Pakistan

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has accused India of engaging in “water politics” by allegedly violating the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s planned visit to Switzerland has been postponed following recent developments related to the reported understanding between Iran and the United States, in which Pakistan has been described as playing a facilitating diplomatic role.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to immediately pass on the benefit of declining international oil prices to consumers amid easing tensions in the Middle East. In a post on social media on Thursday, the minister said, “International oil prices are falling, and the prime minister has directed that this benefit be passed on to the public immediately.” The minister said that “a high-level committee had been constituted to devise a transparent weekly fuel pricing mechanism … so that in the future, whenever needed, the public can understand the reasons for changes in prices.” Malik added the work would be completed “in full consultation with all stakeholders”. Referring to regional developments, Malik said, “The efforts of the prime minister, field marshal, foreign minister, and interior minister are bearing fruit, as Iran and the United States are moving toward signing a ceasefire agreement.” The minister also thanked industry partne...

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Thursday that the federal government had promised that allocations for provinces under the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) award would be “protected”, and that the Centre would not request any further “help or sacrifice” following the recent decision to freeze development allocations for the provinces. Bilawal joined the budget debate a day after he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is reported to have convinced the head of his coalition partner PPP to attend the budget session in the NA. “The provinces’ NFC award and financial resources have been kept protected; no damage will be caused to them,” Bilawal declared while addressing the NA, which was debating the proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year (FY27). “Besides this decision, the provincial governments will not be required to make any sacrifices,” he added. The government has decided to freeze development allocations for the provinces for three years to generate more than...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday ordered the Adiala jail superintendent, Punjab’s home secretary, the Islamabad advocate general and the Punjab advocate general to furnish their replies within three weeks in a case concerning the denial of access to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan. A petition was filed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) October 23, 2025, dismissal of his contempt petition, which sought enforcement of the court’s directives regarding visitation rights for Imran’s legal team at Adiala jail. The directives were issued today by a three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. During the hearing, Justice Mazhar said the bench would not be available next week, but the appeal would be scheduled for hearing, directing that appeals be fixed within three weeks. The court also directed that the IHC’s order of Oct 23, 2025, be placed on record during the hearing. In...

The US and Iran have agreed to a basic framework. Whether this formal consensus translates into a concrete agreement is an open question. While Iran has officially declared the end of the war, Israel insists “our struggle has not yet ended”. Between these two statements lies all the space the spoilers need. The ceasefire was made possible by pragmatists. It will be threatened by apocalypticists. In Washington and Jerusalem, there are people at the helm of affairs who do not read this war as a security crisis to be resolved but a scheduled event — one that a ceasefire can delay but not, in their theology, prevent. For them, a deal is not a solution. It is an obstacle. And obstacles, in the eschatological imagination, are not negotiated around. They are removed. A changed world Whether the framework holds or collapses, one thing is clear: the West Asian security structure that existed on the morning of Feb 28, 2026, has ceased to exist. Firstly, South Asian and West Asian security complexes are no longer analyt...

European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar exchanged words on X after Kallas reportedly compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to South Africa’s apartheid-era policies. Saar said he was severing “all contact” with the EU official after Kallas posted that the EU remains committed to a constructive relationship with Israel. In a post on X addressed to Saar, the EU’s top diplomat said: “I value our dialogue and engagement, and I’m open to continue in that spirit, respectfully and constructively.” Kallas added that the EU remains committed to the two-state solution and has reiterated that the bloc has condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In a post on social media, Saar said Kallas had reportedly “compared Israel to the racist apartheid regime” during a visit to Mexico and that as a result he was severing contact until she retracted the comments. In subsequent posts on X, the Israeli ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani to discuss the recently signed Islamabad memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.

Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that diplomacy is more effective than conflict, welcoming the Iran-US memorandum as a major breakthrough for regional peace and stability.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that 2,056 development schemes would be completed across the province during the next financial year, emphasizing that the provincial budget focuses on providing relief to the people.

Oil prices tumbled further Thursday after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed off on a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and cargo traffic. European and Asian stock markets were mixed, with some major indexes retreating after steep falls on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve raised its inflation forecast and projected higher US interest rates this year, boosting the dollar. “Politics and economics are front and centre for markets,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. “The US and Iran have signed an initial deal to end the war, causing oil prices to fall further,” he said, but the Fed’s hint at a rate increase “took the market by surprise and caused a wobble” on Wall Street and elsewhere. Kevin Warsh, the new Fed chief, vowed to “deliver price stability” after chairing his first policy meeting, even though Trump has repeatedly called for lower rates. “Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people,” he said after the meeting,...

