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  • Ecnec approves 100MW solar power project for Gilgit-Baltistan
    Dawn - 14:51 Aug 09, 2025
    The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved a 100 megawatt solar photovoltaic power project for Gilgit-Baltistan, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. It added that formal work on the project would now commence. The prime minister had announced during his recent visit to GB that Ecnec would soon approve the 100MW power plants. The report said that Central Development Working Party had already approved the project and it would benefit the districts of Astore, Darel, Tangir, Diamer, Ghanche, Ghizer, Gilgit, Hunza, Ishkoman, Nagar, Roundu, Skardu and Shigar. It added that Skardu district would be provided with 18.96MW of electricity in the first phase; the districts of Hunza, Gilgit and Diamer would be supplied with 6MW, 28MW and 13MW of electricity, respectively, in the second phase and the remaining districts would receive 16.1MW of electricity in the third phase. The project is set to be completed within three years at a total cost of Rs24,957 million. In June, protest demonstr...
    Tags: Gilgit-Baltistan ECNEC
  • Armenia-Azerbaijan truce: Pakistan again hails Trump’s efforts for peace
    Dawn - 14:44 Aug 09, 2025
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday hailed US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts following his role in brokering the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal. A day earlier, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed an initial US-brokered peace agreement during a meeting with Trump, a deal aimed at boosting economic ties between the two countries after decades of conflict. “Pakistan welcomes the historic peace agreement signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia at the White House Summit under the auspices of US President Donald J Trump,” the premier wrote in a statement on X. He congratulated both countries on “charting a course for a peaceful future for their region”, stating: “Pakistan has always stood by the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan and we stand with them at this proud moment of their history.” PM Shehbaz continued: “We also appreciate the facilitation role of the United States, under President Donald Trump, in bringing the two sides together and securing an agreement that opens new av...
    Tags: Pakistan Armenia-Azerbaijan Trump
  • Thai soldiers injured by landmine near Cambodia amid fragile ceasefire
    Dawn - 14:12 Aug 09, 2025
    Three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine on Saturday while patrolling a border area near Cambodia, the Thai army said in a statement, days after the two neighbours agreed to a detailed ceasefire following a violent five-day conflict last month. One soldier lost a foot and two others were injured after one of them stepped on a landmine as they patrolled an area between Thailand’s Sisaket and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear provinces. “The soldiers are being treated at a hospital,” the army said. Thailand said the incident took place within its territory and in an area recently cleared of landmines. It added that it would lodge a complaint against Cambodia for violating a treaty that bans the use of landmines and for infringing Thai sovereignty, the Thai foreign ministry said in a statement. Both Thailand and Cambodia are signatories to the Ottawa Convention against landmines. Cambodia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that it “has yet to receive clear confirmation from Cambodian frontline forces concerning the...
    Tags: Cambodia Thai
  • Zelensky warns on ‘decisions without Ukraine’ before US-Russia summit
    Dawn - 12:42 Aug 09, 2025
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday warned that “decisions without Ukraine” would not bring peace and ruled out ceding territory to Russia. “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,” he said on social media, as United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to hold a summit next week in Alaska to discuss peace in Ukraine. “Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,” he said, adding that the war “cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine”. Zelensky said Ukraine was “ready for real decisions that can bring peace” but said it should be a “dignified peace”, without giving details. Later, Zelensky wrote in a post on X that he exchanged views on a “diplomatic solution” to the conflict with French President Emmanuel Macron. Expressing gratitude for France’s support, the Ukrainian leader wrote: “Ukraine, France, and all our partners are ready to work as productively as possible fo...
    Tags: Ukraine Zelensky
  • Modi’s efforts to woo US, China hit stalemate after frictions with Trump, Xi: report
    Dawn - 12:10 Aug 09, 2025
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to engage with the US and China have reached a stalemate, which exposes limitations to India’s powers on the global stage, The New York Times reported. Modi’s first attempt came in 2014 through a high-level engagement with China came. The Indian premier rolled out the red carpet for China’s President Xi Jinping in his home town, organising an intimate riverside dinner in Ahmedabad. The meeting at the time focused on economic cooperation, with India seeking Chinese funding for an overhaul of its dilapidated railways and cooperation in nuclear energy. However, the talks were overshadowed by a stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops along their shared border. “The flare-up in 2014 was the first of several acts of aggression that would ultimately leave Mr Modi embarrassed, his economy squeezed by the need to keep tens of thousands of Indian troops on a war footing high in the Himalayas for several years,” The New York Times said. Subsequently, Modi steered towards...
