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Dawn - 10:09 Jun 10, 2025
LAHORE: Although the country’s total installed power generation capacity is set to rise to 46,605 megawatts in the outgoing fiscal year (FY25), substantial capacity payments to idle power plants continue to burden electricity consumers nationwide. However, energy experts in both the public and private sectors remain optimistic that this capacity payment burden — estimated at Rs12 to Rs15 per unit and passed on to consumers — will gradually decline, as the government has halted new power projects and terminated power purchase agreements (PPAs) with several independent power producers (IPPs). “The issue of capacity payments is not considered very painful during summer, but it becomes more significant in winter when our total electricity demand drops to just 12,000-13,000 MW,” a senior official at the Ministry of Energy told Dawn on Monday. According to the Economic Survey, the country’s total installed electricity generation capacity reached 46,605MW, with the energy mix comprising hydel (24.4 per cent), therma... -
Dawn - 10:05 Jun 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The cumulative expenditure on education by the federation and the provinces remained merely 0.8 per cent of the Grand Domestic Product (GDP) while the country’s literacy rate was a little above 60 per cent, according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2024-25. The segregated data showed that the literacy rate was 60.6pc, with men at 68pc compared to 52.8pc among women. During the first three quarters of the ongoing financial year, the education-related spending decreased 29.4 per cent, dropping to Rs899.6 billion from Rs1,251.06 billion. The position may increase by June as the expenditure data is only available for July-March, said the survey. The cumulative education expenditures by the federal and provincial governments in FY 2025 were estimated at 0.8pc of the GDP compared to 0.9pc in the health sector. In the development budget for this financial year, Rs92.1 billion were earmarked for the education sector, including higher education. The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training... -
Dawn - 08:16 Jun 10, 2025
First Lady and MNA Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari has condemned the murder of teenage social media influencer Sana Yousaf in Islamabad, who was gunned down on the eve of her 17th birthday last week, saying that the incident should not silence girls and discourage from trying to achieve their dreams. Sana Yousaf was shot dead at her residence in Sector G-13 in the presence of her mother and aunt by an unidentified man who fled the scene. Police arrested the suspect Omar Hayat within a few hours who police claimed murdered Sana because she repeatedly refused his advances. Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said the suspect was arrested from Faisalabad within 20 hours of the incident. A local court approved a 14-day judicial remand of the prime suspect to facilitate his identification parade. Calling it a stark reminder of the violence women and girls face simply for asserting their rights, Aseefa extended her condolences to Sana’s family, the community in Chitral, and all those grieving this senseless loss. “Sana wa... -
Dawn - 07:41 Jun 10, 2025
KARACHI: While the city continued to face a severe water crisis on Eid holidays, the dilapidated and outdated water distribution and supply infrastructure of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) once again played havoc with the University of Karachi (KU) after a 36-inch supply line burst, submerging the access to the cemetery on the campus on Eidul Azha. The leakage, being repaired, inundated a large portion of the road leading to the university’s graveyard. People were forced to wade through the ankle-deep water to reach the graves of their near and dear ones for paying homage, a common practice during religious festivals. Residents of the KU staff colony said that they had timely reported the leakage to the water utility, but it did not take immediate steps to plug the leakage. Had the water utility acted promptly, a large amount of water would not have been wasted, besides saving people from the ordeal they went through on the Eid days, the residents lamented. Earlier in April, a burst water m... -
Dawn - 06:40 Jun 10, 2025
Russia carried out “massive” drone attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and port city of Odesa early on Tuesday, killing one person and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said, calling for further sanctions. Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. “Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa on Tuesday, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. “The enemy massively attack... -
Dawn - 06:14 Jun 10, 2025
The Trump administration on Monday ordered US Marines into Los Angeles and intensified raids on suspected undocumented immigrants, fueling more outrage from street protesters and Democratic leaders who raised concerns over a national crisis. Some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning, officials said, as part of a federal strategy to quell street demonstrations opposing the immigration raids, which are a part of a signature effort of President Donald Trump’s second term. Although their mission to protect federal personnel and property is temporary — filling the gaps until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops can reach Los Angeles — the deployment is an extraordinary use of military force in support of a police operation, and it comes over the objection of state and local leaders who did not request help. Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry out even more operations to round up suspected immigrati... -
Dawn - 04:54 Jun 10, 2025
• Major crops down 13.5pc amid water crisis, restricting agriculture and overall GDP growth • Industry, services underperform; large-scale manufacturing struggles for third straight year • Inflation drops to 4.6pc, a 60-year low, amid declining interest rates • Finance czar calls it ‘a gradual recovery’, promises ‘turnaround’ next year • GDP growth reaches 2.68pc, missing 3.56pc target ISLAMABAD: “Next year will be a turnaround story,” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb promised on Monday as he unveiled the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25 (PES) document, which highlighted widespread slippages across major sectors of the economy in the outgoing fiscal year. Reviewing the economy report card, the finance minister suggested that Pakistan’s performance should be evaluated in a global context rather than a historical one. He stated that while global economic growth has been on a declining trend, expanding 3.5pc in 2023, 3.3pc in 2024, and 2.8pc in 2025, Pakistan had progressed from a contraction of 0.2pc in 2023... -
