Pakistan

On November 29, after playing the doubles final of the ATP Challenger in Islamabad, Aisamul Haq Qureshi called time on his 27-year illustrious professional tennis career. He is arguably the greatest tennis player that Pakistan has ever produced. The first Pakistani tennis player to hit international headlines was Haroon Rahim in the 1970s, with a highest singles ranking of 34 in 1977. In three of the four Grand Slams, he reached the singles’ second or third round. In the doubles, his best showing in Grand Slams was a quarter-final appearance. It took around three decades for the next tennis star to emerge from Pakistan. Aisamul Haq, like Rahim from Lahore, was born into a tennis family. His maternal grandfather, Khawaja Iftikhar, is the only one to have reached the top national ranking in both undivided India and, later, Pakistan. Khawaja Iftikhar’s daughter and Aisam’s mother, Nausheen Ehtisham, was ranked as Pakistan’s No 1 woman player for almost 10 years. Ironically, Aisam didn’t pick up a tennis racket t...

ISLAMABAD: Journalists Ahmed Noorani and Jamil Farooqi, along with PTI leader Seemabia Tahir, have been declared absconders in separate cases pertaining to alleged propaganda against the Pakistan Army on social media. Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Abbas Shah issued a written order declaring all three accused as absconders and directed the issuance of permanent arrest warrants. The order states that the accused were repeatedly summoned but failed to appear before the court. According to the written order, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has completed and submitted challans in the respective cases. The FIRs against the three were registered in July and August 2025 under relevant cybercrime and related offences. The court has instructed that the permanent arrest warrants be executed in accordance with the law to ensure the accused are brought before the court to face trial. Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The cou­ntry’s first testing laboratory for photovoltaic (PV) modules, commonly kno­wn as solar panels, has been established with the support of the Korean government, which will support the country toward sustainable energy, technological advancement, and industrial development. The PAK-KOREA Tes­ting Laboratory for PV Modules and Allied Equipment lab was established jointly by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The laboratory has been developed through a $9.5 million grant-aid project from KOICA, alongside a local Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) contribution of Rs185.8m. The lab will become operational after achieving accreditation to ISO-17025 standards, including IEC-61215 and IEC-61730. The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), an allied department of MoST, has already initiated the process to include solar panels in its list of mandatory items. The PSQCA will conduct random testing of samples fro...

ISLAMABAD: A research report prepared by the Institute of Cost and Management Ac­­countants of Pakistan (ICMAP) examines the exits and operational shifts of multinational companies and observes that the country’s business environment is at a turning point. Exits and downsizing reflect rising costs and policy uncertainty. While the growing use of digital and asset-digital models points to new ways to stay competitive, says the report ‘Diagnosis of Multinational Exits from Pakistan’. According to the report, MNCs face both opportunities and challenges. The country’s large market and strategic location offer strong growth potential, but rising costs, unpredictable regulations, and weak infrastructure make operations difficult. These domestic issues, along with global business shifts, are pushing many MNCs to restructure, scale down, or even exit the market, it says. Restrictions on foreign exchange and delays in profit repatriation have historically deterred foreign investors. Profit repatriation declined sharpl...

Militants from Chakrani tribe pledge loyalty to Pakistan; Five terrorists killed in Dera Bugti IBO, says ISPR

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From Lahore to Karachi, Portuguese multi-instrumentalist Ricardo Passos weaves a tapestry of global music

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi on Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had engaged in propaganda against the country and had, crossed all the limits in anti-state conduct to undermine Pakistan.

KARACHI - Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) flotilla, comprising ROYAL NAVY OF OMAN VESSEL AL RASIKH and AL SHINAS, visited Karachi to participate in the 12th edition of Bilateral Exercise THAMAR AL TAYYIB (TAT) 2025.

KARACHI - Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori administered the oath of office to Mr.

ISLAMABAD - Binance senior leadership Saturday visited Pakistan as the government signaled strong commitment to digital asset regulation.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan solemnly remembered Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed, Nishan-e-Haider on his 54th martyrdom anniversary, payed homage to his unmatched bravery, selfless sacrifice and enduring legacy that continued to inspire courage and patriotism across the nation.

ISLAMABAD - The top election regulatory body [ECP] will soon hold an important meeting to discuss the preparation for the upcoming Local Government elections in Islamabad.

Kandahar - An overnight exchange of gunfire and shelling at a major Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing killed four civilians and one soldier, Afghan officials said Saturday, the latest flare-up of fighting between the two countries despite a ceasefire since deadly clashes in October.

GUJRANWALA - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed the firm commitment to work relentlessly and in unity for the progress and development of the country.

The United States wants Europe to take over the majority of Nato’s conventional defence capabilities, from intelligence to missiles, by 2027, Pentagon officials told diplomats in Washington this week, a tight deadline that struck some European officials as unrealistic. The message, recounted by five sources familiar with the discussion, including a US official, was conveyed at a meeting in Washington this week of Pentagon staff overseeing Nato policy and several European delegations. The shifting of this burden from the US to European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation would dramatically change how the US, a founding member of the post-war alliance, works with its most important military partners. In the meeting, Pentagon officials indicated that Washington was not yet satisfied with the strides Europe has made to boost its defence capabilities since Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The US officials told their counterparts that if Europe does not meet the 2027 deadline, the US may...

Sets 2029 target; fragmented networks, low FTTH threaten broadband ambitions

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