Pakistani javelin hero Arshad Nadeem receives gold medal at Paris Olympics ceremony

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Updated 10 August 2024
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Pakistani javelin hero Arshad Nadeem receives gold medal at Paris Olympics ceremony

  • Nadeem, 27, registered a new Olympic record with his 92.97-meter throw in second round of javelin final
  • He was also the only athlete to surpass the 90-meter mark twice, with his final throw being 91.79 meters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani javelin ace Arshad Nadeem, who created history by ending the country’s 32-year Olympics medal drought, on Friday received his gold medal for winning men’s javelin final with a massive throw of 92.97 meters.
The winning podium was set in the Champions Park near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, with Pakistan’s flag hoisted high and the national anthem playing in the background.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to France Asim Ahmed also attended the ceremony where Nadeem received his gold medal, according to the Pakistani embassy in France.
“Arshad is the first athlete from Pakistan to win an individual gold medal at Olympics in forty years,” the embassy said on X.

Nadeem, 27, registered the new Olympic record with his 92.97-meter throw in the second round. He broke the record of Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen who set it at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Nadeem was also the only athlete to surpass the 90-meter mark twice, with his final throw being 91.79 meters.
India’s Neeraj Chopra finished second with his season-best throw of 89.45 meters, while two-time world champion Grenadian Anderson Peterson received the bronze medal with his fourth-round throw of 88.54m.


Pakistan condemns airstrikes by Israeli forces in Lebanon on eve of Eid Al-Adha

Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan condemns airstrikes by Israeli forces in Lebanon on eve of Eid Al-Adha

  • Israeli strikes pummelled southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital late on Thursday, sending thousands fleeing 
  • Israeli strikes also hit southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana shortly after evacuation warnings were issued for the area 

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan on Friday “unequivocally” condemned airstrikes by Israeli forces on Beirut’s suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon on the eve of the Eid Al-Adha religious holiday, the foreign office said. 

Israeli air strikes pummelled the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital late on Thursday, sending thousands of people fleeing on the eve of the Muslim feast day and prompting accusations by top Lebanese officials that Israel was violating a ceasefire deal.

At least 10 strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs — a sprawling area known as Dahiyeh — in a wave of bombing that began about 90 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for four sites in the area.

It was the fourth time that Dahiyeh has been bombed since a US-brokered truce in November ended a year-long war between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.

“These attacks, launched on the eve of Eid Al-Adha, constitute a blatant violation of international law, sovereignty of Lebanon, and the ceasefire agreement of November 2024,” the Pakistani foreign office said. 

“The reckless use of force threatens civilian lives, fuels regional instability, and undermines efforts for lasting peace.” 

Pakistan urged the international community, particularly the United Nations and ceasefire mediators, to take “immediate action to hold Israeli occupying forces accountable and prevent further escalation.”

The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire says Hezbollah must pull all military equipment and fighters out of southern Lebanon and says all non-state militant groups must be disarmed across the country.

The Israeli military said on Thursday it was planning to strike “underground UAV production infrastructure sites that were deliberately established in the heart of the civilian population” in Dahiyeh.

It said Hezbollah was producing thousands of drones there, “with the direction and funding of Iranian terrorists.”

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, which in the past has denied placing military infrastructure in civilian areas.

Israeli strikes also hit the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana, according to Lebanese state media, shortly after evacuation warnings were issued for the area.

The attacks occurred as the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha was due to begin on Thursday. The strikes “generated renewed panic and fear on the eve of Eid Al-Adha,” the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said on X.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam both condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation” of international agreements.

With inputs from Reuters


Trump says brokered India-Pakistan ceasefire on trade warning, threat of nuclear war

Updated 35 min 44 sec ago
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Trump says brokered India-Pakistan ceasefire on trade warning, threat of nuclear war

  • India and Pakistan reached US-brokered ceasefire on May 10 to end hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly, threatening regional peace
  • Between May 7-10, two sides used fighter jets, drones, missiles, artillery to attack each other in worst fighting between them in decades 

ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump said this week he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan last month through a trade warning and because of the threat of the conflict spiraling into a nuclear war. 

Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all military actions on land, in the air and at the sea on May 10 in a US-brokered ceasefire to end escalating hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly, threatening regional peace.

The two sides used fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery to attack each other in the worst fighting between them in decades, leaving around 70 people dead on both sides of the border.

Speaking at the White House where he was hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said on Thursday he was “proud” that he has been able to broker the truce. 
“I spoke to some very talented people on both sides ... and I said, you know, we’re dealing with you on trade, Pakistan and India right now. I said we’re not going to deal with you on trade if you’re going to go shooting each other and whipping out nuclear weapons that maybe even affect us,” Trump said. 

“Because you know that nuclear dust blows across oceans very quickly, it affects us.

“And I said if you’re going to do that, we’re not going to do any trade deals, and you know what, I got that war stopped.”

He credited the “good and strong” leadership of both countries for backing off from the military confrontation.

Since the ceasefire, Pakistan has repeatedly thanked Trump for his mediation during the crisis while India rejects it acted due to US pressure. 

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and both countries have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir. The latest military conflict between them was also triggered by a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.

India struck multiple Pakistani cities on May 7, blaming the April 22 attack on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any complicity in the assault and reciprocated with similar strikes against Indian military targets. A ceasefire was brokered on May 10 after both countries struck each other’s air bases, airfields and other military facilities.


Under new World Bank threshold, over 44% Pakistanis now live below poverty line

Updated 06 June 2025
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Under new World Bank threshold, over 44% Pakistanis now live below poverty line

  • Over 107 million Pakistanis live below poverty line, earning less than Rs1,200 a day
  • Over 39 million included in extreme poverty category, as per new poverty threshold

ISLAMABAD: Around 44.7% of Pakistan’s population is now considered to be living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank’s newly updated global poverty threshold set at $4.20 per person per day and released this week. 

Christina Wieser, senior economist at the World Bank and Tobias Haque, lead country economist for World Bank Pakistan, told media on Thursday the Bank was updating its global poverty lines to reflect changes in the cost of living and consumption habits of people around the world based on newly available data.

As price levels and the cost of basic needs across the world and within income groups evolve, global poverty lines are periodically updated to allow for global comparisons, Wieser said.

The new poverty lines are $3 per person per day for low-income countries (LIC), $4.20 for lower-middle-income countries (LMIC) and $8.30 for upper-middle-income countries (UMIC.)

Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million, is considered a lower-middle-income nation. 

“The revisions help position Pakistan’s poverty levels in a global context and underscore the importance of continued efforts to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience,” World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine told media. 

“The new figures reflect updated international thresholds and improved data from other countries, not a deterioration in living standards.”

As a lower-middle-income country, Pakistan’s new poverty statistics reveal that the extreme poverty line, now at $3 per person per day, applies to 16.5% of its population, a substantial increase from 4.9% under the previous $2.15 benchmark. 

The upper-middle-income poverty line, established at $8.30 per person per day, applies to 88.4% of the country’s population.

As per the new poverty threshold, more than 107.95 million people in Pakistan are living below the poverty line, earning less than Rs1,200 a day, while more than 39.8 million people are included in the extreme poverty category.

The updated figures are part of the World Bank’s Global Poverty June Update 2025, an initiative aimed at enhancing the precision and relevance of global poverty assessments.


Pakistani PM to meet Saudi Crown Prince today to bolster bilateral ties, discuss regional security

Updated 06 June 2025
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Pakistani PM to meet Saudi Crown Prince today to bolster bilateral ties, discuss regional security

  • During his stay on June 5 and 6, Sharif will celebrate Eid Al-Adha, hold bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
  • Discussions are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security, welfare of Muslim Ummah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia this week where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today, Friday, and discuss trade and investment as well as regional security matters. 

The Pakistani prime minister will celebrate Eid Al-Adha in the Kingdom and hold a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince that is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security.

Sharif reached Jeddah on Thursday evening and departed for Makkah to perform Umrah, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

“The two leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, welfare of the Muslim Ummah, and regional peace and security,” PMO said about Sharif’s meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince later today, Friday. 

Sharif is also expected to express gratitude to the Saudi leadership for their role in de-escalating recent tensions between Pakistan and India. 

