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Found 5467 news

  • Pakistan says India blocking aid for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka; dispatches 200 tonnes by sea
    Dawn - 17:20 Dec 02, 2025
    The Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday that India was preventing humanitarian assistance from being sent to Sri Lanka by air, prompting Islamabad to send aid by sea to the south Asian island, where severe flooding and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have claimed more than 400 lives. In a post on X, the FO said: “India continues to block humanitarian assistance from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. The special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continues to face a delay of over 60 hours now awaiting flight clearance from India. “The partial flight clearance issued by India last night, after 48 hours, was operationally impractical: time-bound for just a few hours and without validity for the return flight, severely hindering this urgent relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka.” A statement issued later by the Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka said aircraft were awaiting clearance to fly and accused India of blocking the humanitarian relief operation through “shenani...
    Tags: Pakistan Sri Lanka India
  • Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal bin Saqib steps down as PM’s aide on virtual assets
    Dawn - 16:44 Dec 02, 2025
    Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) Chief Executive Officer Bilal Bin Saqib has stepped down as special assistant to the prime minister on blockchain and cryptocurrency, it emerged on Tuesday. He continues to serve as the chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA). A notification from the Cabinet Division, signed October 13, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted Saqib’s resignation from the position with effect from August 21. He was appointed to the role on May 26, with the status of a minister of state. Saqib was appointed the PVARA chairman with the status of a minister of state on a pro bono basis for three years on August 1. PVARA is an autonomous federal body governed by a multi-stakeholder board including the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue. Its mandate is to curb illicit finance, protect consumers and unlock opportunities in fintech, remittances and toke...
    Tags: Saqib
  • Punjab govt considers issuing smart cards, motorcycle licences for 16-year-olds
    Dawn - 16:35 Dec 02, 2025
    The Punjab chief minister’s office said on Tuesday that the provincial government had, in principle, decided to issue motorcycle licences and smart cards to 16-year-old motorists. The traffic police’s crackdown on traffic violations across the province left motorists in turmoil when they lodged over 4,600 cases and arrested around 3,100 citizens, including a large number of schoolchildren, during the last 72 hours, creating a criminal record for a majority of them. Parents lambasted the Punjab government for making criminal profiles of these children, saying it would have long-term consequences on their careers and declaring it an overreaction by the traffic police. According to a statement from the office, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her displeasure over minors being handcuffed for violating traffic rules. “A decision has been made in principle to issue smart cards and motorcycle licences to 16-year-olds,” the statement read. “Traffic police across the province will also host an aware...
    Tags: Punjab
  • Security forces kill 7 terrorists in North Waziristan IBOs: ISPR
    Dawn - 15:55 Dec 02, 2025
    Security forces killed seven terrorists in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two operations were carried out on the reported presence of khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “An intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted by the security forces in [the] general area [of] Mir Ali,” the statement read. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, six khawarij were sent to hell.” Another terrorist was killed in an IBO in Spinwam, the ISPR said, adding that weapons and ammunition were seized from the terrorists who “remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces, law enforcement agencies and target killing of innocent civilians”. “Sanitisation oper...
    Tags: Security ISPR
  • At least 7 injured in gas leak explosion at Islamabad’s National University of Modern Languages: police
    Dawn - 14:36 Dec 02, 2025
    At least seven people were injured in an explosion, caused by a gas leak, within the premises of Islamabad’s National University of Modern Languages (Numl) on Tuesday, according to the police. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IG) Ali Nasir Rizvi, speaking to the media, said the explosion occurred around 4pm and was caused by a gas leak ignited by a short circuit. “When summer ends, the university turns off its gas connection. They turned it on at 3:30pm, but there was an accumulation of gas and a short circuit somewhere,“ the IG said. “A gas leakage caused the explosion.” The IG outlined that the explosion occurred in a prayer room, which was near a clerk’s office. He stated that seven people were caught in the explosion. “Five students were there with a clerk and a junior assistant,” IG Rizvi explained. “The clerk sustained 60-65 per cent burn injuries, the clerical assistant was burned and the students suffered minor burn injuries. Seven people are under treatment; of those, six are out of danger as p...
