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  • US assures Pakistan of no change in position on Kashmir dispute

    US assures Pakistan of no change in position on Kashmir dispute

    The assurance came after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” during his visit to Srinagar on August 19. Pakistan sought clarification over whether the remarks represented a policy shift and summoned the US chargé d’affaires in Islamabad in protest.

    US officials told Pakistani interlocutors there had been “no change in our position” and reiterated that Kashmir remained a dispute requiring resolution between Pakistan and India.

    The issue was also discussed during a media interaction involving Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh.

    Pakistan has long pressed Washington to maintain consistency on Kashmir, while India describes the matter as an internal affair.

  • KSE-100 sheds 1,332 points to close at 168,637 as Middle East tensions rattle investors

    KSE-100 sheds 1,332 points to close at 168,637 as Middle East tensions rattle investors

    The Pakistan Stock Exchange ended Thursday’s session sharply lower, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index closing at 168,636.85 — down 1,332.47 points, or 0.78 percent — as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East kept investors on edge.

    The index swung within a 2,120-point range during the session, touching an intraday high of 170,688.38 before sliding to a low of 168,567.78. Of the 100 index constituents, 86 closed lower, 13 advanced and one remained unchanged, on volume of 149.85 million shares.

    Commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies and cement stocks bore the brunt of the selling. Pakistan Petroleum dragged the index by 131.47 points, followed by UBL at 106.06 points, Hub Power at 84.68 points, OGDC at 76.24 points and Fauji Fertilizer at 71.69 points.

    In the broader market, the KSE All-Share Index closed at 102,097.08, down 795.55 points or 0.77 percent. Total market volume stood at 548.38 million shares against traded value of Rs17.05 billion, with 323 companies declining and 121 advancing.

    Market watchers linked the decline to renewed US-Iran tensions and the resulting rise in international crude prices, which have clouded the outlook for inflation and Pakistan’s external account given the impasse over the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

    Sentiment remained cautious into Friday’s session, with analysts noting investors were also tracking incoming US employment data and the domestic monetary policy outlook amid elevated fuel prices.

  • Punjab orders dengue larvae surveys inside Lahore government offices

    Punjab orders dengue larvae surveys inside Lahore government offices

    The minister also ordered the Deputy Commissioner Lahore to have the city’s anti-dengue campaign audited by a third party, and directed that senior officers, rather than junior staff, take part in field operations.

    The directives came at a high-level meeting chaired by Khawaja Imran Nazir to review anti-dengue operations under way in the provincial capital. The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Lahore Captain (retd) Ali Ejaz, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Municipal), Deputy District Officers (Health) and representatives of allied departments.

    “Action under the anti-dengue campaign must be taken without discrimination,” the minister told the meeting, making clear that government buildings would not be exempt from the scrutiny routinely applied to homes, shops and construction sites.

    Anti-dengue teams in Lahore have traditionally concentrated on residential areas, markets, tyre shops, junkyards, graveyards and construction sites, where penalties and cases are regularly registered against owners whose premises harbour larvae. Official buildings — with their rooftop water tanks, blocked drains and unused spaces — have received less attention until now.

  • Sohail Afridi’s Arrest Warrants Reissued; Peshawar High Court Adjourns Plea Against ECP Notice Till Oct 7

    Sohail Afridi’s Arrest Warrants Reissued; Peshawar High Court Adjourns Plea Against ECP Notice Till Oct 7

    Arrest warrants have been reissued against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Khan Afridi in an earlier protest case. Separately, the Peshawar High Court adjourned his plea against an Election Commission notice until October 7.

    The developments come as Afridi has announced that the PTI will launch its long march from Peshawar on October 4. He said the party’s objectives include the supremacy of the Constitution and law, restoration of an independent judiciary, freedom of the media, genuine democracy and the release of party founder Imran Khan.

    Afridi has alleged that court directives concerning Imran Khan’s medical treatment and meetings with his family have not been implemented. He said citizens have the constitutional right to peaceful protest when legal and constitutional avenues fail.

    Jamaat-e-Islami has opposed the imposition of governor’s rule or emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while accepting the PTI’s invitation to its all-parties conference.

    According to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, the DG ISPR presented a “charge sheet” against the KP government, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has stressed the need for stronger governance and internal security.

  • Ahad Raza Mir announces break from showbiz, calls it a ‘semi-retirement’

    Ahad Raza Mir announces break from showbiz, calls it a ‘semi-retirement’

    Ahad Raza Mir has announced that he is taking a break from the entertainment industry next year, describing the move as a “semi-retirement” in a live session on Instagram.

    In the video, which has been widely circulated on social media, the actor said he would be “disappearing completely” and spending time with his family, adding that his Instagram would also be switched off during the break.

    Mir is among the most acclaimed television actors of his generation, known for blockbusters such as “Yaqeen Ka Safar”, “Ehd-e-Wafa”, “Yeh Dil Mera”, “Meem Se Muhabbat” and “Hum Tum”. He recently drew praise for his performance as Haroon Malik in Green TV’s “Aik Mohabbat Aur” and is currently shooting the upcoming drama “Cafe Firaaq” with Yumna Zaidi.

    Fans reacted with a mix of surprise and support. Some speculated the break could be linked to personal plans, while others said he had been working non-stop for two years and deserved the rest; one fan wrote that wherever he goes, he would return to his fans.

    On the personal front, Mir married actress Sajal Aly in Abu Dhabi in March 2020; the high-profile couple finalised their divorce in 2022. No timeline has been given for his return to the screen.

  • Pakistan condemns India at UN Human Rights Council over occupied Kashmir, minority rights

    Pakistan condemns India at UN Human Rights Council over occupied Kashmir, minority rights

    GENEVA: Pakistan on Thursday condemned India at the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council for evading questions on human rights in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the treatment of minorities.

