Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Tuesday that nationals detained in Cambodia will be repatriated after a raid on a scamming compound.&nbsp;According to reports, a number of Pakistanis were jailed in Cambodia following the raid.&nbsp;&ldquo;As a result of the Embassy&rsquo;s efforts, the host authorities in Cambodia have agreed to the early repatriation of 54 Pakistani nationals detained in Siem Reap Province,&rdquo; Andrabi said in a post on his official X account. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2049142826991313229&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=5a75b99e4f9c221f8f9b529623be3e749329f7f9&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&nbsp;&ldquo;Our Embassy staff are taking steps to ensure the welfare of the detained Pakistanis. These detainees will leave Cambodia as soon as flight arrangements are finalized,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He added that, as a &ldquo;goodwill gesture&rdquo; by Cambodian authorities, the individuals would be repatriated without facing legal proceedings under a recently enacted law targeting online scams.&nbsp;According to media reports, many of these Pakistanis were lured into the country with lucrative job offers.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, says nationals were detained following a raid on a scamming compound.

Cambodia agrees to early repatriation of Pakistani nationals 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday termed the use of disinformation and misinformation in situations of foreign occupation and conflict as &ldquo;highly concerning,&rdquo; obscuring human rights violations and demonizing lawful struggles for self-determination, said a statement by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations. The remarks were made by Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Usman Jadoon while delivering a national statement during the 48th session of the Committee of Information (COI). Jadoon stated that false narratives are deployed to obscure human rights violations, demonize lawful struggles for self-determination, and silence affected populations. The statement said that Pakistan remains deeply concerned about the misuse of digital platforms to amplify falsehoods, deepen polarization, and target vulnerable communities.&nbsp; &ldquo;The persistence of hate speech, racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia in the digital space is particularly alarming, often translating into real-world harm,&rdquo; said the statement. Highlighting the profound transformation of the global information ecosystem, Jadoon observed that while technological advancements have expanded access to information, they have also accelerated the spread of disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech at an &ldquo;unprecedented scale.&rdquo; Simultaneously, he cautioned that these trends undermine public trust, social cohesion, and the credibility of multilateral institutions, including the UN, as per the statement. Jadoon stressed that &ldquo;timely, accurate, and impartial communication&rdquo; is particularly critical in the current context of geopolitical tensions, polarization, and widening inequalities.&nbsp; He emphasized the &ldquo;constructive role&rdquo; of information, stating that it must serve as a bridge for dialogue and cooperation rather than as a tool for manipulation, division, or repression, the statement added. While addressing emerging technological challenges, the ambassador highlighted the growing impact of artificial intelligence and generative technologies.&nbsp; He noted their transformative potential and the risks they pose to information integrity if misused, as per the statement. He also underscored that the global response must be both &ldquo;comprehensive and balanced.&rdquo; He called for respect for diverse cultural, legal, and social contexts in developing global frameworks on information integrity, cautioning against selective or uneven application, as per the statement. He emphasized the need for the restructured DGC to further strengthen its coordinating role in UN strategic communications, ensuring coherence, credibility, and accessibility across the system, it added. The representative also underscored the importance of multilingualism in ensuring inclusive communication and supported efforts to expand content across languages and regions, it said. The ambassador also called for &ldquo;structured engagement&rdquo; with major technology companies, noting their significant influence over global information flows and the UN&rsquo;s important role as a platform for dialogue and cooperation in this domain.&nbsp; He added that Pakistan stands &ldquo;ready to work&rdquo; constructively with the DGC and all member states to promote an information environment that is truthful, inclusive, and respectful of human dignity

Security

Terms the use of disinformation and misinformation in situations of foreign occupation and conflict as “highly concerning,” obscuring human rights violations and demonizing lawful struggles for self-determination

Pakistan warns disinformation undermines legitimate struggles for self-determination

