Pakistan

Green tractors, Kissan Card, livestock get major funding in FY27 budget

Aurangzeb plans bilateral to commercial debt swap

KSE-100 index extends winning streak over economic optimism, lower oil prices

Internationally gold surges 1% to $4,346

India blocked access to the Telegram messenger app on Tuesday ahead of a retest of a nationwide medical college entrance examination, following a scandal last month over a question paper leak. The failure of the hugely competitive exam, along with a separate marking fiasco in high school tests, sparked outrage and fuelled youth protests demanding the education minister’s resignation. The electronics ministry issued the order restricting access to Telegram until Monday, the day of the retest. Message-editing features, which allow users to alter existing posts, will remain restricted until June 30. “Both measures have been taken in the interest of public order, in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates,” India’s National Testing Agency (NTA) said in a statement. The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) is one of the country’s most competitive exams, attracting more than two million aspiring doctors. The NEET exam was scrapped in May following allegations tha...

ISLAMABAD: PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, rejected the budget for 2026-27 as a document that achieves neither public welfare nor long-term growth, calling it a “budget of broken promises” built on “eleven deadly sins”. Speaking during the Senate debate on Tuesday, Zafar said every budget must have two objectives: trickle-down benefits for the poor and a credible strategy for economic growth and job creation. “Unfortunately, this budget fails to achieve either objective. It neither provides meaningful relief to the common citizen nor sets out a credible long-term plan for economic development and job creation,” he said. The senator listed 11 areas he said the government had ignored: long-term growth strategy; industrialisation policy; a plan for agriculture despite rising imports of cotton, wheat and sugar; a roadmap to boost exports; job creation strategy for youth; a plan to expand the IT sector; a solution to circular debt or a coherent energy policy; provision for dams ...

Prominent lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, currently serving jail sentences, have been awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for their advocacy work, it emerged on Tuesday. According to the official website, the prize is the world’s oldest and most prestigious human rights honour awarded to lawyers, established in honour of French lawyer Ludovic Trarieux who founded the League for the Defence of Human and Citizen Rights in 1898. The first recipient of the award was Nelson Mandela in 1985, while he was imprisoned under South Africa’s apartheid regime. An official press release issued by the Forensic Union for the Protection of Human Rights (UFDU) on Saturday said the award “is presented annually to a lawyer who, through his or her professional commitment, has made an extraordinary contribution to the defence of human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against racism and all forms of intolerance.” The award ceremony took place in Rome, at the Parlam...

Ghotki District Bar Association has approached the Sindh High Court against the alleged disposal of untreated industrial wastewater by factories into open land, raising concerns over severe groundwater contamination and public health risks.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that a foreign-funded organisation is attempting to exert pressure on authorities regarding migrant seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), stressing that decisions on the matter should be taken by local residents and the migrant community.

The Senate Standing Committee on Finance has opposed a proposal to impose an 18% sales tax on stationery items, warning that the move would increase the financial burden on students and parents.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved major reforms in the domicile issuance system, integrating it with the Dastak mobile application and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system.

ATTOCK: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday said that it had killed five alleged terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the border area of Mankor, a remote locality in Attock district’s Jand tehsil. According to a CTD spokesperson, security personnel launched the operation after receiving credible intelligence regarding the presence and activities of terrorists allegedly involved in planning terrorist attacks in Punjab. As the CTD team moved in, the suspected terrorists reportedly opened fire, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire with law enforcement personnel. The spokesperson said CTD officers responded effectively, resulting in the killing of all five individuals. A cache of weapons, explosive material and hand grenades was recovered from the site following the operation. Preliminary investigations suggest that the slain individuals were allegedly linked to plans for carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab, the spokesperson said. The operation was conducted on the basis...

The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday approved the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday forecast widespread rainfall, dust storms and windstorms across several parts of the country from June 16 to 20 under the influence of a westerly wave moving into the upper regions.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday informed the National Assembly that the government is actively pursuing diplomatic efforts to secure the release of 10 Pakistani citizens being held hostage in Somalia.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) Mian Alam Dad Lalika, Iram Hameed, Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, Muhammad Khan Daha, Anwar-ul-Haq, Chaudhry Shehbaz Babar, Sardar Shamsher Mazari and Daniyal Ahmad.

The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia’s southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show and officials confirmed to AFP. The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts said. The US Marines Corps began global pre-positioning of military supplies during the Cold War — using floating stores on ships and caves in Norway where weapons, ammunition and vehicles to sustain thousands of troops are kept. The first land stockpile in the Asia-Pacific is expected to open this year in the Philippines, close to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea. Documents published by the US Navy this month show advanced planning for an even larger Australian stockpile, with $30 million allocated to build warehouses and offices in southeastern Victoria ...

An investigating officer (IO) on Monday told a court that an alleged long-running narcotics trafficking network operated by the main accused, identified as Anmol alias Pinky, targeted affluent neighbourhoods as well as students in schools and universities.

A senior government figure has contacted the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to discuss the party’s reservations regarding the federal budget for 2026-27, amid efforts to maintain coalition consensus on key fiscal measures.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has declared a public holiday across the province on June 17, 2026, on the occasion of 1st Muharram 1448 AH, marking the beginning of the Islamic New Year.