Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified PTI’s Murad Saeed from his Senate seat following his conviction in a May 9 case, it emerged on Thursday. The ECP’s notification for Saeed’s disqualification mentioned his sentencing by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on March 7. Saeed was named among 47 proclaimed offenders sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in the May 9 case General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case by a Rawalpindi ATC. In a notification dated March 25 and available with Dawn, the ECP cited the court’s March 7 order, stating: “Murad Saeed, notified as returned candidate on a general seat of Senate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province [..] has become disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and is hereby de-notified. Resultantly, his seat has become vacant.” Article 63(1h) of the Constitution stipulates that a person shall be disqualified from Parliament if they have been convicted for any offence involving moral turpitude or sentenced...

MQM-P leaders press Shehbaz Sharif for fast-tracking Karachi development package

Pakistan has avoided taking sides and tried instead to maintain stable relations with all parties

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday assailed the PTI, stating the party’s “attempts” at disrespecting the country’s dignity under the guise of political disagreement were “unacceptable”. The comments come a day after Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, raised his father’s case at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), saying that the former prime minister’s treatment by authorities violated international human rights conventions as well as commitments made under the GSP+ framework. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the minister held that “while it was every political party’s right to engage in criticism, the country’s dignity should not be put at stake”. He noted that an “unfortunate development” was seen in Geneva a day earlier, referring to Kasim’s speech at the UNHCR. “No political leader is bigger than Pakistan,” Tarar said, assailing the PTI for not putting “national interest first”. “The mockery of the country by the political opposition is unaccep...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index KSE-100 plunged over 5,000 points on Thursday. The KSE-100 declined by 5,405.48 points or 3.41 per cent to close at 152,907.96 from the previous close of 158,313.44. The index rose to an intraday high of 157,591.23 points at around 10:05am, and then declined to an intraday low of 152,668.07 points at around 3:15pm, before settling at 152,907.96. According to Topline Securities, “the market experienced sustained selling pressure throughout the day”. It added that the index “predominantly” traded in “negative territory as investors remained cautious amid persistent volatility in international oil prices and ongoing global uncertainty”. Topline Securities noted that “key index-heavy stocks, including United Bank Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Company, Engro Holdings Limited, Lucky Cement Limited, and the Hub Power Company Limited, acted as major drags on the market”. It said that the companies “collectively” pulled the index down “by approximately 2,138 points durin...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday reiterated its call for de-escalation in the region, stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire while highlighting Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to promote peace.

Anacondas, boa constrictors and a caiman were found behind a false wall in southern Italy, police said Thursday, amid warnings dangerous reptiles are being used by local crooks to intimidate their victims. Police in Bari carrying out a raid in an apartment block found “exotic and dangerous animals” in a secret basement room which had been transformed into a clandestine reptile house. The find included two green anacondas, each about five metres (16 feet) long and weighing around 60 kg and a spectacled caiman measuring over 1.5 meters long. “The spectacled caiman … is a wild predator with extremely powerful jaws and potentially aggressive behavior” and posed “a real threat to public safety”, according to a police statement. There was also an Asian water monitor, a lizard “of considerable size equipped with claws and a potentially dangerous bite”, it said. Police also seized a yellow anaconda, a Bolivian anaconda, four Burmese pythons, approximately three meters long each, and four boa constrictors. The reptile...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting that stressed the importance of national consensus and institutional coordination in view of emerging regional challenges arising from the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran. According to a handout by the President’s Secretariat, the meeting was held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad. It was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. According to the handout, the broader regional situation also came under discussion, including its implications for Pakistan’s security, economic outlook and food security. The meeting emphasised the need for a coordinated national response, noting that policy decisions must prioritise stability while safeguarding the interests of the public. “The meeting underscored the importance of maintaining national consensus and strengthening institutional coordination in view of emerging regional challenges. It was agreed that economic management, ener...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday said that the indirect talks between the United States and Iran were taking place through the messages being relayed by Pakistan.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast partly cloudy weather in Karachi, with chances of thunderstorms and rain on March 26 and 28. In its daily weather outlook issued on Thursday, the PMD said a westerly wave is continuously affecting most parts of the country. It has forecast partly cloudy weather in Karachi today, with a maximum temperature of 30–32°C and a minimum of 24°C. The humidity was expected to be around 45-55 per cent in the evening, with a west/southwesterly wind, said the weather service. On Friday, partly cloudy weather is expected in the city. The PMD has forecast highs of 31–33°C and lows of 22–24°C, with humidity levels of 80–90pc during the daytime, and a northwesterly wind becoming west/southwesterly. Saturday will be partly cloudy, with a chance of thunderstorms or rain, mercury rising to 30–32°C and lows of 22–24°C, humidity levels of 75–85pc during the day, and a west/southwesterly wind. Meanwhile, under the influence of a westerly wave, thunderstorms or rain of light...

Says Kasim made no anti-Pakistan remarks, vows to carry out any efforts to secure Imran's release under Constitution

Calling the Iran conflict a shame, Trump says the only reason he is doing it is to stop death

Move follows Iran’s position that vessels not involved in hostile actions can transit the waterway

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday said that US-Iran “indirect talks” were taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. “There has been unnecessary speculation in the media regarding peace talks to end ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. “In reality, US-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran,” he said. “Brotherly countries of Turkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative,” he said. “Pakistan remains fully committed to promoting peace and continues to make every effort to ensure stability in the region and beyond,” he said, adding that dialogue and diplomacy were the only way forward. He also tagged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff in the post. Shor...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday chaired a meeting to review the stock of petroleum products in the country, wherein it was told that the country currently had adequate stocks of petroleum products to meet demand for April and beyond.

Labour Party member Baroness Alexander says discussion is timely given Imran's 'deteriorating welfare'

Multiple PML-N supporters and media outlets on social media platform X have been sharing two videos since March 25, showing Kasim Khan, son of PTI founder Imran Khan, allegedly demanding the suspension of Pakistan’s status for the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade scheme. However, he made no such demand. The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false. Imran — imprisoned since 2023 for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190 million corruption case. Meanwhile, his party and family have alleged that he is being kept in solitary confinement — with a restriction on visitors being allowed to meet him in jail — and have repeatedly raised concerns over his medical treatment after it surfaced in January that he suffered an eye ailment. His sons have been campaigning for his release as well. According to the European Union, GSP+ status is a special incentive awarded to developing countries to “...

'They're great negotiators and are begging for a deal, but I don't know if we'll do that,' Trump says

Pakistan on Thursday urged India to immediately release Kashmiri women leaders Asiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, and Nahida Nasreen, terming their sentences “politically motivated” and an act of “revenge.

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on Thursday that India appears increasingly uneasy over Pakistan’s active diplomatic role in efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East.