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Dawn - 08:59 Aug 04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran on Tuesday reiterated their resolve to expand bilateral trade to $10 billion, with Commerce Minister Jam calling for transforming “historic brotherly relations” with Iran into a robust economic partnership. Since March this year, both countries have rolled out a series of measures to facilitate border trade, including easing customs procedures, formalising Taftan as a customs station, and notifying new transit routes, against the backdrop of the ongoing US-Iran conflict in the Middle East that has strained economies in the region and beyond. Their latest engagement took place at the 10th session of the Pak–Iran Joint Trade Committee (JTC), which is being held in Islamabad from August 3-5. The meeting was co‑chaired by Iranian Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak and Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan. On the occasion, Khan also underscored the urgency to finalise the Pak–Iran Free Trade Agreement, a statement issued by his ministry said. He called for the rem... -
Dawn - 07:42 Aug 04, 2026
Bangladesh has asked India to clarify its stance on exiled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s planned virtual address from New Delhi, warning that allowing political activities by a fugitive could hurt improving bilateral relations. The remarks were Bangladesh’s first official response to Hasina’s planned appearance at an August 5 event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi, marking the second anniversary of the student-led uprising that toppled her government. The issue comes as Dhaka continues to seek Hasina’s extradition from India, where she has lived since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. Despite multiple cases against her, Hasina told Reuters in an interview that she plans to return to Bangladesh in December. “We are moving forward with India with a forward-looking approach. We don’t want that progress to be affected,” Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters late on Monday. “India has to be clear about its stance.” The FCCSA s... -
Dawn - 06:19 Aug 04, 2026
US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Monday assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza would only begin after Hamas’s complete disarmament, following his objections. Two members of Netanyahu’s security cabinet had urged a vote to tear up the deal championed by Trump after the board released a text that called for Israel to begin a phased withdrawal. Netanyahu’s office said it had raised concerns to the United States, after Trump on Friday hailed as a “major milestone” an agreement by Hamas to hand over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee. Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace, met with Netanyahu on Monday for what he acknowledged was difficult work. But the board said it had reached a “common understanding of the shared objectives” with Israel. Israel’s withdrawal beyond the Yellow Line, which demarcates the area in which Hamas still has control, “will take place only once decommissioning [of weapons] is... -
Dawn - 05:36 Aug 04, 2026
Former South African cricketer Michael Smith has been appointed as the batting coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team for two years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday. According to a press release issued by the PCB, the “46-year-old will work with the team across both red-ball and white-ball formats”. He will join the Pakistan team ahead of the three-match Test series against England, commencing on Aug 19, the press release stated. Elaborating on Smith’s experience, the press release stated that he had featured in 89 first-class matches, 72 List-A matches and 16 T20 matches between 2003 and 2013. “The right-handed batter scored 7,029 runs across the three formats, including nine centuries and 40 half-centuries,” the PCB said. Smith, who holds a Level 4 coaching qualification, has served on the coaching staffs of three HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises — Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans, it added The press release further stated that he has also worked as a batt... -
Dawn - 04:37 Aug 04, 2026
KARACHI: Police have yet to register a case and make arrests regarding a clash between two groups of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan at their party headquarters in Bahadurabad, in which a man suffered bullet wounds. On Sunday evening, police said that supporters of the Mustafa Kamal-Anis Qaimkhani group had allegedly beaten and thrown out their opponents, belonging to the Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui group, from the party headquarters. The police said heavy firing was reported from inside and outside the party office and a man, identified as Amir Ali, suffered bullet wounds. While electronic media aired news of the arrest of several workers belonging to both groups, a senior police officer told Dawn that no one has so far been formally arrested and a case is yet to be registered. The official said that the contents of the FIR had been prepared, but the police were “waiting for higher authorities to proceed further legally”. The official also denied that the Bahadurabad headquarters of the MQM-P had been s... -
