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What is Pickaxe Mountain, the Iranian nuclear-linked site threatened by Trump?

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to attack a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites . The threat reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the ​Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict. Here is what we know about Pickaxe Mountain: What is Pickaxe Mountain? Pickaxe Mountain is located 220 kilometres (140 ‌miles) south of Tehran and 2km (1.2 miles) from the Natanz nuclear complex. The Natanz site, where two of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants were located, was bombed during the war started by the United States and Israel on February 28, and during last year’s 12-day war . The tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain was not targeted in either of those wars, according to the Institute for Science ​and International Security (ISIS), a US-based think-tank focused on nuclear non-p...
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Pakistan to tour England next year for 5-match ODI series

The Green Shirts are set to tour England in May 2027 for a five-match one-day international (ODI) series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday. In a press release, it said that the opening match is scheduled for May 15, 2027 in Southampton, with the series ending on May 26, 2027. The second ODI will be played in Manchester on May 19, while Leeds will host the third match on May 21. The fourth and fifth ODIs will be played in Chester-le-Street and Cardiff on May 23 and 26, respectively, the board said. Pakistan’s men team is currently touring the West Indies for a two-match Test series. Following the series, Pakistan will travel to England for a three-match Test series from August 19 to September 13, the PCB said. The PCB statement added that next year’s five-match ODI series with England will provide both sides an opportunity to prepare for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 , which will be held in October and Novembe...
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Newly sworn-in GB CM picks 8 PPP, 4 IPP assembly members to join his cabinet as ministers

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan’s newly sworn-in Chief Minister Amjad Hussain has selected 12 members to join his cabinet as ministers, it emerged on Wednesday, following the issuance of a notification for the cabinet members’ appointment. According to the notification, seen by Dawn , 12 individuals from Hussain’s own party, the PPP, and four from the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) have been named as members of the new cabinet. The notification, issued by the Services and General Administration Department and Cabinet Department, stated that on the advice of the chief minister, the GB governor “has been pleased to appoint the following members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly as ministers to the government of Gilgit-Baltistan”. The notification then lists the members, who include: Zulfiqar Ali Murad (PPP) Syed Jalal Shah (PPP) Muhammad Ali Akhtar (PPP) Naiknam Karim (PPP) Iqbal Hassan (PPP) Raja Nasir Khan (PPP) Muhammad Naseem (PPP) Syed Tauqeer Mehdi (PPP) Aman Ali (IPP) Asad ...
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PM Shehbaz hails Pakistan's 'remarkable progress' in indigenous autonomous capabilities in defence, security fields

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Pakistan has made “remarkable progress” in developing indigenous defence capabilities. He made the remarks at the Indus Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Expo 2026 being held today and tomorrow at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad. Addressing the event, PM Shehbaz noted that Pakistan has “made remarkable progress in developing indigenous autonomous capabilities in the field of defence and security under the dynamic leadership” of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. “Our armed forces have adopted cutting-edge technologies, some of which I just witnessed on display outside this hall. Remarkable achievement,” the premier said. He added that he also took a look at simulators which were “100 per cent manufactured and assembled in Pakistan”. He noted that drones had achieved 60pc indigenisation and “many other important machines” have been made in Pakistan. The prime ...
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Youth raped by 12 men succumbs to injuries in Bahawalnagar

BAHAWALPUR: A young shepherd who was gang-raped by 12 men in Cholistan desert in jurisdictions of the Marot Police Station of Bahawalnagar succumbed to his injuries at the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) on Tuesday. A police spokesperson told Dawn , the shepherd was abducted by a suspect on his motorcycle on July 1 from Toba Jinnawala near Chak 289/HR where he had his over 40 sheep for grazing. After eight days on July 9, the youth’s brother, Mohsin, went to meet him at Toba Jinnawala and found him in a serious condition. The victim informed his brother that 12 men, seven of them identified in the FIR, administered him some intoxicant drink, raped him and stole his 40 sheep. Mohsin shifted his serious brother to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) and informed Marot police on 15 about the incident. Marot police registered a case against twelve suspects. The Marot police arranged a post-mortem at the BVH. The police spokesperson claimed that five of the suspects had been arrested by...
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Saudi govt launches multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity

The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah has launched a multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity from the date of issuance, through which pilgrims will be able to enter the kingdom multiple times, with a cumulative stay of up to 90 days each year, state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday. As per the conditions of the visa, each visit would require the purchase of a service package from an approved provider on the Nusuk platform — a digital platform that lists several Umrah packages for various economic tiers. The report added that the packages’ durations should not exceed the “remaining days available on the visa”. “Entry is also contingent on issuing an Umrah permit via the Nusuk application prior to arrival,” the report added. It further detailed that the visa would be deactivated after each departure and reactivated upon meeting regulatory requirements for the next visit. However, the report said, the visa cannot be availed during the Haj season, from the fi...
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Setting the record straight on Balochistan's 'accession' and charting a path for its future

One claim that resurfaces periodically in public debate over Balochistan’s accession to Pakistan is that the Instrument of Accession of the Khanate of Kalat is evidence of Balochistan’s accession as a whole. This conflates a single princely state with the entire province, and it is worth examining why that conflation matters. The central claim advanced is that Khan Ahmed Yar Khan’s signature on March 27, 1948 proves Balochistan existed as a fully sovereign, independent state from Partition in August 1947 until that date — a span of nearly seven months. This narrative forms a foundational pillar of separatist ideology and, for that reason alone, demands careful scholarly and constitutional scrutiny. The mosaic structure Few historical accounts have suffered greater distortion than the assertion that Balochistan constituted a single, indivisible political entity that acceded to Pakistan as a unified province in 1948. Propagated by adversarial foreign elements and terrorist outfits su...
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