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Dawn - 10:20 Apr 20, 2026
Pakistan and Egypt concluded a two-week-long military exercise focused on counter-terrorism, the military’s media wing said on Monday. In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the “Pakistan-Egypt Joint Exercise Thunder-II” concluded in Cherat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the military’s premier Special Operations School (SOS). “[The] two-week-long exercise was designed to enhance interoperability by refining drills, procedures, and techniques related to counterterrorism operations through joint training,” ISPR said. It added that “combat teams from the Special Services Group (SSG) of the Pakistan Army and the Egyptian Special Forces actively participated” in the exercise. The military’s media wing further said that the participants exhibited “exceptional professionalism and operational skill throughout the exercise”. The picture shows Pakistan-Egypt Joint Exercise Thunder-II underway. — ISPR General officer commanding SSG and Commander of Egyptian Paratroopers, Major General Mohamed Saad Ab... -
Dawn - 09:58 Apr 20, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday engaged the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank as transaction adviser for inducting private investors in the installation of 10 million smart meters across all electricity distribution companies (Discos). The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) had announced a large-scale rollout of smart meters across Discos in October 2025. On Monday, the Power Division said it has signed a Transaction Advisory Services Agreement (Tasa) with the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. Under this agreement, the IFC will act as transaction advisor and conduct a comprehensive techno-commercial assessment for a service-provider model or public-private partnership framework to support the large-scale rollout of smart metering infrastructure for 10m single-phase connections. The initiative was intended to attract local and international investors to install, maintain, and operate the infrastructure, thereby advancing Pakistan’s digital transformation in the power sector. It said... -
Dawn - 09:35 Apr 20, 2026
An 80-centimetre tsunami wave hit a port in northern Japan on Monday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region, Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The wave was observed at 5:34pm (1:34pm PKT) at a port in Kuji, Iwate, JMA said. It previously said a 70-centimetre wave had struck at 5:32pm. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan earlier, the country’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, issuing a tsunami warning for waves up to three metres. The quake hit at 4:53pm (12:53pm PKT) in Pacific waters off northern Iwate prefecture and the tremor was strong enough to shake large buildings as far as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres away. “Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building,” it said, warning that damage due to tsunami waves was expected. “Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted,” it said. Footage from national broadcaster NHK did not show any... -
Dawn - 09:34 Apr 20, 2026
A terrorist and his accomplice, an alleged suicide bomber, were killed by security forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Monday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said an IBO was conducted on Sunday on the reported presence of “khawarij”. Khawarij, or Fitna al Khawarij, is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “During conduct of the operation, after [an] intense exchange of fire, two khawarij, belonging to the Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij, including Kharji Ring leader Waheedullah alias Muktiar, along with a suicide bomber, were sent to hell,” the ISPR statement read. It added that a suicide jacket, weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists. The ISPR said Waheedullah “was amongst the most-wanted terrorist list for his active involvement in numerous terrorist activities”, including the martyrdom of secu... -
Dawn - 08:49 Apr 20, 2026
Russia said Monday it had arrested a German woman found with a homemade bomb in her backpack in what it alleged was a Ukrainian-hatched plot to blow up a security services facility in the south. Russia has arrested dozens of people throughout the four-year war, mostly its own citizens, on allegations of working for Ukraine to carry out sabotage attacks. There has been a string of high-profile arrests of Western citizens since Moscow ordered its troops into Ukraine — typically on espionage charges that are widely seen as baseless, with those detained later swapped in exchange for Russians jailed abroad. Detentions of Western citizens for carrying out or preparing actual attacks are much rarer. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said the woman, born in 1969, had been dragged into the alleged plot by a citizen from a Central Asian country, who was working on orders from Ukraine. She was detained and found with an improvised explosive device in her bag in the Caucasus city of Pyatigorsk, the FSB said. The FS... -
