Pakistan

Escalating tensions between Iran and Israel have severely impacted international flight operations across multiple countries, including Pakistan, Iraq, and Qatar, leading to widespread delays and cancellations.

In a calculated political maneuver aimed at derailing the federal budget's approval, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has urged the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to abstain from participating in the upcoming budget vote.

China’s nuclear arsenal has grown faster than that of any other country, reaching an estimated 600 warheads by early 2025, adding momentum to the global arms race and raising strategic concerns, an international security think tank said on Monday. The country’s nuclear stockpile has been expanding by roughly 100 warheads per year since 2023, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in its Sipri Yearbook 2025, warning that a new and dangerous nuclear arms race is taking shape amid a widespread weakening of arms control frameworks. According to the report, by January this year, China built or nearly completed around 350 new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos and could have at least as many ICBMs as either Russia or the United States by the turn of the decade. The report, however, said that even if China reaches 1,500 warheads by 2035, this would still represent only about a third of each of the current Russian and US stockpiles. Beijing said it follows a nuclear strategy th...

US President Donald Trump directed federal authorities to ramp up deportation efforts in Democratic-led cities on Sunday, doubling down on a politicised anti-immigration drive after major protests in Los Angeles. “We must expand efforts to detain and deport illegal aliens in America’s largest cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where millions upon millions of illegal aliens reside,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “These, and other such cities, are the core of the Democrat power centre,” he claimed, citing debunked right-wing conspiracy theories that undocumented immigrants are voting in US elections in significant numbers. Trump has made deporting undocumented immigrants a key priority for his second term, after successfully campaigning against an alleged “invasion” by criminals. Raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in Los Angeles have sparked days of mainly peaceful protests, though they have seen sporadic violence at times. Trump has pounced on the violent ...

Security forces have eliminated five terrorists linked to an Indian proxy network in two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a statement from Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Mushaal Mullick, wife of jailed Kashmiri resistance leader Yasin Malik, has issued a compelling video statement, declaring that true peace cannot be achieved through power—it must be rooted in justice.

A committee formed In response to the evolving geopolitical situation following Israel’s recent attack on Iran and the resulting volatility in the international oil markets held its first meeting on Monday, wherein it expressed satisfaction that Pakistan currently holds adequate stocks of petroleum products. According to a Finance Division statement, the committee chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb conducted a detailed assessment of the global and domestic petroleum market situation and noted that there is no immediate risk of supply disruption. Nonetheless, the committee’s members emphasised the need for continued vigilance given the rapidly changing regional context. To ensure timely response and effective coordination, a working group will monitor developments on a daily basis, and the committee will meet weekly to review the situation and submit recommendations to the prime minister. The petroleum division has been designated to provide secretarial support and ensure effective implementation o...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, while addressing the 27th meeting of the provincial cabinet on Sunday, announced what she termed a “historic and unmatched” development package for the province under a zero-tax framework.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is set to announce its last monetary policy of the ongoing financial year 2024-25 today (Monday).

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong as a precautionary measure on Monday, after the pilot suspected a technical issue mid-air, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The incident comes days after an Air India flight to London, using the same type of Boeing aircraft, crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad moments after take-off, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. The Dreamliner aircraft flying Air India flight AI315 out of Hong Kong on Monday is now undergoing checks, said the source. AI315 made a return to Hong Kong International Airport and requested local standby at around 1pm, then “landed safely at around 1:15pm”, the spokesperson of Airport Authority Hong Kong said. The airport operations were not affected, the spokesperson added. Flight AI315 took off from Hong Kong at around 12:20pm and landed just around an hour later. It reached an altitude of 22,000 feet and then started descending, according to flight t...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Adviser on Information, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, on Monday launched a strong criticism against the federal government, calling it a "fake regime" that has failed to break Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan through solitary confinement.

New Delhi said on Monday its diplomats were helping some Indian students relocate out of harm’s way in Iran, which has come under days of deadly Israeli bombardment. Tehran has hit back with strikes against Israel since it unleashed waves of attacks against Iran on Friday, sparking global alarm that the conflict could erupt into a regional war. New Delhi, which has relations with both countries, has sought to relocate its citizens within Iran after Tehran closed its airspace. “The Indian Embassy in Tehran is continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety,” a foreign ministry statement said. “In some cases, students are being relocated with [the] Embassy’s facilitation to safer places within Iran,” the ministry added. There are around 10,000 Indian citizens in Iran, according to government data last year, while figures from 2022 listed more than 2,000 students in Iran. New Delhi on Friday said it stood ready “to extend all possible support” to both co...

