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Dawn - 17:23 Jun 12, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met with the United Arab Emirates leadership to discuss regional peace and stability and explore ways to deepen bilateral ties during his official day-long visit to the emirates. Over the last few months, UAE has expressed commitment to strengthening its long-standing partnership with Pakistan and announced a $2 billion debt rollover soon after. In April, the two nations signed and exchanged multiple memoranda of understanding (MoU) to further strengthen the bonds between the people of both nations. The premier arrived in Abu Dhabi earlier today, where he was welcomed by the UAE’s National Security Adviser, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. During a high-level meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, PM Shehbaz discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed commitment to further enhance cooperation in key areas, state media PTV reported. “Both leaders expressed ... -
Dawn - 16:20 Jun 12, 2025
Rights activist Mahrang Baloch on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against the Balochistan High Court’s (BHC) May 22 order that dismissed constitutional petitions challenging her detention and that of two other Baloch leaders, more than two months after they were held under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO). Mahrang, the chief of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), along with other activists of the group was arrested on March 22 for allegedly “attacking” Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”, a day after their members faced a police crackdown in Quetta while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. Mahrang’s sister had challenged the detention in the BHC but the court had asked the petitioner to approach the home department for her release. The sister had subsequently filed constitutional petitions in the high court challenging the detentions but those were dismissed.... -
Dawn - 15:54 Jun 12, 2025
A woman on Thursday allegedly gunned down her husband, a motorway cop, in the Mian Khan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan district, according to police. Mardan police spokesperson Faheem Khan told Dawn.com, “The suspect has been arrested and a first information report (FIR) has been registered at the Baizai police station.” The FIR, registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and seen by Dawn.com, states that the complainant, the slain police official’s elder brother, alleged that he was asleep in his room when gunshots were heard in the house. “When my wife and I went inside, we found my brother’s wife with a pistol in her hand, while he was lying in a pool of blood,” the complainant alleged, adding that the victim succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a hospital in Katlang. “There have been domestic disputes between them since they got married and they used to fight regularly,” the complainant added in the FIR. Incidents of homicides are frequently reported in var... -
Dawn - 15:33 Jun 12, 2025
Jurors will reconvene on Thursday in Harvey Weinsteins sex crimes retrial, a day after they handed down a partial conviction against the former movie mogul but hit an impasse on a rape count as deliberations spiralled into angry infighting. Weinstein, once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, faced a retrial that began on April 23 after a state appeals court last year overturned his 2020 conviction. He was accused by prosecutors in the case of raping an aspiring actress and assaulting two other women. Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. The jury found Weinstein guilty on one of the three counts he faced, which stemmed from his alleged assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. The jury found Weinstein not guilty of a charge stemming from his alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002 when she was a 16-year-old aspiring actress. The jury has not yet reached a verdict on a third count, which charges him with raping aspiring act... -
Dawn - 14:04 Jun 12, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because “it could be a dangerous place”, adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the US is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to US and Iraqi sources. The four US and two Iraqi sources did not say what security risks had prompted the decision, and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than four per cent. A US official said the State Department had authorised voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait. The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest US posture. “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel due to heightened regional tensions,” the ... -
Dawn - 13:57 Jun 12, 2025
Pakistan was bottom-ranked among 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2025 — with 56.7 per cent gender parity — the highest since 2006, it emerged on Thursday. The annual report benchmarked the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. In the latest report, Pakistan has been ranked below Sudan, (57pc, 147th), Chad (57.1pc, 146th), Iran (58.3pc,145th), Guinea (59.5pc, 144th), Democratic Republic of the Congo (60.1pc, 143rd), Niger (61.3pc,142nd), Algeria (61.4pc, 141st), and Mali (61.7pc, 140th). Occupying the bottom rank of the index, Pakistan saw its overall parity score decline from last year’s edition, from 57pc to 56.7pc, the report said. Overall Pakistan has closed +2.3 of its gender gap since 2006. However, this year’s results were a second consecutive drop from the economy’s best score of 57.7pc, achieved in 2023. Pakistan’s... -
Dawn - 13:48 Jun 12, 2025
Los Angeles was “safe and sound for the last two nights”, United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday morning, as he hailed troops for helping to restore order in the city after days of anti-deportation protests. “Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the LA Police in a position to effectively do their job,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that without the military, the city “would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years”. The mostly peaceful protests ignited last week over a sudden escalation in efforts to apprehend migrants in the country illegally. But there were also pockets of violence, including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling stones at police. Trump deployed several thousand National Guard troops and some 700 active-duty Marines over the objections of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, the first such action by a US president in decades. In his post, Trump said Newsom “had totally lost control of the situation”. “He should be sayin... -
