Pakistan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a letter to his counterpart in Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has raised concerns over the alleged manhandling of PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters by police and the obstruction of the incarcerated ex-premier’s visitation rights. The development comes after Afridi on Thursday was denied access to meet Imran for a seventh time. Further, two days ago police had allegedly manhandled and “violently detained” Imran’s sisters from outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where they were camped out after being denied a weekly meeting with him. The letter, which was shared by the PTI on social media platform X early on Friday, said that Afridi wished to draw Maryam’s attention to “serious concerns” regarding the “administration of court-mandated visitation rights” of Imran and the recent treatment of his family members. “Clear and binding judicial directions govern Imran’s visitation schedule. These orders explicitly permit his close family members and nominated individuals to meet...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has written an official letter to Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif raising concerns over the denial of a meeting between PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently detained at Adiala Jail, and his family members, despite court orders.

A boiler explosion at a chemical factory on Friday claimed the lives of eight people and injured several others.

An earthquake measuring 4.

A fresh wave of cold and dry weather is set to envelop most parts of the country on Friday, with very cold conditions expected to intensify in hilly regions during the morning and night hours, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

KARACHI - As the government has indicated to introduce the 28th Amendment, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan (MQM-P) has once again raised its long-standing call for a new province in Sindh, unveiling plans for a public mobilisation campaign and legal steps to secure constitutional rights for urban residents.

ISLAMABAD - The International Monetary Fund has recommended integrating Parliamentarians’ development schemes under the Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme (SAP) - into the PSDP process for the purpose to stop the inclusion of politically driven projects into development portfolio without proper procedure.

KARACHI may be Pakistan’s largest city and its economic engine, but the metropolis suffers from a poor quality of life for the teeming millions who call it home. This is mainly due to official neglect, manifested in the form of crumbling infrastructure, high pollution levels, and violent crime. Yet the city is due to expand in the decades to come, and unless there is commensurate planning to cope with this growth, an even more unliveable urban hell awaits future generations. According to the UN’s World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 report, Karachi could be the globe’s fifth most populous city by 2050, with a population of around 33m. This is in keeping with the worldwide trend of rapid urbanisation. But as Karachi expands, its services and infrastructure are not growing apace. As per the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking from earlier this year, it is amongst the world’s five least liveable cities. If this dubious distinction is to change, much work is needed at the official level. The Sindh government has s...

• IMF highlights need for risk-based asset verification • Says NAB’s ‘political compromise’ hindering anti-corruption efforts • Seeks autonomous oversight body to audit internal control processes ISLAMABAD: With the Inter­national Monetary Fund (IMF) describing the country’s top anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), as a “political compromise”, the government has agreed to the publication of asset declarations of high-level public officials in 2026 and their risk-based verification to improve the country’s accountability and integrity standards against widespread corruption. According to IMF’s Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA), released by the Ministry of Finance as a structural benchmark of the ongoing $7 billion loan programme, the two sides have agreed under a short-term action plan to “strengthen accountability and integrity among high-level federal civil servants by initiating the publication of asset declarations in 2026, and introduce risk-based verifica...

1267 panel warns of attacks from Afghan soil; Says al Qaeda expanding its regional footprint; China urges listing

PM lays foundation of Daanish School in AJK; vows educational and economic progress

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Cloudflare outage highlights risks from disruptions, domestic capacity gaps

FinMin unveils Social Impact Financing Framework; Skills Impact Bond to link spending with measurable outcomes

Total liquid reserves reach $19.7b; gold down Rs5,000/tola

Urges Delhi to scale up trade, expand use of Iran's Chabahar Port

The JF-17 Thunder Block-III drew significant attention, emerging as a “major focal point” at the Dubai Airshow 2025, with an MoU (memorandum of understanding) signed with a friendly country for the procurement of the jet. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement released on Thursday, said that several countries also expressed interest in acquiring the battle-proven fighter aircraft. The fighter has proved its combat capabilities during two conflicts with arch-rival India in 2019 and 2025. The biennial airshow is being held at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport from November 17-21. “Demonstrating increasing international confidence in Pakistan’s aviation industry, several countries expressed interest in acquiring the JF-17 Thunder. In a noteworthy development, an MoU was signed with a friendly country for the procurement of the JF-17 Thunder, marking another significant milestone in Pakistan’s expanding defence and industrial partnerships.” A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent arrived ...

Islamabad - Pakistan marked World Children’s Day by lighting up major landmarks in blue, underscoring a national commitment to children’s rights.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr.