Pakistan

LAHORE: The Punjab government will plant 42 million trees on 50,869 acres under the CM Plant for Pakistan Initiative. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Saturday that large-scale tree plantation and environmental projects were being launched under the Punjab Green Programme. She said around 1.375 million trees were being planted on 3,790 acres of forest wasteland under the Agroforestry Initiative. She said the scope of the Green Pakistan Programme had been expanded to plant 466.4 million more trees on 251,000 acres. Plantation of 5m trees in rows on 10,223 avenue miles along canals of Punjab had been initiated, she added. She said the provision of world-class facilities for promotion of eco-tourism at the Lal Suhanra National Park and Salt Range were being ensured. She said wireless network, digital cameras, GPS devices and CCTV cameras were being provided for eco-tourism. She said, “Construction of an eco-friendly LEED certified multi-storey building has been started to establish a protected nature area and...

Pakistan has strongly condemned recent U.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Iran, calling it a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional and global peace.

For nearly half a century, the United States has squabbled with Iran, but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable. With President Donald Trump’s order of strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the United States — like Israel, which encouraged him — has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come. “We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want,” said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran’s sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes. Trita Parsi, an outspoken cri...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Adviser, Barrister Dr.

ISLAMABAD: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has issued a forecast for a prolonged monsoon season in the India-Pakistan border region from late June to October. According to the UN body, a strong pre-monsoon surge is expected in late June, with above-normal rainfall forecast along the Indo-Pakistan border. The weather system is likely to continue into early July, followed by near-normal rainfall throughout the rest of the month. Meanwhile, anomalous rainfall is predicted in the desert regions of both nations from July to September, according to a report released by the FAO on Friday. The monsoon season is exp­e­cted to be strong and prolonged with precipitation falling to near-normal levels in October. November will be dry before the wet weather returns in December. The report said early and abundant summer rains are likely to create favourable conditions for small-scale breeding of locusts in eastern Pakistan and Rajasthan, India. However, the breeding activity is expected to disappear when monsoon...

TAXILA: The water level in Khanpur Dam has fallen to a critically low level, just eight feet above the dead level, raising alarms about a looming crisis for its civic beneficiaries of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Water supply for irrigation purposes to both KP and Punjab had already been suspended around a month ago. According to Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), the reservoir level stood at 1918 feet on Saturday which is significantly below the conservation level of 1980 feet and alarmingly close to the dead level of 1910 feet. The inflow into the dam has declined to just 29 cusecs while the outflow is being maintained at 106 cusecs. With the plummeted water level, water sports activities in the dam have declined to the lowest level of the year. During high temperatures the dam becomes a favourite tourist destination. Wapda authorities said presently civic agencies of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were receiving only 50 cusecs of water, which was also at the risk of being halted. Officials are hopeful t...

A spell of rain in Lahore on Sunday brought much-needed relief from the persistent humidity, turning the weather pleasant and lowering temperatures across the provincial capital.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari formally launched the Benazir Hunarmand Programme at a ceremo­ny held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday during his visit to attend the 51st session of OIC CFM and discussed matters of bilateral and regional interest. He was accompanied by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. During the meeting, the FM Dar underscored the profound importance that Pakistan accords to its enduring bilateral relations with Turkiye. Both the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and diversify the longstanding brotherly cooperation between the two countries. The leaders expressed strong condemnation of the continued Israeli attacks in blatant violation of fundamental principles of international law, reiterated support for Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and its right to self-defense under the UN Charter, agreed to continue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, and urged the international community to play its part in restoring peace and stability...

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Saturday approved key amendments to the Finance Bill 2025, including tax relief for low-income salaried individuals, a reduction in the super tax rate, and an increase in the cash withdrawal threshold for non-filers. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, carried out a clause-by-clause review of the Finance Bill 2025 — a departure from previous years when only one or two sessions were typically held. The committee also reviewed amendments to the Islamabad Capital Territory (Tax on Services) Ordinance 2001, and recommended their approval by the National Assembly. A major proposal endorsed by the committee is the reduction of the income tax rate from 2.5pc to 1pc for salaried individuals earning between Rs600,000 and Rs1.2m annually. Additionally, the committee supported a 0.5pc cut in the super tax on the corporate sector. Cash withdrawal limit In banking, the committee approved increasing the daily cash withdrawal l...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif on Saturday directed the Ministry of Religious Affairs to formulate a detailed ac­tion plan with timeline for the next year’s Hajj without any delay.

