Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Pakistan Assan Khidmat Markaz in Islamabad, aimed at providing integrated public services to residents of the federal capital.

The Met Office on Thursday forecast likely rainfall in Karachi as a weak westerly wave system is expected to enter the country from January 16.

ISLAMABAD: Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, revealed on Thursday that US President Donald Trump informed Tehran that he will not attack the country and asked that Iran also exercise restraint. Moghadam made the remarks during a visit to the National Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Authority, where he met the authority’s chairman, Khurshid Ahmad Nadeem. Protests have taken place across Iran in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing internet restrictions. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters. On Wednesday, Trump said that he had been informed the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, and added that he would “watch and see” about threatened military action. The Iranian envoy also disclosed that he received information at around 1am, which indicated that Trump did not want war and had asked Iran not to attack the US interests in the region. Speaking of the protests, the envoy maintained that the ...

Iran’s economy is going through one of its most difficult periods in years, fueled by sanctions, high inflation, and a significant drop in the value of the national currency, the rial. These pressures have had a direct impact on living standards and have also fueled recent protests. The protests began on Dec. 28 in commercial hubs in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions, and have since grown into nationwide anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others across multiple cities. The Iranian president said Sunday that his government is determined to address Iran’s economic problems amid the protests. Masoud Pezeshkian said the government admits to “shortcomings and problems” and is working hard to alleviate the people’s concerns, especially on the economy. Currency collapse at the centre of crisis The Iranian rial has s...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from cutting trees in the federal capital until February 2 and sought a detailed report on the ongoing tree-felling drive, amid allegations of large-scale environmental damage. IHC’s Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Naveed Ahmad of the Centre for Justice and Rights, which invoked Article 199 (jurisdiction of high court) of the Constitution. Advocate Muddasir Latif Abbasi appeared as the petitioner’s counsel, while Assistant Attorney General Sarfraz Rauf was present on the state’s behalf. At the outset of the hearing, Advocate Abbasi contended that massive tree felling was being carried out across Islamabad in violation of rules and regulations. He argued that the indiscriminate cutting had led to serious environmental changes, posing dangers to public health and ecology, and amounted to a violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 (PEPA). ...

Oil prices fell more than three per cent on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said killings of demonstrators in nationwide protests in Iran were stopping, tempering concerns over military action against Iran and supply disruptions. Brent futures LCOc1 were down $2.19, or 3.3pc, at $64.33 a barrel by 8:45am GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1had slipped $2.07, or 3.34pc, to $59.95 a barrel. Brent futures rose above $66.50 a barrel on Wednesday before giving back most gains after Trump’s remarks reduced expectations of a potential US attack on Iran. Trump turned the oil market mood by saying he had received assurances that killings of demonstrators in Iran had stopped, said PVM analyst John Evans, adding that prices on Thursday reflect the narrative of a near-term future of oversupply. Further weighing on prices, US crude and gasoline inventories rose last week more than analysts had estimated, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Also on the supply side, Venezuela has be...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a report from the Ministry of Interior over its failure to remove former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry’s name from the travel ban list, despite clear court orders.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reminded lawmakers to submit the details of their assets and liabilities, warning of suspension if they fail to do so by January 16. “The members of Senate, National Assembly and provincial assemblies who have not submitted details of their assets and liabilities are directed to submit it on the prescribed Form B under Section 137 of the Election Act by January 15, 2026,” said a statement issued by the ECP. “In case of failure to submit the statement, the membership of the concerned lawmakers will be suspended from January 16, 2026,” it stated. The ECP further informed that the offices of the political finance wing (Kohsar Block) at the commission would remain open for the receipt of statements until 12 midnight on January 15. Last week, the ECP said 446 lawmakers failed to submit their statement of assets and liabilities with the commission by the due date of December 31, 2025. It notified them to submit it by January 15. Out of these, 125 lawmakers are m...

Pakistan has formally requested Saudi Arabia to increase its Hajj quota for 2026 to 230,000 pilgrims, in proportion to the country’s population, to allow more people to perform the pilgrimage.

