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Dawn - 07:41 Dec 06, 2025
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board will meet on December 8 (Monday) to approve $1.2 billion in loans to Pakistan. The IMF had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on its loan programmes in October after extensive talks were held in Karachi, Islamabad and Washington from September 24 to October 8. The agreement still requires approval from IMF’s Executive Board before funds can be released. If approved, it would unlock about $1.2bn in fresh financing for the country; roughly $1 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and another $200 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The IMF confirmed the date of the meeting in a brief announcement on Friday. The official calendar posted on the IMF website also showed the Executive Board would review Pakistan’s loan programmes. Negotiations between Islamabad and the lending agency, led by IMF mission chief Iva Petrova, had focused on Pakistan’s fiscal performance, monetary stance, structural reforms and progres... -
Dawn - 06:04 Dec 06, 2025
Disaster-hit Sri Lanka has unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes damaged by a deadly cyclone, even as the island prepared Saturday for further landslides and flooding. The government has confirmed 607 deaths, with another 214 people missing and feared dead, in what President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called the country’s most challenging natural disaster. More than two million people — nearly 10 per cent of the population — have been affected. Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees ($33,000) to buy land in a safer location and build a new house, the finance ministry said in a statement late on Friday. The government is also offering one million rupees as compensation for each person killed or permanently disabled. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said more than 71,000 homes were damaged, including nearly 5,000 that were completely destroyed by last week’s floods and landslides. Around 150,000 people remain in state-run shelters, down from a peak of 225,000. The International... -
Dawn - 05:54 Dec 06, 2025
An advisory panel appointed by President Donald Trump’s vaccine-sceptic health secretary voted on Friday to stop recommending that all newborns in the United States receive a hepatitis B vaccine. The move to end the decades-old recommendation is the panel’s latest contentious about-face on vaccine policy since its overhaul by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this year. US health authorities previously recommended that all babies, not just those born to mothers believed to have hepatitis B, receive the first of three vaccine doses just after birth. The approach aimed, in part, to prevent transfers from mothers who unknowingly had hepatitis B or had falsely tested negative, and had virtually eradicated infections of the potentially deadly liver disease among young people in the country. After delaying the vote by a day, the panel on Friday passed its new recommendation for “individual-based decision-making,” in consultation with a health care provider, when children are born to mothers testing neg... -
Dawn - 05:03 Dec 06, 2025
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday decided to withdraw what it called “politically motivated violence cases registered on May 9 and 10 without credible evidence.” The cabinet met with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in the chair and ministers, chief secretary and administrative secretaries in attendance, according to an official statement. It added that the participants took key decisions regarding the distribution formula for reserved seats in medical and dental colleges for students from merged tribal districts, the new proposed posting and transfer policy, the committee report on action in aid of civil powers law, matters related to wheat stock and procurement, the May 9 and 10 violence cases, the formation of the KP Sugarcane and Sugar Beet Board, additional funding for development schemes and other public welfare initiatives. The cabinet decided that “politically-motivated” May 9 and 10 cases registered without credible evidence would be withdrawn. However, it offered no details. Sends new p... -
Dawn - 03:39 Dec 06, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The planned relocation of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to its old premises in the congested Sector G-10 has been put on hold, as the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) — which earlier sought to retain the IHC building on Constitution Avenue as its principal seat — is now preparing to move to the Federal Shariat Court (FSC). Sources confirmed that shifting of FCC record to the FSC building will begin today (Saturday), though it may take several days to fully transfer files, systems and administrative units. IHC Bar President Syed Wajid Ali Gillani and Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Jajja held multiple meetings with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to convey their concerns. The law minister had recently said that a decision regarding relocation would be made only after consulting lawyers’ bodies. Once keen on retaining the prized Constitution Avenue premises of the Islamabad High Court, the newly formed court will begin the process of shifting its record today Initially, the FCC was supposed to establish it... -
Dawn - 02:32 Dec 06, 2025
• Pakistani users trade over $250bn in crypto annually, Binance reveals • Around 17.5m Pakistanis registered on platform, holding $5bn in virtual assets • Banks flag security, compliance concerns over crypto integration ISLAMABAD: The government said on Friday it was considering a “time-bound amnesty” for cryptocurrency traders, as local banks raised risk and compliance concerns amid more than $250 billion in annual crypto trading reportedly conducted by Pakistani users. Officials floated the idea at a high-level consultative meeting after a top global cryptocurrency exchange argued that virtual assets could boost Pakistan’s GDP. “These virtual assets should be considered as part of liquid money supply (M-1) … virtual assets collateralisation will help increase M-1” because these are highly visible and dependable, a Binance team member told the meeting, co-chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal Bin Saqib. The meeting had been ar... -
Dawn - 02:21 Dec 06, 2025
