Pakistan

Former Test cricketer and chief selector Mohammad Ilyas passed away at the age of 79 after fighting a prolonged illness, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday. Ilyas — a right-hand batter and right-arm leg-spin bowler — played 10 Test matches along with 82 first-class and two List-A games between 1961 and 1976, PCB said in a statement as it expressed its grief following Ilyas’s passing. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi also extended his heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the bereaved family, while also paying homage to the late Ilyas for his valuable services to the game of cricket in Pakistan. Ilyas made his Test debut against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 4, 1964 and played his last Test match against England at Dhaka from February 28 to March 3, 1969, according to the national board. Apart from one Test century, the opening batsman boasted a record of 12 first-class tons, having scored 4,607 runs in the format. His solitary Test century came in the third Test match of a 2-0 ...

Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari on Monday refuted claims by PTI leaders that different and unrelated videos were submitted for a forensic report about the May 9, 2023 riots. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has found himself in the centre of a legal controversy after a forensic report, submitted by the prosecution to the anti-terrorism court in the Radio Pakistan attack case, identified him as one of the suspects seen in the purported video clips of the incident. “There are two separate videos [of KP CM] and they should not be confused. One of the videos must be from Zaman Park. However, the other one showing [him] vandalising and lighting fire has been deleted [from the social media account],” she said while addressing a press conference in Lahore. “When KP chief minister realised that an effort to rebellion which he termed as revolution failed, he deleted the videos [of May 9, 2023] from social media. However, the videos remained in the record,” said Bokhari. She further claimed thei...

Officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Ministry of Interior on Monday briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology regarding data leaks and anomalies in Pakistani family trees.

President Asif Ali Zardari will undertake an official visit to Bahrain from January 13-16, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Monday. According to the FO, the president will be accompanied by a “high-level delegation”. It said that during the visit, the president will hold meeting with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who is also the prime minister. “The discussions will focus on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest,” the FO said. “The visit seeks to reinforce Pakistan’s longstanding cooperation with the brotherly Gulf nation while expanding opportunities for collaboration in trade and economic partnership, defence and security, and people-to-people ties,” it added. Last year in November, Prime Mini­ster Shehbaz Sharif, during a two-day visit to Bahrain, had reiterated Pakis­tan’s commitment to deepening ties with the kingdom. Discussing economic relations, the prime minister had unde­r­lined Pakistan’s desire to exp...

President Asif Ali Zardari will undertake an official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain from January 13 to 16, 2026, the Foreign Office announced on Monday.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a home solarization scheme for the province’s merged districts, aiming to provide renewable energy solutions to 1,20,000 households.

In a relief for power consumers, the Pakistan government has decided not to raise the average basic electricity tariff, officials said on Monday.

The Lahore High Court on Monday reviewed a report submitted by the Member Judicial Water Commission regarding tree cutting on Canal Road, as part of the ongoing smog case hearings.

India and the United States will discuss trade issues in their next call tomorrow, Washington’s newly-appointed ambassador to New Delhi, Sergio Gor, said on Monday, at a time when failure to secure a trade deal has roiled their ties and pushed the rupee to a record low. India will also be invited to join Pax Silica next month, Gor said, referring to a US-led initiative to build a silicon supply chain from critical minerals to semiconductors and AI. Trade talks between India and the US fell apart last year and Trump then doubled tariffs on Indian goods in August to 50 per cent, among the world’s highest rates, including a levy of 25pc to punish New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil. The two nations have been close to a deal on several occasions since they agreed to negotiate in February last year, India said last week. “Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow,” Gor said in New Delhi as he formally took charge of his position, adding that the two countries will...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday said that, according to the latest numerical analysis of weather data, temperatures in the coming days will stay within the “normal winter range,” dismissing reports claiming an “extreme cold wave” expected from January 16 to 25. In a rebuttal issued today, the PMD said, “Certain social media platforms are circulating misleading and unverified forecasts claiming an extreme cold wave across Pakistan during the period from Jan 16-25 with record-breaking temperatures in the country.” The weather body dismissed the reports of extreme weather, stating that “No such extreme or historic cold wave is expected during the mentioned period”. “According to the latest analysis of numerical weather prediction models and observational data, temperatures are within the normal winter range, with no indication of widespread or persistent record-breaking conditions,” PMD said. It urged the public to rely on official forecasts, warnings and advisories issued by the PMD. PMD ...

The motorway police have said that all motorways under its jurisdiction have been opened for traffic, after dense fog conditions prompted partial closure of several motorways early on Monday. In a post on X, the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) said, “All motorways falling under the jurisdiction of the NHMP have been opened for traffic upon improved visibility”. Earlier, due to dense and persistent fog conditions, the motorway police had partially closed various key motorways, including sections of the M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5, and M-11. At 10:25am on Monday, NHMP said on its X account that the M-2 motorway had been closed from Thokar Niaz Baig to Sial Mor, the M-3 motorway remained closed from Faisal Pur to Darakhana, and the M-4 motorway is closed from Shershah to Pindi Bhattian. While the M-5 motorway is closed from Shershah to Zaheer Peer, and the M-11 motorway is closed from Lahore to Sambrial. Earlier, the NHMP said that Motorway M-5 was closed from Rohri to Rahim Yar Khan, but it had now been ope...

Australia has tightened checks for student visa applicants from India, moving it to the ‘highest risk’ category along with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, according to Australian and Indian media. The Times of India reported on Sunday that the re-rating of the countries was out of cycle, quoting Australian media, while the administration said this was triggered by “emerging integrity risks”. According to the TOI report, the administration did not cite any specific reason for which India had been assigned to a new category. However, it added that the move came after reports of “fake degree busts” in India which had reached international media. “India alone accounts for almost 140,000 of Australia’s 650,000 international students, and the four nations represent nearly one-third of 2025 enrolments,” the Indian outlet said. Impact on students Assessment levels influence not only the documentary burden but also how easily prospective students can plan to study in Australia, according to The Australia Today. “Higher...

Managing Director of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi, announced that a new version of the e-Procurement system will be launched in June to enhance transparency in public procurement.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday rejected circulating reports of an impending severe cold wave in the country.

Dense fog in plain areas of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the night between Sunday and Monday forced the closure of several motorway sections after visibility dropped to dangerously low levels.

US President Donald Trump urged Cuba on Sunday to “make a deal” soon, pledging to cut off all oil and money flowing to the communist-run island after the toppling of Havana’s key ally, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The threatening social media post drew an angry retort from Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who said “no one” would tell his country what to do. Washington has imposed economy-crippling sanctions on its island neighbour for decades, but Trump has ramped up the pressure in recent days. US special forces seized Maduro and his wife this month in a lightning raid that left dozens of the ousted Venezuelan president’s security personnel dead — many of whom were Cuban. Though Maduro’s allies have become interim leaders, Trump has claimed the United States now actually controls Venezuela through a US naval blockade of its vital oil sector. “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” ...

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has convened a meeting of parliamentary leaders today at the Parliament House in Islamabad.

During an ongoing operation against the illegal parking mafia in the Saddar area, authorities arrested 12 more individuals for extorting citizens under the pretext of collecting parking fees.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has accepted for hearing a petition challenging the use of firearms and poisonous substances to eliminate stray dogs across Punjab.

A terrorist attack on a police check post was successfully foiled in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after timely action by police personnel, officials said on Monday.