Dawn - 04:31 Aug 04, 2026
LAHORE: Wildlife rangers have rescued a crocodile from the flood-hit area of Massan Kallar near Kot Abdul Malik in Ferozewala tehsil, safely relocating it to Gatwala breeding centre in Faisalabad. According to officials, after reports surfacing on social media about the presence of a crocodile in the flood-affected area of Massan Kallar, Central Zone Additional Chief Wildlife Ranger Mudassir Hassan directed Lahore Deputy Chief Wildlife Ranger Sakhi MuhammadJoiya to ensure continuous monitoring in the area. Accordingly, wildlife rangers teams conducted continuous monitoring in the area, tracing and safely rescuing the crocodile in a highly professional way. Officials say that the crocodile, which may have swept to the area in floodwaters, has been transported to Gatwala Wildlife Breeding Centre in Faisalabad, where it will undergo necessary medical examination and specialised care. After the safe rescue of the crocodile, area residents took a sigh of relief and appreciated the wildlife department’s timely acti... -
Dawn - 04:19 Aug 04, 2026
COCKROACH Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke revealed a crucial fact about himself to Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande. He said he had seen Shahrukh Khan’s 2002 movie Swades (‘My country’) many times over since he was a child and he finds it inspirational. So, I too switched on YouTube and saw it to the extent one could. The story is about an Indian engineer at Nasa who misses home and goes on a visit to meet the lady who raised him upon his parents’ death in a car accident. The journey takes him to a village facing chronic power outages and where he also meets Kaveri Amma’s pretty ward Gita who is struggling to run a village school. So, the hero, while living out of a caravan trailer, builds a water reservoir from a tiny stream seeping from a rocky slope to ply a turbine he has assembled. The villagers get their steady power, leaving the hero to canvass support for the underprivileged children to join the struggling school. They do so by defying entrenched caste- and poverty-related odds. The turbine event comes ... -
Dawn - 04:10 Aug 04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday held a consultative meeting for the early start of work on the first ever cricket stadium in the capital. In this regard, the consultant was directed to check at the earliest if construction rates presented by the contractor were reasonable. As per CDA’s plan, the stadium is going to be constructed near D-12 at the foothills of Margallas in Zone III. According to the CDA, it will be a replica of Dubai International Stadium with the capacity of 35000 spectators. Consultant directed to check if rates presented by contractor are reasonable Sources said the CDA’ member environment Abdullah Khurram Niazi chaired a meeting which was attended by the consultant and contractor and relevant officials of the civic agency. The CDA has already opened financial bids and a Joint Venture of Habib Construction Service and ZKB-EA has submitted the lowest bid of Rs8.9 billion for the structure work, including a three-kilometre road network. According to PC-I, the esti... -
Dawn - 04:02 Aug 04, 2026
IT wasn’t an ordinary day by any stretch of the imagination, even though it began rather ordinarily. There was little news to interest anyone (and Kashmir was a no-no for television channels). Initially, there came fleeting news about a press conference by the head of ISPR but it wasn’t meant to be. Those who had not been invited to the event thought the news was incorrect but later it transpired that the conference had been delayed to the next day, Friday. And then came the bombshell — in Islamabad at an event hosting businessmen for a conference on the economy, business and all things complicated. Here, instead of the speeches by the men managing Pakistan’s finances (if there were any), it was Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech that got all the attention. It’s still not clear why he spoke there but as the conference took place at a hall located close to his office, perhaps he offered to swing by and say a few words. His speech didn’t just create headlines; it created an entire news cycle. In simple wor... -
Dawn - 03:48 Aug 04, 2026
IT is a bitter irony that terrorists struck a protest against violence in Swat on Sunday, causing at least 17 fatalities. Both policemen and civilians were martyred in the atrocity. Reports indicate that a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police station as the anti-terror protest was underway when officers tried to search him. Some media outlets have said the banned TTP has claimed responsibility for the bombing. This bloodbath should lead to thorough counterterrorism action, as the people of Swat — and indeed the rest of KP — deserve to live in an atmosphere free of terrorism and violence. Unfortunately, as pointed out in an exclusive report published in this paper, gaps in training have left LEAs in KP vulnerable to ‘double-tap’ or ‘two-stage’ attacks by terrorists. Moreover, the casualty numbers from July, and the first half of 2026, indicate that a fresh CT strategy is needed to bring down the number of fatalities, and effectively neutralise the threat of terrorism. The fact is that terrorists appear... -
