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Dawn - 03:02 Mar 20, 2026
• Rawalpindi civil defence department gets first ‘anti-drone gun’ to intercept UAVs • Police suggest deployment of more systems to protect Chinese nationals, key installations LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: After multiple incidents in which drones were intercepted in the garrison city, the Punjab government on Thursday handed over an anti-drone gun to the Punjab Civil Defence Department to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles in Rawalpindi Division. Besides the garrison city, the home department plans to equip civil defence units across Punjab with similar systems to counter drones and similar aircraft, which have been described as “emerging security threats”. According to details, the home department has provided the civil defence with a modern anti-drone gun, EMG-150, which can jam and bring down drones within a range of two to three kilometres. The gun, which weighs 6kg, is equipped with eight frequency bands, enabling it to counter all types of drones and uses a high-gain directional antenna for precise targeting. The... -
Dawn - 02:45 Mar 20, 2026
SMOKE rises after an Iranian retaliatory salvo damaged an Israeli oil refinery in Haifa.—Reuters • Tehran strikes Qatari LNG plant, Saudi and Kuwaiti refineries • Trump warns of ‘furious response’ if attacks on Qatar continue • Rules out troop deployment, but officials say reinforcements under review • Hegseth sets no timeline for war; White House to seek $200bn more from Congress • Global energy markets shaken; Brent jumps to $119, gas prices up 35pc • Riyadh asserts it reserves right to retaliate after refinery drone strike • Netanyahu says Israel ‘acted alone’ in striking Iran gas field • Claims Tehran no longer able to enrich uranium or build missiles DOHA: As Washington rushed to arm its Gulf allies with a $16.46 billion military package, Iran issued its starkest warning yet, vowing “zero restraint” if its energy infrastructure is targeted again, pushing the Middle East closer to a regional war. The developments came after Iranian attacks on the world’s largest LNG plant in Qatar and refineries in Saudi ... -
Dawn - 02:37 Mar 20, 2026
• PM directs emergency measures, consultation with provinces; informed ample stocks available • People asked to avoid unnecessary travel, adapt in light of regional tensions • More austerity measures said to be on the cards ISLAMABAD: As the Iran war escalates into more attacks on key energy facilities, the federal government on Thursday feared a possible shortage of petroleum products in the coming days amid risks of disruptions in the supply chain, urging the public to adopt fuel-conservation measures to reduce consumption. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting to review fuel-saving efforts and austerity measures amid a worsening situation in the Gulf due to the US-Israel and Iran war, which has disrupted fuel supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting was briefed about the country’s fuel reserves and consumption and petroleum cargoes, a handout issued by the PM’s Office (PMO) said. According to the statement, the country needed to be prepared for all kinds of situations and people would h... -
Dawn - 02:30 Mar 20, 2026
LAHORE: The Punjab government on Thursday launched a crackdown on transport owners charging excessive fares from passengers across the province ahead of Eidul Fitr. On the directions of Inspector General of Motorway Police Sultan Ahmad Chaudhry, a campaign is underway in the central region to curb violations. According to officials, fines exceeding Rs4.8 million were imposed on 937 vehicles for overloading, while over Rs700,000 collected as excess fare were returned to passengers of 203 buses. More than 15,000 challans were also issued for violation of prescribed speed limits. Motorway police have urged citizens to exercise caution during Eid travel, adhere to speed limits and ensure seatbelt use and lane discipline, particularly in view of ongoing rain on national highways. In Lahore, chief minister’s special assistant Zeeshan Malik and Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ijaz visited the General Bus Stand to check transport fares. They received two complaints and fixed the issue. In Multan, Commissioner Aamir ... -
Dawn - 22:03 Mar 19, 2026
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Thursday that it had struck and “seriously damaged” a US F-35 fighter jet over central Iran. In a statement, the IRGC said the aircraft was hit by its air defence systems at around 2:50am (local time) on Thursday (2320GMT Wednesday night), adding that “a US F-35 fighter jet was struck and seriously damaged” over central Iran. It added that “the fate of the aircraft remains unknown and is under investigation,” noting there is a “high possibility” that the jet may have crashed. The IRGC also said the operation came “following the successful interception of more than 125 US-Israeli drones,” adding that the incident “reflects significant and targeted improvements in the country’s integrated air defence systems.” The US military, meanwhile, said in a statement that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran. The military said the pilot was in stable condition. A US official, speaking on the condition of anonym... -
