Dawn
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Dawn - 16:49 Jun 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has referred to the chief justice a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam seeking permission to meet incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan for consultations on the upcoming provincial budget, it emerged on Thursday. Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro passed the order after being informed that several identical petitions relating to jail meetings with the PTI founder were already pending before a larger bench of the IHC. The petitioners had challenged objections raised by the Registrar’s Office regarding the maintainability of their petition and requested an urgent hearing in view of the budget preparation process in KP. During the hearing, Advocate Ali Bukhari appeared on behalf of the petitioners and argued that the request related to a meeting for consultations on the provincial budget and was therefore distinct. He informed the court that previous judicial orders and decisions in similar matters had already be... -
Dawn - 16:35 Jun 18, 2026
Ukraine on Thursday launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years, sparking fires, hitting a major oil refinery and forcing evacuations at the country’s largest airport. Russia vowed to retaliate for the attack as AFP reporters saw dramatic scenes of black smoke billowing over the capital’s southern skyline and drops of black rain mixed with soot falling from the sky. At least 17 people were wounded in the strikes, which also set a shopping centre and apartment building ablaze, authorities said. The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Southeast Asian leaders at a summit in the central city of Kazan, about 700 kilometres east of Moscow. @dawn.today Scores of Ukrainian drones bore down on Moscow on Thursday (June 18), hitting the Russian capital's oil refinery for the second time this week in what Kyiv cast as a demonstration of its growing capabilities that should force Russia to accept a peace deal. A video posted on social media showed a moment of explosion at the refinery in the de... -
Dawn - 15:35 Jun 18, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that at least 17 projects by India on waterways part of the Indus River System would give New Delhi the “tools for hydro-hegemony”. Dar’s statement has come at a time when water and the Indus Waters Treaty remain a contentious issue between India and Pakistan, following New Delhi’s unilateral abeyance of the accord last year — a move that followed a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025. More recently, Indian Water Minister CR Patil said his country was working to ensure “not a single drop of water” would flow into Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan has maintained that any attempt to change the flow of cross-border waterways would be considered an “act of war”. It was against this backdrop that Dar’s keynote address, touching upon the matter, was played at a seminar titled “Transboundary Water Resources: A Weaponised Global Common”. The seminar was jointly organised by Pakistan’s embassy in Brussels and the Centre for Europea... -
Dawn - 15:06 Jun 18, 2026
Pre-sales of Grand Theft Auto VI, the feverishly anticipated video game release, will begin on June 25, Rockstar Games said on Thursday. GTA VI, due to be released on November 19 after two delays, is the eighth main entry in the blockbuster franchise and is set to arrive more than 13 years after GTA V, the second best-selling video game in history. Rockstar Games, owned by New York-based Take-Two Interactive, announced the date in a post on X, saying pre-orders would begin across digital platforms and at select retailers. Rockstar also released the game’s official cover art but did not disclose pricing. Analysts believe the game will be available at a base price of $80, based on recent comments from Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick and industry reports. As popular as it is notorious for its sexual and violent content, the franchise has allowed players to roleplay as criminals doing dirty deeds across sprawling cityscapes since its first entry in 1997. The newest game was originally due to be released ... -
Dawn - 14:19 Jun 18, 2026
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to immediately pass on the benefit of declining international oil prices to consumers amid easing tensions in the Middle East. In a post on social media on Thursday, the minister said, “International oil prices are falling, and the prime minister has directed that this benefit be passed on to the public immediately.” The minister said that “a high-level committee had been constituted to devise a transparent weekly fuel pricing mechanism … so that in the future, whenever needed, the public can understand the reasons for changes in prices.” Malik added the work would be completed “in full consultation with all stakeholders”. Referring to regional developments, Malik said, “The efforts of the prime minister, field marshal, foreign minister, and interior minister are bearing fruit, as Iran and the United States are moving toward signing a ceasefire agreement.” The minister also thanked industry partne... -
Dawn - 14:13 Jun 18, 2026
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Thursday that the federal government had promised that allocations for provinces under the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) award would be “protected”, and that the Centre would not request any further “help or sacrifice” following the recent decision to freeze development allocations for the provinces. Bilawal joined the budget debate a day after he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is reported to have convinced the head of his coalition partner PPP to attend the budget session in the NA. “The provinces’ NFC award and financial resources have been kept protected; no damage will be caused to them,” Bilawal declared while addressing the NA, which was debating the proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year (FY27). “Besides this decision, the provincial governments will not be required to make any sacrifices,” he added. The government has decided to freeze development allocations for the provinces for three years to generate more than... -
Dawn - 14:06 Jun 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday ordered the Adiala jail superintendent, Punjab’s home secretary, the Islamabad advocate general and the Punjab advocate general to furnish their replies within three weeks in a case concerning the denial of access to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan. A petition was filed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) October 23, 2025, dismissal of his contempt petition, which sought enforcement of the court’s directives regarding visitation rights for Imran’s legal team at Adiala jail. The directives were issued today by a three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. During the hearing, Justice Mazhar said the bench would not be available next week, but the appeal would be scheduled for hearing, directing that appeals be fixed within three weeks. The court also directed that the IHC’s order of Oct 23, 2025, be placed on record during the hearing. In... -
