Pakistan

KARACHI: A suspected thief died by suicide to avoid arrest during an office-cum-house robbery on Khalid Bin Waleed Road near Tariq Road in PECHS early Saturday morning, officials said. Ferozabad police Station House Officer (SHO) Adeel Afzal said the suspect had entered the office of a travel agency located within a bungalow with the intention of committing a robbery. When a police party arrived at the scene, he allegedly shot himself out of fear of arrest and died on the spot, the official said. He said that the suspect had been identified as an employee of the travel agency in question, who had been working with the company for the past five years. Afzal said the suspect had reportedly made a duplicate key to gain entry to the premises. When the owner noticed that someone had entered the bungalow, he called Madadgar-15 and the area police, the official said. Subsequently, police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the bungalow, he said. “The suspect locked himself in the washroom and shot himself to avoid a...

Rescuers pulled four people from a flooded cave in Laos on Saturday, Thai volunteer rescuers said, hours after another man was brought out late on Friday. The five are among seven Lao nationals who had entered the cave in Xaisomboun province to prospect for gold, but were trapped for more than a week when rising water blocked their exit. Two others remain missing. Kengkard Bongkawong, a Thai cave diver involved in the mission, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that all four of the trapped people had emerged from the cave. Video footage from the volunteers showed rescuers bringing four Laotian men out of the cave with flashlights strapped to their heads and with muddy clothes. They had joyful expressions on their faces, and some were crying with relief. The five rescued people were found by rescuers on Wednesday, but had remained trapped. Rescue officials said they would continue searching for the two missing people. A team of volunteers from neighbouring Thailand joined the rescue efforts last Sunday and fu...

Family members of Shahnaz Baloch, who has been identified by authorities as a commander of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), on Saturday publicly distanced themselves from her and her alleged activities.

PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser on Saturday claimed he was prevented from reaching the Islamabad airport, resulting in him missing his flight to Skardu in connection with the ongoing election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The incident comes just a day after PTI MNA Junaid Akbar and his team were expelled from GB while they were campaigning for the upcoming elections on June 7. Qaiser, also the secretary general of Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), accused the Punjab police of not letting him “enter the Islamabad airport and closing the entry routes of the airport”. “The Punjab police kept me under detention till the flight took off,” he wrote on X, decrying that not only did he miss his flight, but ordinary citizens were also inconvenienced. Qaiser termed the incident an instance of undue obstruction in the electoral process and political victimisation. He alleged that efforts were being made to influence the electoral process in GB and that PTI was being hindered from carrying out its election c...

Pakistan will begin its post-Hajj flight operation on Sunday to bring home thousands of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia following the completion of the annual pilgrimage.

United States President Donald Trump’s doctor said he was in “excellent health” but advised him to lose weight, according to a memo released on Friday after the 79-year-old underwent a routine medical check. “President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function,” said Trump’s doctor, US Navy Captain Sean Barbabella. “Preventative counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss.” The three-page memo provides an overview of Trump’s physical examination and diagnostic testing conducted at Walter Reed Medical Hospital near Washington on Tuesday. Barbabella said Trump was “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State”. Trump, who turns 80 next month, is on three medications, two of which are designated for cholesterol control and the third being aspirin for “cardiac prevention”. Standing at six foot three...

South Korea and the United States are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), Seoul’s presidential office said on Saturday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say this week that he had “truly crossed the line”. The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington may seek to expand the role of USFK in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key ally of North Korea and Russia. Brunson last year also underscored South Korea’s strategic value in the broader Indo-Pacific, describing the US ally as a “fixed aircraft carrier” in the region, Yonhap reported. South Korea’s presidential Blue House said on Saturday that it was “aware of Commander Brunson’s recent series of public remarks” and that Seoul and Washington “have been maintaining communication at various levels r...

LAHORE: Heavy rain lashed various parts of Lahore on Saturday, with the highest rainfall recorded in Nishtar Town. According to the data shared by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Jail Road recorded 20.5 mm of rain, airport area 40 mm, Gulberg Head Office 20 mm, Lakshmi Chowk 30.5 mm, Upper Mall 29 mm, Mughalpura 30.5 mm, Tajpura 27 mm, Nishtar Town 48.5 mm and Chowk Nakhuda 25 mm. Rainfall was also recorded in Pani Wala Talab (22 mm), Farrukhabad (19 mm), Gulshan-i-Ravi (17 mm), Iqbal Town (20 mm), Samanabad (22.5 mm), Johar Town (37.5 mm), Defence Road (15 mm), Shadipura (0.5 mm) and Saggian (18.5 mm). Separately, Rescue 1122 said that at least two people were injured after a wall collapsed on a rickshaw in Wapda Town. It said that one of the two was taken to Jinnah Hospital for further treatment. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s weather forecast, rain, windstorm/thunderstorm were likely at isolated places in Azad Kashmir, northeast/east Punjab and Potohar regions. It said that h...

Washington/ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday met US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio in Washington, D.

Islamabad - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, visited Zhob District, Balochistan to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with frontline troops deployed along the Western frontiers.

Islamabad - The federal government on Friday decided to reduce petrol and diesel prices by Rs 22 per litre each.

