Pakistan

Nato said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war. The Pentagon’s announcement of the troop withdrawal follows a spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday that Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table. Trump fired back by saying that Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about”. It also came as Trump announced that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will increase to 25 per cent next week over accusations that the bloc did not comply with a trade deal signed last summer. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Friday the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months”. “This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on...

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Saturday said that Saudi Arabia had reversed its decision to set the minimum age for Haj pilgrims at 15. Earlier in the day, the ministry, in a letter, had said that Saudi Arabia had set the minimum age for pilgrims at 15. It had said that the restrictions would be effective from 12am on May 3, 2026 (Monday). “The government of Saudi Arabia has assured that all affected pilgrims will receive a full refund of the deposited amount,” the ministry had assured the public. Subsequently, in a statement reiterating the new directives, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) had said, “No pilgrim under the age of 15 years will be allowed to board Hajj flights, and such visas shall be treated as cancelled under this policy.” However, hours later, the religious affairs ministry issued a new letter to officials, which stated the kingdom had “reversed its decision regarding the under-15-year age restriction for Haj”. It said that its previous instructions “may be deemed withdr...

LAKKI MARWAT: Unknown terrorists attacked the house of a police official with explosives in the Shadikhel area of the Lakki Marwat district, police said on Saturday. A police official said that terrorists affiliated with Fitna-al-Khawarij had planted an improvised explosive device (IED) at the house of Constable Tehsil Khan. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The police official said the explosion caused significant damage to the structure, including its bedrooms, veranda and washrooms. No casualties were reported as the occupants were away, staying with relatives at the time of the incident, the official added. He further said a heavy police contingent reached the site after the blast and launched a search operation in the area. A day earlier, a policeman was martyred during an intense exchange of fire with militants after an attack on a police post in the remote Shadikhel area of the district. According to officials, the attack...

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Saturday rejected a plea by the Balochistan government to grant lifetime facilities to retired chief secretaries and their widows. Justice Aamer Farooq, who headed the FCC two-judge bench, observed that the Balochistan government notification was over and above the pensionary benefits granted to chief secretaries. The judgment explained that the Rules of Business do not empower the provincial government to issue such directions by way of notification, especially when there was no legal backing. The FCC ruling came on an appeal filed by Balochistan’s chief secretary against the May 29, 2023, Balochistan High Court (BHC) judgment, which had also struck down Notification No. 13-25(5)/2019/SO-1(S&GAD) extending lifetime facilities to retired chief secretaries and their widows. The controversy arose from a notification challenged before the BHC by Bayazid Khan Kharooti, which the court accepted. The high court held that such benefits could not be granted without...

Significant changes have emerged in the seniority list of judges at the Islamabad High Court following the transfer of three judges, resulting in a reshuffle within the judicial hierarchy.

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Police in Punjab’s Hafizabad district said on Saturday they have arrested one of the suspects for the alleged rape and kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl. The arrested suspect was named in a first information report (FIR) registered by the Jalalpur Bhattian police on April 30 on the complaint of the victim’s mother. The FIR also nominated two unidentified suspects. Constable Waqar Yousuf, a spokesperson for Hafizabad Police, told Dawn that the prime suspect was arrested last night in the district’s Tahli Goraya village. Yousuf further said that the girl’s medical examination had been conducted, which provided evidence of sexual assault. The policeman added that the detained man was being interrogated in order to arrest the other two suspects. The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn, invoked sections 375-A (rape) and 365-B (kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel for marriage etc) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). In her complaint, the mother said she found her daughter cryin...

A solemn ceremony was held at Mazar-e-Iqbal to commemorate the first anniversary of the Marka-e-Haq victory, where participants paid rich tribute to Allama Muhammad Iqbal and highlighted his philosophy of Khudi and the Two-Nation Theory.

The Health & Population Department of Government of Punjab Health & Population Department has announced an internship programme under the Directorate of Drugs Control for PharmD students, graduates, and postgraduates from public sector universities across Punjab.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday discussed the regional situation in the Middle East with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Foreign Office (FO) said. In a statement, the FO said that the two leaders “discussed the evolving regional situation and exchanged views on its wider economic implications”. Dar underscored Pakistan’s “continued efforts to promote constructive engagement and diplomacy in support of peace and stability in the region and beyond”. “Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah commended Pakistan’s sincere efforts aimed at fostering lasting peace and security for the Ummah as well as the wider international community,” the FO statement noted. Both sides reaffirmed the strong fraternal ties between Pakistan and Kuwait and agreed to remain in close contact, it said. Dar’s call with his Kuwaiti counterpart comes amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz — a key shipping route in paralysis since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28. Th...

Abbottabad’s streets mostly dissolve into a mundane blur but Circular Road has a way of catching you by the sleeve. This stretch of town is as silent as silence allows, lined with government offices leaning into one another, until a weathered gate interrupts the monotony. Behind its rusting iron, sits a house that doesn’t belong to the modern world. It is only when you begin to press the locals for answers that its name is spoken: Shahzada House. It is a name that carries an old-world grandeur the hushed street can barely support, with its roots stretched across borders and centuries back to Bukhara. A prince’s journey The story of Shahzada House is one of a man in open rebellion. Mir Syed Abdul Malik Tura may now be a footnote in history, but he was once the North Star of Bukhara, an heir to a lineage entrenched in power and learning, one that traces its foundations to the Timurid Era, a golden age of culture and science in Central Asia and Persia. His story is Bukhara’s. Records prove that the city was shap...

