Dawn
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Dawn - 07:05 May 31, 2025
KARACHI: A teenage boy reportedly died of heatstroke on Friday as temperature crossed 40 degree Celsius mark in parts of the city on Friday. The boy, aged around 15 years, was brought dead to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi from Moachko. “His post-mortem examination was carried out. It was apparently a heatstroke case,” Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn. Sources said he was a homeless person and the body was found in Murad Kalmati Goth’s jungle area. Meanwhile, the Met department’s data showed that the city’s average temperature was 40 degrees Celsius, though some areas, including Gulistan-i-Jauhar, were hotter (40.1 degrees Celsius). The relative humidity recorded in the morning was 60 per cent. The department has forecast hot and humid weather over the next two days (Saturday-Sunday) with maximum temperatures ranging between 37 degrees Celsius and 39 degrees Celsius. The heatwave persisted in Sindh cities. On Friday, Mohenjo-Daro became the hottest place in the country with the maximum tempe... -
Dawn - 06:47 May 31, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that representatives from Pakistan are coming to the United States next week as Islamabad seeks to make a deal on tariffs. Pakistan faces a potential 29 per cent tariff on its exports to the US due to a $3 billion trade surplus with the world’s biggest economy, under tariffs announced by Washington last month on countries around the world. Pakistan’s formal negotiations with the United States on reciprocal tariffs started earlier in the day with a phone call between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a press release from the finance ministry said. “Pakistan representatives are coming in next week,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after departing Air Force One. “And India, as you know, we’re very close to making a deal with India. And I wouldn’t have any interest in making a deal with either (Pakistan and India) if they were going to be at war with each other. I went that and I let them know,” the US president stre... -
Dawn - 06:30 May 31, 2025
Ehsan Malik, Pakistan Business Council CEO KARACHI: Business leaders have advised the government to avoid surprises in the upcoming federal budget by proposing significant relief for the salaried class, including a reduction in the general sales tax (GST) and the phasing out of the super tax. In addition to balancing the external account and managing the fiscal deficit, Pakistan Business Council CEO Ehsan Malik stated that there is now an urgent need to augment defence spending through higher export earnings. The PBC’s budget proposals aimed to fiscally incentivise the rapid growth of exports and the indigenisation of inputs. Given the constraints on the fiscal account, the council sought a gradual reduction in corporate and super taxes, as well as the withdrawal of multiple taxation on inter-corporate dividends. Relief was requested for salaried employees, as was a reduction in GST, which at 18pc incentivised evasion. He emphasised that a higher tax-to-GDP ratio should be the result of business growth, not t... -
Dawn - 06:18 May 31, 2025
• Justice Mandokhail issues 36-page dissenting note against majority decision to uphold civilians’ military trial • Regrets govt opted to burden military courts instead of improving judicial system ISLAMABAD: Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Friday issued a 36-page dissenting note challenging the majority verdict that upheld the trial of civilians in military courts and raising questions about the use of military courts for civilian cases. “Nowhere in the world, courts martial try terrorism-related cases,” said Justice Mandokhail, a member of the seven-judge constitutional bench, in the dissenting note. Justice Mandokhail and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, in a minority judgement on May 7, set aside intra-court appeals against the Oct 23, 2023, five-judge judgement that had declared the military trials of civilians illegal. While brushing aside the perception that civil courts had failed to tackle the menace of terrorism and courts martial were the only solution to th... -
Dawn - 05:03 May 31, 2025
GILGIT: Local traders involved in Pakistan-China trade via Khunjerab Pass launched an indefinite protest sit-in on Friday, blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at Pissan in Nagar, stranding thousands of local and international travellers on both sides of the route. The protest call was issued by the Pak-China Traders Action Committee, an alliance comprising the Gilgit-Baltistan Importers and Exporters Association, the Nagar Chamber of Commerce, and small trade associations from Nagar, Hunza, and Gilgit. Protesters chanted slogans against Pakistan Customs and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government. According to the protesters, the primary grievance is the suspension of customs clearance for imported consignments from China at Sost Dry Port for the last six months, effectively halting Pak-China trade. According to traders, 257 consignments imported from China have been stuck at Sost Dry port since December last year, causing “billions of rupees losses” from expired items, daily port charges, and other expenses. T... -
Dawn - 18:52 May 30, 2025
Pakistan’s formal negotations with the United States on recirpocal tariffs started on Friday with a phone call between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a press release from the finance ministry said. The increase in trade tariffs on Pakistani products announced by US President Donald Trump, which were paused, could have a devastating impact on Pakistan’s important exports and served as a wake-up call for diversification, according to a state-owned think tank. The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics warned that these tariffs would have a “devastating impact” on the country’s export sector, translating into an annual loss of $1.1-1.4 billion. According to the finance ministry, Aurangzeb and Greer “exchanged their view point through a constructive engagement, with the understanding that technical level detailed discussions would follow in the coming few weeks”. “Both sides expressed confidence in advancing these negotiations for successful conclusion at the ... -
Dawn - 18:45 May 30, 2025
