Dawn
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Dawn - 17:35 Aug 26, 2025
Nine terrorists of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group have been killed in a joint operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Dir district, the police said on Tuesday. A statement issued by Upper Dir District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Bilal said the police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted a targeted operation against the TTP in the district. “Nine terrorists were killed in the operation that has been going on for three days, and the bodies of five were recovered,” he said, adding that 10 police personnel were injured in firing by terrorists and two locals were also killed. The statement said the operation was carried out in adjoining areas within the limits of the Dir City Police Station based on credible information indicating the presence of elements of banned terrorist organisations. “Dir Police is always ready to eliminate terrorism and protect the lives and property of the people, and is determined to make every kind of sacrifice. This operation will continue until the comp... -
Dawn - 17:05 Aug 26, 2025
Indian exporters are bracing for a sharp decline in orders from the United States after trade talks collapsed and Washington confirmed that steep new tariffs on the South Asian nation’s goods would take effect from Wednesday, escalating tension between the strategic partners. An additional 25 per cent duty announced by President Donald Trump, confirmed in a notice by the Homeland Security Department, takes total tariffs to as much as 50pc, among Washington’s highest, in retaliation for New Delhi’s increased buying of Russian oil. “The government has no hope for any immediate relief or delay in US tariffs,” said a commerce ministry official, who sought anonymity for lack of authorisation to speak to the media. Exporters hit by tariffs would receive financial assistance and be encouraged to diversify to alternative markets such as China, Latin America and the Middle East, the official added. However, the commerce ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the latest notice. The new duti... -
Dawn - 16:42 Aug 26, 2025
Jhelum police said on Tuesday that they have detained cleric Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance for alleged controversial remarks and later booked him under blasphemy charges. Mirza, a resident of Machine Mohallah of Jhelum city, frequently uploads his lectures and speeches on his social media accounts and has amassed 3.1 million followers on his YouTube channel. Earlier today, Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Meesam Abbas and District Police Officer (DPO) Ahmed Mohiyuddin confirmed Mirza’s arrest under MPO to Dawn.com. Section 3 of the MPO ordinance gives authorities the power to arrest and detain suspected persons to prevent “any person from acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety” or to maintain public order. A religious group had yesterday filed an application, seen by Dawn.com, requesting legal action against Mirza for alleged controversial remarks made during an interview that “went viral on social media”. Separately, a first inform... -
Dawn - 14:36 Aug 26, 2025
PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khanum, on Tuesday rejected rumours of a tense exchange with PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja that allegedly led to his decision to resign. There seems to be a tug of war within the PTI over whether to participate in the upcoming by-elections for national and provincial assembly seats — vacated after the recent disqualifications of a number of key lawmakers. Insiders had told Dawn the party’s political committee — in its meeting on Monday — had a change of heart after a majority of members voted against the decision to boycott by-polls. This contravenes the opinion reportedly expressed by Imran, transmitted by Aleema on a couple of occasions, to steer clear of by-elections so that the party isn’t seen as legitimising the process. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram had shared the party’s decision on social media and triggered a wave of criticism from across the globe. When approached, Akram confirmed that he, Raja and a few others were against t... -
Dawn - 14:13 Aug 26, 2025
Several areas in Gilgit Baltistan’s (GB) Ghizer district have been cut off for five days, as preparations are underway to clear the Gilgit-Shandur road, authorities said on Tuesday. Since late July, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country, especially in its northern regions like GB, by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. According to locals, majority of the areas in the Ghizer district, including Gupis, Phander, and Yasin tehsils, remained stranded for five days as five kilometres of the region’s main road were submerged by an artificial lake formed at Raushan village in Ghizer. Local resident Meraj Ali Shah told Dawn.com that 300 houses had been damaged by the glacial flood, with houses submerged due to artificial lake in Hakis, Thangi, and Raushan villages as they remained without basic necessities. He added that hundreds of people had been displaced when a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) swept everyth... -
