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Dawn - 02:25 Oct 08, 2025
• World Bank cuts forecast by 0.5pc, predicts inflation may shoot to 7.2pc; exports to decline 1.5pc • WB official says removing barriers to women’s participation in job market can boost GDP per capita by 20-30pc ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for Pakistan by half a per cent to 2.6 per cent for the current fiscal year due to the recent floods, which are also expected to push up inflation to 7.2 per cent. “For FY 2025/26, real GDP growth is projected to remain around 2.6pc, as ongoing catastrophic floods have damped the forecast,” the Washington-based lending agency said in its regional economic outlook for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) region. The bank had earlier projected a 3.1pc growth rate for the country in its previous biannual outlook in April 2025. Pakistan had set 4.2pc growth target and has since been looking at 3.5pc as part of its IMF engagements. “Early estimates suggest a drop of at least 10 per cent in agricultural output in Punja... -
Dawn - 01:53 Oct 08, 2025
MURDER for ‘honour’, executed by systems meant for women’s safety, is gender-based violence at its most brutal. Rights defenders have flagged a troubling surge in the tribal custom in Sindh — data says 105 female lives have been lost to karo kari so far this year. Police statistics reveal that most perpetrators were family members: 38 husbands, 24 brothers, six fathers, and others. The HRCP puts last year’s toll of ‘honour’ killings in Pakistan at 405; far higher than 226 in 2023. Activists believe the annual toll is close to 1,000 due to political abdication and negligible enforcement of accountability mechanisms. Most cases are either miscategorised or unreported. This evil will plague women until it is stripped of the label of ‘honour’, and seen as a manifestation of toxic patriarchal control. The last time the state showed empathy and commitment was in 2016, when it plugged loopholes so ‘honour’ killers are not easily freed. Through Section 311 of the PPC, which deals with ‘fasad fil arz’, it was ensured ... -
Dawn - 19:11 Oct 07, 2025
Israel has been facing damning criticism from across the globe over its relentless bombardment in Gaza over the past two years, with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a United Nations inquiry already declaring its actions in the enclave as a “genocide”. Israel imposed a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late July, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, following warnings of a wave of starvation. But the aid was too little and too late to reverse the damage already done; the UN officially declared a famine in Gaza City in August. As today marks another year of the world witnessing piled up bodies in shrouds, spilt blood, shredded body parts, hungry cries for food and buildings reduced to rubble in Gaza, we take a look at some pictures that are an incriminating statement of Israel’s multiple war crimes in the enclave. A Palestinian shouts following an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct 14, 2023, as fig... -
Dawn - 18:57 Oct 07, 2025
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Tuesday aired concerns about party founder Imran Khan being transferred from Adiala Jail to some unknown location to prevent his access to his family and legal team. “Another matter that is coming to the fore is that Khan sahib is being transferred somewhere from Adiala Jail,” said the PTI leader addressing the media. “We have great concern about this, and apparently, it seems that this is part of the plan of cutting Khan off from his family and lawyers.” The PTI leader said Imran had given clear directions to the party a day ago to resist any such move and protest against it. “We will never accept this injustice and won’t allow Khan to be lost to any solitary cell. This is a clear announcement from our end, if there is any such plan and action is taken on it, then our response will be that of an honourable people.” A day ago, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum had aired similar misgivings, saying there were plans to shift him from Adiala Jail to another facility and keep ... -
Dawn - 18:38 Oct 07, 2025
Still searching for a sense of direction in the ICC Women’s World Cup, Pakistan will take on a rampant Australian side at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday, hoping to spark a turnaround against the tournament’s most complete outfit. Fatima Sana’s charges have endured a tough start to their campaign, slumping to heavy defeats against Bangladesh and India. Their batting has wavered, their bowling has lacked consistency, and their fielding has been short of international standard — a combination that has left them bottom of the eight-team table with little margin for error. But ahead of their clash with the defending champions, Pakistan’s senior batter Sidra Amin struck a note of quiet defiance. “I think tomorrow is a big game for us as a team,” she said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “We are a good batting side, but as batters, we have to spend more time on the wicket so that we can execute our plans and assess the conditions really well.” Sidra, one of the few bright spots in Pakistan’s othe... -
