Pakistan

Portugal’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill, on its first reading, requiring explicit parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to access social media, in one of the first concrete legislative moves in Europe to impose such restrictions. Authors of the draft legislation from the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) say it is needed to protect children from cyberbullying, harmful content and predatory individuals. A public system known as Digital Mobile Key (DMK) will be used by parents to give consent, also helping to enforce the existing ban for children under the age of 13 to access digital social media, video- and image-sharing platforms, or online betting sites. Tech providers are also required to implement an age verification system compatible with the DMK. The bill, approved by 148–69 votes with 13 abstentions, can still be modified before the final vote. France’s lower house last month backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media amid growing concerns about online bullying and ...

Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri, senior leader and Punjab spokesperson of the Awam Pakistan Party, passed away early Friday morning after suffering a heart attack, family sources confirmed.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast mainly cold and dry weather across most parts of the country during the next 24 hours, saying the prevailing cold spell is likely to persist in the coming days.

PESHAWAR: Militants allegedly kidnapped a CPEC policeman and set his house on fire in the Dogar Umarzai area in Bannu district, destroying three rooms and household belongings. Local sources reported that around 40 to 50 armed militants entered the house, abducted the constable, and later set the house ablaze. According to police sources, the kidnapped constable has been identified as Qadeer who was serving in the CPEC Police. The incident caused panic and fear among the family members and residents of the area. Authorities stated that investigations are underway from multiple angles. Firing incident at journalist’s residence In a separate incident, unidentified motorcyclists opened fire at the residence of the former president of Bannu Press Club and ARY News correspondent Ihsan Khattak late on Thursday night. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Khattak stated that suspicious motorcyclists had previously been seen around his residence, after which he had submitted an application against unidentified in...

Opposition parties have announced a sit-in outside Parliament House over concerns regarding the health and medical treatment of the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, following a meeting of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan.

The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution extending by one year the mandate of the Monitoring Team that supports the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, which oversees sanctions imposed on the Taliban. All 15 council members voted in favor of the US-drafted resolution, renewing the Monitoring Team’s mandate until February 17, 2027. The extension comes amid mounting international concern over Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situation, the growing influence of multiple terrorist groups, and the potential for regional destabilisation. Pakistan, which supported the resolution, stressed the ongoing threat posed by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K), Majeed Brigade, and Al-Qaeda. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said these groups “have been responsible for some of the most heinous terrorist attacks against Pakistan,” citing recent attacks that killed 80 people this month alone. “On...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said World Radio Day recognizes the unique role of radio in informing, educating and connecting people across cultures and geographies, reaffirming support for the enduring medium.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended warm congratulations to Tarique Rahman following his success in the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.

ISLAMABAD: Following the demolition of a World War I memorial in the capital, the remains of another Mughal-era building have also fallen victim to urban development. The remains of the 16th century historical building were situated roughly 200 meters from the British-era obelisk, at an archaeological site in Rehara village. A few days ago, the World War I memorial that stood here was razed by developers to make way for a private housing society. According to the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM), the structure was possibly built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, and was the oldest historical ruin in this region. A DOAM official told Dawn the building’s above-ground arch (façade) and the remaining structure (the 8x4.5 meters main chamber and its 1.5 meters thick walls), constructed with limestone and sandstone blocks, which required careful excavation, had been demolished. Demolition comes days after British-era World War I monument was felled by developers in the same area A departmental t...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday forecast predominantly cold and dry weather across most parts of the country over the next 24 hours, saying the prevailing spell is likely to continue in the coming days.

• FO backs Muscat dialogue, says Islamabad ‘ready to take part in any form of diplomacy’ on Iran • Confirms PM Shehbaz, FM Dar will attend ‘Board of Peace’ meeting in Washington next week • Pakistan ‘will stand by Muslim bloc to raise collective voice for Palestinians’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged the United States and Iran to move towards direct negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. “Whilst we stand ready to participate in any format of dialogue and diplomacy on Iran, we encourage the relevant parties to have as direct a negotiation framework as possible,” Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said at the weekly media briefing. The indirect Iran-US talks took place in Muscat on Feb 6 amid heightened regional tensions, including an expanded US military presence and warnings from President Donald Trump of severe consequences if no deal is reached. The session was mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who shuttled between the two sides. Both sides described the discussions as a “...

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench has curtailed the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) suo motu power to amend deemed tax assessments, ruling that Section 122(5A) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, cannot be used for “roving or fishing inquiries” or speculative revenue recovery. In an income tax reference, titled Commissioner Inland Revenue versus Sajid Hussain Gondal and others, Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf and Justice Jawad Hassan laid down guidance on the scope and limits of amendment powers under Section 122, bringing long-awaited doctrinal clarity to a provision frequently invoked by tax authorities. The reference application, filed under Section 133 of the ordinance, challenged an order of the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR), which had set aside an amendment made to a taxpayer’s deemed assessment for tax year 2019. The tribunal had earlier ruled that the FBR’s use of Section 122(5A) in the case was unlawful. The taxpayer, Sajid Hussain Gondal, had filed an income tax return f...

ISLAMABAD: While launching a subsidised scheme for households to replace old fans with efficient ones, Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari said on Thursday the government was considering ‘debt restructuring’ of the energy sector to bring down consumer-end tariffs for improved grid consumption and lower circular debt. The minister acknowledged that the high electricity tariffs had been pushing the consumers away from the grid and solar penetration had created a serious challenge to the grid. Therefore, the government was considering restructuring of the power sector debt, besides taking measures for curtailing peak demand. Over the past few months, the government has taken up the restructuring of power sector debt with multilateral lenders, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, including a $30bn Chinese debt for longer duration. A circular debt of Rs1.6 trillion and a Rs1.225tr recent financing with local commercial banks are also on the agenda. Pakistan’s repeated direct requests to Chinese...

Court orders specialist eye care for Imran; Allows phone contact with sons; Govt assures compliance by Feb 16

Opposition announces sit-in

Lawyers cite ICCPR obligations; others defend limited judicial role

Hamza Shehbaz says without workers, party stands nowhere

SBP asks for small-ticket lending, expanding scope beyond high-volume regions

PBA cites surge in private sector credit, SME lending and record agriculture financing

Central bank deposits rise $21m; bullion steady over global cues