AMMAN: A new group of wounded or ill Palestinian children from Gaza have arrived in Jordan to receive medical care, the kingdom&#39;s army said on Tuesday.&nbsp;They are the 26th group of children transported to Jordan since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.&nbsp;The 81 children, accompanied by 108 family members, arrived through the King Hussein, or Allenby, border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, the army said in a statement.&nbsp;It is part of the &quot;Jordanian medical corridor&quot; initiative that King Abdullah II agreed to following a meeting with US President Donald Trump in February 2025.&nbsp;Under the initiative, around 2,000 children will be transported to Jordan to receive medical care.&nbsp;Since March last year, more than 716 children have been transferred in cooperation with the World Health Organization, the majority of them suffering from fractures, major wounds or cancer.&nbsp;&quot;The children will be treated in a number of Jordanian hospitals, as part of the kingdom&#39;s ongoing medical and humanitarian efforts to provide healthcare and medical support to our brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip,&quot; the army said.&nbsp;A ceasefire has largely held in Gaza since last October, but some violence has persisted.&nbsp;

Middle East

Jordan received 81 wounded or ill Palestinian children from Gaza with 108 family members for treatment. They are the 26th group since October 2023, under a plan to bring around 2,000 children for care.

Dozens of Gaza children arrive in Jordan for medical care

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with the United Nations Secretary General, Ant&oacute;nio Guterres, on Tuesday. They discussed the latest regional developments and Pakistan&rsquo;s ongoing diplomatic efforts and engagement with the various parties.&nbsp;According to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO), Ant&oacute;nio Guterres commended Pakistan&rsquo;s ongoing efforts and expressed the UN&rsquo;s full support. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2049131751398858982&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=09349d0281e411f2e85d3a7e01248fe038ac6918&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 746px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&nbsp;&ldquo;The UNSG conveyed the international community&rsquo;s deep appreciation and support for Pakistan&rsquo;s constructive role for regional and international peace and stability,&rdquo; the statement added.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar speaks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, discussing regional developments and diplomatic efforts. Guterres praises Pakistan’s constructive role and expresses full UN support for its contributions to regional and international peace and stability.

Pakistan discusses regional developments, promotes dialogue and diplomacy

NEW YORK: <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/wall-street-intends-to-stay-open-around-the-clock" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wall Street</a> stocks were mostly lower early Tuesday on worries about the artificial intelligence (AI) profitability outlook and as oil prices ticked higher. Analysts cited a Wall Street Journal report that pointed to doubts within OpenAI about the company&#39;s revenue outlook and its capacity to build costly new data centers after it missed its own targets. OpenAI is not publicly traded, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nvidia-chief-expects-revenue-of-1-trillion-through-2027" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nvidia</a>&nbsp;and Oracle were among the AI-related stocks to fall sharply. About 10 minutes into trading, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index was down 0.9% at 24,670.37. The broad-based S&amp;P 500 fell 0.4% to 7,143.08, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% at 49,323.38. &quot;This isn&#39;t the first time we&#39;ve had significant questions about the viability of some of the large language model developers,&quot; said B Riley Wealth Management&#39;s Art Hogan, who also pointed to the drag from higher crude prices. Futures of US benchmark West Texas Intermediate and international contract Brent were both up more than 3%, with no visible progress on reopening the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-60" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strait of Hormuz</a>.

A folder of AI applications containing DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Meta AI, and Copilot is displayed on a smartphone screen in Creteil, France, on April 24, 2026 (AFP)

Artificial Intelligence

US stocks mostly fell early Tuesday as AI profitability concerns hit tech shares, with Nvidia and Oracle dropping, while higher oil prices weighed on sentiment; Nasdaq and S&P declined, Dow edged up.

