Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari Monday held meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the President’s Office and discussed the overall situation of the country, issues related to Afghanistan and the changing situation in the region.

QUETTA - Security forces in Balochistan have successfully rescued a minor girl, Khair-un-Nisa, from the custody of the banned terrorist group BLA linked to Fitna al-Hindustan.

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr Justice Yahya Afridi has been appointed as an Honorary Bencher of the Hon’ble Society of the Inner Temple, London, one of the four historic Inns of Court in the United Kingdom.

LAHORE - The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved a series of major welfare, infrastructure, industrial and governance initiatives, including the launch of the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” scheme for Cholistan and riverine areas, a targeted fuel subsidy for motorcycle riders and Kisan Card holders, and the establishment of the.

ISLAMABAD - A bill seeking to extend eligibility for blue (official) passports to the children of senators until the age of 28 landed in the Upper House of Parliament on Monday, triggering debate over privileges of the ruling elite and elected representatives amid ongoing unbearable inflation due to the US-Iran conflict that is badly.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team call on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Presidency. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Senator Saleem Mandviwalla are also present.—Online ISLAMABAD: With no end in sight to the conflict in the Middle East, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ordered that a countrywide austerity drive be extended until June 13. Meanwhile, with rumours of a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment swirling, the premier and his team also met with President Asif Ali Zardari and his aides on Monday, even as both houses of parliament were in session. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Senator Saleem Mandviwalla were also present at the meeting. A source privy to developments told Dawn that if enacted, the 28th Amendment would entail “a complete rollback of the 18th ...

• Petroleum minister says removing bottlenecks crucial to implementing long-delayed policy; terms local refineries ‘critical national assets’ • Officials argue upgrades are in line with IMF’s ‘resilience and sustainability’ objectives, will improve fuel quality besides saving money ISLAMABAD: The oil disruption in the wake of the US-Iran war has compelled the government to dust off its petroleum refining policy, which was passed almost three years ago but could not be enforced due to flawed negotiations with the Inter­nat­ional Monetary Fund (IMF). The government has now assured the refining sector of corrective measures in the upcoming budget to revive $6 billion in investments for refining upgrades and expansion. Pakistan is losing up to $2bn in annual foreign exchange due to expensive petroleum product imports instead of crude. The refining policy returned into the limelight after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, at a recent meeting, assured the management of the refineries that the government was seri...

Pakistani officials have dismissed as “misleading and exaggerated” recent foreign media reports suggesting that Iran parked military aircraft in Pakistan to shield them from possible US strikes, saying the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase was linked to the diplomatic and logistical requirements of the Islamabad peace.

The visit was postponed due to urgent personal circumstances

The system aims to ensure fair, transparent identification of athletes through a digital selection process

ATTOCK: A shepherd laid down his life while averting a suicide attack on the Mankor security post in Attock’s Jand area on Monday, potentially saving dozens of lives, District Police Officer Sardar Marwan Khan confirmed. Talking to the media, DPO Marwan said the incident occurred near a key security post on the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, located in tehsil Jand, some 70km from Attock city. The local shepherd was identified as Liaqat and a former employee of Pakistan Railways. According to witnesses, Liaqat noticed a suspicious individual in the area while grazing his goats nearby. He confronted the suspect after sensing something unusual about the man’s behaviour. As he approached, the witnesses said that the suspect detonated the suicide vest, causing a powerful explosion and claiming Liaqat’s life. Shortly after the blast, officials rushed to the scene, and authorities cordoned off the area. The forensic teams also began collecting evidence from the blast site. Meanwhile, DPO Marwan and Deputy Commiss...

Razi Sports Academy trained around 40 coaches and PE teachers

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark this week on a multi-nation tour to the United Arab Emirates and four European countries, officials said on Monday. Modi will start his whirlwind tour from the UAE — where a 4.5 million-strong Indian community lives — on Friday, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Modi will meet with the UAE’s leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with energy cooperation high on the agenda amid global supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war. “The visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries,” the statement said. The premier will then travel to the Netherlands between May 15 and 17 on his second visit there since 2017, with defence, semiconductors and “a strategic partnership on water” between the two countries on the agenda. Modi’s visit “early in the tenure of the new government will provide an opportunity to further deepen and expand” India’s partnership with the Dutch, the ministry said. Bilateral...

The Government of Punjab has approved a new policy introducing a special motorcycle permit system for teenagers aged between 16 and 18 years.

Sources say both Iranian and US aircraft arrived at the airbase for diplomatic logistics tied to Islamabad Talks

President Donald Trump on Monday said the ceasefire in the Middle East war was on “life support,” rejecting Iran’s latest counteroffer, which it said had included demands for the release of frozen assets and the end of a US blockade. The president’s reaction to Iran’s position — itself a response to a US proposal — sent oil prices soaring and dashed hopes that a deal could be quickly negotiated to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. After slamming the response as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE”, Trump insisted the US would see a “complete victory” over Iran, adding that the truce, which has largely halted fighting in the Gulf for over a month, was on its last legs. “The ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a one per cent chance of living,’” he told reporters on Monday. The developments unnerved global energy markets already thrown into chaos by the war and the overlapping blockades imposed by Iran and the US in the Strait of Ho...

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Monday decried the latest hike in petroleum prices and costly energy, accusing the government of “economic oppression” and calling for an exit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, termed the fresh hike in petroleum prices a “petrol bomb” and “economic oppression” against the public, regretting the Rs117.5 per litre levy. Speaking on the floor of the Upper House, Zafar rejected the government’s claim that international oil prices forced the increase, arguing that global crude prices had instead declined. “Instead of reducing prices, the government has sharply increased petroleum levies on the public,” he said. He said the government was collecting “more than Rs117.5 per litre in petroleum levy, far exceeding the IMF-agreed limit of Rs80,” terming the policy “daylight robbery” aimed at covering up “economic incompetence”. Referring to the French Revolution, Zafar said when the poor had no bread, Queen Mar...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended the nationwide austerity campaign until June 13 as Pakistan continues to face economic challenges linked to tensions in the Middle East and rising global oil prices.

ISLAMABAD: More than two years after the General Elections of February 2024, election tribunals across Pakistan have yet to dispose of nearly a third of election petitions. As a result, dozens of lawmakers continue to hold office under a legal cloud with 128 cases still awaiting adjudication, according to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen). By the end of April 2026, election tribunals had decided 246, or 66 per cent, of the 374 petitions filed against GE-2024 outcomes in 113 National Assembly and 236 Provincial Assembly constituencies. Of these, 73 out of 124 petitions pertaining to National Assembly constituencies and 173 out of 250 petitions about Provincial Assemblies have been disposed of. Under Section 142 of the Elections Act, candidates may contest election results within 45 days of the gazette notification of a returned candidate, while Section 148(5) requires tribunals to decide each petition within 180 days of filing. The legally prescribed timeline for disposing of petitions expired in Octo...

Islamabad delivers strong demarche to Kabul Bannu attack planned in Afghanistan, envoy told Pakistan warns of d