Pakistan

Pakistan Railways has launched an ambitious plan to restore several non-functional railway routes across the country, aiming to enhance connectivity and stimulate commercial activity in various regions.

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has dismissed all complaints filed against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Nisar Ahmad Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi.

YouTube has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to figure out when users are children pretending to be adults on the popular video-sharing platform amid pressure to protect minors from sensitive content. The new safeguard is being rolled out in the United States as Google-owned YouTube and social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are under scrutiny to shield children from content geared for grown-ups. A version of AI referred to as machine learning will be used to estimate the age of users based on a variety of factors, including the kinds of videos watched and account longevity, according to YouTube Youth director of product management, James Beser. “This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections,” Beser said. “We’ve used this approach in other markets for some time, where it is working well.” The age-estimation model enhances technology already in pla...

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) on Saturday confirmed the successful deployment and operational readiness of the country’s latest Remote Sensing Satellite, launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), China, on July 31.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Saturday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further enhancing cooperation with Bangladesh in political, economic, and cultural spheres.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that a military operation in an area can only be successful when the people living there themselves identify the terrorists, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing on Saturday. The security situation in Balochistan has worsened in recent months, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. In February, nearly 62 per cent of the total terrorism-related deaths in the country occurred in Balochistan. “An operation in any area is successful when the people themselves identify the terrorists,” Lt Gen Chaudhry was quoted as having said. The DG ISPR was speaking at a session with students in the ongoing internship programme organised by the military’s media wing. During the session, there was a lively discussion regarding Pakistan, especially Balochistan, the statement said, adding that Lt Gen Chaudhry also gave detailed answers to...

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) announced the dismissal of complaints against the chief election commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Com­mission of Pakistan (ECP), it emerged on Saturday. The SJC is a judicial body comprising of Chief Justice of Pakistan, two most senior Judges of the Supreme Court and two most senior Chief Justices of High Courts, according to the Supreme Court’s website. A press release dated Aug 15 read that complaints against “CEC Mr Sikandar Sultan Raja and members of ECP, Mr Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Mr Shah Muhammad Jatoi, have been dismissed by the SJC in its meetings held on Nov 8, 2024 and Dec 13, 2024”. The SJC’s statement did not provide any details regarding the complaints. The five-year terms of CEC Raja, Sin­dh Member Durrani and Baloch­istan Member Jatoi ended on Jan 26, but they will continue to hold the offices under the 26th amendment made in the Constitution in October last year. The controversial amendment allowed the CEC and the members to continue till t...

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that the actions of a single terrorist should never endanger innocent civilians, stressing that counter-terrorism operations are intelligence-based to ensure precision and civilian safety.

China’s top diplomat will visit India next week for talks about their shared boundary, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, as the two countries eye resuming border trade five years after halting it. “From August 18 to 20 … (Chinese foreign minister) Wang Yi will upon invitation visit India and hold the 24th special representatives meeting on the China-India border issue,” a spokesperson said in a statement. Past trade between the neighbours across icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. It stopped following a deadly 2020 clash between border troops. Indian media had reported earlier in the week that China’s Wang was expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday. His Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, visited Beijing in July. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia. However, caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald T...

Yes, there were centuries to savour, spells to admire, and a finish that quickened the pulse. And yet, I write this not because of that excitement, but in spite of it because there are higher roads to the same high, and this series took the service lane. I remain stubbornly stuck in my fool’s paradise, expecting every over-staffed Test team administration to conjure a Wasim Akram, manage a Shane Warne, unleash a Shoaib Akhtar, and luck into a Jacques Kallis. I want to treat a Siraj-like spell not as heroic, but as the expected. I’ve arranged my life so that summers in Oxford are given over to batting — being at the crease, chasing that brief illusion of batting immortality as time dissolves and the scoreboard feels like it could climb forever. This season, that spell has been snapped by hostile bowlers, unyielding wickets that make every innings feel fragile and fleeting. Which is why watching five Tests played on pitches engineered to grant batsmen eternal life, supported with such generous slip fielders, ha...

