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Pakistan, EU stress importance of deepening trade ties, including through GSP Plus scheme

Pakistan and the European Union (EU) have underlined the importance of further deepening trade and investment ties, including through the EU’s GSP+ scheme, as a driver for sustainable growth, export diversification, job creation and mutually beneficial economic opportunity, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday. The development came as 7th Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and the EU was convened in Brussels. The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas. The GSP+ status allows Pakistan to enjoy duty-free or minimum duty on European exports. According to the FO, the meeting provided a “comprehensive review” of the full spectrum of Pakistan-EU relations, “building on the positive momentum of recent high-level engagements and sustained institutional interactions”. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a “broad-based, multidimensional and forward-looking partnership anchored in shared values, the UN...
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PTI tells polling agents to be on alert for tomorrow’s by-elections in Lahore’s NA-129

The PTI on Saturday issued specific instructions to its polling agents and workers for the by-election scheduled for tomorrow in Lahore’s NA-129 constituency. The by-election is being held after the seat fell vacant in July following the death of PTI MNA Mian Azhar, the father of party leader Hammad Azhar. Hammad issued “important instructions” for his party’s polling agents in a post on X today: “When the bags containing election materials are opened in the morning, make sure that the Forms 45 and Forms 46 in them are blank and shown to you. This is most important.” The PTI leader stressed the importance of the polling agents’ presence during the polling and the counting processes. “The polling boxes must not be out of sight at any moment.” Hammad further told the agents that it was their “right to obtain the Form-45 [filled] as per the count”, and that any staff who obstructed this would be liable to strict legal punishment. He directed all PTI workers at the party camps outsid...
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Mohsin Naqvi announces revised prize money for next PSL edition

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Friday announced a “new reward” for the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) edition set to be held in April 2026. “Complementing the Pakistan Super League’s growth, I am thrilled to announce a new reward for franchises in the forthcoming editions,” Naqvi said on X. The champions will take home $500,000 — the same as the 2025 edition — while the runner-up team will take home $300,000, which is an increase of the previous year’s $200,000 reward. Additionally, a $200,000 reward will be given to the “best franchise contributing towards cricket development. Separately, PCB announced on Friday that the auction for the two new PSL franchise teams will take place on 6 January, 2026, while the decision for which cities have been shortlisted will be made after December 15. “This marks a significant milestone in the league’s continued expansion and its commitment to expanding its footprint across Pakistan,” the board said of the d...
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‘Honoured’ as US Congress members acknowledge CM Punjab’s bold plan to mechanise brick kilns: Marriyum

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said she was “honoured” that members of the US Congressional Pakistan Caucus have recognised the provincial chief minister’s “bold vision” to mechanise brick kilns, end bonded labour and “peshgi” exploitation, and build a green, ethical and “investment-ready” brick kiln industry. Peshgi system is the commonly used term for the practice of debt bondage in Pakistan. Instead of just seeking wages in exchange for labour, poor workers take an advance from an employer (in cash or any other form) under the obligation to work for that employer until the debt is paid off. “Child labour at kilns, once a painful reality, was eliminated under a campaign initiated by [then chief minister] Shehbaz Sharif, neglected for [four] years, and now fully revived and strengthened by CM Maryam Nawaz,” Aurangzeb said in a post on X. The senior minister’s post highlighted that all brick kilns across Punjab have been geo-mapped, QR-coded, drone-surve...
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Game review: Ghost of Yotei is 40 hours of art

Ghost of Tsushima was more than just a game. It was over 30 hours of art. With a gripping story, a slick combat system and some of the most beautiful environments in gaming, it is one of the best games ever made. When its sequel, Ghost of Yotei , was announced, it had very big shoes to fill. It not only had to match the last game in quality, but also offer something fresh to both new and returning players. Atsu sits underneath an aurora in Ghost of Yotei. — Screengrab by author Yotei brings back what made the series’ first entry so beloved — highly detailed graphics, colourful and varied environments and a well-designed combat system. While some could call it a copy or even lazy design, Yotei takes what made the first game great and improves on it. Tsushima had a solid foundation and a well-defined art design, so developer Sucker Punch did not need to make any radical changes. As the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. First impressions When I started playi...
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Climate-induced disasters must be treated as a political priority: Musadik Malik

Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik on Wednesday said climate-induced disasters must be treated as a “political” priority as he detailed the long- and short-term strategies to mitigate losses and plan for the next year’s monsoon season. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenish water supplies. However, heavy downpours also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. Data from Punjab’s disaster management authority shows this year’s floods affected at least 4.7 million people across 4,700 villages. Speaking at a press conference with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik in Islamabad today, the climate change minister stated that “climate-induced disasters must be treated as a political priority,” noting that the 2022 floods alone caused losses exceeding 9 p...
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Court finds Sania Zehra’s husband guilty of her murder, sentences him to death

An additional district and sessions judge in Multan has sentenced to death the husband of the 20-year-old pregnant woman who was killed last year in Multan, it emerged on Wednesday. Sania Zehra — a mother of two — was found dead in her room on July 9 2024, hanging from a ceiling fan. Her father, Syed Asad Abbas, had claimed that her sudden death was not a suicide but an alleged murder. He stated contrary to the crime, his daughter’s in-laws were disguising the murder as a suicide. A first information report (FIR) was registered at the New Multan police station on his complaint under Sections 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). In a one-page court order, dated November 18 — a copy of which is available with Dawn — Additional Sessions judge Mohsin Ali Khan ruled that Syed Muhammad Ali Raza has been “duly convicted of the Qatal-i-Amd of Sania Zehra deceased,” and sentenced the convict to “de...
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