Dawn - 07:28 Apr 20, 2026
LAKKI MARWAT: Two terrorists were killed and a police constable embraced martyrdom in a gun battle in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Monday. District police spokesperson Qudratullah Khan said the gunfight erupted when police conducted a targeted operation in a forest near the Khundan area, bordering Bannu district. He said that a large police contingent was dispatched to the area after local law enforcement authorities received credible intelligence reports that Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorists were hiding in the forest. Fitna al Khawarij is a term that the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “The exchange of fire continued for some time, resulting in the neutralisation and killing of two terrorists,” he maintained. Qudratullah added that police constable Attiqur Rehman was also martyred in the exchange of fire. The official said that several terrorists were injured in the clash but escaped with the help of their accomplices, taking advantage of the darkness and dens... -
Dawn - 06:47 Apr 20, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The momentum of economic growth in Asia-Pacific developing countries slowed to 4.6 per cent in 2025 and is projected to drop to 4pc in 2026, as fallout from the Middle East situation weighs on energy prices, supply chains and external demand, due to the conflict in the Middle East, said a new United Nations report on Monday. The 2026 edition of the ‘Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific’ suggests that regional countries need to rely more on domestic and regional demand, while carefully managing the shift to clean energy to avoid short-term economic and social disruptions. The annual survey released by the UN Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) said that the average economic growth in the region moderated to 4.6pc in 2025 from 4.8pc in 2024, and 5.3pc in 2023. However, assuming that the conflict in the Middle East will not last more than a few months and that there will be a partial de-escalation and an easing of tensions later in 2026, the survey noted that the aver... -
Dawn - 05:51 Apr 20, 2026
LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has granted approval for the province’s first sky glass bridge project in tehsil Kotli Sattian, district Murree, to promote tourism. The decision was made during a special meeting jointly presided over by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif where progress on the Murree Protection and Rehabilitation Plan was reviewed. The meeting also decided to engage international experts to address the issue of landsliding in Murree. The chief minister directed immediate measures to counter the mid-flow downhill effect and ordered relief and rehabilitation efforts for those affected by landslides in Chatta Mor, Darya Gali, Bansera Gali, Naml, Jhika Gali and adjoining areas. The meeting also granted approval for establishment of three new hospitality zones in Murree’s suburban areas, Shawala, Sozo and brewery, where five-star standard hotels would be developed in collaboration with the private sector. It decided to form a team of experts for the Murre... -
Dawn - 01:58 Apr 20, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Despite the volatile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, shipping movement remains normal in Pakistan, and oil tankers continue to arrive in the country bringing fuel supplies. After discharging crude oil brought from Fujairah, UAE, the marine tanker (MT) Sargodha, owned by the Pakistan National Shipping Company (PNSC), at Karachi port, two more are expected to berth, bringing petroleum fuel. The three tankers expected to berth at Karachi port include MT Shalimar and MT Lahore, both belonging to the PNSC, to discharge crude oil. Meanwhile, MT Martini is expected to berth at Karachi port on Monday evening (today) for the loading of surplus ‘fuel oil’ produced in Pakistan. Three PNSC tankers carrying crude likely to dock today Fuel oil is a liquid petroleum by-product derived from crude oil distillation, consisting of long-chain hydrocarbons used primarily for heating, power generation, and marine engines. Other tankers, including MT Hafnia Henriette and MT Wan HE, have berthed at Karachi port to loa... -
Dawn - 00:18 Apr 20, 2026
Indian officials called for the swift implementation of a proposed regional energy hub in Sri Lanka at the start of bilateral talks in Colombo on Sunday. The planned oil hub in the northeastern port of Trincomalee featured in a meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, India’s visiting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters. The project, which also involves the United Arab Emirates, has been under discussion since 2023, he added. “There is no further time to lose in making progress on strategic projects such as these,” said Misri, who is visiting the Sri Lankan capital along with India’s Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan. Sri Lanka, India and the UAE signed an agreement a year ago, following two years of talks, to set up a multi-product oil pipeline connecting the two South Asian neighbours and to establish the Trincomalee oil storage complex. Misri said that in Sunday’s talks, both sides agreed on the need to get the project off the ground quickly. Had the energy hub been completed, ... -
