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Dawn - 11:05 Apr 29, 2025
• Defence minister says military briefed govt on possible conflict with India, next few days ‘crucial’ • Beijing, Washington, Ankara and Doha urge measures to calm tensions as neighbours trade fire across Line of Control ISLAMABAD: As friends in foreign capitals continue to advocate for a de-escalation of tensions in South Asia, Pakistan’s defence minister said the country was ready for any incursion by India. The two neighbours have been trading fire across the Line of Control (LoC) for four days now, with each blaming the other for provocation. “We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Khawaja Asif told Reuters on Monday. He said the military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack, but did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent. His remarks follow New Delhi’s increasingly aggressive posturing following ... -
Dawn - 11:00 Apr 29, 2025
A restaurant fire in northeastern China killed 22 people and injured three on Tuesday, Beijing’s state media said, with footage posted online showing fierce flames engulfing the building. The blaze erupted at 12:25pm (9:25am PKT) in a restaurant in a residential area of Liaoning Province’s Liaoyang City, state broadcaster CCTV said. “The incident has resulted in 22 deaths and three injuries,” it added. President Xi Jinping said that the blaze had caused “significant casualties” and that the lessons from it were “profoundly serious”, CCTV said. Xi called for “every effort to treat the injured, properly handle the aftermath for the deceased and provide support to their families, swiftly determine the cause of the fire, and pursue accountability in accordance with the law,” the report added. Official news agency Xinhua did not identify the cause of the fire but said President Xi Jinping called it “a deeply sobering lesson”. Footage shared online and verified by AFP showed the inferno engulfing the two-storey res... -
Dawn - 10:31 Apr 29, 2025
Firefighters have brought under control a blaze at Iran’s main port, following a deadly explosion blamed on negligence, authorities in the Islamic republic said. The explosion, heard dozens of kilometres away, hit a dock at the southern port of Shahid Rajaee on Saturday. At least 70 people were killed and more than 1,000 others suffered injuries in the blast and ensuing the fire, which also caused extensive damage, state media reported. Red Crescent official Mokhtar Salahshour told the channel late on Monday that the fire had been “contained” and a clean-up was underway. State television aired live footage on Tuesday showing thick smoke rising from stacked containers. Iran’s IRNA news agency quoted Hossein Zafari, spokesman for the country’s crisis management organisation, as saying the situation had improved significantly since Monday. However, “the operation and complete extinguishing process may take around 15 to 20 days”, Zafari added. Iran’s customs authority said port operations had returned to normal, ... -
Dawn - 10:23 Apr 29, 2025
The Pakistan Army on Tuesday shot down an Indian quadcopter drone near the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), state media reported, as tensions between the two countries linger on in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. The April 22 attack killed 26 men, mostly tourists, and was one of the deadliest armed attacks in the disputed Himalayan region since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, said it “unequivocally” denied involvement in the attack, after an initial message that claimed responsibility. India, without offering any evidence, has implied cross-border linkages of the attackers, while Pakistan has strongly denied any involvement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a neutral probe into the incident. “Pakistan has successfully shot down an Indian quadcopter along the Line of Control, thwarting a violation of its airspace,” state-run Radio Pakistan and PTV News reported, citing security sources. Specifying the location, security sources said the “enemy at... -
Dawn - 09:11 Apr 29, 2025
The World Bank (WB) has recently approved additional financing for Pakistan, amounting to $108 million to execute two projects supporting access to social services, markets and jobs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The international lender also greenlit $78m in additional financing to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Accessibility Project (KPRAP) along with $30m to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development Project (Kite), enabling both projects to achieve their objectives in improving access to health and education services, markets and jobs in a way that strengthened resilience to natural disasters in the province. “By rehabilitating critical rural road infrastructure and enhancing disaster preparedness, KPRAP and Kite projects are not only improving access to essential services like health and education, but also fostering climate, economic resilience and creating job opportunities for local communities,” WB Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine said in a news release on Tuesday. He said the $78m in addi... -
Dawn - 08:13 Apr 29, 2025
