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Dar says Pakistan's focus is now on making US-Iran ceasefire permanent

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed hope on Wednesday that the indefinitely extended ceasefire between the United States and Iran could be made permanent. US President Donald Trump has indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire between the two countries, brokered with the help of Pakistan’s mediation, but the conflict — and its widespread economic fallout — remains unresolved. Addressing the second session of the Ulema Council Conference in Islamabad, the foreign minister said that Pakistan’s efforts had been directed towards securing direct negotiations and a ceasefire — “first it happened, then it was extended, then extended a second time, then a third time”. “At least the deaths of several hundred people a day — with the toll going into the thousands — has stopped,” he added. He called on the council to pray for Pakistan’s efforts, saying that they were now geared towards turning the ceasefire into a “permanent end to the war”. Da...
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Counsel for Imran, Bushra seeks adjournment of May 7 hearing, says he is not authorised to argue main appeals in £190m case

ISLAMABAD: A day before the scheduled hearing in the £190 million corruption case, counsel for former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi on Wednesday said they were not authorised to argue the main appeals against conviction and sought an adjournment of the May 7 hearing. In an application filed before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Barrister Salman Safdar, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Sarmad Muneeb said their engagement was limited to arguing applications for suspension of sentence, adding that no formal power of attorney or instructions had been obtained for the main appeals. The lawyers also informed the court that, despite repeated efforts, the authorities at Adiala jail had not facilitated meetings with the clients for the purpose of obtaining instructions or executing fresh powers of attorney. “The undersigned expresses inability to proceed further in the absence of proper instructions, formal engagement, and requisite Power(s) of Attorney,” t...

SC, FCC operate as coordinate courts, exercising clearly demarcated jurisdictions: CJP Afridi

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has ruled that the constitutional scheme following the passage of the 27th Amendment treated the Supreme Court (SC) and the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) as coordinate courts exercising clearly demarcated jurisdictions over distinct matters. The ruling was made in a 13-page order authored by the CJP and issued on a set of petitions arising from a Feb 17, 2020 Peshawar High Court consolidated judgement. It was issued by a two-member bench, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. The order stated that the constitutional scheme following the 27th Amendment did not position the SC or the FCC as an appellate forum to each other. The constitutional amendment was passed by Parliament in November last year, leading to the establishment of the FCC as a court that was to hear all matters of a constitutional nature, including those involving disputes between provincial and federal governments, public interest and the ...

I’ve asked power in Pakistan one question for ten years on my podcast. This is the answer

Last year’s military confrontation with India delighted us with something Pakistan rarely experiences: a unified national response. One voice and one direction from a collective will that held under pressure. We have the same reaction, at a smaller scale, during a cricket match against India. And then we watch as it dissolves. A pressing question lies behind this pattern. It is one I have asked for ten years on my podcast and in private conversations. I have asked people from the corridors of power, the circles of military brass, the layers of our Establishment, and the captains of industry. I have asked four Prime Ministers, Generals, CEOs. I have asked them all the same thing, on the record and off it: how do we fix Pakistan? Their answer is almost always the same. We know the problems. We often know the solutions. So why, after a decade of these conversations, does nothing change? We only unite when there is an enemy Pakistan’s capacity for collective action is not a myth. It ...

What's stopping Pakistan from making the transition to renewable energy?

How does Pakistan stack up against its South Asian neighbors on renewable energy adoption? Globally, renewable energy adoption has accelerated over the past decade, with SA players such as India and Bangladesh leading the charge. Although Pakistan harbors great potential for installation of renewables such as solar, wind and hydropower, utilisation is still very low, and there is a serious lack of grid adaptation, financial frameworks and policies built to support the transition to renewables. In Front Seat To Climate Change , Dr Aazir Khan, director of the Integrated Engineering Center of Excellence University of Lahore, breaks down Pakistan’s position and progress in the regional race for renewable adoption. As Pakistan confronts the accelerating realities of climate change, the urgency to move from awareness to action has never been greater. Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, Pakistan remains among the most climate-vulnerable natio...

Here is how you can protect yourself from extreme heat

On Monday, citizens in Sindh’s provincial capital, Karachi, experienced sweltering temperatures as the mercury touched 44°C. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in its daily advisory on Monday, said that very hot and dry weather is expected to persist in the southern parts of the country over the week. As of 4pm, the temperature in Karachi stood at 44°C with a relative humidity of 8 per cent and a feel-like temperature of 40°C. Meanwhile, according to PMD’s May outlook, mean temperatures are expected to remain above normal nationwide, which could “increase the potential for heat spikes and heatwave conditions, especially over the plain areas of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan”. Probabilistic temperature outlook for May 2026. — Infographic via PMD Heat extremes can worsen health risks from chronic conditions (cardiovascular, mental, respiratory and diabetes related conditions) and cause acute kidney injury, according to the World Health Organisati...

'Only part of the solution': Are Electric Vehicles truly sustainable?

As Electric Vehicles (EVs) have become increasingly central to global climate policy, DawnNews explores whether they really are the straightforward climate solution they appear to be. As economist Ammar Habib Khan says, EVs are “part of the solution, but not an overall policy intervention”. Behind the clean image lies a complicated story about minerals, water, economics and sustainability. Watch Front Seat to Climate Change to unpack the complex story of the real costs and opportunities behind the global EV transition. As Pakistan confronts the accelerating realities of climate change, the urgency to move from awareness to action has never been greater. Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, Pakistan remains among the most climate-vulnerable nations, underscoring the critical need for coordinated, locally grounded, and globally informed responses. The Breathe Pakistan International Climate Change Conference 2026 on May 6 and 7 brings t...