Dawn
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Dawn - 14:06 Jul 09, 2026
Pakistan received a record $41.6 billion in workers’ remittances in the last fiscal year (FY26), up by around 8.6 per cent compared to FY25, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday. Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said the figure was Pakistan’s “highest-ever annual remittances in history”. “This historic milestone reflects the unwavering confidence of overseas Pakistanis and reinforces Pakistan’s external sector resilience, stronger foreign exchange buffers, and improving macroeconomic fundamentals,” he said on X. The adviser termed the inflows a “record achievement”, adding that the growth over the last three years had been “phenomenal, powered by millions of hardworking Pakistanis across the globe”. The latest figures were in line with the government’s expectations that total remittances would surpass the official target by the end of FY26 on June 30. The government had initially projected inflows of $41bn before revising the target to $40bn. While FY26 sa... -
Dawn - 13:53 Jul 09, 2026
Belgium’s prime minister was a little surprised on landing back home from Wednesday’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) summit in Turkiye to find that he had a handgun and ammunition in his luggage. After Nato leaders gathered for Wednesday’s fractious summit in Ankara, their host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, handed each an unusual parting gift: a vintage revolver, along with live ammunition indicating it was not just for show. Erdogan wanted to showcase Turkiye’s defence industry, which has become a key export and foreign policy tool. Images shared by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda showed what appeared to be the Gumusay .357 Magnum, a rare six-shooter produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s. It was set in a wooden display box featuring Turkiye’s flag and the Nato logo as well as a placard inscribed “Gumusay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country” in Turkish and English. The pistol gifted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Belgium’s P... -
Dawn - 13:29 Jul 09, 2026
The family of Faisal Jatoi, the co-pilot missing with four others after their cargo plane crashed into the Arabian Sea, faced an agonising wait for news on Thursday, as rescuers continued their search. Jatoi was co-piloting a K2 Airways Boeing 737 freighter from Sharjah in the UAE to Karachi on Tuesday night when it went down off Pakistan’s southern coast. Rescuers found the wreckage in a deep-sea search operation on Wednesday. Jatoi’s father-in-law, Ghulam Nabi Bahrani, said the family became alarmed when they could not reach him, and a Google search showed them the word “crash”. “That moment felt like doomsday for us,” Bahrani told Reuters at his home in Karachi. Jatoi has a wife and a two-year-old son. The aircraft, a 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 converted freighter, spent 10 days in Sharjah for repairs after delivering cargo, awaiting a spare part from the United States before the crew could return, Bahrani said. It reported a navigational problem at 9:18 pm on its way to Karachi, the Pakistan Airports Auth... -
Dawn - 13:12 Jul 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday cut its forecast for Pakistan’s economic growth to 3.7 per cent, citing higher energy costs and anticipated pressure on foreign remittances from Pakistanis abroad. In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2026, the Manila-based lender, however, lowered its growth forecast for developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.9pc for 2026 from 5.5pc in 2025, marking a 0.2-percentage-point reduction from its April projections. “Preliminary data show Pakistan’s economy growing by 3.7pc in FY2026 (ended 30 June 2026), supported by strong industry and services alongside modest agricultural gains. However, the growth forecast is revised down to 3.7pc for FY2027 due to higher energy costs and pressure on remittances”, said the Asian Development Outlook July 2026. ADB had earlier projected a 4.5pc growth rate for the current fiscal year in its April 2026 forecast. It also revised upward its inflation forecast for both FY2026 and the current fiscal year compared to its pre... -
Dawn - 13:04 Jul 09, 2026
KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Thursday handed over a 20-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a six-year-old boy to police on a five-day physical remand. The child’s body had been found in an empty plot near Karachi’s Lea Market on the night of July 7, a day after he went missing. Police said that although doctors had collected samples to ascertain sexual assault, the arrested suspect had confessed during the initial probe to kidnapping the boy for that purpose. Napier police presented the suspect at City Courts on Thursday under tight security, with his face covered. The investigation officer (IO) requested a 14-day physical remand, seeking time to interrogate the suspect to arrest his accomplices. The IO also informed the court that a provision related to rape had been added to the case. Subsequently, the court sent the suspect on a five-day physical remand and directed the IO to produce him at the next hearing along with a progress report. On the complaint of the boy’s father, the N... -
Dawn - 11:54 Jul 09, 2026
KARACHI: A sessions court on Thursday sentenced a man to death on two counts in a case pertaining to the 2019 murder of TV anchor Mureed Abbas and his friend over a monetary dispute. Prime suspect Atif Zaman and his brother, Adil Zaman, were arrested and booked by the police for killing Abbas and Khizer Hayat, who were their business partners, in Karachi’s Khayaban-i-Bukhari area on the night of July 9, 2019, seven years ago. Daniyal Muhammad Hussain — a part of the legal team that represented the complainant, Abbas’s wife, alongside Advocate Jibran Nasir — said that Adil Zaman had been declared an absconder in the case after escaping following the cancellation of his bail by the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry. He remains an absconder. Abbas was a Bol News anchorperson. In the incident — which at the time was said to be a “personal dispute” — he was gunned down while Hayat also received multiple bullet wounds. Hayat was shifted to a private hospital but he succumbed to his wounds, according to the police. I... -
