Author: i2wtc

By Shahabullah Yousafzai | PUBLISHED October 05, 2025 PESHAWAR: As Pakistan once again seeks a truce with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is pushing to seize the initiative, amid fears that half-hearted measures could further strain Pak-Afghan relations and embolden militancy in the province. The establishment has been trying to broker a settlement with the TTP and its factions, including the Hafiz Gul Bahadur (HBG) group, by pressuring the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to support its stance. The renewed push comes against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation: about 8,000 active fighters…

* During China’s eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, sporting events like the China Open and WTT China Smash significantly boosted holiday consumption.* Beyond stadiums, secondary viewing areas and active participation in sports further highlighted the integration of sports with tourism and lifestyle.* The “following events to travel” trend energized local economies, including restaurants and retail, in host cities.by sportswriters Yue Wenwan, Li Chunyu and Xiao YazhuoBEIJING, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) — When Xie Wentao, a tennis fan from Shanghai, arrived in Beijing with his wife for the China Open on Thursday, he never imagined their short getaway would turn…

PUBLISHED October 05, 2025 KARACHI: When Donald Trump walked into the White House for the first time eight years ago, much of the world’s foreign policy establishment braced itself for a turbulent ride. He had campaigned on tearing up agreements, questioning the value of old alliances, including NATO, and demanding that allies pay their “fair share.” His language was raw and transactional, cutting against decades of carefully scripted diplomacy that had sustained the postwar international order. Today, the tremors of his transactionalism still can be felt much stronger. Even while Joe Biden briefly sought to placate allies with rhetoric like…

PUBLISHED October 05, 2025 KARACHI: The match had already stretched into its tense final minutes. Mohib* sat on the edge of his bed, eyes fixed on the phone, the familiar green fields of Erangel opening up across the screen. His teammates shouted instructions through their headsets, each one urging him to push forward, to survive long enough to take the chicken dinner. But his character was cornered with little to fight back. No scope on the rifle, no upgraded helmet, no flashy skin that marked him as prepared. The game offered him a way out, not through skill but through…

PUBLISHED October 05, 2025 KARACHI: The 2025 Asia Cup will be remembered not for the hundreds scored or wickets taken, but for the handshakes that didn’t happen, the gestures that sparked outrage, and the trophy that was never lifted on stage. Cricket, which should have been the only headline, ended up sharing space with drama that kept spilling over from the press rooms to the field and finally to the podium. For Pakistan, the build-up carried hope. The squad looked balanced, there was a belief that this time the side could finally go all the way. And in parts, they…

ISLAMABAD: After days of protests and tension in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), a major breakthrough was achieved on Saturday as the federal government, the AJK administration and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) reached an agreement in what leaders hailed as a “historic settlement”. The negotiations were convened on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and chaired by former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The federal side was represented by Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Engineer Amir Muqam and Qamar Zaman Kaira. From AJK, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore and Dewan Ali Chughtai participated, while the JAAC…

Pakistan International Airlines is set to begin its first phase of flight operations from Islamabad to Manchester from October 25, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays. A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesperson stated that the flights to London will be added to the operations in the second phase. “Our compatriots will now reach their destination in just eight hours, instead of a 15-hour journey,” said the spokesperson. “ After a gap of five years, PIA is very enthusiastic about restarting this route,” the spokesperson added. Read: PIA to resume UK flights next month The PIA flight will depart Islamabad at 12.00…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that a ceasefire in Gaza appears closer than at any time since the conflict began, reaffirming Pakistan’s ‘unwavering’ support for the Palestinian people. The statements came as Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, on Friday accepted certain key parts of US President Donald Trump’s plan — including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives. According to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office, Israel is preparing for the ‘immediate implementation’ of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan, following Hamas’s response, to secure the release of Israeli hostages. Read…

RAWALPINDI: A senior security official has said that Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir does not have any advisers in an official capacity. The statement came a day after the British daily – Financial Times (FT) referred to so-called ‘advisers to Field Marshal Asim Munir’ in a report on a new proposed port along the Arabian Sea. The official stated, “Conversations or proposals by private individuals or commercial entities are exploratory and should not be construed as state initiatives.” Read More: Army warns India of ‘cataclysmic devastation’ if it triggers fresh round of hostilities According to…

Over the last nine months, gold has been on a historic run, delivering one of the strongest rallies in decades. Prices opened 2025 at around $2,624 per ounce or Rs290,000 per tola in Pakistan and have since surged close to $3,895, or Rs410,000, marking a staggering 44% rise year-to-date. This climb, amounting to more than $1,250 in gains within a single year, has stunned market watchers and forced major financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, Citi, and JPMorgan to repeatedly revise their price forecasts upward. What began as a steady upward grind in late 2023 has morphed into what analysts now…