Pakistan

Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed the US’ decision to designate the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade to its Foreign Terrorist Organisation list, according to a Foreign Office (FO) press release. The US State Department made the announcement yesterday, stating that the designations demonstrated the US President Donald Trump’s commitment to counter-terrorism. In today’s press release, the FO emphasised that Pakistan had proscribed the Majeed Brigade — BLA’s suicide squad — as a terrorist entity since July 18, 2024. The BLA itself was proscribed in 2006, according to the National Counter-Terrorism Authority’s list of proscribed organisations. “BLA/Majeed Brigade is involved in multiple terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including the heinous Jaffer Express terrorist incident and the Khuzdar bus attack that resulted in the loss of precious lives,” the release said. At least 26 hostages lost their lives in the Jaffar Express attack in March, for which the BLA claimed responsibility. In the Khuzdar bus attack...

The National Institutes of Health on Tuesday confirmed the presence of poliovirus in 42 of 117 sewage samples collected from 87 districts across the country in July. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. According to a press release issued by NIH’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication, out of 127 sewage samples, the institute “confirmed 75 sewage samples as negative and 42 as positive”, while the remaining 10 were still being processed in the lab. The positive results made up nearly 36 per cent of the total samples, compared to 32pc for June, based on NIH press releases. However, the NIH said: “While the overall trend shows a decline in positive detections, reflecting the impact of high-quality campaigns, the virus continues to circulate in certain areas.” “July data shows steady progr...

Pakistan has welcomed the US decision of designating Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, also adding Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the completion of the 100-megawatt solar power project in Gilgit-Baltistan within a year, vowing to personally monitor its progress.

Robust backing from the government and a desire to stage big-ticket events make India a strong candidate to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, a top Indian Olympic Association (IOA) official told Reuters. The world’s most populous nation is bidding for the 2030 edition of the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad to boost its bigger dream of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games at the western Indian city. A Commonwealth Sports delegation visited Ahmedabad last week to share their experience from the previous Games and help the Indian organisers prepare a comprehensive bid to be submitted by the August 31 deadline. “First and foremost, the mood of the country is upbeat for sporting activities and there is a strong will of the government to host global sporting events,” IOA executive council member Harpal Singh said by telephone. “India wants to host larger sporting events — be it Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, or Olympics — and we have the full backing of the government. “The existing infrastructure is very good, and the...

Gul Noor Tambet has etched her name in mountaineering history by becoming the first Turkish woman to reach the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

Pakistani users on social media platforms X and TikTok have been sharing videos since Monday that allegedly showed the Indian Army chief admitting to the loss of six jets and 250 soldiers in the recent military conflict against Pakistan. However, he made no such statement, and the viral video is a deepfake. During the May 7–10, 2025, clashes between India and Pakistan, both sides issued conflicting claims about aircraft losses. Pakistan initially stated that it had downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat on May 7, later revising the figure to six, and claimed it had also destroyed India’s S-400 air defence batteries, unmanned aircraft, and disabled several Indian airbases. Pakistan denied losing any of its own aircraft during the fighting. However, on August 9, Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed that India had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other large aircraft, possibly a surveillance plane, mostly using its Russian-made S-400 missile system. He further alleged that India...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday dismissed talk of any potential legislation regarding a 27th constitutional amendment as “baseless rumours”. Even though the 26th Amendment is still mired in controversy, the power corridors in Islamabad are abuzz with talk of a possible 27th Constitutional Amendment, which, according to the insiders, will further “fine-tune” the structure and the functioning of the superior judiciary. With the 26th Amendment, the government introduced sweeping changes to the judicial framework. Sources had said certain contentious matters, such as a separate constitutional court, left unresolved in the 26th Amendment, would now be taken up in the new amendment. Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad about the matter, Bilawal addressed the “baseless rumours”, stating: “So far, no federal minister, prime minister or party member has approached me regarding any amendments.” He also highlighted that the 26th Amendment was passed after reaching a consensus with compromise from political ...

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has accused the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade of siding with India, announcing plans to push for a United Nations ban on both groups.

