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Dawn - 14:46 Dec 28, 2025
Three more Iranian satellites were sent into space on Russia’s Soyuz launchers on Sunday, Iranian state media said, as the two US-sanctioned nations extend their space collaboration. Iran has increasingly relied on its ally Russia to put satellites in orbit in recent years, with the latest three intended to help with monitoring agriculture, natural resources and the environment. “These satellites were designed and produced by Iranian scientists … despite all the sanctions and threats,” Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, told state TV in reference to Western measures over Tehran’s nuclear programme. “We are working together (with Russia) in different areas. Some are evident, and some we don’t like to clarify.” Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the three satellites — Paya, Zafar 2, and a second Kowsar —were for low-earth orbit. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Iran and Russia have deepened ties, with Western countries accusing Iran of providing missiles and drones for Russian attacks. Teh... -
Dawn - 14:29 Dec 28, 2025
Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan‘s Kalat district, killing four terrorists, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Saturday’s IBO took place on the reports that terrorists belonging to Fitna al Hindustan were present. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the ISPR said in the statement. It added that weapons and ammunition were seized from the dead terrorists, who had been actively involved in terrorist activity in the area. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored terrorist found in the area. [The] relentless counter-terrorism campa... -
Dawn - 14:26 Dec 28, 2025
Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans will be operated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) itself during the upcoming 11th edition of the tournament, the board’s chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday. The decision comes amid a protracted dispute between the board and the franchise’s former owner, Ali Khan Tareen, whose agreement was not renewed after he was deemed non-compliant due to public criticism of the league’s management. Multan Sultans, introduced as the sixth team in 2018 and historically the most valuable franchise — acquired initially for a significantly higher fee than others — won the PSL title in 2021 and reached multiple finals. However, tensions escalated over the past year as Tareen repeatedly voiced concerns over transparency, governance and communication within the PSL setup. The PCB responded with legal notices, accusing him of breaching contractual obligations, while Tareen threatened counter-legal action and ultimately decided against renewing ownership, citing princip... -
Dawn - 13:57 Dec 28, 2025
The PTI on Sunday denied opting to engage in dialogue with the government as an underdog but said that it will do so “after ensuring a level-playing field is provided to it through street movements“, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the PTI Secretary-General, Salman Akram Raja. CM Afridi, along with other provincial ministers and members of the assembly, was in Lahore to launch a new street movement, as per the directives of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan. He left for the motorway at about 6:40pm. In a discussion with senior journalists at a private residence in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority earlier in the day, Afridi asserted that reconciliation was impossible without resistance. “We will be at a loss if we enter into dialogue without resistance. So, the protest movement will continue until the rulers come to the table after recognising the opposition as an equal partner,” he said. Responding to a question whether the party had perpetually been protesting without y... -
Dawn - 13:27 Dec 28, 2025
LONDON: A demonstration outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in London on Saturday briefly turned tense when pro-Khalistan Sikh activists and a small group of Hindu protesters confronted each other, prompting police intervention. The Khalistan Movement wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947, when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries. The protest was held in connection with reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. During the gathering, Paramjeet Singh Pamma, identified by organisers as a coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum campaign, was involved in a brief scuffle with an Indian Hindu protester. Metropolitan Police officers on duty intervened quickly, separating the individuals and dispersing the groups from close proximity to the mission building. No injuries were reported. Following the incident, pro-Khalistan Sikh protesters formed a cordo... -
Dawn - 13:14 Dec 28, 2025
Pakistan has joined 20 other nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in rejecting Israel‘s recognition of self-declared Republic of Somaliland, with a joint statement saying that Tel Aviv’s measure reflected its “full and blatant disregard for international law”. The statement also registered the countries’ rejection of any “potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land”. The joint statement has been issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, Yemen and the OIC. Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday, with Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, saying his state will join the Abraham Accords. Somaliland has enjoyed effective autonomy — and relative peace and stability — since 1991, w... -
Dawn - 12:43 Dec 28, 2025
At a Thai university-turned-shelter for displaced people, Kanlaya Somjettana is reluctant to go home even after a truce halted weeks of border clashes with Cambodia, fearing the violence may not be over. She said some people forced to flee the fighting began returning home on Sunday, a day after the ceasefire was announced, but many evacuees on both sides of the border preferred waiting for an official word that it was safe. Some cited a lack of trust that the neighbouring country would respect the truce, after previous ones had been broken. “I really hope this ceasefire will last long and we can return home,” 21-year-old homemaker Kanlaya told AFP from the university campus in Thailand’s Surin city. “But I will not go back home as long as authorities do not confirm that it is safe,” she said, adding that the evacuation centre was now less crowded, although hundreds remained there. On the Cambodian side, 35-year-old So Choeun said she expected to give birth within days and hoped to then take her baby home, ab... -
Dawn - 12:41 Dec 28, 2025
