Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday congratulated Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party and its leader Balendra Shah on their historic electoral victory.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan has successfully completed phase I of the Undergraduate Scholarship Programme for Students of Gilgit-Baltistan in Top Pakistani Universities/Institutions, achieving a phenomenal scholarship utilisation ratio of 99.

At the third session of the weekly Seerat lecture series at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), the important aspect of the Holy Prophet’s PBUH life, “Service to Humanity,” was highlighted.

China warned the United States on Wednesday that the excessive use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its military could plunge the world into a Terminator like dystopian future. US President Donald Trump’s administration has sought the unconditional use of AI startups in the military. The Pentagon has confirmed Elon Musk’s Grok system is cleared for use in a classified setting, and blacklisted Anthropic after it refused to allow its Claude AI model to be used for mass surveillance and autonomous lethal warfare. “Such choices as the unrestricted application of AI by the military, using AI as a tool to violate the sovereignty of other nations, allowing AI to excessively affect war decisions, and giving algorithms the power to determine life and death, not only erode ethical restraints and accountability in wars, but also risk technological runaway,” a spokesman for China’s defence ministry, Jiang Bin, said on Wednesday. “A dystopia depicted in the American film The Terminator could one day come true,” he said....

WASHINGTON: United States lawmakers from both parties raised concerns on Tuesday about the strategy and potential consequences of the US-Israeli war against Iran following a classified congressional briefing. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said the Trump administration’s plans for the war appear “incoherent and incomplete” following the two-hour closed-door briefing. “So they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime — probably a MORE anti-American hardline regime — will still be in charge,” Murphy said on X following the briefing. Murphy said he could not disclose classified information but that the plans discussed left him deeply concerned about the administration’s strategy. He said the briefing suggested that destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons program is not among the listed war goals. He also said regime change in Tehran is not part of the strategy, raising questions about what the administration ultimately hopes to achi...

Acting on the directives of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Secretariat of the National Assembly of Pakistan has introduced a series of strict austerity measures in line with the government’s cost-reduction campaign led by Shehbaz Sharif.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatullah Mojtaba Khamenei is injured but “safe and sound”, the son of the president said on Wednesday, offering the first official explanation for why the 56-year-old has not been seen since his appointment at the weekend. “I heard news that Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections,” Yousef Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser, wrote in a post on his Telegram channel. “They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound,” added the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Mojtaba, until now a low profile if powerful behind-the-scenes figure, was named Iran’s number one following the assassination of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an air strike at the start of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic. But there had been mounting questions about his whereabouts and physical condition after his appointment by the Assembly of Experts clerical body, with the new supreme leader yet to be seen, let alone speak, in public. State televis...

The Election Commission of Pakistan has initiated key preparations for the upcoming local government elections after receiving a request from the Ministry of Interior.

Prime Minister’s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi on Wednesday said that Pakistan would be there for Saudi Arabia “before it is needed”, adding “no matter what, no matter when”. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Zaidi was asked about whether Pakistan would come to Saudi Arabia’s aid “militarily or otherwise” amid war triggered in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. “The question is not whether Pakistan might come to Saudi Arabia’s aid. Both countries, even before the strategic mutual defence agreement, have operated on a principle of being there for the other before they need the other. So, there is no question that we might; we will. No matter what, no matter when,” he said. He maintained that the “real question” was what Pakistan was doing to make sure that things did not escalate to a point where “any of its closest partners are further embroiled in a conflict that potentially undermines stability and prosperity, not just for the region at large but especially for the Pakis...

Thunderstorms lashed the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Wednesday, bringing both heavy and light showers that cooled down the atmosphere and created pleasant weather conditions.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has tasked the Crime Control Department (CCD) with eliminating illegal weapons across the province.

Tanker drivers in Pakistan said they were facing long waits at depots due to a shortage of fuel, as the government played down fears of another rise in prices. The US-Israeli war with Iran has disrupted shipping and damaged oil and gas facilities in the Middle East, raising global oil prices as countries scramble to deal with concerns over supply. Dozens of tankers, which supply fuel across Pakistan, were seen parked at the side of the road on Tuesday at depots near Lahore. “There is no petrol at the depot for the past four days,” said one tanker driver, Abdul Shakoor. “Iran has closed the border from their side. The depot is lying empty,” he told AFP. The country depends on oil and gas from the Gulf, and vessels transporting fuel were given naval escorts this week to ensure continuity of supplies during the Middle East crisis. Last week, the government hiked prices by about 20 per cent, triggering long lines and panic buying at filling stations across the country. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said in...

Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader after the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in strikes by the US and Israel on Iran. Mojtaba has been termed as a discreet figure who offers continuity of his father’s leadership. His appointment has drawn contrasting reactions from Washington and Jerusalem, reflecting differing strategies in responding to Iran’s evolving leadership. Here is how different international media outlets covered the news: Fox News — Iran crowns ‘nepo baby’ as supreme leader: Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise questioned by critics The mullahs spent 45 years denouncing hereditary dynasties and they just crowned a king. Khamenei junior. The boss’ son. He’s 56, no resume except his last name. Al Jazeera — Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader after father’s killing Mojtaba Khamenei has never run for office or been subjected to a public vote, but has long been a highly influential figure in the inner circle of the suprem...

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Secretariat has implemented comprehensive austerity and fuel conservation measures aimed at ensuring prudent utilisation of public resources, reducing energy consumption, and supporting the government’s national austerity drive. Under the measures, the salaries of MNAs has been cut by 25 per cent. According to a notification issued on Wednesday, only 20pc of staff will perform their duties in person, while the remaining 80pc will work virtually from home through a rotational roster. It stated that employees working from home would remain available through telephone, email, WhatsApp, and other communication tools, and would be required to report to the office within one hour’s notice if directed by their reporting officers. It added that employees working from home would not be entitled to diet allowances or overtime charges, and no employee would be permitted to leave their station without prior approval of the competent authority. The secretariat further said that a four-day ...

Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index closed in the red on Wednesday, shedding 318.65 points, or 0.2 per cent, to settle at 155,858.47 points compared with its previous close of 156,177.12 points. The index began the session on a strong note, staging a sharp rebound during early trading. By 10:55am, the index had climbed more than 2,000 points as investor sentiment improved following the previous day’s rally. However, the momentum gradually faded through the day, and by 1pm the index had largely erased its gains, reflecting cautious trading activity. Overall, the session remained volatile, with the benchmark fluctuating between an intraday high of 158,624.51 points and a low of 155,652.35 points. Trading activity was led by The Bank of Punjab, which rose 2.53pc to Rs27.97 on a volume of 37,706,784 shares. It was followed by K-Electric Limited, which fell 3.10pc to Rs7.49 with 37,690,039 shares traded, and Cnergyico PK Limited, which edged up 2.02pc to Rs7.06 on a volume of 27,351,074 shares. The earlier rally ca...

The Special Communication Organization (SCO) is playing a key role in connecting remote mountainous areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir with modern telecommunication facilities.

Qatar Airways has announced it will operate 29 flights to and from Doha on Thursday after receiving temporary authorization from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for employing “delaying tactics” in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case against former premier Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi. The development came as a division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif presided over the hearing on pleas filed by the couple seeking the suspension of their sentences and appeals against their convictions. Prior to the hearing, the anti-graft watchdog, in a sharp legal response submitted to the court, had raised a preliminary jurisdictional objection, arguing that the appellants’ application under Section 426 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was premature. The bureau contended that the appeals filed by Imran and Bushra had not yet been formally admitted for regular hearing by the high court. Citing legal precedents, it maintained that the phrase “pending appeal” in Section 426 of t...

Among the virtues that preserve systemic stability, three critical qualities provide structural integrity, self control, balance and self excellence.

GWADAR: Five labourers from Sindh were injured in a grenade attack on a house in the coastal town of Pasni late Tuesday night, police said. Unknown people riding motorbikes hurled a grenade at a residential quarter in Ward No. 9, resulting in an explosion in the house’s courtyard, according to police reports. As a result, five people said to be from Sindh were injured while a portion of the quarter was damaged. Police rushed to the site soon after the blast and shifted the injured to the district hospital. “The condition of one injured is serious, while others are stable despite receiving multiple injuries,” a police official said. They all belonged to Larkana and Qambar Shahdadkot, and were staying in Gwadar to work as labourers. Police are investigating the incident. No one has claimed responsibility for the grenade attack as yet. There has been a rise in militancy in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past year. However, there was a decline in militant attacks following the launch of retaliatory “Op...