    Tags: National University Islamabad Modern Languages
  • Kremlin says decline in India’s imports of Russian oil may be temporary
    Dawn - 14:20 Dec 02, 2025
    India’s imports of Russian oil may decline for only “a brief period” as Moscow plans to boost supplies, using sophisticated technology to avert the impact of Western sanctions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. His remarks came ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to New Delhi from Thursday, looking to restore defence and energy ties as India is set to trim its Russian oil purchases this month to at least a three-year low. Russia’s top buyer of seaborne oil, India has cut crude imports from Moscow under pressure from Western sanctions, particularly by Washington, on Moscow’s top oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil. “There can be, for a very brief period of time, insignificant decreases in the volume of oil trade,” Peskov told Indian journalists, in response to a question about the impact of sanctions. Working to build the necessary environment for buyers Russia is the top oil supplier to India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer. Moscow is working to build the “nec...
    Tags: Russian Kremlin India
  • Miranshah assistant commissioner among 4 martyred in Bannu attack
    Dawn - 14:10 Dec 02, 2025
    Miranshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali and two cops were among four martyred after the official’s vehicle came under attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Tuesday. Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajjad Khan confirmed the number of casualties. “The attack was sudden, and after opening fire on the vehicle, the assailants also set it on fire,” he said. The DIG said the area was cordoned off after the incident and a search was underway to locate the attackers. “Security forces and police are conducting a joint operation. Security in the area has been put on high alert and investigations are being carried out from every angle,” he said. Meanwhile, Bilal Saqib, the assistant commissioner’s secretary, told the media that the incident took place at around 10am. He said the assistant commissioner was on his way to appear before a court when he was “ambushed” near Mamash Khel’s Masoomabad. Giving details about the deaths, he said that two constables and a civilian, who was working in the fields, were martyr...
    Tags: Bannu
  • Sri Lanka grapples with trauma, loss after deadly cyclone that killed hundreds
    Dawn - 13:53 Dec 02, 2025
    Nawaz Nashra recalls grabbing her three-year-old daughter, wrapping her in a bedsheet and running out of their home in central Sri Lanka as a landslide struck, triggered by a deadly cyclone that killed 410 people in the worst floods in a decade. Nashra and her pregnant sister, who lived with her, spent the next 20 minutes scrambling down the hillside from Alawathugoda village on Friday night, sometimes knee-deep in mud, until they reached a mosque at a lower altitude, where they spent the night. “It was pitch dark…We could only hear a sound like thunder,” she told Reuters. “The house next to ours collapsed as we watched. There was no time to warn anyone.” About 10 houses in the neighbourhood were swept away by Cyclone Ditwah and at least 25 people are feared dead, residents said on Tuesday, when they returned with long poles to dig through the mud and search for bodies. Deadly storms have swept across South and Southeast Asia in recent days, devastating large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and clai...
    Tags: Sri Lanka
  • Pakistan successfully emerged as ‘regional stabiliser’ following ‘Marka-i-Haq’, says PAF chief
    Dawn - 13:47 Dec 02, 2025
    Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu on Tuesday noted that Pakistan had emerged as a regional stabiliser after the May conflict with India. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief made the remarks during the passing out parade at PAF Academy Asghar Khan in Risalpur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district. “In the wake of Marka-i-Haq, Pakistan has successfully emerged as a net stabiliser in this part of the world,” ACM Sidhu said. “As a responsible nuclear power, our relations with key global and regional powers have further strengthened, which is a testimony to the untiring effort of our diplomatic strategy and credible military prowess.” The Pakistan Army had named the period of conflict with India, from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the May 10 conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, as Marka-i-Haq in May. “The rising global relevance of Pakistan remains a growing concern for our adversary, and it exploits every opportunity to malign and destabilise Pakistan on the international front,” said the...
    Tags: Pakistan Marka-i-Haq
  • First JCP meeting post-27th Amendment elevates Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb to permanent SC judge
    Dawn - 13:19 Dec 02, 2025
    The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), which is responsible for appointing judges to the superior judiciary, elevated Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb to a permanent judge of the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday. Presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, the JCP held its first meeting following the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment and the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). The JCP had appointed Justice Aurangzeb as an acting judge of the Supreme Court in February after elevating him from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), The forum also approved the elevation of Justice Zafara Ahmed Rajput as the chief justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC), and Justice Kamran Mullahkhail as the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC). During the meeting, held at the conference room of the SC building, the JCP had considered the appointment of the SHC chief justice from among the three senior-most judges of the high court. Those considered for the office included J...
