Dawn
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Found 3715 news
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Dawn - 19:50 Aug 22, 2025
Senior journalist Suhail Warraich on Friday said that a column he wrote about a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, igniting a controversy, had been “misunderstood”. In a column published on Aug 16, Warraich — a senior editor at the Jang newspaper — wrote that COAS Munir had spoken to him during a stopover in Brussels, on his way back from a recent trip to the US. “On a question about politics, he (the army chief) said that political reconciliation is possible only if there is a sincere apology,” the column read, without specifying who the army chief was referring to or who the question was about. However, that quote ended up stirring a controversy in the commentariat. Challenging the impression that the army chief had “sought an apology over the May 9 riots”, the military’s spokesperson had said on Thursday that Field Marshal Munir did not make any political statements during a recent trip to Brussels. He had also rebuked the senior journalist in remarks carried by state-run Rad... -
Dawn - 18:36 Aug 22, 2025
Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension with him escalated and US mediation efforts appeared to stall. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “no meeting” between President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as Nato chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. United States President Donald Trump had raised expectations for a swift summit between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents by saying earlier in the week they had agreed to meet, but on Friday compared the two men to “oil and vinegar”. “They don’t get along too well, for obvious reasons,” he told reporters in Washington. Lavrov also poured cold water on hopes for direct Putin-Zelensky talks to resolve the conflict, now in its fourth year, by questioning the Ukrainian president’s legitimacy and repeating the Kremlin’s maximalist claims. “There is no meeting planned,” Lavrov said in an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press with Krist... -
Dawn - 18:35 Aug 22, 2025
Lahore Police on Friday confirmed that another son of Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, was taken into custody from his Lahore residence, a day after his brother was arrested in connection with the May 9 riots. The deputy investigation of Lahore Police confirmed to Dawn.com that Shershah Khan, akin to his brother Shahrez Khan, was also arrested today for his involvement in the May 9 riots. Aleema’s lawyer, Advocate Rana Mudassir Umar, said that “Shershah was taken from his house after his appearance at a Lahore anti-terrorism court in relation to his brother’s case”. The PTI, in a post on X, called the incident an “abduction” and lamented that “the rule of law has been replaced with the law of the jungle”. The move comes a day after PTI announced that men in plainclothes had “abducted” Aleema’s son from her residence. Lahore police later announced that Shahrez had been arrested in connection with a May 9 case. Aleema addressed the arrest on social media this morning, saying, “(The policemen) brut... -
Dawn - 16:55 Aug 22, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said that Pakistan had not requested anyone to make India sit down for talks of any kind. “Pakistan did not ask anyone to arrange talks with India. Pakistan is ready for comprehensive talks with India, including on the Kashmir issue,” he told journalists at Parliament House. Talking about the May conflict between the two countries and the subsequent ceasefire, he said the latter was still underway. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week, before a US-brokered ceasefire had both sides agree to stop the hostilities. Talking about the halt in hostilities, Dar said: “India had requested the US for a ceasefire. I received a call from the US ... -
Dawn - 16:48 Aug 22, 2025
Climate activist Fatima Majeed has been appointed as the chairperson of the Sindh Fisheries Department, becoming the first woman from the fishing community to become so, it emerged on Friday. Majeed is an activist, social worker and senior vice-chairperson of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF). The PFF, a democratic organisation with over 100,000 memberships across the country, having a minimum 35 per cent women ratio, today is one of the strongest social movements in Pakistan. It has, over the years, proven itself as a nursery for producing leaders in the fishing and peasant communities of Pakistan. Its struggle targets policy issues related to fishing rights, fish marketing and fish conservation, rehabilitation of the Indus Delta, sustainable fisheries policy, abolition of the contract system over inland waters, historical fishing rights on entire water bodies for indigenous fisherfolk, discouraging industrial fishing by deep sea trawlers and marine pollution, and detention of fishermen. In a post on X tod... -
