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Dawn - 16:37 Aug 15, 2026
While rejecting an appeal by a convict who murdered his former wife just two days after she obtained a judicial decree dissolving their marriage, the Supreme Court on Saturday ruled that women who exercise their lawful rights should not be subjected to violence with impunity. “This court, being mindful of the constitutional imperative to protect the life and dignity of women and to ensure that those who exercise their lawful rights are not subjected to violence with impunity, finds no basis to interfere with the concurrent conviction,” observed Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar. Headed by Justice Kakar, a three-judge Supreme Court bench, also comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, took up an appeal against the Lahore High Court’s June 25, 2025, rejection of his plea. According to the prosecution’s case, petitioner Wasim Abbas on Oct 11, 2020, at approximately 3pm, forcibly entered the home of Irshad Begum in Lahore. Armed with a .30-bore pistol, he was also accompanied by two unid... -
Dawn - 15:46 Aug 15, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) President Abdul Aleem Khan on Saturday expressed support for the creation of Hazara province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying people across the country wanted new provinces to be created on administrative grounds. He said calls for the creation of Hazara province had been raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly since 2010, adding that it was encouraging that major political parties supported its establishment. In his statement, Khan said the IPP stood firmly behind the demand for Hazara province to help resolve people’s problems. He said the creation of South Punjab and Bahawalpur provinces was also important and that the IPP would extend its full support to the demands. Khan said calls were also being made for the creation of new provinces in Punjab and Sindh, as the rapid increase in population had made the creation of additional provinces an urgent need. “The creation of new provinces can help resolve public issues and improve administrative efficiency,” he added. ... -
Dawn - 15:00 Aug 15, 2026
LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday announced that the party would stage sit-ins outside the Governor Houses in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar and the Chief Minister House in Lahore on Sunday against the levy imposed on petroleum products and other taxes. The sit-ins would begin at 4pm, he said, adding that participants would march from different cities to reach the designated sites. Addressing a packed press conference at Mansoora alongside the party’s central and provincial office-bearers, Rehman said, “We want to convey the voice of suppressed labourers, students and other sections of society to the government peacefully.” He warned that if the government tried to create trouble or interfere with the protest, the campaign for lower petrol prices could turn into a movement to topple the government. The JI emir said the party had organised sit-ins at 510 locations the previous week and that “not a single flowerpot was broken” during the protests. “We will come peacefully... -
Dawn - 14:35 Aug 15, 2026
Rescuers combed through debris for survivors on Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia’s eastern Flores island, killing at least 47 people, according to disaster officials. The national disaster management agency (BNPB) raised the death toll from 40 late on Saturday, while rescue official Fathur Rahman said 50 people were injured in the 7.7-magnitude quake. Suharyanto, who leads the BNPB, said earlier that people were trapped in several buildings. “These will be the initial targets of the disaster response teams,” he said. Nearly 160 houses, dozens of educational and health facilities and other public buildings were damaged when the earthquake struck the popular tourist island in Indonesia’s east, the BNPB reported. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said preparations were underway to bring aid to some 2,000 people in temporary shelters. The government sent 50,000 aid packages weighing a total of 275 tonnes to the area, and European Union chief Ursula von d... -
Dawn - 14:32 Aug 15, 2026
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has rejected a federal proposal for an at-source deduction of Rs6.4 billion from federal transfers payable to the provinces. Details available with Dawn show that on Aug 5, the Finance Ministry informed the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) Peshawar office about the proposed at-source deduction. “I am directed to convey at source deduction of Rs6.4 billion for the month of July 2026, on behalf of government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the letter said. It said that the amount was adjustable in the accounts for FY 2026-27, requesting a formal advice of adjustment, when carried out, to be provided to the division. However, on Thursday, KP Finance Department wrote to the Accountant General KP, stating that the KP government had not approved the finance division’s proposed deduction. “The MoU circulated by the federal government for this purpose has not been approved by the provincial cabinet or signed by the provincial government, nor has any budgetary provisio... -
