Pakistan

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Tuesday that it had partnered with rail companies in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) in a bid to facilitate its passengers. In a press release, the national flag carrier’s spokesperson said that for the convenience of its passengers travelling to Toronto and destinations in the UK, special arrangements had been made to provide access to rail facilities. “PIA has launched an ‘air-to-rail’ partnership with renowned rail services in Canada and the UK, providing passengers with extensive travel facilities,” he said. Under the agreement, PIA passengers can now, after their air travel, reach their final destination by train on a single ticket without the hassle of booking separately, he said. “PIA passengers will now be able to book their rail tickets along with air tickets to reach their final destination via rail, saving time and effort in booking trains separately,” he added. “Passengers arriving in Toronto on PIA can connect to eight major cities in Canada t...

The Sindh government on Tuesday announced that all public and private educational institutions will remain closed on January 17 (Saturday) on account of Shab-i-Meraj. Shab-i-Meraj is observed on the 27th of Rajab to commemorate the Holy Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Night of Ascent. The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said, “In pursuance of the decision taken in the sub-committee meeting of the Steering Committee on Education held on November 28, 2024, all public and private educational institutions under the administrative control of Sindh School Education and Literacy Department, Government on Sindh, shall remain closed on Saturday, January 17 on account of Shab-i-Meraj.” Earlier this week, the Sindh government had decided to change school opening timings across the province for a period of two weeks. The decision was made after Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah consulted with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, keeping in view the intensity of the cold spell in various parts of the provin...

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has stated that unity and consensus on matters of national security and narrative is the need of the hour, Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday. According to the report, he made the remarks as a delegation of the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee (NPAC), led by its Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, met with the DG ISPR in Rawalpindi. “Speaking on the occasion, the DG ISPR emphasised that unity and consensus on matters of national security and narrative were the need of the hour,” it said. He said a comprehensive discussion was held on internal security challenges in the context of Fitna al Khawarij, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan, which further strengthened the shared stance of all stakeholders, it said. “Reiterating Islamabad’s principled position on Kashmir and Gaza, DG ISPR said supporting oppressed peoples is Pakistan’s moral responsibility, ” it added. He stressed that public a...

Pakistan and Japan have formalized a grant agreement to enhance pediatric healthcare facilities in South Punjab, with the Japanese government committing $18.

Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Tuesday informed irked lawmakers in the National Assembly that 29,115 trees had been removed from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), but that more than this number would be planted in the coming months. In the past few days, there has been widespread criticism over the cutting of thousands of mature trees in various locations of the federal capital, including the levelling of acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. PTI MNA Riaz Fatyana moved a calling attention notice on the tree-cutting in the federal capital and the public concern it was causing. Responding to him, Chaudhry said 29,115 trees have been removed, while “40,000 trees of more than 8-10 feet have been planted”. He added that another 60,000 trees will be planted in the same areas on March 30, when the weather will be more suitable for planting. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has maintained that only paper mulberry trees were removed, as they had been causing pollen allergy. However, s...

Armed assailants killed four members of a peace committee in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Tuesday, confirmed police. The incident took place in the Gulbadin Landi Dak area of Bannu district. According to a senior official of the district police, the victims were all travelling in the same vehicle when armed men opened “indiscriminate fire” on them. Of the four victims, two were identified as a father and son. They all died on the spot, the official added. Local sources said that the peace committee in the area has taken up arms in self-defense to resist militants, leading to an extremely tense situation in the area. The police official further said that an investigation into the attack has been initiated, but added that it was too early to declare it an act of terrorism. Attacks on peace committee members in KP have been on the rise in recent months. In November 2025, seven people were killed when a peace committee office was attacked in Bannu. Meanwhile, in October, a member of a tribal peace commi...

An anti-corruption court in Lahore on Monday granted former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi a one-day exemption from appearing in an alleged illegal recruitment case.

