Dawn
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Dawn - 02:54 Dec 18, 2025
• UNSC assessment reveals some senior Taliban members increasingly view TTP as a liability, others remain supportive • Report says border closures estimated to cost Afghan economy around $1 million per day • Monitoring body says Al Qaeda has ‘blended itself with TTP’, with or without Taliban acquiescence ISLAMABAD: A United Nations Security Council report has rejected the Taliban’s claim that terrorist groups are not using Afghan territory for cross-border violence, calling the assertion “not credible” and warning that neighbouring states increasingly view Afghanistan as a source of regional insecurity. The assessment is contained in the sixteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the UN Security Council, as international concern grows over Afghanistan’s security landscape more than four years after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. “The de facto authorities continue to deny that any terrorist groups have a footprint in or operate from its territory. That... -
Dawn - 18:32 Dec 17, 2025
Good transporters called off their days-long nationwide strike following successful negotiations with the government, after most of their demands had been met. “We have called off our strike, which continued for 10 days. We have done this after the federal and provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh accepted our demands and signed the settlement document,” President of the Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance (PGTA) Malik Shehzad Awan said on Wednesday. The PGTA is an organisation representing 20 major goods transport associations across the country. According to Awan, during the dialogues, the government’s representatives agreed to reduce fines to a considerable level. Similarly, demands related to axle load, problems with issuing heavy transport driving licenses, issues with customs authorities, motorway police, and disputed clauses of the Punjab Motor Vehicle Ordinance, among others, were also accepted. Talking to Dawn, All Pakistan Truck Trailer Owners Association Chairman Lala Yasir Naseer said that good... -
Dawn - 18:30 Dec 17, 2025
The United States announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to Ecuador on Wednesday as part of its regional anti-narcotics campaign. There was no indication of the scale of the deployment, which comes as tensions are rising over the standoff between Latin American oil producer Venezuela and the United States. The personnel will be deployed at Ecuador’s Manta air force base, which had served as a US base for a decade until 2009. Ecuadoran voters in November overwhelmingly rejected a bid by President Daniel Noboa to lift the country’s ban on foreign bases. But according to the US embassy in Quito, the deployment is a “temporary operation with the Ecuadorian Air Force in Manta”. The “short-term joint effort” will “enhance the capacity of the Ecuadorian military forces to combat narco-terrorists, including strengthening intelligence gathering and anti-drug trafficking capabilities, and is designed to protect the United States and Ecuador from the threats we share”. Ecuador’s defence ministry said th... -
Dawn - 18:08 Dec 17, 2025
The current account posted a $100 million surplus in November, which may change the trend of deficits in previous months of the current fiscal year. However, data provided by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) shows that imports were curtailed to improve trade deficit figures during the month. The previous month, October, had posted a current account deficit of $291 million. The previous fiscal year, FY25, surprised many by posting a net current account surplus of $1.932 billion and was widely celebrated by the government as a major positive for the economy. The surplus was also the result of tight import restrictions, which ultimately kept the economic growth rate well below the desired level. Policymakers have yet to announce a strategy to move away from import-led economic growth. The data shows that the $100 million surplus in November was much lower than the $709 million surplus in the same month of the previous fiscal year. In November this year, both exports and imports declined, which helped the current... -
Dawn - 17:47 Dec 17, 2025
Ali Tareen emerged as a surprise contender in the bidding war to hold a new football league in Pakistan, with the former owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket franchise Multan Sultans in a race against two franchise league merchants, who have long tried to get an event underway. Last month, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had invited expressions of interest from individuals and companies looking to hold a league in a bid to revive the domestic structure of the game in the country. Tareen confirmed on Wednesday, the deadline day for submission, that he had sent a proposal. “I have proposed a season (six-month) long league for Pakistan football, not a flashy, one-month cash-grab tournament,” Ali wrote on X, in a jibe at the proposed franchise leagues. Pakistan hasn’t had a functioning league since the last edition of the Pakistan Premier Football League — which had a mix of departments and a smattering of clubs — in 2019. Ali, who was denied renewal of Multan Sultans by the Pakistan Cricket Board ... -
