Dawn
Source:
https://www.dawn.com
Found 5467 news
-
Dawn - 15:36 Oct 09, 2025
In the dry hills west of Karachi, a caracal moves silently across rocky terrain, its long, black-tufted ears twitching at every sound. A hidden camera captures the fleeting moment, offering rare evidence that one of the country’s most elusive wild cats still survives. The caracal, a medium-sized wild cat native to arid regions of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, is now critically endangered in Pakistan. Wildlife experts warn that habitat loss, increasing human intrusion and retaliatory killings have pushed the species to the brink of local extinction. “Local people either kill the cat to protect their sheep, goats, deer and other small animals, or in retaliation for its preying on small livestock,” wildlife expert Saeedul Islam told Anadolu. Hunting for the illegal pet trade poses another threat. “This has left the animal’s population in only a few hundred, not even a thousand, in Pakistan,” he said. Javed Mahar, conservator with the Sindh Wildlife Department, said the caracal still exist... -
Dawn - 15:14 Oct 09, 2025
Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Thursday claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Sohail Afridi has been nominated as the new chief minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to “support, promote, and enable” terrorism in the province. Yesterday, PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur said he has resigned from his role as the KP CM while the party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, confirmed that party founder Imran Khan directed Afridi to assume the role of provincial chief executive. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today along with Ikhtiar Wali Khan, the coordinator to prime minister on information for KP affairs, Tarar maintained PTI “enables terrorists”. “These handful of terrorists are enabled by a person sitting in jail who is the chief sponsor of terrorism,” the information minister claimed, saying that PTI founder’s support for terrorists is evident from old interviews. Tarar said the contention with Ali Amin Gandapur was that he does not do what he’s told, i.e., “enable and support terrorists... -
Dawn - 14:50 Oct 09, 2025
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Thursday that party founder Imran Khan has ordered the party’s lawmakers to resign from the chairmanships and memberships of standing committees in the Punjab Assembly. In August, Imran had said the party should not go into by-elections triggered by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualifying a large number of PTI members and leaders in relation to their involvement in the May 9, 2023, riots and that its lawmakers should leave all parliamentary standing committees, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). PTI lawmakers subsequently began resigning from the membership of parliamentary committees and also Senate standing committees. Whether Punjab lawmakers would do so was not decided at the time. However, speaking to the media today outside Adiala Jail after meeting Imran, Barrister Gohar said: “Khan has issued a direction regarding Punjab. We have 107 MPAs in Punjab and we have around 14 standing committees. Khan has also issued the directive for... -
Dawn - 14:47 Oct 09, 2025
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has ordered Karachi-based distribution company K-Electric (KE) to pay a fine of Rs25 million within 15 days over its failure to fulfil its responsibilities. A Nepra notification available with Dawn.com stated that the penalty was issued over a nationwide power breakdown in January 2023. Nepra noted that KE attempted to restore electricity amid a major power breakdown in January 2023 through ‘black start facilities’, which are used to restore power in the event of a blackout at KE plants, but attempts failed due to frequent tripping. “Repeated failed attempts on the black start facilities of most of the power plants in the licensee’s (KE) fleet and their frequent tripping indicates the lack of mock testing of the black start facility by the licensee,” the notification read. “The mock testing is a crucial step for the preparation of the licensee and all relevant stakeholders to handle a blackout scenario, as it ensures the healthiness of [the] black start... -
Dawn - 13:31 Oct 09, 2025
The PPP on Thursday said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had a phone call in which they discussed the “country’s prevailing political situation” amid the row between their two parties. The coalition allies have been trading barbs over how the PPP and PML-N have been providing aid to victims of the recent floods. The bad blood escalated to the point that leaders from both sides hold daily press conferences to take potshots at each other. In a post on X, the PPP confirmed the telephone call had taken place and that the country’s political situation, foreign policy and flood aid were among the topics of discussion. The war of words between the two sides expanded to water rights on the Indus River as Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. Last week, she said at a public address that she would not apologise for her remarks and censured the PPP for hurling “wrongful criticism” at the Punjab government over its hand... -