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Mohammed Al-Issa in Makkah, discussing Islamic and regional affairs and praising Saudi Arabia’s efforts in serving millions of pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, the organization said in a social media post on Friday.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Asian allies to ramp up military spending to counter China’s growing power and prevent its dominance in the region, warning of “rightful alarm” over its rapid military buildup. Hegseth, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, said a stronger, more self-reliant network of allies is essential to deter aggression and preserve the balance of power. “There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” he said. “A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power,” Hegseth said. “No state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.” The US expects its Asian allies and partners to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP as it pledged a $1.5 trillion investment in its military, the Pentagon ch...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif underwent a major surgery at Sharif Medical City Hospital and was later shifted home after treatment, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on X.

• US president demands Iran never develop nuclear weapons, wants Hormuz opened without tolls • Tehran rejects Trump’s language, demands release of $12bn in frozen assets • Araghchi accuses US of excessive, shifting demands; Baqaei says no N-talks currently taking place • Vance says ‘lot of progress’ made in talks even as both sides trade barbs over truce violations • Washington denies Iran claim of destroying US plane in Bushehr WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump met advisers in the White House Situation Room for about two hours on Friday as he considered a potential agreement with Iran, though Tehran insisted there was still “no final agreement” on ending the Middle East war. A report from Iran’s Fars news agency also rebutted several key elements of Trump’s characterisation of the deal, citing informed sources as calling his remarks a “mixture of truth and lies”. US sources had told AFP the deal was just waiting on Trump’s sign-off following weeks of halting negotiations to end a conflict that had engulf...

LAHORE: The Faisalabad City police are going to launch a major operation against drug cartels after the arrest of 80 women and 20 male traffickers who were supplying narcotics to university and college students. Police reports have revealed that the women traffickers dominate the city as they are perceived as less suspicious than men. During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they were supplying drugs through several ‘supplier networks’ to education institutions. The drugs are being routed through district Jhang from Sindh and KP and some groups are working under political backing. The use of internet and social media has become popular for trafficking synthetic drugs. An official said the anti-narcotics cells of the Faisalabad City police arrested 80 women smugglers during the last five months and a majority of them were operating in urban hubs, exclusively targeting students and children of the elite for supply of ice and cocaine. Women traffickers were used to supply drugs in education institutions ...

• 1pc advance tax removal may bring a meagre Rs100bn relief • Textile sector pushes for broader reforms, refunds, and lower energy costs • 68pc tax burden eroding competitiveness; industry demands restoration of Final Tax Regime ISLAMABAD: The government is considering abolishing the one per cent advance tax on exporters in the upcoming federal budget, a move that could provide relief of around Rs100 billion. However, no broader fiscal support for the struggling sector is currently on the table. Officials familiar with the budget discussions told Dawn on Friday that the proposal is under active consideration as part of limited, targeted measures for the export industry, particularly the textile sector, which has been pressing for wide-ranging reforms. The 1pc advance tax, charged on export proceeds, has long been criticised by exporters as a liquidity-draining measure that ties up working capital despite thin margins and delayed refunds. Industry data showed that exporters alone had paid nearly Rs200bn in exc...

• Legal fraternity says ‘facilitative measure’ has turned into ‘gatekeeping mechanism’ • Notes technical glitches make access to justice needlessly complicated LAHORE: The enforcement of mandatory biometric verification for litigants filing cases has triggered widespread concern across Punjab’s legal community, with lawyers describing the requirement as an unreasonable obstacle to access to justice. Notified in January and in force since March of this year, the move was envisioned as a facilitative, technical measure. According to a statement attributed to LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, the system would “help curb fake litigation, prevent impersonation and eliminate the use of bogus witnesses and sureties”. It was described as a significant step tow­a­rds modernising the judiciary and safeguarding the integrity of judicial proceedings, which would enhance the credibility of the judiciary and provide a secure and efficient mechanism for conducting proceedings. But after a few months of seeing it in action, la...

KARACHI: Pakistani freelancers have earned more than $950 million in foreign exchange during 10MFY26, up 49 per cent year on year (YoY), according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Dr Imran Batada, the newly appointed President and CEO of the Pakistan Freelancers Association (PFA), said Pakistani freelancers had outperformed those in India, China, the UAE, and several other countries despite multiple global and domestic challenges. In a statement, he said the growth in freelancers’ income was driven by the increasing participation of Pakistani freelancers on various platforms, including Upwork, Fiverr, and social media. He noted that awareness of freelancing has increased significantly among Pakistanis over the past few years, encouraging many individuals to acquire skills through online learning, private institutions, government-led training programmes, and initiatives by various NGOs. Pakistan’s freelancing community is estimated at around three million people, and this number should con...

• At least 85 officials penalised over misuse of authority during past year, Senate told • FIA says Directorate of Internal Accountability working to strengthen internal oversight within the agency • More than 130 passengers offloaded from flights across country in 2025 ISLAMABAD: At least 132 passengers were offloaded from their scheduled flights at various airports across the country in the past year by immigration officers of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) while 85 of its officials were penalised for misuse of authority during this period, according to a report submitted to the Senate. The FIA informed the Senate earlier this week that strict measures were in place against immigration officials involved in the unjustified offloading of passengers or collaboration with human smugglers. It added that during 2025, final inquiries found 85 officials guilty of misuse of authority in immigration-related matters and they were penalised. Among the complaints against FIA officers were allegations of offload...