US stocks mostly fall as AI worries weigh on tech shares

LONDON: British lawmakers debated Tuesday whether to launch a parliamentary probe into Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a scandal surrounding sacked US envoy Peter Mandelson that he is struggling to shake off. Members of parliament discussed whether to refer Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over the appointment of the ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the plum diplomatic post. It is the latest development in an unrelenting controversy that has plagued Starmer&#39;s Labour government for months, hampering its work and leading to calls for him to resign. Opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch said it was &quot;very obvious&quot; that what Starmer had told the House of Commons regarding Mandelson&#39;s 2024 appointment was &quot;not correct&quot;. &quot;It&#39;s clear that full due process was not followed,&quot; she told MPs, opening the debate, which was expected to last several hours and conclude with a vote on whether to open an inquiry. Starmer denies allegations that his office applied pressure on the foreign ministry to approve Mandelson&#39;s appointment as Britain&#39;s ambassador in Washington despite having failed security vetting. Earlier this month, Starmer sacked the most senior civil servant in the foreign office, Olly Robbins, for not telling him or other ministers that Mandelson had not passed the checks. Starmer commands a large majority in the lower house of parliament. MPs from his ruling Labour party have been ordered to vote against the motion, meaning it is unlikely to pass. Speaking&nbsp;to Sky News late on Monday, the prime minister branded the move &quot;a political stunt&quot; ahead of local elections in England, Scotland and Wales next week. &quot;We&#39;ve got huge amounts of transparency going on already,&quot; Starmer insisted. &#39;Serious mistake&#39; Starmer sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after a fresh batch of revelations came to light about the extent of the latter&#39;s friendship with Epstein, who reportedly died in prison in 2019. But the row has only escalated since, with Starmer&#39;s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and ex-communications head Tim Allan forced to step down earlier this year. Starmer&#39;s cause has not been helped by the fact that UK police are investigating Mandelson over allegations he committed misconduct in office while serving as a Labour minister more than a decade ago. Mandelson is accused of leaking sensitive information to Epstein. He denies wrongdoing. On Tuesday, McSweeney told parliament&#39;s foreign affairs committee that he made a &quot;serious mistake&quot; in&nbsp;advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson. He denied telling officials that Mandelson&#39;s vetting checks &quot;should be cleared at all costs&quot;. Earlier, Robbins&#39; predecessor at the foreign office, Philip Barton, told the committee that it was unusual for an appointment to be announced before the vetting process was completed. MPs will decide whether the cross-party privileges committee, which investigates potential breaches of parliamentary conduct, should look into Starmer. That committee was responsible for former prime minister Boris Johnson&#39;s exit from frontline politics after it investigated him for misleading parliament over the so-called &quot;partygate&quot; breaches of Covid-19 laws. He quit as an MP in 2023 before the committee published a report recommending his suspension.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks during a visit to the Kenton district of London on April 23, 2026. (AFP)

Europe

British lawmakers debated launching a probe into Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the controversial Peter Mandelson appointment, amid claims he misled the British Parliament and bypassed proper vetting.

UK PM Starmer faces possible parliament inquiry over Mandelson

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from the OPEC and OPEC+ oil cartels to focus on &quot;national interests&quot;, a statement said on Tuesday, a bombshell announcement as energy prices soar over the Middle East war.&nbsp;The UAE, one of the world&#39;s top oil producers, which has previously baulked at OPEC production quotas, will pull out on Friday, a statement carried by the official WAM news agency said.&nbsp;&quot;This decision reflects the UAE&#39;s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;&quot;During our time in the organization, we made significant contributions and even greater sacrifices for the benefit of all.&nbsp;&quot;However, the time has come to focus our efforts on what our national interest dictates.&quot;&nbsp;Gulf oil shipments are currently being strangled by Iran&#39;s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which flows past the UAE and normally carries one-fifth of the world&#39;s oil.

The UAE announced it will leave OPEC and OPEC+, citing national interests and long-term strategy, as Gulf oil shipments face disruption from Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

