Pakistan Today

TASKENT: Tashkent hosted the first plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on November 19. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the meeting. The event was opened by the Chairman of the Central Election Commission Zayniddin Nizamkhodjayev. The National Anthem of Uzbekistan was played. To organize the plenary session’s work, a secretariat and...

Criticises ‘apolitical’ woman encouraging PTI to launch attack on federation LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday said that PTI’s call for a protest on November 24 was merely aim at collecting funds, saying that in Punjab, it would be a significant event if even their prominent MNAs and MPAs came out, let alone the public. She added that...

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday sent its 20th shipment of humanitarian aid, containing essential relief supplies, to assist war-affected populations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. The 17-ton shipment comprised rice buckets, powdered milk, canned food, family packs, sleeping bags, medical support kits, and a generator. Following the directives of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, NDMA, in partnership...

BEIJING: China recently published the Annual Report on Human Rights report (2024), the 14th edition since it was first published in 2011 by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the largest national academic organization dedicated to human rights research in China. Based on extensive research, the report uses comprehensive data and various cases to highlight the latest progress in...

RIO DE JANEIRO: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for improving global digital and trade governance and building a world economy characterized by innovation and openness. Xi made the remarks at the second session of the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Chinese president called for improving global trade governance and restoring normal functioning of dispute settlement...

KARACHI: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif officially inaugurated the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2024 on Tuesday at the Expo Centre. The biennial event is set to run from November 19 to 22, showcasing Pakistan's growing defense industry while also attracting global defense leaders and international exhibitors. Addressing the opening session, Asif highlighted that IDEAS 2024’s slogan, "Arms for Peace," underscores...

WASHINGTON WATCH One century ago, when Western European powers were planning to carve up the Arab East, the USA attempted to convince them to take a different path. Supporting the belief that the peoples recently freed from colonial rule should have the right to self-determination, the USA sent a commission of prominent Americans to survey Arab public opinion to discover...

In recent years, Pakistan’s urban centres, particularly Lahore, have faced a persistent and severe smog problem. Each winter, the air quality in cities across the country reaches hazardous levels, with Lahore often ranking among the most polluted cities worldwide. This phenomenon, a combination of smoke, fog, and various airborne pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), poses...

An important aspect of climate change is climate finance which entails supporting developing countries as they grapple with the impacts of extreme climate events, such as floods, droughts, desertification, and so on. What is currently happening in the climate finance ecosystem can be best described by the following analogy. Imagine your neighbours polluting your garden with toxic waste, killing all...

KARACHI: The Karachi administration has imposed a ban on all public gatherings and assemblies across the division until November 24. The decision, taken under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), is intended to ensure security during the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2024, being hosted at the Karachi Expo Centre from November 19 to 22. The move...

Brazilian President Ignacia de Silva Lula may have been inspired by the poverty of his childhood, but when he told the G20 Summit in Rio that “hunger and poverty are not the result of scarcity or natural phenomena. He also announced the launching of a global alliance against poverty and hunger with 91 countries on board. This was an...

My elder sister in Karachi wished me a happy birthday over the phone in May 2024 when I turned seventy-six. I composed this qitah and shared it with her on WhatsApp. It caused her some vexation, but she extended generous laurels over my poetic abilities. Let me, therefore, share my qitah with the readers:   Khuwab e ghaflat bhi hum sai...

CALIFORNIA: Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been detained in California, USA, marking a major breakthrough in the international crackdown on the Bishnoi criminal syndicate. His capture follows weeks of legal maneuvering by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which has been seeking his extradition to India for his alleged involvement in numerous high-profile crimes. Anmol, who...

With the government having successfully passed the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, it is perhaps time now for it to pay attention to the actual task of solving the problems faced by the people. As such, the problems are multipronged: commodity prices, utility bills, transport fares, cost of medicines, medical treatment, fuel prices etc. Just bragging about the lowering of...

MIRPUR: After over three months of dry weather, the upper reaches of Neelam Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were finally lashed with gentle snowfall starting late last night, bringing delight to residents and tourists. Tourist hotspots in the picturesque mountainous terrain witnessed varying degrees of light to moderate snowfall. The popular snow-clad resorts in the scenic valley turned into playgrounds...