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Dawn - 06:39 Sep 25, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called upon the international community to honour its commitment on climate finance, stressing that debt-driven finance cannot address the climate catastrophe confronting vulnerable nations like Pakistan. Pakistan experienced unprecedented floods and landslides this year amid record monsoon rains, triggered by climate change. The country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that since late June, more than 1,000 people have been killed, with nearly 1,100 left injured due to monsoon-related disasters. Back in 2022, the country faced widespread devastation because of the floods, which killed 1,700 people, wiped off swathes of agricultural land, displaced millions, and incurred losses worth $30 billion, according to governmental estimates. Following the disaster, Pakistan held an international donors’ conference in Geneva, asking the world to help fund its flood recovery. Earlier this year, the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs was told tha... -
Dawn - 05:32 Sep 25, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, which has been targeting 13 million girls aged 9 to 14, has so far achieved only 34 percent of its target, it was revealed on Wednesday. So far, only 4.5 million girls out of the targeted 13 million have been vaccinated against the virus, which causes cervical cancer. The update was shared with State Minister for National Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, who visited the HPV vaccination site at Islamabad Model School for Girls (IMSG), G-6/1-3, to observe the public health effort. The visit was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Federal Directorate of Immunisation (FDI). The campaign, which began on 17 September, will conclude on 27 September. Participants at the event included Dr Soofia Yunus, Director General of FDI; Dr Khurram Akram, Director (Technical), FDI Islamabad; Sharmeela Rasool, Deputy Country Representative, UNICEF Pakistan; Ellen Thon, Deputy WHO Representative, Pakistan; Dr Rashida Batool, District Health Officer; an... -
Dawn - 05:00 Sep 25, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is preparing to impose taxes on TikTok content creators, a parliamentary committee was informed on Wednesday during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue at Parliament House. Senator Faisal Vawda claimed that the FBR is finalising a plan to tax income earned by TikTokers, suggesting that the largest share of recoverable taxes would come from Punjab. He urged the tax authority to begin enforcement there. The committee, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, also reviewed the Pakistan Remittances Initiative (PRI) and the government’s remittance subsidy policy. Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan informed members that the subsidy, originally introduced in 2020 at 20 Saudi riyals per transaction, was raised to 30 in 2024 but has since been reduced back to 20 riyals. Senators question remittance subsidies benefiting banks Vawda criticised the move and described the policy as a “scandal”, alleging that commercial banks were benefiti... -
Dawn - 04:50 Sep 25, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday signed loan facilities worth approximately Rs1.225 trillion with 18 banks to settle the outstanding dues of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) parked in circular debt. These dues will be serviced through a Rs3.23 per unit surcharge on consumers for a period of six years. The signing ceremony was held at the PM Office, witnessed virtually by the prime minister from New York. No official announcement was made, although ministers confirmed the signing of the agreement. Under the agreement, the government will have 30 days to request disbursements from banks for prompt utilisation to avoid penalties. Any withdrawal request not fully used within the period will lapse. After the request is made, the government will have three months to draw down the approved funds. The servicing of the Rs1.225tr debt would be serviced through a Debt Service Surcharge (DSS) at the rate of Rs3.23 per unit. Of this, Rs659bn would be used for loans payable by Power Holding Ltd (PHL) – a shell subs... -
Dawn - 03:53 Sep 25, 2025
• Residents say controlled breaches can give floodwaters a path back to Chenab • Several parts of Jamshoro remain under water LAHORE / DADU: A vast reservoir of floodwater continues to rise along the eastern side of the M-5 motorway, inundating farmland and threatening to erase entire villages in Multan’s Jalalpur Pirwala tehsil. Fifteen days after breaches first appeared at the Noraja Bhutta embankment on the Sutlej River, residents in union councils across Multan, Bahawalpur and Lodhran remain stranded, with many clinging to embankments as the water swallows their homes. To prevent damage to the highway, the National Highway Authority (NHA) has blocked culverts and bridges with heavy stones, effectively turning the motorway into a dam. But this is preventing floodwaters from draining away and causing water levels to rise on the eastern side, creating a dam-like effect from Noraja Bhutta embankment to the motorway. Communities in Noraja Bhutta, Bahadurpur, Basti Lang, Kanu, Dipal, Tarut Basharat, Daily Rajan... -
