Pakistan

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...

The Ministry of National Health on Monday issued a public advisory cautioning Islamabad residents about heightened health risks posed by smog amid the ongoing dry and cold weather.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto arrives in Pakistan on Monday for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening cooperation across a broad range of areas, including trade, investment, defence, health, information technology, climate change, education and culture.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered under terrorism charges after one of the many rallies taken out in Karachi to mark Sindh Culture Day on Sunday turned violent, it emerged on Monday. Police on Sunday resorted to tear gas shelling to prevent participants of the rally from moving towards the Red Zone via Sharea Faisal and detained 45 people, 12 of whom were later released. According to the police, participants of the rally attacked personnel, who then responded with baton-charging and tear gas shelling. According to the FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn, a case has now been registered against 12 named individuals arrested at the scene and “300-400” unidentified individuals. The case has been registered under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 144 (joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 324 (attempted murder), 186 (obstructing public servants), 353 (assault or ...

ISLAMABAD - Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday said that there was no military operation underway in Balochi-stan, clarifying that only intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were being conducted in the province.

• Civil administration costs jump 13pc to Rs161.2bn in July-Sept • Pension bill soars 125pc over five years; subsidy payments rise six times to Rs120bn • Surge persists despite ‘aggressive rightsizing’, which cuts over 200,000 jobs ISLAMABAD: The government’s expenditure on civil administration and pension payouts has continually climbed over the last five years, with the first quarter of the current fiscal year seeing a double-digit increase despite a strict official austerity policy and an aggressive downsizing exercise. Fiscal data released by the Ministry of Finance indicates a 13pc increase in ‘Running of the Civil Government’ expenditure in the first quarter, which runs from July to September. The costs rose to Rs161.2bn in the current fiscal year, compared to Rs142.5bn during the same period last year. This rise in expenses comes as the government claims to be tightening its belt through significant staffing and structural reforms. The increase is notable as the government abolished more than 150,000 p...