Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday decided that the prices of petroleum products would not be increased this time despite the uptick in the global oil market. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying that prices were not being increased to reduce the burden on the common man. He said that as per his “promise”, he would provide relief to the people as much as possible. “The global economy is currently under pressure due to regional tensions, which is likely to have a profound impact on Pakistan’s economy,” the premier said. He said that because of timely policy-making, austerity measures by the government and financial discipline, efforts were being made to deal with this situation effectively. The premier further added that provincial governments were also supporting the Centre in its austerity measures, which was welcome. He said that due to the efforts of the diplomatic and economic teams, adequate quantities of crude oil were available for t...

Accused staged armed robberies so fake victims could claim immigration benefits

On March 10, as the US-Israel war with Iran entered its second week, the Bahrain government announced the arrest of six persons hailing from Asian countries — five of them Pakistanis — on charges of filming, publishing and reposting “videos related to the effects of the treacherous Iranian aggression”. The Iran conflict — which broke out on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on the Islamic Republic and assassinated then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other top security officials and hundreds of civilians — has now spiralled into a Middle East war. Today, the entire region is on fire as Tehran continues to retaliate with attacks on Israel and at least seven Gulf states, including Bahrain, which has reported intercepting 114 missiles and 190 drones since the beginning of the war. In an X post on March 8, Bahrain had issued a warning against the photographing of “vital sites and facilities” and publishing them on social media. Two days later, a statement issu...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that Pakistan successfully targeted terrorist affiliated locations in Afghanistan overnight. In a post on X, he said, “It is pertinent to mention that on the night of 12/13 March 2026, Pakistan successfully targeted terrorists’ affiliated installations in Afghanistan.“ He said that terrorists and their support infrastructure, including logistic bases, and camps, were targeted. His post also showed the strikes, with the minister saying that Pakistan “precisely targeted only those installations which directly/indirectly support terrorism from inside Afghanistan and terrorist camps”. “No civilian population or civilian infrastructures were targeted as falsely propagated by Afghan regime officials and media,” he asserted. The statement by the minister came hours after security sources said that in overnight strikes against terrorists and Afghan Taliban targets, the armed forces destroyed training camps and support infrastructure in Afghanistan. “Pakistan’s Armed...

Abdul Malick sat among mourning relatives in his village in southern Pakistan, receiving condolences from neighbours after his nephew, Muzaffar Ali, was killed in Dubai last week. Ali, a 27-year-old labourer, was one of two Pakistanis killed in retaliatory Iranian strikes against Gulf countries since the start of US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic two weeks ago. Debris fell on his vehicle when a projectile was intercepted. “It is a great tragedy for a family whose sole breadwinner was lost,” said Malick, flanked by Ali’s three young children. “We have nothing to do with this war. It is unfortunate that the poor are being used as fuel for a conflict they have no part in,” he told AFP. Ali moved to Dubai from Jamshoro four years ago. Relatives offer prayers on the grave of Pakistani national Muzaffar Ali, who was killed in Dubai amid the ongoing Middle East war, after his funeral in Jamshoro in Sindh on March 12. — AFP Another victim, Murid Zaman, a 48-year-old father of five from Bannu, had been workin...

China denounces ‘unilateral’ move as EU and key partners warn decision could deepen global economic uncertainty

Drones miss intended targets, debris from UAVs injures two children in Quetta, two civilians in Kohat, Rawalpindi

On the 14th day of the US–Israel war against Iran, the conflict entered a more grinding phase in which neither side was closer to a decisive military outcome. Yet, the cumulative pressure generated by Iran’s asymmetric strategy was increasingly shaping the broader strategic balance of the confrontation. The highlight of the day was the downing of a US air refueller over western Iraq while conducting aerial refuelling operations. It was the first-ever incident of any air force refueller being shot down. Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq claimed the attack in which all four crew members on board were killed, while another tanker was said to have been damaged in the same attack and forced to divert. The loss, therefore, represents one of the most serious operational setbacks suffered by US air support assets since the conflict began. Alongside these reports were Iranian claims about US naval forces in the region being attacked, including assertions that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had been struck and...

Religious scholars from various schools of thought on Thursday urged the nation to maintain unity, harmony and solidarity amid escalating regional tensions, while rejecting sectarian discord and divisive narratives circulating on social media.

The Pakistan Army carried out airstrikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan under the ongoing Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq, targeting multiple locations late Thursday night, security sources said.

Sunrisers Leeds are facing a fierce social media backlash after the Indian-owned Hundred franchise signed spinner Abrar Ahmed this week. A longstanding political stand-off between India and Pakistan means the two nations only play each other in major global cricket tournaments. Cricketers from Pakistan have not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 because of diplomatic tensions between the two nations. There was speculation that the players from Pakistan involved in this week’s inaugural Hundred auction in London would be subject to a “shadow ban”, with the IPL-affiliated teams refusing to bid for them. Four of the franchises — MI London, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave — are at least part-owned by companies that control IPL teams. But the Leeds-based Sunrisers clinched a deal for leg-spinner Abrar, paying 190,000 ($252,000) for his services. Usman Tariq, the only other Pakistani player bought in the auction, was picked up by American-backed Birmingham Phoenix. Th...