Dawn - 13:16 Jun 18, 2026
The US and Iran have agreed to a basic framework. Whether this formal consensus translates into a concrete agreement is an open question. While Iran has officially declared the end of the war, Israel insists “our struggle has not yet ended”. Between these two statements lies all the space the spoilers need. The ceasefire was made possible by pragmatists. It will be threatened by apocalypticists. In Washington and Jerusalem, there are people at the helm of affairs who do not read this war as a security crisis to be resolved but a scheduled event — one that a ceasefire can delay but not, in their theology, prevent. For them, a deal is not a solution. It is an obstacle. And obstacles, in the eschatological imagination, are not negotiated around. They are removed. A changed world Whether the framework holds or collapses, one thing is clear: the West Asian security structure that existed on the morning of Feb 28, 2026, has ceased to exist. Firstly, South Asian and West Asian security complexes are no longer analyt... -
Dawn - 13:05 Jun 18, 2026
European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar exchanged words on X after Kallas reportedly compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to South Africa’s apartheid-era policies. Saar said he was severing “all contact” with the EU official after Kallas posted that the EU remains committed to a constructive relationship with Israel. In a post on X addressed to Saar, the EU’s top diplomat said: “I value our dialogue and engagement, and I’m open to continue in that spirit, respectfully and constructively.” Kallas added that the EU remains committed to the two-state solution and has reiterated that the bloc has condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In a post on social media, Saar said Kallas had reportedly “compared Israel to the racist apartheid regime” during a visit to Mexico and that as a result he was severing contact until she retracted the comments. In subsequent posts on X, the Israeli ... -
Dawn - 11:05 Jun 18, 2026
Oil prices tumbled further Thursday after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed off on a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and cargo traffic. European and Asian stock markets were mixed, with some major indexes retreating after steep falls on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve raised its inflation forecast and projected higher US interest rates this year, boosting the dollar. “Politics and economics are front and centre for markets,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. “The US and Iran have signed an initial deal to end the war, causing oil prices to fall further,” he said, but the Fed’s hint at a rate increase “took the market by surprise and caused a wobble” on Wall Street and elsewhere. Kevin Warsh, the new Fed chief, vowed to “deliver price stability” after chairing his first policy meeting, even though Trump has repeatedly called for lower rates. “Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people,” he said after the meeting,... -
Dawn - 09:13 Jun 18, 2026
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday restrained the Punjab government from taking further action regarding 11.5 kanal Ewing Hall belonging to Forman Christian College University (FCCU). Earlier this month, activists and alumni raised concerns over the government’s alleged repossession of Ewing Hall, arguing that the move could jeopardise an important part of the college’s historical legacy. The Punjab government, however, has maintained that the lease had expired years ago and that substantial dues remained unpaid. On Thursday, Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad issued the order reserved the other day on a petition filed by the FCCU registrar. A counsel for the petitioner argued that the Punjab government had forcibly taken possession of the land on June 11 and that the Board of Revenue’s (BoR) move to cancel the lease was illegal. The counsel informed the court that the land of Ewing Hall, situated at Neela Gumbad, New Anarkali, had been leased to the college in 1915 and the lease period was extended in 2018 u... -
Dawn - 08:48 Jun 18, 2026
LAHORE: Five senior PTI leaders, incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat Jail, have urged opposition leaders to “engage constructively” with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on a “Charter of Pakistan” — a move they deem will address the root cause of instability in the country. They made the appeal in a joint letter to National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. The letter by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed was shared by their counsel Rana Mudassar Umer and dated June 17. It said that Pakistan currently “stands at a critical crossroads” and referred to a recent invitation by the government to the opposition to sign a Charter of Economy. The PTI leaders noted in their letter that “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has once again proposed a ‘Charter of Economy’ as a means of addressing the country’s persistent economic challenges’. “While economic reform a... -
Dawn - 08:47 Jun 18, 2026
United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Thursday hailed progress by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies to meet defence spending vows, but said some must “do more”, as he struck a conciliatory tone at an alliance meeting. “Many countries following through, some that still need to do more, and we will be candid about that, both in private and in public,” Hegseth said ahead of talks with Nato defence ministers in Brussels. “I think that’s important — friends being honest with friends.” The warm tone will likely reassure Washington’s allies ahead of a summit with US President Donald Trump next month — after the mercurial leader lashed out at Europe over its response to his war on Iran. Nato will look to showcase increased expenditure by Europe to prove to Trump it is progressing on a pledge last year to reach five per cent of GDP on defence-related spending. “When it comes to spending, what we are seeing is staggering amounts of money coming in,” Nato chief Mark Rutte said. “Europe and Ca... -