UAE to withdraw from OPEC, OPEC+: statement

LONDON: Balaclavas and e-bikes have become the armor of teenage boys zooming around London streets snatching mobile phones from unsuspecting commuters and tourists.&nbsp;As AFP joined a patrol on a sunny Friday night, police officer Hayden O&#39;Connor spotted potential victims everywhere -- people holding out phones to follow directions or listening to music.&nbsp;&quot;You see your bus is in 20 minutes, you get your phone out, start scrolling Instagram, and before you know it there&#39;s a whizzy whirl of an e-bike coming towards you and your phone is gone,&quot; he said.&nbsp;O&#39;Connor is part of the interceptor teams now driving around London in unmarked vehicles.&nbsp;They follow reports of stolen phones but the chances of getting one back are &quot;really, really slim&quot;, his colleague, police officer Hayley Carr, conceded.&nbsp;London&#39;s Metropolitan Police force has invested heavily in clamping down on the phenomenon, which has seen the city dubbed Europe&#39;s phone theft capital.&nbsp;Tackling phone theft has been made a priority and extensive operations using drones, live facial recognition and interceptor teams have led to some success.&nbsp;Phone thefts fell by 12.3 percent from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 in 2025, according to Met figures.&nbsp;There were 13,000 fewer mobile phone thefts over the past financial year ending on March 31.&nbsp;Aluminium foil wrapWhat seems like a petty street crime has far-reaching tentacles, with phones stolen in London often exported, reactivated and resold overseas within days.&nbsp;One of the most high-profile victims in recent months was Prime Minister Keir Starmer&#39;s former top political aide, Morgan McSweeney, who had his phone snatched in October.&nbsp;Last year, the Met dismantled one international gang suspected of smuggling some 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China.&nbsp;&quot;In just one week, we cut e-bike enabled crime, which is linked to phone theft, by nearly 40 percent,&quot; said Detective Superintendent Gareth Gilbert.&nbsp;&quot;Our message is simple: if you commit these crimes, we will catch you.&quot;&nbsp;AFP joined a Friday night patrol around London Bridge, as office workers enjoyed a pint and throngs of tourists explored the popular Borough Market.&nbsp;The police control center soon called with a stolen phone having been tracked to Deptford.&nbsp;The unmarked car&#39;s blue lights flashed on, and O&#39;Connor hit the accelerator.&nbsp;The team swerved through London&#39;s snarled evening traffic, but the phone&#39;s tracking signal was lost.&nbsp;Criminals wrap the precious booty in aluminium foil, the officers said, blocking the signal.&nbsp;Organized crimeBeneath the balaclavas, the phone-grabbing bikers are usually just teenagers.&nbsp;&quot;Normally they&#39;re 16, 18,&quot; said O&#39;Connor. On one recent patrol, he even caught a pair of 13-year-old boys.&nbsp;&quot;They are young teenage boys, and they are recruited by larger organized crime groups,&quot; Gilbert told AFP.&nbsp;Even if the thieves think it&#39;s just one &quot;small, minor, individual isolated crime ... it works into a bigger network&quot;, he said.&nbsp;&quot;That leads upstream into organized crime groups and then actually worldwide.&quot;&nbsp;The thieves usually make between &pound;100 and &pound;200 ($135 to $270) per phone. &quot;That for a 13-year-old is a huge amount of money,&quot; said Gilbert.&nbsp;But it can lead to links to gangs and wider criminality.&nbsp;Police said later that six people were arrested around midnight on that Friday night patrol.&nbsp;Police motorbikes have more success as the unmarked cars are in an impossible race against e-bikes, even if they run red lights.&nbsp;Met commissioner Mark Rowley has urged manufacturers to help bust the thefts, setting a June 1 deadline to &quot;design out crime&quot; by making stolen phones worthless.&nbsp;Otherwise, he will ask for the government to bring in legislation.&nbsp;The best advice? Report a stolen phone swiftly and use tracking services like Find My iPhone. Don&#39;t just report the theft later.&nbsp;&quot;Unfortunately, it doesn&#39;t leave us in a position to do anything about it,&quot; said O&#39;Connor.

London police are intensifying operations against soaring mobile phone thefts by teenage e-bike snatchers linked to organized crime, using drones and interceptor teams, while urging manufacturers to make stolen phones worthless.
 

On patrol with London police battling rampant phone theft

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Army Rocket Force Command on Tuesday conducted a successful training launch of the indigenously developed Fateh-II Missile System, which is equipped with advanced avionics and state-of-the-art navigation aids, according to the military&rsquo;s media wing. &ldquo;The training launch was aimed at training of troops, validating various technical parameters and performance evaluation of different sub-systems incorporated for improved accuracy and enhanced survivability,&rdquo; the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. &ldquo;The launch was witnessed by senior officers from the Strategic Plans Division, Army Rocket Force Command and the Pakistan Army, along with scientists and Engineers of Strategic Organizations,&rdquo; it stated. The forum also commended the successful training fire of the indigenously developed Fateh Series missile. The Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other senior officials appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of all those who contributed toward the successful training fire of the missile.

