The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that arresting an individual without following the prescribed legal process amounts to kidnapping, issuing strong observations on police excesses and abuse of authority. According to court proceedings reported by local media, the high court held that if legal process is misused and justice is compromised, such action becomes void under settled legal principles. …

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has sentenced Adil Raja and several other accused to multiple life terms in a digital terrorism case involving content against state institutions. The verdict was announced on Friday by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra after the conclusion of the trial related to incidents of May 9. The judge pronounced the reserved judgment shortly after …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) was a core component of the government’s broader economic reform vision, as he expressed satisfaction over the successful privatization of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). According to an official statement, the prime minister was addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet, where he …

Pakistan and India have exchanged the lists of their respective nuclear installations and facilities, officials confirmed on Thursday. The exchange was conducted under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between the two countries. The list of Pakistan’s nuclear installations and facilities was officially handed over to a representative of the Indian High Commission in …

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has collected 23.26 billion rupees in sales tax on services during the first six months of the financial year 2025-26 (July–December), marking a 30 percent increase compared to 17.92 billion rupees collected in the same period last year. According to KPRA’s media wing, the 5.34 billion rupees growth reflects the expansion of the tax …

The Government of Pakistan on Thursday handed over a list of 257 Indian prisoners, including 58 civilians and 199 fishermen, to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The move follows the provisions of the Consular Access Agreement between Pakistan and India, signed on 21 May 2008, which requires both countries to exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody twice …

NADRA has launched a pilot project allowing selected E-Sahulat franchises to provide national identity services, including reprinting and renewal of lost ID cards, officials said. The initiative aims to bring NADRA services closer to citizens’ homes by offering an alternative service channel. The pilot has begun in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi. Initially, 18 E-Sahulat franchises will offer NADRA services, …

Lahore witnessed 116 reported suicide cases during 2025, with men accounting for the majority of victims, according to data compiled by local authorities and Edhi Foundation officials. Of the total, 83 were men and 33 were women. Poverty and financial distress were reported as the leading factors behind male suicides, while women were primarily driven by failed relationships and domestic …

The Airports Security Force (ASF) has released its annual figures for 2025, highlighting significant operations against smuggling at airports across Pakistan. According to the ASF, its personnel successfully intercepted numerous attempts at drug smuggling through professional and vigilant operations throughout the year. During these actions, 26.863 kilograms of heroin, 88.7 kilograms of hashish, and 3.113 kilograms of ice heroin were …

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has announced that he will visit Karachi on January 9, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Afridi, who recently completed a three-day visit to Lahore, said his upcoming trip to Karachi is to deliver a message from former party chairman Imran Khan. Taking to Twitter, Afridi stated: “9 January, Friday! Karachi, Sindh, are you ready? InshaAllah, …

Authorities in Peshawar have launched a major initiative to regulate private taxis, curb illegal transport, and improve traffic flow across the city, officials said on Thursday.? Under directives issued during a meeting chaired by Commissioner Peshawar Division and Chairman Regional Transport Authority Riyaz Khan Mehsud, all private taxis operating in the district must now be registered with the Excise Department. …

Pakistan’s economy has shown clear signs of recovery and stability over the past year, with key sectors recording strong growth following strategic policy reforms under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), official data and government statements indicate. According to economic figures for the current fiscal year, Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.71 percent, an increase of 2.15 percentage …

Pakistan Railways’ freight sector has recorded a historic performance by generating Rs17 billion in revenue during the first six months of the current fiscal period, officials said on Thursday. A spokesperson for Pakistan Railways said the freight division continued to post strong earnings despite operational challenges, including strikes. According to the spokesperson, the department earned more than Rs3 billion in …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Wednesday conferred the “Best Foreign Journalist of the Decade in Pakistan (2015–2025)” award on Jiang Chao, Bureau Chief of Xinhua News Agency, in recognition of his decade-long contribution to objective journalism and promotion of Pakistan–China friendship. Speaking at the award-giving ceremony in Islamabad, PFUJ President Muhammad Nawaz Raza said the decision …

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired the second meeting of the National Wheat Oversight Committee to review wheat sowing progress for Rabi 2025–26, assess the current wheat stock position, and examine implementation mechanisms under the Integrated National Wheat Policy (INWP). During the meeting, provinces were advised to constitute Provincial Implementation Units to ensure effective …

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision of a safer province is taking shape as the government signed agreements to establish smart Safe Cities in 98 tehsils across the province. The signing ceremony took place at the Central Police Office, where Brigadier Azmat Shabbir, Managing Director of National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), and Muhammad Ahsan Yunus, Managing Director of …

The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Afridi has directed the provincial transport department to complete the printing of over 117,000 pending driving license cards across the province within one month. The transport department has issued a district-wise schedule for the printing and delivery of the licenses. According to the official notice, the concerned authorities have been instructed to …

Following difficulties faced by citizens in fingerprint verification, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has introduced a new face-recognition biometric verification service. The facility aims to assist elderly individuals and those with medical issues who face challenges in fingerprint-based verification. According to a NADRA spokesperson, on the directives of the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, several measures were taken, …

The Punjab government has approved two major projects worth a total of Rs9.4 billion aimed at wildlife conservation and promoting eco-tourism across the province. The projects cover areas including Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, Changa Manga, Lal Suhanra (Bahawalpur), the Cholistan Desert, and the hilly regions of Koh-e-Suleman in Dera Ghazi Khan. The first initiative, the Punjab Wildlife Conservation and Habitat …