Dawn - 13:08 Oct 09, 2025
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah welcomed a high-level Saudi business delegation on Thursday and highlighted 12 priority sectors for investment in the province. The high-level business delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council Chairman Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al Saud, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday to discuss trade, investment and collaboration. The development followed Pakistan forming an 18-member committee to oversee bilateral economic engagements and negotiations with the kingdom. Last month, the two countries also signed a mutual defence agreement, pledging a joint response to any act of aggression. A press release issued today from the CM Secretariat said the delegation was welcomed at CM House by Shah and provincial ministers. It added that the delegation included over 30 prominent businessmen and investors associated with the energy, infrastructure, agriculture, livestock, mining, construction, logistics and investment sectors. Representatives of the Pakistan Bu... -
Dawn - 12:21 Oct 09, 2025
Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, the award-giving body said on Thursday. The prize is awarded by the Swedish Academy and is worth 11 million crowns ($1.2 million). Established in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, the prizes for achievements in literature, science and peace have been awarded since 1901. “The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 is awarded to the Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” said Mats Malm, Permanent Secretary at the Swedish Academy. Past winners of the 11 million Swedish crown ($1.2 million) literature prize include French poet and essayist Sully Prudhomme, who bagged the first award, American novelist and short story writer William Faulkner in 1949, Britain’s World War Two Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1953, Turkey’s Orhan Pamuk in 2006 and Norway’s Jon Fosse in 2023. Last year’s prize was won... -
Dawn - 12:14 Oct 09, 2025
Afghanistan’s foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday for talks aiming to foster economic ties with New Delhi in the first such visit by a leader of the group since it seized power in 2021. The six-day trip by Amir Khan Muttaqi highlights the Taliban’s efforts to spur engagement with regional powers to secure eventual diplomatic recognition. He is set to meet Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials to discuss a range of political, economic and trade matters. “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X welcoming the minister. Muttaqi is also expected to speak with Indian business representatives, visit the ancient monument to love, the Taj Mahal, and a historic Islamic seminary, media said. He arrives in New Delhi after talks in Moscow with diplomats from Afghanistan’s neighbours, who appeared to unite against US President Donald Trump’s stated aim of taking over the... -
Dawn - 12:07 Oct 09, 2025
Britain said on Thursday it had signed a £350 million ($468m) contract to supply the Indian army with UK-manufactured lightweight missiles, as part of a deepening weapons and defence partnership between the two countries. The announcement came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was visiting Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Mumbai, where the pair hailed the potential of the commercial links from their months-old trade deal. In its statement on the defence deal, the British government said the new contract for Lightweight Multirole Missiles made by Thales in Northern Ireland would secure 700 jobs at a factory which currently makes the same weapons for Ukraine. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, deliver a statement to the press at Raj Bhavan, in Mumbai, India, on October 9. — Reuters “The deal paves the way for a broader complex weapons partnership between the UK and India, currently under negotiation between the two governments,” it said. Starmer has, ... -
Dawn - 11:59 Oct 09, 2025
A London high court has ruled against YouTuber and former Pakistan Army officer retired Major Adil Farooq Raja in a high-profile defamation case filed by retired Brigadier Rashid Nasir, a former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer. The defamation suit was filed in August 2022, but was made public in April after the respondent stirred another controversy in Pakistan over his allegations targeting leading film and TV actresses. On Thursday, the court found Raja’s allegations of corruption, electoral interference, and human rights abuses against Nasir to be “false and baseless”, ordering him to pay £350,000 in damages and legal costs. Justice Richard Spearman KC delivered the judgment, ordering Raja to pay £50,000 (around Rs20 million) in damages and approximately £300,000 (around Rs110m) in legal costs. The court also directed Raja to publish a summary of the verdict on all his social media platforms, confirming that his claims against Nasir were untrue. In addition, he must apologise and give a written a... -
