Pakistan

Security forces have killed 12 terrorists and effectively thwarted their attempt to create a hostage situation in Balochistan’s Kharan district during multiple operations, the military’s media wing said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on January 15, “approximately fifteen to twenty Indian-sponsored terrorists of Fitna Al Hindustan carried out multiple terrorist activities in Kharan City, District Kharan.” The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. It said that during the operations, “terrorists attacked [the] City Police Station, National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank Limited.” They also looted Rs3.4 million from the banks. “Security forces effectively responded and engaged the terrorists, prompting them to retreat. During the ensuing clearance operation, twelve terrorists were sent to hell in three different engagements,” the ISPR said. “Terrori...

X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday faced a global outage, the second in a week, as users from across the world reported having difficulties accessing the platform. According to a report by The Independent, the website and its app failed to load for users across the globe, with many visitors saying they saw a blank screen. “Some users also saw Cloudflare error pages – though the issue was at X itself, and the problem did not seem to be a repeat of recent Cloudflare technical issues that did take X offline,” the report said. Staffers at Dawn also saw a Cloudflare error page when they tried accessing the website, while the app did not load at all and showed posts from hours ago. Screenshot of a Cloudflare error a staffer at Dawn saw when they tried accessing the website at 8:52pm PKT. Tracking website Downdetector showed a massive uptick in reports of problems at X at 8:15pm, with 315 complaints, before they fell to 245 at 8:45pm. Screenshot showing as spike in reports of problems at X at around 8:15pm in P...

CTO penalises another 214 for negligence and poor performance

.

Authorities track residents and travellers in real time to ensure women's safety

Police say victim abducted, killed over suspected affair with married woman

.

.

Reception for about 350 guests was arranged, with the Sharif family hosting a traditional feast featuring local dishes

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Friday criticised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for “inciting acts of vandalism and road blockades” during his recent visit to Karachi, which he said led to “losses worth billions of rupees”. Afridi visited Karachi and other cities of Sindh last week as part of the PTI’s renewed anti-government agitation campaign called the “street movement”. The chief minister decried the treatment meted out to him by the Sindh government during his visit, alleging that the police tried to stop his motorcade and PTI supporters from staging a peaceful protest at Mazar-i-Quaid. The Sindh government denied the allegations, stating that the Jinnah Ground was under the control of the Centre, so it was not entitled to issue a no-objection certificate to the party. Speaking to reporters in Karachi, Governor Tessori said that the PTI had “turned the whole country upside down, but the agitation was confined to social media and had no value on the ground.” Referring to KP CM’s Karachi...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country’s relations with Pakistan are “genuinely mutually beneficial” and that Moscow maintains close relations with Islamabad. “We maintain close cooperation with Pakistan, a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the largest regional organisation in terms of economic, technological, and human potential. Russia-Pakistan relations are genuinely mutually beneficial,” the Embassy of Russia in Pakistan quoted President Putin as saying on X. The statement came as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, formally presented his credentials to President Putin during a ceremony held on Thursday at Moscow’s Grand Kremlin Palace, according to the Pakistani Embassy in Russia. In recent years, Pakistan and Russia have significantly strengthened their economic ties, driven by mutual necessity. Following Western sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict, Moscow turned toward new energy outlets, while Islamabad simultaneously sought more affordab...

PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday refused to support former party leader Fawad Chaudhry’s National Dialogue Committee, saying he cannot “deviate from PTI’s policies”. The senior PTI leader, incarcerated at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2023 in cases related to the May 9 riots, made the remarks during an informal discussion with a journalist in a courtroom. In response to a question on “consensual” meeting with Chaudhry, the PTI leader said, “While I was in the hospital, he visited to inquire about my health. We both remained in a political party. How could I ask a guest why he came to meet me?” Last year in November, Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Ismail, and Maulvi Mahmood tried to gain access to Qureshi, who was hospitalised, when he was alone in his room, ostensibly to convince the senior PTI leader to join their ‘release Imran Khan campaign’ — a move rebuffed by him. Speaking on the current political situation, he said a solution needed to be found as “the country could only move forward with dial...

A high-level European Union delegation on Friday visited the Sialkot International Airport to monitor the immigration processes and measures to prevent irregular migration, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) spokesperson said in a statement. The move comes after around 66,154 passengers were offloaded last year despite holding valid documents, particularly at Lahore and Karachi airports, amid a post-2024 Greece boat tragedy crackdown on migrant smuggling, which claimed several Pakistani lives. According to the spokesperson, the delegation was given a comprehensive briefing on the “working, performance, and achievements of the FIA Immigration at the Sialkot airport, with particular emphasis on the progress made over the last five months.” The delegation comprised the Frontex officer to Pakistan, an official from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, a representative from the Embassy of Hungary in Pakistan, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development’s official. “The briefing was foc...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reintroduced the state-run health insurance programme — popularly known as the Sehat Card Programme — in the federal capital, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan. Speaking at the launch ceremony of the facility in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz said, “Access to health facilities is the right of every citizen, and such facilities should be delivered to their doorsteps.” The prime minister added that through the launch of the Sehat Card, his government had taken yet another swift step to serve the nation. “This step is the revival of the same scheme that my leader, Nawaz Sharif, had initiated in 2016 for the first time,” he said. The scheme was originally introduced in 2016 when the PML-N government was in power. It was made available to citizens in Punjab, Balochistan, and the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), with expansion plans. In 2019, the PTI-led government relaunched the progr...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday suspended the membership of 159 lawmakers of the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies who failed to submit a statement of their assets and liabilities by the due date. The commission directed that “they shall cease to function as members with immediate effect until such statements are submitted by them,” according to a statement issued by the ECP. On Thursday, the ECP reminded lawmakers to submit the details of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouse and dependent children, for the financial year 2024-25, warning of suspension if they fail to do so by January 15. Syed Ali Musa Gilani, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Muhammad Akhtar Mengal are among 32 members of the National Assembly whose membership has been suspended, while Musadik Malik is among nine Senators also suspended by the election regulator. Out of the suspended MPAs, 50 are members of the Punjab Assembly, 33 of the Sindh Assembly, 28 of the Khyber Pak...

Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday held a meeting with newly elected Senator Abid Sher Ali at the Parliament House and discussed the overall political situation of the country, and matters relating to the functioning of the Upper House were discussed in detail.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed local government elections in Islamabad after withdrawing the previously announced election schedule.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed her commitment to making the province completely peaceful and free from crime, emphasizing the protection of citizens’ lives and property and the elimination of criminal elements.

After a months-long delay, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai was appointed leader of the opposition in the National Assembly on Friday. Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan had named Achakzai for the opposition leader’s slot in the NA in August last year. The notification, seen by Dawn, read: “Honourable Speaker has been pleased to declare Mr Mehmood Khan Achakzai, member of the National Assembly, as leader of the opposition in the NA, with effect from January 16, 2026.” “The notification has been issued under Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007,” said a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. Notification by the NA Secretariat declaring Achakzai as the opposition leader in NA. — Photo via author Prior to the notification being issued, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq summoned PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Chief Whip Amir Dogar to his chambers, stating that he had a “notification to give” them. “Come to my ch...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday emphasized the urgent need for national unity to address challenges such as extremism and terrorism, saying that collective efforts are essential now more than ever.