Pakistan

Three Pakistani schools — two in Lahore and one in Quetta — have been shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes 2025, according to a press release issued by the award’s founder, T4 Education, on Wednesday. T4 said in a press release that the five awards are “the world’s most prestigious education prizes” and winners are chosen “by an expert judging academy based on rigorous criteria”. The awards are for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity and Supporting Healthy Lives. Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust Higher Secondary School, Nordic International School from Lahore, and the Beaconhouse College Programme’s Juniper Campus in Quetta are the three shortlisted Pakistani institutions. “All 50 finalist schools across the five prizes will also take part in a public vote, which opened today, to determine the winner of the Community Choice Award,” the press release read. “All six winners will be announced in October.” According to T4, Sanjan Nagar — a charity-run prima...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said situation in the region in the backdrop of Iran-Israel conflict is quite alarming and it poses a serious threat not only to the region, but also to the global peace.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari announced on Tuesday that over 140,000 homes are nearing completion under the provincial government’s flagship “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” scheme.

Two people were killed and one was injured during a shooting incident in Karachi’s Ittehad Town, police said on Wednesday. South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com, “The incident occurred inside a house near Amir Muawiyah Mosque. Police have detained two people from the site of the incident, recovering a 30-bore pistol from there. A woman was being investigated.” DIG Raza added that the exchange of fire occurred due to “personal enmity between the two sides.” According to the preliminary investigation, a man brought a married woman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district to Karachi, he said. “The firing exchange took place after the woman’s husband and brothers arrived at the scene to take her back,” he added. He further said that two people died on the spot and another person, sustaining bullet injuries, was arrested. “The crime scene unit is at the scene and evidence is being collected,” he said, adding that the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the Civil Hospital ...

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false. To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan analysed the flight-tracking image to verify whether the aircraft mentioned actually existed in the US military and whether the mapped locations were accurate. Posts from multiple Indian users on the social media platform X on Tuesday shared an air traffic map claiming that Pakistan is helping the United States in obtaining crucial intelligence on Iran’s sensitive sites amid the conflict with Israel. However, the image is fake with numerous discrepancies. Nearly 80 people, including top army officers, were killed while civilians were among over 300 wounded in Iran as a result of Israel’s strikes on military sites and private residences on June 13. Iran subsequently launched its retaliation with ballistic missiles fired at Israel, and the two countries continued to exchange volleys over the weekend. Tensions have escalated since, with more than 224 Iranians killed and over 1000 injured, m...

Terrorists have blown up a gas pipeline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district which supplied gas to Punjab, police said on Wednesday. Assistant spokesperson to the Lakki Marwar’s district police officer, Qudratullah, said, “The explosion triggered a fire and caused a massive gas leak. The pipeline was attacked in the Torwah seasonal stream area, which provided cover for the perpetrators.” Calling the incident a “major act of sabotage”, Qudratullah added: The khawarij (terrorist) operatives targeted a key gas pipeline from the Bettani Gas Field to Punjab, using explosives to destroy a main section of the line.“ “Soon after the blast, security forces were dispatched to the site and cordoned off the area,” Qudratullah further said, adding that emergency teams had also been mobilised to control the fire and assess the extent of the damage. “Investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those involved in the attack,” he said. “Officials have condemned the incident as an assault on critical national...

At least 18 people have died since Monday as torrential rains lashed parts of India’s western Gujarat, state officials said. Disaster response teams have been deployed to help residents in the south of the state, who are bracing for more heavy monsoon rainfall. “Eighteen people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, while dozens have been rescued across low-lying areas by disaster response teams,” the state government said late on Tuesday. The worst-hit areas included Palitana and Jesar towns, which on Tuesday registered 867 millimetres of rain over the past 24 hours. State relief commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey said the 18 deaths were the result of storms, lightning strikes and structural collapses due to rough weather. “The state is fully geared to handle the situation, and inter-departmental coordination is being intensified to ensure swift relief and rescue operations,” Pandey said. Those rescued included 18 farm labourers who were trapped in mango orchards in the Gadhada area and 22 people in Su...

A ban on smartphones in schools issued by Taliban authorities in southern Afghanistan came into force, students and teachers confirmed to AFP on Wednesday, over concerns of “focus” and “Islamic law”. The directive by the provincial Education Department in Kandahar applies to students, teachers and administrative staff in schools and religious schools. “This decision has been made to ensure educational discipline, focus”, the statement said, adding that it was taken from a “sharia perspective” and that smartphones contribute to “the destruction of the future generation”. The policy, which has already taken effect in schools across the province, has divided opinion among teachers and students. “We did not bring smartphones with us to school today”, Saeed Ahmad, a 22-year-old teacher, told AFP. “I think this is a good decision so that there is more focus on studies,” he added. Mohammad Anwar, an 11th grader, said, “The teachers are saying if anyone is seen bringing a phone, they will start searching the students...

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, on Tuesday received a telephone call from the UK Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon David Lammy MP during which both the leaders expressed deep concerns over the fast deteriorating regional security situation.

The Punjab government has allocated Rs5 billion in the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 to conduct long-awaited local body elections.

The coordinator to the Prime Minister (PM) on Information for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs, Ikhtiar Wali Khan, termed the meeting of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir with United States President (US) Donald Trump as a positive development for Pakistan and the broader region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Wednesday issued a stern warning against hoarding, artificial shortages, and overpricing of essential food items, saying the government will take strict action against such malpractices.

In a significant move to reform Pakistan’s sports sector, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program (PMYP), Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, announced that the era of favoritism in sports is coming to an end.

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Senator Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said that nearly two dozen member nations of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have strongly condemned the recent Israeli aggression against Iran in a joint statement issued yesterday.

A development package of Rs35.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Wednesday reaffirmed the judiciary's commitment to delivering justice and addressing public grievances, stating that ensuring justice for the people is their top priority.

World’s leading international IT companies have expressed interest in investing in Nawaz Sharif IT City project.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firmly rejected U.

A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight successfully repatriated Pakistani nationals who were stranded in Iran due to the ongoing regional tensions and closure of Iranian airspace.

PTI’s parliamentary leader Senator Ali Zafar distanced the party from holding talks with the PPP on boycotting the federal budget voting, saying the fellow party leader Asad Qaiser’s move to do so was in his personal capacity. When asked about the meeting between Qaiser with Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, he said it was the former NA speaker’s “personal choice” and not on the instructions of the party or Imran Khan. “Nothing is official. There is no indication we are heading for an alliance,” he said during an appearance on Dawn News TV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’. Former National Assembly speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser had told Dawn that PPP leader Abdul Qadir Patel, in his speech, said that his party will not support the money bill. He later contacted PPP leader and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and sought support to block the bill. Zafar said Qaiser took an initiative but it is does mean talks were held on a party level but rather between two MNAs. He said the budget is riddled with inaccuracies and seve...