Pakistan

• Efforts alongside Egypt and Turkiye seen as key to pausing threatened US strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure • Administration sources say diplomatic efforts saw Islamabad leveraging its position as ‘net regional stabiliser’ • PM speaks to Pezeshkian, Dar calls Araghchi; White House ‘kept in the loop’ • Islamabad floated as ‘possible venue’ for talks ISLAMABAD: On the 24th day of the US-Israel war against Iran, Pakistan took centre stage in a coordinated diplomatic push alongside Turkiye and Egypt, as the trio appeared instrumental in securing a five-day pause of US plans to strike Iranian energy and power infrastructure, officials said, describing the effort as going beyond routine crisis management. US President Donald Trump had publicly announced the ‘delay’ on Monday, saying Washington had held “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran over the previous couple of days that could lead to a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities. The pause, however, remains conditional and limited to...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s benchmark KSE-100 index on Tuesday gained over 1,200 points. The index gained 1,225.99 points, or 0.80 per cent, to close at 153,966.36 points, from the previous close of 152,740.37 points. The KSE-100 rose to an intraday high of 157,442.68 points at around 9:30am, then declined to an intraday low of 153,382.00 points at 2:36pm, before settling at 153,966.36. Topline Securities, in a statement, noted that the day began on a “hopeful note, as the local bourse took cues from the buoyant international markets”. “Easing geopolitical tensions and a dip in global oil prices set the stage for optimism, inviting bulls to charge early into the session,” it said. It said that the momentum picked up quickly and drove the index to a “strong intraday high of +4,702 points, reflecting renewed confidence across the board”. However, as the day unfolded, the enthusiasm began to fade, it said. Topline Securities said that the trading activity was “slim — a silent warning that the rally lacked stro...

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) on Tuesday announced the successful commencement of oil production from its development well Pasakhi-13 in Hyderabad, marking Pakistan’s first successful horizontal oil well in a clastic reservoir. According to a statement by the company, Pasakhi-13 is currently producing 460 barrels of oil per day (BPD). The well was drilled to a measured depth of 2,966 metres, including a 546-meter horizontal section, the company said in a statement. Advanced geo-steering technology-enabled precise navigation within a narrow 3 metre drilling window, ensuring optimal placement within the reservoir’s sweet spot, it added. It stated that the well was completed and tested using a short-string electric submersible pump (ESP), specifically optimised for horizontal well configurations. Despite challenging reservoir conditions, the horizontal drilling approach has significantly enhanced reservoir exposure, resulting in nearly three times higher production compared to of...

A panel at the University of Jammu in India-occupied Kashmir has recommended removing topics related to Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, and Muslim educationist and reformer Syed Ahmad Khan from its MA Political Science syllabus, Indian news website Scroll reported on Tuesday, citing The Indian Express. The decision follows protests held by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on the university campus on Friday against the inclusion of a chapter on Jinnah’s political thought in the syllabus, according to The Times of India. The ABVP is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Scroll added. The committee, headed by Professor Naresh Padha of the university’s physics department, forwarded the recommendation to the Board of Studies, which will meet on Tuesday to discuss the matter, it cited The Indian Express as saying. ABVP’s state secretary of India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Sannak Shrivats — who led F...

ISLAMABAD: The National Computer Emergency Response Team (National CERT) on Tuesday issued a cybersecurity advisory warning that hostile actors may exploit supply chains to target critical national infrastructure, including power, banking, and defence systems. The advisory highlights that even minor lapses during the delivery of hardware and software could trigger large-scale system failures. The alert comes amid growing global concern over supply chain vulnerabilities, where state-sponsored cyber espionage has increasingly extended into logistics and manufacturing stages. CERT cautioned that all hardware deliveries should be treated as potential security risks and subjected to strict inspection protocols. It further warned that unverified software updates could introduce hidden backdoors into the national digital infrastructure, posing long-term security threats. The advisory also flagged vendors with unknown ownership structures as a significant risk factor, urging institutions to ensure transparency and du...

North Korea will never give up nuclear weapons, leader Kim Jong Un said, indicating that it will soon designate South Korea the “most hostile state”, according to a state media report on Tuesday. Kim also told the country’s legislature in a policy address on Monday that the United States was committing “state terrorism”, in an apparent reference to its military attacks on Iran. “We will continue to firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear-armed state as an irreversible course, while aggressively stepping up our struggle against hostile forces,” Kim told the Supreme People’s Assembly. “We will, in line with the mission entrusted by the Constitution of the Republic… further expand and advance our self-defensive nuclear deterrent,” Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). While the United States and Israel have insisted that their attacks on Iran are to stop the Islamic republic from developing nuclear weapons — an aim Tehran denies — Pyongyang is thought to be light years ahead b...

Pakistani Fintech company Sadapay on Tuesday said its application was unavailable for users after Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Bahrain were disrupted amid the US-Israel war on Iran. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East began with the US and Israel launching attacks on Iran, triggering a conflict that has expanded to the rest of the Middle East. As the war rages on, Gulf countries have also come under attack, including Bahrain. In a statement shared on its social media handles, the company said, “The SadaPay app is currently unavailable for all users. Our infrastructure runs on AWS in Bahrain, which has been disrupted since the drone strikes on March 1.” AWS is Amazon’s cloud ‌computing ⁠unit and is critical for the operation of many well-known websites and government operations. It is also the company’s main driver of profits. It added that overnight, “conditions in the affected AWS region worsened, causing a full app outage for our users”. As per the statement, Sadapay said that it was “dealing with the d...

