Dawn
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Dawn - 19:06 Feb 04, 2026
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Wednesday urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to move swiftly to designate the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organisation under its sanctions regime, saying the listing request was already under consideration by the council. “We hope the council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime, acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told a UNSC briefing on ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts’. In his remarks, the envoy thanked UNSC members for issuing a press statement condemning the recent attacks in Balochistan and expressed appreciation for what he described as an international “outpouring of support and solidarity with Pakistan”. “We remain resolute in eliminating this externally sponsored scourge from our soil and exposing the sponsors, financiers, aiders and abettor... -
Dawn - 19:03 Feb 04, 2026
Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, said on Wednesday that the government was “deliberately” refusing to process his and his brother’s visas. In a post on X, Kasim said, “My brother and I are trying to travel to Pakistan to see our father. For 914 days, he has been held in solitary confinement while his health deteriorates and he is denied access to independent medical care. “Now the government is deliberately refusing to process our visas. Denying a prisoner treatment is cruel. Denying his children the right to see him is collective punishment,” he said. “I call on international human rights organisations and governments to speak out and act before irreversible harm is done,” he said. Kasim and his older brother Suleiman live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith. The development comes as the government last week admitted that Imran was treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), days after reports regarding the treatment of the former premier emerged in main... -
Dawn - 18:30 Feb 04, 2026
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday said that no terrorist or their facilitator would be spared, adding that “no one can rationalise violence and terrorism on any pretext”. He made the remarks during a visit to Quetta, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), where he received a “comprehensive operational briefing on the prevailing security environment and internal security operations”. “The briefing covered recent terrorist attacks orchestrated by Indian-backed internationally-designated terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan and the prompt aggressive response of security forces, which failed their ulterior motive of compromising peace, stability, and development in Balochistan,” ISPR said. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The handout said measures being undertaken to further strengthen the writ of the state and ensu... -
Dawn - 18:08 Feb 04, 2026
Commenting on the decision to boycott the match against India in the T20 World Cup, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that there “should be no politics in sports”. He made the remarks while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad. The remarks were televised. “We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India,” he said. “There should be no politics in sports,” he said. “We have taken this stand after deliberating on it carefully,” he said, calling it an “appropriate decision”. It should be noted that the government on Sunday gave the cricket team the nod to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, but said the Green Shirts would not play their match with arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held on Feb 15 in Colombo. The development came after Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament amid tensions with India, which is one of the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup. At the start of his address, PM Shehbaz began by talking about the attacks ... -
Dawn - 17:57 Feb 04, 2026
The Washington Post began widespread layoffs on Wednesday that will drastically shrink the size of the storied newspaper, affecting all departments. Executive Editor Matt Murray informed the staff of the cuts, which will occur across the international, editing, metro, and sports desks, and come just days after the more than 145-year-old newspaper scaled back its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics amid mounting financial losses. “For too long, we’ve operated with a structure that’s too rooted in the days when we were a quasi-monopoly local newspaper,” Murray said on the call, adding that “we need a new way forward and a sounder foundation.” One Post reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity, called it a “bloodbath.” The impacted journalists include Amazon beat reporter Caroline O’Donovan, Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker and the rest of The Post’s Middle East correspondents and editors, according to X posts from O’Donovan and Parker. “The Washington Post is taking several difficult but decisive actions to... -
Dawn - 17:50 Feb 04, 2026