Dawn - 03:50 Jun 10, 2025
• Sales tax waivers jump almost 50pc to Rs4.25tr • Income tax exemptions surge 68pc to over Rs800bn ISLAMABAD: Tax exemptions granted by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) surged to an all-time high of Rs5.84 trillion in the outgoing fiscal year, marking a 51 per cent increase from Rs3.879tr a year ago, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25 unveiled by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday. The unprecedented rise in tax concessions comes at a time when the FBR is grappling with significant revenue shortfalls, making this the second consecutive year of record-high exemptions. In FY24, exemptions skyrocketed 73.3pc. The cost of tax exemptions has gone up for the seventh consecutive year despite the government’s claim that exemptions would gradually decrease under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. Tax exemptions refer to the revenues foregone by the state under various categories to different industries and other groups. This is mainly due to exemptions on raw materials and sem... -
Dawn - 03:41 Jun 10, 2025
• Economic turmoil and lack of jobs have forced 3.2m citizens to leave the country, party leaders say • Alleges 30m people have fallen below the poverty line over the last three years • Blames the agriculture sector decline on ‘anti-farmer policies’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Monday criticised the government over the economic survey of Pakistan, alleging it reflected a bleak economic picture and the government’s poor performance, which they said pushed 30 million people below the poverty line in the last three years. At a press conference, the party’s information secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, flanked by Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub Khan, said the finance minister presented the survey “in an apologetic manner.” “Those who used to criticise 6.5pc growth rate during the PTI’s tenure were trying to defend their performance, which was worst,” Mr Akram said. Mr Akram said that while President Asif Zardari had promised to address the masses’ issues, poverty has instead increased. He claimed the to... -
Dawn - 03:28 Jun 10, 2025
LAHORE: The ongoing heatwave across Punjab is set to continue until at least June 12 (Thursday), with temperatures remaining well above seasonal norms, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed on Monday. According to the PDMA, current temperatures are ranging between 4 and 7 degrees Celsius higher than average, pushing conditions into potentially life-threatening territory. A similar warning for next few days was issued for Gilgit-Baltistan. The Met Office said temperature would increase by five to seven degrees. It suggested precautionary measures as it noted that the high temperature may speed up glaciers melting this week. The city of Sargodha recorded the province’s highest temperature on Monday at a scorching 47°C. Major urban areas, including Lahore, Multan, and Faisalabad, simmered at around 45°C, while districts such as Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Okara, Mandi Bahauddin, Khanewal, Kasur, Layyah, Jhang, and Hafizabad saw temperatures between 40°C and 42°C. Southern Punjab fac... -
Dawn - 03:27 Jun 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD: In a move that has raised eyebrows, the government has approved over fivefold increase in the salaries of Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker taking it to Rs1.3 million a month. A May 29 notification reveals that the Senate chairman and NA speaker’s salaries have been raised from Rs205,000 to Rs1.3m, besides 50pc of the revised salary (Rs650,000) as the sumptuary allowance. The hike, with retrospective effect, has become effective in January 2025. A senior NA Secretariat official, while confirming the development, said the raise for the two offices had been made for the first time since January 2016. Move draws criticism from within ruling PML-N; ANP demands its reversal In March, the salaries and allowances of federal cabinet members had been increased by up to 188pc. Earlier, the finance committees of the two houses of parliament had approved an increase in the salaries of MNAs and senators, raising it to Rs519,000. Senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique slammed the pay raise for the... -
Dawn - 03:17 Jun 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Jawwad S. Khawaja has requested the Supreme Court to revisit the May 7, 2025 judgement on military trials of civilians otherwise the same will serve as a constant reminder of ceding judicial space to executive by accepting that it can act as judges to try civilians in criminal cases. “This ceding of judicial space will haunt the Supreme Court and our nation,” says a petition moved to seek review of the May 7 judgment by the seven-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court. On May 7, a five-judge constitutional bench had restored key provisions of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) that allow for the trial of civilians in military courts. The court ruled by a 5-2 majority in favour of overturning its earlier decision on Oct 23, 2023, in which the five-judge Supreme Court bench had held the military trial of civilians involved in the May 9, 2023 acts of arson and attacks on the military installations as illegal and unconstitutional. Except for Justice Jamal Khan M... -
Dawn - 02:34 Jun 10, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called on Monday for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government no longer represented most Israelis. “Today the government of Israel doesn’t represent the vast majority of Israelis,” said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army chief, days before a planned parliament vote which the opposition hopes would trigger a general election. He told journalists in a briefing that after more than 20 months of fighting that Israel “should end the war as soon as possible”. Golan’s party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel’s 120-member legislature. But in a country where coalition building is essential to achieving a political majority, even relatively small parties can wield considerable power. Golan said that the current government — one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history — was a threat to democracy. He said that the vast majority of Israelis wante... -
Dawn - 18:33 Jun 09, 2025
