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Pakistan, in a joint statement with 14 other nations, condemned Tel Aviv’s attempt to impose “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank, after the Israeli parliament passed bills on annexing the West Bank, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday. On Wednesday, Israeli lawmakers voted to advance two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, barely a week after US President Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending Israel’s two-year military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Trump has warned that Israel would lose its crucial backing from the United States if it annexes the occupied West Bank. In a statement issued today, the FO condemned “in strongest terms the approval of the Israeli Knesset of two draft laws aiming to impose a so-called ‘Israeli sovereignty’ over the occupied West Bank”, calling it a “blatant” violation of international law. The joint statement was signed by 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye. The FO noted that the ...

ISLAMABAD: A key government minister on Wednesday offered to shift PTI founder Imran Khan to his Banigala residence if the party submits a written application to this effect. Subsequently, the PTI has responded that the offer can be considered if the government demonstrates its “seriousness” on the issue. In an appearance on Asma Shirazi’s talk-show on Hum News , Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry suggested that Mr Khan could be shifted to Banigala, where PTI leaders and his family members can meet him on a daily basis. Later, talking to Dawn , Mr Chaudhry said that there were 8,000 prisoners in Adiala jail and they were also suffering beca­use of the PTI founder and his political activities. “We are ready to shift him if they submit an appl­i­cation. There [at Bani­gala] PTI leaders can meet him and play Ludo and other games day and night,” the minister added. He said that Mr Khan cannot be released, but he can be shifted to his Banigala residence by...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Wednesday that it had booked PTI MNA Shandana Gulzar under the country’s cybercrime laws for spreading misinformation about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to Egypt to attend the signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. PM Shehbaz visited Egypt last week to participate in the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit and attend the signing ceremony of a peace agreement aimed at ending the Gaza conflict. Among his many engagements with world leaders, the premier had also met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, where all three leaders expressed satisfaction over the recent ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Fact-checking platform iVerify Pakistan noted that posts from multiple users on social media platform X, particularly PTI supporters, since October 13, had shared a low quality and blurry image of the meeting with the Armenian premier , claiming it showed PM ...

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday held a meeting with lawmakers and political leaders from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and discussed the “overall political landscape” in the country with them, said a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). “PM Shehbaz discussed the current overall political landscape with KP lawmakers and leaders, as well as reviewed progress on ongoing development projects in the province,” said the statement. “The meeting focused on federal efforts to boost socio-economic development in KP and enhance coordination between the Centre and provincial stakeholders,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. The premier stressed the “need for sustained political engagement to ensure stability and growth in the province,” the report said. During the meeting, PM Shehbaz “emphasised that KP remains a key priority in the national agenda”. The prime minister also “directed relevant authorities to expedite key infrastructure and welf...

• WFP calls for all border crossings to be opened as supplies are still short of daily target of 2,000 tonnes • Vance rules out US troop deployment in Gaza, upbeat about ceasefire GENEVA/JERUSALEM: Maintaining the Gaza ceasefire is critical for delivering life-saving food aid in the territory, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday, repeating a call for all border crossings to be opened as supplies were still far short of its daily target of 2,000 tonnes. Around 750 metric tonnes of food are now entering the Gaza Strip daily, according to the WFP, but this was still well below the scale of needs after two years of bombing by Israel, which has reduced much of Gaza to ruins. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeated breaches of the truce since it was signed eight days ago, with flashes of violence and recriminations over the pace of returning hostage bodies, bringing in aid and opening borders. “ Sustaining the ceasefire is vital; really it’s ...

• Azma says 3,800 of group’s ‘financiers’ identified; assets frozen • Expects ban on party to be enforced ‘within a few days’ • ‘Due diligence under way’ on Punjab’s summary, says Talal • Claims govt ‘making arrangements’ in light of JUI-F’s ‘possible’ march on capital • Khawaja Asif calls for ‘hard state’ approach to curb extremism LAHORE: Individuals providing “financial or political support” to Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) will face terrorism charges, the Punjab government warned on Tuesday, as it pressed the federal government to proscribe the group. “Some 3,800 TLP financiers have been identified. Their funding sources have been blocked and legal action will be initiated against them under anti-terrorism laws,” Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari told a press conference in Lahore on Tuesday. She said the Punjab cabinet had forwarded a summary to the federal government seeking a ban on the TLP and expected a decision soon. “We expect the ban on TLP to ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday night said tremors of a 5.3-magnitude earthquake were felt in the twin cities and the northern areas of the country. The PMD stated that the epicentre of the quake was located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 234 kilometers and occurred at 11:15pm local time. It added that the quake was felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, Dir and Malakand. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) registered a 5.1 magnitude quake 34km west of the Ishkashim border town in Badakhshan province at a depth of 243.9km. A screenshot of a map showing three earthquakes registered north and west of Pakistan. — Screengrab via USGS Two Reuters witnesses said strong tremors were felt in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul. The twin cities and other northern areas were similarly jolted by tremors on Friday when a magnitude of 5.6 struck at a depth of 120km at 5:15pm in the Hindu Kush mountains. from Dawn - Home...