Chinese leader Xi Jinping called on Wednesday for “mutual respect” in strengthening relations with the United States, warning President Donald Trump in a phone call to use “caution” when selling arms to Taiwan, Beijing’s state media reported. Xi expressed the hope that bilateral issues — amongst which trade figures highly — could be resolved amicably between the world’s two largest economies. “By tackling issues one by one and continuously building mutual trust, we can forge a right way for the two countries to get along,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “Let us make 2026 a year in which China and the United States, as two major countries, move toward mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation,” he added. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform following what he called an “excellent” call, said ties between the two countries were “extremely good”. “The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realise h... -
Dawn - 17:48 Feb 04, 2026
KARACHI: In family lore, the year 1976 shines with a particular light. It was the year of the Montreal Olympics, and a young man from Karachi named Marghoob Hasan Ansari carried the dream of representing Pakistan in field hockey. Whether he stood on the turf or carried the hope only in his heart, that dream became a family heirloom — a lost legacy of sporting ambition that his daughter, Shehla Nasir, would hold onto. With time and distance, it faded into the realm of proud, silent ghosts. Almost 49 years later, and 3,800 kilometres south, that ghost found its voice. It did not speak on the AstroTurf, but on a perfect, frozen sheet in Coral Springs, Florida. It did not cheer for a field hockey flick, but for the thunderous clap of a puck against plexiglass. And it did not watch a son, but a grandson. In the stands, surrounded by a sea of opposing colours, a small, defiant cluster of green flags fluttered. Among them stood the Olympian’s daughter, Shehla — her heart a storm of memory and miracle — as her son, M... -
Dawn - 16:33 Feb 04, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that he was confident that the visit of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev would open “new avenues for shared prosperity”. He made the remarks on X after President Tokayev spent a busy day in Islamabad, meeting with the Pakistani leadership. “Delighted to host my dear brother President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Islamabad on this historic visit — the first by a Kazakh president in 23 years,” PM Shehbaz said. “We agreed to elevate our relations to a strategic partnership, enhance bilateral trade to $1 billion, deepen regional connectivity, and expand cooperation across economic, defence, energy, and people-to-people domains,” he said. “We also addressed the Pakistan–Kazakhstan Business Forum, where it was heartening to see business leaders from both nations engaging to create new opportunities across key sectors,” he added. “I am confident that President Tokayev’s visit will open new avenues for shared prosperity and stronger regional integration. Our two s... -
Dawn - 16:15 Feb 04, 2026
KARACHI: The Sindh government on Wednesday formed a single-member judicial commission to probe the cause of the Gul Plaza blaze that claimed at least 73 lives. The notification appointing Justice Agha Faisal and listing the commission’s terms of reference came hours after Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput nominated the judge for the task. It should be mentioned that the Sindh government had announced it would approach the SHC chief justice for a judicial inquiry into the fire, which took nearly two days to be fully extinguished and left over 1,100 shops in ruins. Earlier in the day, a letter from the SHC registrar to the Sindh Home Department’s secretary, available with Dawn, stated that the chief justice had nominated Justice Faisal as the single-member commission to “probe the causes of the fire incident of Gul Plaza shopping centre, Karachi for a period to be fixed and notified by the government of Sindh”. It stated that the decision was made keeping in view the provisions of Section ... -
Dawn - 14:41 Feb 04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met the newly-appointed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) Dr Usman Anwar on Wednesday and expressed hope that under his leadership, the FIA would emerge as a “model institution”. The meeting took place during Naqvi’s visit to FIA Headquarters in Islamabad, a statement by the interior ministry said. It further quoted Naqvi as saying that Anwar would “utilise all his energies and capabilities to transform the agency into an institution that meets public expectations”. The interior minister added that he would fully support efforts to make the FIA a “modern, strong, and effective organisation”. The statement quoted DG Anwar as saying that the agency would be improved to meet international standards through the use of modern technology and training. “All necessary measures will be taken to improve the institution,” he assured. According to the statement, Naqvi also assessed an under-construction committee room at the FIA Headquarters, and it was als... -
Dawn - 14:36 Feb 04, 2026
