Bidding war emerges for Pakistan’s football revival, with cricket magnate entering the fray

LAHORE: A former cricket franchise owner has thrown his hat into the ring to launch a new professional football league in Pakistan, pitting him against two established players in the sports business who have long sought to establish a franchise-style tournament in the soccer-starved nation.

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Over 66,000 passengers denied travel as Pakistan tightens immigration controls

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have offloaded more than 66,000 passengers from international flights this year, nearly double the number from 2024, as part of an intensified crackdown on illegal migration and document fraud, officials disclosed on Wednesday during a parliamentary committee hearing.

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Imran Khan’s sisters charged with terrorism after protest over denied jail meeting

RAWALPINDI: The sisters of Imran Khan, the imprisoned former prime minister, were among 400 people charged with terrorism and other offences on Wednesday after the police dispersed a sit-in outside the jail where he is held, escalating a confrontation over access to the jailed opposition leader.

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Pakistan says India and Israel fueled false narratives after Sydney terror attack

ISLAMABAD: The information minister on Wednesday accused India and Israel of orchestrating a disinformation campaign that falsely linked one of the suspects in the deadly shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach to Pakistan, calling the effort a deliberate attempt to tarnish his country’s reputation amid its long struggle against terrorism.

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In Pakistan, the military’s grip on power is tested by Trump’s push for troops in Gaza

KARACHI: As Pakistan’s military consolidates unprecedented control under Field Marshal Asim Munir, the general now confronts a pivotal dilemma: whether to heed pressure from Washington and commit troops to a contentious stabilisation force in Gaza, a step that could inflame domestic unrest in a nation already roiled by political and militant tensions, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

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Justice Jahangiri moves to top court, claims bias in IHC over law degree controversy

ISLAMABAD: A judge on the Islamabad High Court petitioned the country’s highest constitutional authority on Wednesday to overturn a lower court ruling that opened the door to a challenge against the validity of his law degree, escalating a legal dispute that has raised questions about judicial qualifications and due process in Pakistan’s superior courts.

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