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Dawn - 19:09 Jun 02, 2025
Lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir won the World Expression Forum’s Young Inspiration Award 2025 on Monday for her efforts and work advocating for the rule of law and justice in the country. Based in Norway, the forum aims to act as a “driving force for global cooperation to ensure freedom of expression for all”, according to its website. The award was presented to her by Philippine Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa in the award ceremony of the forum’s annual conference in Lillehammer, Norway for her “extraordinary courage, integrity and impact in the struggle for the rule of law and justice”. The award jury said the lawyer’s work had “inspired the local community and earned global recognition-making”. “The recipient’s outspoken stance has made her a role model for a new generation of lawyers and students, especially women, and instilled hope and optimism in them. She’s shown that the legal profession can be a viable avenue for justice and systemic change, even in hybrid regimes,” Ressa said while presenting the award... -
Dawn - 18:24 Jun 02, 2025
A top Pakistani delegation briefed elected members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday about the “threat to regional peace” posed by India’s actions amid the recent spike in tensions between the two countries. The high-level team — consisting of three former foreign ministers, two former foreign secretaries, two former ambassadors to the US, and a serving federal minister — arrived in New York yesterday for consultations at the United Nations, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement today. The delegation will also visit Washington DC, London and Brussels, the FO said. Ex-FMs PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Sabzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; and Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua are members of the first delegation. The PPP said in a post on X that the delegation met elected UNSC members “to expose Indian propaganda” and present Pakistan’s position to representatives from Denmark, Greece, Panama, Somal... -
Dawn - 18:23 Jun 02, 2025
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday ordered a crackdown against the display of weaponry and use of Toyota Hilux pickup trucks in the province. The newly formed Crime Control Department (CCD), a specialised unit dedicated to tackling crime in the province, will take “indiscriminate action” against those who create “fear and panic” through such displays. According to a statement by Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Sohail Zafar Chatha, “Spreading fear and panic in the society and displaying weapons cannot be allowed at all.” “CCD officers have been ordered to take indiscriminate action against those displaying weapons,” he said. He added that over 21,000 Safe City cameras will be used to monitor those displaying weapons and modern artificial intelligence will also be used to identify weapons. Referring to luxurious pickup trucks, the Hilux has become a symbol of power, status, and intimidation in a society marked by significant class divisions. Hiluxes part the traffic — speeding up behind c... -
Dawn - 18:16 Jun 02, 2025
US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping will likely hold a long-awaited call later this week, the White House said on Monday, as trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies ratchet back up. Trump reignited strains with China last week when he accused the world’s second-biggest economy of violating a deal that had led both countries to temporarily reduce huge tit-for-tat tariffs. “The two leaders will likely talk this week,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing when asked whether Trump and Xi would speak. Trump and Xi have yet to have any confirmed contact more than five months since the Republican returned to power, despite frequent claims by the US president that a call is imminent. Trump even said in a Time magazine interview in April that Xi had called him — but Beijing insisted that there had been no call recently. Stock markets around the world mostly slid on Monday as the US-China tensions resurfaced. Trump in early April introduced sweepi... -
Dawn - 17:31 Jun 02, 2025
A man who desecrated a copy of the Holy Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London was found guilty on Monday of committing a religiously aggravated public order offence, in a verdict critics said effectively reinstated an abolished blasphemy law. Hamit Coskun, 50, was fined 240 pounds ($325) at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court after being convicted of being disorderly by shouting “F*** Islam” as he held aloft the burning book near the consulate in central London in February. The lawyer for Coskun, whose father was Kurdish and his mother Armenian and who lived in central England, had argued that the prosecution amounted to an attempt to bring back a blasphemy law that was abolished in England in 2008. Coskun had denied the charge and said on social media he was carrying out a protest against the Turkish government. While he was holding the book aloft, he was attacked by a man with a knife who kicked and spat at him. “Burning a religious book, although offensive, to some is not necessarily disorderly... -
