Pakistan

KARACHI: Although a ceasefire between the US and Iran is in place and there is optimism about a significant reduction in fuel prices, citizens using public transport across the city continue to pay inflated fares as bus owners widely ignored a Sindh government directive to freeze fares in return for a fuel subsidy, it has emerged. The practice of overcharging appears to have become rampant, as transporters — including operators of buses, minibuses, Qingqi rickshaws, school vans and goods carriers — continue to demand higher fares. Following the government’s subsidy announcement, many citizens were expecting transport fares to revert to pre-war levels, particularly after transport bodies reportedly agreed to roll back rates. However, the government’s “comprehensive” strategy to shield low-income commuters from rising transportation costs triggered by global fuel price fluctuations has yet to provide tangible relief. Passengers, parents and businesses say heavy fares unbearable; commuters paying nearly ‘double’...

A special traffic management plan has been put in place in Islamabad following the arrival of foreign delegations in the federal capital, with authorities issuing alternate route guidelines and imposing restrictions to ensure smooth movement and security.

GUJRAT: Most of the Pakistani immigrants, who went missing in the fresh boat capsize incident off Italy, had left the country in the guise of Umrah pilgrims, while some others were on visit visas of Azerbaijan, Egypt and Uganda. Well-placed sources told Dawn on Wednesday that the missing immigrants had left Pakistan around four to five months ago. Through different routes, they reached Libya, where they kept waiting for their turn to board the boat to reach Italy, the sources say. They say that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had been assigned the task to collect the data of the Pakistanis, who went missing, and trace the agents involved in sending them abroad from different areas of Gujranwala and Gujrat regions. However, an official source says, the families of the missing Pakistanis are reluctant to share any information about the agents involved in sending them to Libya to smuggle them onward to Italy. The official says that as per the initial information, at least six main agents, two each from Ma...

SINGAPORE: India has withdrawn its offer to host the United Nations annual climate Conference of the Parties (COP33) in 2028, two government officials familiar with the matter said. India communicated its decision to not host the conference this month, the officials said, but it was not immediately clear why the government had pulled out. The officials declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed hosting the summit in 2023. The federal ministry for environment and climate change did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Climate Home News, which first reported the news, said India withdrew after a “review of its commitments” in 2028, citing a letter written by an Indian official to the chair of the Asia-Pacific Group. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. France emissions cuts slow France’s cuts to greenhouse gas emissions slowed for a second ...

• Negotiations follow Pakistan-brokered two-week truce • US vice president, Iranian foreign minister to lead their delegations • PM Shehbaz calls talks ‘historic moment’ for lasting settlement • Iran warns of withdrawal from ceasefire if violations continue • US says truce excludes Lebanon, but Iran disagrees • Iran’s speaker says key clauses already violated before talks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to host in-person talks between the United States and Iran starting Friday, even as a fragile ceasefire between the two sides showed signs of strain following Israeli strikes in Lebanon and renewed military exchanges across the Gulf. The negotiations follow a two-week ceasefire announced late Tuesday — the 39th day of the war — after Pakistani mediation. The truce, which averted imminent US strikes, was based on a 10-point Iranian proposal accepted by Washington as a general framework for talks. Delegations are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday, with formal negotiations scheduled for Saturday. Sources told ...

KARACHI: Despite turbulence stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, the country received 17 per cent higher remittances in March compared to February, the State Bank of Pakistan announced on Wednesday. The $3.8bn inflow was the highest so far this fiscal year, but it was 5pc lower compared to $4bn in March FY25. The war did not impact remittances from the Middle East, as inflows from almost all countries experienced positive growth. Currency experts said that the higher inflow in March was also due to Ramazan, but the war in the Gulf was more significant than anything else. Pakistanis working in the Gulf countries did not return home; instead, hundreds of Pakistanis have been applying for UAE visas. Pakistan gets fiscal year’s highest inflow of $3.8bn The SBP data showed that the country received a total of $30.321bn during July-March FY26, indicating an increase of 8.2pc or $2.29bn. The country received $28bn in 9MFY25. Remittances are the backbone of the country, as it largely relies on inflows to c...

Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, even as the Iran-aligned group paused attacks on northern Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon under a two-week US-Iran ceasefire. Consecutive explosions shook Beirut, sending smoke billowing across the capital, as Israel’s military said it had launched the largest coordinated strike of the war. More than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites were targeted in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, it said. The strikes killed 182 people and wounded 890 across the country, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has declared Thursday a national day of mourning after Israeli strikes shook the country. In Beirut, Reuters reporters saw people on motorcycles picking up wounded and transporting them to hospitals because there were not enough ambulances to get them in time. A group of firefighters worked to put out flames in a car park after one strike left more tha...

