Pakistan

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has launched Phase 6 of its Double Shift School Programme to bring more out-of-school children into the formal education system.

Karachi’s electricity consumers will receive a relief of Rs1.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has extended the summer vacation for all public and private schools across the province until Aug 31 with institutions set to reopen on Sept 1. The decision, announced through an official notification by the School Education Department on Wednesday, supersedes the previous directive to resume classes on Aug 14. According to the notification, all district education authorities (DEAs) have been instructed to ensure strict compliance with the revised schedule. The extension comes amid ongoing extreme weather conditions in the province, though the notification did not explicitly cite a reason for the decision. This marks the second adjustment to the academic calendar this summer. Parents and students are advised to note the revised date, while school administrations are expected to adjust their academic plans accordingly. The Punjab government has not yet indicated whether the extended break will affect the overall academic year schedule or examinations. Punjab School Education minis...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday termed Pakistan’s annual population growth rate of 2.

ISLAMABAD - In a controversial move, the government has announced privatise 24 major state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by 2029.

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN - At last two people died and 14 others wounded in a powerful explosion near a police mobile in the Rustom Bazaar area of Wana here on Thursday.

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday dismissed a petition challenging the ban on keeping birds in areas surrounding the Lahore airport and other localities.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Head of Mission at the Russian Embassy Ms Natalia Shmeleva and Press Attaché Igor Kolesnikov called on Advisor to Chairman Senate Ms Misbah Khar and Senior Director General Tariq Bin Waleed, at the Parliament House on Thursday.

LAHORE - The Punjab School Education Department on Thursday extended the summer vacations across the province.

QUETTA: The Quetta-bound Jaffar Express narrowly escaped disaster on Thursday when a bomb planted near the track close to Sibi Railway Station exploded just after the passenger train passed. Pakistan Railways authorities confirmed the explosion, which occurred near the outer signal of the track linking Balochistan to the rest of the country. “The explosive device was planted near the outer railway signal and detonated shortly after the train passed, causing significant damage to the track but leaving the train unharmed,” a senior official told Dawn. However, the railway track was badly damaged in the blast. “A portion of the railway track was blown up in the blast,” railway police officials said, adding that train service has been suspended after the explosion and Quetta-bound trains stopped at Jacobabad station. The repair of the damaged railway line has started. Following the explosion, security forces rushed to the scene to investigate. Preliminary findings revealed that the explosive device had been remot...

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf called on military and naval leadership of Azerbaijan during an official visit to Azerbaijan.

LAHORE: The Agriculture Department of Punjab has reported a significantly higher cotton harvest for the ongoing crop year 2025-26, claiming that 609,000 bales were harvested by July 31. This figure is more than double the 301,000 bales reported by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA). Citing data from its Crop Reporting Service (CRS), a spokesperson for the department clarified on Thursday that the 609,000 bales of seed cotton were recorded up to July 31. In contrast, the PCGA’s estimate reflects only the cotton arriving at operational ginning factories in Punjab, irrespective of its origin. The spokesperson emphasised that the CRS figures are based on internationally recognised, scientifically proven methods. These include randomised sampling, ground truthing techniques, and GPS-enabled tools, all of which are in line with FAO-endorsed methodologies. The CRS also utilises a real-time digital dashboard that ensures transparency and supports evidence-based policy decisions. The department further arg...

ISLAMABAD - Member of National Assembly Sardar Ghulam Abbas and former Member of National Assembly Raja Riaz called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Thursday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

ISLAMABAD - The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday auctioned six prime commercial properties belonging to Bahria Town, intensifying efforts to recover funds in connection with a 2019 court-approved plea bargain involving Malik Riaz’s family.

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau on Thursday sold off one already-sealed Bahria Town property, and received conditional bids for two others — at a combined value of Rs2.27 billion — in a long-awaited auction. The auction of three remaining properties, owned by controversial real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, was shelved due to a “lack of qualifying bids”. Although mediapersons were invited to cover the auction, they were not allowed to witness proceedings, which were held behind closed doors at NAB’s regional headquarters for Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Following the auction, journalists seated in a separate committee room were handed a paper carrying brief details of its outcome. Dozens of private vehicles were seen parked outside the NAB headquarters, ostensibly belonging to the bidders. According to NAB’s advertisement, six properties were scheduled to be auctioned. However, only three were sold: Rubaish Marquee fetched Rs508 million, while the bureau received conditional offers of Rs876m and Rs881.5m f...

• No new offensive on the cards, but Talal Chaudhry says actions under National Action Plan to continue, despite PTI objections • Asad Qaiser demands transparent trial of Imran; Marwat seeks inquiry into ‘attack on parliament’ • Commerce ministry says $1 billion saved after US tariff reduced from 29 to 19pc ISLAMABAD: As the PTI vigorously opposed any potential military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following a spike in terror incidents, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Thursday said action against militants under the National Action Plan would continue, despite their objections. The minister was responding to PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser in the lower house of parliament as the latter vowed to oppose any offensive in the PTI-ruled province to eradicate militancy. Mr Qaiser warned against such attempts, saying they would put up resistance against such plans. His statement is consistent with PTI founder Imran Khan’s stance, who had asked the KP government to oppo...

Says wants to control and not govern territory

Remotely-triggered IED targets police patrol; Two cops among 14 others injured; Most victims were bystanders

Minister rules out fresh full-scale military offensive in volatile province

NEPRA slashes power tariff by Rs1.89 per unit