    Tags: Modi China
  • Three wounded in New York Times Square shooting
    Dawn - 11:26 Aug 09, 2025
    Three people were shot and wounded in New York’s Times Square, the New York Police Department said on Saturday. The people — an 18 year-old female, 19 year-old male, and a 65 year-old male - are in a stable condition in hospital, an NYPD spokesperson said. A 17-year-old male is in custody, the NYPD added. The police also recovered a firearm. The shooting took place at around 1:20am ET (10:20am PKT) and followed a verbal altercation with one of the victims, the NYPD added. It said it was not known at this time whether the shooter or the victims knew each other. Mass shootings are relatively common in the United States, where guns are widely available. The incident at one of New York’s most iconic tourist spots comes after July’s high-profile shooting in a Manhattan office tower, which left four people dead, including a senior Blackstone executive and an NYPD officer. New York experienced record-low shooting incidents and victims in the first seven months of this year, and in July, according to a statement publ...
    Tags: Three
  • Security forces kill 14 more ‘Indian-sponsored’ terrorists along Pak-Afghan border in Zhob: ISPR
    Dawn - 11:24 Aug 09, 2025
    Security forces have killed 14 more terrorists attempting to infiltrate across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan’s Zhob district, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. The development adds to 33 terrorists, belonging to the “Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij”, who were eliminated on the night of August 7 and 8. “On [the] night 8/9 August 2025, a deliberate sanitisation operation was conducted in surrounding areas of Sambaza along Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release. “During the conduct of the operation, 14 more Indian-sponsored khwarij were hunted down and successfully neutralised. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed khwarij,” the ISPR noted. This followed the “successful engagements by the security forces in general area Sambaza, Zhob District on 7-8 August 2025, during which 33 khwarij were sent to hell”. “The number of khwarij killed in two days anti-infiltration operation has risen to 47,” the m...
    Tags: Indian-sponsored Zhob Security ISPR
  • Hasan Nawaz sparks Pakistan to 5-wicket ODI win over West Indies
    Dawn - 11:06 Aug 09, 2025
    Hasan Nawaz made a triumphant one-day international (ODI) debut, going 63 not out on Friday to power Pakistan over the West Indies by five wickets in their ODI series opener. Nawaz and Hussain Talat formed a sixth-wicket partnership of 104 not out to rally the visitors in the day-night affair, with game two on Sunday and the final ODI on Tuesday. West Indies went 280 all out with Evin Lewis leading the way on 60 from 62 balls with three sixes and five fours, while Shai Hope added 55 and Roston Chase contributed 53. Needing 281 to win, Pakistan got 53 runs from Mohammad Rizwan before he was bowled lbw by Shamar Joseph in the 38th over with the visitors still 101 runs shy of victory, setting the stage for heroics by Nawaz and Talat. Nawaz struck for six on the second ball of the 49th over and blasted the winning shot to the boundary off the final delivery by Joseph, giving Pakistan the victory with seven balls to spare. In all, Nawaz reached 63 on 54 balls with three sixes and five fours while Talat finished on...
    Tags: Hasan Nawaz Pakistan West Indies
  • Pakistan Medical and Dental Council refutes claims of 80pc fee increase for MDCAT 2025
    Dawn - 10:33 Aug 09, 2025
    The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Saturday refuted claims of a fee increase of 80 per cent for their colleges admission test, announcing that the test is scheduled for October 5 this year. The PMDC is the national statutory organisation responsible for regulating the standards of medical and dental education throughout the country. In a press release today, PMDC announced that the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) was scheduled to be held on Sunday October 5, while addressing the concerns regarding the fee. “It has come to the notice of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) that there has been a misunderstanding regarding the MDCAT examination fee, which claims that it has increased by 80pc,” it said. “PMDC would like to clarify that the fee for the MDCAT has increased modestly and gradually over the past years,” it added, noting that it was Rs8,000 in 2024 and is set at Rs9,000 for 2025 — the Rs1,000 increase marking an increment of only 12.5pc, not 80pc as had been ...
    Tags: MDCAT Pakistan Medical Dental Council
  • Altaf Hussain discharged from London hospital after ‘chest infection’
    Dawn - 08:12 Aug 09, 2025
    Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain was discharged from a London hospital in the early hours of Saturday after being admitted for a second time in a month, a party leader said. The MQM founder was last hospitalised in London on July 10 due to “severe illness”. After undergoing multiple tests and blood transfusions, he was discharged on July 23. Hussain was allowed to leave the hospital at 12:30am GMT (5:30am PKT) today after being treated in its emergency ward for nine hours and undergoing various tests, London-based senior MQM leader Mustafa Azizabadi said on X. “After various tests, doctors diagnosed him with severe flu and a chest infection. The doctors prescribed antibiotics and other medications for Mr Altaf Hussain and advised him to take complete rest,” Azizabadi said. Detailing Hussain’s hospital stay, Azizabadi noted the MQM founder “underwent a blood test, [electrocardiography], chest X-ray, and monitoring of oxygen levels”. “Hussain has expressed his gratitude to all the workers an...
