Dawn
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Found 12392 news
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Dawn - 03:41 Jul 13, 2026
LAHORE: Pakistan’s Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem is determined to repeat history at the Commonwealth Games starting later this month. The 29-year-old Arshad, who won the javelin throw gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a record throw of 90.18 metres, leaves for Switzerland on Monday to participate in an international contest prior to the July 23-Aug 2 Commonwealth Games being staged in Glasgow. Speaking after his final training session at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, Arshad said that he had prepared well for the Commonwealth Games. “I am going to feature in an event in Switzerland before a major competition like the Commonwealth Games. I participate in an event before any big contest, which gives me an idea about my strength and preparation [for the forthcoming major event],” the Mian Channu-born athlete, whose 92.97-metre throw at Paris 2024 remains an Olympic as well as Asian record, said. Recalling the memories of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the star athlete sai... -
Dawn - 03:37 Jul 13, 2026
A VIEW of the crumbling roof of one of the rooms at the ART Centre in Larkana, which is in a state of disrepair.—Dawn LARKANA: The Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Centre at Chandka Medical College (CMC) Children’s Hospital registered 73 new HIV-positive cases among children in June alone, with most patients belonging to different parts of Khairpur district, raising concerns over the growing burden on the facility and the shortage of healthcare staff. Officials at the centre said around 20 follow-up patients visit the facility daily. They pointed out that the centre was functioning without a pharmacist and required additional junior doctors to cope with the increasing caseload. The ART Centre operates under the Directorate of Communicable Disease Control (CDC). During a visit, Dawn observed that a portion of the ceiling plaster had fallen in the area where doctors and support staff perform their duties. Prof Dr Shanti Lal, head of the Department of Paediatrics at CMC Children’s Hospital, said routine HIV scre... -
Dawn - 03:05 Jul 13, 2026
KARACHI: The funeral prayers in absentia for flight engineer Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, one of the five crew members of a cargo plane that crashed in the Arabian Sea on July 7, were offered near his residence in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Sunday. A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft, en route from Sharjah to Karachi, had crashed in the Arabian Sea, about 300 kilometres west of Karachi. Rescuers found the wreckage in a deep-sea search operation. Five crew members, including two pilots, two engineers, and one support staffer, were on board the aircraft, and their bodies have still not been found. On Sunday, a large number of people offered funeral prayers in absentia for Siddiqui, which was led by his son, Abdul Rafay. Moving scenes were witnessed during and after the funeral prayers. People demanded that the government intensify efforts to locate the bodies of the victims. JI leader slams ‘inadequate efforts’ to locate bodies of five K2 Airways crew members City leadership of the Jamaat-i-Islami also attended th... -
Dawn - 03:03 Jul 13, 2026
KHYBER: Around 70 medical students, who had been stranded in Afghanistan since the closure of the Torkham border, returned home late on Saturday evening. Family members of the students said their academic sessions at various medical institutions in Afghanistan had ended a few weeks ago and they were eager to return to their cities. They said the students had reached the Afghan side of the Torkham border a few days earlier but were not allowed to cross into Pakistan due to restrictions on pedestrian movement that have been in place since October last year. According to their relatives, the students contacted several local elders and political leaders to facilitate their return. Sherin Khan Afridi, senior vice president of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber district, played a key role in securing their return. The matter was taken up with government authorities and political leaders in Islamabad by Awami National Party leaders. Following official instructions from Islamabad, the stranded students were al... -
Dawn - 02:53 Jul 13, 2026
• Federal cabinet yet to decide on proposals despite Drap recommending price revisions for 105 hardship-category medicines over two years ago • Prolonged shortages creating opportunities for illegal suppliers to fill the gap, chemists’ body warns KARACHI: The prolonged shortage of more than 100 essential medicines, including life-saving drugs for cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses, has created space for counterfeit and substandard products, as the federal government continues to delay, for more than two years, a decision on revising prices that manufacturers say no longer cover production costs, market sources and officials said on Friday. At the heart of the crisis, they said, was the prolonged delay in deciding the prices of essential medicines. More than two years after the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) recommended price revisions for 105 hardship-category medicines, the federal government has yet to approve the proposals. Drap’s drug pricing committee concluded that the risin... -
