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  • PM Shehbaz orders comprehensive flood relief operations in KP, AJK
    Dawn - 17:31 Aug 15, 2025
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to conduct comprehensive relief operations in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir. At least 198 people lost their lives and several remained missing as flash floods wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). “The prime minister directed the NDMA to continue its cooperation with the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the PDMA, to provide them with all possible support in the rescue and relief operation and to utilise all resources for this,” a statement issued by the prime minister’s office read. NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik briefed the prime minister on the damage caused by cloudbursts, flash floods in the upper parts of the country, as well as the rescue and relief operation. The prime minister directed the NDMA chairman to further coordinate with the KP provincial government for rescue a...
  • Eating Out: Lahore’s ‘maghaz’ and ‘daal’ … and 1857 Club Sandwich
    Dawn - 15:14 Aug 15, 2025
    This particular column is based on my last trip to Lahore from Cambridge, where I am considered a ‘Lahore Specialist’. Just imagine!! Last month, the university further promoted and confirmed a ‘lifelong’ research position. I will not tell what it is named. The last time I flew in on our national airline trip, it was a disaster. Oh it was delayed several times with an unannounced departure. Not surprised. No wonder it was banned. The seats were reshuffled, disgraceful food quality, insipid tea (… most like cold tea, Sir!), the lights inside going crazy and snappy crew reassuring the aircraft will not crash. It was a delight to enter the dust-bowl skies of Lahore and the searing heat. For once, the Begum literally looked red. Before leaving for Lahore I visited a sub-continental eatery in Cambridge called ‘Dishoom’, which started pre-Partition in Bombay (Mumbai), then opened a branch in Karachi and then moved to London and finally to Cambridge. It is a Parsi-owned eatery and if you tell them that you are from ...
    Tags: Lahore
  • Privatisation Commission signs pact with financial advisers for privatising Zarai Taraqiati Bank
    Dawn - 15:10 Aug 15, 2025
    The Privatisation Commission on Friday signed an agreement with financial advisers for the privatisation of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), a statement from the Ministry of Privatisation said. Founded in 1961 as the ADBP, it was renamed and incorporated as ZTBL in 2002 under the Companies Ord­inance 1984. The bank of­­fers agricultural credit and banking services to farmers nationwide and remains Pakistan’s largest public-sector agri lender. Last month, the Board of the Privatisation Com­mission had approved the ap­­pointment of financial advisers for the divestme­nt of ZTBL, marking it as one of the government’s priority transactions in the current privatisation pipeline. “The Privatisation Commission has signed a Financial Advisory Services Agreement (Fasa) with a consortium led by Next Capital Limited for the strategic privatisation of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL),” the statement said. It added that the consortium also includes Ijaz Ahmed and Associates, Baker Tilly Mehmood Idrees Qamar, Execut...
  • Facing US tariffs, Indian PM Modi vows self-reliance
    Dawn - 13:24 Aug 15, 2025
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that his country is seeking self-reliance in energy independence and the development of its own powerful defence systems, vowing to defend his country’s interests “like a wall”. Modi delivered his annual Independence Day address from the ramparts of New Delhi’s Red Fort at a time when India faces intense pressure and threats of additional tariffs from the United States. “Self-reliance is the foundation of developed India,” Modi said after a flypast of military helicopters scattered flower petals above an invited crowd of thousands. “Freedom becomes meaningless if someone becomes too dependent on others.” Ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump’s ultimatum that India end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine. India has said it “stands ready” to support efforts to end the Ukraine war and endorses a summit to be held between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Put...
    Tags: Modi
  • Man dies fleeing ICE raid in California
    Dawn - 12:54 Aug 15, 2025
    A man who was believed to have been running from a raid by US immigration agents died on Thursday after being hit by a car on a freeway, police said. City managers in Monrovia, near Los Angeles, said police had been called after there were reports of activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Home Depot. During the raid, one man ran from the parking lot of the hardware store — a place where day labourers commonly gather looking for casual work — and onto a busy freeway during rush hour, Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik told media. A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said the 40-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries a few hours later. Neither CHP nor the city were immediately able to provide any details on the man’s identity. Feik said: “The city has not received any communication or information from ICE.” ICE did not immediately respond to an AFP request for information. Masked and armed agents from ICE and US Border Patrol began carrying ...
