Pakistan

PPP stalwart and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Monday said that there was “no need” for a 28th Constitutional Amendment, saying that the Constitution could not “bear the burden” if it were to happen. In a statement, he said, “The ruling elite should realise that the Constitution, 1973, cannot bear the burden of another amendment. There is no need for the 28th Constitutional Amendment.” He said that the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments had already “defaced” a number of the original provisions of the Constitution, particularly those relating to the judiciary. The former took away the Supreme Court’s suo motu power, while the latter made significant changes to the judicial system and the military’s chain of command. Rabbani said the “transfer of a judge without his or her consent impinged on the independence of the judiciary”. “The federal government should be looking at the backlash of these two amendments and, in consultation with the stakeholders, taking remedial measures,” he said. He further...

Saad Edhi, along with more than 500 activists from various countries participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla, had departed from Marmaris, Turkiye, on a humanitarian mission to Gaza aimed at delivering relief assistance to Palestinians.

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday approached the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) against the petroleum levy, arguing that the government had effectively granted itself unrestricted power to tax citizens through executive notifications without parliamentary oversight. The government had announced a petroleum and carbon levy on June 14, 2025, under an iron-clad commitment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Last month, the government had cut the levy by Rs80 amid the global oil crisis triggered by the Middle East crisis. However, following the IMF’s condition of restoring an average Rs80 per litre petroleum levy on petrol and high-speed diesel last week, the government passed on a slight reduction in global oil prices to domestic consumers. The petroleum levy on petrol currently stands at Rs117.41 per litre, while the levy on HSD is Rs42.60 per litre. In a petition moved through senior counsel Imran Shafeeq, Rehman sought a declaration from the FCC that the present p...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the Punjab government’s pavilion for the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” housing project at Baku has emerged as a major attraction for international visitors and foreign delegates.

A Karachi court on Monday declared the production of suspected drug trafficker Anmol alias Pinky at the City Court unsafe and ordered that all further proceedings be conducted inside prison premises due to security concerns.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday strongly condemned the drone attack on the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear power plant, saying that “such reckless actions carry potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences for human life, the environment and regional as well as global peace and security”. A day ago, a drone strike had triggered a fire near Barakh Nuclear Power Plant in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, reporting no injuries or impact on radiation levels, according to the UAE’s defence ministry. The UAE defence ministry said two other drones had been “successfully” dealt with, and that the drones had been launched from the “western border”. It did not elaborate. Emirati officials said they were investigating the source of the strike and that the UAE had the full right to respond to such “terrorist attacks”. The UAE has previously accused Iran of attacking its energy targets in what it has called an escalation of the conflict in the region. In the statement released on Monday, the FO said that “any deliberate...

Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the reported drone attack on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates on May 17, describing the targeting of nuclear facilities as a serious violation of international law.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Sunday directed authorities to include Bushra Bibi in the investigation of 29 cases related to the November 26 incidents in the presence of her husband and legal team.

The intensity of the heatwave continued to increase in Lahore on Sunday as temperatures soared to 43 degrees Celsius, according to officials from the Meteorological Department.

Peshawar - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday discussed the overall situation in the province, including law and order and key administrative matters, during a meeting at the Governor House.

KARACHI: Two police personnel were martyred on Monday when a speeding dumper truck crashed into a police van parked on the M9 Motorway within the limits of the Gadap City police station, officials said. In a statement, Malir police said that a police mobile assigned for patrolling and snap checking was hit by a speeding dumper. As a result of the impact, both Constable Wajid and Sub-Inspector Sahib Dad Solangi were martyred on the spot, a police spokesperson said in a statement. “The speeding dumper was travelling to Karachi from Hyderabad. The driver has been taken into custody,” the spokesperson said, adding that legal action had also been initiated against the driver. Meanwhile, Motorway police also issued a statement, confirming that two cops had been martyred in the incident. “According to initial information, the dumper hit a police van parked on the side of the road,” the statement said. According to Edhi, the bodies of the martyred cops were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formal...

