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Dawn - 12:45 Oct 29, 2025
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has agreed to lend its support to the PTI in nominating Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai for the opposition leader’s slot in the National Assembly (NA). The development comes over a week after the PTI formally requested the appointment of Achakzai — whose party is also part of opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ain-e-Pakistan (TTAP) along with five other parties, including the PTI — as leader of the opposition in the NA. The position of the opposition leader in the lower house of Parliament has been vacant since the disqualification of PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan on August 5. On August 20, incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan named Achakzai for the post of NA Opposition Leader in the NA. According to a statement posted on JUI-F’s X account today, a PTI delegation visited Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence in Islamabad, “where the JUI-F agreed to support the nomination of Mehmood Khan Achakzai”. The PTI delegation included Asad Qaiser, PTI Khyber-Pakht... -
Dawn - 12:26 Oct 29, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday hailed Iran and Pakistan as partners in maintaining regional peace and stability during a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian. Pakistan and Iran agreed in August that peace and prosperity in their border regions hinged on effectively combating terrorism. The nearly 900-kilometre border between the two countries has long faced security threats from proscribed groups, such as Jaish al-Adl and the Balochistan Liberation Army. Pakistan and Iran share close ties but persistent issues, including terrorism, smuggling, and mutual accusations of harbouring militants, have periodically strained relations. The interior minister is currently on a visit to Iran at a time of sustained tension with two of Pakistan’s neighbours, Iran and Afghanistan. A press release issued today said he met President Pezeshkian, with the two discussing bilateral and bilateral cooperation. “Iran and Pakistan are partners in regional peace and stability,” the press release quoted Naqvi as saying... -
Dawn - 11:09 Oct 29, 2025
Pakistan on Wednesday called for the immediate cessation of Gaza ceasefire violations by Israel after the latter’s strike on the Palestinian enclave killed more than 100 people. Gaza’s health ministry said at least 104 people were killed after Israel carried out air strikes on the Palestinian territory yesterday, accusing Hamas of violating the truce by killing a soldier, which the group denied. The renewed Israeli bombardment prompted strong condemnation from Pakistan, one of the eight Muslim countries that worked with the United States on President Donald Trump’s peace plan. “Pakistan strongly condemns the renewed attacks by the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, which have reportedly resulted in civilian casualties,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “These actions constitute a clear and flagrant violation of international law, as well as a breach of the recently concluded peace agreement,” the FO said, warning that such “aggressive measures by the Israeli occupation forces threaten to undermine the i... -
Dawn - 10:32 Oct 29, 2025
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and his Saudi counterpart Fahad Al-Jalajel held a discussion in Riyadh related to polio eradication from Pakistan, along with talks related to cooperation in the health sector and promotion of investment, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The meeting took place a day ago on the sidelines of the Ninth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9) in Riyadh, where Kamal was part of a Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Islamabad and Riyadh share long-standing diplomatic ties and, in recent years, have sought to expand and strengthen their partnership by adding greater strategic depth through enhanced cooperation in defence, economy, and health. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. “Both ministers held detailed d... -
Dawn - 08:52 Oct 29, 2025
A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to decide PTI leader Shibli Faraz’s appeal against his disqualification as a senator. Faraz, along with former National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub, first approached the PHC. However, it had decided to adjourn sine die (for indefinite period) the pleas, directing the petitioners to first surrender before the competent court. Later, the PTI leaders challenged the high court’s decision before the SC. Headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, a five-member CB resumed proceedings on Shibli’s appeal, after Ayub had withdrawn his during the last hearing on Monday. The bench also included Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Shakeel Ahmad. Faraz’s appeal challenges the PHC’s decision to indefinitely adjourn its hearings on his petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notification de-seating him as the Senate opposition leader. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali ... -
Dawn - 07:52 Oct 29, 2025
Islamabad court upholds arrest warrant for Gandapur in liquor and arms case over persistent no-shows
An Islamabad district and sessions court on Wednesday upheld a non-bailable arrest warrant issued for former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur around a week ago over his continued absence from the hearings of a 2016 arms and liquor case. Arrest warrants have been issued for Gandapur in the case multiple times over his non-appearance, including on October 5, 2024, September 4, 2024, July 19, 2025, Sept 10, 2025 and October 21, 2025. During today’s hearing, too, both Gandapur and his lawyer, Raja Zahoor-ul-Hassan, failed to appear in court. Subsequently, Judge Mubashir Hassan Chishti upheld the court’s previous order and directed the relevant authorities to arrest and present Gandapur in the court. The court adjourned the hearing till November 11. Arms and liquor case The case dates back to Oct 30, 2016, when Islamabad police said they had recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, alcohol and three tear gas shells from then-KP revenue minist... -
Dawn - 07:46 Oct 29, 2025
Millions of supporters of Bangladesh’s Awami League will boycott next year’s national election, after the party was barred from contesting the polls, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Reuters on Wednesday from her exile in New Delhi. Hasina, 78, said she would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, and plans to remain in India, where she fled in August 2024 following a deadly student-led uprising. An interim government headed by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has governed Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster and has pledged to hold elections next February. “The ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating,” Hasina said in emailed responses to Reuters. “The next government must have electoral legitimacy. Millions of people support the Awami League, so as things stand, they will not vote. You cannot disenfranchise millions of people if you want a political system that works.” Hopes Awami League will be allowed to contest Banglades... -