Dawn - 18:24 Oct 07, 2025
Pakistan on Tuesday sought regional countries’ cooperation to counter threats emerging from Afghanistan during the Moscow Format Consultations held in the Russian capital on Tuesday. Pakistan’s Special Representative to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq addressed the moot, which was also attended by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. The consultations, held at the level of special representatives and senior officials of Afghanistan, were attended by India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. For the first time, the Afghan delegation participated in the meeting as a member. Russia became the first country to recognise the Taliban government in July this year. A delegation from Belarus also attended the meeting as guests. “I spoke about the urgent need for collective regional efforts to effectively counter terrorism and dismantle all terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil,” Ambassador Sadiq told the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format. Sadiq said he also highligh... -
Dawn - 18:02 Oct 07, 2025
In flood-prone regions of Bangladesh, solar-powered “floating schools” ensure children do not miss class when rising waters cut off roads and villages. One of them is 10-year-old Safikul Islam. Each morning, he waits on the edge of his flooded village in Bhangura, western Bangladesh, for the solar-powered classroom that sails right to his doorstep. His home lies deep in Chalan Beel, a sprawling 26-square-kilometre (10 sq miles) wetland where seasonal floods often cut off roads and submerge entire villages. Students get off the boat-school, built by an NGO named Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, after the class, in Bhangura area of Pabna, Bangladesh, on September 25. — Reuters But for Islam and hundreds of other children, education floats. The initiative, launched in 2002 by architect Mohammed Rezwan using $500 of his scholarship money, has grown into a nationwide model run by the non-profit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha (SSS). Now, more than 100 boats serve as schools, libraries, and clinics. The project has educa... -
Dawn - 17:05 Oct 07, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad, who was detained by Israel last week after it intercepted a flotilla of boats carrying aid for Gaza, had arrived at the Pakistan embassy in Amman, Jordan and was in “good health and high spirits”, adding that he would return on October 9. Ahmad led the Pakistani delegation on the 45-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which left Spain last month to break Israel’s blockade of aid to Gaza with activists and politicians, including Greta Thunberg, on board. However, as it approached Gaza, Israeli forces intercepted it, detaining the activists on board before deporting them. In a post on social media platform X, Dar said, “I am pleased to confirm that former senator Mushtaq has been released and is now safely with [the] Pakistan embassy in Amman. He is in good health and high spirits.” He said that the embassy stood ready to facilitate his return to Pakistan at his wish. “[I] am pleased to e... -
Dawn - 16:58 Oct 07, 2025
Four government officials, including two high school teachers and two workers from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), were allegedly abducted from different localities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, officials said on Tuesday. Per the police, the teachers were “abducted” from GHS Zindi Musa Khan in Bannu’s Mandati Naika Zyarat area, which falls within the limits of Hoid police station. “The first incident occurred within the limits of Hoid police station, which is under threat of militants,” District Police Officer (DPO) of Bannu Saleem Abbas Kulachi told Dawn.com. “In the past few months, the police station in Hoid has been attacked several times by militants.” DPO Kulachi added that unknown armed men had taken the school teachers to unidentified locations. Among the abductees were the headmaster of the school, who was a resident of Nekam Kaki, as well as a senior school teacher, who was a resident of Bannu, Bannu police spokesperson Kashif Nawaz told Dawn.com. Nawaz added that both teachers ... -
Dawn - 16:16 Oct 07, 2025
The continuing row between the PPP and PML-N escalated on Tuesday as PPP’s Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman warned the coalition ally of difficulties in the Senate without the former’s “clear support”. The PPP and the PML-N’s Punjab leadership have been engaged in a war of words for the past many days over issues ranging from flood compensation to water rights in the context of the Cholistan canals project. The PPP, which is in power in Sindh, has been particularly incensed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks, whose party is also leading the federal government. Talking about the matter in an interview on DawnNewsTV show ‘Doosra Rukh’, the PPP senior vice president said: “If you want to tear apart the whole coalition then I’ve already said in the National Assembly that don’t take our inclusion on the treasury benches for granted and don’t think that we will keep you stable no matter what you do.” “If you don’t need [us] then that’s your choice, but let me remind you we are the biggest party in ... -
