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Dawn - 09:43 Aug 23, 2025
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Turbat and reaffirmed the military’s unwavering support for initiatives aimed at improving Balochistan’s socio-economic conditions, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. The government has repeatedly voiced its commitment to the development of Balochistan — a province with severe infrastructure deficits, recurring protests and a bleak law and order situation. In June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed it one of the top priorities. Field Marshal Munir interacted with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and representatives of the Turbat civil administration during his visit, according to a press release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “The visit aimed to review the prevailing security situation, assess development initiatives, and reinforce coordination between military and civil institutions for the stability and prosperity of Balochistan,” the statement read. During his interaction with the Turbat administration’s represent... -
Dawn - 08:29 Aug 23, 2025
India is working with a French company to develop and manufacture fighter jet engines in the country, New Delhi’s defence minister said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in May approved the prototype of a fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), calling it a “significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities”. Singh, in a speech at a conference in New Delhi on Friday, gave more details about developing fighter jet aircraft engines in the country. “We are moving forward to manufacture aircraft engines in India itself,” Singh said, in comments broadcast by Indian media. “We are collaborating with a French company to start engine production in India.” Singh did not name the company, but Indian media widely reported the company to be Safran, which has been working in India for decades in the aviation and defence sectors. There was no immediate confirmation. India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made rep... -
Dawn - 07:19 Aug 23, 2025
GUJRAT: In a major breakthrough, the ruling PML-N has managed to muster support of disgruntled former MNA Dr Nisar Cheema and his brother Zulfiqar Cheema, a retired IGP, for NA-66, Wazirabad, by-election. The ballot is scheduled for Sept 18. The seat fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan de-seated Punjab PTI President MNA Ahmed Chattha in the wake of his conviction in May 9 riots. In the upcoming by-poll, the PML-N did not award ticket to its last two-time aspirant Dr Nisar Cheema, who won the seat in 2018 and lost in February 2024 as a runner-up. The party announced ex-MPA Bilal Farooq Tarar, the brother of federal minister for information Attaullah Tarar, as its candidate in the Wazirabad by-poll. Following the nomination of the PML-N candidate, the Cheema group got annoyed as earlier Nisar Cheema’s elder brother Justice retired Iftikhar Cheema had won the seat thrice as PML-N candidate. However, on Friday the PML-N president and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Dr Nisa... -
Dawn - 06:03 Aug 23, 2025
DUBAI: Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has expressed confidence in the country’s emerging talent, backing youngsters to step up in the absence of former mainstays Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Babar and Rizwan, once Pakistan’s revered T20I opening pair, have been sidelined from the format as the team pursues a more aggressive approach under new leadership. The transition follows the appointments of Mike Hesson as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach and Salman Ali Agha as T20I captain earlier this year. Hesson has publicly stated that Babar and Rizwan need to refine their T20I skills to reclaim their spots in the national XI. With the senior duo out of favour, Pakistan are relying on less-experienced players such as Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Mohammad Haris to bolster the top order, while Hasan Nawaz has emerged as a promising middle-order batter. All featured prominently in Hesson’s first three assignments and are set to play when Pakistan begin their tri-nation series in the United Arab Emir... -
Dawn - 06:02 Aug 23, 2025
Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, told a top Justice Department official in July that she was not aware of any “client list” belonging to the late financier and never saw United States President Donald Trump behave inappropriately, according to a transcript of an interview released on Friday. “I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way,” Maxwell said, according to the transcript of her two-day interview last month with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The president was never inappropriate with anybody.” During the interview, the imprisoned 63-year-old former British socialite also said she did not witness any sexual abuse by Epstein, her longtime boyfriend, and did not implicate any other prominent individuals in wrongdoing. “He kept a lot to himself and he didn’t like to share,” Maxwell said of Epstein. “He was not a sharer. Well, at least not with me.” The Justice Department’s release of t... -