• National Security Strategy references his repeated claims about planes shot down during May war • Presents him as ‘President of Peace’, claims he helped secure peace in eight global conflicts • Identifies China as central challenge; calls for deeper US engagement with India WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s role in arranging a peace deal between India and Pakistan received a mention in the White House’s National Security Strategy (NSS) released on Friday, even as the document largely focuses on China. The mention carries particular significance because the NSS is a formal statement of the administration’s policy priorities and global assessment. Highlighting Trump’s diplomacy in South Asia underscores Washington’s intention to boost its influence in the region and lends credibility to his intervention claims. “President Trump has cemented his legacy as the President of Peace. In addition to the remarkable success achieved during his first term with the historic Abraham Accords, President Trump has lev... -
Dawn - 02:14 Dec 06, 2025
• Rana Sanaullah says party still not ready to come to the table • Alarm raised over alleged breach of privacy by FBR ISLAMABAD: After a fiery speech in the Senate by a PTI-backed lawmaker, deploring the absence of rule of law and an unannounced ban on meetings with incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, the ruling party once again held out an olive branch to the PTI, reassuring it that all issues could be resolved through dialogue. Speaking in the upper house of parliament on Friday, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the PTI had always rejected the path of negotiations, even though all issues could be resolved through dialogue rather than deadlock. He said the government was ready to hold a dialogue with the opposition to take the country forward, but the PTI leadership remained unwilling. The remarks came after PTI Senator Mashal Yousafzai chided two ministers over the claim that VVIP facilities were available to Imran Khan in jail. She demanded tha... -
Dawn - 01:59 Dec 06, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday that the continued absence of a top Turkish delegation meant to mediate tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan was due to a lack of cooperation from the Taliban regime. Turkiye, one of the mediators alongside Qatar, recently hosted multiple rounds of talks between Islamabad and Kabul following an escalation of tensions between the two neighbours over the past weeks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier signalled plans to send a delegation to Islamabad, but the visit has not materialised. The Turkiye-Qatar effort had produced a fragile ceasefire, though the FO spokesperson said the truce had faltered because it was “contingent on a halt in terrorist activities”. Questioned in his weekly press briefing about the lack of a visit thus far from the Turkish delegation, the FO spokesperson responded: “Pakistan was open, and stands ready. And I believe that the delegation has not arrived because of scheduling issues, and perhaps by a lack of cooperation from the... -
Dawn - 00:33 Dec 06, 2025
KARACHI: Repeated closures of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have brought bilateral medicine trade to a standstill, leaving hundreds of trucks stranded and “jeopardising” nearly $200 million worth of pharmaceutical exports, industry sources said. Industry representatives warn that the ongoing blockade at Torkham and Chaman is crippling pharmaceutical supplies to Afghanistan, spoiling temperature-sensitive drugs, and exposing Pakistan to massive commercial losses at a time when exporters cannot afford another shock. They argue that Afghanistan remains Pakistan’s largest overland trading partner and the main transit route for onward access to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. Each shutdown cuts Pakistan off from these landlocked economies, disrupts regional connectivity projects, and undermines multilateral investments tied to the Pakistan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan railway and other corridor initiatives. “The closures are now so frequent that they have become a structural threat, forcing ... -
Dawn - 21:18 Dec 05, 2025
Muslim and Arab countries, in a joint statement released on Friday, underscored their “absolute rejection” of any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land. Israel announced on Wednesday it would unilaterally open the Rafah crossing to allow residents to flee the Gaza Strip, a move swiftly rejected by Egypt as Cairo insisted on lifting the blockade in both directions to relieve the besieged Palestinian territory. Egypt refused to facilitate what critics fear is the forced displacement of Palestinians, insisting on adherence to the terms of the United States-brokered peace plan, which mandates full humanitarian access. The Rafah crossing, the only vital artery to the outside world for the residents of Gaza not controlled directly by Israel, has been shuttered for months, strangling the flow of life-saving aid. The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar expressed concern over the use of the Rafah crossing to expel Palestinians.... -
Dawn - 19:36 Dec 05, 2025
The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11 with joint-hosts Mexico playing South Africa at the Azteca Stadium — venue of the 1970 and 1986 finals — followed by South Korea against a playoff winner after the draw was made on Friday. South Africa are appearing for the first time since 2010, when they drew with Mexico in the opening match but failed to reach the knockout stage. Fellow hosts the United States and Canada will join the party the next day, against Paraguay and a playoff winner — possibly Italy — respectively in Los Angeles and Toronto. Defending champions Argentina were grouped with Algeria, Austria and Jordan, while five-times winners Brazil will play Morocco — semi-finalists in 2022 — Haiti and Scotland. The Scots are appearing in the finals for the first time since 1998, when they lost to Brazil in the opening game. France’s first game will be against Senegal in a repeat of one of the biggest tournament upsets, when the Africans stunned the then-holders in their first game of the 2002 tournament... -
Dawn - 18:43 Dec 05, 2025
US President Donald Trump said he was not attending the draw for the 2026 World Cup to receive a prize, but he got one anyway. Trump, who has campaigned aggressively this year for a Nobel Peace Prize, was given FIFA’s inaugural peace prize for his efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in some of the world’s hotspots. Amid TV cameras and flashbulbs from the international press, Trump dominated the scene at Washington’s Kennedy Center on Friday, placing himself squarely at the center of one of the biggest events in the sporting world. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the soccer tournament next year. The prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, were there, too, but it was all Trump’s show. “This will be unique, this will be stellar, this will be spectacular,” Gianni Infantino, the gregarious president of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, said at the opening of the ceremony, talking about next year’s games. But he could have been ... -
