Dawn
Source:
https://www.dawn.com
Found 7447 news
-
Dawn - 04:21 Aug 24, 2025
KARACHI: Currency dealers in the banking market have reported a sharp 50 per cent decline in dollar sales by money changers this month, amid concerns that the grey market has re-emerged, buying dollars at higher prices. Dealers indicated that while remittance inflows remain unaffected, with July witnessing $3.2 billion in transfers, the drop in open market sales could destabilise the exchange rate. Money changers explained that the strict documentation requirements for dollar purchases are limiting their sales, with only transactions of up to $500 not raising any questions. According to bankers, the open market has sold around $115 million to the banking sector this month, significantly lower than the same period last year. “The open market is running low on dollars. They are only selling what they receive from the public, which suggests that someone is purchasing dollars before selling them to money changers,” said a money changer, who requested anonymity. While sales may rise this year, the money changers e... -
Dawn - 03:59 Aug 24, 2025
GILGIT: The six-day-long protest sit-in of Gilgit-Baltistan lawyers outside the Chief Minister’s House ended on Saturday after the government assured them that their key demands would be accepted. The Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, GB Supreme Court Bar Association, GB High Court Bar Association and District Bar Associations had jointly given the call for protest. HCBA Secretary General Advocate Islamuddin told Dawn that lawyers in the region had been protesting for the past 10 months, boycotting court proceedings and holding rallies. They had also blocked the River View Road. The protesting lawyers said they had been demanding their rights, including the long-delayed induction of judges in the GB Supreme Appellate Court, the establishment of special courts such as family and consumer courts, advertisement of vacant civil judge posts, and the separation of judicial magistrate from civil judge positions in line with practice elsewhere in the country, with appointments made from the legal fraternity on merit. The... -
Dawn - 03:12 Aug 24, 2025
QUETTA: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Commercial Banking Circle Quetta has arrested three suspects involved in illegal currency exchange and hawala/hundi transactions. Meanwhile, the agency also taken into custody three human traffickers in separate operations in Taftan. A spokesperson for FIA said that the operation was conducted on the directives of FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja as part of a crackdown on networks engaged in hawala and illegal money transfers. The arrested suspects were identified as Muhammad Umar, Lal Muhammad, and Abdul Wali. Officials said a total of Rs1.7 million was recovered from the accused, along with four mobile phones, registers, and other evidence related to hawala/hundi dealings. The suspects, who failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding the seized currency, were taken into custody and further investigation has been initiated. Human traffickers held Meanwhile, the FIA spokesman said that the agency also arrested three human traffickers in se... -
Dawn - 02:50 Aug 24, 2025
TEHRAN: Iranian forces killed six militants in a raid in the restive southeast, saying they were members of a “terrorist” group linked to Israel. “During an intense exchange of fire with terrorists in Sistan-Baluchistan province, six assailants were killed and two others arrested,” official news agency IRNA said, citing a statement from the intelligence services. Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and armed groups. The news agency said there were “documents” indicating “the Zionist nature” of the group targeted in the latest raid, adding that its members had planned to attack a “vital” facility in Iran’s east, without elaborating. The report said that “the main operation team” was composed of “seven non-Iranian terrorists”, but did not specify their nationality. Two intelligence agents and a police officer were wounded in the gunfight. Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025 -
Dawn - 02:47 Aug 24, 2025
LONDON: Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage set out plans on Saturday for “mass deportation” of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats if his Reform UK party forms Britain’s next government. In an interview with The Times newspaper, Farage said he would withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights and sign deals with Afghanistan, Eritrea and other top countries of origin to repatriate illegal migrants. “We can be nice to people, we can be nice to other countries, or we can be very tough to other countries … I mean (US President Donald) Trump has proved this point quite comprehensively,” Farage said. Asked if he was concerned that asylum seekers would be killed or tortured if they were sent to countries with poor human rights records, Farage said he was more worried about the threat he believed asylum seekers posed to Britons. Small-scale protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers have become frequent “I can’t be responsible for despotic regimes all over the world.... -
Dawn - 02:36 Aug 24, 2025
