Pakistan News

Pakistan successfully launched a remote sensing satellite from a launch centre in China on Thursday that aims to strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural monitoring and disaster management, among other capabilities, according to a Foreign Office statement. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China which has supported it through many investments and development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), termed as a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. “In a major milestone for space exploration and technological progress, Pakistan today successfully launched its Remote Sensing Satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) in China,” a statement by the foreign ministry said. The satellite was launched by Pakistan’s national space agency, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), in collaboration with the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) and Microsat China, according to the ministry. According...

KARACHI: Pakistan faces another challenging year of external debt servicing in FY26, requiring significant rollovers to manage repayments totalling $25.9 billion, including $22bn in principal and $4bn in interest. According to a report by Topline Securities, the country will need to arrange a net financing of $10bn, comprising $6bn in principal and $4bn in interest, after accounting for expected rollovers and refinancing. In a briefing to analysts and researchers after announcing a status quo in the monetary policy on Wednesday, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed said foreign exchange reserves are projected to reach $15.5bn by December 2025 and $17.5bn by June 2026. Any proceeds from international bond issuances, such as Eurobonds or Sukuk, would be over and above this target. The governor added that Pakistan is due to repay $1.8bn in FY26 on account of two maturing Eurobonds — one of $800 million and the other of $1bn. Islamabad must arrange $10bn net external financing in FY26; S...

Rescue teams evacuated 160 stranded tourists from Naran in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district after flash floods, triggered by heavy rainfall, swept through parts of the region on Wednesday, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson. Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September, are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security. However, they also wreak havoc by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. This year’s monsoon rains continue to lash many parts of the country, prompting authorities to release an urban flooding warning for several cities. Mansehra’s Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Amir Khadam Khan, told Dawn.com that 160 tourists were stranded after floods hit Naran, Jalkhad, Barwai and Besar. “Rescue 1122 personnel crossed the flood drain on foot near Besar to access more than 160 stranded tourists and vehicles,” he said. “All the people were ...

UNITED NATIONS: Arab countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt joined calls on Tuesday for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Palestinian territory. Seventeen countries plus the European Union and Arab League threw their weight behind a seven-page text agreed at a United Nations conference on reviving the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. “In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international enga­gement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Pales­tinian State,” said the declaration. It followed a call on Monday by the Palestinian delegation at the United Nations for both Israel and Hamas to leave Gaza, allowing the Palestinian Authority to administer the coastal territory. The text also condemned the Hamas raid against Israel of Oct 7, 2023. France, which co-chaired the conferenc...

United States President Donald Trump said a trade deal with India has yet to be finalised and warned of possible higher tariffs ahead of an August 1 deadline to seal an agreement. His comments followed a Reuters report that India was preparing to accept higher tariffs of 20-25 per cent on its exports to the US in the absence of a trade deal, as it holds off on offering fresh concessions ahead of Friday’s deadline. “India has been a good friend, but India has charged basically more tariffs, almost more than any other country,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, adding that it would come to an end. Asked about the Reuters report, Trump said a trade deal had not been finalised and India could face steeper tariffs. India plans to resume broader trade talks with the US in mid-August when a US delegation is due to visit, hoping to seal a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement by October, Indian officials said. “Talks are progressing well,” an official said, a...

HYDERABAD: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has demanded fixing of minimum wage at Rs75,000 and effective implementation of labour laws to provide relief to salaried class and daily wage earners. The demand was made by HRCP leaders and other speakers at a programme held here on Monday. It also featured screening of a documentary on ‘The right to a living wage’. The programme was part of a mobilisation campaign launched by the HRCP. It was attended by labour rights activists. In their speeches, HRCP representatives termed the existing minimum wage ‘inadequate’ for a worker to make both ends meet. They stressed that it should be revised upwards to Rs75,000, arguing that a five-member family could hardly meet its monthly expenses of food, education and healthcare with a fewer amount. HRCP’s Hyderabad coordinator Ghufrana Arain said that a notification fixing the minimum wage at Rs75,000 should be applicable to all sectors. She said that inflation was increasing on a da...

SUKKUR: Four armed robbers broke into a house, overpowered and manhandled the couple present inside and later threw the man – a prominent businessman -- from the rooftop to kill him. The incident took place during Sunday-Monday night in the house of Bilawal Bhatti, who lives next to the residence of Sindh Minister for Energy and Planning Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, in Rizwan Colony of Rohri taluka in Sukkur district. The robbers comfortably collected cash and valuables and fled the house leaving the businessman’s wife in trauma. It was stated that the robbers had overpowered the couple and were busy collecting cash and valuables but when Mr Bhatti tried to put up resistance. The robbers turned aggressive and started beating up the couple. They then dragged Mr Bhatti to an open area on the rooftop and threw him down. The businessman suffered serious injuries and died a little later. Residents of the neighbourhood had come out of their houses upon hearing Mr Bhatti’s screams and rushed...

