Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the suicide attack on a police station in the Domel area of Bannu.

Heavy rains lash parts of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan provinces NDMA warns of more rains, snowfall, thunderstorms in next 12-24 hours Met office predicts rains, hailstorms in Punjab.

A sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices has led public transporters across Pakistan to raise fares, raising concerns about a fresh wave of inflation.

Finance Ministry Advisor Khurram Schehzad has said that the government’s fuel subsidy will not cover all motorcyclists, clarifying that owners of heavy bikes are financially capable of managing petrol expenses on their own.

Four Artemis astronauts were zooming towards the Moon on Friday after a major engine firing, a milestone that commits NASA to the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century. With enough thrust to accelerate a stationary car to highway driving speed in less than three seconds, the Orion capsule engine blasted the astronauts on their trajectory towards the Moon, which they will now loop as part of the 10-day Artemis 2 mission. In the moments that followed what the US space agency dubbed a “flawless” firing that lasted just under six minutes, astronaut Jeremy Hansen said that “humanity has once again shown what we are capable of.” The astronauts said they were “glued to the window” taking pictures, and later passed a floating microphone back and forth as they took questions from US television networks. They said the spacecraft was a little chilly and they were still making it a home, but the crew was all smiles. NASA’s Artemis II mission to fly by the moon, comprising of the Space Launch System (SLS) r...

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has abruptly forced Army Chief of Staff General Randy George into immediate retirement amid the ongoing war with Iran, multiple US media outlets reported on Friday. The outlets described the move as one of the most consequential Pentagon leadership upheavals in decades. The decision also included the removal of General David Hodne, head of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green, chief of the Army Chaplain Corps, in actions first reported by The Washington Post and later confirmed by CBS News and other organisations. The ouster cuts short General George’s tenure roughly one and a half years into what is typically a four-year term and comes as US forces enter the fifth week of active operations against Iran. CBS News quoted US defence officials as saying that Hegseth wanted leadership more closely aligned with President Donald Trump’s and his own vision for the Army. George’s removal breaks with tradition and underscores grow...

PESHAWAR: Senior police officials on Thursday claimed that suspects in the Dr Asif Malik gun attack case had been identified and would soon be arrested. “We have traced the persons who opened fire on urologist Dr Malik. They have been identified and we are closing in on them,” a senior police official told Dawn. He said that the motive behind the attack was still not known and the further details of the case would be made public after the suspects were arrested and interrogated. Urologist Dr Malik was reported to be in stable condition at a hospital after coming under fire close to his residence in the University Town area here on Tuesday night. After the attack, Dr Malik, a pioneer of kidney transplantation in the province, was shifted to the Peshawar General Hospital by his driver and remained under treatment in the intensive care unit. His condition is said to be stable. On Wednesday, senior police officials claimed that the “Dr Malik attack case has almost 80 per cent been concluded.” An official told Daw...

KARACHI: The Gul Plaza Judicial Commission has concluded its proceedings and announced that the inquiry report will be handed over to the provincial government on April 7. In early February, the single-member commission, headed by Justice Agha Faisal of the Sindh High Court, began its inquiry into the Jan 17 devastating fire in Gul Plaza Shopping Mall that claimed lives of 73 people. Commission’s Registrar Iqbal Hassan Khatti on Thursday sent a letter to the law secretary, informing him about the conclusion of the proceedings and submission of the inquiry report. According to the letter, the commission was constituted under Section 3 of the Sindh Tribunals of Inquiry Ordinance 1969 vide gazette notification, issued on Feb 10, to scrutinise the devastating inferno at Gul Plaza as per terms of reference stated in the notification while the period prescribed for completion of the inquiry was eight weeks. “It is hereby intimated that the commission has concluded the inquiry entrusted thereto and seeks to submit i...

• Finance minister to hold key talks with Fund, World Bank officials through April 17 • Islamabad to seek safety nets, subsidy reforms, emergency financing options • Oil, gas volatility threatens Pakistan’s reserves, widens current account gap WASHINGTON: Finance Mini­ster Muhammad Aurangzeb is expected in Washington on April 11 for the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, a visit that has acquired added significance as developing economies grapple with the widening economic fallout of the ongoing war in Iran. Mr Aurangzeb is scheduled to remain in the United States through April 17. During his visit, he will hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with senior officials of international financial institutions and other stakeholders. The minister will also address Pakistani media on April 17 before departing for Islamabad. The Spring Meetings, set for April 13–18, will bring together finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers and development expe...

• Trump says more will follow after earlier threatening to bomb Iran back to ‘Stone Ages’, claims war nearly over • Tehran vows ‘crushing’ attacks on US after Trump threats • Iran launches missiles towards Israel; fire near Mashhad airport after projectile hits fuel tank • Dozens of countries discuss coalition to secure passage through Hormuz WASHINGTON / TEHRAN / BAGHDAD / PARIS: The US and Israel on Thursday stepped up attacks on Iran, targeting a century-old medical research centre in Tehran, a bridge near the capital and steel plants after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran back to “the Stone Ages”. Hours later, Trump said the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed. He posted footage on social media of smoke rising from the B1 bridge in Karaj, around 35 kilometers southwest of Tehran and warned that there would be further destruction unless Iran comes to the table to end the five-week war. “The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again - Much more to follow! It is t...