Dawn - 16:18 Aug 22, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday constituted the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) to announce a new award for the sharing of federal divisible resources between the Centre and the provinces. According to a notification from the Finance Division, the president constituted the commission with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb as the chairman and the four provincial finance ministers as its members. The commission also includes former bureaucrat Nasir Mahmood Khosa as a member representing the Punjab government, economist and researcher Asad Sayeed as a member representing the Sindh government, former bureaucrat Dr Musharraf Rasool Cyan as a member representing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Farmanullah as a member representing the Balochistan government. The commission will make recommendations to the president on the distribution between the federation and the provinces of the ““net proceeds of the taxes mentioned in clause (3) of Article 160 of the Constitution”, it read. The taxes are taxe... -
Dawn - 16:13 Aug 22, 2025
At least 200 people were rescued after a glacier burst in Gilgit-Baltistan blocked the Ghizer River, threatening the downstream areas, Rescue 1122 said on Friday. A glacial burst, or glacial lake outburst flood (Glof), refers to an outburst of water from a glacial lake which could lead to severe flooding downstream, effectively blocking or overwhelming rivers in its path. Pakistan is home to over 13,032 glaciers, the largest reservoir of glaciers outside of the polar regions. However, experts have warned that about 10,000 glaciers in Chitral and GB have been reported to be receding due to climate change–induced temperature rise. A statement from Rescue 1122 said, “200 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas and have been shifted to Ghizer’s Yangal and Samal areas.” “Several people have been traumatised after [their] houses were destroyed. Medical assistance is being provided to the affected people,” it added. In another statement issued earlier today, Rescue 1122 said, “A terrible incident of glaci... -
Dawn - 15:13 Aug 22, 2025
Four more people were confirmed on Friday to have died in a fire that broke out in a warehouse in Karachi the previous day, bringing the total death toll to six, according to rescue officials. A massive explosion took place inside a warehouse in a densely populated area near Karachi’s Taj Medical Complex on MA Jinnah Road yesterday afternoon, in which 33 people were injured and two were confirmed to have lost their lives. Rescue 1122 said today that the number of deaths from the incident had risen to six after a fourth body was retrieved. South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said earlier today that two people had died during treatment, while three bodies were recovered from the site. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the deaths occurred because of “multiple crush injuries and suffocation”. She said one died owing to suffocation, and two other deaths occurred from multiple crush injuries, while the autopsy of two other bodies could not be conducted. Meanwhile, Rescue-1... -
Dawn - 14:44 Aug 22, 2025
Pakistani teams on Thursday displayed their prowess at the Amerigol Latam Cup ice hockey tournament in Coral Springs, Florida in the United States with the men’s team clinching the Division III championship and the women’s team claiming the Division II bronze medal in their debut appearance. The tournament is designed to showcase talent from regions where ice hockey is a growing sport and “break barriers and unite non-traditional hockey markets in a thrilling display of skill, passion, and camaraderie”, according to the organisers’ website. A press release from the National Hockey League (NHL), stated that this year’s Latam Cup features 62 women’s, men’s and youth teams and over 1,450 players representing 17 countries and territories. The tournament started on Sunday and will continue through August 24. The NHL stated that Pakistan’s men’s team went undefeated throughout the tournament and playoffs, defeating Peru 6-1 to win the championship for the first time. The Pakistani Ice Hockey Team wrote in an Instag... -
Dawn - 14:22 Aug 22, 2025
Two days before his wedding, Noor Muhammad had a long phone call with his mother, just hours before devastating floods in Pakistan killed her along with 23 family members and relatives. “I cannot explain how happy she was,” he said standing by the rubble of his family’s large 36-room house, perched on the bank of a floodwater channel in Qadir Nagar village. The village in mountainous Buner district has been the worst hit by recent massive rain in the country, accounting for over 200 deaths out of nearly 400 in floods in the northern areas since August 15. Buner is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Islamabad. “Everything was finished,” sobbed Muhammad, 25, as mourners sat at his damaged house to offer condolences, saying there was nothing left when he got home except for rubble and heavy rocks, which swept down from the mountains along with mud and raging flood waters, smashing into houses, markets and buildings. “The flood came, a huge flood came, it swept away everything, home, mother, sister, brother, my u... -
