Dawn
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Dawn - 15:54 Sep 24, 2025
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday clarified that no final decision had been taken yet on the issue of withholding tax on money transfers and withdrawals after the body earlier declared it to be “un-Islamic”. The CII made the earlier decision and others at its 243rd meeting today, presided over by CII Chairman Allama Dr Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, the press release read. “The council declared the withholding tax imposed on withdrawal or transfer of money as excessive and declared it un-Islamic,” the press release said. As per the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), withholding tax is an advance payment of tax deducted at the time of economic activities specified under certain sections of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and Sales Tax Act, 1990. However, a clarification issued later read: “Regarding today’s meeting of the CII, there was an impression that the council had formed a final opinion on the withholding tax, whereas in fact, a few members had an initial discussion on it, in which the mem... -
Dawn - 15:27 Sep 24, 2025
A shooter killed at least one person and wounded others in a shooting on Wednesday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, local and federal authorities said. Police responded to reports of the shooting at the office in northwest Dallas at about 6:40am local time (4:40pm PKT), the Dallas police department said on X. The suspect opened fire on the office from an adjacent building, according to the preliminary investigation, police said. Two people were transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds, while a third person died at the scene. ICE officers were not injured, but it was not clear whether the victims included ICE detainees, local security or local law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in an interview on Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’. Investigators are looking at the possibility that the shot came from the rooftop of a nearby apartment building, McLaughlin added. “Those details are st... -
Dawn - 14:17 Sep 24, 2025
Security forces on Wednesday killed 13 terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media wing said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted the operation in the Daraban area, upon the reported presence of terrorists “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). It has also designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and [as a result], 13 Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement read. The ISPR added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead terrorists, who were involved in terrorist activity in the area. The statement added... -
Dawn - 13:53 Sep 24, 2025
The Supreme Court (SC) has held that only the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) can investigate allegations of misconduct against judges of the apex court and high courts, it emerged on Wednesday. The observation was made in a detailed verdict, issued on Tuesday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, in a case pertaining to the contempt proceedings against Additional Registrar (Judicial) Nazar Abbas. Three Supreme Court judges had initiated contempt proceedings against the senior staff member in January for not fixing a case regarding the jurisdiction of regular benches. The case pertained to whether regular benches of the Supreme Court could determine the constitutionality of Article 191A of the Constitution, under which the Constitutional Bench was established after the 26th Amendment. The detailed verdict issued today, authored by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, said that by virtue of holding a constitutional position, sub-article (5) of Article 199 of the Constitution granted immunity to SC and high c... -
Dawn - 13:38 Sep 24, 2025
Diamond sets and a drone light show at a near-million-dollar wedding have become evidence for tax authorities under a new “Lifestyle Monitoring Cell” tasked with scanning social media for lavish spenders, officials said. A team of 40 investigators from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has started scouring Instagram, TikTok and YouTube posts this week, to match influencers, celebrities, realtors and businesspeople with disproportionate filings. “It’s open-source their Instagram accounts are a public declaration,” one senior FBR official said, adding that tax evasion cases can be opened up in a matter of hours. The FBR did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The monitoring cell has been formed to address the country’s chronic inability to meet revenue collection targets, and to help meet tougher goals set in this year’s International Monetary Fund-backed budget. Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in Asia, a chronic weakness that has forced the country into nearly two dozen IMF programm... -
Dawn - 13:23 Sep 24, 2025
Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has declared that the Green Shirts will reach the Asia Cup final and can beat India if the arch-rivals clash again. Pakistan kept their campaign alive with a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Super Four clash in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Pakistan and India have met twice in this edition of the regional competition, but the two teams have never played against each other in an Asia Cup final. The regional tournament, played this time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the Twenty20 format, started in 1984, and this is its 17th edition. Bangladesh, who face India on Wednesday and Pakistan on Thursday, stand in the way of the great rivals facing off in Sunday’s decider in Dubai. India are the current holders and beat Pakistan in both previous matches, but Shaheen was in a bullish mood after taking 3-28 against Sri Lanka. When asked about Pakistan and India not facing off in any of the finals of the previous editions and the possibility of both rivals meeting in the final, Shaheen s... -
Dawn - 12:22 Sep 24, 2025
British police said on Wednesday that a man had been arrested as part of an investigation into a ransomware attack against Collins Aerospace, owned by RTX, which knocked check-in systems at airports offline and caused widespread travel disruption across Europe. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said in a statement that the man, in his 40s, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act and had since been released on conditional bail. “Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is in its early stages and remains ongoing,” NCA Deputy Director Paul Foster said. It remained unclear which criminal group was behind last week’s hack. An NCA spokesperson declined to provide further details. Ransomware gangs routinely publicise attacks and leak stolen data on dark web “leak sites” but websites that monitor those portals had not, as of Wednesday, detected any group claiming the hack. Ransomware is malicious software used by cybercriminals to encrypt a com... -
