ISLAMABAD: Facing mounting criticism over the removal of thousands of mature trees across the capital, minister for climate change and environmental coordination on Friday defended the action as a necessary step to combat a public health threat, saying that nearly 29,000 invasive paper mulberry trees had been felled in compliance with a Supreme Court order.
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At OIC gathering, Pakistan to press case for Somalia’s territorial integrity
ISLAMABAD: The deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, reached Saudi Arabia on Saturday to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers, a gathering convened amid mounting outrage over Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.
SOEs losses triple to Rs123 billion in FY25 on oil, power strains
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s state-owned enterprises racked up a net loss of Rs122.9 billion in the fiscal year through June 2025, more than tripling the previous year’s deficit, as plunging oil prices hammered revenues and power distributors bled cash, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Pakistan issues travel advisory as economic protests spread in Iran
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Saturday issued a travel advisory, urging Pakistani citizens to steer clear of nonessential trips to neighbouring Iran as deadly protests over economic grievances there entered their second week.
Security raids kill 11 Taliban-linked militants near Afghan border
ISLAMABAD: The security forces have killed 11 militants linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in two separate operations in the restive northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military said on Saturday.
Turkey in talks to join Pakistan-Saudi defence alliance, report
ISLAMABAD: Turkey is nearing an agreement to join a mutual defence pact forged between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a development that could coalesce a potent new security bloc in the Muslim world and alter the geopolitical landscape from the Middle East to South Asia, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Pakistan nears $1.5 billion arms deal with Sudan, report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is in the final stages of sealing a $1.5 billion agreement to supply weapons and aircraft to Sudan, a former senior air force official and three people familiar with the negotiations told Reuters, a move that could significantly strengthen Sudan’s military in its grinding war against a powerful paramilitary group.
In Karachi, KP’s chief minister takes jailed Imran Khan’s campaign to the streets
KARACHI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister, Sohail Afridi, arrived in this bustling port city on Friday, kicking off a three-day visit aimed at galvanizing support for his party’s nationwide street protests demanding the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan.
Remittances rise 16 percent to $3.6 billion in December
KARACHI: Pakistan’s workers’ remittances surged to a monthly high of $3.6 billion in December, providing a vital boost to the country’s foreign-exchange reserves amid efforts to stabilize the economy under an International Monetary Fund bailout.
As Taliban rule in Kabul, Pakistan pays the heaviest price
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has emerged as the country most severely battered by the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan in 2021, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group, which warns that a fragile ceasefire between the two neighbours could shatter if cross-border militant attacks continue, prompting Islamabad to unleash fresh military strikes.