Pakistan

Pakistan has taken the forefront in uniting regional partners to advocate for a just and effective Global Plastics Treaty, emphasizing the need for equitable access to green financing and technology for developing nations.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated a special economic zone (SEZ) in Islamabad to be set up by a Chinese textile group — projected to generate exports worth $400 million for the country, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China, which has supported it through many investments and development projects, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which, currently in its second phase, has been termed a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. The phase II of the program is expected to focus on industrialisation, spe­c­ial economic zones, clean ene­rgy, agriculture and livelihood projects. PM Shehbaz welcomed the establishment of an SEZ, saying that the “initiative would facilitate technology transfer, skill development, and sustainable industrial growth”. The project will be set up by the Chinese textile group Challenge Fashion Private Limited, which is set to invest $100m over five years in the project. PM Shehbaz met with the compa...

BAHAWALPUR: Allappa police in Multan booked three persons, including a hakeem (herbalist) on Thursday, for allegedly sexually assaulting the women patients visiting his ‘clinic’, recording their videos and later blackmailing them. According to police sources, the case was registered on the report of a constable, Muhammad Owais, who says the hakeem was running a clinic, where he installed secret cameras in the examination room. He says the hakeem, in connivance with his two accomplices, sexually assaults the women patients visiting the clinic, on the pretext of examining them and records their videos. The suspects would later extort money, jewellery and other valuables from these women by blackmailing them. He said the suspects also uploaded obscene videos of some of the women patients on social media. Acting on the complaint, Allappa police registered a case against the suspects who are yet to be arrested. WOMAN TORTURED: A man, along with his brother, allegedly tortured his wife and forcibly cut her hair in ...

Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Dr Musadik Malik called for equitable access to green financing and other resources for developing nations at a meeting in Geneva on Friday, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He chaired the meeting on the sidelines of the fifth session of the plastic pollution treaty negotiations taking place in Geneva. Billed as the most important environmental deal since the 2015 Paris climate accord, the 10-day summit brought delegates from 185 countries to finalise a global treaty to control plastic pollution. “Pakistan led a regional dialogue with Bangladesh, Egypt, Tajikistan, Malaysia, and Sudan for an interactive briefing,” according to a statement posted by Malik’s team on X. “Minister Musadik called for a fair Global Plastics Treaty and equitable green financing, so support reaches nations most impacted by pollution and climate challenges,” the statement added. At the meeting, the climate minister noted, “those responsible for the highest levels o...

Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia have formally established diplomatic relations to open up avenues for bilateral cooperation. The Federated States of Micronesia are an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean that joined the United Nations in 1991, according to the UN’s website. Both countries’ permanent representatives to the UN signed an agreement at a ceremony in New York, the Pakistan Mission to the UN said in a press release on Thursday. “Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, and Federated States of Micronesia’s counterpart, Ambassador Jeem S. Lippwe, signed a joint communiqué to formalise the relationship between the two countries,” the Pakistan Mission said. Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Ahmad noted: “The relations would open up avenues for cooperation in the field of human resource management, capacity building and climate change.” Both Missions would “work closely on key matters, especially promotion of international peace and s...

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities marked the fourth anniversary of their takeover on Friday, buoyed by Russia’s first official recognition of their government, a step they hope other countries will follow. Parades were planned in several cities, including in central Kabul, where helicopters were set to drop flowers and the white-and-black flags of the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” fluttered across the city to mark their capture of the capital on August 15, 2021. Taliban members gathered on Thursday night at a square near the shuttered US embassy — seat of their enemy during their 20-year insurgency — waving flags and setting off fireworks, an AFP journalist said. The military parade held last year with much fanfare at the Bagram airbase, once the linchpin for US-led operations, was cancelled this year, without public explanation. The Taliban government remains largely isolated on the global stage over restrictions imposed under their interpretation of Islamic law, targeting women in particular. V...

Karachi - To commemorate the anniversary of the Independence of Pakistan with national zeal and fervour, the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday, paid a visit to the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

QUETTA - Balochistan Chief Minister (CM) Mir Sarfraz Bugti declared that Independence Day is a solemn reminder of the profound sacrifices made by Pakistan’s forefathers.

Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia, an island nation in the western Pacific Ocean, formally established diplomatic relations at a ceremony held at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations on Thursday.

All government and private schools across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will remain closed on August 15 and 16, 2025, due to heavy rains and the threat of flooding and landslides, the AJK Elementary and Secondary Education Department announced on Thursday.

