Dawn
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Dawn - 18:59 Sep 27, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who is a senior PTI leader, asserted on Saturday that his provincial government did not support any operation — a reference to military action in various parts of the province against militants. Addressing a PTI rally in Peshawar, he said, “We will not allow any operation and do not support it … Federal government, listen. The KP government does not support operation or displacement.” Gandapur called on the “federal institutions” to talk to Afghanistan and resolve the issue of terrorism in the country. “We don’t want war and we will raise our voice against it,” he added. Gandapur has been shifting positions on the matter. In July, he said in a heavily-edited video message that the armed forces were in the province at the request of the KP government and should be treated as “guests” and with respect. This came in complete contrast to another video statement issued by him following a PTI parliamentary meeting a day ago, in which he said that innocent civili... -
Dawn - 17:45 Sep 27, 2025
Seven-time champions Australia will once again be the team to beat in the Women’s World Cup as eight teams prepare to battle it out for the trophy in India and Sri Lanka. England have won four titles and New Zealand one, while Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka will be bidding for their maiden crown. Australia have a shot at cricket history when the Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on September 30. The tournament presents the defending champion Australians, who won three consecutive titles from 1978-1988, with the chance to become the first team in 36 years to win back-to-back women’s one-day World Cups. They have racked up 26 wins in 30 completed matches since their 2022 World Cup triumph, but captain Alyssa Healy said there would be no complacency. “I think there’s genuinely seven other teams that have a really red-hot opportunity of winning this World Cup,” Healy said at the Captains’ Day event in Bengaluru on Friday. “I’m not going to single anybody out. It’... -
Dawn - 16:34 Sep 27, 2025
Pakistan men’s captain Salman Ali Agha said on Saturday that he welcomed his players being aggressive on the field ahead of the first-ever final of an Asia Cup between Pakistan and India. Under fire after two comprehensive losses at the hands of India in the ongoing Asia Cup, the Green Shirts proved they were good enough to make it to the tournament’s final when they edged Bangladesh by 11 runs in their last Super Four outing on Thursday and all that matters now for the side are the title honours. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Dubai, Salman said: “Every individual has their own way. If a player wants to be aggressive, then why not? If you take aggression away from a fast bowler, then there’s nothing left.” He was responding to an Indian journalist’s question about his responsibility as captain to keep his players’ actions in check. “Every player knows how to deal with their emotions. I give the players a free hand unless they are disrespecting someone or causing disrespect to our country,” the... -
Dawn - 16:22 Sep 27, 2025
At least four teenagers were killed and two other people were injured when a mortar shell exploded in a field in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur area on Saturday, according to police officials. Bajaur District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafiq told Dawn.com about the incident and said that the dead and injured were transported to Khar Bajaur District Headquarters Hospital. “Initial reports suggest that a mortar shell exploded in the field, killing the young men,” he said, adding that the deceased ranged in age between 13 and 18. Meanwhile, Nisar Baaz Khan, a member of the provincial assembly (MPA) from Bajaur, condemned the incident in a statement on social media and claimed that according to local residents, a quadcopter hit the village and killed innocent civilians. “What crime had these innocent flower-like children committed? What purpose is being served by staining the earth with their innocent blood?” he was quoted as asking. “The state institutions and provincial government have repeatedly claimed that vari... -
Dawn - 16:16 Sep 27, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday he was “taken aback” after the Foreign Office (FO) issued a statement distancing itself from the controversy surrounding the supposed inclusion of columnist Shama Junejo in Pakistan’s delegation for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting. On September 25, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had addressed a UNSC session on artificial intelligence. However, photos from his speech had spread like wildfire on social media platform X as users had pointed to Junejo sitting in the background and shared several screenshots from her Twitter (now X) timeline from several years ago, expressing support for Israel. Following social media furore, Asif said on X that Junejo’s presence at the session was at the FO’s discretion. For its part, the FO clarified that she was not listed in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. The matter came up during Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’ today, where... -
