News

Language: English

  • AJK Election Commission begins preparations for 2026-27 local government polls

    AJK Election Commission begins preparations for 2026-27 local government polls

    An important meeting on preparations for the local body elections was held under the chairmanship of AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, an official press release said.

    Senior Election Commission Member Khawaja Muhammad Ahsan, Member Syed Nazir-ul-Hasan Gilani, Secretary Ayaz Bashir, Election Commissioner Local Bodies Raja Rashid Mahmood and Superintendent Local Bodies Raja Mukhtiar Hussain attended the meeting.

    The commission decided to recommend necessary amendments in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Local Government Act, 1990 regarding the holding of local body elections. A committee was also constituted to prepare recommendations after examining local government election-related legislation in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

    It was further decided that an estimate of the budget required for holding the local government elections would be prepared and submitted to the government. The commission maintained that conducting local government elections is its constitutional responsibility and that it was prepared to fulfil its mandate.

    The last local government elections were held in Azad Kashmir in 2022 under the Local Government Act, 1990 and related election rules.

  • Pakistan Facilitating Communication Between Iran and US, Urges Dialogue: Foreign Office

    Pakistan Facilitating Communication Between Iran and US, Urges Dialogue: Foreign Office

    Pakistan said on Thursday that it is playing a role in facilitating communication between Iran and the United States, urging both sides to exercise restraint and resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and diplomacy. Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks at his weekly press briefing.

    Khan said Islamabad had encouraged, and would continue to encourage, Iran and the US to honour their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. “Pakistan believes this is the only viable pathway to resolving the conflict amicably and peacefully in the larger interest of global peace and security,” he told reporters.

    He added that Pakistan’s role as a mediator in communication between Iran and the US made it important for Islamabad to keep encouraging both sides toward a peaceful resolution.

    Pakistan and Qatar have previously participated in mediation efforts under the Islamabad MoU framework. Islamabad has in the past cited its facilitation of the 1970s US-China rapprochement as a precedent for its quiet diplomatic role.

    The remarks come amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with reports of growing US economic pressure and military preparations directed at Iran.

  • Alleged Pakistan-linked drug network exposed after Arabian Sea vessel seizure

    Alleged Pakistan-linked drug network exposed after Arabian Sea vessel seizure

    NEW DELHI/KARACHI (Daily Hayat) — The Indian Coast Guard and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad have seized an Iranian vessel in the Arabian Sea suspected of carrying a consignment of heroin and methamphetamine.

    According to investigators, five Pakistani nationals found aboard the vessel were arrested during the operation. The drugs were allegedly to be transferred at sea to another vessel associated with Tamil Nadu before being moved inland.

    Reports suggest the consignment was intended for distribution in Indian Punjab and other areas. A satellite communication device was also found on the vessel, which investigators believe may have been used to communicate with handlers at sea.

    A Nigerian national has been linked by investigators to the suspected Pakistan-based trafficking network. He has not been reported as arrested, and the allegations against him have not been established in court.

    The vessel, its crew and the seized drugs were taken to Mumbai for further investigation and legal proceedings. Authorities say the investigation is continuing to establish the roles of the suspects and trace the wider network.

  • Pakistan-based Metal raises $4.5m seed round led by a16z Speedrun and Y Combinator

    Pakistan-based Metal raises $4.5m seed round led by a16z Speedrun and Y Combinator

    Metal, a Pakistan-based startup, has raised US$4.5 million in a seed funding round led by a16z Speedrun and Y Combinator. Participation also came from Pioneer Fund, Rebel Fund, Gaingels, Indus Valley Capital, Team Ignite Ventures and Phaze Ventures.

    The company’s founder and CEO, Usman Gul, previously co-founded the logistics startup Airlift Technologies. Gul announced the round through a social media post.

    Metal is building an AI operating system designed to assist founders with fundraising and venture capital workflows. According to the company, it targets a persistent pain point that early-stage founders face when navigating capital formation.

    As per the company’s press release, with Airlift it raised US$120 million in venture financing over three years, during which it spoke with roughly 300 unique investors. About 80 per cent of those investors were not a fit for its stage, sector, geography or check size at the time.

    According to Gul, Metal is on track for multimillion-dollar annual revenue and has posted six consecutive quarters of 30 to 80 per cent sequential growth. Those figures are company claims rather than audited disclosures.

  • AJK High Court issues stay order on government’s move to revisit Education Package 2026

    AJK High Court issues stay order on government’s move to revisit Education Package 2026

    The court’s stay order puts the government’s move to reconsider the Education Package 2026 on hold pending further proceedings in the case.

    The development comes after petitions were filed before the High Court against the Cabinet decision, with the petitioners seeking judicial intervention over the proposed review of the education package.

    Further proceedings will determine the legal status of the Cabinet’s decision and the government’s authority to revisit the package.

