Dawn
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Dawn - 20:05 Dec 08, 2025
It would perhaps be sacreligious, but not amiss, to call Arshad Nadeem Pakistan’s sporting messiah. He was the saviour the country had pinned all their Olympic aspirations on when he flew to Paris last year, ultimately creating history for a nation facing a medal drought at the most spectacular sporting show on Earth. No sooner had the Olympic champion emerged in the PNS Karsaz ground that he was greeted by the dusty Karachi winter heat and pockets of fans swarming him for selfies every two metres. He obliged, as he always has to his fans. Read: Man of the people. Athletes abandoned their warmup to snap a photo with him, cramming into a single frame lest they miss the historic opportunity. Young women squealed in delight and adjusted their hair before posing for the camera, while older technical officials — the vanguard of Pakistan athletics well before Arshad was born — took his hand in both of theirs as they blessed with him a long life and more prosperity for the nation. One boy even pinched his kameez awa... -
Dawn - 19:05 Dec 08, 2025
On a scorching day of fainting veterans and rifle-shot starts, a girl named Kainat Khalil from Sindh rewrote the meaning of endurance at the 35th National Games. Athletics at the Games began not with a traditional pistol’s pop, but with the sharp, unexpected report of a rifle cutting through the cool Monday morning at the NPT&SC. It was an omen. This would be a day of raw, unvarnished struggle, where the starting command itself felt like a call to battle. The dust from the inaugural men’s 5,000m had barely settled before the December sun perched mercilessly over the open field. It transformed the arena into a kiln, making the very air an opponent. In the women’s 10,000 metres, the drama was medical: Athletes wilted, fainted and were stretchered away — vanquished not by rivals, but by the searing haze. Wapda’s Maria Bibi, who would emerge the quickest in 44 minutes and 21 seconds ahead of Navy’s Mumtaz (47:10.11), later stated the obvious with exhausted clarity. “The heat felt extreme during the race and that’... -
Dawn - 19:01 Dec 08, 2025
Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Monday signed a deal to construct a high-speed rail connecting the Gulf countries’ capitals, marking the latest sign of improved ties between the two nations that were once deeply at odds. According to a statement in the official Saudi press, the “high-speed electric passenger railway” would connect Riyadh and Doha. The Saudi cities of Al-Hofuf and Dammam are also expected to be on the network. The train would reach speeds exceeding 300 kilometres per hour and the trip would take roughly two hours between the two capitals. A direct flight between the cities clocks in at around 90 minutes. The project, set to be completed in six years, expects to serve 10 million passengers per year, the statement said. The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the latter’s visit to Riyadh. The deal is just the latest in a series of moves marking the dramatic improvement in ties between the Gulf countries in recent years.... -
Dawn - 18:55 Dec 08, 2025
As political tensions continue to escalate in the wake of a fiery press conference by the Pakistan Army’s spokesperson targeting former prime minister Imran Khan, the PTI parliamentary party on Monday said that excluding the party founder from politics would only weaken the political system. After the joint parliamentary party meeting held in the federal capital, the PTI leaders discussed the recent political developments concerning the former ruling party and the ban on meetings with Imran. The meeting was attended by PTI lawmakers from both houses of parliament, including party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Barrister Ali Zafar, Ali Muhammad Khan and MNA Shahid Kattak. Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who is the PTI nominee for the National Assembly opposition leader slot, also participated. Barrister Syed Ali Zafar told Dawn that the meeting discussed the current political situation and recent developments, including the unannounced ban on meetings with Imran. He said ... -
Dawn - 18:40 Dec 08, 2025
Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik on Monday stated that Pakistan did not benefit from the PTI “project”, arguing that it aimed to destroy the country. In a blistering press conference on Friday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed PTI founder and ex-premier Imran Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”. The PTI emphatically deplored the “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson, saying the party founder was “not a security threat” and lamented the weakening of democracy in the country following the passage of recent constitutional amendments. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, the minister highlighted that during its tenure, the PTI government “ran a campaign against the country, writing to the IMF and lobbying US politicians”. “Has the PTI taken a single beneficial step for Pakist... -
Dawn - 17:08 Dec 08, 2025
