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Dawn - 16:20 Dec 11, 2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Pakistan and urged him to “adhere to the established norms of diplomatic engagement” after his “unwarranted” attendance at a court hearing today. Norwegian Ambassador Per Albert Ilsaas attended the Supreme Court hearing of rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts. The diplomat’s presence during the court proceedings generated a lot of chatter on social media. The ministry, in its statement, said the Scandinavian country’s top representative was summoned by the additional foreign secretary (Europe). He was informed that his presence breached “diplomatic protocol and relevant international law”. “Noting that his actions amount to interference in the internal affairs of the country, the Ambassador was urged to adhere to the established norms of diplomatic engagement, as outlined in the relevant articles of the Vienna Convention,” said the st... -
Dawn - 15:26 Dec 11, 2025
The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday stayed trial proceedings against rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts until their pending appeals were decided by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The court issued the directives as a three-judge SC bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar and comprising Justice Salahuddin Panwhar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard Imaan’s appeal seeking to set aside the IHC’s Dec 1 order refusing to grant interim relief by staying the trial in the case. Imaan and her husband Abdul Hadi Mohammad Ali — who are facing a trial under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca) — had moved an application in the SC requesting the urgent hearing of their appeal against the IHC’s refusal to grant interim relief. The petitioners have already filed a criminal revision before the IHC challenging the trial proceedings on grounds of due process violations under the CrPC, particularly the recor... -
Dawn - 14:20 Dec 11, 2025
At least four bodies have been recovered after a Rawalpindi-bound hi-ace van plunged into River Jhelum on Thursday, with four others missing, Rescue 1122 said. The van, carrying 12 passengers, was coming from Hajera in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and plunged into the river while navigating a turn near Garari Bridge in the Kahuta area of Rawalpindi on Thursday morning, as per Rescue 1122 sources. According to Rescue 1122, four people have been confirmed among the drowned. District Emergency Officer 1122 Rawalpindi Sighbatullah said that four people have been rescued so far and were rushed to the Kahuta Tehsil Hospital in Rawalpindi. Superintendent THQ hospital, Dr Samina, also confirmed that the rescued persons had been shifted to the medical facility. The Rescue 1122 official also confirmed that “four bodies of the drowned victims, including a female, had been retrieved and shifted to hospitals, where their identity was being ascertained”. He added that the van had been pulled out of the water, and a search ... -
Dawn - 12:13 Dec 11, 2025
An attack on a school in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali subdivision earlier this week has jeopardised the future of more than 600 school-going children, it emerged on Thursday. On Monday night, unidentified militants blew up a government primary school in the Khushali area of Ayaz Kot. Unknown attackers had planted explosives in the school and detonated them late on Monday night. The powerful blast, which was heard miles away, destroyed a significant portion of the school building. Education department officials confirmed that more than 600 students were enrolled in the institution, which served as the only functional primary school in the area. Authorities said the remaining sections of the building have been cordoned off, while an emergency plan for alternate learning arrangements is under consideration. Local elders and parents expressed deep concern, calling attacks on educational institutions “a direct assault on the future of children”. “This school was the only beacon of hope for our children. Its destruct... -
Dawn - 11:59 Dec 11, 2025
Former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed has been sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by a military court, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said that the process of Field General Court Martial (FGCM) was initiated against Hameed on August 12, 2024 under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act, spanning over 15 months. “The accused was tried on four charges related to engaging in political activities, violation of the Official Secret Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources and causing wrongful loss to persons. “After lengthy and laborious legal proceedings, the accused has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment,” ISPR said. It added that the sentence was “promulgated on December 11, 2025”. During proceedings against the ex-spymaster, the FGCM complied with all legal provisions, and Hameed was “afforded with all leg... -
Dawn - 07:41 Dec 11, 2025
