Pakistan

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has announced scheduled maintenance on an international submarine cable, warning of potential internet disruptions across the country.

President Asif Ali Zardari has emphasized the need to remove administrative bottlenecks, ensure transparency, and facilitate investors to accelerate the execution of development projects.

Saudi Arabia has introduced stricter labour regulations for foreign nationals seeking employment in the Kingdom, marking a significant policy shift aimed at improving workplace discipline.

The first Hajj flight from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore is scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia on April 18, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Monday.

• Households hit hard by outages as residents rush to eateries and LPG shops • Muttahida, PTI slam SSGC for failing to ensure supply during scheduled hours • Gas utility denies disruption, claims proper gas supply ensured ‘throughout meal times’ • Says optimal supply being ensured to power and fertilizer sectors KARACHI: The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has failed to ensure supply even during meal hours three times a day, leaving people across Karachi helpless and fuming amid unannounced gas cuts. The SSGC claimed that it was providing gas to domestic consumers from 6am to 10:30pm without any interruption. However, over the past two weeks, Karachiites have been complaining about unannounced loadshedding in their localities. The disruption led to a frenzy, with many rushing out to eateries and LPG stations in search of alternative cooking options. Restaurants and eateries, including roadside snack vendors, were seen crowded in several parts of the city with long queues, mostly for roti and naan. “It was cha...

KARACHI: The government and Google have launched a joint initiative, ‘AI Seekho 2026’, to equip Pakistan’s youth with artificial intelligence skills through vibe coding. To accelerate the country’s transition into a global digital economy, Google for Developers, in strategic collaboration with the information technology and telecommunication ministry, Telenor and Innovista, has announced the launch of AI Seekho 2026. This nationwide initiative aims to equip developers and young professionals with cutting-edge artificial intelligence capabilities, entirely free of financial barriers. Multi-partner ecosystem As an unprecedented industry collaboration, AI Seekho 2026 is powered by a robust multi-partner ecosystem. Google for Developers leads the end-to-end execution, providing free cloud credits and platform access, supported by the Google Developer Groups and Google Developer Experts communities. In phase two, there will be a physical hackathon where developers participating in this phase will be required to bu...

• Trump says Iranian navy ‘obliterated’, threatens to shoot at ships ‘anywhere close to blockade’; claims Iranian officials called him on Monday; reveals talks failed due to nuclear issue • US president says more countries to participate as Nato allies refuse to join Trump in blocking ports; Europeans to mull ‘defensive mission’ at conference • Iran says blockade akin to piracy, warns no port in Gulf will be secure • China urges parties to avoid escalation WASHINGTON/DUBAI: Despite a ceasefire and peace talks in Islamabad, the conflict between the US and Iran continued to escalate on Monday, as the American military blockaded all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports in a move that could push the region towards a fresh round of hostilities. The US military’s regional Central Command said the blockade would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations” entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. “The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage throu...

KARACHI: The government is mulling over a proposal to amend the duties and taxes regime in the new auto policy in order to bring vehicles within the reach of the middle class. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is keen on making vehicles cost effective for the middle class,” the CEO of the Engineering Development Board (EDB), Hammad Ali Mansoor, told a media briefing on Monday. Three small electric vehicles in completely built-up form are due in Karachi during the third quarter of this year. This will be followed by work on building mega assembly plants in Karachi and Lahore, he added. Initially these vehicles will be priced at less than one million rupees, Ali Mansoor said. The auto policy, which is likely to be announced on July 1, has been forwarded to the ministry for presentation to the prime minister. “No assembler has sought any extension in the current policy,” he said. The CEO did not disclose other salient features of auto policy, but said the prime minister’s focus is on making small cars affordable fo...

On Sunday, President Donald Trump stepped in to raise the stakes of an already volatile standoff, announcing that the United States Navy would begin “BLOCKADING” the Strait of Hormuz — delivered, in classic Trump fashion, the emphatic all-caps. The deadline passed at 7pm (PST) on Monday. The developments came after a night of diplomacy in Islamabad that promised more than it delivered, with inconclusive takeaways and very little to show for 21 hours of deliberations. The negotiations ended with a terse briefing from JD Vance, confirming what everyone had been hoping to avoid: nothing had been agreed. Judging from the string of off-the-cuff, rhetorically charged posts on Trump’s Truth Social feed, he appears to have revived what once again looks like the ‘madman theory’ — using brinkmanship and unpredictability as a strategic bargaining chip. He seems to be signalling that if Iran can rattle markets by blocking one of the world’s primary energy arteries, Washington can rattle them harder. The rationale is pret...

