Dawn
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Dawn - 19:29 Jan 18, 2026
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq-led parliamentary delegation will undertake an official visit to China from January 19 to 21, the NA Secretariat said in a statement on Sunday. The development comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a meeting with a Chinese delegation, had reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the One China Policy and lauded China’s generous support to Pakistan, especially through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “The visit will be undertaken on the special invitation of the Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China, Zhao Leji”, the statement said. “The visit marks the first state-level and maiden official visit of the Pakistani Parliament in the year 2026 to the friendly People’s Republic of China.” It further added that the visit of the Parliament delegation would coincide with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, serving as a “milestone reflecting the enduring and time-tested friendship b... -
Dawn - 18:34 Jan 18, 2026
PESHAWAR: At least six members of a family, including two women and children, were killed on Sunday when gunmen opened indiscriminate fire following a “domestic dispute” in the Sabirabad area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district. According to a Rescue 1122 official, “Upon receiving the report, rescue officials rushed to the spot immediately, accompanied by ambulances and medical teams.” “All the bodies were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem,” he said. The rescue official further said that a six-year-old and a three-month-old girl were among the deceased. Suspect apprehended According to a police spokesperson, Shaukat Khan, “Upon receiving information about the incident, District Police Officer Saud Khan took serious notice and directed the Sabirabad station house officer to take immediate action.” “Acting swiftly, police arrested the suspect within moments of the incident and recovered the weapon used in the crime,” he added. The spokesperson said that the incident occurred followin... -
Dawn - 18:18 Jan 18, 2026
KARACHI: A search operation at Karachi’s Gul Plaza began after 10pm on Sunday evening as fire crews were finally able to douse the fire after 24 hours, with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah saying that six deaths have been confirmed, but over 50 people were reportedly missing. According to Rescue 1122 officials, their teams had finally managed to enter the charred building to launch a search for survivors and bodies as the cooling process was still underway. The fire, which erupted on Saturday night at the mall located on MA Jinnah Road, had been brought under control by about 70 per cent by late Sunday afternoon, officials said. Speaking to the media at around 7pm, CM Murad said, “I say with utmost grief that so far, it is confirmed that six people have lost their lives, including KMC firefighter Furqan Shaukat.” He added that 22 others were hurt and had now been discharged from hospitals as they had faced minor injuries. “But what is very concerning […] is that around 58 people — some people even say mor... -
Dawn - 17:22 Jan 18, 2026
In pictures: Shops reduced to rubble, families concerned as rescuers fight Karachi’s Gul Plaza blaze
A fire that erupted at Karachi’s renowned Gul Plaza on Saturday night continued to rage for over 24 hours, as firefighters’ arduous efforts were only able to partially control it. While officials have confirmed six deaths so far, over 50 are reported missing. Scenes from the site showed fire tenders, water tankers and ambulances sprawling MA Jinnah Road, where worried families had gathered in search of their loved ones. Dawn takes a look at some of the scenes that marred the busy commercial road, crowded for an entirely different reason this time. Firefighters and rescue workers make efforts to douse a fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road on Jan 18, 2026. — Shakil Adil/White Star Firefighters douse a fire that broke out at the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Karachi on Jan 18, 2026. — AFP Shops at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall are reduced to rubble after a blaze erupted the previous night, on Jan 18, 2026. — Shakil Adil/White Star A distressed woman roams Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road, wh... -
Dawn - 16:50 Jan 18, 2026
The opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) has demanded an “independent probe” into the alleged rigging in the February 8, 2024, election and “punishment for those responsible for it under Article 6 of the Constitution”, as they held an All Parties Conference (APC) in Karachi on Sunday. The TTAP delegation, led by the chairperson and the newly-appointed opposition leader in the National Assembly, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, has arrived in Sindh for four days. The visit is part of the mobilisation efforts for a nationwide ‘street movement’ called by the PTI, scheduled for February 8. TTAP members also announced observing “Black Day” and nationwide strike on Feb 8, to commemorate the second anniversary of the last general elections in Pakistan, which they claimed were rigged. According to the TTAP’s manifesto, “Democracy rests on the foundation of transparent elections; therefore, restoring public trust in the transfer of power is possible only through fair elections.” The manifesto demanded “th... -
Dawn - 16:36 Jan 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been invited to be a part of the Gaza “Board of Peace” that is being formed by United States President Donald Trump, the Foreign Office has said. “The prime minister of Pakistan has received the invitation from the president of the United States to join the Board of Peace on Gaza,” said FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi in response to media queries. “Pakistan will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions,” he added. The so-called “Board of Peace” has begun to take shape as the US moves on to the second phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which stands decimated after two years of Israel’s bombardment. Trump had already declared himself the chair of the body, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in the Palestinian territory. The United States has invited the heads of around 60 states to join the Board of Peace, including those... -
