Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a meeting with a delegation of a Chinese company, during which both sides discussed avenues to enhance business and investment cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday assured US Ambassador to Pakistan Natalie Baker of foolproof security for all foreign dignitaries ahead of the US-Iran talks scheduled in Islamabad this week. Pakistan is set to host in-person talks between the US and Iran on Saturday after a two-week ceasefire was announced between the two countries, bringing a pause to the hostilities which broke out on February 28. In a meeting with the US envoy, Naqvi assured her of the security arrangements taken ahead of the talks and stated that the US Vice President JD Vance, US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner were “our special guests,” according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior. “A comprehensive plan has been prepared to provide foolproof security to all foreign guests in every respect,” the minister was quoted as saying. The US envoy appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic role during the meeting. Meanwhile, the Islamabad Police, in a traffic advisory posted on X, said diversions will be...

The city has reported its second case of Mpox this year, health officials confirmed on Thursday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Thursday. It marked the first official contact between the countries since Tehran launched strikes against its Gulf neighbours in retaliation for Israeli-American attacks. “During the call, they reviewed the latest developments and discussed ways to reduce tensions to restore security and stability in the region,” the Saudi ministry said. The phone call comes a day after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Israel. Following the ceasefire, Prince Faisal also held phone calls with his counterparts from the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkiye and Jordan, according to statements by the foreign ministry. Saudi Arabia welcomed the ceasefire, with its foreign ministry expressing hope that it would lead to a “comprehensive and sustainable de-escalation”. It further expressed the hope that the ceasefire would enhance regional security and halt ...

Four astronauts travelling back to Earth from the far side of the moon on Nasa’s Artemis II mission spoke of their emotions as they wrapped up the unprecedented flight and prepared to re-enter the atmosphere in a “fireball”, during their first press conference from space on Wednesday. The Artemis II crew, flying in their Orion capsule since launching from Florida last week, are due to splash down off the Southern California coast on Friday evening after reaching the moon earlier this week. They cruised along a path that took them past the shadowed, lunar far side to become the farthest-flying humans in history. On the trip back home, they will reach speeds of up to 38,365 kph as they enter Earth’s atmosphere, a high-risk phase of the mission that will put Orion’s heatshield to the test as it gets battered by intense atmospheric friction. “I’ve actually been thinking about entry since April 3, 2023 when we got assigned to this mission,” said Artemis II mission pilot Victor Glover, when asked how he was feeling...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Punjab Police Pakistan App, aimed at enabling citizens to report lost documents from their homes.

High-level delegations from the United States and Iran are scheduled to arrive in the federal capital on Friday for key diplomatic engagements aimed at facilitating dialogue between the two countries.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday assured that comprehensive and foolproof security arrangements have been finalised for US and Iranian delegations arriving in the capital for high-level negotiations.

By Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, retired Nations do not fracture in a single moment, they erode gradually through the accumulation of ambiguity, distortion and misaligned loyalties.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved major infrastructure and social sector projects worth over Rs280 billion.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Wednesday night to discuss the evolving regional situation.

KARACHI: Raising concern over the mpox outbreak in Khairpur, experts at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) on Wednesday urged healthcare providers and policymakers to treat the viral disease as an immediate public health concern. Last week, an outbreak of mpox was reported from Khairpur when the Sindh health department said lab results confirmed that seven newborn babies had the zoonotic viral infection and four of them died. In response to the situation, the AKUH held a media roundtable, where the experts said that the active outbreak of mpox in Khairpur and the local transmission suspected in Karachi, indicated that the cases were no longer exclusively coming from abroad. They explained that one of the two cases confirmed in Karachi this year pointed to possible local transmission, while the Khairpur outbreak suggested the virus had entered healthcare settings, exposing critical gaps in infection prevention and control beyond major urban centres. Experts urge authorities to treat the disease as an imme...

KARACHI: Although a ceasefire between the US and Iran is in place and there is optimism about a significant reduction in fuel prices, citizens using public transport across the city continue to pay inflated fares as bus owners widely ignored a Sindh government directive to freeze fares in return for a fuel subsidy, it has emerged. The practice of overcharging appears to have become rampant, as transporters — including operators of buses, minibuses, Qingqi rickshaws, school vans and goods carriers — continue to demand higher fares. Following the government’s subsidy announcement, many citizens were expecting transport fares to revert to pre-war levels, particularly after transport bodies reportedly agreed to roll back rates. However, the government’s “comprehensive” strategy to shield low-income commuters from rising transportation costs triggered by global fuel price fluctuations has yet to provide tangible relief. Passengers, parents and businesses say heavy fares unbearable; commuters paying nearly ‘double’...