A bipartisan group of United States lawmakers will visit Denmark this week as President Donald Trump threatens a takeover of Greenland, an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark that houses a US airbase. The delegation will be led by Democratic US Senator Chris Coons and will include Republican US Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Dick Durbin along with some members of the House of Representatives, Coons’ office said in a statement on Monday. Why it’s important Democratic and Republican US lawmakers said last week they expected the US Senate would eventually vote on legislation seeking to rein in Trump’s ability to attempt to seize Greenland from Denmark, a long-time US ally. Trump has repeatedly said Washington must own Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich Arctic territory. He says a US military presence there is not enough. “One way or the other we are going to take Greenland,” Trump has said while adding he would pre...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan on Tuesday agreed to sign a formal agreement on “pre-immigration clearance” for Pakistani nationals visiting the Gulf country, said a statement by the Ministry of Interior. The agreement, when signed, will enable Pakistani nationals to bypass lengthy immigration processes upon arrival in the UAE. The decision was made in a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and a delegation from the UAE, led by Director General of Customs and Port Security Ahmed Bin Lahij Al Falasi, the press release said. “The immigration process for the passengers will be completed in Pakistan before travel,” Naqvi was quoted as saying. He added that with the implementation of the system, Pakistani nationals will be able to bypass lengthy immigration processes upon arrival in the UAE. “They will be able to exit the airport directly like domestic passengers,” said Naqvi. The interior minister detailed that the system will be launched as a pilot project, with the first phase set to begin...

Four members of a local peace committee were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Tuesday, police said, in the latest incident in a renewed wave of militant violence in the province.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Deputy Amir Liaquat Baloch on Monday reiterated that his party would not become part of any electoral alliance and would continue its political struggle independently.

Pakistan on Monday called on Russia and Ukraine to enter into a “sustained, meaningful and structured dialogue” to end their protracted conflict, warning that the nearly four-year-old war continues to inflict enormous human and economic costs and poses growing risks to regional and global stability.

The Federal Constitutional Court has declared the increase in excise duty under the Balochistan Finance Act 2020 constitutional, dismissing a petition filed by Attock Cement.

Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori has approved the Sindh Safe Cities Authority (Amendment) Bill 2025 under Article 116 of the Constitution.

The work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project is expected to begin in July 2026 from the Karachi Port, said Minister of Railways Hanif Abbasi on Tuesday. The ML-1 project aims to upgrade and modernise key infrastructure to enhance freight and passenger connectivity from Karachi to Peshawar. Last month, a review meeting on the key Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects was also informed that the project will begin in July this year. According to a press release issued today, Abbasi, in a meeting with the Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Rear Admiral (retd) Shahid Ahmed, on January 9, said that the construction of the project will begin from the Karachi Port, starting in July. During the meeting, he informed chairman KPT that under the project, a 54-kilometre railway section from “KPT to Pipri will be upgraded to ensure seamless cargo movement”. The two also discussed “measures for strengthening the railway system for efficient cargo transportation from Karachi Port”. Reduction of congestion ...

Petrol and other fuel prices in Pakistan are expected to be reduced for a fourth consecutive time from January 16, sources said.

Beijing has rejected New Delhi’s claim over the Shaksgam valley in Kashmir and said that the territory “belongs to China”. At a press conference on Monday, when asked by the Press Trust of India (PTI) for comment on the Indian criticism of China’s infrastructure development projects in the Shaksgam valley, China‘s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said that it was “fully justified” for China to conduct infrastructure construction “on its own territory”. “The territory you mentioned belongs to China,” she said. India’s foreign ministry spokesperson had on Friday said that it reserved the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its interests as the Shaksgam valley was “an Indian territory”. “We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement that happened in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid,” he said at a press conference in response to a question from India’s state-owned public television broadcaster Doordashan. The Indian spokespe...

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has decided to end its boycott of the National Assembly and will participate in today’s session.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has started providing identity documentation and CNIC renewal services through selected e-Sahulat franchises across the country to facilitate citizens and reduce pressure on its centres.

Heavy fog in plain areas of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on night between Monday and Tuesday forced closure of several motorway sections after visibility dropped.