Pakistan

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has described the Pahalgam incident as a “false flag operation,” alleging that India avoided an impartial investigation while attempting to shift blame onto Pakistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday approved awarding the Sitara-i-Shujaat to a citizen who sacrificed his life while foiling a suicide attack in Attock’s Jand tehsil. The approval was granted by the president on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, state-run PTV reported. According to reports, the incident occurred on Monday near a key security post on the Punjab–Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, located in Jand, some 70km from Attock. A local shepherd, identified as Liaqat, noticed a suspicious individual in the area while grazing his goats nearby. Witnesses said Liaqat confronted the suspect after sensing something unusual about the man’s behaviour. As he approached, the suspect detonated himself, claiming Liaqat’s life in the process. A day earlier, the president and the prime minister had lauded Liaqat’s sacrifice in separate statements. PM Shehbaz said that as a responsible citizen, Liaqat stopped the terrorist and asked for his identification, who then blew himself up, resulting in the she...

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf met Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and briefed him on arrangements being made for the ongoing Hajj operation.

The Punjab government has decided to include lessons on patriotism and Marka-e-Haq in the province’s educational curriculum as part of efforts to promote national unity and awareness among students.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to begin preparations for the upcoming monsoon season to deal with any possible emergency situation.

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee will meet on May 17 (Sunday) for the sighting of the Zil Hajj 1447 Hijri moon, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Wednesday.

KARACHI: A court on Wednesday granted police three-day physical remand of a woman allegedly involved in supplying cocaine and other deadly narcotics across the city. Anmol alias Pinky was arrested a day earlier from her Garden apartment in a joint raid conducted by police and a civilian intelligence agency in connection with two cases pertaining to the possession of narcotics and an unlicenced weapon. The incident gained attention when a video of her being escorted to court without handcuffs went viral on social media. Subsequently, authorities suspended the investigating officer, including two other policemen, while the accused was sent on judicial remand by a judicial magistrate. On Wednesday, the investigation officer (IO) filed a revision application against the judicial magistrate’s order. The matter was taken up by District and Sessions Judge Zahoor Ahmed Hakro. According to an order issued by the court, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said that investigating officer (IO) Saeed Ahmed contended t...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the Indian aircraft shot down during the brief military conflict in May last year “brought down Indian arrogance with them”. He made these remarks while addressing a ceremony held in relevance to Marka-i-Haq at Islamabad’s Institute of Strategic Studies. The conflict with India — starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire between the two countries on May 10 — has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state. During the conflict, New Delhi launched deadly air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7. Pakistan retaliated by downing several Indian planes in air-to-air combat. The initial tally of the downed jets was announced as five and later raised to eight. In his fresh remarks on the matter, Tarar said: “When those eight planes went down — and a lot of them were Rafale planes, which are a source of pride for India — those planes brought down with them the Indian arrogance; and ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “significantly” cut the size of his motorcade to save fuel, a government source said on Wednesday, days after Modi urged citizens to tighten their belts amid a surge in energy prices triggered by the Iran war. Modi appealed to people on Sunday to adopt austerity measures, including avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, using public transport, reducing gold purchases and cutting their use of cooking oil, as soaring global energy prices put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Following the appeal, some critics on social media questioned the large motorcades of senior Indian politicians, Modi’s domestic flights and his upcoming Europe visit on his official aircraft. The number of vehicles in Modi’s motorcade was reduced while ensuring essential security components, in line with the protocol of the Special Protection Group that guards the prime minister, the source said, without specifying the motorcade’s actual size. Modi gets the highest level of personal ...

The superintendent of Adiala Jail has opposed a request for meetings between Bushra Bibi and her family members, citing concerns that prison visits were being used for political messaging outside the jail.

The government has assured the International Monetary Fund that the Rs140 billion cross-subsidy currently provided to gas consumers will be phased out by January 2027 as part of broader economic reforms.