Dawn - 16:51 Dec 17, 2025
With the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) moving slowly in the probe against nine arrested officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who are allegedly involved in extracting money from a known YouTuber and call centres, three of them have resigned from their posts. According to an NCCIA notification, three officers — Deputy Director Sarfaraz Chaudhry, Assistant Director Muhammad Usman, and Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz — resigned from their posts, and their resignations were accepted by the Interior Ministry. “This is to inform that the following officers are relieved from the NCCIA from the date of approval of their resignations — Nov 20.” Another official, Assistant Director Asma Majeed, also resigned from her post. A mega scam involving the misuse of authority and acceptance of bribes from different suspects rocked the NCCIA in October. Not only were nine officials of the NCCIA booked in Lahore, but also 12 in Islamabad, for allegedly taking large sums of money from individuals... -
Dawn - 16:08 Dec 17, 2025
Despite fear of rigging, the PTI decided on Wednesday to participate in the Islamabad local government elections, which will be held on February 15 across the federal capital. In line with party policy, workers who have remained loyal to the party and its ideology and have made sacrifices during the last three years will be given priority in nominations. The decision was made during a meeting chaired by PTI Islamabad Region President Aamir Mughal and attended by Regional Secretary and Chairman of the Local Government Committee Malik Aamir Ali Awan, ticket holder Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, Senator Fauzia Arshad, Senate ticket holder Syed Farzand Shah, ticket holder Ali Bukhari, and other senior office-bearers. After consultations, it was unanimously decided that PTI’s Islamabad wing would take part in the local government elections. However, participants feared that there could be “rigging,” as happened in the recent National Assembly elections in Haripur. Participants were also of the view that the government h... -
Dawn - 16:06 Dec 17, 2025
PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi — are among 400 people booked on Wednesday after police dispersed a sit-in near Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where the party founder and former prime minister is currently incarcerated. Moreover, 14 PTI workers were arrested and produced before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) today, which approved three days of physical remand and returned the suspects to police custody. Imran’s sisters, party workers and supporters had staged a sit-in at Factory Naka a day prior, demanding their court-mandated Tuesday meeting with the PTI founder. Police used water cannons and baton charges to disperse the protesters, with police starting their operation at 2am. According to a copy of the first information report (FIR) — dated December 17 and available with Dawn — 400 suspects, including 35 nominated persons, were booked under various provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (ATA) and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including the use of petrol bombs and ... -
Dawn - 15:36 Dec 17, 2025
PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday suggested that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) investigate “growing support” from India for terrorist groups, after an Indian national was identified as a suspect in a recent mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Alleged father-and-son perpetrators, Sajid and Naveed Akram, opened fire on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising anti-Semitism and violent extremism. Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed, emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police. On Tuesday, it emerged that Sajid was originally from the Indian city of Hyderabad, with police saying his family did not know about his “radical mindset”. In a post on X, Senator Rehman noted that the attack raised questions about links to New Delhi as Indian and Israeli allegations of Pakistani involvement “were backfiring ... -
Dawn - 14:45 Dec 17, 2025
Amnesty International on Wednesday condemned the “repeated” use of high-pressure water cannons by authorities to disperse a sit-in outside Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, after incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s family was denied a meeting with the former prime minister. “The repeated use of high-pressure water cannons by authorities against peaceful protesters outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi is a flagrant violation of their right to peaceful assembly.” Amnesty added that Pakistan authorities “must respect people’s right to peacefully protest and end the disproportionate and punitive use of force”. After authorities again barred Imran’s sisters from meeting the incarcerated former prime minister, a sit-in was staged outside the prison. A court order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 24 this year mandated that meetings with Imran would be permitted twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, the PTI maintains that the order is not being honoured. Despite the IHC’s order, Imran’s sisters... -
