Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) passed on Wednesday the Elections Amendment Bill, 2026, seeking secrecy of parliamentarians’ assets, amid opposition by the PTI. Under Section 137 of the Elections Act, all members of the NA, Senate, and provincial assemblies are required to submit to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), on or before Dec 31 each year, a statement of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependent children. Section 138 of the Elections Act requires the ECP to publish these declarations in the official gazette. The bill passed by the NA today proposes an amendment to Section 138 of the Elections Act, seeking to insert a proviso stating: “Provided that the speaker of the assembly concerned or, as the case may be, the chairman of the Senate may, on an application made by a member for reasons to be recorded in writing, by a ruling delivered in the chamber, determine that the statement of assets and liabilities of that member shall not be published publicly by...

At least 31 people have lost their lives in the deadly fire at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road in Karachi, while 86 individuals are still missing as search and rescue operations continue for the fifth consecutive day, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The world’s biggest nuclear power plant was restarted on Wednesday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its Japanese operator said, despite persistent safety concerns among residents. The plant was “started at 19:02”, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) spokesman Tatsuya Matoba told AFP of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture. The regional governor approved the resumption last month, although public opinion remains sharply divided. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters — mostly elderly — braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate in the snow near the plant’s entrance, whose buildings line the Sea of Japan coast. “It’s Tokyo’s electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki, so why should the people here be put at risk? That makes no sense,” Yumiko Abe, a 73-year-old resident, told AFP. Around 60 per cent of residents oppose the restart, while 37pc support it, according to a survey conducted in September. TEPCO said on Wednesday it would “proceed with careful verification of each plan...

An Indian Air Force (IAF) training aircraft crashed in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, with both pilots emerging unharmed, police said. On a routine sortie from Bamrauli air force station near Prayagraj, a Microlight aircraft faced a technical malfunction and was “safely force landed in an uninhabited area, ensuring no damage to civil life or property”, the Indian Air Force said on social media platform X. “Both the pilots on board are safe,” it said, adding that a probe into the cause of the accident is underway. Manish Shandilya, a local police officer, said the training aircraft “crashed after its engine developed a sudden technical snag,” reported The Press Trust of India. “In Prayagraj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Manish Shandilya said the aircraft was on a sortie towards Phaphamau and the Sangam area when its engine developed a technical snag,” The Hindu reported. The report quoted him as saying that the pilots had executed a “controlled and safe landing in a pond”. In November last year,...

Pakistan has extended the ban on Indian-registered aircraft from using its airspace for another month, with the restriction now in place until February 24, 2026, according to a Notice to Airmen (Notam) issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Tuesday.

Chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi has said that promoting peace, love and tolerance across the country remains the collective mission of religious leadership.

Modern security arrangements have been completed on the Jaffar Express to ensure safe travel for passengers in Balochistan, the government said.

WASHINGTON: A Pakistani parliamentary delegation, led by Senator Babar Siraj Khan Nasir, arrived in Washington on Tuesday evening for a series of high-level engagements with US lawmakers and officials as part of a renewed push to strengthen bilateral ties. The delegation, which includes members of both the Senate and the National Assembly of Pakistan, will also engage with the members of the Pakistani diaspora to emphasise the significance of their participation in promoting national causes in the United States. The delegation will participate in multiple forums, beginning with an Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) session at the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday, followed by a press conference at the National Press Club (NPC) and a diplomatic reception in New Jersey. According to Dr Gholam Mujtaba, chairman of the Pakistan Policy Institute USA (PPI-USA), who has been instrumental in organising the visit, the engagements are designed to promote legislative-to-legislative dialogue, deepen institutional c...

The Met Office has forecast rainfall in Karachi and other districts of Sindh on Thursday, which is likely to increase the intensity of cold weather in the region from Friday.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday questioned how proceedings in the case concerning PTI founder Imran Khan’s X account could continue if authorities were denying his counsel access to him. The remarks were made by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, who was presiding over a hearing on a petition against the incarcerated former premier regarding “inflammatory posts” made from an X account operated in Imran’s name. During today’s hearing, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja, who is representing Imran in the case, told the court that he had not been able to meet his client for consultation. “The court has received responses from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and jail authorities,” Justice Tahir said. Addressing Raja, Justice Tahir said that “final arguments in the case will be presented on February 24 if you meet (Imran)”. The judge then directed Raja to submit a detailed response in court in connection with the contempt petition over the denial of meetings with the PTI founder. The court also issued i...

