Pakistan

Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Dr Usman Anwar, held a meeting with Detective Superintendent Peter Steinle of the Australian High Commission at FIA Headquarters to discuss cooperation on tackling transnational crime.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday decided to extend the fuel subsidy for motorcyclists, and public and goods transport by one month. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier decided to continue providing relief to the economically vulnerable sections of society during the current situation. It said that the prime minister “had decided to extend fuel subsidy given last month to motorcyclists, public and goods transporters by one more month”. He also directed transporters not to increase travel and freight fares. He further issued instructions to maintain “effective monitoring” of relief measures. According to the statement, PM Shehbaz vowed to continue the government’s relief efforts, stressing that “providing relief to the common man remained the government’s top priority”. “The people will not be left alone under any circumstances,” the premier asserted, hoping that the “regional situation will improve soon so that fuel prices can stabilise”. The subsidies wer...

PESHAWAR/ LAHORE: Justices Babar Sattar and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani will begin presiding over proceedings at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Lahore High Court (LHC), respectively, in the coming week following their recent transfers from the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Their transfers, along with that of IHC judge Saman Rafat Imtiaz to the Sindh High Court, were approved by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on April 28 and notified by the law ministry on April 29 amid criticism from lawyers’ bodies. On Thursday, the names of Justices Sattar and Kayani were included in the rosters of the high court courts to which they have been transferred. The LHC’s revised roster for May 4 to July 4 shows that Justice Kayani will be presiding over proceedings as judge on a single bench at the court’s principal seat. The roster, notified by Additional Registrar (Judicial) Shabbir Hussain Shah, shows that 27 single benches and nine division benches have been constituted at the principal seat for this period. Meanwhile, ...

ISLAMABAD: Despite a healthy primary balance of 3.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) at home, the Ministry of Finance on Thursday warned that Pakistan’s external sector may be facing risks owing to emerging global uncertainties and regional supply disruptions amid a higher rate of inflation. “External demand may remain supportive in some markets but the balance of risk becomes less favourable than in a pre-war setting,” the ministry said in its Monthly Economic Update and Outlook for April 2026. It said the ongoing Middle East conflict was posing new risks and heightened uncertainty regarding the macroeconomic outlook. The ministry forecast April’s inflation rate — measured by the consumer price index — at 8 to 9pc, significantly higher than 7.3pc in March. It highlighted that the overall primary surplus in the first eight months of the current fiscal year was recorded at 3.3pc of GDP (Rs4.319 trillion) as compared to 3pc (Rs3.452tr) last year. During July-March Fiscal Year 2026, the Federal Board of ...

The results of the Central Superior Services Examination 2025 have been released, revealing a low success ratio as only 355 candidates qualified for the written stage.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday met Party Secretary of Hainan, Feng Fei, here and appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality extended by the Government of Hainan and noted the province’s transformation into a gateway for international trade and investment.

Amazon said on Thursday that restoring cloud computing operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which were damaged in the conflict in the Middle East, is expected to take several months. Amazon’s data centres in the region were hit by Iranian retaliatory drone strikes in early March, amid the conflict, disrupting cloud services and making a recovery “prolonged”. When asked if the latest update was related to a new incident, an Amazon spokesperson said that the latest update dated April 30 related to the previous operational issues in March. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s largest cloud computing provider, serving a global client base. Its key customers include companies such as Netflix, BMW and Pfizer, as well as major financial institutions, media groups and public sector organisations. It is also the company’s main driver of profits. AWS recommended customers migrate all accessible resources to other regions and restore inaccessible resources from remote backups as soon as possible, according ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a one-month extension in subsidies for motorcycle users and public and goods transport as part of the government’s relief measures for economically vulnerable groups.

Cambridge International Education has confirmed that an A Level Mathematics examination paper was leaked before the scheduled test, impacting candidates in Pakistan and several other regions, including South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared on Thursday that the United States had suffered a shameful defeat, defiantly rejecting a warning from President Donald Trump that an economically punishing US naval blockade could be enforced for months to come. “Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world’s bullies in the region, and the United States’ disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” said Khamenei in the message read on state television. The message by Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since his appointment on March 9 as Iran’s new supreme leader, came on the annual national celebration of “Persian Gulf” day in Iran. Khamenei became the supreme leader after the US and Israel launched a massive campaign of strikes on Iran on February 28, assassinating his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In his Thursday message, he said US bases in the region “lack even the capacity...