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Tuesday that the provincial government was working to bring ride-hailing services in Karachi under one system, according to a press release issued by his spokesperson. “We are working to bring the [online] taxi system in Karachi under one umbrella in an integrated and modern manner,” the statement quoted Memon as having said while chairing a meeting of the transport department. Memon added that these services will be organised under one umbrella so that safe, standard and legal facilities can be provided to passengers. The minister’s spokesperson Husain Mansoor, speaking to Dawn.com, said, “All online taxi services like Careem, Yango would be brought under one system.” The statement added that Special Assistant to the Sindh Chief Minister on Investment and Public-Private Partnership Qasim Naveed Qamar, Transport Secretary Asad Zamin, and Sindh Mass Transit Authority Managing Director Kamal Dayo also attended the meeting. The senior minister added that providin... -
Dawn - 07:52 Apr 29, 2025
The Pakistan Mission to the United Nations on Tuesday said the country had “credible evidence” proving that the Jaffer Express attack was “externally sponsored by its regional adversaries”, according to a press release. The Jaffar Express train was hijacked on March 11 when Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists ambushed the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, opening fire and taking hostages. Security forces launched a two-day operation, concluding on March 12. Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that all 33 terrorists were neutralised, but no hostages were harmed in the final rescue phase. During the launch of the “Victims of Terrorism Association Network”, Jawad Ajmal, a counsellor at the Pakistan Mission, emphasised that the international community has a responsibility to support survivors of brutal terrorist attacks and the families of victims whose lives were permanently altered by such tragedies. He underscored the need for collective actio... -
Dawn - 06:48 Apr 29, 2025
Lights flickered back to life in Spain and Portugal on Tuesday after a massive blackout hit the Iberian peninsula stranding passengers in trains and hundreds of elevators while millions saw phone and internet coverage die. Electricity had been restored to more than 90 per cent of mainland Spain early on Tuesday, the REE power operator said. Lights came on again in Madrid and in Portugal’s capital. Barely a corner of the peninsula, which has a joint population of almost 60 million people, escaped the blackout. But no firm cause for the shutdown has yet emerged, though wild rumours spread on messaging networks about cyber attacks. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the source of the outage was “probably in Spain”. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “all the potential causes” were being analysed and warned the public “not to speculate” because of the risk of “misinformation”. Sanchez said about 15,000 megawatts of electricity, more than half of the power being consumed at the time, “suddenly d... -
Dawn - 06:40 Apr 29, 2025
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board will meet on May 9 to discuss the country’s staff-level agreement for a new $1.3 billion arrangement under a climate resilience loan programme, along with the first review of Pakistan’s ongoing $7bn bailout programme, the global lender said. According to the Fund’s website, this will be the first “review under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility”, along with request for an arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Previously, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb during his visit to Washington had said he also expected the IMF Executive Board to approve in early May. Approval from the board would trigger the disbursement of a $1bn tranche under the programme, which Pakistan secured in 2024. The IMF programme has played a critical role in stabilising Pakistan’s fragile economy, providing much-needed external financing and boosting market confidence. Pakistan and the IMF had reached a three-year, $7bn aid packag... -
Dawn - 06:00 Apr 29, 2025
LAHORE: The police and employees of the government hospitals clashed on The Mall on Monday when the former tried to stop the latter from entering the high security zone where the international cricket players and other VIP guests were staying. The clash left some protesters as well as the policemen injured. The protesters, including the young doctors, had announced on Sunday to take out the rally under the banner of the Grand Health Alliance (GHA) and stage a sit-in outside the Chief Minister House. The young doctors alleged that the police used force, tortured the protesters, including women, and arrested some of them. The police high-ups claimed that the protesters used syringes and knives they had brought from the hospitals, and injured some law enforcers. They said the employees were asked to avoid using the road leading to the high security zone, which led to the physical clash. YDA stops entry of policemen to all public hospitals The eyewitnesses said a part of The Mall from Charing Cross to the Alhamra... -
Dawn - 05:17 Apr 29, 2025