Dawn - 19:06 Mar 19, 2026
The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee said on Thursday that the Shawwal moon had not been sighted and Eidul Fitr would be celebrated on March 21 (Saturday). Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad made the announcement while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. The press conference followed a meeting of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, and zonal and district committee meetings at their respective headquarters. He said that the skies remained cloudy over most parts of Pakistan, while in some areas it was clear. He said that no credible moon sighting testimonies were received. The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman said that the 1st of Shawwal would fall on Saturday. Subsequently, a notification was also issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, which stated that Shawwal moon had not been sighted and the month would commence from March 21. However, there were reports that Eid would be celebrated in some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur, Bannu and Lakk... -
Dawn - 18:06 Mar 19, 2026
Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan have signalled their readiness to support efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait. We welcome the commitment of nations that are engaging in preparatory planning,” the leaders said in a joint statement. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route, has been virtually paralysed by the Middle East war. The war erupted on February 28 when the US and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting it to retaliate with strikes targeting US assets and bases in the Gulf and restricting access to the strait. Since March 1, 2026, at least 21 commercial vessels, including 10 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, according to the British naval maritime security agency UKMTO. Across all types of vessels, an additional four attacks c... -
Dawn - 16:59 Mar 19, 2026
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on the US and Isreal to end the war on Iran while urging Tehran to stop “attacking your neighbours”. “Let me start by two clear messages. First, to the United States and to Israel: It’s high time to end this war that is risking to get completely out of control, causing immense suffering on civilians and with propagation around the global economy, that is really dramatic with potential tragic consequences, especially for the least developed countries,” Guterres told reporters in Brussels after he met with European Union leaders. Then, turning his attention to Iran, he said: “Stop attacking your neighbours; they were never parties to the conflict.” Guterres’s remarks come as the US-Israel war on Iran rages on. It began was Washington and Tel Aviv launching strikes on Iran on February 28, which also resulted in the assassination of supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The war has expanded since, with Iran targeting US assets and bases in Gulf cou... -
Dawn - 15:57 Mar 19, 2026
On what should be a time of celebration, families across Pakistan will instead be marking Eid in mourning, after their loved ones working in the Gulf were killed in the Iran conflict. At least 23 workers from countries including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh were killed or reported missing since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, according to an Anadolu tally. Muzaffar Ali, a 28-year-old from Sindh province, was among those killed when shrapnel from a missile struck his car in Dubai. He left behind three young children, the eldest just 7 years old. “He went to Dubai four years ago in search of a better life,” his uncle Abdul Hakim told Anadolu by phone. “He was paying off the loans he had taken from relatives for the move. The last time we spoke, he told me he had nearly paid off everything he owed. Now he could finally settle down.” “Shrapnel wounded his face. He died at the hospital,” Hakim said. “I don’t know who will feed his family. He was the breadwinner.” Ali was among three Pakistanis confir... -
Dawn - 15:51 Mar 19, 2026
KHYBER: The dead body of an Afghan national, lying at Zero Point on the Torkham border for the past several days, was finally handed over to Afghan authorities by a delegation of local tribal elders on Thursday. The development comes a day after Pakistan announced that it had decided on a “temporary pause” in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban in view of Eidul Fitr and “at the request of brotherly Islamic countries”. The dead body was spotted by locals, who had recorded videos and reported the matter to security officials. The delegation of local elders, comprising Malak Tajuddin, Mufti Ejaz, Shah Khalid, Qari Jihad Shah, Qari Nazeem Gul and Saeed Khan, visited the Torkham border to retrieve the body. Khalid, told Dawn that the delegation remained in contact with the local security officials and Afghan delegates during the last week despite the security situation. He said that their Afghan counterparts on March 13 had acknowledged that the dead man was an Afghan national and a dai... -
