Pakistan

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has pledged to complete the Diamer-Bhasha Dam if his party forms the government following the June 7 elections.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that most parts of the country are likely to experience below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures during June and the following two months, raising concerns over heatwaves, water shortages and pressure on the agricultural sector.

The bus lurched to a halt on the long, dry highway that takes you from Gwadar to Turbat. A clutch of men jumped out and sprinted towards the makeshift bathroom by the road. Some of them scattered into the bushes. Back in the bus, anchored to their seats, women stared out of the windows stiffly. They must have done the math before boarding: drink enough water to bear the heat, but not so much that you need to empty your bladder. Gwadar to Turbat is a short two hours. But it is eight long ones if you are heading to Karachi. A washroom on the Makran Coastal Highway between Turbat and Gwadar Balochistan’s new and smooth highways are praised as corridors of connectivity and trade and promise progress for a place that has long been politically and geographically distant from the rest of Pakistan. Motorway 8 goes from Ratodero to Gwadar, the N-10 runs along the Makran coast, the N-25 RCD Highway connects Quetta to Karachi and the N-40 that meanders towards the Iran border from Quetta to Taftan. But the praise for th...

Israel’s hardline finance minister announced on Wednesday a major expansion by more than 2,000 homes of three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that Palestinians hope will be part of a future independent state. Most nations consider Israeli settlements there to be illegal under international law and a major obstacle to a two-state solution for long-term peace. Bezalel Smotrich, who holds authority over parts of Israel’s civilian administration in the West Bank, said a planning committee approved the construction of 2,162 new Jewish homes. They include 1,006 units in a new settlement near Jerusalem, 922 near the Palestinian city of Nablus and 234 near Hebron. “We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice,” said Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist sanctioned by Britain, France and others who accuse him of inciting violence against Palestinians. Smotrich has denounced the sanctions against him, saying the measures would not change Israeli policy. The new homes would “strengthen our hold on the...

Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan announced on Wednesday that the region’s long-delayed local government (LG) elections have been scheduled to be held on August 2. General elections for the region’s legislative assembly were scheduled for Jan 24, 2026, while LG polls — announced after a gap of more than 20 years — were set for Feb 14, 2026. However, days after the announcements, both were postponed indefinitely due to harsh weather conditions in the region. Earlier this month, Khan said the GB Election Commission was preparing to hold the elections but had not yet set a date. In a press conference today, the CEC said that the schedule for GB’s local body polls had been issued, and returning officers (ROs), district returning officers (DROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) had been appointed. He said a public notice would be issued by the returning officers (ROs) on June 6, while nomination papers would be accepted from June 9 to 15. The elections would be held for ...

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he had lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the latter’s escalation in Lebanon in a recent expletive-laden phone call. On Monday, American news outlet Axios reported citing sources that Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” and accused him of ingratitude during the phone call. The report quoted a US official as saying that Trump told Netanyahu “you’re f****** crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your a**. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this”. Trump confirmed to New York Post’s Miranda Devine during ‘Pod One Force’ podcast that he called Netanyahu “f****** crazy”, but also insisted that they have “worked very well together”. Asked if the Axios report was true and whether he spoke to Netanyahu in those terms, Trump replied, “I did. I wouldn’t say angry, I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. “At some point, I said Bibi, we’re gonna stop this. We got to stop it,” he added...

Women aged over 35 who remain unmarried will be included in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), officials informed a parliamentary committee during a meeting on Tuesday.

At least 21 people, including 18 foreign nationals, were killed in a fire at a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, police and broadcaster CNN-News18 said, in one of the worst such incidents in the national capital since 2022. The dead included people from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Liberia, the broadcaster said. Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and routine disregard for safety regulations. The fire broke out in the morning at Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in a congested neighbourhood in the south of the city, Delhi Police said in a statement. “It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident,” the force said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the nationalities of the victims. Several people had jumped out of the burning building in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar to escape the flames, witnesses said, with residents dragging mattresses from a nearby store to try to break their fall. “People spread mattresses, and a w...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador on Wednesday, stressed the need to follow up on memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed during a recent visit to China, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. On May 24 in Hangzhou, the premier chaired the opening ceremony of the third Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) Investment Conference, which was focused on “charging infrastructure, battery energy storage and solar technologies, and pharmaceuticals”. Agreements and MoUs worth more than $7 billion were signed between the two sides at the conference to promote cooperation and investment in various sectors. The PMO, in the statement, said Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong called on the premier at PM House and congratulated him on Eidul Azha, with PM Shehbaz expressing gratitude for his “efforts to make the visit successful, in every aspect”. “While conveying his firm resolve to ensure the further strengthening of Pakistan-China All Weather Strategic Cooperati...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the government was taking measures to bring the informal economy into the tax net in the upcoming budget, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. The premier made the declaration during a meeting with a delegation of renowned businessmen and industrialists, where he exchanged views with them on the pace of the country’s economic growth and consulted with them over the upcoming budget. “You are the ambassadors of Pakistan,” the premier told the delegation, expressing gratitude for the business community’s support to the government in “difficult economic conditions”. PM Shehbaz noted that a “strong partnership” with the private sector was a “guarantee of economic growth”, and underscored the “utmost importance” of consulting with them over policymaking for the economy. “We are on the path of export-led growth,” the premier remarked, adding that export-led growth was “core” of Pakistan’s economic policy. He told the businessmen that the government was taking a...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday held separate meetings with Members of the National Assembly Malik Abrar Ahmed, Malik Suhail Khan, and Hafiz Mian Nauman.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has said the ML-1 railway project will be a major milestone in the development of the province’s southern districts.

