Dawn
Source:
https://www.dawn.com
Found 6358 news
-
Dawn - 11:36 May 13, 2025
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday vowed that the provincial government will make education a “top priority” in the upcoming budget and allocate more resources towards the sector, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The chief minister’s concerns follow in the wake of the unexpected textbook shortage in the province which has disrupted classes, high dropout rates, and Pakistan’s “low” ranking in the District Education Performance Index Report 2020-23. “Presiding over a meeting in Peshawar, he directed measures to enhance teachers’ capacity, ensure 100 per cent merit in new recruitments, and establish schools in rented buildings in areas where they are urgently needed,” the report said. During the meeting, it was decided that comprehensive and multi-faceted measures would be taken to increase student enrollment in schools. In this regard, schemes would be included in the upcoming budget to support various activities. “Gandapur expressed concern that in some districts, the rate of out-... -
Dawn - 11:16 May 13, 2025
Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik announced his resignation from the role of Domestic Cricket Mentor today through a social media post on X. He submitted his formal resignation to the Pakistan Cricket Board two weeks ago, saying he believed it was “time to move on” to ensure fairness and pay attention to multiple personal and professional responsibilities in his life. “This was not an easy choice, but after reflecting on my commitments, I realised that juggling multiple responsibilities would prevent me from giving my best — both to Pakistan cricket and to my other professional and personal priorities,” he wrote in his post. The former skipper added he would continue to serve the role according to his contractual obligations, giving PCB enough time to appoint a new mentor for the next season. Malik also expressed immense gratitude to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB executive team, his former teammate and director of Champions Events Wahab Riaz, the coaching staff at Stallion, and the players who “entruste... -
Dawn - 10:58 May 13, 2025
Bulls maintained a hold of the trading floor at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday as shares gained over 1,000 points, continuing their upward momentum following de-escalation between India and Pakistan. The KSE-100 index opened with a gain of 2,769 points to stand at 120,067.12 points from the previous close of 117,297.73 at 9:30am. By 3pm, the index stood at 118,605.98 points, up 1.12 per cent. Bullish momentum witnessed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange — PSX data portal Finally, the index closed at 118,575.88 points, up 1.09pc or 1278.15 points compared to yesterday. A day earlier, the PSX gained a record 9pc, with the market mirroring the restored calm in the region after the Pakistan-India ceasefire. The development, announced by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, followed four days of tit-for-tat strikes between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as well as diplomacy and pressure from Washington. Commenting on today’s surge, Awais Ashraf, director of research at AKD Securities said: “Investor sen... -
Dawn - 10:48 May 13, 2025
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the former New Zealand cricketer Mike Hesson as the new white-ball (ODIs and T20 Internationals) head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, according to a press release issued by PCB. The role was left vacant by Gary Kirsten, who resigned just seven months into the job on October 29 following differences with the PCB. Last year, Aaqib Javed was temporarily handed the responsibility as Pakistan’s white-ball head coach until next year’s ICC Champions Trophy. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi took to X to welcome the new coach, saying “After evaluation of numerous applications received against the vacancy, I’m pleased to announce that former New Zealand cricketer and renowned coach, Mike Hesson, will join us as the new White-ball Head Coach for the Pakistan National Team,” adding that he will join from May 26. “We look forward to his expertise and guidance in shaping the future of Pakistani cricket,” added Naqvi. Mike Hesson, who is the current head coach of Islamabad ... -
Dawn - 09:13 May 13, 2025
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the election for the vacant general seat from Punjab in Senate on May 29. The seat fell vacant following the demise of Senator Professor Sajid Mir on May 3, 2025, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. According to a notification by the provincial election commissioner, the nomination papers may be filed on May 14 and 15 for the election that will be held at the Punjab Assembly. The names of the nominated candidates will be published on May 16. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on May 17 while appeals against their acceptance or rejection will be filed on May 20. The appeals will be disposed of on May 22. The revised list of candidates will be published on May 23, while the candidature may be withdrawn by May 24. The polling will be held at the Punjab Assembly chambers between 9am to 4pm. The nomination papers may be received from the Punjab ECP office on 10-Court Street in Lahore during the office hours. Notable religious and political ... -
Dawn - 08:04 May 13, 2025
At least 11 soldiers were martyred and 78 wounded while defending Pakistan against India’s “unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks” during the recent escalation between the neighbours, said the military’s media wing in a statement on Tuesday. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as the former blamed Islamabad for the Pahalgam attack. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan under the banner of Operation Sindoor, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. On Saturday, when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 40 civilians — including seven women and 15 children — lost their lives in the Indian aggression, and 121 others sustained injuries. The martyrs from... -
Dawn - 07:49 May 13, 2025
An assailant opened fire at a school van injuring six people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Battagram district, police said on Tuesday. Battagram police spokesperson Gul Nabi told Dawn.com that the school van was coming from the Pirwahari area when it was attacked. “Five students and the van driver were injured in the incident,” he added. The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Battagram, he continued, adding that one person, who was in critical condition, was referred to the Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad. “A first information report [FIR] was lodged and efforts to arrest the suspect were underway,” Nabi added. According to Kuzabanda Station House Officer (SHO) Amjid Khan, the suspect’s motive behind the incident was “personal vendetta” against the van driver. “The shooter opened fire, recklessly endangering the lives of the children onboard,” he said. The president of the Private Education Network (PEN) Battagram chapter, Syed Raqib Shah, condemned the incident and characterised it as an “a... -