Dawn - 21:00 Apr 19, 2026
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that representatives from Washington were heading to Islamabad and they would be “there tomorrow evening for negotiations” with Iran. The US president made the announcement in a Truth Social post, where he also insisted that Washington was offering Tehran “a very fair and reasonable” deal. “And I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he warned. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honour to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!” US media outlets reported, citing the White House spokesperson and officials, that Vice President JD Vance would lead the American delegation, and that Trump’s envoy Steve Kushner and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would also be part of t... -
Dawn - 20:31 Apr 19, 2026
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon on Sunday dismissed as fake on Sunday a notification announcing that all public and private offices in the federal capital and Rawalpindi would remain closed from April 20 until further notice. In a social media post on X, Memon said, “Citizens are requested to refrain from sharing unverified or fake news. Please rely only on official handles of the district administration, Islamabad, for authentic updates.” However, a late-night Cabinet Division notification said that all ministries, divisions and other federal government establishments located in Islamabad’s Red Zone should adopt a work-from-home arrangement on April 20. “All officers and secretarial staff shall remain at the station and be prepared to attend office when required at a short notice,” the notification said. Similarly, a notification by the Islamabad district magistrate said that entry into Red Zone would remain suspended on April 20, and in view of the development, all public and private offices... -
Dawn - 20:29 Apr 19, 2026
Islamabad’s Red Zone was closed for traffic as the capital braces to welcome foreign delegations, police said on Sunday, with alternate traffic plans issued to facilitate citizens. “Due to the arrival of foreign delegations in Islamabad, Red Zone and Extended Red Zone will remain completely closed for all kinds of traffic,” the police said in a statement on X. The alternative traffic plans will remain in place from today until further directives, they said. The Cabinet Division also said in a notification that all ministries, divisions and other federal government establishments located in Islamabad’s Red Zone should adopt a work-from-home arrangement on April 20. “All officers and secretarial staff shall remain at the station and be prepared to attend office when required at a short notice,” the notification said. Similarly, a notification by the Islamabad district magistrate said that entry into Red Zone would remain suspended on April 20, and in view of the development, all public and private offices and s... -
Dawn - 20:13 Apr 19, 2026
Religious affairs minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf on Sunday affirmed that the government was providing Haj pilgrims with the best possible facilities as the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) began its Haj operation. Pilgrims were seen off at the Islamabad International Airport by Yousuf and other senior officials at the airport, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. It added that the Road to Makkah project has been expanded to Lahore, in addition to Karachi and Islamabad, and is expected to benefit over 95,000 pilgrims this year. A PIA spokesperson had earlier said that the first flight of the Haj operation (PK-747), carrying over 390 pilgrims, was set to depart from Sialkot for Madina, which took off past 2am. At the Islamabad airport, the Haj operation’s first flight from the capital (SV-5723) took off for Madina with 270 pilgrims on board, along with 10 crew members. The flight took off at 11am, a statement by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said. Addressing the ceremony in Islamabad, the minister... -
Dawn - 19:59 Apr 19, 2026
JHELUM: Religious scholar and lecturer Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza survived an attack by on Sunday, police said. The attacker was killed in retaliatory firing. Mirza, known for delivering religious speeches on social media, has over 3.1 million followers on his YouTube channel. He was also attacked earlier this year, and previously survived an assassination attempt in Jhelum in March 2021. The religious scholar was outside the Quran & Sunnat Research Academy where he delivers lectures when a man carrying a 9mm pistol arrived at the premises, lay down on the ground, and opened fire, Jhelum police spokesperson Kashif Kiani told Dawn. Jhelum Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhry Shafiq said police fired back in retaliation, killing the attacker on the spot. He added that Mirza remained safe and unhurt during the attack and is continuing his lectures at the academy. Kiani confirmed that a policeman on the scholar’s security team was injured during the attack. The constable sustained a gunshot wound to hi... -