    Exercising the right of reply to India, First Secretary Adeel M. Khokhar said India had adopted a “familiar pattern” of changing the subject and invoking Pakistan when confronted with uncomfortable facts.

    “Let us make it clear: Jammu and Kashmir is not, and has never been, an integral part of India. It is a disputed territory, as recognised by the relevant Security Council resolutions. Repeated denials and unilateral measures cannot alter this reality,” he said.

    The Pakistani delegate said India had avoided holding a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices in Jammu and Kashmir, and questioned the continued enforcement of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which he said shielded security forces from prosecution and amounted to a “licence for impunity”.

    He said extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention and torture of Kashmiris by Indian forces had been documented in reports by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). He also criticised the changes to domicile and land laws and the delimitation of constituencies in IIOJK since August 5, 2019.

  • Mainly dry first ten days of October; westerly system may affect north around Oct 6-7

    Mainly dry first ten days of October; westerly system may affect north around Oct 6-7

    ISLAMABAD (Daily Hayat) — According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s latest outlook, mainly dry weather is expected across most of Pakistan during the first ten days of October, with a westerly weather system likely to affect northern parts around October 6-7.

    The outlook provides a regional overview for Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The approaching system could bring rain and thunderstorms to northern areas, while plain areas are expected to stay dry.

    As October progresses, cooler nights and mornings are expected to become more frequent in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and northern areas, while southern Pakistan may retain comparatively warmer conditions.

    The coming days are important for farmers, as weather conditions can influence wheat land preparation, berseem and lucerne sowing, vegetable cultivation and irrigation planning. Agricultural experts advise growers to check their district-level forecasts before important field decisions.

    Changing conditions will affect soil moisture, crop growth and irrigation requirements. Citizens have been advised to plan travel and daily routines keeping the weather in view.

  • Three Pakistani Sailors Among Five Killed as Puntland Forces Recover Hijacked Tanker Honour 25; FO Begins Repatriation

    Three Pakistani Sailors Among Five Killed as Puntland Forces Recover Hijacked Tanker Honour 25; FO Begins Repatriation

    The Foreign Office has said Pakistan is taking steps to bring home the mortal remains of three Pakistani sailors who were killed during the operation to recover the hijacked tanker MT Honour 25 off the Somali coast. Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan confirmed the development at his weekly briefing.

    Puntland’s Maritime Police Force recovered the Palau-flagged tanker on Tuesday in a planned operation in the Dharin Baar area of Bandar Beyla district. The tanker had been hijacked on April 21 with 19 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistanis. During the incident, pirates killed five crew members and wounded four, three of them Pakistani.

    The three Pakistanis killed were identified as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umar and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari. The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust said all three were from Karachi. The other two sailors killed were from India and Myanmar.

    Accounts of the deaths differ. Puntland authorities say the sailors were killed before the operation began, while the Ansar Burney Trust, citing surviving crew members, says pirates opened fire on the hostages during an exchange of gunfire in the rescue operation. The two accounts have not been independently reconciled.

    According to the Foreign Office, the surviving crew were first brought ashore at Bandar Beyla and have now been moved to the city of Garove, where the injured are receiving treatment. Khan said Pakistan’s embassy team in Djibouti was proceeding to Bandar Beyla to assist the Pakistani nationals, and that “every possible effort” was being made for the injured sailors’ medical care, the return of the mortal remains and the safe return of the surviving crew.

    Puntland authorities said 16 suspected pirates were detained in the operation. The crew had spent more than five months in captivity, according to the welfare trust.

  • Pakistan’s 2026 polio drive leaves about a million children unvaccinated

    Pakistan’s 2026 polio drive leaves about a million children unvaccinated

    During the campaign, polio drops were administered to more than 22.9 million children in Punjab, over 10.5 million in Sindh, more than 7.13 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and over 2.3 million in Balochistan. More than 455,000 children were vaccinated in Islamabad, around 261,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan and over 673,000 in Azad Kashmir.

    The campaign was postponed in the Balochistan districts of Mastung, Gwadar, Chagai and Awaran over security concerns. Officials said 0.14 per cent of targeted children were recorded as refusals, with 31,000 refusals from Karachi forming the largest share.

    During the drive, a police constable assigned to protect a polio team, 35-year-old Maqsood, was shot dead by unidentified attackers in the Kaahi area of Nizampur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while female health workers were administering drops to children inside a home.

    Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic. Health officials continue to urge parents to have their children vaccinated so the disease can be eradicated completely.

  • Lahore’s air turns hazardous again as smog season approaches; Punjab launches early drive

    Lahore’s air turns hazardous again as smog season approaches; Punjab launches early drive

    LAHORE (Daily Hayat) — Lahore is once again choking under polluted skies. The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recently touched 210, rated “very unhealthy”, placing Lahore among the most polluted cities in the world.

    According to the Punjab Environment Protection Department’s live dashboard, Lahore’s AQI was recorded at 151 (“unhealthy for sensitive groups”) at 3:00 pm on Oct 1, with coarse dust (PM10) the dominant pollutant at 10 of the city’s 11 monitoring stations.

    Experts note that Punjab’s smog season typically runs from late October into January. In cold, still conditions, a layer of warmer air sits above cooler air near the ground like a lid, trapping pollution close to the surface where it accumulates without wind or rain to disperse it.

    Ahead of the season, the Punjab government has ordered action against the open burning of solid waste, already prohibited under the Punjab Environmental Protection (Smog Prevention and Control) Rules 2023. Authorities have also been directed to strictly enforce dust-control rules at construction sites.

    Global air quality data shows Lahore ranked as the world’s eighth most polluted city in 2025, with average PM2.5 levels many times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual guideline. Health experts advise children, the elderly and asthma patients to take precautions.