Pakistan

General Body demands transparent probe, biometric voting system

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ISLAMABAD: Senators on Friday voiced alarm over rising violent crimes against women and demanded stronger measures to improve the conviction rate, which the presiding officer, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, said stood at “only five per cent”. The debate began after Balochistan Senator Naseema Ehsan raised the killing of Rubina Chandio for alleged ‘honour’ in Sindh’s Tando Masti. “Rubina Chandio was killed in Sindh. She was given neither a funeral nor a shroud,” Ehsan said. She added that the woman was shot in front of a crowd, and the case surfaced after videos circulated on social media. “The culprits involved in this brutal murder should also be hanged publicly,” she added. Police suspect that Chandio was killed in a karo-kari case in Khairpur district. ‘Honour killings’ persist despite the 2016 anti-honour killing law that removed the option of pardoning by heirs. HRCP data says over 470 women were killed in the name of ‘honour’ in Pakistan in 2023. Rehman called the situation “deeply distressing and un...

Ishaq Dar has spoken with Vivian Balakrishnan and sought Singapore’s support in facilitating the welfare and repatriation of Pakistani and Iranian seafarers aboard vessels seized by U.

The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of previously secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) — some as far back as the 1940s — a move sought for decades by some Americans. “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement. More than 160 files were released on Friday on the website of the War Department, which officially refers to UFOs as “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” or UAPs. An image showing an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon, or UAP, released by the Pentagon on May 8, 2026. — Photo courtesy US Department of War One file — from December 1947 — contains a series of reports on “flying discs.” An Air Force intelligence report — marked “top secret” — from November of the following year features information on reported sightings of “unidentified aircraft” and “flying saucers.” Another file documents a 2023 incident in ...

Australia on Friday imposed sanctions on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and three of its senior leaders, according to a statement from Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office. “The Australian Government has today imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on the Balochistan Liberation Army and three senior leaders for their engagement in and support of terrorist attacks,” said the statement dated May 8. The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the BLA is a “group that has conducted violent terror attacks across Pakistan”. “These appalling attacks have targeted civilians, critical infrastructure, and foreign nationals, as well as the Pakistani state,” the statement read, adding that Australia’s commitment to counter-terrorism and curbing violent extremism is “unwavering”. “These sanctions help cut off financial support of terrorists, making it harder for them to fund operations, recruit and spread their harmful ideology,” it added. Wong’s office reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling networks t...

Pakistan and Türkiye on Friday agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on climate resilience, flood management, and water security ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November this year.

BANNU: A high-profile terrorist who was killed in a recent operation by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district was a member of the Afghan Taliban regime’s special forces, security sources said on Friday. Security sources said the terrorist, Fatehullah alias Mudassir, was an active member of Yarmook 60 Special Forces Battalion. The unit operates under the Taliban regime’s Ministry of Interior Affairs. They added that Fatehullah belonged to the Zarmat district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province and was actively involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan alongside the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Reports further suggest that he was also involved in facilitating cross-border terrorist networks and planning various militant operations, the security sources elaborated. Security sources said that Fatehullah was killed along with his accomplices during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted near Bannu’s Baka Khel Airport on April 9. During the operation, security forces effectivel...

In an inspiring tale of determination and academic brilliance, Qandeel Murtaza, daughter of a tailor from Haripur, created history at Khyber Girls Medical College by securing an unprecedented 17 gold medals.

A special seminar was organized at the National University of Sciences and Technology to commemorate one year of the Marka-e-Haq victory, with participation from political leaders, former military officials, and diplomats.

PESHAWAR: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Friday held a second round of protest rallies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the killing of prominent cleric Maulana Muhammad Idrees, according to a statement released by the party’s media cell. On Tuesday, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that the party would hold two rounds of protest rallies — on Wednesday and Friday — against the “martyrdom” of the cleric. The party had also staged demonstrations on Wednesday. “On the appeal of the JUI-F, protest rallies were held across all districts of the province today after Friday prayers against the killing of Maulana Idrees,” the statement said. It added that a large protest demonstration was also staged by JUI-F outside the Peshawar Press Club, with protesters demanding the immediate arrest of the killers of Maulana Idrees. The statement said the protestors decried the worsening law and order situation in the province and the “frequent killings of religious scholars”. “JUI is being punished for stand...

A high-level meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-N parliamentary board was convened under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif to assess prospective candidates for the forthcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.

