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Dawn - 02:23 Aug 13, 2026
WHEN Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently declared that national security requires deep reforms, and ISPR publicly endorsed the call, both were arguing for the same things: coherence, coordination, service delivery pushed closer to the doorstep, a state that functions as a state should. Nothing wrong with that ambition. The problem is what it left out, and how familiar that omission is. Pakistan has set out for this destination before. Every serious reset since 1947 has restated some version of that list: Peace. Prosperity. Rule of law. A federation the provinces actually believe in. None of it was ever the wrong destination. What keeps happening is Odysseus’s wandering. His ship knows exactly where Ithaca lies and still takes the long way, blown off course by whichever storm is loudest that year. Each course correction adds distance instead of closing it. This is not a nation still discovering what it wants. It is a nation that has known the address for decades but keeps failing to arrive. Climate change ... -
Dawn - 02:15 Aug 13, 2026
AS the staggered polls for the AJK Legislative Assembly enter their final stretch, it appears that the PML-N is in a commanding position, and is already working on a governance plan for the region. Marred by violence as well as allegations of rigging by the PPP — the PML-N’s coalition partner at the centre — these polls have not been without controversy. Re-polling will be held at some polling stations in Bagh over the weekend, while votes will be cast in seven constituencies of Poonch division on Aug 20 or Aug 21. Polling was postponed in these constituencies due to the volatile law and order situation. The AJK polls have exposed a widening gap between the PML-N and PPP, with the latter claiming that the AJK Election Commission had not ensured transparent polling. PML-N leaders, however, have downplayed these concerns, saying that their party head Nawaz Sharif will choose the next AJK prime minister. While the PML-N’s lead looks unassailable at this point, as we have stated before, government formation shoul... -
Dawn - 23:20 Aug 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought comments from the Directorate General Immigration and Passports and the federal government on a petition challenging the non-renewal of the passport of Arshad Khan, popularly known as ‘Arshad Chaiwala’. Justice Umair Majeed Malik issued notices to the Director General Immigration and Passports and the Federation through the Interior Secretary on the petition filed by Mr Khan, who rose to fame after his photograph while working at a tea stall in Islamabad went viral on social media. During the hearing, Barrister Umar Ijaz Gilani appeared on behalf of the petitioner and contended that his client was a well-known entrepreneur who had promoted Pakistani culture globally. The counsel submitted that the authorities had failed to renew the petitioner’s passport despite the passage of almost a year since he had applied for its renewal. According to the petition, Arshad Khan applied for renewal of his passport on August 20, 2025, but the document had not be... -
Dawn - 18:33 Aug 12, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: A controversy emerged on Wednesday after the returning officer (RO) issued Form 27 declaring PPP’s Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, the sitting AJK prime minister, the winner from LA-17 (Haveli), despite rival PML-N candidate Engineer Mohsin Aziz being assured that the form would not be issued until the Election Commission took up his complaint. The development triggered fresh tensions in Haveli district, where PML-N workers announced a complete shutter-down strike and protest from Thursday (August 13) for an indefinite period. At a meeting in Forward Kahuta, chaired by PML-N Haveli president Syed Abid Bukhari, participants demanded that the Election Commission open all polling bags from LA-17, order a recount and determine the result on the basis of the original results issued by presiding officers at the polling stations. They warned that the scope of the protest would be expanded if the demand was not accepted. Polling in the constituency had been held on Monday amid serious allegations and counter-all... -
Dawn - 18:12 Aug 12, 2026
The government on Wednesday reduced the price of petrol by Re0.94 and increased the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Re0.54 per litre. Following the revision, petrol will retail at Rs324.98 per litre while HSD will cost Rs382.79 per litre. The government continues to levy Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on HSD. According to the Petroleum Division’s notification, the new prices will be applicable for August 13 (Thursday). The price of HSD has come down from a peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 3. Its price had started rising from Rs281 per litre after the US-Iran war broke out on February 28. The petrol price had peaked at Rs458.41 on April 3 after beginning its upward trajectory from Rs266 in the first week of March. Earlier, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced that fuel prices would now be fixed on a daily basis due to fluctuations in international market prices following renewed hostilities between Iran and the US. The government had been announcing weekly rev... -