Five United Nations (UN) experts on Wednesday expressed alarm over the conviction of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatta. Last month, an Islamabad sessions court had sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts. In a joint statement on Wednesday, UN special rapporteurs Margaret Satterthwaite, Ben Saul, Mary Lawlor, Irene Khan and Gina Romero noted that the two were convicted on multiple criminal charges, which resulted in lengthy prison sentences “for simply exercising rights guaranteed by international human rights law”. “Lawyers, like other individuals, are entitled to freedom of expression. The exercise of this right should never be conflated with criminal conduct, especially not terrorism,” they were quoted as saying, while also emphasising the vague definition of terrorism-related offences under Pakistan’s counter-terrorism framework. “Doing so risks undermining and criminalising the w... -
Dawn - 13:27 Feb 04, 2026
Russia faces a steep drop in oil income if United States President Donald Trump successfully pressures India to stop importing Russian crude, because losing its top purchaser of seaborne exports would force Moscow to slash prices to find other buyers, analysts and traders said. Trump on Monday cut US tariffs on Indian goods in a trade deal he said also included provisions for India to halt oil imports from Russia, the world’s second-biggest oil exporter. The US is also putting pressure on Russia to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine. Trump has over the past year already claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil. India never halted imports, however, citing its need for energy security and for cheap oil. The Kremlin says energy cooperation with India, its second-largest oil buyer after China, is strong after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the country in December 2025. But Indian refiners are taking a cautious approach to Russian oil purchases, which is already hu... -
Dawn - 13:23 Feb 04, 2026
Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20 All-Rounder Rankings on the back of “some excellent showings” during the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Pakistan whitewashed Australia with a 3-0 victory in the series, during which Saim scored 119 run and claimed three wickets. An announcement by the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday that Saim moved up one slot to regain the top spot in the monthly rankings, replacing Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza. The cricket’s governing body said the development “bodes well for Ayub and Pakistan just days out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as the Asian side look to claim their second title in the 20-over showcase event and their first since they tasted success in the second edition of the tournament back in 2009”. Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed also moved up two places to the second spot in the T20 bowler rankings. He grabbed six wickets in the series against Australia and was “now ju... -
Dawn - 13:13 Feb 04, 2026
The US and Iran are due to hold talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran requested a change of venue to limit negotiations to its nuclear programme, a regional official said, with a build-up of US forces in the Middle East raising fears of a confrontation. Iran wanted the meeting to take place in Oman as a continuation of previous rounds of talks held in the Gulf Arab country on its nuclear programme, asking for a change of location from Turkiye to avoid any expansion of the discussions to issues such as Tehran’s ballistic missiles, the regional official said. Iran has said it will not make concessions on its formidable ballistic missile programme — one of the biggest in the Middle East — calling that a red line in negotiations. Tehran, which said it replenished its stockpile of ballistic missiles since coming under attack from Israel last year, had warned that it will unleash its missiles to defend the Islamic Republic if its security is under threat. The regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, sa... -
Dawn - 13:12 Feb 04, 2026
In a meeting with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam appreciated Islamabad’s “principled positions and continued support” toward his country in various areas. “Highly honored to call on Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, president of the PML-N, and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif,” Mogahadam said in a post on X about the meeting. He added: “Reiterating the firm commitment of the Islamic Republic of Iran to further enhance Iran-Pakistan relations, I expressed my sincere appreciation for the principled positions and continued support of the government of Pakistan toward Iran in various arenas.” The envoy said he had met the father-daughter duo to exchange views on the latest regional developments, “particularly in light of recent interventions by the United States and the Israeli regime, including their interventionist positions, threats, and escalatory rhetoric”. “We also discussed initiatives aimed at further strengthening t... -
Dawn - 12:00 Feb 04, 2026
