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Dawn - 14:09 May 21, 2025
India’s top court granted bail on Wednesday to a professor arrested for commentating online about the military conflict with Pakistan but did not stop the investigation against him. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at the private, liberal-arts Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday over a Facebook post criticising those “mindlessly advocating” for war. He also wrote that the “optics” of two women army officers who had held press briefings “must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy”. Mahmudabad since said his comments had been “misunderstood” and that he had exercised his “fundamental right to freedom of thought and speech”. He is charged under multiple sections of India’s criminal code, including endangering the country’s sovereignty and using words or gestures with the intention of insulting the modesty of a woman. While granting Mahmudabad bail, India’s Supreme Court said he should have avoided the “use of complicated words” which could “hurt individuals” and... -
Dawn - 12:20 May 21, 2025
Ukraine will ask the European Union next week to consider big new steps to isolate Moscow, including seizing Russian assets and bringing in sanctions for some buyers of Russian oil, as United States President Donald Trump has backed off from tightening sanctions. A previously unreported Ukrainian white paper to be presented to the EU calls for the 27-member bloc to take a more aggressive and independent position on sanctions as uncertainty hangs over Washington’s future role. Among 40 pages of recommendations were calls to adopt legislation that would speed up the EU’s seizure of assets from sanctioned individuals and send them to Ukraine. Those under sanctions could then seek compensation from Russia. The EU should consider a range of steps to make its sanctions apply more forcefully beyond its own territory, including targeting foreign companies that use its technology to help Russia, and “the introduction of secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil”. Such secondary sanctions, which could hit big bu... -
Dawn - 11:34 May 21, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and agreed to extend the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan. On Monday, Deputy PM Dar arrived in China’s capital of Beijing on a three-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Yi amid regional tensions. The trilateral forum was established in 2017, with earlier meetings held in Beijing and the Afghan capital. China said on Tuesday that it supports Pakistan in defending “national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, after a ceasefire ended four days of fighting with India over a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir. “Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Member of the Communist Party of China Political Bureau & Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, held an informal trilateral meeting in... -
Dawn - 11:31 May 21, 2025
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on Wednesday as it named a new-look squad for three home Twenty20 internationals against Bangladesh. Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson will take charge for the first time after being appointed last week, replacing Aaqib Javed. Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan as they look towards next year’s T20 World Cup, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Fast bowler Shaheen had played in Pakistan’s last T20 series in New Zealand in March, but batsmen Babar and Rizwan were omitted for the second consecutive T20 series after being criticised for slow scoring. “The squad has been selected based on players’ performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, which concludes on May 25,” the PCB said in a statement. Shaheen has taken 12 wickets for Lahore Qalandars in 10 PSL matches at an economy rate of 8.20. Opener Sahibzada Farhan earned a recall after topping the PSL batting charts with 394 runs. Batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar... -
Dawn - 10:58 May 21, 2025
PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday cautioned that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan will have devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to send a high-level diplomatic delegation to important world capitals to expose Indian propaganda“ in the aftermath of the recent military escalation with India. Bilawal has been entrusted to lead the delegation, comprising Senator Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Hina Rabbani Khar, Faisal Sabzwari, Tehmina Janjua, and Jalil Abbas Jilani. The former foreign minister was speaking to the media after receiving an initial briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before he leads the high-level diplomatic delegation to world capitals to brief foreign leaders on India’s aggression and efforts to destabilise regional peace. Bilawal said they received an initial briefing at the Foreign Office on the ceasefire, Kashmir, terrorism and the “attack” on ... -
Dawn - 10:25 May 21, 2025
