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Dawn - 13:12 Jun 01, 2026
4pc growth target set for FY2026–27 as macroeconomic framework sent to economic council for approval
ISLAMABAD: Having missed the growth target by half a percentage point, recording growth of 3.7pc this year, the government has set an economic growth target of 4pc and inflation at 8.2pc for the next fiscal year. The macroeconomic framework for FY2026-27 was cleared here on Monday at a meeting of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) for formal approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) on June 3. The NEC — considered as the country’s highest national economic policy making body — is led by the prime minister and represented by all four provincial chief ministers besides as many federal ministers. The daylong APCC meeting is being presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and is being attended by provincial development ministers, along with senior federal and provincial bureaucrats. “For FY2026–27, Pakistan’s economy is targeted to grow by 4pc, signalling a continued growth trajectory,” the APCC working paper noted, while stating that GDP growth stood at 3.7pc in FY2025–26 against a target o... -
Dawn - 12:34 Jun 01, 2026
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday that any new constitutional amendment should provide protection to the rights of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). “If any constitutional amendment has to be made anywhere, it is very important that the rights of GB are protected under it,” Bilawal said while addressing a rally in GB’s Shigar ahead of the June 7 elections in the region. In this connection, he said, “We can take forward their struggle for their right of rule (haq-i-hakimiyat)”. For this, the first step would be to hold elections in GB and the rest of Pakistan at the same time, he said. “When elections are held in Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest of Pakistan at the same time, progress in GB’s struggle for right of rule will be made in the true sense,” he added. “If we want to ensure the right of rule [for GB], demands or aims should be to hold elections in GB at the same time as general elections in Pakistan.” Bilawal also said the PPP would work towards getting the “same rights and resources for GB as ot... -
Dawn - 12:08 Jun 01, 2026
India gave a red-carpet welcome on Monday to Myanmar’s junta leader-turned President Min Aung Hlaing — his first trip abroad since becoming civilian leader — with talks focusing on security and trade. The former military chief met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, where they shook hands outside New Delhi’s sprawling Hyderabad House. Modi told the Myanmar leader that “India remains Myanmar’s trusted neighbour, a reliable partner and steadfast first responder in times of crisis”, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar’s president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup. Modi also “reaffirmed India’s readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar”, Jaiswal added. New Delhi’s top career diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, told reporters after the meeting that discussions included border security and the impact of the civil war in Myanmar, which borders India’s northeastern s... -
Dawn - 12:01 Jun 01, 2026
The upper parts of the country are expected to experience dust storms and thunderstorms from June 2, which are likely to persist until June 5, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Monday. “A westerly wave is likely to approach the upper parts of the country” during the forecast period, PMD said in an advisory. In Punjab and Islamabad, scattered dust storms and thunderstorms with rain are expected, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms at a few places, in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, D.G. Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Layyah. In Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), the PMD forecast scattered rain, windstorms and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms, in Ne... -
Dawn - 11:56 Jun 01, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Monday challenged before the Supreme Court its May 12 order that required the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide in two weeks the sentence suspension pleas of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial social media posts case. Meanwhile, despite the SC’s May 26 deadline having passed already, the IHC today, on the request of the prosecution, adjourned the hearing of Imaan and Hadi’s pleas seeking suspension of their sentences. The husband-wife duo were sentenced in the case on January 24, with subsequent petitions being filed against their conviction in early February. On May 12, more than three months after the pleas were filed, the SC gave the IHC two weeks to decide on the lawyer couple’s petitions. On Monday, the NCCIA requested the SC to recall and withdraw that order to help preserve the “sanctity and independence of the judiciary, maintaining equality among citizens and avoiding discriminatory treatme... -
Dawn - 11:41 Jun 01, 2026
In 2018, Pakistan produced the widest survey in its history on how much nutrition its people were getting. The NNS or National Nutrition Survey was the fifth such epic exercise to be undertaken since 1965, and the first ever to show us the numbers from the districts. It was the most comprehensive data-gathering effort in Pakistan’s history and is regularly cited today in policymaking. The NNS results painted such an alarming picture at the time that the government should have declared a national emergency. Instead, I find myself writing this seven years on with a question as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb tables an estimated Rs17.1 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2026-27: What did Pakistan’s budget-makers do with the population nutrition evidence? No prizes for guessing the answer was scant little. What we got instead is a story of policy documents without funding to see through on the ground, bodies meant to coordinate without the mandate or teeth, and a government that continues to treat nutrit...