Dawn - 03:00 Sep 25, 2025
NEW DELHI: The Mumbai police registered a case against 81-year-old business tycoon Nusli Nevil Wadia, the grandson of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and some of his family members among others for allegedly using forged and fabricated documents in their court proceedings against Ferani Hotels Pvt Ltd, news reports said. According to Hindustan Times, the FIR was registered following orders by the metropolitan magistrate court at Borivili, which directed the Bangur Nagar police to register an FIR against Nusli Wadia, Maureen Wadia, 78, Ness Wadia, 54, Jehangir Wadia, 52, H.J. Bamji, 75, K.F. Bharucha and R.E. Wandewala, 65, for alleged cheating and forgery. The case revolves around a 30-year-old development agreement between Wadia and Ferani Hotels on a plot of land in Malad, which Ferani Hotels was to develop with builder K. Raheja and pay Wadia 12pc of the gross sale proceeds. Disputes arose in 2008, leading to legal battles over Wadia’s share of sales and the management of the land. The case has involve... -
Dawn - 02:56 Sep 25, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar has been inducted as a member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the top forum for judicial accountability, as the SJC will meet next month to examine complaints against superior courts judges including the IHC. Under Article 209 of the Constitution, the SJC consists of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, and two senior-most chief justices of high courts. CJP Yahya Afridi heads the forum, while Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar represent the Supreme Court. Among chief justices, LHC’s Chief Justice Alia Neelum was already a member, and the seat vacated following the retirement of SHC Chief Justice Junaid Ghaffar has now been filled by Justice Dogar, who ranks as the most senior among the sitting high court chiefs. The Constitution says that seniority among chief justices of high courts is determined by their dates of appointment as permanent chief justices... -
Dawn - 02:42 Sep 25, 2025
• Allowing judges to target peers would lead to ‘internal conflicts’, Justice Mandokhail warns • Ruling underscores principle of judicial equality, places emphasis on judicial discipline; affirms that judges cannot ‘pick and choose’ cases • IHC judges’ pleas ‘still under review’, says SC spox ISLAMABAD: Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the Supreme Court, in an 11-page verdict, has ruled that judges cannot initiate contempt proceedings against their peers, establishing that only the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has the constitutional authority to probe misconduct allegations against the judges of both the apex and high courts. He explained that judges within the superior courts share equal power and status, with no individual holding superiority or inferiority over another. He warned that allowing judges to take such punitive measures against one another would cripple the judiciary. The ruling formally justified why a six-judge Supreme Court bench on Jan 27 disposed of an Intra-Court Appeal (ICA) filed by ... -
Dawn - 00:15 Sep 25, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Taking a step towards digitalisation and facilitate victims of fraud cases, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has devised a system for disbursing their recovered money from the fraudulent through online. “Addressing difficulties faced by victims of various financial scams in receiving their amounts, NAB has decided to transfer recovered funds to victims online,” says an official press release issued by the NAB headquarters on Wednesday. The new payment system was launched at a ceremony presided over by NAB chairman retired Lt-Gen Nazir Ahmed. In the first phase, recovered funds were directly transferred online to victims of the B4U fraud. The NAB chief himself initiated the online transfer of funds directly into the bank accounts of victims. In the past, NAB used to return money to a limited number of victims at a time via pay orders, a time-consuming process that required victims to physically visit NAB offices to receive their money. Now, NAB has completely digitised this process so that f... -
Dawn - 20:15 Sep 24, 2025
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday welcomed the landmark mutual defence deal struck between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as the beginning of a “comprehensive regional security system”. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia entered into a landmark mutual defence agreement, under which any aggression against one state will be considered an attack on both. The pact was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh last week. The timing of the accord, coming on the heels of an Arab summit that signalled a shift towards collective security — in the wake of Israel’s attack on Qatar — hints that it is rooted in current world affairs and reflects the defence concerns of both countries. It also comes just months after a deadly India-Pakistan conflict in May, as well as the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. The Iranian president praised the defence deal while addressing the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General ... -
