The Pakistani rupee sank sharply by Rs18.74 against the dollar in the interbank market on Thursday, with the local currency trading at a historic high of Rs284.85 in morning trade, according to data shared by the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (Ecap). Analysts attributed the record drop — which is 7.04pc — to the government’s impasse with the International Monetary …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday wondered whether a disqualified person could head a political party. An IHC larger bench posed this question to the counsel for a petitioner seeking disqualification of Imran Khan for concealing his alleged daughter in the nomination papers that the PTI chief submitted for contesting elections. The bench — comprising Chief Justice Aamer …

The FBI has arrested a man who allegedly attempted to bring an explosive device onto an airplane in Pennsylvania, US authorities said Wednesday. The bomb was discovered by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel on Monday, after the man’s checked bag set off an alarm at Lehigh Valley International Airport in the city of Allentown, the federal agency said in a …

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday discharged retired Lieutenant General Amjad Shoaib from a case pertaining to public mischief and inciting the public against state institutions. Shoaib was taken into custody earlier this week after a case was registered against him at Islamabad’s Ramna Police Station for offences related to creating public mischief and inciting the public against institutions. The first …

ISLAMABAD: Militant attacks witnessed a surge in the month of February this year, but the resultant deaths were down as compared to January. An attack by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Karachi Police Headquarters was the most high-profile attack in the month of February. According to the statistics released by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), militants carried out …

ISLAMABAD: Separate cases were registered against the leaders and activists of the PTI, including former prime minister Imran Khan and 28 other people, police said on Wednesday. Among those arrested were officials from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police as well as private guards. One of the cases was registered with Ramna police station on a complaint lodged by Station House Officer (SHO) …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he had no plans to meet his Russian or Chinese counterparts at a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, as Ukraine and China tensions overshadow attempts by host India to forge unity among the world’s biggest economies. The gathering in New Delhi on Thursday will be the first time Blinken and …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday gave a grand reception in honour of the Pakistani rescuers who recently returned from the earthquake-hit areas of Turkiye and Syria after saving several lives during the rescue operations. “On behalf of myself and on behalf of the government, I want to thank and appreciate you because you have strengthened the brotherly and …

PORT VILA, Vanuatu: More than 100 countries have backed a plan by Vanuatu to enlist the UN’s top court in tackling climate change, after what the nation’s officials on Thursday described as a “herculean” diplomatic effort. With rising sea levels threatening its future, Vanuatu has spearheaded a drive for the court to define what legal responsibility countries have for the …

KABUL: Afghan forces on Thursday claimed to have killed six terrorists of proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and injured over a dozen in an action in Khost province.  Well-informed sources said Afghan defence forces targeted the hideout of TTP terrorists in Khost province with the IED. As a result TTP commanders namely, Abdul Manan, Alam Khan Mudakhel, Khujeer and three others …