Dawn - 17:36 Aug 12, 2026
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he hoped more countries would join a defence agreement signed last week between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, aimed at stabilising a region wracked by conflict. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on Friday as the Middle East grapples with fallout from the US-Iran war, which has dragged in regional players and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. “Our vision for it is not limited to the three countries,” the Turkish leader told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily. “Rather we aspire for it to grow, and perhaps appropriate conditions will emerge one day for all countries of the region to gather under its umbrella.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday said Turkiye expected Egypt to join the pact “in the next stage”, telling the Anadolu state news agency only “a few technical issues” stood in the way. Egypt has not commented on the agreement nor on the remarks by Fidan, who will visit Cairo on... -
Dawn - 16:57 Aug 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Headed by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Awaam Pakistan has challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to delist the party over its alleged failure to hold intra-party elections, calling the move “arbitrary, unwarranted and unprecedented”. In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja dated August 12, 2026, Abbasi, who is also the party’s president, said Awaam Pakistan had been “taken by surprise” by an ECP notification issued on August 7. The notification cited an ECP order dated Aug 3, 2026, in a case titled “Non-Conduct of intra-party election by Awaam Pakistan”. Abbasi said the party had conducted intra-party elections for both the National General Council and national office-bearers between March 26 and April 2, 2026. He said the polls were held within the extension granted by the ECP in its decision of January 2026. “The results of the intra-party election and detailed documentation were submitted to the ECP on April 6, 2026,” the letter sai... -
Dawn - 16:21 Aug 12, 2026
In Iranian waters, a strange trade is taking place — Pakistani fishermen exchange subsidised Iranian fuel for high-value tuna, a barter system now under threat from escalating US-Iran tensions. Shah Zamin Khan is among thousands of Pakistani tuna traders whose lucrative business has been at a near standstill since February, when the US-Israeli war on Iran began. The recent targeting of Iranian seaports by Washington has made matters worse. Iran’s southern ports of Konarak, Pasabandar and Beris, which border Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and serve as key fish trade hubs, are among the sites targeted by US airstrikes in recent weeks. “Our businesses were already affected by the war, but the recent targeting of Iranian seaports has turned the region into a no-go area for us over the past one month,” Khan told Anadolu. An image of fishing boats. — Photo courtesy of Zofeen Ebrahim/File Boat owners, according to Khan, have completely stopped sending their vessels to the Iranian ports for fear of US s... -
Dawn - 16:07 Aug 12, 2026
WASHINGTON: The California State Senate has unanimously passed a resolution celebrating the “enduring relationship” between Pakistan and the United States and recognising the “significant contributions” of Pakistani-Americans to the state’s economy, culture and social fabric. The resolution, presented by Senator Melissa Hurtado, highlighted the “pivotal role” played by Pakistani-Americans in California and commended their achievements across diverse fields. It also urged all Californians to join in celebrating the friendly relations between the two countries. The resolution’s language goes beyond a routine recognition of the Pakistani-American community, placing its contributions alongside California’s relationship with Pakistan and calling for broader public recognition of the friendship between the two countries. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, also visited California during this process and held meetings with state lawmakers to expand political and economic engagement betwe... -
Dawn - 15:26 Aug 12, 2026
Millions of people gathered in Iceland and northern Spain to witness Europe’s first total solar eclipse in 27 years on Wednesday, with Spanish officials warning people to avoid areas where a heatwave has raised the risk of wildfires. Authorities were expecting up to 6 million visitors in mostly rural areas within the eclipse’s path across the north of Spain and the Balearic Islands, said Juan Cruz, Spain’s Secretary of State for Science. “I hope that tonight will see the emergence of a wonderful generation of astrophysicists,” he said. “It’s such a special moment.” The eclipse will be quickly followed by the sunset in Spain, making the event particularly alluring. Police, planes, and helicopters are on standby The uncanny sensation when day briefly turns into twilight and some animals fall quiet as the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun was often treated as an omen in the past, a cosmic struggle or a sign of divine power. Frenchman Leyssalle Anthony, 39, prepares a telescope to view the total sola... -
