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Dawn - 15:08 May 09, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the government’s priority in the upcoming budget was to provide relief to the common man, stating that all-out resources will be utilised to reduce the financial difficulties of the poor and the middle class. Chairing a meeting on the preparation of the federal budget 2025-26, the premier directed that the upcoming budget should be prepared with a focus on sustainable export-driven growth and considering the projects to promote industries and increase production “The budget should also focus extensively on the creation of jobs, agriculture, information technology, small and medium enterprises, and the housing sector,” he added. The prime minister said that the government and private sector must work together for development and prosperity. Calling the public-private partnerships and youth vocational training among the government’s priorities, the premier noted that positive results were emerging from the power sector reforms, as the reduction in electricity pr... -
Dawn - 14:04 May 09, 2025
Thousands of people rallied on Friday outside the residence of Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, demanding that he ban the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, 84, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown by student-led mass protests in August 2024 and fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace. Friday’s rally came after the sudden departure of Abdul Hamid, a former leader of Hasina’s Awami League party, from Bangladesh early on Thursday. A crowd, mainly made up of young people, had started gathering outside Yunus’ residence on Thursday night. Hasnat Abdullah, the chief organiser of the newly formed National Citizen’s Party, said the demonstration would continue until their demands were met. “Sheikh Hasina robbed the people of Bangladesh of their democratic rights. She manipulated the system to prevent any real opposition from participating in the election,” Kamrul said. “We saw Abdul Hamid leave the country safely. The actions of... -
Dawn - 13:07 May 09, 2025
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced on Friday that Karachi would host the 35th National Games from December 6 to 13 after it was postponed from its initial dates in May. The games were set to be held from May 1-9 in Karachi but were postponed in April due to “unavoidable circumstances,” according to an official letter issued by the Sindh Olympic Association. Murad held a meeting today at CM House with a high-level delegation of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to finalise preparations for the games. He welcomed the opportunity to host National Games, pledging full cooperation to ensure the games are organised in accordance with international standards. He directed all relevant departments to provide essential facilities to athletes, including training, medical care, transportation, and modern infrastructure. CM Murad announced the construction of a new swimming pool and acquisition of modern electronic timing and scoring systems. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the ... -
Dawn - 12:53 May 09, 2025
In war, truth is the first casualty. The Indian media, it would appear, isn’t happy to just kill the truth. Over the last few days, hysterical war-crazed news anchors, buoyed by trolls and pundits on social media, have made every effort to crush the truth, stomp on it, tear it up, chop it into fine pieces, set it on fire and throw away the ashes in the Indian Ocean. When Greek dramatic Aeschylus (525/524 bc — 456/455 bc) coined the phrase, he may have been referring to the propaganda spread by states through scrolls and word of mouth. That was a simpler time — states could get away with untruths and falsehoods, with the other side none the wiser. It takes a different kind of arrogance, however, to try to pull this off in the 21st century, when the information ecosystem is no longer inhibited by geographical limitations or even the imperative of a closed media landscape. Into the metaverse Over the last 24 hours, in particular, the kind of disinformation coming out of the Indian information ecosystem has been ... -
Dawn - 11:41 May 09, 2025
Remittances from overseas Pakistani workers clocked in at $3.2 billion for the month of April, up 13 per cent year-on-year, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data released on Friday. Topline Securities, a brokerage firm in Karachi, noted, “Worker remittances clocked in at US$3.2bn, up 13pc YoY in Apr-2025. “This takes 10MFY25 remittances to US$31bn, up 31pc YoY,” it added. According to the firm, inflows during April were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($725m), UAE ($658m), UK ($535m), and US ($302m). Earlier, the government had set a target of $35bn in remittances for the current fiscal year (FY25), but financial experts believe the inflow would exceed the estimate. “The inflows could reach up to $36bn in FY25,” said a currency dealer in the banking market. A study published by the Asian Development Bank found that Pakistani migrants tend to remit more when economic conditions are improving back home and when there is a positive association between remittances and domestic economic activity. The stu... -
