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Dawn - 16:44 Oct 20, 2025
The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed on Monday that the computerised national identity card (CNIC) of social media personality Arshad Khan, who rose to fame as ‘chaiwala’, was restored by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) after verification. Khan, who hails from Mardan, rose to fame back in 2016 when a photographer shared a photo of him pouring tea on Instagram, which went viral. He approached the LHC in April against the blocking of his identity documents by Nadra and the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports. An order issued today by LHC Justice Justice Jawad Hassan noted that the petitioner informed the court his grievance was redressed. “Learned counsel for the petitioner … submits that after this court had taken cognizance of the matter, the competent authority called the petitioner to appear before the verification board constituted at the concerned office of Nadra and after due verification, his CNIC has been unblocked, thereby redressing his grievance,” the order ... -
Dawn - 15:03 Oct 20, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday claimed that the resurgence of terrorism being witnessed in the province was due to the “flawed policy” of the federal government. The PTI, which has been in power in KP since 2013, opposes military operations, which are also resisted by tribal people as they often lead to displacements. Although the federal government in August ruled out a new offensive, it continues counterterrorism operations under the National Action Plan. A military operation looms over the Kurram district, where people have started leaving their homes, while a targeted action is planned in Bajaur’s War Mamund tehsil. In his first official high-level meeting since he assumed the role of the KP CM on October 15, Afridi presented “important policy directives and announcements”, a post on his office’s X account said. “Terrorism has returned to the province due to the federal government’s wrong policy,” the post quoted CM Afridi as saying. He further claimed that the federal governmen... -
Dawn - 14:56 Oct 20, 2025
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on Monday observed that no Supreme Court benches besides the Constitutional Bench (CB) could hear constitutional matters as he and seven other judges heard petitions against the 26th Amendment. The Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judge... -
Dawn - 14:53 Oct 20, 2025
Popular video-sharing platform Tiktok removed more than 25 million videos over community guidelines violations in Pakistan, in the second quarter of 2025 (April-June), its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report said on Monday. Tiktok has repeatedly been banned in the country by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) over complaints about indecent and immoral content. The first such ban came in October 2020, but was lifted 10 days later, after the company assured the telecom regulator that it would block accounts “spreading obscenity.” According to a press release, the popular video-sharing platform said, “TikTok removed a total of 25,448,992 videos in Pakistan for Community Guidelines violations.” “TikTok proactively removed 99.7 per cent of the videos, with 96.2pc of these videos removed within 24 hours,” added the platform. “The report, which covers data from April to June 2025, details the proactive steps TikTok has taken to identify and remove content that violates its Community Guidelines, ensur... -
Dawn - 14:11 Oct 20, 2025
An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Monday again issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khanum, in a case pertaining to the November 26, 2024 protests by the PTI. The warrant was reissued due to Aleema’s continued absence from case proceedings. On November 26 last year, more than 10,000 PTI supporters surged into the federal capital, defying a ban on public gatherings and a lockdown to skirmish with 20,000 security forces enlisted to turn them back. As the demonstrators inched towards the heavily barricaded D-Chowk, the police and security troops employed intense teargas shelling to disperse them. Earlier this month, the ATC had issued a bailable arrest warrant for Aleema over non-appearance in the court in the same case, registered at Sadiqabad Police Station, adjourning the hearing to October 11. Later, on Oct 14, the court issued a non-bailable warrant due to her continued absence, noting that she had now failed to appear twice. During today’s hearing, presided over by AT... -
Dawn - 14:08 Oct 20, 2025
Pakistan punished poor catching from South Africa to accumulate 259-5 on the opening day of the second and final Test in Rawalpindi on Monday. Had the tourists not dropped five catches on a turning pitch they would have been in a better position after Pakistan won the toss and batted. Skipper Shan Masood, dropped on 71 off a luckless Keshav Maharaj, top-scored with 87 while Abdullah Shafique — dropped four times — made 57. Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha will resume on Tuesday unbeaten on 42 and 10 respectively, with the home team seeking a 2-0 series win against the world Test champions. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada trapped Mohammad Rizwan with the fifth delivery with the second new ball for 19 to give some respite to his team. Maharaj, who missed the first Test in Lahore through injury, took 2-63 and fellow spinner Simon Harmer 2-75. With the bulk of the bowling done by Maharaj and Harmer, spinner Senuran Muthusamy — who took 11 wickets in the first Test — was surprisingly used for just four overs. The fi... -
Dawn - 13:01 Oct 20, 2025
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched on Monday a flood rehabilitation drive, under which she said around Rs100 billion would be distributed among the affected people. “We are distributing the first cheques today”, she said while addressing the attendees at a camp set up in Dipalpur, Okara to begin the distribution of relief cards among the families and individuals affected by the recent floods. Last month, the Punjab government announced that it would be issuing relief cards for flood victims to receive aid without them having to wait in long queues. After distributing the cards today, CM Maryam said the rehabilitation drive was funded entirely by the Punjab government’s resources. “I did not ask for assistance from the rest of the world […] I did not ask anyone for help,” she remarked, adding that by limiting the funding for flood relief and rehabilitation activities to Punjab’s resources, she had been mindful of the “self-respect of the people” of the province. The chief minister elaborated that 70 p... -
Dawn - 11:04 Oct 20, 2025
