from official sour...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified PTI’s Murad Saeed from his Senate seat following his conviction in a May 9 case, it emerged on Thursday. The ECP’s notification for Saeed’s disqualification mentioned his sentencing by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on March 7. Saeed was named among 47 proclaimed offenders sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in the May 9 case General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case by a Rawalpindi ATC. In a notification dated March 25 and available with Dawn, the ECP cited the court’s March 7 order, stating: “Murad Saeed, notified as returned candidate on a general seat of Senate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province [..] has become disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and is hereby de-notified. Resultantly, his seat has become vacant.” Article 63(1h) of the Constitution stipulates that a person shall be disqualified from Parliament if they have been convicted for any offence involving moral turpitude or sentenced...

MQM-P leaders press Shehbaz Sharif for fast-tracking Karachi development package

Pakistan has avoided taking sides and tried instead to maintain stable relations with all parties

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday assailed the PTI, stating the party’s “attempts” at disrespecting the country’s dignity under the guise of political disagreement were “unacceptable”. The comments come a day after Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, raised his father’s case at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), saying that the former prime minister’s treatment by authorities violated international human rights conventions as well as commitments made under the GSP+ framework. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the minister held that “while it was every political party’s right to engage in criticism, the country’s dignity should not be put at stake”. He noted that an “unfortunate development” was seen in Geneva a day earlier, referring to Kasim’s speech at the UNHCR. “No political leader is bigger than Pakistan,” Tarar said, assailing the PTI for not putting “national interest first”. “The mockery of the country by the political opposition is unaccep...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index KSE-100 plunged over 5,000 points on Thursday. The KSE-100 declined by 5,405.48 points or 3.41 per cent to close at 152,907.96 from the previous close of 158,313.44. The index rose to an intraday high of 157,591.23 points at around 10:05am, and then declined to an intraday low of 152,668.07 points at around 3:15pm, before settling at 152,907.96. According to Topline Securities, “the market experienced sustained selling pressure throughout the day”. It added that the index “predominantly” traded in “negative territory as investors remained cautious amid persistent volatility in international oil prices and ongoing global uncertainty”. Topline Securities noted that “key index-heavy stocks, including United Bank Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Company, Engro Holdings Limited, Lucky Cement Limited, and the Hub Power Company Limited, acted as major drags on the market”. It said that the companies “collectively” pulled the index down “by approximately 2,138 points durin...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday reiterated its call for de-escalation in the region, stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire while highlighting Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to promote peace.

Anacondas, boa constrictors and a caiman were found behind a false wall in southern Italy, police said Thursday, amid warnings dangerous reptiles are being used by local crooks to intimidate their victims. Police in Bari carrying out a raid in an apartment block found “exotic and dangerous animals” in a secret basement room which had been transformed into a clandestine reptile house. The find included two green anacondas, each about five metres (16 feet) long and weighing around 60 kg and a spectacled caiman measuring over 1.5 meters long. “The spectacled caiman … is a wild predator with extremely powerful jaws and potentially aggressive behavior” and posed “a real threat to public safety”, according to a police statement. There was also an Asian water monitor, a lizard “of considerable size equipped with claws and a potentially dangerous bite”, it said. Police also seized a yellow anaconda, a Bolivian anaconda, four Burmese pythons, approximately three meters long each, and four boa constrictors. The reptile...