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Dawn - 13:09 Feb 23, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reaffirmed in a detailed judgement on Monday that the chief justice was the sole “master of the roster”, ruling that a July 2025 order by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan in the Aafia Siddiqui case was recalled for being issued by a forum that was not “lawfully constituted”. Last year in July, Justice Khan had issued contempt notices to the prime minister and the entire federal cabinet over non-compliance with the court’s directions in a petition filed by Dr Fowzia Siddiqui seeking the release of her sister, Dr Aafia, from a US prison. However, the registrar’s office did not execute the notices because the judge was not included in the duty roster approved by the chief justice. Later, the court registrar’s report had recommended that a larger bench should address questions concerning the validity of the July 21 hearing. The central issue identified was that Justice Khan’s bench was not authorised to hear cases on July 21. The weekly roster approved by ... -
Dawn - 12:39 Feb 23, 2026
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would back plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession to the British throne, according to a letter shared by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office. Last week, a UK official said the British government was considering introducing legislation to ensure Mountbatten-Windsor, currently eighth-in-line to the throne, could never be king following his arrest as part of a police investigation into his ties with Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles is not only the monarch and head of state in Britain, but also in Australia and 13 other countries. In the letter, Albanese told Starmer that in light of the recent events, his government would agree to any proposal to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. “I agree with His Majesty that the law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation,” his letter said. “These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously.” Last week, Mountbatte... -
Dawn - 12:12 Feb 23, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Monday expressed concern over deaths resulting from operations conducted by Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD), calling for a judicial inquiry. The remarks come after a fact-finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called for an urgent high-level judicial inquiry into deaths during CCD operations. It should be mentioned that the CCD had rejected the HRCP’s report, terming claims of staged encounters and extrajudicial actions as unfounded and contrary to the department’s operational framework. In a statement issued on Monday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram questioned how so many deaths were possible in alleged encounters. “During the last eight months, as many as 670 encounters and 924 deaths have been reported. What is happening in Punjab? Is it an official state policy?” Akram asked. He asked why the government was silent on the report issued by the HRCP and why its findings were not being taken seriously. “Will the law be enforced thro... -
Dawn - 11:23 Feb 23, 2026
Pakistan on Monday warned England’s inconsistent batting line-up to expect a trial by spin when the teams clash in the T20 World Cup Super Eights. Pakistan batsman Sahibzada Farhan told reporters that England struggled to 146-9 against Sri Lanka’s spinners on Sunday. Farhan said that England can expect more of the same from Pakistan’s spinners when they meet on the same Pallekele ground in Kandy on Tuesday night. Pakistan desperately need a win after their first match against New Zealand was washed out. A defeat would put England, who skittled Sri Lanka for 95 to win by 51 runs, through to the semi-finals with a game to spare. Pakistan would then need to beat Sri Lanka in their final Super Eights match and hope other results go their way to reach the last four. “What we saw in the Sri Lanka-England game was that the ball was gripping and England struggled against spin,” said the in-form opener Farhan on Monday. “Sri Lanka have one or two spinners but we have five in all so we will give England a tough time on... -
Dawn - 10:18 Feb 23, 2026
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index KSE-100 began another week on a low note, losing more than 5,400 points during intraday trade on Monday. The KSE-100 index declined 5,478.63 points, or 3.16 per cent, to stand at 167,691.08 points from the previous close of 173,169.71 points. The index reached its intraday high of 174,336.85 points at 9:38am — higher than its previous close — but then plunged to an intraday low of 166,886.63 points at around 1:24pm, before regaining some ground to 167,691 points by market close. The top active stocks were led by K-Electric Limited, falling 4.61pc to Rs7.66 with 36,062,769 shares traded; followed by Worldcall Telecom Limited, falling 4.35pc to Rs1.32 with a volume of 33,673,161; and Bank of Punjab, falling 8.63pc to Rs30.19 with a volume of 26,673,106. The top advancing stocks were led by Itanz Technologies Limited, rising 10.01pc to Rs13.96, followed by Kohinoor Industries Limited, rising 10.00pc to Rs50.60, and S.S. Oil Mills Limited, rising 10.00pc to Rs56... -
