Pakistan

Pakistan is witnessing a sharp rise in WhatsApp hacking incidents, with many users falling victim to fraud and blackmail schemes.

Efforts by Pakistan, Türkiye and Egypt to mediate between Iran and the United States have yet to produce tangible results, according to U.

LAHORE: In a bid to keep the current fares and freight charges unchanged for three months to facilitate passengers and goods transport customers, the federal government will pay around Rs6 billion to Pakistan Railways (PR) for the increase in operational costs due to the recent increase in diesel prices. “The increase due to the massive surge in diesel price amounts to around Rs1.9 billion per month and the total difference for three months, till June 30, jumps to about Rs6 billion as calculated by the finance ministry for PR operations,” PR Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch explained while talking to Dawn on Sunday. According to him, as soon as the petroleum prices increased, the PR administration was left with no option but to increase fares and freight charges by 30pc. However, he said the prime minister sought a report from the finance and railways ministries regarding the likely increase in passenger and freight charges. “On this, we worked out the total amount, around Rs6 billion, the PR will have...

SIALKOT - Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Sunday inaugurated mega development projects worth of billions of rupees across the district.

ISLAMABAD, April 3: The Supr­eme Court will resume, on April 7, the hearing of a review petition filed by PTI founder Imran Khan against the closure of his right to defence in the Rs10 billion defamation case. Headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik, a three-judge bench will take up the review petition, in which the court had earlier stayed proceedings pending before a trial court in Lahore in the Rs10 billion defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against Imran Khan. Earlier, on March 31, a different Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, had adjourned further proceedings in a set of appeals also filed by former prime minister Imran Khan against the April 23, 2025 Lahore High Court (LHC) rejection of his plea to implicate the Punjab government in the Rs10 billion defamation suit brought by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The case was then postponed until a final decision on the present review petition pending before the bench presided over by Justice Ayesha A. Malik. Just...

LONDON: Three Pakistani-origin British members of parliament attended promotional events for a Dubai property, scheme own­ed by Pakistani real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ali Riaz Malik, both of whom cannot enter the United Kingdom and are being investigated by authorities in Pakistan, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times. The MPs including Labour’s Naz Shah and Afzal Khan along with independent Ayoub Khan spoke at roadshow events in June 2024 promoting the Waada project, a proposed 14m-sq-foot development in south Dubai that will feature luxury apartments, mansions, a five-star hotel and a replica Eiffel Tower. At one event, the property tyc­oon and his son appeared via large screens, with Riaz Malik saying “The true measure of success is not what we build, but who we uplift.” Mr Riaz, 72, is the founder and chairman of Bahria Town, while his 48-year-old son serves as chief executive. In 2019, the pair agreed to forfeit £190m to Britain’s National Crime Agency following an unexp...

HYDERABAD: The Sindh government has expressed grave concern over ‘persistent delays’ in Tarbela Dam infrastructure works by Wapda, which have been causing severe operational constraints for Sindh and posing an imminent threat to the kharif crop season. Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro wrote to federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Mohammad Mueen Wattoo that Wapda had failed to complete projects within the 33-month timeline approved by Irsa in 2022. The deadline expired in June 2025, but work remains unfinished. Indus River System Authority (Irsa), whose advisory committee is scheduled to discuss water availability and shortages for the upcoming kharif season under the Water Apportionment Accord, 1991, on April 7. The minister noted that outflows from Tarbela have already been restricted to 150,000 cusecs due to constraints in Tunnel-4 and Tunnel-5, curtailing Sindh’s irrigation supplies despite adequate reservoir levels. The situation may worsen as testing of Tunnel-4’s low-level outlet (LLO) has ...

• Trump warns power plants, bridges to be attacked on Tuesday, hopeful for Hormuz deal; Iran wants world to ‘act now’ to prevent ‘war crime’ • Iranian official says Hormuz strait will be opened only after payment of war damages • China, Russia call for ceasefire; Lavrov tells Washington to abandon ‘language of ultimatums’ • IRGC bombs petrochemical facility in Israel as US strikes target Ahvaz airport WASHINGTON: The US-Israel war with Iran raged on Sunday amid no signs of a ceasefire despite threats by US President Donald Trump, who warned that the US would target power plants and bridges in the besieged country if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened up by Monday. Iran said the statement, which was also denounced in the US, made by the US president was a “clear evidence of intent to commit war crime” and asked the inte­rnational community to prevent this atrocious act from happening. For almost six weeks, the US and Israeli jets have bombed the length and breadth of Iran, targeting civilian and military infr...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday said security forces had foiled an attempt by the Afghan Taliban and terrorists to attack a border post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Ghulam Khan Sector, in which 37 of the attackers were killed and more than 80 were injured. According to the minister, the incident took place on the night between April 2 and April 3 during the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of Feb 26 following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. After a temporary pause in the on March 18 at the request of “brotherly Islamic countries,” Pakistan had announced the operation’s resumption on March 26, saying it would continue “until its objectives are achieved”. In an X post, the information minister said, ”As part of these [Ghazab Lil Haq] operations on the night of April 2/3, an attempt to physically attack a border post in Ghulam Khan Sector by Afghan Taliban/ Fitna al Khawarij was comprehensively foiled, in which they suffered heavy casualtie...

