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Dawn - 02:43 Dec 31, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is expected to meet on January 12 to consider the confirmation of three additional judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), sources told Dawn. The judges under consideration are Justice Mohammad Azam Khan, Justice Mohammad Asif, and Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas. The IHC administration has already forwarded the service records of the three judges to the JCP along with recommendations of Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar, who will participate in the meeting as a member of the JCP. Justice Azam and Justice Minhas were appointed as additional judges to the IHC, whereas Justice Asif was appointed as a judge in the Balochistan High Court before he was transferred to Islamabad through a presidential order that also brought incumbent CJ Dogar to the IHC. These transfers and the subsequent elevation of Justice Dogar as chief justice witnessed unprecedented internal discord within the IHC. Several judges appeared as litigants before the Supreme ... -
Dawn - 02:32 Dec 31, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says that as Pakistan enters 2026 as the world’s fifth most populous country, with a population exceeding 225 million, high population growth and fertility rates, persistent gender inequality, and rising climate vulnerability, the urgency of addressing population dynamics has intensified. These realities underscore the need to view population not as a burden but as a strategic driver of sustainable and inclusive development, UNFPA Pakistan said in a statement on Tuesday. Looking ahead to 2026, UNFPA called for a shift in how population is reflected in national planning and financing, particularly in the NFC formula. Moving beyond population size as the primary determinant, a forward-looking approach should reward provinces for measurable progress in gender equality, climate resilience, balanced population outcomes, and improvements in the quality of health and education services. Such reform would align fiscal incentives with human development res... -
Dawn - 19:20 Dec 30, 2025
The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was pulling out its remaining forces in Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave the country within 24 hours. “In light of recent developments and their potential implications for the safety and effectiveness of counterterrorism missions, the Ministry of Defence announces the termination of the remaining counterterrorism personnel in Yemen of its own volition, in a manner that ensures the safety of its personnel and in coordination with the concerned partners,” said the UAE’s Ministry of Defence on X. The statement added that UAE’s presence in Yemen was limited to specialised personnel “as part of counterterrorism efforts, in coordination with relevant international partners”. The Gulf monarchy also rejected Saudi Arabia’s accusations that it supplied weapons to a Yemeni separatist faction amid rising tensions between the two Gulf monarchies. “The shipment in question did not contain any weapons, and the vehicles unloaded were not intended for ... -
Dawn - 18:22 Dec 30, 2025
China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island’s key ports and assaults on maritime targets. Taipei, which slammed the two-day war games as “highly provocative and reckless”, claimed the manoeuvre failed to impose a blockade on the island. China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has refused to rule out military action to seize the island. AFP journalists in Pingtan, a Chinese island at the closest point to Taiwan’s main island, saw a volley of rockets blast into the air at around 9:00am (6am PKT) on Tuesday, leaving trails of white smoke. At least 10 were launched in quick succession, sending a booming sound reverberating across the sky and drawing tourists towards the seafront to snap photos and videos on their phones. Taiwanese authorities counted 27 rockets fired by Chinese forces on Tuesday. A Taiwanese Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet ... -
Dawn - 17:03 Dec 30, 2025
Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday signed two major climate resilience initiatives—one focused on Sindh and the other on Punjab—according to a statement issued by the Economic Affairs Division. The projects include the $180.5 million Sindh Coastal Resilience Sector Project (SCRP) and the $124 million Punjab Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture Mechanisation Project. Economic Secretary Muhammad Humair Karim “expressed his sincere appreciation for ADB’s role as a trusted development partner and its continued support to Pakistan in advancing climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and inclusive growth”, the statement read. Karim highlighted that the SCRP will promote integrated water resource and flood risk management and restore nature-based coastal defences. It is also expected to strengthen the institutional and community capacity for strategic action planning. “The project, financed through $140.5m from [the] ADB (including [a] $140m loan and [a] $500,000 technical assistan... -
