Pakistan

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar scheme would become a model not only for Pakistan but also for other countries.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has urged the nation to take to the streets on August 14 to demand “true freedom,” denouncing what he called an unlawful and oppressive system.

The status of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Ali Amin Ganda as an absconder could not be terminated in the Faizabad protest case against the disqualification of PTI founder, which is under trial in anti terrorism court.

Continuing his nationwide initiative to strengthen institutional linkages between Bar Associations and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP), Justice Yahya Afridi, Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chairman, LJCP, chaired a high-level strategic meeting on Wednesday at the Supreme Court Branch Registry, Karachi.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for the first time in over seven years, a government source said on Wednesday, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the United States rise. Modi will go to China for a summit of the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that begins on Augst 31, the government source, with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His trip will come at a time when India’s relationship with the US faces its most serious crisis in years after President Donald Trump imposed the highest tariffs among Asian peers on goods imported from India, and has threatened an unspecified further penalty for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. Modi’s visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin for the summit of the SCO, a Eurasian political and security grouping that includes Russia, will be his first since June 2018. Subsequently, Sino-Indian ties deteriorated sharply ...

ISPR has released a new patriotic song "Jaan Se Pyara Pakistan' on the occasion of Independence Day and Marka-e-Haq.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its record-setting rally for a fourth consecutive session on Wednesday on “strong” corporate results, soaring past 145,000 points. The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 1,041.24 points (0.73 per cent) to reach 144,078.40 points at 1:29pm, from the previous close of 143,037.16 points. The market reached an intraday high of 145,187.17 points at 3:29pm, before closing at 145,088.49, gaining 2,051.33 points (1.43pc) from yesterday. Reacting to the development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif noted that the “boom in business in the stock exchange is a reflection of investors’ confidence in government policies”. The premier said facilitating business and investment in the country was among the government’s top priorities, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. PM Shehbaz said reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue have “improved the tax system and facilitated the business community”. He asserted that the country’s economy was moving on a steady path to progress. Speaking on toda...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday granted protective bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Gul in connection with the May 9 incident cases.

The federal government has decided to launch a digital census for electricity billing, sources revealed.

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has successfully completed the Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) works on the main runway (07L/25R) at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, well ahead of schedule.

The government has achieved a significant milestone in its ongoing efforts to rehabilitate flood-affected communities in Balochistan by completing the construction of 5,000 houses, with work currently underway on an additional 27,000 units.

Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Wednesday apprised the National Assembly that convictions in May 9 cases were the outcome of a lawful judicial process, adding that there was no role for the government.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said that the party leadership will evaluate the relatively low public turnout at Tuesday’s protest, and the issue will be discussed with PTI founder Imran Khan.

Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, according to the United Nations, in a move that could see more than 1 million Afghans expelled from the country. The country’s decision follows the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30. However, the federal government has informed the provinces that the formal repatriation and deportation of over 1.3 million Afghan refugees holding PoR cards will begin on September 1. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that it had received reports of arrests and expulsions of legally registered Afghans across the country before Pakistan’s September 1 deadline for them to leave. The UNHCR said that sending the Afghans back in this way was a breach of Pakistan’s international obligations. “UNHCR is calling on the go...

A Pakistan Mart will be established in Dubai to boost the “global footprint” of exports, state media Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday. Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates share close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties. The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and a major source of remittances, with a large Pakistani expatriate population living and working there. Speaking to the media about the project, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan called it a “game changer for Pakistani trade boost”. He was quoted as saying, “The Pakistan Mart will facilitate Pakistani traders, enabling them to export their products to regions across the world.” “The initiative is spearheaded by the National Logistics Corporation of Pakistan and the DP World company of UAE,” the report added. Last month, trade with the UAE showed an upward trend. Pakistan’s key export items to the UAE include rice, bovine meat, cotton garments, mangoes, and guavas. Exports increased 1.87 per cent to $2.121 billi...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif conducted a test ride of the country’s first urban electric train, the Super Autonomous Rapid Transit (SART), overseeing its trial run from Ali Town to Muslim Town.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed that the construction of Jinnah Medical Complex be carried out in line with international standards of specialized healthcare, ensuring transparency, merit, and high-quality service delivery.

Four security personnel were among seven martyred in two separate incidents of firing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district and Peshawar city, officials said on Wednesday. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Four security personnel, including a driver, were martyred when unknown assailants attacked a Federal Constabulary (FC) vehicle in the Garagri area of Karak, which the chief minister and governor strongly condemned today. KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed relevant authorities to arrest those involved in the incident as he expressed condolences to the families of those martyred. “We salute the security personnel and their families who sacrificed their lives for the country and the nation,” said a statement from the office of KP CM’s press secretary. Governor Faisal Kundi also condemned the attack, saying: “The sac...

At least 71 people have died — over half of them children — and another 86 have been injured in rain-related incidents across Khyber Paktunkhwa since the start of the monsoon season in late June, according to the latest figures by KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September every year, continue to lash many parts of the country. Starting in late June, Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country in the past month by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. According to the latest data provided by KP PDMA, the total death toll from rain-related incidents this monsoon season stands at 71, out of which 40 are children, 17 men and 14 women. Swat district recorded the highest number of lives lost, at 22, during heavy rains. According to PDMA, most of the deaths occurred due to floods, landslides and infrastructure collapse. On June 27, 17 people, mo...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Adviser Barrister Dr.