Pakistan

Mohsin Naqvi paid a surprise visit to Islamabad International Airport on Wednesday to review immigration procedures for Hajj pilgrims and other passengers.

Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu on Wednesday said the role played by the Pakistan Air Force in the country’s defence during Marka-e-Haq was “historic” and would be remembered in golden words, saying the force delivered a strong response to the enemy “from Srinagar to Bathinda”.

Gunmen on motorbikes in India’s West Bengal ambushed and killed a political aide from the ruling Hindu-nationalist party days after it swept state elections, police said Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a resounding victory on Monday in the eastern state of more than 100 million people, taking 207 of the 294 assembly seats, for its first-ever state victory in West Bengal. Chandranath Rath, 41, a close aide of West Bengal’s BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead late on Wednesday near his home in Kolkata. Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, now tipped to become the state chief minister, called it “cold-blooded murder”. Motorbikes blocked Rath’s vehicle, before the attackers opened fire in a barrage of around a dozen shots, hitting Rath multiple times in the heart. “The shooting happened at about 11 pm on Wednesday — the bikes that stopped Rath’s car have been seized,” West Bengal police chief Siddh Nath Gupta told AFP. “The bikes had fake reg...

Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi paid an extensive visit to District Mansehra, where he inaugurated and performed groundbreaking ceremonies for 12 major development projects worth over Rs25 billion.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has directed all deputy commissioners to take precautionary measures ahead of heatwave conditions that are slated to begin from May 8 (Friday). In the letter sent, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the PDMA said heatwave conditions were likely to develop over the province’s plain areas from May 8 to May 10. It said that daytime temperatures may rise to 43–47°C in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu, Karak, and Lakki Marwat. It also forecast daytime temperatures between 39–43°C in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Haripur, and Kohat. “Afterward, a shallow westerly wave is likely to affect most parts of the province on 10th (evening/ night) and likely to persist in the upper parts till May 13. This system is likely to bring relief from the prevailing hot conditions in the province,” it said. “It is therefore requested to kindly take all precautionary measures to avoid any loss of life, damages to crops and livestock,” the departmen...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Pakistan desires a permanent end to the US-Iran war for peace in the region.

Islamabad - On the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq on night 6th /7th May, Pakistan Armed Forces, particularly Pakistan Air Force, proudly commemorate a defining chapter in the nation’s military history; one that strengthened national confidence, reaffirmed institutional resolve and validated PAF’s relentless pursuit of.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday urged religious scholars from across the Muslim world to play a proactive role in promoting unity, countering extremism, and projecting Islam’s true message of peace.

ISLAMABAD - The Command & Staff Conference of Pakistan Navy concluded at Naval Headquarters, Islamabad on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday that the Australia men’s cricket team will tour the country for a three-match one-day international (ODI) series. In a press release, the cricket board said that the visitors would arrive in Islamabad on May 23 and take on the Green Shirts in the first ODI scheduled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on May 30. The second and third ODIs of the series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on June 2 and 4, respectively, it said. “All three ODIs are scheduled to begin at 4:30pm local time, with the toss taking place at 4pm,” the press release said. It went on to say that the upcoming bilateral ODI series would be Australia’s first in Pakistan since 2022. It also highlighted that Australia last visited Pakistan earlier this year to participate in a three-match T20I series, which the hosts won 3-0 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. It further said that Australia also featured in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Pakistan, including a five-wicket win...

ISLAMABAD - A high-level delegation of the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC), led by the Chairman Bar Council and Vice Chairman, called on the Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan (FCCP), Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, here on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Chairman of the Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said that Islam is a religion of peace, compassion, tolerance, and human dignity.

LAHORE - Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Punjab is entering a golden era of development by the grace of Almighty Allah.

Islamabad - Funeral prayer of Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Hussain Shaheed (resident of District Sargodha) was offered today at Chaklala Garrison, Rawalpindi.

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday once again summoned the Superintendent of Adiala Jail to appear personally before the court in a case regarding Bushra Bibi’s medical condition and family meetings, warning that failure to appear would result in issuance of his arrest warrants.

Rawalpindi - Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique along with Member National Assembly Tahira Aurangzeb here on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH).

• CDA mulls tourism development at key water source • Critics cite past controversies and ecological risks ISLAMABAD: City managers are planning to develop water sports and recreational facilities near Simly Dam, a move that may pose environmental challenges for residents. The dam, built in 1983, is located 30 kilometres east of Islamabad in the foothills of lush green mountains and is considered a main source of clean drinking water. The other dam in Islamabad, including Rawal Dam, which supplies water to Rawalpindi, is already heavily polluted, mainly due to uncontrolled contamination in its catchment area. Simly Dam, located in a less-visited area, remains a source of clean drinking water. However, the federal government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) now plan to introduce recreational activities in the area. Recently, the CDA board approved a summary for hiring former chairman Kamran Lashari as a consultant (city curator) for the “preparation of a comprehensive citywide culture and tourism vi...

KARACHI: Caregivers of children up to five years of age in Sindh will receive Rs3,000 every quarter for growth monitoring, nutrition counselling and school readiness, as the provincial government rolls out a Rs14 billion Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme. The decision was taken on Wednesday at the third board meeting of the Sindh Social Protection Authority (SSPA), chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The board approved a package of initiatives to expand the province’s social safety net, strengthen maternal and child welfare, and provide seasonal income support to rural women. The ECD project, funded by KfW, a German state-owned investment and development bank, will target 885,000 children aged between one month and five years. Murad approves Rs14bn early childhood development initiative; quarterly payment of Rs3,000 each to benefit over 885,000 kids, meeting told According to a statement issued by the CM House, the meeting was attended, among others, by provincial ministers Dr Azra Fazal,...

ISLAMABAD: The functioning of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) came under scrutiny on Wednesday when the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) questioned the notion that its records are immune to tampering. “Who says Nadra records cannot be tampered with?” wondered Justice Aamer Farooq while hearing a habeas corpus petition regarding the custody of a minor girl, Ayesha Tariq, who had converted from Christianity to Islam. Justice Farooq was heading a two-judge FCC bench that also comprised Justice K.K. Agha. During the hearing, senior counsel Muhammad Saqib Jillani, representing the girl’s parents, argued that Ayesha was underage, adding that a Nadra certificate to this effect had been placed on record. He also expressed concern that the girl might have married. Orders shifting of newly converted Muslim girl to Darul Aman in habeas corpus plea Additional Advocate General Punjab Waseem Mumtaz Malik, however, submitted that if the girl was under 18, she should be sent to her parents; otherwise, ...

• Judgement says special courts not limited to ownership, possession matters • Rules they can hear inheritance, partition, contract, transaction disputes LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has declared that special courts established for overseas Pakistanis can hear a wide range of property-related disputes, going beyond narrow questions of ownership and possession. In a judgement authored by Justice Anwaar Hussain, the court decided multiple petitions related to the scope of jurisdiction under the Punjab Establishment of Special Courts (Overseas Pakistanis Property) Act, 2025. The matter reached the high court after special courts declined to hear several cases — including suits relating to specific performance, cancellation of transactions and inheritance claims — on the grounds that such disputes fell outside their limited mandate. These matters were subsequently referred back to civil courts, prompting affected litigants, including overseas Pakistanis, to challenge the interpretation before the LHC. In o...