Pakistan

Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has called for the return of star batter Babar Azam to the T20I side ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. While the former Pakistan captain has been out of the T20I squad for some time, reports about his potential return began making rounds after Fakhar Zaman was ruled of the […]

A massive blaze at a factory in the Karachi Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) near Landhi that injured eight people and damaged at least three other factories was brought under control on Thursday after hours of rescue efforts, officials said. Fire incidents are common in the metropolis due to the absence of adequate fire safety measures in buildings. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn.com: “A total of 20 fire tenders with two snorkels, five ambulances and water boozers were engaged in the fire that was controlled at 4pm.” The rescue official detailed that they received information about the incident at 10am, following which hectic efforts remained underway till the fire was put out in the evening. However, cooling work continued. “Some repair/construction work was also underway at the factory, whose structure ostensibly appeared to be weak,” Haseeb said. He added that eight factory workers who were removing goods, despite warnings from firemen not to do so, were injured as part of the build...

All public and private schools across Punjab will remain closed until August 31, as provincial authorities have decided to extend the summer vacation due to ongoing weather concerns.

Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday clarified that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has consistently received its designated share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, and urged lawmakers to adopt a unified stance against terrorism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday confirmed his country’s role in providing support to India during Operation Sindoor in May, when India attacked Pakistani sites under the guise of targeting “terrorists”. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India, without evidence, blamed Pakistan for a deadly attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The four-day confrontation came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. In a post on X, Netanyahu announced that he met the Indian ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, in Jerusalem today, where the pair “discussed strengthening and expanding cooperation between Israel and India, particularly in the fields of security and economics”. “Afterward, I held a meeting with a group of senior journalists from India and answered their questions,” the Israeli leader wrote. According to Indian television channel NDTV, Netanyahu confirmed the use of Israeli weapons during India’s military o...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for an immediate national policy to address Pakistan’s rapid population growth rate on Thursday. Pakistan is home to a vast population of over 251 million, according to World Bank figures. In 2023, the population growth rate was reported to have reached around 2.55 per cent. However, almost forty-five per cent of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line, according to a World Bank report. The prime minister termed the high population growth rate an “alarming trend” and said that immediate and coordinated policy action was required at a national level to address the issue. The World Bank reported Pakistan’s annual growth rate for 2024 as 1.5pc. The statement came during a high-level meeting chaired by the premier at his office to review the challenges posed by Pakistan’s rising population and deliberate on effective strategies to manage it, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Planning and ...

Police on Thursday said they had arrested suspects for allegedly raping a deaf-mute and mentally disabled girl in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district. Muzaffargarh police spokesperson Wasim Khan Gopang told Dawn.com that the incident occurred in the Rohilanwali area on Aug 4. “Two suspects had been arrested within 24 hours of the incident.” He said the 17-year-old girl was in the fields when one of the suspects allegedly caught her and raped her. “The suspect fled when locals reached the spot after hearing the girl’s voice,” he added. In a first information report (FIR) dated Aug 6, seen by Dawn.com, the victim’s brother said that his sister was born deaf-mute and mentally disabled. He said, “She went out of the house to relieve herself in the fields on Aug 4 around 05:30pm.” The complainant detailed that the suspect, who was standing near the field, “forcibly grabbed the victim and raped her under a tree.” The FIR named two passersby who heard the victim’s voice and caught the suspect raping her. “Upon seeing the...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday he would not compromise on the agriculture sector, a day after United States President Donald Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Washington announced the hike in levies on Wednesday, citing New Delhi’s purchasing of Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. For New Delhi, one of the main sticking points in trade negotiations has been Washington’s demand to access India’s vast agricultural and dairy market. India has remained steadfast about its labour-intensive agricultural sector, unwilling to risk angering farmers, a powerful voting bloc. “We will not compromise with the interests of our farmers, our dairy sector, our fishermen,” Modi said during a speech at a conference in New Delhi, his remarks widely seen as his first public response to the tariffs. “I know I will have to pay a personal price for this, but I am ready for it,” he added, without giving further details. India has also refused to allow the import of genetically...

The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that the recent trade deal signed with the United States will boost Pakistan’s exports and positively impact the economy.

A tragic accident near Akbar Chowk flyover in Faisal Town, Lahore, claimed the lives of a married couple who fell from the bridge while riding a motorcycle.

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Naveed Ashraf called on military and naval leadership of Azerbaijan during an official visit to Azerbaijan.

