Dawn
Source:
https://www.dawn.com
Found 12682 news
-
Dawn - 10:16 Feb 14, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi to address the security situation in Islamabad in a meeting on Saturday. A press release by the prime minister’s media wing said that during the meeting, the interior minister briefed the premier on the overall security situation of the country. “The prime minister was also given a detailed briefing on the current overall situation and security in Islamabad,” it added. According to the press release, PM Shehbaz directed Naqvi to address the security situation in Islamabad and other matters “in an effective and efficient manner”. The statement by the premier’s media wing further said that Naqvi would soon visit Sri Lanka, where he would “convey the prime minister’s special message” to the Sri Lankan president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Islamabad has experienced two major suicide attacks in recent weeks. One occurred on 6 February, when 36 people were killed and over 150 injured in a suicide bombing at an imambargah during Friday ... -
Dawn - 09:43 Feb 14, 2026
Bangladesh’s Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) party conceded defeat in elections on Saturday, despite earlier alleging problems with the vote count, clearing the way for nationalist leader Tarique Rahman to become prime minister. Election Commission figures showed Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had won a landslide victory in the elections on Thursday, the first since a deadly 2024 uprising ousted the iron-fisted rule of Sheikh Hasina. The success of BNP chief Rahman, 60, marks a remarkable turnaround for a man who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile in Britain, far from Dhaka’s political storms. Tarique Rahman, chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in a car on his way to the mosque to attend Friday prayer, as results project BNP’s victory in the 13th general election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 13, 2026. — Reuters Rahman, the scion of one of Bangladesh’s most powerful political dynasties, is expected to make a victory speech later on Saturday. His father, president... -
Dawn - 08:52 Feb 14, 2026
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said the riverine (katcha) areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur districts had been “100 per cent cleared” of dacoits during security operations carried out over the past few weeks. “It was a no-go area for the state, police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and other agencies. The writ of the state and its authority have been restored in the area,” she said while addressing a high-level meeting following the successful operation in the riverine areas. Briefing on the operation, she said it was launched in three phases. “The first phase was launched at the end of December, in which ground operations were integrated with aerial surveillance. It targeted multi-pronged criminal activity.” “In the second phase, we cordoned off major criminal strongholds, including Mach, Katcha Rajwani, and Katcha Karachi, and brought them under control,” she said. She further said: “The third phase was the surrender phase, which continued from January 7 to February 13, during which... -
Dawn - 07:57 Feb 14, 2026
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is discussing proposed electricity tariff revisions with Pakistan authorities, the fund said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday, adding that the burden of the revisions should not fall on middle- or lower-income households. “The ongoing discussions with the authorities will assess whether the proposed tariff revisions are consistent with these commitments and evaluate their potential impact on macroeconomic stability, including inflation,” it said in its statement. Pakistan announced a proposed tariff overhaul, which analysts said would lift inflation while easing pressure on industry, as it seeks to meet conditions under its $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) as another review of the program approaches. The EFF is a longer-term IMF loan programme designed to help countries address deep-seated economic weaknesses and medium-term balance-of-payments problems. Electricity carries significant weight in Pakistan’s consumer price index, making tariff adjustments highly... -
Dawn - 07:23 Feb 14, 2026
LAHORE: The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Saturday to have arrested 26 suspected terrorists belonging to various proscribed organisations during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted across the province over the past month. According to a CTD spokesperson, the department carried out 286 IBOs in different districts in view of potential terrorism threats. These operations were conducted in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chakwal, Rajanpur, Narowal, Pakpattan and Sargodha. During the operations, 286 suspects were interrogated, and 26 terrorists were taken into custody along with arms, explosives and other prohibited material. One alleged militant affiliated with Al-Qaeda was arrested in Lahore, while four members of Fitna al-Khawarij were apprehended in Sargodha. Officials said the arrested suspects had links with the tribal areas. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakista... -
Dawn - 06:49 Feb 14, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Friday embraced potential regime change in Iran and declared that “tremendous power” will soon be in the Middle East, as the Pentagon sent a second aircraft carrier to the region. Trump’s military moves and tough talk come even as Washington and Tehran seek to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West. Asked if he wanted regime change in Iran, Trump responded that it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.” He declined to share who he wanted to take over Iran, but said, “there are people.” “For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” Trump said after a military event at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. “In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We’ve been going on for a long time.” Washington wants nuclear talks with Iran to also cover the country’s ballistic missiles, support for armed groups around the region and the treatment of the Iranian people. ... -
Dawn - 05:39 Feb 14, 2026
BAHAWALPUR: A jeep in 21st Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally ran over and killed a police officer performing security, dampening the festivities of the event on Friday. According to police, the accident took place on the track near Jamgarh mid-point. ASI Muhammad Bashir Ahmed Joyia, who was performing security duty, was killed when he was hit by the jeep of racer Faisal Shadikhel. The reports alleged that Shadikhel lost control of his vehicle that skidded off the track and ran over ASI Joiya while other officials saved their lives by reacting promptly and getting away from the path of the coming vehicle. ASI Bashir, who died on the spot, was posted at Shahr Farid Police Station. After the accident, the police booked Shadikhel for the killing of ASI Joiya. Shadikhel was the unofficial winner of the first round of prepared category participants’ race on Friday. His win is considered a major upset as he was third in Thursday’s qualifying round of the prepared category. Marrot Police Station near Jamgarh Fort in whose ... -