Dawn - 02:51 Jul 13, 2026
BARELY had the dust settled on the IMF’s insipid report on governance than the World Bank launched, with much fanfare, its latest prescription — this time on fiscal federalism. The bank’s report presents itself as a fresh diagnosis of Pakistan’s malfunctioning intergovernmental system, when actually there is little that is either new or thought-provoking about it. In fact, the report comes across as an overwhelmingly technocratic exercise. It catalogues institutional weaknesses, distils lessons from selected federations and decentralised systems, and recommends clearer expenditure assignments, stronger provincial revenue mobilisation, NFC Award reforms, more transparent fiscal transfers, effective intergovernmental coordination and empowered local governments (LG). In principle, few would disagree. The problem is that the report treats the recommendations as technical solutions to what are essentially political problems, thus displaying only a superficial appreciation of Pakistan’s political economy, the cons... -
Dawn - 02:49 Jul 13, 2026
GILGIT: PPP candidate Mohammad Naseem and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer, from the GBA-17 Diamer-III and GBA-15 Diamer-I constituencies, respectively, retained their seats after re-polling was held at nine polling stations on Sunday. According to unofficial results, after re-polling at eight stations in GBA-17 Diamer-III, PPP candidate Mohammad Naseem won the seat by securing 10,714 votes, while his opponent, JUI-F candidate Rehmat Khaliq, bagged 6,990 votes. Meanwhile, after re-polling at one female polling station in GBA-15 Diamer-I, according to the Forms 47 and 48 issued by the Election Commission, IPP candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer secured 6,033 votes, while his opponent, JUI-F candidate Waliur Rehman, received 4,639 votes. Earlier, in the GB Assembly elections held on June 7, PPP’s Mohammad Naseem from GBA-17 Diamer-III was declared the returned candidate, while independent candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer from GBA-15 Diamer-I was also declared successful. Dilpazeer later jo... -
Dawn - 02:46 Jul 13, 2026
ISRAEL’S genocidal war on Gaza has now exceeded a thousand days. It continues despite the ceasefire brokered by the US last October. Death and destruction have been on an epic scale. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 21,000 children. Thousands remain missing. Gaza lies in ruins with 80 per cent of it devastated. Over 200 journalists have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli army. Israel has expanded its control of more territory in Gaza, ignoring UN warnings that “this increases deadly risks for Palestinians”. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is still catastrophic. Even as Israeli strikes continue in violation of the ceasefire, the world has moved on — its focus fixed instead on the US-Iran conflict and talks for a negotiated deal. Regional powers too have pulled away. Gaza has been relegated to the sidelines. This has left the peace plan in limbo and disarray. Now Hamas is trying to change that and seize the attention of the international community. Last week, it a... -
Dawn - 02:32 Jul 13, 2026
PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s latest call to banks to expand lending to SMEs is nothing new. Every government over the last three decades has made a similar appeal. Ambitious targets are announced, committees are formed and banks are urged to finance sectors that generate employment and exports. However, little changes. No doubt, raising SME lending’s share of private sector credit from 7pc to 10pc within two years and increasing the number of SME borrowers from 310,000 to 750,000 under the new Access to Finance Plan initiative are worthwhile aims. But are the banks incentivised enough to make these goals a reality? That question lies at the centre of the chronic financing gap for SMEs. Together, Pakistan’s estimated 5m SMEs contribute nearly 40pc of GDP, a quarter of exports and around 80pc of non-agricultural employment. But barely 300,000 businesses have access to formal bank credit. Banks often explain this failure in terms of risk. Their arguments are not without merit. Most SMEs lack audited financial... -
Dawn - 02:23 Jul 13, 2026
• Workers hailing from Punjab killed after terrorists opened fire on shops in Washuk • PM flays India-backed terror outfits, slams killing as ‘barbaric, cowardly’ act • Seven more terrorists killed in Operation Shaban • CM Bugti reviews operation, visits Hanna Urak • 108 suspects held across Balochistan QUETTA: Five workers hailing from Punjab were gunned down in Mashkel town of Balochistan’s Washuk district on Sunday, drawing condemnation from the Centre and the provincial government, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denouncing the killing as “extremely barbaric”. The incident came as Operation Shaban and other counterterrorism operations are ongoing in the province, where security forces have claimed the elimination of 109 terrorists since July 5. Washuk Deputy Commissioner Abdul Majeed Sarparah told Dawn the incident took place in Mashkel town, close to the Pakistan-Iran border, when armed terrorists on motorcycles opened fire on shops where labourers from Punjab were working. Police said the five men su... -