Dawn - 11:40 May 09, 2025
Pope Leo XIV on Friday celebrated his first Mass in Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel where he was elected less than 24 hours earlier and prayed that his historic papacy can help the Catholic Church be a beacon illuminating “the dark nights of this world”. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost and the first US pope, looked serene as he said the Mass in the famous, frescoed chapel with the same cardinals who chose him to be the 267th pontiff and the successor to Pope Francis. Dressed in relatively simple white and gold vestments, Leo, who was born in Chicago but spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, said a few words in English before continuing his homily in fluent Italian. He painted the spiritual picture of the Church he would like to see under his papacy. “God has …. entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator for the sake of the entire mystical Body of the Church,” he said. “He has done so in order that she may be ever more fully a city set on a hill, an ark... -
Dawn - 11:34 May 09, 2025
Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recovered nearly 4,000 points on Friday after the index suffered its largest-ever plunge a day earlier, causing losses to the tune of Rs820 billion loss to equity investors following Indian drone attacks in major cities across the country. The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 799.65, or 0.77 per cent, to stand at 104,326.46 from the previous close of 103,526.81 at 11:06am. At 4:31pm, the index recovered 3647.82, or 3.52pc, to stand at 107,174.63 from the last close. Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of Topline Securities, said that after falling sharply by 6pc yesterday, the stocks had recovered. “So far, there has been no news of any major escalation which helped restore confidence,” he said. Yousuf M. Farooq, director research at Chase Securities, noted, “Stocks on the PSX remained volatile today, opening higher as participants increasingly factored in that an all-out war with India is unlikely. “Some investors have begun accumulating stocks trading at highly attrac... -
Dawn - 11:32 May 09, 2025
THE October 2023 judgement had been widely hailed as ‘historic’. The one issued by five judges this Tuesday will one day prove equally significant, albeit for entirely different reasons. Earlier this week, while Pakistanis were still cheering for their air force after it successfully tackled the late-night marauders next door, the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench threw a wet blanket on the public mood with the announcement that it was restoring sections of the Pakistan Army Act that allow for civilians to be court-martialled. Ruling with a 5-2 majority, the bench overturned the unanimous decision issued in October 2023 by five senior justices of the Supreme Court — including three who are still serving, most notably the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan — who had ruled that there could be no justification under the Constitution for military trials of civilians. It may be recalled that the original judgement also ruled that all cases against civilians being tried under the Act should be transferred to ci... -
Dawn - 10:10 May 09, 2025
The conflict between India and Pakistan over occupied Kashmir offers a potentially rich intelligence harvest for China in its own rivalry with India as it gleans data from its fighter jets and other weapons used in action by Pakistan. Security analysts and diplomats say China’s military modernisation has reached a point where it has the ability to deeply scrutinise Indian actions in real-time from its border installations and Indian Ocean fleets as well as from space. “From an intelligence perspective, this is a rare target of opportunity right on China’s borders involving a key potential adversary,” said Singapore-based security analyst Alexander Neill. Two US officials said a Chinese-made J-10 Pakistani jet fighter shot down at least two Indian military planes — one of them a French-made Rafale fighter. India has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes while Pakistan’s defence and foreign ministers have confirmed the use of J-10 aircraft but have not commented on which missiles or other weapons were ... -
Dawn - 09:28 May 09, 2025
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the remainder of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 “with immediate effect for one week”, according to a statement on Friday. An IPL match on Thursday was abandoned midway after fighting began in India’s border regions, but the cricket board attributed the disruption to a power failure at the stadium in the hill city of Dharamsala. “Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” said the statement from BCCI Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com. “The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans; while ... -
Dawn - 09:15 May 09, 2025