Pakistan Army Rocket Force Command conducts the successful training launch of the missile system. Launch covers troops' training, validation of various technical parameters, and performance evaluation to improve accuracy and enhance survivability.

Pakistan successfully conducts training launch of Fateh-II Missile System

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s third satellite in three months was launched on April 25, lifting off from a launch center in central China and slipping into orbit, completing a surveillance network Pakistan had been assembling, node by node, since 2025. The spacecraft, called PRSC-EO3, does something its predecessors could not: it processes imagery in orbit, using an artificial intelligence system to filter and prioritize data before sending it down to Earth. That distinction matters more than it might appear. In flood response or infrastructure monitoring, the gap between data capture and action can render a satellite either an early-warning system or an after-action report. Pakistan, which loses billions to climate-related disasters annually according to its own national space policy, is not building this constellation as a prestige project. Since January 2025, it has launched five satellites; add two from 2024, including a 7-kilogram nanosatellite that reached lunar orbit aboard China&#39;s Chang&#39;e 6 mission, and the country has placed seven spacecraft into orbit in roughly two years. That pace is historically new for most developing economies. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/9c031451-aef8-467f-bebf-ddc18bce2928-infographic space.png" alt="infographic space.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">(AI generated)</figcaption> What changed For most of Pakistan&#39;s space history, the country&#39;s relationship with orbit was transactional. It leased foreign satellites, contracted foreign manufacturers, and depended on foreign rockets. A $297 million loan from a Chinese state bank financed PakSAT-1R in 2011. The satellite was built abroad, launched abroad, and delivered to Pakistan already in orbit. The shift began quietly. In 2018, Pakistani engineers designed and assembled a 285-kilogram satellite, PakTES-1A, using commercially available components and their own integration work. It was not the most sophisticated spacecraft ever built. But it was built in Pakistan. But today&rsquo;s PRSC-EO3, with its onboard AI processor and stereo imaging module, can generate three-dimensional terrain maps, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement. It&nbsp;is a direct descendant of Pakistan&rsquo;s earlier effort. Budget allocations to SUPARCO, Pakistan&#39;s space agency, have increased in each of the last two fiscal years, specifically directed toward indigenous technology. What the data is already doing The satellites are not merely symbolic. Research published in the peer-reviewed journal Sensors found that integrating data from Pakistan&#39;s earlier Earth observation satellite with commercial imagery improved national crop yield estimates and reduced water use through precision irrigation. That was with a single satellite providing intermittent passes. Three coordinated nodes change the calculus: coverage becomes persistent rather than occasional, and the data becomes the kind governments can build policy around. A separate hyperspectral satellite, HS-1, launched in October 2025, adds an entirely different layer of information. While standard cameras measure light intensity, hyperspectral sensors distinguish between mineral composition, soil moisture, and crop stress across hundreds of spectral bands simultaneously. Pakistan now operates both. The next frontier Pakistan also announced this month the selection of two astronaut candidates, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, for training at China&#39;s Astronaut Center. One will be selected for a mission to the Tiangong space station before the year ends, according to China Daily. The scientific experiments planned for the mission, which include materials research in microgravity and biotechnology studies, are unlikely on their own to transform Pakistan&#39;s economy. What the mission produces is harder to quantify: a first generation of Pakistani scientists and engineers with direct experience in human spaceflight. That kind of institutional knowledge, once absent, tends to compound.&emsp;

Pakistan’s space program has expanded rapidly with a series of satellite launches between 2024 and 2026. (SUPARCO)

Three Earth observation nodes, a lunar nanosatellite, a hyperspectral imager, and two astronaut candidates in Chinese training mark the convergence of a program that spent decades operating borrowed hardware.

Cambodia agrees to early repatriation of Pakistani nationals

Latest News

Pakistan warns disinformation undermines legitimate struggles for self-determination

Cambodia agrees to early repatriation of Pakistani nationals

Dozens of Gaza children arrive in Jordan for medical care

Pakistan discusses regional developments, promotes dialogue and diplomacy

US stocks mostly fall as AI worries weigh on tech shares