Dawn - 05:43 Aug 23, 2025
KASUR: In another incident in Kasur, a suspect, who had molested a minor girl, was shot in his private parts during an alleged encounter in the limits of Chunian Police Station on Friday. The suspect was seen with a 10-year-old girl at Zaheerabad Colony of Chunain through a viral video. The child was in the street when he molested her and CCTV footage captured him committing the crime. The girl child’s father had reported the matter to the police and registered an FIR. The police claimed when they conducted a raid to arrest the suspect, he tried to attack them with his pistol that went off. As a result, his private parts were critically injured. The suspect was hospitalised in an injured condition. According to sources in the police, he belonged to the same area as that of the child he molested. He is stated to be 27/28 years old, a daily-wager with no regular job. He is married and has a daughter. About three weeks back, a video of a man molesting a girl child who was playing in the street of Shah Inayat Col... -
Dawn - 05:32 Aug 23, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The telecom sector regulator has contested the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) report, clarifying that there was no overcharging by Jazz, the country’s largest telecom operator. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said the tariff adjustments highlighted in the audit observations had been duly approved by the authority in line with the prescribed regulatory framework. “All relevant records substantiating these approvals were shared with the audit authorities for verification,” the PTA stated. In a statement, PTA said, “Certain misleading information is being circulated on social media, suggesting that Jazz charged its subscribers tariffs beyond those approved by PTA during the financial year 2023–24, as referenced in the Auditor General of Pakistan’s report.” It reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding consumer interests and ensuring a fair, transparent telecom ecosystem. The authority maintains continuous oversight of all operators’ tariff structures to ensure strict compliance with... -
Dawn - 05:13 Aug 23, 2025
• PML-N and PTI members oppose PPP move to amend Elections Act, insist public has right to know representatives’ assets • Naveed Qamar argues lawmakers deserve same relief as civil servants ISLAMABAD: A National Assembly panel on Friday failed to reach consensus on a bill seeking secrecy of lawmakers’ assets after members from PML-N and PTI joined hands to oppose the move tabled by PPP legislators. Under the existing law, all members of the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies are required to submit to the Election Commission, on or before Dec 31 each year, a statement of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependent children. Section 138 of the Elections Act also requires the ECP to publish these declarations in the official gazette. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which met under the chairmanship of Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, considered the bill introduced by Shazia Marri and Syed Naveed Qamar. The proposed amendment to Sectio... -
Dawn - 05:00 Aug 23, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economic recovery has been stronger than expected, yet the country has failed to seize an opportunity to put its recovery on a sustainable path due to the absence of bold and long-lasting reforms, according to the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF). In a special report, the IIF noted that while Pakistan has successfully rebuilt its economic buffers and secured financing, the gains will likely prove short-lived without comprehensive structural reforms, particularly in tax broadening, privatisation, and the resolution of circular debt. The report emphasised that Pakistan has made little headway in these critical areas, particularly privatisation and energy-sector restructuring, with circular debt still unresolved. The IIF warned that these unresolved issues pose a significant risk to Pakistan’s economic outlook for FY26. Notably, inflation has decreased significantly, allowing the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to cut its policy rate to 11pc since the easing cycle bega... -
Dawn - 05:00 Aug 23, 2025
• Flood blocks Ghizer River for several hours, creating artificial lake • Over 330 households affected across six villages; no casualties reported • Dozens of homes, acres of farmland, bridges and trees submerged • GB CM orders immediate rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure GILGIT: A glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) caused widespread devastation in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer Valley early on Friday morning, but the quick thinking of a local shepherd helped avert a human tragedy. According to Rescue 1122, the flood, triggered by a burst from a glacier in the Tildas village of Gupis Valley, occurred at around 3am, wreaking havoc downstream. The flood debris blocked the Ghizer River for several hours, significantly raising the risk of further flooding in adjacent areas. Gilgit-Baltistan Secretary Fida Hussain explained that a glacial lake had formed above Tildas and Rawshan villages. The high temperatures led to the burst of the lake, causing a flash flood in Sado Nallah on Wednesday night. A shepherd, ... -