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Dawn - 10:11 Jun 01, 2026
Israel’s attorney general warned on Monday of the country’s democratic backsliding under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, specifically regarding the judiciary’s independence and the executive’s disregard for court rulings. Gali Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser, has clashed with Netanyahu’s government since it took office in late 2022. “Given the approach of the end of the current Knesset’s term, a race has begun to eliminate democratic institutions,” Baharav-Miara said at a conference of the Israeli Bar Association on Monday. She pointed specifically to two bills currently travelling through Israel’s parliament. The first aims to split the attorney general’s powers by creating a “prosecutor general” position appointed by the justice minister. The second bill aims to grant far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir more powers over the police. Speaking at the conference in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, Baharav-Miara also denounced what she said was... -
Dawn - 08:43 Jun 01, 2026
The US said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday it had targeted a US base in response, the latest in a series of exchanges amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war. The strikes on Iran’s Gulf coast were in response to “aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” the US Central Command said in a post on X. “US fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defences, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” Centcom said, adding it will continue to protect US assets and interests during the ongoing ceasefire. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the US for an attack on southern Iran, without identifying which base. Air defences in Kuwait, where a major US base is located, were intercepting missile and drone attacks on Monday ... -
Dawn - 08:27 Jun 01, 2026
Malaysia has begun barring those aged under 16 from registering accounts on social media platforms, its communications regulator said on Monday, as it boosts efforts to protect minors from exposure to harmful content online. The Southeast Asian nation joins a growing number of countries introducing measures to regulate access to online platforms, amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children’s health and safety. Starting Monday, social media platforms, including Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube, must conduct age verification against government-issued records, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said. Fines up to 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million) may be levied against social media platforms that fail to comply. “The measure is not intended to prohibit child users from the internet or to deny them access to technology,” it said, rather it aims to boost responsibility among social media platforms, parents and guardians in protecting mi... -
Dawn - 07:09 Jun 01, 2026
KARACHI: The Karachi Traffic Police have announced that an e-challan system for lane violations on Sharea Faisal will take effect from June 1 (today) under the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS). In a statement, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Traffic Pir Mohammed Shah said that under the notified lane management plan, commercial vehicles and motorcycles are required to use the two leftmost lanes, which have been reserved for their movement. He said fast-moving private vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and double-cabin vehicles, are not permitted to use the leftmost and second-left lanes, as these remain reserved for commercial and slow-moving traffic. Shah further said that the fast lane and the second lane from the right are designated exclusively for fast-moving private vehicles. He added that Sharea Faisal operates as a three-lane carriageway in some stretches and a four-lane carriageway in others, stating that in three-lane sections, the middle lane may be used interchangeably by both commercia... -
Dawn - 05:55 Jun 01, 2026
US-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is allowing users in India to make trades using the rupee, marking a key expansion of its services in Asia’s third-largest economy. Customers can deposit and withdraw rupees through the so-called immediate payment service channel, the company said on Monday. They will also have access to spot trading across a range of assets, alongside perpetual futures contracts covering major crypto assets, the company said. Coinbase, which had discontinued its services in India in 2023, resumed crypto trading last year after registering with the Financial Intelligence Unit. “India has long been one of the most important markets in crypto: in terms of developer talent, trading activity, and the broader adoption of blockchain technology,” said John OLoghlen, Coinbase’s regional managing director for Asia Pacific. India requires crypto exchanges to comply with its anti-money laundering rules. The country levies a 30 per cent tax on crypto trading gains, among the highest globally, bu... -
Dawn - 05:13 Jun 01, 2026
Aleema Khan, the sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, on Monday dismissed reports about the former premier’s meeting with an ex-army chief at Adiala jail as “totally fake”. “All the news circulating on social media that a former army chief met Imran Khan in Adiala jail [is] fake,” she said in a post on the social media platform X. She said the claims had been verified with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who also confirmed that “this is totally fake”. “It is disinformation, especially spread to distract from the fact that Imran is being tortured through total isolation,” she said. She added that the claims were an attempt to distract from Imran not being provided proper treatment for his eye condition, not being allowed to speak to his sons, not being provided books for the past six months and not having access to television in his cell. “He has not been allowed contact with anyone from the outside world in the past 6 months, except two visits by his lawyer on the orders of the court,” she said. “There is... -
Dawn - 03:48 Jun 01, 2026
• Fee structure is on par with private universities but facilities are nowhere near the same standard, laments a student • Kuts admits students are suffering, holds ‘bad administration’ responsible for their woes • Students wonder why CM, Sindh govt remain silent spectators to crisis at country’s largest university KARACHI: Nearly 50,000 students at the country’s largest university have been left in limbo as the teachers’ boycott of semester examinations over what they claimed unpaid dues enters its fourth week, disrupting academic plans and causing growing anxiety among students and their parents. With no clear timeline for the resumption of exams, many students are fearing further delays to the academic calendar, shortened semesters and the loss of their semester break. Lack of response from the provincial government, especially from the chief minister who is the controlling authority of all public sector universities across Sindh, to resolve the dispute has also been criticised. The KU teachers have been b... -
