QUETTA: Pakistani security forces killed nine more militants in Balochistan province in the past day, state media reported on Saturday, pushing the overall death toll in a widening five-day-old military offensive to 88.
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Pakistan warns of glacial flood danger as heat, rain converge on northern peaks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani weather officials on Saturday warned that a fresh storm system moving into the country’s northern mountains this week could trigger sudden, destructive flooding from glacial lakes, the latest in a string of alerts this summer as the region grapples with a punishing combination of heat and rain.
US, Pakistan push toward trade deal as temporary tariff set to lapse
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States made significant progress toward a reciprocal trade agreement during two days of talks in Washington, according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, as officials from both countries work to lock in a durable framework before a temporary tariff measure lapses later this month.
Pakistan presses Iran, US to hold the line as Hormuz clashes threaten fragile truce
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appealed directly to Iran’s president on Friday to avoid any steps that could unravel weeks of painstaking diplomacy, as the United States and Iran exchanged a third consecutive round of military strikes and the ceasefire Pakistan brokered last month showed signs of buckling.
KP government retreats on lawmaker privileges law after public backlash
PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said on Friday it would strip out controversial provisions from a law passed just months ago that had granted lawmakers sweeping new privileges, including blanket immunity from arrest, diplomatic passports and gun licenses — a reversal that came after weeks of public criticism.
Pakistan taps ADB to run sale of Islamabad airport
ISLAMABAD: The Privatisation Commission board approved an agreement on Friday appointing the Asian Development Bank as transaction adviser for the outsourcing of Islamabad International Airport, clearing a key hurdle in the government’s push to hand over management of the country’s flagship gateway to private operators.
Pakistan targets 2028 restart for Neelum-Jhelum hydropower plant shut by tunnel collapse
ISLAMABAD: Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, one of the country’s most expensive power installations, will remain offline until at least March 2028 — nearly four years after a tunnel collapse forced its shutdown — as the state utility overseeing the plant works to determine what caused the failure and how to fix it.
Pakistan braces for weekend of flooding, landslides as monsoon rains intensify
ISLAMABAD: The federal government ordered disaster management authorities into a state of heightened readiness on Friday, as meteorologists forecast a weekend of heavy rain, windstorms and thunderstorms likely to trigger flash flooding, landslides and dangerous river surges across the country’s northern and mountainous regions.
Pakistan raises petrol, diesel prices as Mideast war pushes up oil costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan raised petrol and diesel prices on Friday, reversing a brief reprieve from the previous week, as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran pushed global crude prices toward their sharpest weekly gain in months.
Pakistan’s top court reverses course on Nasla Tower demolitions, faults justices for overreach
ISLAMABAD: A landmark ruling this week from Pakistan’s newly formed Federal Constitutional Court has upended nearly a decade of court-ordered demolitions across this sprawling port city, finding that the country’s Supreme Court exceeded its authority when it launched a sweeping campaign against illegal construction that eventually claimed one of Karachi’s most recognisable buildings.