Pakistan

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has expressed profound grief over the tragic drowning incident in Swat, which claimed the lives of several members of a family from Sialkot.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday welcomed the Supplemental Award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it a significant legal and diplomatic victory for Pakistan.

Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch has voiced concern over inadequate security measures at tourist sites, warning that such negligence is undermining the country’s tourism potential.

France will ban smoking on beaches and in parks, public gardens and bus shelters from Sunday, the government said. The decree, published in the official government gazette on Saturday, will also ban smoking outside libraries, swimming pools and schools, and is aimed at protecting children from passive smoking. The decree did not mention electronic cigarettes. Violators of the ban will face a fine of €135 (Rs44,849). “Tobacco must disappear from places where there are children,” Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin had said in May, underscoring “the right of children to breathe pure air”. Cafe terraces are excluded from the ban. Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France. According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62 per cent) favour a smoking ban in public places.

In a significant achievement, Pakistan’s passport has secured a spot among the top 100 in the Henley Passport Index 2025, marking a major leap in global mobility rankings.

At least two more people died in a rain-related incident in Punjab on Saturday, taking the province’s death toll for the past four days to 14, according to rescue officials and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Monsoon rains across the region offer respite from the summer heat and are vital for agriculture and food security. Weather-related incidents are common during the season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. Two people died while four were wounded in a roof collapse incident reported at 3:20am in the Abbas Nagar area of Lahore’s Shahdara Town, Rescue 1122 said in a statement today. It noted that the house was single-storied and the roof was made of mud. The bodies were taken to Shahdara Hospital, where some of the injured were also taken, while others wounded were brought to Mayo Hospital. Separately, eight children were among 12 dead while 39 others were injured in various rain-related incidents across Punjab since Wednesday, according to a PDM...

Peshawar - Advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information, Barrister Saif said that rescue and relief operations are actively underway in the flood-affected areas of Swat.

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday condemned Israel’s recent attack on Iran, called it a violation of international law and reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Iranian government and people during a meeting with Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam at Parliament House.

LAHORE: Ecotourism, the country’s pioneering initiative, led by the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department, and developed in accordance with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria, marks the first structured effort that offers a unique blend of nature-based experiences, animal conservation, cultural immersion and education, ensuring sustainable tourism that benefits both biodiversity and local communities. Considering the ecological significance of Changa Manga, Uchali Lake and Chashma for their rich flora and fauna, these sites were strategically selected for ecotourism development, officials at the Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Department told Dawn. Mentioning initiatives taken under the spotlight of ecotourism, the officials said the proposed ecotourism development. Changa Manga Forest Reserve, located 80km south of Lahore, spans over 12,500 acres and is one of the world’s largest man-made forests. It is home to a rich variety of native flora and fauna. With the proposed ecotourism developme...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting on Monday to review progress on transport department projects, particularly the electric bus initiative under the Punjab Clean Air Program.

Pakistan on Friday welcomed the Supplemental Award issued by the Court of Arbitration in the Indus Waters Treaty dispute, reaffirming Islamabad’s longstanding position that India cannot unilaterally suspend the treaty or limit the court’s jurisdiction.

China has expanded the economic safeguards for segments of its population affected by flood control schemes in times of extreme rainfall, including pledges of direct compensation from the central government and payments for livestock losses. In China, diverting floodwaters to areas next to rivers is a major step in managing downstream flooding. As extreme rainfall grows in frequency, China is increasingly utilising such areas, some of which have been unused until now and have been populated by farms, croplands and even residential buildings, stoking social tensions. According to revised rules on compensation related to flood diversions released late on Friday, the central government will now bear 70 per cent of all compensation funds, with local governments responsible for the rest. Previously, the ratio was to be decided based on actual economic losses and the fiscal situation of local governments. Livestock and poultry that cannot be relocated in time before the arrival of diverted floodwaters will also be ...

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said yesterday that Pakistan and the United States were actively engaged in talks for a win-win conclusion.

QUETTA: The body of a 14-year-old student, Muhammad Musawir Kakar, who was kidnapped for ransom on November 15, 2024 has been recovered by the police, Quetta DIG Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya said on Friday. He revealed that Afghan nationals were involved in the kidnapping. They abducted the boy with the help of local accomplices and later handed him over to the extremist group Daesh, also known as IS, which demanded a ransom of $12m from the victim’s father. The DIG added that after killing the boy, the kidnappers buried his body in the Maro Isplinji area of Mastung district. The grave was located by the police. The body appeared to be over two months old, he said, adding the postmortem report revealed the boy was shot in the chest and head. His identity was confirmed through DNA testing. “We tracked down the kidnappers, raided multiple locations, and eliminated some of them, but unfortunately, we were unable to ensure the safe recovery of the boy, for which we are deeply sorry,” said DIG Goraya. He added that the inv...

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (COAS), engaged with the probationary officers of the 52nd Common Training Program (CTP) of the Civil Services Academy during a session held at the Army Auditorium.

ISLAMABAD - The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court Friday, by accepting the review petitions, ruled the former ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) is ineligible for reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.

Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, on Friday suspended 26 members of the provincial assembly for 15 sessions over serious breaches of parliamentary rules and disorderly conduct during house proceedings.

NEW DELHI: India is vigilant of developments in its neighbourhood that “have a bearing” on its “interest and security”, the external affairs ministry said of a recent trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, adding that it factors in the “evolving context” in its bilateral relations with these countries. According to The Wire, during a trilateral meeting in Kunming, China, on June 19 involving Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Ruhul Siddique and Pakistan’s additional foreign secretary Imran Siddiqui, the three sides agreed to explore cooperation in a number of sectors including trade, ‘maritime affairs’, health and the environment. Asked for comment on the meeting during the ministry’s weekly press briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that “we maintain a constant watch on the developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interest and our security”. “Our relations with individual countries, while they stand on th...

ISLAMABAD - The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Friday called upon Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs), district administrations, and relevant departments to remain on high alert and activate contingency plans as widespread rain and thunderstorms are expected to impact large parts of the country within.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict will open the doors for peace and prosperity in the region.