Author: i2wtc

By MOHAMMAD ZAFAR BALOCH | PUBLISHED December 07, 2025 In the main city center of Quetta, a decades-long struggle continues inside the building of the Balochi Academy. Here, amidst shelves lined with manuscripts, brittle journals, and newly printed books, a race against time is underway—one that seeks not only to preserve a language but to prepare it for survival in a world dominated by artificial intelligence. The Balochi language, spoken across Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Oman, and among global diaspora communities, stands at a critical turning point. The question is no longer whether the language will survive, but whether it will…

Iranian authorities have arrested two organisers of a marathon on Kish island, the judiciary said on Saturday, after images emerged of women competing without hijab. The Islamic republic’s judicial authorities have faced mounting criticism from ultraconservatives for failing to properly enforce a mandatory headscarf law for women, as fears grow of a surge of Western influence. Women in Iran have in recent years been increasingly ignoring the hijab law, especially since 2022 nationwide protests, while the supreme leader’s office faced backlash last week for publishing a photo of an unveiled woman killed in the June war with Israel. Images online…

PUBLISHED December 07, 2025 KARACHI: The driver had been on the road since morning when a request blinked on his inDrive screen. It was listed as a parcel delivery from Imtiaz Supermarket to a gated society on Jinnah Avenue. The name on the booking carried a title that usually makes people lower their guard. Captain. The fare showed five thousand rupees for a distance that rarely crosses a few hundred. And the message beneath it said that he should only accept the ride if he had fifteen thousand rupees in hand. He hesitated, but the promise of a high payout…

Gohar says PTI did not intend to heighten tensions, urges humility and space for dialoguePTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan addresses a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday, flanked by Salman Akram Raja and Asad Qaiser. SCREENSHOT Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan expressed strong disappointment over comments made by the Pakistan Army spokesperson a day earlier, calling the language “inappropriate” and harmful to democratic norms. The statement came a day after the director general of the military’s media wing, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, on Friday assailed incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, calling him a “threat to national…

Investing in education, health, and farm mechanisation will drive Punjab’s growth, says ADB Country DirectorPunjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif addresses the commissioners and deputy commissioners via video link on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025. SCREENGRAB ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank has approved three projects amounting to $381 million to advance agriculture, education, and health services in Punjab Province, Pakistan. The development projects aim at fostering economic growth in the provinc. “Investing in education, health, and agricultural mechanisation will play a transformative role in driving the growth of Punjab, a vital pillar of Pakistan’s economy,” said ADB Country Director for Pakistan…

NICVD Assistant Professor says Tetralogy of Fallot is most common, recommends early diagnosis and timely surgery Medical experts have sounded the alarm over ‘rapid increase in congenital heart diseases’ among children in Pakistan, with Tetralogy of Fallot, emerging as the most frequently diagnosed conditions. If not identified and surgically treated in time, TOF can pose a serious threat to the child’s life. Speaking to The Express Tribune, NICVD Assistant Professor and Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Aaliya Kamal Ahsan – the first Pakistani to receive an official fellowship in paediatric cardiac imaging from IJN Malaysia – said her primary area of expertise…

Pakistan–Afghanistan border at Chaman remained closed on Saturday following a night of cross-border firing, leaving hundreds of travellers, traders and families stranded on both sides amid heightened security deployments The Frontier Corps and other security units in Pakistan reinforced key crossing points after the exchange of fire with Afghan forces late Friday night. Afghan authorities also strengthened positions across the border in Spin Boldak, raising concerns among residents about a possible prolonged standoff. Read: Pakistani forces clash with Afghan protesters at border crossing shut by Taliban Dozens of Afghan nationals waiting to return home were stuck at the Friendship Gate…

Pakistan is ’embarking on right path of reform and resilience’, with post-IMF overhaul easing pressures: AurangzebFinance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb speaks at the session “Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA” at the Doha Forum on Saturday. Photo: X Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb projected a confident message of economic stabilisation and forward-looking reform at the Doha Forum, telling a high-level panel that Pakistan has “rebuilt fiscal buffers, restored external balance and is now shifting decisively from stabilisation to sustainable growth.” Speaking at the session ‘Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA’, on Saturday…

People learn about Dujiangyan irrigation system at Dujiangyan scenic area in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Nov. 30, 2025. The Dujiangyan irrigation system, characterized by dam-free water diversion, was built in 256 BC and is the oldest, the only remaining grand water conservancy project in the world, which has withstood the tests of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and is still in use today.A “fish-mouth” shaped weir splits the Minjiang River into an inner channel for irrigation and an outer channel for discharge of flood water.It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations in…

Wadera Noor Ali Chakarani, a senior commander associated with the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), surrendered to authorities in Sui along with more than 100 militants, according to local officials. The group laid down their weapons at Pakistan House Sui, in Dera Bugti district, and took an oath of loyalty to Pakistan. The ceremony was presided over by Mir Aftab Ahmed Bugti, brother of Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, and was attended by tribal elders, local notables, youth and residents. Those who surrendered had previously been active in militancy in the mountainous areas surrounding Dera Bugti. The development can be…