Pakistan

Renowned German climber and former Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier has died after being struck by a landslide while attempting to summit Laila Peak, a 6,096-metre mountain in northern Pakistan’s Ghanche district.

The Sindh government has announced a wide array of events and competitions to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14, including prizes for the best-decorated vehicles, shops, and buildings across the province.

Rescue teams evacuated 160 stranded tourists from Naran in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district after flash floods, triggered by heavy rainfall, swept through parts of the region on Wednesday, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson. Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September, are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security. However, they also wreak havoc by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. This year’s monsoon rains continue to lash many parts of the country, prompting authorities to release an urban flooding warning for several cities. Mansehra’s Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Amir Khadam Khan, told Dawn.com that 160 tourists were stranded after floods hit Naran, Jalkhad, Barwai and Besar. “Rescue 1122 personnel crossed the flood drain on foot near Besar to access more than 160 stranded tourists and vehicles,” he said. “All the people were safely evacuated and accommodate...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday assailed and rejected the Indian parliament’s debate on “Operation Sindoor”, claiming that the remarks made in the Lok Sabha “distort facts, justify aggression, and glorify conflict for domestic consumption”. The two countries entered a brief but intense military escalation after India, without evidence, blamed Pakistan for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. On May 6–7, New Delhi launched air strikes that killed civilians, followed by a week-long missile exchange. A US-brokered ceasefire ended the war. During Tuesday’s debate, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that security forces killed three “Pakistanis” involved in the Pahalgam attack in Operation Mahadev, Reuters reported. “I want to tell … the entire nation that these were the three terrorists who killed our citizens … and now all three have been killed,” Shah told parliament during the discussion. In a statement issued today on the Indian parliament debate, FO spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said: “Pakistan ...

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing till October 4, against PTI Leaders and workers in a case pertaining to the protest of November 26.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) kept its policy rate unchanged on Wednesday at 11 per cent. The central bank’s policy rate, after being slashed by 1,000bps from 22pc since June 2024 in seven intervals, was cut to 11pc in May. The bank had kept the rate unchanged on June 16 as well. A press release issued by the SBP said its Monetary Policy Committee noted that inflation in June had decelerated to 3.2pc year on year, led mainly by lower food prices, whereas core inflation also declined slightly. However, it noted that the inflation outlook had worsened in the wake of higher-than-anticipated adjustment in energy prices, especially gas tariffs. “Nonetheless, inflation is projected to stabilise in the target range going forward. “Moreover, economic activity is gaining further traction amidst the still-unfolding impact of the earlier reductions in the policy rate. At the same time, the committee noted that the trade deficit is expected to widen further in FY26 amidst the pickup in economic activity and slowdown i...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong and longstanding partnership with the World Economic Forum and appreciated the WEF’s continued engagement with Pakistan through its annual meetings held in Davos, Switzerland.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday reaffirmed the military’s resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country, underscoring the nation’s preparedness to respond decisively to any external or internal threats, a statement from the military’s media wing said. Pakistan has lately seen a surge in terrorism across the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. In recent months, the security situation in Balochistan has also worsened, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief was speaking to a group of stakeholders at the 16th...

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, the strongest in the region since 1952, damaging buildings and generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres that prompted warnings and evacuations in Hawaii, Japan and across the Pacific Ocean. Several people were injured in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan’s eastern seaboard — devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — was ordered to evacuate as Tsunami waves hit the Pacific coast of the country. Meanwhile, Hawaii recorded tsunami waves measuring up to 5ft, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. However, no waves of consequence have hit Hawaii yet. What we know so far: 8.8-magnitude quake hit Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula at 8:24am local time (4am PKT) Several people injured, no casualties reported Tsunami warnings issued in Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, Ecuador, China, Chile, Costa Rica Tsunami waves up to 1.7m hit Japan, Hawaii, California; 3-4m recorded in parts of Kamchatka Russian mayor ...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to maintain the policy rate at 11 percent, contrary to expectations of a rate cut among investors and the business community.

A couple was shot dead by the woman’s family over ‘honour’ in Balochistan’s Mastung district, police said on Wednesday. The incident comes over a week after the killing of a man and a woman in the Degari area of Quetta on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha for so-called ‘honour’. The police had subsequently arrested at least 14 suspects for their involvement in the incident. Wali Khan Station House Officer Pir Muhammad Alizai said in a statement today that the deceased couple got married seven years ago. “The couple was travelling from Panjgur to Lakpass in a pickup upon the invitation of the woman’s brothers,” the police said. “The suspects told them to wait at the Noshki Cross, arrived on two motorcycles at about 7am on Tuesday, shot the couple dead with a pistol, and fled.” “Action to arrest the suspects is underway,” SHO Alizai said. According to a first information report (FIR) of the incident, dated July 29, seen by Dawn.com, the deceased were travelling with their two children and brother...

Heavy monsoon rains have caused deadly flash floods across northern Pakistan, claiming the lives of four women after a vehicle carrying ten people was swept away by a rain-swollen stream in Jhari Kass, Hasan Abdal tehsil of Rawalpindi.

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that a divorced daughter is entitled to receive her deceased father's pension, regardless of whether her divorce occurred before or after his death.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Adviser Barrister Dr.

The by-election for the vacant Senate seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, previously held by Sania Nishtar, is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Thursday), according to the provincial election commission.

Amid the ongoing monsoon spell sweeping across the country, the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued fresh warnings of further rainfall and possible urban flooding in several cities of the province.

Pakistan has urged a stronger role for the United Nations peacekeeping missions in conflict resolution, stressing that their enhanced involvement is urgently needed to settle long-standing disputes such as Kashmir. Pakistan joined the United Nations shortly after gaining independence in 1947 and has played a prominent role in peacekeeping efforts, contributing to 48 missions in 29 countries since 1960. Islamabad has repeatedly called for enhancements in UN peacekeeping, with Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in April urging the integration of the use of advanced technologies to boost effectiveness. Ambassador Ahmad, while addressing the 15-member UN Security Council on Tuesday, said: “Nowhere is this more urgently needed than in Jammu and Kashmir, a longstanding dispute on the UN Security Council’s agenda. “This Council, which mandates the missions, must ensure that missions are deployed with an accompanying credible political process that addresses the root causes of conflicts, and that mission mandates are dem...

The federal government of Pakistan has decided to withdraw from active intervention in the sugar sector as part of commitments made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The World Day Against Human Trafficking is being observed today across the globe, including in Pakistan, to raise awareness about the global fight against human trafficking, bring perpetrators to justice, and protect millions of victims who fall prey to this crime through deception, coercion, or desperation.

Britain on Wednesday rejected criticism that it was rewarding fighter group Hamas by setting out plans to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to improve the situation in Gaza and bring about peace. The sight of emaciated Gaza children has shocked the world in recent days, and on Tuesday, a hunger monitor warned that a worst-case scenario of famine was unfolding there and immediate action was needed to avoid widespread death. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ultimatum, setting a September deadline for Israel, prompted an immediate rebuke from his counterpart in Jerusalem, who said it rewarded Hamas and punished the victims of their 2023 cross-border attack. US President Donald Trump said he did not think Hamas “should be rewarded” with recognition of Palestinian independence. Asked about that criticism, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander — designated by the government to respond to questions in a series of media interviews on Wednesday — said it was not the right way to characterise Bri...