Dawn - 15:13 Sep 27, 2025
The Houthi rebels, who control swathes of Yemen, have used an array of sophisticated weapons — including ballistic missiles and “kamikaze” drones — in attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s ongoing military onslaught in the Gaza Strip. Attacks on cargo ships and fuel tankers began in November 2023, when Houthi hijacked the Galaxy Leader cargo vessel as it was passing through the southern Red Sea. They redirected it toward Hodeidah port in Yemen and seized the crew. Since then, at least 43 more ships have been attacked in the area, with four seafarers killed and two vessels sunk. The Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing international shipping to take the long route around South Africa to avoid being struck. Around 12 per cent of shipping passes through the Red Sea and the increase in delivery costs is stoking fears it could trigger a fresh bout of global inflation. Recent developments between Tel Aviv and Sanaa include the killing of the Houthi gov... -
Dawn - 14:59 Sep 27, 2025
Security forces have killed 17 “India-sponsored” terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media affairs wing said on Saturday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted the IBO on the night between Friday and Saturday, on the “reported presence of khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij.” The state uses the term Fitna al Khwarij to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). During the operation, “own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and resultantly, seventeen Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR statement said. It added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces and law enforcement agencies, as well as [in the] killing of innocent civilians”. The statement said a sanitisa... -
Dawn - 14:10 Sep 27, 2025
Pakistan will be gunning for revenge, but an unbeaten India look firm favourites to retain the men’s Asia Cup title when the arch-rivals clash in a potentially testy final in Dubai on Sunday. The Indian juggernaut has crushed every opposition on their path before swaggering into the final of the eight-team tournament looking every inch the reigning 20-over world champions. Pakistan were beaten comprehensively twice, first in the group stage and then in Super Fours, by an India team containing the world’s top-ranked batter and bowler in the T20 format in opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Six-hitting machine Abhishek is also the tournament’s leading scorer with 309 runs from six innings, often setting the tone of India’s batting in the first six powerplay overs. In a low-scoring tournament where only Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka managed a century, Abhishek’s red-hot form at the top meant skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s struggle with the bat has not really been felt. Wily seamer Jasprit Bumrah ha... -
Dawn - 13:36 Sep 27, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker with 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis, was attacked by an Israeli drone while it was docked at a port in Yemen earlier this month. After the Foreign Office (FO) said earlier today that Pakistanis aboard the LPG tanker were safe and sound and making their way out of Yemeni waters, Naqvi posted on X that the vessel was attacked on September 17 while it was docked at the Ras Issa port, which was under the control of Houthi rebels. Israel has launched repeated attacks on Houthi targets during the Gaza conflict, as the Iran-backed rebels fire missiles and drones at Israel and Red Sea shipping, claiming solidarity with the Palestinian cause. According to Naqvi, apart from Pakistanis, the LPG tanker’s crew included two Sri Lankans and a Nepali. He said the vessel’s captain was also a Pakistani. Naqvi added that an LPG tank had exploded following the attack, but the crew managed to extinguish the fire. “The vessel was ... -
Dawn - 13:10 Sep 27, 2025
Pakistan has decided to shut down 16 Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, and Punjab as the repatriation of refugees continues. The federal government last month informed the provinces that the formal repatriation and deportation of over 1.3 million Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards will begin on September 1. The decision followed the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that PoR cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30. According to notifications dated September 25, 2025 and issued by theMinistry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron) — copies of which are available with Dawn.com — denotified camps are located in Haripur, Chitral and Upper Dir in KP, Chaghai, Loralai, Killa Saifullah, Pishin and Quetta in Balochistan, and Mianwali in Punjab. When asked about the opinion on denotifying camps where thousands of refugees are staying, the Afghan Ch... -
Dawn - 12:40 Sep 27, 2025
