Pakistan

Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti, son of former Balochistan Governor Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, died in Karachi on Thursday due to a heart attack.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the Centre and provinces need to set their priorities and make collective efforts to provide relief to the needy amid the global oil crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran. He made the remarks while addressing a high-level meeting, attended by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, the chief ministers from all four provinces and federal ministers. The premier said that the Centre and provinces should utilise their resources sagaciously and curtail their development projects as much as possible while also utilising their resources on agricultural-related initiatives. “We have to spend this money on public goods and transport. Now we have to set our priorities jointly,” he added. He also highlighted the government’s initiatives to protect the economy and the common man from the adverse impact of the global oil crisis. In his remarks, PM Shehbaz also said that like other countries across the world, Pakistan was “being severely affected ...

Indian police this week seized 414 cooking‑gas canisters hidden in a graveyard in Hyderabad city and arrested those involved in trying to ​sell them on the black market amid shortages due to the ‌US-Israeli war on Iran, a government official said on Thursday. Authorities have stepped up raids to curb hoarding of liquefied petroleum gas canisters after the US-Israeli war against Iran disrupted shipping, causing supply ​shortages. India, the world’s number two Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) importer, meets about 60 per cent ​of its demand through overseas purchases, mostly from the Middle East. “Just ⁠yesterday, around 2,600 raids were carried out and about 700 cylinders were ​seized,” Sujata Sharma, a senior official in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural ​Gas, told a regular briefing on the Middle East crisis. “In addition, around 400 cylinders were recently found at one location inside a graveyard in Hyderabad. Ten people have been ​detained there, and the distributor involved has been suspended,” she said....

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has issued a warning over a surge of false information originating from India, aimed at undermining Pakistan’s diplomatic initiatives amid ongoing US-Iran tensions.

The ongoing campaign against fancy and unapproved number plates in Karachi has been temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions, traffic authorities said on Thursday.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 index sank by 3,500 points on Thursday, after a press conference by United States President Donald Trump dampened investor hopes of a quick end to the war on Iran. The KSE-100 index dropped by 4,073.85 points, or 2.62 per cent, to stand at 151,505.26 points as of around 12:15pm, in a change of course from the bullish momentum it had sustained over the past two days. It closed at 152,011.26 points, down 3,500.30 points or 2.25pc, from the previous close of 155,511.56. Topline Securities said that the local bourse remained under pressure, “tracking the negative momentum in global markets” after remarks by Trump on the ongoing war on Iran dented investor sentiment. “Escalating geopolitical tensions, coupled with a surge in oil prices, kept market participants on the back foot, reinforcing a cautious stance throughout the session,” it said. “Selling pressure prevailed across the board, dragging the index to an intraday low of 5,489 points. The market eventuall...

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Thursday directed port authorities to finalize and implement a comprehensive 30-day plan for shifting, auctioning, and disposing of stuck-up containers and surplus materials to ease congestion and enhance operational efficiency at port terminals.

Eight Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, on Thursday strongly condemned Israel’s move to pass a law making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks. The joint statement, shared by the Foreign Office, was released by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The statement said that the countries “strongly condemned the Israeli occupying power’s enactment of a law in its Parliament (Knesset), that allows the imposition of the death penalty in the occupied West Bank and its de facto application against Palestinians”. They warned against the “increasingly discriminatory, escalating Israeli practices that entrench a system of apartheid and a rejectionist discourse that denies the inalienable rights and the very existence of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. “The ministers underscored that this legislation constitutes a dangerous escalation...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised the government of Pakistan against providing general petrol subsidies, recommending instead that relief be limited to low-income groups to avoid further economic strain.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday restrained the anti-terrorism court (ATC) from framing charges against veteran journalist Matiullah Jan, and directed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to expeditiously decide on the challenge to the terrorism charges invoked against him. Headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, a three-judge SC bench took up a plea by the journalist seeking to set aside the IHC’s Feb 23, 2026, order denying ad-interim relief to stay his criminal trial. During the hearing, the prosecution did not object to the issuance of directions to the high court, while the apex court observed that it would not go into the merits of the case at this stage so as not to prejudice it in favour of either party. Barrister Qadeer Janjua represented Jan in the case, in which the journalist raised questions about the trial court’s jurisdiction and the applicability of terrorism charges against him. Filed under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, the petition challenged the Feb 23 IHC order, which, while issuing notic...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a crucial meeting on Thursday to assess the likelihood of an energy shortfall in light of escalating regional tensions.