Dawn - 10:02 Feb 23, 2026
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in its February-April weather outlook for northern areas, on Monday warned of a “high probability” of glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) in Gilgit-Baltistan, owing to “sustained above normal” temperatures. Glof refers to the sudden release of water and debris from a glacial lake, leading to the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods in mountain communities. Over 7.1 million people in GB and KP are vulnerable to the phenomenon, according to the Ministry of Climate Change. The PMD, in its outlook, noted that due to reduced rain and “persistent clear-sky conditions”, temperatures across GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from Feb 1 to 22 recorded an increase. “Daytime (maximum) temperatures were recorded 3–5°C above normal, while nighttime (minimum) temperatures remained 1–3.5°C above the 1981–2010 climatological average,” the PMD said, adding that the highest warming was recorded in the regions of Gilgit and Bunji. “Chilas and Bunji have shown notable increases i... -
Dawn - 09:55 Feb 23, 2026
Iran said on Monday that any attack by the United States, including limited strikes, would be an “act of aggression” that would precipitate a response, after US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran. “With respect to your first question concerning the limited strike, I think there is no limited strike,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran attended by an AFP journalist. “An act of aggression would be regarded as an act of aggression. Period. “And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously so that’s what we would do.” Trump said on Friday he was considering a limited strike if Tehran did not reach a deal with the US. “I guess I can say I am considering that,” he replied following a question from reporters. The two countries concluded a second round of indirect talks in Switzerland on Tuesday under Omani mediation, against the backdrop of a major US military build-up in the region. Fu... -
Dawn - 08:27 Feb 23, 2026
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has lost another Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas light combat aircraft after it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase, sustaining major damage to its airframe, Indian media, including The Hindu reported. The incident, believed to have been caused by a brake failure, took place on February 7, and the pilot ejected safely, according to The Times of India. Following the accident, the entire fleet of about 30 single-seat Tejas jets was grounded to undergo comprehensive technical inspections, The Hindu added. The latest mishap comes amid delays in the delivery of the Tejas Mk‑1A variant, according to Indian media outlets. HAL has faced repeated delays in supplying the jets, mainly due to GE Aerospace missing deadlines for engine deliveries. The IAF has not released an official statement regarding the incident. This is reported to be the third Tejas aircraft lost since induction. The first crash occurred near Jaisalmer in March 2024 after a firepower demonstration, with the... -
Dawn - 08:11 Feb 23, 2026
Incarcerated PTI leaders in Lahore on Monday called for an urgent multi-party conference in the wake of the recent Board of Peace meeting to build national consensus on peace and stability in Gaza, according to a statement released to the media. The leaders — Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mahmoodur Rasheed and Ejaz Chaudhry — jailed for involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots issued the statement through their lawyer, Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar, from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. The statement said that a multi-party conference should be held immediately on the “Palestinian issue”, saying that sustainable peace was not possible in the region without a “two-state solution and justice”. It called on all parties to reiterate their support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. “Since the ceasefire was announced through negotiations, more than 600 deaths have been reported in Gaza as a result of continuous ceasefire violations,” the statement pointed out. “Israel... -
Dawn - 07:04 Feb 23, 2026
Children across parts of the northeastern United States will stay home on Monday as a powerful winter storm forced school closures and pushed offices and transit systems onto emergency schedules, with officials across the region warning of heavy snow, strong winds and dangerous travel conditions. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and ordered non-essential vehicles off city roads from Sunday night to noon Monday, saying plows and emergency crews needed the streets clear as snowfall intensified. The city is under its first blizzard warning since 2017. City offices will close for in-person services, and non-essential municipal employees may work remotely. “I’m urging every New Yorker to please stay home,” Mamdani said. New York City, the nation’s largest school district, ordered all public school buildings closed for a traditional snow day, with no remote instruction and all after-school programs cancelled. The storm has already snarled travel along the East Coast from Washington t... -