Dawn - 05:22 Feb 14, 2026
WASHINGTON: An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to plotting the assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Prosecutors said Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the failed plot. He entered the plea on February 13 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29. According to the Justice Department, Gupta acted at the direction of an Indian government employee identified as Vikash Yadav, who was employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Yadav remains at large. Former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav who has been charged by the US for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist and Indian critic in New York City, at an unknown l... -
Dawn - 03:53 Feb 14, 2026
WASHINGTON: A small apartment fire in the US capital earlier this week led firefighters to a grim discovery inside a Northwest residence, where a Pakistani American man was found dead with blunt-force and thermal injuries. Washington Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded at approximately 3:33am on Wednesday to a report of smoke in a hallway in the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. Firefighters entered an apartment, extinguished a small fire, and found an adult male unconscious and not breathing. The victim was later identified by the Metropolitan Police Department as 40-year-old Syed Hammad Hussain. Officials said he showed signs of blunt-force trauma as well as thermal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene after responders found no signs consistent with life. The apartment is located near Logan Circle, a busy residential area about 1.1 miles northwest of the White House. In an official statement issued on Friday, police said that following an initial assessment, the matter was referred to... -
Dawn - 03:22 Feb 14, 2026
• Finance ministry report says aggregate profits decline 13pc to Rs709.9bn • Power sector’s Rs9.2tr debt crisis deepens despite Rs800bn capital injection ISLAMABAD: Sitting on mammoth liabilities of Rs9.2 trillion — equivalent to half of Pakistan’s annual budget — and facing ever-rising losses and negative equity, the power sector leadership remains clueless about its business operations as a going concern and the consequential challenge to the state. This damning charge sheet has been issued by the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the Ministry of Finance in its FY25 aggregate report on the performance of State-Owned Entities, as required by the IMF, posing a serious question mark on the credibility of power sector planning. This is despite the fact that the power sector remains the top recipient of equity injections, while continuously bleeding the economy and consumers at large. National Highway Authority (NHA) comes as the second biggest financial black hole after the power sector. Worst still, the busines... -
Dawn - 03:13 Feb 14, 2026
Kathryn Ruemmler • DP World CEO Bin Sulayem ousted as investors stop funding over ties to disgraced financier • Goldman Sachs lawyer Ruemmler resigns due to her extensive ties to Epstein in documents • PM urges probe into top Norwegians’ links to dead felon DUBAI: The chairman and chief executive of DP World Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem’s resigned on Friday following pressure over his alleged ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, making him one of the highest-profile figures to step down after the recent release of documents. The fallout also prompted the resignation of a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and has sparked official inquiries into political and royal figures in Norway. Bin Sulayem’s departure from the Dubai-based logistics giant was announced the same day the emirate’s ruler appointed a new chairman for the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, another role Bin Sulayem held. Pressure mounted on the state-owned firm after two major investors, the UK development finance agency British Inte... -
Dawn - 01:56 Feb 14, 2026
GUJRAT: An elderly man reportedly died of a heart attack on Friday after the traffic police imposed a fine of Rs2,000, which he was unable to pay. As per details, the incident occurred near the traffic police office on the Old GT Road where one Tahir Beig (60) of Chak Buzarag was going home on his motorcycle when was stopped at a picket by the traffic police. The police officials reportedly imposed a fine of Rs2,000 on the motorcyclist for not wearing a helmet. He requested the duty officials to spare him as he did not have the amount on him to pay the fine. However, the officials declined to accept his request. The man then started walking towards the GTS Chowk without his motorbike to arrange the amount and pay the fine, but he fell just a few meters away and died on the spot. Some eyewitnesses called Rescue 1122 and they pronounced him dead after a checkup. The rescue and police officials later shifted the body to the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH). A spokesperson for the Gujrat Police confi... -
Dawn - 20:11 Feb 13, 2026
A day after revelations emerged about the vision loss of PTI founder Imran Khan, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) staged a sit-in at the Parliament House on Friday and vowed to continue until their demands were fulfilled. The sit-in started after Friday prayers and was ongoing till midnight. On Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) was informed that PTI founder Imran Khan’s right eye had only 15 per cent vision remaining, prompting a strong response from the party. Subsequently, the TTAP announced the sit-in outside the Parliament House on Friday (today). The protesters were still present at the Parliament House late at night on Friday, having shifted from outside to the main hallway of the premises. In a video shared by the opposition alliance on X, TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said they planned to spend the night at the Parliament House. On a lighter note, he added, “In the morning, we will sit [here] again after changing clothes and shaving. And if the [protest] is prolonged, ... -
Dawn - 18:46 Feb 13, 2026
