Dawn
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Dawn - 06:23 Jul 19, 2026
The 21st century’s cultural terrain has fostered an unusual sociological phenomenon: the over-analysis of an entire demographic. Whereas researchers have studied youth cohorts since the 1960s, none have faced quite as intense a spotlight as Generation Z (henceforth Gen-Z). Born between 1997 and 2012, this group is the first to be fed constant digital data portraits of their own behaviour. Cultural commentators repeatedly insist that Gen-Z do not strive for traditional academic or career goals and are rebuffing them. Yet, in a case of what is referred to as a meta-paradox, Gen-Z are feeling the pressure to perform the very definitions assigned to them by market analysts and some sociologists. When corporate-backed surveys repeatedly declare that Gen-Z is anxious, boundary-setting and radical, the generation feels compelled to stage their lives to match these expectations, simply to feel visible. This performative trap exists in the various spaces that this generation largely operates in. Data portraits from fi... -
Dawn - 06:22 Jul 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has summoned Noreen Niazi, sister of former incarcerated prime minister Imran Khan, to appear before it on Monday, July 20, over allegations of disseminating “false, offensive and inflammatory” content against state institutions. “You have been found to have disseminated false, offensive and inflammatory social media content to defame state institutions and spread fake narratives,” stated the NCCIA notice dated July 18 said. The agency directed her to appear at its G-13/3 office in Islamabad in connection with an inquiry. “In case of non-compliance, it will be assumed that you have nothing to present or state in your defence,” the notice further stated, adding that non-compliance was punishable under Section 174 of the Pakistan Penal Code. While the notice did not specify the content in relation to which Niazi has been summoned, it was issued after a clip of her making claims in relation to last year’s brief military conflict between Pakistan an... -
Dawn - 05:58 Jul 19, 2026
• Only 370 of 783 commercial and residential projects found in compliance with fire safety rules • 416 buildings do not have emergency exits • Survey raises concerns over emergency preparedness in commercial and residential buildings KARACHI: A comprehensive fire safety audit of buildings across the city has revealed widespread non-compliance with basic safety standards, raising concerns over emergency preparedness in the city’s commercial and residential structures. The audit, conducted across seven districts, assessed 783 buildings on four key parameters — adherence to approved layout, availability of emergency exits, presence of portable fire extinguishers, and overall risk categorisation. The exercise was ordered by the provincial government following the devastating fire at Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road that had killed scores of people in January. The chief secretary had constituted sub-divisional fire safety audit committees headed by assistant commissioners to conduct the survey. According to the conso... -
Dawn - 05:50 Jul 19, 2026
LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday granted interim pre-arrest bail to Sohail Lashari, the CEO of Sozo Water Park, till Aug 1 in a case related to the death of a minor girl in a swimming pool at the recreational facility. Additional District & Sessions Judge Nasir Mahmood Sial heard Lashari’s bail petition. The judge directed the suspect to join the investigation and summoned the case record from the police at the next hearing. The judge also restrained the police from arresting him till the next hearing. The Batapur Police had registered the case following the death of the girl, 9, who became trapped in a drainage pipe of a swimming pool at the park due to the alleged negligence of its staff. The district administration had also sealed the park and the police arrested three officials of the facility. Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026 -
Dawn - 05:47 Jul 19, 2026
LAHORE: Police are still awaiting forensic and post-mortem reports to determine the cause of mysterious deaths of four members of a US-based family, including a woman and her three children, who were found dead in a rented house in Valencia Town two days ago. The deceased were identified as Aleena and her children Rehan (16), Aresha (11) and Arsal (6). According to investigators, the family had recently returned to Pakistan from the United States and had been living in a rented house. Police had taken Aleena’s husband Nasir Dogar into custody for questioning before releasing him after recording his statement on Saturday. Police quoted Dogar as saying that he had gone to the market and found his wife and children lying unconscious when he returned home. They were later pronounced dead. He told the investigators that his wife had been suffering from mental health issues for the past three to four years and she was receiving treatment for the last six months. He claimed that his wife was still conscious when he ... -
Dawn - 05:44 Jul 19, 2026