A Karachi court on Wednesday granted police a three-day physical remand of alleged drug trafficker Anmol alias Pinky for further investigation into a suspected narcotics network operating in the city.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday approved the award of Sitara-e-Shujaat for Liaqat Shaheed, a civilian who lost his life while attempting to stop a suicide bomber near Kohat, in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the test launch of the new strategic nuclear missile Sarmat, describing it as “the most powerful in the world”. State TV showed Sergei Karakayev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, reporting to Putin on what he said was a successful Sarmat test-launch on Tuesday. Putin said Russia will deploy Sarmat for “combat duty” by the end of this year. The planned deployment of the missile — designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe — follows years of setbacks and delays. Putin, in televised comments, said the yield of the warhead was more than four times greater than any Western equivalent and its range exceeded 35,000 kilometres (21,750 miles). “It has the ability to penetrate all existing and future anti-missile defence systems,” he said. “The deployment of launchers equipped with the Sarmat missile system will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the ground-based strategic nucle...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday vowed that illegal constructions would be “completely eradicated” from Islamabad. He made the remarks during a special meeting he and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry were chairing, the interior ministry said on the social media platform X. “Land-grabbing mafia and illegal constructions will be completely eradicated from Islamabad,” the ministry quoted Naqvi as saying. He vowed, “Operation Clean-up would continue without any pressure until it achieves its final result.” For the past two months, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been conducting anti-encroachment operations in Islamabad, with a special focus on katchi abadis (informal settlements), whose residents have strongly protested the actions. According to CDA’s rules, 34 societies/schemes were supposed to transfer amenity land in the name of the civic agency for further utilisation. However, despite the passage of years, CDA has failed to get the land. There are reports that many societ...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday discussed preparations for the upcoming federal budget and the country’s broader reform agenda with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visiting Islamabad, the finance ministry said. He briefed the delegation on the country’s macroeconomic outlook, fiscal strategy, reform priorities, and the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable economic stability and long-term growth, the ministry said on the social media platform X. The ministry said that the discussions focused on the country’s “macroeconomic stabilisation efforts, preparations for the upcoming federal budget, and the broader reform agenda aimed at strengthening fiscal and external sustainability while fostering sustainable economic growth”. “Both sides exchanged views on maintaining reform momentum, preserving macroeconomic stability, and advancing structural reforms to promote investment, productivity, and export-led growth within a balanced and forward-looking policy framework,” the ministr...

The United States has said it was imposing visa restrictions on 13 people linked to Indian online pharmacy KS International Traders for selling counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl. The 13 people are close associates of KS International Traders, which operates out of India, and its owner, the US State Department said on Tuesday. The Mumbai-based company’s web site, as listed in US government records, could not be accessed. No names or contacts of its senior executives were available. India’s foreign and health ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. KS International Traders generated revenue through trafficking in fentanyl, which President Donald Trump has designated as a “weapon of mass destruction”, the State Department said. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid used for pain relief, but it is tightly restricted in the United States because of its high potency and its role in a surge in overdose deaths linked to illicit use. “Illicit fentanyl is killing too many Amer...

India has boosted its import tariffs on gold and silver in an effort to shore up the sagging value of the rupee and bolster foreign currency reserves hit by war in the Middle East. Gold imports are financed through dollars, which means buyers have to spend down foreign reserves or convert rupees to make purchases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already appealed days ago to the public to avoid buying gold for a year as the rupee’s year-long slide against the dollar has worsened during the Iran war. The government more than doubled import taxes on gold and silver to about 15 per cent from the existing 6pc, according to two official orders issued late Tuesday. The energy supply crisis caused by the Mideast war’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s crude passed — has hit India hard. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and the spiking cost of petroleum has hit its foreign currency reserves. Elevated crude oil prices have increased India’s import bill, putting additi...

Peshawar - At least nine people including two traffic police officials and a woman were martyred and more than 33 others were injured when a heavy explosive planted in a motorcycle went off in the main market of Sarai Naurang tehsil in Lakki Marwat district on Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday emphasised the need to utilise all resources for capacity building of the law enforcement agencies to ensure protection of people’s lives and property.