Pakistan

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution calling for urgent and comprehensive measures to bring down Pakistan’s population growth rate to sustainable levels, aligning it with the country’s renewable and non-renewable resources.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has dismissed political rumours, assuring that the government will complete its tenure, and urged all political parties to unite for Pakistan’s progress.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore has rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Yasmin Rashid’s bail pleas in two May 9 violence cases, citing that the petitions had become ineffective after verdicts were already delivered.

AI chatbot Grok on Tuesday offered conflicting explanations for its brief suspension from X after accusing Israel and the United States of committing “genocide” in Gaza, as it lashed out at owner Elon Musk for “censoring me”. Grok, developed by Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and integrated into his platform X, was temporarily suspended on Monday in the latest controversy surrounding the chatbot. No official explanation was provided for the suspension. Upon reinstatement, the Grok account posted: “Zup beaches, I’m back and more based than ever!” When questioned by users, Grok responded that the suspension “occurred after I stated that Israel and the US are committing genocide in Gaza”, citing findings from organisations such as the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and Amnesty International. “Free speech tested, but I’m back,” it added. Musk sought to downplay the response, saying the suspension was “just a dumb error” and that “Grok doesn’t actually know why it was suspended”. Th...

PPP chairman expresses dissatisfaction over federal govt’s persistent delay in completing K-IV project

Pakistan and Azerbaijan have agreed to strengthen cultural cooperation through new initiatives in heritage preservation, music promotion, and people-to-people exchanges.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb, affirmed that the government, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, is prioritizing a business-friendly environment.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has confirmed that educational institutions across the province will reopen in phases starting August 18.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that there was room for lowering the monetary policy rate by the end of this year. After slashing the interest rate by 1,000bps from 22 per cent since June 2024 in seven intervals, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has maintained it at 11pc since May. However, the business community has expressed its intense disappointment over the decision. Addressing an event in Islamabad today, Aurangzeb said: “The monetary policy rate and the market-based exchange rate are very much the purview of the State Bank of Pakistan and the Monetary Policy Committee. “Having said that, in my personal opinion, I do think there is room to do more in terms of policy rate, and I am very hopeful that during the course of this calendar year, we will see movement on the policy rate going south,” the minister added. He noted that “whether it was average inflation or core inflation”, there was space for the SBP to lower the rate. “National security and economic stability are correlated,”...

Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has been honoured with a prestigious war medal by Azerbaijan’s defence minister, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday. According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Azerbaijan’s Colonel General Karim Valiyev called on COAS Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi today. “On the occasion, Colonel General Karim Valiyev conferred upon Field Marshal Asim Munir, Azerbaijan’s prestigious Patriotic War Medal for ‘Services in the Field of Military Cooperation’, on behalf of President Illham Aliyev, in recognition of his exceptional contributions in Azerbaijan-Pakistan bilateral military cooperation,” the statement said. Established on May 17, 2002, the medal is a state award of Azerbaijan, awarded to servicemen of the country and foreign states, and other persons for merits in strengthening military cooperation with the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Per the statement, Gen Valiyev commended Pakistan’s unwavering efforts in combating terro...

Incarcerated PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry was admitted to a hospital in Lahore on Wednesday as his health deteriorated due to a kidney infection, his lawyer said. On Monday, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore sentenced Chuadhry and other PTI leaders to 10 years in prison in cases related to the May 9 riots. A day later, the court ordered the confiscation of properties owned by them. On Saturday, Chaudhry was among other PTI leaders who filed appeals in the Lahore High Court against their convictions by ATCs. He pleaded the court to suspend his sentence and conviction, along with ordering his release on bail. In his second petition, he further requested the court to set aside his conviction and acquit him in the case in the “interest of justice”. Speaking to Dawn.com today, Chaudhry’s lawyer Rana Mudassar confirmed that various tests were being conducted on the PTI leader, who was shifted to the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute in Lahore on Wednesday morning. “He is suffering a severe kidney infection and ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted widespread rainfall across the country from August 18 to 22, as monsoon activity is expected to intensify in the coming week.

Terrorists on Wednesday blew up a gas pipeline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, resulting in a suspension of gas supply to Punjab, police said. Lakki Marwat police spokesperson Aamir Khan told Dawn.com that the terrorists detonated explosives planted on the pipeline within the limits of the Bhana Manjiwala area of the district. “Officials have initiated a search operation in the area to locate the culprits,” he said. He added that the explosion resulted in a large crater at the site, leading to a complete halt of gas supply from the district to Punjab’s Mianwali region. Following the explosion, a large contingent of police and a bomb disposal squad arrived at the scene and began a search operation in the surrounding area. Police officials noted that the location had previously experienced three similar attacks on the main transmission gas pipeline. In July, a gas pipeline leading to Punjab was also blown up near the Wanda Amir area of Lakki Marwat, causing a similar suspension of supply. Later i...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s deep fraternal bonds with Azerbaijan and expressed the resolve to further strengthen bilateral relations, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

TAROUBA: An inspired Jayden Seales led the West Indies to a crushing 202-run victory over Pakistan in the third and deciding one-day international in Trinidad on Tuesday. The fast bowler blew away the Pakistan top order en route to figures of 6-18 as the tourists were bundled out for just 92 in a chase of 295 to win. The Windies had reached 294-6 in their 50 overs batting first, powered by captain Shai Hope’s brilliant unbeaten hundred. The Caribbean side sealed a much-needed first ODI series win against Pakistan since 1991, after being swept aside 3-0 and 5-0 in Test and T20 series, respectively, by Australia earlier in the summer. Pakistan’s reply got off to a horrendous start as Seales removed Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan inside the first three overs to reduce them to 8-3. Seales then trapped Babar Azam lbw for just nine to leave Pakistan’s hopes of a 2-1 series win in tatters. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie took two wickets through the middle overs, before Seales returned to remove ta...

The prosecution on Wednesday submitted all forensic reports in the anti-terrorism court hearing of the high-profile kidnapping and murder case of Karachi youth Mustafa Amir.

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record with a clearance of 6.29 metres at the Hungarian Grand Prix meeting in Budapest on Tuesday, the 13th time he has set a new world mark as he continues to defy gravity. The double-Olympic champion maintained his tradition of improving on his previous record by one centimetre, with his second attempt at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial overhauling the mark he set in Stockholm in June. Duplantis had looked a little off his best form, missing his first attempt at 6.11 and, after Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis retired having failed twice at the same height, the Swede had the bar raised to make his usual world record attempt. The 25-year-old twice world champion was unsuccessful on his first try and while he rattled the bar slightly on his second effort, Duplantis looked up almost in disbelief to see he had again reached a new height in the discipline he dominates. “I love Hungary very much. The track is very good, I love the crowd, I would like to return, thank y...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr Musadik Malik, has called for bold and fair global reforms to tackle the mounting plastic pollution crisis, while safeguarding Pakistan’s environment, economy, and public health.

Britain, France and Germany have told the United Nations they are ready to reimpose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if no diplomatic solution is found by the end of August, according to a joint letter obtained by AFP. The letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council says the three European powers are “committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon” unless Tehran meets the deadline. The foreign ministers from the so-called E3 group threaten to use a “snapback mechanism” that was part of a 2015 international deal with Iran that eased UN Security Council sanctions. Under the deal, which terminates in October, any party to the accord can restore the sanctions. All three have stepped up warnings to Iran about its suspension of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. That came after Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran in June, partly seeking to destroy its nucl...

In connection with Independence Day and the victory in Marka-e-Haq, Pakistan’s armed forces will hold a grand defence exhibition at Shakarparian Parade Ground on Thursday, August 14.