Ministry of Interior has rejected reports circulating on sections of media and social media regarding alleged targeted deportations of Pakistani nationals from the United Arab Emirates, terming such claims “malicious” and part of a “vicious propaganda” campaign.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) insisted on Friday that there is a minimal risk from the hantavirus to the general public, as countries prepared to repatriate passengers stuck on a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak. Three passengers from the MV Hondius — a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman — have died while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents. The only hantavirus species that can transmit from person to person — Andes virus — has been confirmed among those who have tested positive, fuelling international concern. The Dutch-flagged vessel, which has around 150 people on board, is expected to arrive in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife on Sunday. Special flights will take passengers to their home countries. “This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who’s really infected, and the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters. He said a picture was emerging from MV Hondius where “e...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said that he had spoken with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and requested the country’s support in facilitating the “welfare and repatriation” of 11 Pakistanis and 20 Iranians aboard vessels seized by the United States. In a post on the social media platform X, he said that the vessels were currently near Singaporean waters. He said that he also spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “as we remain in close coordination on the matter”. “Pakistan also stands ready to facilitate the safe repatriation of Iranian nationals to Iran via Pakistan,” he said. “We appreciate the cooperation and support being extended by Singapore. Pakistan, through its Foreign Office and relevant authorities, is closely coordinating with US authorities and others to ensure the safety, welfare, and earliest possible return of our nationals,” he said. Meanwhile, regarding the phone call between Dar and the Singaporean foreign minister, the Foreign...

ISLAMABAD: Flight operations at the Islamabad airport may be affected due to “operational reasons” from May 8-10, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) notified in a notice to airmen (Notam) on Friday. The Notam said flight arrivals and departures could be delayed because of “operational” reasons from 10:45am to 12:15pm on May 8 and between 8pm and 9:15pm on May 9 and 10. It further stated that flights arriving at the Islamabad airport had been asked to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater to the delay”. The PAA had issued a similar Notam for the airport in the federal capital in March as well. It said flight operations at Islamabad airport would be suspended for two hours on March 17 due to “operational reasons”. The arriving aircraft were advised to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater for delay” back then as well. PIA reinstates weekly flights from Muscat Separately, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Friday that it would reinstate flights from Oman to Islamabad, Lahore, and Multan, s...

BAJAUR: A policeman was killed after being abducted by unidentified assailants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Friday, officials said. The officials told Dawn that the police constable was abducted by unidentified armed men on Thursday in the Asil Targaoo area of Barang tehsil while he was on the way to his post in Sindh Gara. According to a report from the Barang police station, his body was found on a mountain in Asil Targaoo along the Bajaur-Mohmand border on Friday morning. The police report, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that after receiving information from local residents about the abducted policeman’s body, a police team rushed to the area along with a group of locals. The body was shifted to a local hospital for a postmortem examination. The report added that the 50-year-old constable was also brutally tortured, with several signs of physical abuse visible on different parts of his body. The district police spokesperson, Israr Khan, confirmed the incident and told Dawn tha...

A Vatican statement after Pope Leo’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which said the two had pledged to improve bilateral relations, was a recognition of unprecedented tensions, insiders and analysts said. Rubio’s meeting on Thursday with Pope Leo, the first US pope, garnered wide public attention as President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the pontiff over the US-Israeli war on Iran. The Vatican statement after the 45-minute encounter, the first between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year, said the two leaders had “renewed the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations”. “[The] statement makes it clear that, at present, there is work to do,” Peter Martin, a former diplomat at the US embassy to the Holy See who served during Democratic and Republican administrations, told Reuters. Break with tradition of saying all is well Austen Ivereigh, a Vatican specialist who co-wrote a book with the late Pope Francis, said the statement’s focus on the need to build bi...

Three hikers, including two foreigners, died and 10 were missing after Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s eastern Halmahera island erupted on Friday, spewing an ash cloud about 10 kilometres into the air, a local police chief said. “There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate” island in eastern Indonesia, police chief Erlichson Pasaribu of North Halmahera district told Kompas TV. Seven people had come down safely, Erlichson said, but 10 more were missing in an area declared off-limits to visitors last month after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity. According to Indonesia’s BNPB disaster mitigation agency, five climbers were injured in the eruption. “The joint teams from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) continue to conduct sweeps and evacuations of climbers in the mountain area as volcanic activity increases,” spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement. Erlichson said the rescue operation was taking place in roug...

The US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan’s political and military leadership during a media interaction, calling the country’s prime minister and field marshal “outstanding personalities.