THIS screengrab of a YouTube notice states that the ‘The Pakistan Experience’ channel has been blocked in India.—X/Shehzad89 • New Delhi objects to BBC’s coverage of Pahalgam attack • Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team warns media, content creators against sharing sensitive info KARACHI: The Indian government on Monday banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels belonging to media organisations, freelance journalists, content creators and sportspersons. The channels were blocked by the Government of India on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, The Hindu reported, while quoting a government official. The channels blocked in India are: Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, Bol News, SUNO News HD, Raftar, GNN, Irshad Bhatti, The Pakistan Reference, Samaa Sports, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq and Raazi Nama. The account of former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s channel was also banned. Comedian and content creator Shehzad Ghias said his podcast... -
Dawn - 05:12 Apr 29, 2025
• Ali Zafar says such a gesture of political unity will strengthen Pakistan’s case globally • Irfan Siddiqui calls Pahalgam attack ‘false-flag operation’ • Senators warn New Delhi against changes to Indus treaty ISLAMABAD: The main opposition, PTI, has demanded the release of its incarcerated leader Imran Khan so he can participate in national deliberations on escalating tensions with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. The party also called for an immediate multi-party conference (MPC), with Mr Khan in attendance. The demands were made in the Senate on Monday, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle slammed India for suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and fanning war hysteria following the April 22 attack. Senator Ali Zafar, PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, said political differences should be set aside for an issue of national importance. He noted that a multi-party conference was the only “correct thing to do in the present circumstances”. If Mr Khan is allowed to attend such a meeti... -
Dawn - 05:04 Apr 29, 2025
SRINAGAR: India should not do anything to alienate Kashmiris in its hunt for people who killed 26 people in Pahalgam last week, especially as residents of the India-held state have staged protests against that attack, chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday. The Indian authorities have demolished nine homes belonging to the families of suspected assailants as part of a crackdown after the April 22 killings of tourists. “We should not do anything to alienate the people after their spontaneous reaction (against the attack),” Omar Abdullah said at a session of the legislative assembly in Srinagar. “Guns can only control militancy, not finish it. It will only end when the people are with us. It seems people are now reaching that stage.” Some Kashmir residents have spoken out against the move by the authorities to destroy homes, like that of Rifat Sheikh. On Monday, she stood next to her razed kitchen, assessing the damage caused by explosives used by police to demolish the house. Police say her brother Asif i... -
Dawn - 04:57 Apr 29, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Despite regional tensions following the Pahalgam attack, delegates from around 45 countries have arrived in Islamabad to participate in the Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) conference, which is set to begin on Tuesday (today). Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja expressed confidence that despite threats from India, the event would be a success. “The participants include delegations from China, Russia, the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even from South America,” she said. Over 75 foreign investors and CEOs of more than 50 global companies are expected to attend the landmark event, the minister added. Shaza Fatima also revealed that websites of some ministries had come under cyberattacks from India, but all attempts were thwarted. “The cybersecurity systems in Pakistan are among the best in the world, comparable to even those in Britain and the United States,” she said. Over 100 Pakistani IT firms to showcase products Highlighting the country’s expanding digital ... -
Dawn - 04:49 Apr 29, 2025
• Justice Sattar summons registrar, questions acting CJ’s move to merge cases • Justice Dogar-led bench sets aside contempt notices, asks how judge can pass order in case he’s not hearing ISLAMABAD: Tensions within the Islamabad High Court (IHC) escalated sharply on Monday, as two separate but interlinked proceedings exposed a deepening ‘institutional rift’ over judicial authority, procedural conduct and internal accountability. Earlier in the day, Justice Babar Sattar issued a strongly worded order criticising the registrar office for not listing a case related to the removal of the former director general of Malir Development Authority from the no-fly list. The judge issued the contempt notices to the heads of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Immigration and Passport. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Mohammad Asif has already suspended the contempt notices after the penalised government officials filed an intra-court appeal. The b... -