Dawn - 13:58 Aug 15, 2026
The federal government has increased the commission paid to petroleum dealers by Rs1.34 per litre after accepting one of their longstanding demands. At first glance, the increase in dealers’ margin appears modest. However, when applied to the billions of litres of petrol and diesel consumed every year, its effect extends well beyond petrol pumps. For consumers already grappling with the highest fuel prices since March 2026 due to the war in the Middle East, the decision raises an important question: who ultimately bears the cost of higher dealer margins? The increase was announced on the public holiday of August 14, soon after petroleum dealers threatened a countrywide strike. The timing has drawn attention because the government had already addressed one of the dealers’ major concerns by reducing the dealers’ discount rate on debit card transactions by about 70 per cent, lowering their operating costs. The latest decision reflects not only a response to industry demands but also a policy choice with lasting ... -
Dawn - 13:15 Aug 15, 2026
PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that while political differences between opponents were common during elections, they should never turn into animosity, apparently referring to the deepening differences between the ruling party and its coalition partner, the PPP, at the Centre. Elections are being held across AJK in three division-wise phases amid tensions between protesters and the authorities that have been ongoing for over two months. Addressing a party convention in Murree, the party president congratulated the winners of the elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while extending commiserations to the losing candidates. However, he noted that the complaints from the PPP have been “upsetting”. “We have always maintained good relations with our opponents. There is always disagreement in politics, but it should not reach the point where it creates animosity,” he said. “This is unacceptable.” The PML-N supremo noted that AJK’s atmosphere has always been good, but lamented se... -
Dawn - 13:09 Aug 15, 2026
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday his government would provide free online coaching lessons for competitive exams, weeks after massive youth-led protests forced the education minister to resign. Modi said the initiative was aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of families caught up in the country’s fiercely competitive education system. The 75-year-old leader made the announcement while speaking from the ramparts of New Delhi’s imposing 17th-century Red Fort to mark the country’s independence from Britain on August 15, 1947. “We have decided to provide free online coaching for various competitive examinations for our youth. We have the digital public infrastructure, and we have highly talented teachers and educators,” he said. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he attends the Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in Delhi, India on August 15, 2026. —Reuters The move comes after nationwide protests, triggered by the leak of a key medical entrance examinat... -
Dawn - 12:58 Aug 15, 2026
18 girls’ schools in Upper Dir border areas recommended for week-long closure over security concerns
LOWER DIR: The district education officer on Saturday recommended the temporary closure for one week of 18 girls’ schools in the border areas of Upper Dir amid the prevailing security situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. According to an official letter issued by the District Education Officer (Female), Upper Dir, to the deputy commissioner, serious concerns have been raised about the safety of students and teaching staff amid the prevailing uncertainty in the district’s border areas. The letter said reports received from the relevant sub-divisional education officers indicated that several schools in the affected areas were directly exposed to potential risks arising from the ongoing situation. The education department has requested the district administration to allow the schools, including girls’ high, middle and primary schools, to remain closed from Aug 15 to Aug 22 as a precautionary measure to safeguard students and staff. The schools proposed for temporary closure are located in Panakot, Qu... -
Dawn - 12:07 Aug 15, 2026
Polling has concluded at 23 stations in two constituencies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Bagh district, having begun at 8am on Saturday. The AJK Election Commission earlier said polling was ongoing without any reports of violence, but the turnout in both constituencies was negligible. In the third phase of polling on Monday, PPP’s Sardar Ziaul Qamar secured 16,637 votes in LA-15 (Bagh Central), followed by PML-N’s Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas with 15,015 and Jamaat-i-Islami’s retired Brig Dr Muhammad Khan with 12,259. But as polling could not be held at nine stations in the constituency, the commission withheld the result. Similarly, the result of LA-16 (Eastern Bagh) was also withheld after polling could not be held at 14 stations, which have a combined 7,238 registered voters. Results from the remaining polling stations showed that PML-N’s Sardar Mir Akbar, who secured 19,515 votes, was leading his closest rival, PPP’s Sardar Qamaruz Zaman, by 3,225 votes. In both constituencies, all five candidates had accused... -