Dawn - 19:11 Sep 24, 2025
The Pakistan women’s team on Wednesday started training for the Women’s Cricket World Cup, in Sri Lanka’s Colombo, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The Women in Green arrived in the Sri Lankan capital late on Tuesday as the tournament is set to start on September 30 in India’s Guwahati. The eight-nation showpiece will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from Sept 30 to Nov 2. However, Pakistan — under an International Cricket Council (ICC) hybrid model decided by the ICC due to political strains between New Delhi and Islamabad — will play all their matches of the event in Colombo. “The team on Wednesday participated in its first training session at the Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium,” APP reported. The session focused on batting, bowling, and fielding under the guidance of head coach Muhammad Wasim, APP added. Before the World Cup begins, Pakistan will play two crucial warm-up matches. Their first encounter will be against Sri Lanka on September 25, followed by a match against South Africa on Septembe... -
Dawn - 18:51 Sep 24, 2025
India secured their place in the men’s Asia Cup final on Wednesday as Abhishek Sharma starred with 75 in a 41-run win over Bangladesh in Dubai. The holders posted 168-6 batting first after stumbling following a quick start, but their spinners helped stifle Bangladesh to 127 all out. The result means Sri Lanka are out of the tournament, with Thursday’s Super Four match between Pakistan and Bangladesh to decide who faces India in Sunday’s final. Abhishek has enjoyed a remarkable start to his T20 international career with 783 runs from 22 matches at a strike-rate of 197.72. The opener set up victory with another brilliant innings, striking six sixes and five fours in his 37-ball blitz, which ended with a run-out caused by a mix-up with captain Suryakumar Yadav. Both Abhishek and fellow opener Shubman Gill, who made 29, started cautiously before the two took on left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, smashing 21 runs off the fourth over. Abhishek reached his fifty off just 25 balls after Gill fell to leg-spinner Rishad Hos... -
Dawn - 17:16 Sep 24, 2025
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday decided to amend relevant provisions of the Import Policy Order, 2022 to allow the commercial import of used vehicles. According to a statement issued by the Finance Division, “The ECC considered a summary regarding the commercial import of used vehicles and, after detailed discussion, accorded approval to the proposals.” Initially, only vehicles not older than five years will be permitted until 30th June 2026, after which the vehicle age limit shall stand removed, it added. As per the statement, Federal Finance and Revenue Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired the ECC meeting virtually from New York. The ECC further directed that “such commercial importation would remain subject to strict compliance with prescribed environmental and safety standards”. “The committee also approved the imposition of 40 per cent regulatory duty in addition to the existing customs duties, on the commercial import of used vehicles (less than five years old),” it ... -
Dawn - 17:00 Sep 24, 2025
PTI social media activist Falak Javed Khan has been arrested by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a case pertaining to the fake videos of Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari being uploaded on social media, her lawyer said on Wednesday. The PTI alleged that she was arrested in Islamabad last night. Her lawyer, Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq, confirmed to Dawn.com today that she was arrested in the fake videos case. “My team and I will appear in Lahore District Court tomorrow in Falak Javed’s case. We will provide full legal assistance in Falak Javed’s case. If NCCIA applies for Falak Javed’s physical remand, we will oppose it. The case is being reviewed from all angles,” he said. The Punjab minister had sought action last year in July against the persons involved in sharing her edited images on social media. She alleged that Falak edited and spread her images on social media. The minister said a request was made to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under the Peca (Prevention of Elect... -
Dawn - 15:54 Sep 24, 2025
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday clarified that no final decision had been taken yet on the issue of withholding tax on money transfers and withdrawals after the body earlier declared it to be “un-Islamic”. The CII made the earlier decision and others at its 243rd meeting today, presided over by CII Chairman Allama Dr Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, the press release read. “The council declared the withholding tax imposed on withdrawal or transfer of money as excessive and declared it un-Islamic,” the press release said. As per the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), withholding tax is an advance payment of tax deducted at the time of economic activities specified under certain sections of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and Sales Tax Act, 1990. However, a clarification issued later read: “Regarding today’s meeting of the CII, there was an impression that the council had formed a final opinion on the withholding tax, whereas in fact, a few members had an initial discussion on it, in which the mem... -
