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Dawn - 02:45 Mar 21, 2026
• Marriage hall owners urge govt to reconsider decision; call restrictions ‘impractical, distressing and likely to cause confusion’ • Considering ground realities, it would be difficult for authorities to enforce ‘complete implementation’, remarks opposition leader Khurshidi KARACHI: The Sindh government’s decision to limit wedding guests to 200 has sparked fears, leaving many in a dilemma and unsure whether to invite or attend functions. The provincial government, as part of its “austerity” drive in the wake of the Middle East war, took a host of measures, including limiting number of guests at wedding ceremonies or any other party to 200 with one-dish serving. Families who had already sent invitations to their loved ones months in advance are now worried about financial implications of reducing the number of guests, having already booked venues and caterers. The Karachi Marriage Hall Owners Association (KMHOA) expressed grave concern over the government’s decision and said it was not practical to implement ... -
Dawn - 02:36 Mar 21, 2026
KARACHI: Digital payments have changed the landscape of banking transactions in the country as 92 per cent retail transactions were carried out through this mode during the second quarter of FY26, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. The central bank released its report on payment systems for the October-December 2025 quarter on Thursday. Out of the 3.4 billion retail transactions carried out during the period, 92pc were conducted through digital channels. The percentage for the same period during October-December 2024 was 88pc. The number of retail transactions went up by eight per cent from the previous quarter, while its value rose by seven per cent, reaching Rs167 trillion. The number of payments through the digital channel reached 3.1bn, amounting to Rs64tr, reflecting the growing adoption of digital payment methods across the economy. App-based payments Mobile app-based payments continued to dominate the digital landscape, with 2.6bn transactions conducted through apps offered by branchless banking ... -
Dawn - 02:03 Mar 21, 2026
QUETTA: Balochistan Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir has congratulated provincial police personnel for arresting 497 proclaimed offenders over the 40-day special campaign launched against criminals wanted by police for cases of murder, attempted murder, robberies and kidnapping for ransom. He announced cash rewards and CC-1 certificates for police officers from Kachhi, Hub, Quetta, Sibi and Kohlu and Ziarat districts. Presiding over a meeting on Thursday to review law and order situation in the province, the IGP expressed satisfaction over the performance of police personnel. He said that last year only 587 proclaimed offenders were arrested, while in 2026, during the special campaign launched on Jan 26, 497 proclaimed offenders were arrested till March 18, which reflects the dedication and coordinated efforts of the police force. The IGP also announced cash awards for the districts that showed good performance during the campaign. Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2026 -
Dawn - 20:37 Mar 20, 2026
Supreme Leader Mojtaba denies Iran’s role in attacks in Oman, Turkiye, dubs them ‘false flag tactic’
Iran’s supreme leader, Mojataba Khamenei, denied on Friday Tehran’s role in recent attacks in Turkiye and Oman, claiming that it was a “false flag tactic” by Israel instead. “I should also remark that the attacks against Turkiye and Oman – both of which have good relations with us — targeting certain locations in these countries, were in no way carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic republic or the other forces of the Resistance Front. “This is a ploy by the Zionist enemy (Israel), employing the false flag tactic to create discord between the Islamic republic and its neighbours, and it may also occur in some other countries,” Khamenei said in a statement published on his Telegram channel and official Iranian media on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. This is Mojtaba’s second message since becoming Iran’s supreme leader following the assassination of his father and the previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ali Khamenei was assassinated on February 28, when the US and Israel launc... -
Dawn - 20:21 Mar 20, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that he had rejected recommendations for further increasing petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices, adding that, however, he had instructed relevant ministries to devise a mechanism to ensure that the “relief” was restricted to only the deserving and needy. He said this during an address to the nation, delivered on the eve of Eidul Fitr. The premier began his address by extending Eid greetings to the nation. He also referred to a global fuel crisis resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The government announced unprecedented austerity measures last week to cope with the crisis and also hiked petroleum products’ prices earlier this month. PM Shehbaz said in view of the present situation, the festival demanded humanity, national unity and collective responsibility. “And I believe the joy of Eid in its true sense is sharing it with those in need,” he added. The premier said the world was facing an “extraordinary challenge” today, add... -
