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Dawn - 08:46 May 22, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan was taking measures on a priority basis to increase foreign investment in the country, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s House (PMO). He made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation from Qatar’s Taameer Group, led by its founder Mohammad Al Ali, the PMO said in a statement. “Qatar is a longstanding friend of Pakistan that has always stood by the country in difficult times,” PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying. “We are taking measures on a priority basis to increase foreign investment. Obstacles hindering investment have been removed under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC),” he said. The premier further said that Pakistan had vast potential for investment in tourism and hospitality, as well as the real estate and construction sectors. He directed the authorities concerned to “provide facilitation and support to the group” on investment in the country. The statement went on to say that the company’s founder briefed the... -
Dawn - 07:33 May 22, 2026
The Ministry of Energy’s Power Division on Friday warned electricity consumers against fraudulent activities being carried out by hackers and criminal elements under the guise of a government subsidy scheme. In an advisory issued for consumers, the Power Division spokesperson said certain elements were attempting to steal users’ personal information through fake QR codes and suspicious online links related to electricity bill subsidies. The spokesperson said consumers were being asked to click on a specific link and share personal information through a four-step process. After entering the details, users were further asked to provide a six-digit verification code on the same link. The spokesperson cautioned that such methods were illegal and fraudulent, adding that some elements were using QR codes to achieve malicious objectives. The Power Division urged consumers not to enter their personal information either digitally or on paper for obtaining electricity subsidies. The spokesperson further said law enforc... -
Dawn - 07:00 May 22, 2026
IHC bans killing of stray dogs, orders authorities to implement humane methods of population control
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday imposed a permanent ban on the poisoning, shooting, and indiscriminate killing of stray dogs in the federal capital, directing authorities to implement a “catch, neuter, vaccinate and release” programme for controlling the population. In a 24-page detailed judgment, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro disposed of two constitutional petitions challenging the alleged non-implementation of the Stray Dog Population Control Policy for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The petitions were filed by an Islamabad resident named Niloofar and others. The court ordered the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the ICT administration and other relevant bodies to ensure that no arbitrary, ad hoc or inhumane action was taken against stray dogs. The judgement noted with concern photographic evidence produced during proceedings showing dead dogs in a CDA vehicle, observing that the respondents could not furnish any satisfactory explanatio... -
Dawn - 06:00 May 22, 2026
Oil prices climbed on Friday but were on track for a weekly loss as investors doubted the prospects of a breakthrough in US-Iran peace talks. Brent crude futures rose $1.66, or 1.6 per cent, to $104.24 a barrel by 0405 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were up $1.11, or 1.2pc, at $97.46. On a weekly basis, Brent was 4.6pc lower and WTI was down 7.6pc, with prices fluctuating sharply as expectations for a peace deal shifted. A senior Iranian source told Reuters gaps with the US have narrowed and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of “some good signs” in talks, but the countries are still divided on Tehran’s uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz. “Oil prices would only trend lower when oil market fundamentals materially improve, which looks destined to stretch into 2027,” said David Oxley, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics. Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire took effect, efforts to end the war have shown little progress, while elevated oil prices have fuelled co... -
Dawn - 02:15 May 22, 2026
• Minister says no proof of Pakistanis being singled out in Gulf state • Reveals 3,494 Pakistani nationals deported between January and April, describes reports of victimisation as ‘propaganda’ ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Thursday told the Senate that around 3,494 Pakistanis had been deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between January and April this year, but claimed there was no evidence suggesting that Pakistani nationals were being specifically targeted in the Gulf state. Responding to a calling attention notice moved by upper house opposition leader Raja Nasir Abbas, Samina Mumtaz Zehri and Azam Swati on the issue, the minister said those deported included individuals involved in various criminal cases, while some had been sent back under administrative actions taken by the UAE authorities. These deportations, he continued, could not be linked to any discriminatory policy against Pakistani nationals, noting that over two million Pakistanis were residing in th... -
Dawn - 19:11 May 21, 2026
WASHINGTON: Professor Rayaz Malik, a British-Pakistani scientist based in Qatar, says a simple AI-powered eye scan lasting just two to three minutes may soon help doctors detect dementia and diabetic nerve damage years before symptoms appear. Professor Malik, a leading researcher in diabetic neuropathy and neurodegenerative diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, told Dawn that the technology could transform early diagnosis and treatment, particularly in countries with soaring diabetes rates such as Pakistan. Speaking to Dawn, he explained how researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine are using this technology, known as corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), to identify nerve damage years before patients begin showing symptoms. “The cornea has the richest sensory innervation in the body,” he said, explaining why the eye offers a unique window into diseases affecting the nervous system. “We evolved to protect vision, so the cornea contains a dense network of nerves that can reveal damage occurring elsewhere in the b... -
Dawn - 18:46 May 21, 2026