Apple said on Monday it will open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence and announced an overhaul of its operating systems. The tone and content of the presentations at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) focused more on incremental developments, including live translations for phone calls, that improve everyday life rather than the sweeping ambitions for AI that Apple’s rivals are marketing. Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company is opening up the foundational AI model that it uses for some of its features to third-party developers. “This work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar,” Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said of the delays of some features, such as improvements to the Siri virtual assistant. In an early demonstration of how partners could improve Apple apps, the company added image generation from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to its Image Playground app, saying that user data would not be shared with OpenAI without a user’s p... -
Dawn - 18:01 Jun 09, 2025
Five people were killed and at least 25 were injured as a high-speed passenger bus overturned near Nawan Kot in Layyah on Sunday, following which a case was registered against the highway road contractor as the accident occurred due to concrete being laid on the road. Layyah District Police Officer Ali Waseem confirmed to Dawn.com the deaths of five people in the accident. According to a statement by Rescue 1122, the passenger bus was carrying devotees of Bibi Pak Daman in Lahore to Karor Lal Eesan Tehsil. At least 33 people were injured, the statement said, adding that six of the injured were in critical condition. The statement also said that a rescue operation was underway which was being supervised by District Emergency Officer Sajjad Ahmed. The Chobara police registered the case against the contractor upon the complaint of the grandson of a deceased passenger under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 322 (causing death by rash or negligent driving), 337-G (punishment for hurt by rash o... -
Dawn - 17:36 Jun 09, 2025
Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir became the first female cricketer from the country to be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Hall of Fame on Monday. She took the top spot in women’s one-day international rankings in 2018 and helmed the team that took home gold from the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. Her rise dovetailed with the growth in sporting opportunities for Pakistani women, who were not allowed to play in open fields until the early 2000s. Sana played 226 international matches since her 2005 debut. She is one of only nine women cricketers to have taken 100 wickets and scored 1,000 runs in ODI matches. She also led Pakistan to two World Cups and five T20 World Cups. She was among seven notable cricketers added by the ICC today, the others being India’s MS Dhoni, Australia’s Matthew Hayden, New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, England’s Sarah Taylor and South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith. The ICC said that with over 200 international wickets against the white-ball, Sana was ren... -
Dawn - 17:11 Jun 09, 2025
As many as 55 people were killed in a range of incidents over the Eidul Azha holidays across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a press release from Rescue 1122. Rescue 1122 said that the 55 deaths were a result of various incidents, including road traffic accidents, fire outbreaks, drowning incidents, and firearm-related cases, adding that the injured were promptly transported to hospitals for treatment. “To safeguard the influx of tourists and local communities, special medical camps were established at major tourist destinations, while dedicated water rescue teams were deployed at rivers and dams throughout the province,” the statement read, quoting Rescue 1122 KP spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi. A Rescue 1122 report seen by Dawn.com breaks down the fatalities as follows: Mardan: 14 Peshawar: 13 Haripur: 6 Nowshera, Hangu and Kurram: 3 each Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Bannu, Buner and Battagram: 2 each Torghar, Kohat and Khyber: 1 each According to Rescue 1122 Director General Shah Fahad, 1,400 of the incid... -
Dawn - 16:25 Jun 09, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25 on Monday, exuding confidence that the country’s economy would be able to post growth of 2.7 per cent in the outgoing fiscal year for the gross domestic product (GDP). The National Accounts Committee showed Pakistan’s GDP growth at 1.37pc for the first quarter of FY25, 1.53pc for the second, and 2.4 for the third. This implies that the economy would need to post a growth rate of 5.5pc in the three months of April-June to get to the 2.7pc figure announced by the finance minister. The GDP growth figure, however, is still lower than 3.6pc, marking the third successive year of the government missing its targeted figure. View this post on Instagram Highlights from PES 2024-25 Growth targets missed with only industrial sector slightly above target Per capita income increases to $1,824 from $1,662 Current account balance notches surplus of $1.9bn from July to April compared to $1.3bn deficit last year Inflation drops to 4.7pc from targ... -
Dawn - 16:02 Jun 09, 2025
Pakistan has called for “intervention” from global powers in resolving key issues with India amid ongoing tensions, members of a high-level delegation presenting Islamabad’s stance said on Sunday after landing in London. Earlier this month, Pakistan launched a broad-based engagement campaign to present its perspective on the recent conflict with India to the world and counter New Delhi’s unproven allegations. As part of its global outreach, the team has visited the United States, is currently in London, and will also head to Brussels. The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Subzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua. “We had the upper hand [during the conflict]. Despite that upper hand, we agreed to the ceasefire on the condition that there would be further dialogue in the future on all friction points at a neutral location,” Bilawal told ... -
Dawn - 15:56 Jun 09, 2025
Sweden on Monday appeared to distance itself from Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen, carrying Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, as Amnesty International called for the release of the vessel’s activists from Israeli custody. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had departed from Sicily on June 1 and had hoped to reach Gaza later on Sunday, when the interception occurred, the group said on its Telegram account. Among those on board the boat are Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. View this post on Instagram Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard addressed the status of the 12 activists illegally taken into Israeli custody, emphasising that Sweden’s government long advised against travel to Gaza and the activists bore “clear personal responsibility”. “The government’s current assessment is that the activists are not in danger and there is no...
5467 items