• Party leaders say legal options to restore Ayub, Shibli to be exhausted first • Omar says PkMAP chief’s nomination to boost opposition alliance ISLAMABAD: Amid controversy surrounding the nomination of Mahmood Khan Achakzai — the head of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party — and Senator Azam Swati as opposition leaders, PTI insiders have said these appointments will only proceed if former leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz remain barred from parliament. The party plans to avail all legal options to reverse the disqualification of National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz, who were disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan in light of the May 9 sentences. Against this backdrop, the PTI chief earlier this week named Mr Achakzai, who also heads the PTI-led opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, and Senator Swati for these coveted roles. The decision, however, upset many in the party, and a debate ensued over why an outsider was picked to l... -
Dawn - 19:19 Aug 23, 2025
Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah on Saturday elaborated on the difficulties judges faced regarding cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances in the face of non-cooperation by the state and lawmakers. The judge was attending a documentary screening organised by rights group Defence for Human Rights Pakistan, where he delivered remarks to attendees and noted that cases regarding missing persons and disappearances were the most difficult he had come across. Addressing the gathering, Justice Minallah said that when he ordered that disappearances be investigated or missing people be found, “the authorities would come and they would all say that we don’t know where they are.” At this, the judge pointed out: “The judge and the court cannot do anything when you don’t have independent investigators.” Minallah added: “Every judge of the Supreme Court is responsible personally for every violation of fundamental rights that takes place in Pakistan.” The judge recounted an instance when he suddenly heard th... -
Dawn - 18:11 Aug 23, 2025
A new-look Manchester City showed familiar frailties as Tottenham strolled to a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, while Aston Villa slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Brentford. Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha struck for the Europa League winners just before half-time as Spurs went top of the table, making it a perfect start for Thomas Frank after two league games in charge. City’s run of four consecutive Premier League titles came to a spectacular end last season as they finished a distant third behind Liverpool and Arsenal. A 4-0 thrashing of Wolves on the opening weekend of the campaign showed glimpses of a revamped City back to their best. However, they were again easily exposed on the counter-attack, while manager Pep Guardiola must decide who will be his number one goalkeeper after a day to forget for James Trafford. Tottenham Hotspur’s Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha celebrates scoring the team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match against Manchester City at the Etihad S... -
Dawn - 17:31 Aug 23, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday hailed the “new phase of reinvigorated partnership” between Pakistan and Bangladesh in a landmark visit to the nation on Saturday, the first state visit by a foreign minister in 13 years. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh saw Sheikh Hasina’s government being toppled in August of last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. FM Dar arrived in Dhaka earlier today for an official two-day trip. Addressing a press conference at the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka, he extended an invitation to everyone in the gathering to visit Pakistan to engage with their counterparts and contribute to this “new phase of our reinvigorated partnership”. “Our hearts are open and our intent is most sincere,” FM Dar noted. The deputy PM said he wanted to underscore the federal government’s “strong desire to forge a cooperative and forward-looking relationship with Bangla... -
Dawn - 16:37 Aug 23, 2025
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday granted the police a five-day physical remand of PTI founder Imran Khan’s nephew Shershah Khan in a case pertaining to the Jinnah House attack during the May 9, 2023 riots. The Lahore Police arrested Shershah, son of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, from outside his home on Friday. His brother Shahrez Khan, who was picked up on Thursday, was also handed over to police custody yesterday for eight days over the same allegations. ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill presided over today’s hearing, where PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja appeared as Shershah’s counsel and Imtiaz Sipra as the prosecutor. The prosecution sought a 30-day physical remand, while the defence counsel requested that the suspect be discharged from the case. Judge Gill then granted the police Shershah’s five-day custody. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting Imran’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also a... -
Dawn - 16:09 Aug 23, 2025
