PAKISTAN NEWS

 MUZAFFARABAD, 24 August, 2026 (Nosheen): Polling for the special seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly will be held today at the Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad. According to the Election Commission spokesperson, polling will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. Abdul Rehman Arain has already been elected unopposed to the seat reserved for overseas Kashmiris. Arain submitted his nomination papers on behalf of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) did not field a candidate against him. The Election Commission spokesperson said six candidates are contesting five seats reserved for women. The PML-N nominated four women candidates, while the PPP nominated three. However, PPP candidate Shaheen Kausar Dar later withdrew ...

 LONDON, 24 August, 2026 (Ghufran): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar arrived in London on a five-day official visit, where he is expected to hold discussions on Pakistan-UK bilateral relations and other matters of mutual interest. According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, Pakistan’s High Commissioner received Senator Ishaq Dar upon his arrival in the British capital. During his stay, the deputy prime minister is expected to meet with the UK Foreign Secretary as part of a series of diplomatic engagements aimed at reviewing and further strengthening relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The expected discussions will cover bilateral ties and a range of regional and international issues of mutual interest. Senator Ishaq Dar’s visit comes as...

 KARACHI, 24 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Three policemen were injured when a protest against prolonged power outages and the subsequent suspension of water supply turned violent in the Manghopir area near New Nazimabad on Sunday. Residents took to the streets to protest frequent and prolonged power shutdowns and the shortage of water, saying the situation had made their lives extremely difficult. The protesters blocked roads and disrupted traffic as they demanded immediate action from the relevant authorities. Police were deployed at the protest site to prevent any untoward incident. However, the situation escalated when an angry mob allegedly attacked and severely beat three policemen. The injured officials were identified as Head Constable Saad Gul, Constable Shehbaz and Constab...

ISLAMABAD, 23 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke by telephone today with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov from London. The two foreign ministers discussed matters of mutual interest as well as preparations for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting in Kyrgyzstan. During the conversation, both ministers reaffirmed the close and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan and expressed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation. The two sides agreed to meet on the sidelines of the SCO Summit to discuss ways to advance shared bilateral priorities and further expand cooperation and partnership between the two countries.The ministers also rei...

MADRID, 23 August, 2026 (News Desk): Jose Mourinho’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid got off to a winning start as the Spanish giants secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Espanyol in their opening La Liga fixture on Saturday. Substitute Carlos Espi scored the decisive goal in the 90th minute to seal all three points for Madrid after Jude Bellingham had opened the scoring and Alex Calatrava equalised for Espanyol.Bellingham put Real Madrid ahead after heading home Arda Guler’s dangerous free-kick. Espanyol responded in the 30th minute when Calatrava finished Javi Hernandez’s cut-back following an impressive team move. Real Madrid continued to create opportunities, with Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic making an important save to deny Kylian Mbappe after the French forward broke into...

LAHORE, 23 August 2026 (Nosheen): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived at Jati Umra to meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, where the two leaders held consultations on the country’s political situation and other important matters.According to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed Nawaz Sharif on the overall political situation in the country. The meeting also focused on key political issues and the government’s future strategy.Sources said the two leaders also discussed the matter of the transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan to hospital. The possible formation of an alliance among opposition parties and its potential political impact also came under discussion during the meeting. According to sources, various aspects of t...

RAWALPINDI, 23 August 2026 (Ghufran): The Punjab government has approved a major project to provide clean and safe drinking water to residents of Rawalpindi through the construction of a surface water treatment plant and a water supply system at Dadocha Dam. The project, once completed, will add 35 million gallons of water per day to the supply system for Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas. The project has an estimated cost of Rs36 billion and is scheduled for completion by December 2029. According to the Rawalpindi commissioner, the additional 35 million gallons of treated water from Dadocha Dam will help meet the growing demand for clean drinking water in the city. Following completion of the dam, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) will undertake work on the transmission line and w...

ISLAMABAD, 23 August 2026 (Nosheen): The Ministry of Religious Affairs has started collecting dues from applicants under the Private Hajj Scheme 2027 and directed intending pilgrims to complete all bookings and payments through the official Hajj Portal and Pak Hajj App. According to the ministry, applicants can choose an authorised Hajj organiser and select their preferred Hajj package through the designated digital platforms. The ministry clarified that Hajj companies are not authorised to collect payments directly from pilgrims. All financial transactions under the private Hajj scheme will be processed through the official Hajj Portal. Intending pilgrims have been warned against handing over money to unauthorised agents or individuals. The ministry said applicants would be responsible fo...

 LAHORE, 23 August, 2026(Ghufran): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced a nationwide shutter-down strike after 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal against the petroleum levy, demanding that the government reduce petroleum prices. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s struggle was progressing successfully and stressed that the government would have to reduce the prices of petroleum products. He said the country could not make progress in the presence of flour and sugar mafias and urged people to come forward and join their struggle. He also expressed concern over the high cost of fertilizers for farmers, while criticizing government officials for using expensive vehicles at taxpayers’ expense. The JI chief announced that a nation...

ISLAMABAD, 23 August, 2026(Kamran Raja): Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir will visit Tehran on Monday, where he is scheduled to hold important meetings with Iranian officials, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said. According to Baghaei, the purpose of Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit is to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Iran and discuss matters of mutual interest. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the visit was part of Pakistan’s continued efforts to promote peace and security in the region. During the visit, the two sides are expected to discuss regional security issues and explore ways to enhance bilateral cooperation. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, while addressing a ceremony, said Ir...