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Dawn - 06:54 Nov 05, 2025
Former minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed on Wednesday that the “impacts” of the efforts of a trio — comprising him and other ex-PTI leaders — for political stability in the country and the release of political prisoners, including PTI founder Imran Khan, would start bearing fruit in the next 10 to 15 days. Fawad, along with fellow former PTI leaders Mehmood Moulvi and Imran Ismail, has been insisting on talks between the government and the PTI, in what they say is an effort to bring the political temperature down and pave the way for Imran’s release, who has been in jail since 2023. “I am very pleased that the efforts for political stability and to secure the release of political prisoners, including Imran, have resulted in significant initial successes, and their impact will start becoming evident in the next 10 to 15 days,” Fawad posted on social media platform X. He reiterated that himself, Moulvi and Ismail were making these efforts for “political stability in Pakistan”, expressing the optimism that differe... -
Dawn - 06:43 Nov 05, 2025
One of the 13 people injured in a gas blast at the Supreme Court’s canteen a day earlier succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, according to hospital officials. Dr Abdul Khaliq, the head of the Burn Care Centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, said that 19-year-old Asad Muneeb, who was a air conditioner technician (AC), did not survive. He said that the victim had sustained burn injuries on 80 per cent of his body. The doctor also said that another person injured in the incident had been discharged. “Out of the 11 remaining patients, four are critical. Five of them will have plastic and skin surgeries within the next two weeks,” he said. Talking about the gas blast, he said that in such cases hot air enters the lungs, severely damaging them in the process. He said that chemicals were also released in such a situation, which could further exacerbate one’s injuries. “Our plastic surgery team for burn injuries is doing their best,“ he said. As many as 13 people were burnt, two of them... -
Dawn - 04:34 Nov 05, 2025
BERLIN: Berlin is offering cash to Afghan refugees in Pakistan if they agree to give up their places on a programme for resettlement in Germany, activists said on Tuesday. The Afghans were accepted under a refugee scheme set up by the previous German government but around 2,000 have been stuck in Pakistan since conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and froze the programme. According to the initiative Airbridge Kabul, refugees have been sent a letter offering them money and other support in return for exiting the resettlement programme. In the case of a single woman, the payments would be an initial 1,500 euros (about $1,700) in Pakistan and a further 5,000 euro payment if she travels to Afghanistan or a third country. A spokeswoman for the interior ministry said that “there are offers within the framework of a voluntary return programme to Afghanistan or departure to another third country”. Single woman may get 1,500 euros in Pakistan and a further 5,000 euros if she travels to Afghanistan... -
Dawn - 03:06 Nov 05, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government has given an undertaking to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will publish the much-delayed Governance and Corruption Diagnostic (GCD) Assessment Report before the Fund’s upcoming executive board meeting that will consider a $1.2 billion disbursement for Pakistan. Under the $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF), publication of the IMF-prepared GCD report and a subsequent action plan to address governance weaknesses across federal and provincial tiers is a key structural benchmark. The deadline, initially end-July and then reset to end-August and end-October 2025, remains unmet owing mainly to technical and factual disagreements between Pakistani authorities and the IMF team. “We have reaffirmed the structural benchmark and, with mutual understanding with the IMF, have committed to publish the report before the [IMF executive] board meeting” later this month or early next month, an official said. Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment is a structural benchmark u... -
Dawn - 02:39 Nov 05, 2025
• Insists proposed 27th Amendment to be tabled ‘soon’, won’t be rushed • Says bill may originate in Senate instead of NA • Stresses govt will consult allies as opposition warns of ‘constitutional crisis’ • PTI’s Ali Zafar brands move a ‘conspiracy’, claims devolution at risk • Upper house passes Asaan Karobar Bill, extends Virtual Assets Ordinance by 120 days ISLAMABAD: As the opposition in the Senate raised alarm over the proposed 27th constitutional amendment, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday confirmed the bill would be brought before parliament “soon” but insisted it would not be rushed and denied “external hand” in the amendment. “We will try to present it in accordance with the Constitution. I assure this will not be put to a vote in a flash,” he told the upper house while responding to PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Syed Ali Zafar. Mr Dar’s remarks came amid a sustained protest by opposition senators over the delay in appointing the leader of the opposition. He said that after the PPP,... -
