Violence, security threats cast pall over elections on February 7, 2024As millions gear up for the high-stakes Feb. 8 elections in Pakistan, campaigning in some parts of the country has been muted at best. The shadow of security threats remains particularly dark in areas like the southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces. Early on Monday, KP saw the latest in an ongoing streak […]
Parties race to woo key youth voters on February 3, 2024Streets are festooned with fluttering party flags, posters, banners and life-size portraits of candidates across Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi in the run-up to the Feb. 8 crucial national vote to elect a new government for a five-year term. Through social media and election rallies, political parties are busy in last-ditch efforts to woo the voters. […]
Election season enters final stretch in polarized Pakistan on January 30, 2024Electioneering is picking up steam across Pakistan in the leadup to a crucial national vote next month to elect a new government for a five-year term. Scheduled for Feb. 8, the election is viewed as one of the most polarized battles in the South Asian country’s 75-year checkered political history as the nation remains clearly […]
Afghanistan claims it doesn’t have ‘definitive’ border with Pakistan on January 29, 2024Afghanistan has claimed that it has no “definitive” border with neighboring Pakistan. Speaking to the media during a visit to the Torkham border crossing on Saturday, acting Afghan Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs Noorullah Noori claimed that the border between Islamabad and Kabul is “still unclear” and that the two countries have “imaginary lines.” […]
Snowless winter depriving northern Pakistan of economic lifeline on January 24, 2024Hotels and streets are usually packed with tourists who throng to the picturesque Kalam Valley from across Pakistan to enjoy the snowfall at this time of winter. Usually surrounded by snow-capped mountains in winters, the popular tourist destination, located some 326 kilometers (202 miles) from the capital city of Islamabad, is currently sporting a brown […]
2024: Polarizing elections, flailing economy worries Pakistan on January 6, 2024Zahid Hussain, a Pakistani chemical importer, had a disastrous 2023 as his business almost imploded due to the country’s painful economic crisis compounded by simmering political turmoil. However, the slight recovery that the cash-strapped nation has seen in the last few months, with the local currency gaining strength and a decreasing current account deficit, has […]
Cats, rats, invasive flora imperil Pakistan’s only marine protected island on December 22, 2023A rising population of feral animals and invasive plants on Astola, Pakistan’s only marine protected island, is posing a growing threat to its rich but fragile biodiversity, with some rare seabird species almost eliminated, environmentalists warn. Located in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, east of Pasni district in the southwestern Balochistan province, Astola […]
Pro-Gaza march draws tens of thousands in Karachi on October 19, 2023Tens of thousands packed a main thoroughfare in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday as they took out a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and to denounce Israeli bombardment on Gaza. The march was led by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), one of the country’s mainstream religiopolitical party, with the backing of several other political parties […]
Amid tremor shocks, 1/3rd of Afghans face ‘acute’ food insecurity on October 17, 2023About one-third of the Afghanistan population is facing acute food insecurity, which has been further aggravated by a recent series of earthquakes that struck the war-torn country’s north-western region. According to the figures released by the World Food Program (WPF) on World Food Day, over 15 million people face acute food insecurity, with 2.8 million […]
‘A new beginning’ Pakistan gears up for return of international football on October 17, 2023KARACHI: As millions of cricket fans are glued to TV screens for thrilling World Cup contests in neighboring India, there is also good news for the much smaller group of football lovers in Pakistan: international football is returning to the country. The South Asian country is going to host its first international football fixture after […]