Dawn
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Dawn - 19:54 May 01, 2025
A significant improvement was seen in Pakistan’s internal security landscape in April 2025, “as both militant attacks and resultant casualties dropped sharply compared to March”, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) on Thursday. Militant violence and security operations intensified in March, with the number of militant attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the PICSS. Pakistan also ranked second in March in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081. According to a press release issued by PICSS today, the number of militant attacks fell by 22 per cent — from 105 in March to 82 in April — while fatalities and injuries declined by 63pc and 49pc, respectively. It said that security forces intensified counterterrorism actions, killing at least 203 militants in various operations, making the majority (73pc) of the total fat... -
Dawn - 17:16 May 01, 2025
A fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran, which had been due to take place in Rome on Saturday, has been postponed, and a new date will be set “depending on the US approach”, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday. “US sanctions on Iran during the nuclear talks are not helping the sides to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomacy,” the official told Reuters. “Depending on the US approach, the date of the next round of talks will be announced.” Oman, which mediated earlier sessions of the US-Iran talks, said on Thursday the next round of nuclear discussions provisionally planned for May 3 would be rescheduled for “logistical reasons”. However, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the US had never confirmed its participation in the fourth round of talks in Rome. The source said the timing and venue of the next round of talks have yet to be confirmed but are expected in the near future. Earlier on Thursday, Iran accused the US of “contradictory behaviour and prov... -
Dawn - 17:04 May 01, 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s administration exceeded the scope of an 18th-century wartime law in using it to deport some Venezuelan migrants, a federal judge in Texas said on Thursday in barring the administration from using it to speed up deportations. In a 36-page opinion, US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez ruled that the Trump administration could not rely on the Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua because the gang’s presence in the United States was not an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” as contemplated by the law. “The historical record renders clear that the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms,” wrote Rodriguez, who Trump appointed during his first term. Neither the Justice Department nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment. Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to speed up the deport... -
Dawn - 15:42 May 01, 2025
Eight members of a family died when a Rawalpindi-bound Suzuki car plunged into a deep ravine in the Matta Banda area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Kohistan district on Thursday afternoon, police said. Station House Officer (SHO) Buland Iqbal told Dawn.com: “A family was returning from Gilgit Baltistan … and experienced the accident in the Matta Banda area. Four children, their father, mother, and two female [relatives] died.” The SHO said the car fell from a height, killing all passengers on the spot. The bodies were retrieved by the local people and Rescue 1122 and moved to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Pattan, he added. Rescue 1122 district emergency officer Haroon Rasheed identified the adults as Asif Iqbal, Maimuna Iqbal, Ayesha Siddique and Bushra Iqbal. He said the deceased were residents of Rawalpindi. “Arrangements are being made to dispatch the bodies to Rawalpindi,” he told Dawn.com. Fatal accidents are common on roads in the mountainous regions of the country due to traffic rule violations, trea... -
Dawn - 13:38 May 01, 2025
Civil society rallied outside the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC) on Thursday in scorching heat to commemorate International Labour Day. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Pakistan has yet to ratify 55 of its conventions and protocols. While labour laws exist in the country, enforcement is weak, and despite government promises to create millions of jobs, issues like low pay, lack of social protection, and poor representation remain unresolved. Rallying outside HPC today, civil society called for education, social protection and empowerment for the labour community. People performed theatre and dances to celebrate the day. Here are a few pictures. Workers of the Sindh Peoples Labour Federation hold a rally to mark International Labour Day outside HPC on May 1. — Umair Ali Brick kiln peasants participate in a rally to mark International Labour Day organised by SPARK outside HPC on May 1. — Umair Ali Artists present street theatre during Labour Day rally organised by SPARK outside HPC on May 1.... -
Dawn - 13:13 May 01, 2025
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday announced the installation of emergency alert sirens across 29 districts to minimise risks to civilians in case of any potential aerial threats in the wake of the recent escalation with India, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. Tensions between the two countries have spiked following the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan vehemently rejected the allegation and called for a neutral probe. “The emergency sirens are to be installed in high-risk areas to maximise coverage. The move aims to provide real-time alerts and warn the citizens beforehand in the case of an aerial threat,” the report said. As per a notification issued by the Directorate of Civil Defence KP, citizens are advised to “immediately seek shelter if they hear a siren”. They have also been instructed to avoid ... -
Dawn - 12:29 May 01, 2025
Pakistan on Thursday allowed 150 stranded Afghan trucks carrying goods for India to cross the Wagah Border, easing a weeks-long bottleneck, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The moves came nearly a week after Pakistan shut off its borders for any trade with India, including to or from a third country, in response to New Delhi’s measures following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir. India, without proof, implied cross-border links, which Pakistan denied and instead sought a neutral probe. A document shared by the foreign ministry today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, acknowledged a request made by the Afghan embassy in Islamabad on April 28 regarding containers stranded at different transit points in Pakistan. “The ministry has the honour to inform that in view of the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the government of Pakistan has decided to permit stranded Afghan trucks, carrying goods in transit to India, which entered Pakistan before April 25, 2025, to c... -