Dawn - 18:48 Nov 04, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said that the much-talked about 27th Constitutional Amendment will be tabled soon in Parliament. Speculation and debate over a possible 27th Constitutional Amendment reached fever pitch on Monday after the PPP claimed the government had sought its support for the proposed changes to the Constitution. The proposed changes have sparked a nationwide debate, with political parties weighing their positions amid concerns that the move could roll back some powers devolved under the landmark 18th Constitution Amendment. The opposition PTI has announced its intention to oppose the proposed amendment ‘tooth and nail’. Addressing the matter while speaking in the Senate session today, the deputy PM said: “Of course, the government is bringing it and will bring it … the 27th Amendment will arrive … and is about to arrive. We will try that it is tabled in accordance with principles, laws and the Constitution.” He reassured the opposition that the amendment w... -
Dawn - 18:45 Nov 04, 2025
The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis on Tuesday took strong notice of a decision by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to make the attestation of a Grade-18 official mandatory for Pakistanis travelling abroad. The ministry’s focal person, Ghulam Mustafa Malik, told Dawn that Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain called the move “unacceptable”. “Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain has expressed reservations and said that no such decision will be accepted that will cause difficulties for overseas Pakistanis in travel,” Malik said. “Although human trafficking is a big problem, it would be appropriate to avoid any move that would cause travel difficulties for overseas Pakistanis and the workforce going abroad for employment.” Malik stated that the ministry has sent a clear message that the government is serious about protecting citizens’ fundamental rights and that no institution “will be allowed to impose unnecessary restrictions on public freedoms”. “Now all Pakistanis who have ... -
Dawn - 18:35 Nov 04, 2025
After the bowlers had done their job, the batters came good for Pakistan — albeit an all too familiar late collapse — at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Tuesday. In the first international match at the venue in 17 years, Pakistan marked the start of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s era as One-day International captain with a two-wicket victory over South Africa to strike the opening blow in the three-match series. Shaheen had won the toss and elected to field with his side riding on inspired spells of bowling by pacer Naseem Shah and spinners Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed to bowl South Africa out for 263. South Africa had got off to the ideal start with half-centuries for debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius (57) and the returning Quinton de Kock (63) — the duo sharing a 98-run opening stand. But with the exception of skipper Matthew Breetzke (42) and Corbin Bosch (41) in the end, none of their batters could get going as Naseem (3-40), Saim (2-39) and Abrar (3-53) scythed through their line-up. Half-centuries by Salman Ali Agha ... -
Dawn - 16:38 Nov 04, 2025
The PTI on Tuesday decided to convene a peace jirga in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly (KPA) on November 12 to discuss the volatile law and order situation in the province. The decision to hold the jirga at the assembly’s hall at 11am was taken in a high-level consultative meeting of the party’s KP leadership, which was jointly chaired by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and provincial PTI president Junaid Akbar. The meeting was also attended by KPA Speaker Babar Saleem Swati; provincial secretary general Ali Azghar Khan; provincial ministers Meena Khan Afridi and Aftab Alam Khan; KP spokesperson Shafi Jan; MNAs Atif Khan, Dr Amjad Khan and Arbab Sher Ali and PTI Peshawar President Irfan Saleem. The meeting discussed in detail the overall political situation in the province and matters of law and order, according to a statement. The participants consulted on various aspects of holding the peace jirga and future strategy. The PTI leadership decided that all parties would be invited to participate so that all polit... -
Dawn - 16:04 Nov 04, 2025
At least six people were killed and 24 others were injured in three separate accidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district on Tuesday. According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Rasool Khan Sharif, the first incident occurred in the Naredaly area of tehsil Kana late on Monday evening, where a mini jeep plunged into a ravine, killing two and injuring six. “Local residents transported the victims to the Karora Rural Health Centre, from where the injured were referred to Alpuri district headquarters hospital,” he told Dawn. However, this morning, the roof of a house collapsed as people were offering funeral prayers for one of the two people killed in the crash. Sanaullah Khan, a resident, told Dawn that 11 people were injured in the roof collapse, which also occurred in the Naredaly area. “Five people were critically injured as all of the mourners fell along with the coffin when the roof caved in,” he said. “Women and children in the house were injured after the roof collapsed.” A local resident said that four o... -
