Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Friday expressed grave concern over the deteriorating health of its founder Imran Khan and reiterated its demand for his immediate transfer to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital for specialised medical treatment, saying that he was a former prime minister and the most popular leader. In a press conference, party stalwarts condemned what they described as the government’s “criminal negligence” with regard to Imran’s health and demanded the immediate transfer of the PTI founder to Shifa International Hospital for specialised medical treatment. They also called for his personal physicians to be provided immediate access to him and for unhindered meetings with his family members and the party leadership, warning that any further delay could have “serious consequences”. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, flanked by senior party leaders, criticised the federal government’s conduct on the matter, as well as what he called politically motivated cases against him. “The PTI fou...

Stresses dialogue over armed confrontation, announces measures on missing persons

Two young girls hurt as mystery drone destroys rooms, collapses walls

Directs power consumers to approach NEPRA for grievances on load shedding, distribution policies

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PML-N stalwart Nehal Hashmi on Friday was sworn in as the new governor of Sindh, following his surprise appointment a day earlier. Sindh High Court Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput administered the oath at a ceremony held in Karachi. Senior leaders were present at the televised ceremony, including PPP leader Saeed Ghani and Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah. The newly-appointed governor spoke to the media after the oath-taking ceremony, where he said, “I want to give a message to the people of Karachi [..] that we will move forward with political struggle, faithfulness and honesty.” Hashmi reiterated that his party’s message was that of peace, love, and development. “We have an entire department for laptops for youth, programmes for their training, loan schemes, and other facilities,” he said. “All the federal institutions here will become functional and work for progress in Sindh,” he said. He said the provincial government would “follow in the footsteps of our sister, Punjab Chief Minister ...

Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials on Friday, as Israel and Iran unleashed fresh strikes in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy. Since erupting on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the war has cascaded throughout the region, drawn in global powers, and sparked a major oil shock. AFP journalists in Tehran reported loud blasts over the city skies, as Israel’s military said it had hit more than 200 targets in western and central Iran in the past day. Black smoke rises following an airstrike, as Iranians take part in the Al-Quds Day rally, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Tehran on March 13, 2026. — AFP Iran’s state media said at least one woman was killed when blasts hit an area near a demonstration, where large crowds had gathered waving flags and brandishing banners reading “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. “These...

ISLAMABAD: Data from Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Programme shows that a majority of the environmental samples for poliovirus, which causes the crippling disease, collected during the first two months of 2026 have tested negative. Moreover, a comparison of the first two months of 2025 with the current year shows a more than threefold reduction in positive environmental samples. However, ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions could create an opportunity for the virus to rebound during the upcoming high-transmission season, which may begin next month. According to a document from the Polio Eradication Programme, available with Dawn, 111 environmental samples out of 126 tested negative across the country in February. It is worth noting that sewage samples are a key indicator of whether polio vaccination campaigns are being carried out successfully. After samples are detected, polio campaigns are launched in the area to eradicate the virus. A polio case can be reported in any city due to the frequent movement of p...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday decided that the prices of petroleum products would not be increased this time despite the uptick in the global oil market. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying that prices were not being increased to reduce the burden on the common man. He said that as per his “promise”, he would provide relief to the people as much as possible. “The global economy is currently under pressure due to regional tensions, which is likely to have a profound impact on Pakistan’s economy,” the premier said. He said that because of timely policy-making, austerity measures by the government and financial discipline, efforts were being made to deal with this situation effectively. The premier further added that provincial governments were also supporting the Centre in its austerity measures, which was welcome. He said that due to the efforts of the diplomatic and economic teams, adequate quantities of crude oil were available for t...

Accused staged armed robberies so fake victims could claim immigration benefits

On March 10, as the US-Israel war with Iran entered its second week, the Bahrain government announced the arrest of six persons hailing from Asian countries — five of them Pakistanis — on charges of filming, publishing and reposting “videos related to the effects of the treacherous Iranian aggression”. The Iran conflict — which broke out on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on the Islamic Republic and assassinated then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other top security officials and hundreds of civilians — has now spiralled into a Middle East war. Today, the entire region is on fire as Tehran continues to retaliate with attacks on Israel and at least seven Gulf states, including Bahrain, which has reported intercepting 114 missiles and 190 drones since the beginning of the war. In an X post on March 8, Bahrain had issued a warning against the photographing of “vital sites and facilities” and publishing them on social media. Two days later, a statement issu...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that Pakistan successfully targeted terrorist affiliated locations in Afghanistan overnight. In a post on X, he said, “It is pertinent to mention that on the night of 12/13 March 2026, Pakistan successfully targeted terrorists’ affiliated installations in Afghanistan.“ He said that terrorists and their support infrastructure, including logistic bases, and camps, were targeted. His post also showed the strikes, with the minister saying that Pakistan “precisely targeted only those installations which directly/indirectly support terrorism from inside Afghanistan and terrorist camps”. “No civilian population or civilian infrastructures were targeted as falsely propagated by Afghan regime officials and media,” he asserted. The statement by the minister came hours after security sources said that in overnight strikes against terrorists and Afghan Taliban targets, the armed forces destroyed training camps and support infrastructure in Afghanistan. “Pakistan’s Armed...