Dawn - 13:46 Dec 17, 2025
The Pakistan Navy’s fourth Hangor-class submarine, named Ghazi, was launched at Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, China, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Wednesday. With the Ghazi’s launch, the ISPR hailed “another significant milestone” by the navy, where all four submarines being built in China are currently undergoing “rigorous sea trials and are in the final stages of being handed over to Pakistan”. “The Government of Pakistan signed an agreement with China for [the] acquisition of eight Hangor-class submarines. Under this contract, four submarines are being built in China and [the] remaining four will be constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd (KS&EW), under Transfer of Technology (ToT),” the ISPR said in a statement. The military’s media wing added that the submarines will be fitted with advanced weaponry and sensors capable of engaging targets at standoff ranges. “Hangor-class submarines will be pivotal in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the s... -
Dawn - 13:43 Dec 17, 2025
Warner Bros Discovery’s board rejected Paramount Skydance’s $108.4 billion hostile bid on Wednesday, saying it failed to provide adequate financing assurances. In a letter to shareholders, disclosed in a regulatory filing, the board wrote that Paramount had “consistently misled” Warner Bros shareholders that its $30-per-share cash offer was fully guaranteed, or “backstopped,” by the Ellison family, led by billionaire and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. “It does not, and never has,” the board wrote of the guarantee of Paramount’s offer, noting that the offer posed “numerous, significant risks.” Warner Bros’ board said it found Paramount’s offer “inferior” to the merger agreement with Netflix’s. The streaming giant’s $27.75 per share offer for Warner Bros’ film and television studios, its library and the HBO Max streaming service is a binding agreement that requires no equity financing and has robust debt commitments, the board wrote. Warner Bros has not yet set a date for a shareholder vote on the deal but it is exp... -
Dawn - 13:35 Dec 17, 2025
Men’s tennis world number one Carlos Alcaraz announced on Wednesday he is splitting from his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after seven hugely successful years together. Alcaraz has won six Grand Slams among his 24 tour level titles under the guidance of fellow Spaniad Ferrero, including this year’s French and US Opens. Alcaraz, 22, ends this year as world number one having claimed eight tournaments during the season including his dramatic victory over Jannik Sinner in Paris. “It is very difficult to write this post,” Alcaraz said on social media with photos of the pair hugging. View this post on Instagram “After more than seven years together, ‘Juanki’ and I have decided to end our story together as coach and player. “Thank you for making the dreams of a child become reality,” Alcaraz added. Alcaraz began working with 45-year-old Ferrero, a former world number one, in August 2018, when he was a teenager. As a player, Ferrero won the 2003 French Open and was runner-up in New York later in the year before becoming ... -
Dawn - 13:35 Dec 17, 2025
Authorities in India’s capital Delhi rolled out strict measures on Wednesday in an attempt to curb pollution, including a ban on vehicles not compliant with latest emission control norms and regulating attendance in private and government offices. The air quality index in the Delhi region, home to 30 million people, has been in the “severe” category for the past few days, often crossing the 450-mark. In addition, shallow fog in parts of the city worsened visibility that affected flights and trains. This prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke stage four, the highest level, of the graded response action plan for Delhi and surrounding areas on Saturday. The curbs ban the entry of older diesel trucks into the city, suspend construction, including on public projects, and impose hybrid schooling. Schoolchildren walk through a field on a smoggy winter morning in New Delhi on December 17. —AFP Kapil Mishra, a minister in the local government, announced on Wednesday that all private and governmen... -
Dawn - 12:21 Dec 17, 2025
A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, chaired by Aga Rafiullah, was informed on Wednesday that 51,000 passengers were offloaded at Pakistani airports this year after failing immigration checks, with a large number of them being offloaded at Lahore and Karachi airports. Over the past few months, numerous incidents have been reported of travellers being offloaded from flights at various airports, despite possessing valid travel documents. These actions followed a crackdown on migrant smuggling launched after the 2024 Greece boat tragedy, which claimed several Pakistani lives. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the frequent offloading of passengers from international flights, an issue that has reportedly affected numerous travellers despite them holding valid documents. Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Riffat Mukhtar Raja informed the committee that, “Passengers are offloaded on the basis of ... -
