ISLAMABAD, MAR 31 /DNA/ – Federal Minister for Petroleum, Mr. Ali Pervaiz Malik, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Nicolas Galey, Ambassador of France to Pakistan, to discuss the evolving regional situation, energy security, and avenues for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the energy and mining sectors.

During the meeting, the French Ambassador lauded Pakistan’s effective handling of petroleum supply challenges in the region. He praised the Government of Pakistan for ensuring uninterrupted fuel availability and maintaining stability despite volatility in regional markets. Ambassador Galey noted that Pakistan had successfully managed the situation in contrast to several other South Asian countries and congratulated the Minister, remarking that there had not been “even one hour of panic” in Pakistan.

Federal Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik thanked the Ambassador for his remarks and highlighted that Pakistan’s decisive, proactive, and coordinated response enabled the country to navigate the crisis successfully thus far. He emphasized that the government adopted a strategy of prioritizing supply continuity over price shock, ensuring availability of petroleum products while also protecting the liquidity of the supply chain.

The Minister further shared that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had established an effective mechanism for swift inter-ministerial decision-making in response to changing supply chain dynamics. He added that the diplomatic efforts led by the Field Marshal, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Pakistan’s senior leadership helped secure petroleum supplies through alternate channels at critical moments.

Minister Malik noted that while Pakistan has shouldered the burden of maintaining supply stability, the government ensured that this burden remains properly funded, avoiding the accumulation of circular debt. He added that the government is now working on measures to provide targeted subsidies to protect vulnerable segments of society.

Ambassador Nicolas Galey reaffirmed that Pakistan and France enjoy strong bilateral relations and that energy cooperation between the two countries has expanded in recent years. He also noted that French companies have expressed growing interest in Pakistan’s mining sector and expressed optimism that French firms would actively participate in the upcoming Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum (PMIF), now scheduled for November.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and exploring new opportunities for collaboration in energy security, mineral development, and sustainable economic growth.

BEIJING, MAR 31 /DNA/ – Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China H.E. Mr. Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met in Beijing on 31 March 2026 to review the situation in the Gulf and Middle East Region.

The two sides put forward the following:

I. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.

II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.

III. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.

IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.

V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the U.N., and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and international law.
[18:50, 31/03/2026] Ansar Mamo: Sarmad Ali again elected
as President of APNS
Centreline magazine again elected as Member of the Executive Committee

DNA

KARACHI: The Annual Meeting of the APNS General Council held on March 31, 2026 at APNS House, Karachi unanimously re-elected Senator Sarmad Ali as President, Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani as Senior Vice President, Shahab Zuberi as Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi as Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal as Joint Secretary and Naveed Kashif as Finance Secretary of the Society.

The AGM was held under the chairmanship of Senator Sarmad Ali, President of the Society. The Council unanimously approved the report of the Executive Committee for the year 2025-2026 as well as the Annual Accounts of the Society for the year 2025.

The AGM in a resolution, expressed its profound concern on the state of print media due to the present geo-political and economic situation which has caused severe financial crisis for newspapers, many of them are at the verge of collapse. In this situation, the media expected support from the government to brave the financial crunch. The AGM urged upon the Federal Government to implement the decision of Mian Shahbaz Sharif approved in his last tenure to increase the government advertisement rates. The members in the AGM, requested the Federal and provincial governments to pay the long outstanding dues of newspaper industry, increase the quantum of advertisements and allocate a separate share of print media in the advertising budget so that the newspaper industry would be able to survive in the present situation.

The Annual General Council of the APNS adopted a resolution wherein it showed its dismay over the ban on the Federal, Provincial Govt. ads to Dawn Media for last 17 months. The Annual General Council noted that the newspaper is facing existential survival issue due to denial of Government ads and opined that consistent denial of Govt. ads to Dawn Media is unjust and unfair. The AGM unanimously expressed its solidarity with Dawn Media Group in the hour of financial strangulation.

The General Council attended by 118 members from across the country, formed an Election Commission headed by Mr. Mumtaz Ahmed Phulpoto with Ali Bin Younus and Mr. Nasir Dad Baloch as members. The Election Commission conducted the election of the Executive Committee for the year 2026-27.

Following dailies and magazines were elected un-opposed of the Executive Committee of the APNS for the next tenure:

Daily Aghaz, Daily Business Recorder, Daily Dawn, Daily Deyanat, Daily Jasarat, Daily Jiddat, Karachi, Daily Dunya, Daily Jang, Daily Khabrain, Daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Daily Pakistan, Lahore, Daily Tijarat, Daily Ausaf, Daily Sahafat, Daily Awam (Quetta), Daily Mashriq (Quetta), Daily Mashriq (Peshawar), Daily Wahdat, Daily Kaleem, Daily Kawish, Daily Aftab (Multan), Daily Business Report, Daily Paigham, Daily City 42 Daily Pakistan Observer, Daily Halchal, Daily Sayadat on daily seats and Monthly Dastak, Monthly Naey Ufaq, Monthly Naya Rukh, Weekly Tabeer, Monthly Centreline, Weekly AZM and Fortnightly Ibrat Magazine elected on periodical seats.