Dawn - 02:15 Jul 13, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A government-constituted inquiry committee has held all three key stakeholders — the contractor, consultant and employer (Wapda) — responsible for the cofferdam collapse at the 1,530MW Tarbela-5 Extension Hydropower Project, citing post-contract unauthorised design changes as one of the main reasons for the incident. The collapse has contributed to at least a two-year delay and more than 285 per cent cost escalation in the project, whose cost has risen from Rs82 billion to Rs317bn. As a result, the project’s levelised generation cost over 30 years may rise to around Rs27-28 per unit — the country’s highest so far for renewable energy — making it economically unviable and unsustainable, according to the Planning Commission. The project, which involves $700m in loans from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, is now targeted for completion by end-June 2028 instead of 2026. Inquiry body holds Wapda, contractor, consultant responsible as project cost rises from Rs82bn to Rs317bn ... -
Dawn - 01:58 Jul 13, 2026
Pakistan counts 7.14 million business establishments in its Economic Census, and only 9.8 per cent of them sit in manufacturing. Wholesale and retail trade accounts for 45.1pc, nearly five times as many. Twenty-seven years of measuring small and medium enterprises (SME) policy success by headcount and GDP share, never by whether small firms are actually financed for production, has led the government to finance consumption. Trade and consumption-facing services recycle domestic demand; they do not build export earnings, productivity growth, or foreign exchange. An SME policy that channels financing toward that segment by default, because it is sector-blind, not because it is deliberate, is financing consumption growth and calling it SME development. This is in a scenario where consumption as a percentage of GDP has consistently exceeded 97 per cent, while investment as a percentage of GDP has lagged at an average of 12pc over the last five decades. There does not exist a single example of a middle-income econ... -
Dawn - 01:58 Jul 13, 2026
• Kashmir Martyrs’ Day being observed today • President, PM reaffirm pledge to support Kashmiris ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday urged the international community to play its role in ensuring respect for human rights in India-held Jammu and Kashmir and support efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of the long-simmering dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. In their messages on the eve of Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, they reaffirmed their pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kashmiris steadfastly supporting their just cause. The Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is observed on July 13 every year. “The Government of Pakistan reiterates its unwavering political, diplomatic, and moral support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We stand in complete solidarity with their just struggle for the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in UNSC resolutions. Lasting peac... -
Dawn - 22:03 Jul 12, 2026
Italian top seed Jannik Sinner resisted an all-out onslaught by an inspired Alexander Zverev to retain his Wimbledon crown in a thunderous final and claim a fifth Grand Slam title on Sunday. Zverev, in his first Wimbledon final hot on the heels of winning the French Open, threatened an upset after taking an intense opening set, but eventually ran out of firepower as Sinner found another gear to win 6-7(7) 7-6(2) 6-3 6-4. The destiny of the title was still on a knife edge nearly three hours into an absorbing contest but second seed Zverev’s resistance finally cracked after a nasty tumble in the third set and Sinner surged on to the title. Sinner, 24, became the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title last year by beating Carlos Alcaraz, and now joins an elite list of 10 men to successfully defend it in the professional era. It was a 10th successive victory for Sinner over Zverev but this time he was pushed to the limit by the 29-year-old who had been bidding to become the first German man to win the Wi... -
Dawn - 21:12 Jul 12, 2026
The US military launched fresh strikes on Iran after the latter struck a container ship on Sunday, while Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on US facilities in states across the Gulf. The strikes were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the strait. However, the latest barrage marked a sharp escalation in pace and range. The attacks extended to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had not been targeted since early May, and Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks that had not come under attack since April. Iran said it closed the strait after firing a warning shot that struck a vessel travelling on an “unauthorised route”. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response”. Iran later said it had disabled a second vessel. India said one of its nationals was missing after an attack on the container ship GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman earlier on Sunday. Oman said 23 c... -
Dawn - 20:45 Jul 12, 2026
