Pakistan

Tremors shook Swat city and nearby areas on Sunday, causing fear among residents who rushed out of their homes seeking safety.

A grand Jirga of tribal elders was held in Wana, South Waziristan, to commemorate the success of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos and honor the sacrifices made by the security forces.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has successfully resolved internal rifts between former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in a bid to unify the party ahead of a renewed campaign for Khan’s release from Adiala Jail.

At least 17 people died after a fire ripped through a building in the Indian city of Hyderabad, local officials said on Sunday. The large blaze broke out in the early hours of the day in a three-storey building which houses a jewellery store. A statement from the fire disaster response emergency and civil defence department in southern Telangana state, where Hyderabad is located, said they had received the call for help just after 6am local time (5:30am PKT). “The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors. Firefighting, search & rescue operations were carried out simultaneously,” it said. The statement also listed the names of 17 individuals who lost their lives. “The suspected cause of the fire is under investigation,” it said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “deep grief” over the loss of life and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (around $2,300) to the next of kin of each victim. “Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telan...

RAWALPINDI: Babar Azam played a masterpiece here at a jam-packed Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday. But the captain’s knock could not help Peshawar Zalmi cross the line thanks to an imposing total put up by Karachi Kings. Babar’s 49-ball 94 — studded with 10 fours and four sixes — was the standout innings of the high-scoring match in which Zalmi sought to overhaul the 238-run target as the HBL Pakistan Super League X resumed with a bang after a nine-day hiatus due to military clashes between India and Pakistan. But despite Babar’s show, Zalmi fell short by 23 runs in the end with the victory securing Kings a spot in the playoffs. Zalmi, on the other hand, will now need to beat Lahore Qalandars in their last league stage match to make the playoffs. The drone strike by India very close to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium last week seems to have only rejuvenated the tournament, with great fanfare and renewed fervor marking the PSL’s resumption. Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, Inter-Services Public Relatio...

Pakistan and India’s Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) are set to hold contact today, reinforcing their commitment to the ongoing ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC), Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed.

In a vibrant display of patriotism and solidarity, the Pakistani and Kashmiri community in Denmark held a grand event to celebrate the recent victory of the Pakistan Armed Forces against Indian aggression and to express unwavering support for the military.

Pakistan's federal budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 is projected to exceed PKR 17.

• Candidates say they have to sit for two, sometimes even three, exams in one day • Clashes in exam schedules caused by numerous subjects offered by the board, claims Cambridge representative KARACHI: With several examples of clash of paper schedules in the current Cambridge exams, students and parents have been demanding a revision in their date sheets as it is putting extra pressure on the candidates who then have to sit for two exams, sometimes even three, in one day. Besides the mental stress, students have also been complaining of their hands getting tired while sitting for back-to-back exams. Their parents, too, are saying that they drop everything to be available for their children during exam time. They wait in the sitting areas outside exam centres during every paper and when there are two papers, they have to be there for the entire day. “We are paying lacs of rupees for the exams. The least that Cambridge can do for us is listen to us and see our plight and reschedule the exams where there are any ...

ISLAMABAD: After fighting his case for about three years, father of a victim of the high profile hit-and-run case finally withdrew appeal against the acquittal of the daughter of a Supreme Court judge. The matter was pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Rafaqat Ali, father of Shakeel Tanoli, had lodged FIR with the Khanna Police Station, Islamabad on June 19, 2022. A local court of Islamabad had acquitted Shanzay Malik, the daughter of the Supreme Court judge Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan in February. As per the FIR, a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) allegedly driven by the daughter of the Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan ran over two Savour Foods workers near the Sohan bridge on the Expressway at midnight and the investigation into the case had remained stalled. Victim’s father says he lodged FIR out of misunderstanding As per the details available in the judicial record, on June 8, Shakeel Tanoli and his colleague Hasnain Ali were going home after the work when they were hit by an SUV allegedly dr...

• 55pc of road accident victims are motorcyclists, 32pc pedestrians, says traffic police chief • Experts say drivers often lack patience, refuse to give way to others • Law enforcement, public awareness stressed to tackle rising accidents KARACHI: Amid a sharp rise in accidents mostly involving heavy vehicles resulting in deaths of hundreds of people in Karachi in recent months, officers of law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers and civil society members have stressed the need for strict implementation of traffic laws, their awareness among the public and sought urgent reforms in road infrastructure and safety systems in the metropolis. They were speaking at a seminar, “Road Traffic Accidents in Karachi: Causes and Solutions”, which was organised at the Arts Council of Pakistan by its Medical and Social Welfare Committee here on Saturday. The event started with a presentation by Ali Suhag, in charge of Sindh Police Accident Analysis Research Centre (SPAARC). He pointed out that education and informati...

