Pakistan

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, on Tuesday, in a phone call with his Bahraini counterpart, reiterated Pakistan’s call for de-escalation and dialogue for stability in the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region. Iran, Pakistan’s western neighbour, has been embroiled in a war with the United States and Israel since the latter’s February 28 strikes that assassinated its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In retaliation for the strikes, Iran resorted to targeting neighbouring countries, which house US bases, including Bahrain. According to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO), Dar spoke with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani last night, and the two “exchanged views on the developments in the Middle East and the wider region, conveying grave concern over recent attacks, including in Bahrain”. FO added that during the call, Dar “reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with Bahrain and its people”. He also underscored the need for “de‑escalation, dialogue,...

A ceremony for the auction of 5G spectrum in Pakistan was held under the supervision of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday.

Pakistan has received its first shipment of crude oil since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following tensions linked to the United States–Israel conflict with Iran, easing concerns about a possible petrol shortage in the country.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, yesterday urged Pakistani nationals residing in Iran to immediately register with the embassy if they wish to return home, citing increasing logistical difficulties in arranging transportation.

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday designated Afghanistan as a ‘State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention’, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the Taliban of using hostage-taking as leverage against Washington. Earlier, in February, Iran was also designated a ‘State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention’. The announcement came as Washington sharpened its criticism of Taliban policies at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), where US Ambassador Mike Waltz questioned continued international engagement and funding provided to Afghanistan. Rubio, in a statement issued on Monday evening, said: “Today, I am designating Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.” He warned Americans against travel to Afghanistan, saying: “It is not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals.” He alleged that the Taliban “continue to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions...

Pollution resulting from the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil sites could worsen air quality in Pakistan's western parts, the country's official weather agency cautioned on Monday.

The government of Balochistan has launched the Green Peoples Bus Service in Turbat to provide residents with safe, comfortable and efficient travel facilities while improving urban mobility in the region.

Flights from Pakistan to the Middle East continued to face disruptions on Tuesday amid ongoing regional tensions, leading to multiple flight cancellations.

Heavy rainfall is expected to begin today in the upper regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising concerns about possible flash floods, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday declined to say whether Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader has a “target on his back,” but made clear his dissatisfaction with Tehran’s choice, calling it “going to lead to more of the same.” Asked at a news briefing in Doral, Florida, whether Iran’s new leader was a target, Trump replied: “The new leader, you mean the son?… I was disappointed to see their choice,” before adding, “I don’t want to say whether he has (a target on his back).” Pressed again at the end of the session, he repeated that he would not comment on any targeting decision but reiterated his broader frustration, saying the Iranian people are “an amazing people but the system they have only leads to failure.” The remarks came a day after Iran’s Assembly of Experts formally appointed Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — to succeed his father following his death in a US-Israeli strike. The succession consolidates power within the clerical circles and sign...

The government has reassured citizens that petrol supplies across the country remain stable despite recent volatility in global energy markets.

The National Assembly will resume its session at the Parliament House in Islamabad at 12 noon on Tuesday.

PM Shehbaz Sharif • PM defends ‘difficult decision’ on fuel prices, says global oil market ‘not in Pakistan’s hands’ • Public, private workplaces to shift half their staff to ‘work from home’; won’t apply to essential services such as banks, hospitals, agricultural or industrial sectors • All schools, colleges to stay closed for two weeks; higher education institutes to shift classes online • Special cabinet committee reviews fuel stocks, assesses national preparedness • Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also announce measures; Sindh cabinet meets today ISLAMABAD / LAHORE / PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced unprecedented austerity measures to cope with the situation that emerged due to the US-Israel war on Iran, which has led to a global oil crisis affecting various countries, including Pakistan, as three provinces with the exception of Sindh have taken their own set of steps to deal with the situation. In his address to the nation on Monday night, the premier unveiled the government’...

Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence extinguish a fire in a building after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.—Reuters • Lebanese parliament postpones legislative elections for two years • Lebanese president says Hezbollah risks state collapse, suggests full truce, direct talks BEIRUT: The Israeli onslaught in Leb­anon has displaced nearly 700,000 people, with reports of children among the casualties, as the conflict with the Leba­nese resistance group Hezbollah enters its second week, a UN agency said on Monday. “Mass displacement across Leb­­a­non has forced nearly 700,000 people including around 200,000 children from their homes, adding to the tens of thousands already uprooted from previous escalations,” UNICEF Reg­ional Direc­tor Edouard Beigbeder said. “Children are being killed and injured at a horrifying rate, families are fleeing their homes in fear, and thousands of children are now sleeping in cold and overcrowded shelters.” Lebanon, a country of 6 million, has turned its largest sport...

• US president calls Mojtaba’s appointment ‘bad idea’; says war could be ‘over soon’ • Kremlin says Putin gave Trump proposals for a quick settlement of conflict • Israel launches more attacks on Tehran, Isfahan; Iran pledges bigger warheads in response • Bahrain oil facilities attacked; Nato defences shoot down missiles aimed at Turkiye • Two UAE servicemen killed; strike hits near Iraqi base, Baghdad airport TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Monday was a rough day for global markets, which saw Brent crude oil prices jumping to a peak of $119.50 as Iran launched fresh strikes on energy installations in the Gulf, before coming back down to around $82 a barrel. For his part, US President Donald Trump predicted the war in the Middle East could be over soon, even as Tehran saw rallies in support of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Iranian state media showed large crowds in several cities rallying behind the new leader, waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced a host of austerity measures to conserve fuel in view of the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. Austerity measures 50pc cut in fuel allowance for official vehicles, with the exemption of operational vehicles such as ambulances and public buses, for the next two months 60pc vehicles of official vehicles to be grounded in all federal and provincial government establishments for the next two months The federal cabinet and provincial cabinet members will forgo salaries and allowances for the next two months Salaries of members of federal and provincial legislatures to see a 25pc cut for two months BS-20 government officials, in federal and provincial government establishments, who earn Rs300,000 or more, may forgo two days’ salary; officials serving in health and education sectors are exempted 20pc reduction in non-employee related expenditure for the fourth quarter for all federal and provincial government establishments 50pc staff to work...

US President Donald Trump indicated for the first time on Monday that US military operations in Iran could be coming to an end, saying the war was “very complete” and progressing ahead of schedule. The war had sent stock markets slumping and oil prices soaring again on Monday as Tehran, under new leader Mojtaba Khamenei, fired a new barrage of missiles at its Gulf neighbours and signalled that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would likely remain closed. But Wall Street vaulted into positive territory on Monday after Trump’s remarks, despite the lack of details on any solution to the conflict still raging in the Middle East. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force,” Trump told CBS News by phone, repeating battle damage assessments that he has given in previous days. Trump told the US broadcaster that the United States was “very far” ahead of his initially stated timeframe for the war of four or five weeks. On the first day in power for the 56...

ISLAMABAD: Aurat March organisers, civil society members, and rights groups accused the authorities on Monday of manhandling and threatening women’s rights activists who had been detained the previous day in Islamabad. The assertions were made at a press conference after police released all 44 activists detained ahead of an International Women’s Day rally on Sunday. Police cited the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the district administration not issuing a no-objection certificate (NoC) to the Aurat March for the rally as reasons for the arrests. After the activists were released, they held a press conference at the National Press Club, demanding an investigation into the incident. Aurat March’s Dr Farzana Bari said the organisers of the rally were aware that Section 144 was imposed in the federal capital, but “civil society does not accept any law that is in violation of basic rights”. “You cannot take our right to protest. Similar protests were held across the globe, but we were ...

ISLAMABAD - The District and Sessions Court of Islamabad on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in a case related to allegations against state institutions.

Islamabad - Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Monday that Pakistan is conducting operations against militant hideouts inside Afghanistan based on accurate intelligence information.