Dawn
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Dawn - 05:57 Sep 16, 2025
KARACHI: The country’s auto sector has raised strong objections to the draft Motor Vehicles Industry Development Act 2025, warning that instead of promoting growth, the proposed law risks stifling investment, inflating costs, and even criminalising legitimate business practices. Industry leaders argue the legislation was drafted without consulting stakeholders and hands sweeping powers to bureaucratic bodies, particularly the Engineering Development Board (EDB). They warn that vague and punitive provisions could discourage investors at a time when the government is seeking stability and foreign capital. One of the most contentious elements is the classification of routine matters — including recalls and warranty disputes — as cognisable offences enforceable by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Automakers say this equates manufacturers with criminals and will undermine confidence. Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) Director-General Abdul Waheed Khan, in a letter to the Ministry of Indus... -
Dawn - 04:57 Sep 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: After Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz took cognisance of a complaint, lodged by lawyer Imaan Mazari against Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, the court administration stripped the judge of her powers to entertain harassment complaints. Ms Mazari earlier approached the IHC’s anti-harassment committee, and also sent a reference against CJ Dogar to Supreme Judicial Council. In response to her complaint, Justice Imtiaz, being the ‘competent authority’, not only entertained the complaint but also formed an inquiry committee in consultation with her fellow judges. A circular from her office said that, being the competent authority under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010, the inquiry committee comprising Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Imtiaz has been formed to conduct an inquiry into the complaints of harassment against the IHC judges. Imaan Mazari-Hazir also moves plaint before SJC However, the court administration s... -
Dawn - 04:39 Sep 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Apart from the affluent sheikhs of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who lavished Pakistan’s dignitaries — including visiting bureaucrats — with expensive gifts, mainly wristwatches, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a traditional golden dagger during the first six months of 2025. The Toshakhana record, made public by the cabinet division for the period between January and June 2025, lists high-value items such as watches, luxury vehicles, carpets, handicrafts, and traditional artefacts presented to top state functionaries, including the president, prime minister, ministers, and senior officials during foreign visits and local engagements. The data, comprising 137 entries, records gifts received from heads of state, royal families, diplomats, and business delegations. However, the value of these gifts is still being assessed by the cabinet division. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a total of 61 gifts, mostly decorative and traditional items. These included several high-end wristwatches. Notably,... -
Dawn - 03:45 Sep 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A new auditor general will have to clean up the mess left by his predecessor, after the Auditor General of Pakistan’s (AGP) office backtracked on a controversial report, which gave an astronomical figure for irregularities unearthed in the federal government’s accounts. Maqbool Ahmed Gondal was sworn in as the country’s 22nd AGP on Monday, at a ceremony held in the Supreme Court. Appointed for a fixed tenure of four years, Mr Gondal will immediately have to deal with the fallout from the AGP office’s U-turn its ‘Consolidated Audit Report of Federal Government for the Audit Year 2024-25’. The original report, released in August this year, contained the illogical figure of irregularities worth Rs376 trillion, which is 3.5 times more than the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP). After repeatedly defending its controversial audit report, containing astronomical figure of ‘irregularities’, auditor general’s office finally blames ‘typos’ for the discrepancy It had alleged procurement-related irr... -
Dawn - 02:54 Sep 16, 2025
WASHINGTON: In a major bipartisan initiative, US lawmakers have introduced the Pakistan Freedom and Accountability Act (H.R. 5271), aimed at imposing sanctions on Pakistani officials responsible for human rights abuses and actions undermining democracy. The bill was announced by Bill Huizenga, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on South and Central Asia and Republican Party lawmaker from Michigan, and co-led by Democrat leader from California Sydney Kamlager-Dove, along with representatives John Moolenaar (Republican), Julie Johnson (Democrat), and Jefferson Shreve (Republican). Additional cosponsors include Rich McCormick (Republican), Jack Bergman (Republican), Joaquin Castro (Democrat), and Mike Lawler (Republican). The freedom and accountability bill authorizes the US President to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which allows Washington to target individuals responsible for severe human rights violations or corruption. In this case, it would apply to current or ... -
Dawn - 19:54 Sep 15, 2025
Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week’s deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital. The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal. It was co-sponsored by Pakistan. A joint statement from the summit urged “all states to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people”, including “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it”. Qatar’s fellow Gulf nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, were among those present that recognise Israel. The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which signed the Abraham Accords recognising Israel five years ago to the d... -
Dawn - 19:22 Sep 15, 2025