  • Rights groups sue German ministers over deportation of Afghans from Pakistan
    Dawn - 12:35 Aug 15, 2025
    Advocacy groups filed a criminal case against Germany’s foreign and interior ministers on Friday, accusing them of failing to protect Afghan nationals in Pakistan with German admission approvals from deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Pakistan has begun deporting documented Afghan refugees ahead of a September 1 deadline, a move the United Nations warns could force more than one million to leave. The decision followed the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that PoR cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30. A letter from the interior ministry, dated August 4, was sent to the chief secretaries and police chiefs of the four provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, detailing the implementation of the ongoing Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP). Among those at risk are more than 2,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Germany under programmes for peop...
    Tags: Pakistan German Afghans
  • US-Pakistan counterterrorism talks will help formulate joint action plan: Naqvi
    Dawn - 10:55 Aug 15, 2025
    Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said that counterterrorism dialogue between Pakistan and the United States will help in formulating a joint action plan amid strengthening ties between the two countries. According to a statement by the interior ministry today, Naqvi met with US Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Gregory LoGerfo. Both officials discussed bilateral relations and agreeed to increase cooperation in various fields, including counterterrorism, border security and counter-narcotics, “The counterterrorism dialogue will help in formulating a joint action plan,” the statement quoted Naqvi as saying during the meeting. The minister hoped for “positive results of Pak-US cooperation in eliminating terrorism”. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker and the federal interior secretary were also present on the occasion, it added. “There has been an extraordinary improvement in Pak-US relations after the coming to power of President Donald Trump,” Naqvi s...
    Tags: Naqvi
  • PM Shehbaz inaugurates Chinese textile group’s special economic zone in Islamabad
    Dawn - 10:29 Aug 15, 2025
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated a special economic zone (SEZ) in Islamabad to be set up by a Chinese textile group — projected to generate exports worth $400 million for the country, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China, which has supported it through many investments and development projects, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which, currently in its second phase, has been termed a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. The phase II of the program is expected to focus on industrialisation, spe­c­ial economic zones, clean ene­rgy, agriculture and livelihood projects. PM Shehbaz welcomed the establishment of an SEZ, saying that the “initiative would facilitate technology transfer, skill development, and sustainable industrial growth”. The project will be set up by the Chinese textile group Challenge Fashion Private Limited, which is set to invest $100m over five years in the project. PM Shehbaz met with the compa...
    Tags: Chinese Islamabad Shehbaz
  • Hakeem among three booked for alleged rape, blackmail of women patients in Multan
    Dawn - 10:11 Aug 15, 2025
    BAHAWALPUR: Allappa police in Multan booked three persons, including a hakeem (herbalist) on Thursday, for allegedly sexually assaulting the women patients visiting his ‘clinic’, recording their videos and later blackmailing them. According to police sources, the case was registered on the report of a constable, Muhammad Owais, who says the hakeem was running a clinic, where he installed secret cameras in the examination room. He says the hakeem, in connivance with his two accomplices, sexually assaults the women patients visiting the clinic, on the pretext of examining them and records their videos. The suspects would later extort money, jewellery and other valuables from these women by blackmailing them. He said the suspects also uploaded obscene videos of some of the women patients on social media. Acting on the complaint, Allappa police registered a case against the suspects who are yet to be arrested. WOMAN TORTURED: A man, along with his brother, allegedly tortured his wife and forcibly cut her hair in ...
    Tags: Multan
  • Pakistan takes stand for ‘equitable access’ to green finance for developing nations
    Dawn - 09:41 Aug 15, 2025
    Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Dr Musadik Malik called for equitable access to green financing and other resources for developing nations at a meeting in Geneva on Friday, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He chaired the meeting on the sidelines of the fifth session of the plastic pollution treaty negotiations taking place in Geneva. Billed as the most important environmental deal since the 2015 Paris climate accord, the 10-day summit brought delegates from 185 countries to finalise a global treaty to control plastic pollution. “Pakistan led a regional dialogue with Bangladesh, Egypt, Tajikistan, Malaysia, and Sudan for an interactive briefing,” according to a statement posted by Malik’s team on X. “Minister Musadik called for a fair Global Plastics Treaty and equitable green financing, so support reaches nations most impacted by pollution and climate challenges,” the statement added. At the meeting, the climate minister noted, “those responsible for the highest levels o...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • Pakistan establishes diplomatic ties with Federated States of Micronesia
    Dawn - 08:24 Aug 15, 2025
    Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia have formally established diplomatic relations to open up avenues for bilateral cooperation. The Federated States of Micronesia are an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean that joined the United Nations in 1991, according to the UN’s website. Both countries’ permanent representatives to the UN signed an agreement at a ceremony in New York, the Pakistan Mission to the UN said in a press release on Thursday. “Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, and Federated States of Micronesia’s counterpart, Ambassador Jeem S. Lippwe, signed a joint communiqué to formalise the relationship between the two countries,” the Pakistan Mission said. Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Ahmad noted: “The relations would open up avenues for cooperation in the field of human resource management, capacity building and climate change.” Both Missions would “work closely on key matters, especially promotion of international peace and s...
