ISLAMABAD – Police in Pakistan’s capital conducted an operation in the Bari Imam area, arresting 17 Afghan nationals who were reportedly living in the country illegally. The operation was launched based on credible intelligence regarding the presence of undocumented individuals in the locality. According to a police spokesperson, officers faced resistance from the residents during the raid, leading to a tense situation. However, a heavy contingent of police responded swiftly, managing the confrontation and taking all 17 individuals into custody. Authorities confirmed that none of the arrested individuals possessed valid legal or travel documents required for their stay in Pakistan.…
Author: Web Desk
LAHORE – Pakistan’s Punjab province is bracing for a severe air pollution crisis coinciding with the Diwali festival, prompting the government to activate a large-scale emergency plan to combat the impending smog. Authorities warn that polluted winds originating from across the border—specifically from the Indian cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Haryana—are expected to engulf major urban centers including Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Multan. This transboundary pollution will be dangerously compounded by local emissions from Diwali activities, traffic, and waste burning. The Punjab Smog Monitoring Centre has issued a grim forecast, predicting Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) will hover between a…
ISLAMABAD – The Government of Pakistan has approved its national wheat policy for 2025-2026, setting a procurement price of 3,500 rupees per maund in a significant move aimed at balancing the nation’s food security needs with the economic hardships faced by its farmers. The policy was greenlit during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, which included the chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, alongside other key stakeholders, signaling a broad national consensus. Addressing the participants, the Prime Minister underscored the crop’s vital role. “Pakistan is an agricultural economy, and the wheat crop is of…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has introduced significant amendments to its barter trade framework for three key regional players—Iran, Afghanistan, and Russia—in a decisive move to address severe difficulties that had previously stalled the mechanism. The Ministry of Commerce has issued a notification relaxing several conditions that had rendered the previous framework, implemented in June 2023, impractical and slow. Business groups and stakeholders had consistently highlighted the hurdles that created significant operational difficulties. The most critical barrier was the mandatory condition of “import before export,” which created major liquidity and logistical problems for the business community. Furthermore, a short 90-day transaction settlement…
LAHORE – Pakistan’s ruling coalition is facing a severe internal crisis in the politically crucial Punjab province, prompting President Asif Ali Zardari to personally intervene and agree to escalate the matter with the nation’s “relevant circles.” The decision followed a tempestuous meeting of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), where, according to sources, a majority of attendees expressed deep displeasure and frustration with the conduct of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of the PML-N. The sense of disillusionment within the meeting was palpable. Multiple senior provincial and central leaders, citing the “negative politics” of the PML-N, strongly proposed that the PPP…
ISLAMABAD – In an era defined by digital footprints, Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has turned the lens on individuals flaunting extravagant lifestyles on social media while allegedly concealing their true wealth from the state. The FBR’s Lifestyle Monitoring Cell has identified more than twenty cases, revealing a jarring disconnect between curated online personas enjoying vast wealth—including crores in assets, luxury vehicles, and frequent international travel—and the minimal income declared in their tax returns. These findings highlight a profound disparity, painting a picture of audacity against a backdrop of national economic challenges. The investigation has brought forward several…
Astronomers have detected a mysterious gamma-ray glow emanating from the center of our Milky Way galaxy, traveling toward Earth — a phenomenon that could hold the key to one of the greatest mysteries in modern physics: Dark Matter. For years, this diffuse light puzzled researchers. But new findings suggest the glow may be caused either by colliding dark matter particles or by rapidly spinning neutron stars, both of which emit high-energy radiation. 🌌 The Invisible Force That Holds Galaxies Together Dr. Joseph Silk, astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, explained: “Dark matter dominates the universe and holds galaxies in place. The…
In a medical breakthrough hailed as a potential revolution in organ transplantation, researchers from Canada and China have developed the world’s first “universal kidney” — an organ that can be transplanted into any patient, regardless of blood type. The discovery, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, offers renewed hope to thousands of patients worldwide who spend years waiting for a compatible donor kidney. 🔬 How the Science Works Scientists at the University of British Columbia used specialized enzymes to convert a donor kidney from blood type A to type O — the so-called universal donor group.This means the converted kidney can…
In yet another sign of Pakistan’s worsening inflation, tomatoes — a kitchen essential — have now become more expensive than chicken in Karachi’s retail markets. According to market sources, the price of tomatoes has exceeded PKR 500 per kilogram, while chicken meat sells for around PKR 450 per kilogram. In several neighbourhoods, tomatoes are being sold between PKR 450 and 550 per kg, forcing many residents to rethink their daily meals. 🍅 Supply Chain Disruptions and Import Reliance Traders say the surge in prices is mainly due to the closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and limited supply from Punjab, leading…
The closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border amid recent tensions has paralyzed cross-border trade and sparked a sharp price hike in fruit markets across northwestern Pakistan. Market sources reported that fruit prices have nearly doubled since the closure of the Torkham crossing, one of the main trade gateways between the two countries.The price of grapes has soared from PKR 400 to 800 per kilogram, pomegranates from PKR 300 to 600, and apples from PKR 200 to 400. 🚛 Supply Chain Disruption Dozens of trucks and containers carrying Afghan produce — including grapes, apples, and pomegranates — remain stranded along the border,…
