Pakistan

Growing up in Karachi in the 1990s, it was unthinkable for most of us to have access to fresh strawberries. All one came across were artificial strawberry flavours and essence, which were generously used in chocolates, biscuits, ice creams, desserts, jams, jellies and custard, to name a few convenience products. Pushcart fruit vendors selling strawberries were unheard of and only a lucky few would find fresh strawberries at any of the handful of supermarkets that existed in the city in those days. To our family’s delight, my father would sometimes purchase a can of strawberries from the then-renowned chor bazaar, a flea market where smuggled items were also available. The only fresh strawberries that we were exposed to in those times were the ones we saw being consumed on television. It is no surprise, then, that these factors added to our eagerness to not only consume fresh strawberries, but also to grow them. Fast forward to the 2020s and, during its fruiting seasons, different sizes and varieties of strawb...

United Kingdom Minister of State for International Development Baroness Jenny Chapman, on Wednesday, called on Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and the two sides discussed cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.

The Supreme Court has fixed the hearing of Advocate Imaan Mazari’s petition for tomorrow.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar warned on Wednesday that targeting any single individual in politics could destabilise the entire system, cautioning that a “minus-one” strategy would ultimately lead to broader consequences.

A three-day Basant festival would kick off in Lahore from February 6, 2026, following the Punjab government’s decision to lift a ban on the historic event of celebration, colours, and kite-flying after 18 years, with strict regulations. The festival was banned in 2007 because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire. “The Basant festival will be held in Lahore from Feb 6 to 8, 2026,” Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari told Dawn on Wednesday. The festival would be “completely safe, regulated, and strictly monitored,” she added. In a post on X, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz has approved the revival of our beloved Heritage Basant Festival on February 6th, 7th and 8th, celebrated across Lahore after 25 years, a tradition rooted in history and admired worldwide.“ On CM Punjab’s directions, a city-wide campaign to install safety antennas on all mo...

Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado is safe and will be in Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said in a statement on Wednesday. Earlier, the organisers said the Venezuelan opposition leader, who lives in hiding, will not attend Wednesday’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and the award will be accepted by her daughter. Machado has only been seen once in public since going underground in August last year, amidst a tense showdown with President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela’s attorney general has said the 58-year-old would be considered a “fugitive” if she left the country to accept the award. It was not known in the hours before the ceremony whether Machado was in Norway for the event due to start at 1pm (5pm PKT). The Nobel Institute finally confirmed that she would not be there. “It will be her daughter Ana Corina Machado who will receive the prize in her mother’s name,” Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken told Norway’s NRK radio. “Her daughter will give the speech that Maria Corina herself wrote.” Harpvik...

US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency was only “a little bit successful”, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on a podcast on Tuesday, adding that he would not lead the project again. The billionaire, who is founder of electric car company Tesla, was a major donor to Trump’s presidential election campaign and became a close ally and adviser to his administration. Musk led the DOGE team in seeking to slash the federal government’s budget and workforce in the first five months of Trump’s second term. But the role and his political rhetoric sparked a backlash against him and Tesla, including vandalism of Tesla cars. “I think instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically worked on my companies. And they wouldn’t have been burning the cars,” Musk said on the podcast with former Trump administration official Katie Miller. “We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful. We stopped a lot of funding that really just made no sense, that was entirely wasteful,” Musk said. Asked if he would ...

Pakistan’s population has crossed an estimated 257 million at midyear, placing it among the world’s most populous nations even as its fertility and growth rates continue to decline, according to a report released by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday. Demographic databases, including projections by the US Census Bureau and the United Nations, show Pakistan’s population density at 333 persons per square kilometre, underscoring the scale of pressure on land and public services. The data depict a country facing one of the most complex population transitions in South Asia — caught between rapid numerical expansion and slow human-development gains. Despite decades of policy debate, Pakistan is still adding millions of people each year. Its annual population growth rate stands at 1.82 per cent, lower than in previous decades but high enough to keep total numbers rising steeply for at least another generation, the report said, It added that the total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of births per woman — has f...

The PTI said early on Wednesday that authorities used water cannons to disperse protesters, including the sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan, who were staging a sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied a meeting with the ex-premier. In a post on X at 3:58am, the party said, “Pakistani authorities used water cannons to disperse Imran Khan’s sisters and peaceful PTI workers outside Adiala Jail, despite a court order allowing a meeting with the jailed former PM. “This brutal crackdown on a peaceful sit-in violates basic human rights and freedom of assembly in freezing weather!” the party said. It also shared a video of a water cannon being used as people, bundled up against the cold, fled the scene. In another post, the party said that Imran’s family was deliberately blocked from meeting him, which led to the sit-in. It said that the use of water cannons was “not only a shameless violation of Imran Khan’s prisoner rights but also an outright assault on the constitutional rights of people who gathered to prot...

Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan said on Wednesday that the government is considering relocating PTI founder Imran Khan from Adiala Jail to a prison in another province, citing continued protests by party supporters outside the facility.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected on Wednesday Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti’s petition seeking the postponement of local government elections in Quetta that were scheduled to be held on December 28. Bugti had filed the petition on Monday, and informed sources told Dawn that he cited the precarious law and order situation in the provincial capital and the suspension of internet services as reasons for postponing the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) elections. In its written order today, seen by Dawn, the ECP said the plea was being rejected for “being devoid of force” and that the electoral body had decided to hold local government elections in Quetta on the already scheduled date of Dec 28. However, in the majority decision, one of the six members of the commission that considered the plea was in favour of the postponement of local government elections. In its order, the ECP directed the Balochistan government to assist the commission and “all other functionaries who have bee...

A man riding a motorcycle was killed on Wednesday morning after a water tanker collided with his vehicle in Karachi, prompting a mob to torch the tanker. According to a statement by Khawaja Ajmer Nagri police, the incident took place near 4k Chowrangi in North Karachi. The statement said the motorcyclist sustained severe injuries in the accident, following which he was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. The tanker’s driver managed to escape, leaving his vehicle. The tanker was then set on fire by a mob, the statement added. Separately, a bus ran over a 45-year-old woman in the Baldia-8 area of Karachi on Wednesday morning, a statement by Saeedabad police said. The body was rushed to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, it said, adding that the driver and conductor of the bus managed to escape. Today’s incidents come two days after a dumper of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) carrying garbage struck and killed a motorcycle rider in the Nagan Chowrangi area of Ka...

Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Wednesday finalised a new agreement to deepen cooperation in the field of climate change, reaffirming their commitment to jointly address the mounting environmental challenges facing both countries.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday dismissed a request by the Balochistan government seeking postponement of local government elections in Quetta, reaffirming that the polls will be held on December 28 as scheduled.

The Sindh government has decided to initiate the second phase of its pink scooter distribution programme for women, officials announced on Wednesday.

Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of targeting civilians in border attacks on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump said he would make a phone call to stop the fighting and salvage a ceasefire he brokered in July. The two Southeast Asian nations have each blamed the other for the clashes that started on Monday, and remain at odds on a diplomatic solution to the border tensions that have been simmering for months. Thailand’s foreign minister said in an interview on Tuesday that he saw no potential for negotiations, adding the situation was not conducive to third-party mediation, while a top adviser to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet told Reuters his country was “ready to talk at any time”. Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, Trump listed a number of wars that he claimed he helped stop, including between Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran, before commenting on the renewed conflict in Southeast Asia. “I hate to say this one, named Cambodia–Thailand and it started up today an...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted 10-day protective bail to YouTuber Rajab Butt and TikToker Nadeem Mubarak, also known as Nani Wala, on Wednesday in multiple cases related to gambling apps, cybercrime and other allegations after they surrendered before the court. Justice Raja Inam Ameen Minhas approved the bail after the social media influencers appeared before the IHC after reaching Pakistan from the United Kingdom. The development comes a day after the IHC granted protective bail to the two till December 10 (today), in response to a petition filed by Butt and Mubarak’s relatives, to ensure the content creators were not arrested upon their arrival in Pakistan. Their counsel informed the court yesterday that Butt and Mubarak had been abroad for several months and feared arrest upon landing at Islamabad International Airport. He argued that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other departments had registered several cases against them, but under the law the petitioners were entitled to seek relief...

Lahore once again topped the global ranking of the world’s most polluted cities on Tuesday, as toxic smog and dense fog continued to blanket large parts of Punjab, severely reducing visibility and endangering public health.

A dense blanket of fog on Tuesday forced the closure of a portion of the M-5 Motorway from Multan’s Shershah Interchange to Zahir Pir, officials of the Motorway Police said.

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Tuesday directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to prepare a report on tax rates for mobile phones, covering policy options, economic impact, international comparisons, and proposed revisions. The directive came from the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, who expressed displeasure over rising taxes on mobile phones, noting that these institutions have wrongly classified mobile phones as luxury items. The chairman urged both the FBR and Tax Policy Office to review current tax rates on mobile phone imports under the personal baggage and registration schemes. Mr Qamar said the report should be prepared by March 2026, enabling the committee to examine the matter comprehensively ahead of the next budget. MNA Qasim Gilani criticised the heavy taxes on mobile phones, noting that consumers are forced to pay taxes again if their phones are lost or stolen. He highlighted that...