ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will depart for Istanbul tomorrow to attend the Coordination Meeting of Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers, where the Gaza ceasefire deal will be discussed, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday. “At the invitation of the Turkish foreign minister, the Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will undertake a one-day …

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: With the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) expressing its inability to hold local government polls in the country’s most populous province until next year, the Punjab Assembly speaker has called for a constitutional amendment to protect the tenure of local bodies and strengthen the LG system across the country. Speaking at a press conference in La­­hore on Friday, Speaker …

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) on Friday announced the large-scale rollout of smart meters across electricity distribution companies (Discos) in the country, which it described as a “major step” towards improving customer service and operational efficiency. According to the spokesperson of the Power Division, Zafaryab Khan, metering plays a vital role as the key interface between the customer …

ISLAMABAD: The ongoing talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have failed to yield any breakthrough on Islamabad’s key demand for a clear plan of action to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating from Afghan soil. Officials familiar with the development said both sides held another round of discussions on Monday in the presence of Turkish officials mediating to bridge differences. However, …

TOKYO: United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday again stated that seven aircraft were shot down during the brief military escalation between Pakistan and India in May. Addressing a dinner with business leaders during his trip to Japan, Trump claimed that a lot of the wars he stopped were because of his tariffs imposed on multiple countries, stating that he …

ISLAMABAD: American multinational technology company Meta has officially launched Meta AI in Urdu for users in Pakistan, intending to accelerate the process of digital transformation in the country, a press release from the company said on Monday. The announcement was made during an event titled “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation”, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology …

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against “unconstitutional restrictions” on the inter-provincial movement of wheat to the province. The development comes as the Punjab government has faced criticism by the KP and Sindh governments for choking wheat flow to the two provinces. However, a day earlier, Punjab Information Minister …

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zar­dari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have called on the international community to take concrete steps toward resolving the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Both leaders issued separate messages on the occasion of Kashmir Black Day, which is being observed …

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has held separate meetings with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott and US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker, focusing on bilateral relations, regional developments, and areas of mutual interest, his office said on Sunday. The meetings underlined Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen ties with both the United Kingdom and the United States. Relations with the UK have been …

ISLAMABAD: Riffat Ara Alvi, the mother of slain journalist Arshad Sharif, passed away on Sunday, according to her family. Arshad, a prominent journalist who was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2023 by then-President Arif Alvi, was shot dead in Kenya on October 24, 2022. Politicians and media bodies demanded a probe into his death, but the lack of progress …