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Dawn - 08:33 Jan 05, 2026
The Pakistan Computer Emergency Response Team (PKCERT) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global cybersecurity company Kaspersky to enhance cybersecurity in Pakistan through collaboration. PKCERT is a federal government entity responsible for protecting Pakistan’s digital assets, sensitive information, and critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, cyberterrorism, and cyber espionage. A joint press release issued on Monday said that the agreement marked a major step toward enhancing Pakistan’s national cybersecurity posture through collaboration in threat detection, mitigation, and prevention. “The partnership between PKCERT and Kaspersky focuses on strengthening the country’s cyber resilience through a series of coordinated efforts. These include extensive training and awareness programs designed to enhance operational readiness across all levels of government, industry, academia, and civil society,” the statement said. It added that the collaboration also focused on capacity developme... -
Dawn - 07:29 Jan 05, 2026
The United States could raise tariffs on India if New Delhi does not meet Washington’s demand to curb purchases of Russian oil, US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy,” Trump said on Sunday. “They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly,” Trump said in response to a question on India’s Russian oil purchases. India’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US doubled import tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent last year as punishment for its heavy buying of Russian oil. Despite the hefty tariffs, India’s exports to the US leapt in November. Encouraged by the improved trade data, Indian officials have maintained a firm stance against US trade demands, signalling limited flexibility in areas such as agricultural imports, while data shows India’s oil purchases from Russia have declined. India is asking refiners for weekly disclosures of Russian and US oi... -
Dawn - 07:01 Jan 05, 2026
United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US might launch a second military strike on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country “fixed”. His comments to reporters aboard Air Force One raised the possibility of further US military interventions in Latin America, and suggested Colombia and Mexico could also face military action if they do not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the United States. “Operation Colombia sounds good to me,” Trump said. He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own without US military action. He also insisted the US was “in charge” of Venezuela after the seizure of Maduro, but was also dealing with the new leadership in Caracas. Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said at the same time that she was ready to work together with the Trump administration, asking the US leader for a balanced, respectful ... -
Dawn - 03:55 Jan 05, 2026
LAHORE: The police booked a singer for performing a song titled “Qaidi No 804” during a government-sponsored cultural event at the Shalimar Gardens here on Sunday. The suspect, a Qawwal, has been accused of giving the event ‘political colour’ as the song was associated with the jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. In the FIR, the complainant, the Shalimar Gardens in charge, Mr Zameerul Hasan, alleged that the singer, Faraz Khan, deliberately tried to exploit the cultural event and instigate people, as the song was associated with a particular political party. He said a music and cultural night was organised by the Walled City of Lahore Authority, which was a non-political event. However, he alleged the singer and his companions sang the song, associated with the PTI leader, on the demand of some audience. He told the police that the suspect should have kept in his mind that the event was open to the public, and was attended by people having affiliations with different political parties. The controversial song posed... -
Dawn - 02:50 Jan 05, 2026
• People’s Unity alleges privatisation bidding process lacked transparency; employees barred from participation • Claims collective bargaining agent has expertise to turn around loss-making flag carrier ISLAMABAD: In what appeared to be a lost battle, the PIA Employees’ Combined Bargaining Agent (CBA), People’s Unity, has asked the government to put on hold the signing of the airline’s share purchase agreement (SPA) and the transfer of management control to the Arif Habib-led consortium until consideration of its reservations and a counter-offer. In a letter to PIA’s board of directors, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Privatisation, the union alleged that the privatisation process culminating in the bidding was non-transparent, claiming that employees were not allowed to participate. It said the CBA had the expertise to turn around the loss-making national carrier through professional management and a competent board. People’s Unity President Hidayatullah Khan said the government was repeating “th... -
Dawn - 19:53 Jan 04, 2026
Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah on Sunday said India’s claim of placing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in “abeyance” has no legal basis and that the treaty remains fully in force under international law. In April 2025, India held the IWT in abeyance following the attack on tourists 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”. In June, the Permanent Court of Arbitration held that India cannot unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. Speaking on Geo News‘ programme ‘Jirga’, Shah talked about the legality of India holding the IWT in abeyance and said: “As far as holding the treaty in abeyance is concerned, the word ‘abeyance’ is not recognised under international treaty law. It is a coined term, because we believe India understands that it cannot suspend, breach or terminate the treaty.” However, he cautioned that India’s continued non-cooperat... -
Dawn - 19:48 Jan 04, 2026
