Pakistan

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Heavy snow has been reported in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of Pakistan over the past two days, with the Meteorological Department on Friday forecasting more rain and snowfall from Sunday night till Tuesday. Amid the extreme weather, the Met department has advised tourists to remain extra cautious and avoid unnecessary travelling during this period. It has also asked the authorities concerned to remain vigilant and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation. Tourists gather during a snowstorm in Murree on January 23, 2026. — AFP Locals gather and enjoy the snow on the outskirts of Quetta on January 22. — AFP A citizen is blanketed during a snowstorm in Murree on January 23,. — AFP Children play in a snow-covered area on the outskirts of Quetta on January 22. — AFP A bulldozer is used to clear heavy snow from a road in Murree on January 23. — AFP A man helps a motorcyclist to steer out of a snow-covered road on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir on January 23...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday warned citizens against violating the rules set for Basant, which is set to be celebrated in Lahore from February 6 to 8. The festival is returning to Lahore after 18 years. The Punjab government has announced that there are no plans to celebrate Basant across the province and also notified a host of rules for the three-day festival. Addressing a meeting on preparations for Basant, which was broadcast live on television, the Punjab CM said, “Basant was an 800-year-old festival; it is not just a festival but a metaphor for renewal.” She said the festival was “our heritage” and celebrated around the world. “I want to give the good news to the people that for the first time, we are celebrating a government-sponsored and government-organised Basant from February 6 to 8,” she said. She regretted that due to negligence, the festival became associated with accidents. She said that she would give a detailed briefing to the people of Punjab on a plan for Basant in a few day...

Britain said United States President Donald Trump was “wrong to diminish” the role of Nato troops in Afghanistan, as his claims that they did not fight on the front line sparked outrage. In an interview with Fox News aired on Thursday, Trump appeared unaware that 457 British soldiers died during the conflict, following the September 11 attacks on the United States. “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump told the US outlet, referring to Nato allies. “And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he added. Trump also repeated his suggestion that Nato would not come to the aid of the United States if asked to do so. In fact, following the 9/11 attacks, the UK and several other allies joined the US in Afghanistan from 2001 after it invoked Nato’s collective security clause, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which treats an act of aggression against one or more members as an attack on all. As well as British forces, troops from other Nato ally countries, including...

The central bank is expected to cut its key policy rate by 50 basis points at its upcoming meeting, a Reuters poll showed, as easing inflation, improving foreign exchange buffers and a stabilising rupee bolster the case for further monetary easing despite lingering risks. The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to meet on Jan 26 (Monday). Of the 10 analysts surveyed, seven expect the SBP to cut rates by 50 basis points, two see a deeper 75 basis point reduction, while one expects the central bank to hold rates unchanged, following a surprise cut in December that ended a four-meeting pause. The median forecast points to a 50 bps cut. That would cement a change in direction from the SBP’s aggressive tightening cycle after rates peaked at a record 22 per cent in 2023, with cumulative cuts since mid-2024 totalling 1,150 bps so far. Analysts projecting a 50 bps move cited moderating inflation, higher foreign exchange reserves and a better balance of payments outlook, while flaggin...

State Minister for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani on Friday informed the Senate that the government had successfully steered the country away from default, restored economic stability, and was now focused on achieving sustainable growth and creating jobs.

Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori has demanded a judicial inquiry into the deadly Gul Plaza fire in Karachi that has claimed at least 63 lives so far.

British counter-terrorism police are investigating a series of what authorities have described as “highly targeted” attacks against two Pakistani dissidents living in the United Kingdom, according to a report published by The Guardian on Friday. Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command took over the investigation following four attacks that began on Christmas Eve in Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire. One person has been arrested, and one of the incidents involved the use of a firearm. The attacks targeted two prominent supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated. One of the victims told The Guardian that his attackers appeared to be “fair-skinned, white or wearing masks” and said he feared for his life. The first two attacks took place on Christmas Eve. In Chesham, Buckinghamshire, two men broke into the home of a dissident shortly after 8am and vandalised the property. The second attack occurred at the Cambridgeshire home of rights lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a h...

Senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the Pakistan team for the T20I series against Australia this month, as national selectors on Friday announced the 16-member squad. The duo were left out of the squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month, where all-rounder Shadab Khan made his comeback. He will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement today. The matches will take place at Lahore’s Gadaffi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1 and will begin at 4pm PKT. Pakistan squad and player support personnel are expected to convene in Lahore on Jan 24 and will begin their preparations for the series the following day, PCB said today. Meanwhile, Australia is set to arrive in Pakistan on January 28 and will play just their second series in the format on Pakistani soil after a solitary T20I in April 2022, also at Gaddafi Stadium. A day earlier, Ba...

Being surrounded by many loved ones is like sharing a busy home kitchen; there is warmth, laughter, and support, but there is also crowding, noise, and the occasional clash. This, in essence, captures the experience of the traditional joint family system in South Asia. Legend has it that the joint family system in South Asia has roots in ancient and medieval agrarian societies, where extended families living together made economic and social sense. Nowadays, the traditional joint family, though increasingly rare, is part of our cultural legacy — something many families take pride in. It represents a tradition where multiple generations live together in the same household, where grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins continue living together under one roof, a practice not commonly seen in the Western part of the world. A nuclear family, on the other hand, usually consists of just two parents and their children, living together. As someone from a nuclear family, I have the first-hand experience of cherishing t...

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday approved a comprehensive package worth Rs21.53 billion, including a Rs13bn grant-in-aid for rehabilitating and improving Town Municipal Corporations’ (TMCs) road infrastructure in Karachi. According to a press release by the CM’s office, the initiative aims to ease traffic congestion, improve public safety, and boost economic activity in the provincial capital. The meeting, held at CM House, was attended by Local Government Minister Nasir Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary to the CM Raheem Shaikh, and other relevant officers. Nasir informed the chief minister that 24 TMCs across Karachi had requested funding to repair severely dilapidated roads and streets. Due to financial constraints, these TMCs were unable to carry out the works independently. Wahab reported that 409 roads across seven districts of Karachi needed rehabilitation, including 400 re...

Ten additional judges of the Sindh High Court (SHC) took oath as permanent judges in a ceremony held at the court premises on Friday.

A joint session of Parliament on Friday unanimously passed a resolution on the Gul Plaza tragedy with the consent of both the government and the opposition, while several key bills were also approved despite strong protests and objections raised by the President.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi paid a late-night visit to Peshawar Medical Complex on Friday to inquire about the health of people injured in an accident involving a vehicle carrying displaced families from Tirah.

The National Security Workshop, organised by the Pakistan Army, concluded successfully in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A British man is due to appear in court on Friday accused of drugging and raping his ex-wife over 13 years, alongside five other men also charged with sexual offences against her. Philip Young, 49, is charged with 56 sexual offences against his former wife Joanne Young, 48, including rape and administering a substance with the intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity. Joanne Young has waived her legal right to anonymity. Voyeurism, possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme images are among the other charges filed against Young, who is reportedly a former Conservative councillor. He is yet to enter a plea, and was remanded in custody after a hearing in December. Young is set to be joined by five other men, aged 31 to 61, also accused of various sexual offences against his ex-wife, at Winchester Crown Court, a criminal court in southeast England. The alleged crimes took place between 2010 and 2023. Norman Macksoni, 47, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and possessi...