French scientist Etienne-Emile Baulieu, the inventor of the abortion pill, died at the age of 98 at his home in Paris on Friday, his wife told AFP. The doctor and researcher, who achieved worldwide renown for his work that led to the pill, had an eventful life that included fighting in the French resistance and becoming friends with artists such as Andy Warhol. “His research was guided by his commitment to the progress made possible by science, his dedication to women’s freedom, and his desire to enable everyone to live better, longer lives,” Baulieu’s wife Simone Harari Baulieu said in a statement. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to his life, calling him “a beacon of courage” and “a progressive mind who enabled women to win their freedom”. “Few French people have changed the world to such an extent,” he added in a post on X. Baulieu’s most famous discovery helped create the oral drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone, which provided a safe and inexpensive alternative to surgical abortion to mi... -
Dawn - 18:09 May 30, 2025
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday emphasised the need for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute, assailing India’s “unlawful and legally untenable hydro-terrorism,” a statement from the military’s media wing said. His statement came during a visit to Quetta Command and Staff College where he addressed student officers and faculty of the college. The comments followed a recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan over New Delhi’s allegations against Islamabad, without evidence, about a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. New Delhi, based on the allegations, launched a series of air strikes in Pakistan in early May, killing civilians. Islamabad retaliated by downing five Indian jets. It took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire. India, however, is still weaponising the Indus Water Treaty — a water distribution deal between the two countries — saying that it will no longer abide by the treaty, placing the agreement i...
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Dawn - 17:53 May 30, 2025
Four armed robbers hijacked a Qingqi rickshaw carrying three sacrificial sheep at gunpoint in Karachi’s Ayesha Manzil area, police said on Friday. According to a first information report (FIR), the complainant Mohammed Rashid Saleem said that he had purchased three sheep and was carrying them in his Qingqi rickshaw on Thursday when the incident occurred. “Four suspects riding on two motorcycles snatched the rickshaw along with the animals at gunpoint and fled,” the FIR read, adding that the suspects also snatched cash and a cell phone from the victim. According to a statement from the Karachi Police spokesperson, the Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Javed Alam Odho took notice of the incident and ordered action against the Azizabad station house officer for negligence, issuing orders to suspend his service for one year. The AIG ordered that the suspects involved in the incident must be arrested within three days, with the recovery of the animals and rickshaw, otherwise, strict legal action will be... -
Dawn - 17:34 May 30, 2025
World Boxing will introduce mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions, the body said on Friday, adding that Paris Olympics women’s welterweight champion Imane Khelif will not be allowed to compete until she undergoes such a test. The governing body, which will run the boxing competitions in the 2028 Olympics after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC, said it aims to deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women. “Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxings rules and testing procedures,” World Boxing said in a statement. All athletes over the age of 18 will have to undertake a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test, which can be conducted by a nasal or mouth swab, saliva or blood, World Boxing said. “The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case, the SRY ... -
Dawn - 17:23 May 30, 2025
A district official was killed when his house was attacked by terrorists in Balochistan’s Surab city on Friday, a statement from the provincial government said. Balochistan Government Spokesperson Shahid Rind, in a statement, termed the incident a “nefarious attempt to challenge the writ of the state”. “A bank was looted and the homes of several government officials were attacked, including Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hidayatullah Buledi. “Buledi was martyred while defending his home during the attack,” Rind said in the statement, adding that the official “set a new example of bravery” through his sacrifice. “Women and children were also present at the residence during the attack,” he added. The spokesperson added that “Indian-sponsored proxies have taken action on (India’s) behalf”, adding that a search operation was underway in the area. “We are determined to thwart efforts of anti-state elements,” he said, according to the statement. Frontier Corps and Levies personnel had arrived at the scene... -
Dawn - 16:04 May 30, 2025
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday sentenced PTI members, including Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Abdul Latif, to 27 years of imprisonment for attacking a police station during the violent May 9 riots. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting the party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were arrested. ATC Special Court-II judge Tahir Abbas Sipra handed down the punishment under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code after finding the accused guilty of attacking the Ramna police station during the May 9 riots. The accused were sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison along with a fine worth Rs327,000. The sentences shall run concurrently, the judge said. MNA Abdul Latif, who was elected from NA-1 Chitral, was not present in the court when the... -
Dawn - 16:02 May 30, 2025
At least 117 people have died and several others are still missing after heavy flooding destroyed thousands of homes in Nigeria’s Niger state, an emergency official said on Friday. The death toll is a sharp rise from Thursday’s figure of 21 people, Ibrahim Hussaini, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said, adding that some 3,000 houses were submerged in two communities in the north-central state. Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April. In 2022, Nigeria experienced its worst wave of floods in more than a decade which killed more than 600 people, displaced around 1.4 million and destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland. The flooding incident in Niger state occurred on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday morning, Hussaini said, with a number of people still in the water. -
