The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Sindh has issued a warning that Karachi is expected to experience more than normal rainfall during the upcoming monsoon season, with forecasts indicating an over-100% increase in rainfall between July and August. This alarming prediction was discussed in a meeting chaired by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi. Citizens say that the heavy rains …

President Asif Ali Zardari has given his approval for the establishment of the National Economic Council (NEC), a pivotal step towards bolstering economic governance in Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been appointed as the chairman of the NEC, while the four chief ministers will also be part of the council, ensuring representation from all provinces. Additionally, Prime Minister Sharif …

The government has decided to significantly boost the development budget for the Ministry of National Food Security in the upcoming fiscal year, allocating an additional Rs3.71 billion. This increase will see the food security budget rise from Rs8.85 billion to Rs12.56 billion. The new budget allocation includes funds for both new and ongoing projects aimed at enhancing the country’s food …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Friday. Pointing out that China and Pakistan are good neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, good friends who share faith and righteousness, good partners who help each other, and good brothers who share weal and woe, Xi said the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership had …

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) approved the names of the three judges by a majority of 5 to 4. The meeting has nominated Lahore High Court Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan for his elevation to the Supreme Court. The Judicial Commission meeting was chaired by Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa. CJP Qazi Faez Isa, law minister, Auditor General for …

Mystery continues to shroud the government’s bid mentioned in official documents to introduce changes in solar panel policy and replace net metering with gross metering system. Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari has consistently denied that there will be no change in the existing net metering system. The minister vehemently said that net metering would continue …

Amid a rising tide of anti-Muslim hate, senior diplomats from Pakistan, Türkiye and Indonesia Wednesday reaffirmed their governments’ collective commitment to combatting Islamophobia, while also advocating peace, tolerance, and inter-religious dialogue. They were speaking at an event co-hosted by the consulates general of the three Islamic countries at the Turkish Consulate General in New York. In his remarks, the Consul …

In the lead-up to the 2024-25 budget, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has turned down a proposal to increase the tax on cash withdrawals from banks for non-filers, as confirmed by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials. The proposal was meant to raise the tax rate to 0.9% for bank withdrawals exceeding Rs50,000 for non-filers. Currently, non-filers are subjected to a …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prestigious Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, has appointed   Sarwar Khawaja as the Distinguished Professor of Practice in Business Administration. Khawaja, currently serving as the Chairman of the Board at Oxford Business College, brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in business education. With a robust background in both academia and industry, Khawaja will contribute to the university’s …

SHENZHEN: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday visited the Huawei headquarters here and invited the company to invest in Pakistan’s taxation, and e-governance sectors besides enhancing its presence in Pakistan’s Safe City projects. On his arrival at the headquarters, Huawei Chairman Liang Hua welcomed him which followed the playing of national anthems and his visit of the Exhibition Center. The …

SHENZHEN: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday visited the Nanshan One-Stop Service Center and Shenzhen Exhibition Museum and directed his ministers to immediately coordinate with the Center to replicate a similar modern system in Pakistan. On his arrival at the Center, the prime minister was received by Member of Party Leadership Government of Shenzhen Nanshan District Peoples Government and Deputy …

BEIJING: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday landed in the Chinese capital city of Beijing, on the second leg of his five-day official visit to China. As the prime minister arrived here from Shenzhen city at Beijing Capital International Airport, he was received by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and officials of the Pakistan’s embassy. The prime minister is …

SHENZHEN: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday assuring all-out facilitation to Chinese investors, and security of Chinese individuals, projects and investments in Pakistan, emphasised that mutually rewarding business-to-business cooperation was key to a bright future for the two people. The prime minister, addressing the Pakistan-China Business Forum here during his five-day China visit, highlighted bilateral trade and investment potential, especially …

A blanket ban on the production, distribution, and trade of plastic has been imposed across Punjab, provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Wednesday. “Today, in the first stage, a ban has been imposed on plastic bags. It is the government’s policy to ban plastic bags,” the minister told an event in the provincial capital on the occasion of World Environment Day. …

Sarim Burney, a well-known social activist, was detained upon his arrival at Karachi Airport from the United States, sources confirmed. The detention came amidst serious accusations of human trafficking levelled against him by the US government. According to sources, Burney was apprehended by the Anti-Human Trafficking Police upon his arrival in Pakistan on the complaint of the US government. It …

The Supreme Court rejected MQM leader Mustafa Kamal’s plea for immediate pardon in the contempt of court case, while giving Senator Faisal Vawda a week to reconsider his reply. At the beginning of the hearing, Barrister Farogh Naseem told the court that Mustafa Kamal had apologized unconditionally in a one-page reply. He had specifically apologized for the May 16 press …

The Supreme Court has issued the dissenting note of Justice Athar Minallah in the lives-streaming plea of the PTI founder Imran Khan which was rejected by the SC bench, in the NAB amendments case. Justice Minallah said SC had declared access of the public to the court proceedings in all cases in matters of public importance through live streaming as …

ISLAMABAD: The China-aided New Gwadar International Airport in Pakistan has started carrying out a five-day flight test from Tuesday, marking that the project is about to enter the final sprint stage, the airport’s project management team said. Ding Kan, head of the project management team, told Xinhua that the flight test work of the airport, being built under the China-Pakistan …

Islamabad police registered a case against an official from a foreign embassy, who allegedly ran over a police constable at Shahra-e-Dastoor, in the federal capital. The case was registered on the complaint of a traffic policeman at the Secretariat police station. According to FIR, a speeding car, driven by a third secretary of a foreign embassy in Islamabad, hit a …