Dawn - 15:20 Jan 18, 2026
BANNU: A target killing incident occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Sunday, where unknown assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on a policeman, killing him on the spot. According to a police statement, the incident occurred in the district’s Mamma Khel area, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Haved Police Station. It added that the martyred policeman was deployed at the Mazanga police checkpoint when he was attacked. District Police Officer (DPO) Yasir Afridi said, “The martyred policeman, identified as Iqbal, was in his native village of Akhund Mamma Khel, when he was shot.” “After offering evening prayers, he was on his way back home when motorcycle riders opened fire on him in front of his house, killing him on the spot,” the DPO added. Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police reached the scene, cordoned off the area, and launched a search operation, while further investigation into the incident is underway. The security situation in KP has worsened over the last th... -
Dawn - 14:57 Jan 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Concerned citizens and experts speaking at a webinar raised apprehensions over the growing environmental crisis in Islamabad, caused by rapid, unplanned and largely irreversible urban development by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and various housing societies, often in violation of zoning rules and regulations. Speakers stressed that the city’s green spaces were steadily being replaced by concrete due to weak governance, elite capture and a persistent conflict between populist decision-making and professional, science-based planning. A key outcome of the discussion was a strong call for a new, collaborative approach to sustainable urban development through the establishment of a dedicated Islamabad-focused think tank. Participants emphasised the need to bring together independent professionals, policymakers, civil society and creative communities, including architects, designers and artists, to develop long-term, people-centred solutions. The webinar underscored that environmental degradat... -
Dawn - 14:51 Jan 18, 2026
Iranian authorities have said they are considering “gradually” restoring internet access after imposing a communications shutdown 10 days ago, as nationwide protests in the country began to subside following a crackdown by security forces. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into “riots” and blamed foreign influence, namely from Iran’s foes, the United States and Israel. The rallies subsided after the crackdown carried out by security forces amid a communications blackout that started on January 8 as the protests grew in size and intensity. Government officials have said calm has been restored, with schools reopening on Sunday — Iran’s weekend falling on Thursday and Friday — after a week of closure. Late Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported “the relevant authorities announced that internet access wo... -
Dawn - 10:18 Jan 18, 2026
The Netherlands’ foreign minister on Sunday said that US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on European allies until they agree to sell Greenland to the United States is “blackmail”. “It’s blackmail what he’s doing … and it’s not necessary. It doesn’t help the alliance (Nato) and it also doesn’t help Greenland,” David van Weel said in an interview on Dutch television. In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said additional 10 per cent import tariffs would take effect on February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain countries that have agreed to contribute personnel to a Nato exercise on Greenland. Van Weel said the Greenland mission was intended to show the US Europe’s willingness to help defend Greenland, and he was opposed to Trump making a connection with diplomacy over the island and trade. Trump has insisted he will settle for nothing less than full ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, which he ... -
Dawn - 09:02 Jan 18, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting of his ruling coalition partners on Sunday after objecting to the composition of a Gaza advisory panel formed by the White House, according to an official and media reports. The White House announced this week the setting up of a “Gaza Executive Board,” which would operate under a broader so-called “Board of Peace” to be chaired by US President Donald Trump as part of his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. The executive board, described as having an advisory role, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, alongside other regional and international officials. Late on Saturday, Netanyahu’s office objected to the composition of the executive board. “The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy,” the office of Netanyahu said. “The prime minister has instructed the foreign affair... -
Dawn - 07:57 Jan 18, 2026
This piece was originally published on July 1, 2024. At the far corner of the pediatric unit at Karachi Burns Center, a woman desperately tries to latch her daughter for feeding. The infant, covered in gauze, fails to hold on as her shrill cries fill the room, cutting through the white walls of the facility. Two-year-old Fariha Hassan bears the burns of a fire that ripped through her apartment in Kharadar last week. The story is not unheard of; a gas cylinder explosion that engulfed her family into flames. The incident, one of many reported across the metropolis every week, was preventable if only a handful of safety rules and regulations were followed. According to an analysis of five-year data compiled by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), at least six fires erupt in the city daily. The reasons behind these fires may vary from case to case, but the casualties and injuries that arise from them are easily preventible if only the authorities and citizens themselves take some basic precautions. Doctors... -
Dawn - 07:21 Jan 18, 2026
