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An estimated 1.8 million people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are at risk of climate change-induced health issues in the coming years, according to a research-based adaptation plan issued by the provincial health department. The plan projected that people in the province may face life-threatening challenges, including diseases, injuries, and fatalities caused by natural disasters such as floods and landslides. The KP health department, with support from the Evidence for Health programme and funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, has officially launched the “Climate and Health Adaptation” plan in the province this month. According to the report, climate change and environmental degradation are expected to trigger severe health crises in the province, including reduced health productivity, premature mortality, and an increase in seasonal diseases. “Vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue are projected to rise by 30–40 per cent in KP, while waterborne illn...

Indian soldiers killed two fighters in India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) along the border with Pakistan as they attempted to cross into the India-occupied part of the territory, the army said on Friday. An “intense and heavy firefight” was triggered on Thursday night between soldiers and “infiltrating terrorists” near the Line of Control, the Indian army’s White Knight Corps said in a statement on social media. The overnight fighting led “to the neutralisation of two terrorists”, the statement said, referring to the suspected fighters. Weapons and “war-like stores” were recovered from the site, the army claimed, but it was not clear if the bodies of slain fighters were also retrieved. The incident could not be independently verified. India has a permanent deployment of more than half a million soldiers in the disputed territory, and groups have waged a struggle for self-determination for decades. Fighting has decreased since 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government imposed...

A policeman was martyred in Quetta when unidentified assailants shot him dead in the early hours of Thursday as he was returning home from work, police told Dawn.com . According to Rabia Tariq, Public Relations Officer for the Balochistan Inspector General of Police, the victim, Mehboob Shah, was returning home via the Manu Jan Road when the suspects gunned him down. “The suspects ambushed him in front of his house, opened fire on him and fled,” Tariq told Dawn.com . “Policeman Mehboob Shah died on the spot. His body was shifted to a hospital, before being handed over to his family for burial after funeral prayers at Quetta Civil Lines.” She added that the policeman had completed a shift at the United Nations office in a housing scheme in Quetta. No further details were provided. In September last year, a police officer was martyred in Quetta when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car. Sub-Inspector Aman­ullah was on his way to the Amir Muhammad Shah­eed police station for...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the government was ready to form a parliamentary committee to continue talks with the PTI as against the party’s demand to constitute a judicial commission to probe the protests of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024. After more than a year of heightened tensions between the government and the PTI, the two sides commenced negotiations in the last week of December to bring down political temperatures. But despite weeks of negotiations , the dialogue process stalled on major issues — the formation of two judicial commissions and the release of PTI prisoners. Last week, PTI decided to boycott the fourth round of talks (which were scheduled to take place on Jan 28) with the government, a day after it announced that party founder Imran Khan issued directions to call off negotiations due to a delay over the formation of judicial commissions. Speaking at a cabinet meeting today, PM Shehbaz said, “We are ready to form a House committee...

Iran is ready to discuss its nuclear programme if Western countries show they are “serious”, the foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying in an interview published on Thursday. “We have said several times that we are ready for discussions, but only if the other side is serious about this,” Esmaeil Baqaei said. Tehran has signalled to the West several times recently indicating a willingness to reach an agreement over its nuclear programme. In an interview with Sky News posted to his official Telegram channel on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the new US administration should work to win back Tehran’s trust if it wants a new round of nuclear talks. In Thursday’s interview, Baqaei expressed hope that new US President Donald Trump would adopt a “realistic approach” towards Iran. During his first term which ended in 2021, Trump pursued a policy of “maximum pressure”, withdrawing the United States from a landmark nuclear deal which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear ...

The Foreign Office on Thursday expressed Pakistan’s desire to improve economic ties with the United States, a day after a delegation of investors led by Gentry Beach, US President Donald Trump’s close aide, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan and the US have delicate and complex ties, shaped by shared security concerns and divergent strategic priorities. In a press briefing today, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said, “We want to further improve economic ties with the United States.” Responding to queries, Shafqat termed members of the visiting delegation as “good businessmen”. He clarified that the visit was not organised through the FO, adding that businessmen touring Pakistan was a “routine” matter. Shafqat said that further questions about the visit should be referred to the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). Beach also stated yesterday, “We plan on investing billions of dollars in Pakistan across several different areas, including critical minera...

The government removed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir from his position on Wednesday amid ongoing action against other officials of the watchdog. According to a notification by the Cabinet Secretariat, Jahangir, a BS-21 officer of the Interior Division was transferred and posted as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Establishment Division “with immediate effect and until further orders”. Once an officer is made an OSD his services are put on hold indefinitely without assigning any reason. The FIA had dismissed 13 of its officials a day earlier and stopped the promotions of three constables said to be involved in the Greek boat tragedy in 2024. Five Pakistani citizens perished after their boats capsized near Greek islands in December 2024. More than 80 Pakistanis, including minors, were aboard the unfortunate vessels, which capsized in the Mediterranean. Earlier, 37 officials suspected to involvement in these incidents were dismis...