Dawn - 16:51 Dec 30, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reiterated his resolve to “elevate” the country’s longstanding ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into a strategic and mutually beneficial economic partnership as he met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Rahim Yar Khan, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated. Al-Nahyan undertook his first official visit to Pakistan last Friday, where “substantive talks” took place, focused on further strengthening the longstanding fraternal relations between the two countries. According to the PMO’s statement, PM Shehbaz, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other officials, met the Emirati president at Sheikh Zayed Palace in Rahim Yar Khan. It added that the two leaders “carried forward discussions” from Al-Nahyan’s December 26 visit. PM Shehbaz stressed the need for both sides to actively pursue an enhancement in bilateral trade “through a quantum jump which will bri... -
Dawn - 15:02 Dec 30, 2025
PESHAWAR: Snowfall and rain hit the mountainous areas of South Waziristan on Tuesday, marking the onset of cold weather and bringing much-needed relief to residents, farmers, and environmental officials. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had predicted rain and snowfall in the hilly areas of the country on Sunday. According to local sources, light to moderate snowfall occurred in high-altitude regions, including Angoor Adda, Shakai, Khamrang, Raghzai, Kaniguram, Badar, Laddha and surrounding hilly localities, while intermittent rainfall was reported in lower areas. The precipitation transformed the mountainous landscape, with hill ranges blanketed in snow, significantly enhancing the natural beauty of the region. Residents welcomed the change in weather, describing the snowfall and rain as “positive and refreshing” after a prolonged dry spell. Many locals were seen enjoying the scenic views, while others expressed optimism about the environmental and economic benefits associated with the winter prec... -
Dawn - 14:21 Dec 30, 2025
In the hinterlands of Australia’s historic goldfields, Vicki Plumridge jumps for joy when she digs a small golden nugget out of the earth. The retired retail worker was learning how to use her new metal detector when it started bleeping by the moss-covered ruins of a building. After Plumridge dug the nugget out of the shallow dirt with a plastic trowel, a guide estimated it was around 0.2 of a gram of gold, worth about $40 Australian Dollar ($26.58). “But to me, it’s worth a million dollars,” said the 63-year-old, who had bought the detector only a few days before. “My heart is singing.” Vicki Plumridge, 63, a retired retail worker, reacts as Peter Vanjek, 65, a Gold and Relics prospecting tour guide, tells her she has found a small gold nugget during a Gold and Relics metal detector training session in Mount Doran, Australia, November 29, 2025. — REUTERS Plumridge’s story is becoming more common, as hobbyists flock to Australia’s 9,600 sq km “golden triangle” in the heart of Victoria state, known as one of t... -
Dawn - 13:27 Dec 30, 2025
The United States Embassy in India on Tuesday warned Indian nationals of “significant criminal penalties” for illegally migrating to the US and breaking its laws. Relations between Washington and New Delhi have become strained over the course of the year, due to US President Donald Trump’s sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and India’s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan after the May conflict between the two South Asian rivals. In a post on X, the US Embassy posted a message reading, “If you break US law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties. The Trump Administration is committed to ending illegal immigration to the United States and protecting our nation’s borders and our citizens.” Neither the US State Department nor US missions in Pakistan or other nations, including Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar or China, have issued similar warnings. Since taking office in January this year, Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration in the US, rolling out policies and enact... -
Dawn - 13:13 Dec 30, 2025
A day after an eight-year-old boy drowned in an uncovered manhole in Karachi’s Mehran town, Mayor Murtaza Wahab urged people not to politicise the issue, saying that the child fell because the manhole cover “had been removed and put on the side”. According to the Edhi Foundation, the number of people who died after falling into open manholes and drains across the metropolis rose to 27 in the outgoing year of 2025. Eight of them are children, the data says. The child, identified as Dilbar, was playing outside his residence with other area children when the tragedy occurred, Korangi Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Fida Husain Janwari told Dawn. Speaking to the media today, Mayor Wahab, in response to a fiery question about the issue of missing manhole covers, particularly the death of a child a day earlier and reports of missing covers on II Chundrigar Road, said: “The reports I have so far received from locals, I am in touch with the child’s family, indicate that it was not that there was no cover at all, b... -