Pakistan has warned that India’s unilateral decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance has triggered an unprecedented crisis for the country’s water security and poses serious risks to regional stability.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” aimed at resolving conflicts, Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday. “Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that he has accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation and will join as a member of the Board of Peace, which will be composed of leaders of the world,” the office said in a statement. The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of post-war Gaza, but its charter seen by AFP does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory, and members have to pay up to $1 billion for a permanent spot on it. The board “seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”, reads the preamble of the charter sent to countries invited to participate. It will be chaired by Trump himself, who will also “separately serve” as the representative of the United States. Dozens of countries and leaders...

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and former captain Steve Waugh are among the franchise owners in a new European Twenty20 league, which will begin in August after two false starts. Backed by the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, and approved by the governing International Cricket Council, the European T20 Premier League’s (ETPL) founders include Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan. “Mainland Europe is not known for cricket,” Bachchan told Reuters from Sydney, where they unveiled owners of the three teams, including the Amsterdam franchise owned by a group that includes Waugh and Jamie Dwyer, a five-time International Hockey Federation player of the year. “It’s an opportunity to create a huge cricket ecosystem in and around Europe. With ETPL, we hope we can bring the magic of cricket euphoria to mainland Europe.” View this post on Instagram Maxwell is a co-owner of the Belfast franchise, while former New Zealand internationals Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills bought the Edinburgh side. The...

India will withdraw its diplomats’ families and dependents from Bangladesh in the face of security threats as tension rises ahead of a February 12 general election, an Indian official said on Wednesday. Campaigning begins on Thursday for Bangladesh’s election, which has sparked protests and counter-protests. Ties between the South Asian neighbours soured after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in 2024, following deadly protests. India’s past support for Hasina has frayed relations between the two neighbours since her overthrow. India’s withdrawal move was part of “internal readjustments”, the official said, without elaborating. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed to Indian media reports of New Delhi’s decision. It was not immediately clear when the families would return. The foreign ministries of India and Bangladesh did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In December, India summoned Bangladesh’s high commissioner, or ambassador to voice its concern over wha...

PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Health, Khaliq-ur-Rehman on Tuesday chaired a high-lev­el review meeting with Medi­cal Superintendents (MSs) of government hospitals across the province to improve overall hospital performance.

Pakistan has warned that India’s unilateral decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance has created an unprecedented crisis for Pakistan’s water security and regional stability. Calling the move a deliberate “weaponisation of water,” Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said India’s actions amounted to material breaches of the landmark 1960 treaty. Speaking at the Global Water Bankruptcy Policy Roundtable hosted by Canada and the United Nations University on Tuesday, Ambassador Jadoon said that since April last year, India had committed several serious violations of the treaty, including unannounced disruptions of downstream water flows and the withholding of critical hydrological data. “Pakistan’s position is unequivocal; the treaty remains legally intact and permits no unilateral suspension or modification,” he said. He stressed that for more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty had provided a time-tested framework for the equitable and predictable ma...

Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Justice Aalia Neelum, has initiated a formal process to fill all 60 sanctioned judge positions in the court, including 18 currently vacant seats.

US President Donald Trump’s plane was forced to return to an air base late Tuesday due to a “minor electrical issue” shortly after departing for Switzerland, the White House said. Air Force One returned to Joint Base Andrews out of an abundance of caution, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. It landed shortly after 0400 GMT. Journalists traveling with Trump reported that lights in the cabin went out briefly after takeoff. After returning to Andrews, Trump resumed his trip to the Davos forum early Wednesday. Trump and his entourage changed planes at Joint Base Andrews and took off again shortly after 0500 GMT, about two-and-a-half hours after his initial departure. With its classic blue and white livery, Air Force One is arguably the world’s most iconic plane and an instantly recognisable symbol of the US presidency. Trump has long been unhappy with the current Air Force One jets - two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that entered service in 1990 under president George H.W Bush. Last year, ...

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has disbursed Rs1.

Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi and Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti held a meeting in Quetta to discuss the restoration of the railway system in the province.