Qatar’s government on Sunday announced the death of former leader Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who led the country from 1995 to 2013. He was 74, according to a government website. “With hearts steadfast in faith in God’s decree and destiny, the Bureau of the Emir mourns the great loss to the nation of the late — may God have mercy on him — His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,” read a statement published by the emir’s office on social media. Qatari officials said funeral prayers would be held on Sunday evening along with several days of public mourning across the country, which would see government offices and public institutions closed and flags flown at half mast. Pakistan would also observe a day of mourning on Monday. The former leader was seen as one of the key architects of modern Qatar and led the country during a period of rapid economic growth. Sheikh Hamad took power in June 1995, overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup while the latter was abroad. He inherited a ... -
Dawn - 19:02 Jul 12, 2026
HYDERABAD/KARACHI: PPP on Sunday staged rallies across Sindh to condemn India’s unilateral attempt to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and its plans to divert Pakistani waters in the Indus river system. Water and the IWT remain a contentious issue between India and Pakistan, following New Delhi’s unilateral abeyance of the accord last year — a move that was followed by a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025. PPP activists held demonstrations in several districts and cities, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Thar, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Shikarpur, Naushahro Feroze and Dadu. They gathered under the slogan ‘marsoon marsoon, Sindhu na desoon’ (We will die, but we will not give up the Indus). Leading a rally in Hyderabad, PPP Sindh chapter president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had raised the issue at global forums and would take it to a logical end. The rally started from Shahbaz Building Chowk and culminated outside the local press club in the evening. PPP dis... -
Dawn - 18:41 Jul 12, 2026
He has led multiple wars, outlasted several American presidents, and watched his political obituary written — only to be shredded — more times than any other leader in modern Israeli history. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, faces an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a long-running corruption trial, and a spiralling multi-front conflict that has dragged on for nearly three years and has seen his country’s first direct military confrontations with arch-foe Iran. Now the silver-haired 76-year-old, nicknamed “Bibi”, is staring down an election that many believe could finally draw the curtain on one of the most consequential and contested careers in Israeli politics — or extend it once again. Netanyahu has declared that he “intends to win” in the election scheduled for October 27, setting the stage for what could be the defining contest of his political life. Shattered image of ‘Mr Security’ Netanyahu built his entire career on a single promise: that he alon... -
Dawn - 17:43 Jul 12, 2026
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Sunday decided to establish a “grand” Kashmir peace jirga to facilitate dialogue between the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in an effort to restore stability and normalcy in the region. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s central Majlis-i-Shura chaired by JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman at Mansoorah, Lahore. According to a press release, the jirga will engage both the government and the JAAC, with the restoration of peace and the resolution of issues in AJK identified as its top priorities. To oversee the initiative, Rehman constituted a committee headed by JI Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch. The committee included JI AJK Emir Dr Muhammad Mushtaq Khan and the party’s former regional chiefs Abdul Rashid Turabi and Dr Khalid Mahmood. The JI chief also indicated that the committee would be expanded to include former civil bureaucrats, retired judges, ex-military officials and members of civil society from AJK. The Shura exp... -
Dawn - 17:39 Jul 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The LPG Importers Association of Pakistan (LPGIAP) on Sunday warned of a “serious” nationwide shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the next two to three days if the government did not immediately intervene. In a letter to Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, LPGIAP Chairman Sheikh Mukarram Waheed warned that unless the issue was resolved without delay, the country’s LPG supply chain could face “significant disruptions”. He called for an emergency meeting of all relevant stakeholders to address serious concerns over the current LPG pricing mechanism. “The LPG price notified by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on June 30, 2026, does not accurately reflect the actual landed cost of imported LPG,” the letter read. It emphasised that the “international prices, freight charges, exchange rate fluctuations, port handling fees, inland transportation, financing costs and other operational expenses” had pushed import costs “well above the notified selling price, leaving importers to absorb...
12392 items