ISLAMABAD: A district court on Thursday cancelled the bail of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial social media posts case, following repeated non-appearances and heated scenes in the courtroom. In the case, registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca), the two have been accused of inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. The hearing on Thursday was conducted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammed Afzal Majoka, with Prosecutor Rana Usman representing the state. At the outset, neither Mazari nor Chattha appeared before the court. An assistant counsel sought an exemption from appearance for Mazari, submitting that Chattha was engaged in proceedings relating to a contempt case before the high court. The court expressed displeasure over the absence of the accused and observed that the request for exem...

An accountability court in Lahore has indicted former Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and others in a corruption case related to development projects in Gujrat.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has been inundated with applications for new gas connections following the federal government’s decision to lift the years-long ban on domestic gas connections.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from cutting trees in the federal capital and sought a detailed report on the matter.

Pakistan’s passport ranking has improved on the Henley Index in 2026, rising from 103 in 2025 to 98 this year, according to figures released on Thursday. According to the latest rankings, Pakistan’s travel document was placed 98th on the list, tied with Yemen. It ranked higher than Iraq (99), Syria (100) and Afghanistan (101). The ranking showed that Pakistan’s passport allows visa-free access to 31 countries, including visa-on-arrival (VOA). Pakistan’s ranking on the Henley Passport Index from 2006 to 2025. — screengrab via Henley’s website Singapore ranked the highest, with visa-free access to 192 countries, followed closely by Japan and South Korea with 188. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland tied for the third spot with visa-free access to 186 countries. According to the Henley Index, Pakistani passport holders have free visa access to Barbados, Cook Islands, Dominica, Haiti, Micronesia, Montserrat, Rwanda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. While a visa-on-...

Chief Minister of Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti has expressed strong anger over low gas pressure and shortages during the ongoing severe cold spell in different parts of the province.

Elon Musk’s platform X on Wednesday announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualised photos of women and children. The announcement comes after California’s attorney general launched an investigation into Musk’s xAI — the developer of Grok — over the sexually explicit material and multiple countries either blocked access to the chatbot or launched their own probes. X said it will “geoblock the ability” of all Grok and X users to create images of people in “bikinis, underwear, and similar attire” in those jurisdictions where such actions are deemed illegal. “We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis,” X’s safety team said in a statement. “This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.” In an “extra layer of protection”, image creation and the ability to edit photos via X’s Gro...

US President Donald Trump reiterated on Wednesday that the United States needs Greenland and that Denmark cannot be relied upon to protect the island, even as he said that “something will work out” with respect to the future governance of the Danish overseas territory. The remarks, which came after a high-stakes meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials, indicate that there are still fundamental, if not intractable, differences between how Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk see the political future of the island. “Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And the problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela,” he said. After meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenland...

• Wahab asks KWSC to draft citywide water plan before phasing out tanker services, shutting hydrants • Says goal is equitable water distribution, not politics • Utility sources say closure of hydrants would hit DHA the hardest • Claims decision, if implemented, won’t improve city’s supply KARACHI: While Mayor Murtaza Wahab outlined his plan to eventually dismantle the decades‑old water‑tanker system, officials at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) voiced scepticism, saying it would not be possible to entirely shut down hydrants and end tanker services given the existing water infrastructure. Talking to the reporters on Wednesday after inaugurating the Jehangir Road rehabilitation project, the mayor, who is also the chairman of the KWSC board, said that water tankers and hydrants have been operating in Karachi for decades, largely filling gaps where the piped water supply does not reach. However, he stressed that the system has created inequities, with benefits flowing to select groups while bla...

KOHAT - A tragic landslide in the Qamar Killi area near Gambat Tehsil has claimed the lives of seven people and left one injured.

KARACHI: Pakistan will need a staggering $565.7 billion in investment to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0 climate commitments by 2035. These include a 17 per cent unconditional and 33pc conditional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 30pc increase in electric vehicle adoption, and a shift to 60pc renewable energy. Meeting these ambitious goals will depend heavily on mobilising green-aligned investments, making frameworks like the Pakistan Green Taxonomy and robust ESG disclosure practices essential for guiding capital toward sustainable projects. This was revealed during a session on Pakistan Green Taxonomy (PGT) and ESG Disclosure Guidelines hosted by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), which was attended by top business executives and industry stakeholders on Wednesday. According to OICCI’s press release, the session was held in the backdrop of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s issuance of the revised ESG Disclosure Guidelines for...