The new Executive Committee elected Mrs. Zahida Abbasi of Daily Nau Sijj, Karachi on woman – publishers seat.

The newly elected Executive Committee appreciated the performance of the Election Commission for conducting the elections.

Centreline magazine again elected as Member of the Executive Committee – Shahab Zuberi as Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi as Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal as Joint Secretary and Naveed Kashif elected as Finance Secretary of the Society.

KARACHI, MAR 31 /DNA/ – The Annual Meeting of the APNS General Council held on March 31, 2026 at APNS House, Karachi unanimously re-elected Senator Sarmad Ali as  President, Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani as Senior Vice President, Shahab Zuberi as Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi as Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal as Joint Secretary and Naveed Kashif as Finance Secretary of the Society.

The AGM was held under the chairmanship of Senator Sarmad Ali, President of the Society. The Council unanimously approved the report of the Executive Committee for the year 2025-2026 as well as the Annual Accounts of the Society for the year 2025.

The AGM in a resolution, expressed its profound concern on the state of print media due to the present geo-political and economic situation which has caused severe financial crisis for newspapers, many of them are at the verge of collapse. In this situation, the media expected support from the government to brave the financial crunch. The AGM urged upon the Federal Government to implement the decision of Mian Shahbaz Sharif approved in his last tenure to increase the government advertisement rates. The members in the AGM, requested the Federal and provincial governments to pay the long outstanding dues of newspaper industry, increase the quantum of advertisements and allocate a separate share of print media in the advertising budget so that the newspaper industry would be able to survive in the present situation.

The Annual General Council of the APNS adopted a resolution wherein it showed its dismay over the ban on the Federal, Provincial Govt. ads to Dawn Media for last 17 months. The Annual General Council noted that the newspaper is facing existential survival issue due to denial of Government ads and opined that consistent denial of Govt. ads to Dawn Media is unjust and unfair. The AGM unanimously expressed its solidarity with Dawn Media Group in the hour of financial strangulation.

The General Council attended by 118 members from across the country, formed an Election Commission headed by Mr. Mumtaz Ahmed Phulpoto with  Ali Bin Younus and Mr. Nasir Dad Baloch as members. The Election Commission conducted the election of the Executive Committee for the year 2026-27.

Following dailies and magazines were elected un-opposed of  the Executive Committee of the APNS for the next tenure:

Daily Aghaz, Daily Business Recorder, Daily Dawn, Daily Deyanat, Daily Jasarat, Daily Jiddat, Karachi, Daily Dunya, Daily Jang, Daily Khabrain, Daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Daily Pakistan, Lahore, Daily Tijarat, Daily Ausaf, Daily Sahafat, Daily Awam (Quetta), Daily Mashriq (Quetta), Daily Mashriq (Peshawar), Daily Wahdat, Daily Kaleem, Daily Kawish, Daily Aftab (Multan), Daily Business Report, Daily Paigham, Daily City 42 Daily Pakistan Observer, Daily Halchal, Daily Sayadat on daily seats and Monthly Dastak, Monthly Naey Ufaq, Monthly Naya Rukh, Weekly Tabeer, Monthly Centreline, Weekly AZM and Fortnightly Ibrat Magazine elected on periodical seats.

The new Executive Committee elected Mrs. Zahida Abbasi of Daily Nau Sijj, Karachi on woman – publishers seat.

The newly elected Executive Committee appreciated the performance of the Election Commission for conducting the elections.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 31 /DNA/ – State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Tuesday that all the suspects involved in the killing of a prominent businessman in Islamabad during a dacoity had been arrested.

Police said on Monday that a businessman identified as Amir Awan was murdered during an alleged dacoity at his farmhouse located in Orchard Scheme. Political figures, VIPs and big-shots, including an adviser to the prime minister, own property in the neighbourhood where the incident took place.

In a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Chaudhry addressed the incident and said, “The suspects belong to the Mansoor Khan gang … They are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The dangerous nature of the gang had prevented the local police from arresting them. Afghanis, as well as other people, are included in the gang.”

He said the safe city cameras and the professional attitude of the Islamabad police contributed to arresting the suspects. He said that the Islamabad inspector general, on the directions of the interior minister, personally monitored the case.

“The heart-wrenching incident shattered hearts. After the dacoits took the life of Amir Awan, the concerns of Islamabad citizens and the business community were valid,” he said.

