Pakistan

Inflation edged lower in November to 6.1 per cent, official data showed on Monday, easing slightly after a jump last month and staying within the finance ministry’s projected range. Food items and energy spiked the inflation, measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI), to 6.24 per cent in October against 5.6pc in September, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported in early November. According to a report published by PBS today, general inflation was just a touch lower than October’s figures, increasing by 6.1pc on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, inflation stood at 0.4pc after a 1.8pc jump in October. “SPI inflation on [a] YoY basis increased by 4.2pc in November 2025, as compared to an increase of 4.8pc a month earlier and an increase of 7.3pc in November 2024,” the report read. “On [a] MoM basis, it increased by 0.4pc in November 2025 as compared to 0.9pc a month earlier and an increase of 1pc in November 2024.” Inflation has come down from nearly 30pc a year ago, though temp...

Jailed PTI founder Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, fears that authorities are concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition. The remarks come as the PTI and Imran’s sisters have protested and staged sit-ins outside Adiala jail, where he is imprisoned, after being barred from meeting him for over three weeks. As court-ordered prison visits stay blocked and rumours swirl about possible prison transfers, Kasim told Reuters the family has had no direct or verifiable contact with the ex-prime minister, despite a judicial order for weekly meetings. “Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said in written remarks, adding that there had been no independently confirmed communication for a couple of months. “Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition,” he added. “Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.” The family has repeatedly sought access for Imran’s personal physician, who has n...

One cop was martyred while five others were injured on Monday in a suicide blast targeting a police mobile in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district. Lakki Marwat District Police Officer’s spokesman Asif Hassan told Dawn that a Tajori police mobile was targeted in a suicide attack. He identified the deceased as Head Constable Alauddin. He further said that the bomber’s accomplice had escaped, adding that a search operation was underway. The injured were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Haq Nawaz, Constable Yar Muhammad, Elite Force Constable Kamal Ahmad, Elite Force Constable Naeemullah and Duty Foot Constable Nasrullah. Later, a press release issued by Lakki Marwat police shared further details of the incident. It quoted District Police Officer (DPO) Nazir Khan as saying that police had received information about the movement of a “suspicious” motorcyclist by “credible sources”. According to the DPO, the sources said the motorcyclist was travelling from Bittani subdivision toward the Bakhmal A...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that the information ministry, along with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), would be taking action “on a massive scale” against fake news. The minister said this during a press conference in Lahore, where he said he believed that “since the past few days, past few weeks, 90 per cent news on social media is fake”. Saying so, Naqvi also clarified that he believed in the freedom of expression and liberty to criticise. He also highlighted that in case false news was reported by a platform in the mainstream media, a complaint could be registered with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. Similarly, he continued, a reporter associated with a news outlet would be answerable to their director news or the bureau chief in such a scenario. “But, on social media one can post any photo, make news as per their wish and post it,” he said, adding that he had spoken to the information minister today morning, and “we will not allow this”. Naqvi ad...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday announced that Pakistan is intensifying efforts to deport illegal Afghan nationals from the country.

Pakistan and Egypt vowed to deepen defense and security cooperation, ARY News reported, quoting Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday directed authorities to unfreeze the bank accounts of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) and Namal University during the hearing of a case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan.

The world’s largest sculpture of the Markhor, Pakistan’s national animal, has been installed at one of Kaghan Valley’s most picturesque locations, Bata Kundi.

The government of Pakistan has reduced the prices of light diesel, kerosene oil and other petroleum products, according to a notification issued by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).

A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court issued directives on Monday for unfreezing the bank accounts of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKTM) and Namal University in Mianwali. Judge Amjad Hussain Shah issued the instructions in a case pertaining to November 26 protests last year, in which incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, has been facing legal proceedings. SKTM, a charitable organisation established under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 of Pakistan, and Namal University were both set up by Imran. The bank accounts of the two institutions were said to have been inadvertently frozen following the issuance of an arrest warrant against Aleema in the case. During today’s proceedings, Shah heard arguments on Aleema’s application for unfreezing her bank accounts. Representatives of the SKTM also attended the hearing and presented arguments in favour of restoring the bank accounts. For his part, prosecutor Zaheer Shah clarified that the prosecution had never sought, either verbally or in ...

The Federal Ministry of Interior on Monday dismissed 13 officers on charges of negligence, corruption and misconduct—many linked to the 2023 Greece boat tragedy—after rejecting their appeals against disciplinary action.

The provincial governments of Punjab and Balochistan have issued the official schedule for winter vacations in all public and private educational institutions.

India’s telecoms ministry has privately asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cyber security app that cannot be deleted, a government order showed, a move likely to antagonise Apple and privacy advocates. India is one of the world’s largest telephone markets, with more than 1.2 billion subscribers, and government figures show the app, launched in January, has helped recover more than 700,000 lost phones, including 50,000 in October alone. Apple, which has previously locked horns with the telecoms regulator over development of a government anti-spam mobile app, is among the companies, such as Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi bound by the new order. The November 28 order, seen by Reuters, gives major smartphone companies 90 days to ensure that the government’s Sanchar Saathi app is pre-installed on new mobile phones, with a provision that users cannot disable it. For devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers should push the app to phones via software updates, the ministry ...