A team of doctors and vets has developed a novel treatment for the pair of elephants at Karachi’s Safari Park suffering from tuberculosis that involves feeding them at least 400 pills a day. The jumbo effort by staff involves administering the tablets — the same as those used to treat TB in humans — hidden inside food ranging from apples and bananas to sweets. The amount of medication is adjusted to account for the weight of the 4,000-kilogramme elephants. But it has taken Madhubala and Malika several weeks to settle into the treatment after spitting out the first few doses they tasted of the bitter medicine, and crankily charging their keepers. “Giving treatment for TB to elephants is always challenging. Each day we use different methods,” said Buddhika Bandara, a veterinary surgeon from Sri Lanka who flew in to oversee the treatment. Dr Buddhika Bandara (L), a veterinary surgeon from Sri Lanka, examining Madhubala, an elephant who is diagnosed with tuberculosis, inside an enclosure at the Safari Park, Karac... -
Dawn - 07:39 May 21, 2025
LAHORE: Players of Lahore Qalandars attend a training session on Tuesday.—M.Arif/White Star LAHORE: High-flying Quetta Gladiators face defending champions Islamabad United in the first qualifier of the HBL Pakistan Super League X here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday. Though United have won three PSL titles — in 2016, 2018 and 2024 — ever since the league was launched in 2016 while Gladiators have clinched the title only once (2019), the latter have shown great form and consistency in the ongoing edition to top the table with 15 points (seven wins, two losses, one no result) in the league stage of the six-team competition. Moreover, Gladiators’ victories in both their league-stage games against United signify the Saud Shakeel-led squad’s profile ahead of the top-shelf clash. Gladiators had to fight hard against United to win the first match in Lahore, they won their second duel in Rawalpindi by a massive 109 runs after amassing a record-equalling 263. So impressive was Gladiators’ recent form that they won... -
Dawn - 07:23 May 21, 2025
Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh hailed the potential of Starlink services — soon to be functional in the country — as a means to bridge Pakistan’s digital divide during a visit to SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles, Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Wednesday. Starlink Services, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is one of the most technologically advanced companies globally among those providing internet via low-Earth orbit satellites. Last month, the Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced that Starlink services are expected to be operational in the country by the end of this year. The ambassador, accompanied by a delegation, was briefed on the collaboration efforts between Pakistan and SpaceX, particularly how Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite infrastructure and SpaceX’s commercial capabilities held “transformative” potential for Pakistan’s digital landscape. The delegation was received at SpaceX Headquarters by the vice-president of Star... -
Dawn - 04:43 May 21, 2025
• Sindh home minister’s house attacked, two trailers torched in Moro • Lanjar orders action against those disturbing peace HYDERABAD/NAWABSHAH: A protester was killed and over a dozen others, including a DSP and six other policemen, were injured during clashes in the Moro city of Naushahro Feroz — the home district of Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar — on Tuesday. Mr Lanjar’s house was also attacked, along with two trailers on Moro bypass road. Violence erupted when police attempted to disperse a protest reportedly organised by Sindh Saba against the proposed construction of new canals on the River Indus. The protesters had blocked the Moro bypass road to record their protest. A similar programme was scheduled by Sindh Saba at the press club in Hyderabad, but police authorities did not allow it and cordoned off the main road leading to the club. Police also picked up two activists of the party. In Moro, the protesters, armed with rods and sticks, raised slogans against corporate farming and the proposed canals.... -
Dawn - 04:30 May 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has expressed willingness to talk with the establishment, saying the door for talks with the military was never closed. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has also hoped the incarcerated party leader, Imran Khan, will be “released in a week”, even though the government has dismissed reports of negotiations with the opposition party. He called the former prime minister’s incarceration “unjustified” as the cases against him were “bogus and politically motivated”. Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday after meeting Mr Khan, along with party leaders Salman Akram Raja and Ali Zafar, Mr Gohar said the jailed PTI leader had shut the door on talks with the government but not with the military establishment. He said Pakistan managed to triumph over India in recent clashes due to national unity. Hopes Imran will be released soon; govt denies negotiations with jailed PTI founder “Now that we are at peace with global powers, there is hope of peace internally,” h... -
Dawn - 03:56 May 21, 2025
