Pakistan

Routes to Jamrud, Tedi, Bara Bazaar, new buses and terminals planned

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LAHORE: Punjab’s potato farmers and independent researchers called for urgent government intervention through subsidised exports as a massive production surplus collided with stagnant domestic demand and shrinking export prospects. Due to the closure of the Afghanistan border over recent months, potato prices in Pakistan have plunged to rock-bottom levels. Independent researchers and farmers across Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Kasur, and adjoining districts feared the market had already begun to collapse, and in some places, it had collapsed even before the full arrival of the new crop. Wholesale prices had fallen below production costs, forcing some growers to plough standing crops back into the soil to avoid further losses. Potatoes were being sold in the market at Rs 20–25 per kg in the three districts of the Sahiwal division. President of the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, while highlighting the miseries of potato farmers in the districts of Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Kasur, Khanewal, and V...

A group of European leaders on Tuesday underlined their support for Denmark after US President Donald Trump again voiced designs on its autonomous Arctic territory of Greenland. The leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain as well as Denmark said that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders were “universal principles, and we will not stop defending them”. Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump’s designs on Greenland, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes. Greenland is on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, and Washington already has a military base there. With the situation in Venezuela more pressing, Trump quipped on Sunday that “we’ll worry about Greenland in about two months”. The European leaders’ joint statement said: “Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international ...

The NDMA’s National Emergencies Operations Center (NEOC) has warned of a severe cold wave in northern regions and northern Balochistan, with harsh conditions expected to persist in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Potohar region, and northern Balochistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed to prepare a roadmap to increase agricultural exports in the next five years.

A high-level Senate delegation, led by Deputy Chairman Senator Syedaal Khan, will undertake an official visit to the United States from January 20 to 25, 2026, the Senate Secretariat said on Tuesday. The development comes after Pakistan-US relations saw a notable thaw in 2025, a year marked by high-level engagement, strategic recalibrations, and complex regional developments. The Secretariat termed the visit a “historic milestone” in Pak–US parliamentary relations, signifying the “beginning of a new institutional chapter in bilateral engagement”. According to the statement, the visit was organised under the auspices of the Pakistan Policy Institute USA. It will also include the United States–Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Group for the first time. “This development represents a major achievement of strategic and non-traditional parliamentary diplomacy,” the statement said, adding that the visit “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions through direct engagement between elected legis...

A high-level defence delegation led by Bangladesh’s Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan called on Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Headquarters in Islamabad, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday.

Run-machine Travis Head hit a swashbuckling 163 and Steve Smith a composed unbeaten 129 as Australia built a 134-run lead over England to seize control on day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test on Tuesday. It was destructive opener Head’s third ton of the series, to go with the phenomenal match-winning 123 he made in Perth and 170 at Adelaide. Smith was equally impressive, with his first hundred of the series driving the hosts to 518-7 by stumps at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground in reply to England’s 384. Beau Webster was alongside him on 42 at the close. Australia lead the series 3-1 and have already retained the Ashes, with England desperate for another morale-boosting win after victory at the previous Test in Melbourne. “Nice batting wicket out there. Nice to start my innings on the back of a great innings from Travis Head,” Smith told Fox Sports. “When you’re out there with him they forget about you and I was able to get into my work. Worked out well today.” Head brought up three figures off just 105...

Pakistan’s largest irrigation system, the Sukkur Barrage, has been shut down for 15 days from January 6 to January 20 for its annual cleaning, renovation and repair work, officials said on Monday.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) officials have requested permission from the city administration to hold a public meeting in Karachi during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s visit.

LAHORE: A local sessions court on Tuesday extended the pre-arrest bail of content creators Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak alias Nani Wala in a case pertaining to the promotion of gambling apps on social media. Strict security arrangements were made by the police when the two reached the court along with their lawyers. Additional District and Sessions Judge Mansoor Ahmed presided over the hearing, during which the counsel for the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) stated that the investigating officer was busy with proceedings before the Lahore High Court (LHC). Therefore, the NCCIA counsel asked the court to allow time for producing the record. Subsequently, Judge Qureshi extended the bail of both TikTokers till January 26 and directed the NCCIA to present the record at the next hearing. The judge had earlier allowed Butt and Mubarak to leave the courtroom after marking their attendance. The content creators are no strangers to legal trouble. In September 2025, Butt was booked by the NCCIA for a...

Pakistan and Bangladesh’s air chiefs held detailed discussions on the “potential procurement” of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday. The JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter was jointly developed by China and Pakistan. The fighter has proved its combat capabilities during two military conflicts with India in 2019 and 2025. The press release issued by ISPR said Bangladesh Air Force Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan called on Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu in Islamabad. The Bangladeshi air chief led a high-level defence delegation during the visit, it said. “The meeting focused on strengthening operational cooperation and institutional synergy, with emphasis on training, capacity building, and collaboration in aerospace advancements,” it said. According to the press release, the visiting air chief was accorded a guard of honour. Air Chief Marshal Sidhu briefed his Bangladeshi counterpart on PAF’s recent advancements and reaffirmed P...

All private schools and colleges across Sindh will remain closed on January 9 as the Grand Alliance of Private Schools Associations has announced a province-wide strike against the ongoing verification drive being carried out by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).

Azerbaijan has no intention of sending a contingent of its troops to take part in peacekeeping operations outside its borders, including in Gaza, President Ilham Aliyev said late on Monday. Aliyev, interviewed by Azeri television channels, said Azerbaijan had been in contact with Donald Trump’s US administration with a list of questions about the operation of a peacekeeping force in Gaza, the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF). “We prepared a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and provided it to the American side. No participation in peacekeeping forces is envisaged,” Aliyev said. “I am not considering participation in hostilities outside Azerbaijan at all.” An Azeri government source had said last November that Azerbaijan would provide no troops for such an operation unless there was a complete halt to fighting between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, diplomats involved in the discussions told Dawn on Monday that despite deep reservations and fears of domestic backlash, most Muslim-majority co...