Dawn - 11:46 Sep 24, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stated that Pakistan was steadily meeting its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme commitments, but urged the lender to take into account the recent flood damage in its upcoming review for the country. The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to a Topline Securities’ report, Pakistan is on track to meet all seven Quantitative Performance Criteria (QPC) set by the IMF ahead of the September 25 review of its $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which was approved in May this year. The review will assess Pakistan’s performance for the March–June quarter of 2025. However, massive floods in the country have struck both the rural heartland and industrial centres for the first time in decades, causing billions of dollars in damage while straining food supplies, exports and a fragile economic recove... -
Dawn - 11:42 Sep 24, 2025
PPP’s Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the first lady and a member of the National Assembly, on Wednesday asserted that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the “most effective way” to distribute aid to flood-affected people, adding that it would be “irresponsible to not utilise it”. Her statement comes a day after Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that the provincial government would issue relief cards to the flood victims in their personal names using its own resources instead of using BISP to assist them. Over the past month, the PPP has repeatedly urged the Centre to disburse stipends among displaced citizens via the “efficient and proven” BISP. BISP is a national safety net programme in Pakistan that provides cash assistance to poor and vulnerable families, particularly targeting women. In a post on X, Aseefa said that over four million people had been impacted by the “unprecedented floods” in Punjab. She termed the BISP as the “fastest and most effective way” to distribute aid to those affe... -
Dawn - 11:31 Sep 24, 2025
Eight people were arrested on Tuesday night after a gun battle broke out between two groups of people at a call centre in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal neighbourhood, it emerged on Wednesday. The first information report (FIR) of the incident was filed at the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Police Station a day ago against the eight suspects under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 337A (punishment for assault), 337H(ii) (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 25 (use of a firearm to commit a criminal offence) of the 2013 Sindh Arms Act. The incident occurred because workers at the call centre took the complainant’s daughter, another employee, hostage, according to the FIR. ... -
Dawn - 11:30 Sep 24, 2025
Tech companies, including WhatsApp and Reddit, as well as streaming giant Twitch and gaming firm Roblox, could be among more than a dozen sites added to Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, the country’s regulator said Wednesday. Platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube were already included in the ban — a world-first. But the head of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has written to 16 more companies to “self-assess” whether they fall under the ban’s remit. The list also included Pinterest as well as Lego Play, streaming company Kick and gaming platform Steam. Companies will need to make a case if they believe their platform should be exempt from the ban, the national broadcaster ABC said. Inman Grant told the network that while some cases were “pretty clear”, the regulator would “give them the due diligence process”. “We need to hear them all out,” she said. The regulator said it will initially focus on platforms with the greatest number of users, where there are hig... -
Dawn - 11:17 Sep 24, 2025
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Farooq Sattar on Wednesday took aim at the Sindh government and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab over the delay in development projects in the metropolis. Karachi’s key development projects —from the long-delayed K-IV water supply scheme and Red Line bus corridor to stalled roadworks like the Karimabad underpass and Malir Expressway—remain stuck due to chronic funding gaps, utility relocation issues, regulatory hurdles, and weak inter-agency coordination, leaving the city’s residents waiting years for essential infrastructure. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar said, “They cannot conceive a development project, nor can they deliver it.” During the presser, the MQM leader talked about the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Recently, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), backed by the PPP-led Sindh government, halted the federally funded Rs6 billion project of the Green Line Bus extension, citing the PIDCL’s failure to obtain a no-objec... -
Dawn - 10:47 Sep 24, 2025
EVERY year of my journalistic career of nearly half a century, I have known only a free and independent press in the United States. My professional start was in the 1970s. Those were years when Americans could see clearly how the press served democracy. With the publication of the Pentagon Papers, first by The New York Times, the American public learned of the failures its government had covered up during a long war in Vietnam that cost so many lives. Then there was Watergate, an investigation spearheaded by The Washington Post. US citizens learned how their president had weaponised the government against his political adversaries, abusing his powers and sabotaging the Constitution. In the decades since those revelations, I took for granted that my country would always enjoy press freedom — and that the First Amendment of our Constitution would guarantee it. We now live in a time when people are unable, or unwilling, to distinguish between ‘true’ and ‘false’; we cannot even agree on how to determine ‘a fact’ ... -
Dawn - 10:14 Sep 24, 2025
