Pakistan
National and regional reporting from Pakistani and regional desks. Sorted by source publication time.
England drop Zak Crawley for first Test against New Zealand
LONDON: England have dropped struggling opener Zak Crawley from their squad for next month’s first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s as they begin rebuilding following a dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. Durham batsman Emilio Gay, one of three uncapped players named in the 15-man squad alongsid...
UAE 'denies reports' of secret Netanyahu visit
The United Arab Emirates said Thursday it “denies reports” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country, after Netanyahu’s office said he had met with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) president during the war with Iran. Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday he had “paid a...
India, Afghanistan set to feature in Central Asian Volleyball in Lahore
LAHORE: India and Afghanistan have confirmed participation in the eight-nation Central Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship to be held in Lahore from July 3-10, Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob announced on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference here, Yaqoob sa...
German citizen honoured with award for healthcare services
German citizen Anita Khawaja stands with Ambassador Ina Lepel after receiving the Cross of Merit (1st Class) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany during a ceremony in Islamabad on Wednesday. — White Star ISLAMABAD: German citizen and resident of Sialkot, Anita Khawaja, was award...
Punjab govt to build 1,000 playfields in schools
LAHORE: One thousand playfields will be built in schools of Punjab besides awarding monthly scholarships to 1,000 talented children of inter-school competitions. It was decided at a meeting held between Punjab Sports Minister Faisal Ayub with Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat here on Wednesday....
Capital moves to lighten school bags, orders removal of controversial O-level book
ISLAMABAD: The regulatory authority for private schools in the capital on Wednesday took notice of the practice of heavy school bags carried by children and announced a ‘Lighter School Bags Policy’ for all private schools in the capital. On the other hand, the federal government separately expressed...
Two suspects held in fake prize call scam in Dera Ghazi Khan
LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has arrested two suspects involved in an alleged fake prize call scam targeting citizens through fraudulent mobile schemes in Dera Ghazi Khan. According to officials, the suspects contacted people through multiple SIM cards while posing as repres...
EX-Punjab health minister Yasmin terms Peshawar court ruling ‘breath of fresh air’
LAHORE: Former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, currently incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat Jail, has welcomed the recent Peshawar sessions court judgement related to the May 9 cases, calling it “a breath of fresh air” in what she described as Pakistan’s ongoing judicial crisis. Referring specific...
Lahore High Court upholds Public Procurement Regulatory Authority decision against Fesco
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has upheld a decision of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) appellate committee that set aside Faisalabad Electric Supply Company’s (Fesco) rejection of a bidder in a public procurement dispute. Justice Raheel Kamran dismissed Fesco’s writ petition and r...
NGO questions reliability of HIV projections in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s HIV response is being shaped by figures that may not fully reflect the ground reality, as estimates suggest that around 370,000 people are living with HIV in the country, raising questions about how closely these numbers align with actual epidemiological trends. According to Na...
Punjab to include Marka-i-Haq in textbooks
LAHORE: Punjab has decided to include the four-day war between Pakistan and India — Marka-i-Haq — in the national curriculum and make films on it. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Information Steering Committee with Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari in the chair here on ...
SHC upholds life term for man, acquits wife in drug trafficking case
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has upheld the life imprisonment of a man but set aside his wife’s conviction in a drug peddling case. A division bench headed by Justice Omar Sial passed this order while hearing appeals against conviction filed by Naseebullah and his wife Bakhtawar. The couple was sen...
SHC seeks report on Rs2.13bn robot procurement for Liaquat University Hospital
HYDERABAD: A Sindh High Court division bench, comprising Justice Adnanul Karim Memon and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, has ordered a detailed report within two weeks regarding the controversial Rs2.133 billion procurement of robotic surgery systems for Liaquat University Hospital (LUH). The order was ...
Intense heat, dusty winds sweep across Karachi
KARACHI: Mercury surged to 40 degrees Celsius in the metropolis on Wednesday amid dusty winds blowing at 24 kilometres per hour, the Met Office said. It said that the strong winds started right after the sunrise and continued almost throughout the day. The southwest winds blowing at 24km per hour wi...
Sindh CM stresses long-term urban planning solutions to ease traffic woes
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed officials concerned to ensure timely completion of all development projects and adopt long-term urban planning solutions to address Karachi’s growing traffic and infrastructure challenges. He said this while chairing a meeting h...
Dairy farmers seek massive hike in milk price amid quality complaints in Karachi
KARACHI: The city faces the threat of an acute fresh milk shortage in the coming days as the Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association (DCFA) has warned that farmers will halt production unless authorities approve an immediate Rs100-per-litre increase in the retail price. The DCFA said that consumers, al...
BAP chief refutes reports of merger with PML-N
QUETTA: Balochistan Awami Party President Nawabzada Khalid Hussain Magsi on Wednesday refuted reports of his party’s merger with the PML-N, saying that BAP is an independent and stable political force that will continue to play an important role in the future. He made the remarks while speaking to t...
وفاقی وزیر تخفیف غربت کا شاہ کا قومی اسمبلی میں دلچسپ جواب، ارکان بھی ہنس پڑے
بے نظیر انکم سپورٹ کی وجہ سے 30 لاکھ لوگ خط غربت کی لکیر سے نکل آئے ہیں، وفاقی وزیر
Protesters in Karachi demand safe return of seamen held by Somali pirates
https://www.dawn.com/news/2000038
PM Shehbaz reviews monsoon preparations
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik to ensure advance preparations for the upcoming monsoon season across the country. The prime minister also instructed authorities to further strengthen the early warning system and ensure continu...
Safe return of seamen held by Somali pirates demanded
KARACHI: Ambreen Fatima protested in Karachi with her children on Wednesday for the release of her husband, one of 10 Pakistani crew aboard an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates 23 days ago, and who is now drinking uncleaned tank water to survive, she said. The MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged product...
Towards middle power status
THE period between May 2025 and May 2026 has been unusually consequential for Pakistan. In May 2025, the country surprised observers by demonstrating a high degree of capability and professionalism in an aerial war with a much larger power. More recently, a nation often portrayed as peripheral to gl...
Henley places Pakistani passport on 100th spot
ISLAMABAD: With visa-free access to 30 countries, Pakistan’s passport has been ranked at the 100th spot in the world by the Henley Passport Index. The Henley Passport Index compares 199 different passports across 227 different travel destinations, and calculates the score based on the number of dest...
FBR mulls AI-based monitoring
ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday reviewed a set of tax enforcement measures for the upcoming federal budget, focusing on curbing evasion and improving revenue collection through greater use of technology. This was discussed in a special meeting on tax enforcement measures chaired by Economic A...