KARACHI: K-Electric (KE) on Tuesday appointed Syed Taha as its new chief executive officer (CEO), replacing interim head Adeeb Ahmad. In a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company said the appointment will come into effect on April 15. It said that Taha holds an engineering degree and an MBA in finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi. He has been serving as the Managing Director and CEO of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) since February 2020. “Prior to joining PSO, he worked as an executive director in Oasis Energy, heading the program management office of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, Nigeria. “He has also worked previously as chief distribution officer of KE, as well as held several senior positions in different organisations,” the letter added. The incumbent interim CEO, Ahmad, was appointed on February 13 after KE’s previous CEO, Moonis Alvi, stepped down, days after getting a clean chit from the then-Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori in a workplace harass...

The European Union (EU) and Australia struck a long-awaited free-trade deal on Tuesday, while also agreeing to boost defence cooperation and access to crucial rare-earth minerals in the face of global uncertainty over trade. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Australia comes as the 27-nation bloc and the import-reliant nation navigate renewed energy vulnerability sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran. The accord is the latest agreed by Brussels in a push to diversify trade as Europe faces challenges from the United States and China. Key sticking points on Australian use of European geographical names as well as how much beef can be exported to the continent were overcome to reach the deal after eight years of negotiations. Another compromise will see Australian winemakers allowed to use the term “prosecco” domestically, but they must stop using it for exports after 10 years. Australia will also be allowed to keep using some geographical names, such as feta and gruyere, in cases where producers have used ...

KARACHI: Sindh’s Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah on Tuesday ordered all district administrations to remain on “high alert” in view of further expected rains in the province this week. The Paki­s­tan Meteorological Depar­tment (PMD) has predicted showers in parts of Sindh between March 25 and March 29, with occasional gaps. Chairing a meeting, the chief secretary directed the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to issue an immediate advisory on the situation. All commissioners, deputy commissioners (DCs) and assistant commissioners participated in the meeting, which was attended virtually by most, and were directed to be present in the field for the next seven days. Noting the PMD’s prediction of rainfall, Shah directed the PDMA to issue an advisory on the situation. He also ordered the district administrations and local government institutions to remain fully mobilised and in the field. He directed the meeting to ensure the “availability and functionality of all necessary machinery for drain...

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday strongly condemned the government’s recent increases in petroleum prices, calling them a heavy burden on ordinary Pakistanis amid ongoing global tensions.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday once again criticised the government for its major hikes in petroleum prices — following the closure of Hormuz Strait — and termed them a burden on the common citizen. Earlier this month, the government hiked the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs55 per litre to manage the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran, which has triggered a global oil crisis affecting many countries, including Pakistan. Although Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week said he had twice rejected recommendations for further increasing petrol and HSD prices, they effectively remain unchanged at Rs321.17 and Rs335.86 per litre, respectively. Addressing a press conference in Lahore today, the JI chief said the 20 per cent increase in the petroleum development levy (PDL) had pushed prices to Rs120–125 per litre, affecting journalists, students, workers, and riders. “The government can reduce petrol prices by cutting the levy,” he suggested, adding that thermal power units using ...

When Moninder Singh learned recently of assassination threats against his family in Canada, where a fellow Sikh activist was killed in 2023, he says he remained defiant. “We won’t be silenced,” the chairman of the Sikh Federation of Canada told AFP. Singh was speaking at the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva, where he has been appealing for international action against India’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists abroad, and against so-called transnational repression more broadly. Sikh activists accuse India of targeting members of their community around the world, including alleged killings using organised crime groups — charges India denies. The best-known case was the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a friend of Singh’s who was gunned down near the Sikh temple he led in a Vancouver suburb. Canada’s then-prime minister, Justin Trudeau, publicly accused India of involvement in that assassination, a charge later repeated by Canadian intelligence. India denied the allegations, which chilled t...

Pakistan was identified as the most polluted country in the world in 2025, with levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.

Pakistan was ranked the world’s smoggiest country in 2025, with concentrations of hazardous small particles known as PM2.5 up to 13 times higher than the recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) level, research showed on Tuesday. Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir said in its annual report that 13 countries and territories kept average PM2.5 levels at the WHO standard of less than 5 microgrammes per cubic metre last year, up from seven in 2024. According to the findings of the report, in total, 130 out of 143 monitored countries and territories failed to meet the WHO guideline. Bangladesh and Tajikistan were second and third on the most polluted list. Screengrab showing a partial map of pollution levels in South Asia’s major cities, with the IQAir levels for Faisalabad displayed. — IQAir website Chad, statistically the smoggiest country of 2024, ranked fourth in 2025, but the decline in PM2.5 concentrations last year is likely to be the result of data gaps. Last March, the United States shut down a gl...

The Health Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has warned of strict disciplinary action against medical superintendents of 24 hospitals for alleged violations of financial rules in the procurement of medicines.

More than 70,000 tourist vehicles flocked to Murree during the Eid holidays, reflecting a significant surge in visitors to the popular hill station.

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday initiated a large-scale afforestation campaign titled “Ehsaas Shajar,” planting more than one million saplings simultaneously at hundreds of sites across the province.

WASHINGTON: Journalists at the US government-funded broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) have filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of undermining the outlet’s independence and turning it into a tool for political messaging. The complaint, filed on Monday in the US District Court in Washington, focuses on VOA transmissions to audiences in Iran, China, North Korea, and Kurdish regions, alleging that coverage now reflects White House talking points rather than objective reporting. VOA, established during World War II to showcase press freedom and provide reliable news to populations with limited access to independent journalism, is facing strict internal control. According to the lawsuit, Trump loyalists placed in key editorial positions have directed what is reported, including limiting coverage of civilian casualties from US military actions and requiring pre-approval for all guest appearances on Persian, Kurdish, and Afghan services. The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, defen...

Faisal Karim Kundi, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stated on Monday that Pakistan Day represents the historic point when Muslims of the Subcontinent resolved to secure a separate homeland.