Dawn - 17:29 Jun 02, 2025
India’s Adani Group on Monday denied “any deliberate engagement” in sanctions evasion or trade involving Iranian-origin liquefied petroleum gas, after The Wall Street Journal reported that US prosecutors were probing whether Adani entities had imported Iranian LPG into India through their Mundra port. An Adani spokesperson called the report “baseless and mischievous” in a statement, adding: “We are not aware of any investigation by US authorities on this subject.” The WSJ said it had found tankers travelling between the Gulf and billionaire Gautam Adani’s Mundra port in western India exhibiting traits that experts say are common for ships evading sanctions. It said the US Justice Department was reviewing the activities of several LPG tankers used to ship cargoes to Adani Enterprises, the group’s flagship entity, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report and the US Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn did not immediately respond to reques... -
Dawn - 17:26 Jun 02, 2025
Former star cricketer Shoaib Akhtar received a defamation notice of Rs1 billion from sports journalist and former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official Nauman Niaz on Monday, reigniting yet another feud between the two personalities. The legal notice dated May 29, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, claimed that the ex-pacer made “baseless” and “unethical” comments regarding Niaz. On May 25, Akhtar appeared on a show on a private news channel where he said that Niaz “used to carry our bags” and “he was kept for that purpose”, the notice stated. “Your [Akhtar’s] comment/remark was not only factually incorrect, it was an assault on memory and dignity,” it said. The notice read that Akhtar’s statement employed “foul and defamatory language” against Niaz, with the “sole intention of destroying the reputation acquired by him [Niaz] through hard work”. “That the false statements and the representations made by you [Akhtar] … have injured the reputation of our client [Niaz], lowered him in the estimation of ... -
Dawn - 17:08 Jun 02, 2025
Supreme Court (SC) Senior Puisne Judge Mansoor Ali Shah has said that SC justices have a responsibility to “speak truth to power, guided by the Constitution as their unwavering normative anchor”, in an interview seen by Dawn.com on Monday. Shah has previously expressed that the judiciary needs to stand against influence or pressure from the executive. In November 2024, he said, “The independence of the judiciary is the cornerstone of justice, and its true test lies in a judge’s ability to stand firm under authoritarian regimes.” Speaking exclusively to law magazine The Legal, Shah said that the role of SC justices must be understood as that of protectors of the Constitution and fundamental rights rather than as policymakers. “Judges must balance respect for legislative intent with a commitment to constitutional principles, ensuring that the judiciary acts as an impartial arbiter rather than a policymaker,” he said in response to a question about the role of SC judges amid a shifting legal landscape. “Their ro... -
Dawn - 17:04 Jun 02, 2025
A madressah teacher who allegedly molested a student in Muzaffargarh’s Bet Mir Hazar Khan area has been arrested, police said on Monday. According to Muzaffargarh District Police Officer Dr Rizwan Ahmed Khan, the teacher in Jatoi tehsil allegedly raped the student and locked him in the madressah for five days to prevent him from reporting the assault. “The teacher had invited his young student to his room under the pretext of a massage and raped him,” DPO Khan alleged. “A case was registered against the teacher and he was taken into custody.” The Bet Mir Hazar Khan Station House Officer (SHO) said, “Such a brutal person will be punished severely according to the law and such people do not deserve any concession.” In a separate incident, police have said that they will arrest a tailor’s son who allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl and blackmailed her with video footage of the assault six months ago. The incident took place in the Riazabad area of Kot Sultan, where a girl had gone to learn sewing at a tailor’s h... -
Dawn - 16:02 Jun 02, 2025
More than a million pilgrims poured into the holy city of Makkah ahead of the annual Haj, with authorities vowing to hold a safer pilgrimage amid searing desert heat and a massive crackdown on illegal visitors. Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s Haj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. Temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this week as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings starts on Wednesday. The Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means to do so. As of Friday, more than 1.3 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the multi-day pilgrimage, according to officials. This year, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), th... -
Dawn - 15:11 Jun 02, 2025
