Pakistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran has received multiple “serious” US messages requesting negotiations, but Iran has “nothing to say” to Washington due to its role as a “partner in the crimes” committed alongside Israel.

Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, on Friday, expressed concern over the rising number of derailments and called for a detailed analysis and proactive measures to prevent future occurrences.

An Islamabad court on Friday extended the physical remand of the main suspect in the murder case of social media influencer Sana Yousaf for another three days. Islamabad Police had arrested Umar Hayat, the main suspect in the 17-year-old’s murder, on June 3, nearly a day after she was gunned down in her house in the federal capital. Police had claimed the man murdered Sana because she repeatedly refused his advances. Hayat was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Hafeez upon the completion of his four-day physical remand. His 14-day judicial remand at the Adiala Jail for his identification parade had already been completed, with the victim’s mother and aunt identifying him. Deputy district public prosecutors (DDPPs) Adnan Ali and Raja Naveed Hussain, along with Investigation Officer (IO) Mazhar Bashir Khan, appeared on behalf of the state before Magistrate Hafeez. Hussain informed the judge that the vehicle used by the suspect had been recovered, while his phone was yet to be taken into ...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has credited Pakistan’s recent diplomatic and economic strides — including a major boost in ties with the United States — to what he termed the “hybrid model of governance.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, in her message on World Refugee Day, expressed solidarity with refugees across the globe, emphasizing that becoming a refugee is not a choice but a tragic necessity driven by the need to survive.

Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the country’s nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world’s oil. Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast — home to Iran’s only nuclear power station — only to say later that the announcement was a mistake. What has Israel hit so far? Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran from building an atomic bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one. The international nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has reported damage to the uran...

The European Union on Friday banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than five million euros ($5.8 million) in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covers a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth 150 billion euros in the EU. “Our aim with these measures is to level the playing field for EU businesses,” the bloc’s trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said. “We remain committed to dialogue with China to resolve these issues.” In response, China accused the EU of “double standards”. “The EU has always boasted that it is the most open market in the world, but in reality, it has gradually moved towards protectionism”, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing. “Under the guise of fair competition (the EU) actually carries out unfair competition, which is a typical case of double standards.” T...

A suspect was arrested in yet another case of child pornography in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh, Police said on Friday. Earlier in the month, the government claimed to have dismantled an international child exploitation network operating out of a so-called gaming club in Muzaffargarh, where children aged six to 10 were lured, abused and filmed for the sake of selling their videos on the dark web. “Several children were sexually abused and filmed in Sardarabad village,” a police statement said today. The matter came to light when one of the victims contacted the police. According to the statement, the suspect had been blackmailing the children using compromised videos. A first information report (FIR) of the incident was lodged at Saddar police station in Muzaffargarh district under section 292 (sale, distribution, and public exhibition of obscene material) and section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour a person) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the FIR, a boy was sexually abused and film...

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly descended into pandemonium as the general debate on the provincial budget commenced, leading to a nearly two-hour suspension of the proceedings amidst intense sloganeering by the government and opposition benches on Thursday. The members reportedly damaged microphones. A Treasury MPA accused an opposition member of stealing his watch, fueling the chaos. The session, presided over by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, began three hours and 35 minutes behind schedule and immediately plunged into disarray. The uproar began when treasury MPA Bilal Yamin accused opposition member Ejaz Shafi of stealing his watch. This ignited a furious reaction from the opposition that countered with slogans of ‘Nawaz Sharif is a thief!’. As opposition members streamed into the House in protest, the accusation of the stolen watch echoed through the chamber, with government members waving their watches and chanting ‘watch thief’. Speaker Khan struggled to restore order. Bilal Yamin insisted that the oppo...

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has issued a weather alert as pre-monsoon rains are set to begin across the province today, with significantly above-average rainfall expected in several districts.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level review meeting on the affairs of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), directing authorities to urgently expand the national shipping fleet by acquiring vessels on lease to reduce the country’s heavy reliance on foreign shipping services.

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) has restrained the authorities concerned from raising any structure apart from a jogging track on the premises of an amenity plot / park located in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA). The apex court also said that the people must not be deprived of the park’s utility, subject to a nominal entrance fee meant for its maintenance. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Salahuddin Panhwar was hearing a civil petition filed against an order of the Sindh High Court (SHC) at the SC’s Karachi Registry. It also allowed a request by the counsel for the respondents to transfer the matter to the principal seat at Islamabad after seeking the approval of the chief justice of Pakistan, as the lawyer submitted that, since the injunctive order had been passed, the interests of the respondents were at stake. Bench rules ordinary people should not be deprived of park’s utility Citing DHA, Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC), M/s Optimum Sports (Private) Limited and o...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting regional peace, stability, and international cooperation during his official visit to the United States, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced plans to freeze the bank accounts of individuals and businesses that fail to register for sales tax in the fiscal year 2025–26.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, unveiled Pakistan’s National Electric Vehicle (NEV) Policy 2025–30, outlining a comprehensive strategy for transitioning to clean, affordable, and locally produced electric mobility.

CHITRAL: Shandur Polo Festival will start from Friday (today) in the highest polo ground of the world and it will continue for three days with matches between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) being the major event. The tourists will also enjoy cultural and musical evenings while fireworks and enthralling musical concerts will be arranged at night time. Arranged by the district administrations of Lower and Upper Chitral districts with the financial assistance of KP Culture and Tourism Authority, the event has been included in the calendar of events of the province. Tourists have started arriving here to proceed to the venue which is 156 kilometres from the city with travel time of five to six hours while a great number of vehicles is seen on Chitral-Booni Road leading to Shandur. The polo ground has been renovated and arrangements made for water and power supply, power generators, telephone, transport, media coverage,security and provision of other facilities. The players of both Chitral and GB h...

President Donald J.

ISLAMABAD - Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (COAS), met with Ms Saima Saleem, part of Pakistan’s representative mission to the United Nations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar is set to visit Türkiye to attend the 51st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), taking place on June 21–22, 2025.

WASHINGTON: The prospect of a US strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought President Donald Trump to power, with some of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war. Some of Trump’s most prominent Republican allies, including top lieutenant Steve Bannon, have found themselves in the unusual position of being at odds with a president who largely shares their isolationist tendencies. Bannon, one of many influential voices from Trump’s “America First” coalition, on Wednesday urged caution about the US military joining Israel in trying to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme in the absence of a diplomatic deal. “We can’t do this again,” Bannon told reporters at an event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington. “We’ll tear the country apart. We can’t have another Iraq.” Bannon continued to preach patience on his popular “War Room” podcast on Thursday, contending that Trump was being set up to be responsible for toppling the I...