A dogfight between Chinese-made Pakistani jets and French-made Indian Rafale fighters will be closely scrutinised by militaries seeking insights that could offer an edge in future conflicts. A Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two US officials told Reuters, marking a potential major milestone for Beijing’s advanced fighter jet. The aerial clash is a rare opportunity for militaries to study the performance of pilots, fighter jets and air-to-air missiles in active combat, and use that knowledge to prepare their own air forces for battle. Experts said the live use of advanced weapons would be analysed across the world, including in China and the United States which are both preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan or in the wider Indo-Pacific region. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian figh... -
Dawn - 06:57 May 09, 2025
AS tensions with India continued to escalate, Pakistani officials responded to a number of apparently false claims made by Indian officials and media. On Thursday night, Indian news channels were flooded with reports claiming that India’s air defence systems had shot down Pakistani jets during alleged attacks on multiple locations across Jammu in India-held Kashmir and Punjab in India. Although the claims were widely repeated, no evidence or footage was offered to substantiate them. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed the claims that India shot down Pakistani jets, including an F-16 and two JF-17 fighter jets. He termed the claim “absurd and false”. “Fake and concocted stories will get you nowhere. Such false claims only reflect your desperation. Denied and rejected,” the minister said in a post on X. Separately, speaking to Geo News, the information minister challenged the Indian government to provide proof of downing any PAF fighters or capturing a pilot. “I am 100 per cent denying it. With fulle... -
Dawn - 04:57 May 09, 2025
WASHINGTON: The US has called upon both Pakistan and India to hold “direct talks” to bring down tensions and said it will support any effort, including a neutral probe, to ensure the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are brought to justice. In a press briefing on Thursday, Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokesperson, said the US was aware of Pakistan’s offer for a neutral investigation into the attack. “Pakistan wants an independent investigation … and [the US] want the perpetrators to be held accountable, and we are supportive of any efforts to that end,” she added. When asked if the two neighbours have offered any commitments, Ms Bruce said Secretary Rubio had been clear on two things: “that this should not escalate” and “communication was fundamentally key”. When the spokesperson was asked if the US shared India’s view that Pakistan was supporting terrorist groups, she refrained from affirming the accusation. She said the Pahalgam attack was “awful”, but the “back and forth and continuation” of attack... -
Dawn - 04:42 May 09, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The proper mechanism for determining the seniority of judges remained under discussion before the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday, as it heard an inter-se seniority dispute between judges of the Islamabad High Court. Heading the five-judge CB, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar questioned whether the authority to determine the seniority of superior court judges should lie with the President or the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). He also recalled how, under civil service procedures, when officers were transferred from the surplus pool to a different department, their seniority started from the bottom in the new department. He wondered whether there was any rule or convention for finalising the seniority of judges or whether it should be compared with civil service rules. The bench was hearing a joint petition filed by five IHC judges — Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Saman Rafat Imtiaz — pleading that three transferred ... -
Dawn - 04:29 May 09, 2025
AMERICAN officials have said that Pakistan shot down an Indian jet using fighter aircraft it acquired from China, CNN and Reuters reported on Thursday. CNN cited a senior US official saying as per their assessment, Pakistani forces shot down the jet during India’s air strikes inside Pakistan on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian Air Force jets, including three Rafales. Indian officials have yet to confirm the claim. When asked about the downed planes, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri didn’t answer the question directly, or issue a denial. He merely said that official information on this topic will be shared at the right time, BBC News reported. BBC terms video showing wreckage of French-made jet in Bathinda ‘authentic’ Earlier, on Wednesday, a high-ranking French intelligence official had told CNN that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan. Meanwhile, Reuters cited two US officials as saying that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made ... -
Dawn - 03:05 May 09, 2025
