Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with Minister for Climate Change Dr.

The Lahore High Court has reserved its judgment on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s bail pleas in eight cases linked to the May 9 unrest.

Iran said on Monday that the US attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called US President Donald Trump a “gambler” for joining Israel’s military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Since Trump joined Israel’s campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, Tehran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate. But while it has continued to fire missiles at Israel, it has yet to take action against the United States itself, either by firing at US bases or by targeting the 20 per cent of global oil shipments that pass near its coast at the mouth of the Gulf. “Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said on Monday in English at the end of a recorded video statement. Iran and Israel traded another wave of air and missile strikes on Monday as the world braced for Tehran’s response. Trump’...

Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fueling more extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region’s economies, ecosystems and societies, according to a report published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the ‘State of the Climate in Asia 2024’ published on Monday. The State of the Climate reports, which provide policy-relevant information for national and regional decision-making, have previously reported in 2024 that the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region’s future water security. The new report says that 2024 was the warmest or second-warmest year on record depending on the dataset, with widespread and prolonged heatwaves. The warming trend between 1991–2024 was almost double that of the 1961–1990 period. Asia is the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic, and is warming more than twice as fast as the global average because the temperature increase over land is larger ...

President Asif Ali Zardari has called for urgent dialogue and diplomatic engagement to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East, expressing deep concern over the rising tensions in the region.

Former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has issued a strong warning over the global silence surrounding Israel’s aggression toward Iran, urging Pakistan and the international community to speak out before the conflict engulfs the entire region.

Former foreign minister and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said India has the option to either share water fairly or “we will deliver water to us from all six (Indus river system) rivers”. Delhi unilaterally suspended its participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs the usage of the Indus river system, on April 23, shortly after 26 civilians were killed in India-held Kashmir. Delhi, without evidence, blamed Islamabad for the attack. The latter has denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe. The accord remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbours last month following their worst fighting in decades. The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday had slammed Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s “brazen disregard” for international agreements after the latter said New Delhi would never restore the IWT with Pakistan. View this post on Instagram Speaking in the National Assembly during a session on the federal budget, Bilawal said, “India has ...

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has strongly criticized the government’s reported recommendation of the Nobel Peace Prize for former U.

Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to promote genuine and active political figures within the party, criticising the current overseas leadership for its lack of effectiveness.

The budget session of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly will be held today (Monday), with Speaker Nazir Ahmed presiding over the proceedings.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited various development sites in Lahore on Sunday, reviewing ongoing and completed infrastructure projects, including the newly constructed "Route 47.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an urgent meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) today at 12 PM at the Prime Minister’s House to discuss escalating regional tensions and national security matters.

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review the current situation in districts bordering Iran which were facing food and fuel shortages due to the Iran -Israel war. The meeting focused on the availability of food supplies, fuel provision and safe return of pilgrims and students from Iran, and the overall security and administrative conditions in these areas. The meeting was briefed by authorities concerned on the current management strategies and future plans. “At present there is no food shortage in the border areas,” officials concerned claimed at the meeting. However, reports reaching here say that the situation is not normal and the people are facing food and fuel shortages in these areas. The chief minister ordered authorities concerned to ensure uninterrupted food and fuel supplies in these regions to prevent any public inconvenience. He also instructed the departments concerned to maintain electricity and LPG supply by implementing alternative sol...

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Sunday that Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with neighboring Iran in the face of Israels unprovoked and unjustified aggression. Talking to a private news channel, he said that Pakistan condemned the attacks carried out by Israel and is gravely concerned about the potential for further escalation in the region. The threat of a wider war in the Middle East is real, he warned, calling for an immediate end to the hostilities. He said the recent crisis has revitalized Pakistan-Iran relations, with brotherly ties growing stronger. Offering his analysis on the situation, he said, Israels existence poses a continuous threat to regional peace. The concept of peace with Israel is inherently contradictory. He asserted that Israels so-called invincibility has been badly exposed. The spirits of the people of Gaza remains unshaken like rock solid. He emphasized that Israel must abandon the illusion that bombing Muslim populations will crush their willpower. T...

