Pakistan

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed confidence on Tuesday that the United States and European countries would find a solution over the US administration’s aim to take over Greenland, brushing off “hysteria” about a possible trade war. US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Saturday on imports from European allies that oppose the United States taking over Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark. European countries say new tariffs would violate a trade deal reached with Trump last year, and EU leaders are set to discuss possible retaliation at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday. One option is a package of tariffs on 93 billion euros ($108 billion) of US imports that could automatically kick in on February 6 after a six-month suspension. Bessent said the issue had only recently emerged and a solution would be found that ensures national security for the United States and Europe. “It’s been 48 hours. As I said, sit back, relax,” Bessent told reporters on the sidelines of the World Econ...

The National Assembly on Tuesday echoed with calls for empowering local governments (LGs) as lawmakers stressed the need for reforms in the wake of the Gul Plaza fire. Besides members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), PML-N’s Khawaja Asif also favoured strengthening LGs for better city administration. Speaking on the floor of the NA today, MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar called for the “creation of more administrative units” for better governance and strengthening local government systems. “Such a huge burden can not be shouldered by a chief minister alone,” he said. “These powers should instead be handed over to the mayor, town chairman, UC (union council) chairman”. He recalled that MQM-P had also advocated for the inclusion of a clause aimed at strengthening local government bodies in a probable 28th Constitutional Amendment. “Creating an administrative unit is not the division of geography; it is an administrative division, a division of justice and resources,” Sattar maintained. He assailed...

ISLAMABAD: Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas was appointed as the opposition leader in the Senate on Tuesday. Abbas — vice chairman of Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — had been chosen by PTI founder Imran Khan as the opposition’s choice for the seat, which had been vacant since August 2025. “In pursuance of sub-rule (3) of Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, the chairman Senate has been pleased to declare Senator Raja Nasir Abbas as leader of the opposition in the Senate, with immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat. Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani also announced Abbas’s appointment as the opposition leader during Tuesday’s session in the House. As the proceedings began, he said: “I want to give a ruling. Before proceeding further, I consider it necessary to place on record the legal and procedural background relating to the declaration of the leader of the opposition in the Senate. “Rule 16 o...

A parliamentary delegation led by the Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, on an official visit to China, held a meeting with the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Zhao Leji, in Beijing.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Friday claimed that the issue of missing persons in the province had been “resolved on a permanent basis”, saying that the matter had long been used for political point-scoring.

Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday formally notified Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief and PTI-backed Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as the leader of the opposition in the Upper House.

Pakistan and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) today signed three loan agreements worth six hundred three million dollars.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by a convict sentenced to death for murdering four people, including his wife and daughter, in the name of so-called honour.

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi has turned down a request by lawyers seeking permission to hold a legal consultation with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in connection with the May 9 GHQ attack case.

Chief of Defence Force (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir emphasised that a strong, professional, and people-centric police force is indispensable for ensuring internal security and the rule of law, according to an Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) statement issued on Tuesday. The army chief made these remarks during a visit to the National Police Academy in Islamabad, where he addressed senior police officials, and interacted with officers of the Police Service of Pakistan. CDF Munir also acknowledged the supreme sacrifices rendered by police personnel in the face of terrorism, crime and internal security challenges, it stated. “The field marshal remarked that the duty of the police to enforce law and order is a sacred trust and that the armed forces will always stand fully with the brave and proud police personnel of Pakistan,” said the statement. The senior police leadership, on the occasion, reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening policing standards, enhanci...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan was “forced” to halt all trade with Afghanistan due to Kabul’s inaction against terrorists operating from its soil. The Pak-Afghan border has been closed for trade since mid-October 2025, when border clashes erupted. Successive rounds of talks on counter-terrorism mechanisms failed to produce a workable solution despite mediation by Turkiye and Qatar. “There is a complete blockade of Pak-Afghan trade. It should not have been there, but they forced us,” the premier said while addressing a national workshop event in Islamabad. “This time, it must be decided whether Afghanistan wants to live peacefully or not […] They are our brothers and sisters. If the interim Afghan government does not have an interest in this (peace with Pakistan), they should at least have mercy on its people and not oppress them.” “Rest assured, we will keep trying our best,” the prime minister added. While trade data shows that the border closure has hit Afghanistan far harder than Pa...

In a move aimed at easing travel and strengthening oversight of the fuel supply chain, the federal government’s Petroleum Division has launched a mobile application, “Raahguzar”, to help travellers and transporters locate registered and authorised petrol pumps across the country.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday restored the bail of Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial tweets case and reinstated their right to defend themselves before the trial court.

In the dull glow of a single bulb lighting their tent on the outskirts of Kabul, Samiullah and his wife Bibi Rehana sit down to dry bread and tea, their only meal of the day, accompanied by their five children and three-month-old grandchild. “We have reached a point where we are content with death,” said 55-year-old Samiullah, whose family, including two older sons aged 18 and 20 and their wives, is among the millions deported by neighbouring countries in the past year. “Day by day, things are getting worse,” he added, after their return to a war-torn nation where the United Nations’ World Food Programme estimates 17 million battle acute hunger after massive cuts in international aid. “Whatever happens to us has happened, but at least our children’s lives should be better.” He was one of the returned Afghans speaking before protests in Iran sparked a massive crackdown by the government. Samiullah said his family went virtually overnight from its modest home in Iran to their makeshift tent, partially propped u...

French President Emmanuel Macron told US President Donald Trump that he could set up a G7 meeting in Paris on Thursday afternoon and that he did not understand what Trump was “doing on Greenland,” in a screenshot of the messages that Trump posted on Truth Social and said was a note from Macron. According to the messages, Macron told the US president that he could invite the Ukrainians, the Danish, the Syrians and the Russians to participate on the margins of the meeting, and also invited Trump to have dinner with him in Paris on Thursday. Trump’s replies, if any, were not part of the screenshot that he posted. The White House and the Macron’s office did not respond to a request for comment. A source close to Macron said that the text message shared by Trump was authentic. EU leaders are set to convene in Brussels on Thursday evening for an emergency summit following Trump’s threats to impose new tariffs on several EU countries over his demand to acquire Greenland. Last week, in a post on Truth Social, Trump s...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday departed for Davos, Switzerland, to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), where he is scheduled to take part in a series of high-level engagements aimed at projecting Pakistan’s economic and diplomatic priorities.

President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the bomb blast at a Chinese restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul.

Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Commander of Defence Forces (CDF), visited the National Police Academy in Islamabad and interacted with officers of the Police Service of Pakistan.

Australia’s lower house of parliament has passed new laws for a national gun buyback, tighter background checks for gun licences and a crackdown on hate crimes, in response to the country’s worst mass shooting in decades at a Jewish festival last month. Two bills for stricter gun control and anti-hate measures passed on Tuesday by the House of Representatives in a special parliament session will now go to the upper house Senate for debate. The gun control laws are expected to pass with the support of the Greens party despite opposition from the conservative Liberal-National coalition. The anti-hate laws are likely to pass with support from the Liberal party. Introducing the gun reforms, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said individuals with “hate in their hearts and guns in their hands”, carried out the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people. “The tragic events at Bondi demand a comprehensive response from government,” Burke added. “As a government, we must do everything we can to counter bot...

The Punjab government has decided to establish the Suthra Punjab Authority under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, following the approval of the Suthra Punjab Authority Bill 2025 by the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Local Government.