Pakistan

LAHORE: The Lahore police arrested on Thursday another nephew of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Imran Khan in a ‘May 9 case.’ A senior officer of investigation police said Shahrez Khan, son of Aleema Khan, was wanted in the 2023 violence which erupted following the arrest of Imran Khan. Rejecting police claim, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said Shahrez had nothing to do with politics. Shahrez’ father Suhail Khan said his son was doing business and now he was preparing to go abroad to participate in a world triathlon championship. Earlier, Salman Raja said plainclothes men attacked the residence of Aleema Khan and abducted her son Shahrez. “Aleema Bibi’s home in Lahore has been attacked by men in plainclothes and her son Shahrez abducted,” tweeted Mr Raja. He also alleged that the intruders harassed Aleema Khan’s family members and even thrashed staff. PTI lawyer Rana Mudassar told Dawn.com that Shahrez was “kidnapped” from his home in Lahore. “People dressed in plainclothes entered the house and to...

ISLAMABAD - A local court on Thursday approved the post-arrest bail applications of 63 arrested activists of PTI and ordered for their release.

ISLAMABAD - A local court on Thursday adjourned hearing of the Tosha Khana II case against PTI founder and Bushra Bibi till August 26.

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties. The limit — which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City — will not be binding and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance. The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems”, mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday. The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00pm. The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic. “I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X. “In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another. Others said smartphone use should be a d...

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank will provide a $410 million financing package to help develop Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper mine, one of the world’s largest untapped deposits, which will be operated by Barrick Gold , two sources told Reuters on Thursday. Islamabad hopes the project will serve as a springboard to draw more foreign interest to its mineral sector, particularly to exploit rare earth deposits. Pakistan has already attracted interest from the Trump administration and offered future concessions to US companies. The loans and a financing guarantee will support development of Reko Diq, which is expected to produce copper and gold from 2028 and generate about $70 billion in free cash flow over its lifespan. The financing is composed of two loans totalling $300m to Barrick and a $110m financing guarantee for the Government of Pakistan, both sources said ahead of the official announcement. The $6.6bn project in Balochistan is 50pc owned by Barrick with the other half held by the federal and provincial...

Electricity consumers across Pakistan, including Karachi, are expected to get relief in their bills as a request has been filed to reduce the power tariff by Rs1.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal visited the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and inaugurated the newly developed MDCAT question bank on Thursday.

PESHAWAR: With the death toll from last week’s flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reaching 393, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Thursday issued an advisory for widespread rains in the province from August 22 to 26. A PDMA report issued here said that the tally of deaths from last Friday’s catastrophic rains and flash floods had gone up to 393, with Buner, the most affected district, reporting 234 fatalities as well as injury to 128 people. Also, 42 people were killed and 20 injured in Swabi district, while Shangla district has recorded 36 deaths, Mansehra 25, Bajaur 22 and Swat 20. The PDMA report said that the Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast the start of widespread rains in the province’s central and upper parts from August 22. Most 234 fatalities reported in Buner district It said that widespread downpour, along with wind and thunderstorms, were very likely in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Malakand, Buner, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Abbottabad,...

KOT ADDU: Villagers carrying their children on their shoulders wade through floodwaters in Ehsan Pur village.—AFP • Fresh spell of torrential rains forecast across the country • PDMA issues high-alert warning for Punjab • Tarbela Dam is at maximum capacity; Mangla Dam is 74pc full LAHORE / RAWALPINDI: Thousands of families in south Punjab have been displaced as floods caused by overflowing Indus and Chenab rivers have destroyed homes, crops and farmland. Districts including Layyah, Taunsa Sharif, Kot Addu, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Multan are among the worst affected. In Multan, floodwaters entered several villages, destroying crops and mango orchards. In Kot Adu, residents of Ehsanpur and Hinjrai union councils were forced to evac­uate along with their livestock. “Houses are surrounded by water, crops have vanished and land is eroding,” a rescue official told Dawn on condition of anonymity, adding that his team had evacuated over 150 people and their cattle by boat. In Layyah, floodwaters w...

BAJAUR / SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: At least 11 people — including a woman and children — were injured, when heavy clashes erupted between security forces and militants in the Birmal tehsil of Lower South Waziristan district on Thursday morning, officials and residents told Dawn. The exchange of fire took place near Karmazi Stop, as troops were carrying out an operation to take control of a key militant stronghold. Sources said security forces managed to establish two new posts in the area. Officials said that several militants initially managed to take refuge inside a nearby structure, but later fled during the clearance operation. The crossfire left 11 residents injured, who were provided first aid before being shifted to the District Headq­uarters Hospital in Wana. Witnesses said intermittent firing continued throughout the day, and residents said the area remained tense throughout the operation, with families confined to their homes for several hours. The Wana-Azam Warsak Road remained closed until around 1pm, dis...

ISLAMABAD - The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, on Wednesday reviewed compliance reports on the audit paras of WAPDA and expressed serious concerns over decades-long pending legal cases, land disputes worth trillions of rupees, and the closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.

Walt Disney’s ESPN will deliver its full range of sports programming outside of pay TV for the first time starting on Thursday, when the network debuts an app designed to be a hub for live games and personalized news, stats and highlights. The ESPN app is Disney’s effort to capture some of the tens of […]

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ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi has initiated the major phase to provide compensation in the B4U scam case, distributing cheques to 17,500 victims, ARY News reported. The compensation distribution took place in a formal ceremony held at the NAB Headquarters in Islamabad NAB Chairman Lt. Gen (Retd.) Nazir Ahmed, senior authorities, and affected […]

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has planned to conduct a Mobile Registration drive on August 23, 2025, focusing main UK locations. The Mobile Registration drive will be stationed in UK locations in Banbury (Birmingham) and Brierfield (Manchester) to assist overseas Pakistanis with necessary identification services, such as renewal of Computerised National Identity […]

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari arrived at Shaheed Major Rizwan Tahir’s residence to express solidarity with the grieving family on the martyrdom of the officer in a recent counter-terrorism operation in Noshki, Balochistan, ARY News reported. Major Rizwan Tahir sacrificed his life in martyrdom during a recent mission in Noshki. During the mission, an improvised […]

The Trump administration on Thursday issued more Iran-related sanctions, targeting 13 entities based in Hong Kong, China, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands, as well as eight vessels, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The measures cover Greek national Antonios Margaritis and his network of companies and vessels that Treasury said was involved in […]