    Tags: Pakistan Micronesia Federated States
  • Afghan Taliban mark 4th year in power, buoyed by official recognition from Russia
    Dawn - 07:48 Aug 15, 2025
    Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities marked the fourth anniversary of their takeover on Friday, buoyed by Russia’s first official recognition of their government, a step they hope other countries will follow. Parades were planned in several cities, including in central Kabul, where helicopters were set to drop flowers and the white-and-black flags of the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” fluttered across the city to mark their capture of the capital on August 15, 2021. Taliban members gathered on Thursday night at a square near the shuttered US embassy — seat of their enemy during their 20-year insurgency — waving flags and setting off fireworks, an AFP journalist said. The military parade held last year with much fanfare at the Bagram airbase, once the linchpin for US-led operations, was cancelled this year, without public explanation. The Taliban government remains largely isolated on the global stage over restrictions imposed under their interpretation of Islamic law, targeting women in particular. V...
    Tags: Russia
  • Rescuers scour debris as toll from occupied Kashmir flood rises to 60
    Dawn - 07:05 Aug 15, 2025
    Rescue teams on Friday dug through mud searching for victims, a day after the latest deadly flood to crash through a village in India-occupied Kashmir’s Kishtwar district killed at least 60 people. Dozens more are missing, including Hindu pilgrims who were visiting a shrine, after torrents of water and mud driven by intense rain tore through the village in the Himalayan region. Officials said a large makeshift kitchen in Chisoti village, where more than 100 pilgrims were completely washed away by what Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported was a sudden “cloudburst” rain storm. Heavy earthmovers were brought to the disaster area overnight to dig through deep mud, huge boulders and rubble that the flood brought down the mountainside. The army’s White Knight Corps said its troops, “braving the harsh weather and rugged terrain, are engaged in evacuation of injured”. Emergency kit, including ropes and digging tools, were being brought to the disaster site, with the army supporting other rescue teams. One survivor t...
  • Over 53,000 tourist vehicles enter Murree against capacity of 5,000
    Dawn - 06:52 Aug 15, 2025
    RAWALPINDI: More than 53,000 tourist vehicles arrived in Murree on Independence Day, despite the hill station having parking space for 5,000. The tourist influx continued on Thursday. A spokesman for the traffic police said that more than 53,000 tourist vehicles had entered Murree so far, compared to its capacity for only 5,000 vehicles. The city traffic police have been taking all possible measures to facilitate tourists. More than 200 traffic police personnel perform duty on Independence Day He said that more than 200 traffic police personnel were on duty on Independence Day to assist visitors. Although 53,000 vehicles have entered Murree so far, many of them have left at the same time. Therefore, between 6,000 and 9,000 vehicles were present in Murree at a given time, the traffic police spokesman told Dawn. Driving licences are being checked at entry points and checkpoints to ensure tourist safety, while motorcyclists without helmets are not being allowed to enter Murree. Entry to Mall Road without family ...
    Tags: Murree
  • Governor Tessori red-faced over remarks about ‘Bhai’s comeback’
    Dawn - 06:52 Aug 15, 2025
    KARACHI: Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori appeared embarrassed as he publicly clarified that his recent remarks about the ‘return of Bhai’ — a term commonly associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain — were not related to the London-based leader. In videos that went viral on social media, Mr Tessori was heard as telling a big crowd that recently gathered at the Governor House to attend an Independence Day concert that “Mein bar bar keh raha hoon, tumharay bhai wapas aa rahay hain… tumharay bhai, Karachi ko theek karnay,” [I am repeatedly saying that Bhai is making a comeback, your Bhai, to get Karachi fixed]. And the crowd roared in the affirmative when he asked whether they wanted “old MQM”. Earlier, Mr Tessori had talked about the “return of old MQM to revive past glory” during a media interaction after his visit to Bhit Shah. When asked what he was alluding to, he said he would not reveal everything, but hastened to add: “Apkay hosh urr jaey gey jo honay ja raha hay” [You would be shocked ...
