A vessel carrying foreign nationals sank near the Harawa coast of Sirte in eastern Libya, the Foreign Office (FO) reported on Monday, confirming that four Pakistani nationals were among the eleven bodies that have been recovered. “Our mission in Tripoli has reported that a vessel carrying foreign nationals has sunk near the Harawa coast, Sirte city (Eastern Libya),” the FO stated in a press release. “A Pakistan embassy team’s visit to Sirte has confirmed the recovery of 11 bodies of migrants. Of these, four have been identified as Pakistani nationals based on their national documents. Two bodies remain unidentified.” The…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday that nearly 60,000 Afghans have been compelled to depart Pakistan since the beginning of April, as Islamabad has escalated its campaign to deport migrants back to Afghanistan. Last month, the federal government set an early April deadline for approximately 800,000 Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) issued by Pakistani authorities to leave the country, marking the second phase of its efforts to remove Afghan migrants. “Between 1 and 13 April 2025, IOM recorded a sharp rise in forced returns, with nearly 60,000 individuals crossing back into Afghanistan through the Torkham and…
Imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has declared he will not authorize anyone to hold negotiations with the establishment, according to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday. This statement follows claims by PTI leader Azam Swati, who asserted he had received Khan’s approval to engage with the establishment to resolve issues aimed at stabilizing the country’s political landscape. Last week, Swati, speaking to a private news channel, indicated he would meet with “someone” before revealing his future course of action. He also hinted at involving former President Dr. Arif Alvi and others in the negotiation process, mentioning…
Considering a report submitted by the sub-committee of the Sindh Assembly regarding the controversial outcomes from the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK), the provincial cabinet on Tuesday gave the green light to awarding grace marks to first-year intermediate students in the port city. Earlier this year in January, the provincial assembly, acceding to the demands of opposition parties, established a parliamentary committee headed by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah to delve into the disputed results issued by the intermediate board in Karachi. Last month, the parliamentary panel had resolved to allocate 15% grace marks to intermediate first-year students in…
In the early hours of Wednesday, several regions across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Punjab, and some areas of Afghanistan experienced mild earthquake tremors. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), the earthquake registered a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale. The tremors were felt in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts of Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Chitral, Abbottabad, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, and Lower Dir. In Azad Kashmir, residents in Samahni and its adjacent areas also felt the ground shaking. Within Punjab, the Zafarwal region reported feeling the tremors. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Hindu Kush region was also struck by an…
Chinese police in the northeastern city of Harbin have accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of launching “advanced” cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February, targeting essential industries. Police added three alleged NSA agents to a wanted list and also accused the University of California and Virginia Tech of being involved in the attacks after carrying out investigations, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua on Tuesday. The NSA agents were identified by Xinhua as Katheryn A Wilson, Robert J Snelling and Stephen W Johnson. The three were also found to have “repeatedly carried out…
Dr Yasser Saeed Khan, a British-Pakistani child and adolescent senior consultant psychiatrist based in Qatar, has been elected Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Division with an overwhelming majority — securing 109 out of 140 votes cast. Dr Khan, who spent 13 years working in the NHS in the UK, moved to Doha in 2017 to support the development of specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). He currently leads the service as Medical Lead, is the Program Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship,…
Driven by social misconceptions, the scarcity of organ donations is leading to as many as 10 to 15 fatalities each day in Pakistan — the number reaching up to 20 for the United States. The concerning situation has led to experts calling for urgent reforms to promote both living and cadaver organ donations, while also exploring the revolutionary potential of xenotransplantation, or animal-to-human organ transfers. In Pakistan, despite the growing number of patients suffering from organ failure, cultural misconceptions and religious hesitation continue to suppress organ donation, leaving thousands to die while waiting for a second chance at life. Speaking…
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) slightly lowered its forecast for oil demand growth on Monday, citing the impact of US tariffs on the world economy. The Saudi-led oil cartel said in its monthly report that it now expects demand to grow by 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025, down from a previous forecast of 1.4 million bpd. The “minor adjustment” was mainly due to first-quarter data and “the expected impact on oil demand given recently announced US tariffs”. The Opec now sees global demand reaching a total of 105.05 million bpd this year. It also…
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad on Monday anticipated that the recent drop in global oil prices would cushion the impact of the proposed reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Pakistan. Trump, last week announced a 90-day pause on tariffs, saying he took the decision after more than 75 countries had reached out to negotiate and did not retaliate against the US. Earlier, he had imposed 29% tariffs on Pakistani exports to the US. Speaking on Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, the SBP governor said: “[Pakistan’s] total export to the US is…
