ISLAMABAD: The health minister on Thursday inaugurated the final nationwide polio vaccination drive of 2025, a push to immunise more than 45 million children under 5 in a country that, along with Afghanistan, remains one of the last holdouts where the virus is endemic.
People
Top court stays proceedings against right activist Mazari, husband in cybercrime case
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday halted trial proceedings against the human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case involving controversial social media posts, pending the outcome of their appeals in the Islamabad High Court.
Kites back in Lahore skies: Basant festival scheduled from Feb. 6
LAHORE: The Punjab government has lifted an 18-year ban on the historic Basant festival, paving the way for a three-day celebration of kites, colors and spring in Lahore starting Feb. 6, 2026, under strict new regulations aimed at preventing the deadly accidents that led to the prohibition.
Top court to hear urgent plea from rights lawyer facing cybercrime trial
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan is set to hear an urgent plea on Thursday from human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, who is seeking to halt her ongoing trial in a high-profile case involving controversial social media posts that allegedly incited linguistic divisions and portrayed the armed forces as engaged in terrorism.
Imran Khan’s sister leads sit-in outside Adiala Jail as officials block court-ordered visit
RAWALPINDI: A sit-in protest led by Aleema Khan, the sister of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, stretched into Tuesday evening outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, after she was again barred from meeting her brother despite a court order permitting such visits.
HEC backs KU findings on IHC judge’s questioned law degree
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission has endorsed a university’s conclusion that a sitting judge on the Islamabad High Court obtained his law degree through unfair means, according to a detailed report submitted to the court, intensifying scrutiny over the jurist’s eligibility to hold office.
Field Marshal Munir takes on new unified command role, warns Afghanistan and India
RAWALPINDI: Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s most senior military officer, formally took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces on Monday, a move that consolidates command over the army, navy and air force under a single leader for the first time and signals a major restructuring of the nation’s defence apparatus.
ADB says over 80pc of Pakistanis lack safe drinking water; per capita supply falls to two-thirds
ISLAMABAD: More than 80% of Pakistan’s population lacks access to safe drinking water, exacerbating waterborne diseases and straining resources amid rapid population growth, climate change and poor management, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released on Monday.
ECP says it cannot recognise Gohar Khan as PTI chairman as intra-party polls remain under court stay
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has refused to recognise Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the chairman of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, citing a pending legal dispute over the group’s internal elections that has left its leadership in limbo.
Stones, tear gas and arrests as Sindh Culture Day rally defies police route in Karachi
KARACHI: Police in Karachi arrested 45 people on Sunday during a rally celebrating Sindh Culture Day after participants allegedly pelted stones at law enforcement personnel, prompting a response that included baton charges and tear gas shelling, a senior police official said.