ISLAMABAD: At least four crew members — three of them Pakistani — were killed and several others wounded on Tuesday when a cargo vessel carrying food supplies came under missile fire in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, in what would be the first fatal Houthi strike on shipping since the war between Iran and Israel erupted in February.
top-politics
Muslim Conference’s Sardar Attique loses Dhirkot seat he held for 40 years, as AJK’s third-phase polling descends into rigging claims
BAGH: Voters across Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch division delivered one of the biggest shocks of this year’s assembly election on Monday, unseating a political dynasty that had held power for four decades, as polling in four constituencies was overshadowed by allegations of rigging, outbreaks of violence and the suspension of voting at several stations.
Sitting and former AJK premiers face off in fiercely contested election phase under heavy security
BAGH: Voters in two districts of Azad Kashmir went to the polls today in a fiercely contested election phase that pits a sitting prime minister against two of his predecessors, amid a heavy security deployment and mounting questions over the vote’s integrity.
Pakistan rejects Taliban’s weapons smuggling claims as ‘baseless’, demands action against militant sanctuaries
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dismissed as “frivolous” and “baseless” claims from the Afghan Taliban that weapons are being smuggled across the border for use in subversive activities, instead calling on Kabul to confront militant networks operating from its territory.
PML-N eyes two-thirds majority in AJK as third-phase vote nears
BAGH: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz needs just six more seats to secure a two-thirds majority government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday, addressing a rally in Bagh ahead of the third phase of elections in the region.
Kashmir election watchdog pulls plug on Poonch and Sudhnoti polls amid security fears
MUZAFFARABAD: The election authority in Azad Kashmir has abandoned plans to hold polling across two entire districts on Sunday, citing fears for the safety of voters in a region shaken by nearly two months of deadly unrest.
Security forces kill 12 militants in twin Balochistan raids
RAWALPINDI: Security forces killed 12 militants in two intelligence-led raids in Balochistan on Wednesday and Thursday, the military said, the latest strikes in a province where attacks have surged for much of this year.
PM Sharif, military chief Munir head to Saudi Arabia with Gulf conflict high on agenda
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia today for a three-day visit that will bring him face to face with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as Islamabad seeks to reinforce its standing with Riyadh at a moment of acute instability across the Gulf.
Pakistan warns Al-Aqsa incursions could draw region into wider conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called on Arab and Muslim-majority countries to present a united front against Israeli actions in Jerusalem, warning that repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by settlers risk dragging the wider region, and adherents of multiple faiths, into a broader conflict.
FM Dar heads to Jordan for talks on Jerusalem crisis
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar left for Amman on Tuesday for a one-day visit, where he is due to join foreign ministers from across the Arab and Islamic world for urgent talks on the deteriorating situation in occupied Jerusalem.