During the press conference, the minister also highlighted other criminal cases that had occurred in Islamabad, saying that those had also been solved within hours.

He said there was no dacoity with murder or murder case in Islamabad that had been solved.

“I can say this with full belief and with figures. All cases were worked out 100 per cent, whether they be blind murder or dacoity with murder. People were arrested, some were killed in police encounters, some are on-trial prisoners, while others are serving sentences,” he asserted.

Citing figures, he said that there was a 63 per cent reduction in heinous crime in the capital city as compared to the last year. He said that regular crimes, including car theft, motorbike theft, robberies and other small crimes also fell by 78pc.

At the outset of the presser, Chaudhry maintained that the law and order situation in Islamabad was different from other cities due to the presence of diplomats and Pakistan’s institutions.

He also noted that international delegations, foreigners, including ambassadors and businessmen, and people from four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir resided in Islamabad.

He said that the interior minister took basic decisions related to the law and order situation in the city after assuming the charge of the ministry.

“At that time, the safe city project did not cover one fourth part of the city. The cameras and their quality lagged behind the technology used in the modern world. Likewise, police had a scarcity of resources, from training to recruitment. The city also lacked a forensics lab,” he said, adding that these issues were addressed.

“The forensic lab is the next phase. The safe city project will be completed this year. It will not be a safe city but a smart city, and Islamabad will be the country’s first smart city where almost all governance issues will be handled through cameras and artificial technology,” he added.

LAHORE, MAR 31 /DNA/ – An election tribunal on Tuesday dismissed an election petition against Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s victory from NA-127 in the 2024 general elections as non-maintainable.

The decision was announced by the tribunal, comprising retired justice Rana Zahid Mehmood, on the election petition filed by PTI-backed independent candidate Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, who had contested against Tarar.

Khokhar had lost his election to Tarar with a margin of 15,980 votes as the latter bagged 98,210 votes against 82,230 of the former.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had also contested the 2024 general election from the same constituency; however, he stood third with 15,005 votes.

The tribunal dismissed the petition on technical grounds, declaring it not maintainable for failing to comply with statutory requirements under the Election Act 2017.

In his petition, Khokhar had alleged the impugned notification of the respondent’s victory was a result of “corrupt and illegal practices” committed on the polling day.

He alleged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had manipulated and forged Forms-45 and -47 to declare the respondent a returned candidate.

Khokhar had asked the tribunal to set aside the impugned notification and declare the petitioner a returned candidate from NA-127.

The election tribunal had previously sought arguments on the maintainability of the election petition in November 2024.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 13: China and Pakistan will “strengthen” their cooperation on Iran, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar landed in Chinese capital amid diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between US and Iran.

China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong and Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi received DPM Dar on arrival in Beijing, the Foreign Office said.

After arriving in Beijing, Dar visited the Diaoyutai State Guest House for a bilateral meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Pakistan has stepped up diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran, hosting key regional ministers — from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt — and relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, placing Islamabad firmly in the global spotlight.

In a brief statement, the Foreign Office said during his one-day visit, marking his second to Beijing this year, both FMs Dar and Yi will review bilateral ties and discuss regional developments and matters of mutual interest.

Addressing a press conference separately, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the two foreign ministers will strengthen strategic communication and coordination on the Iran situation and make new efforts toward advocating for peace.

Ahead of Dar’s visit, China was being viewed as a potential guarantor in any future talks between Iran and the United States.

Washington-based scholar Vali Nasr, Iran has sought guarantees in any potential agreement with the US, with indications that Dar was travelling to China to explore Beijing’s role as a guarantor. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) Mushahid Hussain Syed said China’s role at this stage was “very important”, adding that Iran required a strong guarantor for any ceasefire and that China could fulfil that role.

In an earlier statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan and China enjoy an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, marked by close coordination and regular consultations on regional and international issues.

The FO said Dar’s visit would provide an opportunity for both sides to hold in-depth discussions on regional developments, as well as bilateral and global issues of mutual interest.

The statement added that Dar’s decision to proceed with the visit despite medical advice to rest following a hairline shoulder fracture suffered yesterday reflected the importance Pakistan attaches to its relationship with China.

The visit comes at a time when Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides as the war continues.

On Sunday, DPM Dar said a quadrilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt had called for an immediate and permanent end to the ongoing war in the Middle East.

In a televised address after the meeting in Islamabad, Dar said Pakistan had hosted the talks to discuss a range of issues, including efforts to ease rising regional tensions caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told aides he is willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed and leave a complex operation to reopen it for a later date, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing administration officials.

The more than month-long war between the United States, Israel and Iran, which began on February 28 and has affected the wider Middle East. The conflict has also had serious economic consequences, with Iran’s effective blockade of oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz since the attacks began, causing economic pain across the world.