ISLAMABAD: A court on Saturday sentenced a prominent human rights lawyer and her husband to a combined 17 years in prison for social media posts that authorities said glorified terrorism, spread false information and amounted to cyberterrorism, a verdict that drew swift condemnation from rights advocates and opposition figures who called it a blatant effort to stifle dissent.
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SBP rate decision next week to test inflation, growth balance
KARACHI: The central bank is poised to ease monetary policy further at its meeting next week, with most economists expecting a half-percentage-point cut that would push the benchmark interest rate deeper into easing territory amid cooling inflation and strengthening external buffers.
Avalanche kills nine in northern Pakistan as snowstorm strands thousands
PESHAWAR: At least nine people from the same family were killed and a child was rescued alive after an avalanche buried their house in a remote mountainous area of northwestern Pakistan, officials said Friday, as heavy snowfall and rains continued to lash the region, stranding travelers, blocking roads and prompting urgent rescue operations across multiple provinces.
Government defends joining US-led Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ as opposition cries foul
ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday vigorously defended its decision to join a US-led Board of Peace aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict, saying the move is a significant diplomatic achievement that places the country at the center of efforts alongside other Muslim nations to foster stability in the Palestinian territories.
Pakistan jails prominent human rights lawyer and her husband after dramatic court-day arrest
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police arrested a prominent human rights lawyer and her husband on Friday as they made their way to a court appearance, in a move that ignited immediate protests from the legal community and drew rebukes from politicians and international watchdogs who saw it as the latest sign of eroding civil liberties in the country.
Election legitimacy and economic policy collide in heated Senate session
ISLAMABAD: Accusations of election fraud and institutional meddling dominated a tense Senate session on Friday, with opposition lawmakers pushing for a parliamentary investigation into the handling of February 2024’s vote.
Death toll rises to 71 as Gul Plaza fire rescue nears end, officials warn count may climb
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire that ravaged a bustling shopping plaza in Pakistan’s largest city climbed to 71 on Friday, as rescue workers combed through the last pockets of unstable rubble and officials warned that the final count could rise further once forensic identifications are complete.
Pakistan takes seat on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza, even as major powers stay out
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump presided over the formal launch of a new international organisation called the Board of Peace on Thursday, an entity he described as a tool for resolving conflicts starting with Gaza but potentially extending further, as leaders from nearly two dozen countries, including Pakistan, signed on during a ceremony at the World Economic Forum.
Pakistan sees 25 percent increase in foreign aid with IMF’s backing
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign assistance inflows surged more than 25% in the first half of the fiscal year, driven largely by stepped-up program support from the International Monetary Fund, providing a crucial buffer for the cash-strapped South Asian economy amid ongoing balance-of-payments pressures.
PTI calls for unconditional talks, rejects government limits on dialogue
ISLAMABAD: Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the chairman of main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called on the government on Wednesday to engage in unconditional talks, insisting that no topics should be off the table if dialogue is to succeed.