Dawn - 13:29 Jun 12, 2025
Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of an international march with the stated aim of breaking Israel’s blockade on Gaza, organisers said Thursday. As part of the Global March to Gaza, thousands of activists planned to travel to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday to demand the entry of humanitarian aid. On Thursday, the march’s spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told AFP: “Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo.” He added that those detained included nationals from the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Morocco, and Algeria. Abukeshek said that plainclothes police entered hotels in Cairo on Wednesday with lists of names, questioned activists and in some cases confiscated mobile phones and searched personal belongings. “After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released,” he added. At Cairo airport, some detainees were held for long hours wit... -
Dawn - 13:24 Jun 12, 2025
The Islamabad High Court on Thursday restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from “harassing” former senator and prominent human rights defender Farhatullah Babar. FIA Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) opened an inquiry against Babar in March over alleged “corruption, tax evasion and illicit asset accumulation”. Babar appeared before the FIA in Islamabad on March 28 to respond to the notice over a complaint filed by a citizen named Touseef Abbas in Rawalpindi. The senator, who is the head of PPP’s Human Rights Cell, filed a writ petition through lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha with the Ministry of Interior and FIA as respondents, urging the court to quash an anti-corruption inquiry filed against him and restrain the agency from harassing or arresting him. Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the case today on a petition filed by Babar under Article 199 of the Constitution, one that grants high courts the power to issue writs to enforce fundament rights. The petitioner’s counsel told the court that B... -
Dawn - 12:45 Jun 12, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged parents and employers to make joint efforts to eliminate child labour, as the country observed World Day Against Child Labour. Over 12.5 million children in Pakistan are involved in child labour, according to the Child Rights Movement (CRM) National Secretariat. One in four households in Pakistan employed a child for domestic work, often in hazardous conditions, as per the International Labour Organisation (ILO). According to a provincial survey, working children accounted for 11.1 per cent of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s child population. According to a statement from the President’s House, President Zardari, in his message, called for efforts to protect children from exploitation, expressing hope for a future where children could “learn, play, and grow in a safe and dignified environment”. Stressing the need for collective action by governments, the president urged employers to “strictly follow child labour laws and ensure that their wor... -
Dawn - 10:39 Jun 12, 2025
Police arrested a suspect with an extensive criminal record in Punjab’s Lodhran district, while two other suspected dacoits escaped during an exchange of fire, police officials said on Thursday. A first information report (FIR) was filed against the suspect at the City Kahror Pakka Police Station on the behalf of the state under sections 324 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for “deliberately attacking police officers with the intention to kill and assisting his accomplices escape”. The suspect was arrested in an injured condition by the Crime Control Department (CCD), the FIR said. It added that the police team was present at Allah Warai chowk when they received a tip-off that three armed persons were present at Khudai Phatak area. “Police immediately formed teams and conducted a raid, when the suspects suddenly opened... -
Dawn - 08:09 Jun 12, 2025
US President Donald Trump touted a new website for his planned $5 million US residency permit on Wednesday, saying the waiting list for the golden visa has opened on TrumpCard.gov. “Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the greatest country and market anywhere in the world,” Trump wrote in a social media post. screengrab via Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump Trump unveiled the first such visa aboard Air Force One in April, holding a golden prototype that bore his face and promising the special permit would probably be available “in less than two weeks.” The visas are not available yet, but the website announced on Wednesday allows interested parties to submit their name, desired visa and email address under a header that says “The Trump Card is Coming.” Trump previously said the new visa, a high-priced version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit. The announcement comes as ... -
Dawn - 07:41 Jun 12, 2025
• Centre sets aside Rs3.2bn in budget for FY26 against requirement of Rs40bn for completion of water supply scheme • JI says federal govt has ‘literally shelved’ the project • Sharjeel expresses concerns over earmarking of ‘inadequate’ funds KARACHI: Lingering for over two decades, the much-delayed K-IV water project now faces another major setback as the federal government has allocated only Rs3.2 billion in the budget against the required amount of Rs40bn for the scheme, sparking fears that the city may have to wait for “another 10 years” or more for the completion of the plan. Officials associated with the project, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have expressed deep frustration over the paltry allocation, warning that the funding shortfall has derailed any realistic timeline set for the project’s completion. “Over 63 per cent of the work is already done, and with proper funding, we were confident of wrapping it up within a year,” said one senior official. “But with just Rs3.2bn, we are now staring ... -
Dawn - 07:14 Jun 12, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was assured on Wednesday that findings of the inquiry report over the issue of alleged paper leaks of O/A level will be shared after June 16. This assurance was given by Country Director of Cambridge Assessment International Education Uzma Yousuf to the subcommittee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education, which met at the education ministry with MNA Sabheen Ghoury in the chair. She said everything will be clearer during the inquiry. On the other hand, during the meeting, MNA Mohammad Ali Sarfraz, who attended the meeting as special invitee, pointed out that several papers were leaked. He also presented paper codes and video evidence to the subcommittee. The committee also stated that in case papers are leaked, the committee will ensure no loss to students, and if paper/s are retaken, they should be retaken immediately so that students can get their results in August this year. The committee also decided to hear school heads, who, besides British Council, also... -
