ISLAMABAD: Information minister Ataullah Tarar accused India on Wednesday of still failing to produce any credible evidence linking Islamabad to last year’s deadliest attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, repeating Pakistan’s charge that the assault was a “false flag” operation orchestrated by New Delhi to justify military escalation against its neighbour.
Lead
Pakistan advances one-window airport system with e-gates to slash wait times
ISLAMABAD: The government is advancing plans for a unified “one-window” clearance system at its airports, combining immigration, security and customs checks into a single process powered by e-gates and advanced scanners in an effort to cut passenger wait times and ease chronic congestion.
Pakistan probes Discos for costly off-grid power purchases, orders immediate halt
ISLAMABAD: The government said on Wednesday it has uncovered purchases of electricity by state-owned distribution companies at rates well above the national tariff, made outside the national grid in violation of economic merit-order rules amid widespread complaints about expensive power and prolonged loadshedding.
All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz under ICC probe after positive recreational drug test; Surrey T20 Blast deal collapses
LAHORE: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz is under investigation by the International Cricket Council after returning a positive test for recreational drug use during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, a development that has caused the collapse of his planned stint with Surrey in the English T20 Blast.
Iran signals openness to diplomacy but vows to defend itself as Trump extends fragile US-Iran ceasefire at Pakistan’s request
ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday welcomed Pakistan’s mediation efforts to end the Middle East war but offered no direct comment on a last-minute extension of the cease-fire announced hours earlier by President Donald Trump, even as a second round of US-Iran talks in the Pakistani capital appeared to be unraveling before it began.
China selects two Pakistani astronauts for training, with one set to become first foreigner aboard Tiangong space station
ISLAMABAD: China has chosen two Pakistani astronauts as candidates for its manned space program, a step that will send one of them into orbit aboard the Tiangong space station as the first foreign national to fly on a Chinese spacecraft, state media reported on Wednesday.
Pakistan targets 30 percent electric-vehicle shift in five years to save $4.5 billion on fuel imports
ISLAMABAD: The government plans to convert 30% of the country’s vehicles to electric power within the next five years, a push that officials say will deliver fuel-import savings of as much as $4.5 billion and help ease chronic pressure on the economy.
Ceasefire Holds, but Diplomacy Fractures
The latest twist in the two-month-old war between the United States and Iran arrived, as so many have lately, via a late-night Truth Social post from President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, with the two-week ceasefire on the brink of expiration, Trump announced he was extending it indefinitely — or at least until Tehran submits a “unified proposal” and talks run their course. The decision, he said, came at the direct request of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. It followed hours of frantic deliberations in the White House, where Air Force Two sat fueled and ready to carry Vice President JD Vance to Islamabad for what was supposed to be the next round of mediated negotiations.
Pakistan seeks fixed underwriting teams for eurobonds, sukuk and rupee-dollar bonds to smooth external borrowing
ISLAMABAD: The government moved to institutionalise its access to international capital markets on Tuesday, soliciting proposals from global banks to act as underwriters and lead managers for all its foreign-currency debt issuance over the next three years.
Pakistan condemns Israeli settlers’ storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and raising of flag as ‘reprehensible’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday denounced in the strongest terms the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem by Israeli settlers and the raising of Israel’s flag in its courtyard, describing the actions as “reprehensible” and a serious threat to regional stability.