The United States is ready to work with Venezuela’s remaining leaders if they make “the right decision”, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday after an audacious US operation removed the oil-rich country’s president, Nicolas Maduro. “We‘re going to judge everything by what they do, and we‘re going to see what they do,” Rubio told CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’. “I do know this: that if they don’t make the right decision, that the United States will retain multiple levers of leverage.” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York detention centre on Sunday after US President Donald Trump ordered a US raid to capture the South American leader and take control of the country and its vast oil reserves. As part of the dramatic operation early on Saturday that knocked out electricity in parts of Caracas and included strikes on military installations, US Special Forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transported them via helicopter to a US Navy ship offshore before flying them to the US. ... -
Dawn - 16:42 Jan 04, 2026
Attacks by Sudan’s army and its paramilitary foes on two towns in the western Darfur region over the past week have killed 114 people, medical sources told AFP on Sunday. Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which in October seized the army’s last holdout position in Darfur. The RSF has since pushed west to the Chadian border and east through the vast Kordofan region, where a drone strike on the North Kordofan capital of El-Obeid on Sunday caused a blackout in the key army-controlled city. A medical source reported Sunday that 51 people were killed the day before in drone strikes attributed to the army on the North Darfur town of Al-Zuruq, 180 kilometres (112 miles) north of the RSF-overrun state capital El-Fashir. The strike hit a market and civilian areas, the source said. Al-Zuruq, under RSF control, is home to family members of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the former deputy of his now rival, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Bu... -
Dawn - 16:15 Jan 04, 2026
New deadly clashes between protesters and security forces erupted in Iran over the weekend, rights groups and local media said on Sunday, as demonstrations first sparked by anger over the rising cost of living entered a second week. At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since the protests kicked off with a shopkeeper’s strike in Tehran on December 28, according to a toll based on official reports. Overnight, protests featuring slogans criticising the Islamic republic’s clerical authorities were reported in Tehran, Shiraz in the south, and in areas of western Iran where the movement has been concentrated, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) monitor. The demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. The latest protests have been concentrated in parts of the west with large populatio... -
Dawn - 16:12 Jan 04, 2026
Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today’s India By Christophe Jaffrelot Liberty Publishing ISBN: 978-627-7626-50-1 546pp. An extensively researched book by Christophe Jaffrelot, a French political scientist specialising in India and Pakistan — Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today’s India — deals with the transformation of Gujarat into “a laboratory of Hindu nationalism.” Narendra Modi served as chief minister of Gujarat for a record 13 years between 2001 and 2014, after which he became the prime minister of India. Jaffrelot has written extensively on India and Pakistan and is considered a formidable scholar on the region. Other books by the same author include: India’s First Dictatorship: The Emergency 1975-1977 (2020), Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy (2021), The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience (2015), Religion, Caste and Politics in India (2010), A History of Pakistan and its Origins (2002), and his doctoral thesis published as The Hindu Nationalist Movement I... -
Dawn - 15:52 Jan 04, 2026
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday clarified that his “only stance” was to implement PTI founder Imran Khan’s directives to run his province and prepare for the party’s street movement. Afridi had previously announced that Karachi was his next destination for galvanising party supporters after he concluded his three-day visit to Lahore, where he also met with the families of jailed senior PTI leaders. In a post on social media platform X earlier today, the KP chief minister said, “I have only one stance. My leader (Imran) has directed me to prepare for a street movement, along with running the administrative affairs of my province. “God-willing, I will implement them in letter and spirit. Any other news attributed to me would be someone’s personal assumption,” he added. About his upcoming visit to Karachi, CM Afridi said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, “respecting democratic values and his office’s dignity”, has invited him for a meeting. Afridi said he had thanked Murad for the in... -
Dawn - 15:29 Jan 04, 2026
PESHAWAR: At least three people, including a school principal and Rescue 1122 official, were injured on Tuesday when unknown assailants targeted a private school with “back-to-back quadcopter attacks” in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali, local sources said. For months, banned militant organisations in the region have been using improvised munitions like quadcopters to drop explosives, targeting security forces and civilians. According to local sources, the incident took place in Khasokhel village, where “explosives were dropped from the quadcopter onto the premises of Al-Fatah Public School, injuring the school’s principal and security guard.” Soon after the incident, a Rescue 1122 medical team reached the site to provide first aid and evacuate the injured. However, rescue officials said that while rescue personnel were engaged in relief work, another quadcopter dropped a mortar shell near the scene, injuring a Rescue 1122 worker. “All the injured were provided initial medical treatment and later shifted to Bannu f... -
Dawn - 14:10 Jan 04, 2026
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday termed Pakistan-China friendship “vital” for regional peace and stability as both leaders co-chaired the 7th round of the Pakistan–China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Beijing. Dar reached Beijing on Saturday at Wang’s invitation, primarily to co-chair the strategic dialogue. Following the dialogue today, the Foreign Office (FO) in a statement on social media platform X said: “Highlighting the salience of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, both leaders reaffirmed that the Pakistan–China friendship is vital for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and for the two countries. “They also agreed to enhance coordination at bilateral and multilateral fora,” the FO added. The two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of Pak–China relations and discussed “key issues at the regional and global levels”. The FO further said views were exchanged on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), trade, multilateral coop... -