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari highlighted on Sunday the significance of the politics of reconciliation, urging the opposition to play a “responsible” role and also called for the ruling party and its allies to take the necessary steps in this regard. Bilawal expressed these views while speaking to the media at the inauguration ceremony of the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology in Larkana. View this post on Instagram He recalled that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had given the message of “truth and reconciliation” and “reconciliation in politics”. Linking it with the country’s progress and economic prosperity, he said the ruling party and its allies would have to play their part for this while the opposition would also have to play a “responsible role”. “If stringent [measures] are taken in response to the politics of extremism, then there should be no complaints,” he remarked, quoting the English idiom “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”. He added, “If you (the P... -
Dawn - 11:53 Dec 28, 2025
Bangladesh police on Sunday said the alleged killers of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had fled to India, in comments likely to further strain relations with its neighbour. Hadi, a vocal India critic who took part in last year’s mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. His death set off violent protests with angry mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favour India, as well as a prominent cultural institution. With protests being held across the country almost daily, pressure has been growing on Bangladesh’s interim government to arrest the killers of Hadi, who was set to contest the general elections in February next year. “The killing was premeditated. Those behind it have been identified,” Nazrul Islam, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer, said at a news conference. He added that the suspects left Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border with India shortly after... -
Dawn - 11:49 Dec 28, 2025
French film icon Brigitte Bardot, a symbol of sexual liberation of the 1950s and sixties who turned her back on cinema to devote herself to protecting animals, has died aged 91, her foundation said Sunday. Bardot was hospitalised in October and, in November, released a statement denying rumours that she had died. The foundation did not say when or where she died, however. “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement sent to AFP. Tributes were immediately paid to the star who became known as “BB” in her home country. Born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, Bardot was raised in a well-off, traditional Catholic household. Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas, with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier. Bardot became a global star after appearing i... -
Dawn - 09:24 Dec 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government has declared YouTuber Adil Farooq Raja, who is also a former Pakistan Army officer and currently resides in the United Kingdom, a proscribed person under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. “The federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Adil Farooq Raja has been demonstrating his sustained involvement in activities posing a serious threat to the security, integrity, and public order of Pakistan. “He has consistently misused online platforms to promote, facilitate, and amplify anti-state narratives and propaganda associated with proscribed terrorist organisations, thereby acting in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty and defence of Pakistan,” read the notification declaring the YouTuber a proscribed person. The notification was issued by the interior ministry and is dated December 27. It said, “In exercise of powers conferred by Section 11ee of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, the federal government is pleased to direct to list Mr Adil Farooq Raja in the Fourth Schedule ... -
Dawn - 05:32 Dec 28, 2025
• Term algal blooms along the coast not unusual • WWF says bloom not caused by pollution • A unicellular marine organism blamed for the occurrence KARACHI: Seawater along Pakistan’s coast, especially Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani and Ormara in Balochistan, has turned green by an algal bloom, marine experts reported on Saturday. However, they declared that the bloom posed no toxic threat. “Strong winds and ocean currents have pushed large quantities of algae toward near shores, also amassing rotting seaweeds, which has stunk up the beaches,” said Abdul Rahim, Deputy Director at the Gwadar Development Authority, adding the bloom was caused by a single-celled marine organism Noctiluca. Algal blooms, he explained were rapid growths or gathering of algae in water bodies and they could cause red, brown, green or blue pigmentation in the water, depending on the type of algae. According to the GDA official, the intensity of these blooms has increased over a decade along Balochistan’s coast. Earlier, he pointed out, there was... -
Dawn - 05:26 Dec 28, 2025
All-rounder Shadab Khan has been recalled to Pakistan’s T20I set-up, while senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been left out as the national selectors on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for next month’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The squad will be led by Salman Ali Agha, who enjoyed a heavy workload in the format this year, featuring in a record 34 T20Is — the most by any Pakistan player in a calendar year. Shadab, 27, last played a T20I for Pakistan in June before undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year. After completing a successful rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy, the leg-spinning all-rounder is currently in action in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), a factor that appears to have aided his return to international contention. While Babar and Shaheen’s omission is notable, both players are also currently featuring in the BBL, and their absence is understood to be part of a broader rotation policy rather than a permanent exclusion. With th... -
Dawn - 05:11 Dec 28, 2025
KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said on Saturday they were working with neighbouring Tajikistan to investigate a border clash earlier this week that killed five people, including two Tajik guards. Tajikistan announced on Thursday that three members of a “terrorist” group had crossed into the Central Asian country “illegally” at Khatlon province, which borders Afghanistan. Tajik security forces killed the trio, but two border guards also died in the clash, the Tajik national security committee said. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Saturday that “we have started serious investigations into” the recent “incidents” on Tajik soil. “I spoke to the foreign minister of Tajikistan and we are working together to prevent such incidents,” he told an event in Kabul. “We are worried that some malicious circles want to destroy the relations between two neighbouring countries,” the minister added, without elaborating. Tajikistan shares a mountainous border of about 1,350 kilometres with Afghanistan... -
