Pakistan

Buying gifts for men should be easy, right? You walk into a store, grab something in leather or metal — a wallet, a watch, maybe a bottle of perfume that smells “fresh and manly”, and you’re done. Safe, predictable, problem solved. Except, it’s not. Because when it comes to gifting men, there’s this generic paradox. Everyone thinks it’s simple, yet most men end up with things they neither want nor use. Well, we all know the holy trinity of male gifts — watches, perfumes, and shoes, but perhaps it’s time to retire them. So, we decided to ask a few men what they actually want as gifts. The answers were funny, practical, a little bitter, and somewhat relatable. image showing a fancy watch in a box. — Ashutosh Pradhan/ Pixabay Zareef, a part-time cartoonist, began his confession with dry honesty: “I often don’t get gifts. But not getting gifts doesn’t bother me much. What bothers me is getting gifts I can’t use, like fancy mugs or flashy ties. I already have seven fancy mugs gathering dust, and a yellow tie that ...

The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) has announced the results of the Intermediate Part-I annual examinations 2025 for the Science General Group.

ISLAMABAD: Players of POPO FC attend a training session on Dec 6, 2025.—Mohammad Asim/White Star ISLAMABAD: At the F-11 Multipurpose Ground the day’s rhythm is set not by a whistle, but by the soft thud of a football. Here, in the heart of the capital, an unassuming patch of grass has become the most fertile ground for Pakistani football. This is the home of POPO Football Club — not a corporate academy, but a volunteer-run sanctuary that has, against the odds, become a national talent pipeline. Two years ago, the nation celebrated a historic 1-0 victory against Cambodia in the World Cup Qualifiers, Pakistan’s maiden win on the global stage. What it didn’t see was the quiet genesis of that triumph. Five of the players on that pitch were products of this single, modest club in Sector F-11. Their work is not only limited to the senior team but the efforts on the players start from the grassroots level. In the last 24 months alone, POPO FC — who works under the patronage of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) — ha...

Fresh from a widely-celebrated U-19 Asia Cup triumph, skipper of the Pakistan youth team Farhan Yousaf wants his side to show humility as they take on Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in the tri-series that starts in Harare on Saturday. The series will act as a warm-up for the teams ahead of the U-19 World Cup, which is set to be held from January 15 in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Pakistan won the U-19 Asia Cup title after beating an unbeaten India side by 191 runs in the final last week — the achievement sparking raucous celebrations back home with the national youth squad welcomed by a huge crowd at the Islamabad International Airport. The decider saw Pakistan opener Sameer Minhas smash a scintillating 172 and pacer Ali Raza routing the Indian batting line-up with a four-wicket show under the mentorship of former national skipper Sarfraz Ahmed. The achievement added star value to the Pakistan U-19 team, raising expectations ahead of the tri-series and the World Cup, but for Farhan, it is about focusing on what he believe...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday extended the deadline for submission of nomination papers for local government elections in Islamabad by three days at the request of PTI. The new date for submission of nomination papers is December 30. In an application submitted to the ECP, Secretary Baldiat Committee Anjum Shahzad Tanoli requested the chief election commissioner to extend the deadline for the submission of nomination papers. “With due respect, this is to draw your kind attention towards the schedule of Local Body elections in Islamabad, wherein the last date for submission of nomination papers has been fixed as 27th December. It is humbly submitted that the Government has announced a local holiday on 26th December, which will significantly affect the smooth process of nomination paper submission,” he stated. “Islamabad comprises 125 Union Councils, and in each Union Council at least 9 councillors are required to submit their nomination papers. The announced holiday will create serious ad...

President Donald Trump said US forces conducted “powerful and deadly” strikes on Thursday against Islamic State (IS) militants in northwestern Nigeria, weeks after he warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country. The Nigerian foreign ministry early on Friday confirmed the air strikes, describing them as “precision hits on terrorist targets” in the country. The Department of Defence’s US Africa Command said “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in an attack in Sokoto state conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, but few details were provided and it was not clear how many people died. The strikes hit IS targets on Christmas Day, according to Trump. View this post on Instagram “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “May God Bless our Military,” he said, adding provocatively, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Ter...

The year 2025 marked a turning point for Pakistan’s foreign policy, with notable achievements spanning international recognition, strengthened alliances, and an enhanced role in regional and global diplomacy.

The Punjab government has declared that public buses and rickshaws will be free for commuters in Lahore on February 6, 7, and 8 in connection with Basant festivities.

Fourteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a factory in central Japan during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, an emergency services official said on Friday. “Fourteen people are subject to transportation by emergency services,” Tomoharu Sugiyama, a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima in the Shizuoka region, told AFP. He said a call was received at about 4.30pm (12:30pm PKT) from a nearby rubber factory saying “five or six people were stabbed by someone” and that a “spray-like liquid” had also been used. Japanese media, including public broadcaster NHK, reported that police had arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder. The seriousness of the injuries was unknown, although NHK said all victims remained conscious. Sugiyama said at least six of the 14 victims had been sent to a hospital in a fleet of ambulances. The exact nature of the injuries was also unclear. The factory in Mishima is run by Yokohama Rubber Co., whose business includes manufacturing tyres for t...

The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has constituted a six-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) comprising members of the Legislative Assembly.

Supreme Court Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed on Friday observed that court decisions in Pakistan are not made on oaths sworn on the Quran, remarking that if verdicts were based on such oaths, prisons would be empty.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development and senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal briefly disappeared from a live television interview on Thursday after his video link suddenly disconnected, but rejoined moments later and assured viewers that “all is well”.

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is planning a sharp expansion of efforts to strip United States citizenship from naturalised Americans, prompting alarm among immigration advocates and strong condemnation from Democratic lawmakers, including a senior member of Congress who warned that the move would undermine the foundations of American citizenship. According to internal guidance circulated to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices and first obtained by The New York Times, the administration has asked the agency to “supply [the] Office of Immigration Litigation with 100 to 200 denaturalisation cases per month” during the 2026 fiscal year. If carried out, the plan would mark an unprecedented escalation of denaturalisation in the modern era. Between 2017 and this year, just over 120 denaturalisation cases were filed in total, according to Justice Department figures cited by US media reports. In comparison, meeting the new monthly targets could result in as many as 2,400 cases a year. ...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the deadline for submission of nomination papers for candidates contesting the upcoming local government elections in Islamabad.

Five people were killed in an armed clash on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Tajik state media said on Thursday. Citing a statement by the Border Troops of the Tajik State Committee for National Security, state news agency Khovar reported that three people crossed into the country late on Tuesday in the Shamsiddin Shohin district of the country’s southwestern Khatlon region, and were later located on Wednesday. “The terrorists refused to obey orders from Tajik border guards to surrender and offered armed resistance. They intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border posts of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan,” the statement said. “As a result of the combat operation, all three terrorists were neutralised,” the statement said, adding that two Tajik border officers were killed during the clashes. According to the statement, this was the third “armed attack, terrorist act, and border crossing” from Afghanistan in the past mont...

The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has announced a temporary traffic diversion plan from 11:00am to 3:00pm on Friday on the Expressway and Murree Road/Club Road in connection with a special programme.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) disposed of a total of 15,805 cases during 2025, according to its annual performance report, reflecting efficient case management across various bench categories.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal reacted to the speculation surrounding the brief disruption of his interview with ARY News’ Waseem Badami the previous night, saying, “I hope we can avoid unnecessary politicisation of this”. On Thursday night, the minister joined ARY News programme ‘11th Hour’, which was being broadcast live, via a video link. As the minister discussed the matter of talks between the government and the opposition, the conversation was disrupted when a person — not seen in the video — yelled in an aggressive tone, “Shut this”. Following that, Iqbal’s call was disconnected. It prompted the host to wonder aloud if Iqbal was alright. “I hope everything is well. I don’t know what just happened,” he said. Later, the minister rejoined the programme, confirming that “all was well”. The incident sparked widespread speculation across social media, with many people suggesting that it was political in nature. The planning minister, however, clarified on X early today morning that “a brief disruption occurre...

President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will arrive in Islamabad today on a day-long official visit to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the recent surge of violence, vandalism, and arson targeting media houses in Bangladesh. A joint statement issued by PFUJ President Afzal Butt, and Secretary General Arshad Ansari on Friday said, “Silencing the press through physical intimidation is a direct violation of the constitutional right to freedom of expression and the rule of law.” The statement comes days after Bangladesh saw violent protests following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year’s student-led uprising that toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka on December 16 while launching his campaign for an election due in February. He died in Singapore on December 18. Following his death, violent protests broke out and several buildings, including those housing leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were set on fire and vandalised. Protesters accused the newspapers of enabling Hadi’s killing, calli...