ISLAMABAD: A human rights lawyer and her husband were back behind bars within hours on Thursday, after Pakistan’s Supreme Court suspended the 17-year prison sentences that had made their case a rallying point for press freedom campaigners and UN officials.
Aamir Ashraf
Diesel price rises for ninth day, petrol barely budges
ISLAMABAD: The government raised diesel prices for a ninth consecutive day while petrol costs edged lower, a rare break in an otherwise relentless run of increases that has pushed fuel costs up more than 20% so far this month as the government tracks a volatile global oil market shaped by conflict in the Middle East.
Last surviving baby from PIMS fire dies weeks after blaze that killed 14 newborns
ISLAMABAD: The last surviving infant from a devastating fire at a government hospital nursery in Islamabad has died, a hospital spokesperson confirmed on Thursday, bringing the final death toll from last month’s blaze to 15.
US drone firm Powerus signs Pakistan military deal
ISLAMABAD: Powerus, a US drone maker preparing to merge with a company backed by two of President Donald Trump’s sons, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan Army that includes an initial order for unmanned aerial systems, according to co-founder Brett Velicovich.
Pakistan says troops deployed in Saudi Arabia under 2025 defence pact, stays vague on Houthi response
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday that it has deployed forces inside Saudi Arabia under a bilateral defence treaty signed a year ago, and said it would honour both that pact and a new three-way alliance with Riyadh and Ankara “in intent and spirit” — but pointedly refused to spell out what would trigger Pakistani troops going into action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Pakistan to seek bigger China swap line, awaits US reserve deal within two months – report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will push to expand its currency swap arrangement with China beyond its current 30 billion yuan ceiling when the facility comes up for renewal in 2027, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said, as the South Asian nation works multiple fronts to shore up foreign exchange reserves still stretched thin by years of external borrowing.
Pakistan narrows gender gap by most in a decade, yet stays near last
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan climbed off the floor of the World Economic Forum’s annual gender-parity ranking this year, posting its steepest improvement in a decade even as the country remained mired near the bottom of a 145-economy field.
Pakistan’s top court frees rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and husband after eight months in jail in social media case
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday suspended the 17-year prison sentences imposed on the prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband over social media posts critical of the country’s powerful military, ordering the couple released on bail after nearly eight months in custody.
Punjab chief minister defends use of state jet for daughter’s graduation
MULTAN: Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Punjab province, has launched a robust defence of her use of a provincial government aircraft to attend her daughter’s graduation ceremony in London, telling critics she “does not owe” them an explanation while simultaneously producing what she described as a receipt for the trip on her mobile phone.
Islamabad sealed with containers as senior PTI leader briefly detained en route to funeral
ISLAMABAD: Major roads into Islamabad were sealed with shipping containers on Thursday as the country’s capital braced for a fortnight of competing political marches, hours after the secretary general of Imran Khan’s opposition party said he had been detained and then released by police.