Pakistan

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)’s benchmark index KSE-100 gained over 959.09 points on Tuesday amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty. KSE-100 gained 959.09 points or 0.56 per cent to close at 173,155.79 from the previous close of 172,196.70 points. The KSE-100 rose to an intraday high of 175,298.11 at around 10:27am, then declined to an intraday low of 172,837.79 points at 3:17pm, before settling at 173,155.79. Trading began on a positive note, with the index gaining as many as 3,100 points, before slipping slightly while remaining in the green. According to Topline Securities, the stock market witnessed a “highly volatile session” amid “mounting geopolitical uncertainty”. “Market participants remained fixated on the anticipated second round of negotiations between the US and Iran, expected to commence in Pakistan, while conflicting signals and rising tensions kept sentiment on edge,” Topline Securities said in its daily market review. However, it added that “despite the jittery backdrop, the benchmark ind...

Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR is ready to supply liquefied ​natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan as soon ‌as it receives a request from Islamabad, the company told Reuters on Tuesday, ​as Islamabad seeks spot cargoes to ​ease a growing energy shortfall. SOCAR said a ⁠framework agreement signed in 2025 ​between SOCAR Trading and Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) allows ​the Pakistani buyer to purchase LNG cargoes directly under an accelerated procedure. “SOCAR is ready to ​provide LNG to Pakistan as ​soon as PLL submits a corresponding request,” the ‌company ⁠said in response to Reuters questions. SOCAR did not say whether such a request had already been made, when a ​first delivery ​could ⁠take place, or whose LNG would be supplied under the ​agreement. Pakistan, which relies heavily on ​gas ⁠for its energy needs, remains vulnerable to declining domestic production and swings ⁠in ​global LNG prices amid ​the supply disruptions related to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Facing criticism over loadshedding even before t...

ISLAMABAD:  Around 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods in Pakistan, according to an assessment conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO — a specialised United Nations agency — announced on Tuesday that it had undertaken an employment and livelihoods loss assessment for 14 of the worst-affected districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the ILO, the assessment showed that the majority of employment losses and disruptions were borne by the nine flood-affected districts in Punjab. It further indicated that rural areas accounted for nearly 78 per cent of the total estimated employment losses, with agriculture emerging as the most affected sector, followed by services and industry. According to the statement, the assessment was in support of the review and validation by the Preliminary Assessment of 2025 Flood Damages, a collective exercise supported by the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, European Union, and the World Bank, with the United Natio...

Two exciting fixtures are lined up today (Tuesday) in Pakistan Super League Season 11, with matches taking place in Lahore and Karachi.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has granted in-principle approval to further streamline and integrate the Public-Private Partnership Authority and its system to accelerate development projects through public-private collaboration.

Air travel between Pakistan and Gulf countries has experienced significant disruptions, with 45 flights temporarily rescheduled or cancelled across major airports.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday said the government was actively pursuing a diversified capital markets strategy, aimed at strengthening external buffers and ensuring sustainable financing. He made the remarks during a meeting with European Union (EU) Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis, the finance ministry said in a post on the social media platform X. The minister underscored Pakistan’s steady return to macroeconomic stability and renewed engagement with international capital markets, highlighting “growing investor confidence and the government’s commitment to a structured and forward-looking economic reform agenda”. “He noted that Pakistan has recently re-entered international capital markets after a four-year hiatus through a privately placed Eurobond transaction, which witnessed strong investor interest and was successfully upsized,” the ministry said. It added that Aurangzeb emphasised that “this milestone reflects improving economic fundamentals and signals a positive trajectory f...

China’s ambassador to Pakistan has reaffirmed Beijing’s “full support” for Islamabad’s efforts to facilitate peace talks between the United States and Iran, underscoring the importance of dialogue for regional stability.

A major urban development plan has been approved for the federal capital, including the construction of a new park spanning over 1,000 acres at the foothills of the Margalla Hills.

The Pakistan Navy has successfully conducted a test of its indigenously developed air-to-surface cruise missile, “Taimoor”, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong called on Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Tuesday, with discussions centring on the latest regional developments amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.