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Thursday that it had received $1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the global money lending agency approved the review of Pakistan’s loan programmes. In a statement on social media platform X, the central bank said that the Fund’s Executive Board had completed the second review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) in a meeting held in Washington earlier this week. “Accordingly, the SBP has received SDR 914 million (equivalent to about $ 1.2 billion) under the EFF and RSF in value [on] Dec 10, 2025 from the IMF,” the central bank said. “The amount would be reflected in SBP’s foreign exchange reserves for the week ending on Dec 12,” it added. Earlier this week, the Fund had approved the fresh disbursement of $1.2bn to Pakistan under its dual-track bailout — the 37-month EFF and the climate-focused RSF. With this tranche, total disbursements to Pakistan under the EFF and RSF now stan... -
Dawn - 07:27 Dec 11, 2025
Pakistan told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday that terrorism emanating from Afghan soil posed the “gravest threat” to the country’s national security and sovereignty. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad made the remarks while addressing a debate in New York on the situation in Afghanistan. In his statement, he highlighted Islamabad’s concerns about security, humanitarian, and socio-economic challenges emerging from neighbouring Afghanistan. Briefing the UNSC on Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021, the ambassador said Pakistan had maintained consistent engagement with the Afghan Taliban, conducting high-level visits, facilitating humanitarian relief, supporting the transportation of goods, and announcing trade and transit concessions. Despite these efforts, he said, threats persisted, creating mounting security challenges for Pakistan and the wider region. “Afghanistan is once again a saf... -
Dawn - 07:22 Dec 11, 2025
Health minister launches last nationwide polio campaign of 2025, notes declines in cases in Pakistan
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Thursday launched the last nationwide polio campaign of 2025 aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children against the crippling disease, noting that the number of cases in the country had reduced in comparison to last year. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. So far, the country has recorded 30 polio cases, with the highest number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 19. Launching the last polio campaign of the year — set to run from December 15 to December 2 — at a ceremony in Islamabad, the minister noted the decline in cases in comparison to 2024, saying, “We have succeeded in reducing polio cases in the country.” He recalled that Pakistan had recorded 74 cases in 2024; however, this year the country only saw 30 cases. The minister said that the virus was “present in more than half of the country,” including Peshawar, Karachi, and Lahore. He stated that the government remained “determined to eliminate the ... -
Dawn - 06:28 Dec 11, 2025
Renewed fighting raged at the border of Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday, with combat heard near centuries-old temples, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned phone call to the two nations’ leaders. At least 15 people, including Thai soldiers and Cambodian civilians, have been killed in the reignited border conflict, officials said. More than half a million people, mostly in Thailand, have fled border areas near where jets, tanks and drones have waged battle. The Southeast Asian nations dispute the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier, where both sides claim a smattering of historic temples. This week’s clashes are the deadliest since five days of fighting in July that killed dozens before a shaky truce was agreed, following intervention by Trump. The US president said he expected to speak on Thursday with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to demand a halt to their renewed clashes. “I think I’m scheduled to speak to them tomorrow,” Trump told reporters at the White Hou... -
Dawn - 05:56 Dec 11, 2025
Nobel laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado emerged from hiding to make her first public appearance in almost a year, waving to supporters from the balcony of her Oslo hotel early on Thursday. Machado, who won the Nobel for challenging Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s grip on power, did not arrive in Norway in time for Wednesday’s prize ceremony. Her daughter collected the prestigious award on her behalf, and delivered a blistering acceptance speech in her stead. The Venezuelan democracy campaigner made it to the Norwegian capital hours later, and went straight to see her family, Nobel Prize Committee Chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said. From the balcony of the Grand Hotel, Machado later greeted a crowd of jubilant supporters, who sang and shouted “libertad” (freedom), according to AFP journalists. Machado, who has been living in hiding in Venezuela, was last seen in public on January 9, when she protested Maduro’s inauguration for his third term. In her Nobel acceptance speech, the ... -
Dawn - 03:56 Dec 11, 2025
