Dawn
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Dawn - 15:20 Aug 16, 2025
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Malakand district emir Mufti Kifayatullah was injured while two, including his daughter, were killed on Saturday in a shooting at his home in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand Division, according to officials. Malakand Deputy Commissioner and Commandant Malakand Levies Hamid Ur Rehman confirmed to Dawn.com that Mufti Kifayatullah had been injured in the attack. “Today, around 1pm, JUI Malakand district emir Mufti Kifayatullah, along with his two daughters, was shot within the limits of Chowki Batkhela, Levies Post Batkhela area,” a statement by the KP Police said. The statement added that one of his daughters was killed in the shooting, and a Levies sepoy was also killed. Another daughter was injured and is undergoing surgery, according to the statement. Levies in large numbers are carrying out raids to arrest the attackers. Further investigation is in hand, the statement added. Last month, at least three people were killed and four others, including a woman, were injured in an... -
Dawn - 15:18 Aug 16, 2025
Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, could become a Category 5 hurricane, with additional strengthening expected this afternoon, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said on Saturday. The storm is currently 375 kilometres east-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 250 kilometres per hour. Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend, the NHC said. The swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the east coast of the US early next week, it said. Erin is expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall through Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, the centre said. -
Dawn - 11:08 Aug 16, 2025
YouTube has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to figure out when users are children pretending to be adults on the popular video-sharing platform amid pressure to protect minors from sensitive content. The new safeguard is being rolled out in the United States as Google-owned YouTube and social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are under scrutiny to shield children from content geared for grown-ups. A version of AI referred to as machine learning will be used to estimate the age of users based on a variety of factors, including the kinds of videos watched and account longevity, according to YouTube Youth director of product management, James Beser. “This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections,” Beser said. “We’ve used this approach in other markets for some time, where it is working well.” The age-estimation model enhances technology already in pla... -
Dawn - 10:09 Aug 16, 2025
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that a military operation in an area can only be successful when the people living there themselves identify the terrorists, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing on Saturday. The security situation in Balochistan has worsened in recent months, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. In February, nearly 62 per cent of the total terrorism-related deaths in the country occurred in Balochistan. “An operation in any area is successful when the people themselves identify the terrorists,” Lt Gen Chaudhry was quoted as having said. The DG ISPR was speaking at a session with students in the ongoing internship programme organised by the military’s media wing. During the session, there was a lively discussion regarding Pakistan, especially Balochistan, the statement said, adding that Lt Gen Chaudhry also gave detailed answers to... -
Dawn - 09:47 Aug 16, 2025
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) announced the dismissal of complaints against the chief election commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), it emerged on Saturday. The SJC is a judicial body comprising of Chief Justice of Pakistan, two most senior Judges of the Supreme Court and two most senior Chief Justices of High Courts, according to the Supreme Court’s website. A press release dated Aug 15 read that complaints against “CEC Mr Sikandar Sultan Raja and members of ECP, Mr Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Mr Shah Muhammad Jatoi, have been dismissed by the SJC in its meetings held on Nov 8, 2024 and Dec 13, 2024”. The SJC’s statement did not provide any details regarding the complaints. The five-year terms of CEC Raja, Sindh Member Durrani and Balochistan Member Jatoi ended on Jan 26, but they will continue to hold the offices under the 26th amendment made in the Constitution in October last year. The controversial amendment allowed the CEC and the members to continue till t... -
Dawn - 09:09 Aug 16, 2025
China’s top diplomat will visit India next week for talks about their shared boundary, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, as the two countries eye resuming border trade five years after halting it. “From August 18 to 20 … (Chinese foreign minister) Wang Yi will upon invitation visit India and hold the 24th special representatives meeting on the China-India border issue,” a spokesperson said in a statement. Past trade between the neighbours across icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. It stopped following a deadly 2020 clash between border troops. Indian media had reported earlier in the week that China’s Wang was expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday. His Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, visited Beijing in July. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia. However, caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald T... -
Dawn - 08:58 Aug 16, 2025
Yes, there were centuries to savour, spells to admire, and a finish that quickened the pulse. And yet, I write this not because of that excitement, but in spite of it because there are higher roads to the same high, and this series took the service lane. I remain stubbornly stuck in my fool’s paradise, expecting every over-staffed Test team administration to conjure a Wasim Akram, manage a Shane Warne, unleash a Shoaib Akhtar, and luck into a Jacques Kallis. I want to treat a Siraj-like spell not as heroic, but as the expected. I’ve arranged my life so that summers in Oxford are given over to batting — being at the crease, chasing that brief illusion of batting immortality as time dissolves and the scoreboard feels like it could climb forever. This season, that spell has been snapped by hostile bowlers, unyielding wickets that make every innings feel fragile and fleeting. Which is why watching five Tests played on pitches engineered to grant batsmen eternal life, supported with such generous slip fielders, ha... -