Dawn - 07:18 Oct 29, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Wednesday “nothing” would jeopardise the ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel carried out air strikes on the Palestinian territory accusing Hamas of violating the truce, which the group denied. Gaza’s civil defence agency said that Israeli attacks had killed at least 50 people, including 22 children, and wounded around 200. “At least 50 killed, including 22 children and a number of women and children, as a result of the ongoing Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since last night,” Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency, told AFP. Around 200 people were wounded “in a clear and flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement”, he said, calling the situation in Gaza “catastrophic and terrifying”. Trump defended Israel’s actions on Wednesday, saying it “should hit back” if Israeli soldiers were killed, but added that “nothing’s going to jeopardise” to truce. “They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back. And they should hit back,” Trump told reporters on Air Force... -
Dawn - 06:36 Oct 29, 2025
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $250 million for a flagship adaptation programme aimed at building resilient water and agriculture systems for vulnerable communities in the glacier-dependent regions of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan, a press release issued on Wednesday said. Led by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ‘Glaciers to Farms’ programme covers nine ADB developing member countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, which all rely on glacier and snow-fed rivers for agriculture, domestic water, and electricity generation. The programme will focus on four glacier-fed river basins — the Naryn and Pyanj in Central Asia, the Kura in the South Caucasus, and the Swat in Pakistan — covering roughly 27m hectares, the ADB said in a press release. The handout added that the GCF approved its concessional funding for the programme at its 43rd board meeting on October 29. It said that around 13m people, incl... -
Dawn - 05:31 Oct 29, 2025
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said early on Wednesday that the latest round of talks between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul “failed to bring about any workable solution”, adding that Pakistan would continue to take all possible measures to protect its citizens from terrorism. After days of fighting along the Pak-Afghan border and strikes by Islamabad on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, the two countries had come together for a dialogue in Doha which had resulted in a temporary ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. Last week, the second round of talks between the two sides had begun in the Turkish capital. In a post on social media platform X early on Wednesday, the information minister said that Pakistan had repeatedly engaged with the Afghan Taliban regarding “persistent cross-border terrorism” by Indian-abetted Fitna-al-Khawarij and Indian proxy Fitna-al-Hindusta... -
Dawn - 01:42 Oct 29, 2025
AMERICAN technology giant Meta has introduced, or perhaps one should say, unleashed AI on speakers of the Urdu language. At a Monday event in Islamabad, the tech company said it was expanding its artificial intelligence language capabilities to better serve users in Pakistan who wished to interact with AI in Urdu. The announcement was both exciting and unsettling. “The introduction of Urdu for Meta AI is a milestone in making technology more inclusive and accessible for our people, ensuring that no one is left behind in our digital transformation,” the federal IT minister said on the occasion. While the intent should be appreciated, we must also worry whether there has been enough discourse in Urdu regarding the dangers and shortcomings of AI and how users must protect against them. There is no denying that AI models that are accessible in ordinary users’ mother tongues can open up whole new worlds of possibilities in a society like Pakistan, where social inequalities often limit who gets to benefit from mode... -
Dawn - 19:23 Oct 28, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that a decision on sending Pakistani troops for the Gaza peace force was still being finalised and “it is in process”. A cornerstone of the US-brokered Gaza Peace Agreement is the establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), composed mainly of troops from Muslim-majority countries. According to officials close to the discussions, an announcement is expected soon from the federal government regarding the decision. Officials familiar with the deliberations, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said discussions within the government and military establishment were at an “advanced stage”. According to them, the tone of internal consultations suggests that Islamabad is inclined to take part in the mission. Questioned whether any such move was in the offing or not in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Asif said: “This thing has to be finalised [and] it is in process. The government will take a dec... -
Dawn - 19:21 Oct 28, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that an agreement was about to be reached with Afghanistan, but Afghan negotiators backpedaled after contacting Kabul during the negotiations. A second round of talks between the two sides had begun on Saturday in Istanbul. The Qatar talks had come after days of fighting along the Pak-Afghan border and strikes by Islamabad on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan. The agreement reached in Doha extended an initial 48-hour truce and resulted in a temporary ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’, the defence minister stated that negotiators had backpedaled on an agreement “four or five times” after receiving instructions from Kabul. “Whenever we got close to an agreement — either in the last four days or last week — when negotiators reported to Kabul, then there was intervention and the agreement was wit... -
Dawn - 19:14 Oct 28, 2025
