Dawn
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Dawn - 02:20 May 26, 2026
• Massive explosion damaged many homes near Chaman railway crossing, making them ‘unsafe’ to live in • Administration forms body to assess damage and formulate compensation measures QUETTA: After a powerful bomb explosion that targeted a shuttle train at the Chaman railway crossing in the provincial capital, residents of the nearby Faqirabad neighbourhood have been forced to relocate due to extensive damage to their homes. Faqirabad is a densely populated area in downtown where working and middle-class families reside. The Sunday bombing left more than 70 per cent of the houses damaged, besides destroying the electricity infrastructure, due to which the area has been without power for the past 48 hours. “We have been without internet, electricity, gas, and water for the last 48 hours,” a resident, Haji Muhammad Nawaz, told Dawn, lamenting that not a single minister or other official visited Faqirabad. Several residents received injuries after the bomb blast shattered their windowpanes and caused the walls and... -
Dawn - 02:15 May 26, 2026
• Naveed Qamar criticises continued reliance on indirect taxes, petroleum levy • UNDP consultants warn Pakistan remains on a ‘fragile stabilisation path’ • Inflation projected to exceed 12pc despite gradual economic recovery ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Monday accused the government of persistently violating its own laws by failing to circulate and publish the Budget Strategy Paper (BSP) by May 10, besides doing little on economic reforms. A meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, presided over by former finance minister Syed Naveed Qamar of the PPP, also expressed serious concern over the continued heavy reliance on indirect taxes and petroleum levy instead of sustainable expansion of the tax base. The panel was equally worried over sluggish progress on critical structural reforms when briefed by private economic analysts representing the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Qamar voiced concern over the growing burden of circular debt in the energy s... -
Dawn - 18:48 May 25, 2026
Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38°C, while parts of Italy imposed restrictions on working outdoors. In the UK, the Met Office weather agency said it was the hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8°C at Kew Gardens, southwest London – a full two degrees above the previous high. “This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May,” it said on X. “The weather here, it’s like a mini version of hell. It’s boiling. It’s like really hot,” said 10-year-old Liza Nizari on a visit to London, where temperatures normally average about 17°C or 18C at this time of year. Lindy Brand-Daloze, a 66-yea... -
Dawn - 18:37 May 25, 2026
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday met visiting Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V at the Lower Chitral Airport, where the latter assured him of investment in the province. Prince Rahim arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday for a week-long visit — his first to the country since being named the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community last year. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Chitral, CM Afridi said he had made the visit to welcome Prince Rahim on his arrival. “During the meeting with Prince Rahim Aga Khan, discussions were held on the province’s potential as well as the government’s initiatives and goals,” the chief minister said, while lauding the services of the Aga Khan Foundation. “‘We also discussed the establishment of an Aga Khan University and hospital in Peshawar,” CM Afridi added. “Prince Rahim Aga Khan assured investment in the province.” At the Lower Chitral Airport, the chief minister was received by local leaders and government officials. He added that he would atten... -
Dawn - 18:37 May 25, 2026
China’s President Xi Jinping hailed Beijing’s “unbreakable” friendship with Pakistan on Monday as he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing, seeking to deepen the “all-weather” partnership between the two countries. PM Shehbaz landed in China on Saturday on a four-day official visit, reaching Beijing yesterday after making a stop in Hangzhou. Addressing bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said: “China is ready to work with Pakistan to move faster to build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, work for more results in our all-weather cooperation, […] contribute to regional peace and stability and set an example for building a community with a shared future among neighbouring countries.” Xi called PM Shehbaz an “old friend” and said the two countries had “understood, trusted and supported each other” over decades, forging an “unbreakable tradition of friendship”. “Despite international changes, China has always prioritised Pakistan relations in our ne... -
Dawn - 18:35 May 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A fire that erupted in the capital’s Margalla Hills near the F-5 sector on Monday was “completely” brought under control, and the cooling process was underway, the district administration said. According to a statement, “The fire has been completely brought under control, and the cooling process is underway.” However, there have been no official reports of any losses so far. A contingent of firefighters had reached the site to extinguish the blaze, alongside local residents, the administration said in a prior statement. “As a result of the fire, all hiking trails in the Margalla Hills were temporarily closed,” an earlier statement said. Spread over 12,605 hectares, the Margalla Hills National Park witnesses many fires during the summer season, which, in recent years, have become a matter of concern for the government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA). In March, ahead of the fire season, the city managers held a meeting to devise a strategy to handle the issue. It was decided that the Isla... -
Dawn - 18:11 May 25, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Monday seemingly predicated an emerging Iran peace deal on Muslim-majority nations across the Middle East and beyond normalising relations with Israel. This brand new demand came on the heels of a potential memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran to end the war on all fronts and potentially lift oil waivers. It is worth noting that the nations named by Trump, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have traditionally advocated for a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel as a precursor to any discussions on the normalisation of relations with Israel. In a lengthy social media post, Trump listed countries whose leaders he spoke with on Saturday about efforts to end the war with Iran. “After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a minimum, simultaneously sign onto the Abraham Accords,” he wrote. “Those countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, the Uni... -