Dawn - 15:39 Mar 19, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday acknowledged Turkiye’s constructive role in promoting peace efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The development comes a day after Pakistan decided on a “temporary pause” in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban in view of Eidul Fitr and “at the request of brotherly Islamic countries”, including Turkiye. According to a statement by the PM Office, the prime minister held a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which they exchanged views on Afghanistan. “The prime minister acknowledged Turkiye’s constructive role in promoting peace efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in the recently announced temporary ceasefire, over the Eid days,” the statement said. During the exchange, the prime minister reiterated his strong condemnation of the ongoing escalation in the region, particularly the missile attacks on Turkiye, the statement said. “The entire Pakistani nation stood in solidarity with their Turki... -
Dawn - 15:37 Mar 19, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday issued a statement rejecting the comments made by Israel’s ambassador to India, calling them a “baseless characterisation”. The FO statement referred to a video clip of the Israeli ambassador circulating on social media and said: “We firmly reject this baseless characterisation. The real record of aggression and rogue conduct is evident in the illegal occupation, the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the indictment of Israeli leadership in international courts. “Responsible states uphold international law — not deflect from it.” While the statement did not specify which clip was being referred to, it was issued after a video of Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, during an interview with Indian news anchor Arnab Goswami began circulating on social media. During the interview, Goswami asked Azar about a defence pact signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — which was signed in September 2025 and states that “any aggression against either country shall be ... -
Dawn - 15:02 Mar 19, 2026
The government appealed to the public on Thursday to adopt fuel-conservation measures to “avert the risk of petroleum products’ supply getting affected in the coming days”. The appeal was made in a handout issued after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, where fuel-conservation and austerity measures recently announced by the government were reviewed. Last week, the government announced unprecedented austerity measures to cope with the situation that emerged due to the US-Israel war on Iran, which has led to a global oil crisis affecting various countries, including Pakistan. The measures included a 50 per cent cut in fuel allowance for official vehicles and a four-day work week. It was also decided that 50pc of staff in the public sector would work from home; however, those providing essential services are exempt. The meeting held on Thursday to review the situation was briefed about the country’s fuel reserves and consumption, as well as petroleum products’ cargoes, the handout ... -
Dawn - 14:40 Mar 19, 2026
On the 20th day of the US-Israel war against Iran, the conflict stood on the threshold of an all-out regional war, with strikes on energy infrastructure now defining its deadly trajectory while diplomatic efforts struggled to keep pace. The past 24 hours indicated a clear shift from a primarily military contest to one increasingly centred on economic targets. Israeli strikes on Iranian energy assets, particularly gas processing facilities linked to the South Pars field, represented an expansion of the battlefield. Though Iranian oil depots had previously been attacked by Israel and Iran had in response struck an Israeli refinery in Haifa, the scale, symbolism and strategic intent behind Israel’s South Pars operation triggered an immediate and far broader Iranian retaliation, with ballistic missile and drone strikes that set Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub ablaze, damaged Kuwait’s major refineries and hit Saudi and Bahraini energy sites. With this threshold now crossed, the conflict is now set to move into a sustai... -
Dawn - 14:33 Mar 19, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday categorically rejected the statement by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over Pakistan’s missile capabilities posing a threat to the country. Gabbard had listed Pakistan among states that pose a significant threat to the United States, warning US lawmakers that Islamabad’s evolving missile capabilities could potentially put the American homeland within range. In a statement, FO spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said, “Pakistan categorically rejects the recent assertion by a United States official alleging a potential threat from Pakistan’s missile capabilities.” He highlighted that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities were exclusively defensive in nature, aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia. “Its missile programme, which remains well below intercontinental range, is firmly rooted in the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence vis-à-vis India,” he said. “In contrast, India’s development of missile cap... -
Dawn - 14:19 Mar 19, 2026
