Pakistan

A coalition of unions, employers and religious groups filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block US President Donald Trump’s bid to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly-skilled foreign workers. The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco is the first to challenge a proclamation Trump issued two weeks ago announcing the fee as the Republican president moves to further restrict immigration to the United States. Plaintiffs include the United Auto Workers union, the American Association of University Professors, a nurse recruitment agency and several religious organisations. They argued that Trump’s power to restrict the entry of certain foreign nationals does not allow him to override the law that created the H-1B visa programme. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement said Trump’s administration engaged in lawful actions “discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down American wages, while providing certainty to employers who need to bring the best talent f...

ISLAMABAD - Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday rejected the Middle East peace plan presented by former US president Donald Trump, terming it pro-Israel and unacceptable.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday categorically said that Pakistan nei-ther recognizes the Israeli state nor maintains diplomatic ties with it.

MUZAFFARABAD - The government and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) are close to reach-ing an agreement as both sides held a high-level second round of talks to resolve the unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Friday maintained that the province alone has the right to decide how its water resources are utilised, stating that she would not let anyone interfere in the internal affairs of Punjab.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed commitment to transform Pakistan into an attractive destination for investment in the region through transparency and by crafting economic policies aligned with global standards.

Foreign minister informs NA US made changes to peace plan proposed by Pakistan, other Muslim states No change in Pak stance over two-state solution of Palestine Pak-KSA defence agreement can become Eastern Nato if more nations join.

ISLAMABAD - Acting President of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, met with Lord Shafaq Mohammad of Tinsley, Member of the House of Lords, former Member of the European Parliament Barrister Tanveer Hussain, and Chaudhary Mehboob Hussain here at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday.

LAHORE - The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday approved the bail petition of Muhammad Sadiq, an accused in an attempted murder case, and ordered his release.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday cleared the last hurdle in resuming direct passenger flights to the United Kingdom, as London issued the Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP).

KARACHI: The Sindh police have requested Interpol and the British police to share the detailed log of a tracker fitted in a high-end vehicle reported stolen from the United Kingdom and recently spotted in Karachi. The black Range Rover Sport was stolen on Nov 11, 2022 from Harrogate, UK, and in February this year, with the help of its tracker, it was located in Karachi on Korangi Road. Later, Interpol sent a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad, the Karachi police and the Anti-Vehicles Lifting Cell (AVLC), alerting them about the stolen vehicle. Talking to Dawn on Friday, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said that the Interpol’s letter was received two days ago at the office of AVLC SSP. “We have sent an email to the UK police and asked them to send us a detailed log of the tracker fitted in the vehicle,” he said. Interpol says the SUV was last tracked on Korangi Road in February The IGP said that the police also sought the source of the active location of the vehicle fro...

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has turned down a petition seeking the quashment of a cybercrime case registered against a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government official, who is accused of orchestrating a malicious online campaign against the family of Judge Humayun Dilawar and the judiciary.

ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Friday apologised for the assault on journalists at the National Press Club here a day earlier, assuring the media that steps will be taken to ensure such an incident does not reoccur in future.

• Employees to pay 10pc, govt 12pc • Pension liabilities rise to Rs1.055tr in 2024-25, driven by armed forces pensions ISLAMABAD: With some discretionary changes, the government announced on Friday that federal employees will contribute 10 per cent of their pensionable pay to qualify for a 12pc contribution from the public exchequer under the newly formalised contributory pension fund scheme. The total contribution rate will thus be 22pc, replacing the traditional pension system for new entrants. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) published the “Federal Government Defined Contribution (FGDC) Pension Fund Scheme Rules 2024” under the Public Finance Management Act 2019, which regulates the scheme according to the Voluntary Pension System Rules 2005 and Non-Banking Finance Companies and Notified Entities Regulations 2008. These rules supersede an earlier MoF order of August 2024, which had set the government’s contribution at 20pc. On Aug 20, 2024, the MoF initially announced the introduction of the contributory pens...

• Foreign minister distances Islamabad from 20-point plan by White House; insists Pakistan’s policy on Palestine remains ‘unchanged’ • Says several states eyeing Saudi-style defence pacts; claims controversial ‘speechwriter’ was not part of ‘official UN team’ • Return of flotilla activists being negotiated through ‘European country’ in absence of ties with Tel Aviv ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday stressed that the United States was now “the only hope” after the United Nations, European Union and Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) had failed to secure peace in Gaza. Making a policy statement in the National Assembly, Mr Dar again distanced the government from US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza “peace plan”, saying it differed from a draft jointly prepared by eight Muslim countries and shared with Washington. He said the prime minister’s initial statement welcoming the plan was issued while in transit, while he was “unaware of the changes”. “Pakistan’s policy on Palestine is wha...

• Flood challenges, missed revenue targets dominate policy-level talks with IMF • FBR, Punjab and Sindh govts under critical scrutiny for missing target, failing to meet cash surplus commitments • Power sector shows improved recovery, lower circular debt ISLAMABAD: Pakistan appears well-placed to secure over $1 billion as the third tranche of the Enhanced Fund Facility (EFF) despite some slippages, as the authorities enter policy-level talks with a visiting review mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday. Informed sources said technical-level discussions had been concluded, indicating that the two sides would need to agree on a couple of waivers during policy-level engagements before wrapping up the review with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb by the weekend (Oct 9-10). While the power sector has shown unusual performance in terms of improved recovery and a reduction in circular debt — through diversion of fiscal space allocated to subsidies and fresh replacement loans — federal revenues ...

US President Donald Trump said early Saturday Israel must stop bombing Gaza immediately and that he believes Hamas is ready for peace after an earlier statement by the Palestinian resistance group. Hamas said it would agree to some of the terms in Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, including releasing hostages, but avoided addressing more vexing issues like disarmament and said it would seek further negotiations. Soon after, Trump posted Hamas’ response to his Truth Social account. Trump had earlier not specified whether the terms would be subject to negotiation, as Hamas is seeking. Notably, the resistance group did not say if it would agree to disarm and demilitarise Gaza — something Israel and the US want but Hamas has rejected before. It also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal the group demands. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group would not disarm before Israel’s occupation of the besieged enclave ends, comments that underscored...

Dar informs NA plan doesn't align with 'our draft'; FM says Muslim states have little choice

Family drama captivates audiences as 13-day cultural celebration blends tradition, talent and social reflection

Sparkly new album released alongside special party events in movie theatres all weekend