Dawn - 03:21 Aug 04, 2026
• Deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases reported at four tertiary care city hospitals • Expert says most parents fail to ensure children receive recommended doses on time • EPI official claims cases declined this year KARACHI: At least 144 children have lost to measles and diphtheria — both vaccine-preventable infections — at four key tertiary care hospitals in the first seven months of this year, it emerged on Monday. Sources said that a total of 1,915 cases of measles with 125 mortalities have been reported at the four hospitals —Indus Hospital (IH), Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre (SIDH&RC), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) — this year so far. Eighty-one cases of diphtheria were reported at SIDH&RC, eight at Indus Hospital (8) with 19 deaths. Detailed analysis of the data showed that at least 17 children have lost their lives to measles — a highly contagious viral infection — at IH with around 850 cases this year... -
Dawn - 03:05 Aug 04, 2026
• Medium to high flows expected in nullahs linked to Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi • Authorities on high alert as NDMA reviews flood preparedness LAHORE: While rising river flows have pushed Tarbela Dam near its maximum capacity, the Met Office has warned of urban flooding and inundation in low-lying areas of several cities as heavy monsoon rains are expected on Tuesday (today). According to the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall may trigger water accumulation in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Faisalabad, Multan, Sahiwal, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, the Potohar region, Peshawar and Nowshera. The division also warned of flash flooding in hill torrents and local streams across Kashmir, Murree, Galiyat, northeastern Punjab, Islamabad, the Potohar region, some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Dera Ghazi Khan. Medium to high flows are expected in nullahs linked to the Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi rivers,... -
Dawn - 03:03 Aug 04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging two separate orders of the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) directing the board to disclose extensive financial, contractual and operational information relating to national cricketers, selection committee members and other PCB officials under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. The petitions, filed through Advocate Kashif Ali Malik, are fixed for hearing before IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar. The first petition challenges the PIC’s order of July 9, requiring the PCB to disclose its annual budgets for the financial years 2023 to 2025, along with a detailed breakdown of expenditure; policies governing the confidentiality and disclosure of such information; details of players and officials who travelled for this year’s T20 World Cup; and details of the board’s audit mechanisms and reports. The second petition relates to information concerning Pakistan’s ODI series against Sout... -
Dawn - 02:57 Aug 04, 2026
• Washington makes visa bond programme permanent; Bangladesh, Nepal among 50 countries covered, India also excluded • Visitors from listed nations face refundable deposits of up to $20,000 WASHINGTON: Pakistan is not among the 50 countries whose citizens may now be required to deposit up to $20,000 as a financial guarantee before obtaining a US visitor visa under a new programme that took effect on Aug 1. The list published in the US Federal Register does not include Pakistan. Among South Asian countries, Bangladesh and Nepal are covered by the programme, while India is not. Afghanistan and Iran are not included because the United States does not maintain normal diplomatic relations with either country. The State Department said the decision followed a review of the 2025 pilot programme, which it said significantly reduced visa overstays among travellers from participating countries and improved compliance with US immigration rules. Officials said those findings prompted Washington to make the programme perma... -
Dawn - 02:46 Aug 04, 2026
• 16 companies to establish separate pension funds, ensure death and disability risk cover for employees • Centre to establish non-banking finance company to assist in implementation, monitoring of pension scheme ISLAMABAD: The government has executed agreements with 16 pension fund managers to formally operationalise the Defined Contribution Pension Fund Scheme (DCPFS) launched a year ago for public sector employees as part of major pension reforms aimed at containing the snowballing pension burden on the budget. In an announcement, the Ministry of Finance said it had executed agreements with 16 eligible pension fund managers, most of them banks and insurance companies. Around 10 of these eligible fund managers are owned or led by major commercial banks in the country. They include ABL Asset Management Company, Al Habib Asset Management, Al Meezan Investment, Faysal Asset Management, JS Investments, MCB Investment, Alfalah Asset Management, HBL Asset Management, UBL Fund Managers and NBP Fund Management, The... -