Dawn - 13:55 Aug 22, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that he will convene a meeting over the illegal constructions on rivers soon, as monsoon rains caused catastrophic floods in northern parts of the country. Record rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which started on August 15, have wreaked havoc on different parts of the province. Last week, the provincial government declared an emergency as torrential rains ravaged homes, displaced families, and left a trail of destruction across Buner, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and beyond with the death toll at 393. Speaking during a federal cabinet meeting today, PM Shehbaz said, “I will call a meeting over the illegal constructions on rivers, such as hotels, restaurants and houses.” He highlighted the concerns over such structures, which reflected “catastrophic beauty”, and over the cutting of trees in Galiyat, where plazas and houses have been constructed. “There is no room for man-made disasters,” he said, adding that the meeting will be called on an all-Pakistan basis to discuss the... -
Dawn - 13:52 Aug 22, 2025
A fact-finding committee formed by police investigating the death of senior DawnNews reporter Khawar Hussain Bajwa has ruled that he died by suicide, according to a copy of its final report available with Dawn.com. The senior journalist was found dead in his car last week, parked on Hyderabad Road in Sanghar under what police termed “mysterious circumstances”. The body was found in the driving seat, with a gunshot wound to the head. The day after the incident, police said that they were probing the incident “from all possible angles” and a fact-finding committee had been formed to probe Hussain’s death. This committee, led by Sindh Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) (Counter-Terrorism Department) Azad Khan, comprised Karachi West Zone Deputy IGP Irfan Baloch and Sanghar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abid Baloch. The committee reached its conclusion based on a detailed examination of the crime scene, interviews of witnesses, examination of postmortem and forensic reports and analysis of CCTV ... -
Dawn - 12:59 Aug 22, 2025
At least five Iranian police have been killed in an ambush in the restive Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media reported on Friday. The unidentified assailants struck two units on patrol near the town of Iranshahr, the Fars news agency said, citing local police. “In this terrorist act, five servants of security and peace were martyred,” it quoted police as saying. Sistan-Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists. The province, which is home to a large Sunni Muslim Baloch minority, is one of the poorest regions of the Shia-majority country. Police said the officers had been on routine patrol when they came under fire. Iranian media published an image of a bullet-riddled police pickup with bodies lying on the ground nearby. An operation was underway to “track down and identify” the assailants, Fars said. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Iran regularly reports de... -
Dawn - 12:51 Aug 22, 2025
Pakistan’s commerce minister and a Bangladeshi government adviser met in Dhaka on Friday to discuss the enhancement of bilateral trade and the strengthening of economic ties between the two countries. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh that saw Hasina’s government toppled in August of last year, with the deposed premier fleeing to her old ally India, there has been a thaw in ties between the Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. A press release by the Ministry of Commerce said that Pakistan’s Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, who reached Dhaka on August 21 for an official visit, met with Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce Sheikh Bashir Uddin. During the interaction, both sides “held in-depth discussions in Dhaka today to advance economic cooperation, mutual investments and strengthen bilateral trade ties”. It added that Pakistan’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, was also present during the meeting. “The two countries are in the process ... -
Dawn - 12:40 Aug 22, 2025
Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who led the country during a devastating 2019-2024 economic crisis, was arrested and appeared in court on Friday over allegations he misused state funds while in office, police said. Wickremesinghe, 76, who lost power in a 2024 election, had been investigated over a visit he made to London to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony, local media reported. Police confirmed his arrest for alleged misuse of public funds. “Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested and produced in court. We are awaiting the court directive to decide what further steps need to be taken,” a police spokesperson said. Wickremesinghe’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. An ally from his United National Party (UNP) proclaimed his innocence and suggested the case was politically motivated. “Ranil Wickremesinghe has never misused public funds or state funds,” UNP member Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe told reporters gathered outside the court complex where t... -
Dawn - 12:30 Aug 22, 2025
