Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A two-day National Consultation on Pakistan’s Gender Parity Framework, organized by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), concluded on Tuesday in Islamabad with strong consensus among provinces, regions, development partners, academia, and civil society on the need for a unified, standardized.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday summoned National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Lieutenant General (retired) Nazir Ahmed Butt in a contempt of court case on September 15. According to a copy of the petition dated June 16, available with Dawn.com, a writ petition filed in December last year sought the conclusion of an inquiry against former Punjab finance minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht. However, the anti-graft body neither responded to nor disposed of the plea, in violation of the law. “This honourable court directed … respondent number one (Lt [retired] Gen Butt) to decide the pending application expeditiously within one month and strictly in accordance with law under intimation to DR (Judicial) of this honourable court vide order dated May 6,” the petition read. “Neither the petitioner was summoned by the respondent nor [was] provided any opportunity of hearing to the petitioner. Besides that, more than one month has lapsed, and the] petitioner has become [a] rolling stone at the hands ...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has imposed a complete ban on all types of teacher postings and transfers, effective from September 10.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday expressed the resolve to expand ties and enhance regional connectivity as the two sides held bilateral talks here.

The Punjab government has fixed the minimum monthly wage for workers at Rs40,000.

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Wednesday reissued an arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in an illegal arms and liquor case after he failed to appear before the court. The case, which dates back to October 2016, accuses the PTI leader of possessing illegal arms and liquor after Islamabad police claimed they recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, alcohol, and three tear gas shells from his car outside Bani Gala. Gandapur has denied the police allegations, asserting that he was travelling with two licensed Kalashnikov rifles and that the vehicle contained a valid arms licence. He further claimed that the liquor bottle in question actually contained honey. According to the court order — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti directed that the KP CM be arrested and presented in the court on September 17. The judge issued the order after no representative appeared on behalf o...

• Restrictions imposed on online discussions, forwarding messages containing opinion on political issues • Judicial officers asked to exercise caution in accepting friend requests • Curbs aim to ensure impartiality, dignity and independence of judiciary KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued guidelines for district judges, judicial officers and their staff on the use of social media in order to uphold the highest standards of judicial conduct and ethics. SHC’s Member Inspection Team (MIT-I) Haleem Ahmed issued a letter to district and sessions judges as well as judicial officers across the province, stating that Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar had expressed deep concerns about continued violations of earlier standard operating procedures (SOPs), issued in 2022 by the SHC, on the subject matter. Thereafter, it said that the chief justice had issued additional SOPs/guidelines for strict compliance and stated that any violation of such instructions would be deemed misconduct and result in disciplin...

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has said that the intensity of the monsoon season has subsided, and no significant rise in Punjab’s river flows is expected in the coming days.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Wednesday that the provincial government is on full alert, assuring that if no further rains occur, conditions will return to normal within a few hours.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Dr.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration is continuing negotiations to address trade barriers with India and that he would talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a sign a deal may be imminent after weeks of diplomatic friction. Trump, in a marked shift of tone, said he looked forward to speaking to Modi in the “upcoming weeks” and expressed optimism that they could finalise a trade deal. “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries,” he said in a post on social media. Modi reciprocated the optimism in a social media post on Wednesday, saying Washington and New Delhi “are close friends and natural partners”. He said teams from both countries are working to conclude the trade discussions at the earliest. “I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,” Modi said. The latest comments from both the leaders drove India’s ...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday heard a petition challenging the authority of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) to destroy harmful and substandard food items on the spot.

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Tuesday visited various educational institutions in Murree and held an interactive session with students and teachers.

As floodwaters carve relentless paths through South Punjab, submerging villages and livelihoods, and now approaching with higher intensity through the Indus to Sindh, Pakistan stands at a crossroads. The 2025 floods — perhaps as devastating as the 2022 disaster but with even bigger dimensions, making them among the worst in recent history — have claimed over 842 lives (some sources estimate over 1,000), displaced 1.2 million people, affected more than 4m, mainly in Punjab, and threatened economic losses between $6–10 billion thus far. Yet, amid the chaos of rescue and relief, a powerful opportunity emerges to document the crisis in real time, harnessing community voices — especially women’s — to build a resilient future. By blending local insights with global best practices, Pakistan can transform this disaster into a catalyst for systemic change. A nation under water Perhaps, this is bigger than a war — those have dry spaces and pauses. But here, the battle is against water that advances like a warfront; it ...

LAHORE: Olympic javelin throw champion Arshad Nadeem on Tuesday said that he was looking to produce his best as the star athlete gets ready for a top-level competition at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The 28-year-old Arshad, who stunned the athletics world by throwing the javelin at an Olympic record 92.97 metres distance to achieve glory for Pakistan at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was seen preparing for the Sept 13-21 global spectacle at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore just a few hours before leaving for Tokyo via Bangkok. And the celebrated player during practice attempted throws at distances above 85 metres, showing he is in good shape for the challenge in Tokyo. “I always target to do my best in every event and I am going to Tokyo with the same mission with high hopes. And rest is on my God; He will do better,” Arshad told reporters after completing his final practice session. Answering a volley of questions about his competition against India’s Neeraj Chopra, Arshad said: “My competition is alway...

• Hamas says its five members killed, Gaza chief survives • US distances itself from attack, though White House says it was ‘informed’ • Qatar PM warns Doha reserves right to respond • Pakistan calls for holding Israel accountable for destabilising already-volatile region • World leaders flay Tel Aviv for ‘violation of international law’ • Aid flotilla defiant after being hit by drone DOHA: Expanding its web of unlawful military actions in the region, Israel launched a surprise airstrike against Qatar — which has been instrumental in trying to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza — that claimed the lives of five people. The strike, which the US had advance information of, targeted the Hamas negotiating team, drawing widespread condemnation and sharp reactions from global leaders and states. Qatar’s prime minister warned his country reserved the right to respond to Israel’s deadly attack, calling it a “pivotal moment” for the region. “Qatar… reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack,” Prime Minister Sheikh...

Flood waves from Sutlej, Chenab put Jalalpur Pirwala at high risk Protective embankment breached in Alipur NDMA warns of heavy rains in Sindh, Balochistan.

LAHORE: In what appears to be a unique criminal case, a special investigation team of the Lahore police is desperately trying to resolve the six-year-old kidnap case of a woman who is believed to be abducted by a djinn (a supernatural being). Headed by Lahore Investigation DIG Zeeshan Raza, the team was formed on the directions of the Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelam to take up the task of recovering the missing woman, Fouzia Bibi, and submit a report to the court on Sept 18. The complainant, Hameedan Bibi, the mother of the woman, had claimed that her daughter had suddenly gone missing in May 2019. She said Fouzia’s in-laws claimed that she had been ‘kidnapped/taken away’ by a djinn, leaving the police groping in the dark since the launch of the FIR. Lahore Investigation DIG Zeeshan Raza told Dawn the chief justice took ‘strict notice’ of the incident when the police high-ups informed that the woman could not be recovered despite all possible efforts. LHC summons CCPO on 18th In the last hearing ...

ISLAMABAD - As the devastating floods of 2025 continue to wreak havoc by taking lives, dislocating millions of people, and damaging the economy, the cruel floodwaters have submerged vast agricultural lands, threatening to worsen the food crisis with soaring prices and severely impacting exports, giving alarming signs for the.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday invited Turkish companies to expand their investment footprint in Pakistan.