Pakistan

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday met with Ikram Ullah, a student from 2022 flood-hit area of Balochistan and expressed his pleasure at his educational strides owing to his hard work.

Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Sunday dismissed “incorrect and misleading” media reports about an eight-day closure of Islamabad International Airport, clarifying the exact date and time of the planned shutdown. A statement by PAA Spokesperson Saifullah Khan said, “According to the Notams issued, due to air activities ahead of Independence Day on August 14, arrival and departure flights will be suspended for only two hours on specific days and times.” From August 6-9 and August 11-14, the airport will be shut from 11am-1pm PST. On August 9 and 11, the airport will also be shut from 8-10pm. “Apart from these brief interruptions, all flights at the airport will continue as usual,” the statement said, advising passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on their schedule. The government has said that this year’s Independence Day would be celebrated under the banner of “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) — the period of conflict with India in May — to demonstrate the nation’s resilience, prog...

More than 600 pilgrims in Iraq were briefly hospitalised with respiratory problems after inhaling chlorine as a result of a leak at a water treatment station, authorities said on Sunday. The incident took place overnight on the route between the two Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, located in the centre and south of Iraq, respectively. This year, several million Shia Muslim pilgrims are expected to make their way to Karbala, which houses the shrines of the revered Imam Husain and his brother Abbas. There, they will mark the Arbaeen — the 40-day period of mourning during which the community commemorate the death of Husain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In a brief statement, Iraq’s health ministry said that “621 cases of asphyxia have been recorded following a chlorine gas leak in Karbala”. “All have received the necessary care and left the hospital in good health,” it said. Security forces charged with protecting pilgrims meanwhile said the incident had been caused by “a chlorine leak from a water...

China’s former defence attache in South Asia Cheng Xizhong on Sunday spurned India’s much-delayed claim that it had shot down six Pakistani aircraft during the May conflict, terming it “self-amusement”. Having faced international coverage of its own craft being downed by Pakistan and scathing criticism from the opposition, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh — three months after the conflict — claimed yesterday that his country had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during those clashes. While Pakistan had already denied that India downed any of its aircraft, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif swiftly rubbished Singh’s “belated assertions” yesterday. Commenting on the matter today, Cheng said India’s allegations lacked strong evidence and have been “widely questioned by the international community, being considered groundless”, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Singh’s remarks were “comical, implausible and unconvincing”. “We may call it self-amusement,” he said i...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Japan in the first week of October on the special invitation of the Japanese government, marking the first trip by a Pakistani premier to Japan in two decades.

The Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), under the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, has announced new job openings in Kuwait following the Gulf nation’s decision to restore its visa policy for Pakistan.

Preparations for Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day on August 14 are in full swing across the country, with streets, markets, and public spaces adorned in the colors of the national flag.

China wants the United States to ease export controls on chips critical for artificial intelligence as part of a trade deal before a possible summit between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Chinese officials have told experts in Washington that Beijing wants the Trump administration to relax export restrictions on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The White House, State Department, and China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. HBM chips, which help perform data-intensive AI tasks quickly, are closely watched by investors due to their use alongside AI graphic processors, particularly Nvidia’s NVDA.O. The FT said China is concerned because the US HBM controls hamper the ability of Chinese companies such as Huawei to develop their own AI chips. Successive US administrations have curbed exports of advanced chips to China, looking to stymie Beijin...

Extremists killed one policeman in Iran’s restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, Iranian media reported on Sunday, adding that three assailants also died. “A policeman from Saravan was killed while terrorists were trying to enter the police station” in that area of Sistan-Baluchistan, the Tasnim news agency said. The attackers were members of the militant group Jaish al-Adl ( “Army of Justice” in Arabic) active in Iran’s southeast, the agency said. “Three terrorists were killed and two were arrested,” Tasnim said. Sistan-Baluchistan, which shares a long border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been the site of frequent clashes between security forces and insurgents or smugglers, including militants who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy. On July 26, gunmen stormed a courthouse in the province’s capital Zahedan, killing at least six people, in an attack that was later claimed by Jaish al-Adl. In one of the deadliest attacks in the province, 10 police officers were killed in Oc...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to review bilateral cooperation and exchange views on key regional and international developments.

Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has issued an urgent advisory following a surge in ransomware and malware attacks targeting institutions across the country.

United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next US deputy representative to the United Nations. Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January. In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a “fantastic job” as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the US Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority. During press briefings, she has defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions ranging from an immigration crackdown and visa revocations to US responses to the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza, including a widely condemned armed private aid operation in the Palestinian territory. Bruce was previously a political contributor and commentator on Fox News for over 20 years. She has also authored books like Fear Itself: Exposing the Left’s Mind-Killing Agenda, which ...

Lahore - Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Dr Usman Anwar chaired an important video link meeting at the Central Police Office to review the performance, resources, and operational readiness of the Riot Management Police (RMP) across all regions and districts.

CHENGDU: Noor Zaman’s hopes of a World Games squash medal were quashed after he was on the losing end of a thrilling five-game battle on Saturday, while Nasir Iqbal kept his hopes alive in the plate event. Pitted against Colombian world number 21 Miguel Rodriguez in the last-16 stage, Noor managed to come from 2-1 down to force a deciding game but was ultimately overpowered. “Noor played with heart, but Rodriguez’s experience made the difference in crucial moments,” said Pakistan coach Fahim Gul, with the team making its debut at the Games. “This is a learning curve for him and hell come back stronger.” Noor made a fast start, taking the first game 11-2 in just six minutes but Rodriguez grew into the contest, taking the next two games 11-7 and 11-9. Noor hit back in the fourth game, taking it 13-11 before Rodriguez clinched the decisive fifth game 11-6. He will now have to contend with the special plate event with a quarter-final against Egyptian Mohammad Nasser on Sunday. Nasir advanced to the quarter-finals...

ISLAMABAD - Security forces have killed at least 47 khawarij terrorists in anti-infiltration operation in Sambaza Zhob district of Balochistan during the last 48 hours, officials said on Saturday.

QUETTA - Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Saturday asserted that no group of armed militants can impose its ideology on the 250 million citizens of Pakistan.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif calls IAF chief’s claims baseless, ill-timed Says not a single Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed by India in May Warns strategically blind leaders who gamble with South Asia’s peace of swift, surefire and proportionate response for any ensuing escalation.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that development and prosperity of Balochistan and the welfare of its people the top priority of his government.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Pakistan welcomed the historic peace agreement signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia at the White House Summit under the auspices of US President Donald J.

• Experts reveal heart attack patients often report no chest pain • If you feel heaviness while walking or climbing stairs, get an ECG done immediately, cardiologists advise KARACHI: Senior cardiologists on Saturday shared the shocking findings of a study according to which nearly 50 per cent of heart attack patients in the country are younger than 49 years, and 12 to 15pc of them are under 40 years of age. The health experts representing the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) were speaking at a symposium held at a local hotel here. The experts warned that this trend — fueled by diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking, and unhealthy lifestyles — is making Pakistan one of the world’s worst-hit countries for early-age heart attacks. The trial was designed and conducted independently by NICVD’s cardiology team and ran from June 7, 2021, to December 31, 2023. It enrolled 261 post-heart attack patients for testing effects of two anticoagulants for treating a blood clot that can form in the hear...