KARACHI: Citizens, particularly university students, have been facing immense trouble in crossing the main University Road now when all pedestrian bridges along it have been removed by the authorities working on the Red Line project. The bridges had to be removed to construct the infrastructure for the BRT (bus rapid transit) system. The situation has been causing a lot of trouble especially to female students of higher education institutions, located along the University Road since the footbridges were dismantled about three months ago. In the absence of the bridges, the people attempting to cross the road have to put their lives at risk as the road remains packed with speeding vehicles. Many accidents have taken place along the road. The victims included female students of the University of Karachi and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology. The issue has also led to increased travel cost for many students as they now have to take a cab or some other public transport means to get to the...

The Government of Pakistan is expected to extend the closure of its airspace for Indian aircraft for another month, as tensions with India persist following the Pahalgam incident, official sources confirmed on Sunday.

LAHORE: Veteran politician and prominent businessman Jahangir Khan Tareen is reportedly eyeing another political comeback, this time under the flag of PPP. The speculations have gained traction after a video went viral online showing Mr Tareen seated alongside PPPP South Punjab president Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood. Responding to a question regarding his potential return to politics, Mr Tareen remarked that if he were to resume politics, he would “stand with the PPP.” While there has been no formal announcement of Mr Tareen’s affiliation with PPP, the comment has stoked a flurry of rumours. Unconfirmed reports suggest President Asif Zardari, the co-chairman of PPP, may meet Mr Tareen on Wednesday to seal the deal. However, senior PPPP leader Khawaja Rizwan Alam has dismissed the reports. He said due to President Zardari’s parliamentary obligations, no such meeting was possible this month. Mr Tareen has been away from the political scene since his defeats in last year’s general election from Multan and Lodhran. A s...

ISTANBUL: Foreign ministers from Muslim countries on Sunday urged Israel to end its aggression towards Iran, without mentioning the US strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites. Ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) “condemn firmly the aggression of Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, stress the urgent need to stop Israeli attacks and their great concern regarding this dangerous escalation”, said a statement, issued after the end of a summit in Istanbul this weekend. It made no direct reference to the US bombardment of Iran’s key nuclear facilities early on Sunday, after President Donald Trump decided to join Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme. But the OIC did denounce the “destabilisation policies of Israel in the region and its recent attacks on Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, constituting a flagrant violation of sovereignty and security of these countries and international law”. Omits mention of US strikes on nuclear facilities; Dar wants Israel held accountable, s...

• Amb Iftikhar terms targeting of nuclear sites clear breach of international law • IAEA chief says such attacks may result in radioactive releases with great consequences • Guterres calls US bombing ‘perilous turn’ UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan joined China and Russia in circulating a draft resolution at the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and a return to diplomacy following US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The strikes, which targeted Iran’s Fordow — where uranium is enriched to 60 per cent — and two other facilities have been described as a dangerous escalation with potential global ramifications. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told an emergency session of the Council: “Pakistan has condemned the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which come on the heels of a series of brazen attacks by Israel.” He added that specific targeting of nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) s...

NEW YORK: A US attack on Iranian nuclear sites could push oil prices even higher and trigger a knee-jerk rush to safety, investors said, as they assessed how the latest escalation of tensions would ripple through the global economy. The reaction in Middle East stock markets, which trade on Sunday, suggested investors were assuming a benign outcome, even as Iran intensified its missile attacks on Israel in response to the sudden, deep US involvement in the conflict. Investors said they expected US involvement would cause a stock market selloff and a possible bid for the dollar and other safe-haven assets when major markets reopen, but also said much uncertainty remained. “I think the markets are going to be initially alarmed, and I think oil will open higher,” said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital. Economists warn dramatic rise in oil prices may damage global economy “We don’t have any damage assessment and that will take some time. Even though (Trump) has described this as ‘done...