Dawn - 08:27 Jun 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Muharram processions and gatherings will be monitored digitally through drones while geo-tagging of all imambargahs, majalis venues and procession routes has been completed, according to an interior ministry statement detailing security arrangements for Islamabad. The statement was issued after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting to review security arrangements for Muharram in the federal capital. The statement said a special mobile application, ‘Mehfooz Muharram’, had also been launched, using which citizens could report any suspicious activity or individual or inadequate security arrangements. It will also have live location sharing and image sharing features. It added that a central control room had been established at Safe City as part of security arrangements, and a “four-tier security cordon” would be implemented to ensure the protection of Muharram processions and gatherings. The statement said Naqvi directed that a four-tier security cordon be maintained for the protection of M... -
Dawn - 08:24 Jun 18, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said early on Thursday that the ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) between the United States and Iran had been signed electronically by both sides. “The memorandum has been signed by honourable presidents of both the countries and also endorsed by me as the mediator. The signing of this agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrates the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. He added that the MoU shall “enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade”. US President Donald Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understanding during a candlelit dinner at the Palace of Versailles following a G7 summit, as host French President Emmanuel Macron and other guests applauded, a video posted by a Trump aide showed. ... -
Dawn - 08:22 Jun 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the advocate general Islamabad to arrange a meeting between former prime minister Imran Khan, his spouse Bushra Bibi and their legal counsel within seven days to facilitate the filing and prosecution of appeals against their conviction in the £190 million reference. A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif resumed hearing appeals challenging the conviction awarded by an accountability court in the high-profile National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference. During the proceedings, Imran’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar informed the court that despite repeated efforts he had been unable to meet his client, who remains incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Cconsequently, he could neither obtain instructions nor secure a signed vakalatnama (power of attorney) for the appeals. The counsel submitted that jail authorities had consistently denied him access to the former prime minister. He... -
Dawn - 08:04 Jun 18, 2026
A delegation from Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD met Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and emphasised Pakistan’s growing potential as a market for new energy vehicles, according to a statement issued by the finance ministry on Thursday. The delegation was led by BYD Group Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division Liu Xueliang and Mega Motor Company (MMC) Chief Executive Officer Aly Khan. Last year it was announced that BYD planned to roll out its first car assembled in Pakistan by July or August 2026 to capture growing demand for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the region. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, the finance minister welcomed the delegation and appreciated BYD’s expanding footprint in Pakistan. He underscored the importance of strengthening business-to-business cooperation as a key pillar of Pakistan-China economic relations. “The finance minister said Pakistan attaches high priority to attracting technology-driven investments and... -
Dawn - 07:34 Jun 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $700 million policy-based loan to support reforms aimed at strengthening insurance in Pakistan. In an official announcement, the Manila-based lending agency said the programme seeks to expand insurance coverage and reduce protection gaps. It will also help stimulate private sector participation and support sustainable economic growth. It said the Insurance Transformation Programme will strengthen Pakistan’s financial resilience by deepening insurance markets and expanding financial protection for households, businesses, farmers and public finances against extreme weather events, disasters and life-cycle risks. The reforms are expected to reduce financial vulnerabilities, support faster recovery from shocks, and lessen pressure on public finances following disasters and other crises, it said. “This programme supports the transformation of Pakistan’s insurance sector from a legacy, rules-based framework to a modern, risk-based, and market-oriented syste... -
Dawn - 05:54 Jun 18, 2026
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there had been “significant progress” in long-running talks with Washington for a trade deal, according to a statement issued on Thursday after his meeting with United States President Donald Trump. The leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian in France on Wednesday, their first face-to-face talks since February 2025 in Washington. “The leaders noted with particular satisfaction the significant progress made in negotiations towards an interim bilateral trade agreement”, a readout of the meeting from India’s foreign ministry read. Asked if the US and India are close to a trade deal, Trump told reporters in Evian that they were “very close”. “He’s a very tough negotiator, one of the toughest, actually. So you look at this man, I’ll give you a lesson,” said the US president. “He’s the most beautiful looking man. He looks so nice. He’s like an angel, but actually he’s a killer.” The Indian statement said the leaders had ordered officials to work towards strik... -
Dawn - 02:16 Jun 18, 2026
• PPP leader likely to deliver speech today, to ‘share reservations’ on budget; lauds premier, Field Marshal Munir for Iran peace deal • PM Office says Shehbaz, Bilawal agreed on ‘sustained collaboration’ between Centre, provinces for completion of projects ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif managed to convince the head of his coalition partner, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, to join the budget session after the latter skipped earlier debates owing to his grievances with the federal government. The PPP leader was also reluctant to join the budget debate, and it took Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to convince him to come to the house so that the budget could be tabled. A source close to Bhutto-Zardari said the PPP leader still had reservations but agreed to deliver his speech in the lower house, most likely on Thursday (today), where he would share some of his concerns. In the meeting at the PM House, the premier agreed to address all the PPP concerns r...
10706 items