Jemima Goldsmith, the former spouse of PTI founder Imran Khan, on Thursday alleged that the government was reccomending that the former premier’s son travel to Pakistan on National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops) as they would have “no British protection”. She issued the statement on the social media platform X in response to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. On Wednesday, the minister said Imran’s children were welcome to visit Pakistan on Nicops, for which no visa was required, provided they “fully comply with the laws of Pakistan during their stay”. “We all know that the reason you are refusing their visas and recommending they travel on Nicop cards (which they don’t have presently) is because that way they will have no British protection if you choose to arrest them on arrival,” Jemima said on X. Kasim and his older brother Suleiman live in London with their mother and will have to travel to Pakistan to meet Imran, who is imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Tarar’s suggestion on We... -
Dawn - 13:54 Mar 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Telecommunication companies announced on Thursday the launch of 5G services in some parts of the country after they were awarded licences for 5G spectrum at a ceremony in Islamabad, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also spoke. The government completed its spectrum auction in Islamabad last week, in which 480 megahertz (MHz) were sold for $507 million. The three bidders — Zong, Jazz and Ufone — competed heavily for the 2,600MHz band, a key frequency range for 5G services. Zong acquired 110MHz, Ufone 180MHz and Jazz 190MHz during the auction. The licence agreements for the services were signed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Licensing Director General Brig (retd) Aamir Shahzad and senior management of Jazz, Ufone and Zong. In a press release, Jazz announced that in the first phase of 5G rollout, the services were being provided across 180 sites in Islamabad, all four provincial capitals — Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta — as well as in Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. “Jazz is deliv... -
Dawn - 13:13 Mar 19, 2026
Preparations for the end of Ramadan were in full swing at a beauty salon in the Punjab, with customers getting haircuts, eyebrow-threading and henna tattoos. In Multan’s markets, crowds of women young and old shopped for colourful bangles, shoes, new clothes, make-up and sweet treats. But in Multan and elsewhere in Pakistan, the ripple effects of the US-Israeli war against Iran were being felt. “It feels very different because inflation has risen so much due to the ongoing war. Every poor person is distressed. It is affecting them deeply,” said make-up artist Rozina Amjad. Chaand Raat — the eve of Eidul Fitr — used to be “lively”, Amjad told AFP, adding: “Now that charm is gone. It’s not like it used to be.” Pakistan is reliant on oil and gas from the Gulf but since war broke out last month, fuel supply pressures have seen prices rise at the pump and government austerity measures. Rising oil prices have pushed up costs across the board, affecting purchasing power before the most important festival in the Musl... -
Dawn - 13:02 Mar 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: PTI leaders on Thursday were yet again denied a meeting with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, who is imprisoned in Adiala jail. Speaking to Dawn, Advocate Niazullah Niazi said that as per directions of the court, PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja had shared a list of six persons with jail authorities for a meeting Imran. “We reached the jail and waited for approval but we did not receive any message from the jail administration that the meeting would be allowed,” he lamented. He said that during Ramazan, jail meetings were allowed till 3pm. “We waited there till 3:15pm and then decided to leave,” he said. “We also asked officials about the medical team, which visited Adiala jail on Wednesday and examined Imran, and demanded a medical report but we were informed that the report will be handed over to the Islamabad Chief Commissioner, who would then submit it to the court. We were told that we should approach the court to get the medical report,” Niazi said. Niazi said that he was the spo... -
Dawn - 11:54 Mar 19, 2026
KARACHI: Twenty people died and eight were injured as a result of a thunderstorm that swept through Karachi on Wednesday night, the city police said on Thursday. Heavy rain and strong winds lashed the city and caused casualties related to falling debris and wall collapses, as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said a westerly wave was affecting most parts of the country. Additional Inspector General of Police Azad Khan told Dawn that, according to police records, 13 of the deaths occurred during a wall collapse in Saeedabad and two more due to a wall collapse in Quaidabad. Two were also injured in a wall collapse in Keamari. Separately, roof collapses killed one and injured three people in Gulistan-i- Jauhar, as well as causing one death and two injuries in the Mominabad area of Orangi Town. One person also died in a roof collapse in Malir’s Sukhan area, while one person died and one was injured in Clifton after being hit by debris from the storm. Additionally, Khan said that one death was caused by...
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