Pakistan is currently grappling with severe urban flooding triggered by erratic and intensified rainfall events — a clear manifestation of climate change. In 2024 and 2025, the country’s major cities have been lashed by record-breaking downpours, overwhelming fragile drainage systems and displacing thousands. The latest wave of flooding in 2025 has already claimed the lives of at least 242 people , with more fatalities feared as fresh storms loom. These floods, while destructive, highlight a squandered opportunity — the inability to store excess water. Limited dam storage and poor urban watershed management result in the loss of floodwaters as runoff, rather than their storage for dry spells. Climate scientists have repeatedly warned about extreme weather volatility, with floods and droughts alternating as the new normal for South Asia. Without resilient water storage infrastructure and rainwater harvesting, both urban and rural areas in Pakistan will remain trapped in a cycle of wa...

MUZAFFARABAD: A teenage boy narrowly escaped death on Sunday afternoon when a leopard attacked him in Nalai Dabra’n, a border village in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Jhelum Valley district — less than 24 hours after the same predator had mauled an eight-year-old girl to death in the same locality. The boy, identified as Mudassir Ali Awan, a student of 10thgrade, was returning home after attending the funeral prayers of the deceased girl when the big cat pounced on him. In a desperate attempt to save his life, he cried for help and tried to fight off the predator. His shouts alerted nearby villagers who rushed to the scene, making loud noises and attacking the leopard with sticks and stones, eventually forcing it to flee back into the forest. Although the teenager sustained only minor injuries and scratches, his clothes were torn in the terrifying encounter, which has sent shockwaves through the small mountainous community. “It’s a miracle that he survived. Had the villagers not b...

Pakistan women’s cricket captain Fatima Sana on Sunday said that her team will look to continue their winning momentum on the upcoming Ireland tour . On Wednesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board named the squads, with Fatima continuing to lead the team, as the national selection committee named a 15-member squad for the forthcoming Twenty20 International series in Ireland. The three-match T20 series against Ireland will be played at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin from August 6 to 10. In their last encounter in April, Pakistan women defeated Ireland by 38 runs in a low-scoring thriller to win the opening One-Day International (ODI) encounter of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Led by Fatima, Pakistan subsequently qualified for the World Cup after winning the tournament unbeaten, which was held in Lahore earlier this year Responding to a question by Dawn.com at the National Stadium in Karachi, Fatima said, “Despite the difference in conditions, batters are confident a...

Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a fourth day on Sunday, despite both sides saying they were ready to discuss a ceasefire after a late-night intervention by US President Donald Trump. The neighbours, popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists, have been locked in their bloodiest conflict in years over the disputed border, with at least 33 people confirmed killed and more than 200,000 displaced. Both said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting, after Trump spoke to the two prime ministers late on Saturday and said they had agreed to meet and “quickly work out” a ceasefire. But fresh artillery clashes erupted on Sunday morning near two long-contested ancient temples in the frontier region between northern Cambodia and northeast Thailand, which has seen the bulk of the fighting. Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces began attacking areas around the temples at 4:50am (6:50am PKT). The regular thump of artillery rattled window...

Israel declared a “tactical pause” in fighting in parts of Gaza on Sunday and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis . The military also said it had begun air-dropping food into the territory and angrily rejected allegations it was using starvation as a weapon against Palestinian civilians. In a statement, the army said it coordinated its decisions with the UN and international organisations to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip”. There was no immediate official response from the UN or non-governmental aid agencies operating in Gaza, and privately sceptical humanitarian sources said they were waiting to see the results on the ground of the Israeli announcement. The pause in fighting would be limited to areas where the military says Israeli troops are not currently operating — Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City — and last from 10am (12pm PKT) until 8pm every day. But the Israeli sta...

An armed attack by the Jaish al-Adl militant group on a courthouse in Iran’s restive southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province killed at least five people and injured 13, Iranian media reported. Three assailants were also killed in the ensuing clashes with security forces, a senior police official told the state news agency IRNA . He said a mother and child were among those killed by the gunmen who threw a hand grenade into the building in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan. In a statement posted on its Telegram account, militant group Jaish al-Adl took responsibility for the attack and urged “all civilians to immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety”. The Baloch human rights group HAALVSH, quoting eyewitnesses, said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded when the assailants stormed the judges’ chambers. Sistan-Baluchestan province, near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to Iran’s Sunni Baloch minorit...

Three wanted terrorists and “key operatives” of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed during a joint operation of the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Barikot tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Friday. Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — particularly Bannu , Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks targeting police stations and posts. In response, the state has also intensified its counterterrorism operations . “Three wanted terrorists have been killed in Barikot in a major win for Swat CTD. Eliminating the enemies of regional peace, the CTD has killed three important operatives of the Fitna al-Khawarij ,” KP Police said in a statement today. Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses to refer to the banned TTP. Among the terrorists was Ajmal, also known as Waqas, a resident of Malook Abad who was reportedly involved in at least nine terrorism-related cases. He was also involved in the killing...