Pakistan announced Thursday that a landmark memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran has entered into force with immediate effect, marking what Islamabad described as a major diplomatic breakthrough aimed at defusing regional tensions.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday formally signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran in his capacity as a mediator, according to media reports.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed authorities to arrange meetings between former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and their legal counsel within seven days to facilitate the preparation and filing of appeals against their convictions in the £190 million corruption case.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday restrained the Punjab government from taking further action regarding 11.5 kanal Ewing Hall belonging to Forman Christian College University (FCCU). Earlier this month, activists and alumni raised concerns over the government’s alleged repossession of Ewing Hall, arguing that the move could jeopardise an important part of the college’s historical legacy. The Punjab government, however, has maintained that the lease had expired years ago and that substantial dues remained unpaid. On Thursday, Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad issued the order reserved the other day on a petition filed by the FCCU registrar. A counsel for the petitioner argued that the Punjab government had forcibly taken possession of the land on June 11 and that the Board of Revenue’s (BoR) move to cancel the lease was illegal. The counsel informed the court that the land of Ewing Hall, situated at Neela Gumbad, New Anarkali, had been leased to the college in 1915 and the lease period was extended in 2018 u...

LAHORE: Five senior PTI leaders, incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat Jail, have urged opposition leaders to “engage constructively” with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on a “Charter of Pakistan” — a move they deem will address the root cause of instability in the country. They made the appeal in a joint letter to National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. The letter by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed was shared by their counsel Rana Mudassar Umer and dated June 17. It said that Pakistan currently “stands at a critical crossroads” and referred to a recent invitation by the government to the opposition to sign a Charter of Economy. The PTI leaders noted in their letter that “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has once again proposed a ‘Charter of Economy’ as a means of addressing the country’s persistent economic challenges’. “While economic reform a...

United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Thursday hailed progress by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies to meet defence spending vows, but said some must “do more”, as he struck a conciliatory tone at an alliance meeting. “Many countries following through, some that still need to do more, and we will be candid about that, both in private and in public,” Hegseth said ahead of talks with Nato defence ministers in Brussels. “I think that’s important — friends being honest with friends.” The warm tone will likely reassure Washington’s allies ahead of a summit with US President Donald Trump next month — after the mercurial leader lashed out at Europe over its response to his war on Iran. Nato will look to showcase increased expenditure by Europe to prove to Trump it is progressing on a pledge last year to reach five per cent of GDP on defence-related spending. “When it comes to spending, what we are seeing is staggering amounts of money coming in,” Nato chief Mark Rutte said. “Europe and Ca...

ISLAMABAD: Muharram processions and gatherings will be monitored digitally through drones while geo-tagging of all imambargahs, majalis venues and procession routes has been completed, according to an interior ministry statement detailing security arrangements for Islamabad. The statement was issued after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting to review security arrangements for Muharram in the federal capital. The statement said a special mobile application, ‘Mehfooz Muharram’, had also been launched, using which citizens could report any suspicious activity or individual or inadequate security arrangements. It will also have live location sharing and image sharing features. It added that a central control room had been established at Safe City as part of security arrangements, and a “four-tier security cordon” would be implemented to ensure the protection of Muharram processions and gatherings. The statement said Naqvi directed that a four-tier security cordon be maintained for the protection of M...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said early on Thursday that the ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) between the United States and Iran had been signed electronically by both sides. “The memorandum has been signed by honourable presidents of both the countries and also endorsed by me as the mediator. The signing of this agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrates the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. He added that the MoU shall “enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade”. US President Donald Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understanding during a candlelit dinner at the Palace of Versailles following a G7 summit, as host French President Emmanuel Macron and other guests applauded, a video posted by a Trump aide showed. ...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the advocate general Islamabad to arrange a meeting between former prime minister Imran Khan, his spouse Bushra Bibi and their legal counsel within seven days to facilitate the filing and prosecution of appeals against their conviction in the £190 million reference. A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif resumed hearing appeals challenging the conviction awarded by an accountability court in the high-profile National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference. During the proceedings, Imran’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar informed the court that despite repeated efforts he had been unable to meet his client, who remains incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Cconsequently, he could neither obtain instructions nor secure a signed vakalatnama (power of attorney) for the appeals. The counsel submitted that jail authorities had consistently denied him access to the former prime minister. He...