The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) on Monday reported a 7.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of its eastern Aomori prefecture. The JMA reported that the epicentre of the quake was registered off the coast of Aomori at a depth of 80 kilometres at 11:15pm local time (7:15pm PKT). On Japan’s 1-7 scale of seismic intensity, the tremor registered as an “upper 6” in Aomori prefecture — a quake strong enough to make it impossible to keep standing or move without crawling. In such tremors, most heavy furniture can collapse and wall tiles and windowpanes are damaged in many buildings. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and tsunamis from 20 to 70 cm (7 to 27 inches) high were observed at several ports, JMA said. Japanese public broadcaster NHK World reported that a tsunami warning had been issued 10 minutes later, urging citizens along the northeast coast to evacuate. Waves were estimated to reach a height of three metres. There have been no reports of casualties, bu... -
Dawn - 16:11 Dec 08, 2025
In another fatal incident involving a heavy vehicle, a dumper of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board carrying garbage struck and killed a motorcycle rider in the Nagan Chowrangi area of Karachi on Monday, according to police. New Karachi Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammed Saud said the deceased, Hameedur Rehman, was riding a motorcycle under the Nagan bridge when the dumper crushed him to death. People gathered at the spot where the incident occurred, caught the dumper driver, Allah Rakha, and beat him until the police arrived. The police then took the accused into custody. The body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities. The spot did not have closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to capture the incident, the SHO said and added that the incident occurred around 11:30 am. Eyewitnesses, present at the scene, informed the police that the motorcyclist was driving on the wrong side of the road. Rise in heavy vehicle accidents In recent months, Karachi has witnessed a rise in traffic a... -
Dawn - 14:56 Dec 08, 2025
In his first address as the chief of defence forces (CDF), Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday hailed the newly instituted CDF Headquarters as “historic”, stating that it would better integrate the three armed services — the army, navy and air force — to keep pace with the dynamics of future threats. Addressing a ceremony at GHQ, the newly-appointed CDF emphasised the need for a formal arrangement for tri-services integration and synergy and highlighted that the armed forces have to remain aligned with new aspects of warfare, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The CDF highlighted emerging spheres in warfare, such as cyberspace, the electromagnetic spectrum, outer space, information operations, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which Pakistan needs to keep up with. Service chiefs and senior military officials attend an address by newly appointed Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on December 8. ... -
Dawn - 13:55 Dec 08, 2025
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Islamabad on Monday on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to state broadcaster PTV News, the Indonesian president was received by PM Shehbaz and President Asif Ali Zardari upon his arrival at the Nur Khan airbase. In a post on X, the PM wrote that he was honoured to host the Indonesian president and noted that Islamabad and Jakarta “are bound together by a shared history, deep cultural affinity and a friendship rooted in mutual respect and solidarity“. “Looking forward to our meaningful engagements tomorrow as we work to further strengthen this enduring partnership,” he added. According to PTV News, children dressed in traditional attire presented flowers to Subianto upon his arrival. “On this occasion, the Indonesian president exchanged pleasantries with the president … and the prime minister,” the broadcaster reported. “Children holding the flags of both countries extended a warm welcome to the esteemed gues... -
Dawn - 13:51 Dec 08, 2025
Amid mounting criticism over the delay in the opposition leader’s appointment, the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat has sent a letter to PTI Chief Whip Malik Aamir Dogar, seeking details about the status of cases concerning PTI’s Omar Ayub. The letter says that the provision of the details in writing is necessary for the completion of the process for the appointment of an opposition leader in the lower house of Parliament. Ayub, who had been the opposition leader in the Senate until his disqualification in August by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in connection with his conviction in the May 9 cases, had challenged his de-seating by the electoral body in the Supreme Court. The PTI had nominated Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai for the role following Ayub’s disqualification, but his notification remains pending. And while NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has maintained regarding the delay in the appointment of a new opposition leader for the house that the matter is “sub judic... -
Dawn - 13:39 Dec 08, 2025