Dawn - 13:06 Aug 26, 2025
Fast bowler Will O’Rourke will be out for at least three months with a stress fracture in his lower back, New Zealand Cricket said onb Tuesday, adding to a mounting injury list. The 24-year-old was injured while bowling in the first Test against Zimbabwe this month and returned home, where scans revealed the extent of the damage. “We’re really feeling for Will at the moment and wishing him speedy recovery,” New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said. O’Rourke will miss the home white-ball series against Australia in early October, England later that month and the West Indies in November. All-rounder Glenn Phillips was also ruled out of the Australia series as he recovers from the groin injury that saw him miss the Zimbabwe tour. And opening batsman Finn Allen will be out for a minimum of three months after having surgery on his right foot. “It’s disappointing to lose the services of Glenn and Finn, who have played important batting roles in our T20 set-up in recent times,” said Walter. White-ball captain Mitchell... -
Dawn - 11:57 Aug 26, 2025
India’s Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into a wildlife rescue centre run by the philanthropic arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s group, although it said the evidence did not support allegations of unlawful animal acquisitions and mistreatment. Vantara is a marquee project of the Reliance Foundation and the Ambani family. Located in western Gujarat state and led by the billionaire’s son, Anant Ambani, it has rescued and treated thousands of animals, and built the largest elephant hospital. It was also one of the venues for Anant’s pre-wedding celebrations last year, with the global celebrities who attended advised to don “jungle fever” outfits when visiting Vantara. The Supreme Court late on Monday ordered an inquiry as it ruled on public interest litigations that referred to complaints by non-profit and wildlife groups alleging mistreatment of animals at Vantara and questioning how the animals ended up at the rescue centre. They also alleged the Central Zoo Authority, the regulatory agency, failed... -
Dawn - 11:55 Aug 26, 2025
Posts from PTI supporters on multiple social media platforms since Sunday were sharing a video showing PTI founder Imran Khan with a beard. However, the video is doctored. Imran has remained incarcerated for over two years since August 2023 due to ongoing legal proceedings, despite several acquittals and suspended sentences. In January 2025, he was handed a 14-year prison sentence in a corruption case linked to the Al-Qadir University Project Trust. On Aug 23 this year, a TikTok user — who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on his past posts — shared a video showing Imran with a beard. The user did not provide any details about when or where the video was recorded. The video amassed over 21.3 million views and more than 2.3m likes. The same video was also shared by other PTI supporters on TikTok, here and here, where it gained 4.1m and 2.2m views, respectively. Other users also circulated the clip on various other platforms, which can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here. In addition, an image of I... -
Dawn - 11:52 Aug 26, 2025
Northern areas are reeling from devastating climate-induced flash floods that killed hundreds earlier this month, destroying homes, infrastructure and livelihoods in scenes many compared to the catastrophic 2022 deluges. Pakistan ranks among the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, despite contributing less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Experts warn that such floods and other calamities are no longer “rare disasters” and are becoming routine shocks in a country ill-prepared to withstand them. The focus, according to these experts, must now be on adaptation, not emissions cuts. “Floods are no longer rare disasters in Pakistan. They are becoming routine shocks that people brace for every monsoon. Calling them the ‘new normal’ is not an exaggeration,” said Karachi-based ecologist Rafi-ul-Haq. Since mid-August, torrential rains, flash floods and cloudbursts have killed more than 460 people across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Khybe... -
Dawn - 10:54 Aug 26, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar vowed to strengthen Pakistan’s ties with the North African countries of Egypt and Algeria as he met their foreign ministers on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. Dar arrived in Jeddah on a two-day visit yesterday, where he spoke on Israel’s ongoing Gaza onslaught during the 21st extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers. Today, on the sidelines of the OIC meeting, Dar met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Algeria’s FM Ahmed Attaf. Terming his discussion as a “meaningful interaction”, Dar said: “I reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening ties with our brotherly countries in North Africa, Algeria and Egypt, through enhanced connectivity and broader cooperation across diverse fields.” The foreign ministers discussed the “grave situation in Palestine”, Dar said on X. The trio stressed the “urgent need for humanitarian access, a ceasefire, and lasting peace, while underscoring the importance of unity w... -
