Pakistan

A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight successfully repatriated Pakistani nationals who were stranded in Iran due to the ongoing regional tensions and closure of Iranian airspace.

PTI’s parliamentary leader Senator Ali Zafar distanced the party from holding talks with the PPP on boycotting the federal budget voting, saying the fellow party leader Asad Qaiser’s move to do so was in his personal capacity. When asked about the meeting between Qaiser with Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, he said it was the former NA speaker’s “personal choice” and not on the instructions of the party or Imran Khan. “Nothing is official. There is no indication we are heading for an alliance,” he said during an appearance on Dawn News TV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’. Former National Assembly speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser had told Dawn that PPP leader Abdul Qadir Patel, in his speech, said that his party will not support the money bill. He later contacted PPP leader and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and sought support to block the bill. Zafar said Qaiser took an initiative but it is does mean talks were held on a party level but rather between two MNAs. He said the budget is riddled with inaccuracies and seve...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday established a high-powered committee to fast-track the transition to a cashless economy and promote nationwide digitization efforts.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has voiced serious concern over the intensifying conflict between Iran and Israel, urging the international community to intervene immediately and broker a ceasefire.

Pakistan has imported solar panels with a cumulative generation capacity of 32,000 megawatts so far, according to an official document revealed to the media.

Sindh reported its first death of the year from the Congo fever as a 42-year-old man in Karachi passed away after being diagnosed a day earlier, as per a statement from the provincial health ministry’s media coordinator on Wednesday. According to the WHO, the Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), commonly known as Congo Virus, causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks with a case fatality rate of 10-40 per cent. There is no vaccine available for the disease. According to experts, the CCHF virus is primarily transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter. In April, the National Institute of Health (NIH) issued an advisory urging prevention of Congo fever ahead of Eidul Azha. The 42-year-old man, a resident of District Malir, was admitted to Indus Hospital in Korangi, where he tested positive for CCHF on June 16, Media coordinator for the Sindh health ministry, Meeran Yousuf told Dawn.com. The patient passed away...

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif, visited Jinnah University for Women in Karachi, where he was warmly received by the university administration and students.

Careem will suspend its ride-hailing service operations in Pakistan from July after nearly a decade in the industry, its CEO announced on Wednesday, adding that its journey in the country would continue “in a different role”. Mudassir Sheikha, Careem’s CEO and co-founder, shared a post on LinkedIn announcing “a new chapter” for the company. “It is with a heavy heart that I share this update: Careem will suspend its ride-hailing service in Pakistan on July 18,” Sheikha said, adding that it was “an incredibly difficult decision.” “The challenging macroeconomic reality, intensifying competition, and global capital allocation made it hard to justify the investment levels required to deliver a safe and dependable service in the country. “In the end, the Careem Rides team had to make this tough call,” he said. He called the ride suspension “the end of an iconic chapter — one built with purpose, grit and a ton of relentless hustle”. Sheikha highlighted some of Careem’s notable achievements while operating in Pakista...

For years, allies and adversaries alike have ridiculed Benjamin Netanyahu as the boy who cried wolf. The far-right hardliner has long been haunted by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb, decrying that Tehran is just “weeks away” from such a weapon for over three decades now. A poster boy for genocide, he may be, it takes a man of a certain skillset to be able to be taken seriously after being so wrong for so long. Despite his faulty calculus, Netanyahu never really let up. From infamously waving a cartoon sketch of an Iranian bomb at the UN in 2012 to privately lobbying Western leaders into a broader military entanglement with Ayetollahs, the Israeli premier has long prized a war with Iran as the crown jewel of his sordid legacy. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu infamously points to a cartoon sketch of a nuclear bomb at the UN in 2012. — Reuters So when he finally signed off on a series of “pre-emptive strikes” that looked to target Iran’s nuclear centrifuges and military brass in the early hours of Friday, ...

Former climate change minister, PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman, assailed the federal government on Wednesday for slashing funds for environment protection in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. The federal government has earmarked a major chunk of next year’s budget for climate-resilient development, but its failure to set a clear course of action and policy contradictions weigh heavily on financial allocations that amount to hundreds of billions. The budget under the head of ‘environment protection’ has also reduced from Rs7.2billion to Rs3.1bn, with funds for ‘pollution abatement’ going down from Rs6.29bn to Rs3.1bn. “As far as climate is concerned, I am disappointed to share that in the environment protection budget, which used to be Rs7.2bn — which was already quite low — has now been slashed by more than half to Rs3.1bn. What will we do with this money? We will start depending more and more on international money. There have already been aid cuts in climate funding internationally,“ ...

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained in a conversation with US President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, India’s senior-most diplomat said. Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US, and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. “PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement. “Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,” he said. M...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Adviser on Information, Barrister Dr.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government has successfully addressed key concerns raised by its coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), regarding the federal budget for 2025-26, paving the way for a finalized agreement.

The German Embassy in Islamabad has introduced a new Consular Services Portal aimed at simplifying and accelerating the application process for Pakistani citizens seeking work visas.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has released a new patriotic song to commemorate the historic success of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, paying tribute to the courage and professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces.

LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday unveiled the schedule for the ICC Women’s World Cup, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2. Pakistan will commence their campaign on October 2 against Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where all their group-stage matches are set to be played. This arrangement is in line with the hybrid model announced by the ICC last year. Led by all-rounder Fatima Sana, Pakistan qualified for the eight-team event after an unbeaten run in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier, held in here earlier this year. Pakistan’s highly anticipated clash with arch-rivals India is scheduled for October 5, followed by encounters against defending champions Australia on October 8 and 2017 champions England on October 15. The national side will then face New Zealand (October 18), South Africa (October 21), and co-hosts Sri Lanka (October 24) to conclude their round-robin stage. If Pakistan secure a semi-final berth, they will play...

Pakistan has called the ongoing crisis in Gaza a "stain on the collective conscience of humanity," citing the death toll of over 55,000 Palestinians including 18,000 children and 28,000 women and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has pushed the families of several of its most dedicated Central Secretariat staff members to the verge of starvation. Well-placed sources said PTI had neither reversed the 50pc salary cuts imposed on Central Secretariat staff since October last year, nor had it cleared overdue dues despite repeated promises, leaving the employees in deep distress. The affected staffers said the party leadership broke its promise by neither restoring reduced salaries nor releasing any of the withheld half-pay despite nine months having passed. They said the leadership’s callousness was evident in dismissing several loyal employees who endured detention and torture, instead of recognising their sacrifices. Sources said that while the party leadership continued to enjoy all perks and privileges, they were unwilling to spend a single penny on the party, only doing so when their leader Imran Khan was present to witness it. They lamented that PTI lawmakers, who once branded treasury legisl...

PESHAWAR - Adviser to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations, Barrister Saif, has accused the federal government of “dropping a petrol bomb” on the public ahead of the new fiscal year.

Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, stated that the province’s own revenue currently stands at Rs.