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) — a member of the World Bank Group — to strengthen local currency financing and support private sector growth in Pakistan, according to a press release issued on Monday. According to the World Bank, borrowing in foreign currencies exposes clients to the risk that debt and debt service payments (as measured in local currency) increase when the local currency depreciates. However, by converting to local currency, clients are able to address that risk. The statement released by the central bank today said that the agreement, signed under the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) framework, would enable the IFC to “manage currency risks more effectively” and increase its investments in Pakistani rupees. “This is an important step towards unlocking financing for critical sectors of the economy and creating jobs across the country,” the SBP statement said. It also quoted SBP Governor Jameel Ahm... -
Dawn - 11:01 Oct 20, 2025
AWARENESS, action, the required funding for the said action, implementation, and, finally, the results of the said action — these are all very different things. A case in point is the air pollution in Pakistan. The air we breathe has been foul for decades. Among the earliest measurements of air pollution in Pakistan was a study conducted in Lahore in 1978, cited in the International Journal of Advances in Sustainable Development. The metric used was Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), a broader measure that predates today’s more precise focus on particulate matter. The study recorded an average SPM concentration of 332μg/m³ in Lahore’s commercial core — an extremely high level of particle pollution by any standard. And, yet, it is only in recent years that the idea of combatting the noxious air we all breathe has come into focus. For many of us, growing up, the extent of our knowledge was limited to ‘plant more trees’. So, what exactly is wrong with the air we breathe? Before financing questions can be addres... -
Dawn - 09:25 Oct 20, 2025
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday gave police a three-day ultimatum to recover the deputy director of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who was allegedly abducted earlier this month. The court issued the directives while presiding over the hearing of a plea filed by Rozina Usman for the recovery of her husband Muhammad Usman, who she has alleged was taken away by four armed individuals on October 14. IHC Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the petition while Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi appeared in court on behalf of the wife. During the hearing, the court directed that if police failed to recover the official within three days, the NCCIA central director and the Islamabad inspector general should appear in court in person. Meanwhile, Abbasi told the court that he was unaware of the whereabouts of his client. “I don’t know where the petitioner is; I fear she may have also been abducted,” Abbasi told the court. He added that the petitioner had called him saying she was being pressured t... -
Dawn - 08:35 Oct 20, 2025
This article was originally published on January 12, 2025. The present Pakistan’s targeted strikes on December 4, 2024 on the training camps of the self-styled Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Birmal area of eastern Paktika province of Afghanistan have brought Afghanistan’s irredentist policy out in the open. The strikes came after a string of terrorist attacks by the TTP on Pakistan’s security forces. The TTP, an internationally designated terrorist group, is hosted by the self-declared Afghan Interim Government on Afghanistan’s soil. The AIG — described herein as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) — has, despite multiple requests and démarches by Pakistan, refused to rein in the TTP. The TTA’s strategy has been to alternately dismiss (a) Pakistan’s position that the TTP is using Afghanistan’s soil to mount attacks inside Pakistan, (b) claim that this is Pakistan’s internal affair and (c) ask Pakistan to talk to the TTP bilaterally. TTA’s position is bogus on all counts but it is well thought-out... -
Dawn - 08:15 Oct 20, 2025
President, PM extend greetings to Hindu community on Diwali, reiterate commitment to minority rights
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both extended greetings to the Hindu community in Pakistan to mark Diwali on Monday and reiterated their commitment to minority rights. Diwali is a colourful festival involving lighting candles, worship, celebrations and prayers. It is celebrated to mark the day when Lord Rama returned home after his 14-year exile. It is a five-day festival and during this time, houses are cleaned and windows are opened to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. According to Radio Pakistan, the president said that the festival of Diwali “reminds us of the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil”. He noted that the Constitution guaranteed equal rights and complete freedom of religion to all citizens. “Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned a Pakistan where minorities would enjoy equal rights and opportunities,” he added. Zardari also lauded the services of Hindu community in education, commerce, and public service. In his message, Prime Minister Shehba... -
Dawn - 08:02 Oct 20, 2025
There was anger on Monday in Israel after police banned the Israeli Premier League’s Tel Aviv derby amid chaotic scenes, triggering complaints from the clubs and political opposition. The crowd trouble at Sunday’s abandoned match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv comes amid tensions over a ban preventing Israeli fans from attending an upcoming Europa League away game against English side Aston Villa. The match in Tel Aviv was called off after what a police spokesman described as “disorderly conduct, riots, the hurling of objects, smoke grenades, fireworks, injured officers and damage to the stadium infrastructure”. Speaking to public broadcaster KAN, he said: “This is not a soccer game: this is severe disorder and violence.” After the police order, the Bloomfield Stadium, the home ground for both teams, was evacuated, with police on horseback intervening to control the 30,000 fans. Hapoel’s management was infuriated by the police decision and tactics. “From the preliminary discussions before the ga... -
Dawn - 07:56 Oct 20, 2025
