Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed that Pakistan will continue to play a central role in promoting sustainable peace across the region through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a fresh weather advisory predicting widespread rainfall, strong winds, thunderstorms, and possible hailstorms across the country from April 16 to 19.

ISLAMABAD: Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s top three agencies, on Monday affirmed Pakistan’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) at “B-” with a “stable outlook”. “Pakistan’s rating affirmation reflects progress on fiscal consolidation and macro stability measures, broadly in line with its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and supporting its funding capacity,” the US-based rating agency said. “Foreign exchange buffers rebuilt over the past year provide a cushion against the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, while Pakistan’s role as a ceasefire broker may provide tangible benefits and partly offset external pressures,” it said. However, it highlighted that the country’s high exposure to the global energy price shock remained a key risk, particularly if it led to a sharp drop in foreign exchange reserves. Talking about key rating drivers, Fitch said the authorities reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on its loan programmes in March, unlocking a combined $1.2 b...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday said that the upper parts of the country were expected to receive rain and thunderstorms from April 16 to 19. In a press release, the PMD said a westerly wave was likely to approach the country’s northwestern parts on April 16 (Thursday) and likely to persist in the upper parts till April 19 (Sunday). Under the influence of the weather system, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls were likely in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In KP, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls/hailstorm (snowfall over mountains) was expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Balakot, Haripur, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Bajaur, Mohmand, Swabi, Charsadda, Kohat, Kurram, Khyber and Hangu from the evening of April 16 to April 19 with occasional gaps. “Light rain wind/thunderstorm is likely at isolated places in Orakzai, Karak, Bannu...

GILGIT: Three cops were martyred and five others were injured on Monday after unknown assailants opened fire on a police vehicle in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, local and hospital officials said. The police team was on its way back from Thor village after destroying poppy cultivation when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle, Caretaker Home Minister Sajid Baig told Dawn. As a result, three police officials were martyred and five others, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were injured, according to an incident report issued by the Chilas RHQ Hospital. The report, seen by Dawn, said three police personnel were brought dead to the hospital, while five injured personnel were shifted to the facility’s Emergency Department. “Among the injured, three individuals are undergoing surgical intervention, while the remaining two sustained minor injuries [and] are being treated at the hospital,” the report said. The martyred cops were identified as Abdul Reheem Jami, Muqa...

US President Donald Trump has criticised Pope Leo as “terrible” in a rare direct attack on the pontiff, who responded that he had “no fear” of the White House administration and would continue to denounce the horrors of war. The president’s comments came after the pope had spoken out, with growing force, against the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social late on Sunday. Trump later posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, with the US flag and the Statue of Liberty in the background.’ ‘Someone has to stand up’, Pope says Pope Leo, the first pontiff from the US, responded on Monday by saying he would keep raising his voice against conflict, adding that the Christian message, rooted in the primacy of peace, was being “abused”. It is extremely unusual for a pope, who leads Catholics around the world, to answer a foreign leader publicly. “I will continue to speak ...

On February 27, about 42 days before the Islamabad Talks, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation and told the world that peace was “within reach”, that Iran had agreed to never stockpile enriched uranium, full verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and degradation of existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. The Omanis are famously cautious. Al-Busaidi is not a man given to theatrics; he would be the diplomatic equivalent of the family accountant. And here he was on national television, telling the American public that Iran had agreed to pretty much everything the Americans had wanted. This, Al-Busaidi said, went beyond anything achieved in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal (which limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief). Watching this unfold, Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute wrote that the Omanis going public like this was “quite unprecedented” and suspected that he knew why they were doing ...

LAHORE: The PTI has raised concerns regarding the health of its leader Ejaz Chaudhry, who is currently imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat jail. The senior PTI leader is serving a 10-year jail sentence, along with other party leaders, for their involvement in violent riots in the country on May 9, 2023. In a statement, the PTI’s central information wing expressed its concerns regarding Chaudhry’s health and the “negligence” of the incumbent regime. “According to the latest medical examination, his kidney disease has progressed to stage three,” it said, adding that doctors had stated that the 69-year-old former senator’s treatment was not possible at the jail. The PTI demanded that state institutions and the current rulers provide proper treatment facilities to Chaudhry and other “political prisoners” in Kot Lakhpat jail and that their cases be heard and decided promptly. “Justice demands that the political prisoners’ lives should not be put in danger,” it said. It may be mentioned that several reports had emerged on so...