QUETTA/ PESHAWAR: Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments announced energy conservation measures on Sunday, setting timings for the closure of markets, eateries and wedding halls. According to a notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department, all markets and shopping centres are to be closed by 8pm. However, pharmacies, tandoors and bakeries have been exempted from the restriction. The notification also stated that all events being held in wedding halls, banquet halls and hotels must end by 10pm, and that restaurants should also close by 10pm. It said the provincial government had directed district administration and law enforcement agencies to ensure strict implementation of the orders and violators would face action under relevant laws. Divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and police officials have also been instructed to ensure immediate enforcement of the new directives. Closure timings in KP Similarly, a public notice issued by the office of the KP chief secretary said all market...

US President Donald Trump did not take a break from his polarising rhetoric on Easter Sunday, delivering an expletive-laden attack on Iran that sparked criticism on Capitol Hill and beyond. In his message, he warned Iran that “you’ll be living in hell” if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened. He renewed his threat to unleash heavy bombing on Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refused to unblock the strategic Strait of Hormuz. While the Republican president is well known for his straight talk, the post on his Truth Social network raised eyebrows, especially on a Christian holiday. “Happy Easter, America. As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the president of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X. “He’s threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better.” For Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connectic...

The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) on Sunday announced that Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams in Karachi were being rescheduled and would now commence on April 10. The BSEK had earlier announced that SSC annual examinations would be held from April 7 to May 2 in the Karachi Division. A press release issued by the BSEK on Sunday said citing the board’s controller of examinations that the board was currently transitioning from a manual to a digital system. “Therefore, the software application was overloaded and faced temporary disruption. The IT team is working to resolve the issue,” the press release said. In view of the situation, the SSC examinations were being rescheduled to begin on April 10, 2026 to ensure that they were conducted in an “organised … and transparent manner,” the press release said. It further said that a revised examination schedule would be issued soon, while students were to sit their exams at centres already allotted to them.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Sunday expressed satisfaction over the completion of upgradation work on the Murree Expressway and announced additional facilities, including more rest house on both sides, to further improve travel convenience.

ISLAMABAD - Christians in Pakistan and around the world are celebrating Easter on Sunday with religious devotion and traditional ceremonies.

PESHAWAR - At least 45 people have been killed and 105 injured after heavy rains triggered roof and wall collapses across multiple districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since March 25, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Sunday announced that Pakistani security forces had killed 796 Afghan Taliban fighters and militants and injured over 1,043 during the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, launched in response to cross-border hostilities.

LAHORE - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting in Lahore to review progress on the government’s fuel subsidy programme, introduced in response to recent regional tensions, reaffirming his commitment to shielding the public from rising costs.

Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, here on Sunday met with leaders of the national peace jirga in Bajaur to discuss the overall security situation and efforts for lasting peace in the region.

Karachi - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday announced a major relief initiative for the public, securing a province-wide fare freeze after successful negotiations with transporters, alongside a targeted subsidy programme to offset the impact of soaring fuel prices.

KARACHI: Police on Sunday detained 23 PTI leaders and workers, including two former lawmakers, after they clashed with the police near Karachi Press Club (KPC), an official said. PTI workers and supporters had gathered at the spot to hold a demonstration against rising fuel prices. The PTI had announced a protest outside KPC at 4pm today against “rising inflation in the country and the increase in prices of petroleum products to record levels”. But the situation turned violent, with the PTI alleging that police subjected the protesters to violence. The PTI’s Sindh chapter shared a video on X showing policewomen dragging women. “Women participating in the protest against inflation were beaten and arrested,” the party alleged. But, in a video statement, South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahzor Ali said “some miscreants” pelted stones at police personnel, who were deployed to “control law and order”. He added that the police responded to the pelting through “shelling and baton-charge”. Responding to a ...