As millions of Muslim pilgrims gather in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj every year, thousands of volunteers help the pilgrims navigate their journey with ease and comfort. According to the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah, over 7,000 volunteers work across Makkah and other holy places to facilitate the pilgrims. They are the “unseen anchors” whose efforts, often behind the scenes, ensure that the pilgrims do not face hardships. “You may not know their names. You may not remember their faces. But if you have ever performed Haj, you have felt their kindness — a bottle of cold water pressed into your hand, a voice gently guiding you when you felt lost,” the ministry said. Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia. The statement said that the volunteers sacrifice their own Eid celebrations, sleep and comfort so that they can help out the pilgrims in many ways, narrating the stories of multipl... -
Dawn - 15:03 Jun 02, 2025
The Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) has agreed to form a technical committee to draft a framework for digital and virtual assets, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. The PCC was officially launched in March to “regulate and integrate blockchain technology and digital assets” into the country’s financial landscape. According to a press release by the finance ministry, the meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and attended by PCC Chief Executive Officer Bilal Bin Saqib, governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and government officials. “The meeting focused on the draft regulatory framework for digital and virtual assets in Pakistan, aiming to align with international standards and evolving technological trends,” the press release said. It added that the participants discussed options for establishing “an autonomous regulatory authority to oversee and regulate the digital finance and crypto ecosystem in the country”. “It w... -
Dawn - 15:02 Jun 02, 2025
Screenshots of news stories doctored to look like articles on DAWN.com have been circulating on social media since at least March, with certain images posted in the form of sponsored ads on social media platforms leading to dubious links. DAWN has taken up the matter of the impersonated images with the relevant authorities. All news stories by DAWN will appear on its website or can be checked on its official social media accounts: Instagram: @dawn.today Facebook: Dawn.com X: @dawn_com Doctored images The earliest known such image spotted this year was of former caretaker foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani with the following headline in upper case: “THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST JALIL ABBAS JILANI HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED!” Immediately, the image presents stark differences when compared with articles on DAWN.com. The doctored image’s headline is centred, whereas DAWN’s headlines are left-aligned Viewed on a desktop, the headline is followed by the author byline, dateline and social media plugins before the picture, wher... -
Dawn - 14:15 Jun 02, 2025
Russia and Ukraine on Monday swapped plans for ending their three-year war during talks in Istanbul aiming to find a way out of Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said any deal must not “reward” Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but said Kyiv was willing to take the “necessary steps for peace”. Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion, but have yet to make progress towards an agreement. Monday’s talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil — using drones to hit dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometres behind the front line. A first round of meetings in Istanbul last month yielded a large-scale prisoner exchange but no pause in the fighting, which has raged since Russia invaded in February 2022. On Monday, the delegations “exchanged documents through the Turkish si... -
Dawn - 14:00 Jun 02, 2025
Another low-intensity earthquake was felt by Karachi residents on Monday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The tremor was the third within 24 hours. The most recent quake measured 3.2 on the Richter scale with the city’s densely populated Quaidabad area as its epicentre. The area’s residents had also experienced a similar 3.6-magnitude tremor at 5:33pm yesterday. Both earthquakes originated at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres beneath the surface. View this post on Instagram A separate tremor originating near the city’s Gadap Town was recorded at 1:05am earlier today. It measured 3.2 on the Richter scale and had a depth of 12km. Ameer Hyder, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office in Karachi, told Dawn.com that the tremors were caused by an active fault line in Landhi. He noted that the quakes’ intensity was not high and was “gradually declining”. While stating that no formal prediction could be made yet, Hyder expected the tremors to end within a week. This screengrab shows a “norm... -
Dawn - 14:00 Jun 02, 2025