United States President Donald Trump criticised New York’s Democratic governor on Monday for endorsing New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, whom he branded a “Liddle’ communist” in a social media post. Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York state assemblyman and self-declared socialist, rocked American politics and the Democratic Party establishment in June by winning the party’s mayoral primary. He remains the front-runner in polls ahead of the November 4 election to decide who will be the next mayor of America’s most populous city. “Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has endorsed the ‘Liddle’ Communist,” the US president wrote. “This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City. How can such a thing happen? Washington will be watching this situation very closely.” Mamdani has campaigned on a platform of narrowing the wealth gap between rich and poor New Yorkers and providing affordable housing to low-income residents. On Sunday, Hochul gave her backing to Mamdani over Andrew Cuo... -
Dawn - 19:21 Sep 15, 2025
The federal government on Monday increased the high-speed diesel price by Rs2.78 per litre for the next fortnight. A notification from the Finance Division said the new HSD price was Rs272.77 per litre. Meanwhile, the petrol price was kept unchanged at Rs264.61. Previously, the government had kept the petrol price unchanged, while the price of HSD was reduced by Rs3 per litre. Petrol, used mainly in private cars, small vehicles, rickshaws and motorcycles, directly impacts the budgets of middle- and lower-middle-income groups. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. -
Dawn - 18:47 Sep 15, 2025
Skipper Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu struck attacking half-centuries to lead the United Arab Emirates to a thumping 42-run win over Oman in the men’s Asia Cup on Monday. Waseem, who hit 69, and Sharafu, who made 51, put on 88 runs for the opening wicket to guide hosts UAE to a challenging 172-5 in Abu Dhabi. The home bowlers then combined to dismiss Oman for 130 in 18.4 overs for their first win in this edition of the regional tournament played in the T20 format. Medium-pace bowler Junaid Siddique stood out with figures of 4-23. Haider Ali and Muhammad Jawadullah took two wickets each. The batters had set up victory. Waseem and Sharafu started cautiously but soon took the attack to the opposition with a flurry of boundaries. Sharafu fell for his 51, but Waseem kept up the charge and reached fifty with a six. The captain was run out in the final over. UAE play Pakistan, who went down to tournament favourites India in a key match, next on Wednesday, with the winner likely to move into the Super Four sta... -
Dawn - 18:09 Sep 15, 2025
Rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir on Monday approached an inquiry committee of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar following last week’s altercation between them. On Thursday, Justice Dogar had warned Mazari of a contempt of court case and was reported to have gone as far as passing warning remarks along the lines of “getting a hold of her”. Multiple lawyers’ bodies had issued condemnatory statements and called for the judge’s dismissal from the post of the IHC top judge. In a post on X today, the lawyer, who is known to be vocal in her criticism of Pakistani authorities, said she had filed a complaint against the judge before the IHC’s workplace harassment committee and a reference for misconduct before the SJC. The complaint, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed under Section 4 (procedure for holding inquiry) of the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010. A circular issued ... -
Dawn - 17:22 Sep 15, 2025
A wildlife rescue centre run by the philanthropic arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s group has been cleared of allegations of illegal animal acquisition and mistreatment, India’s Supreme Court said on Monday, citing findings from a court-appointed committee. In August, India’s top court appointed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate complaints from non-profit and wildlife groups alleging animal mistreatment at Vantara and raising questions over how the animals were brought to the centre. However, the court has said the evidence did not support claims of illegal acquisitions or abuse. Located in western Gujarat state and led by Anant Ambani, the billionaire’s son, Vantara is a key project of the Reliance Foundation and the Ambani family. Housing more than 150,000 animals across more than 2,000 species, the facility claims its 998-acre (404 hectares) elephant welfare trust is the world’s largest care facility for rescued elephants. The Indian top court said today that the SIT’s inquiry had covered ... -
Dawn - 15:40 Sep 15, 2025
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against the match referee for yesterday’s Asia Cup game between Pakistan and India over his alleged violations of rules pertaining to the “Spirit of Cricket”, PCB Chairperson Mohsin Naqvi said. “The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket,” Naqvi posted on X, referring to referee Andy Pycroft. “The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the match referee from the Asia Cup,” he added. According to an earlier press release by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Pycroft was scheduled to be the match referee for the Pakistan-UAE match on Wednesday. The Asia Cup match between the two sides took place on Sunday in Dubai, where spinners led by Kuldeep Yadav helped India beat Pakistan by seven wickets as the neighbours met on the cricket pitch for the first time since... -
Dawn - 15:34 Sep 15, 2025
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said on Monday that her team’s focus was on the Women’s World Cup ahead of the one-day international (ODI) series against South Africa in Lahore. The World Cup, to be hosted later this month under a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, will see all of Pakistan’s fixtures staged in Colombo, with political tensions ruling out travel between the two neighbours. Pakistan open their immediate run-in with a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Lahore from Tuesday, following the conclusion of a training camp at the National Cricket Academy and the Gaddafi Stadium. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Lahore, Fatima said: “The specific aim is to prepare for the World Cup and execute our plans in this series.” “A series like this is very beneficial for the team ahead of the World Cup. It gives the players a good opportunity to put into practice all the preparation they have done in recent times,“ she was quoted as having said by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). She ... -