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Monday filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking the postponement of the local government elections in Quetta that were scheduled to be held on December 28. Informed sources told Dawn that in the petition, Bugti cited the precarious law and order situation in the provincial capital and the suspension of internet services as the reasons for postponing the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) elections. He also said people have migrated due to winters, affecting voter participation. Earlier, the Balochistan government had requested the election commission to postpone the polls, citing similar reasons stated in today’s petition. The request was turned down. In other districts of Balochistan, local government elections were held three years ago, and the current bodies’ term would expire in nine months, the sources said. It is worth noting that the ECP completed all preparations for holding local body elections in Quetta, and the printing ... -
Dawn - 13:18 Dec 08, 2025
Transporters called off a Punjab-wide strike on Monday after talks with the provincial government representatives, with one of the participants included in the negotiations confirming to Dawn that authorities had largely agreed to transporters’ demands. The call for the strike today, which was also observed in Islamabad, was given by transporters’ bodies primarily in protest against a new traffic ordinance that significantly increased traffic fines. To discuss the matter, talks were held between representatives from the Punjab government, who were led by the provincial transport minister, Bilal Akbar, and a delegation of the Mutahidda Transporters’ Association’s action committee. After the meeting, action committee member Lala Yasir told Dawn that the transporters called off the strike after the government accepted their demands. He said that apart from the revision of the Punjab Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, the transporters also demanded an end to the registration of first information reports a... -
Dawn - 13:00 Dec 08, 2025
Your quarter-life crisis presents itself with you having the daunting task of deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life, whether it’s your personal life or your professional one. The crisis worsens for students who have graduated or are about to graduate soon, as the time for them to enter the workforce draws nearer. As the job market is highly unpredictable and competitive, this turns into a period of anxiety even for those who have their lives planned out and know exactly what they want to do. Those without direction have another battle to fight. Both demographics often face the same dilemma, which is that the entry-level salaries offered in most jobs do not live up to the expectations of young graduates or soon-to-be graduates. Of course, there’s the debacle of insufficient entry-level jobs being available in the first place, with most companies asking for candidates with prior work experience. Entry-level jobs in various fields are also being replaced by the advent of artificial intelligence ... -
Dawn - 10:41 Dec 08, 2025
Police on Monday recovered the body of a doctor who had been missing since Thursday in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Abbottabad from a nearby forest. Police sources told Dawn that the body of Dr Warda Mushtaq was recovered from the nearby forests of Thandiyani. Her body has now been shifted to the hospital for an autopsy. Police also arrested a friend of the deceased and her husband in relation to the case. Mushtaq — a doctor at the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed hospital — had been missing since Thursday, prompting her colleagues and the leaders of the Provincial Doctors Association and Grand Health Alliance to stage a demonstration and boycott hospital duties. They had announced that if she was not found by Monday, protests would be extended to hospitals across the province. Following the news of the death, the hospital staff staged a protest and blocked the main Karakoram Highway (KKH) road from Fawara Chowk, assailing the police for “delayed action.” FIR As per the first information report (FIR), filed by her father under... -
Dawn - 09:54 Dec 08, 2025
Arshad Nadeem was the man of the hour on Monday morning when he allowed the audience to be part of history as they witnessed him launch his javelin to claim gold at the National Games. It was not lost on the 28-year-old that the crowd of a few hundred was delighted by his very presence at the PNS Karsaz ground, his throws the cherry on the top as they got to see an Olympic champion in action before their very own eyes. A robust lineup of track and field events crescendoed with the start of the men’s javelin, headlined by Arshad. A dozen cameramen lined the javelin sector’s periphery to get the perfect shot of Arshad in action as the heat bore down on the synthetic rubber track, the sun climbing higher in the sky to signal the advent of afternoon. The track reverberated with the soft thud of spikes and echoes of the commentators’ effusive praise for Pakistan’s sporting hero ahead of his first throw of 78.74m that, unsurprisingly, guaranteed him the lead. “Yeh din Arshad ka hai (this day belongs to Arshad) beca... -
Dawn - 09:31 Dec 08, 2025