Cambridge International Education (CIE) on Thursday confirmed that its AS-level mathematics paper was “shared prematurely” against its regulations. The development comes after the Inter-Board of Coordination Commission (IBCC) on Thursday announced it would seek a report from Cambridge as parents and students raised questions about the transparency of the exam system following reports of the leak. In an official statement, CIE said, “We can confirm that Cambridge International AS-Level mathematics paper 12 (9709) taken in our Africa, Europe, Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia regions, was shared prematurely against our regulations. “We investigate such incidents promptly and thoroughly and we are now working to understand the extent of the leak and determine next steps,” it added. It affirmed its priority to ensure that the students were not disadvantaged by this incident, saying it would take all possible measures to protect the integrity of its exams. “It is important that candidates continue to prepare fo...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has introduced a wide-ranging development and security initiative worth Rs23 billion targeting the province’s Katcha (riverine) regions.

ISLAMABAD: Human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, on Thursday approached the Supreme Court (SC), seeking an early hearing of their appeals against their conviction under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in the controversial social media posts case. On January 24, a sessions court had sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in the case. The lawyer duo were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 10 (cyber terrorism), five years’ imprisonment under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years’ imprisonment under Section 26-A (false and fake information) of Peca. Moved through senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, the application filed in the SC on Thursday requested the grant of leave to appeal against the Feb 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) order. The IHC in February had admitted the appeal against the trial court’s verdict. However, while it had issued notices to th...

Bears dominated the trading floor at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) for a fourth consecutive day on Thursday as the KSE-100 plunged by over 2,800 points. KSE-100 declined by 2,829.70 points or 1.71 per cent to close at 162,994.17 points from the previous close of 165,823.87 points. The market dropped to an intraday low of 160,391.18 points at 11:34am, before regaining some ground to reach above the 162,000-point level after 1pm. Rising global oil prices amid geopolitical tensions have kept investors cautious, according to analysts. Oil prices soared more than 7pc to a fresh four-year high today, while global stocks fell after Donald Trump warned the US blockade of Iranian ports could last months and a report said he would be briefed on potential fresh military strikes. Brent for June delivery surged 7.1pc to $126.41 per barrel in Asian trade, while West Texas Intermediate climbed 3.4pc to $110.31. Both later pared the gains. Today’s bearish momentum also came after reports emerged that UAE-based telecom gi...

ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday slashed the delivery time for ordinary passports from 21 days to 14 days and ordered all passport offices to go fully cashless within 15 days. The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry in Islamabad. “We have reduced the delivery time for normal passports from 21 days to 14 days,” Naqvi said, according to an official handout. The minister further stated that “a complete cashless system will be implemented in passport offices,” while giving passport authorities 15 days to end cash transactions at all offices nationwide. “Eliminating cash payments will end the agent mafia and facilitate citizens,” Naqvi said. Officials said the 14-day timeline for normal passports comes into effect immediately. Officials were also directed to finalise a separate “business passport” category soon and make the home-delivery system for passports more effective, the statement said. Naqvi said that...

Rice supply is expected to fall this year as farmers cut planting acreage across Asia because of fertiliser shortages and soaring fuel costs from the Iran war, with an emerging El Niño also set to squeeze output of the world’s most consumed staple. Rice is central to global food security, and even modest supply disruptions can ripple through countries, lifting prices and straining household budgets, particularly among price-sensitive consumers in Asia and Africa. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in April forecast rice output would expand by 2 per cent to a record high in 2025/26. The effects of the Iran war are impacting farmers in top exporters Thailand and Vietnam, as well as the import-reliant Philippines and Indonesia, growers and traders said. The war has cut fuel and fertiliser flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that connects the Gulf to global markets. Southeast Asia’s mainly smallholder farmers also face mounting stress as the El Niño weather phenomenon is set to usher ...

At least five members of a family, including three children, were injured after alleged cross-border mortar shelling by Afghan Taliban in areas adjacent to Angoor Adda, security sources said on Thursday.

The government is set to reimpose a ban on new gas connections for both domestic and commercial consumers.

Pakistan has stepped up diplomatic efforts to promote peace and stability in the region, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif holding contacts with the leadership of several countries, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

KARACHI: The Sindh Education and Literacy Department is set to introduce religious textbooks for Hindu students to be taught in grades three to five across government schools in Sindh, it emerged on Thursday. In a letter dated April 29 to the chairman of the Sindh Textbook Board (STBB), the education department requested the distribution of “three religious books for grades III to V for the current academic year 2026–27”, referring to a decision taken at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Sindh Curriculum Council on April 20. Chief Executive Advisor Dr Fauzia Khan wrote in the letter that the cost of publication will be borne by a social welfare organisation, Prem Sagar Sanstha Karachi, for the current academic year. “The distribution of the books will be carried out through STBB,” the letter said. Khan also requested the board to “allocate/adjust budget for the publication of the religious books for the next academic year”. A similar move was made by the federal government in 2023, when the National...