Pakistan

Ukraine still controls the strategically important eastern city of Kostiantynivka, President Volodymyr Zelensky and the General Staff said on Saturday, rejecting Russian claims that it has been captured. Russia’s military told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka, a target that Moscow has long sought in its advance through the Donetsk region. “Of course, that is not true. It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story,” Zelensky said on X. “If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war,” he added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The General Staff also said Kostiantynivka remained under the control of Ukrainian forces. “Military units and subunits of the 19th Army Corps of the Eastern Grouping continue to conduct defensive operations on designated lines within the town and on its approaches,” it said in a st...

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday warned of issuing a protest call if the Centre did not ensure that the party’s 2022 agreement with PPP on various provincial issues was implemented. MQM-P and PPP had signed an 18-point agreement on March 30, 2022 — just before the two joined hands with other parties to remove PTI’s Imran Khan as the prime minister. MQM-P’s demands ranged from municipal government structure to future power-sharing formula and recruitment policy in Sindh to local policing system. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Farooq Sattar referred to that deal as the “last agreement between MQM-P and PPP”. He stressed that his party had not demanded to be included in the provincial government or sought authority over Sindh’s resources. Sattar claimed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari held “no meeting despite repeated reminders from MQM-P” on the agreement to implement a Supreme Court order regarding local governments within one month. “This was not implemented. This ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast hot and humid weather across most parts of the country today, with isolated rain expected in northeastern Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir.

United States President Donald Trump lashed out on Friday at what he called a fresh threat against the country’s identity, taking aim at domestic “radicals and extremists” on the eve of America’s 250th birthday. In a speech dripping with patriotism, Trump lauded American exceptionalism and praised its past leaders, speaking at Mount Rushmore with its giant carved heads of four of his legendary predecessors. But he added at the foot of the iconic monument: “As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack.” He charged that there was “a resurgence of the communist menace in our land”. It is a theme that Trump has repeatedly hammered home in recent weeks, as the anti-establishment left of the Democratic Party carried a surge of US primary victories. The president has cast the rise of the left ahead of November’s midterm elections that “communists” are on the rampage, posing a major “threat” to the country. ‘Undeniable attempt’ Trump said on Friday: “In recent years...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday visited Kahna area of Lahore to meet the families of children killed and injured in the recent roof collapse at a tuition centre and announced financial assistance for the affected families and assuring them of the provincial government’s continued support.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during his visit to Tehran, saying Muslims around the world would remember him as a great scholar and leader.

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said whoever succeeds him would have to devote as much time to international crises and diplomacy as he did, rejecting suggestions Britain’s next leader could focus more heavily on domestic issues. Starmer, who announced last month that he would step down after two years in office, said in a BBC interview on Friday that foreign and domestic policy could not be separated as Britain faced an increasingly volatile world. “There’s often this discussion —what’s the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They’re one and the same thing,” he said. Asked whether a prime minister could spend less time on diplomacy than he had, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t think it is possible.” Starmer has faced criticism from some opponents over the amount of time he has spent on foreign policy. Lawmaker Andy Burnham, widely expected to replace Starmer, has promised to focus on domestic priorities including living standards, housing, infrastruct...

Mourners beat their chests and chanted “revenge, revenge” as thousands gathered in Tehran early on Saturday for a final farewell to assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, was killed in US-Israeli attacks on February 28 that sparked a regional war. “We have come not for the funeral but for revenge,” a eulogist at the event chanted. “We’re never going to give up your blood, which is the reddest line.” The mourners, some in tears, made their way through strict security towards the courtyard where Khamenei’s coffin was placed for people to pay their respects. “We must rise up and, God willing, avenge the blood of our leader,” Hamidreza Shabani, an 18-year-old student, told AFP. The coffin, wrapped in an Iranian flag, was unveiled on a stage from behind dark blue velvet drapes after recitations from the Quran. It stood on a raised platform accompanied by the coffins of his family members also killed in the US-Israeli attack. Mourners react during a...

