Pakistan

Peshawar - Adviser to the Chief Minister on Finance Muzzammil Aslam on Thursday accused the federal government of undermining provincial financial rights by relying heavily on the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL), saying the provinces received no share of the revenue generated through the levy.

Peshawar - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday reaffirmed his opposition to the newly introduced taxes in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), saying he stood with the people of the province against what he described as “unjust.

Met Office says monsoon currents from Arabian Sea 'continuously penetrating upper and central parts of the country'

Iran said it launched fresh attacks on US facilities in the Gulf on Friday after a sixth consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian military facilities, as last month’s truce descended into daily attacks and counterattacks. The US military said it completed another night of strikes on Iran “to further degrade Iranian military capabilities”, including on Qeshm Island and near Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities. “US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities,” the US Central Command said in a statement. Iran has fired missiles and drones at US military bases in neighbouring states, including an air base in Jordan. In the early hours of Friday, Iran’s military said it had attacked US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Several explosion-like sounds were heard...

LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan was on Thursday appointed to the House of Lords, parliament’s upper chamber, by outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Khan was one of 26 new appointments confirmed by the government just days before Starmer is due to hand over power to Andy Burnham on Monday. The appointment means Khan and the others who come from across the political spectrum with a range of different professional backgrounds can participate in the lawmaking process. The upper chamber typically revises and scrutinises laws put forward by the elected House of Commons, though it has on occasion been the arena for protracted battles over the principles of legislation. Khan will continue to serve as the elected mayor of London. His appointment to the House of Lords would allow Starmer’s successor to give Khan a ministerial portfolio when he names his new government next week, though no such role has been confirmed. Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the relevant authorities to maintain complete preparedness to counter any potential challenges arising from the prevailing uncertainty in the region and lauded the public support for the austerity and fuel-saving drive of the government.

Islamabad - Pakistan signed the agreement on the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) at a signing ceremony that was held in Shanghai, China on Thursday.

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday revived sweeping and unsupported claims of voter fraud and Chinese meddling — firing a clear warning shot ahead of midterm elections that many expect him to dispute. In a primetime White House address, Trump portrayed the US electoral system as dangerously exposed and urged lawmakers to adopt new restrictions on voting, despite scant appetite for the measures even within his own Republican Party. “We can never watch a stolen election again,” Trump said, referring to his 2020 defeat by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump said he was declassifying intelligence that showed, among other things, that China had illicitly acquired 220 million US voter files. “Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history,” he said from the White House. Trump also claimed that more than 250,000 non-US citizens were registered to vote in four states. He then atta...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Thursday expressed deep concern over the continued escalation between Iran and the United States, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue while reaffirming that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) remains the framework for achieving lasting regional peace.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reserved its verdict regarding the court’s authority to hear bail petitions in cases involving amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws, following the conclusion of arguments from all parties.

President calls snub 'plot,' demands broadcasters lose licenses

Indian actor voices concern for activist's health as hunger strike continues

BRITAIN’S plans to deport the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang are “entirely an internal matter of the United Kingdom” and have “no connection whatsoever” with Pakistan, the Foreign Office spokesperson told the BBC. Calls have mounted for Shabir Ahmed’s deportation following his recent release from prison, but has been held up due to a law from 1971 that bars the deportation of Commonwealth citizens. Ahmed, who came to the UK in the late 1960s, was one of nine men from Rochdale and Oldham found guilty of exploiting girls as young as 13 at two takeaway restaurants. According to the BBC, he had dual British-Pakistani citizenship before being stripped of his UK passport following his 2012 conviction for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. Andy Burnham, who is set to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister next, has described Ahmed as a “vile criminal” who he wants deported. Although Home Minis­ter Shabana Mahmood has indicated plans to amend the law, it appears that Ahmed’s remo...

Karachi Traffic Police urges citizens to use designated alternative routes during their journeys

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said that Nawaz Sharif schools will be established in every tehsil, while students will be given one lakh free electric bikes.

Says weapons were recovered from terrorists, were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities

Joins a small group of nations testing technology as part of efforts to decarbonise rail transport

Paid feed debuts August 1, prompting Senate democrat to warn it financially enriches president's family

MUZAFFARABAD: With preparations for the upcoming elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir gathering pace, political strategies seem to be moving towards more engagement with the region’s main malcontents — the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). A recent visit by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari saw the PPP chief and his team engaging with political bigwigs from the region, including AJK PM Faisal Mumtaz Rathore. In addition, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is due in Mirpur tomorrow, where he is expected to address an election rally. In addition to supplementing their election campaign, the leaders’ visits are being seen as an attempt by the two main political parties to position themselves as active players in AJK politics, which have been dominated in recent months by the JAAC protests regarding its demand for the abolition of refugee seats in the region’s legislature. Bhutto-Zardari’s visit also coincided with what was earlier billed as a ‘backchannel attempt’ to engage with the proscribed outfit, which saw a delegation led by...

A STUDENT who recently graduated with a degree in English literature visited me a few weeks back for a discussion on the career paths and choices that were open to her. She enjoyed her undergraduate experience a lot as she loved reading and studying literature, but was now unsure whether she possessed the skills to be ‘market ready’. She did not want to go on to graduate studies in literature. She wanted to write but to keep it on the side. She wanted to discuss the possibility of taking up a job in the development and corporate sector with her knowledge base. The student was articulate, and clearly had very sound analytical and reflective thinking skills. Her communication skills were excellent, and her writing ability, evident from what she mentioned in her resumé, were quite good as well. She had taken the time to reflect deeply on what she had read and learned during her four-year undergraduate experience, and this was reflected in her personality. I told her that although she didn’t possess some of the ‘...