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Found 12402 news

  • PM Shehbaz approves extension in closing hours of shops, markets
    Dawn - 08:35 Jun 03, 2026
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday approved the extension in closing timings for businesses with immediate effect. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division and shared by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on X, the decision was taken in light of “longer daylight hours and rising temperatures in summer”. The notification stated that markets, shopping malls, bazaars, departmental stores, grocery shops, general stores and kiryana shops will close at 9m throughout the week. Marriage halls, marquees and all other commercial venues where festive events are held will close at 10pm throughout the week. Meanwhile, restaurants, cafes, eateries, food outlets, and standalone fruit and vegetable shops will close at 11pm; takeaway and home delivery will be exempt. In addition, pharmacies, medical supply stores, laboratories, clinics, hospitals, bakeries, tandoors, milk and dairy shops, fuel pumps, electric vehicle charging stations, gyms, sports facilities, information technology...
  • Hostilities flare in Gulf as US-Iran talks at a stalemate
    Dawn - 08:27 Jun 03, 2026
    Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday, with a missile attack damaging Kuwait’s airport and the US military carrying out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed little progress. The latest flare-up, which sent oil prices up more than 1 per cent, comes with the conflict stalemated in a shaky ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, more than three months after initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended and diverted elsewhere until further notice, the state news agency said, citing aviation authorities, after an Iranian drone and missile attack on its T1 building. The attack caused injuries and severely damaged some airport facilities, it added, but gave no further details. Ministry of defence spokesman Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan described the attack as “criminal Iranian aggression which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries”. Earlier, the US Central Comman...
    Tags: Gulf
  • Parliamentary affairs minister says budget to be presented on June 10
    Dawn - 06:10 Jun 03, 2026
    The presentation of the federal budget for the next fiscal year (FY2026-27) has been pushed to June 10, according to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. His remarks come after several media outlets reported on Tuesday that the budget would not be presented on June 5, for which sessions of both houses of Parliament were summoned. Asked about the reason for postponing the budget presentation during Samaa TV’s ‘Nadeem Malik Live’ programme on Tuesday night, Chaudhry said, “The initial proposal for the budget was June 5, [but] now, the budget will be released on June 10, God willing.” Asked for a confirmation, the minister reiterated that the new date for the budget announcement was June 10 (Wednesday). Elaborating on the reason for the delay, Chaudhry stressed that one of the two main steps in the budget process was “convincing the allies” in the ruling coalition. However, he played down the impression of any rifts between the PML-N and the PPP, terming the latter’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Za...
    Tags: June
  • Gang rape victim dies during botched abortion in Lahore
    Dawn - 03:48 Jun 03, 2026
    LAHORE: An 18-year-old alleged gang rape victim girl died during a critical procedure carried out at a government hospital following multiple abortion-related complications. The girl (a domestic helper) was allegedly subjected to gang rape by the son and driver of her employer in Model Town. As per the FIR and the video statement of the girl, she was sexually assaulted multiple times by the two suspects some months back and her employer kept the matter hushed up to avoid police action. However, the issue came to the limelight when the girl died of multiple abortion complications. According to police, the victim had accused the married son of the house owner and her driver of gang rape. Murder sections invoked in FIR filed against two suspects and domestic help’s employer The girl said she was initially taken to a private clinic in Raiwind due to the complications caused by the pills. During the illegal abortion procedure, the doctors diagnosed her with a 4 to 5 months foetal death (miscarriage), declaring it ...
  • Electricity prices likely to rise by Rs1.74 per unit
    Dawn - 02:16 Jun 03, 2026
    • Nepra holds public hearing after CPPA asks for additional fuel cost adjustment due to Iran war disruptions • Regulator seeks report from K-Electric over ‘excessive loadshedding’ in Karachi ISLAMABAD: The price of electricity is likely to be increased by Rs1.74 per unit in next month’s bills due to the higher fuel cost adjustment, in light of an official demand for over Rs16 billion in additional recoveries from power consumers. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) held a public hearing on the Central Power Purchasing Agency’s (CPPA) request for an additional fuel cost recovery of Rs1.73 per unit from consumers for the June billing month. CPPA Chief Executive Officer Rehan Akhtar told the hearing that the reference fuel cost for April had been set at Rs8.25 per unit, but the actual cost turned out to be Rs9.975 per unit, mainly because of the US-Iran war and the resultant disruption in LNG supplies, thus necessitating an additional charge of Rs1.73 per unit on consumers in the billing mon...