Dawn - 11:35 Oct 09, 2025
Otis Khan missed a penalty as Pakistan played out a goalless draw against Afghanistan at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Thursday, securing their first point in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Nolberto Solano’s side had the better of the opportunities against the jaded visitors, who only arrived in Islamabad less than 24 hours before kickoff due to a prolonged visa problem. However, the hosts weren’t able to capitalise on the chances — notably Otis’ opportunity when he blazed his spot-kick over the bar midway through the second half — in front of a fervent home crowd. The draw meant Pakistan and Afghanistan both got off the mark in Group ‘E’, and they trail joint-leaders Syria and Myanmar by five points. Syria were hosting Myanmar later on Thursday in a clash between two teams with maximum points from their two games. The winner of the group advances to the tournament finals in Saudi Arabia. -
Dawn - 11:32 Oct 09, 2025
A Chinese research team from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered a key mechanism explaining why different organisms independently evolve similar functions when adapting to similar environments, using an artificial intelligence (AI) protein language model. Convergent evolution, or convergence, refers to the repeated, independent emergence of the same trait in two or more lineages of species during evolution, often indicating functional adaptation to specific environmental factors. The research team uncovered the critical role of high-order protein features in adaptive convergence. Despite the significant evolutionary distance between bats and toothed whales, both species have independently developed the ability to perceive their environment through echolocation. The research team, led by Zou Zhengting, proposed a computational analysis framework named “ACEP”. The core innovation of this framework lies in its use of a pre-trained protein language model. “A protein language ... -
Dawn - 10:00 Oct 09, 2025
Google announced on Thursday that Pakistani students of age 18 and above will be able to gain access to a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. According to a press release by the company, the offer is designed to help students “enhance their learning, research, and creativity through advanced AI tools — at no cost”. The Gemini AI Pro Plan allows these students to access Google’s most capable AI features. These include the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, which gives higher access to its “most capable model” for features like Deep Research to assist with assignments, research, and creative projects. Gemini is also available in Google Apps, “bringing AI assistance directly into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, helping students summarise emails, create study presentations, and analyse data more efficiently”. Students also gain access to NotebookLM, Google’s personalised, AI-powered research and writing tool, and are given higher limits to tools for creating videos from text or photos, including Veo 3 in Gem... -
Dawn - 09:23 Oct 09, 2025
Italy are struggling to qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup finals and the pressure on the team is exacerbated by the tension surrounding next Tuesday’s qualifier with Israel in Udine. Italy was the scene of some of Europe’s biggest pro-Palestinian protests last weekend, as Israeli forces continue their offensive in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered across Italy in anger at Israel’s actions, and calls for the country to be barred from international sport have grown louder. The protests were in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, which was sparked by the attack by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023, on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip. During Friday’s massive strike action in support of the Palestinians, demonstrators went to the Italian national team’s training centre in Florence to demand the match against Israel be called off. As of Tuesday only around 4,000 tickets had been sold for the game in Udine, a small city in Italy’s far north-east, which was picked speci... -
Dawn - 09:12 Oct 09, 2025
In a bid to conserve marine biodiversity, Pakistan has launched a project — estimated to cost Rs90 million — to protect sea turtles during shrimp trawling using Standardised Turtle Excluder (TEDs), the maritime affairs ministry said on Thursday. Sea turtles along Pakistan’s coast face many anthropogenic threats, including habitat degradation, plastic pollution, and entanglement in fishing gears such as deep-sea trawlers. Pakistan’s shrimp exports to the US have been banned since 2017 because fishermen were not using the TED in their nets, endangering turtles. A TED is a specialised mechanism fitted into shrimp trawl nets that allows sea turtles and other large marine animals to escape while retaining shrimp, the statement said. “Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has announced the launch of a PKR 90 million initiative aimed at protecting sea turtles during shrimp trawling operations, as part of broader efforts to sustain marine biodiversity and ensure the long-term health of ... -