Dawn - 11:52 Jul 09, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing a high-level meeting in Quetta to discuss the security situation in Balochistan after multiple major terrorist incidents in the province in recent days. Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was also present at the meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan to counter terrorism. Addressing the meeting, PM Shehbaz said they had gathered in Balochistan after “very serious incidents took place in the past four days”, resulting in the martyrdom of policemen, soldiers and civilians. Noting that 54 terrorists were killed while responding to those attacks and in subsequent operations, he affirmed, “This war [against terrorism] will continue until the last fasaadi terrorist in Pakistan is eliminated.” “The brave soldiers and officers of the armed forces rendered sacrifices and sacrificed their blood, along with law enforcement agencies and innocent civilians,” he noted. The prime minister affirmed that the... -
Dawn - 10:08 Jul 09, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that Pakistan and Croatia could utilise their geographic locations to unlock the “enormous potential” of their growth. His remarks came after he met with Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, who is in Islamabad on a one-day visit. Addressing a joint press briefing with Radman, Dar said, “Both Pakistan and Croatia are situated at important geographical locations and could utilise their presence and locations to untap their enormous potential for growth between the two countries and beyond.” Dar said he briefed Radman on the “potential, capacity, facilities and connectivity of our Karachi port”. “Both sides discussed the possibility of collaborative arrangements between the ports of the two countries,” he added. The deputy PM noted that connectivity “lies at the heart of a vision for sustainable development, regional stability and global economic integration”. Dar described the discussions between the two si... -
Dawn - 08:16 Jul 09, 2026
An illustration showing (top, left to right) the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said, Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, (and bottom) the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over a map of the Gulf with pre-war ship locator markings showing ships travelling via the Strait of Hormuz FOREWORD The United States-Zionist war of aggression on Iran has been partially halted by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Given the rising cost-exchange ratio because of Iran’s response, US President Donald Trump was looking for a deal. He admitted to the media at the G-7 summit that he “did not want to be the late, great Herbert Hoover”, the president historically blamed for the onset of the Great Depression. Trump also made plain that continuing the war meant global re... -
Dawn - 07:45 Jul 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday left its forecast for Pakistan’s economic growth unchanged at 3.7 per cent and projected inflation at 8.3pc for the current fiscal year, slightly higher than the government’s estimate. In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2026, the Manila-based lender, however, lowered its growth forecast for developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.9pc for 2026 from 5.5pc in 2025, marking a 0.2-percentage-point reduction from its April projections. Prolonged disruptions to energy markets caused by the Middle East conflict have weighed more heavily on the region’s prospects than anticipated, according to the ADB’s latest economic outlook released on Thursday. The lender maintained its 2027 growth forecast at 5.1pc, reflecting an expected recovery in economic activity as these pressures ease. The ADB’s outlook expects disruptions to global energy markets to ease only gradually despite a framework agreement signed in June. With the impact extending beyond energy to fert... -
Dawn - 06:57 Jul 09, 2026
The United States and Iran traded strikes on Thursday for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The latest round of attacks, which the US said was carried out in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after US President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be “over”. US forces said the latest attacks against Iran were aimed at “their ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”, citing recent strikes against commerical ships the waterway. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The US strikes rattled several cities along Iran’s southern coast and left some areas without power. The US Central Command said later they had struck approximately 90 military targets. Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to US mili... -
Dawn - 06:30 Jul 09, 2026
Indian leader Narendra Modi said he clinched a uranium supply agreement while visiting Australia on Thursday, securing a fuel source that will play a crucial role in his nation’s nuclear energy ambitions. Faced with an almost-insatiable appetite for electricity in the world’s most populous nation, Modi has outlined plans to substantially scale-up nuclear power generation in coming years. Australia lays claim to around 28 per cent of the world’s uranium resource, but legal hurdles and political sensitivities have hindered exports to India. “We have signed an important agreement today on nuclear energy,” Modi said after talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. “This will pave the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give our clean energy objectives fresh momentum.” A joint statement said the arrangement allowed long-term uranium exports for “exclusively peaceful purposes”. The exports would fall under safeguards established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “The ar... -
Dawn - 05:49 Jul 09, 2026
THE powers of the tax machinery are growing more strident but the recovery of actual revenue is getting harder and harder. The new production monitoring system rolled out by the FBR in the last fiscal might provide some technology-led direction to how these coercive powers can be down-blended with enhanced surveillance to yield something more intrusive but less punitive. But it cannot be the mainstay when thinking about the next generation of revenue measures the state must mobilise in order to escape the shrinking confines of its resource envelope. Asking for increased coercive powers for themselves is a standard operating principle for civil servants. In the tax bureaucracy, one can trace this demand back to the mid-1990s, and earlier too perhaps, when the tax authorities first got the powers of arrest. These powers were widened piecemeal through the years and had another layer added on top. This layer was surveillance. To some extent, surveillance powers were always vested with tax officers, but in 2008, t... -
Dawn - 05:26 Jul 09, 2026
