Pakistan

RAWALPINDI - A high-level delegation from the Federal Republic of Somalia, led by Defence Minister Ambassador Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS0 and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) here at General Headquarters (GHQ) on Thursday.

Zafar Ibn-e-Yaqoob says Germany offers the ideal environment for success in future events

LAHORE - Amid a renewed national debate over devolution of powers, local government reforms and the creation of new administrative units, the Punjab cabinet on Thursday approved more than Rs12.

KSE-100 falls over 450 points by midday as selling emerges across key sectors amid rising crude prices

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday rejected a proposal to impose charges on bottled drinking water, declaring that access to safe drinking water was a basic public service and should not become a financial burden on citizens.

I work as a journalist and am a single mother to a child who was diagnosed a little over three years ago with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Allow me to share what that means based on a clinician’s report: When she was three-and-a-half years old in 2023, Elia scored 35.5 on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, placing her in the moderate to severe category. So she had developed more like an 18-month-old, would not speak any meaningful words and instead pulled or dragged me to what she wanted. She would avoid eye contact and not respond to her name either. When she was overwhelmed or angry, she would use repetitive behaviours to self-regulate, like rolling her hair, spinning car wheels, flapping her hands or walking on her toes. Her doctors said she needed Applied Behaviour Analysis and Developmental Therapy. Speech and language therapy would use non-verbal tools like the Picture Exchange Communication System so she could point to pictures to express needs. Occupational Therapy would help her learn fine motor control...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong on Thursday, underscoring the value of people-to-people contacts, as well as exchanges between the political parties and parliaments of both countries.

ISLAMABAD - The federal government on Thursday slashed the prices of petrol and High Speed Diesel by Rs 3.

EVERY discussion about data protection in Pakistan reaches the same conclusion: we still don’t have a comprehensive data privacy law. Technically, that’s true. The Personal Data Protection Bill has sat in draft form since 2018, and after years of delay it’s easy to assume Pakistan’s approach to data governance is on hold. That assumption can now be challenged. While attention stayed fixed on the stalled privacy bill, another development moved far faster. In late June, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) released the draft National Data Governance Policy 2026 for public consultation. That consultation closed on July 10. This week, MoITT and the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) held a high-level meeting, chaired by Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, to finalise the policy ahead of cabinet approval and gazette notification. It isn’t law yet, but we cannot treat it as a mere policy draft either. Many Pakistani tech companies already maintain strong governance practices because...

THE interior minister of Pakistan had said the other day that whether “we admit it or not, this system has collapsed” and that “this system has to be reset”. The healthcare system of Pakistan is sadly a clear illustration of what the minister said, and the spread of HIV and hepatitis C symbolise this collapse. The latest reported figure of small children infected with HIV in the country due to reused syringes and transfusion of unscreened blood is 7,500, minus cases in 2026 from Punjab, which has reportedly not bothered to share its data with the federal government. The total number of deaths due to HIV is reported to be 25,000. The number of children’s deaths is not available. As for the case of hepatitis C, we have the world’s largest infected population, ie around 10 million. The current estimated prevalence of hepatitis C in Pakistan is 7.5 per cent, which is also the highest in the world. Twenty per cent of the global burden of hepatitis C is in Pakistan alone. HIV and hepatitis C share the same modes of...

Show returns with revamped house, new contestants as former winners reunite

More than 60 Palestinians detained or questioned during nearly two-day military operation

• Says Oman, other ‘brotherly states’ leading different aspects of diplomacy • Insists Islamabad is focused on settlement rather than ‘individual symptoms of crisis’ • Pakistan examining TORs, operational modalities of Saudi-led maritime coalition • Govt will decide on Gaza stabilisation force after formal proposal ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday insisted that Pakistan remained actively engaged in efforts to defuse the Strait of Hormuz stand-off, while also examining the terms of reference and operational modalities of a newly announced Saudi-led multinational maritime coalition aimed at protecting shipping routes in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Foreign Office acknowledged that different regional partners, particularly Oman, were taking the lead on different aspects of the diplomatic process. It portrayed Islamabad’s role as part of a coordinated effort by “brotherly states” to steer the crisis back towards the framework established under the Islamabad Memorandum o...