Dawn - 09:20 Aug 26, 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping will gather more than 20 world leaders at a regional security forum in China next week in a powerful show of Global South solidarity in the age of Donald Trump while also helping sanctions-hit Russia pull off another diplomatic coup. Aside from Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia have been invited to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, to be held in the northern port city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The summit will feature Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in more than seven years as the two neighbours work on further defusing tensions roiled by deadly border clashes in 2020. Modi last shared the same stage with Xi and Putin at last year’s Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, even as Western leaders turned their backs on the Russian leader amid the war in Ukraine. Russian embassy officials in New Delhi last week said Moscow hopes trilateral talks with China and ... -
Dawn - 09:13 Aug 26, 2025
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the country’s lenders to increase scrutiny over funds flowing indirectly from Pakistan, according to a letter seen by Reuters that cited a “high risk” of such money being used to buy arms. Direct flows of funds from Pakistan to India are largely prohibited, with every transaction requiring the central bank’s approval. The directive, dated August 6, follows investigations by Indian agencies after the two neighbouring countries engaged in a fierce military conflict in May, triggered by India blaming Pakistan, without evidence, for the April 22 Pehalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. The RBI named Pakistan a “high risk” jurisdiction from an arms financing perspective and cited Indian investigations into arms financing, but did not go into detail about their findings. According to a government source with direct knowledge of the matter, Indian investigative authorities found that some Pakistani nationals had sent funds to India via other countries. India’s banking channels a... -
Dawn - 08:54 Aug 26, 2025
The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has purchased an initial 30,000 tonnes of white sugar in an international tender seeking around 200,000 tonnes, European traders said on Tuesday. On July 8, the government had approved plans to import 500,000 tonnes of sugar to help maintain price stability. Market analysts said that retail sugar prices in the country have risen sharply since January. The validity of other price offers submitted in the tender, which closed last week, has been extended until tomorrow, so more purchases are seen as possible, traders said. The initial 30,000-tonne purchase was believed to have been made from Al Khaleej Sugar for medium-grade sugar at an estimated $582.50 a ton, cost and freight (c&f) included, they said. Reports reflect assessments from traders, and further estimates of prices and volumes are still possible later. The tender sought sugar from worldwide origins, excluding India and Israel. The TCP is believed to have purchased about 55,000 tonnes of white sugar in a previ... -
Dawn - 08:14 Aug 26, 2025
Two human traffickers were arrested in Balochistan’s Gwadar for attempting to send citizens to Iran via illegal sea routes, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said in a statement on Tuesday. Human smuggling from Pakistan to Iran has been a persistent issue, with many migrants attempting to cross through perilous land and sea routes in search of better economic opportunities or to reach onward destinations in the Middle East and Europe, according to a report by the National Initiative against Organised Crime. Gwadar and other parts of Balochistan are frequently used as key transit points, where traffickers exploit vulnerable citizens by charging hefty sums for the dangerous journeys. Per the FIA’s statement, “major operations” were carried out by the agency’s Composite Circle Gwadar, through which the suspects were arrested from different areas of the district. “The arrested suspects are involved in sending citizens from Pakistan to Iran through illegal sea routes,” it said. “The suspect extorted Rs10,000 ... -
Dawn - 08:01 Aug 26, 2025
Two more poliovirus cases were confirmed in the southern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing Pakistan’s total count this year to 23, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Tuesday. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. A statement from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s NIH said the latest cases include a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai in Tank district and a 24-month-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3 in North Waziristan district. “With these detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 23, including 15 cases from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan,” the statement noted. “Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effecti... -
Dawn - 07:15 Aug 26, 2025
