Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s resolve to eradicate terrorism, declaring that there would be no soft corner for terrorists or their facilitators.

Russia and Pakistan are in talks on a potential oil-sector agreement, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told RIA news agency in remarks published on Tuesday. “All of these areas are Russia’s strengths. And we would be very happy if Russia agreed on an agreement in this sector with Pakistan,” Aurangzeb told RIA in an interview when asked about wider cooperation in exploration, production and refining between the two countries. “At present, the issue is being discussed by the energy ministries of both sides.” Russia also discussed upgrading a refinery in Pakistan with Russian companies involved, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev had said in November. Pakistan has stepped up engagement with Russia in recent years as Moscow sought new energy markets after Western sanctions over Ukraine, and Islamabad looked to lower import costs. Pakistan began buying Russian crude in 2023. Aurangzeb also said Russia and Pakistan are looking into building another steel plant in Pakistan, RIA reported.

GWADAR: A large group of armed men looted millions of rupees from three private banks while counter-terrorism department (CTD) personnel along with local police foiled two other bank robberies after heavy gun battle in Panjgur on Monday. A CTD official and a civilian lost their lives and three other police personnel injured in a heavy exchange of fire took place as the armed robbers atte­mpted to loot two other banks, including National Bank of Pakistan, in Chitkan Bazaar. Officials said over 50 heavily armed men arrived in the area in several vehicles and barged into three banks in the main bazaar area and looted millions of rupees after holding the security guards and staff hostage at gun point. After looting three private banks, the armed men then attempted to enter the NBP and another bank. In the meantime, officials said, police and CTD personnel reached the site and challenged them. Police claim to have foiled two more bank heists “Armed men used heavy weapons in the gun battle and lobbed grenades, whic...

KARACHI: Businessmen fear economic activity in the port city and the province will come to a standstill and local production will shut down due to a nine-day-old cargo transporters’ strike, which has disrupted the movement of goods across the province. Representatives of multiple bu­­­siness bodies urged the Sindh government to intervene and address the situation stemming from the stri­­ke, which has a crippling impact on industrial production and supply chains. In a letter to the Sindh chief minister, Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce Industry (OICCI) Secretary General Abdul Aleem said the situation was a very serious concern for the industry and commerce in the country. He said he had raised this matter on Dec 12 with the Punjab and Sindh chief secretaries, but it partially eased the situation in Punjab only. However, the situation in Sindh and Karachi port, inward and outward movement of goods, has remained unchanged, he added. “Many of our members have reported that trucks from Punjab are still unab...

ISLAMABAD - A 53-member delegation of students from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), accompanied by a faculty member, visited Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday.

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Around 15 dacoits of reportedly hailing from Katcha area attacked a Quetta-bound bus and kidnapped 25 passengers after injuring the driver on Monday night. According to some videos shared on social media after 9:30pm on Monday, a passenger said a Sadabahar Company coach departed for Quetta from Sadiqabad at 8pm. When it reached near Murid Shakh area near Motorway M-5, took a turn towards Guddu at Punjab-Sindh border, some 65kms from here, the dacoits intercepted the coach and started firing. They entered the bus after smashing windows and asked 25 passengers to leave the coach but didn’t harm women passengers. The dacoits reportedly took the passengers towards Katcha area. Some police personnel reached the scene and started chasing the dacoits. During the firing, the coach driver was injured. The district police spokesperson did not attend the phone calls. Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: Fauji Foundation – the country’s one of the largest business conglomerate – has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Binance, the leading global blockchain and cryptocurrency exchange by trading volumes and users, for commercial collaboration in blockchain, cryptocurrency and payments in Pakistan. The announcement was made by Paki­stan Crypto Council (PCC) in a statement on Monday disclosing that the LoI was signed on Dec 12 at the Fauji Foundation Headquarters, Rawalpindi. The statement said the two sides will explore potential commercial collaboration on blockchain, cryptocurrency, payments and Web 3.0 ecosystem within Pakistan. “As part of the LoI, Binance will deploy its expertise, advisory support and technological and market insights on the crypto industry, and Fauji Foundation will partner with Binance on payment infrastructure solutions utilising digital assets”, the statement said. Both sides will further cryptocurrency and blockchain education through their academic wings to learners thro...