  • Federal govt extends closing times for markets, restaurants
    Dawn - 23:29 Jun 02, 2026
    The federal government on Tuesday, amid deliberations over its ongoing austerity measures, decided to extend the operating hours of shops, markets, restaurants and other commercial outlets citing longer daylight hours and rising summer temperatures. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The government had announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9 in the wake of the Middle East war to deal with the global energy crisis, which had arisen due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As per the revised schedule, the closing timings are as follows: Shops, markets, malls, and general retail: 9pm Restaurants, cafes and eateries: 11pm (takeaway and delivery services exempt) Marriage halls and event venues: 10pm (no change in timings) Essential services (pharmacies, hospitals, fuel stations, IT & telecom-related services) are exempted. “The Committee also directed provinci...
  • Ellis' career-best figures help Australia beat Pakistan to level ODI series
    Dawn - 21:21 Jun 02, 2026
    Fast bowler Nathan Ellis took a career best four-wicket haul as an understrength Australia shocked Pakistan by 41 runs in the second one-day international in Lahore on Tuesday, levelling the three-match series 1-1. Australia’s total of 231-9 in 50 overs had fighting half centuries from Josh Inglis and Cameron Green before Ellis grabbed 4-33 to leave Pakistan 190 all out in 44 overs. Pakistan won the first match by five wickets in Rawalpindi which now sets up a series-deciding match, also in Lahore on Thursday. With a host of top ODI players including skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia’s second string staged a remarkable comeback, countering Pakistan’s spin and batting with confidence. All rounder Shadab Khan played a lone hand for the home team with a resolute 104-ball 71 and was the last man out, stumped off a spinner Tanveer Sangha’s wide ball for Australian victory. Ghazi Ghori made 37 with five boundaries. Shadab hit three sixes and a boundary and repaired Pakistan’s falteri...
    Tags: Pakistan Australia
  • Iran willing to negotiate ‘aspects’ of nuclear programme, Rubio says amid escalating scrutiny over war
    Dawn - 19:06 Jun 02, 2026
    WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday told lawmakers that Iran had agreed to begin limited negotiations over its nuclear programme, marking what he described as a tentative but meaningful shift in Tehran’s posture as the United States-led conflict continues to destabilise the Middle East. Rubio said that Iran had also indicated interest in discussing parts of its nuclear programme that it had previously refused to engage on, but he cautioned that this did not ensure the negotiations would produce a deal to end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. “They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear programme that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention,” Rubio said. But he added that it’s “not a guarantee that ultimately it will lead to a deal that’s acceptable” by Congress. He said these negotiations had been made difficult by the instability of Iran’s leadership. He also stated that the Trump administration had not proposed sanctions relief in exchange for I...
    Tags: Iran Rubio
  • At least 20 injured as violent storm damages homes, buildings in KP's Bannu
    Dawn - 18:39 Jun 02, 2026
    BANNU: At least 20 people, including women and children, were injured after powerful winds and a severe storm swept across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Tuesday, causing the roofs and walls of houses, shops and other structures to collapse. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had earlier said in an advisory that dust storms and thunderstorms were expected in the upper parts of the country from June 2 to June 5. According to Rescue 1122 Bannu, multiple reports emerged of structures collapsing in different parts of the district as strong winds battered residential and commercial areas. The injured were trapped under debris and were immediately rescued by emergency teams. Rescue 1122 personnel promptly launched relief operations, evacuating victims from the affected sites and shifting them to District Headquarters Hospital Bannu for medical treatment. Emergency responders also provided first aid at the scene before transporting the injured to the hospital. Officials said Rescue 1122 teams remai...
    Tags: Bannu
  • Bangladesh elected president of UN General Assembly in closely contested vote
    Dawn - 18:37 Jun 02, 2026
    UNITED NATIONS: Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for its 81st session (2026–2027) on Tuesday, defeating Cyprus’s candidate Andreas S. Kakouris in a tightly fought vote that underscores the continuing importance of regional consensus-building within the global body. Rahman secured 99 votes in the 193-member UNGA, while Kakouris received 91 votes. There were no abstentions. The required majority for the election was 96 votes. How the election works The president of the UNGA is elected annually by the 193 member states, with each country holding one equal vote. According to the UN’s Rules of Procedure, the election is conducted by secret ballot unless members agree otherwise, and a candidate must obtain a simple majority of those present and voting to win. While the process is formally competitive, it is shaped in practice by a long-standing principle of geographical rotation, under which the presidency alternates among regional gro...
