Dawn
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Dawn - 03:28 Dec 16, 2025
RAHIM YAR KHAN: Around 15 dacoits of reportedly hailing from Katcha area attacked a Quetta-bound bus and kidnapped 25 passengers after injuring the driver on Monday night. According to some videos shared on social media after 9:30pm on Monday, a passenger said a Sadabahar Company coach departed for Quetta from Sadiqabad at 8pm. When it reached near Murid Shakh area near Motorway M-5, took a turn towards Guddu at Punjab-Sindh border, some 65kms from here, the dacoits intercepted the coach and started firing. They entered the bus after smashing windows and asked 25 passengers to leave the coach but didn’t harm women passengers. The dacoits reportedly took the passengers towards Katcha area. Some police personnel reached the scene and started chasing the dacoits. During the firing, the coach driver was injured. The district police spokesperson did not attend the phone calls. Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025 -
Dawn - 03:02 Dec 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Fauji Foundation – the country’s one of the largest business conglomerate – has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Binance, the leading global blockchain and cryptocurrency exchange by trading volumes and users, for commercial collaboration in blockchain, cryptocurrency and payments in Pakistan. The announcement was made by Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) in a statement on Monday disclosing that the LoI was signed on Dec 12 at the Fauji Foundation Headquarters, Rawalpindi. The statement said the two sides will explore potential commercial collaboration on blockchain, cryptocurrency, payments and Web 3.0 ecosystem within Pakistan. “As part of the LoI, Binance will deploy its expertise, advisory support and technological and market insights on the crypto industry, and Fauji Foundation will partner with Binance on payment infrastructure solutions utilising digital assets”, the statement said. Both sides will further cryptocurrency and blockchain education through their academic wings to learners thro... -
Dawn - 02:37 Dec 16, 2025
KARACHI: The decision of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to lower the policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.50pc drew mixed reactions on Monday, with a foreign investors’ body welcoming it while the country’s wider business community criticised it as marginal and ineffective for boosting local production and exports. The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) viewed the rate cut as a prudent measure. “The State Bank has taken a cautious and measured step to ease financing conditions,” OCCI’s Secretary General and Chief Executive Abdul Aleem said. Mr Aleem said the unexpected reduction is positive and will help stimulate business activities by lowering borrowing costs while preserving overall economic stability. MNCs’ association terms SBP move ‘cautious’ for fostering stability He added that the chamber notes that a gradual approach “allows businesses to plan investment decisions with greater confidence and helps ensure that the impact of ease remains aligned with sustainable economic growth... -
Dawn - 02:30 Dec 16, 2025
US President Donald Trump sued the BBC on Monday for defamation over edited clips of a speech that made it appear he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol, opening an international front in his fight against media coverage he deems untrue or unfair. Trump accused Britain’s publicly owned broadcaster of defaming him by splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021 speech, including one section where he told supporters to march on the Capitol and another where he said “fight like hell”. It omitted a section in which he called for peaceful protest. Trump’s lawsuit alleges the BBC defamed him and violated a Florida law that bars deceptive and unfair trade practices. He is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the lawsuit’s two counts. The BBC has apologised to Trump, admitted an error of judgment and acknowledged that the edit gave the mistaken impression that he had made a direct call for violent action. But it has said there is no legal basis to sue. Trump, in his lawsuit filed on Monday in Miami feder... -
Dawn - 20:37 Dec 15, 2025
Two policemen were martyred and three others severely injured when a train collided with their police vehicle in Sargodha on Monday, a railways official said. Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Divisional Superintendent Noorduddin Dawar confirmed to Dawn that the Millat Express struck a police vehicle belonging to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) that suddenly tried to cross the track at an unmanned crossing, leaving two constables dead and one injured. He added that two other constables were “safe”. “SHO (Station House Officer) RPS (railway police station) Sargodha and SHO Cantt Sargodha Punjab Police are present at the site,” he said in a message to Dawn. “This falls under the jurisdiction of Sargodha Cantt District Police. The train has moved after a brief stop.” Muhammad Sawar Khan, an area officer for Pakistan Railways, confirmed to Dawn that the train — which left Sargodha and headed towards Charnali railway station —was running through the unmanned crossing when a police van belonging to the SIU attempt... -