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday removed the registrar’s objections on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s plea seeking a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and issued notices to the Adiala jail superintendent and others for October 23. Afridi had filed the plea on Oct 17, two days after he was sworn in as the provincial chief executive on Oct 15. He had gone to Adiala jail — where Imran has been imprisoned since September 2023 — after getting protective bail from the Peshawar High Court on Oct 16. However, he was denied the meeting; Afridi has stated that he would announce his cabinet after consulting Imran. He had then filed a plea with the IHC, however, the registrar’s office had objected to the maintainability of the plea. Today, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir took up the matter and overruled the objections of the registrar office. Afridi’s lawyer Advocate Ali Bukhari said that the registrar’s office had raised the objection that the petition was filed “without the provin... -
Dawn - 06:03 Oct 20, 2025
US President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him India will stop buying Russian oil, while warning that New Delhi would continue paying “massive” tariffs if it did not do so. “I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Asked about India’s assertion that it was not aware of any conversation between Modi and Trump, Trump replied: “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.” Russian oil has been one of the main irritants for Trump in prolonged trade talks with India — half of his 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods are in retaliation for those purchases. The US government has said that petroleum revenue funds Russia’s war in Ukraine. India has become the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian oil sold at a discount after Western nations shunned purchases and imposed sanctions on Moscow for its 202... -
Dawn - 05:18 Oct 20, 2025
The hunt was on Monday for the band of thieves who stole eight priceless royal pieces of jewellery from the Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris in broad daylight. Officials said a team of 60 investigators were working on the theory that the raid was planned and executed by an organised crime group. In France, it reignited a row over the lack of security in France’s museums, which the new Interior Minister Laurent Nunez acknowledged on Sunday was a “major weak spot”. The thieves arrived between 9:30 and 9:40am Sunday, shortly after the museum opened to the public at 9:00am, a source close to the investigation said. They used a furniture hoist to get access to the Apollo Gallery, home to the royal collection, and cutting equipment to get in through a window and open the display cases. A brief clip of the raid, apparently filmed on the phone of a visitor to the museum, was broadcast on French news channels. The masked thieves stole nine 19th-century items of jewellery, one of which — the crown of the Empress Eug... -
Dawn - 02:57 Oct 20, 2025
• Official claims Saad Rizvi, his brother ‘traced to AJK’ • 95 bank accounts identified; parleys continue over fate of seminaries administered by the group LAHORE: Authorities in Punjab claim to have traced the whereabouts of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi and his brother Anas, saying the absconding leaders fled to Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) after the Muridke crackdown. A senior official told Dawn that law enforcers had shared this information with AJK authorities and sought their help to nab the TLP leaders. The development follows speculation — fuelled by TLP circles — that their party chief was in custody. The official said following the crackdown, several teams comprising senior officers from Punjab police and other law enforcement agencies had been tasked with tracking down the TLP chief and his brother. He said Saad Rizvi and his brother were first spotted walking away from the protest camp in Muridke, and then fleeing on a motorbike. At that time, an emergency message was circulated ... -
Dawn - 20:27 Oct 19, 2025
The National Party (NP) central leader and MPA Rehmat Saleh Baloch’s brother, Waleed Saleh Baloch, was killed in Balochistan’s Panjgur area on Sunday, according to statements by the party and the province’s chief minister. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident in a statement and ordered the immediate arrest of the suspects. “All resources will be used to provide justice to the affected family,” the CM said, according to a statement issued by his office. According to the statement, the CM had sought a report from police regarding the incident. Dawn.com has reached out to the police for further details. Meanwhile, the NP also strongly condemned the incident in a statement, adding that the party would observe three days of mourning. It added that at the time of the incident, Waleed was celebrating his wedding. It said that the incident was not only “the murder of an ordinary citizen but also the murder of a person belonging to a dignified and political family who has always believed in ... -
Dawn - 20:06 Oct 19, 2025
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both countries pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and are expected to meet again on October 25 to further discuss matters, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday. Amid heightened tensions along the Pak-Afghan border, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Asif travelled to Doha on Saturday for talks with Afghan Taliban officials, aimed at ending cross-border hostilities and addressing Pakistan’s security concerns. Facilitated by Qatar, the talks followed days of clashes and Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan, after a 48-hour ceasefire was extended to allow negotiations. In a post on X, the minister announced, “A ceasefire agreement has been finalised. The terrorist attacks from Afghanistan on Pakistan’s soil will cease immediately. Both neighbouring countries will respect each other’s territory,” adding that delegations will meet again in Istanbul on October... -
Dawn - 19:46 Oct 19, 2025
Law enforcers foiled an attack by terrorists at a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Sunday, police said. Police said in a statement that terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — tried to attack the Baka Khel police station from a distance. However, it added, police personnel opened fire on them after detecting their movement using the “latest technology”. As a result, the statement said, the terrorists couldn’t come near the police station and fled. According to police, “residents from nearby areas also fired at the attackers” and helped law enforcers. The statement did not mention any loss of lives or property in the incident, which was earlier confirmed by Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan. He told Dawn.com that the attackers had used a hand grenade to target the police station. “Unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade toward the police station, but it fell at a distance, causing no damage,” h...
5680 items