Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A high-level defense delegation led by Commander Iraqi Air Force Lieutenant General Staff Pilot Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed Radi Al-Asadi called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu in Islamabad on Thursday.

Pakistan on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to move beyond verbal condemnation and hold Israel accountable for what it termed “illegal and unprovoked aggression” against Qatar.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Thursday issued a high alert for flash floods in Balochistan, warning of heavy rains in several districts over the next 24 to 48 hours.

The 60th martyrdom anniversary of Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, Nishan-e-Haider, is being observed today with tributes paid to his courage and sacrifice during the 1965 war.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Thursday warned that Washington may take action against foreigners “praising, rationalising, or making light” of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, adding he had directed consular officials to take appropriate action. “In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said in a post on social media platform X. “I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.” Landau did not elaborate on what such action would mean. Some users replied to Landau’s post with screenshots of accounts and posts, though it was unclear if the accounts they flagged were US visa holders. The State Department’s number two then replied to some of those comments, saying he would direct consular offici...

Apple will roll out a hypertension detection feature on its smartwatch next week after receiving US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance on Thursday, Bloomberg News reported. Apple and the FDA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The company unveiled a blood pressure monitor in its latest Apple Watch at the September 9 event, where it also introduced a refreshed iPhone lineup, including a slimmer iPhone Air. The feature, pending regulatory approval, will not detect every case of high blood pressure, but could alert about a million people, Apple said. Available in 150 countries, the tool will use data from the watch’s optical heart sensor to track how a user’s blood vessels respond to heartbeats over 30 days, the report said, citing Apple. The feature will be available on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, and its more expensive Ultra 2 and Ultra 3 smartwatches, Bloomberg News said.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Friday extended the interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sisters, Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, in the October 5 police assault and arson case.

KARACHI: In an explosive revelation, police on Thursday claimed to have apprehended one of the suspected members of a ring of child abusers, who have allegedly perpetrated heinous acts against minor girls and boys for at least a decade. One suspect is currently in custody, while another of his alleged accomplices have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest him, DIG South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn. The suspect, a fruit vendor, was apprehended by Defence police from Qayyumabad with the help of locals, the officer said. Investigations are underway, and police are said to have obtained video evidence of multiple incidents of sexual assault against minor boys and girls. Although it is too early to say just how many victims the suspects have assaulted, investigators think they could number over a hundred. “Police have recovered a mobile phone from his custody containing hundreds of videos filmed in his room that show graphic scenes involving children,” DIG Raza said, adding that he was being interrogated...

The Hub Dam, Karachi’s main water source, has reached near its maximum capacity following intense monsoon rainfall across Sindh and Balochistan, prompting emergency alerts from irrigation and disaster management authorities.

President Asif Ali Zardari will leave for China on Friday for a 10-day official visit, where he will hold high-level meetings with the Chinese leadership on issues ranging from regional peace to economic cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

• Security forces repel assault on police post in Lajbook; Section 144 imposed • 19 militants killed in separate operations across KP • President, PM laud successful operations • Tribal elders vow to expel militants from South Waziristan, announce strict penalties LOWER DIR / PESH­AWAR: At least seven Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred and 13 others injured during a search and strike operation against militants in the Sar Banda area of Maidan in Lower Dir on Thursday. According to official sources, one FC soldier was also reported missing after a fierce gun battle with militants in the mountainous terrain within the jurisdiction of Lal Qila police station. The militants had taken positions and opened fire on a security convoy. The wounded were shifted to Lal Qila Hospital, and later referred to District Headquarters Hospital Timergara. Police officials said a heavy contingent of pol­ice, Elite Force and Dir Scouts remained in the area as the operation continued. Security forces also claimed to have i...

SUKKUR: A fisherman navigates one of the meanders of the Indus, near the Lansdowne Bridge. While Panjnad is recording flows over 0.6m cusecs, Guddu and Sukkur are steady at around 0.4m.—Umair Ali • Panjnad crosses 668,000 cusecs; mass evacuations underway in Alipur • Guddu, Sukkur barrages record over 400,000 cusecs, remain in ‘medium flood’ • Children among the missing after boats capsize in Jalalpur Pirwala • NDMA chairman says Pakistan facing ‘last monsoon spell’ • Preparations in place at Nasirabad as Balochistan braces for floodwaters LAHORE: Punjab is facing a relentless flood emergency as the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers continue to swell, inundating thousands of villages and displacing millions across the province. The situation intensified after Indian authorities issued alerts regarding rising water levels at Ganda Singh Wala and Ferozepur two days ago, prompting renewed evacuations along the Sutlej River. Despite some areas witnessing a slight recession in water levels, the overall flood threat r...

ISLAMABAD: In a landmark judgement with far-reaching implications for women’s rights under Islamic family laws, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a woman’s right to maintenance (Nafaqa) was neither contingent upon consummation or ‘Rukhsati’ (bridal departure) nor is it subject to her husband’s discretion. “It flows unconditionally from the solemnisation of a valid marriage and constitutes a binding legal duty,” observed Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah in his decision on an appeal by Ambreen Akram. She had challenged the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict of April 28, 2015, which turned down her plea for maintenance because the marriage was not consummated. “In essence, the only legitimate ground for suspending this obligation (maintenance) arises where the husband discharges a high burden of proof to establish that his wife has wholly and without justification withdrawn from marital relationship, not merely as physical access but encompassing the full spectrum of emotional, residential and relational life...

ISLAMABAD: PTI founder Imran Khan has demanded an immediate end to the ongoing military operations in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, and called on his party’s lawmakers to “resist operations and drone strikes against our own people”. A series of posts shared on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, which were supposedly based on his conversation with his sisters in Adiala Jail, recalled that the former ruling ANP had become unpopular in the province due to its support for such military action. Although Mr Khan does not have access to his X account while in prison, it is not clear who operates it in his stead. “Killing one’s own always leads to an increase in terrorism,” the post on the ex-PM’s official account said. The message instructed all members of provincial and national assemblies and the Senate who are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa “to come together and resist these operations and drone strikes against our own people, and to work for peace so that issues can be resolved through dialogue”. Continuing ...

Floodwaters enter Sindh, raise water level in barrages

Shehbaz stands with Qatar after strikes; Lauds Doha's efforts for Gaza peace

ISPR says 19 Khawarij neutralised in K-P

Says entitlement not tied to consummation or Rukhsati

Pakistan’s first-ever all-woman mountaineering expedition has summited Gilgit-Baltistan’s 5,400-metre Bari La peak, it emerged on Thursday. The 10-member expedition comprised Bibi Afzon and Zeeba Batool from GB, Bismah Hasan and Iqra Jillani from Punjab, Madeeha Syed from Sindh, Mona Khan from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Marya Bangash from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shahreen Khan and Amina Shabbir from Islamabad and Laraib Batool from Balochistan. According to a statement issued today by Alpine Club of Pakistan Vice President Karrar Haidri, history was “written in the high mountains of Pakistan”. He said the first-ever all-woman expedition, organised and sponsored by the Alpine Club, successfully summited Bari La Peak on Wednesday. “With equal representation from all four provinces, GB and AJK, these courageous women came together not just to climb, but to break barriers and prove that Pakistan’s daughters can rise to any peak,” Haidri said. He added that before embarking on their journey, the expedition received traini...

Explores Panda bonds, grants, budget diversion to complete medical complex