Pakistan

PDP leaders demand non-bailable offences, fast-track justice system

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. ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Abid Sher Ali on his unopposed election to the Senate, extending best wishes for his future responsibilities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has stressed the need for a fitting celebration of the 75th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations.

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...

The Punjab government has intensified its province-wide crackdown on traffic violations, particularly targeting illegal number plates and vehicles with tinted windows, according to an official report issued on Monday.

A guard of honour ceremony was held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Monday to formally honour Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Pakistan has expressed concern after India released a substantial volume of water into the Chenab River without prior notification, prompting fears of mismanagement and potential harm to the agricultural sector.

Senator Faisal Vawda has said that if there is no “minus one,” then the entire PTI would effectively stand “minus,” warning that “not an inch will be tolerated anymore” and those involved will be “crushed.

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...