Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The National Assembly (NA) saw a scuffle between opposition members from PTI over disagreement to suspend the running proceedings by pointing out lack of quorum in the House.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted mainly hot and dry weather across most parts of the country during the next 24 hours, with very hot conditions expected in Sindh.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday will chair the federal cabinet meeting.

LAHORE: Punjab has decided to include the four-day war between Pakistan and India — Marka-i-Haq — in the national curriculum and make films on it. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Information Steering Committee with Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari in the chair here on Wednesday. “To instil a spirit of patriotism among the younger generation, the content related to Marka-i-Haq will be incorporated into the academic curriculum. Besides, the programmes related to it (Marka-i-Haq) and national unity would be held in private educational institutions with the same enthusiasm as that of the public,” the minister said. The four-day armed conflict between Pakistan and India in May last year marked one of the most serious military escalations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in recent years. Tensions erupted after a militant attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based elements, an allegation Islamabad denied. Films on war narrative will also be prod...

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gillani hosted a reception in Prince Édouard de Ligne La Trémoïlle and Princess Isabella Orsini de Ligne La Trémoïlle of the Belgian Royal Family during their visit to Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - US Assistant Secretary of State for Pakistan Affairs S.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday approved multi-billion-rupee development projects across Punjab under the district development plan, directing commissioners to ensure visible improvement on the ground and warning officials against “eyewash” instead of actual performance.

ISLAMABAD: With visa-free access to 30 countries, Pakistan’s passport has been ranked at the 100th spot in the world by the Henley Passport Index. The Henley Passport Index compares 199 different passports across 227 different travel destinations, and calculates the score based on the number of destinations that can be accessed visa-free. Over the past decade, Pakistan has remained close to the bottom of the rankings, although its position has steadily improved since 2021. In January, Pakistan’s rank improved to 98th, up from the 103rd spot in 2025. In the current rankings, only Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan have scored lower. In February 2026, Pakistani citizens had access to 32 destinations, up from 31 in January following the reinstatement of The Gambia. However, the latest May ranking reduces the total to 30 destinations, highlighting ongoing adjustments in global visa policies and bilateral travel arrangements. The list is dominated by Asian countries, with Singapore retaining its position, while Japan, So...

• Aurangzeb, mission discusses revenue targets, tax measures, reforms, fiscal strategy • Lender stresses need for fiscal discipline • Minister heads to China for Panda bond launch ISLAMA­BAD / KARACHI: Pakistan has received fresh inflows of $1.3 billion from the Interna­tional Mon­e­t­ary Fund (IMF), which has pushed the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves above $17bn and closer to the central bank’s target of $18bn. Meanwhile, a visiting IMF mission on Wednesday began a pre-budget review of Pakistan’s economy, focusing on revenue collection targets, proposed tax measures, reforms and the fiscal strategy for 2026-27. The Fund approved special drawing rights (SDR) worth 760 million for Pakistan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and SDR 154 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). “The SBP has received SDR 914m (equivalent to about $1.3bn) under the EFF and RSF in value dated May 12, 2026, from the IMF,” the central bank said on Wednesday. The SBP’s foreign exch­...

ISLAMABAD: PTI on Wednesday defended MNA Iqbal Afridi’s son, who surrendered his passport and sought asylum in a European country, saying he had no other option left to prevent detention and harassment. The matter came to light during a recent meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, where State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry alleged that MNA Iqbal Afridi’s son had sought asylum in Italy. The minister had alleged that the young man held a diplomatic passport, and proceeded to Italy via a European nation that does not require Pakistanis who hold official passports to obtain a visa before arrival. Talking to Dawn, Sheikh Waqas Akram, the information secretary of PTI, said he had personally spoken to Afridi about the issue. “Afridi’s son is 28-year-old so he does not carry a diplomatic passport. According to rules, only dependents, which include children below 18 years and spouses of MNAs, can carry a diplomatic passport,” he said. Waqas further claimed that Afridi’s son travelled t...

A major-ranked officer was among five soldiers martyred during an area sanitisation operation in Balochistan’s Barkham district, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday. At least seven terrorists were also killed during the operation. According to a statement by the military’s media wing, the operation, carried out by the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps Balochistan, took place in Barkham district’s Nosham area and targeted members of Fitna al Hindustan — a term used by the state to designate terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan. “During the operation, a group of terrorists was located and engaged by troops. During [the] fire exchange, seven terrorists of Indian-backed Fitna al Hindustan were sent to hell,” ISPR said, adding that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists. “However, during intense fire exchange, five brave sons of soil, including a field officer, met the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” ISPR added. The martyr...

The European Union’s health agency (ECDC) said on Wednesday there was nothing to suggest that the Andes strain of hantavirus had mutated following a deadly outbreak of the illness on a cruise ship. The deaths of three passengers from a rare hantavirus outbreak on a cruise from Argentina to Cape Verde sparked international alarm. Seven other passengers are confirmed to have the virus, including a French woman in a critical condition, while an eighth case is considered “probable”, according to an AFP tally. All of the passengers have been evacuated and are now in quarantine. “Preliminary investigations based on the whole genome sequencing that is available to us suggest that there are no indications that this virus is acting any differently from the known virus circulating in some regions of the world,” Andreas Hoefer, of the Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, told journalists. “All sequences obtained to date are virtually identical, which means that there is likely only a singl...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Wednesday announced that a regional ambassadors conference will be held in Islamabad from May 14 to 18 under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dar speaks with Chinese, Kuwaiti counterparts

Per capita income climbs to $1,901

Ritter backs Pakistan for Nobel Prize

• Ceasefire talks stalled as Trump pushes for a deal with Tehran • Vance says ‘making progress’

Minister warns Kabul of similar response as India last year

ISPR says seven terrorists also killed in Barkhan's Nosham area

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