Pakistan News

Former prime minister and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday lamented the lack of development in Gilgit-Baltistan, as he made a brief visit to the region ahead of elections there. General elections in GB are scheduled for June 7 , after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. “I am speaking to you after many years. Isn’t that the case? Perhaps you have forgotten me,” Nawaz said while addressing the public in Gilgit, prompting roaring chants in his support. Noting that he was fond of mountains, Nawaz stressed he “wholeheartedly loved” GB. “When I love the area from my heart, then why would I not love the people from my heart? You live in my heart,” he quipped. The PML-N chief then went on to lament the lack of development in GB. “When I saw the condition of the roads after exiting the airport, I cannot even describe it. It hurt me immensely. Where is the Gilgit that I used to know?” he said. “My heart cries on why this was allowed, why the money that should ha...

SHANGLA: Six children from the same family were killed and another was injured when the roof of a mud house collapsed in Shangla district’s Alpuri tehsil, Rescue 1122 said on Tuesday. Rescue 1122 Shangla Spokesperson Rasool Khan Sharif told Dawn that seven children were buried under the debris when the roof of the house collapsed early morning in Rahimabad Bassi area. He said the rescue team responded immediately to the emergency call, began the operation, and recovered the bodies within an hour. According to Rescue 1122, all of the children were sleeping when the incident occurred. Six of them died, while the condition of the injured child was also critical. The deceased were identified as 14-year-old Nazira Bibi, 13-year-old Samira Bibi, five-year-old Rizwanullah, seven-year-old Nayab, five-year-old Haya Noor, and 12-year-old Umaira, while the injured was identified as 11-year-old Marwa. Last month, three children were killed , and a couple was seriously injured after the roof ...

India and the United States are “about 99 per cent” done with the first tranche of a trade deal, the commerce minister said, as a US delegation began talks in New Delhi on Tuesday. The delegation, led by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is holding three days of talks with Indian trade officials, as the two sides seek to close negotiations. “About 99 per cent of the issues have been settled,” Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal told reporters in Delhi late on Monday. The two countries reached an initial understanding for the trade deal in February, but negotiations slowed after President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures were struck down by the US Supreme Court. After the court order, the Trump administration launched investigations into unfair trade practices against several countries, including India, while imposing a blanket 10pc tariff. Goyal said negotiators were examining how recent legal cha...

KARACHI: The Karachi Traffic Police have announced that an e-challan system for lane violations on Sharea Faisal will take effect from June 1 (today) under the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS). In a statement, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Traffic Pir Mohammed Shah said that under the notified lane management plan, commercial vehicles and motorcycles are required to use the two leftmost lanes, which have been reserved for their movement. He said fast-moving private vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and double-cabin vehicles, are not permitted to use the leftmost and second-left lanes, as these remain reserved for commercial and slow-moving traffic. Shah further said that the fast lane and the second lane from the right are designated exclusively for fast-moving private vehicles. He added that Sharea Faisal operates as a three-lane carriageway in some stretches and a four-lane carriageway in others, stating that in three-lane sections, t...

WASHINGTON: Reports that the United States and Iran are close to extending a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz have sparked an intense debate in Washington about the future of US policy toward Tehran. The discussion extends far beyond the White House. Some of America’s most influential think tanks — research institutions that often shape policy debates and supply experts to successive administrations — are offering sharply different assessments of Iran, the consequences of the recent conflict and the political risks facing US President Donald Trump as he heads toward the 2026 midterm elections. The timing is particularly significant because the midterms will determine control of Congress during the second half of Trump’s presidency. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but history suggests those majorities could be at risk. For many, the most important question is no longer whethe...

A meteor crashing toward Earth exploded over the northeastern United States on Saturday, Nasa said, setting off booms that echoed over the region with a blast equivalent to 300 tonnes of TNT. The fireball broke up over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire at 2:06pm (11:06pm PKT), the US space agency’s deputy news chief Jennifer Dooren told AFP in a statement. “This fireball was not associated with any currently active meteor shower, but it was a natural object and not a re-entry of space debris or a satellite,” she said. “The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tonnes of TNT, which accounts for the loud booms.” The meteor was travelling at 75,000 mph (more than 120,000 kph) at an altitude of 40 miles when it broke apart, Dooren said. Area residents were alarmed by the unexpected loud booms, with social media users reporting they were so powerful that ...