Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will pay a two-day official visit to Bangladesh from today (August 23), the Foreign Office said yesterday.

LAHORE - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Friday handed over Shahrez Khan, nephew of PTI founder and son of Aleema Khan, to police on an 8-day physical remand in the May 9 Jinnah House attack case.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari has emphasized the need to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Austria, and Germany in diverse fields, particularly trade, economy, and culture.

The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), with the support of an intelligence agency, announced on Saturday that it had dismantled a terrorist network linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and arrested four suspects involved in the assassination of social worker Razaullah Nizamani.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast heavy rains in Sindh and eastern and southern Balochistan from August 27 to 29, as a fresh monsoon system moves in from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

India is working with a French company to develop and manufacture fighter jet engines in the country, New Delhi’s defence minister said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in May approved the prototype of a fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), calling it a “significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities”. Singh, in a speech at a conference in New Delhi on Friday, gave more details about developing fighter jet aircraft engines in the country. “We are moving forward to manufacture aircraft engines in India itself,” Singh said, in comments broadcast by Indian media. “We are collaborating with a French company to start engine production in India.” Singh did not name the company, but Indian media widely reported the company to be Safran, which has been working in India for decades in the aviation and defence sectors. There was no immediate confirmation. India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made rep...

GUJRAT: In a major breakthrough, the ruling PML-N has managed to muster support of disgruntled former MNA Dr Nisar Cheema and his brother Zulfiqar Cheema, a retired IGP, for NA-66, Wazirabad, by-election. The ballot is scheduled for Sept 18. The seat fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan de-seated Punjab PTI President MNA Ahmed Chattha in the wake of his conviction in May 9 riots. In the upcoming by-poll, the PML-N did not award ticket to its last two-time aspirant Dr Nisar Cheema, who won the seat in 2018 and lost in February 2024 as a runner-up. The party announced ex-MPA Bilal Farooq Tarar, the brother of federal minister for information Attaullah Tarar, as its candidate in the Wazirabad by-poll. Following the nomination of the PML-N candidate, the Cheema group got annoyed as earlier Nisar Cheema’s elder brother Justice retired Iftikhar Cheema had won the seat thrice as PML-N candidate. However, on Friday the PML-N president and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Dr Nisa...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday began a landmark visit to Bangladesh, the highest-level Pakistani trip to Dhaka since 2012, in what officials describe as a significant step toward resetting bilateral ties.

DUBAI: Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has expressed confidence in the country’s emerging talent, backing youngsters to step up in the absence of former mainstays Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Babar and Rizwan, once Pakistan’s revered T20I opening pair, have been sidelined from the format as the team pursues a more aggressive approach under new leadership. The transition follows the appointments of Mike Hesson as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach and Salman Ali Agha as T20I captain earlier this year. Hesson has publicly stated that Babar and Rizwan need to refine their T20I skills to reclaim their spots in the national XI. With the senior duo out of favour, Pakistan are relying on less-experienced players such as Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Mohammad Haris to bolster the top order, while Hasan Nawaz has emerged as a promising middle-order batter. All featured prominently in Hesson’s first three assignments and are set to play when Pakistan begin their tri-nation series in the United Arab Emir...

Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, told a top Justice Department official in July that she was not aware of any “client list” belonging to the late financier and never saw United States President Donald Trump behave inappropriately, according to a transcript of an interview released on Friday. “I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way,” Maxwell said, according to the transcript of her two-day interview last month with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The president was never inappropriate with anybody.” During the interview, the imprisoned 63-year-old former British socialite also said she did not witness any sexual abuse by Epstein, her longtime boyfriend, and did not implicate any other prominent individuals in wrongdoing. “He kept a lot to himself and he didn’t like to share,” Maxwell said of Epstein. “He was not a sharer. Well, at least not with me.” The Justice Department’s release of t...

KASUR: In another incident in Kasur, a suspect, who had molested a minor girl, was shot in his private parts during an alleged encounter in the limits of Chunian Police Station on Friday. The suspect was seen with a 10-year-old girl at Zaheerabad Colony of Chunain through a viral video. The child was in the street when he molested her and CCTV footage captured him committing the crime. The girl child’s father had reported the matter to the police and registered an FIR. The police claimed when they conducted a raid to arrest the suspect, he tried to attack them with his pistol that went off. As a result, his private parts were critically injured. The suspect was hospitalised in an injured condition. According to sources in the police, he belonged to the same area as that of the child he molested. He is stated to be 27/28 years old, a daily-wager with no regular job. He is married and has a daughter. About three weeks back, a video of a man molesting a girl child who was playing in the street of Shah Inayat Col...

