Pakistan

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.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington could increase secondary tariffs on India, the BBC reported on Thursday. He said the decision would depend on the outcome of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. “We’ve put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, If things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,” Bessent said in an interview to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25 per cent penalty on India in addition to 25pc tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia. The US has been trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and on Wednesday, Trump warned of “severe consequences” if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal. Russian oil made up 35-40pc of India’s oil imports in 2024, up from 3pc in 2021 Trump and Putin are set to meet in Anchorage on Friday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. “President Trump is meeting with President Put...

PESHAWAR - Terrorists launched a series of attacks on police checkpoints in different parts of the Khy-ber Pakhtunkhwa province and martyred at least five police officers and injured eight oth-ers in the last 24 hours, police said in a statement on Thursday.

The Metro bus service between Saddar Station and Faizabad in Rawalpindi has been suspended today (Friday) in connection with Chehlum processions, the administration announced.

ISLAMABAD: In a landmark reform, the government will launch real-time digital tracking of every litre of petroleum products — from import and production to storage, transport, and final sale — within a month, in a bid to curb rampant smuggling, theft, misappropriation, and adulteration, which are estimated to cause annual revenue losses of Rs300-500 billion. A senior government official told Dawn that the National Assembly passed the Petroleum (Amendment) Act 2025 on Wednesday, empowering authorities to deploy information technology-based systems for continuous monitoring of petroleum products. The law aims to coordinate the efforts of various enforcement agencies to regulate storage, transportation, and sale, both jointly and independently. The new legislation amends the nearly century-old Petroleum Act 1934, introducing provisions for digital tracking and granting enforcement powers to deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, and designated officers under the Customs Act 1969, allowing them to seize s...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday embarked on a five-day official visit to Japan aimed at enhancing economic cooperation and attracting foreign investment to the province.

At least five people were killed after lightning struck Jabrari village in the Salarzai area of Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, amid heavy rainfall on Friday, rescue officials said.