RAWALPINDI/KARACHI: It took an hours-long meeting, consultations with all the stakeholders, before the Pakistan Cricket Board eventually decided that in the view of the escalating tensions with India, it was unsafe to hold the Pakistan Super League in the country. The show, however, will go on with the closing stages of this season’s PSL to be held in the United Arab Emirates. “The PCB confirms that the remaining fixtures of the HBL PSL X have been shifted to the UAE,” the PCB said in a statement in the early hours of Friday morning. “The exact schedule of matches, outlining the dates and venues, will be shared in due course.” Four matches of the league stage of the country’s glitzy T20 extravaganza are still to be held, which will decide which four teams advance to the playoffs. That, after Thursday’s match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, which was to be held at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, was called off hours before the scheduled start time. Pakistan’s military on Thursday said it took down nearly... -
Dawn - 02:25 May 09, 2025
• One casualty each reported from Attock, Rawalpindi, Ghotki districts; four troops wounded in Lahore • Military spokesperson says Israeli-made Harop drones used; calls intrusion ‘a serious, serious provocation’ • India acknowledges carrying out strikes; ISPR chief says New Delhi should ‘transition from cinema into real world’ ISLAMABAD: At least three people lost their lives and seven, including four soldiers, sustained injuries as Pakistan intercepted and destroyed as many as 25 Indian drones that had intruded into its airspace across the country, possibly to target military installations. According to the military, the locations where these drones were neutralised included Lahore, Attock, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, and Bahawalpur in Punjab, as well as Sukkur, Umerkot and Karachi in Sindh. Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the military’s chief spokesperson, confirmed that one civilian lost their life while another sustained injuries in Miano. Moreover, as per police, one person each was slain in Attock an... -
Dawn - 02:21 May 09, 2025
RAWALPINDI / LAHORE: Flight disruptions left hundreds of passengers stranded at the country’s major airports, with many failing to reach their destinations due to last-minute cancellations. Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot airports were the most affected, as air traffic was halted for several hours amid rising tensions between Pakistan and India. However, flight operations at the four airports later resumed on Thursday after temporary suspensions. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) initially said that flight operations at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport would remain suspended until midnight, but they resumed earlier than scheduled. Flight operations at Islamabad, Lahore and Sialkot airports resumed by evening. Earlier in the day, the PAA had temporarily suspended operations at Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot airports until Thursday noon, citing operational reasons. Islamabad International Airport also briefly suspended flights during the day. Later, the PAA extended the closure at Lahore, Is... -
Dawn - 01:36 May 09, 2025
• NEC to meet on May 26 or 27 to approve development programme • 200 ongoing uplift projects likely to be closed • Ahsan says proper allocations cannot be made for key schemes ISLAMABAD: The federal government will present the next fiscal year’s budget on June 2, with a 16 per cent lower development allocation of Rs921 billion, resulting in the likely closure of about 200 ongoing development projects. This was announced at a press conference by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who disclosed that an indicative budget ceiling (IBC) of Rs921bn for the next year provided by the Ministry of Finance was over three times lower than Rs2.9 trillion demanded by the Planning Commission based on requirements of various ministries for development projects. The figure is also around 16pc lower than the current year’s revised allocation of Rs1.1tr, slashed on the instructions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from Rs1.4tr approved by the parliament as part of the federal budget 2024-25. The minister said he would conte... -
Dawn - 01:36 May 09, 2025
KARACHI: India deliberately fired “projectiles” in its Punjab province and blamed Islamabad to prepare grounds for retaliatory attacks, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Thursday. In a press conference, Ishaq Dar said India “deliberately fired” projectiles, three of which were dropped in Amritsar, the capital of Indian Punjab, located around 54km from Lahore. He added that a fourth projectile entered Pakistani airspace, which was shot down by the air defense system in Dinga, Gujrat, around 87km from the nearest point on the India-Pakistan border. Mr Dar’s remarks were in response to claims by New Delhi that it neutralised attempts by Pakistan to hit multiple “military targets” using “drones and missiles” on the night of Wednesday and Thursday. Mr Dar added that India’s “deliberate” attack was a “malicious strategy” to “falsely implicate Pakistan” for targeting civilians and incite Indian Sikhs. Sitting beside Mr Dar, the armed forces spokesperson also accused India of launching a false flag operation. ISPR ...
7934 items