Pakistan

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the disbursement of wheat support payments through the Kisan Card, offering Rs5,000 per acre to 600,000 farmers across the province.

A man and his son were among three killed when a dumper truck collided with their vehicle on Sunday evening on the Main Northern Bypass in Karachi. In recent months, Karachi witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. Surjani Town Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammed Ali Shah told Dawn.com that three persons were traveling in a car when a “speeding” dumper struck them on the Northern Bypass near Hamdard University. “The police rushed to the scene after receiving information of the accident. Police found the car crushed beneath the dumper while the three occupants were found dead on the spot,” he added. He continued that the driver managed to escape from the scene before police reached there. “However, the suspect Gul Baig was subsequently arrested.” The deceased were identified as Suleman, 60, his son Usama, 35, and Faraz Sikander, 40. The bodies were shift...

A major national initiative is being launched to plant fruit-bearing trees and undertake large-scale afforestation along with Motorways across the country.

Israeli officials have put a brave face on President Donald Trump bypassing them on a Middle East trip this week, but his decision to do so is the latest to sow doubt in Israel about where the United States stands in Washington’s priorities. On Sunday, a few days after announcing plans for an expanded military operation in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had been informed by the US of an agreement to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel. Trump, who will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, also caused consternation in Israel last week by abruptly announcing the US would stop bombing Houthis in Yemen, days after a Houthi missile hit near Israel’s main airport. “The message to the region was clear: Israel is no longer a top US priority,” wrote Itamar Eichner, diplomatic correspondent for Israeli news outlets Ynet, echoing media commentators across the political spectrum. One Israeli...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Monday to “finally take back control” of Britain’s borders as his government unveiled policies designed to reduce legal immigration and fend off rising support for the hard right. Labour leader Starmer announced he was ending an “experiment in open borders” that saw net migration rise to nearly one million people under the previous Conservative government, which lost last year’s general election. The government’s Immigration White Paper policy document includes plans to cut overseas [care workers][2] and increase from five to 10 years the length of time people will have to live in UK before qualifying for settlement and citizenship. English language rules will also be strengthened, with all adult dependents required to demonstrate a basic understanding, while the length of time students can stay in the UK after completing their studies will be reduced. Starmer said the policies would “finally take back control of our borders”, recalling the pro-Brexit slogan used at the...

In the aftermath of a recent military confrontation between Pakistan and India, several prominent international outlets and experts from the United States, United Kingdom, and France have acknowledged Pakistan’s robust defensive and offensive capabilities.

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina masterminded a deadly crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year, prosecutors at a domestic war crimes tribunal said on Monday. Up to 1,400 people died in July 2024 when Hasina’s government launched a brutal campaign to silence the opposition, according to the United Nations. Hasina lives in self-imposed exile in India, where she fled by helicopter, and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity. “The investigation team has found Sheikh Hasina culpable in at least five charges,” Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor at Bangladesh’s domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told reporters. “They have brought charges of abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass murder during the July uprising.” Tajul Islam said the prosecution had submitted its first report to be presented at the court set to try Hasina and two of her aides — former home minister Asaduzzaman...

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Monday its dissolution and the end of more than four decades of armed struggle against the Turkish state, the pro-Kurd ANF news agency reported. “The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle,” the group announced in a statement after holding its congress last week. The PKK’s announcement to dissolve itself heeds a call by its founder Abdullah Ocalan, jailed on an island off Istanbul since 1999, who urged his fighters in February to disarm and disband. In a letter, Ocalan urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision. Days later, the PKK’s leadership accepted Ocalan’s call, declaring a ceasefire. In a speech on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that news about a dissolution could come at any moment, adding that his government was determined to “save our country from the scourge of terrorism”. “We are advancing with firm steps on the path to the goal of a terror-fre...

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Monday informed Foreign Minister of Australia Senator Penny Wong that Pakistan had shown restraint throughout the recent crisis and only exercised its right to self-defense in line with the UN Charter and international law.

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has expressed strong support for Pakistan’s armed forces, declaring that the entire nation stands united in defending the homeland.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the residence of Shaheed Ali Haider at Kacha Jail Road area here on Monday and expressed condolence to the grieving family.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) gained a record nine per cent on Monday — the restored calm in the market mirroring that in the region after the recent Pakistan-India ceasefire that boosted investor mood. Saturday’s ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of tit-for-tat strikes between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as well as diplomacy and pressure from Washington. The KSE-100 index opened with a gain of 9,929.48 points, or 9.26pc, to stand at 117,104.11 points from the previous close of 107,174.63 at 9:30am. Due to the massive gains, the PSX was suspended for an hour after opening to control excessive volatility. Later in the day, the benchmark index reached as many as 117,327.78 points — 10,153.15 points (9.47pc) higher than yesterday’s close, at 3:15pm. This marked the highest intraday gain (points-wise) — more than double the 4,700 points surge in November 2024. Finally, the KSE-100 closed at 117,297.73 points, with a gain of 10,123.10 points (9.45pc) compared to the previo...

Flight operations across Pakistan and India began returning to normal on Monday following the recent ceasefire between the two countries.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy discussed the latest developments in the region.

Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that any future dialogue with India must revolve around three core issues: Kashmir, water disputes, and terrorism.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif visited the residence of Amir-e-Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Professor Sajid Mir in Sialkot to offer condolences upon his demise.

In a powerful display of national solidarity, Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry participated in the “Pakistan Zindabad Rally” yesterday, underscoring the nation’s unwavering support for the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malkiy, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday to discuss matters of mutual interest and reaffirm the commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation across all sectors, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.

The workers of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vandalised Karachi Bakery in India’s Hyderabad over its name on Saturday, prior to the ceasefire announcement between the two neighbouring countries amid heightened tensions, Indian media outlet The Wire reported. The vandals wore saffron shawls, stepped on Pakistani flags and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans, The Wire said, adding that there was footage of them striking the bakery’s sign with sticks, to target the word ‘Karachi’. The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours began following the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. India, without investigation or evidence, implied “cross-border linkages” of the att­a­­­c­kers. Pakistan firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe. Following the allegations, India launched a series of drone strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then launched missiles at each other, which stretched over the week befo...

Peshawar - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi formally inaugurated a free emergency ambulance service for the citizens of Peshawar on Saturday.