The National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman offices have ‘handed over’ the copies of the cipher to the Foreign Office. The declassified copies of the confidential diplomatic cable were sent to nine top offices during tenure of PTI government, and only the Presidency had returned the copy by the time a case was registered against the ex-PM and former foreign …

Dengue cases are on the rise in Pakistan again as the country reported 2,795 fresh cases during past week, said sources within NIH. According to the sources within the National Institute of Health (NIH), dengue cases are increasing rapidly with the rise in temperatures in Pakistan. Balochistan remained the most affected province with 1,728 dengue cases during the past week. …

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) full court adjourned the hearing of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) appeal against the allocation of reserved seats to other parties till June 24. Justice Muneeb Akhtar said that depriving the political party of the election symbol was the cause of all the controversy as the Supreme Court had upheld the decision to withdraw …

ISLAMABAD: “We are coming with serious plans to make our friendship become much higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the deepest ocean of the world,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said. At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Sharif is on an official visit to China from Tuesday to Saturday. “We are two iron brothers, our friendship …

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday adjourned the hearing of Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) plea against the Peshawar High Court’s verdict that denied it reserved seats for women and minorities until tomorrow (Tuesday). The development came as the 13-member full court bench of the Supreme Court took up the SIC’s plea challenging the PHC’s judgment regarding the reserved seats. The …

Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Irfan Nawaz Memon Monday chaired a high-level meeting regarding dengue measures in the federal capital, during which officials reported finding dengue larvae at 600 locations across the city in just one week. The DC emphasized that controlling the spread of dengue required active participation from residents, said the ICT Administration’s Spokesman. The meeting focused on reviewing ongoing …

The Meteorological Department has issued an advisory indicating that the ongoing heat wave is likely to end this week, bringing much-needed relief to residents across various regions of Pakistan. According to the latest forecast, upper regions of the country can expect thunderstorms from June 4 to 7. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is predicted to receive rain from June 4 to 8, …

The Islamabad High Court has suspended the sentences of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan and senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the high-profile cipher case. A division bench of the IHC, presided over by Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb, pronounced their reserved decision. The court has acquitted both Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood of the …

Colonel Dr. Helen Mary Robert has been promoted to the rank of Brigadier in the Pakistan Army, making her the first Christian woman to achieve this honor. With 26 years of dedicated service in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as a pathologist, Brigadier Dr. Helen Mary’s promotion is a testament to her merit and the inclusivity upheld by the Pakistan …

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has sent the Anti-smuggling Act 1977 to the Parliament for review with recommendation of amendment in the law, reported on Saturday. The apex court in its verdict said that the anti-smuggling law has scores of lacunae. “The anti-smuggling law only allows accused the right to appeal,” the decision read. “Denying the right to appeal to …

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday stressed upon making sincere efforts to become a member of G20, reported. Addressing a convocation ceremony of HBS Medical and Dental College, the deputy PM said that “Things are turning around and Pakistan is not more in isolation among the comity of nations as claimed by certain critics,” he added. …

In a concerning development, the wife of the Vietnamese ambassador has been reported missing in Islamabad. The ambassador himself contacted the police helpline 15 to report his wife’s disappearance. Confirming the call from Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tien Phong, a police spokesperson acknowledged the seriousness of the situation. According to the ambassador, his wife went for a routine walk at 11am, …

Due to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) pressure, the government is in a quandary to provide full relief to the people, taking a U-turn late in the night after taking credit for a decrease of Rs15.40 on petrol and Rs7.90 on diesel prices. The IMF’s strict conditions reportedly came in the way of a huge relief reaching the people from …

A 13-member full-court bench of the Supreme Court has been formed to hear the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) reserved seats case on June 3. Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa would head the bench. Justice Musarrat Hilali will not be present to hear the case due to illness. On May 6, Supreme Court (SC) suspended the Election Commission of …

Farmers in Pakistan have been protesting over the last few months after the government slashed its procurement quota for wheat. Sindh province, with its early crop yields, has been central to the protests, but two months after the completion of this year’s wheat harvest there, the stand-off continues. “The government had fixed the wheat purchasing rate and was supposed to …

An explosion in a gas cylinder shop in Hyderabad’s Preetabad area has claimed the lives of seven people and left at least 52 others injured, six of whom are in critical condition. The blast occurred in a densely populated area, with locals and rescue workers rushing to the scene to assist the victims. The seven victims included five children. Six …

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been granted conditional permission to hold a rally in Rawat on GT Road by the deputy commissioner’s office. This decision comes as part of the ongoing contempt of court case related to the PTI’s previous inability to hold a rally in Islamabad due to a lack of permission. The Islamabad High Court, led by Chief …

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has constituted a three-member committee for the delimitation of constituencies in Islamabad. A notification has been issued in this regard. The district election commissioner in Islamabad will appoint the convener of the delimitation committee from June 1 to 19, the initial publication will be held on June 20, the objections issued on the schedule …

XINJANG: “The relationship between Pakistan and China has always been strong, but with this satellite project, we are taking it to new heights, literally touching space.” This collaboration not only strengthens our bond but also brings tangible benefits to the people of Pakistan, particularly those in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Minister Ahsan Iqbal shared these views with Vice President, CASC …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that China’s cooperation to launch Pakistani satellite “Paksat MM1” will boost connectivity and economic growth in Pakistan, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. Felicitating “the entire nation on the momentous occasion of the launch of” the satellite, the prime minister said that the achievement marks a significant advancement in …

Pakistan and Azerbaijan have agreed to enhance their multifaceted cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, connectivity, energy and defence. The understanding this effect came at delegation level talks between the two countries in Islamabad today. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar led the Pakistani side while the Azeri side by its Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Later addressing …