Dawn - 11:19 Aug 15, 2026
Rescuers combed through debris for survivors after a powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores Island on Saturday, killing at least 38 people, according to a disaster official. Suharyanto, head of Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, said 13 people were injured, two of them seriously. “Victims are trapped in several buildings,” said Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians uses one name. “These will be the initial targets of the disaster response teams,” he told a news conference, adding that two helicopters and a plane were being readied to assist in rescue operations. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen offered help from the bloc’s Copernicus Earth observation satellites. “Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts. Indonesia, we stand with you,” she wrote on X. Dozens of houses and other buildings were damaged when the 7.7-magnitude quake hit the popular tourist island in Indonesia’s east. Suharyanto said about 2,000 people had... -
Dawn - 11:12 Aug 15, 2026
The European Union faces a sobering geopolitical reality: its influence in regions, such as the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, that directly affect its security and economic interests is diminishing. The Iranian dossier serves as the clearest example. Once a primary architect of the Iran nuclear deal, the EU now finds itself marginalised as US-Iran backchannel negotiations and regional security calculations dictate the trajectory of the relations with Iran. Europe neither participated in any combat operations nor did it play any diplomatic role in bringing the conflict to its resolution. Brussels has been reduced to the role of a concerned but impotent bystander. Into this vacuum, Pakistan has moved with strategic intent. Islamabad has close military-to-military relationship with Washington, with Field Marshal Asim Munir having forged a relationship of trust with US President Donald Trump. On the other hand, Pakistan has long historical ties with Iran, as well as deep relationships with China, Saudi Arabia... -
Dawn - 09:59 Aug 15, 2026
ISLAMABAD: After a gap of 14 years, 27 police stations in the federal capital were provided 30 new vehicles on Saturday to improve response time and mobility. According to a statement issued by the interior ministry, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry handed over the keys to Islamabad police during a ceremony held at Police Lines. The statement quoted Naqvi as saying that the concept of modern policing was impossible with non-functional vehicles. “Only by meeting police requirements in line with the times can we achieve the desired results. These new vehicles will improve police response time,” he said. He was further quoted as saying that all necessary resources were being provided to Islamabad police to ensure public safety and security. “With the provision of resources, police will be able to perform their duties in a better manner,” he said. He said construction and upgradation of all police stations in Islamabad was also underway and would be completed soon.... -
Dawn - 09:34 Aug 15, 2026
The Taliban marked five years in power on Saturday, seeking to portray their government as in control even as aid and rights groups warned of escalating crises. Outside the former US embassy in Kabul, armoured Taliban vehicles took part in a parade, displaying flags and banners, and celebrating what the government described as “victory day” from Western domination. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, said in a video address that their return to power was the result of “morale, courage” and “divine assistance”. But he also made a rare acknowledgement of “issues and problems that may still exist.” International organisations and the UN say the Taliban have struggled to address the natural and humanitarian crises Afghanistan has faced over the past five years, in part because Afghan women are under severe restrictions. The Taliban have also faced a string of assassinations of key regional officials in the country’s northeast in recent weeks. In late July, the Taliban’s information director in Ba... -
Dawn - 09:02 Aug 15, 2026
KARACHI: A session court on Saturday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of a man said to be the business partner of Mir Raza Ali, a young businessman whose body was found last month after he went missing in PECHS. Muhammad Ahmed Bhardey filed an application before the additional district and sessions judge (East) through his counsel, Khalid Mumtaz, seeking pre-arrest bail in the alleged murder case. On Thursday, the court granted interim bail to Ahmed against a surety of Rs100,000 and issued notices to the investigating officer and the prosecution for Aug 15. On Saturday, Bhardey’s lawyer contended that his client was being harassed by police and feared being arrested despite cooperating with the investigation. “My client was the business partner of the victim. He ran one shop while Raza ran the other,” the lawyer submitted, adding that the police had also included his client in the investigation. The lawyer said Bhardey had been summoned to the crime scene rather than to the police station and alleged that... -
