Pakistan

Flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s leading low-cost carrier, has officially expanded its scheduled operations to Pakistan with the launch of direct flights to Islamabad and Peshawar.

At least two Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred and 18 others were injured in a terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district, police said on Monday. Kohat Regional Police Officer Abbas Majeed confirmed the incident to Dawn.com, saying that terrorists attacked an FC fort in the Torah Wadi area of ​​Doaba. “The terrorist fired and martyred two FC personnel and injured 18 others,” he said. The officer said that the FC soldiers retaliated to the attack, “resulting in the death of six terrorists”. He added, “The terrorists managed to escape with the bodies of their accomplices.” He also said that the martyred and injured personnel were taken to CMH Hospital after being provided with first aid. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the terrorist attack on the Federal Reserve Police fort in Hangu by Fitna al Hindustan, state media APP reported. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al Hindu­stan — a new phrase aimed at framing In...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the Pakistan Railways Headquarters, where he attended a special meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi.

Three people were killed and one was injured after a car hit a motorcycle at Karachi’s Drigh Road Underpass on Monday, officials said. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. A spokesperson for the Eastern District police said that the accident took place within the limits of the Sharea Faisal police station. “According to initial information, a car hit a motorcycle, causing serious injuries to passers-by who were taken to the hospital,” the spokesperson said. He added that the driver of the car had been arrested and the vehicle was in custody. Karachi’s Edhi Information Centre confirmed three fatalities, including two men and an unidentified woman, adding that another woman was injured. All were taken to Jinnah Hospital via Edhi ambulance. The traffic police have issued an alert that the Drigh Road Underpass is blocked due to the in...

At least three soldiers were martyred and 17 others sustained injuries on Monday when terrorists attacked a Federal Constabulary (FC) fort in the Torawari area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a necessity in the modern era and the government is working to put Pakistan on a modern and progressive path.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad on Monday announced its verdict in a May 9 case related to an attack on the residence of former interior minister Rana Sanaullah, sentencing several senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to 10 years in prison.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday to participate in the 21st extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), being held at the OIC Secretariat in Jeddah.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has issued a warning of medium to high flood in major rivers of the province as strong monsoon activity continues to grip the region.

Credit-rating firm Fitch on Monday maintained its long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating on India at ‘BBB-’, citing the country’s strong economic growth and resilient external finances. “India’s economic outlook remains strong relative to peers, even as momentum has moderated in the past two years,” Fitch said in a statement. The agency forecast GDP growth of 6.5 per cent for the fiscal year ending March 2026 (FY26), unchanged from FY25, and well above the ‘BBB’ median of 2.5pc. Fitch’s rating comes days after S&P Global Ratings lifted its sovereign credit rating on India, citing strong economic growth, marking its first upgrade in 18 years. Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur had then said she expects other rating agencies to take note of the factors behind S&P’s upgrade and follow suit. Domestic demand will remain “solid”, helped by the government’s ongoing capital spending drive and steady private consumption, Fitch said, but flagged that private investment will remain moderate due to risk...

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic overcame early tests to reach the US Open second round before the Grand Slam descended into chaos late on Sunday when Daniil Medvedev launched a tirade at the match umpire and fans disrupted his opponent’s service game. New York’s famously rowdy fans caused a six-minute delay by refusing to stop jeering and booing midway through Medvedev’s 6-3 7-5 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 defeat by Benjamin Bonzi on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The controversy began when a photographer entered the court prematurely after Bonzi missed his first serve on match point at 5-4 in the third set, prompting chair umpire Greg Allensworth to award the Frenchman another first serve for the disturbance. An incensed Medvedev exploded at the official and whipped up the crowd, preventing a rattled Bonzi from serving. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev talks to the referee during his first round match against France’s Benjamin Bonzi. — Reuters Daniil Medvedev breaks his racket after losing in five sets to Benjamin Bonzi of France d...

Karachi residents faced disruptions in their daily commute on Monday morning due to traffic jams caused by repair work on tattered and flooded roads in the aftermath of last week’s heavy rains. Torrential rains on August 19 had flooded neighbourhoods, severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, left people stranded on roads for hours, disrupted industrial operations and led to prolonged power outages. Thoroughfares are still riddled with potholes, exposing the devastation of Karachi’s road network and posing serious dangers to commuters across the metropolis. Subsequently, as Karachiites left their homes for offices and schools this morning, they faced hurdles caused by accumulated rainwater and “development work” being carried out to repair the ruined roads, as reported by the traffic police. Areas in the Malir, East and Korangi districts were affected, with locations including the busy thoroughfare of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road near Shaheen Complex. Dawn.com staffers also reported traffic congestion nea...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) announced on Monday that the spillways of Tarbela Dam were opened at 8:00 am to manage rising water levels.

On the special directives of the Prime Minister, Pakistan has dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

In a bid to improve public convenience, Director General of Passports Mustafa Jamal Qazi has announced a new administrative structure for passport services across Punjab.

The World Bank on Monday approved a $47.9 million grant to improve primary education in Punjab, saying the project will expand early childhood schooling, re-enrol out-of-school children and strengthen teacher support. The move came over a month after the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the World Bank teams conducted the 12th and final mission to review and evaluate progress against the targets set under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project. “The World Bank has approved a US$47.9 million grant, funded by the Global Partnership for Education Fund, to help improve girls’ and boys’ participation at pre-primary and primary levels in Pakistan’s Punjab province,” the organisation said in a press release dated August 23, shared on social media today. According to the press release, the GRADES-Balochistan project will also improve the responsiveness of the education sector to climate change and emergencies. Among the four million children that the project aims to benefit are 80,000 out-of-...

India has reached out to Pakistan under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), sharing early flood warnings for the first time since the May military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, official sources confirmed on Monday.

Pakistan Railways has unveiled plans to launch a high-speed bullet train service between Lahore and Karachi by 2030, cutting travel time between the two provincial capitals from 20 hours to just five.

India fears a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet will reduce water flows on a major river by up to 85 per cent during the dry season, according to four sources familiar with the matter and a government analysis seen by Reuters, prompting Delhi to fast-track plans for its own dam to mitigate the effects. The Indian government has been considering projects since the early 2000s to control the flow of water from Tibet’s Angsi Glacier, which sustains more than 100 million people downstream in China, India and Bangladesh. But the plans have been hindered by fierce and occasionally violent resistance from residents of the border state of Arunachal Pradesh, who fear their villages will be submerged and way of life destroyed by any dam. Then in December, China announced that it would build the world’s largest hydropower dam in a border county just before the Yarlung Zangbo river crosses into India. That triggered fears in New Delhi that its longtime strategic rival — which has some territorial claims in Arunachal Prad...

Pakistan Railways has suspended train operations between Quetta and Peshawar for two days due to the prevailing flood situation.