Dawn - 15:03 Nov 04, 2025
New Yorkers are projected to elect Democrat Zohran Mamdani as mayor on Tuesday, opening a new front in opposition to United States President Donald Trump and raising the spectre that the president will retaliate against the city where he made his name. While Mamdani’s rise is dominating headlines, off-year elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey will be seen as even more critical gauges of the US political mood nearly 10 months into Trump’s bruising right-wing reign. Democratic wins there will be seen as signals that the beleaguered opposition is coming back to life ahead of next year’s midterm elections to decide control of Congress. Mamdani, who describes himself as a socialist and campaigned on reducing costs for ordinary New Yorkers, was leading by seven points on 41 per cent in the latest AtlasIntel poll. Former state governor Andrew Cuomo trailed the 34-year-old with 34pc. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels citizen crime patrol group, was polling at 24pc — a marg... -
Dawn - 14:57 Nov 04, 2025
Dick Cheney, a driving force behind the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, who was considered by presidential historians as one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history, has died at age 84, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. Cheney died on Monday night from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said. The Republican — a former Wyoming congressman and secretary of defence — was already a major Washington player when then-Texas governor George W Bush chose him to be his running mate in the 2000 presidential race that Bush went on to win. As vice president from 2001 to 2009, Cheney fought vigorously for an expansion of the power of the presidency, having felt that it had been eroding since the Watergate scandal that drove his one-time boss Richard Nixon from office. He also expanded the clout of the vice president’s office by putting together a national security team that often served as a power centre of its own within the administration. Cheney was a strong advocate... -
Dawn - 14:49 Nov 04, 2025
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) provincial council member Hafiz Maulana Abdul Salam Arif was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district on Tuesday, according to a police officer. According to Investigating Officer (IO) Safdar Khan, the JUI member was on his way home after offering prayers at a mosque when he was attacked by two armed suspects on a motorcycle. “The incident is being investigated from all possible angles,” the IO said. “Police have collected evidence from the crime scene and have also called in a team of experts to provide assistance.” The IO added that the victim’s son filed a case with the Mandani police station. In addition to being a provincial council member, the slain Abdul Salam was the head of Madressah Abu Bakar Siddique in Tehsil Tangi and the preacher at a mosque within the area of the Jamalabad Dairy Farm. In July this year, Awami National Party politician Maulana Khan Zeb and a policeman were shot dead by unidentified suspects in KP’s Bajaur distr... -
Dawn - 14:35 Nov 04, 2025
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf has been suspended for Pakistan’s first two ODI matches against South Africa on November 4 and 6 after the ICC sanctioned several Indian and Pakistani players on Tuesday for breaching the Code of Conduct during matches played at the Asia Cup. Haris and Sahibzada Farhan were reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in September for gestures made during the Asia Cup Super Four match against arch-rivals India, ESPNCricinfo reported. “Rauf was seen responding to heckling from Indian fans by signalling 6-0 with his hands and making gestures depicting the downing of aircraft, in apparent reference to the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May this year,” the report read. “Farhan had celebrated his fifty by mimicking a gunshot.” In a press release today, ICC confirmed the outcomes of several Code of Conduct proceedings arising duirng the Asia Cup. “The hearings were conducted by members of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees following incidents in the m... -
Dawn - 14:20 Nov 04, 2025
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday said it has restored flight operations with some alternate arrangements after delays due to what it called a “strike” by the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP). However, the SAEP stated there was no strike from their side and the engineers were only adhering to mandatory safety and certification protocols. PIA’s flight operations were disrupted across the country last night after the engineers’ group refused to issue clearances to aircraft, claiming that they could not compromise on travel safety. The PIA said in a statement today: “A de-recognised entity, SAEP, in order to pressurise the management, tried to halt the operations during late hours of yesterday (Monday) night with their nefarious design to sabotage the privatisation process.“ It asserted that the PIA’s management team, along with key officials of the engineering department, immediately responded to the situation. “By using alternative means and working tirelessly overnight and day, ... -