Two large lakes have emerged following glacial outbursts in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Ghizer district following flooding caused by heavy rain this month, regional officials said on Saturday. A glacial burst, or glacial lake outburst flood (glof), refers to an outburst of water from a glacial lake which could lead to severe flooding downstream. At least 200 people were rescued after a glacier burst in GB, blocking the Ghizer River a day prior. Due to yesterday’s glacial burst, water containing debris and heavy stones fell into the river and stopped it from flowing for eight to nine hours. “The water remained standing, causing river water to spread for seven kilometres and become an artificial lake,” provincial government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq told Dawn.com. Meanwhile, the GB Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) said that the Ghizer River changed course in the district on August 4 and began flowing over the Gilgit-Chitral Road. “A lake measuring 2,000 feet long and more than 50 metres wide has emerged in ... -
Dawn - 15:33 Aug 23, 2025
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that any talks on sporting ties with India would be held on equal footing and there would be no more pleading for negotiations. The suspension of bilateral ties between Pakistan and India has now been officially extended beyond cricket to all sports. On Thursday, India’s sports ministry issued a new policy that ends bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, even on neutral venues. However, no stoppage has been announced for engagement at multilateral tournaments, paving the way for the much-anticipated Asia Cup cricket clash between the two rivals next month. Last month, the Pakistan Sports Board had asked sports federations in the country to seek approval before participating in sporting events held in India. Questioned about sporting ties with India during a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said: “I think we are very clear that whenever talks are held will be on an equal footing with India and there will be no more begging for negotiations. That ti... -
Dawn - 15:22 Aug 23, 2025
India’s national investigative bureau opened a criminal case against tycoon Anil Ambani after receiving a complaint from the country’s biggest bank alleging fraud, the agency said on Saturday. Anil, the younger sibling of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has business interests that range from power to defence. The State Bank of India (SBI) alleged Anil and his former telecom firm, Reliance Communications, “misappropriated” bank funds by entering into transactions that violated the terms of the loans. SBI claims it was hit with a loss of 29.29 billion rupees ($335.4 million) as a result of their actions. The Central Bureau of Investigation said it had registered a case and that the bank’s complaint would be subjected to “thorough investigation”. The agency searched premises linked to Reliance Communications and Anil’s residence on Saturday. His spokesperson said the tycoon “strongly denies all allegations and charges” and “will duly defend himself”. “The complaint filed by SBI pertains to matters dating back... -
Dawn - 14:52 Aug 23, 2025
The PML-N and PPP on Saturday announced that they would contest the upcoming by-elections together. PTI’s 12 lawmakers were disqualified in Punjab by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following their conviction in the May 9 (2023) cases. The disqualified lawmakers hailed from eight National Assembly and four Punjab Assembly constituencies. The PPP has shown interest in contesting on six vacant seats — NA-143 and PP-203 (Sahiwal), NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan), and NA-96, NA-104 and PP-98 (Faisalabad) — and sought applications from the interested candidates. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi made the announcement during a press conference in Islamabad with PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari. “We want to tell our workers and the whole of Pakistan that we are a democracy,” Abbasi said, adding that they would contest the by-polls according to a “predetermined formula”. “We will contest together. Wherever a PPP candidate is runni... -
Dawn - 13:47 Aug 23, 2025
India’s foreign minister said on Saturday that trade negotiations with Washington are continuing but there are lines that New Delhi needs to defend, just days before hefty additional tariffs by the United States are due to hit. Indian goods face additional US tariffs of up to 50 per cent, among the highest imposed by Washington, due to its increased purchases of Russian oil. A 25pc tariff has already come into effect, while the remaining 25pc is set to be enforced from August 27. A planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from August 25-29 has been called off, dashing hopes that the levies may be lowered or postponed. “We have some redlines in the negotiations, to be maintained and defended,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at an Economic Times forum event in New Delhi, singling out the interests of the country’s farmers and small producers. India-US trade talks collapsed earlier this year due to India not agreeing to open its vast agricultural and dairy sectors. Bilateral trade... -
