Pakistan

Four booked, police launch manhunt

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Action against poaching intensified in migratory bird season

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Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday said that the province is passing through a difficult time and collective efforts are needed to overcome the challenges.

Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan successfully defended its sovereignty with courage, wisdom, and national unity, while earning international recognition for its military and diplomatic achievements.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed all concerned authorities to remain on high alert amid forecasts of heavy rains and possible cloudbursts across the province.

European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a Monday visit to Washington to see United States President Donald Trump in a collective bid to find a way to end Moscow’s invasion, with the US offering security guarantees for Kyiv. The meeting follows a summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield any breakthrough on an immediate ceasefire that the US leader had been pushing for. Trump, who pivoted afterwards to say he was now seeking a peace deal, on Sunday posted, “Big progress on Russia, stay tuned!” on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating. Trump’s Russia envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Trump and Putin had agreed in their summit on “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine. But Zelensky, on a Brussels visit hosted by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen today, rejected the idea of Russia offering his country security guarantees. “What President Trump said about security guarantees is much more important to me than P...

Seven people were shot dead over a personal enmity in the Raigi Sheno Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s district Kohat on Saturday night, police said. According to the first information report (FIR) available with Dawn.com and lodged by an injured complainant, Zahid Noor at the City police station: “Seven people from two families were killed in the firing when they were returning from the picnic at Raigi Sheno Khel area of Kohat district.” It said that they had gone for the picnic to Tanda dam and upon returning from it, they came under attack from two sides, resulting in the deaths of six people on the spot. The FIR copy said that one of the injured succumbed to the injuries at the KDA hospital. Kohat District Police Officer Dr Zahidullah told Dawn.com that upon investigation, police found that the incident was a result of old enmity, adding, ’’the ones who were targeted have a history of enmity.“ The DPO further added that the deceased went to Tanda Dam, where, on their return — they were attacked. “There w...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday said that Pakistan has video footage of the six Indian aircraft shot down during a brief military confrontation between both nations in May. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. Pakistan said it downed six Indian planes during the conflict, including advanced French-made Dassult Rafale jets. India’s highest-ranking general has also acknowledged that its forces suffered losses in the air, but denied losing six aircraft. Addressing a seminar in Lahore today, Naqvi said he was involved in several matters surrounding the war with India and was privy to several key pieces on information. “The army, air force, navy and government have all been acknowledged during the past month-and-a-half, but our intelligence agencies were doing important work behind the scenes,” he said. “Our institutions had information on India’s (plans) well ahead...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday said he had personally witnessed many key events of the Pakistan-India war, praising the decisive role of the armed forces and intelligence agencies.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday pledged that all homes destroyed in the recent floods will be rebuilt.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government is working on a priority basis to digitize the economy and transition financial transactions to cashless and digital system.

At least 20 people, including 11 children and four women, lost their lives in Balochistan as heavy monsoon rains battered the province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported.

A child was killed while her parents were injured when a speeding ambulance hit their motorbike near Sikandar Pur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur city on Sunday, police said. The local police quoted the injured Muhammad Yaseen as saying that he was travelling to Haripur with his wife, Sameena Bibi and six-month-old daughter, Fatima Bibi, by motorcycle. “When we reached near Sikandarpur on the busy Chappar Road, a recklessly driven ambulance hit us from behind,” Yaseen was quoted as saying by Hasan Khan, spokesperson for the Haripur district police officer. “Fatima died instantly, and we both suffered minor injuries.” Hadi Khan, an eyewitness, told Dawn.com, “The girl died instantly after being crushed under the tyres of the ambulance.” The injured couple and the girl’s body were transported to the Haripur Trauma Centre, where the parents received emergency treatment and were later discharged from the hospital, according to the spokesperson. It was the second road accident of a similar nature reported from Har...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Sunday warned of three more intense monsoon spells, cautioning that rainfall could be 50 percent heavier than usual, significantly raising the risk of urban flooding in major cities including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Gujranwala.

At least one passenger died while 33 were injured after four coaches of the Karachi-bound train derailed and overturned late last night in Punjab’s Lodhran, Rescue 1122 said on Sunday. According to a statement from Rescue 1122, the Awami Express train was travelling from Lahore to Karachi when the incident happened. “Four coaches of the train suddenly derailed due to brake failure near the Lodhran Railway Station”, the statement said. “The incident left one person dead while another 33 were injured, out of which 11 received medical assistance at the site of the incident, and the rest were immediately rushed to the District Hospital in Lodhran.” It further said that two critically injured persons were transferred to a hospital in Bahawalpur. Expressing grief over the loss of life, Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi vowed to take disciplinary action against those responsible for the incident. He ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed authorities to submit a report within seven days. “No one ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s deepest tax cuts in eight years will strain government revenues but are winning praise from businesses and political pundits who say they will bolster his image in an ongoing trade fight with Washington. In the biggest tax overhaul since 2017, Modi’s government on Saturday announced sweeping changes to the complex goods and services tax (GST) regime which will make daily essentials and electronics cheaper from October, helping consumers and also companies like Nestle, Samsung and LG Electronics. At the same time, in his Independence Day speech on Friday, Modi urged Indians to use more goods made domestically, echoing calls from many of his supporters to boycott US products after Donald Trump hiked tariffs on imports from India to 50 per cent as of August 27. The tax cut plan comes with costs given GST is a major revenue generator. IDFC First Bank says the cuts will boost India’s GDP by 0.6 percentage points over 12 months but will cost the state and federal government $20...

Pakistan Army’s Urban Search and Rescue Team has launched relief and rehabilitation operations in flood-affected areas of Buner, Shangla, and Swat, the military said on Sunday.

Pakistan left out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad named on Sunday for the Asia Cup and a warm-up tri-series beginning this month against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Azam and Rizwan have been star performers in the shortest format in the past, but have not played since December, which head coach Mike Hesson put down to other players performing well while addressing a press conference. “We know what a fine player Babar (Azam) is,” said Hesson. “Babar has been asked to improve in certain areas, like taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate, and he is working hard on these things. “The players we have are performing well and having a positive impact,” said Hesson. Since Hesson took over as head coach in May, Pakistan have played three T20 series — winning 3-0 at home but losing 2-1 away to Bangladesh. They then beat the West Indies 2-1 in the United States. “Our focus is to win the tri-series and the Asia Cup,...