Dawn - 20:34 Dec 15, 2025
Parents and relatives of the victims of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) Peshawar massacre observed a candlelight vigil and marched to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the incident on Monday night. During the massacre, 147 people were killed, including 132 students and 15 staff members, while 180 others were wounded in the attack on December 16, 2014. The siblings and parents of the martyred students and staff members assembled on Shami Road and walked to the school, raising slogans and demanding justice for their martyred children. The parents also lit candles at the Shuhada Monument inside the school and offered prayers for the martyred students. A banner shows the portraits and names of victims of the 2014 Army Publis School massacre, in Peshawar on December 15. — Photo via author Shuhada APS Forum President Ajoon Khan told Dawn that despite 11 years having passed since the massacre, justice has not been delivered to the bereaved families. He demanded that the authorities punish those advocating for th... -
Dawn - 19:01 Dec 15, 2025
The government on Monday decreased the high-speed diesel (HSD) price by Rs14 and kept the petrol price unchanged for the fortnight ending December 31, owing to favourable international market prices. In a late-night announcement, the Petroleum Division said the revision followed movements in international markets and recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra). According to the announcement, the ex-depot price of HSD has been reduced by Rs14 per litre (5pc) to Rs265.65 per litre for the current fortnight from Rs279.65 per litre. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells, threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. Transporters had already increased their fares based on an approximate Rs27 per litre increase between May and August, and have not reversed them despite a Rs9 per litre cut. The ex-de... -
Dawn - 18:53 Dec 15, 2025
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq on Monday shared “concerns over the large number of terrorists in the neighbourhood, hindering regional economic integration and posing serious security challenges.” In a post on X, Sadiq, who also holds the special assistant to the prime minister portfolio, said he had held separate meetings with his counterparts from China and Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Afghanistan Neighbours Conference in Tehran. “We agreed that collective efforts needed to address this threat,” he said. Separately, senior diplomats of Afghanistan’s six neighbouring countries and Russia, who met in Tehran on Sunday, supported all efforts to reduce tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They expressed their readiness to help strengthen these efforts, an Iranian government statement said on Monday. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the participants also called on Islamabad and Kabul to return to the negotiating table and resolve their problems through diplo... -
Dawn - 18:34 Dec 15, 2025
India’s counter-terrorism agency said on Monday that it had filed charges against six people in connection with a deadly attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir. The chargesheet from India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) “charged the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity for its role in planning, facilitating and executing the Pahalgam attack,” an agency statement alleged. The Lashkar-e-Taiba was banned in 2002 by the Pakistan government during the rule of then-military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The Resistance Front – a little known oragnisation that was blamed by New Delhi for the attack – was recently designated as a terror group by the United States. Three of those named are dead, while two are said to be in Indian custody. The trio were killed by Indian security forces in a forest in held Kashmir weeks after the attack, according to NIA. Two local men, Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothatd, arrested in June on charges of harbouring the attackers, have also been charged. Pahalgam was the site where gu... -
Dawn - 18:30 Dec 15, 2025
In another attack targeting educational institutions, a government school for girls in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali was destroyed by explosives, spreading fear and anxiety among students. Last week, unidentified militants blew up a government primary school in the same district, jeopardising the future of more than 600 school-going children. The latest incident occurred in Eppi village, according to the police. The attackers planted explosive material inside the school building during the night, triggering a powerful blast that completely destroyed the structure. According to government officials, around 250 girls were enrolled at the school. It was the only educational institution for girls in the area, where students used to travel from far-flung localities for education. Police officials said the school was closed at the time of the explosion and no loss of life was reported. However, the blast caused severe damage to government property. Following the incident, panic gripped the area. Police reached the sit... -
Dawn - 17:21 Dec 15, 2025