Dawn - 18:13 Mar 20, 2026
On the twenty-first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, a sombre Nowruz and Eidul Fitr eve set the domestic mood in Iran, as fresh military developments and a shifting coalition posture pointed to an imminent widening of the war. Across Iran, the Persian New Year arrived without usual festivities associated with it. Celebrations were scaled down, with war, blackouts and economic strain shaping public sentiment. Markets remained open but subdued, and even among diaspora communities, observances lacked the usual fervour. ‘Rare moral boost’ Against this backdrop, a reported Iranian air defence success provided a rare morale boost. Iranian systems are said to have damaged a US F-35 during a combat mission, forcing it to make an emergency landing at Al-Dhafra Airbase in the United Arab Emirates. While the operational impact appears limited, the symbolic value of hitting a stealth fifth-generation aircraft would be considerable. The Iranian media is projecting it as evidence that advanced US platforms can be challen... -
Dawn - 16:59 Mar 20, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday discussed the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East in phone calls with leaders from several countries, with all calling for de-escalation in the region. The ongoing war, launched by the US and Israel against Iran, has expanded across the Middle East with Tehran targeting US bases and assets in other countries in the region, including Azerbaijan, and Tel Aviv targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on the social media platform X that the premier held a telephone conversation with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev “to exchange greetings on the auspicious occasion of Eidul Fitr”. “The two leaders also discussed the ongoing hostilities in Iran and the Gulf region,” the statement said. “The prime minister reiterated [his] strong condemnation of the attacks against Azerbaijan and expressed full solidarity and support with the brotherly people of Azerbaijan in these challenging times.” It added that both leaders called for an immediate de-esc... -
Dawn - 16:17 Mar 20, 2026
For Lebanese Muslims, there was little to celebrate on Friday during Eidul Fitr as a displacement crisis prompted by Israeli strikes and fears for the future cast a dark shadow over the end of Ramazan. Eid this year has been dampened by fallout from the war that began with the US and Israel launching strikes on Iran. With fighting going on between Hezbollah and Israel as well, Lebanon has also been dragged into the regional conflict. A displaced child from Beirut’s southern suburbs looks on from inside a van on the day worshippers attend Eid prayers to mark the end of Ramazan, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 20, 2026. — Reuters Israel’s strikes across Lebanon’s south, east and its capital Beirut have killed more than 1,000 people and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders have forced more than a million people to flee their homes. In downtown Beirut, displaced Lebanese tried to shield themselves from bouts of heavy rain on Frida... -
Dawn - 12:46 Mar 20, 2026
Hard-right UK lawmaker Nigel Farage, currently leading opinion polls, said he will ban mass Muslim prayer at historic British sites if he becomes prime minister. The anti-immigrant firebrand called an open Iftar in London’s Trafalgar Square earlier this week an “attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life”. Monday’s open Iftar has been the subject of political debate in recent days, with Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticising a Conservative MP for opposing the event. “We have to stop this kind of mass demonstration, provocative demonstration, in historic British sites, because that’s what it is,” Farage said on Thursday. Asked during a visit to Scotland whether he favoured banning all mass religious observances, Farage, leader of Reform UK, replied “yes”. Pressed on whether that included Jewish or Catholic observances, he added: “I’ve never seen Jewish services taking place in places of historic Christian worship, or anywhere else. “We have to get this right. We can’t stop individuals... -
Dawn - 12:17 Mar 20, 2026