Pak-EPA enforcement team inspects a vehicle for smoke emission under the ongoing vehicular emission testing drive in Islamabad on Sunday. — White Star ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Environment Protection Agency on Sunday warned owners of smoke-emitting vehicles of stringent action across the federal capital. It said any vehicle found releasing excessive emissions will face strict punitive measures. In a statement, Pak-EPA Director General Nazia Zaib Ali said the agency had intensified its enforcement operations as part of ongoing efforts to curb vehicular pollution, which she described as a major contributor to deteriorating air quality and recurring smog episodes in Islamabad. She said enforcement teams were carrying out regular inspections on major roads, intersections and high-traffic corridors to identify vehicles emitting excessive smoke. Violators would face on-the-spot fines, confiscation of vehicles, or both, depending on the severity of the offence, she added. Ms Nazia reminded the public that driving a ve...

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday his administration intends to maintain a pause on asylum decisions for “a long time” after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members near the White House, killing one of them. When asked to specify how long it would last, Trump said he had “no time limit” in mind for the measure, which the Department of Homeland Security says is linked to a list of 19 countries already facing US travel restrictions. “We don’t want those people,” Trump continued. “You know why we don’t want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn’t be in our country.” The Trump administration issued the pause in the aftermath of the shooting in Washington on November 26, that left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom dead and another guardsman critically wounded. A 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with the incident. Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in...

KARACHI: A woman and a teenage girl were killed and 20 others, including children, were injured after a “private” speedboat collided with a passenger launch at the sea near Manora on Sunday evening, officials said. South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the wooden launch was heading towards Jetty No 1 from Manora Beach when it collided with the speedboat at about 6:30pm. The impact destroyed the launch, injuring 22 people from four families. They were rescued by the Pakistan Navy and Karachi Port Trust administration and shifted to a private hospital in Clifton and the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment. Two females – Arousa Khurram, 30, and Muqaddas Ejaz, 17 – died during treatment, while two children were placed on ventilators due to their precarious condition. Some of the injured were identified as Daud Khurram, Khadija Jamshed, Yusra Ejaz, Saima Jamshed, Salman Aijaz, Ahad Jamshed, Huzaifa Afzal, Zara Ayub, Urooj Khurram, Amanullah, Arifa, Anushay, Sara, Rayan, Riyan, Ayesha, Mahak Taufiq ...

• Traffic police, KDA’s TEB, Cantt boards, SMTA are involved in regulating traffic, installation of signals, signs across city • Nearly half of city’s 130 traffic signals are out of order, say sources • Mass transit body recently installed 11 signals • Govt mulls single body for traffic engineering KARACHI: While the Sindh government appears to be overzealous about strict implementation of e-challans, the responsibility of traffic engineering remains scattered among multiple entities, hindering the development of a seamless and efficient transportation network in Karachi. Sources told Dawn that the absence of a unified traffic engineering authority was a significant obstacle to designing and implementing solutions — from road design to traffic signal timing — leaving the city’s traffic stuck in multiple gridlocks. They said that the challenging task of traffic engineering and management was at present shared among multiple entities, including the Traffic Engineering Bureau (TEB) of the Karachi Development Aut...

• Afridi announces weekly protests outside IHC, Adiala jail • Claims Imran kept in isolation and visitors denied access • Alleges KP kept deprived of NFC share since 2018 • Special assistant says provincial cabinet to meet every Friday PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Sunday that the powers-that-be wanted to push the PTI into a conflict, but the party would remain peaceful and not opt for confrontation. “However, the PTI will never hesitate to offer sacrifice,” Mr Afridi added while addressing a news conference at the Chief Minister’s House. He maintained that efforts were being made to corner the PTI, but his party would continue to hold peaceful protests. “Persistent efforts have been made to isolate the PTI, and peaceful protesters were even shot at,” the chief minister said. ‘Imran in isolation’ He continued that PTI founder Imran Khan was being kept in isolation and solitary confinement, and that all his visitors, including the chief minister himself and Mr Khan’s sister...

AFGHAN refugees return to Afghanistan after deportation.—Dawn/file ISLAMABAD: Afghan refugees, awaiting resettlement in the US, have urged the Trump administration to resume the programme, saying that they were living in Pakistan under extreme hardship and constant fear of deportation. The statement from the Afghan P1/P2 case holders came days after the US administration abruptly halted the processing of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals indefinitely after the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House. “We, the Afghan allies and partners of the United States with completed P1/P2 cases, express our deep concern and urgent plea for assistance. Our cases were fully processed, and we were awaiting our flight dates when, on January 20, 2025, the programme was suspended without explanation,” the statement shared with the media said. “For more than three years, we have been living in Pakistan under extreme hardship and constant fear,” it said, while also condemning the Washington atta...

• Suicide bomber, three other terrorists killed at FC HQ • Banned BLA claims responsibility for both assaults QUETTA: Security forces foiled an armed attack on the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters in the Nokundi area of the district, killing three attackers late on Sunday night. An FC South spokesman said a group of terrorists targeted the FC headquarters in Nokundi town. “A suicide bomber detonated himself at the main gate of the headquarters, and after the blast, at least half a dozen armed terrorists attempted to force their way into the camp,” the spokesman said, adding that the FC Quick Response Force immediately retaliated and killed three terrorists who had entered the FC fort along with others. Sources said heavy gunfire and multiple blasts were heard from inside the fort. Security forces, however, successfully foiled the attack, according to the FC spokesman. “A clearance operation is under way inside the fort,” he said, adding that the situation was under control. On the other hand, some sources cla...