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Dawn - 04:06 May 10, 2025
THE April 22 Pahalgam incident has evoked a hysterical reaction from India, which has attacked Pakistani and Azad Kashmir cities killing innocent civilians, including children, and damaging the Neelum-Jhelum hydel works. Within five minutes of the Pahalgam attack, Indian media started pointing fingers at Pakistan alleging it had enabled the terrorist attack. Two weeks later, India attacked without providing a shred of evidence of Pakistan’s alleged involvement. The purpose of this article is to urge Indian policymakers to avoid prolonging their actions as the political, social and economic costs for their own country are substantial, and instead, examine their policy stance dispassionately. India ranks fifth among global economies and has an impressive record of rapid economic growth, which has lifted several hundred million out of poverty. It is one of the world’s leading exporters of IT and IT-enabled services, and aspires to become a developed economy by 2047, with the size of its economy projected to rang... -
Dawn - 03:56 May 10, 2025
THE suspension of disbelief required to follow the Indian media these days must qualify as an extreme sport. One imagines viewers needing a cup of tea and a lie-down afterwards, if only to reorient with reality. Consider, for example, the breathless ‘coverage’ that has been aired by several Indian news channels regarding their military’s campaign against Pakistan. During Thursday night’s transmissions, one claimed that Islamabad had fallen, another that Peshawar had been bombed; one that Lahore was in the crosshairs of Indian tanks, and another that the Karachi port was in flames. One promised that an F-16 had been shot down, while another that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had surrendered. But it was the gaggle of ‘experts’ on a live Times Now broadcast, excitedly proclaiming that a ground invasion of Pakistan was underway, that truly captured the absurdity of it all. Truth is the first casualty of war, but it is nonetheless jarring to witness its assassination on such an industrial scale. That the fog of wa... -
Dawn - 03:44 May 10, 2025
• Six lives lost in AJK, including 40-day-old infant; many homes, hospitals and schools damaged by Indian fire • Worried residents of India-held Kashmir flee Uri; Omar Abdullah reports hearing heavy artillery fire in occupied Jammu MUZAFFARABAD: Amid rising tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours, intense exchanges continued along the Line of Control on Thursday night and into Friday, with the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) PM describing the Indian bombardment as “some of the heaviest shelling in recent times”. Both Pakistan and India have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, and on Friday conflicting reports emerged of blackouts and intense shelling being heard in India-held Kashmir as well. The occupied territory’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, posted on X on Friday night, saying he could hear “intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery”, adding that there was a blackout in held Jammu as well. While he did not mention Pakistan or accuse it of carrying out the attacks, he call... -
Dawn - 03:24 May 10, 2025
KARACHI: Hours after deciding to shift the HBL Pakistan Super (PSL) to the United Arab Emirates, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) postponed the remaining tournament, in the wake of rising military tensions with neighbouring India. The move came on the same day that the Indian cricket board announced the postponement of its own Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament for at least one week. “The last 24 hours have seen a worsening of the situation on the LoC, increased incursion of 78 drones, and the firing of surface to surface missiles from India,” the PCB said in a press release issued on Friday, adding that the decision was taken “pursuant to advice received” from PM Shehbaz Sharif. “The PCB and its players stand resolutely in solidarity with the families of the martyrs and our security personnel defending the nation,” the statement read. Meanwhile, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia said they had decided to suspend the remainder of the ongoing IPL 2025 with immediate effe... -
Dawn - 03:20 May 10, 2025
• Fund approves $1bn disbursement under EFF and $1.4bn for new climate resilience facility • India abstains from vote during Executive Board meeting • PM Shehbaz lauds economic team, slams New Delhi’s false narrative WASHINGTON: Despite Indian attempts to derail Pakistan’s loan programme, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved two major financing arrangements for the country — a $1 billion disbursement under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a new Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) aimed at supporting climate-related initiatives. The approval unlocks a total of $2.1bn for Pakistan, including the $1.4bn under the RSF programme, which spans 28 months and is designed to bolster the country’s resilience to climate-induced shocks. In March, the IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on this new climate financing arrangement, alongside the first review of the 37-month, $7bn EFF programme that was approved in September 2024 — Pakistan’s 24th IMF-supported programme t... -