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Wednesday dismissed appeals filed by the two men convicted in the 2020 Sialkot-Lahore Motorway gang rape case against their sentences. An anti-terrorism court had handed down death sentences besides life imprisonment and multiple jail terms to the two convicts, Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga, on March 20, 2021. They challenged their convictions on March 25, 2021. The appeals contended that several infirmities created doubts about the prosecution’s version of the events and the trial court’s judgement was harsh and against the settled principles of law. A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mehmood Bajwa, issued the verdict on their appeals today after the prosecution concluded its arguments. In his final arguments, the state prosecutor contended that the prosecution had overwhelming evidence against the convicts and requested the court to uphold their sentences. He said there was no flaw in the trial...

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Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) has categorically rejected reports circulating on social media regarding an alleged security breach of its database, describing the claims as baseless and misleading.

Severe tropical storm Jangmi ripped across Japan on Wednesday, with fierce winds and torrential rain disrupting transport and businesses, and knocking out power for tens of thousands of homes. The storm’s centre lay about 150 kilometres south of Tokyo as of early Wednesday afternoon, moving northeast with maximum sustained winds of up to 25 metres per second, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. The storm is set to pass very close to the Pacific side of eastern Japan and heightened vigilance is needed, the agency added. At least 15 people have sustained minor injuries, according to authorities. The storm, with a central pressure of 985 hectopascals, has cut power to nearly 60,000 households so far, and authorities have been receiving reports of flooding, fallen trees and debris, and landslides across a wide stretch of regions, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said during a regular press briefing. “If you sense any danger, please do not hesitate to take early action to protect your lives,” Kihara said. Eva...

The US Trade Representative has proposed new duties targeting 60 economies, including Pakistan and India, for alleged failures to act against forced labour, as the Trump administration seeks to rebuild its tariff agenda following legal setbacks. The proposed tariffs range from 10 per cent to 12.5pc, according to a government filing, and they will undergo a public comment period before a final decision is made. The move comes months after Washington launched investigations into trading partners, including China, the European Union (EU) and Japan. The probes looked into whether they took action against the import of goods made with forced labour, and if this impacted US commerce. On Tuesday, the USTR said that 54 of the economies “failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition”. This group includes China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and India. Six other economies — Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan — were deemed not to have effectively enforced such pro...

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan ahead of the provincial budget for the next fiscal year. Speaking to reporters at the IHC alongside KP Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, the chief minister said a meeting with the PTI founder was essential as the provincial budget had been prepared and required his final approval. He maintained that the people of KP had given their mandate to the PTI founder, adding that consultation with him on the budget was necessary. CM Afridi said the province was being deprived of its due share of resources and alleged that KP was being punished for supporting the PTI founder. He criticised the federal government’s development allocations, claiming the province had been ignored in the previous federal budget and development programme. The chief minister also expressed concern over the country’s economic situation, saying pri...

KARACHI: A Karachi court on Wednesday directed authorities to produce alleged drug baroness Anmol alias Pinky in court when required, adding that she did not need to appear in person at the current stage in proceedings. The order was issued in cases registered against Anmol at Karachi’s Garden police station and on an application seeking the appearance of the suspected cocaine dealer before the court via video link due to security concerns. The application was filed by the senior superintendent of the Central Prison for Women on Monday, when Anmol was scheduled to appear in person before the court in two cases, including those relating to the possession of drugs and an illegal weapon. “Since there is no need [for the] physical appearance of the accused at the challan stage due to security risk[s], […] the jail superintendent shall be directed to produce custody whenever the court requires,” Judicial Magistrate (South) Sitara Kainat stated in the order, seen by Dawn. In the application filed on Monday, the jai...

RAWALPINDI: In addition to 6,000 Punjab police personnel, 150 police personnel from the security division of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police have been assigned for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) election duty, with a total of 2,000 personnel expected to be dispatched to the region. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday, with election campaigns already underway by major political parties. The 150 police personnel selected from the security division for GB election duty had been guarding high-profile buildings and installations in the federal capital, as well as performing sensitive security duties, such as escorting foreign delegations. They will leave for GB on Thursday amid tight security and will be back in Islamabad on June 9 (Tuesday). Of the 150 ICT police personnel, 30 personnel have been selected from the Special Protection Unit (SPU), five from the President’s House, 20 from the Prime Minister’s House, six from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), 10 from the Foreign Office (FO) guard duty an...