Category: Featured

Islamabad rejects Kabul’s ‘false narrative’ regarding Istanbul talks

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday dismissed as “deliberately distorted” the Afghan Taliban regime’s account of the recent Istanbul talks amid a fragile ceasefire, saying Kabul’s claims misrepresented Islamabad’s stance. In a statement posted on X, the Ministry of Information said Pakistan had demanded that terrorists based in Afghanistan and posing a threat to Pakistan either be controlled or arrested. “When the Afghan side claimed those individuals were Pakistani nationals, Islamabad immediately proposed that they be handed over through designated border crossings, in line with its long-standing position,” it said. “Any claim…

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KP govt assigns portfolios to 13-member provincial cabinet

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PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday announced allocation of portfolios for 13 newly inducted cabinet members. The cabinet members took the oath a day earlier at a ceremony held at the Governor House in the provincial capital of Peshawar. KP Chief Minister KP Sohail Afridi — who replaced Ali Amin Gandapur as the chief executive last month — had announced his cabinet members after jailed PTI founder Imran Khan directed him to go ahead with cabinet formation. Since his election as CM, Afridi has been denied permission four times…

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Former Sindh chief minister Aftab Shaban Mirani breathes his last

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KARACHI: Former Sindh chief minister Aftab Shaban Mirani has passed away after a prolonged illness, his family confirmed on Saturday. The family said that Mirani’s funeral prayers will take place tonight (Saturday) at 10pm at Masjid Bait-ul-Islam, located in Defence Phase-IV, Karachi. He will be laid to rest at the Gizri Graveyard, his family added. Mirani was a senior political figure and had served as the Sindh chief minister in 1990. He had also served as a defence minister during then-premier Benazir Bhutto’s tenure from 1993 to 1996. Mirani was…

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Asif hopeful of positive outcome in Pakistan-Afghan talks

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SIALKOT: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday praised constructive mediatory role of Turkiye and Qatar in Pakistan-Afghanistan talks and expressed hopes that the efforts would yield a positive outcome. Speaking to Geo News, Asif revealed that the issue of Afghan nationals has, for the first time, been raised at the international level, adding that Turkiye and Qatar are playing a constructive mediatory role in the dialogue. Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to uphold the ceasefire after multiple rounds of talks in Istanbul, read a joint statement issued late Thursday,…

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President Zardari calls for support to IIOJK on GB’s Independence Day ceremony

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President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said that as Gilgit Baltistan marks its 78th Independence Day, the region’s freedom highlights the ongoing struggle of their brothers and sisters in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Speaking at the commemorative ceremony, he emphasised that over the past seven decades, the people of Gilgit Baltistan have remained steadfast and stood in solidarity with the rest of Pakistan. The president also reviewed the parade. “You have guarded the borders, advanced the progress, and carried the flag of Pakistan to the world’s highest…

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PFUJ Delegation Visits SNJ Headquarters in Paris: IFJ Leaders Focus on Pakistan’s Deteriorating Media Landscape

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BY SHAKEEL AHMED Paris, France – November 1, 2025: In a high-level engagement aimed at addressing the escalating crisis facing journalists in Pakistan, a delegation from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) held crucial talks with top officials of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) at the Syndicate National des Journalistes (SNJ) headquarters. IFJ President Dominique Pradalié and Secretary General Anthony Bellanger expressed grave concern over targeted killings of journalists, cases filed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), undeclared censorship on media outlets, harassment of working journalists…

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China’s youngest astronaut heads to space station with lab mice

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A three-person Chinese crew, including the country’s youngest astronaut to date, docked with the Tiangong space station early Saturday, accompanied by four laboratory mice. China’s Xinhua news agency said Shenzhou-21 made contact at 3:22am (1922 GMT Friday), roughly three and a half hours after lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north-west China atop a Long March-2F rocket. The Tiangong space station — crewed by teams of three astronauts that are exchanged every six months — is the crown jewel of China’s space programme, into which billions of dollars…

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Petrol price goes up by Rs2.43 per litre to Rs265.45 for next fortnight

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The petrol price has been raised by Rs2.43 per litre for the next fortnight, effective from November 1, following recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the relevant ministries. Petrol has been set at Rs265.45 per litre for the next fifteen days, the Finance Division said in a notification based on the authority’s latest review. High-speed diesel (HSD) has also become costlier, climbing by Rs3.02 to Rs278.44 per litre, a change officials say reflects adjustments recommended by the relevant ministries. Meanwhile, sources said kerosene edged up by…

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Govt awards offshore oil exploration blocks after nearly two-decade gap

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The Ministry of Energy on Friday announced that the country has awarded 23 offshore exploration blocks to four consortia, in the first bidding round after 18 years. In a statement, the energy minister stated that the bids were awarded to consortia led by local energy companies, while some partnered with foreign firms, including Turkiye’s national oil company TPAO. The 23 offshore blocks offered, out of the 40, cover around 53,500 square kilometres, it added. The energy ministry listed state-run Oil and Gas Development Co. Ltd (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL)…

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