Every year on World Autism Awareness Day, morning television shows and programmes are awash with families of autistic children pouring out their lived realities — the exhausting therapy schedules, the struggle to find inclusive schools, the financial strain of specialised care, and the quiet isolation that often follows. Their testimonies lay bare a system that offers sympathy but little structural support. Even with the surge in visibility, awareness fades as the cameras move on, and families are left navigating the same gaps in services, affordability, and inclusion, with no meaningful progress in sight. A recent episode brought this gap into sharp focus. A furore erupted on social media after users commiserated with Asma Afaq, the mother of a nine-year-old autistic child, Zaviyar, who was reportedly denied entry into a play area at Karachi’s Dolmen Mall. Despite her reassurance that she would personally supervise her child to ensure the safety of others, Zaviyar was refused access to Sindbad’s Wonderland. ...

Experts marked World Autism Awareness Day by calling for urgent attention to early diagnosis, timely therapy and greater societal support for individuals with autism, noting that more than 350,000 children in Pakistan are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday said absenteeism among teachers and doctors in the province had declined significantly due to improved monitoring and governance measures.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday warned that escalating regional tensions pose serious risks, emphasising the urgent need for a sustainable resolution through dialogue and diplomacy.

ISLAMABAD: The government is preparing a new power tariff structure to encourage industrial consumers to maximise their operations during the daytime and minimise them during peak consumption hours in the evening. Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari discussed the concept with World Bank Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabazar on Thursday. The minister said that electricity consumption in Pakistan has been steadily increasing, reflecting the success of the government’s policies. He further said that the government is aiming to make electricity tariffs competitive so that key economic sectors can benefit. He informed the World Bank country director that the Power Division, after assessing concessional tariffs, is currently working on Time of Use (ToU) proposals to further enhance the country’s energy competitiveness. Leghari noted that the aim is to leverage Pakistan’s solar potential while providing concessional tariffs to industries. He added that the Power Division is currently consulting all ...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to review four major healthcare projects, reaffirming the government’s commitment to providing free medical treatment across the province.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump signalled that the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran could conclude within weeks, even as he warned of intensified strikes and issued sweeping claims about the scale of damage inflicted on Tehran. In a 19-minute prime-time address from the White House, Trump described the conflict as a “decisive, overwhelming victory” and said the United States was “getting very close” to finishing the “job” in Iran. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong,” Trump said during the address from the White House. “In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.” While suggesting that the war may soon end, the president made clear that military operations would intensify before any resolution. He did not define the terms of the “deal” he is demanding from Tehran, nor did he outline a diplomatic framework. Trump claimed Iran’s military capacity had been severely degraded. He said its mi...

Security forces have killed eight terrorists while responding to their movement along the Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday. In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the engagement took place on Wednesday after the “movement of a group of khwarij” was picked up by the security forces. “As a result of precise and skilful engagement, eight khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR said, adding that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from them. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “Sanitisation operations are ongoing to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored khawarij in the area”, the military said. “The engagement once again substantiates our repeated stance regarding abject failure of Afghan Taliban regime to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR pointed out. “[Th...

WASHINGTON: Democrats sharply criticised United States President Donald Trump following his national address on the ongoing war in Iran, framing the conflict as deadly, costly, and lacking clear objectives. In a 19-minute prime-time address from the White House, Trump described the conflict as a “decisive, overwhelming victory” and said the US was “getting very close” to finishing the “job” in Iran. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong,” Trump said. “In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said Trump’s address was a failed attempt to justify a war that has already burdened Americans and strained the economy. “Tonight, Americans watched Donald Trump desperately try to justify his deadly and costly war of choice in Iran that has killed over a dozen brave service members and injured hundreds more,” Martin said. “Trump offered no new information to the A...