    Tags: Bangladesh
  • PTI leaders expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan, decry ‘lack of level playing field’
    Dawn - 17:54 Jun 02, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Four PTI leaders, including the party’s general secretary, were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan while local leaders were detained on Tuesday. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. According to the PTI leadership, the party is not being allowed to campaign in the upcoming elections. “Today, upon entering Gilgit-Baltistan, I, along with Shaukat Basra, Naeem Panjutha, and Zaheer Babar, was stopped by the police within the jurisdiction of Jal Police Station and prevented from proceeding further,” PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed in a post on X. “The DSP informed us that my name had been specifically listed in their records. We and our colleagues from the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) were subsequently surrounded by police vehicles and forcibly escorted out of the province,” claimed the PTI general secretary. Raja said that these actions “represent an attempt to restrict our constitutional right to free move...
    Tags: Gilgit-Baltistan
  • Security forces kill 17 terrorists in various districts of Balochistan following Quetta train bombing: ISPR
    Dawn - 16:55 Jun 02, 2026
    Security forces killed 17 terrorists during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in different districts of Balochistan following the suicide car bomb attack against a shuttle train in Quetta, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday. At least 14 people were killed and 20 others were injured in the incident, which took place on May 24. The IBOs were conducted in the districts of Mastung, Nushki, Khuzdar and Kech. The military’s media wing added that multiple terrorist locations were targeted by security personnel during these operations. “Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, 17 terrorists belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Hindustan have been sent to hell, giving a significant blow to the terrorist networks operating in these areas,” the statement read. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. ISPR added that weapons, ammunition an...
    Tags: Quetta Balochistan Security ISPR
  • Pakistan, 7 other Muslim countries condemn Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, call for an immediate halt
    Dawn - 16:47 Jun 02, 2026
    Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim countries, on Tuesday condemned the “continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into Al Aqsa Mosque” in the strongest terms, calling for an immediate cessation of all such provocative practices. According to a joint statement released by the Foreign Office (FO), the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates condemned “in the strongest terms the continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers, into Al Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli forces, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards”. “They stress that these provocative and unacceptable actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. The FO added that the foreign ministers reaffirmed their “categorical rejection” of any attempts to alter the historical and legal ...
    Tags: Israeli Pakistan Muslim
  • Political bigwigs attempt to sway Gilgit-Baltistan as electioneering heats up ahead of June 7 polls
    Dawn - 16:26 Jun 02, 2026
    Political bigwigs on Tuesday sought to garner public support in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) as PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed rallies ahead of the June 7 elections. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday, after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. Addressing a public gathering in Skardu, where First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari was also present, Bilawal called for greater rights for the people of GB. “I have to struggle along with GB’s new generation […] If we have to implement the manifesto of roti, kapra, makaan in its true sense, then we will have to work on three rules — we will have to attain the right to haq-i-hakimiyat (right to govern), haq-i-malkiyat (right to ownership), and haq-i-rozgaar (right to employment),” Bilawal said. He further said, “The struggle of PPP’s new generation will be to get you your right to govern, and that will happen when GB will get the protections, facilities and powers provided in the 18th Amendment.” “Aft...
    Tags: June Gilgit-Baltistan Political
  • Imran’s sister says only acceptable ‘deal’ is restoration of judiciary, free and fair elections
    Dawn - 15:14 Jun 02, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, on Tuesday said that the only acceptable “deal” would be the restoration of an independent judiciary and the holding of free and fair elections in the country, as authorities once again denied her a meeting with her brother. Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Aleema said it was their constitutional right to meet Imran. She vowed to continue visiting Adiala, saying it was the only way to exert pressure on the “powers that be”. “The family of Imran and party leaders will continue efforts for an independent judiciary and a free media,” she emphasised. Replying to a question regarding rumours of a meeting between the PTI founder and a former military chief, she rejected such claims, terming them politically motivated. “No such meeting has taken place, and such rumours are circulated whenever political temperatures rise.” Aleema said that she had earlier asked PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan about reports of a meeting with Interior...
