Pakistan

Katcha nullahs, village sewerage schemes planned for long-term solution

Experts link digital device use to strain, dryness, and myopia

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CM chairs Apex Committee meeting attended by Peshawar corps commander, IGP, others

CM says summary on 4,000 vacant posts sent to BPSC

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday offered Pakistan’s deep-sea ports at Gwadar and Karachi as a vital trade outlet for Central Asian states, saying that this could change the fate of the entire region.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met the newly-appointed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) Dr Usman Anwar on Wednesday and expressed hope that under his leadership, the FIA would emerge as a “model institution”. The meeting took place during Naqvi’s visit to FIA Headquarters in Islamabad, a statement by the interior ministry said. It further quoted Naqvi as saying that Anwar would “utilise all his energies and capabilities to transform the agency into an institution that meets public expectations”. The interior minister added that he would fully support efforts to make the FIA a “modern, strong, and effective organisation”. The statement quoted DG Anwar as saying that the agency would be improved to meet international standards through the use of modern technology and training. “All necessary measures will be taken to improve the institution,” he assured. According to the statement, Naqvi also assessed an under-construction committee room at the FIA Headquarters, and it was als...

Five United Nations (UN) experts on Wednesday expressed alarm over the conviction of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatta. Last month, an Islamabad sessions court had sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts. In a joint statement 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, which resulted 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, especially not terrorism,” they were quoted as saying, while also emphasising the vague definition of terrorism-related offences under Pakistan’s counter-terrorism framework. “Doing so risks undermining and criminalising the w...

Rawalpindi to mark festival in phases with cantonment events today, tomorrow and celebrations across city on Feb 12–13

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The Lahore High Court has instructed relevant departments to put comprehensive safety plans in place to ensure the Basant festival is observed without incident.

Russia faces a steep drop in oil income if United States President Donald Trump successfully pressures India to stop importing Russian crude, because losing its top purchaser of seaborne exports would force Moscow to slash prices to find other buyers, analysts and traders said. Trump on Monday cut US tariffs on Indian goods in a trade deal he said also included provisions for India to halt oil imports from Russia, the world’s second-biggest oil exporter. The US is also putting pressure on Russia to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine. Trump has over the past year already claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil. India never halted imports, however, citing its need for energy security and for cheap oil. The Kremlin says energy cooperation with India, its second-largest oil buyer after China, is strong after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the country in December 2025. But Indian refiners are taking a cautious approach to Russian oil purchases, which is already hu...

Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20 All-Rounder Rankings on the back of “some excellent showings” during the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Pakistan whitewashed Australia with a 3-0 victory in the series, during which Saim scored 119 run and claimed three wickets. An announcement by the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday that Saim moved up one slot to regain the top spot in the monthly rankings, replacing Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza. The cricket’s governing body said the development “bodes well for Ayub and Pakistan just days out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as the Asian side look to claim their second title in the 20-over showcase event and their first since they tasted success in the second edition of the tournament back in 2009”. Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed also moved up two places to the second spot in the T20 bowler rankings. He grabbed six wickets in the series against Australia and was “now ju...

The US and Iran are due to hold talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran requested a change of venue to limit negotiations to its nuclear programme, a regional official said, with a build-up of US forces in the Middle East raising fears of a confrontation. Iran wanted the meeting to take place in Oman as a continuation of previous rounds of talks held in the Gulf Arab country on its nuclear programme, asking for a change of location from Turkiye to avoid any expansion of the discussions to issues such as Tehran’s ballistic missiles, the regional official said. Iran has said it will not make concessions on its formidable ballistic missile programme — one of the biggest in the Middle East — calling that a red line in negotiations. Tehran, which said it replenished its stockpile of ballistic missiles since coming under attack from Israel last year, had warned that it will unleash its missiles to defend the Islamic Republic if its security is under threat. The regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, sa...