QUETTA: Mobile internet remains suspended in parts of Balochistan for the fifth consecutive day, with provincial authorities also halting train services in the province in the wake of last week’s coordinated terrorist attacks across the province. “Keeping in mind the worsening law and order situation in the province, mobile internet has been shut down,” said Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat while speaking to Dawn about the situation in Quetta. However, he added, “Now that the situation is returning to normal, it has been decided to restore mobile internet service from tomorrow at 12am midnight.” Meanwhile, mobile data services reportedly remained suspended in Nushki and Sibi, as well as in Mastung where services were briefly restored. Mobile data has been inaccessible for those in Kalat, Khuzdar, Awaran, Panjgur and Turbat for varying periods due to prior security concerns. Separately, a spokesperson for Pakistan Railways’ Quetta division, Muhammad Kashif, told Dawn that train services from Quetta to... -
Dawn - 11:56 Feb 04, 2026
Pakistan’s benchmark index, KSE-100, closed in the green at 187,832.08 points on Wednesday. The index rose 931.35points (0.5 per cent) from its previous close of 186,900.73. Topline Securities noted that “overall market participation was robust, with total traded volume reaching 1,193 million shares, translating into a turnover value of Rs44 billion”. The brokerage firm also noted that “market activity remained volatile throughout the day, with the index recording an intraday high of 188,312 points and a low of 187,018 points”. The top active stocks were led by K-Electric Limited with a volume of 590,867,315, rising 13.06pc to Rs8.31, followed by Waves Home Appliances Limited with a volume of 36,307,348, rising 7.89pc to Rs12.04, First National Equities Limited with a volume of 32,938,146, falling 1.15pc to Rs1.72, Bank of Punjab with a volume of 32,471,485, rising 2.15pc to Rs40.90 and Waves Cooperation Limited with a volume of 25,119,030 rising 2.88pc to rs16.44. Top advancers were K-Electric Limited, follo... -
Dawn - 11:39 Feb 04, 2026
Seventy-five years ago, the idea of harnessing the power of the skies was little more than a fantasy spun by futurists like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Elon Musk’s mega-merger of his companies xAI and SpaceX this week brings this sci-fi dream a step closer. Nasa engineers and technologists have speculated for nearly two decades about moving energy-hungry computing off the planet. More recently, the idea has captured the attention of Big Tech, including Alphabet and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The physics made sense; the solar energy was abundant. Still, the challenges seemed insurmountable. Musk, though, known for betting on seemingly far-out theories and getting them to work, may finally be laying the groundwork to make data centres in space a reality. He is armed with the world’s busiest satellite launch fleet, an AI startup, and an appetite for infrastructure that stretches from Earth to vacuum. “In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale,” Musk said on Monday. “To harness even... -
Dawn - 11:17 Feb 04, 2026
In the latest violence to undermine the ceasefire in Gaza, health officials said Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 20 Palestinians, including four children, on Wednesday. Among the dead was a medic who rushed to help victims of a strike in the southern city of Khan Younis and was then killed by a second attack on the same location, health officials said. Other strikes hit Gaza City in the north, where health officials said a five-month-old boy was killed. The attacks come three days after Israel reopened Gaza’s main border crossing with Egypt, a major step in the US-backed truce. The Israeli military claimed it had launched the strikes in response to gunmen opening fire against Israeli troops operating near its armistice line with Hamas. It said an Israeli soldier was severely injured by the fire. Wednesday’s attacks bring the number of Palestinians killed since the border reopened to 28, according to a tally from Gazan health officials. On Saturday, before its reopening, Israeli strikes killed more... -
Dawn - 10:09 Feb 04, 2026
The Punjab government has notified public holidays in the province on February 6 and 7 (Friday and Saturday) for Basant, said a notification. The notification was issued on Tuesday by the provincial government’s Services and General Administration Department, a copy of which is available with Dawn. “It is hereby notified for general information that 6th and 7th February, 2026 (Friday and Saturday) shall be observed as public holidays in the province of Punjab,” the notification said. On Sunday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had announced a “long weekend” in the province, declaring a Basant holiday. “Punjab will enjoy a long weekend with Kashmir Day on February 5, a provincial Basant holiday on the 6th, followed by Saturday and Sunday. “We hope people across Punjab take this time to relax, recharge, and make the most of the break,” she posted on X. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has said dry weather with clear skies was expected for the majority of the Basant festival. “Mainly dry weather wi...
7368 items