Dawn - 18:03 May 25, 2026
Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in Makkah on Monday for the annual Haj pilgrimage. The white-robed pilgrims on buses or on foot arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the tawaf. This year’s rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, follow waves of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours. A Saudi security officer speaks to Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 20, 2026. — Reuters Members of the Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 21, 2026. — Reuters Members of the Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 21, 2026. — Reuters Members of the Saudi security forces hold a demonstration during a military parade in preparation for... -
Dawn - 17:09 May 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Mehmood Khan Achakzai, opposition Leader in the National Assembly and leader of the Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), on Monday hinted that the opposition alliance might quit the assemblies if the government did not change its attitude towards former prime minister Imran Khan. Speaking on Dawn News programme “Doosra Rukh”, he said: “I fear that if the current attitude towards Imran Khan continues, we will not be able to stay in the assembly.” “What has he [Imran] done? Has he committed murders, as you are threatening that a 50-year prison sentence can be announced? He has only said that his snatched mandate should be returned to him. But you have been saying that a 50-year prison term can be announced.” “You want to try him in a military court. Tell me if he is a general or a colonel,” Achakzai said. “If the PTI’s central committee suggests quitting the assemblies in Punjab, Sindh and the Centre, and only running the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it will be implemented,” he said. He lam... -
Dawn - 16:50 May 25, 2026
A newly married couple was shot dead in Karachi’s Malir area soon after appearing before a local court on Monday, according to a senior police official. According to Korangi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fida Hussain Janwari, the couple was returning from the court when assailants, who were chasing their car, opened fire on them in the Saudabad locality near the RCD ground. SSP Janwari said that the woman’s family had lodged a complaint at Sachal Police Station over her disappearance. However, the woman had recorded a statement before the Malir court that she had married of her own free will. The couple had also submitted their Nikahnama in the court. “The couple suffered critical injuries and died on the spot,” he said. SSP Janwari added that the suspected assailants had been identified as the woman’s relatives, and concerted efforts were underway to arrest them. He further said that the couple belonged to Sindh’s Dadu district and had been living in the Sachal Goth area in Karachi. Meanwhile, Police... -
Dawn - 15:40 May 25, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will depart from Beijing on Tuesday for New York to participate in UN meetings, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In New York, Dar is set to participate in the United Nations Security Council’s open debate on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-centred International System.” The debate will be chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “Pakistan welcomes this timely initiative by China, which highlights the importance of strengthening multilateralism and upholding the central role of the United Nations in addressing today’s complex global challenges,” the ministry’s press release stated. On Thursday, Dar is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Group of Friends on Global Governance. The theme of the meeting is “Reforming and Improving Global Governance, Working Together to Address Global Challenges.” The group comprises 43 countri... -
Dawn - 12:57 May 25, 2026
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that there had been 220 suspected deaths in the current Ebola outbreak and that a delay in detecting cases meant responders were now “playing catch-up”. “We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us,” Tedros said, adding that countries bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo — the epicentre of the outbreak — should take immediate action. The WHO has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a public health emergency of international concern. Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatments. Tedros said he would travel to Congo on Tuesday and that addressing the fast-moving outbreak was complicated by the fact that Congo’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces were highly insecure and there were no approved vaccines for t... -
Dawn - 12:22 May 25, 2026
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Unidentified militants blew up a government middle school and a basic health unit (BHU) with explosive material late on Sunday night in the Chesan Kech area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, local sources said. According to local sources, the attackers targeted the Government Middle School for Boys and a BHU, causing severe damage to both buildings within the jurisdiction of Saddar police station. Local sources confirmed that no casualties were reported in the incident as the buildings were empty at the time of the explosions. Police and security personnel reached the area after the blasts and launched an investigation into the incident. Officials said evidence was being collected from the sites while efforts were underway to identify those involved. Amid a surge in terrorism in KP, militants have also targeted civil infrastructure in the region, including bridges and schools. In March, unidentified miscreants blew up a government school in KP’s Bannu district. A month before that, an e... -
Dawn - 12:12 May 25, 2026
We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realised then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes — something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view. These are the most moving lines from forester and philosopher Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, his breakthrough work in ecological preservation which was published in 1949, almost a year after his death and has since become a cornerstone of environmental ethics. At one point in time, wolves were persecuted in the United States to the extent that by 1926, Gray Wolves had completely vanished from Yellowstone National Park and the 2.2 million acres of wilderness was left to elk and deer who roamed freely without fear of an apex predator. Th... -
