HD Viral Videos

With March ending relatively cool (average temperature according to meteorological officials recorded at 27.6°C), wheat crops might have had the chance to recover from earlier losses caused by smog at the tillering stage in November, loss of acreage and a long dry spell early this year. At least farmers and Punjab’s agriculture officials are hopeful, though at varying levels. Apart from a cooler March, the agriculture bureaucracy in the province also counts positive policy impacts of initiatives like subsidised solarisation of tubewells, Kissan and Livestock Cards, distribution of laser-levellers and e-credit for a better, if not bumper, crop. Based on these factors, they hope wheat will cross 21 million tonnes. Alas, these hopes are not without critique by those who base their case on the massive loss of acreage — 16.25m acres this year against 17.44m acres last year. Official average yields were recorded at 34.74 maunds per acre a year ago. There is no way the crop can even come c...

BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal said on Monday that his party’s sit-in demanding the release of arrested Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders will continue until “our women are released and reach their homes.” Mengal had announced a “long march” from Wadh to Quetta to protest the arrests of BYC chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and other leaders as well as police crackdowns on a sit-in. However, the Quetta administration had denied the party permission for the rally. On Saturday evening, a provincial government delegation comprising Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Bakht Muhammad Kakar and Sardar Noor Ahmed Bangulzai met Mengal and other BNP-M leaders at the party’s sit-in site in Mastung but could not convince Mengal to end the sit-in, which continued . Addressing the protesters today, Mengal said, “The sit-in will be written in history and will continue until our women reach home after being released.” “Let’s promise that until we take our imprisoned women home, it will be forbidd...

WHILE the more fortunate will be sharing the joys of Eidul Fitr with their families, many in the Muslim world will be observing the festival in the shadow of genocide , starvation and war. Therefore, as we celebrate, let us not forget the people of occupied Palestine and Kashmir, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and other Muslim-majority regions whose lives have been shattered by bloodshed and aggression. The people of Gaza have little to celebrate as Israel shattered the fragile ceasefire on March 18, and resumed its genocidal war against this forsaken territory. Over 900 people have been massacred since the truce fell apart, while overall more than 50,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered by Israel in Gaza since Oct 7, 2023. People in the occupied West Bank have it only marginally better as Tel Aviv launches blood-soaked forays into the territory at will. Elsewhere in the Muslim world things are equally grim. For example, while the people of Syria may have ousted long-time strongman Bashar...

• Akhtar Mengal refuses to end protest until BYC leaders are released • Quetta remains inaccessible after authorities place more containers QUETTA: Negotiations bet­ween Sardar Akhtar Mengal and a government delegation failed on Sunday, as the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader refused to call off the sit-in at Lakpass until his demands were met. Mr Mengal insisted that the protest would continue until the release of all detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) female leaders, including Dr Mahrang Baloch , and until protesters were allowed to enter Quetta peacefully. A government team, led by provincial minister Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, met with BNP-M leadership, including Mr Mengal, Agha Musa Jan, Sajid Tareen Advocate, Mir Akhtar Hussain Langove, Sana Baloch and Mir Hammal Kalmati, to urge an end to the protest. The delegation cited security concerns and travel disruptions for residents of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as reasons to call off the sit-in. Howeve...

• Akhtar Mengal, supporters remain unharmed • Party seeks Mahrang Baloch’s release QUETTA: Sardar Akhtar Mengal and other participants of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) protest sit-in survived a suicide attack near the Lakpass area of Mastung district on Saturday. Officials said the suicide bomber detonated the explosives strapped to his body away from the sit-in site after security guards intercepted him, preventing him from reaching the stage where the BNP-M leaders were present. “Sardar Akhtar Mengal, party workers and supporters remained unharmed in the attack,” police confirmed, adding that no casualties were reported. However, Mr Mengal claimed that at least four party members were injured in the blast. The sit-in continued despite the attack. “Our protest will continue until the release of Dr Mahrang Baloch and other BYC (Baloch Yakjehti Comm­ittee) leaders and workers arrested last week after the police crackdown on the BYC sit-in in Quetta,” Mr Mengal vo...

• 2,900 buildings, 30 roads, seven bridges damaged, says opposition • China, India send aid; Russia, Malaysia, US, Singapore, South Korea not far behind • Authorities in Bangkok struggle to find workers trapped under rubble BANGKOK: Myanmar’s military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday after an earthquake killed more than 1,600 people, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the impoverished, war-torn country in years. Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake, among the biggest to jolt the Southeast Asian nation in the last century, crippled airports, bridges and highways amid a civil war that has wrecked the economy and displaced millions. The death toll in Myanmar climbed to 1,644, the military government said on Saturday, according to BBC Burmese news service. In neighbouring Thailand, where the quake rattled buildings and brought down a skyscraper under construction in the capital Bangkok, at least nine people were killed. Survivors in Mandalay, Myanmar’s se...

