Pakistan

The article was first published in December 2019 and has been replugged for DawnMedia’s upcoming air pollution conference in Lahore. In an unprecedented move, schools in Lahore were officially closed for a couple of days this month because of heavy smog that has noticeably settled in every crevice of the city. Not only has the city’s air quality touched hazardous levels with zero visibility to go along, there also seems to be an acrid smell of burnt garbage in the air. The all-too-familiar phenomenon has now become the ‘fifth climate’ of Lahore. Currently, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 285, the state of Lahore’s air has moved from ‘hazardous’ to ‘very unhealthy’, where it remains the most polluted urban centre in Pakistan in terms of air quality. But this isn’t the first year of Lahore’s suffering. For the past several years, the onset of the cooler months of October and November has been bringing with it choking smog to the city that heralds in respiratory illnesses, eye diseases, and particulate matter...

Mayor Murtaza Wahab has announced that the city administration has launched rehabilitation work on 106 roads across Karachi, with the projects expected to be completed within 60 days.

President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the 20th session of the National Assembly to be held on Monday at 5:00 pm in Parliament House.

Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to peace while strongly rejecting Indian allegations of terrorism, accusing New Delhi of sponsoring and exporting terrorism in the region.

• TTP terrorists targeted in intelligence-based operation • Four civilians killed in Bajaur blast, caused by old explosive device • State minister warns militants to be met with bullets if talks fail • Says 80pc attackers are Afghans; urges political unity to tackle challenge LAKKI MARWAT/ BAJAUR: Seventeen militants were killed in an intelligence-based oper­ation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district on Friday night, while four civilians fell victim to an explosion in the Bajaur district on Saturday. Three security personnel were also injured in the operation conducted in the Darshakhel area of Karak. The operation was conducted “on the reported presence of khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and, resultantly, 17 Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” it added. Karak District Police Officer Shahbaz Elahi said that the police and security...

LAHORE - Pakistan stand on the brink of history as they prepare to face arch-rivals India in the grand finale of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (today).

LAHORE - Pakistan stand on the brink of history as they prepare to face arch-rivals India in the grand finale of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (today).

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed acceleration of relief and rehabilitation operations in flood-affected people.

PTI chairman demands free courts, strong parliament.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam has said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is in the grip of terrorism, yet the provincial government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is busy staging rallies instead of focusing on law and order.

PESHAWAR - Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Engineer Amir Muqam here Saturday declared PTI’s rally a completely flopped.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has proposed 10,000 joint PhD scholarships in artificial intelligence, engineering and emerging sciences at China’s top universities under CPEC Phase-II, citing the need to equip Pakistan’s youth for knowledge-driven growth.

LAHORE - Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari has taken a swipe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following its recent rally, saying the party is now “tasting its own medicine of misbehavior.

ISLAMABAD - The Government of China has announced an additional package of flood relief supplies worth 100 million yuan RMB to further support Pakistan’s ongoing efforts in disaster relief and post-flood reconstruction.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met participants of the 55th Staff Course of Pakistan Navy War College, here on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that the Pakistani crew of an LPG tanker attacked in Yemen was safely released.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that there was immense potential for trade between Pakistan and Malaysia, and they were taking concrete steps to capitalize on it.

KARACHI - Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori has said that a petition filed against him by retired judge and lawyer Ahmed Gabol has now been withdrawn.

KARACHI: The female camel brutally ‘punished’ for straying into a landlord’s field recently underwent a major two-hour surgery on Friday at a shelter home in the metropolis, officials said on Saturday. Sources said that the procedure was successfully performed by experts of the livestock and fisheries department — a second such procedure in recent months. The experts included Dr Shalla Hayat, Dr Muhammad Ali Ayaz, Dr Javed Khoso, Dr Zulfiqar Haider Otto and Dr Muhammad Ali Gopang. The disease investigation was carried out by Dr Abdul Manan Khokhar, who is also the government focal person. The 18-month-old camel — now affectionately named Chandni — is currently being kept under 24-hour observation at the Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) shelter home, located in the Murad Memon goth. A separate unit has been created at the facility to meet her intensive health needs. Officials say Chandni is recovering. Female camel’s right hind leg surgically removed ‘to prevent infection’ Sources said her post-...

RAWALPINDI: Despite an objection from defence lawyers, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi on Saturday recorded the testimony of three more prosecution witnesses in a case against former prime minister Imran Khan related to violent protests outside the army headquarters, GHQ, on May 9, 2023. The court proceeded with the hearing irrespective of objections from Mr Khan’s legal team, who requested a halt to the video link trial, insisting on his in-person appearance. ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah resumed proceedings in the General Headquarters (GHQ) protest case as lawyers for Mr Khan submitted an application seeking his personal appearance. They urged the court to stop the trial being conducted via video link, where Mr Khan appears from Adiala Jail. Raja Ikram Ameen Minhas, head of the prosecution, argued that a similar application had already been dismissed and the defence counsel did not challenge that order before the Lahore High Court. He alleged the defence filed the previously decided application to di...