The absent Alexander Isak dominated the build-up to Newcastle United’s clash at home to Liverpool but the Swede was temporarily forgotten in a rip-roaring contest that ended 3-2 to the reigning champions thanks to a stoppage-time winner by teenaged Premier League debutant Rio Ngumoha. Isak’s desire to leave Newcastle, with Liverpool his destination of choice, guaranteed a boisterous St James’ Park atmosphere and it seemed Arne Slot’s visitors had buckled as they threw away a flattering 2-0 lead against a side reduced to 10 men by Anthony Gordon’s red card in first-half stoppage time. But 16-year-old Ngumoha broke Newcastle’s hearts shortly after coming off the bench, thrashing in the winner with a first-time right-foot shot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to become Liverpool’s youngest ever scorer and the fourth youngest in Premier League history. View this post on Instagram It was a sickening blow for Newcastle who were again without outcast striker Isak, but who began the game in superb fashion. Even wh... -
Dawn - 06:31 Aug 26, 2025
LAHORE: The Punjab government and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have been wrangling over “exorbitant spendings, chartered jet and private persons in the delegation” of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Japan’s five-day tour. Ms Nawaz concluded her Japan visit on Monday and reached Thailand. Questions are also being raised on social media regarding CM Maryam’s ‘official visit’ to Japan, in which ‘private individuals’, including her family members, as also a part. It is being argued that even if such participants claim to bear their own expenses, the practice undermines the sanctity of official delegations and blurs the line between state affairs and personal interests. Questions are also being raised on social media platforms over the inclusion of private persons as part of her visit, causing a huge sum of money to the exchequer. Entourage comes under scrutiny; PTI’s Waqas claims bank borrowing spent on excursion; Azma says PTI will consume in its own frustration Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhar... -
Dawn - 05:40 Aug 26, 2025
Indian shares dropped in early trades on Tuesday and erased their gains for August after a US Homeland Security notification confirmed Washington will impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on all Indian-origin goods from Wednesday. The Nifty 50 and the BSE Sensex were down about 0.7pc each at 24,787 and 81,028.63 points, respectively, as of 10:39am IST (10:09am PKT). The benchmarks traded little changed for the month, on top of a nearly 3pc drop in July. Fifteen of the 16 major sectors traded lower on the day. The broader mid-caps and small-caps declined about 1pc each. Indian exports will face US duties of up to 50pc — among the highest imposed by Washington — after President Donald Trump announced extra tariffs as a punishment for New Delhi’s increased purchases of Russian oil earlier in August. “While this is sentimentally negative for the market, we do not expect deeper correction from hereon as it is not shocking news,” said Pankaj Pandey, head of retail research at ICICI Securities. Reliance Industrie... -
Dawn - 18:49 Aug 25, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that he expects to visit China this year or shortly afterwards, noting that economic ties between the two countries have improved — even as he kept the door open to steeper tariffs. Speaking to reporters as he met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Washington, Trump pointed to recent talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping: “At some point, probably during this year or shortly thereafter, we’ll go to China. “We’re going to have a great relationship with China,” Trump vowed. The US leader added: “They have some cards. We have incredible cards, but I don’t want to play those cards. If I played those cards, that would destroy China.” Tensions between the world’s two biggest economies have been simmering this year, but have significantly cooled since April, when both countries slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s exports. At one point, the tit-for-tat duties reached triple digits on both sides, snarling supply chains as many importers halted shipment... -
Dawn - 17:39 Aug 25, 2025
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Monday said he would request party founder Imran Khan tomorrow and step down from his party position in the wake of an undisclosed incident that occurred. In a post on X today, he said: “An incident has occurred today that now demands a decisive decision from me. My life is an open book. None of my actions contradicts any principle. I do not accept compromise on intellectual and economic integrity. Tomorrow I will resign from my position by requesting Khan sahib. My legal services will remain available without compensation.” Raja did not disclose what the incident was that compelled him to make the decision to step down. He added that he had already sent a request to Imran last week to allow him to focus on legal matters away from the post of the secretary general. However, he said Imran had not accepted his request, adding that he was grateful to the PTI founder for the trust reposed in him. “My entire legal and intellectual life has been governed by the principles ...
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