Tribal leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district on Saturday came to terms on an eight-month peace agreement ahead of Eidul Fitr. Violence stemming from decades-old land disputes has claimed at least 130 lives in the fragile district, with multiple efforts to establish peace between tribes. A ceasefire agreement was reached following months of conflict in January. However, the KP government had announced a fresh operation against militants in Kurram last month after security officials were martyred in multiple attacks. There were also several attacks on aid and supply convoys in the days after the ceasefire. According to a press release issued by the jirga that inked the agreement, tribal elders gathered in Qila Abbas Saddar today to restore regional peace. Important decisions were taken in this jirga which would “promote harmony and cooperation among the people of the area”. “In this jirga, the Shia leaders of Alizai and the Sunni leaders of Bagan agreed to a peace treaty...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday issued a statement apologising for civilian casualties caused by a counterterrorism operation in Mardan district’s Katlang area and said it was investigating the incident. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. According to the press statement, the operation was carried out in the early hours of Saturday “based on credible intelligence regarding the presence of armed militants” using a remote hilltop in the area as a hideout and transit point. “The operation successfully neutralised several high-value targets linked to ongoing militant activities in the region,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, subsequent reports have confirmed the presence of non-combatants, including women and children, at the periphery of the target zone, resulting in tragic civilian casual...

IMAGINE Afghanistan and Pakistan becoming enemies, each seeking to undermine the other. However, history shows that the two nations share deep-rooted connections based on religion, ethnicity and culture. This symbiotic relationship, proved resilient over time, is often misunderstood in modern inter-state relations. The presence of border-spanning tribes is a unique feature in the region, underscoring these deep historical ties. A common question in Pakistan is: ‘Why do Afghans hate us?’ Rarely do we reflect on why this sentiment persists. The treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan remains largely unexamined. The harsh treatment by law enforcement, discrimination on the streets, and the difficulties faced at border crossings contribute to the perception of hostility. Pakistan’s policymakers must broaden their perspective. They frequently emphasise Afghanistan’s strategic geographical significance for access to Central Asia while neglecting the people who are instrumental in this con...

The federal government on Friday reduced the price of petrol by Re1 per litre for the next fortnight while the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) remained unchanged. “The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products, based on the price variations in the international market,” said a notification from the finance division. According to the notification, the price of motor spirit (petrol) was reduced from Rs255.63 per litre to Rs254.63. The price of HSD remained the same at Rs258.64. On March 15, the government announced that the prices of petroleum products would remain unchanged for the next fortnight. The per-litre price of HSD had stood at Rs258.64, Rs255.63 for petrol, Rs168.12 for kerosene oil and Rs153.34 for light-diesel oil. The price notification came shortly after the Prime Minister’s Office had announced that the premier had decided to maintain the petroleum prices at the existing level against up to Rs13 per litre worked out...

TALK about disjointed development. Pakistan is now producing high-speed train coaches for its low-speed tracks. According to a recent news report , the Islamabad Carriage Factory, which locally produces locomotives and coaches, is set to deliver its first batch of advanced, ‘new generation’ passenger coaches in about three months. These coaches, which can go as fast as 200km per hour and are equipped with some state-of-the-art features, have been developed with the help of our Chinese brethren, who themselves boast some of the most advanced railway technology in the world. But, impressive as the achievement is, it will do little to make travel more convenient for Pakistan Railways passengers because our rail network simply does not support trains going as fast as that. For a rough idea of how much of a disappointment this is, take the current travel times between two of Pakistan’s busiest railway stations, Karachi Cantonment and Lahore Junction. A train trip from one to the other, w...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has stayed the government’s plan to collect Rs100 billion from industrial captive power plants under an IMF agreement, which imposed a Rs791 per mmBtu levy to discourage the use of gas by industries for power generation, forcing them to shift to the national grid and using that revenue to cut electricity costs for consumers. Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro of the IHC suspended the implementation of the levy following a petition filed by 20 major industrial companies, including Engro Polymer and Chemicals Ltd, Lucky Cement Ltd, and Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd. The court’s interim order will remain in effect until the next hearing, scheduled for April 30. The petitioners challenged the Off the Grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Ordinance, 2025, arguing that it was unconstitutional. They contended that the ordinance, promulgated by the president on Jan 30, bypassed parliamentary authority and violated Article 77 of the Constitution, which stipulate...

