Pakistan

Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop build-up along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbours this month, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee told Reuters on Friday, although he warned the crisis had increased the risk of escalation in the future. The developments follow a recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan over New Delhi’s allegations against Islamabad, without evidence, about a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. New Delhi, based on the allegations, launched a series of air strikes in Pakistan in early May, killing civilians. Islamabad retaliated by downing five Indian jets. After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire. Gen Mirza said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels. “We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April...

Pakistan has decided to upgrade its diplomatic presence in Kabul by appointing an ambassador, replacing the current chargé d’affaires, in a move aimed at restoring full bilateral relations with Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday, rejecting the weaponisation of water, warned that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains. Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, shortly after 26 civilians in India-held Kashmir were killed in what India called an act of terror. Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but accord remains “in abeyance” by India despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing to a ceasefire this month following the worst fighting between them in decades. After the April 22 attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered officials to expedite planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan’s use, six people told Reuters. The three-day International Conference...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned to Pakistan after concluding a four-nation diplomatic tour that included visits to Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan, with Dushanbe marking the final stop of the high-level engagements.

Pakistan and India are in the process of reducing troop levels along their shared border, returning to the military posture that existed before the latest escalation in hostilities earlier this month, according to Pakistan’s top military official.

Pakistan became a co-signatory to China’s newly set up Hong Kong-based International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) on Friday, a statement by the Foreign Office said. China signed a convention setting up an international organisation for mediation in Hong Kong that Beijing hopes will be on par with the International Court of Justice and bolster the city’s international credentials, Reuters reported. Pakistan, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Serbia were among the countries attending the signing ceremony, while representatives from 20 international bodies, including the United Nations, were also expected to join, public broadcaster RTHK said. “Deputy Prime Minister [and] Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, today signed, on behalf of Pakistan, the convention on the establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation in Hong Kong,” the statement by the FO read. Speaking on the occasion, Dar appreciated the Chinese leadership for its wisdom in developing and consistently leading efforts in es...

Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar met with Chief Executive of Hong Kong John Lee.

At least eleven people have lost their lives and nearly fifty others sustained injuries in a series of rain-related incidents across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh has said Pakistan's booming IT sector, driven by its tech-savvy youth, is creating an unmatched complementarity with the United States.

Outgoing World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine called on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Friday.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday sentenced 11 individuals, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of National Assembly Abdul Latif, to a collective punishment of 15 years and 4 months in prison, along with fines, in connection with the May 9 riots and the attack on the Ramna police station.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad has said that Pakistan and India are nearing a return to their troop deployment levels prior to the latest hostilities that erupted between the two nuclear-armed nations earlier this month.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday announced the establishment of a medical college in Layyah, reaffirming her government’s commitment to education and technology.

Justice Munib Akhtar, the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan during a formal ceremony held in Islamabad.

The province of Sindh, a traditional favourite for migratory birds, saw the most drastic decline in the number of migratory birds due to climate change, with a staggering drop of over 50 per cent in two years. The country’s once-thriving wetlands, long a sanctuary for millions of migratory birds fleeing Siberia’s brutal winters, are witnessing a disturbing decline in avian visitors. Experts warn that a mix of prolonged drought, receding water levels, and growing habitat degradation is driving away these seasonal guests — some possibly for good. According to the Sindh Wildlife Department’s 2024-25 waterfowl count, the number of migratory birds fell sharply from 1.2 million in 2023 to 603,900 in 2024 and just 545,000 this year, a staggering drop of over 50pc in two years. In 2023, the region experienced an exceptional influx of birds, buoyed by the lingering effects of the catastrophic 2022 floods that, while devastating for communities, temporarily revived Pakistan’s lakes, streams, and lagoons. The excessive ...

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has served final notices to several public sector organizations for non-payment of long-pending gas bills, warning of potential legal and administrative action if dues are not cleared immediately.

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial has clarified that no additional taxes will be imposed on solar panel imports in the upcoming 2025 budget.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has released its detailed forecast for the 2025 monsoon season, highlighting a mix of weather conditions across the country, including the risk of flooding in several regions and higher-than-normal temperatures in others.

Pakistani squash ace Noor Zaman clinched the final spot in the main draw of the prestigious British Open underway in Birmingham after beating Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey 3-1. The duo had met a month earlier, where Zaman’s 3-2 win over El Torkey saw him being crowned U23 World Champion on home turf in a thrilling comeback. Yesterday, 44th ranked Zaman defeated the Egyptian 11-5, 11-8, 3-11, 11-7 in a 46-minute game at the Solihull Arden Club in Birmingham. “Alhamdulillah, after a 20-year gap, I have qualified for the Main Round of the British Open. I am the first Pakistani to achieve this milestone,” Zaman said in a post on X. “Zaman found his range at the front and back of the court early in the fixture and looked focused as he took a commanding 2-0 lead,” according to a press release by the British Open. “The Egyptian responded by taking the third game 11-3, firing the ball in short and capitalising on Zaman errors. In a competitive fourth, there was noting to separate the two as the score reached 5-5, Zaman es...

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that trade negotiations with China were “a bit stalled” and suggested President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could get involved. “I would say that they are a bit stalled,” Bessent told broadcaster Fox News when asked about trade talks with Beijing. “I believe that we will be having more talks with them in the next few weeks, and I believe we may, at some point, have a call between the president and party chair Xi,” he said. The world’s two biggest economies agreed this month to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a surprise de-escalation in their bitter trade war following talks between top officials in Geneva. Under the May 12 truce, Washington agreed to temporarily reduce the tariff on Chinese imports to 30 per cent from 145pc, while China said it would lower its import duty on American goods to 10pc from 125pc. “I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require both leaders to weig...