The United States launched new strikes on Iran early on Sunday after the US military earlier announced that two US military personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing following an Iranian attack. Later, Iran’s army said it had targeted two US bases in Kuwait with drones in response to American attacks on Iranian territory. The Islamic republic’s army said it carried out “large-scale attacks with kamikaze drones against the US military’s ammunition depot at Camp Udairi and the Patriot radar system and air surveillance radar at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait”, according to a statement carried by the state broadcaster. Before the US strikes, Iran’s supreme leader said Washington would pay for “seeking to escalate the conflict”. US Central Command said in a statement that the airstrikes began at 6pm ET (2200 GMT), at President Donald Trump’s direction. “The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolu... -
Dawn - 05:12 Jul 19, 2026
Abdul Rauf, a 52-year-old daily wager, clutches a crumpled prescription in his hand at a pharmacy. His doctor has prescribed him medicine for his back pain and high blood pressure. But the total cost is almost double what he paid last year. With a sigh, he picks only two of the four prescribed items. “What is the point of medicines being available if I cannot afford them?” he mutters. They say the shortage is over, but for people like him, the suffering continues. He’s among many others who are forced to compromise their health due to financial constraints. In Rawalpindi’s busy markets, pharmacy shelves that once stood bare now brim with medicines. From insulin to psychiatric drugs and even cancer treatments, supplies are no longer scarce, thanks to the government that deregulated prices of non-essential medicines. But for patients, availability means little when the price tags remain out of reach. This paradox stems from a major policy decision taken in February 2024, when the government deregulated prices o... -
Dawn - 05:03 Jul 19, 2026
WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb arrived in Washington on Saturday evening for a three-day visit during which he is expected to hold talks with US officials on trade, finance and investment. Pakistan and the United States will resume negotiations on Monday on a broader bilateral economic partnership, diplomatic sources told Dawn. During his visit, Aurangzeb is scheduled to meet officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the US Export-Import Bank, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sources said. A key focus of the visit will be discussions on the framework for a potential bilateral trade agreement aimed at expanding trade and investment between the two countries. The talks are expected to cover tariffs, market access, investment opportunities and broader economic cooperation. Meetings with the Exim Bank and the DFC are also expected to explore avenues for financing infrastructure, energy and priv... -
Dawn - 04:36 Jul 19, 2026
IN a Los Angeles courtroom, Kaley G.M., 20, described a childhood consumed by social media. She began using YouTube at six and Instagram at nine. On one occasion, she said, she spent 16 hours on Instagram. By 10, she had uploaded 240 videos and created nine other accounts to like and comment on. She told jurors that the platforms disrupted her sleep, education and friendships, and worsened anxiety, depression and body-image problems. Meta and Google argued that her difficulties had other causes, including bullying and a troubled home life. Her lawyers instead focused on platform design: autoplay, infinite feeds and notifications intended to keep users engaged. After more than 40 hours of deliberations, the jury found both companies negligent. What made the verdict historic was that it emerged from the first US jury trial of its kind, holding the companies responsible not for material posted by users, but for the design and operation of the platforms themselves. Kaley’s case was not an isolated tragedy. In 202... -
Dawn - 04:24 Jul 19, 2026
PAKISTAN’S power elite, particularly those within the security structures, has rarely lacked confidence, maintaining an optimism that ground realities seldom justify. Over the decades, the sources of this self-assurance have shifted, from military might to the country’s critical geopolitical location, and now to physical resources, chief among them the critical minerals concentrated in the turbulent province of Balochistan. What remains constant is not the source of hope, but the elite’s persistent unwillingness to reconcile it with Pakistan’s actual sociological, political and economic indicators, which tell a far less reassuring story. The power elite might not have been surprised by the European Commission’s latest report on the implementation of the GSP-Plus, which flagged certain compliance issues. This latest assessment comes at a time when Pakistani exporters enjoy preferential access to the European market in return for implementing 27 international conventions covering human rights, labour rights, en... -
Dawn - 04:04 Jul 19, 2026