The National Assembly (NA) Secretariat said on Saturday that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested a resident of Ghotki who had forged an appointment letter and used it to “obtain undue privileges”. In a statement, the NA Secretariat said that a person named Abdul Wajid, a resident of Ghotki, falsely represented himself as a Grade-17 employee and used a forged appointment letter issued in the name of the secretariat, which also bore forged signatures of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. “According to reports, the said individual not only misled government officials and police authorities by claiming this fake status and allegedly obtained undue privileges and protocol, but was also reportedly involved in harassing and pressuring citizens through various means, causing concern and unrest among the public,” it said in the statement posted on the social media platform X. It clarified that the person in question had no connection with the secretariat and there was no record of his appointment or employment in the...

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government made a major reshuffle in Rawalpindi administration and police on Friday night, replacing commissioner, deputy commissioner, city police officer, chief traffic police, and revenue officials. Commissioner Abdul Aamer Khattak transferred and asked to report to Services and General Administration with immediate effect, while Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema is asked to report to Services and General Administration, and Capt (retired) Nadeem Nasir, who was serving as Deputy Commissioner in Faisalabad, was appointed Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi. Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Capt (retired) Sheheryar Sherazi is transferred and asked to serve in Services and General Administration, and replaced by Capt (retired) Tayyab Sami Khan, while Assistant Commissioner Saddar Hakim Khan was also transferred and replaced by Muhammad Akhter, Assistant Commissioner Kot Momin. City Police Officer Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani is transferred and asked to report to the Central Pol...

LAHORE: The Defence C area station house officer (SHO) was booked on Friday for forcibly entering the official residence of the magistrate concerned in Dharampura for recording the statements of two foreigner women who were allegedly gang-raped by four suspects on Saturday. The two foreigners were allegedly subjected to gang rape by the suspects, who had lured them to a house in C Block of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on the pretext of a cryptocurrency business and abducted them. As per police sources, following the gang-rape incident, which turned high-profile because of the intervention of a foreign embassy on behalf of one of the women, Defence C SHO Fariyad Ashraf reached the official residence of the magistrate concerned after office timings, for recording the foreigners’ mandatory statements under Section 164 of the CrPC. The sources, quoting the FIR, said that the SHO allegedly forced entry into the magistrate’s residence, arguing that as the matter was urgent and high-profile, the statements ne...

KARACHI: The prosecution has once again returned the charge sheet submitted by the investigating officer in the Gul Plaza case, as he failed to include the judicial commission’s report and to remove several defects earlier pointed out by the prosecution. In his third attempt to submit the charge sheet, the IO had fixed the responsibility on four union officials — Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramazan and Muhammad Ameen — as well as the owner of an artificial flower shop, Naimatullah and his teenage son, placing them as absconders under Section 512 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the report. He had charged them for committing offences under Sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab), 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.), 427 (mischief with intent to destroy or make unsafe a decked vessel or one of twenty tons burden) of the Pakistan Pen...

Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel poses for a photo while climbing Nanga Parbat.—Photo by the writer GILGIT: Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has made history by skiing down from the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,126 metres) without using supplementary oxygen. Seven Summit Treks announced the achievement in a statement on Friday, saying that the 38-year-old Polish climber reached the summit of Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen before completing a full, uninterrupted ski descent to Base Camp on June 30, 2026. “Climbing without supplemental oxygen, he reached the summit of Nanga Parbat and then completed a full, uninterrupted ski descent all the way back to Base Camp on June 30, 2026,” the statement said. “Seven Summit Treks is incredibly proud to have organised and supported this historic expedition. Congratulations, Andrzej! An unbelievable achievement.” 38-year-old summitted Nanga Parbat on June 30 before skiing non-stop to Base Camp via the Messner Route Sources at the Nanga Parbat Base Camp s...

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that in disputes involving alleged love marriages and claims of abduction or forced marriage, courts must examine the entire chain of surrounding circumstances instead of relying solely on documentary evidence such as a nikahnama (marriage certificate). In a judgement authored by Justice Anwaar Hussain, the LHC dismissed a petition filed by Muhammad Jamil challenging an appellate court decree in favour of a woman who had sought a decree of jactitation of marriage (takzeeb-i-nikah), maintaining that she had been abducted and forced into marriage against her will. The judge framed the principal legal question as: “What is the correct approach for a court while appreciating evidence in cases where an alleged love marriage is relied upon by one party and allegations of abduction, coercion or forced marriage are raised by the other?” According to the judgement, the woman filed a suit for jactitation of marriage, alleging that she had been abducted and compelled to cont...