Dawn - 07:02 Aug 15, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to provide every possible assistance and relief to people in flood-affected areas. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the prime minister gave the directives during a meeting with NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik. The prime minister directed that “all available resources should be utilised to provide every possible assistance and relief to the people in flood-affected areas”. He further instructed the NDMA to maintain effective coordination with relevant provincial institutions and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs). The prime minister also appreciated the use of artificial intelligence and modern technology at the National Emergencies Operation Centre. During the meeting, the NDMA chairman briefed the prime minister on the country’s weather situation, particularly the flood situation in the wake of monsoon rains. The chairman also briefed the... -
Dawn - 05:49 Aug 15, 2026
Black academic Jason Arday, who resigned from the University of Cambridge last week following a high-profile plagiarism scandal that raised claims of racism, was found dead on Friday, the prestigious British institution confirmed. Arday, 41, was found unresponsive Friday afternoon at an address in south London, according to the capital’s Metropolitan Police Service, which did not confirm the identity of the deceased person at the time of discovery. “We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news,” Cambridge University’s top administrator, Vice Chancellor Deborah Prentice, said in a brief statement. Arday’s family criticised what they called a “campaign of harassment” that followed allegations about his academic work and personal life. “The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone,” the family said in a statement released through his publisher Simon & Schuster. The scandal erupted after some academics and media reports accus... -
Dawn - 05:16 Aug 15, 2026
Rescuers combed through debris for survivors on Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck off Flores island in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 20 people and sending thousands fleeing. As the full scale of the disaster unfolded, rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP at least 20 people were confirmed dead from four different towns on the island, popular with tourists. “From the reports we have received, 20 people have died, six are injured, and two are still buried,” Fathur said by telephone from a boat on his way to Nagekeo regency, the hardest-hit area. Two people were known to be trapped alive under rubble in the neighbouring Manggarai regency after the 7.7-magnitude jolt. “Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble” said Fathur, adding the rescue effort had been complicated by landslides cutting off several roads. Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated earlier Saturday — a possible sign of an approaching tsu... -
Dawn - 04:09 Aug 15, 2026
KHAIRPUR: In blazing temperatures, Muhammad Idrees ladles boiled dates from a vat simmering over an open flame, work that labourers lament is getting hotter each year in Sindh. Date season arrives in July, when temperatures in the province regularly hit the mid-40 degrees Celsius. Workers start before sunrise, and split the day into short shifts, but the heat soon catches up with them. Their gruelling routine involves harvesting and boiling fruit picked from palms that line Khairpur district, which produces more than half the country’s dates and supports thousands of farmers and seasonal labourers. Labourers begin work around 2am to avoid the worst of the daytime heat Idrees, who has worked the date harvest for more than a decade, said the heat has now become “unbearable”. Date labourers are one of many professions in Pakistan that are becoming more difficult and dangerous as temperatures rise. “It used to be less intense,” Idrees told AFP as temperatures hit 42°C. “The heat is much harsher and the days are e... -
Dawn - 04:01 Aug 15, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Bar Association has expressed concerns over the alleged deteriorating medical condition of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in custody and urged the chief justices of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Supreme Court to take immediate notice of the matter. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, IBA Acting President Iram Rashid and Secretary Raja Khawar Dhaniyal highlighted what they described as the serious situation being faced by the two prisoners. According to the letter, Imaan Mazari is suffering from serious medical problems while in jail and requires continuous medical treatment. The bar association stated that Hadi Ali Chattha was also facing a difficult situation and required proper medical attention. The IBA maintained that timely and appropriate medical treatment was a fundamental right of every prisoner and that the authorities concerned were responsible for ensuring that inmates received necessary ...
12682 items