Dawn - 06:09 May 13, 2025
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday announced that the remaining eight matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) — postponed due to the conflict with India — would resume from May 17, with the final scheduled for May 25. The PSL was first moved to the UAE and subsequently postponed after an Indian drone crashed close to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium last week. In a post on X today, Naqvi stated that the league will pick up from where it left. “Let the aura take over as we unite and celebrate the spirit of cricket,” he wrote. Earlier, it was reported that the six PSL franchises have reached out to players, who were flown from the country on a charter flight over the weekend as the cross-border skirmishes with India intensified last week, to return after a ceasefire agreement was reached. “The franchises are in negotiations with their foreign players regarding the tentative dates of May 17 to 25 with Rawalpindi proposed to be the venue for the remaining matches,” sources tol... -
Dawn - 04:33 May 13, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government is finalising a plan to introduce a subsidised housing scheme for the lower-income class and mortgage facilities for the middle class with the involvement of commercial banks, starting with government-sponsored 200,000 low-cost housing units. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to formally announce the scheme to revive the housing and construction sector, which is passing through challenging times along with purportedly 72 associated industries, an informed source told Dawn. The sources said the government would initially provide about 200,000 low-cost 3-5 marla housing units after their construction in the public sector at 50pc subsidy on financing and then expand it. A draft plan was shared with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and commercial banks on Monday. A meeting on affordable housing finance schemes was presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday to address the critical challenges faced in long-term housing finance and explore viable policy models for low-... -
Dawn - 04:26 May 13, 2025
• Resolution adopted unanimously praises forces for ‘befitting response’ to Indian hostility • House apprised of govt’s five-year privatisation plan ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution commending the armed forces for giving a befitting response to the Indian aggression last week before US President Trump announced that a “full and immediate ceasefire” was reached between the two countries. The resolution in the National Assembly, moved by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, said the long-term stability in South Asia can only be achieved through “sincere and structured negotiations”. Reiterating Pakistan’s pledge to regional and global peace with dignity and honour, the resolution underscored that “democracies are committed to dialogue not conflict”. It urged the authorities to actively engage the international community to resolve the issue of Indian occupied Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of locals and the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolu... -
Dawn - 04:09 May 13, 2025
GENEVA: Countries are meeting at the United Nations on Monday to revive efforts to regulate the kinds of AI-controlled autonomous weapons increasingly used in modern warfare, as experts warn time is running out to put guardrails on new lethal technology. Autonomous and artificial intelligence-assisted weapons systems are already playing a greater role in conflicts from Ukraine to Gaza. And rising defence spending worldwide promises to provide a further boost for burgeoning AI-assisted military technology. Progress towards establishing global rules governing their development and use, however, has not kept pace. And internationally binding standards remain virtually non-existent. Since 2014, countries that are part of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) have been meeting in Geneva to discuss a potential ban fully autonomous systems that operate without meaningful human control and regulate others. Autonomous and AI-assisted weapons systems are playing a bigger role in conflicts UN Secretary-General An... -
Dawn - 04:04 May 13, 2025
NEW DELHI: Indian anchor Arnab Goswami was reporting the decimation of Pakistan when suddenly, out of the blue, the ceasefire was announced. His colleagues from various pro-Modi TV channels were reporting about a “regime change” in Pakistan when not mentioning the firing of Russian-made Brahmos missiles into densely populated parts of Karachi. Their audiences were beginning to doubt the ravings but had nowhere to verify the facts. Practically every foreign channel or newspaper was made inaccessible in India by overt or covert means. “Who authorised President Trump to intervene?” Goswami was frothing at the mouth. In his dream world, there couldn’t be Pakistani pilots outfoxing their Indian counterparts, or Pakistan having better planes. The political leadership has usually been defended by its TV channels. That nexus could be coming to a head. The brunt of the attack, however, was borne not by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who would have been the obvious interlocutor with President Trump. Mr Modi’s ... -
Dawn - 02:55 May 13, 2025
BEIRUT: Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday, warning the Israeli-blockaded enclave faces a high risk of famine by the end of September. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report cited a significant deterioration since October. It forecast that 2.1 million people across Gaza — roughly the entire population — will likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity, with 469,500 projected at “catastrophic” levels — the most severe stage. The previous IPC analysis in October found 133,000 people in that category. Israel sealed off Gaza in early March when it resumed military action against Hamas after a ceasefire collapsed. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said the IPC had “constantly talked about famine; famine has never happened because of Israel’s efforts to get more aid in.” He blamed Hamas for causing hunger by allegedly stealing aid. Hamas denies this, accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon. Warns half ... -
Dawn - 02:50 May 13, 2025