A policeman and a civilian were martyred when terrorists attacked and looted a bank in Balochistan’s Panjgur area, according to police officials. According to police sources, a clash erupted when terrorists attempted to raid a private bank in Panjgur city and police responded, triggering a gun battle. Dara Khan, a constable with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), was martyred, while another civilian was killed. A source added that two policemen were also injured in the gun battle, while the suspects fled the scene. AFP, citing a police official, reported that Rs1 million had been stolen. Panjgur SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) Dost Muhammad Bugti told the media that the suspects arrived in four vehicles and that two bank raids were foiled after police responded. “If police had not responded, then all five banks in the city would have been robbed,” he said. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti issued a statement praising the response by the police and CTD, lauding them for ensuring the “safe... -
Dawn - 17:13 Dec 15, 2025
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore sentenced on Monday Zaheerul Hassan Shah, the deputy chief of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), to 35 years in prison for inciting the public against the then chief justice of Pakistan. At one of the gatherings outside the Lahore Press Club, where TLP chief Saad Rizvi was also in attendance, Shah delivered remarks amounting to incitement of violence against then Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa. Qila Gujjar Singh police had registered the case against the cleric in 2024, pertaining to his speech for inciting violence against the top judge of the Supreme Court for issuing the judgment in the Mubarak Sani case. The FIR, filed on the complaint of Station House Officer Hammad Hussain, was registered under sections 6 (terrorism), 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism), and 11W (printing, publishing, or disseminating any material to incite hatred or giving projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act or any proscribed organisation or an organisation ... -
Dawn - 15:50 Dec 15, 2025
As the United Nations prepares to select its tenth secretary-general, global attention is focused not only on which candidate will succeed António Guterres in January 2027, but on what the choice will signal about the institution’s relevance, priorities, and ability to respond to mounting global crises. On November 25, 2025, the presidents of the UN General Assembly and the Security Council jointly invited all 193 member states to nominate candidates for the post. In a noteworthy departure from past practice, their letter expressly encourages member states to nominate a woman while also underscoring the importance of regional diversity. “Noting with regret that no woman has ever held the position of secretary‑general, and convinced of the need to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men in gaining access to senior decision‑making positions, Member States are encouraged to strongly consider nominating women as candidates,“ they wrote. All nine individuals who have previously led the United Nations in it... -
Dawn - 15:39 Dec 15, 2025
The Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs on Monday cleared the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill 2025, proposing a near-total ban on kite-flying, except on specific days and designated locations across the province, with strict penalties to curb fatal accidents and property damage. The development comes after the Punjab government lifted a ban on the Basant festival after 18 years, with the festival slated to be celebrated in February next year. The festival was banned in 2007 because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp kite strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders. Under the bill, flying kites with metallic wires, nylon cord or strings coated with glass or other sharp materials is prohibited, along with the manufacturing, transport, storage and sale of kites and hazardous strings. Violators involved in kite-flying could face three to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs2 million, while those manufacturing or selling banned mate... -
Dawn - 14:59 Dec 15, 2025
Donations for a Sydney man who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a mass shooting at Bondi Beach have surged past Australian dollars (A$)1.1 million ($744,000), as he recovers in hospital after surgery for bullet wounds. Forty-three-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a father-of-two, hid behind parked cars before charging at one of the gunmen from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ahmed’s bravery saved lives. “What we’ve seen in the last 24 hours was the worst of humanity in a terrorist act. But we also saw an example of the best of humanity in Ahmed Al Ahmed running towards danger, putting his own life at risk,” Albanese told state broadcaster ABC News. He was shot twice by a second perpetrator, Albanese said. Ahmed’s family said he was hit in the hand and arm. Australian police on Monday said a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son carried out the attack at a Jewish celebration on Sunday afternoon, killing 15 people in the country’... -
Dawn - 14:56 Dec 15, 2025