Dawn - 13:36 Aug 23, 2025
The Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday said that it found involvement of the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in the target killing of a man in Badin district and arrested six suspects in this connection. On July 30, the CTD had said it arrested four suspected members of a banned separatist militant group in Karachi over charges of killing a man in Badin’s Matli on May 18. During interrogation, the suspects had confessed that they had gunned down the victim, identified as Abdul Rehman. A case was registered under terrorism charges. According to a statement by the law enforcement agency today, “In a joint operation, Sindh CTD and the state intelligence agencies traced the network working for the Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) and arrested six suspects.” It added that the 45-year-old victim was “an innocent citizen who actively participated in welfare work”. “The suspects escaped after unjustly killing him,” the statement said, adding that ... -
Dawn - 12:57 Aug 23, 2025
A judicial magistrate in Islamabad on Saturday ordered the release of journalist Khalid Jamil, who was arrested by the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) a day earlier, noting that “there is no incriminating material” against him. According to a first information report (FIR), seen by Dawn.com, Jamil was accused of “sharing highly intimidating content on social media X on May 7”. It stated that he “knowingly disseminated/propagated, fake, false, misleading and misinterpreted information leading to hatred against the government functionaries, including members of national security”. The FIR said that a review of Jamil’s “broader social media activities reveals a deliberate pattern of conduct involving mocking, ridiculing, and maligning state institutions with the clear intent to instigate public discontent”. A case was registered at the NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre on Aug 8 under Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca) (offenses against dignity of natural person... -
Dawn - 12:05 Aug 23, 2025
It was almost deja vu. We’d walked through this foul water before. Felt our way through barely recognisable streets from memory. When you live in a city like Karachi, it almost begins to feel normal. And yet, nothing can get you used to the fact that you — the privileged you, who has made a living out of writing on the city’s myriad governance issues — will be among the thousands stranded in water-clogged streets as you experience it in real time. Time and again. In 2020, when Karachi witnessed one of its worst floods in decades — it can’t definitively be the worst because we like beating our own records — my dad and I walked back home, to Garden West, from I.I. Chundrigar Road in waist-high floodwaters. At 55, my father was surprisingly surefooted with the stride of a mountain goat. He dragged me through the deluge, all the while making sure to keep an eye open for potholes, ragged stones and bare electric wires. He even cracked a joke here and there to ensure that the neurotransmitters in my brain remained ... -
Dawn - 12:04 Aug 23, 2025
WASHINGTON: Pakistani students and other visa holders in the United States are facing growing uncertainty, as even minor infractions, political activity, or incomplete documentation could put their stay at risk. Recent cases indicate that traffic violations and campus protests may be reported to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), raising alarms among the Pakistani community. Two Pakistani students in northern Virginia were shocked when a traffic court judge informed them that courts are now required to share records of traffic violations with DHS. “We were planning to drive to Chicago, but we’ve been advised not to,” said Y*, a student from Baltimore, Maryland. “We are on visas and even a minor mistake could lead to revocation.” US reviewing social media for anti-American or extremist content; Pakistani embassy says it’s monitoring the situation, advises caution in political activities Students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, are even more anxious. “Some of us joined those demonstrati... -
Dawn - 10:23 Aug 23, 2025
US President Donald Trump announced Friday that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held in Washington on December 5 — and then jokingly asked if he could keep the golden trophy for himself. The draw for the 48-team football championship will be held at the Kennedy Center in the US capital, where Trump recently installed himself as chairman in what he called a war on “woke” culture. “It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports,” Trump, flanked by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, said as he made the announcement in the Oval Office of the White House. The 2026 World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico next year, and Trump has made a big deal about it happening during his presidency. Infantino, who has fostered close ties with the billionaire US president, brought the World Cup with him for the announcement and even let Trump get his hands on it. “Only the FIFA president, presidents of countries, and then those who win can touch it, because it’s for winners only. And since you ...
7447 items