Pakistan

The federal government has announced reduced working hours for public offices operating under its authority in observance of Ramadan.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif visited Mall Road in Murree on Tuesday, where they were greeted by enthusiastic supporters and tourists.

With women banned from most jobs in Afghanistan, an embroidery boutique run by 22-year-old Rahima Alavi is a surprising and treasured sight in Bamiyan. “Spring flowers, tailoring and embroidery,” reads a sign outside Alavi’s small store, which opened in January after a months-long search for work. “I really feel proud because I can support my family, my parents and three sisters. I can pay the rent,” said Alavi, who was wearing a burgundy coat that had a few pieces of leftover coloured thread stuck to it. This photograph taken on January 20, 2026 shows Afghan tailoress Rahima Alavi embroidering a scarf at her boutique in Bamiyan. —AFP Demonstrating her new skills, she guided material through her sewing machine to create delicate silk leaves and flowers. Alavi is one of more than five million people who have returned to the country since 2023 from Pakistan and Iran, which have been pushing back Afghans after hosting them for decades. Having grown up in rural Bamiyan province, where she helped her parents with ...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Wednesday reiterated that eliminating narcotics from the province remains a top priority of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, emphasizing that shielding students from drugs is a shared duty of society.

The Anti-Terrorism Court Lahore has called upon the legal team of Shah Mahmood Qureshi to appear in connection with his bail petitions.

The holy month of Ramadan has officially started in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf nations, and Afghanistan, with Muslims observing their first fast today.

Light showers swept across several neighborhoods of Lahore in the early hours of Wednesday, causing a noticeable drop in temperature.

LAHORE: A model criminal court (minor offences) on Wednesday issued a judgment in a domestic abuse case, convicting a man of assaulting his wife and mother-in-law. Judicial Magistrate Hamidul Rahman Nasir conducted the trial, which involved testimony from several witnesses, including the victims and police investigators. The incident took place on April 2, 2021, when a dispute erupted at the man’s residence in the jurisdiction of the Shafiqabad police station. According to the first information report (FIR), the conflict began when the man allegedly pressured his wife to seek employment against her wishes. When she refused, he and several of his family members reportedly began to beat her. Following a telephone call from the wife, her mother and brother arrived at the scene. The prosecution argued that during the ensuing confrontation, the man assaulted his mother-in-law, tearing her clothes and beating her until she lost consciousness. Neighbours eventually intervened to rescue the victims. The couple had be...

QUETTA: The Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday said a total of 14 suspected militants were killed in separate security operations in Quetta and Barkhan districts. In a statement, the CTD said eight armed men were killed during a security operation in Quetta’s Darakhshan area. “Eight armed persons were killed in a fire exchange during the operation,” read the statement, adding that three CTD personnel were injured during the action. According to the CTD, weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed miscreants. It noted that the dead individuals were said to be from a banned outfit. In a separate statement, the CTD said “six terrorists were killed in a fire exchange” during an intelligence-based operation in Barkhan. “All security personnel remained safe,” it stated, adding that arms and ammunition were recovered from the killed militants. “The terrorists were involved in the planning of disruptive actions,” the CTD said, reaffirming to continue its efforts to eliminate terrori...

PESHAWAR: Two officials were martyred and two others injured when militants attacked Yarik police station and a customs office in Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday, police said. According to officials, attackers opened fire with automatic weapons on the Yarik police station and a nearby customs office, located along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route. A police spokesperson said the officials martyred in the attack were customs official Israr Khan and police constable Mohammad Bilal. The injured, identified as Hazrat Umar and Khayal Mohammad, were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital’s trauma centre, where they were undergoing treatment. Police said the attackers also fired at passenger buses travelling on the CPEC route, causing panic in the area. A customs vehicle was set ablaze during the assault. Security personnel returned fire, prompting the assailants to flee. A heavy police contingent reached the site soon after the incident, and a search operation was launched in the surrounding ar...