Dawn - 13:58 Jan 04, 2026
KARACHI: Five members of a family, including two children, were rescued on Sunday after falling into an open drain in Korangi’s Mehran Town area, according to Rescue 1122 officials. A Rescue 1122 spokesperson said the Central Command and Control received the alert and immediately dispatched a water rescue team and trained divers to the site. “The rescue team carried out a rapid operation and rescued all five affected individuals, who were heading to attend a wedding ceremony,” he said. The spokesperson said all affected individuals were rescued and taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre by ambulance for medical treatment. However, one of the women rescued from the drain was reported to be in critical condition, the spokesperson added. The spokesperson told Dawn that four people – two women and children – were on their way to attend the wedding ceremony. Upon reaching the corner of the street to board the bus, they ascended over a rain drain near the mosque covered with slabs; however, it could not be... -
Dawn - 13:22 Jan 04, 2026
Bangladesh will not play their T20 World Cup matches in India after its cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the countries. Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (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. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift its team’s games to Sri Lanka. “The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” a BCB statement read. It said its decision was made due to “growing concerns regarding the safety and security” of its players, and based on its government’s advice. “In light of this decision, the B... -
Dawn - 13:17 Jan 04, 2026
Additional staff have been deployed at M-Tag centres in Islamabad as over 120,000 vehicles have registered ahead of the January 15 deadline. The M-Tag is a prepaid radio frequency identification (RFID) sticker for a car windshield that automates toll payments. As a vehicle passes through a toll plaza, scanners identify the vehicle and entry point; upon exiting, the system automatically deducts the fare from the balance, eliminating the need to wait in long queues. To ensure the security of the federal capital and link vehicles with electronic monitoring, the administration has decided that vehicles without M-Tags will not be allowed to enter Islamabad from the now-extended deadline of January 15. With 12 days remaining before enforcement begins, authorities in Islamabad have reported steady progress in the M-Tag registration drive. Officials said 120,447 vehicles have been fitted with M-Tags so far, while 3,392 vehicles were registered in the last 24 hours alone. Excise and Taxation Department Director Genera... -
Dawn - 12:33 Jan 04, 2026
LAKKI MARWAT/ BANNU: Three traffic police personnel were martyred in firing by suspected terrorists in the Serai Naurang area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Sunday. Qudratullah, spokesperson for the district police officer (DPO), told Dawn the three traffic policemen were on duty near the Dil Begu Khel area when “unidentified terrorists, who were on a motorcycle”, opened fire on them. As a result, they died on the spot, the spokesperson said. Ticketing officer in-charge Jalal Khan was among the martyred, he said, adding that two other personnel were identified as Azizullah and Abdullah. The bodies were moved to Naurang Hospital, and police have launched a search operation at the site of the incident, Qudratullah said. Later in the day, the funeral prayers of the martyred traffic cops were offered at the Lakki Marwat Police Lines with official honours. Police and district administration officers, the bereaved family members and other residents attended the prayers. Funeral prayers of three tr... -
Dawn - 11:58 Jan 04, 2026
The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the militant Islamic State (IS) group to store weapons. “Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation,” the statement added. The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyra had posed any risk to civilians. IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country’s vast desert. Last month, Washington said a lone IS gunman in Palmyra attacked American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian. US forces said they struck dozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation. -
Dawn - 11:41 Jan 04, 2026
PESHAWAR: At least six people were killed, including a mother and three daughters, and five were injured on Sunday after the dilapidated roof of a house collapsed in Shabqadar tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district, police said. Per the police, most of the victims were guests who had arrived to attend a wedding ceremony at the house where the incident occurred. The event was scheduled for Sunday evening. “The incident occurred at around 4am when the dilapidated roof collapsed on the family and guests, prompting the neighbours to rush to the site and manage to pull out the bodies and the injured from the debris,” a statement from the police said. Rescue 1122 teams arrived at the scene later, launching relief operations and shifting the injured and deceased to the hospital. The bodies and injured were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Shabqadar, the statement added. Roof collapses are largely caused by substandard construction, use of poor-quality materials, and lack of enforcement of bu... -
Dawn - 11:31 Jan 04, 2026
KARACHI: Police have arrested the prime suspect accused of killing four people whose partially decomposed bodies were found in a pit off Karachi’s Mai Kolachi Road earlier this week, authorities said on Sunday, adding that the suspect had confessed to the crime. According to police, the four bodies — of a woman and her three children — were recovered from a pit off Mai Kolachi Road on Friday night in the limits of the Docks police station. Police said the bodies had marks of torture, and the deceased appeared to have been killed with an axe or another sharp-edged object. A statement by the office of Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said today the prime suspect in the case had been arrested by Kaemari police and had confessed to the crime during interrogation. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Asad Raza also confirmed the development to Dawn, saying that digital forensics of the mobile of the deceased woman had established that the suspect had been in contact with her. “He wanted to get rid ...
7393 items