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Saturday dismissed the acquittal application of the Karsaz accident suspect in a drug case. The court turned down the application moved by suspect Natasha Danish after hearing arguments from both sides and announced that she will be indicted in the case on June 21. Initially, the suspect was booked and arrested for recklessly driving the Toyota Land Cruiser and killing 60-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter, Amna, and wounding three others in an accident near Karsaz in August last year. Later, another FIR was lodged against her after medical reports confirmed that she was under the influence of methamphetamine (ice) at the time of driving. The applicant, through her lawyer, filed an application under Section 249-A of the criminal procedure code, seeking her acquittal in the case registered under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order (PEHO), 1979. The lawyer for applicant argued that the entire case was based on conco...

A remote-controlled bomb exploded near an armoured police vehicle in the Ashrogi area of Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Sunday.

SWABI: The police have arrested two Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (Peca) for using social media platforms against the security forces. Imran alias Manu was taken into custody for trying to create public unrest during the recent Indo-Pak border tensions by “posting derogatory words” against the Pakistan Army’s chief, Inter-Services Public Relations director-general and security agencies through his Facebook account, according to an FIR registered at the Tordher police station on Friday. The police said an inquiry had been initiated against the accused. They said the accused had been sent to Swabi judicial lockup after appearing in a local court. Also, the Kalu Khan police arrested Zahid Zaman of the Sheikh Jana village in Razaar tehsil on Thursday after booking him under Peca. The FIR said that Zahid had tried to “create distrust and hatred among the public by using malicious words” against the Pakistan Army’s chief and ISPR DG through his Facebook account. The p...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Adviser Barrister Saif has called on the federal government to urgently convene a National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting before the announcement of the upcoming budget.

Severe heatwave conditions have engulfed most parts of Pakistan, with temperatures soaring well above seasonal averages.

Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled and festive lights draped in its rigging, as it tried to pass beneath the bridge, which sheared off the masts and sent them crashing into the East River. Hundreds of cheering spectators had gathered minutes earlier to bid farewell to the ship, which had been docked at a pier in southern Manhattan since Tuesday. The Mexican Navy said in a statement that two crew members died in the crash, with a further 22 injured — half of them critically. M...

A bomb exploded on Saturday outside a California fertility clinic, killing one person in what the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) labelled a terror attack. The blast tore through downtown Palm Springs, ripping a hole in the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of nearby buildings, an AFP journalist on the scene reported. “Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism,” Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told reporters near the site of the fatal explosion. “This is probably one of the largest bombing investigations that we’ve had in southern California,” he added. He confirmed that one person near the clinic at the time of the blast had been killed and that four others were wounded. Work was ongoing to identify the deceased, he added. Asked whether the clinic was deliberately targeted, Davis answered: “We believe so, yes.” The city’s mayor, Ron deHarte had earlier told AFP that investigators confirmed a bomb exploded in or near a vehicle outside ...

SRINAGAR: Military veterans will be redeployed as security guards in India-occupied Kashmir, New Delhi said on Saturday, a week after reaching a ceasefire with Islamabad. The government of the occupied state in Srinagar approved a “proposal for mobilising ex-servicemen (ESM) to safeguard vital infrastructure”, according to a government press release. Around 4,000 veterans have been “identified” as non-combatant volunteers, out of which 435 have licensed personal weapons, it said. This will help by “significantly enhancing the capacity to respond effectively to localised security situations”, the government added. Veterans will work in “static guard” roles, focusing on “presence-based deterrence and local coordination”. India already has an estimated half a million soldiers permanently deployed in held Kashmir. But last year, thousands of additional troops, including special forces, were deployed across the occupied territory’s mountainous south following a series of deadly attacks that had left more than 50 s...

KARACHI: Business leaders have harshly criticised the Tax Ordinance Amendments 2025, warning that misguided policies from within the government pose a greater threat to the country’s economic stability than external adversaries. “We request Army Chief General Asim Munir to keep a vigilant eye on the country’s policymakers who are bent on causing irreparable losses to the country,” said Nasir Khan, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), during a press conference on the amendments held at the Federation House on Saturday. He was accompanied by other FPCCI leaders. Nasir Khan recalled that the army chief had assured the business community of safeguarding investments in Pakistan. “The enemy is not only on the border — it is also formulating destructive policies that are forcing investors and citizens to flee the country,” he added. FPCCI Senior Vice President Saquib Fayyaz Magoon expressed concern over the sweeping powers granted to tax officials under the new ordi...