    Tags: Altaf Hussain London
  • ‘Pakistan-India Asia Cup clash will go ahead’
    Dawn - 08:09 Aug 09, 2025
    DUBAI: The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is confident that the high-voltage Pakistan-India clash at the Asia Cup will go ahead. The neighbours have been at loggerheads since a terrorist attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam sparked a brief war and saw the cricketing relations between the two nations nose-dive. Recently, two World Championship of Legends fixtures between the two countries were called off as the India Champions players decided not to play against their Pakistan counterparts. The Asia Cup was originally scheduled to be staged in India but was shifted to the UAE due to tensions between the two countries. India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group at the Asia Cup. With a Super Four phase and a final to follow, it is possible they could face each other three times in Dubai between September 14 and 28. And with just over a month remaining before the start of the tournament, ECB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed has suggested that it is highly unlikely that the two teams would avoid playi...
  • China welcomes Indian PM Modi’s planned visit for SCO
    Dawn - 06:58 Aug 09, 2025
    NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to visit China for the first time in seven years to participate in the Aug 31-Sept 1 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) would strengthen the gathering’s friendship with the promise of great results, said the hosts on Friday. Several Indian media outlets quoted official sources on Wednesday as saying that Mr Modi would visit China for the summit, which was planned ahead of the rising tensions with the US. In response to Indian media reports, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that China welcomed Indian Prime Minister Modi to the SCO summit at Tianjin. “We believe that with the concerted effort of all parties, the Tianjin summit will be a gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results, and the SCO will enter a new stage of high-quality development featuring greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism and productiveness.” Guo was quoted by the Global Times, a Chinese newspaper seen as close to the Commu...
    Tags: Modi China Indian
  • Three suspected criminals held from PML-N MPA’s farmhouse in Rawalpindi
    Dawn - 06:55 Aug 09, 2025
    RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Crime Control Department (CCD) raided the farmhouse of PML-N MPA in Chontra and apprehended three of his employees wanted by the police. Following the CCD raid, the MPA, who is also the parliamentary secretary in Punjab, called the police emergency helpline “15” and lodged a report against the CCD in-charge, the SHO and others. According to sources, after the raid, matters took a turn as the MPA openly came out in defence of his employees. The MPA claimed that the CCD raided his farmhouse with 30 officials in police uniform and 15 in plain clothes. He said four office boys were present in the house, while two other persons were at the gate. The MPA alleged that CCD officials tortured Hamza, took cash, and took away three employees from the house. Meanwhile, the SHO Chontra and the duty officer reached the spot after receiving the police emergency call. Official sources said the CCD team conducted the raid to arrest a highly wanted suspect in a kidnapping case involving the making of...
    Tags: PML-N
  • SC’s Justice Naeem Afghan questions haste shown by NAB in auction
    Dawn - 06:06 Aug 09, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: A Sup­reme Court judge on Friday questioned the haste shown by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in auctioning six Bahria Town properties when six references against Zain Malik were still pen­­d­ing adjudication before an accountability court, which would decide about confiscation of the properties if the accused was proved guilty. “After instituting applications for the termination of the plea bargain (deal appr­o­­ved in August 2020) betw­een Zain Malik and NAB, the references against the accused have been reverted to the preliminary stage,” observed Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, a member of the three-judge SC bench that had taken up the appeal against the Aug 4 short order of the Islamabad High Court. As the IHC in its short order allowed NAB to go ahead with the auction of the six attached properties, the anti-graft watchdog sold one property and received conditional bids for two other properties, at a combined value of Rs2.27 billion. However, the auction of three remaining properties was sh...
  • Talks between Bajaur Amn Jirga, TTP continue
    Dawn - 05:22 Aug 09, 2025
    BAJAUR: Amid talks between the Bajaur Amn Jirga and terrorists for the latter’s peaceful return to Afghanistan, security officials have ruled out any compromise with anti-state elements here. The seventh session of negotiation between Jirga members and TTP leaders was held on Friday. Sources claimed that the terrorists, living among civilian population in Bajaur tribal district, were involved in sabotage and other crimes. They said that the chief minister and security officials asked tribal elders to expel foreign terrorists, mostly Afghans, or vacate the area for one or two days for an operation against terrorists. While promising the continuation of operation against terrorists “at all costs,” the chief minister and security officials called for efforts to minimise collateral damage. Security sources said the government’s direct talks with terrorists or their facilitators was out of the question until the latter surrendered. They said the ongoing tribal jirga was a logical step to ensure the maximum public ...