Dawn - 18:13 Dec 05, 2025
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday said that “the gloves are off” and that anyone protesting outside Adiala jail, where PTI founder Imran Khan is currently incarcerated, will be dealt with harshly. In a blistering press conference earlier today, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric. Separately, PTI figures, in recent days, have staged demonstrations outside the prison. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had staged a sit-in outside the prison after he was barred from meeting Imran for the eighth time, while Imran’s sisters also staged sit-ins on multiple occasions after they were barred from meeting the former premier. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, the minister said that strict action would be taken against any individual who creates a law and order situation outside the prison, including arrests and the registration of legal cases. “If anyone tries to cre... -
Dawn - 17:39 Dec 05, 2025
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali appealed to pro-democratic forces to help reduce political tensions, expressing “disappointment” over a briefing by the military spokesperson targeting the party and former premier Imran Khan. In a blistering press conference earlier today, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”. The majority of the DG ISPR’s 90-minute press conference focused on criticising Imran, the party and its government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “This is the time for everyone to acknowledge one another, make space for each other and eliminate the lack of trust. I appeal to all pro-democracy forces to play their role in reducing tensions,” said PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar in a post on X, reacting to the military spokesperson’s remarks. Gohar said he had always held hope that tensions wo... -
Dawn - 16:23 Dec 05, 2025
The state-run Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) is planning a major expansion of unconventional gas developments from early next year, aiming to boost production and reduce reliance on imported liquefied natural gas. Pakistan has long been viewed as having potential in both tight and shale gas, which are trapped in rock and can only be released with specialised drilling, but commercial output has yet to be proved. Managing Director Ahmed Lak told Reuters that OGDCL had tripled its tight-gas study area to 4,500 square kilometres after new seismic and reservoir analysis indicated larger potential. Phase two of a technical evaluation will finish by the end of January, followed by full development plans. The renewed push comes after US President Donald Trump said Pakistan held “massive” oil reserves in July, a statement analysts said lacked credible geological evidence, but which prompted Islamabad to underscore that it is pursuing its own efforts to unlock unconventional resources. Ahmed Hayat Lak, M... -
Dawn - 15:57 Dec 05, 2025
India’s aviation ministry on Friday rolled back a new policy of weekly rest for pilots after chaos caused by hundreds of flight cancellations by the country’s biggest airline, IndiGo. In a bid to improve air travel safety, Indian authorities have introduced new stricter regulations limiting pilot flying times and placing tighter restrictions on their operation of night-time flights. Airports across India have been in disarray since Monday, with the private carrier blaming the disruption on “unforeseen operational challenges”. On Thursday, IndiGo admitted to aviation regulators that “misjudgement and planning gaps” in adapting to new rules led to the operational meltdown, even though it had two years to prepare for the switch. The new rules came into effect last month with the aim of giving pilots more rest periods to enhance passenger safety. India’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the ‘Flight Duty Time Limitations’ rules “have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect”. “Without compromising... -
Dawn - 15:04 Dec 05, 2025
Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Bilal Bin Saqib announced that Pakistan is set to launch its first “stablecoin” as part of its drive to make virtual assets a part of the economy. The PVARA is an autonomous federal body governed by a multi-stakeholder board including the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue. Its mandate is to curb illicit finance, protect consumers and unlock opportunities in fintech, remittances and tokenised assets, while fostering Shariah-compliant innovation through regulatory sandboxes. A stablecoin, according to Bloomberg, is a digital token whose value is intrinsically linked to a physical currency, such as the US dollar, making it more stable than other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Speaking at Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai, the crypto czar said that Pakistan will “definitely launch” a stablecoin, adding that the country is wor... -
Dawn - 14:36 Dec 05, 2025
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday assailed incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”. At the beginning of his press conference in Rawalpindi, he talked about a “creeping national security threat” that had become necessary for the military to address. “That threat emanates from a delusional mindset of a delusional person who has become captive to his own ego, thinking that his wishes are bigger than those of the state of Pakistan,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said, in an apparent reference to incarcerated PTI founder, Imran Khan. “His ego, his wishes, and frustrations have grown to such an extent that he thinks that the world would cease to exist without him.” The DG ISPR added that it would be “a bit strange to see it coming from me, but the narrative that person is pushing is no more about politics now but... -
Dawn - 14:13 Dec 05, 2025
The federal government on Friday decided to intensify its crackdown against passengers attempting to travel abroad using fake documents. Recently, several incidents have been reported of travellers being offloaded from flights at various airports, despite possessing valid travel documents. The actions came after a crackdown on migrant smuggling following last year’s Greece boat tragedy that claimed several Pakistani lives. The interior minister subsequently declared that anyone attempting to travel on incomplete or bogus documents would be stopped under all circumstances. In a special meeting held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain, it was decided to make the protector issuance system foolproof with reforms to be introduced in the immigration system to facilitate passengers. The federal ministers sought final recommendations within seven days. An effective crackdown was ordered against those involved in the...
9144 items