Dawn - 07:15 Aug 16, 2025
• House unanimously passes resolution reaffirming commitment to sovereignty • Internet service across Balochistan to stay suspended until 31st, lawmakers told • PML-N legislator accuses govt of ‘copying’ his bill ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has assured the Senate that the release of an official advertisement on Independence Day, without a portrait of the country’s founder Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, would be investigated. “It is not in our notice. If it has happened, this is heart-afflicting for all,” he told the upper house of parliament on Friday. He assured that an inquiry would be conducted to ascertain how it happened and the house will be formally informed about the progress. The government had come under fire from political and social circles over the official advertisement issued by the Ministry of Information, which omitted images of the Quaid-i-Azam and national poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal. The advertisement, published in major national newspapers and aired on television channe... -
Dawn - 07:13 Aug 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Large-Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector recorded a contraction of 0.74 per cent in the outgoing FY25 compared to the previous fiscal year, falling short of the growth target of 3.5pc, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Friday. The LSM, which contributes around 8pc to the national GDP, had contracted by 0.03pc in FY24, following a growth of 0.92pc in the preceding year. In June 2025, LSM posted a 4.14pc year-on-year (YoY) growth, the fourth consecutive month of positive growth, mainly due to a reduction in the key interest rate to 11pc earlier in the fiscal year. However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, LSM showed a decline of 3.67pc in June. The food sector, a significant component of LSM, declined by 1.83pc YoY in FY25. However, wheat and rice milling experienced a 6.38pc rise, while starch production rose 0.59pc. Vegetable ghee production dropped by 0.94pc, cooking oil by 0.33pc, and tea by 2.76pc. Food, steel and energy weigh, while automobiles and textiles sh... -
Dawn - 06:56 Aug 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Specialised committees set up by the prime minister to promote a cashless economy have outlined ambitious national targets for the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), aimed at accelerating the growth of digital financial services and fintech adoption across the country. Under the PM’s Cashless Economy initiative, key goals include raising the number of active digital merchants to 2 million by the end of 2025-26, increasing mobile and internet banking users from the current 95 million to 120m within a year, and doubling annual digital payment transactions to 15 billion. According to finance ministry sources, another primary target is routing 100pc of overseas remittances through bank accounts or mobile wallets, up from the current 80pc. This move seeks to eliminate cash payouts and boost transparency in remittance flows. Following the directives of the committee chaired by the prime minister, the SBP is expected to play a pivotal role in expanding mobile banking services to all segments of society. 2m dig... -
Dawn - 06:45 Aug 16, 2025
RAWALPINDI: A mother of three was allegedly tortured to death by her husband due to some domestic issues, police said on Friday. An FIR has been filed against her husband and children for murder and concealing evidence of the crime. Ghulam Akhtar, a resident of Kot Adu (District Muzaffargarh), lodged an FIR with the Dhamial police stating that his daughter Samina had married Amir Abbas of her own choice about 19 years ago and was settled in Malik Colony, Girja Road, Dhamial. The couple had three children — Mohammad Zaman, 17, Shan Haider, 15, and Maryam Rani, 12. He said that on Wednesday morning, an announcement was made in their native town that the funeral of his daughter would be held at 8am in a local graveyard without his family being informed about her death. Mr Akhtar said he along with his brothers Ghulam Rasool and Abdul Rehman, sister Kalsoom Bibi and others reached Amir Abbas’s home. He said his sister, Kalsoom Bibi and other women had seen torture marks on the body of Samina. He said he contacted... -
Dawn - 06:05 Aug 16, 2025
PESHAWAR: Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on housing Dr Amjad Ali on Friday urged authorities in Charsadda and Nowshera districts to take necessary measures to prevent damage to public life and property due to flash floods. During a provincial assembly’s session presided over by Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi here, Dr Ali said that floods in Malakand and Hazara divisions claimed several lives and destroyed buildings. He said that the chief minister would be approached with a request for declaring emergency in both divisions to help out the calamity-hit residents. The aide to the CM warned that floodwaters would soon reach Charsadda and Nowshera. He asked authorities to take all necessary steps to prevent loss of public life and property to the natural disaster. Dr Amjad Ali calls for measures to prevent damage to public life, property Special assistant of the chief minister for population Liaquat Ali Khan claimed that when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founder Imran Khan was the prime minister, neithe... -
Dawn - 04:45 Aug 16, 2025
MITHI: Tharparkar — rendered parched by delayed or erratic rains — is now on the brink of famine, the local farming and herder communities say. The situation poses a serious threat to the local population that depends on earning from their crops. The threat of famine looms large as a long dry spell has destroyed crops; and locals have already consumed or disposed of their produce during the period. Livestock is the second source of income for many families but, at present, no fodder is available for millions of animals being reared in the region. For Tharparkar’s farming and herding communities, rainfall in mid-June and mid-August periods is necessary. The timely rainfall is their lifeline. Adequate amount of rain soaks the soil deep enough enabling the farming community to cultivate crops like guar, bajra, sesame, watermelon etc, besides growing fodder on grazing pastures. Growers, herders fear erratic or inadequate rainfall in coming days may invite natural calamity This year, clouds have reached the region... -