    Tags: Imran
  • Nationality of deceased not confirmed yet, says FO on reports of Pakistani farmers' murder in Italy
    Dawn - 14:31 Jun 02, 2026
    After reports of the murder of four Pakistani farmers in Italy, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday that the “exact nationality” of the deceased was not confirmed yet. The FO’s statement came hours after Corriere della Sera daily reported that Italian police had arrested two Pakistani nationals for the murder of four Pakistani farm workers found dead in a burnt-out minivan in southern Italy. The FO said that while the deceased individuals were reported to be Pakistanis, their “exact nationality” was not confirmed yet. It added that the matter was being investigated by local police, who were also carrying out forensics. “The Pakistani embassy in Italy is following up on the matter and is in touch with local authorities regarding further developments,” the FO said. According to Corriere della Sera, the burnt-out vehicle with four bodies was found at a petrol station near the village of Amendolara in a vast farming area in the Calabria region. CCTV images from the petrol station showed two people blocking th...
    Tags: Italy Pakistani
  • Kohistan corruption case: NAB returns Rs6bn in embezzled assets to KP govt
    Dawn - 13:38 Jun 02, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has returned over Rs6 billion to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in a multi-billion-rupee fraud case in Upper Kohistan. An inquiry authorised by NAB in April 2024 revealed large-scale misappropriation of public funds in Upper Kohistan. Investigators established that more than Rs37bn had been embezzled through manipulation of treasury instruments and misuse of official financial procedures over nearly a decade. The funds were recovered following an extensive investigation by NAB’s KP director general and a Combined Investigation Team (CIT). At a ceremony, NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad formally handed over the recovered funds to the KP chief secretary, marking the first phase of a broader recovery process. The assets handed over to the provincial government include cash holdings, precious metals, high-value commercial and residential properties and luxury vehicles identified during the investigation. Addressing the ceremony, the NAB chief praised th...
  • WHO reports sharp drop in suspected Ebola cases from 906 to 116
    Dawn - 13:16 Jun 02, 2026
    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday dramatically scaled back the number of suspected Ebola cases in central Africa to 116, down from more than 900 previously, with 330 cases now confirmed. As of May 31, the WHO said 116 suspected cases of the deadly virus had been registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — down from 906 late last week. Some 321 cases have now been confirmed in the DRC, including 48 deaths, while nine confirmed cases have been registered in neighbouring Uganda, including one fatality. While some suspected cases have been confirmed, many more “have been cleared out” from the data after having been shown to have other diseases with similar early symptoms or an unlinked fever, said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier. He stressed that “anybody who gets picked up by surveillance or presents themselves in a health facility with any symptoms that could be Ebola-like” is counted as a suspected case in the outbreak, pending testing. The outbreak was declared on May 15 in conflict-...
    Tags: Ebola
  • Security forces thwart attack on military post in North Waziristan: security sources
    Dawn - 12:59 Jun 02, 2026
    Security forces foiled a suicide attack by Fitna al Khawarij on a military post near Miranshah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, security sources said on Tuesday. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. As per security sources, the terrorists attempted to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post. However, security forces took timely action and destroyed the vehicle before it could reach the target, they said. During the operation, four terrorists were killed, and security forces were on high alert, due to which the attack was thwarted. Security sources further stated that the terrorists attempted the attack fearing the success of operations around Miranshah over the past few days, adding that over 20 terrorists have been killed in these operations so far. According to security sources, further operations were underway in the area, and the perpetrators of the attack and their facilitators would be brought to justice. Sec...
    Tags: North Waziristan Security
  • Communications minister greenlights 172km motorway linking Mansehra to Kaghan, Chilas
    Dawn - 12:32 Jun 02, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications Aleem Khan on Tuesday approved the construction of a new, state-of-the-art motorway via Mansehra, Kaghan, Naran, Jhal Khand, and Chilas (MNJC) to provide a safe alternative route to the Karakoram Highway (KKH). The decision was taken in a meeting of the National Highway Authority (NHA) held under the chairmanship of the minister, where key decisions were approved to modernise the country’s transport infrastructure. The secretary of communications and NHA Chairman Capt (retd) Asadullah Khan were also present. During the meeting, the federal minister was briefed on ongoing and new projects. Officials told the meeting that the MNJC motorway would be 172km in length, and that the route would reduce travel distance on the KKH by up to 120 kilometres. The project will be completed in two phases, the minister said. In the first phase, the motorway will be built from Mansehra to Kaghan, Naran, and Babusar Top, while the second phase will cover the section from Babusar To...
    Tags: Chilas Kaghan Mansehra

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