ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed at least 12 militants in a series of operations across three districts in the country’s northwest between Friday night and Saturday, while thwarting a planned suicide bombing in the volatile North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the military said on Saturday, amid a persistent wave of terrorist attacks that has strained relations between the federal government and provincial authorities.
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State-run PIA resumes direct flights to UK after five-year ban
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines resumed direct flights to the UK after a nearly five-year suspension, marking a milestone in the government’s push to rehabilitate the struggling national carrier and restore the country’s aviation reputation amid broader economic reforms.
Pakistan presents counterterrorism plan to Afghan Taliban in Istanbul talks-officials
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has handed over a comprehensive counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban as the second round of talks between the two sides held in Istanbul on Saturday, part of Islamabad’s efforts to establish a mechanism to curb cross-border terrorism originating from Afghan soil.
Gunmen abduct 18 labourers, torch vehicles in second Balochistan attack in four days
KHUZDAR: Unknown gunmen stormed a construction camp in southwestern Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province late on Thursday, abducting 18 labourers at gunpoint and setting fire to at least eight vehicles and machinery, in the second such attack on workers in the region within four days, local officials said.
PPP-PML-N alliance born of ‘necessity, not affection’, says Punjab governor
PESHAWAR: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan on Friday described the alliance between his Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as a political “compulsion” rather than a bond of affection, a necessity to ensure stability after the 2024 general elections.
ECC cautioned on looming price hike from flood damage, market distortions
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet was warned of a looming inflation spike driven by flood-ravaged crops, supply chain disruptions, and potential cartel activity in the edible oil and ghee markets, threatening further food price hikes across the country.
Pakistan targets record 30m tonnes wheat output for 2025-26 Rabi season
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has set a wheat production goal of 30 million tonnes for the 2025-26 Rabi season, leveraging sufficient water supplies in Punjab and Sindh, the country’s main agricultural provinces, following recent floods that boosted water availability for crops, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said on Friday.
Pakistan Super League plans major expansion with two new teams and venues
LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League is gearing up for its largest expansion in years with two new teams and two additional venues slated for the next edition, PSL chief executive Salman Naseer said on Friday, even as a row escalated between the league’s management and one franchise owner over public criticism.
PM Sharif pitches Pakistan as gateway for regional trade, transport and energy
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday highlighted his country’s strategic position as a regional tri-junction linking China, Central Asia and the Middle East, saying it offered potential to boost trade, transport and digital cooperation across the region.
SBP expected to hold interest rates steady amid flood-driven inflation pressures
KARACHI: The central bank is poised to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 11 percent when it announces its decision on Monday, according to a Reuters poll of analysts, as devastating floods and border disruptions with Afghanistan continue to fuel food price surges and constrain options for further monetary easing.