“I am worried,” a sailor stuck in the Gulf told AFP on Friday, his vessel unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked for nearly two weeks after US-Israeli strikes on Iran. “Every day on the ship, I can see missile launches and hear explosions, making me feel like I was in danger,” said Wang Shang, 32. Wang, a Chinese national from the landlocked central province of Henan, works on a foreign ship used to transport liquefied petroleum gas sourced from the energy-rich region. Since navigation in and out of the Gulf essentially came to a halt, Wang has shared his experiences by posting videos on Douyin, the Chinese domestic version of TikTok. “We cannot leave at present,” he said. “If we wanted to depart now, it would be impossible.” In one video from February 28 — the day that the United States and Israel launched the war — the ship’s receiver is shown as the strait is declared shut by Iranian authorities. “Attention all ships, this is Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. For your information...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Assam on Friday, announcing multi-billion-dollar investments as part of a tour of states heading into elections, including the key political battleground of West Bengal. The Hindu nationalist leader launched infrastructure projects in Assam — including land holdings to tea plantation workers, a dam project and a major train and road corridor — worth over $5 billion. The northeastern state of about 32 million people is controlled by his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Saturday, Modi will visit neighbouring West Bengal, a state of 105 million people led by his political rival Mamata Banerjee, of the All India Trinamool Congress party. During the visit, he is expected to inaugurate “road infrastructure, railways, port and shipping” projects worth roughly $2 billion, which his office says are aimed at “accelerating economic growth”. State elections this year will be held in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, both under opposition parties, as well ...

PESHAWAR: An attack on a police vehicle martyred seven policemen, including an officer, in the Bettani subdivision of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Friday. The spokesman of the district police officer, Qudratullah, said that a squad of the Shadikhel police station was on routine patrol duty in the area when the terrorist attack occurred. The vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED). The official said that terrorists had planted an IED along the Shahdikhel-Mastikhel road to target the law enforcement personnel. Six policemen, including a station house officer (SHO) and five constables, lost their lives in the explosion, he said. The bodies of the martyred and the injured policeman were taken to the hospital. The injured cop later succumbed to his wounds, bringing the total fatalities to seven. A large police contingent reached the area and launched a search for the perpetrators of the attack. President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement issued by the President House, condemn...

Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index fell 555.27 points, or 0.36 per cent, to close in the red on Friday, extending the market’s recent volatility. Shortly after opening around 9:20am, the index climbed to an intraday high of 155,002.10 points before sliding to an intraday low of 152,780.79 points by 11am. Trading activity remained on the lower end, with 113,043,219 shares changing hands, while the traded value reached Rs11,734,798,583. Among the most actively traded stocks, Dost Steels Limited led the volumes, rising 3.64pc to Rs5.70 on 27,793,436 shares. It was followed by Hascol Petroleum Limited, which gained 3.04pc to Rs17.99 on 25,429,776 shares, and The Bank of Punjab, which fell 1.66pc to Rs27.26 on a volume of 16,327,842 shares. The top negative contributions to the index came from ENGROH, FFC, LUCK, HUBC, and MEBL, contributing -649 points to the index, according to Topline Securities. The market’s cautious tone comes as global oil prices climbed back above $100 a barrel, while equities came under pre...

Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) on Friday issued a traffic advisory informing citizens about road closures and diversions around the Red Zone due to security arrangements, stating that Margalla Road would remain open as the only route for entry into the high-security area.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has initiated investigations into what it considers unfair trade practices in 60 economies, including Pakistan, according to a press release issued by the USTR on March 12. According to the statement, the investigations will focus on whether governments have failed to impose and effectively enforce bans on the importation of goods produced with forced labour. The economies subject to the investigations include many major US trading partners inc­l­u­ding the European Uni­on, China, Japan, India, Mexico, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Pakistan, and Vietnam. This comes as Pakistan and the US expressed a desire to enhance economic cooperation last month during a meeting in Washington between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Commerce Secretary Howard A. Lutnick. This probe may open the door to potential penalties such as new tariffs as President Donald Trump seeks to replace duties struck down by the Supreme Court. Economists noted that the 29pc...

Oil prices headed for weekly gains as of Friday, despite the US trying to ease supply concerns by issuing a 30-day license for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products stranded at sea. Brent futures for May rose $1.02, or 1 per cent, to $101.48 a barrel at 07:30 GMT, heading for a weekly increase of nearly 10pc. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for April was up by 94 cents, or 1.0pc, at $96.67 a barrel, poised for more than a 6pc uptick for the week. The license was issued in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was a step to stabilise global energy markets roiled by the US-Israeli war on Iran, but analysts said this has failed to resolve wider supply constraints. “ICE Brent futures have already breached $100 per barrel and are still supported today, despite moves to calm the markets with the Russian oil waiver and the unprecedented release of emergency stockpiles,” said Emril Jamil, senior analyst at LSEG. “The market sees this as a short-term solution that does not address the crux of...

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has taken steps to resolve issues faced by beneficiaries of the Ramadan Relief Package 2026 following directives from Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.

Traffic police in Karachi have announced the closure of several major roads on Friday due to security arrangements for rallies marking Youm-e-Quds.