Dawn - 13:48 Nov 04, 2025
Punjab Assembly lawmakers affiliated with the opposition party PTI filed a petition in the Lahore High Court on Tuesday, seeking the declaration of several provisions related to the recently promulgated Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA) 2025 as ultra vires to the Constitution. Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Muhammad Moeenuddin Riaz, Hafiz Farhat Abbas and Ali Imtiaz filed the petition against the legislation that was bulldozed through the assembly last month amid the opposition’s protest. The Punjab government has been named as a respondent in the plea, and Justice Sultan Tanvir will hear this petition, according to lawyer Abuzar Salman Niazi. The petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn, says that Sections 15, 32, 25, 40, 55, 56 and 57 of the Act are “unconstitutional, unreasonable [and] illegitimate”. These provisions “brazenly and patently contravene” Articles 8 (laws inconsistent with or in derogation of fundamental rights to be void), 9 (security of person), 17 (freedom of association), 32 (p... -
Dawn - 13:35 Nov 04, 2025
Ticket holders and office bearers of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) from central Punjab and Lahore on Tuesday announced that they were severing ties with the now-banned organisation, stating that they were “standing with the state”. On Friday, all election ticket holders of the TLP from south Punjab announced that they had left the party, accusing it of pursuing an anti-state agenda that “aligns with the country’s enemies”. In a press conference at the Lahore Press Club today, multiple TLP ticket holders and office bearers announced their decision to step away from the religiopolitical group, with lawyer Usman Khizr Mangat saying that one can engage in politics within the state, but not against it. “Violence and mobs cannot create an impact by attacking the state,” he said. “Pakistan saw how these people carried out attacks. The government tried to start a dialogue, but the demands laid out were not accepted. “The state is like a mother, it tried to negotiate for six, seven days constantly with these pe... -
Dawn - 13:21 Nov 04, 2025
India is ramping up aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and branding itself as the region’s “first responder” after Monday’s deadly earthquake, seeking to counter China’s efforts to fill the void left by the West, officials and analysts said. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was among the first to call his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday, pledging more support after New Delhi shipped 15 tonnes of food. Medical supplies would follow soon, he said, as his ministry promoted the hashtag #IndiaFirstResponder on X. China on Tuesday said it too was ready to assist after the quake near Mazar-i-Sharif killed at least 20 people and injured more than 900. India wields soft power Both Asian giants are keen to deepen engagement with the Taliban, said Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy studies at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi. India’s ties with Afghanistan have warmed in recent weeks, even as relations between both countries and Pakistan have soured. “Behind India’s ou... -
Dawn - 13:04 Nov 04, 2025
India launched a revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world’s largest democracy. The three-month voter registration overhaul — known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year. Tens of thousands of election officials and nearly half a million volunteers will go door-to-door to help residents complete voter enumeration forms. Officials “will help the elector fill the enumeration form, collect it and submit it”, Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar told reporters while announcing the exercise. Earlier this year, the ECI conducted a similar revision in the eastern state of Bihar, home to more than 130 million people, ahead of its state elections beginning November 6. The process led to the exclusion of around 6.5m names, which the ECI said was necessary to prevent the inclusion of “foreign illegal immigran... -
Dawn - 13:00 Nov 04, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that the violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India could not and would not succeed, and warned against the weaponisation of water. India in April held the IWT in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. President Zardari addressed the issue while speaking at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar today, saying: “We in Pakistan, on one hand, face the brunt of the impact of climate change, which has caused devastation for our people in the form of large-scale floods … on the other hand, we face a new threat in the form of water weaponisation. Water, which all the world knows, is an equal right o...
5467 items