PESHAWAR: Treasury members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday flayed the military spokesperson’s what they called humiliating remarks against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founder Imran Khan and provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, triggering uproar in the house. During a sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker Suriyya Bibi, the assembly witnessed ruckus and adjournment when the opposition PML-N’s woman lawmaker, Sobia Shahid, displayed a picture of Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. The chair ordered security personnel to remove the picture. She censured Ms Shahid, saying the CDF represents the military and not her party. “You should talk about your own performance as the lawmaker instead of displaying the CDF’s picture,” she observed before adjourning the sitting due to commotion. Earlier, members of the ruling PTI complained that the country faced serious challenges like the poor law and order situation, financial stress and political instability. They insisted that... -
Dawn - 02:59 Dec 11, 2025
• Highlight ‘urgent’ crisis following India’s revocation of disputed region’s special status; call for self-determination vote as per UN’s 1948 resolution • Hamish Falconer insists lasting resolution rests solely with India and Pakistan LONDON: British lawmakers on Wednesday urged their government to support self-determination for the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, and called on it to press India on human rights. However, a minister reaffirmed the UK’s long-standing policy on the decades-old dispute during a parliamentary debate by saying “we believe in diplomacy”, with a renewed push for bilateral talks between India and Pakistan. The debate “Kashmir: Self-determination”, in Westminster Hall, saw several members of parliament calling for a more active British role, citing concerns from their large British-Kashmiri constituencies. The session was led by Labour MP Imran Hussain, who described the situation as an urgent human rights issue. For the people of [India-held] Kashmir, this is not a distant ... -
Dawn - 02:51 Dec 11, 2025
• PTI slams water cannon ‘assault’ on Imran’s sisters and party workers, warns against his transfer to another jail • Privilege motion moved in NA after Khattak injured in melee • Opposition plans ‘national conference’ on Dec 20-21; says party founder inseparable from nation, politics • PM’s aide says all doors to talks with PTI now closed as party passed ‘point of no return’ • Gohar wants ‘common sense’ to prevail, questions move to isolate major party RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Political temperatures rose further on Wednesday, as Rawalpindi police sought a legal opinion on the question of registering an FIR against PTI leaders and supporters over a protest outside Adiala jail, even as the party moved a privilege motion in the National Assembly over alleged use of force against its workers, and voiced alarm at reports of Imran Khan’s possible transfer to another prison. The PTI also joined other opposition parties in warning that efforts to “minus” the incarcerated former premier and clamp down on peaceful prot... -
Dawn - 02:37 Dec 11, 2025
IT IS strategically possible for Dhaka to join a regional bloc with Pakistan at some point — one that does not include India — unlike other South Asian states, a top Bangladeshi official said on Wednesday. The state-owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha news agency quoted Dhaka’s Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain as saying: “It is possible for us (Bangladesh) strategically … (but) it is not possible for Nepal or Bhutan to form a grouping with Pakistan excluding India”. His remarks are being interpreted as a response to a statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the recent ‘Islamabad Conclave’, where he had said a trilateral initiative involving Bangladesh, China and Pakistan had begun and may expand to include countries within and beyond the region. According to the Bangladeshi outlet, Mr Hossain said Mr Dar “has said something, and perhaps at some point this could see some progress”. In August, Foreign Minister Dar visited Bangladesh for the first time in 13 years. PM Shehbaz Sharif and Bangl... -
Dawn - 02:29 Dec 11, 2025
The United States has approved the sale of advanced technology and support for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets, valued at $686 million, according to a letter the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent to Congress on December 8. The package includes Link–16 systems, cryptographic equipment, avionics updates, training, and comprehensive logistical support. The DSCA letter makes clear the rationale for the sale, stating that it “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by allowing Pakistan to retain interoperability with US and partner forces in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and in preparation for future contingency operations.” The proposed sale is also aimed at modernising Pakistan’s F-16 fleet and addressing operational safety concerns. The letter notes that it will “maintain Pakistan’s capability to meet current and future threats by updating and refurbishing its Block–52 and Mid Life Upgrade F–16 fleet.” These updates will provide more “seamless integ... -