Dawn - 11:48 May 25, 2026
The animals arrive before the city wakes. By three in the morning, a few weeks before Eidul Azha, the livestock markets on the periphery of Karachi are already dense with noise and colour, the restless lowing of cattle from Sindh’s interior, the sharper bleating of goats driven down from Balochistan, the occasional camel standing in imperious silence while traders haggle beneath fluorescent lights. The men who have brought these animals have been travelling for days. They have fed these animals, watered them, negotiated their passage across provincial checkpoints and absorbed the cost of fodder — the price of which has only increased in the past three years — and the ever-increasing cost of transportation, courtesy a sovereign that refuses to be fiscally responsible. They are supply-side participants in one of Pakistan’s largest annual markets. But no official body counts them with any precision. Every Eidul Azha, millions of Pakistanis participate in a decentralised economic event larger than half the federa... -
Dawn - 11:45 May 25, 2026
A viral social media account focusing on the concerns of India’s Gen Z has come under attack, with its founder alleging hacking and threats to his family after it won millions of followers disenchanted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The satirical “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) account garnered more than 22 million followers on Instagram within days, reflecting mounting unease among young users on issues it highlighted, from unemployment to the leaks of exam questions. “The government has taken down our iconic website,” founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X, adding that its X account had been withheld in India while the group’s Instagram account had been compromised and his family had received threats. Reuters could not independently verify the claim of a government takedown. The government has not publicly confirmed any action against the website or the Instagram account. India’s home and IT ministries did not respond to requests for comment. State electoral wins by Modi’s party The surge in popul... -
Dawn - 10:38 May 25, 2026
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index began the week on a strong note on Monday, gaining over 4,000 points during intraday trading. KSE-100 gained 4,013.17 points or 2.39 per cent to stand at 171,857.41 points at 3:24pm from the previous close of 167,844.24 points. The market opened with bullish momentum, gaining 3,594 points at 9:30am from Friday’s close. It then dipped to an intraday low of 170,161.66 points at 12:47pm, still in the green with a gain of 2,317.42 points. The development comes amid hopes that a deal between the United States and Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz could be announced soon. Earlier today, Tehran acknowledged that both sides have “reached a conclusion” on many issues, but cautioned that an agreement was not necessarily imminent. Oil prices also fell on Monday. The price of North Sea Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate slipped close to 5pc to $99.41 and $92.49 a barrel, respectively. Despite last-minute jitters, the stock market had closed last week in green terri... -
Dawn - 10:07 May 25, 2026
MARDAN: At least 16 people were killed and seven others were injured after a Swat-bound passenger coach collided with a bus parked by the roadside of the Swat Motorway in Khoro Kotay Saeedabad area on Monday, Rescue 1122 said. Rescue 1122 Public Relations Officer Syyed Abbas Shah confirmed the number of casualties. According to the motorway police, the passenger coach crashed into a bus that was parked by the roadside after developing a mechanical fault. The motorway police, Rescue 1122 officials and locals of nearby areas rushed to the spot after the incident was reported and shifted the dead and injured to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital. Hospital and Rescue 1122 officials said that the identities of the dead and injured persons had yet to be ascertained. However, they said that the majority of the victims hailed from Dir and Bajaur, and were headed home for the Eid holidays. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan expressed grief at the incident. He said that the injured ... -
Dawn - 10:07 May 25, 2026
A local election in an industrial city in northern Italy is exposing differences over immigration between governing coalition parties and showing how the country’s rapidly changing social fabric is shaping politics. Surrounded by factories and rice paddies, Vigevano is a city of 62,000 people where 15 per cent of the population is foreign, including many people from Egypt and Romania. Many more are naturalised Italians and second-generation immigrants. Once a Communist Party bastion, the city is held by the League, a far-right junior partner in Italy’s ruling coalition whose leader Matteo Salvini has said citizenship should be revoked for second-generation immigrants who commit crimes. Then-deputy PM of Italy, Matteo Salvini, attends a news conference for the government’s first budget in Rome, Italy on Nov 22, 2022. — Reuters/File But the League’s mayoral candidate, Riccardo Ghia, a jeweller, made headlines last month when he put two Muslim candidates on his list of prospective councillors — with an eye to at... -
Dawn - 10:03 May 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from dispossessing the residents of One Constitution Avenue and issued a stay order on intra-court appeals filed against the dismissal of their writ petitions. A division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the appeals filed by the residents of One Constitution Avenue. During the proceedings, the court directed the CDA not to take any coercive action against the occupants till the next hearing. The residents’ counsel, Sardar Taimur Aslam, said, “We want the CDA board to hear us and give us an opportunity to prove our innocence.” Justice Khan inquired about the process of sub-leasing and whether it was documented with an institution or done informally. Senior lawyer Ali Raza, another counsel representing the residents, contended that the CDA had leased out the land and subleases were executed while the original lease was intact. He argued that the CDA had rece...
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