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for promoting peace during a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The meeting between the two came on the sidelines of the fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2026) at the UN headquarters in New York. According to state-run PTV News, the two exchanged views on the regional situation and broader international developments, including Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran and its longstanding role in promoting peace. It added that the UN chief commended Pakistan’s efforts for peace. Earlier, Naqvi had met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev, on the sidelines of the summit. The two interior ministers discussed the regional security situation and ways to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, cybercrime and law-enforcement training, the interior ministry said. They also discussed conducting joint police exercises and develo... -
Dawn - 05:18 Jul 09, 2026
The United States and Iran traded strikes on Thursday for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The latest round of attacks, which the US said was carried out in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after US President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be “over”. US forces said the latest attacks against Iran were aimed at “their ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”, citing recent strikes against commerical ships the waterway. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The US strikes rattled several cities along Iran’s southern coast and left some areas without power. The US Central Command said later they had struck approximately 90 military targets. Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to US mili... -
Dawn - 05:15 Jul 09, 2026
United States President Donald Trump unexpectedly left Turkiye on Wednesday aboard an older Air Force One rather than the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet that brought him there, but later boarded the new plane in Britain for the flight to Washington. The trip to Turkiye for the Nato summit, the first international travel for the new plane, took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, a country that borders Turkiye. The unexpected plane switch followed months of scrutiny over the luxury gift intended to serve as a temporary replacement while Boeing struggled to deliver long-delayed next-generation Air Force One planes. Critics questioned the cost, security and pace of the retrofit. Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane “for old time’s sake” to fly from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft. Video late on Wednesday showed Trump boarding the new Air Force One... -
Dawn - 05:00 Jul 09, 2026
An Israeli strike in Gaza prior to the kickoff of the FIFA World Cup clash between Argentina and Egypt killed a top Palestinian aid official who helped organise screenings of the game across the strip, according to media reports. The Associated Press said the blast that killed Mohamed al-Wahidi, an official with Egypt’s relief arm in Gaza, turned “what was supposed to be a moment of celebration — the live screening of a potential upset against Argentina by an Arab team — into a reminder of how the near-daily Israeli strikes are continuing to kill civilians despite a truce reached in October”. The report also quoted Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital, as saying that the strike that killed al-Wahidi on Tuesday hit a car in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City at dusk. He said three others were killed in the attack, including the driver, Ahmed Daghmush, 33, and two brothers, 10-year-old Hamza al-Deri and 8-year-old Fari, According to the publication, the Israeli military said that al-Wahidi wa... -
Dawn - 03:46 Jul 09, 2026
LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan had a second one-on-one meeting in a week over the matters concerning the provincial legislature. In Wednesday’s meeting, CM Maryam was particular about “inclusive legislation.” She said it should be ensured that both treasury and opposition members be consulted in the legislative process. Khan said the CM’s direction would be followed and the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly would be held through mutual coordination. Both also discussed legislative matters related to prison reforms and the controversial bill – the Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, 2026. Speaker Khan praised the chief minister for presenting what he termed an outstanding policy at the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee. He also lauded the launch of the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” scheme and congratulated the chief minister on the balloting held under the initiative. The chief minister described the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar... -
Dawn - 03:25 Jul 09, 2026
• SESSI approves creation of endowment fund for rehabilitation and welfare of 78 children • Okays departmental action against 37 doctors and paramedical staff of its health facility KARACHI: Days after the government confirmed that as many as 78 children had been infected with HIV/AIDS at the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution-run Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital, the institution has allocated a sum of Rs2 billion to set up an endowment fund to provide long-term medical treatment and welfare support for the affected children, it emerged on Wednesday. Contrary to a claim made by a petitioner before the Sindh High Court that the number of affected children was 200, Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani had confirmed over the weekend that the government had data of 78 children who were infected with HIV/AIDS at Valika Hospital. He had also assured the parents of the affected children of their complete medical treatment and promised every possible support. On Wednesday, Ghani chaired the meeting of the Governing... -
Dawn - 03:18 Jul 09, 2026
ALTHOUGH it will take time for US-Iran negotiations to produce a durable peace deal, regional states have begun positioning themselves to benefit from the new economic opportunities that are likely to emerge. Anticipating greater regional integration, Türkiye, for example, has announced incentives to attract manufacturing investment. Pakistan, too, is well placed to benefit. It has earned global goodwill for helping reduce regional tensions and supporting diplomatic efforts for peace. At home, the economy has reached an important inflection point. After restoring macroeconomic stability, the challenge now is to move towards investment-led, export-oriented and inclusive growth. The new budget seeks to balance fiscal discipline under the IMF programme with steps to ease business constraints and give relief to citizens — an aim that’s essential but not easy to fulfil. Implementation of the broader reform agenda is a sine qua non for availing emerging opportunities: improving security, making energy prices compet...
12400 items