By Riaz Hussain PESHAWAR: Journalists in Pakistan continued to face violence, intimidation and legal pressure during 2025-26, raising concerns about press freedom and the safety of media workers, according to a new report by Islamabad-based media rights organisation Freedom Network. The report documented 78 incidents involving journalists between October 2025 and August 2026, including the…
By Riaz Hussain Peshawar: Pakistan’s suspension of commercial trade through key crossings with Iran has intensified pressure on the country’s regional trade at a time when commerce with Afghanistan remains severely disrupted. The latest restrictions have stranded hundreds of cargo containers and raised concerns about export earnings, employment, supply chains and the rising costs faced…
By Riaz Hussain Pakistan: For 45-year-old Batoor Khan, finding work is a daily struggle, and building a family remains an unaffordable dream. Living with his sister, the daily-wage labourer earns less than Rs900 on days he finds employment, with no guarantee that work will be available the following day.Some months, Khan manages to find work…
By Riaz Hussain SWABI: The hujra (guest house) of Abdul Karim Tordheer, a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from PK-51, was allegedly raided by unidentified armed men late Tuesday night, with reports that his brother, Abdul Nasir, and three security guards were abducted from the premises. According to sources, the armed men arrived at…
The worsening security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is increasingly being accompanied by a political confrontation between the provincial and federal governments, with both sides accusing the other of failing to address the province’s security challenges. The dispute has intensified after a series of deadly attacks in southern KP, including the September 26 bombing at the…
By Shamsul Haq Relations between the world’s two largest economic and military powers, China and the United States, have in recent years been marked by rivalry, mistrust and periodic confrontation. Against this backdrop, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25 carries considerable diplomatic significance. The central question,…
Riaz Hussain The rearrest of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, hours after Pakistan’s Supreme Court suspended their 17-year sentences has triggered strong reactions from lawyers, rights activists, politicians and social media users. The couple was sentenced to a combined 17 years in prison in a controversial case…
By Riaz Hussain PESHAWAR: For Pakistan, a crisis thousands of kilometres away in the Middle East could eventually show up at petrol stations, on electricity bills and in the prices of everyday goods.Growing tensions around two of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints — the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — are…
By Shamsul HaqAt a time when the country is witnessing growing anticipation over two major political movements — the Jamaat-e-Islami’s long march towards Islamabad on September 20, announced by its Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman against the petroleum levy, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s already announced September 27 long march demanding an end to its founder Imran…
By Shamsul HaqThe China-Pakistan relationship is entering a new phase. As the global order undergoes profound changes marked by geopolitical competition, economic uncertainty and shifting trade patterns, the partnership between Islamabad and Beijing has acquired renewed significance.At the centre of this relationship is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which now stands at a critical juncture….