Dawn - 15:56 Oct 07, 2025
The National Press Club on Tuesday submitted its charter of demands to the interior ministry following the recent police operation in which uniformed personnel forcibly entered the club premises. The incident occurred during a protest by journalists and demonstrators from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, some of whom were reportedly fleeing from police action when officers stormed into the club. A joint action committee (JAC) was subsequently formed with all key media associations and various factions of the NPC. A press release issued today from the NPC said the JAC held a meeting a day earlier in which the charter was finalised and the same was submitted today in a meeting with Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudry, who was also briefed on the demands. “Strict legal action should be taken against those responsible for the attack on the NPC and they should be punished accordingly. A high-level inquiry committee should be immediately established to determine those responsible for the attack, consisting of journ... -
Dawn - 15:38 Oct 07, 2025
The World Bank said on Tuesday that higher tariffs on Indian goods exported to the US would be a drag on South Asia’s economic growth rate in 2026, even as it remains shielded in the current year by government spending. The World Bank said growth in South Asia was expected to slow sharply to 5.8 per cent in 2026 from its projection of 6.6pc for 2025. Its forecast for the region comprises India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. “For 2026, the forecast has been downgraded, as some of these effects unwind and India continues to face higher-than-expected tariffs on goods exports to the United States,” the World Bank said in its report. The World Bank has raised its forecast for India’s growth in the current fiscal year ending March 2026 to 6.5pc from 6.3pc, while trimming its projection for the next fiscal year to 6.3pc from 6.5pc due to tariffs imposed by the United States. US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50pc tariff on most exports from India, among the highest for any US trading ... -
Dawn - 15:27 Oct 07, 2025
Pakistan is no stranger to man-made and natural disasters and ranks among the countries most affected by climate change worldwide. Since DawnRelief’s inception in 2005, we have provided support and rehabilitation to communities impacted the most by such crises. For two decades, this has remained our unwavering manifesto. 2005 - 2021 — Earthquake in Azad Kashmir DawnRelief was established by DawnMedia in October 2005 as a direct response to the devastating earthquake that struck Azad Kashmir and other parts of northern Pakistan. We established four tent villages in Hattian Bala Tehsil, District Muzaffarabad, where we supported over 8,500 men, women and children for nearly a year. After that, we constructed 166 homes and eight schools. In 2021, we constructed the Haji Sir Abdullah Haroon Government High School Auditorium, which can accommodate over 200 people and also serves as a community hall. 2008 — Earthquake in Balochistan Provided tents, bedding, blankets, food and jackets to affected people in Ziarat Dis... -
Dawn - 15:25 Oct 07, 2025
A high-level business delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by the Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al Saud, has arrived in Islamabad to discuss trade, investment, and collaboration, the Foreign Office (FO) said today. The development follows Pakistan forming an 18-member committee to oversee bilateral economic engagements and negotiations with the Kingdom. Last month, the two countries also signed a mutual defence agreement, pledging a joint response to any act of aggression. According to an FO statement, Prince Mansour and his accompanying delegation will “hold meetings with the Pakistani leadership and engage with senior government officials, chambers of commerce and leading business groups to explore avenues for enhanced bilateral trade and investment cooperation.” It added that the visit underscored the deep-rooted and brotherly ties between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reflecting their shared commitment to expanding economic and investment partne... -
Dawn - 14:17 Oct 07, 2025
Spotify has integrated with ChatGPT, allowing users to receive personalised music recommendations directly within their chats, the company announced on Tuesday. This fresh integration is now live in English across 145 countries on ChatGPT Free, Plus, and Pro accounts, on both web and mobile (iOS and Android), allowing free and premium Spotify users to discover and enjoy music through conversation, a press release from the company said. “Spotify users can now connect their accounts to ChatGPT and get tailored recommendations, request playlists by mood, genre, or artist, and tap to listen directly in the Spotify app,” the release added. “Already available across more than 2,000 devices, including cars, TVs, and smart home systems, Spotify has always aimed to be everywhere you listen and watch.” The company said the integration will make music discovery part of everyday conversations, helping users find new songs or revisit old favourites through simple prompts. It added that the feature also offers artists anot... -