Dawn - 14:48 Sep 15, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday assured the Shanghai Electric Power Company that “any outstanding issues” would be amicably resolved as he invited the firm to invest in Pakistan’s energy infrastructure. The firm last week decided to terminate its offer to acquire up to 66.4 per cent of K-Electric Ltd due to changes in Pakistan’s business environment. It added that since the planning of the “major asset purchase”, the company had strictly adhered to relevant laws, regulations, and normative documents, actively promoting the various tasks involved in this major asset purchase. “Given that the counterparty has consistently failed to meet the conditions precedent for closing and the changes in the business environment in Pakistan have rendered this transaction no longer aligned with the company’s international development direction, after careful study and analysis, in order to effectively safeguard the interests of the company and all its shareholders, the company has decided to terminate this major asset p... -
Dawn - 14:43 Sep 15, 2025
The United States and China have reached a framework agreement to switch short-video app TikTok to US-controlled ownership, top US officials said on Monday, with President Donald Trump set to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the agreement after a meeting between senior US and Chinese officials in Madrid, but declined to give any of the commercial terms of the agreement. Bessent told reporters that further details would wait to be determined in a call on Friday between Trump and Xi. Trump said on Monday that trade talks with China had gone very well and hinted that a deal had been reached to resolve issues the US has over TikTok ownership. “The big trade meeting in Europe between the United States of America, and China, has gone very well! It will be concluding shortly,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “A deal was also reached on a certain company that young people in our Country very much wante... -
Dawn - 14:19 Sep 15, 2025
Pakistan suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of India, who beat them by seven wickets after beating the paltry 128-run target set by the Green Shirts during yesterday’s Asia Cup game. However, the match had been marred by controversy from the beginning due to calls from across the border to “boycott” the fixture. It seems the pressure got to the players as well, with the Indian team refusing to shake hands with their rivals at the toss and after the match. Furthermore, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was said to have “politicised” the win by bringing up the Pahalgam terrorist attack in India-occupied Kashmir, over which the two countries fought a four-day military conflict in May, saying the victory was “a perfect gift” for his nation. From cricketers and politicians to fans and analysts watching the game, social media was rife with their takes on the scene. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his disappointment over the “lack of sportsmanship” in a post on X shortly after the... -
Dawn - 14:06 Sep 15, 2025
Two fresh polio virus cases have been detected in the south of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, taking the nationwide tally to 26, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Monday. 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. According to a press release issued by the NIH, one of the cases was detected in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali tehsil in a 19-month-old infant, while the other case was confirmed in an 11-month-old infant in Lakki Marwat’s Suleman Khel tehsil. The two new cases have taken the total number of cases reported in KP to 18, the highest out of any province in the country. The nationwide tally now stands at 26, with six cases from Sindh, 18 from KP and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, NIH said. Detailing the results of August’s environmental sewage samples regarding polio — collected from 87 ... -
Dawn - 13:40 Sep 15, 2025
Social media influencer Samiya Hijab on Monday agreed to withdraw her complaint in her alleged harassment and kidnapping case, with the court granting bail to the suspect. The suspect was arrested on September 2 and a case was registered in the capital’s Shalimar Police Station at her complaint under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 392 (punishment for robbery), 500 (punishment for defamation), 509 and 511 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He is currently on judicial remand. During today’s hearing at an Islamabad district and sessions court — presided over by Additional District and Sessions Judge Amir Zia — Samiya recorded her statement before the court, stating that the case had been resolved and she withdrew her complaint. “I have no objection to granting bail to the accused and his acquittal,” Samiya said in her statement. When asked by the judge if she was forgiving the su... -
Dawn - 12:43 Sep 15, 2025
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) maintained its policy rate steady at 11 per cent on Monday for a third straight meeting as policymakers weighed inflation risks from flood-hit crops against a fragile economic recovery. After slashing the interest rate by 1,000 basis points (bps) from 22pc since June 2024 in seven intervals, the central bank has maintained it at 11pc since May. However, the business community had expressed disappointment over the decision. “The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 11 per cent in its meeting today,” an SBP statement said. The MPC noted that inflation remained “relatively moderate in both July and August, whereas core inflation continued to decline at a slower pace”. “Economic activity — as captured by high-frequency economic indicators, including large-scale manufacturing (LSM) — gained further momentum. However, the near-term macroeconomic outlook has deteriorated slightly in the wake of the ongoing floods,” the committee noted. It cauti... -
Dawn - 11:37 Sep 15, 2025
India and the United States will hold trade talks in New Delhi on Tuesday, weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on the South Asian nation’s exports, slowing its overall shipments to a nine-month low in August. India and the US will “fast-track” trade talks, Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator and a special secretary in its commerce ministry, told reporters at an event for the release of trade data, but gave no details. “US Trade Representative for South Asia Brendan Lynch is set to make a one-day visit to New Delhi on Tuesday,” Agarwal said. India’s exports slowed to $35.10 billion in August from $37.24bn in July, and its trade gap narrowed to $26.49bn, from $27.35bn in July. The US imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil starting August 27, taking the total on Indian exports to 50 per cent, among the highest for any US trading partner. Exports to the United States fell to $6.86bn in August from $8.01bn in July...
4689 items