Dawn - 03:47 Apr 29, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan on Monday requested more time from the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench hearing cases concerning the military trials of civilians to present government’s stance on granting appeal rights to those convicted for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 arson attacks. Headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, a seven-judge constitutional bench had fixed Monday’s hearing for the AGP to apprise the court about government’s plan to provide right to appeal to the May 9 convicts, after Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Aamir Rehman at the previous hearing had informed the bench that the AGP was busy in deliberations with stakeholders, which may take another couple of days. The bench had taken up a set of 38 intra-court appeals (ICAs) moved by the federal government, provincial governments, Shuhada Forum Balochistan and others against the October 2023 judgement. Attorney general cites canals controversy, regional tensions as reasons for delay T... -
Dawn - 03:09 Apr 29, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday emphasised that the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty was crucial for regional stability, vowing Pakistan would take all necessary measures to ensure its full enforcement. “The treaty is critical to regional stability and its sanctity must be preserved,” Mr Dar said while speaking at a high-level meeting convened to strategize Pakistan’s response to India’s suspension of the decades-old accord. The meeting was attended by Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazir Tarrar, Attorney General Mansoor Awan, senior officials, technical experts, and former foreign secretaries. On Monday, Mr Dar condemned India’s move as a “unilateral and illegal” action that contravenes international law, established norms of inter-state relations, and the treaty’s provisions. He warned that India’s attempts to “weaponise water” posed a serious threat to the region’s peace and stability. “The waters of the Indus River System remain a lifeline for Pakistan’s 2... -
Dawn - 02:17 Apr 29, 2025
QUETTA: A driver lost his life, while around 60 people sustained injuries, including 20 with critical wounds, after a fuel truck exploded in Noshki, some 160km west of the provincial capital, on Monday. The truck was one of the vehicles that supplied Iranian petrol brought over by Zambad vehicles to local shops. The injured also included police personnel and several children. Officials said the truck was parked in the main bus and truck stand, when the driver discovered a leak in its fuel tank. After trying unsuccessfully to stop the leakage, the driver moved the truck away from a densely populated area towards an open space. The fuel tank was being welded when a fire broke out, leading to a big explosion that damaged a fire tender and injured several people gathered at the scene. “As a result of the huge fire, the driver was burnt to death on the spot, while over 60 people present at the site received burns,” Noshki Deputy Commissioner Amjad Somroo said while talking to the media after the incident. The inj... -
Dawn - 15:59 Jun 12, 2024
Today is budget day, the day when a government official, usually the finance minister, comes to the floor of the National Assembly and lays out, in complex economic terms, policies that will ultimately affect every single citizen. Read: Finance Minister Aurangzeb announces Budget 24-25 A budget is the government’s financial plan that outlines its proposed expenditures and the means of financing them for a single fiscal year (July 1-June 30). If you’re going to be watching the finance minister’s speech, which is usually delivered in Urdu, here are some of the important terms you should be looking out for. Maali khasaarah (مالی خسارہ) — Fiscal deficit You’re going to be hearing khasaarah a lot during the speech, which means deficit. An important term to look out for is maali khasaarah, which refers to the fiscal deficit. A fiscal deficit occurs when the total income of a government is less than its total expenditure. Budget khasaarah (بجٹ خسارہ) — Budget deficit The budget deficit differs from the fiscal defici... -
Dawn - 02:13 Jul 11, 2021
It is widely believed that Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was born in Karachi. But some local oral traditions say that he was born in Jherruck, a town in present-day Thatta district of Sindh. The proponents of the latter opinion point to a textbook published in Sindh in the 1950s to support their contention, which mentions that the Quaid-i-Azam was, indeed, born in Jherruck. This controversy has been going on for a long time. Several attempts were made in the past by various authorities, including Syed Abdullah Shah — when he was serving as the provincial chief minister — as well as the district government of Thatta, who constituted committees to ascertain the facts of this claim. But it was all in vain. While compiling a biography of Jinnah, I too confronted the same question and decided to approach the matter from three different angles, i.e., documentary evidence, personal statements of the Quaid-i-Azam on the subject and accounts rendered by his family members. Here is the outcome of the exercise. But b...
5680 items