Changes in the seniority of judges at the Islamabad High Court have taken effect following the transfer of three judges, resulting in a reshuffle of the judicial hierarchy.

Animal rights advocates were crowing on Saturday after Korean Air banned transporting roosters on flights from the United States to the Philippines, which has a huge cockfighting industry. Filipinos wager tens of millions of dollars daily, by some industry estimates, as they watch two roosters armed with metal spurs fight to the death in clashes that can end in less than a minute. The US is an important source of roosters for these fights, according to activists as well as local breeder Eduardo Eugenio, who told AFP shutting down US imports would have a “huge impact”. The South Korean carrier said in a statement sent to AFP on Saturday that it had “suspended the transportation of roosters of all ages on routes from the United States to the Philippines”. “Korean Air is committed to the lawful and safe transport of live animals, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,” it added. US campaigner Animal Wellness Action said Korean Air was “in our estimation, the biggest global air carrier of illegally t...

This article follows the earlier series on self leadership and “critical thinking,” with a deliberate shift in emphasis, from understanding to application.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast dust-thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, hailstorms and strong winds in several parts of the country over the coming days.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday issued an alert for glacial lake outburst floods (Glof) in the upper regions of the country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as a result of an expected westerly wave this weekend. A Glof refers to the sudden release of water and debris from a glacial lake, leading to the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods in mountain communities. Over 7.1 million people in GB and KP are vulnerable to the phenomenon, according to the Ministry of Climate Change. In its statement, issued on Saturday, the Met Office said that a moderate westerly wave is expected to enter the upper regions of Pakistan from Sunday. “During this period, widespread rain, wind thunderstorms, and isolated heavy falls, are anticipated across Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the alert said. According to the PMD, the sudden increase in temperatures followed by widespread precipitation “significantly elevates” the risk of Glofs, flow of debris, and flash flooding in ...

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has bypassed congressional review to approve military sales totalling over $8.6 billion to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The State Department announcements on Friday came as the US and Israel’s war against Iran marked nine weeks since its start and more than three weeks since a fragile ceasefire came into effect. The State Department said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency existed that required immediate sales to those countries and waived the congressional review requirements for the sales. The announcements included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) costing $992.4 million. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m. The State Department approved a sale t...

LAHORE: Who in this world would have thought a couple of weeks ago that debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen, having lost four of their first five initial-stage matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League, will make it to the decider as Islamabad United blinked in the final over of the action-packed encounter. The ultra-passionate fans present here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night found themselves extremely lucky. Why not? They witnessed an absolute nail-biting Eliminator-2. Marnus Labuschagne’s energised sprint to the field immediately after the two-run triumph explicitly showed that Peshawar Zalmi will face a rejuvenated Kingsmen brigade in the all-important final on Sunday. Fielding is not generally considered a forte in this part of the world. However, the way Kingsmen’s Hassan Khan in an extraordinary leap in the air at mid-wicket boundary prevented a six off Faheem Ashraf’s bat in the 17th over was as stunning as anything. United went through ebb and flow in their chase of a tough 187 and fell short in the v...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched the “CM Punjab Rehmat Card” programme, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at providing structured financial assistance to widows and orphaned children across the province.

• Pakistan hands over Iran’s latest proposal to US, refuses to divulge contents • Trump says Iran ‘made strides’ in talks, claims process marred by ‘tremendous discord’; appreciates PM Shehbaz, FM Munir’s role • Diplomats describe transmission of proposals as a positive step, despite no immediate signs of progress ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan shared a new proposal by Iran with the US, President Donald Trump on Friday said he was still not satisfied with their offer to end the Middle East conflict, which started after the US and Israel struck Iran on Feb 28. The text of the proposal was handed to Islamabad on Thursday evening, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday. Pakistan officials also confirmed that they had shared the proposal with the US, but refused to divulge its contents. “At this moment, I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Presi­dent Trump said late on Friday night. Asked why he was unsatisfied with the Iranian offer, he said: “They’re asking for things that I can’t agree.” He gav...

KARACHI: With more than 75 per cent of top-level technical posts vacant, the Sindh health department is facing a serious shortage of experts at a time when the province is experiencing multiple outbreaks of infectious diseases, it has emerged. According to sources, the health management cadre — a specialised administrative structure within the Sindh health department designed to manage hospitals and health services — has 70 sanctioned Grade-20 posts, but 53 of the positions are vacant, primarily due to the retirement of officials with no timely replacements. They said promotions have been pending for the past six years. Currently, only 17 officers are working at the top level, leaving the health system practically without operational oversight. Of 70 Grade-20 posts in health management cadre, 53 are yet to be filled “These officers specialising in health management were often assigned the responsibility to oversee the emerging public health challenges,” an official said. He recalled that the health department...