Saleema Imtiaz is set for her umpiring debut in the upcoming women’s ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa in Lahore, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday, alongside confirming other match officials for the series. Last year, Saleema became the first Pakistani female official to join ICC’s International Panel of Development Umpires, enabling her to officiate women’s bilateral international matches and ICC women’s events. The three-match One-Day International series will be staged at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from September 16-22. Saleema, who is part of the ICC International Panel of Umpires will be joined by Australia’s Claire Polosak, who returns to Pakistan after officiating in the Pakistan v West Indies women’s series last year in Karachi, PCB said. Polosak, also a member of the ICC International Panel of Umpires, will stand in all three ODIs as an on-field umpire. Humairah Farah has been named as the reserve umpire for the series, while Tariq Rasheed from the PCB Elite Panel of Umpi... -
Dawn - 12:16 Aug 22, 2025
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad during his official visit to the country, discussing regional security and counter-terrorism, the military’s media wing said on Friday. The Chinese foreign minister arrived in Pakistan late Wednesday night to attend the sixth Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue on Thursday morning. He also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reaffirming China’s commitment to working with Pakistan to promote regional peace, development, and stability. Wang said that China was prepared to support its neighbours on issues concerning their core interests and to firmly oppose external interference in the region, per a Chinese foreign ministry handout. He stressed the need to improve the security dialogue mechanism, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, strengthen the fight against transnational terrorism, and eliminate conditions that promote extremism. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public ... -
Dawn - 11:02 Aug 22, 2025
Pakistan’s javelin sensation Muhammad Yasir Sultan threw a season’s best of 77.43m to clinch a bronze medal at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea on Friday. The 27-year-old threw a massive 77.43m on his sixth and final attempt to snag a podium finish and smash his previous season’s best of 76.07m set at the Asian Athletics Championships in May. Sri Lanka’s Pathirage Rumesh Tharanga won gold with an 82.05m throw and became the only athlete to cross the 80m barrier this morning. Behind him was Japan’s Gen Naganuma with 78.60m. Yasir opened his campaign with a no-throw, followed by a solid 75.79m. He the then threw two successive throws in the 72m range before anther no-throw on his fifth attempt. It was on his final attempt that he struck his medal-winning 77.43m throw. Yasir said in a social media post that he was “happy for a podium finish” and season’s best throw despite “tough conditions”. He thanked his supporters and hoped for more medals in the future. View this post on Instagram Yasi... -
Dawn - 08:59 Aug 22, 2025
India’s Supreme Court modified its order on stray dogs on Friday, directing that those picked up from streets in and around Delhi be released after sterilisation and immunisation, after a storm of protests from animal lovers. Earlier this month, the court ruled that all stray dogs in Delhi and its suburbs be moved to shelters following a surge in dog bites and cases of rabies. Critics of the ruling had said it could not be implemented because there were not enough shelters. Many animal lovers took to the streets to protest against the order. Animal rights activists signed online petitions asking the court to revoke its decision. The court ruling also drew criticism from politicians and celebrities. India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called it a “step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy”. On Friday, the court said that dogs picked up in the past few weeks in Delhi and its suburbs would be released after sterilisation and immunisation, barring those showing aggressive behaviour or signs of ra... -
Dawn - 06:39 Aug 22, 2025
LAHORE: The Lahore police arrested on Thursday another nephew of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Imran Khan in a ‘May 9 case.’ A senior officer of investigation police said Shahrez Khan, son of Aleema Khan, was wanted in the 2023 violence which erupted following the arrest of Imran Khan. Rejecting police claim, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said Shahrez had nothing to do with politics. Shahrez’ father Suhail Khan said his son was doing business and now he was preparing to go abroad to participate in a world triathlon championship. Earlier, Salman Raja said plainclothes men attacked the residence of Aleema Khan and abducted her son Shahrez. “Aleema Bibi’s home in Lahore has been attacked by men in plainclothes and her son Shahrez abducted,” tweeted Mr Raja. He also alleged that the intruders harassed Aleema Khan’s family members and even thrashed staff. PTI lawyer Rana Mudassar told Dawn.com that Shahrez was “kidnapped” from his home in Lahore. “People dressed in plainclothes entered the house and to...
3715 items