• Gen Munir’s promotion to five-star rank marks first such elevation in over six decades • Field Marshal terms honour ‘tribute to the entire armed forces and the people of Pakistan’ • ACM Sidhu becomes first air chief to be given second extension • Ex-generals foresee new role of vice chief of army staff for four-star general ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday promoted Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his ‘strategic leadership and decisive role’ in defeating India in the conflict that started earlier this month following the Pahalgam incident in India-occupied Kashmir. “The Government of Pakistan has approved the promotion of General Syed Asim Munir (Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Military) to the rank of Field Marshal in recognition of his superior strategy and courageous leadership… (and) inflicted a decisive defeat upon the enemy,” a statement read. The elevation, first cleared by the federal cabinet and later communicated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Pre... -
Dawn - 03:31 May 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue plans to introduce digital tracking of freight vehicles to prevent sales tax evasion and curb smuggling. A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday was briefed on the digital monitoring system, which will be installed at major highways across the country. An official announcement said FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial briefed the meeting on the project. He said the system freight vehicles will be fitted with e-tags and digital devices for the monitoring of goods. The system will enable the digitisation of the economy and significantly increase tax revenue. It will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, it will be launched in one city and later implemented across the country. Production in tobacco, steel, cement industries being monitored The meeting was informed that a system is being introduced for digital and automated monitoring of imports and exports at ports and airports. This system will be linked to local and internatio... -
Dawn - 03:29 May 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The UN’s agency for refugees has expressed concern over the drastic cut in funding at a time when it is providing help to Afghans returning to their country from Pakistan. Over three million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries, around one-third from Pakistan, since September 2023, according to the International Organisation for Migration. These Afghans were either deported or left out of fear of arrest after the Pakistan government announced a plan to repatriate all illegal foreigners. In 2025 alone, 780,000 Afghans are estimated to have returned, including 351,600 who were deported, according to the information released by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday. UN body says support to returning refugees drastically reduced They return to a homeland that is “clearly unprepared to receive them”, with a UNDP report saying that three-quarters of the population in Afghanistan was barely surviving, with half the population in need of humanitarian assistance. Many of the retu... -
Dawn - 02:54 May 21, 2025
• Shezra tells pre-budget dialogue that 30pc of all public development projects to undergo climate assessment • MQM-P MNA reveals 4m people in Karachi live in non-resilient housing • Sanaullah Baloch argues ongoing insurgency in Balochistan rooted in unjust distribution of resources ISLAMABAD: Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, the minister of state for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, on Tuesday announced the country’s first climate-focused budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 under which 30 per cent of all public development projects would undergo a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (CPIMA). “It is a significant shift towards integrating climate considerations into national economic planning,” the minister said. The announcement was made during the Pre-Budget Dialogue 2025, titled “Rethinking Economic Policy for a Just Energy Transition,” organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PR... -
Dawn - 02:54 May 21, 2025
• GDP expands at 2.6pc, per capita income sees modest rise to $1,824 • Economy size swells to $411bn, agriculture grows just 0.56pc and LSM contracts 1.5pc ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income increased in dollar terms at a modest pace in 2024-25, reflecting a sustained recovery in the country’s overall output compared to the previous year, the government said on Tuesday. It was announced on Tuesday that the country’s economy is expected to grow by 2.68 per cent in the current fiscal year, a revision from earlier projections of 3.6pc, suggesting that Pakistan will fall short of its GDP target. The leading global financial institutions’ estimates also show that Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow between 2.6 and 2.8pc in FY25, a slower-than-expected recovery with challenges in agriculture, industrial output, and external financing weighing on economic momentum. The lenders have already revised downward their earlier GDP projections for Pakistan. The IMF revised the growth... -
