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Dawn - 18:03 Jan 05, 2026
NEW YORK: Pakistan on Monday expressed “profound concern” over the developments in Venezuela, warning that escalating tensions in the country posed risks to regional and international peace and security. The US launched a shock military operation in Venezuela on Saturday, with special forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a nighttime raid. The statement was made at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) summoned to discuss the recent developments in Venezuela. This is also the first meeting for the year of the UNSC, with Somalia in the chair. Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative Ambassador Usman Jadoon said in his address that at a time when the world was already facing multiple crises, instability in the region “does not augur well for regional and international peace and security”. He reminded Council members that the UN Charter bound states to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or politica... -
Dawn - 16:31 Jan 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The cross-examination of Anisur Rehman, an official of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and a key witness in the controversial social media posts case against lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her spouse Hadi Ali Chattha, was completed on Monday. During the proceedings, Rehman refused to comment on previous statements by incumbent ministers and an ex-army official that touched upon the issue of missing persons, negotiations with rights activists and criticism of the military. The statements were referred to by Chattha, who along with Mazari, cross-examined Rehman during today‘s hearing from the defence’s side. Chattha and Mazari have been facing legal proceedings in the case on accusations of attempting to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and of creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. The first information report (FIR) of the case, registered with the NCCIA under the Prevention of Electronic... -
Dawn - 15:59 Jan 05, 2026
The embassy of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London in a short ceremony on Monday, hailed by its ambassador as a “profound milestone” in British-Palestinian relations. “We gather today to mark a historic moment — the inauguration of the embassy of the State of Palestine to the United Kingdom, with full diplomatic status and privileges,” said Ambassador Husam Zomlot in a speech outside what was previously known as the Palestinian Mission to the UK in west London. The official upgrading of the mission to embassy status came after the UK announced it would recognise the State of Palestine in September 2025, along with several other countries, including Australia and Canada, at a time of major international concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. @dawn.today The embassy of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London in a short ceremony on Monday, hailed by its ambassador as a "profound milestone" in British-Palestinian relations. "We gather today to mark a historic moment - the inauguration... -
Dawn - 15:47 Jan 05, 2026
KARACHI: In another fatal incident involving a heavy vehicle, a water tanker killed a seven-year-old boy in Karachi’s Manghopir area on Monday, police and rescue officials said. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (West) Tariq Illahi Mastoi, the water tanker driver was speeding on a street in Manghopir when he hit the boy. The boy sustained critical injuries and died on the spot, he added. Police apprehended the driver and impounded the vehicle, according to a statement issued by police. The body of the minor was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medicolegal formalities. Last week, a female motorcyclist was killed after being hit by a trailer. Quaidabad’s Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Ali Shah told Dawn that the driver of a 10-wheeler hit the 20-year-old female motorcyclist on the main Mehran Highway near MN Textile in Landhi. A total of 803 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in Karachi in 2025. The Karachi traffic police, however, maintains that the situation began to improve d... -
Dawn - 14:23 Jan 05, 2026
The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Monday that a major terrorist attack had been averted in Karachi. Addressing a press conference alongside CTD Additional Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Ali Larik in Karachi, CTD Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said that law enforcement agencies and the “premier intelligence agency” received information that terrorists were planning an attack to target the city. Mahesar said that the terrorists were planning to attack specific targets in Karachi to “destabilise” national security. He said that intelligence agencies, the Special Branch, the Intelligence Bureau as well as Sindh and Balochistan CTD designed a strategy to thwart these plans. He said that intelligence officials were deployed in different locations, while focusing on Karachi’s west region. Mahesar said that after several days of robust efforts, officials succeeded in getting information on a terrorist hideout in Raees Goth, Karachi, where terrorists had prepared a large amount... -
Dawn - 13:53 Jan 05, 2026
Landing in my birthplace always gives me the feeling of a tired child resting his head in his mother’s lap, the comfort that says I’m home. This time, the feeling was warmer, for I had brought with me the joy of my son’s wedding to share with my family and friends. It felt like returning to a celebration. But joy in this country is always fragile, more so in the border regions. The minute I touched down in Islamabad, news broke of yet another suicide attack — 12 killed, dozens injured. The headline cut through my heart before I even reached baggage claim. Still, I drove to Peshawar, to my roots. To the soil that has always known both happiness and heartbreak. The walls of Peshawar’s old qahwa khanas tea houses, which once echoed with Rehman Baba’s verses and the faces of film stars, are now filled with Quranic calligraphy, reflecting a changing moral and social landscape. When I reached home, the air was the same as when I left it. Dry, warm, filled with the scent of dust and bright sunshine. Children I once ... -
Dawn - 13:48 Jan 05, 2026
LAHORE: A local court on Monday granted pre-arrest bail to a qawwal after he was booked in a case for performing a song associated with ex-premier Imran Khan during a government-sponsored cultural event. In the first information report (FIR), the complainant, Shalimar Gardens in-charge Zameerul Hasan, alleged that qawwal Faraz Amjad Khan gave the event “political colour” as the song mentioned “Qaidi No. 804” in reference to former prime minister Imran Khan. Additional District and Sessions Judge Shazaib Dar took up the bail application filed by the artist today, who appeared before the court. Amjad’s counsel submitted that the petitioner has no affiliation with any political party and that he performed the song at the request of participants at the cultural programme. He further requested the court to grant pre-arrest bail to the singer as he wanted to join the investigation to “prove his innocence”. After preliminary arguments, the judge allowed the bail and sought the case record from the police. The Baghba... -
