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Four independents join Aleem Khan’s Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party in Gilgit-Baltistan

GILGIT: Four independent candidates, who recently won in their constituencies, joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) after a meeting with party president Abdul Aleem Khan. The members include Anwar Ali, elected from GBA-23 Ghanche-II; Dr Asad Shafiq, elected from GBA-24 Ghanche-III; Muhammad Dilpazeer, elected from GBA-15 Diamer-I; and Aman Ali Amir, elected from GBA-21 Ghizer. Khan, who is also a federal minister, announced the development on his social media account and congratulated the members. “Representation of Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly for the first time will be a welcoming development. With hard work and honesty, the party will fully participate in the development of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said. During the recent general elections held on June 7, the IPP fielded 16 candidates from 16 constituencies in GB; however, none succeeded in winning. These four independent members of the GB Assembl...
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Lawyers Imaan Mazari, Hadi Chattha awarded prestigious human rights prize for advocacy work

Prominent lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, currently serving jail sentences, have been awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for their advocacy work, it emerged on Tuesday. According to the official website , the prize is the world’s oldest and most prestigious human rights honour awarded to lawyers, established in honour of French lawyer Ludovic Trarieux who founded the League for the Defence of Human and Citizen Rights in 1898. The first recipient of the award was Nelson Mandela in 1985, while he was imprisoned under South Africa’s apartheid regime. An official press release issued by the Forensic Union for the Protection of Human Rights (UFDU) on Saturday said the award “is presented annually to a lawyer who, through his or her professional commitment, has made an extraordinary contribution to the defence of human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against racism and all forms of intolerance.” The award ceremony too...
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5 suspected terrorists killed during intelligence-based operation in Attock: CTD

ATTOCK: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday said that it had killed five suspected militants during an intelligence-based operation in the border area of Mankor, a remote locality in Attock district’s Jand tehsil. According to a CTD spokesperson, security personnel launched the operation after receiving credible intelligence regarding the presence and activities of militants allegedly involved in planning terrorist attacks in Punjab. As the CTD team moved in, the suspects reportedly opened fire, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire between the militants and law enforcement personnel. The spokesperson said CTD officers responded effectively, resulting in the killing of all five suspected terrorists. A cache of weapons, explosive material and hand grenades was recovered from the site following the operation. Preliminary investigations suggest that the slain militants were allegedly linked to plans for carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab, the spokesperson sa...
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PMD forecasts below-normal rainfall, high temperatures across most of country until September

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday extended its forecast of below-normal rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures across most parts of the country from July to September. The PMD said in its three-month outlook, available with Dawn , that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is currently in a neutral phase and is expected to gradually transition into a positive phase during the season. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures over the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are currently exhibiting a warming trend, indicating the development of El Niño conditions, which are generally associated with suppressed rainfall anomalies over Pakistan. “Current projections suggest that these warming conditions are likely to persist throughout the July–September 2026 period, with a tendency to strengthen further as the season progresses,” the PMD report said. The report noted that a positive IOD phase is generally associated with slightly above-normal monsoon rainfall over Pak...
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Timeline: The US and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to end the war. Here's how we got here

US and Iranian officials have agreed on a framework deal to end the war, halt hostilities on all fronts, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief to be settled in later negotiations. US President Donald Trump announced that the agreement was “complete” and ordered an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that a peace agreement had been reached after intensive talks, adding that the official signing ceremony would take place on June 19 in Switzerland. Iran also confirmed the framework understanding and ceasefire, saying the fighting would stop immediately, though key issues such as uranium enrichment and the release of frozen assets would be decided in subsequent discussions. Below is a timeline of the key events that led up to the agreement. February 28 The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran via air and sea: a series of explosions in Tehran, including near the residenc...
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FOOTBALL: THE MOST UNCERTAIN WORLD CUP

There’s a distinct buzz around Fifa World Cups. After all, it is one of only two truly global events — along with the Olympics — capable of bringing people from across the globe together for some fleeting moments of celebration. This time round though, the buzz is not celebratory. This World Cup feels divided, fragmented, uncertain. Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast and Senegal fans were unable to travel due to US travel restrictions . The Democratic Republic of Congo fans were unable to travel due to Ebola restrictions . Iran’s players and officials were denied US visas, which meant they had to shift their training base to Mexico, despite having to play all their group stage matches on the US West Coast. A special order granted only Iranian players (and not their officials) permission to enter and leave the US on the same day as their matches. Team Iran arrives at the Tijuana International Airport in Tijuana, Mexico ahead of the World Cup on June 7 after being refused...
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Punjab expands Liquid Tree project to tackle urban pollution

The Punjab government on Sunday decided to expand the Liquid Tree project as part of its efforts to promote an eco-friendly province through modern scientific solutions. The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) runs the initiative. According to it, a liquid tree is “an innovative biotechnology solution that uses microalgae to absorb carbon dioxide and improve urban air quality in areas where traditional tree plantations are limited”. According to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan’s first EPA-certified liquid tree will be shifted from Faisalabad to Lahore under the expansion plan. She said more than 100 types of micro-algae have been collected from regions spanning Karachi to Khyber for the project. In the initial phase, liquid trees will be installed in major shopping malls as well as indoor and outdoor public spaces to help reduce urban air pollution. CM Maryam said the initiative represented a scientific and effective solution to co...
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