Pakistan

Iranian precision-guided missiles repeatedly penetrate Jordanian and US missile defences

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will lead Pakistan delegation at ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, being held on July 22- 23, where Pakistan is expected to intensify its diplomatic outreach through a series of high-level bilateral engagements with key.

ISLAMABAD: At least 15 cases of threats against journalists have been reported from Punjab, out of a total of 22 such incidents reported between April and June 2026. According to a review released by the Freedom Network on Tuesday as part of its quarterly assessment of threats to media and journalists in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw the number of documented cases in the province fall from five in the first to three in the second quarter of the year. Sindh and Balochistan recorded one case each in both quarters, while Islamabad Capital Territory and Gilgit-Baltistan documented one case each during the second quarter. No verified incidents were reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir this year. Freedom Network review finds growing role of state institutions in intimidation of media practitioners; those reporting on corruption, governance issues most susceptible to threats The documented cases covered a wide range of violations against journalists, including actual legal action (six), threat of legal action (fo...

30 houses sustain damage from heavy rains, flash floods, intermittent heavy rainfall continues until July 23

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Petrol Pumps Owners Association (APPPOA) on Tuesday announced a nationwide strike from Wednesday night after negotiations with the government over daily petroleum pricing failed. Speaking to the media after a meeting with the government’s team, led by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, APPPOA representatives said their hour-long talks over the daily fuel pricing mechanism had “failed” to reach an agreement and that they were therefore left with no option but to go on an indefinite strike, as it was an issue of survival for them. The APPPOA delegation comprised Chairman Humayun Khan, Vice Chairman Nauman Ali Butt and other officials. Speaking to the media, Butt said the government’s plan to revise petroleum prices on a daily basis was “unacceptable to petrol pump dealers and unworkable”. He said their main demand was that fuel prices should be determined on a monthly basis, adding that their longstanding demand for an increase in dealer commission had also remained pending, as th...

THE decision to merge the Board of Investment (BOI) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) gives Pakistan an opportunity to rethink how it attracts investment. Whether this becomes genuine reform or merely another institutional reshuffle depends on one question: can any investment promotion agency succeed when the investment climate itself remains fragmented? Successful investment promotion agencies are remarkably similar, despite operating in very different economies. Singapore’s Economic Development Board, Ireland’s IDA and Costa Rica’s CINDE are recognised global leaders. More recently, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade has shown how a transition economy can integrate investment promotion with industrial development, exports and trade. Their common feature is not institutional design alone, but their ability to market a coherent economic strategy rather than compensate for fragmented policies. Uzbekistan’s main lesson is not the design of its investment agency, but the...

• Incarcerated former senator Ejaz Chaudhry moves SC against high court’s refusal to suspend his sentence • Aleema questions allegations against Imran’s sisters over campaigning for his release ISLAMABAD: A court in the capital issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday, after he repeatedly failed to appear despite being summoned several times in a case relating to alleged misleading statements and defamation of state institutions. While issuing the order, Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah noted that the KP chief minister neither appeared in person, nor was he represented by counsel, despite being granted repeated opportunities. Expressing displeasure over the accused’s continued absence, the judge observed that the court’s summons had not been complied with, and warned that if CM Afridi failed to appear on the next date of hearing, proceedings would be initiated to declare him a proclaimed offender under the relevant provisions of law. The judge directed th...

THE rising death toll from the reported clashes between security forces and outlawed terrorist groups tells less than half the story of Balochistan. The strategically important province has been suffering for decades, and the crisis continues to worsen. Blocking the news cannot alter the reality on the ground. The situation points to a fractured state that is losing both public trust and effective control. Unfortunately, there is little attempt to address the political and social causes of the crisis. The state’s reliance on kinetic tactics shows that it has learned few lessons from the failed policies over the past two decades. After scores of policemen were killed in Ziarat earlier this month, the prime minister briefly interrupted his foreign tours to visit Quetta and reiterated that his government would fight until the last terrorist. We have heard this refrain for years, even as terrorism is taking hold across the province. The latest wave of attacks underscores the growing operational capacity of the gr...

Deal, which would last 30 years, estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, WSJ says, citing US officials

WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday asked US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide Pakistan with $10 billion Exchange Stabilisation Support Facility to help strengthen the national economy. The request, first reported by Reuters, was confirmed by officials at Pakistan’s embassy in Washington. However, they did not provide any details. The US Treasury also declined to comment. An official readout issued by the embassy noted that Aurangzeb had sought US support for Pakistan’s road-to-market, based on improved access to international capital markets, higher foreign exchange reserves, and enhanced sovereign credit ratings. However, the statement made no mention of the $10bn request. According to the news agency, Islamabad is seeking the bilateral stabilisation facility, with a maturity of up to five years. The proposed facility would be a financial mechanism under which the US government, through the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilisation Fund, would provide loans or other backstop facilit...

Brent crude futures rise $1.84, or 2.0%, to $92.85 a barrel

Mamdani says Netanyahu is 'not welcome' in New York as Trump says Israeli PM won't be arrested in US

WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced legislation aimed at criminalising efforts by foreign governments to intimidate political opponents and activists living in the United States, amid growing concern in Washington over alleged cases of transnational repression involving India. The Stop Transnational Repression Act of 2026, sponsored by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Senator John Curtis, would make transnational repression a specific federal crime for the first time. It would expand the Justice Department and FBI’s authority to investigate and prosecute foreign efforts to suppress dissent on American soil. Under the proposed legislation, individuals convicted of transnational repression could face an additional prison sentence of up to 10 years and fines of up to $100,000, alongside penalties for any underlying offences. The bill would also strengthen the role of the US Justice Department’s National Security Division and the Assistant Attorney General for National Securi...

OpenAI discloses that its advanced models are responsible for the breach

Zelenskiy picks Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace Syrskyi after protests over poorly explained governmental changes

FinMin tells US Treasury Sec the country has moved from macroeconomic stabilisation to sustainable, export-led growth

Veteran actor recalls on-set friendship with Shah Rukh Khan, says Indian star took care of him

Pradhan pledges to discuss NEET test as youth-led protests rock New Delhi

Momeni also separately met railway minister to review progress on key cross-border railway projects

Earlier, Dar meets the Russian FM, review relations and commit to strengthening cooperation in key areas