Dawn - 15:03 Aug 12, 2026
As Colombia reels from one of the strongest earthquakes in its recorded history that killed at least 250, just weeks after more than 6,000 deaths in twin quakes in neighbouring Venezuela, many turned to scientists to learn why this series of tremors was so deadly. Moving plates Colombia and Venezuela sit on the boundaries of several moving tectonic plates, whose slow, constant friction creates a build-up of energy that is periodically released, causing an earthquake. German Prieto, a geologist at the National University of Colombia (UNAL), told Reuters that Colombia’s quake involved the Nazca plate sliding beneath the South American plate far beneath under the earth’s crust, which is just about 40 kilometres deep in the Andean region. The US Geological Survey estimated the magnitude of Monday’s quake at 7.4, striking at a depth of 100 km, versus the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes of Venezuela’s late June quakes, at a shallower depth of less than 20 km. A woman walks past the rubble of a collapsed building after an ea... -
Dawn - 14:59 Aug 12, 2026
At least 18 terrorists were killed in Balochistan’s Surab district, including eight in a premature detonation, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said eight terrorists were killed when an “under preparation” vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated. “An under preparation vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated while being prepared by terrorists affiliated with Fitna Al Hindustan in Surab district of Balochistan.” The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The military’s media wing added that multiple terrorists were also injured in the explosion. However, the blast also killed three civilians in the area after a “secondary detonation of other explosives stored there”. Following the explosion, a contingent of security forces and police reached the incident site and “launched a comprehensive joint cl... -
Dawn - 14:37 Aug 12, 2026
The upper and central parts of the country are set to receive a fresh spell of monsoon rains from August 13 to 15, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Wednesday. In an advisory, the Met Office said monsoon currents were penetrating the upper parts of the country along with a westerly wave. In Kashmir, it forecast rain accompanied by wind and thundershowers in Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the Met Office predicted rain in Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche and Shigar. In upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Malakand, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Galiyat, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Haripur, Kurram and Khyber are expected to receive rain. In northeast Punjab, rainfall was predicted in Murree, Sialkot, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sah... -
Dawn - 14:19 Aug 12, 2026
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, whose market reforms helped drive the country’s extraordinary economic rise, died on Wednesday at the age of 97. Zhu became premier in 1998 and swiftly lived up to his reputation as a hard-hitting free marketeer. Among his best-known reforms were a broad programme to privatise unprofitable state-owned enterprises, the privatisation of urban housing and the promotion of home ownership. He passed away from illness in Beijing late Wednesday morning “after medical treatment failed to save him”, state news agency Xinhua reported. “The life of comrade Zhu Rongji was a life of revolution, a life of struggle, a life of glory,” an obituary jointly issued by China’s top political bodies said, according to Xinhua. “It was a life dedicated wholeheartedly to serving the people, one given to the communist cause. His passing is a major loss for the Party and the country.” Reforms under Zhu sparked a boom in real estate and construction, which would soar to become a quarter of China’s econo... -
Dawn - 14:18 Aug 12, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Pakistan was “still far” from becoming a social welfare state, which he said was the original purpose of the country’s formation. The premier was speaking at an event in Islamabad to mark International Youth Day 2026, observed on August 12. He also inaugurated several initiatives for the youth, including the Power Sector Innovation Programme, the National Youth Employment Policy and the Skills Ambassador Programme. As part of the National Youth Employment Policy, the premier announced that a 35 per cent quota would be specified for women in the labour force. Every year, a 10pc quota will be specified for startups as well to facilitate youth in starting their own businesses, he said. In his speech, PM Shehbaz said that Daanish schools were a step towards making Pakistan a country where young people would have equal opportunities for advancement, irrespective of their financial status. He said that during his tenure as Punjab chief minister, he had establishe... -
