Pakistan

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has assured the affected shopkeepers of the ill-fated Gul Plaza that the provincial government would temporarily accommodate them at Parking Plaza, New Jamia Market, and Royal Market on Korangi Road, providing full compensation for their losses. He was addressing a gathering during his visit to the verification counters for claims of losses at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Saturday to review the process and meet the affected traders. The KCCI, on the instruction of the chief minister, has set up counters to verify claims of losses and ownership or tenancy filed by traders affected by the Gul Plaza incident. The chief minister was accompanied by provincial ministers Nasir Hussain Shah and Jam Ikram Dharejo, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, and other senior officials. Parking Plaza, New Jamia Market, Korangi’s Royal Market selected for shopkeepers’ relocation; Murad visits verification counters for losses c...

• Verdict notes marriage remains legally intact as ‘mere assertion of oral talaq insufficient’ • Justice Abid Chattha observes dowry claims must be determined strictly on evidence, not conjecture LAHORE: The Lahore High Cou­rt (LHC) has ordered a man to pay Rs1 million as deferred dower and monthly maintenance to his wife after holding that contracting another marriage without prior permission makes the entire dower immediately payable under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961. Justice Abid Hussain Chattha issued the judgement, deciding two cross writ petitions filed by Mehnaz Saleem and her husband Kashif Iqbal, challenging concurrent and appellate findings of a family court and additional district judge (the appellate court), Sialkot. Ms Saleem had filed a suit seeking recovery of deferred dower (Rs1m), maintenance allowance, and dowry articles. The family court had partially decreed her suit, awarding Rs15,000 per month as maintenance for the Iddat period, Rs1m as deferred dower, and dowry articles or t...

• Bangladesh’s PM-to-be pledges to restore governance, economy; vows to fix ‘broken’ systems • Urges unity as BNP sweeps first polls since 2024 uprising DHAKA: Bangladesh’s prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman on Saturday dedicated his party’s landslide election victory to the citizens who “sacrificed for democracy” during the deadly 2024 uprising and pledged to prioritise the restoration of economy and governance. Rahman, the 60-year-old scion of one of the nation’s most powerful political dynasties, called for national unity as he prepared to lead the South Asian nation of 170 million people following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s sweeping success in Thursday’s vote. He will take over from an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has steered Bangladesh since a student-led uprising ousted Hasina in August 2024. “This victory belongs to Bangladesh, belongs to democracy,” Rahman said in his first speech since the vote. “This victory belongs to people who aspire to and have sac...

ISLAMABAD: The consortium led by the Arif Habib Group has announced plans to acquire the remaining 25 per cent government stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), thereby securing full control of the national flag carrier. In December 2025, the group acquired a 75pc stake for Rs135 billion, with the goal of transforming the loss-making airline through operational restructuring, fleet expansion, and improved customer service. To ensure the success of its revival plan, the consortium now seeks to take full control of decision-making. The acquisition will allow the consortium to implement management changes by the end of April. Shahid Ali Habib, CEO of Arif Habib Ltd, told Dawn that this will enable them to operate as a private entity, free from government-appointed board members. “The change of sponsors is scheduled for late April or early May,” he added. Consortium to acquire remaining 25pc stake for Rs45bn The government has given the consortium a 90-day window to purchase the remaining shares, valued ...

Camouflage and mimicry are among the oldest concepts in biology — taught in classrooms as elegant outcomes of natural selection. Animals that blend in avoid getting eaten. Over many generations, tiny random changes accumulate. Simple, neat, intuitive. But the deeper scientists look, the more the real world looks less like a simple narrative and more like a puzzle with missing pieces. Across the animal and plant kingdoms, there are creatures whose mimicry is so precise — down to texture, colour gradients, behavioural nuance and even spectral reflections invisible to the human eye — that the standard explanation strains at the seams. What mechanisms allow an insect or a plant with no brain, no eyes and no cognitive awareness of its surroundings to develop such astonishing resemblance? Take, for example, walking stick and leaf insects. Some species do more than mimic the general outline of foliage; they reproduce irregular edges, asymmetries and colour variations indistinguishable from real leaves — even under c...

It was never going to be easy for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to sideline Pakistan from the T20 World Cup, let alone exclude them from the marquee clash against India. That is precisely why, today on February 15, Pakistan will take on India for the ninth time in T20 World Cup history. It is a rivalry in which Pakistan has managed only one victory so far. Yet win numbers barely matter when these two teams meet, because this contest has grown far beyond cricket and has become arguably the most anticipated fixture in global sport. In the build-up to this match, uncertainty loomed large. Until just days before the game, there was no official confirmation that Pakistan would play. This followed a dramatic political intervention when the Government of Pakistan announced that it would not permit the Pakistan team to participate in the World Cup group-stage match against India. Despite the tournament featuring 20 teams, this single lucrative fixture dominated headlines across the cricketing world. The ten...

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted rain and thunderstorm in southern parts of the country. The Met Office said a shallow westerly wave is likely to approach the western parts of the country on Feb 16. Under the influence of this weather system, light to moderate rain-wind/thunderstorm is expected in Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, Chaghi, Nokkundi, Dalbandin, Noushki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Mustung, Bar Khan, Sibbi, Loralai, Khuzdar, Kech, Turbat, Panjgur, Gawadar, Awaran, Kharan, Pasni, Ormara and Lasbella of Balochistan from Feb 16 (evening/night) to Feb 17 with occasional gaps. Rain-wind/thunderstorm is also expected in Dadu, Hyderabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad and Khairpur of Sindh from Feb 17. Gusty and dust-raising winds are also likely during the period. Light to moderate rain-wind/thunderstorm is expected in Waziristan, Bannu, D.I. Khan and Kurram areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the night of Feb 16 an...

• Insists govt can’t create jobs for millions of people; private sector must lead employment drive • Claims FIR registered against sitting senator over alleged tax evasion • Says tobacco sector ‘not paying taxes’, involved in smuggling • Construction relief package ‘in pipeline’, announcement expected soon • Textile support under review; minister seeks 10-12 days for concrete steps LAHORE: Finance Minister Muha­mmad Aurangzeb on Saturday warned that Pakistan could not be run with a rapidly increasing population and stressed that the private sector would have to take the lead and create employment opportunities. “If this growth rate (2.5pc) continues, our population can reach 400 million in the coming years. So, you tell us who will run this country in such a situation,” he said while speaking at the Pakistan Economic Growth Conference at the regional office of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in Lahore. “So please help us on how to control the population,” he added. On empl...

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MUNICH - The son of Iran’s toppled former monarch on Saturday told a mass rally in Munich he is ready to lead Iran’s “transition,” as demonstrators demanded the overthrow of Iran’s rulers.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Saturday announced that Katcha areas had been cleared of dacoits following a successful multi-agency operation, restoring the writ of the state in the riverine regions of Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan.

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, in his capacity as Chairman of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP), visited the Judicial Complex in Fort Abbas, District Bahawalnagar, reaffirming the judiciary’s commitment to ensuring equal access to justice in remote and underserved regions of the country.

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and UN-Habitat discussed viable strategic measures to transform Pakistani cities into climate-resilient, sustainable engines of economic growth, with a renewed focus on developing an action-oriented National Urban Strategy.