Dawn - 06:15 Jun 12, 2025
• Langrial says new 15pc tax rate on passive income aims to address disparity with active business earnings • Political leadership and intel agencies’ help enlisted to ensure compliance, root out corruption KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial on Wednesday detailed a sweeping overhaul of the country’s tax compliance system, vowing to crack down on non-compliant sectors, expand digital monitoring, and address longstanding loopholes in the tobacco, retail and passive income tax regimes. Speaking to Geo News, Mr Langrial said that the government’s recent enforcement drive in the sugar sector had resulted in a 39 per cent increase in tax collection without any change in tax rates, and that similar measures are now being rolled out across other key industries. “The story of non-compliance in the tobacco sector will fundamentally change, just as it did in sugar,” he said. He acknowledged that raising tax rates on the formal sector often led to market erosion by the informa... -
Dawn - 05:36 Jun 12, 2025
KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly was informed on Wednesday that over 80 per cent of private industrial units were not implementing the order of minimum wage. The PAC meeting, headed by its Chairman Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, directed the provincial labour department and Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) to ensure the strict implementation of the officially notified minimum wage of Rs37,000 to workers in all industrial units across the province. While reviewing the audit reports of the SESSI for the years 2018 and 2019, the PAC chairman said that non-implementation of monthly minimum wages in 80 per cent of private industrial units was a violation of labour laws. He directed the SESSI and the labour department to strictly implement the policy of providing the minimum monthly wage to all workers across the province. Committee asks labour secretary to investigate payment of Rs50m on alleged fake bills; orders audit of annual procurement of Rs9bn medicines for SESSI... -
Dawn - 04:41 Jun 12, 2025
• Finance secy says revenue numbers are already locked with IMF • Income tax rate of first slab reduced to 2.5pc, not 1pc as initially printed in Finance Bill • Change offsets additional fiscal impact from increased govt salaries • Aurangzeb defends steep pay hikes for lawmakers, ministers • Says govt held back on raising minimum wage as industry unwilling to implement previous rate • Contributory pension scheme for forces personnel may face delays ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday repeatedly warned that the government would be compelled to impose a further Rs400 to 500 billion in taxes if parliamentarians failed to approve the sweeping enforcement measures proposed in the 2025-26 budget — as they were already cleared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “I now request my colleagues in both houses of parliament to get the enabling clauses for enforcement measures passed, otherwise we would have to take Rs400-500bn additional tax measures,” the usually soft-spoken minister said a... -
Dawn - 03:23 Jun 12, 2025
• Authorities impose overnight curfew, arrest 25 protesters • US president warns protests at army parade will be met with force LOS ANGELES: Protests against Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies spread on Wednesday across the United States despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles and a threat by the Republican president to use “heavy force.” In Los Angeles, where the unrest began last Friday, the downtown area was calm but tense after an overnight curfew saw police make 25 arrests. Heavily armed officers patrolled near government buildings, and storekeepers boarded up windows to protect against vandalism. US Marines — ordered by Trump to deploy in addition to more than 4,000 National Guard soldiers — were expected to make their first appearance on the streets on Wednesday. “US military troops deployed to Los Angeles are allowed to temporarily detain individuals until law enforcement agents arrive to arrest them,” a senior US military official said. The mostly peaceful protests ignited over a su... -
Dawn - 03:22 Jun 12, 2025
• Bhakkar and Jacobabad report 49°C as heatwave persists • Hospitals across Punjab receive scores of heatstroke patients • Authorities ask people to remain indoors, stay hydrated • Met Office expects hot spell to continue for 48-72 hours LAHORE: Amid no let-up in extreme heat that has engulfed Pakistan since last week, almost all cities in Punjab reported temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius, with Bhakkar and Sindh’s Jacobabad topping the charts with 49°C. The intense weather is expected to continue today as well, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. “Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, while very hot in plain areas,” it said in a statement posted on its website. “However, dust-raising/gusty winds are likely in plain areas during the afternoon. Partly cloudy weather with isolated rain-wind/thunderstorm is likely in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar region, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the evening/night,” it added. The Provincial Disaster Management... -
Dawn - 03:13 Jun 12, 2025
• Rs1m fines proposed for unregistered online vendors in new Finance Bill • Banks, couriers to deduct withholding tax under new plan • Fine for failing to submit withholding tax statements raised by 10 times • Govt to take over property valuation powers from FBR ISLAMABAD: The federal government has proposed sweeping reforms to tighten tax compliance, including significantly higher penalties for non-compliance and stronger enforcement measures to target under-taxed and digitally active sectors. The changes, proposed in the Finance Bill 2025, aim to deter non-compliance, discourage cash-based transactions and enhance documentation of the economy. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial said enforcement was the only viable option to boost revenue collection, rather than relying on new taxes. One of the key amendments is a tenfold increase in the penalty for failure to submit withholding tax statements — from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000. Authorities believe this will compel withholding agents to...
5467 items