LAHORE: Widespread loadshedding has been reported in urban and rural areas across Punjab as distribution companies (Discos) grapple with an increasing gap in supply and demand. The situation is reported to be worse in rural areas, especially those covered by the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco), where, at present, discos are observing loadshedding on an hourly basis and up to 16 hours in some areas. “We cannot even sleep at night due to the loadshedding being observed by Mepco these days,” said Imran, a villager in Muzaffargarh district. “We are experiencing 12 to 16 hours of loadshedding almost daily,” he said, complaining that the Mepco area office had no words to justify their position. Tahir, a villager from Khanewal district’s Kabirwala area, said that loadshedding was being observed for up to six to eight hours in his area. “This has started all of a sudden, as the situation was not bad five to six days ago,” he said. “We are experiencing loadshedding for four hours daily these days in our urban ar...

The Pakistan Customs said on Monday that two of its preventive officers had been arrested on charges of “swapping 400 kilogrammes of seized silver bullion with lead”. In a statement on X, the Pakistan Customs said the alleged replacement of silver with lead was carried out “during official transportation from Quetta to Pakistan Mint Lahore”. A first information report had been registered and both officers were in custody, the statement said. It added, “The officers were officially deputed to transport 688 kg of confiscated silver in 36 sealed boxes via Pakistan International Airlines from Quetta to Lahore. Upon unpacking at Pakistan Mint, 400 kg of silver was found to have been replaced with fake lead bricks of identical weight and packaging.” According to the statement, CCTV footage from Safe City in Quetta “confirmed the deliberate swapping of the transportation vehicle carrying the original silver”.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Monday announced that one of its submarine cables would be undergoing a repair from April 14, and the maintenance work could last till April 20. The users may face service degradation in the evening during this time, PTCL said. The state-owned telecom giant manages three undersea optical fibre cable networks that provide international internet connectivity to Pakistan. The combined capacity of all six submarine cable systems serving the country, including three PTCL cable systems, two submarine cable systems of Trans World Associates (Pvt) Ltd and PEACE cable of Cyber Internet Services, stands at 13Tbps, while national usage currently ranges between 7 and 8 Tbps.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb called for “enhanced technical support, advanced analytical tools, and specialised training for Pakistan’s Debt Management Office” in his meeting with the World Bank Vice President Jorge Familiar Calderon in Washington on Monday, the Ministry of Finance said. Aurangzeb arrived in Washington earlier on Monday to represent Pakistan in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group Spring Meetings 2026. He is expected to participate in more than 50 high-level gatherings, which will take place from April 13 to 18. The finance ministry’s statement said Aurangzeb “congratulated Calderon on his recent appointment and underscored the critical role of the World Bank Group Treasury in supporting developing economies through enhanced access to capital markets, financial innovation, and advisory services in debt and risk management”. He outlined Pakistan’s diversified financing strategy, highlighting the use of instruments such as Sukuk and environmental, social, and go...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China yesterday held extensive consultations on the recently concluded Islamabad talks, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar engaged in high-level diplomatic exchanges with his Chinese counterpart and the envoy in Islamabad, reaffirming their shared commitment to regional peace and stability.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday forecast rain-wind/thunderstorms, accompanied by isolated heavy falls and hailstorms, in the upper parts of the country from April 16 to 19 under the influence of a westerly wave expected to enter northwestern regions on April 16.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday launched Pakistan’s first-ever government-run “Deceased Transportation Service,” aimed at providing free and dignified transfer of dead bodies from hospitals to homes.

LAHORE - First Hajj flight from Lahore Airport will be operated on April 18, Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson announced, here on Monday.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United Kingdom yesterday held a high-level exchange on the evolving regional situation and the outcomes of the Islamabad talks, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) Monday commenced hearing a batch of petitions concerning the controversial Section 7E of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

GILGIT/SHANGLA - Three police personnel were martyred and four others including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) were injured when unidentified terrorists opened fire on a police vehicle during an anti-narcotics operation in Thore Nala, Diamer on Monday.