Dawn
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Dawn - 03:15 Aug 02, 2026
THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban flooding in major cities across Punjab and Sindh is yet another reminder of how poorly prepared our cities are for heavy rainfall. Cities from Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan in Punjab, to Hyderabad, Umerkot and Tando Allahyar in Sindh, have been flagged for urban flooding. This is not unusual during the monsoons. However, what makes this year’s warning worth pausing on is the Met Office’s forecast of below normal rainfall this year. Still, less rainfall will not eliminate the risk of flooded cities if a burst of rain arrives faster than the ground and drains can carry it away. This says more about the state of our cities than about the weather. The problem of urban flooding in Pakistan is no longer limited to low-lying neighbourhoods. It has become a structural feature of how the country has grown and urban centres have developed. Unplanned construction has taken place over drainage channels and wetlan... -
Dawn - 02:51 Aug 02, 2026
• Top American commander warns navy is stretched too thin; US has used nearly half of its THAAD interceptors • Pentagon may face choice between US interests and Israel • Missile defences consumed faster than they can be replaced; war tests Washington’s ability to fight on multiple fronts WASHINGTON: A warning from one of America’s top military commanders has exposed a growing dilemma for Washington: The United States may no longer have enough naval forces to simultaneously defend Israel against Iranian missile attacks and protect its own interests across the Middle East. General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US European Command, has privately informed Pentagon officials that American naval assets are becoming stretched too thin as the conflict with Iran continues, according to reports by The Washington Post and other news outlets. The general reportedly warned that without another US Navy destroyer assigned to the region, commanders could eventually face a difficult choice between protecting American forces... -
Dawn - 02:47 Aug 02, 2026
• Vehicle broke down in Nimroz; group pressed on toward Iran on foot • Bodies found buried beneath sand HERAT: The bodies of 14 Afghans attempting to reach Iran were found in a scorching desert in southwestern Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday, weeks after their vehicle broke down and they set off by foot. Authorities have been searching for the group since the driver of the vehicle staggered into a village in Nimroz province, parched and exhausted, seeking help. Five bodies were found soon after, but authorities launched a hunt for 14 others who had continued the journey on foot. Nimroz is one of Afghanistan’s hottest and most arid provinces, with temperatures hovering around 45C at this time of year. The 14 bodies were found buried in sand, a source at the Nimroz provincial hospital told AFP on Saturday. Provincial government spokesman Abdul Mutawakil Tawhidi confirmed the grisly desert find on Friday. Iran is a popular destination for Afghan migrants seeking economic opportunity not available at home... -
Dawn - 02:45 Aug 02, 2026
KARACHI: The influx of smuggled Iranian oil has drastically declined as tankers were hit inside Balochistan, causing heavy losses to those involved in this illegal business, according to sources in the oil sector. The oil companies have been demanding that oil smuggling be stopped, but it has continued for years. However, the arrival of Iranian petroleum products increased after the US-Israeli war on Tehran began, pushing crude oil prices above $100 per barrel. “Over the past month and a half, at least six oil tankers coming from Iran were destroyed by terrorists, but the actual number is not known,” said the source familiar with those in the oil business. However, it was not confirmed by other sources. Since the US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb 28, the entire world was shocked due to due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is the world’s most critical energy transit chokepoint, carrying roughly 20pc of global oil, 20pc of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and about one-third of the world’s fertiliser trade... -
Dawn - 02:36 Aug 02, 2026
• Multiple rounds of talks between PPP, PML-N leaders fail to defuse tensions • Sanaullah questions Zardari’s election as president after PPP’s Form-47 jibe • Saeed Ghani alleges PML-N govts came to power through rigging every time • Sharif family meets at Jati Umra to take stock of ‘mounting’ political challenges MUZAFFARABAD/LAHORE: Despite multiple rounds of talks between the PML-N and the PPP in Azad Jammu Kashmir, the tensions between the two allies over the results of the Mirpur elections did not subside, with leaders from both parties continuing to trade rigging allegations ahead of the second phase of the AJK elections. The second phase will be held today in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies. The PPP and the PML-N — coalition partners in the Centre — have been engaged in a war of words since the PML-N emerged victorious in Mirpur in the first phase of AJK elections. In the latest exchange, PML-N senior leader Rana Sanaullah remarked on President Asif Ali Za...
