Pakistan

Rallies in Peshawar, Swabi, Shangla, DI Khan, Mardan back Kashmiris' right to self-determination

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) on Thursday said it was increasingly “alarmed” by reports of AI-generated sexualised images involving children, calling on governments and the AI industry to prevent the creation and dissemination of such content. In a statement, the UN agency said, “The harm from deepfake abuse is real and urgent. Children cannot wait for the law to catch up.” “Deepfakes — images, videos, or audio generated or manipulated with Artificial Intelligence designed to look real — are increasingly being used to produce sexualised content involving children through ‘nudification,’ where AI tools are used to strip or alter clothing in photos to create fabricated nude or sexualised images,” Unicef said in its statement. It added that the “unprecedented” situation presented new challenges for “prevention, education, legal frameworks, and response and support services for children”. But, current prevention efforts were “insufficient when sexual content can be artificially generated”,...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to travel to Germany from February 13 to 15 to take part in the Munich Security Conference, officials revealed.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa apex committee has termed “consultation, cooperation and coordination” with the federal government and all political parties “essential” for the success of a comprehensive counter-terrorism policy, it emerged on Thursday. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi chaired his first meeting of the provincial apex committee since assuming office on Wednesday. The panel discussed the “general rise in terrorism incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and an action plan to eradicate the menace of Fitna-al-Khawarij and establish complete peace and stability”, as per a press release issued by the KP CM’s office today. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). During the meeting, the press release said, the committee agreed that “joint consultation, mutual cooperation, and practical coordination between all political parties, public representatives, and the federal government is essential for the success of a comprehensive counter-terrorism...

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has emphasized that citizens are free to express their views through protests and rallies, but stressed that this right does not extend to obstructing public roads.

Indian police said on Thursday that an investigation had been launched into the suspected suicide of three young sisters over concerns that they were heavily “influenced” by online games and movies that they were later denied access to. Local media reported the sisters — aged 12, 14 and 16 — had jumped from their home on Wednesday in the city of Ghaziabad on the outskirts of New Delhi. Concern among experts and regulators has grown in recent years that too much screen time and addictive algorithms are harming child development, sparking authorities, including in India, to push for social media bans for children and teens. “[An] investigation is underway based on the suicide note and their phones,” Nimish Patil, a senior police official, told AFP on Thursday. Police in India routinely investigate the factors leading up to suspected suicides. The sisters had been “denied access” to K-Pop music and Korean games and movies that they had previously played and watched online. “They were influenced by Korean culture...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering moral, diplomatic and political support for the people of Kashmir, reiterating their fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination as guaranteed by relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for a two-day state visit, where he was warmly received by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Nur Khan Airbase.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday announced the allocation of 3–5 acres of state land to underprivileged citizens under the government’s new initiative, Apna Khait, Apna Rozgar, aimed at providing sustainable livelihoods and promoting inclusive development across Punjab.

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars announced on Thursday that it had directly signed Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for PSL’s 11th edition, spending over Rs60 million. “Our Bangladeshi brother, Mustafizur, picked in 2016 and 2018, is now our direct signing and finally back with the family. Once a Qalandar, always a Qalandar. “Amount spent on DS: PKR6.44 crore,” the announcement on Lahore Qalandar’s X account said. Mustafizur had registered for the PSL in early January, following his release from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 30-year-old left-arm pacer, known for his variations and death-over bowling, was acquired by KKR for INR 9.20 crore in the IPL mini-auction held in December. He was the only Bangladesh player signed for the season. KKR announced his release after receiving instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision came amid strained relations between India and Bangla­desh, linked to reports of a...

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif said she will comply with genetic testing requirements as long as the tests are conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to be able to participate in competitions. Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Games in 2024 amid a gender dispute over her eligibility, after the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her from the 2023 World Championships based on sex chromosome tests. World Boxing, which will oversee boxing competitions in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC, last May announced mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions. Khelif, who lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over World Boxing’s decision barring her from events unless she undergoes genetic sex testing, said she would only undergo the testing if it is administered by the IOC. “Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions,” Khel...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Wednesday condemned India’s actions in Kashmir, saying New Delhi forcibly revoked the region’s constitutional status and subjected its people to decades of oppression.

Kasim Khan, son of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has alleged that he and his brother are being prevented from traveling to Pakistan to meet their father due to deliberate government obstruction of their visa requests.

Gold and silver prices fell sharply in a broader market selloff on Thursday, as an advance in the dollar to a near two-week high and signs of easing US-China trade tensions added further pressure on the precious metals. Spot gold declined 2.5 per cent to $4,838.81 per ounce, as of 05:35am GMT (10:35am PST), retreating from a near one-week high hit earlier in the session. US gold futures for April delivery dropped 1.9pc to$4,855.60 per ounce. “The dollar received a new lease of life with the (Kevin) Warsh nomination (as Federal Reserve chief), and the currency has been able to keep making forward progress … traders are more circumspect now on gold in light of recent extreme volatility,” Tim Waterer, KCM chief trade analyst, said. The dollar rose to a near two-week high on Thursday, making greenback-priced gold more expensive for other currency holders. “Sentiment (has) turned soggy across most asset classes, including precious metals, cryptocurrencies and regional equities, with losses feeding into one another...

The last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States expired Thursday, abruptly ending decades of restrictions on how many warheads the two top powers can deploy and triggering fears of a global arms race. New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), signed during a warmer period of relations, ended with the turn of the calendar to February 5, with US President Donald Trump not following up on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the treaty’s limits for one year. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it a “grave moment for international peace and security” and urged Washington and Moscow to head quickly to the negotiating table. “For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States of America,” Guterres said in a statement, which considered the treaty over at midnight GMT or 7pm in New York. “This dissolution of decades of achievement could not c...

Security forces have concluded Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1 in Balochistan, killing 216 militants during a series of coordinated, intelligence-based operations carried out across multiple districts, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Pakistan’s principled and unwavering support for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, saying the country would continue to stand by them until the realization of their legitimate aspirations.

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Pakistan must create up to 30 million jobs over the next decade to turn its youth bulge into an economic dividend or risk instability and outward migration, World Bank President Ajay Banga has stressed. Pakistan is entering the implementation phase of a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) deal agreed with the World Bank last year, while also working with the International Monetary Fund to stabilise its economy. But Islamabad is still facing mounting pressure to deliver sustained growth and jobs. “We’re trying to move the bank group as a whole from the idea of projects to the idea of outcomes,” Banga said in an interview with Reuters in Karachi during a visit to Pakistan this week. “Job creation is the North Star.” ‘Generational challenge’ Pakistan needs to generate 2.5m to 3m jobs a year — roughly 25m to 30m over the next decade — as millions of young people come of age, Banga said. Failure to do so could fuel “illegal migration or domestic instability”. Banga said Pakistan’s population dynamics mean ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday called on the international community to take decisive action to address the worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and to hold India accountable for its illegal and unilateral actions.