WASHINGTON: The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing groups like the Pakistani Taliban from using Afghanistan as a base for launching terrorist attacks against neighbouring countries and countering their recruitment efforts. The statement comes in response to growing concerns over Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situation. A recent UN report revealed that terrorist groups, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are regaining strength and pose …

LAHORE: A hospital owner, who was one of PTI’s founding members, was shot dead in Valencia Town, as he came out of a mosque after offering Friday prayers. Dr Shahid Siddique went to offer prayers in Khizra Mosque at H-block of Valencia Town. Mr Siddque offered the prayer and came out of the mosque and was heading to his car …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday called on the international community to pressure India to restore the special status of Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, end repression in the Valley, and foster conditions conducive to resolving the longstanding dispute threatening regional stability. The call was made during a briefing for Islamabad-based foreign diplomats at the Foreign Office, where Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi detailed the …

ISLAMABAD: Confu­sion surrounds the expulsion of Sher Afzal Marwat from PTI after a notification went viral on social media mentioning that his membership has been cancelled for gross violation/breach of discipline. While party’s senior leader Advocate Shoaib Shaheen confirmed to Dawn that Mr Marwat was expelled from the PTI, some other party sources claimed the notification was ‘fake’. Mr Marwat was on notice and …

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court dismissed a plea filed by Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, after she withdrew her petition challenging her arrest in the third Toshakhana case. The petition also sought action against the superintendent of Adiala Jail and female staff for allegedly mistreating her following her re-arrest after acquittal in the Iddat case. The court’s …

GAWADAR: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has decided to end its protest in Gwadar, Balochistan’s interior minister confirmed on Friday, after the two sides signed a seven-point agreement. The BYC has been holding protests for almost a week at the Marine Drive in Gwadar and other areas to decry the alleged human rights violations against the people of Balochistan, enforced disappearances, and …

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday announced a Rs5 million “support package” per family of missing persons, which would provide them with legal and financial assistance, the law minister said. Balochistan has seen multiple protests and unrest in the past months over the issue of missing persons. Baloch demonstrators had marched to Islamabad in December but were met with force and arrests. They called off their …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the ongoing Israeli brutality in Gaza, with members saying that incidents such as the killing of Hamas’ top leader Ismail Haniyeh were “deliberate conspiracies to sabotage efforts to stop” the ongoing Gaza conflict. The resolution, was presented before the lower house of the Parliament by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that he had written a letter to the Chinese government requesting debt reprofiling for Pakistan in an apparent bid to secure the International Monetary Fund’s approval for a $7 billion economic bailout by next month. Earlier this week, Pakistan had sought the reprofiling of more than $27 billion in debt and liabilities with friendly nations …

ISLAMABAD: A court in Islamabad on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to PTI Secretary Information Raoof Hassan and eight others in a case registered against them under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). Duty Magistrate Mohammad Abbas Shah accepted the bail petitions of the PTI activists against Rs50,000 surety bonds each. During the course of the hearing, Mohammad Ali Bukhari, counsel for …