Dawn - 07:03 Feb 23, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry on Monday stressed that national security was “non-negotiable” after Pakistan carried out strikes on terrorist targets in Afghanistan, killing over 80 terrorists. “Pakistan has always chosen the path of dialogue and peaceful coexistence. But when Afghan soil continues to be used for proxy attacks, we have no choice but to defend our homeland. National security is non-negotiable,” Chaudhry said in a statement. The PML-N MNA affirmed that the people of Pakistan “stand firmly” with their armed forces in the fight against terrorism. He urged the Afghan government to take “decisive action to prevent its land from being used for cross-border militancy”, warning that lasting peace in the region depended on the “complete dismantling of terrorist sanctuaries”. Noting that the recent operation “successfully neutralised militants involved in attacks on Pakistani soil”, Chaudhry stressed: “This action was aimed solely at those r... -
Dawn - 06:10 Feb 23, 2026
Within hours of the killing of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, better known as El Mencho, in a military raid on Sunday, gunmen suspected to be his supporters blocked highways across several states and set cars and businesses ablaze. In some towns, tourists and residents were urged to stay indoors, while truckers were advised to take safe routes or return to their depots until the violence abated. Several airlines, including Air Canada, United Airlines and Aeromexico, on Sunday cancelled flights to Puerto Vallarta, a beachside resort town where stunned tourists filmed plumes of smoke rising into the sky from fires. The burst of violence across more than half a dozen states painted a familiar scene for Mexicans who have spent two decades watching successive governments wage war on drug cartels, ravaging broad swaths of the country. A member of Oseguera’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel told Reuters that the blazes and sporadic gunfire were carried out in revenge for the government’s killing of Oseguera, and w... -
Dawn - 02:38 Feb 23, 2026
THE recent appointment of a chief election commissioner for Azad Jammu & Kashmir has once again shone a spotlight on the continuing delay in the appointment of a new CEC for the Election Commission of Pakistan. While the appointment was made more than a year after the office fell vacant, and uncomfortably close to general elections in the territory scheduled for July this year, the AJK process shows that constitutional offices can be filled smoothly when the state recognises its responsibility. It also raises the question: why has the federal government failed to do the same? Sikandar Sultan Raja’s five-year term expired on Jan 26, 2025. Although the 26th Constitutional Amendment allows an incumbent to continue until a successor is appointed, this provision was ostensibly aimed at preventing disruption in the ECP’s important functions, not justify prolonged inaction. Article 215(4) of the Constitution envisages that such vacancies should be filled within 45 days. That deadline passed about a year ago. The con... -
Dawn - 18:58 Feb 22, 2026
South Africa ended India’s 12-match winning streak at the T20 World Cup with a crushing 76-run win in Ahmedabad on Sunday in the opening Group 1 Super Eights match. After a counter-attacking 63 by David Miller and some late hitting from Tristan Stubbs took South Africa to 187-7, the defending champions were all out for 111 in 18.5 overs, failing badly in their first chase of the tournament. Left-arm quick Marco Jansen finished with 4-22, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 as the South African bowlers exposed India’s fragile batting line-up. “Great performance. Very different type of wicket to what we’ve had here, so great to see the boys assess that pretty early and adapt their skills to execute their plans,” said South Africa captain Aiden Markram. “We’re really pumped for the bowling group. They’ve been working hard, started the comp a bit tough, but the way they rocked up tonight was a great effort.” Hot favourites to defend their crown on home soil, India will need to win their two remaining ... -
Dawn - 18:46 Feb 22, 2026
A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the group was in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures competing for the position. Hamas recently completed the formation of a new Shura Council of more than 80 members, a consultative body largely composed of religious scholars, as well as a new 18-member political bureau, the official said. Since Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed several Hamas leaders, including two former chiefs. The country has also killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. “The movement has completed its internal elections in the three regions and has reached the final stage of selecting the head of the political bureau,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly. He said the race for the group’s leadership was now between Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya. A second Hamas source confirmed the development, while a third source s... -