• PM’s aide meets ranking members of Pakistan Caucus, head of Foreign Affairs committee • Positive overtures from US officials, especially on economic cooperation, buoy Islamabad’s hopes Tariq Fatemi, a key aide to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has embarked on a series of high-level meetings in Washington, as Pakistan pushes for more positive engagement with the Trump administration. The push comes while the US is at a crossroads, with the new administration determined to forge its own path, both on the domestic and foreign policy front. In addition, the US Congress has intensified its focus on Pakistan’s human rights record, and this week also saw the introduction of a bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives, seeking sanctions on senior Pakistani state officials. This was followed by further commercial curbs on China-linked entities, including a number of Pakistan-based units. At the same time, signs of a thaw in the otherwise frosty ties between the two capitals were ...

ISLAMABAD: After failing to get any concession for the party’s founding chairman, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will hold protests outside the Adiala Jail on three days of Eidul Fitr. The Chairman of Public Accounts Committee and head of the PTI Khyber Pakht­unkhwa Chapter, Junaid Akbar, in a televised interview, said that the party workers will hold protest on all three days of Eidul Fitr outside the Adiala jail where the former prime minister, Imran Khan, is imprisoned. He also said if the government wanted to hold talks with the main opposition party, it (government) has to take the first step and show its seriousness in the talks. He said that everything is not ideal in the opposition alliance, but said that efforts are being made to strengthen the alliance. “The parties in Tehreek-i- Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pak­istan (TTAP) are supporting us. Now we have been trying to get the support of the political forces which are not part of the parliament. We have also contacted Jamaa...

The federal government has reached a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new $1.3 billion arrangement and also agreed on the first review of the ongoing 37-month bailout programme, the Fund said on Tuesday. Pending board approval, the government can unlock the $1.3bn under a new climate resilience loan programme spanning 28 months. It will also free $1bn for the country under the $7bn bailout programme, which would bring those disbursements to $2bn. The program, secured mid-year in 2024, has played a key role in stabilising the economy and the government has said the country is on course for a long-term recovery. “Over the past 18 months, Pakistan has made significant progress in restoring macroeconomic stability and rebuilding confidence despite a challenging global environment,” the IMF said in a statement. “Upon approval (by the IMF board), Pakistan will have access to about $1bn under the EFF (Extended Fund Facility), bringing total disbursements under the p...

OUR violence is counterterrorism; theirs is terrorism. Recently, the army chief addressed parliament after the Jaffar Express train attack in Balochistan. He said Pakistan had to become a “hard state” to fight militancy and asked how long would countless lives be sacrificed in a soft state, and how long would governance gaps be filled by the blood of soldiers and martyrs. The global community also condemned the incident as an act of terror. Nevertheless, human acts, including criminal acts, have context and cause which need to be understood to ensure they are not repeated. This has never happened in Balochistan. Since independence, it has been overtly and/or covertly ruled by the centre. Protests against all kinds of exploitation and denial of human and political rights are equated with disloyalty, and when in desperation they lead to insurgencies they are mercilessly crushed as acts of rebellion, treason, and terror. The number of Baloch killed, Baloch crippled and wounded, Baloch ...

THE IMF is reported to have blocked a government move to ‘substantially’ slash retail electricity prices, pre-empting the announcement of the cut the prime minister was supposed to have made in his Pakistan Day address. Resultantly, consumers, particularly low-middle-income households battered by runaway inflation, were not only denied the promised relief of Rs8 per unit of electricity, they have been further burdened with a per litre increase of Rs10 in the petroleum levy. A report in this paper says that a plan was shared with the IMF staff mission, during the recently concluded performance review of the Fund’s $7bn loan, for an approximately Rs2 per unit tariff reduction on account of ‘savings’ from the revision of power purchase contracts with a group of selected IPPs. As an afterthought, the authorities had increased the petroleum levy to a maximum of Rs70 to divert the additional revenues to maximise relief in power tariffs. That the lender is reviewing, if not making, crucial d...

PAKISTAN’S climate challenge is enormous. Despite contributing less than 1pc to GHG emissions, the country is among the nations most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. In fact, the Global Climate Risk Index lists Pakistan as the world’s fifth most climate-vulnerable country. The massive floods of 2022 that killed hundreds, displaced millions, and inflicted economic losses in tens of billions of dollars, besides increasing food insecurity, highlighted the kind of existential threat the cash-starved Pakistani economy must fight off to survive. As if the periodic extreme weather events, ranging from heatwaves to abnormal rains to destructive floods, did not pose enough of a challenge, the shrinking glaciers in the north mean the country would have far less water for its agriculture in the not too distant future. Sadly, the fact that policymakers understand the implications of climate change for the people and economy does not mean their concern will automatically translate into ...