Dawn - 03:15 May 10, 2025
• FO slams New Delhi’s war hysteria, says Pakistan still considers Indus treaty in force • Saudi minister arrives in Islamabad with message of concern, calls for de-escalation ISLAMABAD: South Asia — home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population — can ill-afford the irresponsible actions like the ones being carried out by India, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Friday. At the weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said: “It is most unfortunate that India’s reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict.” His remarks came ahead of a meeting between Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and PM Shehbaz Sharif and other top state functionaries. The Saudi official had travelled to Pakistan on Friday after completing an official visit to India. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Riyadh’s emissary “expressed heartfelt condolences over the loss of precious civilian lives”. He said the kingdom was deeply concerned about the ... -
Dawn - 00:55 May 10, 2025
KARACHI: Port operations continued as usual on Friday, as the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) successfully restored its X (formerly Twitter) accounts. This came after reports suggested that the accounts had been hacked and spread false information, claiming that the port had suffered significant damage due to a strike by India, resulting in substantial losses for the facility. “Our IT team has recovered the social media accounts in 30 minutes,” a KPT official said, adding that a media team was also invited in the evening to witness smooth cargo handling operations while no infrastructure was damaged. KPT handled 168,082 tonnes of cargo, comprising 108,856 tonnes of import and 59,226 tonnes of export. A total of eight ships took berths while three ships sailed out. Around nine ships carrying containers, general cargo, and ammonium nitrate will arrive in the next two days. Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025 -
Dawn - 00:55 May 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday conceded before the parliament that the development spending had flattened despite over 47 per cent increase in revenue growth, 37pc cut in subsidies and 170pc higher cash surpluses provided by four provinces. In its mid-year budget review report to the parliament as required under section 34(1) of the Public Finance Management Act 2019, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said the above consolidation helped contain fiscal deficit at 1.9pc of GDP in July-December 2024 against 2.5pc last year and put primary surplus — the gap between total revenue and total expenditure minus debt servicing — at a comfortable 2.3pc of GDP against 1.4pc surplus last year. The report said the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) consumed Rs261bn in first six months of current year compared to Rs255bn a year ago. The four provinces provided Rs775bn cash surplus in the first half compared to Rs289bn last year. It said that due to sound macroeconomic management, effective inflation control measure... -
Dawn - 00:49 May 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday notified a reduction of Rs1.55 per unit in electricity tariffs across the country for a period of three months, from May to July 2025, under a quarterly adjustment mechanism. This cut comes in addition to a 29-paisa per unit fuel cost adjustment for ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos) and a Rs3.64 per unit reduction for K-Electric consumers for the month of May. As a result, consumers of Discos will receive a total of Rs1.84 per unit cheaper electricity in May and then Rs1.55 per unit in June and July. Similarly, K-Electric consumers will enjoy about Rs5.19 per unit cheaper rates in May and then Rs1.55 per unit in June and July. The regulator said it allowed Rs1.55 per unit negative adjustment on account of the quarterly tariff adjustment for the January-March quarter of the current fiscal year. The notification said Nepra “has decided to allow negative quarterly adjustments of Rs52.6bn pertaining to the third quarter of the fi... -
Dawn - 23:32 May 09, 2025
Around two months before his latest derangement, India’s Narendra Modi paid tribute to his RSS inspiration, Veer Savarkar. As the founding father of Hindutva, Savarkar’s ideas have long informed Modi’s actions. And those ideas are pretty basic. “India should follow the German example to solve the Muslim problem,” Savarkar said in 1938, “…Germany has every right to resort to Nazism and Italy to fascism — and events have justified those -isms.” Given such events reduced Europe to the bloodlands of World War II, Modi now wishes the same for South Asia: Pakistan and India have been closest to war in half a century; fighter jets tango overhead; and a new generation wakes up to the sirens their grandparents once had to. At the brink of war, again But we’re here now, and it mostly has to do with Delhi’s own neuroses: the rabid base, the status anxiety, and an occupation that refuses to resolve itself. Modi’s annexation drive in Kashmir was demographic change 101; the “Muslim problem”, to quote Savarkar, would be res... -