DESPITE the use of both carrots and sticks by the international community, the Afghan Taliban refuse to cut their ties to terrorist groups such as the TTP. This poses a particular problem to Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, which has borne the brunt of terrorist violence ever since the Taliban’s return to Kabul in 2021. Both KP and Balochistan are currently in the grip of violent insurgencies, with the elements responsible for the bloodshed finding safe havens in Afghanistan. Pakistan raised the issue at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, with this country’s permanent representative highlighting the “increasingly permissive environment” for terrorist groups in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. He urged the Taliban to fulfil their obligations and ensure Afghan soil is not used against neighbouring states. China’s representative at the same forum echoed these concerns, urging the Taliban to take action, whilst supporting Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts. The Chinese diplomat also called...

ISLAMABAD: While the government has once again invited the main opposition party, PTI, to begin negotiations, the party has linked any dialogue with improved meeting facilities and access to medical care for its founding chairman, Imran Khan. Aamir Dogar, the PTI’s Chief Whip, met National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dr Fazal said the government had once again offered talks at the venue proposed by PTI within Parliament House. “The ball is now in PTI’s court,” he said, expressing hope that the opposition would respond positively. He recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier offered dialogue to the opposition, but PTI had not responded. Aamir Dogar meets NA speaker, minister in Parliament House He said negotiations were the only way to resolve political issues. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, while talking to Dawn, ...

• Petitioners cite fear of Taliban persecution if sent back to Afghanistan • Peshawar High Court notes fears of detention and removal don’t constitute valid cause of action • Rules immigration, visa and residency matters fall within executive’s domain PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has rejected petitions filed by a former general of the erstwhile Afghan National Army and a special agent of the former Afghan Presidential Protective Service (PPS), along with their families, seeking protection against their imminent arrest and deportation by law enforcement agencies. A bench comprising Justices Wiqar Ahmad and Kamran Hayat Miankhel dismissed two almost identical petitions filed by former general Baryalai Sharifi and former PPS special agent Abdul Mujeeb Ghairat and their family members. They had approached the court fearing persecution by the Taliban government in Afghanistan if deported. The counsel for Mr Sharifi submitted that his clients were Afghan nationals who had entered Pakistan on valid visas....

• Naqvi says centre in Islamabad will combine detention, investigation and summary trial facilities under one roof • Initiative aims to speed up disposal of minor offence cases, reduce procedural delays ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to embark on a major transformation of its policing system, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announcing a series of reforms inspired by successful international law enforcement models, including the establishment of a China-style Law Enforcement Investigation Centre in Islamabad. The announcement came during his meeting with assistant superintendents of police who recently returned after completing specialised training courses in China and Turkiye. The officers described overseas programmes as an invaluable experience that significantly enhanced their professional capabilities and exposed them to modern policing practices, surveillance technologies, and contemporary approaches to maintaining law and order. Acknowledging the importance of international exposure, Naqvi declared that...

Judge orders youth-safety measures including enhanced review of child sexual abuse reports, notification restrictions

Former cricket captain posts video of himself picking up trash, says he is arranging dustbins for waste disposal

• President has yet to approve summary for JCP-recommended hirings • Govt reviewing possibility of issuing notifications under Article 48(1) • Presidency sources warn bypassing procedure may lead to complications • IHC reserves verdict on maintainability of plea challenging delay in notifying appointments ISLAMABAD: The federal government is considering notifying the appointment and confirmation of high court judges despite President Asif Ali Zardari not having formally accorded assent to the recommendations made by the Judicial Commission of Pakis­tan (JCP), sources told Dawn. The JCP, during its meetings held on July 20 and 21, recommended the appointment of 19 additional judges to the high courts, confirmed the services of four additional judges of the Peshawar High Court and one additional judge of the Lahore High Court, and extended the tenure of an additional judge of the Sindh High Court by six months. However, the appointments have yet to be notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice as the president...