    Tags: Bajaur Amn Jirga
  • Azerbaijan and Armenia sign peace deal at White House
    Dawn - 05:16 Aug 09, 2025
    WASHINGTON: Azerbaijan and Armenia signed an initial US-brokered peace agreement during a meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday, a deal aimed at boosting economic ties between the two countries after decades of conflict, the White House said. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told reporters that Trump signed separate deals with both Armenia and Azerbaijan on energy, technology, economic cooperation, border security, infrastructure and trade. No further details were provided. The agreement includes exclusive US development rights to a strategic transit corridor through the South Caucasus, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.” US officials said the agreement was hammered out during repeated visits to the region and would provide a basis for working toward a full normalisation between the countries. Neither the joint declaration due to be signed nor the separate bilateral agreements with the US were released. It was not immediately clear how the deal being signed on Friday wou...
    Tags: Armenia Azerbaijan White House
  • SC’s Justice Salahuddin Panhwar comes down hard on ‘dishonest judges’
    Dawn - 04:37 Aug 09, 2025
    UMERKOT: Justice Salahuddin Panhwar of Supreme Court has expressed his deep regrets over shortcomings of the country’s judicial system and institutions, and also criticised dishonest judges, lawyers and police officers responsible for the delay and denial of justice to the public. He was speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the Umerkot Bar Association here on Friday. Describing the saying: “Justice delayed is justice denied” as absolutely correct, he declared that a court failing to deliver justice serves no purpose. Mentioning the cases where justice was delayed for decades, he gave a couple of examples: “One woman waited for 71 years for a decision on her inheritance case and another person’s case relating to an accident was decided after 24 years”. He condemned use of influence by feudals and bureaucrats and observed that some judges were compromising their integrity to appease the powerful. Justice Panhwar said judges must act with courage, and not fear, and warned them that betraying the oath undermin...
    Tags: Justice Salahuddin Panhwar
  • Bill on salary and perks unites Sindh MPAs across party lines
    Dawn - 04:32 Aug 09, 2025
    • Under new legislation, house speaker will form body to set lawmakers’ salaries and allowances • Another piece of legislation allows 19 and 20 grade officers to be appointed as chairmen of boards, despite MQM-P’s dissent KARACHI: In a display of cross-party harmony, the Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a bill, paving the way for a fresh framework to govern the perks and privileges of its members. The Sindh Assembly Members (Salaries and Allowances) Bill 2025, presented by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia ul Hasan Lanjar, is aimed at replacing the existing law with “a more structured approach” overseen by a newly constituted Parliamentary Committee. Under the bill, the Speaker will establish the Parliamentary Committee through an official gazette notification. The committee’s membership will be determined by the Speaker based on proportional representation, ensuring fair representation. The committee will be empowered to oversee and recommend MPAs’ salaries and allowances, with its recomm...
    Tags: Bill
  • FO blames ‘procedural issues’ for delay in Afghan FM’s visit
    Dawn - 03:43 Aug 09, 2025
    • Diplomatic sources say it was US that ‘blocked’ exemption which would’ve allowed Muttaqi to tour Pakistan • Spokesperson hints that Pakistan will continue US-Iran messaging role ISLAMABAD: Although a UN Security Council travel ban is widely thought to be behind the cancellation of a planned visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Islamabad, the Foreign Office on Friday hinted that “procedural issues” had hindered the trip. “There are certain procedural issues we are working through,” Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters at the weekly media briefing when pressed about media reports on Muttaqi’s aborted trip. Mr Muttaqi was expected in Islamabad on August 4, continuing the recent high-level contacts initiated by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kabul earlier this year, a move that led to a thaw in ties. The rapprochement was brokered by China. However, the spokesperson clarified that no official dates had been confirmed for the Afghan foreign mi...
    Tags: Afghan
  • Modi turned down White House visit over concern of meeting COAS Munir: report
    Dawn - 18:59 Aug 08, 2025
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned down an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to visit the White House over concern that he would setup a meeting with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Bloomberg reported on Friday. Trump on Wednesday imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock. The new import tax, set to come into place in three weeks, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50pc — among the highest levied on any US trading partner. While the rupture in US-India ties was abrupt, there have been strains in the relationship. Delhi has repeatedly rebutted Trump’s repeated statements that the US brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after four days of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. Trump also hosted Pakistan’s army chief at the White House in the weeks following ...
    Tags: White House

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