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Federal Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Saudi Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah on Monday signed the annual Haj agreement between the two countries, which would allow 179,210 pilgrims Pakistanis perform the Haj this year. The Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is…
Large crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India bathed in sacred waters on Monday as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organizers expecting 400 million people to attend, the largest gathering of humanity. The ancient Kumbh Mela, a display of religious piety and ritual bathing, and a logistical challenge of staggering proportions, takes place where the…
Former ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan says tensions have risen due to economic actions, including border closures, trade restrictions and airstrikes on Afghan territory. WHEN India withdrew its diplomats from Afghanistan in 2021, very few experts would have bet that ties between the two nations could ever be restored as long as the Taliban maintained their…
WELLINGTON: Experienced players Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson were on Sunday called up to an experienced New Zealand team to contest the ICC Champions Trophy one-day tournament. The key trio were unavailable for the just-concluded home ODI series against Sri Lanka due to offshore T20 commitments. Batsmen Williamson and Conway have been playing…
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to renew its $2 billion debt that must be paid this month. This decision should help the State Bank keep the rupee stable amid the growing trade deficit. Meanwhile, Pakistan is taking two commendable steps (one under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and the other in response to…
WHEN the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan more than three years ago, Pakistani policymakers assumed this would help ensure the stability of the country’s western border. This has long been a strategic imperative, given Pakistan’s troubled relations with India on its eastern flank. But the assumption of securing the border with Afghanistan under Taliban…
ISLAMABAD: Almost six months after the federal cabinet decision, the government has started inducting officials from intelligence, investigation and law enforcement agencies into Sindh’s increasingly bleeding power distribution companies (Discos) to curb the energy theft, improve recoveries and improve operational efficiency. In a notification issued over the weekend, the power division constituted a Disco Support…
LAHORE: Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Huraira have been recalled to Pakistan’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against the West Indies due to injury to fellow opener Saim Ayub and poor form of Abdullah Shafique . The 15-member squad, announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday, also includes two uncapped players –…
AUCKLAND: Sri Lanka swept away top-placed New Zealand on Saturday to comfortably win the third one-day international in Auckland by 140 runs and salvage a lone win in the series. The home team’s hopes of chasing Sri Lanka’s 290-8 took a nosedive as they collapsed to 21-5 at Eden Park, before being bowled out for…
According to the district commissioner, the process of demolition of bunkers in Lower Kurram is scheduled to begin today as per the recent peace agreement. On December 20, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa high committee decided to dismantle all bunkers in Kurram district in a bid to restore peace in the area, where weeks-long deadly tribal clashes…