The newly appointed Representative of Unicef in Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all children as she began her role in the country, it emerged on Tuesday. The agency supports the government to “accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realise their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children”, Unicef Pakistan’s official website said. After formally taking up the role, Ironside presented her credentials to Special Secretary (UN) Ambassador Nabeel Munir at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a press release. “During the meeting, Ms Ironside reaffirmed Unicef’s commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all children in Pakistan,” it read. As the new Representative, she will provide “strategic leadership across Unicef’s country programme”, which “aims to nurture, educate, protect and support children from their earliest moments through adolescence” with...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik on Tuesday to review ongoing relief efforts for victims of recent rains and floods, as well as preparedness for any future emergencies.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Tuesday raised questions over some observations made by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on former premier Imran Khan’s bail pleas in eight May 9 cases. In November 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court had denied Imran bail in the cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots, including an attack on the house of the Lahore corps commander. The incarcerated PTI leader’s plea challenging that was also rejected by the LHC on June 24. Subsequently, days later, Imran moved the Supreme Court against the high court’s decision. A three-member bench led by CJP Afridi, which also included Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, resumed hearing the bail pleas today. Barrister Salman Safdar appeared on behalf of Imran, while Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi was representing the state. During the hearing, CJP Afridi took note of some “findings” issued by the LHC in its detailed verdict of dismissing Imran’s bail pleas. “Can final observations be given in a ...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday ordered the confiscation of properties owned by PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed a day after they were convicted in two May 9 cases. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill on Monday sentenced the four PTI leaders to 10 years in prison in the cases pertaining to the Shadman police station attack and burning of police vehicles near Jinnah House. The court, however, acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cases. Today’s hearing was also taken up by Gill, who ordered the confiscation of the convicted PTI leaders’ properties. The judge issued jail warrants for the leaders and handed them to the jail superintendent. In its verdict yesterday, the ATC had also fined Dr Yasmin, Chaudhry, Cheema and Rasheed Rs600,000. PTI leaders Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed were sentenced to five years in prison in the Shadman case. In a separate development today, Judge Gill ordered the release of Qureshi in the two ...

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced plans to hire 102 sector and audit experts across 42 key industries to strengthen field audits and improve compliance in Pakistan’s major economic sectors.

Karachi - Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday reiterated his government’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights of religious minorities, stressing that Pakistan belongs equally to all its citizens regardless of faith.

Peshawar - As an important step towards strengthening the emergency response in province’s tourist destinations, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has handed over state-of-the-art multi-purpose machinery to the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) and the Kaghan Development Authority (KDA).

Lahore - A grand ceremony to mark National Minority Day, organised by the Human Rights and Minorities Affairs (HR&MA) Department, was held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, here on Monday.

United States President Donald Trump on Monday ordered a delay in the re-imposition of higher tariffs on Chinese goods, hours before a trade truce between Washington and Beijing was due to expire. The White House’s halt on steeper tariffs will be in place until November 10. “I have just signed an executive order that will extend the tariff suspension on China for another 90 days,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The truce on steeper levies had been due to expire on Tuesday. While the US and China slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s products this year, bringing them to prohibitive triple-digit levels and snarling trade, both countries in May agreed to temporarily lower them. As part of their May truce, fresh US tariffs targeting China were reduced to 30 percent and the corresponding level from China was cut to 10pc. Those rates will now hold until November — or whenever a deal is cut before then. Around the same time that Trump confirmed the new extension, Chinese state media Xinhua news agenc...

Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis died on Tuesday at the World Games in Chengdu, China after collapsing during competition, organisers said. Debertolis, 29, was found unconscious during an orienteering event on August 8 and died four days later, said a joint statement from World Games organisers and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF). The World Games is a multisport event held every four years for disciplines not included in the Olympics. “Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China’s leading medical institutions, he passed away,” the statement said. It did not provide details on the cause of death. Orienteering sees athletes navigate an unmarked course with a map and compass, punching in at designated spots along the route in the quickest time. The event, held about 50 kilometres outside of central Chengdu, took place in intense heat and humidity, with temperatures above 30 degrees. Debertolis, from Primiero in eastern Italy, was taking part in the final of the m...

Security forces have eliminated another three terrorists attempting to infiltrate via the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan’s Zhob district, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The military’s anti-infiltration operation, which began on the night of August 7, has so far killed 50 terrorists. “On night [of] 10/11 August 2025, a deliberate sanitisation operation was conducted in surrounding areas of Sambaza along [the] Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a press release. “During the conduct of the operation, three more Indian sponsored khawarij were hunted down and successfully neutralised. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed khawarij,” the ISPR added. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ISPR highlighted: “The number of khawarij killed in four days’ anti-infiltration operation has risen to 50.” It noted that “47 khwarij were sent to hell” pre...