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  MIRANSHAH: At least two police personnel were martyred and 26 people, including 22 policemen, injured in separate terrorist attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu and Lower Dir districts on Wednesday, while search and clearance operations in the affected areas continued amid heightened security. In Bannu district, terrorists attacked the Miryan police station using an explosives-laden vehicle, injuring six policemen and four civilians. A heavy exchange of fire between the attackers and police continued for several hours after the blast. District Police Officer Captain (retd) Muhammad Furqan Bilal confirmed the attack, saying the terrorists attempted to ram the explosives-laden vehicle into the police station, triggering a powerful explosion before engaging security personnel in an intense gun battle. According to Muhammad Nauman, the spokesperson for the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu, six injured police personnel and four wounded civilians were shifted to the hospital. H...

  ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has set aside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judgment that declared the allotment of 8,068 acres of land to the Pakistan Army in Islamabad's National Park area unlawful. It held that the high court exceeded its jurisdiction by deciding issues pending before a civil court. The eight-page short order, authored by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi in the Monal Restaurant case, also nullified the Supreme Court judgment that upheld the IHC verdict, as well as the subsequent review judgment. The FCC observed that the IHC, while hearing interlocutory proceedings, had ventured beyond the limits of its constitutional jurisdiction. "The high court, while transgressing the limits of its jurisdiction, proceeded to adjudicate the entire controversy pending before the civil court. "[It] rendered a final determination by holding that the Remount, Veterinary and Farms Directorate, General Headquarters, QMG Branch, Rawalpindi (RV&FD), l...

  ISLAMABAD: For months, Pakistan found itself in an unfamiliar but influential role: acting as one of the principal mediators between Iran and the United States at a time when the two adversaries appeared dangerously close to a wider regional war. Today, however, that diplomatic momentum has all but evaporated. The renewed exchange of military strikes between Washington and Tehran has rendered the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), once hailed as the framework that could steer both sides back toward diplomacy, virtually irrelevant. With missiles once again flying across the Gulf and no indication that either side is prepared to return to negotiations, Pakistan appears to have deliberately stepped back, adopting what is being described as a "wait-and-watch" approach. The latest escalation is precisely the scenario Islamabad had hoped to avoid. Pakistan never expected the MoU to produce an overnight breakthrough. Officials involved in the mediation understood that de...

  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's “steadfast solidarity” with the leadership and people of Qatar on Monday as he extended condolences on the passing of former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The premier arrived in Doha earlier today for a one-day visit to offer his condolences with a high-level delegation in tow, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other senior officials. A press release from the PM Office said that the premier and the delegation called on Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Lusail Palace and conveyed “heartfelt condolences at the sad demise” of his father. The prime minister paid “rich tribute” to the former emir’s “visionary leadership, statesmanship and enduring contributions to Qatar's remarkable transformation as well as to regional peace, stability, and development”. “The prime minister recalled with deep appreciatio...

ISLAMABAD: A young patient was allegedly tortured to death at a mental health center in Islamabad, ARY News reported. The deceased’s father has submitted an application to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) at the Shahzad Town police station in the federal capital. According to the application, the staff of the mental health center fled the premises following the incident. Torture marks were also found on the victim’s body. The father narrated in the application that his son was admitted to the center in June; however, the facility administration did not allow him to meet his son for an entire month. On July 9, he was informed that his son had been diagnosed with dengue. However, when he arrived at the center, he discovered that his son had already passed away, the application stated. Furthermore, the father maintained in his complaint to the police that the center’s owner, Dr. Hamza, has also gone missing from the facility.

  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday expressed deep sorrow over the passing of former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, paying tribute to his leadership and extending condolences to Qatar's leadership, the Al Thani family and its people. In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz said he was "deeply saddened" by the passing of the former Emir, describing him as "a great leader and statesman whose wisdom, foresight and dedication to public service transformed Qatar into a modern, prosperous and globally respected nation". He said the late Sheikh Hamad's "enduring contributions to the welfare of his nation and its people, as well as to regional peace, development and international cooperation, will be remembered for generations to come". The prime minister said that, on behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan and himself, he extended "heartfelt condolences" to...

  Pakistan on Sunday expressed deep concern over the recent escalation in regional tensions, urging all sides to exercise restraint, take immediate steps towards de-escalation and honour their commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The interim ceasefire agreement signed between Washington and Tehran — under the mediation of Pakistan — was intended to provide a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent agreement, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of headway. US and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, ​with Tehran targeting US facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz. The strikes were the latest in a ‌cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the strait. However, the barrage marked an escalation in pace and range. In a statement issued today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reiterate...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday chaired a meeting of the committee on Improving Government Efficiency, which finalised actionable recommendations prepared by five sub-working groups, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). In a post on X, MoFA said the committee discussed, deliberated, and finalised the "actionable recommendations of the five sub-working groups" on restructuring of the federal secretariat, upgradation of e-office into a decision-making processing system, transformation of the MS wing, reforming the performance evaluation report (PER) system, and developing a whole-of-government approach. "The recommendations will be presented to the prime minister for consideration," it added. The meeting was attended by the ministers for petroleum and information technology and telecommunication, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the federal secretaries of cabinet, establishment, economic affairs and te...

  The federal government on Friday increased the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs13.18 and Rs13.80 per litre, respectively, for the next week, as global oil markets remain volatile following the recent escalation between the United States and Iran. According to a press release issued by the Petroleum Division, the new price of petrol has been fixed at Rs310.71 per litre, while HSD will cost Rs323.30 per litre. The revised prices will take effect from midnight on Friday. Also Read : Govt cuts petrol, diesel prices by Rs1.97 per litre The latest increase follows renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, which have once again pushed up global petroleum prices after both countries exchanged strikes this week. The escalation comes despite the two sides reaching an interim agreement last month to end a four-month conflict that had disrupted global energy supplies. Over the past month, the government had reduced petroleum prices by up to Rs76 per litre followi...

<script>   atOptions = {     'key' : '20dfad4a8c20387b1efc3b5850174df7',     'format' : 'iframe',     'height' : 90,     'width' : 728,     'params' : {}   }; </script> <script src="https://www.highperformanceformat.com/20dfad4a8c20387b1efc3b5850174df7/invoke.js"></script> Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged restraint and called for the immediate restoration of peace and stability in the region during separate telephone conversations with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani amid recent regional tensions after the outbreak of fresh hostilities between the United States and Iran. An interim ceasefire agreement signed between Washington and Tehran — under the mediation of Pakistan — was intended to provide a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent agreement, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of headway and the US m...