Dawn - 12:10 May 01, 2025
• Academic, administrative activities disrupted • Several faculty buildings, roads remain inundated • Teachers residing on campus say water spoiled their household items KARACHI: Several roads, faculty buildings and houses on Karachi University (KU) campus remained inundated for the second consecutive day on Wednesday following a major leak in a pipeline, causing disruption in academic and administrative activities. Talking to Dawn, teachers residing on the campus shared that they had never such devastation before and that many of their colleagues had suffered huge losses on account of inundation that damaged furniture and electricity appliances in their houses and even contaminated underground tanks. “Water is still standing in our homes. Many of us have rented suction pumps today and are taking out water on a self-help basis,” a teacher said, regretting that there was no immediate response from the administration. Sources said the situation was dire yesterday when electricity supplies were suspended soon af... -
Dawn - 10:51 May 01, 2025
School playing fields in Kashmir are being transformed into first aid camps for children to learn how to respond if war breaks out with India. Wearing a protective helmet and a fluorescent vest, 13-year-old Konain Bibi listened attentively to her first aid lesson. “With India threatening us, there’s a possibility of war, so we’ll all have to support each other,” she told AFP. The federal government has warned that it has “credible intelligence” that India was planning an imminent military strike. Already frosty relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted since a deadly assault on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian-held Kashmir last week. India blames Pakistan for the gun attack that killed 26 people on April 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving his military “complete operational freedom”, although Islamabad has denied any involvement. There are more than 6,000 schools, colleges and universities on the Pakistan side of the border — including 1,195 along the Line of Control (LoC), the heav... -
Dawn - 10:34 May 01, 2025
Supreme Court judge, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, on Thursday urged the government to recognise mining as a formal industry, highlighting the harsh and often deplorable conditions faced by miners, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The mineral sector currently contributes only about 3.2 per cent to Pakistan’s GDP. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly highlighted the mining potential across the country, even going as far as to say that if the country managed to harvest its mineral reserves that valued “trillions of dollars”, it could allow the country to say farewell to global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing a high-level national conference under the theme ‘Workers and Employers in 2025: Navigating Change with Harmony’, Justice Mandokhail said, “In the eyes of the law and Islam, employers and workers are equal, and the Supreme Court stands as the ultimate guardian of their rights.” He expressed deep concern over the absence of institution... -
Dawn - 09:46 May 01, 2025
Three Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police personnel were martyred and two injured late Wednesday night in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Bannu, officials said. According to a statement issued from the office of Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan today, the gun battle took place in the Spin Tangi area of Chashmi, Bannu. Bannu CTD personnel Assistant Sub-Inspector Benyamin Khan, Constable Inam Khan and Constable Musawar were martyred. Two constables, Wafid Khan and Imran, were wounded. He said two khawarij — a term the state uses to refer to terrorists — were killed and another two injured in police firing, and their accomplices took bodies and injured with them. “Weapons, ammunition, IEDs (improvised explosive device) and hand grenades were recovered from the terrorists, which were seized by the police,” the spokesman said. As soon as the incident was reported, RPO Khan, Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kalachi, and CTD Superintendent of Police reached the CTD hospita... -
Dawn - 09:19 May 01, 2025
The ongoing heatwave in Sindh is expected to subside from May 2, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday. Climate change is a pressing reality for Pakistan, directly impacting millions of lives. Heatwaves, intensified by climate change, are becoming more frequent, prolonged and severe, disproportionately affecting communities with limited resources to adapt. “The prevailing heatwave condition over most parts of the province is expected to subside from tomorrow,” the PMD said in its advisory issued today. “A westerly wave continues to grip the upper parts of the country,” it added. According to the advisory, thunderstorms and light rain were expected in Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Mitiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Badin, Tharparker, and Umerkot with occasional gaps from May 2 to 5. “Strong windy conditions are likely in most parts of the province during [the] next two days,” the advisory said. The forecast also said that Karachi was likely to experience hot and... -
Dawn - 08:57 May 01, 2025
A large number of foreign tourists have cancelled their trips to Gilgit-Baltistan due to heightened tensions between Pakistan and India, depriving local tour operators of much-needed earnings, a trade body official said on Thursday. The April 22 attack in India-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. New Delhi has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership have rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi granting “operational freedom” to his military. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said yesterday morning that there was credible evidence of an Indian attack within 36 hours, while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan wouldn’t strike first, but would respond decisively and strongly in the face of aggression. With tensions running high, Pakis... -