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Salman Safdar on Thursday met PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail, a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed authorities to arrange the meeting. However, the lawyer departed from the premises without sharing any details with the media. Meanwhile, PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said that Imran had directed the party to postpone its public meeting scheduled for Thursday (April 9) at Liaqat Bagh. He said that a message had been given by Imran that the protest should be postponed due to the prevailing national and international situation. “Imran Khan has said that he will himself inform about the new date of the protest,” he said. Later, Safdar said in a series of posts on X that he had meet Imran at 3pm, but the ex-premier’s spouse, Bushra Bibi, “was not called from her cell to join the attorney-client meeting for crucial instructions” despite requests and court orders. He said the meeting lasted for 60 minutes, during which Imran was comprehensively briefed on all ...

LAHORE/ MOHMAND: Heavy rains and storms in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 24 hours have left at least five people dead and several others injured, officials said on Wednesday. In Punjab’s Bhakkar, two separate roof-collapse incidents left one person dead and four others injured, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said. In a separate incident, two people were injured when a house roof caved in due to rainfall in Khanewal, while in Muzaffargarh, two individuals sustained injuries in separate incidents —one from a roof collapse and another from slipping in the rain. In Sargodha, the wall of a house collapsed, injuring one person and killing a livestock animal, a rescue official said. In the district of Taunsa, five people were injured when a hotel shed collapsed. In two other incidents in the same area, roof collapses left one person dead and two others injured. In another incident, a person died after receiving an electric shock from a pole in Toba Tek Singh, and in Chiniot, one person was injured in a sli...

District administrations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have announced local holidays in the twin cities on April 9 (Thursday) and 10 (Friday). In a post on the social media platform X, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon said, “Local Holidays Announced in Islamabad – 9th & 10th April.” He also shared the notification by the office of the Islamabad district magistrate. However, he added, essential services will remain operational. According to the official, these included the Capital Development Authority, the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration, Islamabad police, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd and hospitals. “Citizens are advised to plan their activities accordingly. Thank you,” he said. Separately, a notification issued by Rawalpindi DC Hassan Waqar announced a local holiday in the territorial jurisdiction of Rawalpindi on April 9 and 10. “However, all emergency dealing departments/ institutions/ authorities shall remain operational,” the notif...

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Wednesday extended “unconditional support” to the government in its efforts for peace in the Middle East. Responding to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar’s speech, in which he requested the opposition to defer its protest planned for Thursday, Achakzai said that in his speech on Tuesday, he had called for former premier Nawaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Imran to sit together in the current situation and move the country forward. He said that he, along with Opposition Leader in the Senate Allama Nasir Abbas, would convince Imran to engage in political dialogue. “I had also said earlier that we should not point fingers at each other. At the very least, we should agree on democratic principles,” he said. “I don’t know why you people think we are mad. Only a mad person would not be happy with today’s success of Pakistan,” he said, lauding the government’s mediatory role in the Middle East crisis. “We will provide you with uncon...

Less than 24 hours after the announcement of a ceasefire, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that delegations from the United States and Iran would visit Pakistan on Friday for talks aimed at a peaceful settlement to the war in the Middle East. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during a conversation with PM Shehbaz, had earlier in the day confirmed Tehran’s participation in Pakistan-offered peace talks, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Addressing the federal cabinet, PM Shehbaz said that the war had been delayed for the time being. “A ceasefire is the first step. But our destination is lasting peace… Day after tomorrow (Friday), at my invitation, a US delegation is coming to Pakistan. In the same way, an Iranian delegation is also coming to Pakistan,” he said. During his address, PM Shehbaz also called the current situation a “shining moment” in Pakistan’s history. He also praised Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir for their role...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday, where the two leaders held a detailed meeting on the country’s political situation and international developments, according to a statement issued by the JUI media cell.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, terming it a significant diplomatic achievement and crediting Pakistan’s leadership for its role in promoting global peace.

ISLAMABAD - The international community yesterday widely welcomed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, with global leaders acknowledging Pakistan’s diplomatic role in facilitating dialogue and creating momentum toward peace, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar intensified diplomatic outreach with.

Islamabad - A meeting of the federal cabinet was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Islamabad - US and Iran have confirmed participation for peace talks in Islamabad on Friday as global efforts mount for a permanent agreement to end the war in the Middle East after a two week ceasefire, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Office.

Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi chaired a high level meeting of the Planning and Development Department to review proposed initiatives under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2026–27 across key sectors including social welfare, sports, tourism, relief, and transport.

Shehbaz says country has changed forever Calls on all sides to respect ceasefire Credits civil-military unity fo

Diplomatic breakthrough earns global praise