Pakistan

The United States has signed a 10-year defence framework agreement with India, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday. The framework is considered a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence, enhancing coordination, information sharing and technological cooperation between the two nations, Hegseth posted on X after a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh. “Our defence ties have never been stronger,” Hesgeth added. According to Hindustan Times, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, which is scheduled to begin from tomorrow. After signing the framework, Hegseth expressed gratitude to Singh for the partnership between Washington and New Delhi, the publication said. “It’s one of those consequential US-India relationships in the world. Our strategic alignment is built on shared interests, on mutual trust and commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific Region,” the report quoted him as saying. According to the repo...

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an interim final rule that eliminates the automatic extension of work permits or Employment Authorisation Documents (EADs). The new rule applies to renewal applications filed on or after October 30, and several categories of foreign nationals, including H-4 visa holders and spouses of certain categories of H-1B visa holders. In a statement released to the media on Thursday, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recommended that “aliens seek a timely renewal of their EAD by properly filing a renewal application up to 180 days before their EAD expires”. The agency warned that “the longer an alien waits to file an EAD renewal application, the more likely it is that they may experience a temporary lapse in their employment authorisation or documentation”. The development is linked to several recent moves aimed at limiting both legal and illegal migration to the United States. It includes a $100,000 one-time fee on new H-1B petitions ...

‘Life on Earth is adapted to the rotation of our planet. … There are also indications that chronic misalignment between our lifestyle and the rhythm dictated by our inner timekeeper is associated with increased risk for various diseases.’ — The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine OUR existence is a rhythm which continues to play every 24 hours, throughout our lives. This is true for all living beings — animals, plants and even microorganisms. Sounds a bit poetic, a bit mystical — indeed that’s how our existence is. Our body functions are hardwired to an endogenous day and night clock. We follow this in autopilot mode — not at the conscious level, but very much like breathing. We breathe all the time but we don’t have to think about breathing. Likewise, a route is set for our bodies to follow every 24 hours (with individual variations of up to four hours or so). It is an intrinsic autonomous daily routine called the circadian rhythm. Here is a super summary of it. As the darkness of the night fades and ...

Geopolitical smokescreen — separating fact from fear: In recent months, as Pakistan rightly diversifies its diplomatic outreach and navigates complex regional dynamics, a surge of speculative reporting has attempted to fundamentally redefine its deep relationship with China. We’ve seen familiar anxieties resurface: the perennial ‘debt trap’ narrative, alarmist talk of ‘strategic drift’, and politically motivated suggestions of security breaches. It is time to apply rigorous, long-term analysis, instead of succumbing to short-term geopolitical anxiety. This current wave of negative discourse is not a genuine concern for Pakistan’s well-being but a geopolitical smokescreen. This manufactured noise is strategically generated by external powers who fear the success of a robust, non-Western, South-South development model exemplified by the China-Pakistan comprehensive collaboration. Pakistan’s partnership with China is not a transactional alliance subject to transient political tides; it is a transformative, struc...

KARACHI: The FIA has booked prominent chartered accountant Shabbar Zaidi over allegations of issuing unauthorised income tax refunds amounting to Rs16 billion during his tenure as chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the PTI government, it emerged on Thursday. Sources said the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle had accused Mr Zaidi of criminal misconduct, abuse of authority, and unauthorised disbursement of public funds. According to the FIA, three private banks, two cement factories, and one chemical company were the beneficiaries of these refunds. The agency alleged that these entities were clients of Mr Zaidi’s private audit and consultancy firm prior to his appointment as FBR chairman, raising concerns of conflict of interest. Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2025

• Despite Imran’s instructions not to air dirty laundry in public, Salman Akram Raja and Aliya Hamza engage in ‘Twitter war’ over decision to remove party’s central Punjab president and secretary • Dispute between senior lawyers over list of who gets to meet Imran in Adiala leaves many within the party red-faced LAHORE: Mere weeks after incarcerated founder Imr­an Khan warned party leaders against airing their dirty laundry in public, ano­ther tiff — this time over the leadership of PTI in central Punjab — has erupted over the social media platform X, in full public view. In a telling series of tweets on Thursday, Secretary Gene­ral Salman Akram Raja railed against those who were “conspiring against him”, and recalled that Mr Khan had personally tasked him with conveying messages from Adiala jail. Although he didn’t explain the issue at hand, a cursory glance at his earlier tweets and messages posted by other PTI leaders laid bare the dispute. The controversy centres around the ouster of PTI Cen­tral Punjab P...

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed early Friday morning to continue the ceasefire following a rapid deterioration of ties between the two neighbours and a brief conflict along their shared border earlier this month. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations began in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern over terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan remained a major point of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Last-ditch efforts on Thursday by the mediating countries brought both sides back to the negotiating table. A joint statement released after the conclusion of the latest round of dialogue stated “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a Principal level meeting in Istanbul on November 6. During this period, the two countries also agreed on a “monitoring and verification mechanism” to ensure the maintenance of peace and to impose a penalty on the side that breaches the ceasefire. “All parties have agreed to put in place a moni...

US decides to resume nukes testing

Army chief pushes peace, but draws red line on terror

Capital abuzz as president, PM mull AJK power shift

The attempted target killing of a DawnNewsTV journalist was foiled following the arrest of the suspects by the police, confirmed the investigating officer (IO) of the case on Thursday. Sub Inspector Nabeel Haider said that three suspects had been hired to kill journalist Tahir Naseer, based in Rawalpindi, for Rs200,000. “They (the suspects) surveilled Naseer’s house for three days,” the IO said, adding that they had also received Rs99,000 in their bank account and that one of the suspects procured weapons.“ “Police arrested the three suspects and seized their vehicle and weapons from near Naseer’s house,” the IO added. “They were produced before the district magistrate, who rejected the request for physical remand and sent the suspects to jail on judicial remand instead.” In a first information (FIR) report filed on Wednesday under Section 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Naseer said that around 4pm, he received a phone call from his cousin saying that suspicious peop...

COAS Syed Asim Munir says Afghan Taliban regime providing all possible assistance to Indian sponsored terror proxies instead of acting decisively against these groups.

Posts from multiple social media users, including PTI supporters, shared an image on social media platform X on October 29, 2025, allegedly showing a ‘Move on Pakistan’ banner of Field Marshal Asim Munir with text referring to his tenure. However, the poster is doctored. In September 2025, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan said that the tenure of the army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, would end in 2027 and a decision whether to extend it or not will be taken at that time. He said that earlier, the army chief’s term comprised four years, and it was reduced to three years before it was extended to five years. The army chief’s tenure and extension have been under discussion for a while. In 2024, the government extended the tenure of the chiefs of the army, navy and air force from three to five years under the Pakistan Army Amendment Act 2024. The hasty passage of the law was severely criticised by opposition parties such as the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami, with even the PPP, a...

Ministries agree on inspection, duty and policy reforms to curb misuse

Bullion declines despite global rally over Fed rate cut, trade jitters

Says Utility Stores Corp owe amount for more than one year

Exports hit three-year high at $1.6b; value-added segment drives recovery

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Revenue steps will be taken if FBR misses Dec target or expenses rise above limits

Reversal of 16% rental tax brings relief