Pakistan

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir has reaffirmed that the Pakistan Army is fully prepared to counter conventional, non-conventional, and hybrid threats, vowing to safeguard the country’s sovereignty at all costs.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar has said that the nation is celebrating a “true Independence Day” after defeating an enemy five times bigger, reaffirming the party’s commitment to strengthening democracy and national integrity.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has extended warm greetings to the people of Pakistan on the occasion of the country’s 78th Independence Day, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations.

A minor girl was among three people killed while more than 100 people were injured by aerial firing in Karachi on the eve of Independence Day, according to hospital officials. Incidents of aerial firing are a routine occurrence on occasions such as Independence Day and New Year’s Eve despite bans imposed in the past, often leaving dozens injured. According to a statement issued by police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, a total of 109 people with bullet injuries from aerial firing were brought in from different areas across the metropolis to three major hospitals. Three people were said to be in critical condition. However, police put the injury toll as 67, according to a statement from the office of the Karachi Additional Inspector General (AIG) Javed Alam Odho. Azizabad Station House Officer (SHO) Waqar Kaiser told Dawn.com, “A seven-year-old girl was watching Independence Day fireworks from the second floor gallery of her house in Azizabad Block-8 when a bullet struck her in the head. “A while later, her mother s...

LAHORE: Police attempted to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Advocate Haider Majeed, who was convicted by a military court, when he was finally released from Kot Lakhpat Jail after completing the two-year term, on Wednesday. PTI leaders Shayan Bashir and Rai Muhammad Ali Kharl, along with party workers, accorded a warm welcome to Advocate Majeed. The workers passionately chanted slogans in favour of the PTI founder Imran Khan and Majeed. Soon after Mr Majeed came out of jail, police pounced and arrested his father and brother. However, Mr Majeed managed to slip away on a motorcycle and reached Model Town courts. Reacting to the police action, Mr Bashir wondered that the Punjab police have become so confused as it did not want to let the PTI leader remain free despite completing his two-year “illegal confinement.” “We strongly condemn the illegal detention of Advocate Majeed’s father and brother,” Mr Bashir added. Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2025

GILGIT / LAHORE: Hun­dreds of travellers and tourists were stranded in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on Wendesday after a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) swept away part of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), while authorities in Punjab ordered communities along the Sutlej River to evacuate amid forecasts of heavy monsoon rains and floods. In Gulmit, Gojal, Hunza, a powerful torrent surged through the Juchar nullah on Tuesday evening, triggered by accelerated glacier melt. The floodwaters destroyed a women-owned restaurant, a government tourist facilitation centre, orchards, farmland, and critical infrastructure including electricity and internet poles, according to Rescue 1122 officials. A bridge and sections of the KKH were swept away, leaving no alternative route for locals and tourists travelling to and from China via the Khunjerab Pass. “Never experienced such intensity of floods in the nullah,” Saeed Jan, a local resident, told Dawn. The destruction of a fibre optic line has left the area without mobile and interne...

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have extended heartfelt congratulations to the nation on Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day, expressing gratitude to Almighty Allah for the country’s progress and resilience.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari said that they celebrate the Independence Day with a sense of renewed pride and hope as recently the nation had reaffirmed its strength, resolve, and unity in the face of external aggression.

Search engine giant Google has unveiled a special doodle to celebrate Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day, continuing its tradition of commemorating the occasion with unique illustrations since 2011.

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday remanded 12 men held for their alleged involvement in setting seven dumpers on fire following the death of two siblings in a fatal accident. On Aug 10, a fast-moving dumper hit a motorcycle and crushed to death Mahnoor, 22, and her brother Ahmed Raza, 14, on main Rashid Minhas Road near the UBL Sports Complex. Enraged people took to the streets and set to fire seven dumpers within the remit of the Federal B Industrial Area and Yousuf Plaza police stations. On Wednesday, the investigation officers of the two cases produced the suspects before the administrative judge of the ATCs at the Judicial Complex inside the central prison. They requested the court to grant their 14-day police remand for interrogation and to arrest other absconding suspects. The court remanded all 12 suspects in police custody for seven days and directed the IOs to submit progress reports at the next hearing. Remand of dumper driver extended A judicial magistrate on Wednesday extended th...

Lahore - Sohail Alam, Member, Minority Advisory Council Punjab, dedicated Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day to Operation Banyan Al-Marsoos and Muarka Haq, paying rich tribute to the Pakistan Armed Forces for their unmatched bravery and professionalism.

ISLAMABAD - First Deputy Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United States have agreed to boost counter terrorism partnership as the trust level between the two allies improved in the recent months.

Shehbaz Sharif announces establishment of Army Rocket Force to further strengthen military capabilities Says Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal meant for defence purposes, not aggression Urges political parties to unite in safeguarding national interests Warns no more chaos will be tolerated in any.

LAHORE - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan is making rapid progress and, by the grace of Allah Almighty, this journey will continue until the country emerges as a strong fortress of Islam on the world map.

ISLAMABAD: The price of high-speed diesel (HSD) is likely to fall by about Rs11.50 per litre, while petrol may see an increase of Rs1.40 per litre for the next fortnight beginning Aug 16, driven by shifts in the global market and exchange rate movements. Based on current tax rates, informed sources said the ex-depot price of HSD is estimated to decline by around 4pc, depending on final calculations, while petrol could rise by about 0.5pc. International petrol prices inched up by 15 cents per barrel over the past fortnight, while diesel rates fell by about $4.5 per barrel. The rupee also appreciated slightly against the dollar. The current ex-depot petrol price stands at Rs264.61 per litre, following a Rs7.54 per litre cut on August 1. This came after cumulative hikes of Rs20 per litre in the previous four fortnights since May 15. Petrol, used mainly in private cars, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers, directly impacts the budgets of middle- and lower-middle-income groups. HSD is presently priced at Rs...

The nation is celebrating the 78th Independence Day today with a renewed pledge to uphold the spirit of the Pakistan Movement and work towards making the country a true Islamic welfare state.

The main flag hoisting ceremony marking Independence Day was held at the Pakistan Monument in the federal capital on Thursday, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raised the national flag.

PESHAWAR: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Wednesday claimed to have successfully dismantled Daesh Khorasan network in Peshawar and has achieved major operational successes in several cases, including the killing of religious scholar Mufti Munir Shakir. Mufti Munir Shakir, founder of the banned Lashkar-i-Islam, was killed in a blast outside his seminary in Urmar area on the outskirts of the provincial capital on March 15 this year. They said the department identified the gang involved in this heinous act while efforts were under way to apprehend the culprits in the near future. The CTD officials, while briefing media-persons said that it busted a group of militants responsible for no fewer than 18 terrorist incidents in the settled areas of the provincial capital, adding that those attacks include the martyrdom of deputy superintendent of police Sardar Hussain Khan and 14 other police officials of various ranks. Officials reveal terrorists using digital currency for extortion; propose semin...

Invites parties to join Misaq-i-Istehkam-i-Pakistan; Announces creation of Army Rocket Force; Grand ceremony held