• Death toll from unprovoked shelling across LoC jumps to 32 • Educational institutions to reopen today • AJK premier hails army’s response as president wants immediate relief for affected families MUZAFFARABAD: Indian troops violated the ceasefire agreement late Sunday night by resorting to ‘unprovoked’ shelling across the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in the death of a young man in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), officials said on Monday. According to Sardar Waheed Khan, Director General of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Indian forces targeted several villages in the Nakyal sector of southern Kotli district shortly after 11pm, using both small and heavy arms during a 40-minute barrage. In Bari Dhara Mathrani, one of the affected villages, 32-year-old Muhammad Shahid, son of Muhammad Taj, sustained critical abdominal injuries when shrapnel from a mortar shell struck him. He was initially treated at the THQ Hospital in Nakyal and later referred to the DHQ Hospital in Kotli, where he succumbe... -
Dawn - 02:35 May 13, 2025
• Offers trade boost if both nations continue to engage in dialogue • Modi warns New Delhi will not tolerate ‘nuclear blackmail’ • Khawaja Asif says future talks to focus on Kashmir, terrorism and water • Asserts any attempt to deprive Pakistan of its water rights will never be allowed WASHINGTON: Amid easing tensions following a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, President Donald Trump has claimed that US intervention prevented a “bad nuclear war” between the two nations, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised address to the nation asserted that New Delhi would not tolerate “nuclear blackmail” in the event of further conflict with Islamabad. Trump’s comments, made during a press interaction at the White House, signal a rare moment of US diplomatic mediation between the two South Asian nuclear powers and suggest a broader American strategy that ties peace to economic engagement. “We stopped a nuclear conflict. I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been k... -
Dawn - 02:30 May 13, 2025
• DGMOs from both sides hold ‘initial round’ of talks to reinforce truce • Dar says second round to follow within two days • COAS calls conflict ‘defining chapter in the country’s military history’ as ISPR rejects reports of ceasefire breach ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian senior military officials on Monday agreed to uphold the ceasefire reached last week and reduce troop deployments along the international border, following days of hostilities between the two countries that had raised fears of a wider conflict. The directors general of military operations (DGMOs) from both countries held a scheduled conversation at 4:30pm that lasted about 45 minutes. The discussion was originally scheduled for noon, but was postponed till afternoon — the delay was attributed by some sources to a difference over the agenda of the meeting. The two officers — Pakistan’s Maj Gen Kashif Abdullah and India’s Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai — discussed measures to reinforce their mutual commitment not to fire or engage in any aggressive or... -
Dawn - 18:49 May 12, 2025
The recent military escalation with arch-rival India won’t have a large fiscal impact on Pakistan and can be managed within the current fiscal space, with no need for a new economic assessment, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in an interview with Reuters on Monday. Trade talks with the United States — which had played a key role mediating a ceasefire between the two countries — would likely have progressed in “short order” and that Pakistan could import more high-quality cotton, more soy beans and was also exploring other asset classes, including hydrocarbons, Aurangzeb said in the online interview. Regarding the conflict, Aurangzeb described it as a “short duration escalation” with minimal fiscal impact, stating it can be “accommodated within the fiscal space which is available to the government of Pakistan”. When questioned about potential increased military spending in the upcoming budget, Aurangzeb deferred comment, saying it was premature to discuss specific plans. However, he said: “Whatever we... -
Dawn - 18:00 May 12, 2025
Pakistan’s Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Kashif Abdullah and his Indian counterpart Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai on Monday held the first round of talks via hotline after the recent ceasefire between the two countries in the wake of a military conflict. Saturday’s ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense exchanges of fire as the nuclear-armed neighbours targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians. Confirming the talks to Dawn.com, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the next round would take place in the next 48 hours. A ceasefire till then, he said, was “quite standard”. State media outlets Radio Pakistan and PTV News confirmed the talks as well. Reuters also reported that the Indian army confirmed that the DGMOs spoke by phone today. “Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against ... -
Dawn - 17:16 May 12, 2025
Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs went on trial on sex trafficking charges on Monday, with prosecutors saying the Bad Boy Records founder lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fuelled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters. Combs “viciously attacked” women when they resisted taking part in the parties, known as ‘freak offs’ or otherwise upset him, prosecutor Emily Johnson said during her opening statement in Manhattan federal court. She told jurors they would hear testimony from victims who said Combs, 55, routinely beat them and exploded with rage at the smallest slights. The case has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs’ fame. “They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant’s sexual fantasies,” Johnson said. Defence lawyer Teny Geragos countered that prosecutors were trying to twist Combs’ r... -
Dawn - 16:01 May 12, 2025
British police are investigating an overnight fire at a house belonging to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in north London in which nobody was hurt. “The prime minister thanks the emergency services for their work. The incident is subject to a live investigation and we will therefore not be commenting further,” a spokesperson for Starmer’s Downing Street office said. Police said in a statement, without mentioning the British leader, that they were called to reports of a fire at around 01:35 local time (0035 GMT). “Officers attended the scene. Damage was caused to the property’s entrance, [and] nobody was hurt,” London’s Metropolitan Police said. “The fire is being investigated and cordons remain in place while enquiries continue.” The London Fire Brigade said it attended a “small fire”. Starmer, who has a home in north London, has lived at his Downing Street office and residence since becoming prime minister last July.
6358 items