Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday apologised to power consumers for higher than promised “load management” arising out of lower water availability for power generation. In a statement, the Power Division said it was “apologising for the additional load management necessitated by reduced hydropower availability”. A spokesman for the Power Division also urged consumers to conserve electricity, particularly during nighttime hours, and to adopt energy-saving practices. The statement followed complaints from various parts of the country about excessive loadshedding on Tuesday, instead of only 2.25 hours promised a day earlier in an effort to avoid an increase in electricity prices. The power ministry reported a temporary increase in load management and attributed it to a sharp decline in hydropower generation during peak hours last night, which it said strained the electricity supply and widened the demand-supply gap. “Hydropower production dropped by 1,991 megawatts during the night, contributing to a total ...

North Korea is showing a “very serious increase” in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday on a visit to Seoul. The diplomatically isolated north is believed to operate multiple facilities for enriching uranium, a key step in making nuclear warheads, South Korea’s spy agency has said. They include one at the Yongbyon nuclear site, which Pyongyang purportedly decommissioned after talks but later reactivated in 2021. “In our periodic assessments, we have been able to confirm that there’s a rapid increase in the operations” of the Yongbyon reactor, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in Seoul. The agency also observed a rise in operations at Yongbyon’s reprocessing unit and light-water reactor, as well as the activation of other facilities, Grossi said. “All that points to a very serious increase in the capabilities of (the) Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the area of nuclear weapons production, which i...

The Punjab government has prepared a plan to reduce fines for traffic violations across the province, with formal approval expected after it is presented before the provincial assembly.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has met with the United States’ commerce secretary to discuss ways to boost bilateral economic partnership and briefed an International Monetary Fund (IMF) official about the Middle East conflict’s economic impact on Pakistan, the finance ministry said on Wednesday. Aurangzeb arrived in Washington on Monday to represent Pakistan at the World Bank Group and IMF Spring Meetings 2026. During his visit, the finance czar was expected to participate in over 50 high-level engagements from April 13 to 18. In a series of posts on Wednesday, the finance ministry said that Aurangzeb has held multiple meetings, given an address and taken part in a panel discussion while there. The finance minister met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington, DC, where “both sides discussed avenues for deepening bilateral economic partnership, with a focus on enhancing trade, promoting investment flows, and facilitating private-sector engagement”. The ministry added that they also dis...

Reaffirming its consistent policy, Pakistan has called for the abolition or severe restriction of the veto power and strongly opposed any expansion of permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The stance was expressed by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, at a resumed session of the long-running Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) aimed at reforming the 15-member UNSC. “Pakistan’s policy position remains clear and consistent — veto should either be abolished or, at a minimum, its use by the current permanent members severely restricted,” Ambassador Ahmad stated. He expressed Pakistan’s firm opposition to “any expansion of the veto or addition of new individual permanent members”, contending that more vetoes would only aggravate the problem. “This is a position of principle,” he said, noting that Pakistan aligned itself with the statement delivered by the permanent representative of Italy on behalf of the Uniting for Consensus Group. The UN...

Chairing a weekly review meeting on the affairs of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the prime minister was briefed on a report prepared by a committee headed by Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera.

The electricity crisis has intensified across the country, with all power distribution companies (DISCOs) witnessing a sharp increase in loadshedding amid a growing supply-demand gap.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday announced a special subsidy programme for farmers to mitigate the adverse impact of the global energy crisis. According to an official announcement, farmers owning less than 12 acres of land will be eligible for the subsidy. Eligible farmers can register for three easy subsidy packages through the Pakistan Asaan Khidmat application. Farmers can enrol in the programme by uploading their personal and other relevant information, along with documentary evidence, on the application. Meanwhile, a senior official told Dawn that the government would provide a subsidy of Rs1,500 per acre to farmers owning less than 12 acres of land. The amount, he said, will be transferred directly into farmers’ bank accounts or through mobile wallets such as JazzCash and Easypaisa. On April 3, the federal government announced targeted relief measures for motorcyclists, small farmers and transporters. Punjab reported that more than one million farmers now hold Kissan Cards, and that total...

An Indian national was charged with the alleged sexual assault of a woman on a Perth-bound flight, Australian media reported on Wednesday. The 52-year-old man, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Western Australia Police, committed “non-consensual sexual acts” on a woman seated next to him on the flight on Monday, which was headed from Singapore to Perth, News.com.au reported. According to the Australian Federal Police, the woman was moved to another seat after she complained to staff. At the same time, the suspect was monitored throughout the flight, the report said, adding that the staff also alerted the police. The suspect was escorted off the plane upon landing at the Perth Airport. The 52-year-old man was charged with “one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of an act of indecency without consent”, News.com.au reported. The suspect has been remanded in custody ahead of a court appearance on Friday, the report said, adding that the incident was being investiga...