  • US to Send 9,000 More Troops to Middle East, Dispatch Third Carrier Group, WSJ Reports

    US to Send 9,000 More Troops to Middle East, Dispatch Third Carrier Group, WSJ Reports

    The United States is preparing to send at least 9,000 more troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing American officials. The deployment would include a third aircraft carrier support group and an additional Marine expeditionary unit.

    According to the report, President Donald Trump is considering renewing strikes on Iran after November’s midterm elections, as tensions with Tehran continue to escalate.

    The development follows remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday that Iran had loaded “zero crude oil” onto tankers in September, and that “Operation Economic Outcast” was cutting off Tehran’s most critical source of revenue.

    Trump has also said Washington could ask its European allies to release strategic diesel reserves to curb prices driven up by the conflict with Iran.

    Meanwhile, US authorities arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a Department of Energy employee, on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Houthi militia. The 51-year-old is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Friday.

    Tracking data shows flights at Tehran’s main international airport have fallen by 42 percent since the US ban on Iranian airlines, though some popular routes remain in operation.

  • CTD arrests seven terror suspects in intelligence-based operations across Punjab

    CTD arrests seven terror suspects in intelligence-based operations across Punjab

    LAHORE (Daily Hayat) — The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab has arrested seven suspected militants linked to defunct organisations during 27 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province.

    According to a department spokesperson, those arrested include Zahid Khan (TTP), Abdullah Khan (TTP/LeJ), M Nauman (TTP), M Akram, M Siddiq Khan, M Ahsan and M Shoaib (TTP).

    Five cases were registered against the accused. Recoveries included 810 grams of explosives, 19 feet of safety fuse wire, six detonators, Rs65,290 in cash, a pistol, bullets, carbon paper and proscribed literature.

    The spokesperson said the CTD also conducted 461 operations with local police during the week, checking 21,436 persons, arresting 55 suspects and registering 50 cases.

    Officials said counter-terrorism operations will continue and appealed to the public to report suspicious activity.

  • Joint Govt-PPP Delegation to Meet PTI Leaders Today; Talks Decided Ahead of Long March

    Joint Govt-PPP Delegation to Meet PTI Leaders Today; Talks Decided Ahead of Long March

    A joint delegation of the federal government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Friday for talks on the prevailing political situation ahead of the October 4 long march, the President’s Office said.

    The decision was taken during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday, where the country’s overall political and security situation was discussed.

    The meeting expressed concern over the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI is in power, and stressed the need to further strengthen the national resolve against terrorism and ensure effective coordination among relevant institutions for peace and stability.

    The talks come as the PTI has announced a long march from Peshawar to Islamabad on October 4. The party’s stated objectives include the supremacy of the Constitution and law, restoration of an independent judiciary, freedom of the media, and the release of party founder Imran Khan.

    According to reports, direct contact has been established between the government and the opposition, and the two sides have also met in the National Assembly Speaker’s chamber, where demands were exchanged.

  • AJK PM dissolves Zakat Council, removes around 3,000 discretionary appointments

    AJK PM dissolves Zakat Council, removes around 3,000 discretionary appointments

    According to reports, those removed include the chairman and members of the Zakat Council, chairmen of Zakat committees in 10 districts, constituency-level chairmen, and around 2,300 chairmen of local Zakat committees.

    The chairman and members of the Ulema and Mashaikh Council are also being removed, and the relevant summary has been forwarded to the prime minister. The Tajweed-ul-Quran coordinator is being removed as well.

    Earlier, those appointed to discretionary posts on the Chairman Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission, the Investment Board, and the Cultural Academy were removed.

    Government sources said the steps are aimed at better utilisation of public resources and a more efficient administrative structure.

  • Fasset hits $1bn valuation, a first unicorn for Pakistan venture capital

    Fasset hits $1bn valuation, a first unicorn for Pakistan venture capital

    Fatima Gobi Ventures (FGV) has become the first Pakistan-based venture capital fund to back a unicorn, after digital-asset company Fasset reached a US$1 billion valuation following a US$68 million Series C funding round led by Japan’s SBI Group.

    The round pushed Fasset’s total capital raised in 2026 to US$119 million. The company had raised US$51 million in Series B funding in May 2026, which brought Speedinvest onto its cap table. FGV first backed Fasset in early 2022, co-leading its US$22 million Series A alongside Liberty City Ventures.

    By the Series C close, Fasset was processing over US$40 billion in annualised transaction volume, operating in 125 countries, and serving more than 3 million wallets and around 1,000 enterprise clients. Revenue had grown roughly sixfold year on year, with a profitable balance sheet.

    Naiel Oberoi Ikram, Managing Partner at Gobi Partners Pakistan, told Business Recorder on September 25 that while the milestone matters, the startup ecosystem needs to grow well beyond a single unicorn. The harder work, he said, still lies ahead.

    Fasset’s Pakistan entry runs through a partnership with Habib Rafiq Limited, an infrastructure and real estate group founded in 1962. The plan has two parts: tokenising real estate so international investors can invest with less friction, and giving Pakistan’s freelance workforce faster ways to receive and reinvest international income.