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Dawn - 02:25 Aug 02, 2026
• US embassies urge citizens to ‘consider departing’ the region • Iran says any country acting as US defensive shield will be engulfed by flames of war • Official insists Tehran planning for worst-case scenarios • 30 commercial vessels redirected by US naval blockade, says Centcom • Tanker struck by ‘unknown projectile’ off Oman; Kuwait destroys hostile drones • Houthis deny plans to impose fees on ships sailing through Red Sea TEHRAN: United States embassies in capitals across the Middle East urged American citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and asked them to be ready to leave on Saturday as Iran’s military accused the US of “escalating tensions” in the region and warned countries against cooperating with Washington. US embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates posted the alerts online. “Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation,... -
Dawn - 02:18 Aug 02, 2026
Field teams actively track children under five years of age every three months to closely observe health trajectories and vital events. Expectant mothers within the target areas are systematically registered and followed up with | AKU & CHAMPS programme At first glance, the Changan Karvaan parked outside one of Aga Khan University’s (AKU) field sites in Karachi’s Bhains Colony looks like an ordinary white minivan. Boxy, tinted windows, no markings to set it apart. It’s only when you get in that the disinfectant and medical equipment give it away. Under the bright clinical lights, you will find surgical gloves, syringes, tissue covers… everything needed to perform MITS, or minimally invasive tissue sampling, on even the smallest of babies in the localities of Ali Akbar Shah, Ibrahim Hyderi and Bhains Colony. This unusual approach to forensics has helped researchers paint one of the clearest pictures yet of why these babies die before their fifth birthday. In three of Karachi’s poorest neighbourhoods, a minimal... -
Dawn - 02:16 Aug 02, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The delay in presidential assent to judicial appointments has begun to affect the functioning of the superior judiciary, with the term of an additional judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC) having already expired and four additional judges of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) facing a similar situation within days, despite recommendations by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) for the continuation of their services. Justice Khalid Hussain Shahani of the SHC was appointed as an additional judge on Jan 29, 2025, for a one-year term. On Jan 22 this year, President Asif Ali Zardari approved a six-month extension in accordance with the JCP’s recommendation, extending his tenure until July 29. Before the expiry of his tenure, the JCP, at its meeting on July 20, recommended another six-month extension and forwarded the recommendation through the constitutional channel to the president, who is the appointing authority. However, the summary has remained pending with the Presidency and no notification has ye... -
Dawn - 02:15 Aug 02, 2026
LAHORE: The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across parts of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan until Aug 4. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), meanwhile, said river flows, dams and barrages across Punjab were being monitored continuously. It warned that low-level flooding was currently being recorded in the Indus River at Kalabagh and Chashma and that the prevailing weather system was likely to persist until Aug 5. According to the FFD, a well-marked low-pressure system over southeast Rajasthan in India, coupled with strong monsoon currents, is expected to trigger a widespread wet spell over central and eastern Punjab as well as parts of Sindh and Balochistan. The system is likely to produce heavy to very heavy rainfall through Aug 4, significantly increasing water flows in the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Ravi and Beas — and their major tributaries. The division said water levels in the River Chenab... -
Dawn - 19:04 Aug 01, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: Polling for the second phase of elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly will be held on Sunday in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, where more than 340 candidates are contesting 21 seats. According to the AJK Election Commission, 207 candidates are in the fray for the nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division, comprising five seats in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts. Another 137 candidates are contesting the 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats representing refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six from Jammu. A total of 809,621 voters are registered in Muzaffarabad division, including 427,955 men and 381,666 women. The 12 refugee constituencies have a combined electorate of 438,834, comprising 247,776 male and 191,054 female voters. Internet services were suspended again on Friday, less than 45 hours after being restored, as par... -
Dawn - 17:50 Aug 01, 2026
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday said he had received a response from the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to his letter proposing the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, adding that the party would now consult key stakeholders to determine the way forward. The PPP has repeatedly called for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission amid protests in AJK. Over the past month, the regional administration and the JAAC have been at odds over various issues — most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947, which has resulted in protests across the region. In a post on X, Bilawal welcomed the group’s “willingness to engage with the proposed commission” as a possible institutional mechanism to address the crisis, noting that the proposal had also been endorsed by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislativ... -
Dawn - 17:40 Aug 01, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: Senior leaders of the PML-N and PPP on Saturday resumed talks aimed at defusing tensions between the two parties following the latter’s allegations of rigging in four of the 13 constituencies in Mirpur division during the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. The PPP and the PML-N — coalition partners in the Centre — have been engaged in a war of words since the PML-N emerged in the lead during the first phase of polls. The PPP has accused the PML-N of rigging in Mirpur and demanded re-polling. The latest round of talks followed two earlier meetings — the first at a local hotel on Thursday night and the second before noon on Friday. The PML-N delegation comprised Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, and PML-N AJK chapter secretary general and MLA-elect Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. Representing the PPP were former Senate chairman Nayyar Bokhari, former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathor... -
Dawn - 17:24 Aug 01, 2026