THE Islamabad MoU, and the broader US-Iran ceasefire this document is supposed to underpin, is unravelling before our eyes. Following a recent escalation, Washington and Tehran have been trading fire across the Gulf, with each round more intense than the last. The US has struck locations in Iran, while Tehran has responded in kind by hitting targets in the GCC states allied with the US, as well as in Iraq, Jordan and Syria. Both sides have hit civilian sites, including water plants. The immediate trigger for hostilities was Iran’s demand that only its ‘approved’ route be used for transit of the Strait of Hormuz. Its attacks on ships using ‘unauthorised’ routes invited an American military response. Apparently, both sides were reading the MoU’s clause regarding the vital strait differently. Yet beyond Hormuz, Israel’s attacks in Lebanon have also put great strain on the MoU. As of Saturday, the MoU seemed all but dead, as Iran’s deputy foreign minister has said his country is “no longer implementing” its commi... -
Dawn - 03:05 Jul 19, 2026
• Resolution calls for compensation, water royalty, plan for protection of glaciers • Opp leader calls for probe into use of climate funds, alleges corruption GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan lawmakers have asked the federal government to establish a “special green fund” to protect its fast-melting glaciers and preserve its fragile ecosystem from the impacts of global warming, while also calling for a probe into funds allocated for climate change. In a resolution unanimously approved by the house, the lawmakers said the mountainous region faced a serious threat due to climate change, which also posed risks to future generations. The house demanded the federal government provide compensation, water rights, and water royalty through development packages, saying the move would be in accordance with the principles of justice and fairness. “Therefore, we urge the federal government to establish a green fund for preserving its natural environment and water resources, promoting clean water projects, supporting waste man... -
Dawn - 02:53 Jul 19, 2026
• Set to meet Trump after latest round of talks with Israel, seeks US support for ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal • Hezbollah holds mass funeral, stages rally to reject disarmament • Israeli strikes, border violence persist despite truce; US renews travel warning amid regional security tensions BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun left Beirut on Saturday for Washington, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump, his office said, after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks wrapped up in Italy. Aoun will hold discussions “with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire”, particularly in the south, as well as on “the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies”, the presidency said. It will be the first trip to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009. Israel and Lebanon, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, began US-sponsored negotiations in April aimed at reaching a peace deal an... -
Dawn - 02:43 Jul 19, 2026
• Health minister says 16 contracts, 80 MoUs finalised • Agreements include 18 deals related to herbal medicines ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s agreements with Chinese companies reached $850 million on the concluding day of the two-day Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference. During a media briefing on the second day of the event, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said on Saturday said 16 contracts and 80 memoranda of understanding had been finalised. He termed it a key economic milestone for cooperation between the two countries in the pharmaceutical sector. He said an environment had been created for local production of health equipment and investment in the country. Sharing details, Mr Kamal said contracts worth $600m and MoUs worth $250m had been signed. He said these included 18 agreements related to herbal medicines. He acknowledged growing business-to-business ties between Pakistani and Chinese firms and welcomed investment from Chinese companies as an important step towards ... -
Dawn - 02:35 Jul 19, 2026
BANNU / WANA: Five terrorists were killed by security forces and law enforcement agencies in separate operations in Bannu, Lower South Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Three terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Bakakhel area of Bannu district. According to security sources, the operation was launched after credible intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area. The security forces raided their hideout, triggering an exchange of fire in which three terrorists were killed. Officials said targeted operations against terrorist networks were continuing across Bannu. Security forces, in coordination with Bannu police, expanded operations in Bakakhel, Janikhel, Miryan, Sarra Dargah and the Wazir sub-division to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and prevent planned attacks. The intensified campaign followed the attempted vehicle-borne bombing of Miryan police station on July 15. Meanwhile, Bannu police confirmed that 28 suspects we... -
Dawn - 02:30 Jul 19, 2026