Dawn - 03:05 Jun 01, 2026
WASHINGTON: A provision tucked into the US House of Representatives’ version of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027 could significantly deepen military cooperation between the United States and Israel, potentially creating Washington’s closest defence partnership with any foreign country. The NDAA is the annual legislation through which Congress authorises defence spending and sets policy priorities for the Pentagon. Before becoming law, the bill must be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and then signed by the president. At the centre of the current debate is Section 224, titled the “United States–Israel Defence Technology Cooperation Initiative,” which requires the US Secretary of Defence to “designate an executive agent responsible for synchronising cooperative efforts between the United States and Israel, including bilateral defence technology research, development, testing, evaluation, integration, and industrial cooperation.” It outlines expanded... -
Dawn - 02:49 Jun 01, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The capital’s administration has re-imposed restrictions on market timings, once again mandating their closure by 8pm throughout the week. According to a late-night notification, issued by the Islamabad Capital Territory’s district magistrate, all shops, markets and shopping malls will close at 8pm, while restaurants, tandoors, grocery stores, bakeries, meat, fruit and vegetable vendors are to close shop at 10pm. The notification said that marriage halls, marquees and all other commercial places where festive events are held shall be closed at 10pm. This restriction also applies to events held on private premises. The new timings will come into effect from today (Monday) and remain in force until further orders, the notification said. Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2026 -
Dawn - 02:40 Jun 01, 2026
DUTCH police have found themselves in the middle of an online furore after footage of personnel assaulting a pregnant woman went viral on social media. The incident, which took place on May 19 in the town of Zeist, came to light over the weekend after videos circulated online of an officer violently pulling a heavily pregnant woman by the arm, causing her to fall to the ground, according to Dutch outlet RTV Utrecht. The video was filmed inside an asylum seekers’ centre. After she is dragged to the ground, the officer is seen being attacked by a man, who is said to be the woman’s husband. Media reports indicated that the couple was speaking to police after they were called in over a disturbance complaint. According to Al Jazeera, the woman’s husband was detained for smashing a television after learning of the death of his relative in Gaza. The woman said her husband was very respectful to the officers, adding that she was grabbed and forced to the ground after simply asking to accompany her husband to detentio... -
Dawn - 02:01 Jun 01, 2026
• OCAC demands urgent meeting with PM, seeks his intervention • Calls for release of Rs66bn in withheld PDCs; urges Ogra to settle all claims by June 8 • Labels Level-3 EV charger mandates impractical without wide adoption ISLAMABAD: The country’s oil industry has protested the slow disbursement of their price differential claims (PDCs) against cheaper petroleum product supplies to consumers in early days of US-Iran war and proposed tax on windfall inventory gains in the coming budget. In a letter to the prime minister, Oil Companies’ Advisory Council (OCAC) — a cartel representing around three dozen oil marketing companies and refineries — demanded an urgent meeting on oil industry’s pressing challenges. OCAC Chairman Asif Iqbal said the meeting of leadership of top 10 oil industry players with the prime minister was crucial to discuss the critical issues that are adversely impacting the financial sustainability of the downstream petroleum sector. “The oil industry is currently facing acute liquidity constra... -
Dawn - 20:19 May 31, 2026
A military official from Pakistan has said that the country’s “resolute response” to India during the May 2025 conflict had effectively debunked the notion of space for war in South Asia. Commander I Corps Lieutenant General Nauman Zakria made these remarks during a special session at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday. In May 2025, a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India was sparked by an attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, linked with Pakistan. Islamabad strongly denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation. After New Delhi launched deadly air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7, Pakistan said it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat, later raising the tally to eight. After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire. Speaking at the Shangri-La conference, Lieutenant General Zakria said strategic stability in South Asia remained... -
Dawn - 20:06 May 31, 2026
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday urged the federal government to take notice of Indus River Systems Authority’s (Irsa) “unjust reduction of Sindh’s share” and ensure that Sindh received its rightful share of water. A 22 per cent water shortage has been persisting in Sindh for around the last 10 days as Irsa continues its efforts to “equalise shortages between Punjab and Sindh”. “We are adjusting excessive use [of water] by Sindh and trying to equalise shortages between the two provinces by June 10. Secondly, water position is not satisfactory in rivers. Now with the increase in temperature, it is hoped that we will be able to increase water releases shortly afterwards,” Irsa Director Operations Khalid Idrees Rana earlier told Dawn. But Sindh Senior Minister Memon posted on X that Irsa’s “continued disregard for Sindh’s legitimate concerns and the unjust reduction of Sindh’s share under the guise of ‘shortage equalisation’ is unacceptable and contrary to the spirit of the 1991 Water Apportionment ... -
Dawn - 20:02 May 31, 2026
'Strict action' taken, says power minister after Khawaja Asif's claim of Lesco employees' corruption
Power Minister Awais Leghari on Sunday said that “strict action” had been taken against a Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) line superintendent after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif complained of financial corruption. In an X post on Saturday, Asif said he had sought a former official’s help for the repair of a transformer in his domestic employee’s village. The minister alleged, “[Lesco] employees took Rs80,000 to repair the transformer. The villagers collected donations to pay the Lesco employees, but they were not given a receipt. “You can imagine the rest. This happens even when a former power minister, who is currently a cabinet member, intervenes. What will be a common consumer facing?” He reiterated that while the villagers had paid the amount, “Lesco refuses to give them a receipt”. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, Leghari referred to Asif’s statement and said, “The tweet is a source of pride for us as we believe in self-accountability.” He added that “strict action” has been taken...
12402 items