Pakistan

LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday announced a nationwide highway blockade and sit-ins on Aug 7 as part of the second phase of the party’s anti-petroleum levy and anti-inflation campaign. The government had announced a petroleum and carbon levy on June 14, 2025, under an iron-clad commitment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The JI campaign demands the immediate abolition of the petroleum levy, cancellation of costly agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), and measures to curb inflation and power outages. Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah, Rehman said that JI workers and supporters would stage sit-ins on roads connecting all districts across the country, adding that only ambulances would be allowed to pass. To mobilise public support ahead of the protest, the JI would hold 20,000 nationwide corner meetings before Aug 7, he announced. The JI emir warned the government against using undemocratic tactics to suppress the protest movement, sayi...

A Singapore court sentenced an Indian tourist to more than two years in jail over a failed bid to steal a diamond by hiding it in his accomplice’s mouth. Mangroliya Manojkumar Kurjibhai, 41, and his accomplice visited a jewellery store in Singapore’s Chinatown on June 19 with their eyes on a 4.95-carat diamond worth $154,000, according to court documents seen by AFP on Tuesday. Mangroliya distracted the shop manager while his partner, 30-year-old Serasiya Milan Ramnikbhai, allegedly swapped the diamond with a fake hidden in his mouth, local media reported. The two men then left the store without buying anything, with Serasiya now carrying the real stone in his mouth. The theft was caught on surveillance camera, and the pair were arrested at the airport later that day – with the stolen gem recovered from one of their bags. Mangroliya was sentenced to two years, two months and two weeks in jail after pleading guilty last week, court papers said. Serasiya is in remand and scheduled for a hearing on Friday. The p...

Rejects government's daily fuel price review mechanism, says strike will continue until its demands are accepted

Budget strain cuts military training as renewed Iran fighting threatens to drive defence costs even higher

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index on Tuesday made marginal gains as investor sentiment remained cautious over uncertainty surrounding global energy markets. The KSE-100 index opened in the green, soaring by 2,442.72 points to reach an intraday high of 178,370.45 at 10:09am. However, the market dipped sharply from 12pm onwards, dropping below the 177,000-point level at 1:56pm. It then finally closed at 176,133.56 points, up by mere 205.83 points (0.12 per cent) from the previous close. Topline Securities Ltd noted that the “strong start proved short-lived, as participants opted to lock in gains at elevated levels, triggering broad-based profit-taking during the latter half of the session”. “The subdued close reflected cautious investor sentiment amid lingering geopolitical tensions and persistent uncertainty surrounding global energy markets, prompting market participants to remain selective despite the early optimism,” it added. Topline further observed that refinery stocks bore the brunt of...

LAHORE: A sessions court on Tuesday granted post-arrest bail to podcast host Rehan Tariq in a case registered under the blasphemy laws and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca). The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had registered the case and arrested the YouTuber at Lahore’s international airport upon his arrival from abroad. Advocate Mian Dawood, representing the petitioner, argued that the prosecution had failed to produce any evidence linking his client to the alleged social media uploads. He argued that conducting an interview and asking questions on historical or religious matters was a constitutionally protected journalistic function. The counsel further said the FIR did not specify which questions were allegedly objectionable. He also submitted that opinions obtained from prominent religious scholars stated that the questions did not amount to disrespecting any revered Islamic personality. The counsel argued that the petitioner was entitled to bail because the prosecuti...

UEFA-FIFA tensions rise over controversial decisions

The format could add roughly another week to the tournament

He was dismissed late after a second yellow against Cubarsi

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Tuesday announced that elections in the region, which were originally slated for July 27, would now be held in three phases ending on August 10. AJK Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal made the announcement at a press conference, citing the unavailability of security forces due to ongoing operations in the provinces. He said that polls will be held in three phases: July 27: 13 constituencies of Mirpur division August 2: nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies August 10: 11 constituencies of Poonch division Addressing the media, Mughal said the changes in the election schedule were made keeping in view the ongoing situation in AJK. He explained that the decision was made so that contingents of the army could be “available in all divisions in sufficient numbers” to ensure peaceful polling. “You know the conditions in Balochistan, KP and other places where incidents take place, and where our arm...

The Central Traders Association of Muzaffarabad has rejected a strike and shutter-down call for July 22, announcing that markets and businesses across the city will remain open as usual.

Scaloni and team were welcomed with a red carpet outside the aircraft

KARACHI: The family of a missing National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) official approached police on Tuesday with an application for his recovery. The application, seen by Dawn, addressed Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Javed Alam Odho and stated that applicant Sohail Sangi’s younger son, Fayyaz Ahmed Janjhi, who is an assistant director at Nadra, had been missing since 6:30pm on July 20. The application further stated that the missing official’s family had tried to contact him continuously, but his phone was switched off. The family also contacted his colleagues, who said he had left his office at Ayesha Manzil at around 6pm on Monday. “But he did not reach home,” the application said. Urging authorities to register a complaint of him going missing and locate him, the applicant said his son or the rest of the family had no enmity with anyone. Janjhi’s elder brother, Riaz Sohail, told Dawn that the family had approached the Sindh IG with the application, and the provincial police chief h...

Mannaert will be in charge of choosing Garcia’s successor

He passed away after battling cancer

Reuters video showed rescuers battling flames and removing bodies from the Gaza family home after strike

The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah has launched a multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity from the date of issuance, through which pilgrims will be able to enter the kingdom multiple times, with a cumulative stay of up to 90 days each year, state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday. As per the conditions of the visa, each visit would require the purchase of a service package from an approved provider on the Nusuk platform — a digital platform that lists several Umrah packages for various economic tiers. The report added that the packages’ durations should not exceed the “remaining days available on the visa”. “Entry is also contingent on issuing an Umrah permit via the Nusuk application prior to arrival,” the report added. It further detailed that the visa would be deactivated after each departure and reactivated upon meeting regulatory requirements for the next visit. However, the report said, the visa cannot be availed during the Haj season, from the first of Ziqad to the 13th of Zilha...

ISLAMABAD: Federal Petroleum Minister has invited the Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association for talks on Tuesday to discuss concerns over the newly introduced daily petroleum price adjustment mechanism.

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the controversial social media posts case against Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, senior lawyers and well-wishers celebrated incarcerated Imaan’s birthday outside court premises. On January 24, rights lawyers Imaan and Hadi were sentenced by an Islamabad sessions court to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). Imaan and Hadi last month sought an early hearing of their challenge to a February 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision in the social media posts case. In that order, the court had denied their plea for the suspension of their sentences while issuing notices on it. After the SC on July 6 issued notices on the couple’s pleas for an early hearing, a three-judge SC bench led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar took up the applications on Tuesday. The SC postponed further hearing of the petitions since IHC had fixed Imaan and Hadi’s case on July 24....

At least 12 people were killed and 15 others injured in rain-related incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last 24 hours, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Monday.