Dawn - 23:55 May 20, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Criticising the IMF-led gas disconnection of industrial captive power plants, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Tuesday determined about 6.6 per cent (Rs117 per unit) increase in prescribed natural gas prices to meet about Rs890 billion revenue requirement of the two gas companies during 2025-26. In a late-night determination sent to the federal government, Ogra worked out the average revenue requirement for Karachi-based Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGCL) at Rs354bn for the next fiscal year and determined its prescribed price at Rs1,659 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) or about Rs104 per unit reduction from Rs1,762 per mmBtu in FY25. Conversely, the regulator worked out the revenue requirement for Lahore-based Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) at Rs535bn for FY26 and set its prescribed price at Rs1,895 per mmBTU, about Rs117 per unit higher than the current year’s Rs1,778 per unit to cover an estimated revenue shortfall of Rs43bn next year. The average consumer gas pric... -
Dawn - 19:32 May 20, 2025
A person was killed while a few others, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were injured after police resorted to a baton charge to disperse protesters in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district against the construction of proposed canals over the Indus River, according to officials. The police attempted to disperse the protesters in the city of Moro to restore traffic on the motorway by-pass road but faced resistance. Consequently, the police resorted to a baton charge and gunshots were also fired. Peoples Medical Hospital Medical Superintendent Haider Jamali told Dawn.com that one protester was killed and brought to the hospital, while three others and two pedestrians were injured. DSP Ghulam Hussain Dahiri was also injured after being beaten with sticks. The protesters allegedly turned violent and set two trailers on fire after news of the death reached the site of the protest. They also barged into the house of Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, ransacked it and set some portions of it on f... -
Dawn - 18:56 May 20, 2025
The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the promotion of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir to field marshal for his leadership in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos and the period of conflict against India known as Marka-i-Haq. He was formally promoted to the position with immediate effect in a notification from the Ministry of Defence under “Rule 199-A of the Pakistan Army Regulations (Rules), 1998”. The rank of field marshal is the highest rank of armies built on the pattern of the British Army. It has only been awarded to one other — General Mohammad Ayub Khan — by the presidential cabinet in 1959. It is a ceremonial five-star rank that usually signifies extraordinary leadership and wartime achievement. The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued today also said that the government unanimously decided to continue the services of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his term ends. It did not say for how long Sidhu’s job would be extended, nor did it say whether Munir’s promot... -
Dawn - 17:46 May 20, 2025
Sindh Wildlife Department opposes proposed relocation of illegally imported exotic monkeys to Lahore
The Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) has formally opposed the proposed relocation of illegally imported exotic monkeys from Karachi to Lahore, calling on the federal government to withdraw its May 8 recommendations and instead follow legal procedures and scientific guidelines. According to sources, the customs staff had confiscated 26 monkeys — tufted capuchins and marmosets — in January at Karachi airport, being imported by M/s Khayal Enterprises on an alleged fake no-objection certificate (NOC) from South Africa. In March, the illegal consignment of monkeys, two of which died at the airport while in the custody of customs officials, was handed over to the animal rights organisation Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) for want of coordination among government departments. Per a statement issued by the SWD today, “The department formally opposed the proposed relocation of illegally imported exotic monkeys, urging the government to reconsider the recommendation issued and to instead adhere to due legal process a... -
Dawn - 17:38 May 20, 2025
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer, convicted of brutally murdering Noor Mukadam nearly four years ago, in a development dubbed a “rare achievement” and “victory for women”. Noor, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir’s Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured before being beheaded. Zahir was handed the death sentence by a trial court, which he had challenged in the Islamabad High Court in 2023. The IHC too had upheld the sentence. Subsequently, he approached the top court. The appeal was taken up for hearing by a three-member bench comprising Justices Hashim Kakar, Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi. Here’s what lawyers had to say about today’s verdict. ‘Rare victory for women’ Lawyer Zainab Shahid said Zahir’s death sentence brought a sense of justice and closure to the gruesome episode of violence. “It marks a departure from high-profile cases of violent crime in the past where perpetrators were acquitted by the highest appellate...
6410 items