News Updates Pk

The Supreme Court on Thursday admitted bail pleas of ousted prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases pertaining to May 9 riots.  “In one of the May 9 cases, the SC granted bail despite the conspiracy allegation,” Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi said, asking the prosecution to refer to a previous judgment. “In all three rulings, the accused were granted bail despite conspiracy allegations.” Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi responded that “in bail cases, the court’s observations are always of an interim nature. Court observations have no effect on the trial.” He said that from 1996 to 2024, the SC had repeatedly held that observations in bail matters were temporary. Naqvi told the bench that in the conspiracy case, the court had granted bail to three accused, adding that in one such case, the accused were not named in the FIR. He said the apex court had laid down this framework in 2014, earlier reaffirmed in 1996, 1998, and in the 2022 Muhammad Rafiq vs State case. Read: CJ...

Rescuers and residents resumed searching on Tuesday for survivors as the death toll from five days of torrential rain rose past 350, with authorities warning monsoon downpours would continue until the weekend. Torrential rains across Pakistan's north have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, leaving many residents trapped in the rubble and scores missing. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 356 people were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous province in Pakistan's northwest bordering Afghanistan, since Thursday evening. Dozens more were killed in surrounding regions, taking the toll in the past five days to almost 400. Rescuers dug through mud and stone in hard-hit Dalori village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the hope of finding survivors and the bodies of people missing. Villagers stood watching and praying as the rescuers worked, a day after the search was halted by more intense rain. Umar Islam, a 31-year-old labourer, st...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday visited flood-affected districts of Swat, Buner, Shangla and Swabi, pledging that every available national resource would be mobilised to accelerate recovery and restore normalcy. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, prime minister and field marshal received a comprehensive briefing on rescue and relief operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Federal ministers and senior officials also joined the visit. The Prime Minister and COAS received a comprehensive briefing on the ongoing rescue and relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. pic.twitter.com/B1N1Z5lFuh — Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) August 20, 2025 During their interaction with survivors, PM Shehbaz assured victims of the federal government’s and Pakistan Army’s unwavering support. “We will extend maximum assistance in this critical hour,” he said, while appreciating the “tireless dedication” of the armed forces and civil administration. He also...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has nominated Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief (PKMAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Senator Azam Swati has been nominated as Leader of the Opposition in Senate, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja revealed on Wednesday. The decision was taken in the wake of Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) notification disqualifying Omar Ayub as NA opposition leader and Shibli Faraz as Senate opposition leader following their conviction in May 9 cases. Besides Ayub and Faraz, scores of PTI MNAs and MPAs were also disqualified by ECP after their conviction in May 9 riot cases. Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Raja said the PTI founder has sought a list of five names for the slot of Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly in a bid to pick the most suitable candidate. It is pertinent to mention that Ayub and Faraz had moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) fol...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar landed in Kabul today for the first formal trilateral meeting between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan in two years. Dar was accompanied by Pakistan's former ambassador in Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq. The three countries made commitments to combat terrorism and deepen collaboration in areas of health, education, culture, drug trafficking, and also offering Afghanistan an extension to CPEC, according to Foreign Office.  In a statement released by the Afghan Foreign Ministry “Pakistan was urged to uphold the rights of Afghan refugees residing in the country and Ishaq Dar expressed determination to further expand trade with Afghanistan.”  There was an emphasis on combating terrorism by Dar, “he highlighted a recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan perpetrated by groups operating from Afghan soil, urging the Afghan authorities to take concrete and verifiable measures against entities such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pak...

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday said the city’s recent downpour was part of the wider challenge of climate change, which has also caused destruction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir in recent days. Addressing a press conference, he said global warming and climate change were a reality and a test for administrations worldwide, citing the situations in New York, Dubai and Mumbai. The mayor said the heavy rains left residents facing difficulties, with criticism and political point-scoring further exacerbating the situation. He noted that Karachi’s stormwater drains have a capacity of only 40mm. “When rainfall exceeds this amount, consequences become evident,” he said. “Yesterday, Karachi also witnessed torrential rains,” he said, adding that two spells hit the city on the same day, with the first beginning in the morning. He said drainage efforts were launched once the rain subsided and conditions on main roads had improved by 12.30pm. Read: Second spell o...

The Pakistani rupee remained largely stable against the dollar on Tuesday, while showing slight fluctuations against other major currencies. Major commodities such as oil are primarily traded in US dollars, while several economies, including Saudi Arabia, continue to peg their currencies to the greenback. According to the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) rate sheet, the rupee closed almost unchanged against the US dollar, with the currency selling at Rs282.50 and buying at Rs282.00, compared to Rs282.45/281.95 a day earlier. This reflects only a 0.02% change. The euro slipped to Rs329.68 (selling) and Rs329.10 (buying), down 0.29% from Monday’s levels of Rs330.63/330.04. The British pound also eased, trading at Rs381.76 and Rs381.09, marking a 0.31% decline. Read: PSX hits record high on Fitch's positive outlook on banks The Canadian dollar saw a minor uptick to Rs204.79/204.43, rising by around 0.07%, while the Australian dollar dropped to Rs183.46/183.14, a 0.37% decline compared ...