Dawn - 04:45 Dec 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit with the Middle East swelled by 7.88 per cent during the first five months of 2025-26, driven by a surge in imports and a decline in exports to the region. In absolute terms, the trade gap with the Middle East widened to $5.948 billion in July-November from $5.514bn in the same period last year, according to data compiled by the State Bank of Pakistan. In FY25, the deficit with the region increased 7.37pc to $13.974bn from $13.014bn in the preceding year. The swelling trade deficit is a cause for concern among policymakers, primarily due to the rising influx of petroleum products from the region. The increase was noted in imports from the region, reflecting higher oil imports from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), followed by Saudi Arabia and other countries. Exports to the Middle East fell 9.85pc to $1.217bn in 5MFY26 from $1.350bn over the corresponding months of last year. In FY25, exports to the Middle East fell 1.52pc to $3.107bn from $3.155bn over the same period last y... -
Dawn - 04:41 Dec 28, 2025
KARACHI: Nearly 17 days have passed since the Karachi Cotton Exchange (KCE) was shut, raising serious concerns under a government that claims to promote business, economic growth and an export target of $60 billion. The unexpected move by the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to take over the KCE premises has forced the closure of an institution that had remained operational for 52 years, affecting around 320 registered cotton brokers. Brokers say they are incurring losses running into billions of rupees due to the complete halt in trading, while the textile industry, particularly spinning mills, is struggling to obtain working capital from banks because cotton rates are unavailable. No cotton spot rates have been issued since the EPTB took possession of the building on Dec 12. The cotton and cotton-based textile sector contributes about 60 per cent to the country’s export earnings and provides up to 70 per cent of direct and indirect employment nationwide. “I do not understand why the federal government an... -
Dawn - 04:16 Dec 28, 2025
• Experts say exchange rate still ‘managed’, warn pressures may return in 2026 • Insist PKR’s path shaped by politics, financing, oil and not just valuation models KARACHI: The first half of the current fiscal year saw the rupee post a net gain against the US dollar of Rs5.066, or 1.8 per cent, although it remains weaker than its level at the beginning of 2025. The dollar closed at Rs280.13 in the interbank market on Friday compared to Rs285.22 on July 2, 2025. However, the rupee is still below its level on Jan 3, 2025, when the dollar traded at Rs278.56. Currency market participants said the exchange rate remained “managed” but noted that the recent appreciation had helped stabilise the market and provided greater confidence for exporters and importers. In a report issued on Saturday, Tresmark CEO Faisal Mamsa said the rupee’s behaviour often defies traditional valuation models because it moves in “regime shifts”, not smooth cycles. “This history explains why models such as PPP, BEER or even simplified REER ... -
Dawn - 03:56 Dec 28, 2025
• Warns provincial govt against implementing ‘illegal aspirations of land mafias’ • Calls legislation unconstitutional, in conflict with CPC, CrPC, Evidence Act, other laws ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Saturday went beyond mere condemnation of the recently promulgated Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025, cautioning the Punjab government against implementing what it described as the “unlawful aspirations of land mafias”. Presided over by Vice Chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, the outgoing PBC cabinet unanimously demanded that the Punjab government immediately recall the law and tender an apology to the Lahore High Court (LHC) for what it termed “insulting remarks and a rude attitude”. The PBC — the apex body regulating the legal fraternity — reiterated that lawyers stand firmly with the LHC and will not allow anyone to compromise the integrity of the judiciary. The council warned that if corrective measures were not taken within a few days, the lawyer’s comm... -
Dawn - 03:14 Dec 28, 2025
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rain and thunderstorms, with snowfall over the hills, in most parts of the country during the coming week. It said fog is likely to subside in central and southern Punjab and upper Sindh during the wet spell, while daytime temperatures are expected to drop further, particularly after the system passes. The PMD said a westerly wave is likely to approach western parts of the country from the night of Dec 29 and strengthen from Dec 30. The system is expected to affect most upper and central parts on Dec 31 and persist in upper areas until the morning of Jan 2. In Punjab and Islamabad, rain, wind and thunderstorms, with snowfall, are likely in Murree and the Galiyat from the evening/night of Dec 30 to the morning of Jan 2, with occasional gaps. Isolated rain, wind and thunderstorms are expected in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, the Potohar region, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Gujrat from Dec 31 to Jan ... -
Dawn - 02:43 Dec 28, 2025
• Trump-Munir meeting reshapes diplomatic tone • Analysts caution against jumping to conclusions as ties rely on ‘personal relationship’ THE year 2025 will be remembered in Islamabad and Washington as a period of surprising warmth in bilateral ties, marked by high-level engagement, strategic recalibrations, and complex regional developments. After years of drift, Pakistan-US relations saw a notable thaw, but beneath the optimism lies a layered and complex reality shaped by history, personalities, and shifting global alignments — prompting analysts to urge restraint in reading the moment as a lasting reset. The year’s diplomacy pivoted with an unprecedented White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, widely viewed as a game-changer. The meeting set the tone for renewed engagement and discussions on trade, security, and regional diplomacy. Sherry Rehman, federal minister and former ambassador to Washington, described the shift as personality-driv...
7393 items