Forty-five years ago, on December 6, 1980, Dr Ishtiaq Hussain Qureishi — then chairman of the National Language Authority (now the National Language Promotion Department) — announced the creation of a computerised Nastaleeq font for Urdu publication. Although it took another year to complete, revolutionising the Urdu publishing industry, this initiative was a crucial link in the centuries-long effort to create a Nastaleeq typeface that would soothe the eyes of Urdu readers. THE HISTORY OF NASKH AND NASTALEEQ Nastaleeq, developed in 14th century Iran from the fusion of Naskh and Taleeq, emerged primarily as a Persian calligraphic hand — celebrated for its graceful, hanging rhythm and flowing curves. Designed to express the aesthetic elegance of Persian poetry rather than textual efficiency, it slopes diagonally and relies on rounded, overlapping ligatures that enhance beauty but hinder mechanical regularity. In contrast, one of the earliest Arabic scripts, rooted in the eighth century CE (second century AH), N... -
Dawn - 08:37 Dec 08, 2025
Sri Lanka has almost doubled its military deployment to regions struck by a cyclone that has killed 627, sending tens of thousands of troops to help areas hit by a wave of destruction, the army said on Monday. More than two million people — nearly 10 per cent of the population — have been affected by the disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. Sri Lanka is expecting further heavy monsoon rains on Monday, topping 50 millimetres in many places, including the worst-affected central region, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. It has also issued warnings of further landslides. The DMC has confirmed 627 deaths, with another 190 people unaccounted for since November 27, when intense rains brought on by Cyclone Ditwah triggered landslides and floods. The disaster management agency warned residents to “take adequate precautions to minimise damage caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers”. Army chief Lasantha Rodrigo said 38,500 security pers... -
Dawn - 08:16 Dec 08, 2025
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Monday that the PTI’s “unjustified” criticism of the army had pushed the institution to respond. In remarks aired on the media, he also accused the opposition party of repeatedly criticising the army and its leadership for its own political gains. Referring to arguments by the PTI that the army should not interfere in politics, Chaudhry said, “The army is not intervening in politics. You, in order to further your own politics or to come into power by riding on someone else’s shoulders, repeatedly try to drag the army and its head into politics. “You direct unjustified and unnecessary criticism [at them]. You level allegations without any reason,” he said. He said the army had been serving the country and recalled that it defeated a “big power in the world” recently — an apparent reference to the conflict between Pakistan and India in May. The state minister further said that the army took pride in its martyrs, victories and in protecting Pakistan, “and yo... -
Dawn - 07:54 Dec 08, 2025
The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday said it had arrested 12 suspected terrorists allegedly working for the Indian intelligence agency Research Analysis Wing (RAW) in intelligence-based operations conducted in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur. According to a statement issued by the CTD spokesperson, the arrests were made in collaboration with sensitive agencies. He said security personnel recovered photos, videos, weapons, and explosives from the suspects, preventing large-scale terrorism activities in the aforementioned cities. He said the recovered material reportedly also included images and video recordings of sensitive locations, including a religious seminary. He said the terrorists were planning to incite “fear and religious hatred” in the province and had plans to target “places of worship and other important sites”. The CTD spokesperson said suspects identified as Sukhdeep Singh, Azmat, Faizan, Nabil, Abrar, Usman, and Sarfaraz were arrested in Lahore. Another suspect, Danish, wa... -
Dawn - 07:01 Dec 08, 2025
Thailand has launched air strikes along its disputed border with Cambodia, the Thai military said on Monday, after both countries accused the other of breaching a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump. At least one Thai soldier has been killed and four wounded in the fresh clashes that broke out around two areas in the easternmost province of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand’s military said in a statement, after its troops came under Cambodian fire. “The Thai side has now begun using aircraft to strike military targets in several areas,” the statement said. Cambodia’s defence ministry said in a statement that the Thai military had launched dawn attacks on its forces at two locations, following days of provocative actions, and added that Cambodian troops had not retaliated. Thailand’s army said Cambodia’s military had fired BM-21 rockets towards Thai civilian areas, adding there were no reports of casualties. Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged Thailand and Cambodia to exercis...
7393 items