Eleven people were killed and six others injured in two separate traffic accidents in Balochistan on Saturday, local officials told Dawn.com. The first incident, in the Panjgur district, involved a pickup truck laden with fuel and a passenger coach colliding near Panjgur Bazaar, according to Assistant Commissioner Jawad Zehri. “The crash was so severe that both vehicles immediately erupted into flames,” Zehri said, adding that a passing motorcyclist was also caught in the fiery collision and injured. “Eight people were burnt alive at the scene of the accident, six of whom were aboard the passenger coach,” he told Dawn.com. “The deceased have been identified; six of them are said to be from Khuzdar and the other two from Panjgur.” AC Zehri added that the injured motorcyclist, who is in critical condition, has been referred to Karachi for treatment. “Levies personnel have begun investigating the incident and the bodies of the deceased are being sent to their native areas,” he said. Meanwhile, three people were ... -
Dawn - 12:06 Sep 27, 2025
As some Western leaders recognise a Palestinian state, Israel seems to have entered panic mode. Tel Aviv has done again what it does best: attacking unarmed civilians. Late on Tuesday night, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) — a collection of boats carrying humanitarian aid with rights activists, doctors, parliamentarians, journalists and others — was hit by Israeli drones as they entered the final stretch of their journey to Gaza. The aid boats are carrying delegations from over 40 countries, including Pakistan, which aim to distribute vital humanitarian aid such as baby formula, food, water and medicine to the malnourished, forcibly displaced and injured civilians suffering from almost two years of genocide, as classified by the United Nations. A group of ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza are shown moored at the small island of Koufonisi, near the south of the island of Crete, Greece on September 26. — AFP According to a statement issued by the GSF, at least 14 boats were targeted with explosive an... -
Dawn - 11:56 Sep 27, 2025
Traders in Gilgit-Baltistan ended their over two-month-long sit-in at the Sost Dry Port on Saturday, paving the way for the resumption of trade and tourism via the Pakistan-China border at the location. The protest was launched in July against the government’s taxation policies and suspension of customs clearance at the port. Trade leader Javed Hussain, who led the protest, told Dawn.com, that the announcement about traders ending the protest ending was made by the supreme council — a body that had represented the them in talks with the federal and GB government. Following the negotiations, Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari had announced on Wednesday that the government had agreed to tax exemptions on imports coming through the Sost Dry Port — provided that the goods were for local consumption and meet strict eligibility conditions. The total annual value of tax exemptions was capped at Rs4 billion. However, expressing dissatisfaction over the negotiations’ results, GB traders had decided to cont... -
Dawn - 09:41 Sep 27, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has termed his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump as “very encouraging”. His came after the two leaders had their first formal bilateral interaction at the Oval Office in Washington on Thursday. During the meeting, they discussed regional security and cooperation along the lines of counter-terrorism, among other matters. The premier was accompanied by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, while the US President was joined by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The meeting itself was closed to the press — a break from President Trump’s usual modus operandi — as he is quite fond of Oval Office photo-ops and there was no press conference either; just a statement issued from Pakistan where the US president was described as a “man of peace” and stressing the need to enhance cooperation in security and intelligence. During an interaction with the media in New Jersey, which was aired on Geo News on Saturday morning, the premier sa... -
Dawn - 09:28 Sep 27, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the recently signed Pak-Saudi defence pact had “formalised” a relationship between the two countries that was previously “a bit transactional” while skirting a question regarding whether or not this agreement involved nuclear weapons. Asif made the remarks during an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan for Zeteo. The full interview is behind a paywall but the media company has shared a five-minute preview as well as clips on social media. On September 17, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had signed a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both. The timing of the accord, coming on the heels of an Arab summit that signalled a shift towards collective security — in the wake of Israel’s attack on Qatar — hints that it is rooted in current world affairs and reflects the defence concerns of both countries. It also comes just months a... -
Dawn - 09:20 Sep 27, 2025