The US State Department will make permanent a visa bond programme that could require applicants from 50 countries, mostly from Africa, to post bonds of up to $20,000 when seeking US visas, according to a federal notice posted online on Friday. The Federal Register notice applies to B1 and B2 visas, which are issued for business and tourism travel. “Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers,” the notice said. “The 2025 visa bond pilot, which provided a framework for the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury to assess the feasibility of administering a visa bond programme, has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond programme is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders.” In the pilot programme, consular officers could require bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or up to $15,000. The final rule elimina... -
Dawn - 14:59 Aug 01, 2026
Former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and MQM-P leaders Dr Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Saturday backed the creation of additional administrative units in the country. On Thursday, Naqvi urged all political parties to “settle” various national-level issues, including the question of creating new provinces. Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit 2026 being held in Islamabad, Naqvi said there was “only one solution” to improving the country’s overall condition: “You will have to take [the matter of] administrative units, provinces or whatever you may call it, to the public.” Addressing a press conference in Karachi today, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said that, due to immense population growth, additional administrative units were essential to ensure proper governance. “No country in the world has seen population growth as fast as ours,” he said. “We need to manage and administer that, but how will we do that without additional administrative units?” Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and ... -
Dawn - 14:38 Aug 01, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Violence linked to terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations intensified sharply in July, making it the deadliest month of 2026, with 112 security personnel among 205 people killed, while 401 terrorists were eliminated. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, said in its monthly security assessment that fatalities among security personnel and terrorists rose substantially during the month as terrorist violence increased and security forces intensified counter-terrorism operations. According to the report, at least 112 security personnel lost their lives during July, the highest monthly toll since January 2023 and the second-highest recorded in more than a decade. In January 2023, 114 security personnel were martyred, including around 102 in the suicide bombing at Peshawar Police Lines, the report recalled. It said 401 terrorists were killed during July, the highest number recorded in a single month in more than a decade. On the other... -
Dawn - 14:19 Aug 01, 2026
An army officer was martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Razmak area of North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday. During the operation, security forces also killed five terrorists affiliated with Fitna al Khawarij, according to the military’s media wing. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ISPR said that Major Hafiz Ihsan Elahi, 34, from Mianwali district, was “a brave officer who was leading his troops from the front, fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice” and embraced martyrdom. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities” against security forces and law enforcement agencies, as well as in the killing of civilians. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other India-sponsored terrorist found in the area. Relentless counte... -
Dawn - 14:11 Aug 01, 2026
Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja died along with other team members in a powerful avalanche on Broad Peak, his climbing company confirmed on Saturday. The avalanche struck on Thursday, cutting off contact with the international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Purja. “It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” Purja’s company Elite Expeditions said on social media. “We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive,” it added. The remains recovered so far — flown by helicopter to hospital for formal identification — included an American woman, an Omani woman and a Nepali man, the Gilgit-Baltistan government said in a statement released on Friday night. Purja, who served with Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines, broke multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and t... -
Dawn - 12:55 Aug 01, 2026
The PPP and the PML-N continued lambasting each other on Saturday, extending their rhetoric from the ongoing elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to the other party’s previous tenures in power. The PPP and the PML-N — coalition partners in the Centre — have been engaged in a war of words since the PML-N emerged as the winner in the elections in AJK’s Mirpur division. The PPP has accused the PML-N of rigging in Mirpur and demanded re-polling. The political temperatures remain heated as the second phase of AJK elections is set to be held tomorrow in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division. The third phase is scheduled for August 10 in all 12 refugee constituencies, and 11 constituencies of Poonch division. In the latest exchange, PML-N senior leader Rana Sanaullah remarked on President Asif Ali Zardari’s role as he responded to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s allegations of rigging in the 2024 general elections. “If you call the votes secured by the prime minister votes of Forms-47, then on what... -
Dawn - 11:05 Aug 01, 2026
The first time I stood beneath the ceiling of the Sadequain Gallery at Frere Hall, I could not look away. Arz-o-Samawat [The Earth and the Heavens] was Sadequain’s most ambitious mural and possibly his largest. His demise in 1986 left the mural permanently unfinished, and the empty blue space that remains gives the work a strange, mystic appeal, holding in itself the same intrigue that one might feel for the promised idea of heaven. Sadequain is said to have called it his own Sistine Chapel. I came across the same mural again recently, in miniature, on a postage stamp. On June 30, 2026, Sadequain’s 96th birthday, Pakistan Post unveiled three record-length stamps in the artist’s honour at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Islamabad. Each stamp measures 280mm by 40mm, and a set of three stamps — billed as the longest in the world — are available on one perforated sheet. The stamp sheet itself features two panels from the Frere hall ceiling, alongside the entire length of another Sadequain mural,... -
Dawn - 11:00 Aug 01, 2026
LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A cleric affiliated with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Muhammad Ismail, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the Azam Warsak area of Birmal tehsil in Lower South Waziristan, it emerged on Saturday. District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Tahir said that the incident occurred after Friday prayers when unidentified assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on Ismail, killing him on the spot. The official said the assailants managed to escape from the scene. The DPO said that an initial report of the incident had been registered and an investigation into the killing had been launched. He added that police were examining the incident from all angles. According to police officials and local tribal elders, the deceased was a resident of Kazha Panga and was serving as a teacher at a religious seminary in the area. In May, renowned cleric and former JUI-F MPA Maulana Muhammad Idrees was killed in Charsadda after unidentified assailants opened fire on him. In January, JUI-F l...
12682 items