Dawn - 12:17 Dec 17, 2025
The Philippines’ national security adviser on Wednesday said that the father and son who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach did not receive any form of military training while in the country last month. The alleged father-and-son perpetrators opened fire on the celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising anti-Semitism and violent extremism. Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police. On Tuesday, it emerged that Sajid was originally from the Indian city of Hyderabad, with police saying his family did not know about his “radical mindset”. In a statement, Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo Ao said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any ... -
Dawn - 12:08 Dec 17, 2025
Campaign falsely linking Bondi shooting suspect to Pakistan launched from ‘hostile countries’: Tarar
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that it was falsely claimed after the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia that one of the attackers was from Pakistan, holding “hostile countries” responsible for this campaign. The tragic attack by two men on Sunday resulted in the death of 16 people, including one of the attackers. Soon after the incident, a Pakistan-origin man living in Sydney was misidentified as one of the attackers. Later, it was confirmed that among the father-son duo of suspects, the former, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was from India, and the latter, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, was born in Australia. View this post on Instagram “When the incident happened, certain media outlets were very quick to state that one of the attackers was from Pakistan and the other one was born in Australia. “There was no evidence to prove this claim, there was no documentation, and there was no verification of this claim. But somehow, we know that this campaign was launched from hostile countries trying to ma... -
Dawn - 10:48 Dec 17, 2025
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday reported that more than 2.5 million undocumented migrants have left the US since the Trump administration took office on January 20, 2025, amid a sharp expansion of immigration enforcement. According to DHS, the total includes over 605,000 formal deportations and approximately 1.9m “self-departures”, referring to migrants who left voluntarily amid intensified enforcement pressure. The department said removals have focused on individuals it describes as criminal offenders, while also encouraging undocumented migrants to leave on their own through a government-run mobile application offering free flights and a $1,000 incentive. The announcement — the administration’s most significant immigration update this year — comes as Washington tightens entry rules, expands travel bans, and increasingly links immigration control to national security and counter-terrorism concerns. While DHS presented the figures as evidence of restored “law and order”, i... -
Dawn - 09:00 Dec 17, 2025
Justice Jahangiri moves FCC against IHC order declaring plea challenging his law degree maintainable
Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri moved the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday, seeking the setting aside of an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order that declared a plea challenging the legitimacy of his law degree maintainable. He also sought the dismissal of the plea, which also calls into question the appointment of the IHC judge, “for being non-maintainable”. The plea, filed by lawyer Mian Dawood, was declared maintainable by a division bench, led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, on December 9. Justice Jahangiri filed a petition against the order in the FCC on Wednesday, in which he has nominated Dawood, the Federation of Pakistan, president of Pakistan, Judicial Commission of Pakistan, parliamentary committee on judges’ appointment to superior courts, Higher Education Commission, University of Karachi (KU) and a lawyer named Siraj Ahmad as respondents. He contended that the IHC order on maintaibility of the case, a September 16 order that barred him fr... -
Dawn - 08:42 Dec 17, 2025
An emotional Alex Carey slammed a majestic 106 on his home ground and Usman Khawaja hit a defiant 82 Wednesday to put Australia in the driving seat of the third Ashes Test against England. Batting after captain Pat Cummins won the toss as temperatures topped 36 Celsius at Adelaide Oval, the hosts were 326-8 at stumps on day one after the shock of Steve Smith being ruled out with illness. Mitchell Starc was not out 33 and Nathan Lyon yet to score. View this post on Instagram “To make a hundred here in front of home fans and family was special,” an emotional Carey told Australian TV. As he celebrated his maiden Ashes ton, Carey gestured towards the sky in a nod to his father Gordon, who died from cancer in September. “I guess you know as well why I was looking to the heavens. I’m trying not to tear up. But, no, it was great.” The wicketkeeper’s wife Eloise was spotted in tears by TV cameras as he celebrated. “To have, mum, brother, sister, Eloise, the kids (here), it was a special moment,” Carey added. A tirele...
9144 items