Oil prices extended gains on Monday as efforts to end the Iran war appeared to have stalled, after a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates came under attack and as US President Donald Trump is expected to discuss military options on Iran. Brent crude futures climbed $2.01, or 1.84 per cent, to $111.27 a barrel by 0432 GMT, but were off the $112 they had touched earlier for their highest since May 5. US West Texas Intermediate crude stood at $107.75 a barrel, up $2.33, or 2.21pc, after a rise to $108.70, its highest since April 30. The front-month June contract expires on Tuesday. Both contracts gained more than 7pclast week as hopes dimmed for a peace deal to end ship attacks and seizures around the key waterway of the Strait of Hormuz. Last week’s talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended without an indication from the world’s top oil importer that it would help resolve the conflict unleashed by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Drone attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia and rhetoric ...

Pakistan Army says India hasn’t learnt right lessons even after eight decades Threatening a sovereign nuclear neighbour with elimination is sheer bankruptcy of cognitive capacities Such geographic obliteration will certainly be mutual, comprehensive Delhi’s aggressive posturing stems from frustration.

Islamabad - The United States has described Pakistan as an important and key partner in global counterterrorism efforts, underscoring Islamabad’s growing significance as a “net regional stabilizer” amid evolving security challenges in South and Central Asia.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman yesterday described recent developments related to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as a significant legal and diplomatic affirmation of Pakistan’s principled stance.

President Aliyev appreciates Pakistan’s constructive and responsible diplomatic role in regional peace efforts, particularly in context of recent Iran-US tensions.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a phone call with his Qatari counterpart on Sunday and thanked the leadership of Qatar for its “strong endorsement and support of Pakistan-led peace efforts”. According to a statement shared by PM’s spokesperson for foreign media Mosharraf Zaidi on X, the premier had a “warm and cordial conversation” with Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani, and the two leaders exchanged views on the evolving regional and international situation. “The prime minister thanked the leadership of Qatar for its strong endorsement and support of Pakistan-led peace efforts aimed at de-escalation and promoting regional peace and stability,” the statement added. It said that PM Shehbaz expressed his “deep appreciation for Qatar’s constructive role in regional diplomacy and for building a consensus in support of ongoing mediation efforts”. Both leaders agreed on the need for continued close coordination and dialogue among all stakeholders to address common challenges, it added. ...

Islamabad and Baku are developing their ties under a trilateral framework involving Pakistan, Turkiye and Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday. The Azeri president met with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Baku, where CM Maryam arrived on a three-day visit on Saturday to represent Pakistan at the 13th UN World Urban Forum (WUF13). “President Ilham Aliyev also emphasised that Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations are currently developing within a trilateral framework involving Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan,” read a statement issued by the Azeri president’s office on the meeting. During the meeting, the two sides “commended the development of fraternal relations and strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Pakistan”. “They discussed cooperation in political, economic, diplomatic, defence, and other fields, while also highlighting the importance of interregional cooperation and the strong potential for further expanding trade ties,” the statement said. It was also highlighted during the meeting...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has termed Pakistan’s emergence as a key mediator between the US and Iran as a “shining moment in our history”, crediting the “political-military partnership” for the change in the country’s image internationally. The premier made these remarks during an interview with The Sunday Times, as Islamabad remained engaged in efforts for de-escalation between the US and Iran. “It’s one of the shining moments in our history. Pakistan is acknowledged worldwide as an honest mediator and as a country in which international leadership has full trust and faith. It’s our shining hour, and I feel a very proud Pakistani — as do 240 million Pakistanis,” he was quoted as saying in the interview published on Saturday night. The PM’s expressed optimism even as military pressure and fears of renewed confrontation continue to shape the conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. While a deal for a complete end to the war is yet to happen, hostilities have largely ceased since...

QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Sunday imposed Section 144 across the province for a month. In a notification available with Dawn, the provincial government imposed a complete ban on gatherings of five or more than five persons, including sit-ins, processions, or rallies throughout the province for 30 days, effective immediately. The ban also extended to covering faces in public places, “particularly through the use of mufflers, masks, or any other means that obstruct identification”, as well as the display or use of weapons, pillion riding, tinted glasses on vehicles and using unregistered motorcycles. In light of the development, Special Assistant to the Home Department Babar Khan Yousafzai, in a statement, said that security had been placed on high alert. “If Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan make any attempt of any misadventure, they will be met with full force,” he said, adding that security forces remained ready to thwart such attempts and all institutions remained on high alert. The state ...