Dawn
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Dawn - 05:55 May 11, 2025
DEBRIS is strewn across the runway and lounge of Sheikh Zayed International Airport after it was hit by a missile fired by India on Saturday.—Dawn RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Sheikh Zayed International Airport (SZIA) in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab — a landmark viewed as a symbol of friendship between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates — was struck by an air-to-surface missile fired by India in the early hours of Saturday, causing significant damage to its infrastructure, including the Royal Lounge used by the UAE president and his family. Deputy Commissioner Khuram Javed confirmed that India targeted the airport with both a missile and a drone. He said the airport is occasionally used by the Abu Dhabi royal family, as commercial flight operations have been suspended since 2023. The attack destroyed the Royal Lounge, and a 10-foot-wide crater was left at the apron area of the airport. The deputy commissioner also confirmed that the UAE embassy has been informed about the damage caused to the airport. Locals l... -
Dawn - 05:49 May 11, 2025
• Two police vans set on fire • Five grenade attacks reported in Quetta • Blast near Sibi railway station QUETTA/ GWADAR: Unknown armed men snatched official weapons from the police and Levies force personnel on various highways of Noski and Mastung districts and also set on fire their two vehicles. Earlier, the armed men had blocked the highways at different points in the districts. Officials said armed men blocked the main road in Washbo area late on Friday night and intercepted two police vehicles patrolling in the area. They took the police personnel into custody and after snatching their weapons, burnt both vehicles. Reports suggested that the miscreants also blocked the Quetta-Taftan highway in Ahmedwal area of Noshki district. They intercepted four vehicles carrying gas from Taftan and took away four persons with them at gunpoint who belonged to Punjab. They also entered police and Levies stations and snatched their weapons. The armed men also blocked roads in the Dasht area of Mastung district and som... -
Dawn - 05:21 May 11, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Registrar Office of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has returned a petition seeking the release of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan on parole, citing multiple procedural objections. The plea was filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur through senior advocate Latif Khosa. The petition, which sought Mr Khan’s release under parole, was dismissed for not fulfilling basic legal requirements. The Registrar Office objected that the plea was not filed by the aggrieved individual himself and failed to name Mr Khan as a party in it. Additionally, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — the prosecuting authority in the case in which Mr Khan is serving the sentence — was not listed as a respondent. The registrar also noted that the full addresses of involved parties were missing, and raised concerns over the legal standing of a third party seeking such relief on behalf of a convicted individual. Returns petition for not fulfilling basic legal requirements Following t... -
Dawn - 04:10 May 11, 2025
MOSCOW: After European leaders backed a US plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened Russia with “massive” sanctions if it failed to comply, the Kremlin accused European countries on Saturday of making contradictory and confrontational statements. “We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. Ukraine and European leaders agreed on Saturday to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on May 12 with the backing of US President Donald Trump, threatening President Vladimir Putin with new “massive” sanctions if he failed to comply. The announcement was made by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine after a meeting in Kyiv, after which they held a phone call with Trump. The US leader, who wants a rapid peace, has not commented publicly on the course of action. “So all of us here, together with the US, are calling Putin... -
Dawn - 03:58 May 11, 2025
A state disaster management authority official shows area-wise losses on a map amid India’s missile attacks in AJK.—Photo by the writer MUZAFFARABAD: In yet another night of devastation along the Line of Control (LoC), Indian troops resorted to intense artillery shelling past midnight on Saturday and continued firing in intervals until noon, leaving 13 more civilians martyred— including a three-year-old girl — and over 55 others wounded across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the latest casualties raised the death toll to 30 since Indian missile strikes targeted two cities in AJK, followed by heavy and indiscriminate shelling in several border areas. Officials said the shelling intensified after Fajr prayers, targeting civilian population with heavy guns, causing massive damage. In Poonch district, three people were killed in Chaffar village of Abbaspur tehsil. The victims were identified as Areesha, 26, her three-year-old daughter Hadia, and Rehman Ja... -
Dawn - 03:55 May 11, 2025
LAHORE: After Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire facilitated by the US, water experts have urged the federal government to take up with Washington the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India following the Pahalgam attack. “They (our government) must take up this issue with the US authorities immediately to ensure withdrawal of the illegal unilateral decision of holding the treaty in abeyance by India on April 24,” advised Jawaid Latif, a former member (water) of the Water and Power Development Authority. “I think it is the right time to raise this issue with immediate effect,” he told Dawn. According to him, India may withdraw its decision covertly in confidential meetings with Pakistan during mediation by the US, as it would avoid announcing this publicly for face-saving. The 1960 treaty regulates the sharing of water from the rivers. Under the treaty, India has the right to use water from the eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, with some discharges to Pakistan downstream. Pakistan... -
Dawn - 03:30 May 11, 2025
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan reopened its airspace for all types of flights on Saturday as tensions eased with India following a ceasefire agreement. The two neighbouring nations closed their airspaces multiple times since Wednesday, when India launched missiles into Pakistan, triggering a series of hostilities. On Saturday evening, the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) announced that the airspace has been fully restored for all types of flights and issued a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM). “All airports in the country are available for normal flight operations,” a spokesman for PAA said. He requested passengers to contact the airline for the latest flight schedule. However, the normalisation of flight operations is expected to take time as passenger aircraft and other equipment were shifted to safe locations as a precaution during escalating tensions between Pakistan and India. Officials have said the aircraft are being brought back to the operational area for routine operations. The Pakistan International Airlines... -