Israeli police has arrested the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed al-Abbasi, from inside the mosque’s courtyards in occupied Jerusalem. The Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing local sources, reported that “Israeli forces detained Sheikh al-Abbasi inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque“ on Monday evening without giving any reason. It added that the arrest “comes amid escalating Israeli measures against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, including restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers stationed there, limitations on the entry of worshippers, and intensifying incursions carried out by settlers under heavy protection from Israeli police”. Hamas condemned the arrest of al-Abbasi in a statement on Tuesday, saying he had been “served with an order banning him from the mosque”. The movement said the measure “constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of Al-Aqsa and an unacceptable assault on its imams”. Hamas added: “The escalating violations by the fascist occupation government against the sanctity ...

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were to resume a second round of peace talks in Geneva on Wednesday, as Washington’s top envoy signaled optimism in its bid to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The talks are the latest diplomatic bid to halt the fighting, which has killed hundreds of thousands, forced millions to flee, and decimated much of eastern and southern Ukraine. The United States has been pushing for an end to the nearly four-year war, but has failed to broker a compromise between Moscow and Kyiv on the key issue of territory. Two previous rounds of negotiations between the two sides in Abu Dhabi failed to yield a breakthrough. But US envoy Steve Witkoff, representing the Trump administration at the talks, said President Donald Trump’s diplomatic efforts had made strides in Washington’s bid to end the conflict. “President Trump’s success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress,” he wrote on X, without elaborating. “Both parties agreed to upd...

LAHORE: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) have traded blame over alleged mismanagement during the national hockey team’s participation in the second leg of the FIH Pro League in Hobart, Australia, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take notice and order an immediate inquiry. The Green Shirts returned to Lahore late Tuesday night after suffering defeats in all their matches against Germany and hosts Australia, concluding a winless campaign across both legs of the competition. Media reports highlighted serious lapses in arrangements, particularly inadequate and delayed accommodation in Hobart, which left players discontented and affected their preparation. PHF president Tariq Hussain Bugti, speaking to Dawn, said the responsibility for all logistical and financial arrangements — including hotel bookings, air travel, TA/DA and visas — rested with the PSB. He cited directives from the senate standing committee on sports, which had designated the PSB as the body to ha...

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to convene in Peshawar on Wednesday to determine the sighting of the crescent marking the beginning of Ramadan 1447 AH.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday conveyed heartfelt congratulations to Tarique Rahman following his swearing-in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

YouTube said on Tuesday it has resolved an issue that briefly affected access to the video-sharing platform, after outage-tracking website Downdetector reported widespread global disruptions. YouTube said that an issue with its recommendation system had prevented videos from appearing across YouTube surfaces. “The issue with our recommendations system has been resolved, and all of our platforms (YouTube.com, the YouTube app, YouTube Music, Kids, and TV) are back to normal,” YouTube said in an update. At its peak, there were more than 320,000 user reports of YouTube issues in the US, according to Downdetector. Downdetector’s numbers are based on user-submitted reports. The actual number of affected users may vary. YouTube also faced outages in countries including India, Britain, Australia, and Mexico, according to DownDetector. YouTube reached more than 2.5 billion viewers globally by the start of 2025, with its music and premium tier subscribers hitting 100 million, according to market tracker Statista. Users...

• PM Shehbaz arrives in Washington today to attend Trump-led moot • Summit to focus on Gaza ceasefire, $5bn US pledge and board’s institutional design • Muslim states wary of combat role, seek viable pathway to Palestinian statehood WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrives here on Wedne­sday (today) to attend the global summit of the Boa­rd of Peace (BoP) hosted by US President Donald Trump, stepping into a forum that seeks to go beyond Gaza in restoring global peace and stability. The summit’s immediate focus is expected to be threefold: consolidating a ceasefire in Gaza, mobilising financial pledges for the BoP — with Washin­gton announcing an initial commitment of $5 billion — and finalising the contours of a proposed global forum that Trump hopes can achieve what the United Nations could not. Participants are also likely to discuss the proposed International Stab­ilisation Force (ISF), tas­k­ed with securing reconstruction zones and supporting a post-conflict governance arrangement in Gaza. For P...

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12 terrorists also killed by forces; Civilian girl dies, seven others injured; Security forces respond with precision

Interior minister says routine eye treatment exaggerated for political mileage