KARACHI: The Sindh Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday arrested five members of the proscribed Baloch Republican Guard (BRG), who were allegedly planning to carry out an attack on railway tracks in Karachi. In a press release, the department said that it conducted a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) with rangers and the federal intelligence agency, “arresting five members of the BRG, and foiling a terrorist plan on railway tracks in Karachi”. The CTD said, in its statement, that the group has carried out “six low-intensity explosions in Jacobabad, Shikarpur districts of Sindh, resulting in partial damage to the railway track and train carriage”. It said that the group had claimed responsibility for the attacks on its social media accounts. It added that the CTD, working in collaboration with the “civilian federal intelligence agency [..] identified the network and monitored them day and night”. The CTD recovered explosives, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), weapons, and ammunition from the ... -
Dawn - 12:07 Mar 20, 2026
KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Friday forecast rain in Karachi and other parts of Sindh for tomorrow, when the country will celebrate the first day of Eidul Fitr. In its daily weather forecast, the weather body said a westerly wave was “continuously affecting” most parts of the country. It said “rain/thunderstorm with strong winds” was likely in Karachi Division and various other Sindh districts tomorrow. The same was forecast for Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Matiari, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad and Dadu districts. However, in a three-day weather outlook for Karachi, the PMD said the weather in the city tomorrow was expected to be “mostly cloudy with chances of isolated thunderstorm/rain at outskirts”. Daytime temperatures will range between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius, while night temperatures could drop to as low as 17-19°C. Humidity levels in the morning were expected to remain b... -
Dawn - 11:28 Mar 20, 2026
Hundreds of Muslim worshippers held Eidul Fitr prayers at the gates of Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday, with Israel closing access to the Al-Aqsa mosque and other holy sites over its war on Iran. “Today, Al-Aqsa has been taken from us. It’s a sad and painful Ramazan,” Wajdi Mohammed Shweiki, a silver-haired Palestinian man in his 60s, told AFP. “It’s a catastrophic situation for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for Palestinians in general and for all Muslims across the globe.” Since Israel and the United States started the war on Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities have closed access to Jerusalem’s world-renowned holy sites over security concerns — Al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Western Wall for Jews. As Iranian missile barrages head towards Israel, the authorities have banned gatherings of more than 50 people nationwide to limit potential casualties. In a sign of the risks, police said this week that shrapnel fragments had fallen on the Old City. Research... -
Dawn - 11:08 Mar 20, 2026
Forced by yet another Israeli bombardment on Lebanon to flee his home for the second time in just two years, and mourning lost relatives and friends, Hassan Kiki said he feels much older than 16. “War has aged us… We have lived through what no one else has,” the tall teen from south Lebanon told AFP in Beirut. “I miss my school, my friends… I lost two cousins and two friends in a massacre in Shehabiyeh,” he added, referring to a deadly Israeli strike in his town that killed at least seven people on March 11. Kiki is among more than a million people Lebanese authorities have registered as displaced since the country was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2. On that day, Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel to avenge the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel, which never stopped bombing Lebanon despite a 2024 truce that sought to end the last fighting with Hezbollah, responded with widespread strikes, ground operations along the border, and an evacuation warning for swa... -
Dawn - 10:56 Mar 20, 2026
Energy expert Vaqar Zakaria believes solar power makes “excellent economic sense” — and he lives by it. For over five years, his rooftop panels have slashed his bills, sometimes to zero, even allowing him to sell surplus electricity back through net metering. Last month, he took it further. After buying two electric vehicles, he has almost “declared independence” from the national grid. With more panels and doubled batteries, even his cars run on sunshine. “I am moving away from their fuel, and I don’t need their power,” said the CEO of Hagler Bailly, Pakistan, an Islamabad-based environmental consultancy firm, over the phone from Islamabad. “I call it the hand of God driving my car,” Zakaria said. He is already seeing economic gains from his investment. “The electricity I generate, including battery costs, comes to about Rs12 ($0.043) per unit, while it can be sold to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company at around Rs26 ($0.092) per unit.” However, he adds that he does not currently claim this benefit, as it... -