A special traffic management plan has been put in place in Islamabad following the arrival of foreign delegations in the federal capital, with authorities issuing alternate route guidelines and imposing restrictions to ensure smooth movement and security.

GUJRAT: Most of the Pakistani immigrants, who went missing in the fresh boat capsize incident off Italy, had left the country in the guise of Umrah pilgrims, while some others were on visit visas of Azerbaijan, Egypt and Uganda. Well-placed sources told Dawn on Wednesday that the missing immigrants had left Pakistan around four to five months ago. Through different routes, they reached Libya, where they kept waiting for their turn to board the boat to reach Italy, the sources say. They say that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had been assigned the task to collect the data of the Pakistanis, who went missing, and trace the agents involved in sending them abroad from different areas of Gujranwala and Gujrat regions. However, an official source says, the families of the missing Pakistanis are reluctant to share any information about the agents involved in sending them to Libya to smuggle them onward to Italy. The official says that as per the initial information, at least six main agents, two each from Ma...

SINGAPORE: India has withdrawn its offer to host the United Nations annual climate Conference of the Parties (COP33) in 2028, two government officials familiar with the matter said. India communicated its decision to not host the conference this month, the officials said, but it was not immediately clear why the government had pulled out. The officials declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed hosting the summit in 2023. The federal ministry for environment and climate change did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Climate Home News, which first reported the news, said India withdrew after a “review of its commitments” in 2028, citing a letter written by an Indian official to the chair of the Asia-Pacific Group. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. France emissions cuts slow France’s cuts to greenhouse gas emissions slowed for a second ...

• Negotiations follow Pakistan-brokered two-week truce • US vice president, Iranian foreign minister to lead their delegations • PM Shehbaz calls talks ‘historic moment’ for lasting settlement • Iran warns of withdrawal from ceasefire if violations continue • US says truce excludes Lebanon, but Iran disagrees • Iran’s speaker says key clauses already violated before talks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to host in-person talks between the United States and Iran starting Friday, even as a fragile ceasefire between the two sides showed signs of strain following Israeli strikes in Lebanon and renewed military exchanges across the Gulf. The negotiations follow a two-week ceasefire announced late Tuesday — the 39th day of the war — after Pakistani mediation. The truce, which averted imminent US strikes, was based on a 10-point Iranian proposal accepted by Washington as a general framework for talks. Delegations are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday, with formal negotiations scheduled for Saturday. Sources told ...

KARACHI: Despite turbulence stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, the country received 17 per cent higher remittances in March compared to February, the State Bank of Pakistan announced on Wednesday. The $3.8bn inflow was the highest so far this fiscal year, but it was 5pc lower compared to $4bn in March FY25. The war did not impact remittances from the Middle East, as inflows from almost all countries experienced positive growth. Currency experts said that the higher inflow in March was also due to Ramazan, but the war in the Gulf was more significant than anything else. Pakistanis working in the Gulf countries did not return home; instead, hundreds of Pakistanis have been applying for UAE visas. Pakistan gets fiscal year’s highest inflow of $3.8bn The SBP data showed that the country received a total of $30.321bn during July-March FY26, indicating an increase of 8.2pc or $2.29bn. The country received $28bn in 9MFY25. Remittances are the backbone of the country, as it largely relies on inflows to c...

Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, even as the Iran-aligned group paused attacks on northern Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon under a two-week US-Iran ceasefire. Consecutive explosions shook Beirut, sending smoke billowing across the capital, as Israel’s military said it had launched the largest coordinated strike of the war. More than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites were targeted in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, it said. The strikes killed 182 people and wounded 890 across the country, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has declared Thursday a national day of mourning after Israeli strikes shook the country. In Beirut, Reuters reporters saw people on motorcycles picking up wounded and transporting them to hospitals because there were not enough ambulances to get them in time. A group of firefighters worked to put out flames in a car park after one strike left more tha...

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Salman Safdar on Thursday met PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail, a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed authorities to arrange the meeting. However, the lawyer departed from the premises without sharing any details with the media. Meanwhile, PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said that Imran had directed the party to postpone its public meeting scheduled for Thursday (April 9) at Liaqat Bagh. He said that a message had been given by Imran that the protest should be postponed due to the prevailing national and international situation. “Imran Khan has said that he will himself inform about the new date of the protest,” he said. Later, Safdar said in a series of posts on X that he had meet Imran at 3pm, but the ex-premier’s spouse, Bushra Bibi, “was not called from her cell to join the attorney-client meeting for crucial instructions” despite requests and court orders. He said the meeting lasted for 60 minutes, during which Imran was comprehensively briefed on all ...