Rescue teams on Friday dug through mud searching for victims, a day after the latest deadly flood to crash through a village in India-occupied Kashmir’s Kishtwar district killed at least 60 people. Dozens more are missing, including Hindu pilgrims who were visiting a shrine, after torrents of water and mud driven by intense rain tore through the village in the Himalayan region. Officials said a large makeshift kitchen in Chisoti village, where more than 100 pilgrims were completely washed away by what Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported was a sudden “cloudburst” rain storm. Heavy earthmovers were brought to the disaster area overnight to dig through deep mud, huge boulders and rubble that the flood brought down the mountainside. The army’s White Knight Corps said its troops, “braving the harsh weather and rugged terrain, are engaged in evacuation of injured”. Emergency kit, including ropes and digging tools, were being brought to the disaster site, with the army supporting other rescue teams. One survivor t...

RAWALPINDI: More than 53,000 tourist vehicles arrived in Murree on Independence Day, despite the hill station having parking space for 5,000. The tourist influx continued on Thursday. A spokesman for the traffic police said that more than 53,000 tourist vehicles had entered Murree so far, compared to its capacity for only 5,000 vehicles. The city traffic police have been taking all possible measures to facilitate tourists. More than 200 traffic police personnel perform duty on Independence Day He said that more than 200 traffic police personnel were on duty on Independence Day to assist visitors. Although 53,000 vehicles have entered Murree so far, many of them have left at the same time. Therefore, between 6,000 and 9,000 vehicles were present in Murree at a given time, the traffic police spokesman told Dawn. Driving licences are being checked at entry points and checkpoints to ensure tourist safety, while motorcyclists without helmets are not being allowed to enter Murree. Entry to Mall Road without family ...

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori appeared embarrassed as he publicly clarified that his recent remarks about the ‘return of Bhai’ — a term commonly associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain — were not related to the London-based leader. In videos that went viral on social media, Mr Tessori was heard as telling a big crowd that recently gathered at the Governor House to attend an Independence Day concert that “Mein bar bar keh raha hoon, tumharay bhai wapas aa rahay hain… tumharay bhai, Karachi ko theek karnay,” [I am repeatedly saying that Bhai is making a comeback, your Bhai, to get Karachi fixed]. And the crowd roared in the affirmative when he asked whether they wanted “old MQM”. Earlier, Mr Tessori had talked about the “return of old MQM to revive past glory” during a media interaction after his visit to Bhit Shah. When asked what he was alluding to, he said he would not reveal everything, but hastened to add: “Apkay hosh urr jaey gey jo honay ja raha hay” [You would be shocked ...

WASHINGTON: US federal prosecutors have charged five Nebraska hotel operators — all members of the same family — in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) calls a large-scale human trafficking operation exploiting undocumented workers, including at least ten children under the age of 12. The defendants are accused of forcing both children and adults into grueling labour under threat and coercion, highlighting vulnerabilities in low-wage service industries across the United States. “This case is about a family business built on human exploitation,” said US Attorney Susan Lehr for the District of Nebraska. “The defendants allegedly profited by compelling vulnerable victims, including children, to work for little or no pay under threat and coercion.” The five accused — Kentakumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Ajit Samani, Amit Prahladbhai Chaudhari, Amit Babubhai Chaudhari, and Maheshkumar Chaudhari — allegedly ran hotels where undocumented individuals were forced to work in “unclean, unsafe conditions, sometimes in the very ...

The Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and the martyrs of Karbala is being observed across Pakistan today (Friday) with religious devotion and reverence, as mourning processions are taken out in cities nationwide to honour their supreme sacrifices.

Gujar khan - Pakistan’s upgraded standing with global credit rating agencies and its recent military success against India under Operation Bunyan un Marsoos gave the nation extra cause for pride as it marked Independence Day, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani expressed while addressing a ceremony to.

President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir celebrate Independence Day with calls for unity, hail success in Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos in May conflict with India.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir awarded Hilal-i-Jurat Nishan-i-Imtiaz given to CJCSC General Sahir Shamshad Mirza PAF Chief Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu awarded Hilal-i-Jurat Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf decorated with Nishan-i-Imtiaz.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressing displeasure over the slow pace of construction on the information technology park project, said yesterday it must be completed within the originally stipulated timeframe.

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Asim Munir extended heartfelt Independence Day greetings to the nation, underscoring the importance of unity and reaffirming the Pakistan Army’s unwavering readiness to defend the country’s sovereignty.