Mourners shower rose petals on a vehicle carrying coffins of the martyred police personnel.—AFP • Thousands attend funeral prayers offered at Quetta’s Ayub Stadium amid strict security arrangements • Koila Phatak, police stations, educational institutions renamed after martyrs • Bugti reaffirms commitment to ensuring timely implementation of accord QUETTA: The policemen who were martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack were buried in their native towns on Saturday after their funeral prayers were offered at Ayub Stadium, Quetta, attended by thousands of people following the culmination of a 10-day-long sit-in by their relatives. The sit-in committee agreed to call off the protest after a Friday-night agreement with the provincial government, in which all of their demands, including the call for a judicial probe, were accepted. Besides other measures, the government also agreed to constitute a judicial commission to probe the attacks in Ziarat and Hanna Urak, in which a total of 32 people — 27 policemen in Zia... -
Dawn - 02:09 Jul 19, 2026
• Falls to 11,592 containers worth $367m in FY26 • Afghanistan increasingly relies on Iran, Central Asian trade routes • Reverse transit collapses from $454m in FY25 to just $7m ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan-Pakistan transit trade has suffered one of its steepest declines, plunging to just 11,592 containers worth $367 million in the outgoing fiscal year from nearly 89,000 containers valued at $5 billion before the Taliban returned to power, as Kabul’s growing reliance on Iranian routes and Pakistan’s border curbs reshaped the decades-old trade corridor. At first glance, the collapse appears to validate the widely held view that Pakistan’s decision to close its border with Afghanistan in October 2025 over security concerns brought bilateral transit trade to a standstill. However, while the border closure undoubtedly accelerated the decline, data shows that transit trade had already begun losing momentum well before Islamabad adopted its most strict restrictions. Trade analysts say the border closure did not initiate ... -
Dawn - 02:03 Jul 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: In a case involving the multi-billion-rupee public project of Parliament Lodges extension that has remained unfinished for nearly 15 years, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday mounted an attack on the arbitration award of over Rs643 million in favour of the contractor, alleging that the award was the product of “legal misconduct”, jurisdictional overreach and a complete disregard of contractual obligations. The arguments were concluded before Additional District Judge (West) Amir Zia, who is hearing the CDA’s appeal against an earlier judgement. The matter has now been adjourned until Sept 19. Appearing for the CDA, Advocate Kashif Ali Malik argued that the case illustrated how “the victim has been turned into the accused”, with a public authority allegedly being directed to compensate a contractor whose project, according to the CDA, still stands incomplete years after its contractual completion date. The dispute concerns construction of 104 family suites for members of the parliam... -
Dawn - 02:02 Jul 19, 2026
Bangladeshi vessel unloads steel billets destined for the UAE.—Courtesy GPA GWADAR: Commercial operations at Gwadar Port continue uninterrupted despite the prevailing regional maritime tensions, with another transhipment vessel arriving at the port to handle cargo, underscoring growing international confidence in Pakistan’s deep-sea port. According to official details, the Bangladesh-flagged vessel M/V Jahan Brothers II berthed at Gwadar Port on Saturday after sailing from Singapore. The ship is carrying 53,064.660 tonnes of prime steel billets, which are ultimately destined for Al Hamriyah Port in the United Arab Emirates. The cargo will be temporarily unloaded and stored at Gwadar Port before being reloaded onto another vessel for onward shipment to the UAE as part of a transhipment operation. Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Noor-ul-Haq Baloch said the continuation of port and commercial activities despite regional challenges demonstrates that Gwadar is establishing itself as a safe, reliable and efficient... -
Dawn - 02:01 Jul 19, 2026
QUETTA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said dialogue is the only sustainable solution to Balochistan’s political issues, reaffirming that the party believes in meaningful political engagement with all parties, whether in government or in the opposition. Mr Bhutto-Zardari said lasting peace in Balochistan could only be achieved through political dialogue. “The PPP has always believed in constructive engagement with all political forces, regardless of whether they are in government or the opposition,” he said. The PPP chairman also reaffirmed the party’s unwavering stance against terrorism, stating that his party had maintained a clear and consistent position against terrorism and would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the state institutions and the people in the fight against militancy. He made these remarks during a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti at Zardari House in Islamabad on Saturday. CM Sarfraz Bugti says multiparty conference to be convened soon According to t...
12392 items