Pakistan

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The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced on Sunday that the Zilhaj moon had been sighted and Eidul Azha will be celebrated on May 27. The announcement came after the committee met earlier today in Karachi for the moon sighting, while meetings of zonal committees were also convened in Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar. Addressing a press conference after the meetings, Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairperson Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad said skies were mostly clear in the country today except in some areas. Resultantly, moon sighting testimonies were received from Karachi and other cities of Sindh, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and some other areas. “Hence, it has been unanimously decided that first Zilhaj 1447 AH will be on May 18 (Monday) while Eidul Azha will fall on May 27 (Wednesday),” he said. Earlier this week, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) had also forecast that Eidul Azha was expected to fall on May 27 as the “new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH is expected to be born on May 17...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, along with a delegation, met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Baku to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in trade and other sectors.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is meeting in Karachi to sight the Zilhaj moon, which will determine the date of Eid ul Adha in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) is set to introduce nationwide home delivery of passports and launch a chatbot to help applicants, Passports DG Muhammad Ali Randhawa told Dawn on Sunday. “Applicants will soon have the option to get passports delivered to their doorsteps,” he said, adding that discussions with a courier service company were under way for this purpose. “After an agreement is signed, the facility will be available across the country. Under this initiative, passports of those ready to pay nominal courier charges will be shipped directly to their addresses from Islamabad,” he said. Randhawa said authorities planned to extend the service to overseas Pakistanis in the second phase. “Meanwhile, a chatbot will also be launched soon,” he said. “Applicants will be able to get guidelines through it on procedures and document requirements, and check the status of their passports after submission.” He said this would also reduce the load on his department’s call centr...

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Opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy struck a fluent half-century after the bowlers dominated to put Bangladesh firmly in command of the second Test against Pakistan on Sunday. Bangladesh, who lead the two-match series 1-0, closed day two on 110-3 in their second innings, leading by 156 runs in Sylhet. Joy, who fell for a duck in the first innings, responded with 52 off 64 balls before falling to pace bowler Mohammad Abbas. Tanzid Hasan fell cheaply for four off quick bowler Khurram Shahzad, who later took down Mominul Haque for 30 in the final over of the day, while captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten on 13. Earlier, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and speedster Nahid Rana took three wickets each to bowl Pakistan out for 232, giving Bangladesh a 46-run first innings lead. Babar Azam’s 68, which included 10 fours, was the only significant resistance from the visitors. Pace spearhead Taskin Ahmed removed overnight openers Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais early and spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed skipper Shan ...

The US Central Command has termed Pakistan a “critical counter-terrorism partner” that is “central” to the fight against the militant Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) in South Asia. The remarks were made by Centcom Commander Navy Admiral Bradford Cooper, who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week on the progress of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ — Washington’s campaign against Iran that began on February 28 and is paused for now. A statement issued after the briefing on May 14 also had remarks from Cooper on the US engagement in South and Central Asia. He told the committee that the “shared” threat of external operations emanating from Afghanistan continued to be “an animating force among our partners”. “Pakistan, especially, is a critical CT partner that is central to the fight against ISIS-K in the region,” Admiral Cooper said, adding that Washington and Islamabad’s “strong military-to-military partnership has produced tangible results against high-value individuals with American blood o...

The government of Pakistan has reduced jet fuel prices by Rs111.

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi called on the Centre to address his province’s issues, asserting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “should take interest” in the matter. At the same time, he also said he had conveyed to KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to focus on the “province’s governance rather than Adiala” — a reference to the PTI’s efforts and frequent protests outside the jail in Rawalpindi for party founder Imran Khan’s release. Kundi made these remarks while speaking to the media in Islamabad after he met KP CM Afridi at the Governor House in Peshawar earlier in the day. Speaking to the media, he warned that the “people of KP have reached a point where if they take to the streets tomorrow, nobody could be held responsible for it”. Kundi urged the federal government to address KP’s issues, including the suspension of CNG supply and restrictions on wheat movement. “If Punjab has issues with supplying wheat to KP, then allow us passage to ensure supply from Sindh,” Kundi said, claiming that...

Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that if the federal government formally approaches the Pakistan Peoples Party on a proposed constitutional amendment, the matter will be referred to the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) for consultation.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday administered the oath to five new provincial ministers. The ministers were sworn in a day after Kundi’s approval of the summary for the induction of 18 new cabinet members sent by the office of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Shafiullah Jan, Shakeel Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood, Nazir Abbasi, and Arif Ahmadzai took the oath, according to a statement issued by Governor House, where the ceremony was held. Minister-designate Adnan Qadri could not be sworn in as he was abroad. The portfolios for the newly appointed ministers are yet to be decided. CM Afridi, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, ministers, government officials, and political figures were among those who attended the ceremony. An official statement issued by Governor House on Saturday said Kundi had approved the summary for the expansion of the provincial cabinet with six new ministers, four advisers and eight special assistants to the chief minister. New a...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”, posing risks to neighbouring countries. The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, but that countries sharing land borders with the DRC are at high risk for further spread. The UN health agency said in a statement that 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases had been reported as of Saturday in the DRC’s Ituri province across at least three health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu. International spread documented, WHO says The DRC health ministry had said on Friday that 80 people had died in the new outbreak in the eastern province. The 17th outbreak in the country, where Ebola was first identified in 1976, could in fact be much larger, given the high positivity rate of the initial samples and increasing number of su...

Israel says it killed Bahaa Baroud, Hamas operations HQ commander, accused of planning imminent attacks

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