Pakistan

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said that even a year on, India has failed to provide evidence for its allegations against Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack. The April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam saw 26 people, mostly tourists, killed in what is being described as the deadliest armed attack in the disputed Himalayan region since the year 2000. “To this day, India has not presented any solid evidence or proof regarding the Pahalgam incident, nor has it offered satisfactory explanations,” Tarar said in a televised statement issued on the incident’s anniversary. He recalled India’s refusal to accept Pakistan’s offer for a neutral and transparent investigation into the Pahalgam attack, adding that it “raises serious questions and suggests that the incident may have been a false flag operation”. “The false flag operation in Pahalgam reflects a mindset that is hollow — driven by false pride, arrogance and greed,” he contended. “Let me make it very clear that this was the last false flag operation ...

Australia’s internet watchdog raised fears on Wednesday that popular online gaming platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft were being used by “predatory adults” to target children. The nation’s eSafety Commission has sent legal notices to a host of the world’s most popular gaming platforms, demanding they explain how they are working to stamp out dangerous content. Australia is at the forefront of global efforts to protect children from online harm, enacting laws last year that ban teenagers under 16 from social media. eSafety boss Julie Inman Grant said research had shown the vast majority of Australian children played some sort of online game. “Predatory adults know this and target children through grooming or embedding terrorist and violent extremist narrative in gameplay,” she said. Online gaming platforms Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and Steam will be required to show how they are identifying and eliminating online harms, Inman Grant said. “We’ve seen numerous media reports about grooming taking place on a...

• Officials say hundreds of students caught cheating • Board claims 95pc exam centres ‘completely secure’ • Videos of cheating, copying go viral • Political parties concerned over mismanagement KARACHI: As the ongoing matric examinations continue under the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK), multiple incidents of cheating, paper leaks and other irregularities have surfaced in the city, exposing the incompetence of the board which had been claiming a “zero tolerance” against such practices. Videos circulating on social media showed students using mobile phones during examinations at various centres. In Orangi Town, some private schools did not even send their candidates to officially designated centres and instead arranged unauthorised venues with fake permits to facilitate cheating. Footage on social media showed students using mobile phones openly in the presence of invigilators at various centres, with little to no apparent enforcement of examination rules. At several centres, candidates were also ...

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked seven persons, including directors of a biscuit company and a bank official, on charges of money laundering, fraud and tax evasion. According to the FIR, during the course of inquiry conducted by the FIA, CBC Lahore, it transpired that benami bank accounts were opened to evade taxes on sale transactions of billions of rupees and money laundering was also committed. “The benami accounts were opened on the CNICs of Abdullah Maqsood, Arsalan Ahmad and Maqsood Ahmad by banker Mazhar Ejaz and other bank officials. After opening the accounts, sale proceeds worth billions of rupees of M/s Innovative Biscuits Pvt. Ltd. (the company) Lahore, having proprietors Sheikh Munir Hussain and Amir Raza, CEO and directors of the company, were parked initially in a different bank and later on transferred to benami accounts from where cash amounts were withdrawn,” it says. During the probe, the genuine signatures of the account holders were found to be similar with their ...

• Seeks proposals from global consortiums to act as underwriters, lead managers, book runners • Selection based on lowest yield, cost, coupon • Timing of future issuances tied to market conditions ISLAMABAD: A day after raising $750 million through a Eurobond at an interest rate of 6.975 per cent for three years, the government on Tuesday invited bids from international consortiums to act as underwriters, lead managers and book runners for future transactions in global capital markets over the next three years. The bidders would be selected on the basis of the lowest yield, lowest coupon and lowest overall cost, an official said, adding that this would enable the government to raise funds from the global capital markets as and when required and depending on the external financing needs. The three consortiums would be expected to launch Pakistan’s three types of capital market transactions. This would include renewing its Global Medium-Term Note (GMTN) Programme and Sukuk Trust Certificate Issuance (TCI) Progr...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­­tan Telecommunica­tion Company Ltd (PTCL) has returned to profitability after more than four years and plans to formally launch 5G services next month. PTCL and Ufone Chief Executive Hatem Bam­atraf, while announ­cing the group’s financial results for the first quarter (January-March 2026), said revenues had increased by 58 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year. He said the company had faced multiple challenges in recent years, but performance had improved since January following the consolidation of Telenor Pakistan’s financial results into the PTCL Group, supporting growth across fixed broadband, enterprise, wholesale and mobile segments. During the quarter, consolidated operating profit surged by 564pc with the inclusion of Telenor Pakistan, while the group posted a net profit of Rs3.1bn, reversing a net loss of Rs4bn in Q1 2025. Plans to launch 5G next month Mr Bamatraf said the company was entering a new phase of sustainable growth. He added that once the merger be...