Dawn - 15:27 Sep 24, 2025
A shooter killed at least one person and wounded others in a shooting on Wednesday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, local and federal authorities said. Police responded to reports of the shooting at the office in northwest Dallas at about 6:40am local time (4:40pm PKT), the Dallas police department said on X. The suspect opened fire on the office from an adjacent building, according to the preliminary investigation, police said. Two people were transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds, while a third person died at the scene. ICE officers were not injured, but it was not clear whether the victims included ICE detainees, local security or local law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in an interview on Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’. Investigators are looking at the possibility that the shot came from the rooftop of a nearby apartment building, McLaughlin added. “Those details are st... -
Dawn - 14:17 Sep 24, 2025
Security forces on Wednesday killed 13 terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media wing said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted the operation in the Daraban area, upon the reported presence of terrorists “belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij”. The state uses the term Fitna al Khwarij to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It has also designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and [as a result], 13 Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement read. The ISPR added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead terrorists, who were involved in terrorist activity in the area. The statement added... -
Dawn - 13:53 Sep 24, 2025
The Supreme Court (SC) has held that only the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) can investigate allegations of misconduct against judges of the apex court and high courts, it emerged on Wednesday. The observation was made in a detailed verdict, issued on Tuesday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, in a case pertaining to the contempt proceedings against Additional Registrar (Judicial) Nazar Abbas. Three Supreme Court judges had initiated contempt proceedings against the senior staff member in January for not fixing a case regarding the jurisdiction of regular benches. The case pertained to whether regular benches of the Supreme Court could determine the constitutionality of Article 191A of the Constitution, under which the Constitutional Bench was established after the 26th Amendment. The detailed verdict issued today, authored by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, said that by virtue of holding a constitutional position, sub-article (5) of Article 199 of the Constitution granted immunity to SC and high c... -
Dawn - 13:38 Sep 24, 2025
Diamond sets and a drone light show at a near-million-dollar wedding have become evidence for tax authorities under a new “Lifestyle Monitoring Cell” tasked with scanning social media for lavish spenders, officials said. A team of 40 investigators from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has started scouring Instagram, TikTok and YouTube posts this week, to match influencers, celebrities, realtors and businesspeople with disproportionate filings. “It’s open-source their Instagram accounts are a public declaration,” one senior FBR official said, adding that tax evasion cases can be opened up in a matter of hours. The FBR did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The monitoring cell has been formed to address the country’s chronic inability to meet revenue collection targets, and to help meet tougher goals set in this year’s International Monetary Fund-backed budget. Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in Asia, a chronic weakness that has forced the country into nearly two dozen IMF programm... -
Dawn - 13:23 Sep 24, 2025
Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has declared that the Green Shirts will reach the Asia Cup final and can beat India if the arch-rivals clash again. Pakistan kept their campaign alive with a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Super Four clash in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Pakistan and India have met twice in this edition of the regional competition, but the two teams have never played against each other in an Asia Cup final. The regional tournament, played this time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the Twenty20 format, started in 1984, and this is its 17th edition. Bangladesh, who face India on Wednesday and Pakistan on Thursday, stand in the way of the great rivals facing off in Sunday’s decider in Dubai. India are the current holders and beat Pakistan in both previous matches, but Shaheen was in a bullish mood after taking 3-28 against Sri Lanka. When asked about Pakistan and India not facing off in any of the finals of the previous editions and the possibility of both rivals meeting in the final, Shaheen s...
7421 items