Dawn - 07:36 May 01, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the welfare and uplift of workers, state-media Radio Pakistan reported. As the world commemorated International Labour Day, the president and the premier issued separate messages to mark the occasion. According to the International Labourers Organisation (ILO), Pakistan has yet to ratify 55 conventions and protocols. While labour laws exist but enforcement is weak, and despite government promises to create millions of jobs, issues like low pay, lack of social protection, and poor representation remain unresolved. President Zardari paid tribute to the men and women labourers in the country and highlighted their struggles around the world, according to state-run Pakistan Television (PTV). In his statement, he said: “We reiterate our commitment to workers’ autonomy, fair wages, a safe environment and social security. Workers and the working class are the driving force of our economy and national dev... -
Dawn - 06:20 May 01, 2025
Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on Thursday without detention for abuse of power over his martial law declaration, prosecutors said, adding to the impeached ex-leader’s legal jeopardy. The new indictment comes as Yoon stands trial for orchestrating an insurrection with his December 3 martial law attempt, which sought to suspend civilian rule in democratic South Korea. Armed soldiers were deployed to parliament under the decree, but the order lasted only around six hours as it was swiftly voted down by opposition MPs, who scaled fences to enter the building. They later impeached Yoon over the martial law declaration. Yoon, 64, was stripped of all power and privileges in April by the Constitutional Court, which upheld the impeachment motion. He was soon forced to move out of the presidential residence. Prosecutors first indicted Yoon in January — when he was still president — as “the ringleader of an insurrection”, a charge not covered by presidential immunity. “We have since proceeded ... -
Dawn - 06:01 May 01, 2025
Three days of political rallies began in Bangladesh on Thursday with rival groups set to stage mass demonstrations in Dhaka, drumming up support for eagerly anticipated elections following an uprising last year. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, who has led an interim government since autocratic prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace in August, has said elections will be held as early as December, and at the latest by mid-2026. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), widely tipped to win the poll, will hold a May Day rally in Dhaka. “We are confident this will be the most memorable grand rally in recent times,” BNP media officer Shairul Kabir Khan said. Jamaat-e-Islami will also take to the streets of the capital on Thursday. The Jatiya Party, formerly close to Hasina’s regime, will also hold a rally. It will be its first outdoor political event since its offices were vandalised in October, allegedly for helping Hasina’s Awami League cling to power. On Friday, the... -
Dawn - 04:52 May 01, 2025
QUETTA: The body of a 23-year-old Quetta resident, Aryan Shah, who died in Chennai, India, last week while undergoing cancer treatment, arrived in Karachi on Wednesday after a delay caused by an airline mishap. Aryan Shah, who had been receiving treatment for several months in a hospital in Chennai, succumbed to the illness last week. He had travelled to India with his parents for medical care. Following his death, Shah’s mother appealed to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti for financial assistance to repatriate the body as the family could not afford the costs. Chief Minister Bugti arranged financial support and contacted the Pakistani ambassador in India through the Foreign Office to facilitate the transfer. The parents travelled to Karachi via an international airline with the coffin. However, upon arrival, they discovered that the body had been mistakenly left in Colombo. “I have received the body of my son from Colombo,” Shah’s mother said. “The Indian government or hospital did not extend any he... -
Dawn - 04:51 May 01, 2025
KARACHI: The Sindh transport department has officially launched the Peoples Pink and Normal Taxi Service. Sindh’s Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon made this announcement in a social media post. He said that the aim of this project was to bringing a revolutionary change to the public transport system, empower women, ensure safe travel, and promote eco-friendly transport across the province, said a press release issued on Wednesday evening. Mr Memon, who also holds the portfolio of transport and information departments, described the Peoples Pink and Normal Taxi Service as a “historic milestone for Sindh”. He said that the Sindh government was committed to modernising the transport system and creating equal opportunities for all segments of society. Earlier, Mr Memon had said that the provincial government was working to bring ride-hailing services in Karachi under one system, Dawn.com reported. “We are working to bring the [online] taxi system in Karachi under one umbrella in an integrated and modern manner... -
Dawn - 04:02 May 01, 2025
QUETTA: Members of the Hindu community staged a protest rally in Quetta on Wednesday, condemning what they called baseless allegations against Pakistan by the Indian government regarding the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam in held Kashmir. Led by Sanjay Kumar, a PPP minority member of the Balochistan Assembly, the rally included men and women carrying placards and banners with anti-Modi and anti-India slogans. The protesters marched through various roads and streets of the provincial capital before gathering outside the Quetta Press Club. Chanting slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, protesters rejected any involvement by Pakistan in the Pahalgam attack. “The Hindu community in Pakistan stands united with the country’s armed forces. If India dares commit aggression, over 10 million Hindus in Pakistan will stand behind our military,” Sanjay Kumar said while addressing the gathering. Other speakers, including several women, also condemned the Indian government’s actions an... -
Dawn - 03:56 May 01, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s media is standing at a crossroad amid an existential threat and increased restrictive environment, deteriorating safety and job security, significant challenges to professional integrity of media and its practitioners, says Freedom Network’s annual Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom Report for 2025. Titled “Free speech and public interest journalism under siege”, the report finds that the existential crisis was triggered by amendments to Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in January 2025 that now “makes it easier” for authorities to arrest, fine and imprison journalists and dissidents — both offline and online — besides other challenges. “The existential threat is serious as such a situation is seen rare in Pakistani media history. This situation is threatening the very foundation of democracy and the state is more brutal now than it was before to tolerate hard questions,” Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said, as the report launch coincides with World Press ...
5680 items