Pakistan

Strict action to prevent sacrificial hide collection ordered

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Khanewal's pre-partition Hindu worship site now serves as school

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BANNU: At least two police personnel were martyred on Saturday night after law enforcers foiled a suicide attack on Fateh Khel police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu. According to initial reports, two police personnel were also injured in the attack along with two civilians. According to sources, terrorists rammed an explosive-filled vehicle into the police post. Multiple explosions were heard afterwards, along with heavy gunfire. The attack spread fear and panic among the local population. The explosion caused the roof of the police post to collapse. Further reports indicated that nearby civilian areas also suffered severe damage due to the explosions. Following the incident, additional contingents of Bannu police reached the site, while rescue teams were also dispatched. Bannu Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan personally led the police operation, said police. Security forces cordoned off the area and a rescue operation was commenced to search through the rubble of the police post. According to police o...

Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday said Pakistan’s economy continued to show signs of recovery despite ongoing regional tensions, citing strong growth in large-scale manufacturing, exports, remittances and foreign investment inflows. Addressing a news conference alongside Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, the finance minister said the country’s large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector recorded 11 per cent year-on-year growth in April, while cumulative growth during the first nine months of the current fiscal year stood at 6.5pc. He said the government expected the GDP growth rate to remain close to 4pc during the current fiscal year, compared to 3.1pc last year. Exports have grown by 9pc month-on-month and 14pc year-on-year, driven by value-added textiles, IT and other sectors, he said, adding that the export growth was broad-based. Highlighting overseas inflows, Aurangzeb said remittances reached $3.5 billion in April after touching $3.8bn in March during Ramazan, d...

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has significantly expanded its lobbying and strategic communications footprint in the United States, signing a new $1.2 million contract with a Washington-based advisory firm as it seeks deeper engagement on defence cooperation, critical minerals and broader economic diplomacy in an increasingly competitive policy environment. According to filings submitted under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Ervin Graves Strategy Group LLC registered on May 1 as an official foreign agent of Pakistan’s embassy in Washington under a two-year contract valued at $1.2m, requiring payments of $50,000 per month for its services. FARA requires the public listing of all lobbyists or lobbying firms working for a foreign entity, including governments and private corporations. The agreement tasks the firm with a wide-ranging mandate that includes lobbying US policymakers, government-relations work, legislative monitoring, stakeholder engagement, media messaging, think tank outreach, and policy advis...

President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the nation and the armed forces on the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq, praising the courage, unity, and resilience shown during the conflict.

Marka-i-Haq is a “defining landmark” in the nation’s journey, the military said on Saturday as Pakistan marked the first anniversary of the brief war with India. In a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military said that the brief conflict demonstrated Pakistan’s measured and resolute response and “exposed adversarial conspiracies, false flag narratives and disinformation campaigns, diminishing their credibility internationally”. Last year’s confrontation with India, beginning with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent military conflict — which resulted in a resounding victory for Pakistan — until the ceasefire on May 10, is now referred to by the state as Marka-i-Haq (Battle of Truth). “Marka-i-Haq has become a defining landmark in the nation’s journey, reflecting national resolve, military excellence, and strategic maturity.” “Despite facing conventional and hybrid challenges, including proxy terrorism, the Armed Forces demonstrated superior operational competenc...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that Pakistan can neither be “intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor” as the nation marks the first anniversary of Marka-i-Haq. Last year’s confrontation with India, beginning with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent military conflict — which resulted in a resounding victory for Pakistan — until the ceasefire on May 10, is now referred to by the state as Marka-i-Haq (Battle of Truth). “Marka-i-Haq bears testimony that Pakistanis are a peace-loving, yet courageous, resilient, and dignified nation who can neither be intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor,” said the premier in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The prime minister, expressing his gratitude to the Almighty, said the day commemorates Pakistan’s “valiant stand in adversity” and the “crushing defeat” inflicted upon India. “The nation pays tribute to its martyrs, their families and the ghazis who stood like a steel wall to defend their homeland,” said the statement....

ISLAMABAD: The PTI has demanded the formation of an independent judicial commission to conduct a “transparent, impartial and credible probe” into the events of May 9, to bring the suspects to justice. The party has termed May 9, 2023, “one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s political history”, when former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. He is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where he is regularly denied meetings with family members and party leaders. In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram asserted that the PTI founder’s arrest not only violated the sanctity of the judiciary but also set “a dangerous precedent of state repression and authoritarianism”. “This action was an open violation of the Constitution, the law, and fundamental human rights,” Akram stressed, demanding the immediate release of Imran, his spouse Bushra Bibi and other party workers and members witho...

CM, minister share authority in unprecedented move amid corruption probes, exam irregularities

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Elderly woman among three dead in road mishaps

Despite repeated warnings, Karachi continues to suffer extreme heat conditions as hospitals report a sharp rise in hea

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