ISLAMABAD: The telecom sector regulator has contested the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) report, clarifying that there was no overcharging by Jazz, the country’s largest telecom operator. The Pakistan Tele­comm­unication Authority (PTA) said the tariff adjustments highlighted in the audit observations had been duly approved by the authority in line with the prescribed regulatory framework. “All relevant records substantiating these approvals were shared with the audit authorities for verification,” the PTA stated. In a statement, PTA said, “Certain misleading information is being circulated on social media, suggesting that Jazz charged its subscribers tariffs beyond those approved by PTA during the financial year 2023–24, as referenced in the Auditor General of Pakistan’s report.” It reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding consumer interests and ensuring a fair, transparent telecom ecosystem. The authority maintains continuous oversight of all operators’ tariff structures to ensure strict compliance with...

• PML-N and PTI members oppose PPP move to amend Elections Act, insist public has right to know representatives’ assets • Naveed Qamar argues lawmakers deserve same relief as civil servants ISLAMABAD: A National Assembly panel on Friday failed to reach consensus on a bill seeking secrecy of lawmakers’ assets after members from PML-N and PTI joined hands to oppose the move tabled by PPP legislators. Under the existing law, all members of the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies are required to submit to the Election Commission, on or before Dec 31 each year, a statement of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependent children. Section 138 of the Elections Act also requires the ECP to publish these declarations in the official gazette. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which met under the chairmanship of Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, considered the bill introduced by Shazia Marri and Syed Naveed Qamar. The proposed amendment to Sectio...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economic recovery has been stronger than expected, yet the country has failed to seize an opportunity to put its recovery on a sustainable path due to the absence of bold and long-lasting reforms, according to the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF). In a special report, the IIF noted that while Pakistan has successfully rebuilt its economic buffers and secured financing, the gains will likely prove short-lived without comprehensive structural reforms, particularly in tax broadening, privatisation, and the resolution of circular debt. The report emphasised that Pakistan has made little headway in these critical areas, particularly privatisation and energy-sector restructuring, with circular debt still unresolved. The IIF warned that these unresolved issues pose a significant risk to Pakistan’s economic outlook for FY26. Notably, inflation has decreased significantly, allowing the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to cut its policy rate to 11pc since the easing cycle bega...

• Flood blocks Ghizer River for several hours, creating artificial lake • Over 330 households affected across six villages; no casualties reported • Dozens of homes, acres of farmland, bridges and trees submerged • GB CM orders immediate rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure GILGIT: A glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) caused widespread devastation in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer Valley early on Friday mor­n­ing, but the quick thinking of a local shepherd helped avert a human tragedy. According to Rescue 1122, the flood, triggered by a burst from a glacier in the Tildas village of Gupis Valley, occurred at around 3am, wreaking havoc downstream. The flood debris blocked the Ghizer River for several hours, significantly raising the risk of further flooding in adjacent areas. Gilgit-Bal­t­istan Secretary Fida Hussain explained that a gla­cial lake had formed above Tildas and Rawshan villages. The high temperatures led to the burst of the lake, causing a flash flood in Sado Nallah on Wednesday night. A shepherd, ...

ISLAMABAD: After prolonged delays in securing financing from Beijing threatened to put a strain on a strategic mining project, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has stepped in to fund upgrades to part of Pakistan’s railway system. The ADB is in advanced talks to lead the financing of a $2 billion upgrade of a 500-km stretch of the railway line, which had previously been part of the Chinese project, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. The proposed rail upgrade would modernise the track and bridges from the com­mercial capital Karachi to Rohri, near Suk­kur, so that trains can run faster. In Rohri, the line will meet a branch coming from the area of the Reko Diq mine and will carry the copper concentrate to port. The upgrade has become urgent, sour­ces said, as it is needed to transport copper ore from the Reko Diq mine currently being developed by Canada’s Barrick Mining Corp. Earlier this week, ADB announced $410 million in financing for the Reko Diq mine itself, and its presiden...

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has reaffirmed that Pakistan’s relations with China remain unaffected by recent geopolitical shifts and resulting realignments. “We are very confident that these relations are stable and sustainable on their own and will continue to grow and achieve new heights,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said during the weekly media briefing. His remarks came a day after Chi­n­ese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pakistan as part of his three-nation South Asian tour to attend the sixth Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue. While the Pak-China dialogue broadly reviewed various aspects of the bilateral relationship, both sides carefully navigated the region’s shifting geopolitical landscape marked by warming China-India ties, Pakistan’s growing engagement with the United States, and tensions in US-India relations driven by President Trump’s tariffs and policies. FO terms New Delhi’s missile capabilities a global security threat India’s leg of Yi’s visit strengthened China’s ra...

OTTAWA: Canada will remove many retaliatory import tariffs on U.S. goods and intensify contacts with the United States on striking a new trade and security relationship, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday. Canadian tariffs on U.S. autos, steel and aluminum will remain for now, he told a press conference in Ottawa. Carney noted that […]

Increases 2.3% YoY as tomato, onion, flour prices surge; inflation falls 0.01% WoW

Report blames inefficiencies, governance lapses for poor recoveries