Dawn - 20:30 May 09, 2025
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved the immediate disbursement of about $1 billion to Pakistan under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and allowed an additional arrangement for the $1.4bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). In a statement issued today, the IMF said its Executive Board completed the first review of Pakistan’s economic reform program supported by the EFF Arrangement. “This decision allows for an immediate disbursement of around $1bn (SDR 760 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about $2.1bn (SDR 1.52 billion). In addition, the IMF Executive Board approved the authorities’ request for an arrangement under the RSF, with access of about $1.4bn (SDR 1 billion),” it said. It noted that Pakistan’s policy efforts under the EFF had already delivered “significant progress” in stabilising the economy and rebuilding confidence, amidst a challenging global environment. “Fiscal performance has been strong, with a primary surplus of two per ... -
Dawn - 19:38 May 09, 2025
The Foreign Office on Friday said it was unfortunate that “India’s reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict” as military tensions between Pakistan and India escalate. The statement comes amid the ongoing escalation between Pakistan and India, which started after New Delhi launched attacks in several Pakistani cities. Islamabad promptly responded to the attacks. The escalation began following the April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, killing 26 people. India, without investigation or evidence, implied “cross-border linkages” of the attackers. Pakistan has firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe. While addressing his weekly press briefing in Islamabad today, FO Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said: “Indian actions are a flagrant violation of the UN charter, international law, and established norms governing interstate relations. “It is most unfortunate that India’s reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to... -
Dawn - 18:35 May 09, 2025
In a momentous ruling, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday allowed civilians accused in the May 9, 2023 riots — triggered by the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan — to be tried in military courts. “The legal fate of some 103 individuals facing military trials remained in limbo from December 2023 till Tuesday, a period of about a year and a half,” noted Dawn’s editorial today. The 5-2 verdict by the Constitutional Bench overturns an earlier ruling that had declared military trials of civilians null and void, and restores key sections of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) that allow military jurisdiction over certain civilian offences. The bench not only overturned that decision but also restored three contentious provisions of the PAA that had previously been struck down. It also directed the government to introduce legislation within 45 days to ensure that civilians tried in military courts are granted the right to appeal their sentences in a high court. However, the decision was not unanimous — the two dis... -
Dawn - 15:08 May 09, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the government’s priority in the upcoming budget was to provide relief to the common man, stating that all-out resources will be utilised to reduce the financial difficulties of the poor and the middle class. Chairing a meeting on the preparation of the federal budget 2025-26, the premier directed that the upcoming budget should be prepared with a focus on sustainable export-driven growth and considering the projects to promote industries and increase production “The budget should also focus extensively on the creation of jobs, agriculture, information technology, small and medium enterprises, and the housing sector,” he added. The prime minister said that the government and private sector must work together for development and prosperity. Calling the public-private partnerships and youth vocational training among the government’s priorities, the premier noted that positive results were emerging from the power sector reforms, as the reduction in electricity pr... -
Dawn - 14:04 May 09, 2025
Thousands of people rallied on Friday outside the residence of Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, demanding that he ban the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, 84, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown by student-led mass protests in August 2024 and fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace. Friday’s rally came after the sudden departure of Abdul Hamid, a former leader of Hasina’s Awami League party, from Bangladesh early on Thursday. A crowd, mainly made up of young people, had started gathering outside Yunus’ residence on Thursday night. Hasnat Abdullah, the chief organiser of the newly formed National Citizen’s Party, said the demonstration would continue until their demands were met. “Sheikh Hasina robbed the people of Bangladesh of their democratic rights. She manipulated the system to prevent any real opposition from participating in the election,” Kamrul said. “We saw Abdul Hamid leave the country safely. The actions of... -
Dawn - 13:07 May 09, 2025