PTI hires foreign companies to run selective narratives, propaganda on social media: Tallal Chaudhry
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Monday said the PTI hired “foreign companies” to run paid hashtags and social media trends to disseminate “selective narratives and propaganda”. “The companies create fake accounts in the name of women and news agencies that are being operated from foreign countries,” said the minister while addressing the media in Islamabad. Chaudhry also showed a video, saying all evidence in the video was taken from “documents provided by X” (formerly Twitter). Briefing on the entire mechanism of the operation, he said, “The companies were hired through auction and paid via foreign funding [by PTI]. These companies then create social media accounts, which are mostly operated outside Pakistan in countries that are considered our enemies. The account users [handlers who operate the accounts] are neither PTI members nor people from Pakistan.” The accounts were owned by companies that “frequently change the accounts’ names as per the requirements,” he added. He added that a com... -
Dawn - 14:27 Dec 15, 2025
Punjab is set to raise a separate force for handling “unlawful” protests and mobs, as the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs on Monday cleared a sweeping amendment to the Police Order, 2002, to tighten control over riots, violent protests and unlawful assemblies across the province. The proposed Police Order (Second Amendment) Act, 2025, introduces a dedicated Riot Management Unit (RMU), empowered to manage riots across Punjab with modern gear and training specifically for crowd control. The RMU will operate under an additional inspector general of police (AIG), supervised by the provincial police officer. A key feature of the bill is the formal declaration of “riot zones.” Under the new law, the deputy commissioner and district police officer can jointly declare any affected area a riot zone, allowing authorities to cordon off roads, evacuate civilians and appoint an incident commander to coordinate all departments during operations. The bill grants legal protection to police and RMU person... -
Dawn - 14:02 Dec 15, 2025
Federal Health Minister and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Mustafa Kamal shared key features of his party’s draft constitutional amendment, proposing the disbursement of districts’ shares through the National Finance Commission (NFC) as the provinces failed to transfer funds to local bodies. He was addressing a gathering held at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries on Monday. Kamal said regional autonomy comes when all stakeholders are empowered and autonomous decision-making powers are devolved from the chief minister to union council chairmen. He said that there is a mechanism for disbursing funds from the federal government to the provinces, but no mechanism for transferring funds from provinces to local bodies. “It’s up to a person’s will to either grant Rs1,000 billion to someone or to grant nothing to another.” He highlighted that Article 140a of the Constitution stressed the devolution of political, administrative, and financial powers to elected local representatives. “Ever... -
Dawn - 13:57 Dec 15, 2025
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday reduced its policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 per cent, effective from December 16. In a statement, the monetary policy committee (MPC) noted that inflation remained within the 5-7pc target range on average during July-November FY26, though it said that core inflation proved to be “relatively sticky”. “On balance, the inflation outlook remains broadly unchanged, mainly owing to the relatively benign global commodity prices and anchored inflation expectations, amidst [a] prudent monetary policy stance,” the statement read. The MPC further observed that economic activity was increasing based on an improvement in key high-frequency indicators, including a higher-than-anticipated increase in large-scale manufacturing during the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year. “Nonetheless, the committee noted that the global environment remains challenging, particularly for exports, which may have some implications for the macroeconomic outlook,” the statement read. “In this ... -
Dawn - 12:40 Dec 15, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the frequent offloading of passengers travelling abroad, ordering the constitution of a committee to look into the matter, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said on Monday. Over the past few months, numerous incidents have been reported of travellers being offloaded from flights at various airports, despite possessing valid travel documents. The actions came after a crackdown was launched on migrant smuggling following the Greece boat tragedy in 2024, one which claimed several Pakistani lives. In a statement issued today, the minister stated that PM Shehbaz had formed a “special committee” to look into the issue of offloading passengers at airports and to ensure safe migration. “Recently, despite having complete documentation, some passengers have still been offloaded,” the minister said. “People who held valid visas were offloaded as well.” The committee will prepare “recommendations regarding the safe migration of people,” the m...
7393 items