The Pakistan Navy conducted a successful test of the indigenously developed ‘Taimoor’ air-launched cruise missile, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the “Pakistan Navy has conducted successful live weapon firing of Taimoor air-launched cruise missile — an indigenously developed Anti-Ship Weapon System — in a powerful demonstration of precision strike capability and operational readiness”. ISPR said that the cruise missile “executed its mission with exceptional precision, validating Pakistan Navy’s combat capability to detect, target and decisively neutralise enemy sea-based threats at extended ranges”. @dawn.today The Pakistan Navy conducted a successful test of the indigenously developed ‘Taimoor’ air-launched cruise missile, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the “Pakistan Navy has conducted successful live weapon firing of Taimoor air-launched cruise missile — an indigenously developed...

As springtime temperatures rise in Gaza, a surge in rats, fleas and other pests has compounded the misery of hundreds of thousands of displaced people still living in tents after more than two years of war. With meagre shelter and almost no sanitation, Palestinians told AFP the vermin are invading their makeshift homes, biting children and contaminating food, in what aid agencies warned was a growing public health threat. “My children have been bitten. One of my sons was even bitten on the nose,” said Muhammad al-Raqab, a displaced Palestinian man living in a tent near the southern city of Khan Yunis. “I am unable to sleep through the night because I must constantly watch over the children,” the 32-year-old construction worker, originally from Bani Shueila, told AFP. With shelters erected directly on soft sand by the Mediterranean Sea, rodents can easily burrow under tent walls and wreak havoc inside, where people have established makeshift pantries and kitchens. “The rodents have eaten through my tent,” Raqa...

Around 7,900 people died or disappeared on migration routes in 2025, taking the total dead and missing since 2014 beyond 80,000, the United Nations’ migration agency said on Tuesday. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said people were being forced into dangerous, irregular journeys when safe pathways were out of reach, and urged countries to find the political will to save more lives on migration routes. “The deaths or disappearance of nearly 7,900 people were documented on global migration routes worldwide in 2025,” the IOM said. The IOM’s Missing Migrants Project “has documented more than 80,000 deaths and disappearances during migration since 2014”, the agency said. “While these figures represent only the lowest boundary of the true number of affected people, they nonetheless underscore the need for urgent action to end migrant deaths and address the complex needs of families left behind,” said the IOM. The IOM said the 7,904 deaths and disappearances documented in 2025 “mark a continu...

A man died in police custody in Nawabshah, with his family alleging that he was tortured to death, while police claimed he died by suicide.

• US team heading to Islamabad today; Iran also ‘considering’ sending negotiators • Trump extends ceasefire by a day, says further extension ‘highly unlikely’ • Pezeshkian criticises ‘bitter, contradictory’ messages from US; Iran speaker says engaged in talks but also ready for ‘necessary measures’ • PM Shehbaz, European Council president stress continuation of dialogue; Dar speaks to Iranian, Australian counterparts • Xi tells Saudi crown prince ‘normal traffic’ thru Hormuz must be maintained • Moscow hopes talks will continue; Macron denounces Hormuz blockade • Unprecedented security deployment in Islamabad ahead of expected talks ISLAMABAD/WASH­IN­GTON: With the ceasefire between Iran and the US set to expire tomorrow (Wednesday), a US delegation is expected to head to Islamabad today (Tuesday), while Tehran also appeared open to sending its team for the second round of peace talks. CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance and other top US officials were expected to depart for Islamabad on Tuesday, while ...

The Punjab government has decided to launch a province-wide public awareness campaign aimed at preventing deadly diseases, with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif set to personally lead the initiative.

Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons. The move aimed at strengthening Japan’s defence industrial base marks another step away from the pacifist restraints that have shaped its postwar security policy. It has been made in tandem with efforts to deepen ties with other nations in Asia to counter China’s growing regional influence. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are also straining US weapons production, expanding opportunities for Japan. At the same time, US allies in Europe and Asia are looking to diversify suppliers as Washington’s long-held security commitments look less certain under President Donald Trump. “No single country can now protect its own peace and security alone, and partner countries that support each other in terms of defence equipment are necessary,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X. While countries suc...

A major development has surfaced in the case of two minor sisters from Sadiqabad who were found abandoned in Karachi, as the initial post-mortem report has ruled out any signs of sexual assault.

A total of 5,250 government-sponsored Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Madinah so far on 21 flights, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.