    Tags: Bhai
  • US busts Indian family for forced labour, child exploitation racket
    Dawn - 06:41 Aug 15, 2025
    WASHINGTON: US federal prosecutors have charged five Nebraska hotel operators — all members of the same family — in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) calls a large-scale human trafficking operation exploiting undocumented workers, including at least ten children under the age of 12. The defendants are accused of forcing both children and adults into grueling labour under threat and coercion, highlighting vulnerabilities in low-wage service industries across the United States. “This case is about a family business built on human exploitation,” said US Attorney Susan Lehr for the District of Nebraska. “The defendants allegedly profited by compelling vulnerable victims, including children, to work for little or no pay under threat and coercion.” The five accused — Kentakumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Ajit Samani, Amit Prahladbhai Chaudhari, Amit Babubhai Chaudhari, and Maheshkumar Chaudhari — allegedly ran hotels where undocumented individuals were forced to work in “unclean, unsafe conditions, sometimes in the very ...
  • US warns of additional tariffs on India if Trump-Putin peace talks fail
    Dawn - 06:10 Aug 15, 2025
    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington could increase secondary tariffs on India, the BBC reported on Thursday. He said the decision would depend on the outcome of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. “We’ve put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, If things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,” Bessent said in an interview to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25 per cent penalty on India in addition to 25pc tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia. The US has been trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and on Wednesday, Trump warned of “severe consequences” if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal. Russian oil made up 35-40pc of India’s oil imports in 2024, up from 3pc in 2021 Trump and Putin are set to meet in Anchorage on Friday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. “President Trump is meeting with President Put...
    Tags: India
  • Digital tracking to end fuel black market
    Dawn - 05:48 Aug 15, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: In a landmark reform, the government will launch real-time digital tracking of every litre of petroleum products — from import and production to storage, transport, and final sale — within a month, in a bid to curb rampant smuggling, theft, misappropriation, and adulteration, which are estimated to cause annual revenue losses of Rs300-500 billion. A senior government official told Dawn that the National Assembly passed the Petroleum (Amendment) Act 2025 on Wednesday, empowering authorities to deploy information technology-based systems for continuous monitoring of petroleum products. The law aims to coordinate the efforts of various enforcement agencies to regulate storage, transportation, and sale, both jointly and independently. The new legislation amends the nearly century-old Petroleum Act 1934, introducing provisions for digital tracking and granting enforcement powers to deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, and designated officers under the Customs Act 1969, allowing them to seize s...
  • Bajaur residents asked to move to relief camps
    Dawn - 05:33 Aug 15, 2025
    • ‘Nine terrorists killed’ during targeted operation • Registration begins for displaced families; each household offered Rs75,000 BAJAUR: As security forces claimed to have eliminated nine terrorists in an ongoing ‘targeted operation’, the district administration on Thursday ordered residents of 26 areas in the restive Lowi and War Mamund tehsils to evacuate their homes by Aug 16 for the ‘planned targeted operation’ against militants in Bajaur. Sources claimed nine militants had been killed during the ongoing operation in Bajaur’s mountainous areas. They claimed that the operation, based on credible intelligence, involves both ground and aerial assets to neutralise the terrorist presence and was conducted in the Damadola area. Official sources said militants tried to hide bodies in caves and hideouts, but security forces have systematically cleared these areas. However, the military’s media wing, ISPR, has not issued any statement in this regard so far. Residents of 26 areas in both Lowi Mamund and War Mamun...
    Tags: Bajaur
  • Ali Amin Gandapur vows ‘to go to any length’ for Imran’s release
    Dawn - 05:26 Aug 15, 2025
    DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday vowed to go to any length to secure the “honourable release” of PTI founder Imran Khan, declaring himself “a rebel against the system” that had “unjustly imprisoned” their leader. Addressing a public meeting at Paharpur Sports Stadium after leading a large rally from Al-Amin House, CM Gandapur said the Constitution and law gave them the right to reclaim their mandate and that they were ready to “take bullets on the chest” in their struggle. The rally, organised as part of PTI’s protest movement on August 14, consisted of hundreds of vehicles and was welcomed at various points along the route to Paharpur. In his fiery speech, the chief minister accused the state of “oppression” since May 9, 2023, adding that PTI supporters had endured arrests and violence but kept the party’s flag flying. “We will not commit suicide, we will fight. Those who shoot at us will face the same,” he declared. He criticised the state for waging “war again...

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