Pakistan

India has sought initial proposals to locally manufacture a fifth-generation combat aircraft from three short-listed bidders, ANI reported on Wednesday, citing defence officials. The bidders are Tata Advanced Systems, joint ventures between Larsen and Toubro-Bharat Electronics, and Bharat Forge-BEML, all of them Indian companies. India approved a programme to build the stealth fighter jets and invited interest for the same from defence firms last year, weeks after the military conflict with Pakistan. The programme is critical to boost the strength of the Indian Air Force, whose fleet of mostly Russian aircraft has shrunk to below 30 squadrons in recent months, compared to the approved strength of 42. The push aligns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s larger ambition to ramp up local manufacturing and boost its military might. Washington has pitched its advanced F-35 jet to India and Russia has countered that by offering its own fifth-generation Su-57. India has maintained a distance from both offers. ...

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that imposing concurrent (overlapping) sentences for multiple murders substantially diminishes the seriousness of taking more than one life, holding that such a practice artificially equates killing a single person with killing several individuals.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Chief Investment Officer Konstantin Limitovskiy in Lahore and discussed matters of mutual interest, including expanding institutional cooperation and collaboration on development initiatives in Punjab.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday extended Eid greetings to Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar, and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. In his telephonic communications, the prime minister paid tribute to the professional capabilities of the armed forces and their services and sacrifices for national security, the PMO said. “The prime minister said the nation was proud of its brave soldiers and the unwavering commitment and sacrifices of the armed forces of Pakistan.” The PMO said that PM Shehbaz prayed for the country’s security, progress and prosperity, and “paid tribute specially to the officers and personnel who were performing their duties for the defence of the homeland even on the occasion of Eid”. Meanwhile, CDF Munir and the services chiefs thanked the prime minister for his Eid greetings and prayed for happiness, peace and prosperity for the entire natio...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is on a two-day visit to New York, met United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, with both sides discussing the situation in the Middle East, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday. DPM Dar arrived in New York a day earlier. In its statement, the FO said that during the meeting, DPM Dar lauded the UN chief’s “steadfast commitment to the UN and multilateralism” and also expressed appreciation for his “continued support and strong cooperation” with Pakistan. As per the statement, the two leaders discussed regional developments, including the situation in the Middle East and West Asia, during which Dar thanked Guterres for his “principled position and support” for Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the US-Iran war. DPM Dar also “highlighted Pakistan’s successful hosting of the Islamabad Talks in April, which represented an important diplomatic breakthrough,” and said the April 8 Pakistan-brokered ceasefire continued to remain in place. Dar assure...

Holds phonecalls with Kuwaiti crown prince and Malaysian premier as well

Trump proposed rebuilding Gaza after an October US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

The top military leadership on Wednesday extended Eidul Azha greetings to the nation and paid tribute to the sacrifices of martyrs and security personnel serving the country. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu conveyed heartfelt felicitations to the people of Pakistan on the occasion of Eidul Azha. The military’s media wing said the armed forces prayed for lasting peace, prosperity and national unity while acknowledging the resilience of the Pakistani people and the sacrifices rendered by martyrs, armed forces personnel, law enforcement agencies and citizens in safeguarding the country. The statement described Eidul Azha as a symbol of sacrifice, faith and solidarity, adding that the Pakistan armed forces remained steadfast in their commitment to defending the country’...

Prays for Pakistan's security, development and prosperity

An albino buffalo in Bangladesh returned to its farm after authorities stopped its planned sacrifice

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the one-day international series in Pakistan after picking up an ankle injury while playing in the Indian Premier League. Josh Inglis will take over as captain after Marsh sat out Lucknow Super Giants’ final game on Saturday and flew back to Australia for treatment. Marsh joins regular 50-over captain Pat Cummins in missing the three-match series that starts on Saturday in Rawalpindi. Cummins is playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL playoffs this week. “Marsh will remain in Perth for further assessment and treatment until further notice,” said Cricket Australia late Tuesday. “His availability for the white ball tour of Bangladesh will be determined in due course.” Third-choice captain Travis Head was not picked for the Pakistan tour because of IPL commitments, meaning fourth-choice Inglis will take the reins. The wicketkeeper has captained Australia only once before, also against Pakistan, in Perth in November 2024. After the ODI series in Pakistan, ...

New clothes for children, sacrificial sheep and Eid biscuits, the hallmarks of the Muslim holiday, are all either unaffordable or unavailable in Gaza, casting a shadow over what is usually a time of celebration and joy. “I go to the market only to look around because I cannot afford to buy anything. Whenever I ask about prices, I return heartbroken,” Nadia Abu Shamala, a Palestinian resident of Gaza, told AFP. “This year, Eid comes with none of the joy we once knew in Gaza because of the effects of the war, the soaring prices, and our inability to provide even the simplest needs for our children,” said the 40-year-old woman from Gaza’s north displaced to the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah for over two years following the Israeli invasion of the besieged enclave. A girl holding a piece of candy stands among Palestinians performing morning prayers marking the start of Eidul Azha, on a heavily damaged street in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2026. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire that began ...

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday spent Eidul Azha with frontline troops deployed in Balochistan’s Zhob and said “inhumane and brutal” acts cannot weaken the resolve of the armed forces or the nation, according to the military’s media wing. On Sunday, at least 14 people were killed, and 20 others were injured after a blast caused by a vehicle-borne suicide bomb tore through a shuttle train in Quetta. As per a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), CDF Munir’s visit began with Eid prayers, “along with special supplications for Pakistan’s enduring peace, stability and prosperity and for the Shuhada, who rendered the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the motherland”. During the visit, CDF Munir also interacted with officers and soldiers, appreciating their “exceptional grit, unwavering resolve, operational preparedness and steadfast vigilance amid foreign-sponsored terrorism”. He also paid tribute to the troops for their “unmatched...

The Makkah Bus Guidance Center for Overseas Pilgrims announced the successful management and guidance of more than 41,000 buses transporting overseas pilgrims during Hajj 1447 AH.

Mohsin Naqvi has conveyed Eidul Azha greetings to Muslims in Pakistan and across the world, highlighting the values of sacrifice, obedience, and compassion associated with the religious occasion.

Modi’s BJP won in West Bengal after campaigning to detect, delete and deport illegal migrants

Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual Haj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Makkah. From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Makkah, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil. It reenacts the Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s command to sacrifice his son Hazrat Ismail (AS). More than 1.7 million people are taking part in the Haj this year. The most important festival in Islam has, for the third year in a row, been overshadowed by war — this time the US-Israeli conflict with Iran that has drawn in the Gulf nations. A fragile ceasefire, in place since April 8, has mostly brought a halt to the fighting, but diplomatic efforts to bring the war to a definitive end have proved inconclusive so far. The Haj, which involves a series of mostly outdoor rituals over several days, is taking place during intens...

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issues order to reopen international ​internet access

National Savings has increased profit rates for various investment schemes across the country, with overall revisions ranging between 1% and 2.

The programme aims to strengthen India’s air force, whose fleet has fallen below 30 squadrons