Pakistan

A total of 125 missing persons cases were submitted to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances in the first half of 2025, it emerged on Wednesday. The commission was set up in 2011 to trace missing persons and fix responsibility on the individuals or organisations responsible for their disappearance. In the month of June alone, a total of 27 missing persons cases were received nationwide, while 33 cases were disposed of. The commission offered a monthly breakdown of the cases received and disposed; 26 cases were received in January and 209 disposed of; 12 new cases in February and 104 disposed of; 30 were recieved in March and 34 disposed of; 11 were reported in April and 42 disposed of; 19 were received in May and 62 disposed of. The total number of cases received up till June 2025 was 10,592, while 1,914 cases of them were disposed of and 6,786 were traced, the commission said. A total of 4,771 missing persons have returned home, according to the report, while 1,017 people are being held in int...

The Dalai Lama said on Wednesday that the 600-year-old Tibetan spiritual institution would continue after his death, reassuring Buddhist followers around the globe and saying his office “exclusively” would name his successor, even as China insisted it would. Followers of the Dalai Lama laud his tireless campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, a vast high-altitude plateau in China about the size of South Africa. It is a landmark decision for Tibetans, many of whom had feared a future without a leader, as well as for global supporters who see the Dalai Lama as a symbol of non-violence, compassion and the enduring struggle for Tibetan cultural identity under Chinese rule. According to Tibetans, Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. The charismatic Nobel Peace Prize-winning Buddhist had previously said the institution of Dalai Lama would continue only if there was popular demand. He said on Wednesday he had received multiple appeals over the past 14 years from the Tibetan diaspora, Buddhists...

The online retail platform of Chinese tech giant Alibaba announced on Wednesday that it will issue $7 billion in subsidies for certain purchases, providing a much-needed boost for a country struggling with sluggish spending. Taobao, China’s e-commerce champion launched by Alibaba in 2003, said in a WeChat statement that the 50bn yuan ($6.97bn) would “directly subsidise consumers and merchants” over a 12-month period starting Wednesday. The spending incentives on Taobao’s “flash purchase” feature will take the form of “red envelopes” — a digital form of traditional cash gifts — as well as discounts on products, deliveries and commissions, the statement said. Taobao said that the subsidies will “provide consumers with preferential and convenient services and experiences, further stimulating consumption vitality”. Beijing is battling to stave off deflationary pressure, which has threatened to dampen economic growth even as challenges elsewhere mount. A lengthy property sector crisis and a fierce trade war with t...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a weekly review meeting on the digitization and ongoing reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday.

Pakistan and India are expected to play against each other “likely” on September 7 in the Asia Cup 2025 — set to begin on September 4 or 5 in the UAE, according to a report by The Times of India on Wednesday. The T-20 tournament will mark the 17th edition of the Asia Cup, beginning with a group stage and then a super-four round. The participating teams include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and the UAE. According to Asia Cup’s website, recent political tensions between India and Pakistan have made UAE the frontrunner to host the tournament or serve as part of a hybrid hosting model. The multi-nation tournament was initially going to be hosted solely by India. According to the Indian media report, a 17-day window has been almost finalised by the Asian Cricket Council, where India and Pakistan are to clash on September 7. The two teams could also see a second match on September 14, depending on how the teams progress. The report said that all the participating teams are currently in the pr...

Terrorists have blown up main transmission gas pipeline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, which was supplying gas to Punjab, local police said on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast hot and humid conditions to continue across most parts of the country on Wednesday, with chances of rain, wind, and thundershowers at isolated locations in northern and upper regions.

The Quad grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia called on Tuesday for the perpetrators of a militant attack that killed 26 in India-occupied Kashmir to be brought to justice without delay. The April 22 attack in held Kashmir’s Pahalgam sparked heavy fighting between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in the latest escalation of a decades-old rivalry as India blamed it on Pakistan, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation. The US State Department issued a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the grouping, who met in Washington, but stopped short of naming Pakistan or blaming Islamabad. “The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism,” the ministers said in the statement. They called on all members of the United Nations to cooperate actively with “all relevant authorities” in delivering justice to the “perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this r...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s flagship housing initiative, “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” (My Roof, My Home), has achieved a major milestone with the completion of over 50,000 houses within just a few months a first in the province’s history.

The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender athletes from its women’s sports teams, settling a federal civil rights case stemming from the furore around swimmer Lia Thomas, the US government said on Tuesday. The US Department of Education said in a statement that UPenn had entered into a resolution agreement vowing to comply with Title IX, the federal law which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational program. It follows an investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which found the university had violated Title IX by allowing transgender swimmer Thomas to compete in women’s competitions in 2021-2022. US President Donald Trump, who campaigned on the issue of trans athletes, has worked to prohibit them from competing in girls’ and women’s sports since returning to office. Trump issued an executive order in February aimed at banning transgender athletes, allowing federal agencies to halt funding to any institution that does not consider birth-assigned genders in dete...

LAHORE: Strong reaction on social media seems to have forced the Punjab government to take a ‘U-turn’ on naming the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. “The name of the institution remains ‘Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, Lahore’ and no change is under consideration. In the Punjab government’s annual development programme for the fiscal year 2025-26, funding has been allocated under the name Jinnah Institute of Cardiology,” Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a post on ‘X’ on Tuesday. “As part of the efforts to provide world-class treatment for cardiac and other diseases, 14 new hospitals will be established in the Nawaz Sharif Medical District. The master plan for this project is near completion,” Ms Aurangzeb said and asked journalists to “verify the facts” before publishing any news. The controversy stemmed from the speech of the chief minister in the Punjab Assembly and a subsequent statement by Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique. The minister...

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged the international community to stand with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, highlighting the country’s role as a frontline state that continues to pay a heavy price in this global war.

A delegation of bikers from Oman called on Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan during their visit to Pakistan, aimed at fostering regional friendship and promoting cultural exchange.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Advisor, Barrister Dr.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing its water storage capacity in response to India’s efforts to exploit water resources as a strategic tool.

A satellite backed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space while carrying out an important climate change mission, New Zealand officials said on Wednesday. Designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions with “unprecedented resolution”, the MethaneSAT space probe was also funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defence Fund. Plagued with technical problems, the satellite recently stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers. “Clearly, this is a disappointing development,” said Andrew Johnson, a senior official at the New Zealand Space Agency. “As those who work in the space sector know, space is inherently challenging, and every attempt — successful or not — pushes the boundaries of what we know and what we’re capable of.” The Environmental Defence Fund, which led the project, said it was “difficult news” but would not be the end of its methane-tracking efforts. MethaneSAT was designed to measure emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, which fuels climate change by trappi...

ISLAMABAD - The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) Tuesday nominated chief justices of four pro-vincial High Courts, says a statement issued by the Supreme Court here.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reiterated his government’s strong commitment to preserving and enhancing role of national institutions dedicated to science, literature, history, and culture, dispelling any speculation about their closure or merger under ongoing rightsizing efforts.

ISLAMABAD - Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday said that Pakistan has earned renewed recognition and respect both regionally and globally.

ISLAMABAD - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday remarked that Ali Amin Gandapur was declared absconder due to non-appearance, he goes everywhere in Islamabad instead of this court.