Dawn - 12:49 Dec 30, 2025
A Saudi airstrike on what it said was a weapons shipment in Yemen on Tuesday marked the most significant escalation between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to date. Once the twin pillars of regional security, the two Gulf heavyweights have seen their interests diverge on everything from oil quotas to geopolitical influence. Here is a timeline of how the relationship has evolved: 2011: As the Arab Spring spreads, the two form a unified front against extremist movements, deploying joint forces to Bahrain to quell an uprising and coordinating support for Egypts 2013 military overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood government. March, 2015: They launch a military intervention in Yemen to restore the government ousted by the Houthis rebels. UAE troops lead ground operations, while Saudi air power controls the skies. June, 2017: The allies lead a boycott of Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, charges it denies. The move cements the alignment between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bi... -
Dawn - 12:31 Dec 30, 2025
Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been forced to cut short his maiden Big Bash League stint after sustaining a knee injury while representing Brisbane Heat. The left-armer suffered a cartilage injury while fielding during Heat’s last-over victory against Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba on Saturday night. Following consultations between Brisbane Heat and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s medical staff, it was decided that Shaheen would return home for further treatment ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, the club said in a statement on Tuesday. A PCB spokesperson confirmed to Dawn that Shaheen will return to Pakistan on Wednesday, adding that the seriousness of the injury and the potential recovery timeline will be determined after meetings with the board’s doctors upon his return. Shaheen expressed disappointment at leaving the tournament prematurely but thanked the franchise and its supporters for their hospitality. “I have enjoyed myself a lot playing for Brisbane and I am sad that I will not be a... -
Dawn - 12:20 Dec 30, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar exchanged views on “the current regional situation and recent developments” with his Saudi counterpart in a telephone call on Tuesday, according to the Foreign Office (FO). Both nations have a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed a landmark mutual defence agreement in September this year, which outlined that an attack on one party would be treated as an attack on both. In a post on social media, the FO said that Dar expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations between Islamabad and Riyadh during the exchange, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan “reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening and enhancing bilateral ties”. Dar also conveye... -
Dawn - 11:54 Dec 30, 2025
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday staged a walkout during a Punjab Assembly session in solidarity with journalists who have been boycotting the provincial legislature over alleged “ill-treatment” during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s visit to the assembly. During his three-day visit to Lahore over the weekend, the KP chief minister had given an address at the Punjab Assembly to opposition MPAs last week. However, the visit was marred by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials, while heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also witnessed. Speaking during the session today, Bokhari staged a walkout to show solidarity with journalists from the Punjab Assembly’s press gallery, who she said were “beaten and pushed around” by people accompanying the KP CM. During yesterday’s assembly session, a statement by opposition member Col. (retd) Shoaib Amir about the press gallery, calling them “sellouts”, also sparked outrage. “The whole wo... -
Dawn - 11:35 Dec 30, 2025
LAHORE: An election tribunal dismissed on Tuesday incarcerated PTI leader Yasmin Rashid’s petition that challenged PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s victory from Lahore’s NA-130 in the 2024 general elections. The tribunal, comprising retired Justice Rana Zahid Mahmood, dismissed Rashid’s plea on technical grounds. It said in its decision that the petitioner had failed to comply with the requirements under the Election Act, 2017 for filing an election petition. A written order of the tribunal is yet to be issued. Rashid had filed the petition challenging Nawaz’s victory notification on April 16, 2024. The petition argued that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had issued Sharif’s victory notification in violation of the law. Rashid requested in her plea to set aside the victory of the former prime minister and to declare her a returned candidate. She alleged that the ECP manipulated the election results to ensure her defeat. The ECP had issued the notification of Nawaz’s victory from NA-130 on February 13 la... -
Dawn - 09:33 Dec 30, 2025