    Tags: Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb
  • Son of IHC judge sent on physical remand over fatal car accident that claimed two lives
    Dawn - 12:07 Dec 02, 2025
    The teenage son of Justice Mohammed Asif of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was remanded into police custody on Tuesday in a case where two young women lost their lives after being hit by a speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV). Judicial magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi issued the remand order on the police’s request. According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Secretariat Police Station, the accident occurred late on Monday night near the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad, when a black SUV allegedly driven by the judge’s son struck two girls who worked at the PNCA. The victims were riding a scooter when they were hit by the SUV and reportedly died on the spot. Police reported that the vehicle fled the area immediately after the collision. The FIR, lodged on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Muhammad Asghar, states that police traced the vehicle through its registration number and later reached a private hospital where the suspect had reportedly been taken for medical treatmen...
  • Passengers with complete documents not being stopped from travelling, reassures Naqvi during visit to Lahore airport
    Dawn - 06:47 Dec 02, 2025
    Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the Lahore airport on Tuesday, where he again asserted that passengers with “complete documents” were not being barred from travelling, state-run PTV News reported. “No passenger with complete travel documents is being stopped from travelling, and they will not be stopped,” he said, adding that, however, passengers in possession of “incomplete or bogus documents will definitely not be allowed to travel”. Naqvi’s assurance and warning follow recent reports of arbitrary offloading at airports of passengers travelling abroad. The reports prompted clarifications by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that only passengers without complete and correct documents were being stopped from travelling. The interior minister has also issued similar statements, saying that only those lacking genuine and complete documents were not being allowed to travel abroad. During his visit to the Lahore airport today, he reiterated the same. “No passenger who brings disrepute to the country c...
    Tags: Lahore Naqvi
  • Hong Kong leader orders independent probe into fire that killed 151
    Dawn - 05:18 Dec 02, 2025
    Hong Kong’s leader said on Tuesday an independent committee would be established to investigate the cause of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, including oversight of renovations blamed for the disaster that has claimed 151 lives. Police have arrested 13 people for suspected manslaughter in a criminal investigation into last week’s disaster, and the anti-corruption body has also arrested 12 people in a probe into possible graft. It is unclear if any of those people were arrested on both counts. Authorities have pointed to substandard plastic mesh and insulation foam used during renovation works at Wang Fuk Court as fuelling a blaze that quickly spread to seven high-rise towers, home to more than 4,000 people. “In order to avoid similar tragedies again, I will set up a judge-led independent committee to examine the reason behind the cause and rapid spreading (of the fire) and related issues,” John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, told a news conference. Investigators have combed all but two of the seven bu...
    Tags: Hong Kong
  • Samsung unveils first ‘special edition’ triple-folding phone
    Dawn - 04:47 Dec 02, 2025
    Samsung launched its first triple-folding phone on Tuesday, a special-edition product with an eyewatering price tag placing it out of the reach of the average consumer. The Galaxy Z TriFold will go on sale on December 12 and costs more than twice as much as the new iPhone 17 at $2,443. Super thin, it unfolds to a 10-inch (25.4 centimetre) display, offering “increased possibilities for creating and working”, the South Korean tech giant said. The triple fold function is not world-first — China’s Huawei beat Samsung to the punch last year with a phone at a similarly exorbitant price. Growth has been patchy in the competitive smartphone market, pushing makers to find new, eye-catching ways to differentiate their products. Offered solely in a black design, Samsung’s new device comes in at 309 grammes (10.9 ounces) and at its thinnest point measures less than 0.2 inches. Generative artificial intelligence features are integrated into the phone, which can give real-time help through screen or camera sharing. Samsung...