Dawn - 15:54 May 30, 2025
Human rights defenders Tahira Abdullah and Samina Omar were released following a short detention in Islamabad on Friday, a Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) activist told Dawn.com. The HRCP earlier condemned the “arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders Tahira Abdullah and Samina Omar in Islamabad” in a post on X. According to the post, the pair was taken into custody outside the National Press Club ahead of a protest in solidarity with the people of Gaza. “Given that neither of them was part of any public gathering at the time, their actions in no way constitute a violation of Section 144 as the police have alleged,” the statement said. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. The statement said the commission was “concerned to learn that [the women] are allegedly not being given access to their legal counsel”. “Both Ms Abdullah and Ms Omar must be released ... -
Dawn - 15:43 May 30, 2025
Pakistan on Friday announced its elevation of diplomatic representation in Afghanistan from Charge d’Affaires to Ambassador level as bilateral ties “move on a positive trajectory.” Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relations by exchanging envoys — a key step towards normalising ties after years of strained relations between Islamabad and the Taliban administration in Kabul. Ties between the two neighbouring countries had turned sour due to frequent border skirmishes and Islamabad repeatedly demanding that Kabul take action against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul has denied the allegations. The recent understanding was reached during an informal trilateral meeting of foreign ministers from Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan in Beijing earlier this month. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in the Chinese capital. In a post on X, Dar said, “... -
Dawn - 15:14 May 30, 2025
Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO World Heritage landmark after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site’s status. St Catherine’s monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula and is the world’s oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery “is entitled to use” the land, which “the state owns as public property”. But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was “fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine’s monastery, and ensuring it is not violated”. The Gree... -
Dawn - 14:20 May 30, 2025
Over a million Muslim pilgrims from across the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj this year, with the kingdom showcasing its readiness and preparation, the Saudi government said on Friday. 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. According to a press release from the Saudi Embassy, the newly expanded Grand Mosque in Makkah “marks a defining feature of this year’s Haj”, as it is now capable of accommodating double its previous capacity. “Following months of cross-sector coordination and international cooperation, the kingdom reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that every pilgrim’s journey is not only safe and seamless but also spiritually enriching,” the press release read. Quoting Dr Ghassan Alnwaimi, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, the press release added, “Our readiness is not just measured in infrastructure and systems — it’s reflected... -
Dawn - 13:18 May 30, 2025
Two seven-year-old boys were found dead in a house in Punjab’s Hafizabad several days after they were reported missing, according to a first information report (FIR). According to a copy of the FIR — seen by Dawn.com and filed upon the complaint of the father of one of the victims — the complainant was heading for work at 7am on Wednesday morning when he learned that his son had gone missing. “When I returned from work at 9 or 10pm, I could not find my son,” the complainant stated in the FIR. “We went to the house of a neighbour and found my son’s shoe there.” According to the FIR, when asked about the missing boy, the neighbour said that his grandson had also gone missing. The complainant added that he and other residents searched for the children and performed announcements through mosques, to no avail. On Thursday morning, the complainant was informed that the boys had been seen with three named and two unidentified suspects. “We arrived at a house where the suspects were present. When we asked them to ope... -
Dawn - 13:17 May 30, 2025
The Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) and Princeton University researchers have initiated a project to develop a long-term energy transition planning framework, according to a press release issued on Friday. The press release said that the initiative comes at a time when Pakistan’s energy sector faced high costs, volatility, and an overreliance on imported fossil fuels, which accounted for nearly 60 per cent of the country’s energy supply. “Outdated infrastructure, inefficient management, and transmission bottlenecks have contributed to persistent power shortages and a growing circular debt crisis, issues that the roadmap aims to address while planning for future growth, sustainability, and climate resilience,” the press release said. Part of a two-day workshop, the event “Pakistan’s Energy Transition Roadmap” brought together over 50 policymakers, researchers, and private-sector experts. “Drawing on Princeton’s net-zero project expertise, the initiative would provide Pakistan with practical, ev... -
Dawn - 13:04 May 30, 2025
A former British Marine appeared in court for the first time on Friday charged with allegedly driving his car into crowds celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League win, leaving 79 people injured. Paul Doyle faces seven charges including dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent during Monday’s incident in the northwestern English city, which marred the port city’s huge celebrations. The 53-year-old confirmed his name, date of birth and address during a brief appearance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court. UK media outlets inside the courtroom reported that Doyle — wearing a black suit, white shirt and grey tie — held back tears before the hearing broke for an adjournment. A total of 79 people aged between nine and 78 were injured when a dark Ford Galaxy ploughed into Liverpool supporters as they celebrated their club’s record-equalling 20th English top-flight title. There were no fatalities. Seven people remained in hospital, Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims told reporters ...
869 items