In a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that the Centre’s cooperation was vital for eliminating terrorism in the province. In a statement released on the social media platform X, the interior ministry said that Kundi called on the interior minister in Islamabad. It added that the two discussed security measures in KP’s border areas and ongoing operations against khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to the statement, the interior minister gave assurances of the government’s full cooperation for peace and security in KP. “Establishing peace in KP is the top priority,” he was quoted as saying. He said that the federal government was “prepared to provide support in this regard in every possible way”. “We appreciate the sacrifices made by the people of KP in the war against terrorism,” Naqvi said. “Fitna al Khawarij and their facilitators are be... -
Dawn - 09:32 Dec 30, 2025
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Tuesday that it was resuming direct flights to London in March 2026 after a six-year hiatus. In a statement, the PIA spokesperson said the national flag carrier was increasing its flights to the United Kingdom. He said the airline would operate four weekly flights from Islamabad to London from March 29, 2026. He said that the flights would be operated from Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4. “The flights are being resumed after a long gap of six years,“ he added. The spokesperson further said that London was the airline’s “first-ever” international destination and remained one of its most important routes. He maintained that the national carrier was already operating three weekly flights to Manchester. In June 2020, the European Union Air Safety Agency had barred PIA from operating in EU countries over safety concerns after a flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed near Jinnah International Airport, killing around 100 passengers. The ban on flights followed the ... -
Dawn - 09:01 Dec 30, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday condemned reports regarding the targeting of the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a “heinous act”. In a post on X, the prime minister said,“Pakistan condemns the reported targeting of the residence of His Excellency Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation.” He said that such a “heinous act constitutes a grave threat to peace, security and stability, particularly at a time when efforts aimed at peace are underway”. “We reiterate our firm rejection of all forms of violence and acts intended to undermine security and threaten peace,” he said. While the premier did not mention any names, Russian has accused Ukraine of trying to attack Putin’s residence and vowed retaliation, a claim Kyiv dismissed as baseless and aimed at derailing arduous peace talks. The angry exchanges between the warring neighbours on Monday, including a statement by Russia that it was reviewing its stance in negotiations in response to the attack, dealt a new blow ... -
Dawn - 08:47 Dec 30, 2025
A dozen girls whizzed around an English karting track, part of a pioneering drive to draw women into motorsports and maybe even race to the top in male-dominated Formula 1. A special test day in October in Nottingham aimed to address a major gender gap in F1, one of the flashiest of sports. Italian Lella Lombardi was the last woman to compete in an F1 Grand Prix in 1976, and the absence of women on the circuit is linked to young girls’ limited exposure to motorsports, according to gender parity organisations. More Than Equal, a non-profit that supports women drivers, said girls start karting two years later than boys on average. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, for example, got into the format aged just eight. “These are the first steps that a girl could take,” Cameron Biggs, coaching and academy pathway manager at Motorsport UK, told AFP. “We’re really trying to join the dots between grassroots and elite.” Formula 1 is one of the world’s few non-segregated sports but is one of the most male-domninated.... -
Dawn - 08:26 Dec 30, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Arif Habib — chairman of the investment firm that headed the consortium that won the auction for a controlling stake in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd (PIACL) — has said the privatisaton of the national flag carrier would lead to an increase in employment in the airline as the new owners were looking to expand its business. An Arif Habib group-led consortium had won the auction for the airline with a bid of Rs135 billion last week after a competitive process, marking the country’s first major privatisation in nearly two decades. The investment firm‘s chairman spoke about the development on DawnNewsTV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’ — televised on Monday night — where he was asked about PIA employees’ concerns, reservations and protests regarding their jobs against the backdrop of the airline’s privatisaion. In response, Habib said the “number of staff [in the airline] was reasonable”, adding that the privatisation would in fact increase employment on the whole as an expansion was planned a...
7393 items