The UK government is in talks with Pakistan over the possibility of deporting a leader of the Rochdale grooming gang to the country, the BBC reported on Friday. Shabbir Ahmed, who has dual British-Pakistani citizenship, was released from prison this week after his 2012 conviction on multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. British officials told his victims that Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan because of a 55-year-old law barring his removal. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the home secretary to review Ahmed’s case following calls for his deportation from the UK. The BBC reported that Andy Burnham, who is widely tipped as a future leader, was among those calling for Ahmed to be deported. “We have raised this issue with our counterparts in Islamabad and we are committed to doing everything possible to deport foreign national offenders, and we’re clear that they should have no place in this country,” said a spokesperson for the British premier’s office. “As previ...

WASHINGTON: Police in New York City said on Thursday a man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters, and activists and a media outlet of exiled Tibetans identified him as a Tibetan who set himself on fire in an appeal for independence. A New York City Police Department spokesman said police, responding to an emergency call made around 6:30pm ET (2230 GMT) on Thursday, found the man badly burned. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said, adding an investigation was ongoing. Police did not name the man and did not provide any potential motive for his action. Voice of Tibet, a media outlet of exiled Tibetans, said Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen “self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan independence and unity”. He was an Uber driver, local news site amNewYork reported. The website quoted fellow Uber driver Lobsang Paljor as saying he knew Rangzen from gatherings in the Tibetan community. A spokesperson for UN Secre...

LAHORE: In an unprecedented crisis for Pakistan’s textile backbone, several cotton ginning factories in Tando Adam and other key towns have begun shutting down just one month after becoming operational, marking a devastating first in the country’s history. The sudden shutdowns result directly from the federal government’s failure to reduce the crushing 18 per cent sales tax on the cotton ginning sector in the recent federal budget. This legislative oversight has triggered a historic crash in domestic cotton prices, sending shockwaves of anxiety through farmers and millers nationwide while threatening the very survival of the local industry. Representatives from the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) and cotton ginners had met with top ministry officials prior to the budget to plead for relief from the heavy tax burden. Factories shut a month after opening as spot rate down Rs4,000 to Rs17,500 Even after the budget speech, federal ministers and high-ranking bureaucrats explicitly assured them that ...

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday cut the price of both petrol and diesel by Rs1.97 per litre, with immediate effect for the week ending July 10, to pass on part of the impact of lower global prices during the past week. As such, the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was set at Rs309.50 for the next week instead of Rs311.47 at present, down Rs1.97. The diesel price has come down from a peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 3. Its price had started rising from Rs281 per litre after the US-Iran war broke out on February 28. HSD is considered the most inflationary fuel given its widespread use in freight transportation. The ex-depot rate of petrol was set at Rs297.53 per litre for the next week against Rs299.50 at present, showing a decrease of Rs1.97. The petrol price had peaked at Rs458.41 on April 3 after beginning its upward trajectory from Rs266 in the first week of March. The petrol price has undergone successive downward revisions, with a cumulative reduction of about Rs109 per litre. The governmen...

45 cricketers will be awarded contracts across five categories

The UK government is in talks with Pakistan over the possibility of deporting a leader of the Rochdale grooming gang to the country, the BBC reported on Friday. Shabbir Ahmed, who has dual British-Pakistani citizenship, was released from prison this week after his 2012 conviction on multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. British officials told his victims that Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan because of a 55-year-old law barring his removal. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the home secretary to review Ahmed’s case following calls for his deportation from the UK. The BBC reported that Andy Burnham, who is widely tipped as a future leader, was among those calling for Ahmed to be deported. “We have raised this issue with our counterparts in Islamabad and we are committed to doing everything possible to deport foreign national offenders, and we’re clear that they should have no place in this country,” said a spokesperson for the British premier’s office. “As previ...