Pakistan

A powerful explosion at a fireworks factory on MA Jinnah Road triggered a massive fire on Wednesday, leaving at least 10 people injured and causing extensive damage to nearby buildings and vehicles.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has approved the operationalization of the Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF) aimed at enhancing financial literacy and creating greater public awareness about investment opportunities.

Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Syed Mustafa Kamal, has inaugurated the newly developed MDCAT question bank at the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC).

A clash broke out between police and protesters in the early hours of Thursday, leaving several injured, protest organisers claimed, as traders continued to block routes in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Sost Valley. Last month, Pak-China Tajeer Etihad Action Committee launched a protest against the suspension of border trade via the Khunjerab Pass, blaming the federal government’s inaction over unresolved tax-related issues, which have inflicted heavy losses on importers and exporters over the year. One of the organisers, Muhammad Ismail, claimed that the police had launched a crackdown against peaceful protesters, stating: “Police resorted to tear gas and aerial firing to disperse protesters from the venue.” Speaking to reporters, Hunza Superintendent of Police Nabeel Ahmed said that there was no plan to launch a crackdown on the sit-in. “Police were deployed only to arrest a suspect who is allegedly extorting traders at the customs and immigration area upon their return from China,” he said. “The sit-in organisers had...

A Lahore man accused of “sextortion” of a minor via social media platform Snapchat was handed over to police for a five-day physical remand, the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday. As per the court order given by a district and sessions court in Lahore, it was notified that the accused should be handed over to the police for a five-day investigation. According to NCCIA’s application for the remand, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the accused was arrested after NCCIA received a tip-off from an international organisation. He was booked for sharing pornographic material via the social media application Snapchat and engaging in “sextortion” of a minor. Upon arrest, NCCIA confiscated the phone of the accused and found pornographic material on the phone, in its “screenshot” and “screen-recording” folders. During the initial interrogation conducted by the NCCIA, the accused confessed to the crimes. Subsequently, a first information report (FIR) was registered against the ...

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday dismissed media reports suggesting that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir had made political comments during his recent visit to Brussels.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday unveiled the results of Pakistan’s first-ever digital economic census, terming it a landmark step toward achieving socio-economic development goals.

Meta Platforms has paused hiring in its artificial intelligence division after bringing on more than 50 researchers and engineers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The move comes amid growing global concerns that investment in AI is moving too fast. In July, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg had pledged hundreds of billions for AI data centres in a “superintelligence push”. The social media giant is among the large tech companies that have struck high-profile deals and doled out multi-million-dollar pay packages in recent months to fast-track work on machines that could outthink humans on many tasks. “The hiring freeze, which went into effect last week and coincides with a broader restructuring of the group, also prohibits current employees from moving across teams inside the division,” according to the WSJ report. “The duration of the freeze wasn’t communicated internally.” “All that’s happening here is some basic organisational planning: creating a solid structure for our new superintelligence efforts af...

Mobile internet services have gradually been restored in Quetta following a two-week suspension, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The restoration of mobile services in Balochistan was underway on Thursday after the Balochistan High Court (BHC) ordered their immediate resumption, ending a 15-day suspension. Earlier this month, mobile data services in the province were announced to be suspended until August 31 over “security reasons”. Balochistan’s Consumer Civil Society chairman, Khair Muhammad Shaheen, had filed a constitutional petition against the Pakistan Tele­communication Authority and others regarding the suspension of mobile phone internet services. The petition argued that the mobile phone services were a basic mode of communication for businessmen, students, educational institutions and others. It added that the suspension constituted a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 9 (security of person), 15 (freedom of movement etc), 18 (freedom of trade, business and profession), 19-A (right to information) and 25 (equality of citizens) of the Constitution. A two-member BHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Kha...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed on Thursday that Pakistan-China friendship is crucial for regional peace, stability, and the prosperity of both nations.

HYDERABAD: A provisional report of the second post-mortem of deceased DawnNews reporter Khawar Hussain Bajwa has described head injury by a ‘contact shot’ of a firearm as cause of his death on Aug 16 in Sanghar. The report was signed by all three experts, Dr Waseem Khan, police surgeon of Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) as chairman; Prof Dr Waheed Ali Nahiyoon of Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) and Dr Mohammad Adeel Rajput, additional police surgeon LUH, as members of the committee probing the death. “Firearm head injury causing displaced chip fractures of right and left parieto temporal and occipital bones with damage to brain matter is sufficient to cause death in ordinary course of nature. The distance of fire: contact shot,” an opinion part of the report said. Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025

The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) announced on Thursday that Tarbela Dam has been filled to its maximum conservation level of 1,550 feet, with a storage capacity of 5.

At least 42 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Swabi district, while dozens of villages in Tank remain cut off after flash floods triggered by torrential rains.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday approved bail for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9, 2023 incidents.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reached out to leaders of different political parties and assured them of full federal support in tackling the emergency situation caused by monsoon floods.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted more rainfall in Karachi on Thursday (today) as the ongoing monsoon weather system continues to impact the city.

LAHORE: Thousands of villagers in low-lying areas of Layyah, Taunsa, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaf­fargarh are compelled to leave their homes after rising level of Indus River washed away all the protective guide bunds and dykes constructed to support the Layyah-Taunsa Bridge as heavy rains continue to lash several many parts of Punjab. The severe flooding destroyed earthen homes and agricultural fields in Sumra Nashaib, Dulu Nas­haib, Lohanch Nashaib, Mir­ani Paka, Loni, Darkhan, Cha­dhar, Mohana, and Mosan Shah, leaving families displaced and without shelter. Many struggle to save livestock amid the rising floodwaters. In Taunsa, several villages such as Bait Lakho, Jarh Leghari, Jarah, Urra, Bodu Manaan, Thulla Chaki, Eida Arain, Basti Habib, Lal Shah, and Kotla Miran have been submerged, with houses reduced to rubble. Thousands of acres of crops in these areas are underwater and entirely ruined, leaving the displaced population without shelter or livelihood, forced to live under the open sky. In Muz...

ISLAMABAD: Autho­rities on Wednesday war­ned that heavy rainfall, ranging between 50 to 100 mill­­imetres or more, would batter Karachi and parts of Sindh over the next 12 to 24 hours, raising concerns of urban floo­ding, waterlogging and disruption to daily life. According to the Zoom Earth weather tracking website, an intense system forming over Sindh would hit urban centres like Hyderabad and Karachi after midnight on Wedn­esday. The system, which is likely to head out to sea by the morning, might precipitate heavily concentrated downpours in lower Sindh. A spokesman for the National Disaster Mana­gement Authority (NDMA) advised residents in vulner­able areas, including Karachi, Hyde­rabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur, to remain alert and closely monitor official updates to mitigate potential hazards. Urban flooding is expe­cted to persist in Kar­achi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas due to continued downpours and poor drainage infrastructure. Simultaneously, districts such as Thatta, Badin, Jams...

KARACHI: Expressing concern over performance of certain local bodies including towns under control of the opposition Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called upon all political stakeholders to refrain from blame games and fulfil their respective responsibilities to aid the city’s recovery. Talking to the media and responding to a question on coordination and accountability among agencies during a visit to the city a day after heavy rain lashed the metropolis, the CM expressed concern over the performance of some local representatives, including JI’s town chairmen, particularly after the formation of town administrations, which he said had led to division and inefficiency in service delivery. He acknowledged certain shortcomings, welcomed constructive criticism, and announced disciplinary action against officials who failed to perform. He underlined the urgent need for modern and efficient drainage systems to mitigate the impact of extreme weather in the future, ensuring urban ...