    Tags: Samsung
  • Woman bomber involved in Nokundi FC HQ attack
    Dawn - 03:57 Dec 02, 2025
    QUETTA: The Frontier Corps headquarters in Nokundi, a town in Chagai district, which came under attack on Sunday night, was targeted by a woman suicide bomber, officials said on Monday. According to officials, a woman “launched the suicide bombing” at 8:40pm, targeting the paramilitary force’s headquarters. The banned Balochistan Liberation Front issued the bomber’s picture and identified her as Zinat Rafiq. Officials said that three militants were killed as soon as they entered the FC fort, while others managed to enter the compound, adding that they had cleared the compound. Locals, however, said intermittent firing continued till Monday evening. Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025
    Tags: Nokundi
  • IMF report stresses need for reforms, Senate told
    Dawn - 03:28 Dec 02, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said the IMF’s Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA) report was a step towards much-needed institutional reforms, adding that the government had itself initiated and facilitated the process. Winding up the debate on a motion moved by JUI-F’s Kamran Murtaza in the Senate on Monday, the finance minister said the report covered seven areas, including judicial oversight and corruption, and identifies structural deficiencies — which he termed a positive development. He said it provided 15 recommendations for institutional reforms. He assured the Senate that work on these recommendations was underway, citing the recent law passed by parliament requiring public servants to declare their assets. “We will share our action plan on institutional reforms with the public and parliament,” he said, adding that such diagnostic reports had been released for many countries and represented best practices to assess governance in other jurisdictions. He dismissed...
    Tags: Senate
  • Islamabad-Kabul impasse persists in Riyadh
    Dawn - 02:55 Dec 02, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan held a brief but high-stakes round of unannounced talks in Riyadh, but the engagement ended swiftly and without progress as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions, multiple diplomatic sources told Dawn. The meeting, mediated by Saudi Arabia late on Sunday evening, was aimed at addressing tensions between the two countries following border clashes in October and Pakistan’s demand for action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. According to officials, the Afghan Taliban delegation was led by Anas Haqqani and Rahmatullah Najib. The Pakistani side included officials who had participated in earlier rounds in Istanbul under the Turkiye-Qatar track. A diplomat from the Foreign Office (FO) was added to the Pakistani delegation. However, unlike the lengthier sessions held in Doha and Qatar, the Riyadh conversation wrapped up quickly, with one source describing it as “a short exchange rather than extended negotiations”. Saudi authorities facilitate talks quietly;...
    Tags: Riyadh
  • Blame game on ‘confrontational politics’ in NA
    Dawn - 02:42 Dec 02, 2025
    • Speaker slams ‘irresponsible’ remarks by opposition lawmaker, warns against attempts to disrupt proceedings • Blocks voting on resolution seeking Achakzai’s disqualification • PTI links talks to meetings with Imran, but minister says categorical ‘no’ to such demands ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Monday took a strong exception to reported anti-parliament statements made by Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai — nominated as opposition leader by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) but not notified by the custodian of the house so far — declaring that he would firmly defend it. Without naming Mr Achakzai or giving specifics, Mr Sadiq said the MNA entered the Parliament House and announced in the opposition lobby that he planned to approach the [speaker’s] chair in order to disrupt the proceedings when Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah was presiding. He added that the same member later issued another “irresponsible and provocative statement”, declaring he would u...
  • Govt defends governor’s rule as constitutional option; PTI leaders warn of political fallout
    Dawn - 18:48 Dec 01, 2025
    The government stressed on Monday that the imposition of governor’s rule in a province is an option provided by the Constitution, even as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi dared the Centre to impose the measure. The federal government is seriously considering imposing governor’s rule in KP, citing “security and governance issues” in the province as the reason for this potential move. “Governor’s rule is not the face of any martial law. It is provided for in the Constitution by its creators,” said Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar while speaking at the National Assembly today. He argued that if the conditions merit it, then it was within the Constitution to implement it. Similarly, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also told reporters, “It is a constitutional option that is available to every government, so such discussions arise when governance is weak. Let’s see how matters proceed.” Meanwhile, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary advised CM Afridi not to exacerbate friction between t...
  • Authorities impose Section 144 in twin cities
    Dawn - 18:40 Dec 01, 2025
    A notification from the Islamabad district magistrate ordered that Section 144 be imposed in the Islamabad Capital Territory for two months, while another notification from the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner ordered that the ban be imposed on Monday until December 3. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. According to the Islamabad magistrate’s notification — dated November 18 and available with Dawn — the order was imposed due to “certain segments of society … planning to organise unlawful assemblies … within the jurisdiction of Islamabad Capital Territory”. It did not elaborate on what unlawful assemblies were expected to take place. The order prohibits “all kinds of gatherings of five or more persons, processions/rallies and demonstrations at any public place within the Revenue Limits of District Islamabad, including the Red Zone”, the notification read. The notifi...
    Tags: Section

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