KARACHI: The decision of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to lower the policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.50pc drew mixed reactions on Monday, with a foreign investors’ body welcoming it while the country’s wider business community criticised it as marginal and ineffective for boosting local production and exports. The Overseas Investors Cham­ber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) viewed the rate cut as a prudent measure. “The State Bank has taken a cautious and measured step to ease financing conditions,” OCCI’s Secretary General and Chief Executive Abdul Aleem said. Mr Aleem said the unexpected reduction is positive and will help stimulate business activities by lowering borrowing costs while preserving overall economic stability. MNCs’ association terms SBP move ‘cautious’ for fostering stability He added that the chamber notes that a gradual approach “allows businesses to plan investment decisions with greater confidence and helps ensure that the impact of ease remains aligned with sustainable economic growth...

US President Donald Trump sued the BBC on Monday for defamation over edited clips of a speech that made it appear he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol, opening an international front in his fight against media coverage he deems untrue or unfair. Trump accused Britain’s publicly owned broadcaster of defaming him by splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021 speech, including one section where he told supporters to march on the Capitol and another where he said “fight like hell”. It omitted a section in which he called for peaceful protest. Trump’s lawsuit alleges the BBC defamed him and violated a Florida law that bars deceptive and unfair trade practices. He is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the lawsuit’s two counts. The BBC has apologised to Trump, admitted an error of judgment and acknowledged that the edit gave the mistaken impression that he had made a direct call for violent action. But it has said there is no legal basis to sue. Trump, in his lawsuit filed on Monday in Miami feder...

Two policemen were martyred and three others severely injured when a train collided with their police vehicle in Sargodha on Monday, a railways official said. Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Divisional Superintendent Noorduddin Dawar confirmed to Dawn that the Millat Express struck a police vehicle belonging to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) that suddenly tried to cross the track at an unmanned crossing, leaving two constables dead and one injured. He added that two other constables were “safe”. “SHO (Station House Officer) RPS (railway police station) Sargodha and SHO Cantt Sargodha Punjab Police are present at the site,” he said in a message to Dawn. “This falls under the jurisdiction of Sargodha Cantt District Police. The train has moved after a brief stop.” Muhammad Sawar Khan, an area officer for Pakistan Railways, confirmed to Dawn that the train — which left Sargodha and headed towards Charnali railway station —was running through the unmanned crossing when a police van belonging to the SIU attempt...

Parents and relatives of the victims of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) Peshawar massacre observed a candlelight vigil and marched to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the incident on Monday night. During the massacre, 147 people were killed, including 132 students and 15 staff members, while 180 others were wounded in the attack on December 16, 2014. The siblings and parents of the martyred students and staff members assembled on Shami Road and walked to the school, raising slogans and demanding justice for their martyred children. The parents also lit candles at the Shuhada Monument inside the school and offered prayers for the martyred students. A banner shows the portraits and names of victims of the 2014 Army Publis School massacre, in Peshawar on December 15. — Photo via author Shuhada APS Forum President Ajoon Khan told Dawn that despite 11 years having passed since the massacre, justice has not been delivered to the bereaved families. He demanded that the authorities punish those advocating for th...

The government on Monday decreased the high-speed diesel (HSD) price by Rs14 and kept the petrol price unchanged for the fortnight ending December 31, owing to favourable international market prices. In a late-night announcement, the Petroleum Division said the revision followed movements in international markets and recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra). According to the announcement, the ex-depot price of HSD has been reduced by Rs14 per litre (5pc) to Rs265.65 per litre for the current fortnight from Rs279.65 per litre. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells, threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. Transporters had already increased their fares based on an approximate Rs27 per litre increase between May and August, and have not reversed them despite a Rs9 per litre cut. The ex-de...

ISLAMABAD - The federal government has slashed the prices of high-speed diesel by Rs14 per litre and maintained the price of petrol at the existing level for the second fortnight of December 2025 starting today.

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday paid profound tribute to the martyrs of the Army Public School, Peshawar, on the anniversary of the tragic attack, remembering the innocent children and teachers whose lives were brutally taken on December 16.

ISLAMABAD - Though the ruling clique has unanimously approved the 27th constitutional amendment, the same romance is unsure among the allies before any further constitutional changes.

LAHORE - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Monday sentenced Peer Zaheer-ul-Hassan Shah, leader of the banned religious party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to 35 years in prison for inciting the public against the then.

ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Monday accused that PTI-linked “fake” social media accounts were behind paid anti-state trends to promote the enemy’s narrative and target state institutions.

ISLAMABAD - The meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan from Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, along with Russia, was held in Tehran voicing support for all efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Karachi - Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its rally on Monday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index closing at a new all-time high amid strong investor participation.

ISLAMABAD - Welcoming the State Bank of Pakistan’s decision to reduce the policy rate by 50 basis points, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday termed it a timely step that would promote economic activity, provide relief to the public, and support the business community, particularly small and medium enterprises.