Pakistan

WAM, Pakistan , Soldiers handed out blankets, tents, jackets and sleeping bags to earthquake survivors in the frigid mountains of southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, as a provincial official reported that the death toll had risen to 215. The 6.4 magnitude quake hit an area of Pakistan's Baluchistan province near the Afghan border before dawn Wednesday, […]

WAM, Pakistan (AFP) , Thousands of villagers in southwest Pakistan waited for aid in freezing conditions Thursday after a powerful earthquake that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 215 people. The 6.4-magnitude pre-dawn quake on Wednesday flattened mud-brick houses and triggered landslides in the impoverished province of Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, killing or injuring […]

The 50-member Pak-Afghan "jirgagai" or mini-jirga has concluded its session in Islamabad on Tuesday with a call to initiate peace talks with the Taliban, "including all who are involved in the conflict situation". Two committees have been formed, one to ensure that the resolution of the "jirgagai" is implemented, and the other to actually engage […]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan , Pakistan's government summoned the U.S. ambassador on Wednesday to urge an immediate halt to missile strikes on suspected militant hide-outs near the Afghan border. Missile strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida commanders in Pakistan, putting some pressure on extremist groups accused of planning attacks in Afghanistan ‚ and perhaps terror […]

KARACHI, Oct 29: Poor infrastructure and communications are making it difficult for rescue and relief teams to scattered hamlets in the mountainous plateau area affected by the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan's south-western province of Balochistan bordering Iran at early morning on Oct. 29. Relief efforts were thrown back by a second earthquake that […]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan ‚ The Pakistani government lodged a formal protest Wednesday against American missile attacks on the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the nation's tribal areas and told the American ambassador the strikes should be "stopped immediately," the Foreign Ministry said. Ambassador Anne Patterson was summoned to the ministry two days after a missile strike […]

QUETTA, Pakistan , A government minister says the death toll from an earthquake in southwestern Pakistan has risen to more than 100. Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Zamaruk Khan says the government is readying food, shelter and medical care for survivors of Wednesday's quake. He says “more than 100” people have been killed so far. […]

HONG KONG: Moody's Investors Service cut Pakistan's credit rating by one level to B3 on Tuesday, and warned of further cuts, given the depletion of the country's foreign exchange reserves. The country is scrambling to borrow funds to provide it with some breathing room, although many analysts expect it will have to seek support from […]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is facing serious balance of payment problems as the war on militants in troubled tribal areas is draining its resources partly because the United States has not reimbursed the committed $800 million Islamabad had spent on account of the war on terror. Well-placed sources told Dawn on Tuesday that Pakistan has so far […]

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, warned on Tuesday that the world had less than a week to prevent a full-blown financial crisis in Pakistan, as Islamabad said it expected to strike a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund in a day or two.  Speaking in Islamabad, Mr Steinmeier called on the IMF to save […]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan ‚ An American drone aircraft hit a militant compound in South Waziristan on Sunday night, killing 20 people, including two important local Taliban commanders known for their attacks against American soldiers in Afghanistan, a senior government official and a local resident said Monday. One of the dead commanders, Eida Khan, was wanted by […]

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed to execute a Rs 47 billion Ghazi Brotha Water Supply project to meet water requirements of the city, sources said. They said the city would face severe water shortage by the end of next year if work on the project was not started during current fiscal year. Currently, […]