Dawn - 04:18 Aug 23, 2025
ISLAMABAD: After prolonged delays in securing financing from Beijing threatened to put a strain on a strategic mining project, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has stepped in to fund upgrades to part of Pakistan’s railway system. The ADB is in advanced talks to lead the financing of a $2 billion upgrade of a 500-km stretch of the railway line, which had previously been part of the Chinese project, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. The proposed rail upgrade would modernise the track and bridges from the commercial capital Karachi to Rohri, near Sukkur, so that trains can run faster. In Rohri, the line will meet a branch coming from the area of the Reko Diq mine and will carry the copper concentrate to port. The upgrade has become urgent, sources said, as it is needed to transport copper ore from the Reko Diq mine currently being developed by Canada’s Barrick Mining Corp. Earlier this week, ADB announced $410 million in financing for the Reko Diq mine itself, and its presiden... -
Dawn - 03:14 Aug 23, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has reaffirmed that Pakistan’s relations with China remain unaffected by recent geopolitical shifts and resulting realignments. “We are very confident that these relations are stable and sustainable on their own and will continue to grow and achieve new heights,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said during the weekly media briefing. His remarks came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pakistan as part of his three-nation South Asian tour to attend the sixth Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue. While the Pak-China dialogue broadly reviewed various aspects of the bilateral relationship, both sides carefully navigated the region’s shifting geopolitical landscape marked by warming China-India ties, Pakistan’s growing engagement with the United States, and tensions in US-India relations driven by President Trump’s tariffs and policies. FO terms New Delhi’s missile capabilities a global security threat India’s leg of Yi’s visit strengthened China’s ra... -
Dawn - 19:50 Aug 22, 2025
Senior journalist Suhail Warraich on Friday said that a column he wrote about a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, igniting a controversy, had been “misunderstood”. In a column published on Aug 16, Warraich — a senior editor at the Jang newspaper — wrote that COAS Munir had spoken to him during a stopover in Brussels, on his way back from a recent trip to the US. “On a question about politics, he (the army chief) said that political reconciliation is possible only if there is a sincere apology,” the column read, without specifying who the army chief was referring to or who the question was about. However, that quote ended up stirring a controversy in the commentariat. Challenging the impression that the army chief had “sought an apology over the May 9 riots”, the military’s spokesperson had said on Thursday that Field Marshal Munir did not make any political statements during a recent trip to Brussels. He had also rebuked the senior journalist in remarks carried by state-run Rad... -
Dawn - 18:36 Aug 22, 2025
Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension with him escalated and US mediation efforts appeared to stall. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “no meeting” between President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as Nato chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. United States President Donald Trump had raised expectations for a swift summit between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents by saying earlier in the week they had agreed to meet, but on Friday compared the two men to “oil and vinegar”. “They don’t get along too well, for obvious reasons,” he told reporters in Washington. Lavrov also poured cold water on hopes for direct Putin-Zelensky talks to resolve the conflict, now in its fourth year, by questioning the Ukrainian president’s legitimacy and repeating the Kremlin’s maximalist claims. “There is no meeting planned,” Lavrov said in an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press with Krist... -
Dawn - 18:35 Aug 22, 2025
Lahore Police on Friday confirmed that another son of Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, was taken into custody from his Lahore residence, a day after his brother was arrested in connection with the May 9 riots. The deputy investigation of Lahore Police confirmed to Dawn.com that Shershah Khan, akin to his brother Shahrez Khan, was also arrested today for his involvement in the May 9 riots. Aleema’s lawyer, Advocate Rana Mudassir Umar, said that “Shershah was taken from his house after his appearance at a Lahore anti-terrorism court in relation to his brother’s case”. The PTI, in a post on X, called the incident an “abduction” and lamented that “the rule of law has been replaced with the law of the jungle”. The move comes a day after PTI announced that men in plainclothes had “abducted” Aleema’s son from her residence. Lahore police later announced that Shahrez had been arrested in connection with a May 9 case. Aleema addressed the arrest on social media this morning, saying, “(The policemen) brut... -
