Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday in a case wherein he has been accused of making misleading statements against state institutions and tarnishing their reputation. The case has been registered with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah presided over the case’s proceedings and observed that the KP chief minister had failed to appear before the court despite being summoned. Subsequently, he ordered the Afridi’s arrest and directed relevant authorities to produce him before the court. The case’s hearing was adjourned till February 10. The court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Afridi in the case at a previous hearing on January 4 as well over his repeated absences. During that hearing, Judge Shah had observed that the CM repeatedly ignored summons and remained absent from proceedings without any lawful ...

United States President Donald Trump’s newly formed “Board of Peace” on Wednesday announced 26 countries designated as founding members of the initiative, including Pakistan. A week after Trump formally introduced the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the body launched an official account on the social media platform X. A post on Wednesday said that the Board “welcomes Pakistan as a founding member of our growing international organisation”. The list of founding members also includes Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, spanning the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caucasus. Notably absent from the list are major European countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, amid sharp disagreements with Trump on issues including Greenla...

KARACHI: A seven-year-old boy was killed on Wednesday when a truck ran him over in Korangi’s Mehran Town area. According to a statement by the traffic police, the truck driver was reversing the vehicle when he ran over the boy. The statement said the boy died on the spot while the driver fled the scene along with the heavy vehicle. It added that the driver was a resident of the same area and had intially parked the truck outside his home. The statement said that “carelessly driving the vehicle”, the driver killed the son of his neighbour. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities. In December, the Sindh government banned the daytime movement of heavy traffic vehicles in Karachi for two months as the city had witnessed a steep increase in traffic accidents, with many resulting from collisions with heavy vehicles such as dumper trucks and water tankers. Earlier this month, in an effort to keep slow-moving freight vehicles from mingling with faster passenger traffic, th...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Wednesday blamed statements by the PTI-led provincial government for the recent evacuation of residents from Tirah Valley in the province’s Khyber district. The federal and provincial governments have recently traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of a planned military action against terrorists. Speaking to reporters in Khyber’s Bara tehsil — where families displaced from Tirah have arrived — Kundi noted that while there was typically around 20 per cent “migration” during winters, it was between 50 to 60pc this year. “It is 50 to 60pc this time because statements were repeatedly made that perhaps an operation will be conducted in Tirah, so people vacated [their homes].” “In my opinion, people are suffering today due to the failure and weakness of our province’s government,” he said. The governor noted that the KP government had issued a “barrage of statements and compelled these peop...

The last year was supposed to be the one in which Pakistan were supposed to redefine their approach towards Twenty20 cricket. It didn’t come. Despite the promises of more aggression with the bat and the subsequent change in personnel, the team scored at just 127.47 – more than a run (1.37 to be precise) slower than the year before. There was a record for the most wins in a calendar year — 21 — but 18 of those had come against lower-ranked or weaker sides in Bangladesh, West Indies, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The attempted reinvention — that brought in new captain and head coach — focused towards ensuring Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign this year does not look similar to 2024, when they were knocked out in just the group stage following embarrassing defeats to the United States and India. There are some positives though. Pakistan look more settled as a team with the roles for each player well defined as the selectors and team management have persisted with the same core for the last 10 m...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed threats to attack Iran, saying “time is running out” to make a deal on nuclear weapons, after Tehran rejected talks. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out,” the US leader said in a social media post, noting that “a massive armada is heading to Iran.” “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!” The dialling up of threats came after Iran’s top diplomat said the country would not come to the table under the shadow of military action. “Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in televised comments on Wednesday. “If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues.” Trump has repe...

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking student union elections at the University of Karachi (KU) and imposed a Rs10,000 fine on the petitioners for frivolous litigation. A two-member SHC bench, presided over by Justice Adnanul Karim Memon and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, heard a petition filed in May 2024. During the hearing, Justice Memon questioned the need for lifting the ban on student unions and remarked, “Education is already in ruins, why do you want to make it worse? “What is the purpose and benefit of a student union?” the judge asked the petitioners’ counsel, Advocate Usman Farooq. At this, the lawyer replied that a student union’s purpose was to provide representation to students in policy-making. “Just as there are labour unions at factories, do students now want to threaten their vice-chancellors?” Justice Memon remarked. Noting that the case file had documents dating back to 2021, he inquired whether the petitioners were still students. The bench then announced ...

KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Wednesday expressed hope that the main corridor of the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Karachi’s University Road would be completed by March. “Our effort is to complete the main corridor on University Road — where there is heavy public movement and where citizens face difficulties — by March,” said the senior minister while speaking to the media in the metropolis. “The remaining BRT work will continue, including bridges, underpasses, and U-turns,” he added. He further said the condition of the main thoroughfare and its adjoining routes is now “far better than before”. “Wherever the roads appear damaged, it is only because development work is currently under way,” he added. Referring to the lack of construction activity, he maintained that the provincial government was not at fault, as there were “some serious issues at the national level”, adding that with an increase in the exchange rate, the project’s cost ballooned. He added that the Sindh Transport Depa...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with a Gates Foundation delegation led by its President for Global Development, Chris Elias, to review Pakistan’s polio eradication campaign and ongoing cooperation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the resolve to completely eradicate polio from the country, state-run Radio Pakistan said on Wednesday. According to the report, he made the remarks while speaking to Gates Foundation Global Development President Chris Elias in Islamabad. “The government is implementing a comprehensive strategy and taking practical actions with an effective team,” the report quoted him as saying. The premier also expressed deep gratitude for the collaboration of Bill Gates and Saudi Arabia in the fight against polio, it said. It stated that despite significant progress in the fight against polio, PM Shehbaz emphasised that emergency measures were “still necessary”. According to Radio Pakistan, PM Shehbaz said, “The federal government is working in full coordination with the provinces to ensure the accessibility of polio teams throughout the country under an effective strategy.” “He said relevant projects under the Public Sector Development Programme for the polio eradication campai...

A district and sessions court in Islamabad has closed two cases related to the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ against the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

BAJAUR: A man was killed in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in War Mamund tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday, according to police. Police and local residents said the explosion occurred near Zaga Deri Sewi bazaar, leaving a man seriously injured. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Niaz Muhammad told Dawn that the victim, identified as 47-year-old Najibullah, died while being transported to the Khar District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. He said the IED was planted by unidentified miscreants. The DSP added that a team of police personnel from the War Mamund police station, led by Station House Officer (SHO) Aslam Khan, had rushed to the spot and launched a search operation for the terrorists involved in the incident. He further said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the blast and identify those were responsible for it. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp esca...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has reaffirmed her government’s commitment to accelerating work on development projects and ensuring improved public service delivery across the province.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) is reportedly considering a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16.

The Australian cricket team arrived in Lahore on Wednesday for its T20I tour of Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup in February. This is the third time Australia are touring Pakistan; they played a three-match Test and an ODI series in March-April 2022, followed by a solitary T20I where they bagged a close three-wicket win at Gaddafi Stadium. Australia also played three of their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. All three matches are scheduled to take place at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1, PCB said in a statement. Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh praised Pakistan’s team and said Australia was excited about the challenge of playing them on home soil in preparation for the World Cup. “Pakistan’s got a great history of fast bowlers, so no doubt that we’re looking forward to that challenge,” Marsh said in response to a question. “Especially Shaheen: he’s an amazing bowler and it’s going to be a great challenge ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Wednesday stressed the need to enhance Pakistan’s engagement with UN bodies dealing with information technology and telecommunications through a coordinated approach among all stakeholders.

Fifth seed Elena Rybakina booked her place in the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday with a dominant second-set display to hand six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek a 7-5 6-1 defeat at Melbourne Park. Looking to lift the trophy for the first time, the 28-year-old will take on American Jessica Pegula for a place in Saturday’s final. Rybakina fired 11 aces and 26 winners as she ended Swiatek’s career Grand Slam bid on Rod Laver Arena, winning eight of the last nine games to underline her authority. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek. —Reuters ‘Really pleased with the win,’ said Rybakina. ‘We know each other pretty well and I was just trying to stay aggressive. ‘I feel like in the first set for both of us the first serve wasn’t working so we were trying to step in on the second serve to put pressure on each other. ‘I think in the second I just started to play more free, serve better and I’m really happy with the win.’ Swiatek had ma...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to completely eradicate polio with the continued support of trusted partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mari Energies Limited has announced a successful gas discovery at the Tibri-1 exploratory well in the Kalchas South Block, located in Dera Bugti district of Balochistan.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday stressed that the development of the country’s mineral sector “cannot happen without strategic partners”, particularly China. Pakistan’s mineral wealth is estimated at $8 trillion, spread across 600,000 square kilometres and comprising 92 identified minerals, 52 of which are commercially extracted, according to an estimate by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA). He made the remarks while addressing the Pak-China Mineral Cooperation Forum in Islamabad. Noting the scale of Pakistan’s mineral wealth, the minister highlighted the gap between the sector’s potential and performance, stating that the “gap is a result of structural constraints”. He maintained that the mineral sector’s “transformation” was dependent on “strategic partners”, terming China’s role “central” in the matter. “Chinese enterprises bring advanced expertise to the entire mining value chain, including geological surveying, modern extraction techniques, mineral processing,...