Dawn - 13:48 Jan 05, 2026
A first-semester pharmacy student sustained injuries after she jumped from the second floor at the University of Lahore on Monday, police said. Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran told Dawn that the student was originally from Narowal, adding that her parents had been asked to come to Lahore. “She jumped from the second floor of the pharmacy department,” the DIG said, adding that for now, the incident appeared to be “a suicide attempt”. However, he continued, police had yet to ascertain the reason behind the incident. The official further stated that the student’s legs had been fractured, and she had been hospitalised. “Her condition is serious, but there is no severe head injury,” DIG Kamran added. The director of emergency at Lahore General Hospital, Dr Yahya Sultan, also told Dawn that the girl was brought to the facility in a “serious condition” and she had sustained a minor head injury. “There are profound chest injuries on the right side,” he said. DIG Kamran said that accordi... -
Dawn - 13:36 Jan 05, 2026
LAKKI MARWAT: One person was killed while eight others were injured when a vehicle carrying cement workers was targeted by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Monday. The district police spokesperson, Qudratullah, said that the vehicle, which was carrying cement factory workers, was targeted by Fitna al Khwarij terrorists near Nawar Khel area on Begokhel road. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He said the injured had been taken to the City Hospital. He identified the deceased as Faridullah. The hospital’s spokesperson, Dr Kifayat Bettani, said that two of the injured were in critical condition. He added that the injured also included two women. A separate police statement said that soon after the incident was reported, Lakki Marwat District Police Officer (DPO) Nazir Khan arrived at the scene along with a large police contingent. The statement said a large-scale search operation ... -
Dawn - 13:35 Jan 05, 2026
Greenland’s leader declared “enough is enough”, and Denmark’s allies in Europe affirmed that the Arctic island’s future must be determined by its people, rebuffing renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump about acquiring the vast territory. Trump spoke a day after the US special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid, with Trump stating that Washington intended to oversee governance of the oil-rich Latin American country. The US operation rekindled concerns in Denmark that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar scenario. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland, an ambition first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. On Sunday, he told The Atlantic magazine in an interview: “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.” Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One early on Monday, Trump said he would revisit the topic in a few weeks. “Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends,” Greenlan... -
Dawn - 13:25 Jan 05, 2026
Sports fans and athletes alike can expect an action-packed 2026 calendar featuring major quadrennial sports events, routine international seasons, as well as plenty of domestic action. The cricket-crazy nation will see both the men’s and women’s ICC T20 World Cups this year, while football freaks across all global timezones have nearly six weeks of FIFA World Cup action. Pakistan is expected to send a sizable contingent to the Commonwealth Games in June, where the likes of javelin star Arshad Nadeem and weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt set games records while winning Pakistan’s only gold medals at the previous edition. Although Pakistan’s medal tally at the Asian Games has dropped in recent editions, there is hope for a resurgence at the continental multi-sport event after markswoman Kishmala Talat won a historic bronze in Hangzhou 2022 while the men’s squash team picked up the lone silver medal. Pakistan’s men’s squash team poses with their silver medals at the 2022 Asian Games. — Photo via X/Noor Zaman Janua... -
Dawn - 12:58 Jan 05, 2026
Pakistan and China issued a joint communique on Monday calling for more “visible and verifiable” actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organisations based in Afghanistan, and prevent them from using Kabul’s territory for militancy against any other country. The joint statement came after the conclusion of the 7th round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, for which Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar travelled to Beijing. “The two sides called for more visible and verifiable actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organisations based in Afghanistan which continue to pose serious threats to regional and global security, and prevent terrorist organisations from using the Afghan territory for terrorism against any other country and to endanger any other country,” the statement said. “The two sides agreed to keep in close communication and coordination on the Afghan issue, work with the international community to encourage the Afghan government to build an inclusive politi... -
Dawn - 12:51 Jan 05, 2026
QUETTA: An improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Balochistan’s Panjgur district on Monday killed one and injured 16 others. Panjgur Assistant Commissioner Amir Jan said the IED was planted in a motorbike and added that three of the injured are in serious condition. “Two children are also among the injured.“ According to local police officials, a Frontier Corps vehicle, which was the probable target, escaped the attack and all personnel were safe. A senior official of the local administration, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the motorbike laden with the IED was parked near a pushcart in the main bazaar. Another police official elaborated that the blast appeared to have been carried out through remote control. Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21pc year on year, according to data released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies. As... -
Dawn - 12:45 Jan 05, 2026