French police arrested 101 Roma fans, some with weapons, in Nice on Tuesday, a day before the teams were due to meet in the Europa League, the local prefecture announced. A separate source told AFP that the Italian supporters were carrying sticks, shovels and knuckle dusters around the city centre on the French Riviera. The prefecture said that more than 400 police officers will be present for Wednesday’s group stage match. “Since yesterday, more than 200 personnel, including two mobile units, were deployed in the city centre of Nice to prevent all types of public disorder and proceeded with the arrest of 102 individuals identified as Roma ultras, carrying weapons,” it said on Wednesday, before later revising the number of arrests down to 101. “These individuals were taken into police custody,” it added. The local authorities have banned Roma fans from displaying visible signs of their allegiance in the city between 1300 GMT (6pm PKT) Tuesday and 1000 GMT (3pm PKT) on Thursday. -
Dawn - 09:30 Sep 24, 2025
A portion of a busy road in Thailand’s capital caved in early on Wednesday, leaving a hole dozens of metres deep in front of a main hospital and forcing people nearby to evacuate. Just outside a local police station and Vajira Hospital in a residential district of Bangkok, a roughly 50-metre (160-foot) hole pulled down power lines and exposed a burst pipe gushing water, AFP journalists saw. Dozens of police and city officials cordoned off the site, while a pickup truck teetered precariously on the edge of the hole. Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of Bangkok’s disaster prevention department, told AFP at the scene that the collapse was likely linked to recent heavy rain and a leaky pipe. “There was a leak in the water pipe — water from the pipe eroded (earth) under the road so this incident happened,” he said, adding that there were no known casualties. “The water that eroded brought some soil that dropped down to an under-construction subway station, causing the collapse,” Suriyachai added. The tunnel is part of ... -
Dawn - 09:27 Sep 24, 2025
The Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Information for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan has said that terrorists are being “facilitated and given refuge to” in the tribal areas of the province, because of which security forces are compelled to carry out operations. The remarks come days after alleged aerial strikes in KP’s Tirah valley killed at least two dozen residents, including women and children. The incident prompted protests in the region, with local tribesmen, as well as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, calling for an inquiry into the matter. On the other hand, officials claimed that the explosions that led to the killings were caused by terrorists storing and manufacturing explosive devices in houses. During an interview on the DawnNewsTV show ‘Doosra Rukh’, Wali was questioned about the PTI-led government in KP criticising the security situation in the province, with some suggesting the party was on board with military operations, while others claimed the party opposed the meas... -
Dawn - 08:00 Sep 24, 2025
Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, barreled towards tens of millions of people in southern China on Wednesday after killing 14 people in Taiwan, leaving scores missing and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains. Some 129 people are missing in Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the Taiwan fire department said on Wednesday, with Ragasa’s outer rim having drenched the island since Monday. Many residents in the tourist town of Guangfu complained there was insufficient warning from Taiwan authorities, who are used to moving people out of potential danger zones swiftly on the island, which is frequently hit by typhoons. As rains inundated Taiwan, Hong Kong grappled with huge waves that crashed over areas of the Asian financial hub’s eastern and southern shoreline, breaking into white-water streams as they rushed along pavements and submerged some roads alongside residential properties. At the Fulle... -
Dawn - 07:57 Sep 24, 2025
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it has received Third Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in the United Kingdom and is expected to return to British skies next month, according to a statement. In July, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights in Britain. The development came after the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security inspection at Islamabad International Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”. Having received the TCO certification, the national carrier announced that it would now be allowed to operate direct flights and carry not only passengers but also cargo. “In the first phase, flight operations to Manchester will be resumed, after which Birmingham and London will be included in the B network,” the statement read, adding that the carrier was informed about the approval a day pri... -
Dawn - 07:52 Sep 24, 2025
Google on Wednesday announced the rollout of its ‘Google AI Plus plan’ in 40 more countries, including Pakistan. The plan was first launched in Indonesia earlier this month with “positive” reception. According to Google, the new plan opens up “more access to powerful AI tools to help people level up their productivity and creativity at an accessible price”. “Pakistan’s digital landscape is vibrant and growing, and we’ve been inspired by the creativity Pakistanis have shown in adopting AI tools,” said the Country Director of Google Pakistan, Farhan Qureshi, in a statement. “With the launch of Google AI Plus, we are making these tools even more accessible to more people across the country. This is a core part of our commitment to fuel Pakistan’s digital transformation, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enhance their productivity, creativity, and learning with AI,” Qureshi was quoted as saying. The plan includes the following features: Higher limits for image generation and editing (Nano Banana) in t... -
Dawn - 06:38 Sep 24, 2025
At least 12 people died as heavy rain lashed the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and surrounding areas ahead of a major festival, flooding streets, disrupting transport and leaving residents stranded for hours, officials said on Wednesday. Most of the rain, as much as 251.6 mm (9.9 inches) in 24 hours, fell during the early hours of Tuesday and was the heaviest witnessed in the city since 1988, said HR Biswas, the regional head of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Kolkata. Police said nine people died in Kolkata, with most of the deaths due to electrocution. Two people drowned, they added. The rains brought the state capital to a standstill, seriously hampering preparations for the upcoming Durga Puja — the biggest annual festival of Hindus in West Bengal state. Many pandals, temporary structures built with bamboo and other materials for the festival, and clay idols of the deities also suffered damage across the city. Roads were submerged under waist-deep water in some areas, stranding vehicles and forc...
5467 items