Dawn - 04:18 Aug 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed deep concern over delays in adjudication across all tiers of the judiciary, warning that such tendencies erode public confidence, undermine the rule of law, and disproportionately harm the weak and vulnerable who cannot afford prolonged litigation. “Delay in adjudication carries severe macroeconomic and societal consequences: it deters investment, renders contracts illusory, and weakens the institutional legitimacy of the judiciary,” observed Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah. Justice Shah made the observation while heading a two-judge bench, also comprising Justice Ayesha A. Malik, which was hearing an appeal filed by Abdul Salam Khan challenging the Peshawar High Court’s Nov 3, 2021 rejection of his plea. The judge suggested introducing age-tracking protocols to automatically identify dormant cases, along with the judicious use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to assist in scheduling and triage, while preserving judicial discretion. Justice Shah warns slow ... -
Dawn - 04:10 Aug 16, 2025
QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday directed the provincial government to review its blanket suspension of mobile and data services and to immediately restore public transport, which had been suspended across the province for security reasons. A two-judge bench of BHC, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Sardar Ahmad Halimi, issued the directives while hearing a petition challenging the government’s shutdown orders. The petition was filed by Khair Muhammad Shaheen, chairman of the Balochistan Consumer Civil Society. The Additional Chief Secretary for Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqat informed the court that public transport services were temporarily suspended. The court found this justification for halting public transport services to be unreasonable and ordered the immediate withdrawal of the suspension order. Regarding the mobile network shutdown, scheduled to last until Aug 31, the court instructed the government to reconsider its province-wide ban. The bench directed officials ... -
Dawn - 04:07 Aug 16, 2025
• Two FIRs registered; 47 suspects named, 300 remain unidentified • Minarets of worship places torn down, one set ablaze; nearby homes also attacked • HRCP calls for strict action on hate speech LAHORE: Dijikot police have registered two cases against 300 people on terrorism charges for setting two worship places of the Ahmadi community on fire in Faisalabad, on the eve of Independence Day. As many as 47 men were nominated, while 300 others remain unidentified in both cases. The cases were registered under Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and sections 295, 425, 446, 380, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIRs, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ticket-holder Hafiz Rafaqat led the mob, which was armed with rods and bricks. The attackers gathered outside one of the larger Ahmadi worship places and pelted it with bricks. Members of the community who tried to resist were severely beaten, leaving several injured. The mob, under the cover of Independence Day processions, delivered h... -
Dawn - 02:20 Aug 16, 2025
• CTD claims killing three TTP-linked militants in Peshawar operation • Two excise officials targeted near Dera-Daraban bypass PESHAWAR: Five people, including two personnel from the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) and two Excise Department officials, were martyred, while three militants were killed in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, official sources said. Counter-Terrorism Department officials said their team ambushed a group of militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an intelligence-based operation carried out in Regi Lalma, on the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Thursday night. They said the CTD had been tracking the group, which was involved in 18 different attacks on police and citizens. These attacks took place along Peshawar’s northern border with Mohmand district, southern border with Kohat district, eastern border with Khyber district and western border with Nowshera district. The ambush was based on technical surveillance, the officials said, adding t... -
Dawn - 19:08 Aug 15, 2025
The Finance Division on Friday night announced a cut of Rs12.84 per litre in the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) for the next fortnight, while petrol prices will remain unchanged. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. A notification from the Finance Division, available with Dawn.com, stated that the new price of HSD was Rs272.99, while petrol would remain at Rs264.61. Additionally, the prices of superior kerosene oil and light diesel oil were slashed by Rs7.19 per litre and Rs8.2, respectively. “The Government has decided to revise the petroleum product prices for the fortnight commencing August 16, 2025, in line with the recommendations of Ogra (Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority) and the concerned ministries,” the notification read. Earlier this week, the per-li... -
Dawn - 18:41 Aug 15, 2025
Flash flooding in the country’s northern areas on Friday left at least 222 people dead, with 210 lives lost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 12 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), according to provincial officials and disaster management bodies. Since late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country — especially KP and northern regions — by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. Key points: 210 killed in KP, including 91 in Buner 12 dead in GB, nine dead in AJK Over 10 people killed each in Bajaur, Battagram, Shangla and Mansehra KP government rescue helicopter crashes, five crew dead KP CM says all departments engaged in rescue operations Bridges, homes, water mills washed away in AJK Over 700 tourists rescued from AJK’s Ratti Gali Flash flood washes away homes in GB’s Daen village Tourists stranded in GB due to flooded roads Power outages in GB’s Skardu after water entered power station The province-wide deaths in KP includ... -
Dawn - 18:22 Aug 15, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said he wanted to see a ceasefire “today” as he headed to Alaska on Friday for a summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to help end the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising — if only informally — Russian control over one fifth of Ukraine. Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them to a table,” he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly… I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today… I want the killing to stop.” The US and Russian presidents are due to meet at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska’s largest city at around 11am (12am PKT) for their first face-to-face talks...
7447 items