Dawn - 02:31 May 11, 2025
Mohammad Rizwan is arguably the most media-savvy active cricketer in Pakistan right now. He knows the art of virality. The zappy Rizwan has a punchy remark for all situations, but that night he was compelled to repeat the very words he had uttered after it became all but certain that Pakistan would not go beyond the group-stage of a home Champions Trophy under his captaincy. “I do not like to be dependent on the results of the other teams,” the Multan Sultans captain said after Quetta Gladiators condemned his team to the largest defeat in terms of balls remaining in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They needed to win all the remaining matches and had to hope for other results to go in their favour after Sultans had lost six out of seven matches and had a negative net run rate of 2.355. Two days later, Karachi Kings thrashed Multan Sultans by 87 runs. The result effectively eliminated Rizwan’s side — that still had two more matches to play — from the playoffs race with still as many as 10 group ... -
Dawn - 17:49 May 10, 2025
In a breakthrough moment amid military escalation between India and Pakistan, both nations have agreed to a ceasefire pushed by United States President Donald Trump, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and politicians hailing the move. The intense military exchange began in the early hours of Saturday after India attacked Pakistani airbases. Soon afterwards, Pakistan launched its retaliatory operation, Bunyan-um-Marsoos, which came to an end on Saturday afternoon when both nations agreed to a full ceasefire, effective 4:30 PKT. The ceasefire was announced by US President Trump in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire,” Trump wrote, congratulating both nations and praising them for “using common sense and great intelligence”. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar took to X to announce the ceasefire “with immediate effect” at 5:08pm, writing “Pakistan has alw... -
Dawn - 09:53 May 10, 2025
China’s vice premier He Lipeng held talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent early on Saturday in Geneva in a tentative first step towards defusing a trade war that is disrupting the global economy, according to China’s state-owned news agency and two people close to the talks. Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were due to meet He in Geneva after weeks of growing tensions that have seen duties on goods imports between the world’s two largest economies soar well beyond 100 per cent. The trade dispute, combined with US President Donald Trump’s decision last month to impose duties on dozens of other countries, has disrupted supply chains, unsettled financial markets and stoked fears of a sharp global downturn. US President Donald Trump said on Friday an 80pc tariff on Chinese goods “seems right,” suggesting for the first time a specific alternative to the 145pc levies imposed on Chinese imports. The location of the talks has been kept secret, although a witness saw over a dozen police cars... -
Dawn - 07:52 May 10, 2025
A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck various cities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to a statement by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The PMD said the quake struck at a depth of 230 kilometres, with its epicentre located in the Hindukush region. “No casualties or damages have been reported,” KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesperson Anwar Shahzad told Dawn.com. Parts of KP — Mardan, Swat, Swabi and Abbottabad, and their surrounding areas — felt the tremors of that quake, he added. Last month, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Swat and adjoining areas with a depth of 185 kilometres and epicentre in Hindukush. On April 12, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck near Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while tremors were also felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from another earlier quake. Pakistan witnessed around 20 low-intensity earthquakes in the first half of February — an average of more than one tremor each day. However, experts had pointed out that such minor seismic activities “... -
Dawn - 04:25 May 10, 2025
“THIS has been shared thousands of times. Could it be true?” asked a senior team member of ‘Sachee Khabar’, a fact-checking initiative we had launched, coinciding, by chance, with the 2019 Pakistan-India conflict, which unleashed a torrent of disinformation online. The query concerned a viral post from an account claiming to be a ‘mainstream’ Indian news outlet, alleging that the Indian Air Force had shot down a Pakistani F-16 and captured its pilot. The claim eerily mirrored an incident from earlier that day, involving Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, whose MIG-21 was shot down, leading to his capture by Pakistani forces. The post, we later found, was deliberately crafted to exploit the emotional weight of that event, misleading audiences at a volatile moment. It gained such overwhelming traction on X that even an experienced fact-checker almost fell for it. Fortunately, we were able to debunk it, but the incident underscores how easily falsehoods can outrun facts, especially when they prey on nat... -
Dawn - 04:12 May 10, 2025
• Writes to CJP, faults IT dept for not publishing verdict on SC’s website • Says ECP acted like contesting party against PTI in reserved seats case ISLAMABAD: The ongoing rift within the Supreme Court deepened on Friday as Justice Ayesha A. Malik formally complained to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi about the non-publication of her dissenting order in the reserved seats case. Justice Malik, along with Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, had earlier dismissed a set of review petitions filed by the PML-N, PPP and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). They stated that written reasons would be released shortly. However, while the orders were issued on Thursday, they were not uploaded to the Supreme Court’s website. In a single-page complaint to the CJP, Justice Malik expressed concern that her dissenting order, issued at 3:11pm on Thursday, had not been uploaded until Friday morning despite repeated instructions to the Supreme Court’s IT department. Justice Malik said she had been informed that the de... -
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
5680 items