Key developments: Trump has announced an extension in the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a “unified proposal”; however, a naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place; JD Vance’s visit to Pakistan ’“not happening today”, says White House official PM Shehbaz thanks Trump for the decision, hopes both sides will be able to conclude “a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled in Islamabad” No immediate official response by Iran on Trump’s announcement; decision by Tehran on participation in expected talks still awaited President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he was extending a ceasefire between the US and Iran until Tehran submitted a “unified proposal” and “discussions are concluded, one way or the other”. “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran un...

Pakistan condemned in “strongest terms” on Tuesday the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound and the raising of Israel’s flag in its courtyard, terming the acts “reprehensible”. The condemnation issued by the Foreign Office said “these reprehensible acts constitute a blatant violation of international law, as well as of the sanctity and inviolability of the holy site. Such provocative steps also risk further escalating tensions in the region”. It stated that the acts of storming and the “raising of the occupying power’s flag” were carried out “by illegal Israeli settlers”. The settlers forced their way into the site through the mosque’s Mughrabi Gate, under heavy police protection, according to an Anadolu reporter. Videos circulating on social media showed occupiers performing Talmudic rituals and prayers aloud, including what is referred to as “epic prostration”, particularly in the eastern area of the compound. Photos shared online also showed two occupiers raising the Israeli flag inside the compound, wi...

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday vowed that, if elected, the party would focus on development in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The remarks come ahead of the GB Assembly elections scheduled for June 7, with other parties also ramping up their preparations. Nawaz made the comments in a televised address to the PML-N’s parliamentary board for GB, where he highlighted past projects launched by the party in the region. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his younger brother, had the “same passion” for developing GB as him, noting that the region had massive potential. The former premier highlighted road projects “worth $60-$65 billion”, adding that “24-hour journeys were reduced to 10 hours”. He recalled facing criticism for having a tunnel constructed in Chitral as it was sparsely populated. Referring to the initiatives undertaken by PM Shehbaz during his time as the Punjab chief minister, and now by his daughter Maryam, Nawaz told the party members: “You should copy it, and all these things should be launched...

The Israeli military on Tuesday said two soldiers would receive 30 days of military detention and be removed from combat duty over the destruction of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon. The decision comes after widespread condemnation of a photo shared online showing an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of the crucifix. The sculpture was located in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel. Publishing the conclusions of an inquiry into the incident, the military said: “The soldier who damaged the Christian symbol and the soldier who photographed the act will be removed from combat duty and will receive 30 days of military detention”. It said six additional soldiers who “were present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it” had been summoned for “clarification discussions”. Israel has conducted airstrikes across Lebanon and invaded the country’s south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war on March 2. The fightin...

ISLAMABAD - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) received $1 billion from the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, marking the second tranche of a $3 billion deposit agreed recently.

Islamabad - Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Tuesday that the Pakistan Muslim League-N has an unmatched record of development and public service in Gilgit-Baltistan.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday gave in-principle approval to further streamline the Public- Private Partnership Authority (P3A) and its related system to accelerate development projects through PPP in the country.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday intensified its diplomatic outreach on the evolving United States-Iran situation, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar leading a series of high-level engagements aimed at sustaining dialogue and preventing further escalation.

ISLAMABAD - The US president late Tuesday issued a new statement on Truth Social:“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has granted in-principle approval for the launch of the “Chief Minister Punjab Disease Prevention Programme,” aimed at curbing the spread of major diseases across the province.

Downing Street on Tuesday denied a claim from a former official that it had applied pressure on civil servants to approve the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington and seemed to dismiss security concerns. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer remained mired in a scandal over his decision to appoint Mandelson as Britain’s envoy to the United States before sacking him last year over links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Olly Robbins, the most senior foreign ministry official until he was fired last week over the scandal, told MPs on Tuesday that Starmer’s office had a “dismissive attitude” towards the security vetting for its US envoy pick. There was a “very strong expectation … coming from Number 10 (Downing Street) that he (Mandelson) needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible”, Robbins told a watchdog parliamentary committee. “My office, the foreign secretary’s office, were under constant pressure, there was an atmosphere of constant chasing.” A Downing...

Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Tuesday, discussed the latest regional developments and emphasized the importance of dialogue and engagement for achieving lasting peace and stability.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hassan Waqar Cheema refuted on Tuesday a notification that claimed a local holiday had been announced in the garrison city for April 22 (Wednesday). “This notification circulating on social media is fake,” the DC said on X, sharing a photo of the order, which stated that he had declared a “local holiday in the territorial jurisdiction of Rawalpindi on April 22”. Dismissing it, the DC urged the public “to rely only on official sources for authentic information”. On Sunday, Islamabad DC Irfan Nawaz Memon also dismissed as fake a notification announcing that all public and private offices in the federal capital and Rawalpindi would remain closed from April 20 until further notice. The developments take place as authorities take several measures in anticipation of hosting US-Iran talks in Islamabad. In Rawalpindi, some roads have been closed, and many universities and schools have also been shut while others remain open.

The Cabinet Division of Pakistan has directed all federal offices situated in the Red Zone to operate under a work-from-home policy on April 22.