Unidentified drones were observed during the night over Denmark’s biggest military base, police said on Saturday, the latest in a slew of sightings that Danish officials have called a “hybrid attack”. The mystery drone observations have prompted the closure of several airports across the Scandinavian country since Monday, when the first drones appeared. “I can confirm that we had an incident around 8:15pm (11:15pm PKT) that lasted for some hours. One to two drones were observed outside and over the airbase,” duty officer Simon Skelsjaer told AFP, referring to the Karup military base. He said police could not comment on where the drones came from, adding: “We didn’t take them down.” Police were cooperating with the military in their investigation, he said. The Karup base shares its runways with the Midtjylland civilian airport, which was briefly closed though no flights were affected as no commercial flights were scheduled at that hour, Skelsjaer said. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday t... -
Dawn - 08:12 Sep 27, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Annalena Baerbock on Saturday and discussed key regional and international issues, including Palestine and UN reforms. The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UNGA in New York. A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had addressed the session, highlighting the need for “proactive” leadership for South Asia and expressing support for Gaza. In a statement on X, the Foreign Office said that Dar and Baerbock “exchanged views on key regional and international issues, including [the] Palestine issue and the urgent need for UN reforms, including UN Security Council reforms”. Dar reaffirmed commitment to regional and global peace and stability and called for the just resolution of the Kashmir dispute per UNSC resolutions, it added. Separately, the foreign minister held meetings with his counterparts from various countries, including Malaysia and Morocco. Dar met Malaysian FM Dato... -
Dawn - 06:51 Sep 27, 2025
A major fire at South Korea’s national data centre has crippled some government online services and internal networks, prompting a race on Saturday to bring the systems back online and a probe of what sparked a lithium-ion battery to start the blaze. The fire is suspected to have started with an explosion on Friday night of the battery produced by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution during maintenance, damaging some servers and forcing the shutdown of hundreds of others, officials said. The fire led to a “thermal runaway”, producing extreme heat in the server room at the National Information Resources Services in the city of Daejeon, preventing firefighters from taking aggressive actions to contain the blaze, fire and government officials said in press briefings. The national data service acts as a cloud server for many government services and databases for the heavily wired Asian country. It operates data centres in other locations. The fire, which began around 8:20pm (4:20pm PKT), was brought under control ear... -
Dawn - 06:44 Sep 27, 2025
NEW YORK: The foreign ministers of China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia, in a joint statement, have urged Afghanistan to take “effective, concrete, and verifiable actions” to dismantle terrorist groups operating from its territory. The foreign ministers in a meeting on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session reaffirmed support for Afghanistan as an “independent, united, and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war, and narcotics”, but underlined the need to prevent terrorists from using Afghan soil. The four Asian states have been holding quadripartite consultations on Afghanistan since 2017, aimed at promoting regional stability and coordinating efforts to counter terrorism, narcotics, and extremism emanating from Afghan territory. This informal grouping, which meets at ministerial and special representative levels, also seeks to facilitate political dialogue and regional economic integration in Afghanistan. They expressed deep concern over the presence of groups such as ISIL, Al-Qaida, Tehreek-... -
Dawn - 06:28 Sep 27, 2025
• PM doubles compensation for families of victims to Rs2m • 161,000 houses, 395 health facilities damaged in Punjab, UNOCHA says • Senate panel told deluges left 1,000 dead, millions displaced ISLAMABAD: As millions of people have been affected and hundreds of casualties reported across the country during the recent floods and monsoon rains, the prime minister has raised the ex-gratia assistance for the next of kin of those who lost their lives from Rs1 million to Rs2m. More than 4.2 million people in 18 districts of Punjab have been affected by the recent floods, with Muzaffargarh alone accounting for over a quarter of the total, according to a Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Muzaffargarh, located on the bank of the Chenab River, is followed by Jhang with 646,000 affected people (15.3 per cent), Bahawalpur with 514,000 (12.2pc), Khanewal with 397,000 (9.4pc), and Multan with 347,000 (8.2pc). Other affected distri...
5467 items