The National Assembly on Thursday passed the Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill 2025, a landmark step aimed at improving cross-border trade and travel through the creation of a dedicated authority to manage land ports.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has officially released the schedule for the MDCAT 2025, announcing that the nationwide exam will be held on October 5.

A devastating fire broke out at a garment factory in Karachi’s Landhi Export Processing Zone on Thursday, leading to the collapse of a five-storey building and raising serious concerns over workplace safety.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday notified a decrease of Rs1.89 in the uniform tariff for the next three months. A notification dated August 7 and available with Dawn.com said that the authority “decided to allow the application of instant quarterly adjustments on the consumers of K-Electric as well, with the same applicability period. “Accordingly, the instant quarterly adjustment of negative Rs1.8881/kWh (per kilowatt hour) shall also be charged from the consumers of K-Electric except life line and prepaid consumers, to be recovered in a period of three months [from] August 2025 to October 2025.” Nepra stated that this discount will be applied to bills for the applicable period issued before the notification, adding that distribution companies (Discos) will comply with court orders. Meanwhile, Nepra also notified a negative fuel cost adjustment (FCA) of Rs0.78 per unit for consumers of all ex-Wapda distribution companies (XWDiscos) except for K-Electric (KE) in their bills...

United States trade partners such as Switzerland, Brazil and India were still scrambling to get a better deal on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s higher tariff rates on imports from dozens of countries kicked in, raising the average US import duty to its highest in a century. The US Customs and Border Protection agency began collecting the higher tariffs of 10 per cent to 50pc at 12:01am EDT (09:01am PKT) after weeks of suspense over Trump’s final tariff rates and frantic negotiations with major trading partners that sought to lower them. The leaders of Brazil and India vowed not to be cowed by Trump’s hardline bargaining position, even while their negotiators sought a reprieve from the highest tariff levels. The new rates will test Trump’s strategy for shrinking US trade deficits without causing massive disruptions to global supply chains or provoking higher inflation and stiff retaliation from trading partners. After unveiling his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, Trump has frequently modified his plan...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday issued a warning for heavy rain across Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and advised citizens to stay alert. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. However, heavy downpours also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. In a post on X, the PMD said at 3:30pm that a “rain-bearing weather system” was forming in the Poonch, Bagh, Haveli and Sudhnoti areas of Kashmir. According to the post, the system was likely to cause “heavy rain with strong winds and thunderstorms” during the next 2-5 hours in the above-mentioned areas as well as Azad Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Rawalakot, Bhimber, Mirpur and Neelum Valley. Other areas that could come under the rain spell were KP’s Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur and Kohistan, along with Murree, Galyat, and surrounding areas. The ...

Pakistan is set for an extended holiday next week, with Independence Day and Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) likely to occur on consecutive days.

The National Assembly passed the Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill 2025 on Thursday to facilitate the movement of goods and people across border crossing points. With the bill’s approval, Pakistan would become the third South Asian country, after Bangladesh and India, to have a land port authority. The Bangladesh Land Port Authority was created in 2002, while India did so in March 2012. “The House discussed and passed the Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill, 2025,” the NA’s official X account said. The bill was moved by Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on behalf of Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi. Once approved by the Senate and signed by President Asif Ali Zardari, the bill will establish the Pakistan Land Port Authority, which would function as a statutory body responsible for inter-agency coordination to facilitate the movement of goods and people across border crossing points. As MNA Ali Zahid, who was chairing the session, ordered the clause-by-clause reading of the bill, PPP’s Syed Navee...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) maintained its record-setting spree for a fifth consecutive session as it gained over 550 points on Thursday. The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 992.53 points (0.68 per cent) to reach an intraday high of 146,081.02 points at 12:37pm, from the previous close of 145,088.49 points. However, the shares soon declined slightly, standing at 145,613.09 points at 3:09pm, gaining 524.60 points (0.36pc) from yesterday. Witnessing fluctuations throughout the day, the index finally closed at 145,647.13 points, gaining 558.64 (0.39pc) from yesterday. Awais Ashraf, research director at AKD Securities, told Dawn.com: “Investor interest in companies posting strong corporate results or anticipated to report robust profitability has propelled the index to a new record high. “Additionally, the recent imposition of an additional 25pc tariff on India has further bolstered market sentiment,” he added, referring to the United States’ recent levy on New Delhi, which will raise duties on some Indian ...