• Petrol raised by Rs137 to Rs458 per litre; diesel up by Rs184 to Rs520 • Petroleum levy raised on petrol, cut to zero on HSD • Kerosene price increased by Rs34 to Rs458 per litre • Rs100 per litre subsidy for bikers capped at 20 litres per month • Small farmers to receive Rs1,500 per acre support • Early market closures planned to save 1,200MW of electricity ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday announced an unprecedented increase of 43 per cent and 55pc in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), respectively, along with early market closures and targeted subsidies for bikers, farmers and transporters to cushion the impact of global oil price shocks amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Under the revised rates, the ex-depot price of petrol has been increased by Rs137.23 per litre (42.7pc) to Rs458.41 from Rs321.17, while HSD has been raised by Rs184.49 per litre (55pc) to Rs520.35 from Rs335.86, with immediate effect. The price of kerosene was also increased by Rs34.08 per litre to Rs457.80. Petroleum l...

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced on Thursday that the price of petrol was being raised to Rs458.4 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) to Rs520.35 per litre. He made the announcement while addressing a press conference alongside Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. Breakup of the new petrol prices Soon after his announcement, the energy ministry also notified the new prices, with petrol’s price being raised by Rs137.24 per litre and diesel’s by Rs184.49 per litre. The government also increased kerosene prices by Rs34.08 per litre to Rs457.80 per litre. Malik said the new prices would be effective from Friday. The latest hike comes amid a global fuel crisis resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. It was announced around a week after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had rejected a third recommendation for an increase of Rs95 per litre in the price of petrol and Rs203 per litre in that of HSD since the war began. Previously, the PM said he had rejected a...

KARACHI: At least five people were killed on Thursday as heavy rain lashed the metropolis, while the city administration declared an emergency. According to police and rescue officials, the deaths occurred in separate incidents; four people died due to electrocution while a fifth was killed due to a crumbling building amid the heavy rainfall. Site Superhighway Industrial Area Police Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammed Nawaz told Dawn that Shahabuddin, 40, was trying to fix an electrical issue in Ahsanabad when he suffered an electric shock and died. He said the deceased was believed to be an employee of K-Electric. PIB Colony police SHO Rana Mohammed Ajmal said that a 35-yer-old man, Abdul Waleed, died when he touched an electric pole near Faizan Milad Masjid. Surjani Police SHO Sohail Khaskheli told Dawn that 7-year old Dua Batool Sarfraz was killed when she suffered an electric shock inside her home in Sector-7-A. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation said in a statement that a 23-year-old man,...

The 34th day of the US-Israel war against Iran unfolded in the immediate aftermath of US President Donald Trump’s speech, which, rather than opening any pathway to de-escalation, appeared to have hardened positions across the conflict spectrum. The remarks triggered swift Iranian retaliation, and reinforced a trajectory of sustained attrition with an increasingly central focus on economic pressure and maritime control. In his speech, Trump declared that US and Israeli objectives were nearing completion, while committing to another two to three weeks of intensified strikes and warning that Iran could be pushed “back to the Stone Age” if it failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s formulation looked to be a combination of coercive diplomacy and continued military escalation, even as it left ambiguity over the precise end state being sought. The immediate Iranian response underscored the limited deterrent effect of the speech as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched one of its largest single-ni...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday reviewed progress on major public health initiatives with officials reporting thousands of successful surgeries and treatments under government-funded programmes across the province.

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate Visits Algerian Embassy, Offers Condolences on Demise of Former President Liamine Zeroual.

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Government dropped another fuel bomb on Pakistanis by increasing the prices of Petrol and High Speed Diesel Rs 137.

ISLAMABAD - Instead of providing relief to consumers, the federal government has increased the petroleum levy on petrol by Rs55.

US President Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post, a White House official said on Thursday, following mounting frustration with her performance, including her handling of investigative files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump had also reportedly grown frustrated that Bondi was not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries whom he wanted to face criminal charges. In a social media post, Trump praised Bondi as a “Great American patriot and a loyal friend” and said she will move to a job in the private sector. Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, will lead the Justice Department in the interim. During her tenure as the top US law enforcement official, Bondi was a combative champion of Trump’s agenda and dismantled the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of independence from the White House in its investigations. But it was repeated criticism over the Epstein files, including from Trump...

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court on Thursday ruled that Afghan nationals residing in the region, even if subject to repatriation policies, could not be detained or deported without due process of law and directed the government to immediately establish a legal mechanism to regulate such cases. In a detailed judgment authored by Justice Syed Shahid Bahar, the court disposed of three identical constitutional petitions challenging the detention of Afghan nationals allegedly taken into police custody for repatriation. The petitioners had contended that despite possessing valid documents and residing lawfully in AJK for decades, they were taken into custody by police without lawful justification and faced imminent deportation. The government, in its reply, maintained that Afghan nationals were being taken into custody as a precautionary measure under a broader repatriation policy, though it conceded that no specific criminal charges had been levelled against them.  The court observed that ...