Pakistan

A day after Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israeli Jews into Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque compound, Pakistan and seven other countries on Friday issued a joint statement condemning the “provocative actions”. The joint statement, shared by the Foreign Office, was issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The ministers condemned “in the strongest terms the Israeli escalation at Al Aqsa Mosque, particularly the continued mass settlers’ incursions led by extremist Israeli ministers, under the protection of the Israeli forces, the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards, the erection by Israeli police of two tents, and all other inflammatory acts”. Access to the site is governed by a decades-old “status quo” arrangement between Israel and Jordan, whose religious foundation administers the place. Under that arrangement, Jews may visit but are not permitted to pray there, whil...

Excise ASI and customs official killed, another injured in targeted attack, police say

Calls on India to honour UN resolutions and uphold Kashmiris' right to self-determination

ISLAMABAD - The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Thursday increased the ex-depot price of petrol by Rs4.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, wherein he expressed Pakistan’s condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of the dastardly attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against Saudi oil.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir vows to dismantle terrorist infrastructure Says foreign-sponsored proxies have persistently sought to fuel violence, undermine stability, disrupt peace in Balochistan.

The United States said on Thursday that it would impose new tariffs on 60 trading partners, including Pakistan, India, China and the European Union, over forced labour concerns, replacing an expiring global duty rolled out by US President Donald Trump earlier this year. The levies, effective Friday, range from 10 per cent to 12.5pc. “The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He earlier added that targeted economies represent the majority of US trade. The Trump administration has moved swiftly to rebuild the president’s tariff wall after the Supreme Court struck down a host of his duties in February — dealing a blow to his ability to unleash steep levies at will. After the setback, Trump tapped different authorities to reimpose a 10pc tariff on imports. But this only lasts 150 days, expiring Friday. The volley of new duties, initially proposed in...

Jane Marriott praises Pakistan's proud sporting history, says athletes continue to inspire young people

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit its reply in a petition filed by former federal minister Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind challenging the travel restrictions imposed on him.

ISLAMABAD - The participants of the 3rd Senior Management Course from the Sindh Provincial Civil Service visited NAB (Headquarters) on Thursday.

Ameerul Azeem LAHORE: Ameerul Azeem, the secretary general of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Pakistan and one of the party’s most influential leaders, was laid to rest here on Thursday, leaving behind a legacy shaped not only by the positions he held but also by the generations of activists and leaders he influenced during a political career spanning more than five decades. His funeral prayers at Mansoora were led by JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, who paid glowing tribute to the late leader’s services. The widely-attended funeral included senior JI leaders and workers, political and religious figures. Azeem remained a central figure in Jamaat-i-Islami’s leadership for decades. With his passing, the party has lost one of its senior leaders whose political journey extended from student activism to provincial leadership and finally to the national executive level. Born on Oct 3, 1958, in Islampura (Krishan Nagar), Lahore, Azeem’s family had migrated from East Punjab to Pakistan in 1947. He received his early education in l...

QUETTA/Islamabad - Terrorists ambushed a vehicle carrying a district judge in Balochistan province on Thursday, killing him and his security guard before fleeing the scene, police said.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday directed all departments concerned to mobilise every available human and mechanical resource to effectively tackle urban flooding, hill torrents and any potential flood emergency during the ongoing monsoon season, while holding power distribution companies responsible for.

ISLAMABAD: Drug dealers in the federal capital have shifted their illegal business online amid a crackdown by the police. Police officials told Dawn that drug dealers had also enlisted beggars as peddlers to sell drugs in public places, besides offering home delivery. During the current year from January 1 to July 22, the capital police arrested 1,002 drug peddlers and registered 966 cases. Besides, the police also recovered 168,337 grams charas, 102,183 grams heroin, 110,110 grams ice, 11 pills and 9,901 wine bottles. Out of the total, the police arrested 102 suspects from around educational institutes and registered 98 cases against drug peddlers around the institutes. The police recovered 20,240 grams charas, 12,164 grams heroin, 18,984 grams ice, four pills and 20 wine bottles from suspects operating around the educational institutes. Since January, over 1,000 peddlers arrested, 102 from outside educational institutions, say officials They said the drug dealers were using messaging apps to sell narcotics ...

GENEVA: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Lahore-born Saadia Zahidi as its director general in place of Willie Walsh, who will relinquish his duties on July 31. A press release said Saadia Zahidi will take over as the air transport body’s new chief on Nov 1 this year. Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA’s chief financial officer, will serve as acting director general during the intervening period. Ms Zahidi will be IATA’s ninth director general and the first woman to hold the position. She is currently working as managing director at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Ms Zahidi is the author of Fifty Million Rising, a book which traces the rise of working women in the Muslim world. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College, an MPhil in International Economics from The Graduate Institute, and an MPA from Harvard University. “The board is very pleased to appoint Saadia Zahidi as director general of IATA. Saadia’s long and outstanding experience at the World Economic Forum will enhance and ...

Authorities order total evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as EU activates civil protection mechanism

Premier says only one province's progress cannot be counted as the country's progress

Indian actor says success comes from choosing meaningful stories, embracing creative risks instead of blockbuster hits

Landfall expected between Guangdong, Fujian, with rail and ferry services set to halt

SOME people may have watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade starring Harrison Ford as the eponymous swashbuckling archaeologist on a mission to find the holy grail — the cup said to grant eternal life to whoever drinks from it. In common usage, ‘holy grail’ signifies a highly sought-after goal that is extremely difficult or seemingly impossible to achieve. In this sense, economic growth is undoubtedly the holy grail of economics as it remains the most-coveted prize for policymakers everywhere. Globally, countries have reduced poverty and improved living standards through strong and sustained economic growth, not least because economic growth creates more high-quality jobs. China’s breakneck economic growth in the 1990s lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and built the very foundation for China’s emergence as a global manufacturing powerhouse by the 2000s. At the same time, China’s rapid economic growth generated the necessary fiscal space for Beijing to build infrastructure, expand social security ...