A Pakistan Day rally organised by the PTI on Sunday met “resistance” as it made its way to the Mazar-i-Quaid, according to a statement from the party. According to the statement issued by party spokesperson Mohammed Ali Bozdar, the rally was led by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh, Karachi President Raja Azhar, General Secretary Arsalan Khalid, and other party leaders. The demonstration, which commenced from Empress Market, was scheduled to reach Mazar-i-Quaid. “However, law enforcement authorities placed barricades at multiple locations in an attempt to obstruct the march,” the statement read. “Heavy police deployment was observed around the Press Club, while at Mazar-i-Quaid, officials allegedly used force to disperse participants, resulting in several PTI workers being manhandled,” the party alleged. Condemning the police action, Haleem Adil Sheikh was quoted as saying, “We are patriotic Pakistanis, yet we are being stopped from celebrating Pakistan Day. We are carrying na...

WASHINGTON: The United States said it was terminating the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, giving them weeks to leave the country. President Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation campaign in US history and curb immigration, mainly from Latin American nations. The order affects around 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who came to the United States under a scheme launched in October 2022 by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden and expanded in January the following year. They will lose their legal protection 30 days after the Department of Homeland Security’s order is published in the Federal Register, which is scheduled Tuesday. That means immigrants sponsored by the programme “must depart the United States” by April 24 unless they have secured another immigration status allowing them to remain in the country, the order says. Welcome.US, which supports people seeking refuge in the United States, urged those affected by the mov...

“WHEN the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” These words by Benjamin Franklin ring especially true for Pakistan today, as the country inches closer to a full-blown water emergency. Marked each year on March 22, World Water Day should serve to remind the country’s rulers that the water crisis confronting us threatens not only our food security and public health, but the very survival of our future generations. The signs are all around us: near-drought conditions across large swathes of the country, shrinking reservoirs, erratic rainfall patterns, and mounting pressure on an already fragile water management system. As of mid-March, water levels in Mangla stood at 320m — its minimum operating level — with Tarbela not even 2m above its own dead level. Chashma reservoir too is near depletion. According to Irsa, Sindh is facing a 50pc water shortage, while Punjab is not far behind. The impact on agriculture is already visible. Wheat crops, currently at their final watering stage...

US President Donald Trump on Friday denied reports that Elon Musk would see top-secret US plans for a possible war with China, saying that his billionaire ally’s links with Beijing raised potential conflicts of interest. The rare acknowledgement of Musk’s duelling roles in business and government came as Trump pushed back against media reports saying the Space X and Tesla owner would receive a Pentagon briefing on its China strategy. The reports fanned concern about the influence of the world’s richest man in the White House as an unelected, South African-born tycoon who has become Trump’s closest adviser . Musk did visit the Pentagon on Friday, but Trump insisted he was “there for DOGE, not for China” — referring to Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency, which is expanding its cost-cutting drive to the defence department. “I don’t want to show it to anybody. You’re talking about a potential war with China,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the possibi...

IT has been a pattern. Ever since it returned to power in 2022, the ruling PML-N has allocated tens of billions from public funds each year to the Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme, ostensibly to shore up its own and allied parties’ sagging political fortunes. SAP, as the programme is referred to, is the cover given to political development schemes sanctioned and overseen by parliamentarians in their respective constituencies. Such schemes have a long and controversial history and have been criticised as misuse of public resources by lawmakers, who often seek to use them to advance personal aims. Pet projects launched by them have often been found to be poorly conceived, ripe for exploitation and misaligned with the country’s overall development priorities. Despite these concerns, the budget for such projects has been jacked up considerably in recent years. It has also been observed that SAP funds have been utilised to the greatest extent possible even when ministry-r...

Thousands of Turks ramped up protests on Thursday despite a ban on street gatherings over what they called the undemocratic detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the opposition sought to pin the blame on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Even as police erected barricades and dozens of people were detained over social media posts, protesters gathered at a municipal headquarters and police station in Istanbul and at universities and public squares across the country. Imamoglu, 54, Erdogan’s main political rival, was taken in on Wednesday facing charges of graft and aiding a terrorist group, a move that the opposition condemned as a “coup attempt” and that sparked an initial round of demonstrations and criticism from European leaders. The move against the popular two-term mayor caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures that has been criticised as a politicised attempt to hurt their electoral prospects and silence dissent, charges the government denies. In an i...