Pakistan

A five-year-old boy was critically injured and his one-year-old brother also hurt after a metal kite string slashed their necks in Gulistan Colony, Rawalpindi, in a disturbing incident linked to illegal kite flying.

Train services from Quetta to various destinations in Balochistan and other provinces were restored on Tuesday after a suspension of several days due to security concerns, railway officials said.

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) on Wednesday introduced KWSC Unified App aimed at modernising the city’s water and sewerage services through a single, integrated mobile platform. Describing the app as a major digital reform, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the unified app consolidates all water and sewerage-related services into one system, enabling citizens to lodge complaints, pay bills, book water tankers and track requests with ease. He said the initiative is designed to enhance operational efficiency, improve transparency and ensure greater accountability by reducing manual processes and providing real-time access to services for residents across Karachi. Officials said the app is available in Urdu, English and Sindhi and has been designed with a simple registration and OTP-based verification process to ensure ease of use for all segments of the population. During the launch ceremony held at the KWSC headquarters, a technical briefing highlighted the app’s systems and service-...

• Say right to freedom of expression should never be conflated with criminal conduct • IHC tells Shireen to approach Adiala jail authorities for meeting request ISLAMABAD: Five United Nations experts have expressed alarm over the conviction of human rights activist Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, on multiple charges in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). On Jan 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha to jail. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, UN special rapporteurs Margaret Satterthwaite, Ben Saul, Mary Lawlor, Irene Khan and Gina Romero noted that the two were convicted on multiple criminal charges, resulting in lengthy prison sentences “for simply exercising rights guaranteed by international human rights law”. “Lawyers, like other individuals, are entitled to freedom of expression. The exercise of this right should never be conflated with criminal conduct...

• King Charles’ brother Andrew shunted out of royal residence as police probe claims another woman was sent to royal estate by known convicted child sex trafficker • Peter Mandelson also faces Met Police inquiry; under-fire PM Starmer agrees to release record linked to his appointment WASHINGTON / LONDON / OSLO: The fallout from the revelations contained in the Epstein Files continued to cause upheaval in Europe, with notable British and Norwegian figures — including royals and top government officials — facing intense scrutiny for a variety of wrongdoings. King Charles’ brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has left the Royal Lodge mansion, his home of two decades, after Thames Valley Police said they were assessing allegations that a second woman was sent to the UK by convicted sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, for a sexual encounter with the former royal. In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre became the first woman to publicly accuse the embattled ex-royal of similar encounters. Giuffre filed a civi...

• Araghchi says talks with US ‘scheduled’ for Friday in Oman • Regional leaders urge United States to proceed with dialogue following reports of breakdown • Uncertainty triggered after Rubio said talks should include missile programme; Iran wanted issue kept ‘off the table’ • Trump says Iran supreme leader ‘should be very worried’ • Regional players like Pakistan, S. Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt ‘unlikely’ to take part at this stage ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: The prospects for talks between Iran and the United States seemed fraught with uncertainty on Wednesday, even after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly announced the date and timing of the proposed negotiations. “Nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled to be held in Muscat on about 10 am Friday. I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements,” he posted on X late on Wednesday night. A US official also confirmed that the neg­o­tiations are on track, Reuters reported. The statement came amid swirling speculation tha...

• FBR ready to consider super tax recoveries on a case-to-case basis, Senate panel told • Aurangzeb says IMF mission due by month end, external financing needs fully covered. • Reveals discussions underway with UAE; currency notes being changed ISLAMABAD: Ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review mission’s planned visit this month, the government has hinted at the recovery of around Rs217 billion super tax arrears in instalments to facilitate businesses, and changing all currency notes. Testifying before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Wednesday, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial expressed willingness to collect super tax arrears in instalments and clarified that the pending tax recoverable following the Supreme Court (SC) judgement in government favour was Rs217bn, not Rs300bn as speculated. The FBR chairman said the government did not want business closures for tax recoveries and would be ready to consider super tax recoveries on a case-to-ca...

• Proposes a preferential trading arrangement to cut reliance on China • Pakistan weighs options to maintain ties with both Washington and Beijing WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday outlined plans to establish price floors for critical minerals and form a preferential trading arrangement among participating countries, a proposal that Pakistan has so far chosen to approach cautiously as it seeks to maintain close ties with both Washington and Beijing. US Vice President J.D. Vance told representatives from more than 50 countries that Washington was proposing a coordinated system to stabilise prices of critical minerals essential for clean energy, advanced technology and defence industries, arguing that market volatility had discouraged long-term investment. Diplomatic sources in Washington told Dawn that Pakistan has been briefed on the US proposal but has not yet signed on. Islamabad was represented at the two-day meeting by Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik, rather than a senior political ...

QUETTA: A coalition of opposition political parties announced the withdrawal of province-wide protests in Balochistan following a meeting with government officials on Wednesday, a move described as a “goodwill gesture” amid the province’s current security and political situation. In response to the announcement, the Balochistan government agreed to release all government employees recently arrested by police while attempting to enter the “Red Zone”. The decision was reached during a meeting between an authorised government committee and an All Parties delegation representing a broad spectrum of political leadership, including the Awami National Party (ANP), National Party, Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP), and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). During the session, the political coalition formally ended its protest movement, citing the prevailing circumstances in Balochistan. In turn, the government confirmed it would move forward with the release of detained employees to de-escalate tensions. The two sid...

37 MoUs and agreements signed; $1b trade target set, up from a meager $250m

Field Marshal Asim says terrorists, facilitators won't be spared

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Order delivers major setback to People's Party

Minister warns import reliance may strain economy after 2031

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The Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday that Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would arrive in Pakistan on Thursday on a two-day official visit. In a statement, the FO said that at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the president would lead a high-level delegation, comprising cabinet ministers and business leaders for the state visit on Feb 5-6. FO added that the visiting dignitary will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz, and address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum. “Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors including trade, energy, defence, education, people-to-people exchange and regional connectivity,” it stated. The FO statement said that this was the Uzbek president’s second visit to Pakistan, “which reflects the upward trajectory in Pakistan-Uzbekistan bilateral relations and the brotherly ties between the two brotherly coun...

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Wednesday urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to move swiftly to designate the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organisation under its sanctions regime, saying the listing request was already under consideration by the council. “We hope the council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime, acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told a UNSC briefing on ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts’. In his remarks, the envoy thanked UNSC members for issuing a press statement condemning the recent attacks in Balochistan and expressed appreciation for what he described as an international “outpouring of support and solidarity with Pakistan”. “We remain resolute in eliminating this externally sponsored scourge from our soil and exposing the sponsors, financiers, aiders and abettor...

Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, said on Wednesday that the government was “deliberately” refusing to process his and his brother’s visas. In a post on X, Kasim said, “My brother and I are trying to travel to Pakistan to see our father. For 914 days, he has been held in solitary confinement while his health deteriorates and he is denied access to independent medical care. “Now the government is deliberately refusing to process our visas. Denying a prisoner treatment is cruel. Denying his children the right to see him is collective punishment,” he said. “I call on international human rights organisations and governments to speak out and act before irreversible harm is done,” he said. Kasim and his older brother Suleiman live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith. The development comes as the government last week admitted that Imran was treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), days after reports regarding the treatment of the former premier emerged in main...

Islamabad - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the government is committed for complete eradication of terrorism from the country with the support of all provinces, stakeholders and the people of Pakistan.