Dawn - 13:17 Oct 07, 2025
France’s President Emmanuel Macron faced growing pressure on Tuesday to resign or hold a snap parliamentary election to end political chaos that has forced the resignation of five prime ministers in less than two years. The 47-year-old centrist president has repeatedly said he will see out his second term, which ends in 2027. But resignation calls, long confined to the fringes, have entered the mainstream during one of the worst political crises since the 1958 creation of the Fifth Republic, France’s current system of government. On Tuesday, as Macron’s outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu held last-ditch talks to form a new government, his first premier in 2017, Edouard Philippe, said it was time for a new president to break the deadlock. Speaking to RTL radio, Philippe said Macron should be “leaving in an orderly manner” to allow a way out of the crisis. ‘It’s a mess’ Political turmoil in the euro zone’s second largest economy was front page news across Europe at a time when US President Donald Trump i... -
Dawn - 13:11 Oct 07, 2025
Russia said on Tuesday it was waiting for clarity from the United States about the possible supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying such weapons could theoretically carry nuclear warheads. US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would want to know what Ukraine planned to do with Tomahawks before agreeing to provide them because he did not want to escalate the war between Russia and Ukraine. He said, however, that he had “sort of made a decision” on the matter. Asked about the comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We understand that we need to wait, probably, for clearer statements, if any come.” Peskov said that under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, US practice had been to announce supplies of new weapons only once they had been delivered to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in comments published on Sunday that if Washington supplied Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for long-range strikes deep into Russia, it would lead to the destruction of Moscow’s relationship with the US. Pes... -
Dawn - 13:09 Oct 07, 2025
Britain’s biggest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), said on Tuesday some factories would restart manufacturing on Wednesday after an almost six-week shutdown following a cyberattack, one of the country’s most disruptive hacks. To try to help smaller parts suppliers who have been pushed to the brink after weeks without business, JLR also announced it would be providing some companies with up-front cash for parts during the production restart phase. The luxury carmaker, owned by India’s Tata Motors TAMO.NS, has three factories in Britain, which together produce about 1,000 cars per day, and economists had warned of the impact of a prolonged shutdown on the country’s manufacturing output. High-profile hacks JLR was the latest high-profile cyberattack target in Britain this year, and comes after one of the country’s major retailers, Marks & Spencer (MKS.L), lost about 300 million pounds (about $400 million) after a breach forced it to shut down its online shop for two months. The incidents highlight the vulnerab... -
Dawn - 13:06 Oct 07, 2025
Pakistan will be sold Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) by United States defence group Raytheon following a modification in the firm’s contract that included the country in the list of buyers, it emerged on Tuesday. The US missiles are equipped on F-16 Falcons flown by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). A September 30 press release on the contracts issued by the US Department of War for the US Air Force said Raytheon was awarded a $41.6 million firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract for the enhanced C8 and D3 AMRAAM variants and their production. It added that the modification brought the total cumulative face value of the contract to $2.5 billion from $2.47bn. “Work will be performed at Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by May 30, 2030. This contract involves foreign military sales to United Kingdom, Poland, Pakistan, Germany, Finland, Australia, Romania, Qatar, Oman, Korea, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Japan, Slovak... -
Dawn - 12:54 Oct 07, 2025
Jolts from an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 were felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral and Swat districts on Tuesday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region. Today’s quake, measuring a depth of 138 kilometres, originated in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at 4:36pm, the PMD said in a statement. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake measured 5.1 and the epicentre was located 9km south-southeast of Afghanistan’s Yangi Qala district. The development comes just days after a 4.3-magnitude earthquake was recorded in the Pattan tehsil of KP’s Lower Kohistan district. Earlier this month, a 3.2-magnitude tremor was felt in parts of Karachi, with its centre 7km northwest of the Malir area. Residents of KP witnessed tremors multiple times ...
7421 items