Last month, following the worst military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf nations, played a key role in mediating between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, helping to avert a potential war. 

The visit also comes amid deepening economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In recent months, the two countries have signed multiple agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment. Notably, Saudi Arabia has committed to a $5 billion investment package to support Pakistan’s economy, which has been grappling with a balance of payments crisis.

Last year, Saudi and Pakistani businessmen signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion, covering sectors such as industry, technology, and agriculture. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals is in talks to acquire a 10-20 percent stake in Pakistan’s $9 billion Reko Diq copper and gold mining project, one of the largest of its kind globally.

Defense cooperation is also a key component of the bilateral relationship. The two nations have a history of military collaboration, with Saudi Arabia providing support to Pakistan during times of regional tension and Pakistan training Saudi forces. 

Pakistan has a 2.7 million-strong diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest remittance inflow, a crucial lifeline for the country’s economy.


Pakistan says India’s use of nuclear-capable missiles boosts risk in future conflict

Updated 06 June 2025
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Pakistan says India’s use of nuclear-capable missiles boosts risk in future conflict

  • Bilawal Bhutto Zardari says India used supersonic missile with nuclear capabilities during latest confrontation 
  • India has not officially declared its BrahMos missile to be nuclear capable, has stated no-first-use nuclear policy

ISLAMABAD: The head of a delegation visiting Washington DC to present Islamabad’s position following a recent military standoff with New Delhi said on Thursday India’s use of a nuclear-capable missile during the conflict had made the situation more precarious.

India and Pakistan have dispatched delegations to world capitals to defend their positions following last month’s four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a former foreign minister, is leading a Pakistani team of lawmakers and former diplomats to the US and will go onwards to London and Brussels. A separate Indian team led by Indian opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor is also in the US for official meetings.

The latest escalation between May 7-10 saw the two countries’ militaries trade missile, drones and artillery fire before a ceasefire was brokered by the US and other allies.

 “Our concern for next time, heaven forbid, for next time round is that the threshold is low for a military conflict,” Bhutto Zardari said in an interview with Bloomberg News in Washington.

He said India’s use during the conflict of a supersonic missile with nuclear capabilities presented a new danger in future clashes. 

“Now we then have about 30 seconds time to decide, off a grainy little image, this nuclear-capable missile — is it armed with a nuclear weapon? And how do we respond?”

In any future conflict, Bhutto Zardari added, both countries were likely to climb the “escalation ladder” too quickly for President Donald Trump or other leaders to intervene.

India has not officially declared its BrahMos missile to be nuclear capable and has a stated no-first-use nuclear policy. On Saturday, a top Indian military official said the conflict with Pakistan in May never came close to the point of nuclear war.

The latest conflict was sparked by an April attack by gunmen that killed 26 civilians — mostly Indian tourists — in Indian-administered Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of being behind the attack, which Islamabad denies.

After the conflict concluded with a ceasefire, which Trump said was brokered by the US, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India wouldn’t hesitate to use force against “terror camps” in Pakistan again, calling the response a “new normal” in relations. 

India has denied the May 10 ceasefire was the result of US intervention.

“The new sort of normal, or we call it an abnormal, that the Modi government is trying to impose on the region is that if there’s a terrorist attack anywhere in India, mainland India and Indian-occupied Kashmir, you don’t have to provide a shred of evidence.” Bhutto Zardari said. 

“You just need an accusation, and you launch into full-blown war with Pakistan. Therefore, from our perspective, it’s of the utmost importance that Pakistan and India engage in a comprehensive dialogue.”

India insists it attacked militant hideouts inside Pakistan during the latest conflict, marking the deepest breach into Pakistani territory since their 1971 war. Pakistan retaliated and shot down six Indian warplanes, using Chinese-made J-10C fighters to take down three French-made Rafales flown by India, said Bhutto Zardari.

India’s military has confirmed that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets but said it was “absolutely incorrect” that Pakistan shot down six of its warplanes.

Pakistan has welcomed the US’s involvement in the dispute and called for an international investigation into its cause. India has historically rejected any third-party mediation with Pakistan.

“India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally,” India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told his German counterpart on May 23. “There should be no confusion in any quarter in that regard.”