Dawn - 19:24 Apr 19, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday, reaffirming during the conversation that Pakistan would “remain fully committed to its honest and sincere efforts to advance regional peace and security”. The conversation, which was detailed in a statement by the PM’s Office, took place after US President Donald Trump confirmed that American representatives were headed to Islamabad for another round of talks with Iran. The first round of historic direct US-Iran talks, held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, had ended without an agreement, but also without a breakdown. The talks were held as a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran remained in effect. The ceasefire, which is set to end on April 22, paused hostilities that began with the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The PMO statement said that during Shehbaz and Pezeshkian’s “warm and cordial conversation that lasted for around 45 minutes, the two leaders engaged in de... -
Dawn - 19:08 Apr 19, 2026
The Israeli military published for the first time a map of its new deployment line inside Lebanon on Sunday, bringing dozens of mostly abandoned Lebanese villages under its control, days after a ceasefire with Lebanon took effect. There was no immediate comment from Lebanese officials or from Hezbollah. Israel and Lebanon agreed on Thursday to a US-backed ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The deal, which followed the first direct talks in decades between Israel and Lebanon on April 14, is meant to enable broader US-Iran negotiations, but with Israeli forces maintaining positions deep inside southern Lebanon. Stretching east to west, the deployment line on the map runs 5-10 kilometres deep from the border into Lebanese territory, where Israel has said that it plans to create a so-called buffer zone. Israeli forces have destroyed Lebanese villages in the area, claiming their aim is to protect northern Israeli towns from Hezbollah attacks. It has created buffer zones in Syria and in Gaza... -
Dawn - 16:57 Apr 19, 2026
MARDAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Sunday that he had conveyed a message to incarcerated PTI founder, Imran Khan, stating that he was ready to “be in Islamabad” — ostensibly to hold a power show in the federal capital. “I conveyed to him that I am ready, the nation is ready, Pakistanis are ready … If you give us the go-ahead, we will be in Islamabad the next day,” he told a charged crowd at a public gathering in Mardan. He said Imran had instructed to consult Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan leaders Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai as well, and he would be mindful of that. Turning his guns on the incumbent federal government, he said they had been unable to make Imran bow under the pressure of “baseless and fabricated cases”, filed against him and his spouse, Bushra Bibi. He accused the government of committing “cruelty and injustice” against Imran, his sisters and Bushra Bibi. Afridi decried that Imran and Bushra Bibi were being deprived of the right to get medi... -
Dawn - 14:57 Apr 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar are in an advanced stage of discussions for the supply of at least four cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which could pass through the Strait of Hormuz, sources told Dawn on Sunday. They also said that after facing criticism over loadshedding even before the start of summer, the Power Division had already placed an order to the Petroleum Division for arranging around 400 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation. LNG imports to Pakistan were disrupted early last month after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid a war in the Middle East, which began with US-Israel attacks on Iran. In retaliatory action, Iran targeted fuel installations in some of the Gulf countries that had US assets and bases. It was against this backdrop that Qatar declared force majeure early last month in all its global LNG contracts, including those with Pakistan. Sources told Dawn that due to the resultant fuel and electricity shortfall, the Power Divisio... -
Dawn - 13:56 Apr 19, 2026
Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the sector’s rapid technical advances. The race’s inaugural edition last year was riddled with mishaps, and most robots were unable to finish. Last year’s champion robot recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, more than double the time of the human winner of the conventional race. This year’s contrast was stark. Not only had the number of participating teams increased from 20 to more than 100, but several robot frontrunners were noticeably faster than professional athletes, beating the human winners by more than 10 minutes. Unlike last year, nearly half of the robot entrants navigated the tougher terrain autonomously instead of being directed by remote control during the 21-km (13-mile) race. The robots and 12,000 men and women ran on parallel tracks to avoid collisions. The winning robot, developed...
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