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced on Friday that Karachi would host the 35th National Games from December 6 to 13 after it was postponed from its initial dates in May. The games were set to be held from May 1-9 in Karachi but were postponed in April due to “unavoidable circumstances,” according to an official letter issued by the Sindh Olympic Association. Murad held a meeting today at CM House with a high-level delegation of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to finalise preparations for the games. He welcomed the opportunity to host National Games, pledging full cooperation to ensure the games are organised in accordance with international standards. He directed all relevant departments to provide essential facilities to athletes, including training, medical care, transportation, and modern infrastructure. CM Murad announced the construction of a new swimming pool and acquisition of modern electronic timing and scoring systems. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the ... -
Dawn - 12:53 May 09, 2025
In war, truth is the first casualty. The Indian media, it would appear, isn’t happy to just kill the truth. Over the last few days, hysterical war-crazed news anchors, buoyed by trolls and pundits on social media, have made every effort to crush the truth, stomp on it, tear it up, chop it into fine pieces, set it on fire and throw away the ashes in the Indian Ocean. When Greek dramatic Aeschylus (525/524 bc — 456/455 bc) coined the phrase, he may have been referring to the propaganda spread by states through scrolls and word of mouth. That was a simpler time — states could get away with untruths and falsehoods, with the other side none the wiser. It takes a different kind of arrogance, however, to try to pull this off in the 21st century, when the information ecosystem is no longer inhibited by geographical limitations or even the imperative of a closed media landscape. Into the metaverse Over the last 24 hours, in particular, the kind of disinformation coming out of the Indian information ecosystem has been ... -
Dawn - 11:41 May 09, 2025
Remittances from overseas Pakistani workers clocked in at $3.2 billion for the month of April, up 13 per cent year-on-year, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data released on Friday. Topline Securities, a brokerage firm in Karachi, noted, “Worker remittances clocked in at US$3.2bn, up 13pc YoY in Apr-2025. “This takes 10MFY25 remittances to US$31bn, up 31pc YoY,” it added. According to the firm, inflows during April were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($725m), UAE ($658m), UK ($535m), and US ($302m). Earlier, the government had set a target of $35bn in remittances for the current fiscal year (FY25), but financial experts believe the inflow would exceed the estimate. “The inflows could reach up to $36bn in FY25,” said a currency dealer in the banking market. A study published by the Asian Development Bank found that Pakistani migrants tend to remit more when economic conditions are improving back home and when there is a positive association between remittances and domestic economic activity. The stu... -
Dawn - 11:40 May 09, 2025
Pope Leo XIV on Friday celebrated his first Mass in Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel where he was elected less than 24 hours earlier and prayed that his historic papacy can help the Catholic Church be a beacon illuminating “the dark nights of this world”. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost and the first US pope, looked serene as he said the Mass in the famous, frescoed chapel with the same cardinals who chose him to be the 267th pontiff and the successor to Pope Francis. Dressed in relatively simple white and gold vestments, Leo, who was born in Chicago but spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, said a few words in English before continuing his homily in fluent Italian. He painted the spiritual picture of the Church he would like to see under his papacy. “God has …. entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator for the sake of the entire mystical Body of the Church,” he said. “He has done so in order that she may be ever more fully a city set on a hill, an ark... -
Dawn - 11:34 May 09, 2025
Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recovered nearly 4,000 points on Friday after the index suffered its largest-ever plunge a day earlier, causing losses to the tune of Rs820 billion loss to equity investors following Indian drone attacks in major cities across the country. The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 799.65, or 0.77 per cent, to stand at 104,326.46 from the previous close of 103,526.81 at 11:06am. At 4:31pm, the index recovered 3647.82, or 3.52pc, to stand at 107,174.63 from the last close. Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of Topline Securities, said that after falling sharply by 6pc yesterday, the stocks had recovered. “So far, there has been no news of any major escalation which helped restore confidence,” he said. Yousuf M. Farooq, director research at Chase Securities, noted, “Stocks on the PSX remained volatile today, opening higher as participants increasingly factored in that an all-out war with India is unlikely. “Some investors have begun accumulating stocks trading at highly attrac...
5467 items