Dawn - 08:24 Mar 20, 2026
A federal arts panel comprised of members appointed by Donald Trump on Thursday unanimously approved a commemorative gold coin featuring his image, part of a series of coins the US Mint is planning to produce to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year. The 24-carat gold coin is the latest effort by Trump and his allies to put the president’s name on buildings, government programmes and US currency since his second White House term began in January 2025. During a presentation by a US Mint official to the Commission of Fine Arts, discussion turned to what diameter the 24-carat coin should be, up to three inches (7.6cm). Chamberlain Harris, a White House aide whom Trump appointed to the commission this year, said the biggest possible coin would be Trump’s preference. “The larger the better,” she said, shortly before the coin was approved by the entire panel. People view the portrait of US President Donald Trump, taken by official White House photographer Daniel Torok which is the basis of a proposed US Mint... -
Dawn - 08:12 Mar 20, 2026
Times for this Ramazan’s (1447 AH) last Iftar for the federal and provincial capitals are listed below: Islamabad Iftar Fiqh-i-Hanafia — 6:20pm Fiqh-i-Jafria — 6:30pm Karachi Iftar Fiqh-i-Hanafia — 6:44pm Fiqh-i-Jafria — 6:57pm Lahore Iftar Fiqh-i-Hanafia — 6:14pm Fiqh-i-Jafria — 6:24pm Peshawar Iftar Fiqh-i-Hanafia — 6:26pm Fiqh-i-Jafria — 6:36pm Quetta Iftar Fiqh-i-Hanafia — 6:45pm Fiqh-i-Jafria — 7:03pm -
Dawn - 08:11 Mar 20, 2026
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has lashed out at India at the UN for weaponising water by unilaterally suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) over “baseless” terrorism allegations, calling New Delhi’s actions a direct threat to its agriculture, livelihoods and regional stability. The exchange between the two neighbours took place at a high-level UN event held ahead of World Water Day on March 22, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s UN mission on Thursday. The spat followed a video message by Minister of Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik, who said India’s decision to place the treaty “in abeyance” undermined decades of cooperation and violates international law. Indian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, told the world body that New Delhi would continue to hold the treaty “in abeyance until Pakistan … credibly and irrevocably ends its support for all forms of terrorism” — an allegation that Islamabad has already repeatedly rejected as baseless. The Indian envoy also cla... -
Dawn - 07:37 Mar 20, 2026
Protesters heckled and booed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday during a visit to Australia’s largest mosque for Eidul Fitr prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Some in Australia’s Muslim and Jewish communities are angry over a fine line walked by the centre-left government since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza, expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly urging a ceasefire, and backing Israel’s right to self-defence. Video images showed protesters interrupting proceedings about 15 minutes after Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined worshippers at Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney to mark the end of Ramazan. Demonstrators booed, told Albanese and Burke to “Get out!” and called them “genocide supporters”, referring to Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza. “Dear brothers and sisters, keep calm a little bit,” one of the organisers told the crowd, urging people to sit down and stop filming the exchange. “It is Eid. It is a joyful day.” ... -
Dawn - 07:06 Mar 20, 2026
LAHORE: The Airport Traffic Controllers of Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) have reportedly prevented around 30 passenger aircraft from entering the Iranian war zone. “Owing to severe weather conditions, several aircraft were on the verge of drifting into Iranian war-zone airspace on Wednesday and Thursday. Timely guidance from the air traffic controllers, particularly coordination with the Karachi Flight Information Region, helped avert a major disaster,” an official source in the Airport Traffic Controllers here said. “Most of the aircraft came under the pressure of extreme weather near the Iran border, creating a highly risky situation. However, the professionalism demonstrated by the Lahore air traffic controllers ensured that the planes were safely diverted away from the danger zone, although no response was received from Tehran Air Traffic Control despite repeated attempts,” he said. These flights were arriving and going to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and other countries. “The Lahore air traffic control, in co...
10732 items