The United Nations’ migration agency on Tuesday said that 18 people were killed when a wooden vessel carrying dozens of migrants capsized off the coast of Libya on Tuesday, while 64 people — including 12 Pakistanis — were rescued. The vessel “capsized only a few hours into its journey due to high waves”, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement, adding that the accident had occurred off the coast of Surman, Libya. “Among the survivors are 29 Sudanese men, one Sudanese woman, and one Sudanese child; 18 Bangladeshi men; 12 Pakistani men; and three Somali men,” it said. No information was yet available about the nationalities of those who died. “This latest shipwreck is a stark reminder of the grave dangers faced by people undertaking perilous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity,” the IOM said. It said the central Mediterranean route from northern Africa across to Europe remained “one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors”. The agency said its Missing Migrants Pr... -
Dawn - 19:08 Oct 28, 2025
The Sindh government has introduced a new e-challan system that aims to improve the city’s traffic while minimising the traffic police’s interaction with the public. Under the new system inaugurated recently, at least 5,500 challans have already been issued to traffic rule violators throughout the city. Here is what you need to know about the system. What is the e-challan system? Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Admin Karachi Traffic Police Kashif explained that the system has been introduced as part of the Karachi Safe City Project. A total of 1,076 cameras have been installed on main thoroughfares in the first phase. When phase 2 and 3 of the initiative are completed, up to 12,000 cameras will have been installed in all areas of Karachi as well as on toll plazas. Once a challan is initiated, it will be sent via Pakistan Post to an address linked to the number plate issued by the Sindh Excise and Taxation Department. While the total time to pay off the challan is 21 days, if it is paid within 14 days, t... -
Dawn - 18:46 Oct 28, 2025
Pakistan’s brittle batting line-up imploded once again as South Africa romped to a comprehensive 55-run victory in the first Twenty20 International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night, bowling the hosts out for a paltry 139 in 18.1 overs while chasing 195. Corbin Bosch, the 30-year-old seamer, produced a masterclass in death bowling to finish with career-best figures of 4-14, while left-arm spinner George Linde chipped in with 3-31 as Pakistan lost their last seven wickets for just 58 runs after a sedate powerplay. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, promoted to set the tone, managed a cautious 31 before Lizaad Williams shattered Farhan’s stumps with a nip-backer for 24 off 19 balls. The dismissal brought Babar Azam to the crease for his much-anticipated T20I comeback, but the former skipper lasted just two deliveries, chipping a short-of-length ball from Bosch straight to cover for a golden duck. Skipper Salman Ali Agha’s wretched night continued when he was trapped plumb in front by Bosch... -
Dawn - 18:45 Oct 28, 2025
At least two people were killed and four others were injured on Tuesday after an Israeli strike on the Sabra neighborhood south of Gaza City, Gaza’s civil defence said. Israeli planes launched strikes on Gaza City after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory. He ordered the Israeli military to carry out “powerful attacks”. “Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” a statement from his office said. This development came after the Israeli military accused Hamas of staging its search for the remains of a Gaza captive’s body, one of 28 the group had agreed to hand over under a ceasefire deal. “Yesterday (Monday) Hamas operatives were documented removing body remains from a structure that had been prepared in advance and burying them nearby,” the military said in a statement, attaching drone footage which it said showed the act. The aerial footage sh... -
Dawn - 17:43 Oct 28, 2025
The federal government replaced the director general of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Tuesday amid an ongoing corruption scandal concerning its employees and other issues. The federal government established the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to probe illegal activities on social media. The NCCIA, operating under the Interior Division, has a key role in combating cybercrime in Pakistan. Notifications issued from the Cabinet Secretariat’s Establishment Division today said Syed Khurram Ali, a BS-21 officer of the police service, was appointed as the new NCCIA DG with immediate effect, replacing Waqaruddin Syed, who was directed to report to the division immediately. The latter was appointed to the role in April. Earlier today, a Lahore court granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a three-day physical remand of six NCCIA officials in a case registered against them for allegedly misusing their authority, extorting money and taking bribes. The first informatio... -
Dawn - 17:31 Oct 28, 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped out on attending an Asean summit in Malaysia to avoid broaching the issue of Pakistan in a possible meeting with United States President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Modi had backtracked from his proposed visit to Malaysia over the weekend to attend an Asean summit and opted to join the discussions “virtually” instead. The opposition Congress party had blamed the change of plan on Modi’s fear of meeting Trump. The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-nation grouping, as well as associated meetings, was held from Oct 26 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur. “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed away from a regional leaders summit in Malaysia this week to avoid meeting US President Donald Trump and having a possible discussion about Pakistan,” people familiar with the matter said. “Officials in the government were apprehensive that Trump would repeat his claim that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day ... -
Dawn - 17:22 Oct 28, 2025
A Lahore court on Tuesday granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a three-day physical remand of six National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) officials in a case registered against them for allegedly misusing their authority, extorting money and taking bribes. The first information report (FIR) of the case has been registered with the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore on the complaint of Aroob Jatoi, the wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman alias Ducky Bhai, who has been arrested in a case pertaining to promoting gambling apps on social media. The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered a total of nine individuals, including eight NCCIA officials, at 7:35pm yesterday. Among them, the six remanded in the FIA custody were said to be missing for several days before the FIA announced their arrest yesterday. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of another official nominated in the case — Muhammad Usman, the NCCIA deputy director of operations in Islamabad — have also been unknown for severa...
5680 items