Hungarian youths danced and sang in the early hours of Monday in central Budapest to celebrate the end of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year “illiberal” rule following a resounding electoral drubbing. Strangers high-fived each others, cars honked, and youths ripped down government and ruling party anti-Ukraine billboards as many said they felt “liberated”. “At long last it feels so good to be Hungarian. It’s like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Csilla Bekesi, 25, told AFP, celebrating with others on Budapest’s grand boulevard. “I still have goosebumps. My wildest dream came true,” said another youngster, 22 year-old student Andras Szabo, who came back to vote from Berlin. “For as long as I can remember, I have known Orban only as the leader, it was great he left at once,” he said, adding he felt a “novel sense of pride”. Orban, a defender of “illiberal democracy”, conceded defeat to conservative pro-European Peter Magyar, whose party won a two-thirds parliamentary majority in Sunday’s vote ...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index KSE-100 shed 6,600 points on Monday in a turbulent session, after weekend peace talks between the United States and Iran failed and the US president ordered a blockade of Iranian ports. The KSE-100 index opened on a low note of around 161,000 points, compared to the previous close of 167,191.37. The market fluctuated throughout the session, reaching an intraday high of 163,612.11 points at 12:13pm and then an intraday low of 160,158.92 points at 2:56pm. It then finally closed at 160,591.33 points, down 6,600.04 points or 3.95pc. This screengrab shows activity at the Pakistan Stock Exchange on April 13, 2026. — PSX Data Portal In a post on the social media platform X, Topline Securities said the benchmark index registered a sharp decline in a “highly volatile trading session”. “The market witnessed significant fluctuations throughout the day, with the index reaching an intraday high of 163,612 points and slipping to a low of 160,158 points,” it said. “The dow...

Polling for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections will be held on June 7, 2026, as the regional election authority has officially announced the schedule.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, on Monday, where both leaders exchanged views on regional developments and bilateral cooperation.

The National Database and Registration Authority has rolled out revised guidelines for Child Registration Certificates (B-Forms), making the process more accessible for parents through the Pak ID mobile application.

A man lost his life after a wall collapsed during construction work at Data Darbar in Lahore, police said on Monday.

Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkiye as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday. “After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency. “We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” he said. “This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added. Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, had joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu ‘described as the Hitler of our time’: Turkiye The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could je...

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked his 100th day in office on Sunday with a rally to tout early successes and vow to follow through on his unabashedly “socialist” agenda. “I know there are many who use ‘socialist’ as a dirty word, something to be ashamed of,” the 34-year-old told a packed room in Queens. “They can try all they want, but we will not be ashamed of using government to fight for the many, not simply the few,” he said. Mamdani pointed to a program to fill city street potholes — over 100,000 since January 1 — as evidence he is committed to making the lives of everyday New Yorkers better. “If government can’t do the small things, how could you ever trust it to do the big ones? How can we promise to transform our city if we can’t pave your street?” The young mayor was joined at the rally by his close ally, 84-year-old leftist icon Bernie Sanders. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to supporters during his 100-day address on April 12, 2026 in New York City. —AFP Mamdani touted progress on sig...

The Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) has released a comprehensive survey report evaluating the two-year performance of the Punjab government, indicating strong public satisfaction with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s leadership.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Pakistan, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has officially launched a government-run “Deceased Care Service”, aimed at ensuring the respectful and free transportation of deceased individuals from hospitals to their homes.

Australia on Monday said a woman would lead its army for the first time in history, as part of a reshuffle of the country’s defence force leadership. Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, will become chief of army in July, the government said in a statement. She will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart. Coyle’s appointment comes as Australia’s military seeks to boost the number of female officers in its ranks. It faces a wave of allegations of systematic sexual harassment and discrimination. “From July, we will have the first ever female chief of army in the Australian Army’s 125-year history,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. Defence Minister Richard Marles called Coyle’s appointment a “deeply historic moment”. “As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see,” he said. “Susan’s achievement will be deeply significant to women who are serving in the Australian Defence Force today and women who are thinking about serving in the Australian Defenc...

PESHAWAR: A police constable was martyred and four others were injured in an attack on a law enforcement party en route to provide security for polio teams in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. The incident took place in Hangu’s Thall tehsil on the first day of a nationwide vaccination campaign taking place from April 13 to 19. The attack is this year’s first on law enforcement personnel deployed for polio teams’ security. In a statement, the Hangu District Police said “terrorists opened sudden fire on a police party”, resulting in the martyrdom of a policeman and injuries to four others. The injured police personnel were immediately taken to a hospital. The police team retaliated immediately, with “reports of two terrorists’ deaths as a result”, Kohat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Tariq was quoted as saying. However, terrorists took their accomplices’ bodies from the scene. According to the police statement, DIG Tariq commended the personnel’s bravery in “thwarting the terrorists’ attack”...