Pakistan

The Health & Population Department of Government of Punjab Health & Population Department has announced an internship programme under the Directorate of Drugs Control for PharmD students, graduates, and postgraduates from public sector universities across Punjab.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday discussed the regional situation in the Middle East with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Foreign Office (FO) said. In a statement, the FO said that the two leaders “discussed the evolving regional situation and exchanged views on its wider economic implications”. Dar underscored Pakistan’s “continued efforts to promote constructive engagement and diplomacy in support of peace and stability in the region and beyond”. “Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah commended Pakistan’s sincere efforts aimed at fostering lasting peace and security for the Ummah as well as the wider international community,” the FO statement noted. Both sides reaffirmed the strong fraternal ties between Pakistan and Kuwait and agreed to remain in close contact, it said. Dar’s call with his Kuwaiti counterpart comes amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz — a key shipping route in paralysis since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28. Th...

Abbottabad’s streets mostly dissolve into a mundane blur but Circular Road has a way of catching you by the sleeve. This stretch of town is as silent as silence allows, lined with government offices leaning into one another, until a weathered gate interrupts the monotony. Behind its rusting iron, sits a house that doesn’t belong to the modern world. It is only when you begin to press the locals for answers that its name is spoken: Shahzada House. It is a name that carries an old-world grandeur the hushed street can barely support, with its roots stretched across borders and centuries back to Bukhara. A prince’s journey The story of Shahzada House is one of a man in open rebellion. Mir Syed Abdul Malik Tura may now be a footnote in history, but he was once the North Star of Bukhara, an heir to a lineage entrenched in power and learning, one that traces its foundations to the Timurid Era, a golden age of culture and science in Central Asia and Persia. His story is Bukhara’s. Records prove that the city was shap...

Changes in the seniority of judges at the Islamabad High Court have taken effect following the transfer of three judges, resulting in a reshuffle of the judicial hierarchy.

Animal rights advocates were crowing on Saturday after Korean Air banned transporting roosters on flights from the United States to the Philippines, which has a huge cockfighting industry. Filipinos wager tens of millions of dollars daily, by some industry estimates, as they watch two roosters armed with metal spurs fight to the death in clashes that can end in less than a minute. The US is an important source of roosters for these fights, according to activists as well as local breeder Eduardo Eugenio, who told AFP shutting down US imports would have a “huge impact”. The South Korean carrier said in a statement sent to AFP on Saturday that it had “suspended the transportation of roosters of all ages on routes from the United States to the Philippines”. “Korean Air is committed to the lawful and safe transport of live animals, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,” it added. US campaigner Animal Wellness Action said Korean Air was “in our estimation, the biggest global air carrier of illegally t...

This article follows the earlier series on self leadership and “critical thinking,” with a deliberate shift in emphasis, from understanding to application.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast dust-thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, hailstorms and strong winds in several parts of the country over the coming days.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday issued an alert for glacial lake outburst floods (Glof) in the upper regions of the country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as a result of an expected westerly wave this weekend. A Glof refers to the sudden release of water and debris from a glacial lake, leading to the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods in mountain communities. Over 7.1 million people in GB and KP are vulnerable to the phenomenon, according to the Ministry of Climate Change. In its statement, issued on Saturday, the Met Office said that a moderate westerly wave is expected to enter the upper regions of Pakistan from Sunday. “During this period, widespread rain, wind thunderstorms, and isolated heavy falls, are anticipated across Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the alert said. According to the PMD, the sudden increase in temperatures followed by widespread precipitation “significantly elevates” the risk of Glofs, flow of debris, and flash flooding in ...

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has bypassed congressional review to approve military sales totalling over $8.6 billion to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The State Department announcements on Friday came as the US and Israel’s war against Iran marked nine weeks since its start and more than three weeks since a fragile ceasefire came into effect. The State Department said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency existed that required immediate sales to those countries and waived the congressional review requirements for the sales. The announcements included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) costing $992.4 million. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m. The State Department approved a sale t...

LAHORE: Who in this world would have thought a couple of weeks ago that debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen, having lost four of their first five initial-stage matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League, will make it to the decider as Islamabad United blinked in the final over of the action-packed encounter. The ultra-passionate fans present here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night found themselves extremely lucky. Why not? They witnessed an absolute nail-biting Eliminator-2. Marnus Labuschagne’s energised sprint to the field immediately after the two-run triumph explicitly showed that Peshawar Zalmi will face a rejuvenated Kingsmen brigade in the all-important final on Sunday. Fielding is not generally considered a forte in this part of the world. However, the way Kingsmen’s Hassan Khan in an extraordinary leap in the air at mid-wicket boundary prevented a six off Faheem Ashraf’s bat in the 17th over was as stunning as anything. United went through ebb and flow in their chase of a tough 187 and fell short in the v...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched the “CM Punjab Rehmat Card” programme, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at providing structured financial assistance to widows and orphaned children across the province.

• Pakistan hands over Iran’s latest proposal to US, refuses to divulge contents • Trump says Iran ‘made strides’ in talks, claims process marred by ‘tremendous discord’; appreciates PM Shehbaz, FM Munir’s role • Diplomats describe transmission of proposals as a positive step, despite no immediate signs of progress ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan shared a new proposal by Iran with the US, President Donald Trump on Friday said he was still not satisfied with their offer to end the Middle East conflict, which started after the US and Israel struck Iran on Feb 28. The text of the proposal was handed to Islamabad on Thursday evening, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday. Pakistan officials also confirmed that they had shared the proposal with the US, but refused to divulge its contents. “At this moment, I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Presi­dent Trump said late on Friday night. Asked why he was unsatisfied with the Iranian offer, he said: “They’re asking for things that I can’t agree.” He gav...