Dawn - 20:10 Dec 10, 2025
It takes a village to raise a child, and, in the case of Hamza Asif, it took a village to raise a national record holder. The “village” in question is Faisalabad, where Hamza is already something of a local celebrity. Most of Pakistan’s top swimmers were produced by Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and then international quarters far and wide. Hamza’s roots came to the forefront when his triumph in the 50m freestyle in 2023 earned him the nickname of “The Rocket” since the event denotes the fastest aquatic Pakistani. It was in Faisalabad where he was shuttled to and from 5am swim practices by his grandparents, nurtured by Imran Nazir at the Chenab Club. When he began swimming at the age of six, it was his mother who would pace the edge of the pool teaching him the basics of the sport, much to the disapproval of conservative men who were uncomfortable by her presence. It did not faze her. The country’s textile hub does not have a 50m pool, whose single lap he completed in historic fashion on Wednesday afternoon ... -
Dawn - 19:38 Dec 10, 2025
At the 35th National Games, the story of sport has so often been of sheer will against long odds. But on Wednesday, the narrative splintered into two distinct, dazzling truths: one written in the chronometric perfection of chlorinated water, the other etched in the sun-baked sand of the long jump pit. In the pool, a digital clock froze at a number never before seen in Pakistan: 29.99 seconds. On the track, a measuring tape confirmed a distance of 5.52 metres, sealing a historic triple crown. The fourth day of the competitions belonged to 19-year-old swimmer Hamza Asif, who shattered a time barrier and a 26-year-old Olympian who shattered expectations, proving that national sporting history can be made in parallel universes. The sun played the role of spotlight over the swimming arena, its zenith aligning with the men’s 50m breaststroke final. The audience was on its feet, phone cameras held horizontally. In lane six was Rayan Awan, the national record holder in the event. The buzzer sounded. Seven swimmers fl... -
Dawn - 19:21 Dec 10, 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s administration plans to order visa-exempt foreign tourists to disclose their social media histories from the last five years before entering the country, according to an official notice. The proposal, laid out in a notice published on Tuesday in the Federal Register, would apply to visitors from 42 countries, including Britain, France, Australia and Japan, who do not need a visa to enter the United States. Currently, those travellers only need to apply for a waiver known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which still requires them to provide certain personal details. Under the proposed new rules, the collection of social media data would become a “mandatory” part of ESTA applications. Applicants would need to provide their social media histories from the last five years, according to the notice. They would also have to submit other “high-value data fields” including phone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the past decade, perso... -
Dawn - 19:18 Dec 10, 2025
In a strange development, the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) announced on Wednesday that Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other Meta services will experience slow performance for 36 hours starting after midnight on December 11. The company stated in a customer advisory that due to maintenance activity from 1am on Thursday till 1pm on Friday, Meta services will face degradation as engineers carry out planned technical upgrades. Meanwhile, an official representing PTCL said that, as the country’s key internet and backend service provider, the company has received user complaints about slower performance or intermittent outages of these services. Meta has not provided any details regarding the nature of the maintenance or whether it would affect all regions uniformly. The ‘Meta AI’ tool has disowned any maintenance notice and information regarding service degradation on Facebook, Instagram or other Meta services. It added, “Meta (formerly Facebook) does perform scheduled maintenance, but che... -
Dawn - 19:03 Dec 10, 2025
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said the PTI cannot differentiate between “anti-establishment and anti-army” politics, highlighting that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif always engaged in the former and not the latter. Yesterday, the Punjab Assembly adopted a resolution to ban incarcerated PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his party for being “anti-state”. Last week, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”. “People hate the establishment, but they love Pakistan and its army. The PTI’s narrative against the army and its leadership is creating political damage for them and could cause the party irreparable harm,” said Sanaullah while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’. He added that MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s hours-long ...
5707 items