LAHORE: A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital to investigate allegations of medical negligence after a patient reportedly underwent surgery without mandatory HIV screening and later tested positive for the virus. The incident has triggered concern among healthcare staff over possible exposure and lapses in infection-control protocols. According to an order issued by the hospital’s medical superintendent, a four-member inquiry committee will investigate the incident and submit its findings within two days. Dr Riwad Noor, a member of the inquiry committee and in-charge of infectious diseases, told Dawn that they would conduct the inquiry on Friday and submit the report on Saturday. He said the situation was under control and that preventive measures had been taken to disinfect all surgical instruments. Hospital sources said the surgery was performed on Tuesday, May 19, in the hospital’s operating theatre. A junior doctor had reportedly flagged during pre-operative file... -
Dawn - 18:20 May 21, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: A young Kashmiri educationist who had earlier fled occupied Kashmir was critically wounded in a targeted daylight attack in Muzaffarabad on Thursday. The attacker, however, was arrested within half an hour after fleeing through a residential locality along a ravine. The weapon used in the attack was also recovered, police and witnesses said. The victim, Arjumand Gulzar Dar, was the principal and managing director of Allama Iqbal Memorial School, an educational institution operating in a rented building along Muzaffarabad’s Western Bypass. Originally hailing from Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama district, he had arrived in Pakistan in January 2018 for higher studies. He had reportedly married into the family of a post-1989 migrant from his home district around three years earlier and was the father of a young son, family sources said. Hospital sources said Dar sustained three bullet wounds and remained on a ventilator in critical condition. Police sources said Dar, whose social media activity op... -
Dawn - 18:19 May 21, 2026
NAROWAL: A warning was issued on Thursday stating that the water level in the Chenab River will rise by more than three metres due to the opening of the spillway gates of the Indian Salal Dam, with a risk of silt flushing at the Marala Barrage. Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar has deployed the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority to monitor the river. She told Dawn that an important advisory had been issued by India in view of possible emergency silt flushing at the Salal Dam on the Chenab River from May 21 to May 30. Asghar added that in view of the rising water level, a high alert had been issued at the Marala Barrage and adjacent areas, especially Bajwat. She also appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to rivers and canals and advised them to take precautionary measures. Additionally, the District Emergency Control Room has been activated, and citizens can contact 0529250011 for more information and guidance, Asghar said. The DC directed all relevant departments to monitor the Chena... -
Dawn - 18:11 May 21, 2026
Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody. Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, said that “all foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported from Israel”. “Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” he added. Earlier, the legal centre and rights groups representing the activists, Adalah, said all detained activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition had been released from Israel’s Ktziot prison ahead of deportation. Adalah said it had received “official confirmation” from the Israeli Prison Service and state officials that the detainees had been released. “The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country,” the group said. One of the organisers of the Freedom Flotilla mission, Thiago Avila, in a post on X, said, “Zohar, one of our... -
Dawn - 17:14 May 21, 2026
Security forces have killed 23 terrorists in multiple intelligence-based operations conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement released on Thursday. The military’s media wing said the operations were conducted over the last 48 hours in the areas of Datta Khel, Spinwam and Bannu. “Over the last 48 hours, during the conduct of these series of operations, own troops effectively engaged multiple khwarij locations. Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, twenty three more khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij,” said the ISPR. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balochistan. Among those killed was ring leader Jan Meer alias Toor Saqib, said the ISPR, adding that the ring leader’s death will give “a significant blow to the khwarij networks operating in these areas”. Meer w... -
Dawn - 15:53 May 21, 2026
A five-day-old group that channels Gen Z concerns has gone viral in India, overtaking Instagram followers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), discussing issues like politics, inflation and unemployment — with a touch of humour. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has amassed nearly 15 million followers on Instagram in less than a week, compared with fewer than nine million for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, which says it is the world’s largest political party. The CJP, whose logo is an outline of a cockroach on a mobile phone, calls itself the “Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed.” The group’s 30-year-old founder, Abhijeet Dipke, told Reuters the CJP was so named because of comments by Chief Justice Surya Kant last week comparing some unemployed youth to cockroaches. Kant later said he did not mean to criticise young people but was referring to those with fake and bogus degrees who were like parasites. “This is a movement to change the political discourse of India,” Dipke said from Boston, where he has ... -
Dawn - 15:48 May 21, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday lauded the “steadfast” Pakistan–China friendship, maintaining that Beijing has supported Islamabad in an “unwavering fashion unmatched in the annals of history”. The premier was addressing a ceremony in Islamabad to mark the 75th anniversary of Pakistan–China diplomatic relations. The prime minister began his speech by extending felicitations to the Chinese leadership and people on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan. “Seventy-five years ago, our founding fathers laid the foundation of our bilateral diplomatic relations,” he said, adding: “Pakistan was the first Muslim country to recognise China and one of the first countries in the world to do so.” “Through our mutual efforts and endeavours, and above all, sincerity of purpose, we have built a relationship that is second to none and very unique in the world,” he said. He said that throughout these 75 years, the Chinese leadership and people have stood with Pakistan like a “solid rock”. “Earthquakes, flood... -
Dawn - 15:46 May 21, 2026