KARACHI: With more than 75 per cent of top-level technical posts vacant, the Sindh health department is facing a serious shortage of experts at a time when the province is experiencing multiple outbreaks of infectious diseases, it has emerged. According to sources, the health management cadre — a specialised administrative structure within the Sindh health department designed to manage hospitals and health services — has 70 sanctioned Grade-20 posts, but 53 of the positions are vacant, primarily due to the retirement of officials with no timely replacements. They said promotions have been pending for the past six years. Currently, only 17 officers are working at the top level, leaving the health system practically without operational oversight. Of 70 Grade-20 posts in health management cadre, 53 are yet to be filled “These officers specialising in health management were often assigned the responsibility to oversee the emerging public health challenges,” an official said. He recalled that the health department...

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Deve­lopment Authority (CDA) has decided to stop operations against informal settlements to retrieve state land in Islamabad after the hue and cry over the prime minister’s decision to halt action against the ‘One Constitution’ skyscraper. After a court order, the CDA and police had arrived outside the twin towers on Constitution Avenue to vacate the building, but the operation was stopped due to the intervention of PM Shehbaz Sharif, who formed a committee to resolve the matter after listening to the residents. The decision, however, caused an uproar on social media, with the CDA and the interior ministry attracting flak for their operations in the capital to retrieve state land in working-class neighbourhoods of Bari Imam and Saidpur. Against this backdrop, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told an interior ministry officer there was no justification for carrying out operations to retrieve state land until the One Constitution issue was settled, sources in the CDA told Dawn. They said th...

• CPI rises nearly 11pc year-on-year in April • Transport costs, perishable food prices jump by over 15pc ISLAMABAD: Consumer inflation returned to double digits for the first time in 21 months, with prices rising by nearly 11 per cent year-on-year in April, driven by sharp increases in transport costs and essential food items, official data showed. The last time inflation was above 10pc was in July 2024, when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was recorded at 11.1pc. For consumers, the April spike reflects a growing squeeze on daily expenses, as higher fuel and transport charges, along with rising prices of perishable food items, continue to erode purchasing power, even as some relief in wheat and flour prices offers only limited respite. The continued increase in monthly inflation, measured by the CPI basket containing several goods and services, has pushed it beyond the earlier comfort range as domestic energy tariffs registered a sharp rise in April. Energy prices rose sharply during the month due to the cont...

TEL AVIV: A US military-run body near Gaza that critics say failed in its mission to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and boost aid flows to besieged Palestinians is set to be shut by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The closing of the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel would mark the latest blow to President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, already undermined by repeated Israeli attacks since the October truce. Diplomats said the move, which has not been previously reported, underscores the difficulties facing US efforts to oversee the truce and coordinate on aid, as Israel seizes more Gaza territory and Hamas firms its grip in areas under its control. The move could add to unease among Washington’s allies, whom Trump encouraged to deploy personnel to the CMCC and commit funds for his Gaza rebuilding plan, effectively on hold since the US launched its joint war with Israel against Iran. Trump-led board denies Civil-Military Coordination Centre is shutting do...

WASHINGTON: The United States Air Force has awarded a $488 million contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for long-term engineering and technical support of F-16 Fighting Falcon radar systems, with Pakistan among the countries covered by the deal. According to an official award notice, released this week, the firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract will support the APG-66 and APG-68 radar systems used on F-16 fighter aircraft. Work will be carried out in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is scheduled to continue through March 31, 2036. The contract covers support for multiple partner countries under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, including Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, South Kor­ea, Morocco, the Nether­lands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portu­gal, Romania, Thailand and Turkiye. The award was issued on a sole-source basis by the US Air Force Lifecycle Mana­gement Centre in Utah. An initial $2.64 million in fi...

More than 100 activists, including former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmad, who were aboard aid ships bound for Gaza were released and taken to the Greek island of Crete on Friday, a day after Israeli forces seized their vessels in international waters near Greece. The activists were part of a second Global Sumud Flotilla, launched in recent months in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance. The ships set sail from the Spanish port of Barcelona on April 12. On Friday, an Israeli army ship transferred 168 members of the flotilla crew to Greek boats, which then took them to shore, where buses and an ambulance waited for them, organisers said and Reuters footage showed. Before communications were jammed, former senator Ahmad posted videos to social media platform X saying, “Flotilla under attack, Israeli terrorist army has captured 11 of our boats.” On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on X that the former senator, “who was unlawfully det...

Tehran delivered a new proposal for peace talks with the United States via Pakistan, Iranian state media reported on Friday, with US President Donald Trump saying that he was “not satisfied” with what had been put forth. Though the United States and Iran have suspended hostilities since an April 8 ceasefire, the two countries remain at odds over a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control over the Strait of Hormuz, and they have yet to agree to a second meeting, following a brief ​summit of senior officials in Islamabad last month. Trump’s comments on Friday indicated the deadlock ‌over the two-month-old war is likely to persist. He also conveyed to the US Congress his stance that the hostilities had “terminated” following a ceasefire with Iran as the deadline to get Congress’s approval for the war arrived. Trump ‘not happy’ The text of Iran’s new proposal was handed to Islamabad on Thursday evening, the IRNA news agency reported on Friday. Hours later, Trump spoke to reporters at the Wh...

FAISALABAD - State Minister for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry on Friday announced a decisive nationwide strategy to eliminate ille-gal occupation of state land and said that no individual, group or company would be allowed to defy the law as the government moved to firmly re-establish the writ of the state.