Muhammad Aurangzeb has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) scheme, highlighting its resilience and importance for attracting overseas investment.

Shehbaz Sharif is set to embark on a four-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey from Wednesday, as Pakistan intensifies diplomatic engagement ahead of a possible second round of US-Iran peace talks.

China’s President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, Chinese state media said, as a string of leaders of countries impacted by the Middle East war flock to Beijing. Lavrov joins Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnam’s President To Lam in meeting with Xi this week. The Russian diplomat told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the Iran war. Xi, meanwhile, has sought to position China as a mediator and stable partner in the face of the US- and Israeli-led conflict. Xi told Abu Dhabi’s crown prince on Tuesday that China would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace talks in the Middle East. In talks with Spain’s Sanchez, Xi warned that the world was facing “chaos and turmoil” and “a contest between justice and force”, urging closer cooperation. The Spanish prime minister, meanwhile, welcome...

US President Donald Trump, whose war and immigration policies have been condemned by Pope Leo, reiterated his criticism of the religious leader on Tuesday night. In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.” The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Iran does not have nuclear weapons while the US does. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. While Western countries have long believed that Iran wants a nuclear bomb — or at least the ability to make one very quickly — Tehran has always denied that, citing its membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Trump’s comments come after Pope Leo warned earlier in the day of the risk of democra...

King Charles III will give a landmark address to the US Congress on his first state visit this month, marking “shared history” and deep ties, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday. Making his first state visit to the US as monarch from April 27, Charles will address lawmakers from both chambers, accompanied by Queen Camilla, the royal communications team said. Buckingham Palace said the four-day visit would “recognise the shared history of our two nations” as well as the “breadth” of current ties, with “deep people-to-people connections”. The king had faced calls from some British politicians for his US trip to be cancelled or delayed amid open disagreements between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the Iran war. Starmer on Monday insisted the “very important” visit would go ahead, saying bonds built by the monarchy can “reach through the decades in a situation like this”. US President Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social platform that the visit “will be TERRIFIC”. US Speaker Mike Johnson ann...

Saudi Arabia has pledged an additional $3 billion in deposits for Pakistan and has extended its existing $5bn facility for a further three years, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced in Washington. Pakistan will reportedly return a $3.5bn loan to the UAE this month, putting pressure on its reserves and risking breaches of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme targets. He added that the existing $5bn Saudi deposit would no longer be subject to the previous annual rollover arrangement and would instead be extended for a longer term. The finance minister made the announcement while speaking to media representatives in Washington, DC, on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings 2026, where he shared key details on Saudi financial support for Pakistan and the government’s external financing strategy. According to the finance czar, the support from the kingdom comes at a “critical time” for Pakistan’s external financing needs and would help “reinforce foreign exchange reserves and stre...

The federal government has announced a nationwide crackdown on the sale of illegal cigarettes, stepping up efforts to curb the growing illicit tobacco market in Pakistan.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted mainly dry and hot weather across most parts of Pakistan over the next 24 hours.

Donald Trump has indicated that negotiations with Iran could resume in Pakistan within the next two days, raising hopes for renewed diplomatic engagement amid escalating tensions.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks between Washington and Tehran could resume over the next two days and that “we’re more inclined to go” to Pakistan, reported The New York Post. “You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump said. “It’s more likely, you know why? Because the Field Marshal is doing a great job. He’s fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there,“ he told The NY Post. “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?” This was after he earlier told the US media outlet that discussions were “happening, but, you know, a little bit slow”, before indicating that a second round of direct negotiations would likely happen somewhere in Europe. According to The NY Post, he contacted them half an hour later and told their reporter to stay in Islamabad “because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there”. He also confir...

ISLAMABAD: Amid fuel constraints, the government on Tuesday formally announced more than two hours of daily loadshedding “during peak hours” to prevent a sharp increase in electricity tariffs. However, K-Electric and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) are excluded from the loadshedding plan, the Power Division said. “The government has decided to suspend the electricity supply for about 2.25 hours daily between 5:00pm and 1:00am,” the Power Division said in a statement. “This step is aimed at reducing the use of costly fuels and preventing a sharp rise in tariffs,” it added. This stems from the suspension of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports following the force majeure declared by Qatar due to attacks on its gas field amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Qatar is the main LNG supplier to Pakistan under two long-term contracts envisaging up to 1,000 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). The Power Division said it was capable of meeting full demand but this had negative consequences. “The main challenge at pr...