Pakistan

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir facilitated the talks with Sri Lanka, resulting in the latter’s cricket team deciding to stay in Pakistan for the ongoing matches. Sri Lanka’s cricket board said late last night that its team’s ongoing tour of Pakistan will proceed, averting a crisis-like situation after reports about some players returning home in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad. “Our field marshal himself spoke to their defence minister, secretary and convinced them and assured them fully of [providing] security,” Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, said while speaking on the Senate floor. View this post on Instagram He recalled that the Sri Lankan team yesterday “decided to return after the bomb blast occurred”. “Our interaction with them began […] their board, players and everyone decided with great bravery to stay here,” the PCB chairman added. “They had many concerns, but we tried to allay all of ...

A non-functional distribution box of Safe City cameras installed near a residential apartment in Karachi’s posh Clifton area was found on Thursday after reportedly being stolen, police said. “This was a non-energised/non-operational pole site near Sea Rock Apartments at Seaview, where the theft of a distribution box was reported to local police on November 6,” South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn. Later, the DIG confirmed, “The distribution box has been recovered from a nearby plot.” He asserted that the police were “developing a strategy in coordination with Sindh Safe City Authority to prevent such incidents in future”. Quoting a staff member from a nearby hotel earlier today, the South police chief said, “A vehicle with a crane was witnessed working on the pole hours before the theft was reported. “Since then, a few switches and the battery are missing,” the DIG added. The officer said the distribution box was installed at an “extreme height”, adding that it would not have been pos...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that terrorist incidents in Pakistan were linked to “neighbouring countries”. He made the remarks while meeting with the director general of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Graeme Biggar, according to a handout issued by the interior ministry. “Links of all terrorist incidents come from neighbouring countries,” Naqvi was quoted as saying. He said that, adding that there was no other example in the world for Pakistan’s determination against terrorism. He said that modern forensics and training could further enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, adding that effective measures were being taken to stop illegal immigration. The statement further said that Naqvi and the NCA official held detailed discussions on enhancing cooperation in the areas of countererrorism, narcotics, human trafficking, forensics, immigration and police training. The participants of the meeting agreed to enhance mutual cooperation in training courses for offic...

Fuel prices in Pakistan are expected to change for the next fortnight, with a possible increase of up to Rs9.

The Sindh government has called on the federal government to establish a mechanism for setting a support price for paddy (rice), similar to the one in place for wheat.

Law enforcement agencies on Thursday arrested the mastermind and facilitator behind the suicide attack on the Islamabad Judicial Complex, officials confirmed.

The ten-day visit of Sikh pilgrims from India to Pakistan concluded today, as over 2,000 devotees returned home after participating in the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, organized under the auspices of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).

An anti-terrorism court has once again issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Aleema Khan, sister of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan, in connection with the November 26 protest case — marking the 10th such order against her.

The Balochistan government has suspended internet services across most areas, including Quetta, for three days in response to potential terrorist threats.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry recently held a special session with students and teachers from various educational institutions to discuss current affairs and military matters.

India has urged a UN wildlife trade body not to curb its imports of endangered species, saying it has tightened oversight amid growing allegations of irregular animal shipments to a large private zoo run by Asia’s richest family. Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat state run by the philanthropic arm of a conglomerate led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family, has faced allegations of improper imports of certain animals, triggering higher scrutiny from authorities in Germany and the European Union, Reuters has reported. Indian investigators tasked by the country’s Supreme Court to examine the allegations by non-profit and wildlife groups cleared the sanctuary of any wrongdoing in September, and Vantara has said it complies with all regulations. However, after visiting the facility in September, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) issued a report last week asking India to review its procedures. The report cited discrepancies betwe...

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday commenced the licencing of Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers under the reinstated Class Value Added Services (CVAS-Data) regime. In December last year, the PTA had devised a new strategy to register VPNs after its previous efforts to ensure compliance, such as warning to ban unregistered VPNs, failed to yield the desired results. It said it had resumed granting Class Licence for Data services to service providers in Pakistan. In a press release issued today, the telecom regulator said licensing under the CVAS-Data regime “aims to streamline the provision of secure and lawful VPN services in Pakistan while ensuring compliance with national regulations and data security standards”. The PTA said it has granted class licences to several companies, including Alpha 3 Cubic Pvt Ltd (Steer Lucid), Zettabyte Pvt Ltd (Crest VPN), Nexilium Tech SMC-Pvt Ltd (Kestrel VPN), UKI Conic Solutions SMC-Pvt Ltd (QuiXure VPN), and Vision Tech 360 Pvt Ltd (Kr...

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has advised citizens to collect their Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) without delay after issuance.

South Korea’s Lotte Chemical said on Thursday it has sold about 75 per cent stake in its Pakistani subsidiary to Dubai-based PTA Global Holding for $68.94 million (98 billion won). The South Korean company is trying to restructure its portfolio under a government-led programme aimed at aiding loss-making petrochemicals in the country due to poor demand and abundant supply. Lotte Chemical Pakistan produces 500,000 tons of high-purity terephthalic acid (PTA), used in polyester fibers, industrial yarns, and PET bottles, annually at its plant in Karachi. Adnan Afridi has been appointed the firm’s chief executive officer following the stake sale, Lotte Chemical Pakistan said in a statement late on Wednesday. “The acquisition marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the company’s journey — one defined by innovation, operational excellence, and strategic growth, positioning Lotte Chemical Pakistan as a key industrial growth agent for PET and PSF customers in Pakistan,” the statement said. The statement also...

The issue of the demolition of the Data Darbar pet market has resurfaced in the Lahore High Court (LHC) through a new constitutional petition.

Air pollution in Lahore and several other Punjab cities has reached dangerous levels, with air quality indices (AQI) entering the hazardous zone.

The new text of the 27th Constitutional Amendment will be presented in the Senate today for approval, with the session scheduled to begin at 11 a.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab livestock department to decide an application seeking a declaration that deaths of animals and birds during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation against a bird market at Bhati Chowk was illegal and amounted to cruelty. Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry passed the order disposing of a public interest petition filed by an NGO, registered in the name of renowned Urdu poet Shohrat Bokhari and his wife Farkhanda Bokhari. Barrister Maqsooma Zahra Bokhari appeared on behalf of the petitioner and argued that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) carried out an inhumane demolition operation against the alleged illegally established bird market. She pointed out that the bulldozers of the LDA killed a large number of animals and birds. She pointed out that the members of the civil society and animal lovers had been trying to rescue some of the animals roaming and hiding, but the authorities sealed the market area. The counsel argued that the authorities were mora...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation ending the longest government shutdown in US history, roughly two hours after the House of Representatives voted to restart disrupted food assistance, pay hundreds of thousands of federal workers and revive a hobbled air-traffic control system. The Republican-controlled chamber passed the package by a vote of 222-209, with Trump’s support largely keeping his party together in the face of vehement opposition from House Democrats, who are angry that a long standoff launched by their Senate colleagues failed to secure a deal to extend federal health insurance subsidies. Trump’s signature on the bill, which cleared the Senate earlier in the week, will bring federal workers idled by the 43-day shutdown back to their jobs starting as early as Thursday, although just how quickly full government services and operations will resume is unclear. View this post on Instagram It would extend funding through January 30, leaving the federal government on a path to kee...

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi has emphasized the need to further strengthen bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States.