Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The government is working on a policy that will not only reduce dependence on imported palm oil but also facilitate and support farmers to grow oilseed crops, Minister for National Food Security and Research, Tariq Bashir Cheema, said on Tuesday. At a press conference, Mr Cheema said the government has decided to take short- to long-term policy measures for …

ISLAMABAD: The military on Tuesday secured the nod of the Parliamentary Com­­m­ittee on National Secu­rity’s for peace talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakis­tan (TTP) after conceding to the Pakis­tan Peoples Party’s demand for the process to be overseen by a parliamentary committee. “There was nearly a consensus that the talks should be held except for opposition by head of National …

GILGIT: Mountaineers Shehroze Kashif from Lahore and Fazal Ali from Shimshal of Hunza district of Gilgit-Baltistan summited the ninth highest mountain in the world, the Nanga Parbat (8,126 metres), on Tuesday morning, however the duo was reported to have gone missing while on their way back. GB Home Secretary Iqbal Hussain Khan confirmed that Kashif and Ali had gone missing …

QUETTA: At least 20 people have been repor­­ted dead in rain-related accidents as several districts of Balochistan received monsoon downpour with strong winds over the past 24 hours. According to officials, the dead included six women from the same family in Quetta. The wo­­men were killed when the wall of their makeshift house collapsed due to rain and strong winds. …

An anti-corruption unit from Karachi detained Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh in Lahore, spokesperson of the Lahore police said, hours after the PTI said he was arrested by “plain-clothed” men “in the middle of the night” from Punjab’s capital. Lahore police spokesperson Syed Mubashir confirmed the development to Dawn.com, saying that Lahore police had assisted …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday disposed of a petition filed by journalist Imran Riaz Khan against his arrest, ruling the case did not fall within its jurisdiction and advised the petitioner to approach the Lahore High Court (LHC). Khan was arrested by the Attock police Tuesday night on the outskirts of Islamabad as he was headed to the federal capital …

Mountaineers Shehroze Kashif from Lahore and Fazal Ali from Shimshal of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Hunza district, who were earlier reported missing, have been seen descending from camp 4 on Nanga Parbat, officials said on Wednesday. The two mountaineers had summited Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres, on Tuesday morning. However, the duo was reported to have gone …

Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said that any recording — video or audio — made to expose a person’s criminal offences or misdeed could not be considered a crime, unless it was done to blackmail someone. “The reality is that if any recording, whether video or audio, is made to catch someone’s crime, then in my view it …

LAHORE: US Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Dilawar Syed says his country is keen to enhance bilateral trade with Pakistan besides tapping the investment opportunities in different sectors like textile, renewable energy and agriculture. “I am confident to say that a huge investment in textile sector is expected. And after availing tremendous trade opportunities from the US, Pakistani …

KARACHI: Amid an abrupt boycott of the proceedings by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, the Sindh Assembly on Monday was told that the province, particularly Karachi, was facing a worst electricity crisis, only due to the ‘incompetence’ of the previous government as well as flaws in the transmission and distribution system of K-Electric. The issue of prolonged power cuts and unannounced …