KARACHI: Nine days after a devastating fire tore through the crowded Gul Plaza shopping complex in Karachi, killing at least 73 people and reducing more than 1,100 shops to ash, authorities on Monday sealed the charred building and prepared for its demolition, as a special police team ramped up efforts to track down those responsible for one of the city’s deadliest infernos in years.
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Pakistan says final call on T20 World Cup will come days after Bangladesh is dropped
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricket board chairman said Monday that a decision on whether the country will play in the upcoming T20 World Cup is expected by the end of this week, after Bangladesh pulled out over security fears in India.
SBP holds policy rate at 10.5 percent as growth quickens, defying cut calls
KARACHI: The central bank on Monday kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 10.5%, surprising analysts who expected further easing after inflation cooled and reserves swelled, as policymakers flagged sticky underlying prices and a bigger trade gap despite a brighter growth picture.
Pakistan Super League to hold first-ever player auction on February 11
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced that the player auction for the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would be held on February 11, marking a major shift from the previous draft system to an auction model for the country’s premier cricket league.
Gul Plaza fire death toll rises to 73 as recovery nears end
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire that tore through a bustling shopping complex in Karachi climbed to 73 on Sunday, as rescue teams pulled two more bodies from the charred rubble, deepening the grief in a city still reeling from one of its worst disasters in years.
Heavy snow traps villages and travelers in Pakistan’s mountain north
ISLAMABAD: As heavy snowfall blanketed Pakistan’s northern mountains for a fourth straight day, burying roads under feet of white and cutting off entire villages, officials issued urgent warnings of avalanches and landslides that could strand more travelers in freezing temperatures.
Pakistan axe pacer Rauf, back experience Babar and Shaheen for T20 World Cup
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday omitted fast bowler Haris Rauf from its 15-man squad for next month’s ICC T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, despite his strong recent form in Australia’s Big Bash League where he claimed 20 wickets.
Govt says no evacuation order was issued, even as thousands depart Tirah valley in harsh winter
PESHAWAR: The government on Sunday denied issuing any orders for the forced evacuation of residents from the restive Tirah Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, amid mounting tensions over a planned military operation against militant groups that has prompted thousands to flee their homes in the grip of a harsh winter.
Pakistan scraps state-to-state airport deals, moves to open auctions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is shifting the outsourcing of its three biggest airports to an open bidding process after drawing strong interest from investors, a move that scraps earlier plans for government-to-government deals and aims to spur competition.
PM Sharif says cabinet clears Pakistan to join Trump-led Board of Peace for Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday the cabinet had cleared the way for the country to join the Board of Peace, an international group for Gaza, headed by US President Donald Trump.