The concept of “martial rule” and the associated ideology of the “martial races” occupy a central place in the colonial and post-colonial history of Punjab. Far from being a mere military recruitment strategy, this theory evolved into a durable socio-political framework that reshaped agrarian relations, state power, and political authority in the region. Drawing upon the works of scholars such as Mustafa Kamal Pasha, Clive Dewey, Tan Tai Yong, and Rajit Mazumdar, one can trace how martial rule developed as an intellectual and administrative project, how it became deeply embedded in the agrarian economy of Punjab, and how its long-term ramifications elevated the military to a decisive force in contemporary politics. The theory of martial rule emerged from the broader colonial construct of the “martial races,” formulated by British administrators in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. As Tan Tai Yong demonstrates, the rebellion marked a decisive rupture in British perceptions of loyalty and governanc... -
Dawn - 12:10 Jan 05, 2026
Iran will offer no leniency to “rioters,” though the public has a right to demonstrate, the head of the judiciary said on Monday, following more than a week of protests. The demonstrations began last Sunday in Tehran when shopkeepers staged a strike over high prices and economic stagnation, but they have since spread to other regions and expanded to include political demands. “I instruct the attorney general and prosecutors across the country to act in accordance with the law and with resolve against the rioters and those who support them… and to show no leniency or indulgence,” Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency. He added that Iran “listens to the protesters and their criticism, and distinguishes between them and rioters”. Protests have taken place in 25 out of Iran’s 31 provinces and affected, to varying degrees, at least 45 different cities, most of them small or medium-sized and concentrated in the west, according to an AFP tally based on official statements an... -
Dawn - 11:55 Jan 05, 2026
A judicial magistrate in Karachi on Monday granted post-arrest bail to Armaghan Qureshi, the prime suspect in the Mustafa Amir murder case, in a case involving an illegal call centre and credit card data theft. Amir, 23, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by his friends — Armaghan and Sheraz — in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Jan 6, 2025. According to the police, the youth’s friends stuffed his body in the trunk of his car and torched it in the Hub area of Balochistan. A final charge sheet against Armaghan in the murder case was filed in August. Besides multiple other cases, Armaghan had also been implicated in the data theft case in a first information report (FIR) registered with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on April 16, 2025. Judicial magistrate (South) took up Armaghan’s bail plea today. Advocate Khurram Abbas appeared as his defence counsel and informed the court that the investigation against the suspect had been completed in 2025. “Not a single shred of evidence was presented... -
Dawn - 11:54 Jan 05, 2026
PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar, shared with National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Monday documents pertaining to the withdrawal of cases concerning PTI’s Omar Ayub and again demanded Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairperson Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s appointment as the opposition leader. The development comes around a month after the NA Secretariat sent a letter to Dogar, seeking details about the status of cases concerning Ayub. The letter said the provision of the details in writing is necessary for the completion of the process for the appointment of an opposition leader in the lower house of Parliament. According to a post on the NA’s X account, Dogar presented the documents to Sadiq today, and the two also exchanged views on matters related to the appointment of the opposition leader. Dogar “once again” demanded that the Achakzai be appointed as the opposition leader, the post said, adding that Ayaz gave the assurance that “everything will be done in accordance with the law and the constitution”. The sta... -
Dawn - 11:52 Jan 05, 2026
India’s Supreme Court denied bail on Monday for former student leader Umar Khalid, who has been detained for more than five years on charges of conspiracy to trigger deadly riots. Khalid, 38, was arrested in September 2020 under a sweeping anti-terrorism law and has remained in custody since, aside from brief releases to attend family weddings. His case has become a touchstone for critics who say India’s more than 200 million Muslims face discriminatory treatment in the Hindu-majority nation. Khalid was detained after the February 2020 sectarian riots in Delhi when 53 people were killed — mostly Muslims, but also several Hindus. The Supreme Court in New Delhi dismissed his appeal for bail, saying that “prolonged incarceration” was not grounds to grant him release. It also denied bail on the same grounds to another student activist, Sharjeel Imam. But it approved bail for five others in the same case. Khalid, a former student at Delhi’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, was charged with rioting with a d... -
Dawn - 10:16 Jan 05, 2026
The Bangladesh government on Monday ordered an indefinite ban on the telecast and promotion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the controversy surrounding the removal of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad, The Daily Star reported. The development comes after KKR said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Bangladesh are scheduled to play three T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7-March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. On Sunday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said after an emergency meeting that it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift its team’s games to Sri Lanka. A statement from the ministry of information and broadcasting said that it had “noted that no reason was communicated for the decision behind Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion [from the IPL]” and that the development ha... -
Dawn - 09:24 Jan 05, 2026
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday called on lawyers in Islamabad to stand up for an independent judiciary as he continued his efforts to rally support for the PTI’s street movement. The KP CM made the remarks while addressing the legal fraternity at an event organised by the Islamabad Bar Association. After completing a three-day visit to Lahore, Afridi has announced Karachi as his next destination. “If you do not stand up for the supremacy of the Constitution and the law and for an independent judiciary, then future generations will spit on us and you as well,” Afridi said. He urged them to announce a lawyers’ movement, adding that the youth will support them. “Long live resistance,” the chief minister said. “You must support the PTI founder [Imran Khan] against oppression and barbarity. Whose conscience is even one per cent alive will stand against the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments, as well as unfair trials — whether of journalists or politicians — and will demand the relea...
7393 items