Dawn - 07:45 Oct 09, 2025
A cop was martyred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan as a police checkpoint came under attack from multiple sides by terrorists late on Wednesday, officials confirmed on Thursday. Recently, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of terrorist attacks, particularly targeting police personnel. DI Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ashfaq Anwar confirmed to Dawn.com that a police checkpoint in DI Khan’s Khutti area was attacked by terrorists from multiple sides. When asked to confirm if the checkpoint in charge — identified as Ahmed Nawaz — was seriously injured during the attack and later succumbed to his injuries, Anwar said, “Yes.” Funeral prayers for the deceased were offered today at the Ijaz Shaheed Police Lines, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. In attendance at the funeral were: RPO Ashfaq Anwar, District Police Officer Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmad, SPs of CTD, investigation, city, and headquarters, officers of security forces,... -
Dawn - 07:20 Oct 09, 2025
A major of the Pakistan Army was martyred and seven terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. The development comes a day after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 11 security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, were martyred in an exchange of fire between the forces and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists in KP’s Orakzai district. According to the ISPR’s statement issued today, security forces carried out the IBO on Wednesday on the reported presence of “khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij” in the Daraban area of DI Khan. Fitna al Khwarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned TTP. During the operation, the ISPR said, seven “Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell” due to effective engagement by security forces’ troops. However, during the intense exchange of fire, 30-year-... -
Dawn - 07:13 Oct 09, 2025
Foreign observation mission Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has clarified that the time taken to write and release its reports “varies considerably” with each group and that the report on Pakistan’s 2024 general elections was finalised by the end of that year. The COG report, released to the public on September 30, had been the subject of some controversy after media reports suggested the Commonwealth had buried the report after finding the polls to be riddled with problems. According to the letter of transmittal appended to the report, it was submitted by the COG to the Commonwealth secretary general on Nov 20, 2024. “The length of time taken to write COG reports, and similarly, the finalisation and release of the publication, varies considerably with each COG. Other factors affecting the release dates include legal challenges and disputes. In this case, a comprehensive report of over 160 pages was finalised by the end of 2024,” the Commonwealth said in a statement on Tuesday. It added that its secretariat... -
Dawn - 05:02 Oct 09, 2025
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that it had made “significant progress” toward reaching a staff-level agreement (SLA) in its talks with Pakistani authorities. An IMF mission led by Iva Petrova met with Pakistan’s economic team in Karachi and Islamabad from September 24 to October 8 to review the implementation of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and $1.1bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The programme’s performance as of the end of June this year — the period under review — has been mixed. Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had urged the lender to take into account the recent flood damage in its review for the country. In a statement released early on Thursday, the Fund quoted Petrova as saying, “The IMF mission and the Pakistani authorities made significant progress toward reaching a staff-level agreement on the second review under the 37-month extended arrangement under the EFF and on the first review of 28-month arrangement under the RSF”. “Programme i... -
Dawn - 03:57 Oct 09, 2025
LAHORE: Violence broke out in the city late on Wednesday night, after police launched a crackdown on the headquarters of Tehreek-i- Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in a bid to arrest its chief, Saad Rizvi. At least three police constables were reportedly injured in clashes with enraged TLP supporters, who attacked law enforcers with stones and iron rods. Police responded with tear-gas shelling, turning Multan Road into a battleground. Videos shared on social media, which could not be immediately verified by Dawn, showed TLP activists running as police fired tear gas. Other clips showed TLP activists holding up spent bullet casings and tear gas shells. The crackdown on TLP’s central office came after the group announced plans for a massive anti-Israel demonstration outside the US embassy in the federal capital on Friday. In anticipation of the protest, the Islamabad administration has also begun placing shipping containers at Faizabad Interchange — the historic site of several TLP sit-ins. A statement issued by TLP ...
5467 items