Heavy monsoon rains and glacier melting have triggered a rise in water levels across rivers in Punjab, while flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have claimed 307 lives over the past 48 hours, disaster management authorities reported on Saturday.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Saturday reported that cloud bursts and flash floods over the past 48 hours have claimed 307 lives and injured 23 people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

• House unanimously passes resolution reaffirming commitment to sovereignty • Internet service across Balochistan to stay suspended until 31st, lawmakers told • PML-N legislator accuses govt of ‘copying’ his bill ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has assured the Senate that the release of an official advertisement on Independence Day, without a portrait of the country’s founder Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, would be investigated. “It is not in our notice. If it has happened, this is heart-afflicting for all,” he told the upper house of parliament on Friday. He assured that an inquiry would be conducted to ascertain how it happened and the house will be formally informed about the progress. The government had come under fire from political and social circles over the official advertisement issued by the Ministry of Information, which omitted images of the Quaid-i-Azam and national poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal. The advertisement, published in major national newspapers and aired on television channe...

ISLAMABAD: The Large-Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector recorded a contraction of 0.74 per cent in the outgoing FY25 compared to the previous fiscal year, falling short of the growth target of 3.5pc, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Friday. The LSM, which contributes around 8pc to the national GDP, had contracted by 0.03pc in FY24, following a growth of 0.92pc in the preceding year. In June 2025, LSM posted a 4.14pc year-on-year (YoY) growth, the fourth consecutive month of positive growth, mainly due to a reduction in the key interest rate to 11pc earlier in the fiscal year. However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, LSM showed a decline of 3.67pc in June. The food sector, a significant component of LSM, declined by 1.83pc YoY in FY25. However, wheat and rice milling experienced a 6.38pc rise, while starch production rose 0.59pc. Vegetable ghee production dropped by 0.94pc, cooking oil by 0.33pc, and tea by 2.76pc. Food, steel and energy weigh, while automobiles and textiles sh...

The District and Sessions Court Islamabad on Saturday approved the bail applications of nine Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers arrested in connection with the August 5 protest case.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom from August 17 to 19, 2025.

The Government of Pakistan has officially opened Letters of Credit (LCs) to import 85,000 metric tons of sugar under a government-to-government agreement, in a bid to address domestic shortages and stabilise prices.

ISLAMABAD: Specialised committees set up by the prime minister to promote a cashless economy have outlined ambitious national targets for the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), aimed at accelerating the growth of digital financial services and fintech adoption across the country. Under the PM’s Cashless Economy initiative, key goals include raising the number of active digital merchants to 2 million by the end of 2025-26, increasing mobile and internet banking users from the current 95 million to 120m within a year, and doubling annual digital payment transactions to 15 billion. According to finance ministry sources, another primary target is routing 100pc of overseas remittances through bank accounts or mobile wallets, up from the current 80pc. This move seeks to eliminate cash payouts and boost transparency in remittance flows. Following the directives of the committee chaired by the prime minister, the SBP is expected to play a pivotal role in expanding mobile banking services to all segments of society. 2m dig...

RAWALPINDI: A mother of three was allegedly tortured to death by her husband due to some domestic issues, police said on Friday. An FIR has been filed against her husband and children for murder and concealing evidence of the crime. Ghulam Akhtar, a resident of Kot Adu (District Muzaffargarh), lodged an FIR with the Dhamial police stating that his daughter Samina had married Amir Abbas of her own choice about 19 years ago and was settled in Malik Colony, Girja Road, Dhamial. The couple had three children — Mohammad Zaman, 17, Shan Haider, 15, and Maryam Rani, 12. He said that on Wednesday morning, an announcement was made in their native town that the funeral of his daughter would be held at 8am in a local graveyard without his family being informed about her death. Mr Akhtar said he along with his brothers Ghulam Rasool and Abdul Rehman, sister Kalsoom Bibi and others reached Amir Abbas’s home. He said his sister, Kalsoom Bibi and other women had seen torture marks on the body of Samina. He said he contacted...

PESHAWAR: Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on housing Dr Amjad Ali on Friday urged authorities in Charsadda and Nowshera districts to take necessary measures to prevent damage to public life and property due to flash floods. During a provincial assembly’s session presided over by Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi here, Dr Ali said that floods in Malakand and Hazara divisions claimed several lives and destroyed buildings. He said that the chief minister would be approached with a request for declaring emergency in both divisions to help out the calamity-hit residents. The aide to the CM warned that floodwaters would soon reach Charsadda and Nowshera. He asked authorities to take all necessary steps to prevent loss of public life and property to the natural disaster. Dr Amjad Ali calls for measures to prevent damage to public life, property Special assistant of the chief minister for population Liaquat Ali Khan claimed that when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founder Imran Khan was the prime minister, neithe...