Pakistan

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Friday said the provincial government was not considering closing schools or shifting classes online, dismissing speculation about possible energy-saving measures in the education sector.

Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held a meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman in which both sides discussed Iranian attacks on the kingdom within the framework of the strategic defence cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Saturday sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders, including several leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to 10 years in prison in connection with the May 9 attack on the General Headquarters.

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the ongoing Middle East conflict and Iran’s attacks on Saudi Arabia. A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued on Saturday said that the CDF visited the Kingdom and met with the defence minister. The two “discussed the gravity of the security situation accruing from Iranian drone and missile attacks on the Kingdom”, as well as joint measures needed to halt them within the framework of the strategic mutual defence agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year. According to the statement, it was emphasised that unprovoked aggression undermined efforts for regional security and stability and foreclosed options for the peaceful settlement of disputes. “Both sides expressed hope and desire that brotherly country Iran would manifest prudence and sagacity to avoid any miscalculation and strengthen th...

• Media investigation, officials suggest American forces ‘most likely’ responsible • At least 150 killed in Saturday strike • Washington to investigate the incident GENEVA: The United Nations rights chief demanded a swift and transparent probe Friday into the killing of at least 150 people in a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school, as a media investigation and US officials indicated the United States was likely responsible. The strike hit the Shajare Tayyebeh elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab on the first day of a war last Saturday, according to Iranian officials. UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned “this absolutely tragic incident” and said he hoped investigations would be “prompt, and that they will be done in full transparency”. “We also expect accountability to be served, because obviously mistakes were clearly made,” he told reporters in Geneva. Neither the US nor Israel has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred near sites controlled by the Islamic Revolut...

Security forces killed 15 militants during two separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan on March 5, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.

WASHINGTON: Virginia’s legislature has passed a new education law that bars public schools from teaching former President Donald Trump’s version of recent history, particularly regarding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Under the measure, approved by the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly, schools cannot present the attack as a “peaceful protest” or claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen through widespread fraud. Instead, teachers are required to describe January 6 as a violent assault on democratic institutions aimed at overturning the election results. Similar efforts are underway in New York. Democratic Representative Chuck Lavine of Long Island has introduced a bill that would require all public school students in the state to learn about the insurrection and its consequences. Lavine said failing to teach an accurate account would be a “grave disservice” to students and to the nation. Trump and his allies have characterised the events of January 6 as patriotic and ...

A total of 97 flights between Pakistan and various Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled on Saturday amid escalating regional tensions, while 58 flights were expected to operate, aviation sources said.

The government has increased the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs55 per litre, citing a sharp rise in international oil prices and the need to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply in the country.

• Prices of petrol and diesel increased by Rs55 per litre • Levy on petrol raised, diesel lowered by Rs20 each • ‘Highest-ever hike’ announced mere hours after govt assured adequate fuel stocks • Move comes as crude prices drift closer to psychological barrier of $100 per barrel on international market • Proposed fuel conservation plan, including ‘work from home’ and online learning, deferred • PM asks provincial govts to crack down on hoarding of petroleum products ISLAMABAD: Pakistan felt the first direct economic impacts of the US-Israel war on Iran in a big way on Friday, as the government announced a Rs55 per litre increase in petrol and high-speed diesel prices, mere hours after PM Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb assured the nation that petroleum reserves were sufficient and the situation remained under control. Earlier on Friday, the government shelved a proposed national action plan that envisaged work from home and distance learning measures in response to a potential fuel cris...

ISLAMABAD: In a significant step to protect witnesses from abusive cross-examination practices and physical hardship, the Supreme Court on Friday directed trial court judges to act as vigilant supervisors rather than silent spectators, ensuring that court proceedings are not used to scandalise, insult or annoy witnesses. “The courtroom must remain a place where justice is administered not only with authority but with humanity,” obse­rved Justice Salah­uddin Panwhar in a judgement he authored, adding that presiding judges should not allow irrelevant, indecent or insulting questions to be put to persons standing in the witness box. Justice Panwhar was a member of a three-judge SC bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, which heard an appeal filed by Maham Fatima against the Lahore High Court’s June 25, 2025 decision rejecting her plea to consolidate trials arising from two FIRs registered at the Faisalabad women police station and the FIA cyber crime wing. The complainant, Khadija Ghafoor, a medica...

• ‘Cooperation’ with UK authorities has kept Islamabad off visa ban list so far • Rejection rate of asylum claims by Pakistanis at 70pc, but very few deportations • Shadow home secy pushes for tougher measures LONDON: As the UK bans visas to a handful of countries that have high asylum cases, Pakistan has come under renewed scrutiny after questions were raised about the low number of deportations. The development comes days­ after the UK put an ‘emergency brake’ on visas for the first time on nationals from four countries following a surge in asylum claims from legal routes. In a move described as “unprecedented” by the government, the Home Office will end sponso­red study visas for all nationals of Afghanistan, Cam­eroon, Myanmar and Sudan and also end skilled wor­ker visas for Afghan nationals. Earlier this week, a journalist asked UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood why Pakistan had not yet been targeted by proposed visa restrictions, noting that the country accounted for the largest share of people who ente...

KARACHI: Industrialists and businessmen criticised the government’s decision to suspend gas supply to industries for two days a week, along with curtailment to fertiliser plants, claiming it would further strain Pakistan’s fragile economy, especially with a recent power tariff increase. Pakistan is already confronting major economic difficulties due to the steadily increasing cost of doing business, especially the exorbitant prices of gas and electricity, which have significantly diminished the competitiveness of local industries. Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Zubair Motiwala and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Muhammad Rehan Hanif emphasised that at a time when the country desperately needs to enhance exports and stabilise its external accounts, suspending gas supply would severely disrupt industrial operations, reduce production capacity, and ultimately cause delays or cancellations of export shipments. Referring to the government’s decision to establish a high-level Action Comm...

THOUSANDS of Iranians rally after Friday prayers in Tehran, even as US-Israeli bombing continues unabated.—Reuters • Dar phones Araghchi; Pezeshkian says some nations have begun mediation efforts • Markets tumble as Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender’, says ‘waste of time’ to send ground troops • White House says operations could take ‘four to six weeks’; claims intel agencies ‘looking at potential leaders’ • Gulf states, Azerbaijan reel from drone attacks, missile strikes • US media claims Russia supplying intelligence to Iran’s forces • Iran thanks Saudis for not letting airspace be used for offensive actions TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Even as the US and Israel unleashed cataclysmic bombing raids across the country, thousands of Iranians defiantly took to the streets of Tehran after Friday prayers, rallying in memory of their assassinated supreme leader and railing against the invasion of their country. Footage aired by Iranian media showed crowds of men and women dressed in black, some carrying Iranian flags...

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Taliban reeling under 'Ghazab Lil Haq'

UNHCR declares emergency in Middle East

Pezeshkian says countries have begun mediation efforts