Dawn
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Dawn - 14:56 Apr 29, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to becoming the next major tech destination in light of $700 million pledged in foreign investment in the IT sector at the Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) conference in Islamabad. Delegates from around 45 countries arrived in Islamabad to participate in the DFDI conference, the first-ever DFDI conference held in Pakistan. Over 75 foreign investors and CEOs of more than 50 global companies attended the event. The digital sector has long been recognised as a key segment for foreign direct investment (FDI), yet Pakistan has struggled to attract substantial digital FDI. Addressing the DFDI conference today, PM Shehbaz hailed investment in the IT sector, saying: “Pakistan is not waiting for the future but shaping it.” He called on international stakeholders to continue supporting Pakistan as it was ready to lead the global digital economy. The premier highlighted the government’s initiatives in the IT sector including the launch of ... -
Dawn - 14:32 Apr 29, 2025
Three terrorists were killed after security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the general area of Turbat town in Balochistan’s Kech district, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the forces conducted an IBO, effectively engaging with the terrorists’ location. The statement said that “after an intense exchange of fire, three terrorists were successfully neutralised”. It said that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists who were involved in multiple activities against the law enforcement agencies and the innocent civilians in the area. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to neutralise any other terrorists present in the area,” ISPR said, adding that the forces remain determined “to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan”. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, afte... -
Dawn - 14:11 Apr 29, 2025
Seven bullets-ridden bodies were found on Tuesday in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, officials said. Ziarat Deputy Commissioner Ziarat Zakiullah told Dawn.com, “On Tuesday morning, the district administration received information about seven bodies being dumped at Gonja Tangi, Ziarat, after which the assistant commissioner was sent to the scene along with ambulances.” However, at Chautir, near the site of the incident, residents had blocked the highway in protest. “They said that those who were killed neither belonged to Chautir or Ziarat, nor had they been seen in the area before, and that they were terrorists,” DC Zakiullah said. The residents expressed their worry that based on this pretence, an operation would be launched in the area, DC Zakiullah said. “After successful negotiations with residents of the area, the district administration took custody of the bodies, which were later handed over to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Ziarat,” the DC said. He added that the counterterrorism department... -
Dawn - 13:29 Apr 29, 2025
Posts by Indian accounts on social media platform X have been sharing an alleged confidential notification from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s hospitalisation since April 27. However, no such notification has been released by the PM Office and it is fake. Relations between Pakistan and India have turned exceedingly sour since an attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in India-occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer, on April 22. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. Following the attack, India, without providing evidence, implied that attackers had links to Pakistan, an allegation that Islamabad has vehemently refuted. The incident led to a severe downgrading of ties between the two countries. Since then, the Indian mainstream and social media outlets have been spreading propaganda against Pakistan. Following the same trend, an Indian X acco... -
Dawn - 13:14 Apr 29, 2025
Karnataka Interior Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday confirmed that an unidentified individual was lynched by a mob last week in his state during a local cricket match for shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. Relations between Pakistan and India have plummeted to their lowest level in years following an April 22 attack in the Indian-occupied Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Following the incident, New Delhi, without providing any evidence, implied Pakistan backed the attackers — an allegation that Islamabad has strongly denied. The world has been urging the two nuclear-armed neighbours to “exercise restraint” amid rising tensions. Speaking during a press conference, a video of which was shared on the X account of The Press Trust of India, the minister confirmed the incident, saying, “A mob lynching was reported, however, the identity of the victim could not be ascertained. He was rooting for Pakistan during a local cricket match while shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’,” he said. The minister added that it... -
Dawn - 12:04 Apr 29, 2025
Foreign nationals convicted of a sexual offence will be blocked from seeking refugee status in Britain as part of government efforts to tighten rules ahead of local elections and counter the charge from opponents that it cannot protect its borders. Immigration has long been a major issue in Britain, with voters questioning why successive governments were unable to control arrivals, particularly those coming in small boats across the Channel. Since being elected last July, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government has sought to restrict access to the asylum system and speed up removal of those denied refugee status. It is also reviewing how courts interpret a migrant’s right to a family life after the rule which guarantees it, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, was used in multiple asylum appeals, with the details regularly reported by British newspapers. “We are reviewing that because we do believe that the way in which it’s being interpreted in the courts is an issue,” interior minis... -
Dawn - 11:37 Apr 29, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney won Canada’s election on Monday, local media projected, leading his Liberal Party to a new term in power after convincing voters his experience managing economic crises prepared him to confront United States President Donald Trump. The public broadcaster CBC and other outlets projected the Liberals would form Canada’s next government, but it was not yet clear if they would hold a majority in parliament. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre fell short of becoming prime minister, but his party was on track to form a strong opposition in parliament Trump’s trade war and threats to annex Canada — which he renewed in an election day social media post — outraged Canadians and made dealing with the US a top campaign issue. Carney, who had never held elected office and only replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister last month, anchored his campaign on an anti-Trump message. He previously served as central bank governor in both Britain and Canada and persuaded voters his global financial exp... -
Dawn - 11:35 Apr 29, 2025
Posts from several Indian accounts on social media platform X on Sunday shared alleged documents claiming en masse resignations of Pakistan Army personnel and low morale in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. However, the letters are fake. An attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in India-occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer, on April 22. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. It was the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as ‘The Resistance Front’, is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack. India followed suit by announcing a series of actions against Pakistan. Responding in kind, Pakistan also announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect. As diplomatic channels dry up and treaty frameworks teeter, a... -
Dawn - 11:19 Apr 29, 2025
The United States Food and Drug Administration approved Abeona Therapeutics’ gene therapy for a rare skin disorder on Tuesday. Shares of the Cleveland-based drugmaker rose 13 per cent in premarket trading. The gene therapy, called Zevaskyn, is approved to treat adult and pediatric patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Patients with the disorder have extremely fragile skin, with blisters and tears forming large wounds all over the body that are difficult to heal and can remain open for years. The disorder results from a defect in the COL7A1 gene, which prevents the production of a crucial type of collagen responsible for anchoring the upper and lower layers of the skin. The current standard of care treatment is daily wound care and protective bandaging. The treatment is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2025 at specific treatment sites, Abeona said. Zevaskyn, chemically known as pz-cel, works by adding healthy COL7A1 genes to the patient’s skin cells and transplanting them ba... -
Dawn - 11:10 Apr 29, 2025
Bulls bounced back on the trading floor on Tuesday as shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange climbed more than 800 points after a day of volatility. The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 808.28 points, or 0.71 per cent, to stand at 114,872.18 from the previous close of 114,063.90. Awais Ashraf, director of research at AKD Securities, said, attributed the bull run to the announcement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board meeting “to approve a tranche of $1.3 billion for Pakistan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a new 28-month arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility”. Earlier, the IMF website confirmed that the Fund’s Executive Board will meet on May 9 to discuss the country’s staff-level agreement for a new $1.3bn arrangement under a climate resilience loan programme, along with the first review of Pakistan’s ongoing $7bn bailout programme. According to the IMF, this will be the first “review under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility”, along ... -
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...
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