Pakistan

India has refused to grant permission to Sikh pilgrims wishing to visit Pakistan for the 486th death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday he would file a $15-billion lawsuit for defamation and libel against The New York Times, days after the newspaper released articles on his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The statement comes after Trump threatened last week to sue The New York Times for its reporting related to a sexually suggestive note and drawing given to Epstein. “Today, I have the great honour of bringing a $15 billion dollar defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. Trump accused the paper of lying about him, his family and businesses, as well as Republican-led movements and ideologies such as the America First Movement, and Make America Great Again, or MAGA. The suit would be filed in Florida, he added, but gave no further details.

KARACHI: The country’s auto sector has raised strong objections to the draft Motor Vehicles Industry Development Act 2025, warning that instead of promoting growth, the proposed law risks stifling investment, inflating costs, and even criminalising legitimate business practices. Industry leaders argue the legislation was drafted without consulting stakeholders and hands sweeping powers to bureaucratic bodies, particularly the Engineering Development Board (EDB). They warn that vague and punitive provisions could discourage investors at a time when the government is seeking stability and foreign capital. One of the most contentious elements is the classification of routine matters — including recalls and warranty disputes — as cognisable offences enforceable by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Automakers say this equates manufacturers with criminals and will undermine confidence. Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) Director-General Abdul Waheed Khan, in a letter to the Ministry of Indus...

Shehbaz Sharif addresses Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha Urges UN to suspend Israel Says Israel must be held accountable for its war crimes against humanity Lauds Saudi Crown Prince for unifying Muslim Ummah.

The federal government on Sunday announced revised prices of petroleum products for the next fortnight, keeping petrol unchanged while adjusting diesel, kerosene, and light diesel rates.

ISLAMABAD - As the federal government has launched a 12-day vaccination campaign against cervical cancer to protect girl students aged between 9 to 14 in educational institutions, Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal has allayed the fears of parents saying that this campaign has been started purely to protect their daughters.

ISLAMABAD: After Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz took cognisance of a complaint, lodged by lawyer Imaan Mazari against Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, the court administration stripped the judge of her powers to entertain harassment complaints. Ms Mazari earlier approached the IHC’s anti-harassment committee, and also sent a reference against CJ Dogar to Supreme Judicial Council. In response to her complaint, Justice Imtiaz, being the ‘competent authority’, not only entertained the complaint but also formed an inquiry committee in consultation with her fellow judges. A circular from her office said that, being the competent authority under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010, the inquiry committee comprising Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Imtiaz has been formed to conduct an inquiry into the complaints of harassment against the IHC judges. Imaan Mazari-Hazir also moves plaint before SJC However, the court administration s...

ISLAMABAD: Apart from the affluent sheikhs of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who lavished Pakistan’s dignitaries — including visiting bureaucrats — with expensive gifts, mainly wristwatches, Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif received a traditional golden dagger during the first six months of 2025. The Toshakhana record, made public by the cabinet division for the period between January and June 2025, lists high-value items such as watches, luxury vehicles, carpets, handicrafts, and traditional artefacts presented to top state functionaries, including the president, prime minister, ministers, and senior officials during foreign visits and local engagements. The data, comprising 137 entries, records gifts received from heads of state, royal families, diplomats, and business delegations. However, the value of these gifts is still being assessed by the cabinet division. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a total of 61 gifts, mostly decorative and traditional items. These included several high-end wristwatches. Notably,...

ISLAMABAD: A new auditor general will have to clean up the mess left by his predecessor, after the Auditor General of Pakistan’s (AGP) office backtracked on a controversial report, which gave an astronomical figure for irregularities unearthed in the federal government’s accounts. Maqbool Ahmed Gondal was sworn in as the country’s 22nd AGP on Monday, at a ceremony held in the Supreme Court. Appointed for a fixed tenure of four years, Mr Gondal will immediately have to deal with the fallout from the AGP office’s U-turn its ‘Consolidated Audit Report of Federal Government for the Audit Year 2024-25’. The original report, released in August this year, contained the illogical figure of irregularities worth Rs376 trillion, which is 3.5 times more than the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP). After repeatedly defending its controversial audit report, containing astronomical figure of ‘irregularities’, auditor general’s office finally blames ‘typos’ for the discrepancy It had alleged procurement-related irr...

WASHINGTON: In a major bipartisan initiative, US lawmakers have introduced the Pakistan Freedom and Accountability Act (H.R. 5271), aimed at imposing sanctions on Pakistani officials responsible for human rights abuses and actions undermining democracy. The bill was announced by Bill Huizenga, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on South and Central Asia and Republican Party lawmaker from Michigan, and co-led by Democrat leader from California Sydney Kamlager-Dove, along with representatives John Moolenaar (Republican), Julie Johnson (Democrat), and Jefferson Shreve (Republican). Additional cosponsors include Rich McCormick (Republican), Jack Bergman (Republican), Joaquin Castro (Democrat), and Mike Lawler (Republican). The freedom and accountability bill authorizes the US President to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which allows Washington to target individuals responsible for severe human rights violations or corruption. In this case, it would apply to current or ...

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed an appeal seeking to increase the imprisonment sentence of convict Sajjad in a murder case.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reserved its verdict on an appeal filed by Nazim, a convict in a murder case.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited Alipur, a tehsil of Muzaffargarh severely affected by the recent floods, to review rescue and relief operations.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday questioned the imposition of a super tax on provident funds, saying whether such a levy is justified when income tax itself is exempt.

Islamabad - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday dismissed a petition seeking the formation of a commission to probe the alleged audio leak of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, for non-prosecution.

ISLAMABAD - Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin yesterday called on Chairman CDA and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, at the CDA Headquarters.

ISLAMABAD - The ministries of interior and railways on Monday decided to finalize and sign the framework agreement for the proposed fast train, to be run between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, by next week.

ISLAMABAD - The Building Committee of the Supreme Court of Pakistan unanimously Monday agreed and reiterated that all development works of the Supreme Court must conform strictly to legal, environmental, and civic norms.

ISLAMABAD - Activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari Monday approached an inquiry committee of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar following last week’s heated debate between them during a case proceeding in a court.

Rawalpindi - A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in Rawalpindi here on Monday set aside an accountability court’s order that denied exemption to former Punjab chief minister Pervez Elahi from personal appearance in a corruption reference trial.