The Pentagon is sending an aircraft carrier from the Caribbean to the Middle East, US officials said on Friday, a move that would put two carriers in the region as tensions soar between the United States and Iran. The Gerald R. Ford carrier, the United States’ newest and the world’s largest carrier, has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and took part in operations in Venezuela earlier this year. Asked why a second aircraft carrier was headed to the Middle East, US President Donald Trump said: “In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it … if we need it, we’ll have it ready.” One of the officials, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said the carrier would take at least a week to reach the Middle East. The Gerald R. Ford will join the Abraham Lincoln carrier, several guided-missile destroyers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft that have been moved to the Middle East in recent weeks. The United States most recently had two aircraft carriers in the area last year, when it carried ... -
Dawn - 18:24 Feb 13, 2026
UNITED NATIONS: The 15-member United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday condemned the suicide bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad in the “strongest terms”. On February 6, a suicide bomber had ripped through the Friday congregation at the Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra on the outskirts of Islamabad. At least 38 people were killed in the incident and more than 150 were injured. In a press statement issued by UNSC President James Kariuki, the 15-member body described the February 6 attack as a “heinous and cowardly suicide bombing terrorist attack”. The UNSC expressed “its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and the people of Pakistan” and wished “a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured”. Reaffirming its long-standing position, the UNSC said that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”. The statement further stated that UNSC members stressed the need ... -
Dawn - 18:04 Feb 13, 2026
KARACHI: Twelve people were killed and six others were injured in a traffic accident involving an oil tanker and a passenger bus on the M9 Motorway at Ansari Bridge near DHA City, according to officials. Police and Rescue 1122 had initially stated that 13 people were killed and nine were injured. Later, however, Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed confirmed to Dawn that 12 people had been killed and six were injured. After the accident, a significant quantity of oil spread on the M9 Motorway, causing difficulties for rescue workers who avoided using electrical equipment for fear of fire. As a result, they had to manually cut apart the vehicles to retrieve the bodies of the injured. It is worth mentioning that authorities gave different reasons for the traffic accident. While Malir police attributed it to the bus travelling in the wrong direction, motorway police said that the tyre of the oil tanker had burst. Malir Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada told Dawn that 13 people had died in the accide... -
Dawn - 17:33 Feb 13, 2026
LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Agency (NCCI) on Friday released a journalist a few hours after detaining him for questioning. As per initial reports, Khurram Iqbal, a producer with Hum News, was reportedly picked up by unidentified men from his sister’s home in Lahore around 1pm. Subsequently, there was an uproar on social media, with many demanding information on the journalist’s whereabouts. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) had called on federal and provincial authorities, including the interior and information ministries, to take urgent action for Iqbal’s safe release. The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors had also condemned the journalist’s alleged abduction and called for his release. The statement said that, according to Iqbal’s family, armed men in plainclothes whisked him away from his sister’s residence. It also expressed concern over the “growing trend” of harassment of journalists. Meanwhile, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Usman Anwar ... -
Dawn - 16:46 Feb 13, 2026
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won an overwhelming two-thirds majority on Friday in general elections, a result expected to bring stability after months of tumult following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising in 2024. Latest counts in a vote seen as the South Asian nation’s first truly competitive election in years gave the BNP and its allies at least 212 of the 299 seats up for grabs, domestic TV channels said. People look at the results published by Election Commission, following the 13th general election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 13, 2026. — Reuters The opposition Jamaat-i-Islami and its allies won 70 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or House of the Nation. The Election Commission put the BNP at 181 seats, the Jamaat-i-Islami at 61 and others at 7, with full official results not expected before noon (11am PKT) on Friday. The BNP, which returns to power after 20 years, thanked the people soon and called for special prayers on Friday for the nation and its pe... -
Dawn - 16:33 Feb 13, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a telephone call with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, lauding the Gulf country’s “consistent and unwavering support to Pakistan”. According to a press release, during their “warm and cordial conversation”, the two leaders “fondly” recalled their recent meetings in Islamabad and Rahim Yar Khan last month. “The prime minister lauded the UAE’s consistent and unwavering support to Pakistan that had helped the country navigate through difficult challenges,” the statement said. “This support was a manifestation of the historic, fraternal bonds between the leadership and the people of both countries,” PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying. The statement added that the two leaders reaffirmed their shared desire to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the UAE. “The two leaders also exchanged views on other matters of mutual interest and agreed to remain in close contact,” the statement said. In a post on the... -
Dawn - 16:17 Feb 13, 2026
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has expressed keen interest in leveraging the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) training ecosystem and aerospace development infrastructure to enhance his country’s defence capabilities, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday. The Indonesian president made his interest known during a meeting with Pakistan’s chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, who called on the former during an official visit to Indonesia, a statement by ISPR said. “During the meeting, the air chief underscored the shared values and longstanding brotherhood between Pakistan and Indonesia, and President Prabowo expressed keen interest in leveraging PAF’s state-of-the-art training ecosystem and aerospace development infrastructure to enhance Indonesia’s defence capabilities,” the statement read. Earlier, the statement said, the air chief held separate high-level meetings with Indonesian Defence Minister Lieutenant General (Retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the commander of ...
12682 items