Dawn - 14:10 Aug 12, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday that Pakistan, as a signatory to the recently announced multinational maritime defence coalition, would implement its commitments “in full earnest”. The statement comes following the deaths of three Pakistani sailors in Houthi strikes on a Saudi cargo ship on Tuesday. Last month, Riyadh unveiled plans for a multinational maritime defence coalition to protect shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea region. Fourteen countries, including Pakistan, Turkiye and Egypt, backed the coalition in a joint statement. Answering questions at a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi elaborated that Pakistan was a signatory of the recent joint statement supporting a multinational maritime defence coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, to protect shipping and energy supply routes. “Pakistan is a signatory to this maritime coalition communique and we will implement it with full earnest,” Andrabi said, adding that the country was engaged with the Saudi authorities in thi... -
Dawn - 13:28 Aug 12, 2026
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide will undertake an official visit to Pakistan on August 13-14 to discuss avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation, trade and investment. In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said, “At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Norwegian FM Eide will undertake an official visit to Pakistan on 13-14 August 2026.” According to the FO, the visit to Pakistan will be the first by a Norwegian foreign minister in a decade. During the visit, the FO said that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Norwegian counterpart would hold delegation-level talks covering the full spectrum of Pakistan-Norway relations. “The two sides will discuss avenues for further expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and investment, climate change, renewable energy, education and people-to-people contacts. “They will also exchange views on important regional and international developments,” it added. FM Eide has appreciated and acknowledged Pakistan’s ef... -
Dawn - 13:17 Aug 12, 2026
I have spent the better part of two decades trying to persuade Pakistan’s institutions to think in decades rather than in news cycles. I built the Pakistan State of Future Index (PK-SOFI) to measure where the country stood against its own long-range indicators. I have sat in rooms with the National Intelligence Council, the OECD, the UK Cabinet Office’s Horizon Scanning unit, and South Korea’s Parliamentary Caucus on Foresight, watching how seriously other systems take the discipline of anticipation. And I keep coming back to Pakistan with the same question: why does foresight refuse to take root here, no matter how many divisions we build, how many scenarios we run, or how many white papers we write? The honest answer is not that Pakistan lacks talent or awareness. It is that foresight is not something Pakistan does in public policy. It is not a step in how a budget is drafted, a plan is approved, or a ministry decides what to prioritise. There is no standing government body mandated to scan horizons, run sc... -
Dawn - 13:12 Aug 12, 2026
RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi police said on Wednesday that they had arrested three cops, who were posted as guards at Adiala jail, for their alleged involvement in the escape of a prisoner while he was being transported to Jhelum jail from a court in the garrison city. According to a police statement, Assistant Sub-Inspector Tauqeer Hussain, Head Constable Mahboob Khan and Constable Qasim were arrested on the directives of Rawalpindi City Police Officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera. Police said the escape took place in the Mandra area on Tuesday, identifying the prisoner as Hammad, who had a record of involvement in cases of “serious crime”. According to police, search operations and raids were underway to arrest the prisoner. According to the first information report, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the prisoner was being transported back to Jhelum jail after a court appearance when the three cops “conspired” with him and made the van driver stop at a hotel along the GT Road near Mandra police station as part of... -
Dawn - 11:55 Aug 12, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated several initiatives for the youth, including the Power Sector Innovation Programme, the National Youth Employment Policy and the Skills Ambassador Programme. The premier was speaking at an event in Islamabad to mark International Youth Day 2026, celebrated on August 12. The ceremony also highlighted high-achieving students from Daanish schools. Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan said, “We work day and night for our youth.” He praised Prime Minister Shehbaz for providing opportunities for the youth during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab and commended the premier’s leadership in advancing Pakistan, adding that under his leadership, no one could stop the country from moving forward. “The world is talking about Pakistan’s progress today,” he said. More to follow
12682 items