Dawn - 02:27 Aug 04, 2026
Textile mills have become reliant on imports amid falling cotton output.—PPI/file LAHORE: Phutti (seed-cotton) arrivals at ginning factories rose by more than 32 per cent year-on-year by July 31, driven by a sharp increase in Sindh despite a slight decline in Punjab, according to the figures released by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) on Monday. The PCGA fortnightly report revealed that phutti arrivals reached 785,822 bales by July 31, up 32.33pc from 593,821 bales received during the corresponding period last year. It showed that Punjab’s arrivals stood at 298,150 bales, down 1.1 per cent from a year earlier, while Sindh recorded 487,672 bales, marking a record 66.82pc increase despite recent monsoon rains. Balochistan also posted a 52.67pc rise in arrivals to 22,900 bales. Cotton Ginners Forum Chairman Ihsanul Haq pointed out a significant discrepancy between the PCGA figures and the Punjab government’s Crop Reporting Service (CRS). While the PCGA data showed phutti arrivals in Punjab at arou... -
Dawn - 02:26 Aug 04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday invited Iran’s parliament speaker and foreign minister for urgent consultations on regional developments, as Tehran described Islamabad as its primary mediator with the US. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq invited Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator with Washington and speaker of parliament. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, meanwhile, invited his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. The invitations were delivered in Tehran late Monday night after Dar spoke with Araghchi. “They exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the deteriorating situation in Occupied East Jerusalem,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. It remained unclear when Ghalibaf and Araghchi would travel to Pakistan. A diplomatic source said both men had been asked to come as soon as possible for discussions on regional and international developments. Araghchi was in Iraq on Monday for Arbaeen, which is being observed on Tuesday. The invitations came roughly 36 ho... -
Dawn - 02:11 Aug 04, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control on Monday strongly condemned what it called a “malicious media campaign” targeting its members following the seizure of 11 trucks allegedly loaded with smuggled cigarettes on the motorway. The meeting, convened by Senator Saifullah Abro at Parliament House, was mandated to scrutinise border security mechanisms, smuggling networks, anti-narcotics controls, and tax evasion, including an estimated $1 billion attributed to the tobacco sector. The convener of the committee noted that after the July 20 meeting discussed the truck seizure, an official press release and handout were circulated the next day on TV channels targeting the committee chairman and members. The committee directed the Member of FBR to personally review the handout issued by his media wing and identify officials responsible. The FIA has also been tasked with conducting a “completely impartial, full-scale inquiry” into TV channels running targeted s... -
Dawn - 21:35 Aug 03, 2026
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday reiterated his warning to the PML-N that a “countdown” for it has begun, as he declared that his party’s “movement” for people’s rights will extend to the entire country. Bilawal made the remarks in a series of video messages he shared on X, wherein he reiterated his allegations of rigging against the PML-N — his party’s ally in the Centre — during the ongoing Azad Kashmir elections. The PPP and the PML-N have been engaged in a war of words since the latter emerged in the lead in Mirpur polls on July 27. The PML-N has also won the majority of the seats in the second phase, with the PPP accusing it of rigging and other violent tactics in both phases. In one of the three clips posted on X on Monday, Bilawal affirmed that his party’s struggle for the people’s right to governance, ownership and employment will continue. “This movement will not remain restricted to the mountains of Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. God-willing, I will run this movement across the entire Pak... -
Dawn - 19:59 Aug 03, 2026
LAHORE: At least three people were killed and three others injured in rain-related incidents across Punjab on Monday, while torrential monsoon rains inundated roads and low-lying neighbourhoods in several cities, disrupting traffic, restricting public movement and causing urban flooding. The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across parts of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan until Aug 4. According to a loss and damage report by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), a man was killed and another injured when a house collapsed in Uch Sharif area of Bahawalpur district, while two children drowned in Khushab. Two more people were injured in separate roof collapse incidents in Mandi Bahauddin and Lodhran. The report also recorded a house damaged in Bahawalpur. Separately, authorities reported nine deaths in incidents not directly linked to rain or flooding. These included the drowning of a child in Kot Addu, a...
12682 items