Dawn - 18:25 Feb 22, 2026
Ramazan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is a time when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, focusing on prayer, charity and deepening their connection with the Almighty. Homes and mosques come alive with pre-dawn meals (sehri) and the evening ritual of breaking the fast. Across Pakistan, communal iftars bring people together, as neighbours, friends and even strangers share meals to end the day’s fast. Held in mosques, community centres and public spaces, these gatherings are about more than just food, as they nurture unity, strengthen bonds, and foster a sense of togetherness. They also create spaces for conversation, understanding and generosity, embodying the spirit of the holy month. Photographs from cities across Pakistan capture these quiet, meaningful moments: prayers in reflection, the preparation of iftar, the laughter and chatter around shared tables, and the calm anticipation as the sun sets. Together, they paint a picture of Ramazan as a time of patience, gratitude, humility and spiritual re... -
Dawn - 18:23 Feb 22, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police have arrested 588 professional beggars this year as part of an ongoing drive against organised begging networks, registering cases under the Prevention of Beggary Act. Under the special directions of Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, police have continued comprehensive operations against professional beggars and their facilitators in the federal capital, according to a press release. Acting on these instructions, legal action is also being taken against professional beggars who harass citizens on roads, intersections, markets, and commercial areas. “Facilitators and contractors who provide transportation and logistical support to beggars are being identified through Safe City surveillance cameras and human intelligence,” the release said. “During the ongoing year, police arrested 588 professional beggars and registered cases against them under the Islamabad Prevention of Beggary Act.” Additionally, legal action is also being taken against parents who... -
Dawn - 18:03 Feb 22, 2026
SHABQADAR: Four people, including a father and son, were killed and several others injured when gunfire broke out during taraweeh prayers at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district on Sunday, police and local sources said. According to local sources, the firing occurred during prayers at the Aldadkhel Mosque in the Battagram area of Shabqadar tehsil, Charsadda district, and started in front of worshippers inside the mosque. The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute between two parties, sources said. Those killed from the first party were identified as Parvez, son of Mehrdal, and Inayat, son of Jan Muhammad, while from the second party, Ayaz, son of Torsam, and Zakir Ayaz, residents of Aldadkhel in the Battagram area of Shabqadar tehsil, were killed. After receiving information about the incident, Rescue 1122 Shabqadar sent ambulances to the scene and transported the deceased and injured to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Shabqadar, a statement from the rescue team said. Meanwhile, police said a... -
Dawn - 18:01 Feb 22, 2026
Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan killed “more than 80 terrorists,” security sources said on Sunday, in a retaliatory operation against groups responsible for recent suicide bombings in Pakistan. Pakistan struck seven “terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban of [Fitna al Khwarij] and its affiliates and [the Islamic State-Khorasan Province] at the border region of Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced in a post early Sunday on the social media platform X. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Security sources said late Sunday evening that, “Last night, Pakistan’s intelligence-based airstrikes destroyed seven centres of Fitna al-Khawarij TTP in three provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, in which more than eighty Khawarij have been confirmed killed, while more are expected.” They added that the centres targeted included “New Centre No. 1 and New Centre No. 2 in ... -
Dawn - 17:09 Feb 22, 2026
Iran agreed a secret 500 million euro ($589 million) arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The agreement, signed in Moscow in December, commits Russia to deliver 500 man-portable “Verba” launch units and 2,500 “9M336” missiles over three years, the FT said, citing leaked Russian documents seen by the FT and several people familiar with the deal. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Under the deal, the deliveries are scheduled in three tranches, running from 2027 through 2029, the FT said. The deal was negotiated between Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Moscow representative of Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the FT claimed. Tehran formally requested the systems last July, according to a contract seen by the FT. In June last year, US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites as the country joined Israel’s military campaign against Iran. President Donald Trump said...
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