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN/KOHAT: A Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was martyred in a targeted gun attack in Ladha tehsil of Upper South Waziristan district on Sunday night. Ladha assistant commissioner Shadman Safi said the incident occurred when the soldier, Lance Naik Iqbal Khan, was on duty. “Armed men opened fire on him without warning, resulting in his death on the spot. Despite retaliatory fire by the security forces, the attackers managed to escape from the scene,” he added. Meanwhile, a police official was martyred when terrorists attacked a checkpost in Ghiljo area of Orakzai district on Saturday night. Sub-divisional police officer Mehboob Khan told Dawn that an unknown number of terrorists surrounded the police post at around 9.40pm and started indiscriminate fire at it, which was duly retaliated by the personnel, and the exchange of fire continued for about an hour. During the fierce skirmish, a sub-inspector Inayatullah hailing from Kohat district was martyred. The terrorists later fled into the mountains. Ho...

Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry launched a scathing attack on the federal and provincial governments, judiciary, and the state of governance in Pakistan, accusing the ruling elite of unchecked corruption, judicial manipulation, and political persecution.

KARACHI: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decision not to place Pakistan back on its “grey list”, despite a concerted effort by India and Israel, was a major win. In a post on X on Sunday, Mr Asif said that the FATF had decided against re-listing Pakistan following a meeting of its International Cooperation Review Group a day earlier. “It is a big victory for Pakistan that despite all the conspiracies of India and Israel, Pakistan has not been included in the grey list,” Mr Asif wrote. He credited the decision to strong support from key allies. “China took a clear stance and supported relief for Pakistan, while Turkey endorsed China’s stance,” Asif said. “Japan also fully supported Pakistan as it is the co-chair of the Asia Pacific Group (APG).” The FATF, a Paris-based global watchdog that monitors money laundering and terrorism financing, met this week. Its so called ‘grey list’ places countries under increased monitoring until they address identified flaws in th...

The Punjab government is set to present its budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 in the provincial assembly today (Monday), with Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman outlining a development-focused and inclusive economic plan under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The federal government has announced yet another hike in fuel prices, raising the cost of petrol by Rs4.

WASHINGTON: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Washington on Sunday for a five-day official visit aimed at reinforcing military and strategic ties between Pakistan and the United States, diplomatic sources confirmed. The visit, which sources described as “primarily bilateral in nature”, is not officially linked to the US Army’s 250th anniversary celebrations on June 14, despite its timing. Field Marshal Munir did not attend the military parade, but some sources speculated that he spent the last two days at the US Central Command’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida. The Pakistani embassy in Washington, however, refused to confirm or deny this claim. The sources said the army chief’s visit aims to reinforce military and strategic ties between Pakistan and the US, with meetings expected with senior US officials, including the Secretaries of Defence and State and senior US military commanders. PTI supporters protest outside embassy ahead of army chief’s arrival Meanwhile, several PTI ...

• Petrol hiked by Rs4.80, diesel rates rise by Rs7.95 • Crisis deepens in Balochistan as supply from Iran disrupted • ME conflict worries global markets QUETTA/KARACHI: The federal government has jacked up the prices of both petrol and diesel, with their rates climbing by Rs4.80 and Rs7.95 per litre, respectively. According to a Finance Division notification issued on late Sunday night, the new prices had been determined “based on the recommendations of Ogra (Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority) and the relevant ministries”. High-speed diesel (HSD), which previously cost Rs254.64 per litre, will now be sold for Rs262.59. Similarly, petrol, which cost Rs253.63 per litre, will now be available for Rs258.43. Previous estimates suggested that petrol and diesel prices would increase by about Re1 and Rs5 per litre, respectively, for the next fortnight, owing to higher international market prices. Fuel crisis deepens in Balochistan Meanwhile, the fuel crisis in Balochistan has taken a serious turn amid the escalating I...

ISLAMABAD: The Nat­i­onal Assembly speaker has refused to form a parliamentary panel to pick a new chief and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before the completion of the consultation between the prime minister and opposition leader. Earlier, on Feb 11, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said he had formally written to the government and the opposition, seeking nominations for the parliamentary panel. “The parliamentary committee will be formed once the nominations are received,” he had said during a sitting of the National Assembly. A spokesperson for the National Assembly said on Sunday that the speaker has so far not received any formal letter from the prime minister about the formation of the parliamentary committee for the appointment of the CEC and two members of the ECP. “The process will commence only once the letter is officially received”, the spokesman added. He further said that the premier had already initiated the required consultation with the Leader of the Opposition on May 16, 2025...