A huge plume of ash, gas and rock spewed forth Monday from Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, after a portion of its southeastern crater likely collapsed, authorities said. Images showed a massive grey cloud billow forth from the volcano on the island of Sicily, beginning about 11:24am local time (0924 GMT), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Surveillance cameras showed “a pyroclastic flow probably produced by a collapse of material from the northern flank of the Southeast Crater”, the agency said. A pyroclastic flow occurs when volcanic rock, ash and hot gasses surge from volcanos. They are extremely dangerous. The explosive activity “had transitioned to a lava fountain”, INGV said, with the plume of ash expected to dissipate towards the southwest. A red alert issued for aviation authorities said the height of the volcanic cloud was estimated at 6.5 kilometres. The nearby Catania airport was still in operation. -
Dawn - 13:46 Jun 02, 2025
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said the government will have to prioritise high-value projects, as only Rs880 billion has been allocated for development in the upcoming budget for the fiscal year 2025-26. The government has adopted austerity measures for the upcoming budget — set to be announced on June 10 — in line with the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement stricter spending policies and raise revenues to reduce the budget deficit and improve debt sustainability, as part of its $7 billion loan programme. The global money lender also expects Pakistan to achieve a 3.6 per cent economic growth with 7.7pc inflation next year. Speaking to reporters in Islamabad after a meeting of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee, the planning minister noted that since 2023, the development budget had decreased, stating that Pakistan was observing “tight financial discipline in order to balance spending and income” — a process he said had ... -
Dawn - 13:26 Jun 02, 2025
In the face of rising criticism of Israeli atrocities on Gaza, which has killed nearly 54,000 Palestinians, a man in the United States yelling “free Palestine” used incendiary devices to torch protesters rallying in support of Israeli hostages, injuring at least eight people in the US state of Colorado on Sunday. The FBI said it was investigating the incident as a “targeted terror attack” and identified the suspect as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman. He was booked into the county jail just before midnight on multiple felony charges, according to county records. His bond has been set at $10 million. The incident comes as pressure on Israel rises to cease what has been called a “genocide” in Gaza by the United Nations and Amnesty International among other international human rights organisations. Police in the city of Boulder said it was too early to determine a motive for the attack, which took place shortly before 1:30pm (12:30am PKT) at a demonstration outside a mall. The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish a... -
Dawn - 12:40 Jun 02, 2025
The federal government on Monday announced a four-day public holiday on the festive occasion of Eidul Azha. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the government has declared a public holiday from June 6-9, 2025 (Friday to Monday). “The prime minister has been pleased to declare the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th (Friday to Monday) as public holidays on the occasion of Eidul Azha,” the statement said. Pakistan would observe Eidul Azha on June 7, the moon sighting Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee (RHC) announced last month after the crescent for the month of Zilhaj was not sighted. The committee’s meeting took place on a roof in Islamabad’s Kohsar Block, where the religious affairs ministry has its office. Addressing a press conference, RHC Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad said, “No testimony of sighting the moon of the month of Zilhaj was received from any part of Pakistan […]. Therefore, it was decided with consensus that Zilhaj 1, 1446AH would be on May 29, Thursday and Eidul Azha would be obs... -
Dawn - 12:38 Jun 02, 2025
The Karachi police on Monday arrested a main suspect along with his two employees over charges of beating a citizen in the city’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). The development came after a video of the incident went viral on social media earlier today, prompting authorities to take notice of it. The man, identified as Salman Farooqi, was arrested from DHA and his vehicle was impounded, Karachi South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said in a statement. The man, travelling in a luxury car, allegedly subjected a bike rider, who was accompanied by a woman, to torture on the Khayaban-i-Ittehad road after a minor accident. Earlier today, the police had arrested the suspect’s driver and guard during late-night raids on his home and office in DHA. DIG Raza clarified that the held suspect was not a government employee. Stating that the citizen who was subjected to violence had not approached the police to file a complaint, the DIG said the police were trying to contact his family. Meanwhile, the Gizri...
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