• Rules initiation of criminal proceedings unlawful without investigative audit and show-cause notice • Says taxes should be imposed reasonably and without discrimination ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Saturday barred the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) from arresting or initiating criminal prosecution to recover tax due from defaulters without prior determination of their tax liability. “We have no hesitation to conclude that without investigative audit or issuance of show-cause notice or providing opportunity to explain the matters, registration of FIR, initiation of criminal proceeding and arrest of registered person is without jurisdiction and lawful authority,” observed Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi in a judgement he authored. Justice Abbasi was a member of a three-judge SC bench, which was seized with a number of appeals against judgements of Lahore, Sindh and Islamabad high courts. The controversy at hand revolves around determining the legality of pre-trial steps including arrest and detention of individ...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Turkiye on Satur­day reaffirmed their commit­ment to further deepen and diversify the longstanding broth­erly cooperation between the two countries.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Saturday said that India’s illegal announcement to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance constitutes a clear violation of international law, the provisions of the treaty itself, and the fundamental principles governing inter-state relations.

• Six terrorists killed in police operations • Bodies of four men, including two soldiers, found in Mardan PESHAWAR / QUETTA: Six security personnel were martyred and as many terrorists gunned down in attacks and operations across Khyber Pakht­unkhwa and Balochistan, officials confirmed on Saturday. Meanwhile, the bodies of four men, including two army personnel, were found in Mardan. In Swabi, two police personnel were martyred on Friday midnight when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire, according to Swabi District Police Officer Azhar Khan. The martyred policemen were on duty in the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate police station and had stopped to drink water at a hotel when two assailants on motorcycles opened fire. Videos shared on social media showed the cops, Zahid Khan and Jamaluddin from Gadoon Amazai region, sitting on chairs when the attackers opened fire. Their funerals were held at Shahmansoor Police Lines. Mardan Regional Police Officer Najeebur Rehman, DPO Khan, SP Investigation Iftikhar Ali ...

ISLAMABAD/LAH­ORE: A court in Islamabad on Saturday acquitted several senior PTI leaders, including its chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, in two protest-related cases from last year, while in Lahore, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was granted post-arrest bail in a May 9, 2023, riots case. Islamabad Judicial Mag­istrate Shahzad Ah­med anno­unced the verdict after reserving it earlier in the day, accepting the acquittal applications filed in case numbers 425 and 498 registered with the Karachi Company Police Station. The protest in question was organised on April 26, 2024, and moved from the office of PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen towards the Karachi Com­pany, reportedly in violation of Section 144 and other legal provisions. During the proceedings, PTI leaders Shoaib Shaheen and Muhammad Ali Bukhari appeared before the court, while exemption pleas on behalf of Barrister Gohar and Omar Ayub were submitted and duly accepted. The defence counsel argued that the case had ...

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Saturday met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, on the sidelines of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Istanbul.

• Standing committee recommends 50pc raise in govt employees’ pay, 20pc increase in pension • Tax exemptions sought for individuals earning Rs1.2m annually ISLAMABAD: As the government struggles to balance its revenue and expenses, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has recommended a 50 per cent increase in government employees’ salaries, raise in pensions, removal of import duties on solar panels and a significant cut in levies on small vehicles. The committee, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, has put forward more than 200 recommendations, including 48 general proposals, 133 changes to the Finance Bill 2025 and 21 related to the Public Sector Development Programmes. The recommendations were presented in the upper house on Saturday and subsequently forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration. The recommendations only have an advisory value and the government is not bound to follow them. Recommendations The Senate committee has proposed a 50pc salary increase for government emp...

Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) has strongly condemned Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks refusing to reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), terming them a “brazen disregard” for international agreements and legal norms.