ISLAMABAD (Internews): Deputy prime minister/ foreign minister senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and ambassador Jiang Zaidong of China exchanged new year’s greetings and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the all-weather strategic partnership between Pakistan and China. According to the details, senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar received ambassador Jiang Zaidong of the People’s Republic of China on Monday. Ambassador Jiang conveyed season’s greetings …

In a rare meteorological event, the coastal areas of Balochistan observed a landspout after six years, offering a spectacular sight to local residents. Landspouts and waterspouts are tornado-like columns of air that connect clouds to the ground or sea surface simultaneously. These phenomena form due to high humidity in the air and elevated sea surface temperatures. The diameter of a …

Preparations for the 2026 local government elections in Punjab have entered a decisive phase, with the provincial government issuing a fresh notification detailing the administrative structure of divisions, districts and tehsils across the province. According to the notification, Punjab now comprises 10 divisions, 41 districts and 156 tehsils. The move is being described as a key step toward holding local …

Karachi has recorded at least 27 deaths in incidents involving open manholes and uncovered drains during 2025, according to the data compiled by independent sources up to December. The fatalities include both children and adults once again highlighting the city’s long-standing infrastructure and civic safety failures. Officially compiled figures show that 11 people lost their lives after falling into open …

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has intensified its crackdown on misleading and deceptive advertising, imposing heavy fines across multiple sectors including real estate, automobiles, education, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods. According to official details, the CCP has initiated inquiries in Islamabad into fake and misleading housing advertisements, while enforcement action against deceptive promotional campaigns by housing societies is also …

The federal government has decided to take strict action against fraud related to property files and plots, with the prime minister ordering the formation of a high-level committee to review the issue. According to a private TV channel report, the government has constituted a committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the legal status of buying and selling property files, …

Pakistan has rejected Israel’s announcement recognizing Somaliland, reaffirming its support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Speaking during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Usman Jadoon, said Islamabad does not accept Israel’s decision to recognize the self-declared Somaliland region. He told the council that Pakistan stands firmly with Somalia and …

Following a decision by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the government has granted permission for citizens of Lahore to celebrate Basant safely, under strict regulations. Deputy Commissioner Lahore Syed Musa Raza issued a formal notification for the three-day festival in February 2026, setting forth strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure public safety. According to the notification, Basant celebrations …

The National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) announced significant achievements in combating cybercrime in 2025. According to the agency’s annual report, investigations into 2,196 major cybercrime cases were completed, resulting in the arrest of 2,902 suspects and convictions in 774 cases. The report stated that online fraud and financial crime victims recovered a total of Rs 461 million. Over 46,000 …

During the hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2025, Justice Faisal Zaman Khan of the Lahore High Court raised concerns over the political angle of the case. The court directed that the petition be listed before the relevant bench after the upcoming holidays. Justice Faisal Zaman Khan remarked that despite extensive …

The Supreme Court (SC) has suspended the Lahore High Court’s decision that had overturned a Sessions Judge’s order to transfer a case. According to court proceedings, the Supreme Court observed that the High Court had not properly considered the relevant law before annulling the Sessions Judge’s decision. Justice Jamal Mandokhail remarked on the difficulty of defending such a judgment. The …

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have filed appeals against their convictions in the Toshakhana-II case, challenging the decision in the Islamabad High Court on Monday. The appeals were submitted through lawyer Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry. The Islamabad High Court assigned diary number 24560 to Imran Khan’s appeal and 24561 to Bushra Bibi’s. In the filed appeals, …

Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured in separate traffic accidents caused by dense fog in different parts of Punjab on Monday, rescue officials said. According to Rescue authorities, a bus collided with a rickshaw near Shahkot Road in Nankana Sahib after visibility dropped sharply due to thick fog. As a result of the crash, three people …

Justice Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, newly appointed judge of the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), took oath on Monday, completing the court’s sanctioned strength of judges. The oath was administered by Chief Justice of the AJK Supreme Court, Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan, during a ceremony held at the Supreme Court building in Muzaffarabad. The oath-taking ceremony was …

Pakistan on Monday expressed serious concern over incidents of vandalism during Christmas and continued violence against Muslims in India, calling the persecution of minorities a matter of deep alarm. Responding to media queries, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tahir Andrabi, said that recent condemnable incidents, including vandalism during Christmas and state-sponsored campaigns targeting Muslims, have further …

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday issued a weather advisory in view of an approaching westerly wave expected to affect various parts of the country over the next few days. According to forecasts, a westerly wave is likely to enter the western parts of the country from the night of 29th December 2025 and is expected to intensify …

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar received a telephone call from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia, Abdisalam Abdi Ali today. During the conversation, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia and strongly condemned any actions aimed at undermining it. The Somali Foreign …

The Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Yemen, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) today have jointly issued a statement strongly rejecting Israel’s recognition of the “Somaliland” region of the Federal Republic of Somalia. In the joint statement issued in …

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has suspended six officials for remaining absent from their assigned monitoring duties at sugar mills, officials confirmed on Sunday. According to the FBR, the suspended officials were deployed to ensure effective, transparent, and uninterrupted monitoring of sugar production. Their absence came to light during routine oversight conducted by the Large Tax Office (LTO) Lahore. …

The Customs Department, operating under the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), has seized smuggled goods worth Rs317 million during a series of enforcement operations in Quetta. The confiscated items included cigarettes, mobile phones, and non-duty paid (NCP) vehicles. According to FBR officials, the Customs Enforcement Quetta conducted these operations as part of ongoing efforts to combat smuggling. Acting on verified …