Pakistan

A collision between a car and a trailer on Monday claimed six lives on the National Highway in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze District, officials said. Naushahro Feroze Senior Superintendent of Police Mir Rohal Khoso told Dawn that all six people who died were travelling in the car, while the trailer’s driver was injured. He said the accident took place between 5am and 6am, adding that “ostensibly, speeding and brake failure were probable reasons,” but the matter was being probed further. SSP Khoso elaborated that one side of the National Highway in the district was under construction, which was a “contributory factor behind increasing accidents”. He stated that, in collaboration with the motorway police, it has been decided to set up five points for checking the speed and fitness of vehicles to control the rise in accidents. Sindh Inspector General (IG) Javed Alam Odho, in a statement, ordered the Naushahro Feroze SSP to probe the accident and register a case. Expressing his grief over the loss of lives, IG Odho o...

Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s latest move to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, calling on the international community to reject its actions, according to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO). Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that the Israeli government had approved the proposal to claim large areas of the occupied territory as property of the state if Palestinians could not prove ownership, a move which prompted outcry from Palestinian group Hamas, the Palestinian presidency, and political analysts. “Pakistan strongly condemns the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities,” the statement said. It pointed out that these steps clearly violated international law and relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, stressing that they “must be rejected” by the international community. “The occupying power’s continued d...

Accused Bondi Beach killer Naveed Akram appeared in an Australian court via video link Monday, in his first public hearing since the nation’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. Akram and his father, Sajid, allegedly attacked a Hanukkah celebration in December. Sajid was shot and killed by police during the attack. Akram has been charged with terrorism, 15 counts of murder, dozens of counts of causing wounds to a person with intent to kill and planting explosives. He appeared in a Sydney court for about five minutes via video link from prison, according to a statement from the court and local media. The timeline of evidence was also discussed, the court said. The accused wore a green jersey during the hearing, which dealt mostly with technical matters such as suppressing the identification of some victims, local media said. He reportedly spoke only one word — “yeah” — when asked by the judge whether he had heard a discussion about the extension of suppression orders. Akram will next appear in court o...

At least six people lost their lives in a head-on collision between a trailer and a car on the National Highway near Naushahro Feroz on Monday.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has stressed the importance of equipping students with modern technology to enhance their learning, communication and professional skills.

Sindh Rangers and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police on Friday conducted a joint intelligence-based operation in Korangi’s Chakragoth area, arresting three highly wanted facilitators linked to the banned outfit Fitna al-Hindustan.

The federal government has announced an increase in petroleum product prices, raising the cost of both petrol and high-speed diesel with immediate effect.

Says it is not acceptable without presence of Khan’s family and personal physicians Opposition sit-in enters third day Parliament sit-in to continue until PTI founder shifted to Al-Shifa Hospital, says spokesperson.

Islamabad - Bangladesh’s election winner party BNP has invited Pakistan at the oath taking ceremony of the prime minister designate Tarique Rehman on his oath taking ceremony scheduled for 17th February 2026.

• Accumulated losses hit Rs2.07tr by June 2025; half of it piled up in just three years • Outstanding loans stand near Rs3.1tr, debt rising Rs300bn a year • Financing cost reaches Rs210bn in FY25, highest among SOEs ISLAMABAD: Carrying the largest outstanding loan portfolio on its books and a negative return on assets, the National Highway Authority (NHA) — the country’s logistics backbone — is the single largest entity bleeding the federal budget, exposing Pakistan to substantial fiscal risk despite the recent doubling of tolls. The NHA is the “largest loss-maker”, operating on a “structural deficit model and reliant on budgetary support”, the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the Ministry of Finance said in its Annual Aggregate Report on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for the year ended June 30, 2025. With accumulated losses of Rs2.074 trillion, the entity that owns and operates all the national highways and motorways accrued around Rs1.004tr in the last three years alone — about Rs295 billion each in FY24 a...

JOB creation and the ‘future of work’ are now the renewed focus of multilateral organisations trying to make growth inclusive and resilient, and to combat domestic instability fuelled by joblessness. World Bank President Ajay Banga says, “We’re trying to move the bank group as a whole from the idea of projects to the idea of outcomes.” He told Reuters that employment creation will remain “a binding constraint on growth over the long-term”, as such, “Job creation is the North Star”. With the productive economy suffocated, Pakistan is heading towards a severe employment crisis, leaving millions of young people without visible job opportunities, says Chairman of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry Businessmen’s Panel Mian Anjum Nisar; the country is losing its most valuable assets — its workforce. Jobs are created when factories run on full capacity with value-addition, without which job creation will be limited and vulnerable to external shocks, he explained, listing the various factors e...

ISLAMABAD: The government on Sunday increased the petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices by Rs5 and Rs7.32 per litre, respectively, till the end of February, owing to movement in international market prices. In a late-night announcement, the petroleum division said the revision followed movements in international markets and recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra). According to the announcement, the ex-depot price of HSD has been increased by Rs7.32 per litre (2.7pc) to Rs275.70 per litre for the current fortnight from Rs268.38 per litre. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. The ex-depot petrol price was increased to Rs258.17 from Rs253.17 per litre, up 2pc. Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and tw...

• US diplomat underscores Islamabad’s role in ‘multilateral diplomacy’, ‘stability’ in South Asia • CDF Munir meets Rubio, top defence leaders on sidelines WASHINGTON: After Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir discussed “global and regional security dynamics” with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a senior US diplomat has highlighted Pakistan’s key role in Washington’s global strategy. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz highlighted Pakistan’s role in Washington’s global and regional diplomacy. “We could walk around the world — Kashmir and India and Pakistan — where we faced a very serious nuclear escalation,” he said during the Munich Security Conference, underlining enduring US concerns about strategic stability in South Asia. Ambassador Waltz also linked Pakistan to multilateral diplomacy. “The United Nations Security Council created the ‘Board of Peace’ — unanimously — with countries such as Pakistan, our friends in the UK, France and other...

Challenge not merely about tax rates, but about design, trust & governance

Profitability, public faith and the unresolved question of Riba

New momentum not an isolated spike but part of sustained upward trend

Says nation will face challenges united and strong; Mocks Imran, says ex-PM weeping after two years in jail

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With poor management and insufficient funding, almost every major sport in the country is in a state of decline