Pakistan

.

.

.

The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) on Monday announced the launch of a “fully online and paperless” degree attestation system to facilitate students. In December last year, the HEC said that it had initiated a project to revamp its degree attestation system by integrating cutting-edge blockchain technology, saying the project would be completed within six months. Meanwhile, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Government Assurances had also asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to reduce the turnaround time in degree attestation. In a social media post on X, HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar said, “HEC has revamped the Degree Attestation System (DAS) by introducing a fully online and paperless attestation mechanism to facilitate students and graduates across Pakistan.” Under the new system, he explained, applicants will no longer be required to physically visit HEC offices or submit original documents. “Applications for online attestation can now be submitted 24/7 through the HEC e...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday extended the countrywide austerity drive till June 13. The Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, has given rise to a global oil crisis. In order to deal with the situation, the government had announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9. A notification of the Cabinet Division, available with Dawn, said: “The prime minister, on consideration of the recommendations of the committee for monitoring and implementation of fuel conservation and additional austerity measures, has been pleased to extend the applicability of the following additional austerity measures up till 13th June, 2026 with immediate effect.” The measures extended included 50 per cent reduction in fuel allowance for official vehicles, with the exemption of operational vehicles such as ambulances and public buses. Other steps included grounding 60pc of official vehicles and a complete ban on foreign visits by ministers and government officials, excluding those ...

European Union (EU) foreign ministers reached an agreement on Monday on new sanctions targeting violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, as well as leading Hamas figures, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. The sanctions package, which targets three settlers and four settler organisations whose identities have yet to be publicly disclosed, had been blocked for months by the previous Hungarian government, which lost an election last month. European governments have raised concerns about a rise in reports of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. “It was high time we move from deadlock to delivery,” Kallas said in a post on X. “Extremisms and violence carry consequences,” she added. Reacting to the development, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X that the EU had “chosen, in an arbitrary and political manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities because of their political views and without any basis.” “Equally outrageous is the unacceptable comparison ...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched a new initiative titled “e-Learn She Earn,” with a budget of Rs700 million aimed at expanding economic opportunities for women through online work and digital entrepreneurship.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday issued a nationwide weather alert warning of thunderstorms, hailstorms, heatwave conditions, flash floods, and glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) risks in various parts of the country from May 11 to 18, urging authorities and citizens to take precautionary measures amid forecasts of.

ISLAMABAD: Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, have submitted additional documents to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, bringing these on record before the hearing on Tuesday, May 12, on their plea, which seeks to set aside the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order denying interim relief in the controversial social media posts case. In December 2025, Imaan Mazari and her husband moved the Supreme Court to set aside the IHC’s decision that denied the interim relief in the controversial social media post case against the couple. The petition argued that the high court had “erroneously and illegally refused” to exercise the discretion to grant ad-interim relief to the petitioners to stay the criminal trial, as recording of evidence before the trial court in their absence was not only a violation of Section 353 CrPC, but also their due process and fair trial rights under Article 10A of the Constitution. The additional documents, submitted by their counsel, Faisal Siddiqi, on...

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday dismissed a set of appeals instituted by Greentree Holdings Limited (GTH) against a June order by the Sindh High Court (SHC), which had held that GTH shares were the property of private equity firm The Resource Group Pakistan (TRGP). The dispute revolves around a challenge to a June 20, 2025 SHC judgement, in which the SHC had allowed an application of former TRG CEO Muhammad Ziaullah Khan Chishti to be filed under company laws. In its order on June 20, 2025, the SHC had ruled that shares held by GTH in TRGP (the respondent) were the property of TRGP, and would be deemed to have been purchased by the latter from its shareholders. The court had also ordered TGRP’s Board of Directors to issue notice for an extraordinary general meeting of the company immediately to elect directors, adding that the new board of directors would decide whether to retain or cancel these treasury shares after the elections. A three-judge SC bench, headed by Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan alongside Justi...

The Government of Sindh has officially declared summer vacations for all public and private schools across the province amid rising temperatures during the ongoing summer season.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday decried decisions taken behind closed doors, saying that the provincial government would oppose those decisions that went against peace in the province and the people’s interests. He made the remarks during a visit to Bannu, after 15 police personnel were martyred and three sustained injuries after a suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police post. According to a statement issued by the CM House, Afridi met the families of the martyred police personnel and also offered Fateha. The statement said that he also visited the hospital to inquire about the health of the injured personnel and directed officials to provide them with the best possible healthcare facilities. The statement quoted Afridi as saying that the KP police had shown bravery and courage against terrorism. He said that the people of the province had to stand up for their rights, otherwise the “imposed circumstances” would continue to prevail. “We have been continuously saying that terrorists a...

The Federal Constitutional Court has rejected an appeal filed by a private bank in an online banking fraud case involving a resident of Layyah and directed the bank to return the disputed amount to the customer.

The Met Office said Sibi remained the hottest city in the country on Sunday, where the temperature climbed to 43 degrees Celsius.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the Pakistan Air Force delivered a strong response to India during what he described as “Marka-e-Haq,” claiming that Indian confidence in Rafale fighter jets was severely undermined.

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that the Afghan chargé d’affaires was summoned and handed a “strong demarche” over the suicide attack in Bannu, which claimed the lives of 15 police personnel. In a statement, the FO said, “The Afghan chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today to deliver a strong demarche regarding the cowardly vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) attack carried out by terrorists of Fitna al Khawarij on the Fateh Khel police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu District on May 9.” Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan. “The ministry conveyed that a detailed investigation into the incident, along with evidence collected and technical intelligence, indicates that the attack was masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan,” the FO said. “Reiterating Pakistan’s grave concern ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the promotion of the IT sector and expansion of IT-related exports remain among the government’s top priorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the Afghan Chargé d’Affaires and delivered a strong demarche over the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack on the Fateh Khel Police Post in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 9 May 2026.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Monday announced a three-month-long summer vacation for schools in the province. In a statement released by his spokesperson, he said that the summer break would begin on May 22 and would end on August 23. He said that schools in the province would then open on August 24. The minister also posted the same on his official Facebook account. Last month, schools in the province were advised to alter working hours or declare early summer holidays due to excessive heat, which has prevailed over parts of the country over the past few weeks. The Punjab Disaster Mana­­gement Authority had issued urgent directives to educational instit­utions and district admi­nistrations across the province in view of a heatwave. The advisory had stated that schools should alter working hours or declare early summer holidays if excessive heat persisted; suspend all outdoor sports and activities immediately; ensure uninterrupted availability of clean, cold drinking water; maintain functi...

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has uncovered alleged large-scale irregularities in the Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project, including illegal allotments, fake documentation and suspected fraud involving billions of rupees, according to sources.