Dawn - 16:55 Aug 22, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said that Pakistan had not requested anyone to make India sit down for talks of any kind. “Pakistan did not ask anyone to arrange talks with India. Pakistan is ready for comprehensive talks with India, including on the Kashmir issue,” he told journalists at Parliament House. Talking about the May conflict between the two countries and the subsequent ceasefire, he said the latter was still underway. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week, before a US-brokered ceasefire had both sides agree to stop the hostilities. Talking about the halt in hostilities, Dar said: “India had requested the US for a ceasefire. I received a call from the US ... -
Dawn - 16:48 Aug 22, 2025
Climate activist Fatima Majeed has been appointed as the chairperson of the Sindh Fisheries Department, becoming the first woman from the fishing community to become so, it emerged on Friday. Majeed is an activist, social worker and senior vice-chairperson of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF). The PFF, a democratic organisation with over 100,000 memberships across the country, having a minimum 35 per cent women ratio, today is one of the strongest social movements in Pakistan. It has, over the years, proven itself as a nursery for producing leaders in the fishing and peasant communities of Pakistan. Its struggle targets policy issues related to fishing rights, fish marketing and fish conservation, rehabilitation of the Indus Delta, sustainable fisheries policy, abolition of the contract system over inland waters, historical fishing rights on entire water bodies for indigenous fisherfolk, discouraging industrial fishing by deep sea trawlers and marine pollution, and detention of fishermen. In a post on X tod... -
Dawn - 16:18 Aug 22, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday constituted the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) to announce a new award for the sharing of federal divisible resources between the Centre and the provinces. According to a notification from the Finance Division, the president constituted the commission with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb as the chairman and the four provincial finance ministers as its members. The commission also includes former bureaucrat Nasir Mahmood Khosa as a member representing the Punjab government, economist and researcher Asad Sayeed as a member representing the Sindh government, former bureaucrat Dr Musharraf Rasool Cyan as a member representing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Farmanullah as a member representing the Balochistan government. The commission will make recommendations to the president on the distribution between the federation and the provinces of the ““net proceeds of the taxes mentioned in clause (3) of Article 160 of the Constitution”, it read. The taxes are taxe... -
Dawn - 16:13 Aug 22, 2025
At least 200 people were rescued after a glacier burst in Gilgit-Baltistan blocked the Ghizer River, threatening the downstream areas, Rescue 1122 said on Friday. 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, effectively blocking or overwhelming rivers in its path. Pakistan is home to over 13,032 glaciers, the largest reservoir of glaciers outside of the polar regions. However, experts have warned that about 10,000 glaciers in Chitral and GB have been reported to be receding due to climate change–induced temperature rise. A statement from Rescue 1122 said, “200 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas and have been shifted to Ghizer’s Yangal and Samal areas.” “Several people have been traumatised after [their] houses were destroyed. Medical assistance is being provided to the affected people,” it added. In another statement issued earlier today, Rescue 1122 said, “A terrible incident of glaci... -
Dawn - 15:13 Aug 22, 2025
Four more people were confirmed on Friday to have died in a fire that broke out in a warehouse in Karachi the previous day, bringing the total death toll to six, according to rescue officials. A massive explosion took place inside a warehouse in a densely populated area near Karachi’s Taj Medical Complex on MA Jinnah Road yesterday afternoon, in which 33 people were injured and two were confirmed to have lost their lives. Rescue 1122 said today that the number of deaths from the incident had risen to six after a fourth body was retrieved. South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said earlier today that two people had died during treatment, while three bodies were recovered from the site. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the deaths occurred because of “multiple crush injuries and suffocation”. She said one died owing to suffocation, and two other deaths occurred from multiple crush injuries, while the autopsy of two other bodies could not be conducted. Meanwhile, Rescue-1...
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