CHITRAL: Four persons, including three women, have reportedly died by suicide during the last two days with two incidents occurring on Friday. In the first incident, a girl in her teens reportedly jumped into the river in the Chew Bazaar area. Her body was later fished out and handed over to her parents after a postmortem at the District Headquarters Hospital. Any eyewitness, Inamullah, who runs a medical store in Chew Bazaar, told Dawn that the girl was seen buying mantoo (Afghani snack) from a vendor in front of his shop, from there she proceeded to the centre of the bridge and jumped into the river in front of many passersby. Sub-divisional police officer, city circle, Sajjad Hussain told Dawn that the parents of the deceased had migrated to Singoor village of Chitral town from the Mulkhow tehsil of Upper Chitral. They all ended their life by jumping into river, say police He said the immediate reason for her suicide could not be known, while the police had started an inqu...

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai warned on Friday that cross-border clashes with Cambodia that have uprooted more than 130,000 people “could develop into war”, as the countries traded deadly strikes for a second day. A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later on Friday. A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported one civilian — a 70-year-old man — had been killed and five more wounded. More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thailand’s border regions, its health ministry said, reporting 15 fatalities — 14 civilians and a soldier — with a further 46 wounded, including 15 troops. “We have tried to compromise as we are neighbours, but we have now instructed the Thai military to act immediately in case of u...

A “notorious drug dealer” was arrested in an injured condition after an exchange of fire with the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi district, the spokesperson of Swabi Police said in a statement on Friday. According to the statement, police were conducting a search operation on Thursday night in various areas within the limits of Kalu Khan police station, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Circle Shakeel Khan, Station House Officer Abdul Wali Khan, along with a police team, against the presence of drug dealers and criminals. “Police received a tipoff from an informant that notorious drug dealers and wanted suspects were spotted at Wazir Shaheed Road,” the statement said. “A police team was immediately formed to arrest them. Upon seeing the team, the drug dealer opened fire to evade arrest. The police also returned fire using the right of self-defence. The drug dealer was arrested in an injured condition.” Police recovered 400 grams of methamphetamine (crystal meth) and a pis...

After years of relentless crises, ranging from sky-high inflation to back-breaking unemployment, Pakistan’s economy has finally reached the much-awaited milestone of stability. The macroeconomic data for the fiscal year 2024-25 is proof that policies pursued over the last two years have had their intended effect. Inflation is down to 3.2 per cent from May 2023’s 38pc despite a fuel price hike. The FY25 closed with a $2.1 billion current account surplus in a dramatic turnaround that has helped stabilise the external sector and exchange rate. Exports have surged nearly 5pc. Remittances have hit a record $38.3bn , a 27pc year-on-year increase. Even external debt is managed, easing the liquidity crisis. As celebratory as it may sound, stabilisation — delivered at the cost of economic activity — is not the end goal; in fact, it is not even new to Pakistan. The country has been here before, and a time too many. But what this period of stability does do is open up a window of opportun...

A Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia on Thursday, both sides said, as weeks of tension over a border dispute escalated into clashes that have killed at least two civilians. Of the six F-16 fighter jets that Thailand readied to deploy along the disputed border, one of the aircraft fired into Cambodia and destroyed a military target, the Thai army said. Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday. “We have used air power against military targets as planned,” Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Thailand also closed its border with Cambodia. Cambodia’s defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and that it “strongly condemns the reckless and brutal military aggression of the Kingdom of Thailand against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia”. The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia’s envoy in Bangkok, a...

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a U-turn has decided to attend the Asian Cricket Council’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, the Hindustan Times reported on Wednesday. The ACC meeting taking place in Dhaka will decide the fate of this year’s Asia Cup , which India is scheduled to host in September. Sources within the BCCI have confirmed that the board has indeed decided to attend Thursday’s meeting virtually. “Yes, we have decided to attend the meeting virtually,” a BCCI source told the Hindustan Times on the condition of anonymity. Earlier, amid rising political tension between India and Bangladesh, the BCCI decided not to visit Dhaka and threatened to boycott the all-important AGM of the game’s Asian body. The meeting on Thursday is set to determine the status of the Asia Cup, which is supposed to be played in T20 format. If the tournament gets the go-ahead, it will most likely be played in the UAE, with India maintaining its hosting righ...

Summer McIntosh won three individual gold medals a year ago at the Olympics, the star in the Paris pool alongside France’s Léon Marchand. Apparently unsatisfied with three, she’ll go for five gold medals starting Sunday at the world swimming championships in Singapore. Call it a trial run for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The worlds is the highest profile swim meet since last year’s Olympics, a showcase for newcomers as well as veterans who hope to stick around until Los Angeles. McIntosh will be very busy during the eight days in the pool, packing her schedule with five individual events. She’ll contend with prelims in some events, and she’ll also add relays. “This means 14 or 15 races she could swim in eight days, demanding races,” Canada’s head coach Iain McDonald told The Associated Press. “It’s a very challenging schedule she’s set for herself.” The 18-year-old Canadian set three world records in five days in June at the national trials. She broke her own 400-met...