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) successfully completed its pre-Haj flight operations on Thursday, according to a PIA spokesperson. This year, over 53,000 pilgrims were transported to Saudi Arabia for Haj via 210 flights of the airline, the spokesperson said. The success rate of these flights was 97 per cent, i.e., more than 97pc of flights departed on time. This was 7pc higher than the set target, the spokesperson added. Direct flights were operating from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Quetta for the pre-Haj period. The post-Haj operation is due to start on May 30 and will end on June 30 this year. Meanwhile, PIA has completed the necessary steps for the post-Haj operations, the spokesperson elaborated. PIA’s pre-Hajj operation formally commenced on 19 April, with 49,000 pilgrims set to travel under the government scheme, while over 6,000 others under private Hajj group operators were also facilitated through PIA flights. Under the “Route to Makkah” facility, modern immigrat... -
Dawn - 14:53 May 21, 2026
When Donald Trump warned Iran on April 7 that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” a European diplomat in Washington said his government wanted an urgent answer to a chilling question: Was the US president contemplating the use of a nuclear weapon? Across Europe and Asia, the concern went beyond whether Trump’s apocalyptic threat was real or bluster. One fear, the diplomat said, was that Russia could seize the moment to justify similar threats in Ukraine, triggering a nuclear crisis on two continents. European governments immediately sought reassurance through a traditional channel: the US State Department. But according to the diplomat, officials there gave an unsettling response: they didn’t know what Trump meant or what actions his words might portend. The previously unreported episode points to a historic breakdown in American diplomacy. At a moment when a uniquely unpredictable US president is rattling markets and capitals with dramatic pronouncements, governments around the world are scrambling for ... -
Dawn - 14:43 May 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: After PTI leaders were denied a meeting with party founder Imran Khan yet another time on Thursday, MNA Ahad Ali Shah said it seemed his party would “now have to resort to agitation”. “We have reached a conclusion that the government will not arrange meeting with Imran Khan if the party remains peaceful. It seems that now we will have to resort to agitation as the government is not ready to listen to our peaceful requests and demands,” he said while speaking to Dawn. The Islamabad High Court has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where he is incarcerated since 2023. Despite the court order, the former premier has been restricted from meeting visitors for several weeks. On Wednesday, MNA Ahad Ali Shah posted on X that the PTI had submitted a list of six leaders, including him, to Adiala jail authorities for their meeting with Imran. He told Dawn that the leaders reached the Adiala jail around 1:... -
Dawn - 13:37 May 21, 2026
BAJAUR/KHYBER: Two schoolchildren were killed after a quadcopter drone, reportedly operated from an unknown location, struck a hilly area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Thursday. Local residents and official sources told Dawn that the fatal incident occurred in the Shahi Thangi area, located about 25 kilometres from Khar, the district headquarters of Bajaur, around noon. They added that the children were returning home from school when they were hit, leaving them critically wounded. The two boys, aged 10 and 12, were immediately taken by locals to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar for treatment. However, both were pronounced dead upon arrival, they said. It remains unconfirmed where the quadcopter was launched from and who was responsible for the attack. Meanwhile, sources in the local police told Dawn that they have launched an investigation into the incident to determine who was responsible and what the motive was. The killing of two innocent schoolchildren in the strike sparked condemn... -
Dawn - 12:13 May 21, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday condemned Israel’s unlawful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters as well as the arbitrary detention and reported mistreatment of humanitarian workers. The statement came a day after Israel’s far-right national security minister posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground, sparking international condemnation. In the statement released on Thursday, the FO said, “The government of Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the unlawful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli occupying forces in the international waters as well as arbitrary detention and reported mistreatment of humanitarian workers onboard.” The statement said that those detained also reportedly included humanitarian activist Saad Edhi, son of prominent social worker Faisal Edhi and grandson of late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi. “Pakistan demands the immediate release of all ... -
Dawn - 11:59 May 21, 2026
The Afghan Taliban government’s new decree governing the separation of spouses “reinforces systemic discrimination” and erodes the rights of Afghan women and girls, the United Nations said on Thursday. Published in mid-May, the 31-article code sets out various grounds for separation in Afghanistan, including a husband’s prolonged disappearance, “incompatibility” between couples, renunciation of Islam and “failure on the part of the husband”. The decree, which appeared in the country’s Official Gazette, also states that marriage contracts drawn up by relatives “on behalf of a minor boy or girl” can be annulled, which suggests child marriage is permitted in Afghanistan, according to the UN. In most cases, the procedures for women seeking a separation are more complicated than those for men. The document, approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, “is part of a broader and deeply concerning trajectory in which the rights of Afghan women and girls are being eroded”, said Georgette Gagnon, deputy special re... -
Dawn - 11:32 May 21, 2026
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir reaffirmed on Thursday that Pakistan’s fight against terrorism “will continue with full national resolve” until “enduring peace and stability” were achieved across the country, the military’s media wing said. CDF Munir made the declaration at an investiture ceremony held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi to confer military awards on officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. The CDF was the chief guest at the ceremony, where he “conferred awards on the families of shuhada (martyrs), officers and soldiers in recognition of exceptional gallantry in operations and distinguished services rendered to the nation”, the statement said. It added that awards conferred on the occasion included 50 Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and 12 Tamgha-i-Basalat. “Medals awarded posthumously were received with honour by families of shuhada,” it said. “Shuhada and Ghazis remain th...
10706 items