KARACHI: As many as 21 eateries on the famous Burns Road Food Street have been sealed by authorities for occupying footpaths and walkways. District South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said that the restaurants and other food shops had been sealed because they had placed their furniture on the walkways. He said that the sealed outlets would be unsealed after payment of fines and undertaking by the restaurant owners to fully comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs). Mr Nabi said that the commissioner had directed all deputy commissioners to take strict action against the “soft encroachments” that hindered the vehicular and pedestrian movement in any part of the city. He said that most of the shops and eateries were sealed in Arambagh sub-division where Burns Road Food Street was also located. The DC said that all shopkeepers would have to pay fines and submit written assurances of compliance with the SOPs. He said that some of the restaurants and shops sealed two days ago would be allowed to ... -
Dawn - 07:02 Jan 18, 2026
PESHAWAR: The federal government’s instructions to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to stop issuing permits for hunting non-exportable trophies in the province is causing unrest in the provincial wildlife department and local communities, which insist the move has threatened the over $1 million permits already sold. The controversy over the hunting permits for markhor and grey gorals emerged when the wildlife department received minutes of a recent meeting with the climate change and environmental coordination ministry where minister Musadik Masood Malik was in the chair. “The chair directed that a legal opinion be obtained to clarify the matter and that a subsequent meeting be convened to finalise the non-exportable quota in line with relevant international conventions. Till that time, no quotas for non-exportable trophies will be allocated by any province,” reads minutes of the meeting available with Dawn. Sources in KP wildlife department told Dawn that the federal ministry of climate change and environme... -
Dawn - 06:02 Jan 18, 2026
LONDON: Taking paracetamol, known as Tylenol in the US, during pregnancy is safe, a group of European researchers have said, after compiling data in response to US President Donald Trumps claims of a link to autism last year. In a review published in the British journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Womens Health on Saturday, the team said they had focused on amassing the best-quality evidence to address the claims. Paracetamol is safe to use in pregnancy, said lead author Asma Khalil, professor of obstetrics and maternal foetal medicine at City St Georges, University of London. The key message is reassurance: When used as recommended, the best available evidence does not support a causal link with autism, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) or intellectual disability. President Trump claimed last year the painkiller could be linked to autism in children if taken during pregnancy Khalil said she had been asked about the popular pain medication also known as acetaminophen by her patients aft... -
Dawn - 05:38 Jan 18, 2026
WHILE the US may want regime change in Iran, and Israel the collapse of the established order, internal strife and chaos, it appears that Tehran has stayed safe from US-led military strikes, for the time being at least, because any such action seems less imminent now than it did earlier this week. Speculation abounds about what made US President Donald Trump change his mind — from entreaties by Gulf friends, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, to a seemingly bizarre New York Times report that claimed that the apartheid state’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also asked the US leader not to launch military strikes for the time being. However, in Trump’s own words “nobody” made him change his mind and it was the staying of 800 hangings of protesters that Iran had supposedly planned that was the main reason he had called off the strikes and also because the protesters’ “killing has stopped”. Whatever led to the pause, temporary or permanent, it is a welcome development for the region, which seemed to be sl... -
Dawn - 05:29 Jan 18, 2026
IRAN’S clerical regime seems to have weathered yet another wave of internal resistance, exploited, as always, by its external rivals. But the human losses have left a deep new wound on the Iranian psyche. The immediate threat of a US-Israeli strike has also dispersed. Washington and Tel Aviv, backed by most Gulf capitals, recalibrated their stance after strategic assessments highlighted the danger of a wider regional war and the absence of any realistic plan for a post-regime change scenario. Inside Iran, resistance against the establishment still struggles to form a unified front or leadership. However, this does not mean the US, Israel or their allies have dropped the goal of political change in Tehran. Instead, they are adjusting their methods. Media reports indicate the regime will not collapse quickly due to a strong security apparatus, loyal institutions, and backing from a sizable segment of the population. Even so, external actors, along with internal resistance networks, are unlikely to allow the reg... -
Dawn - 05:23 Jan 18, 2026
LET us make no mistake. Donald Trump has not received the Nobel Peace Prize. He has simply acquired the medal. This is akin to holding a friend’s Oscar during a selfie and then captioning it ‘great night’. The distinction, however, has never really troubled the American president, who had campaigned for the honour for years. He had listed his achievements numerous times, compared himself favourably to past winners and expressed bafflement that the committee kept missing the point — him. That pursuit was not subtle. President Trump spoke of the Nobel as something he had earned but been unfairly denied, a prize that history had misplaced. The grievance lingered, resurfacing whenever foreign policy or legacy came up. What irony then, that María Corina Machado, the actual Nobel laureate, simply handed the medal to him. With the trophy now sitting on Mr Trump’s desk, destiny must feel restored. The custodians of the prize were quick to clarify matters. The Norwegian Nobel Institute reminded everyone that the Nobel... -
Dawn - 05:16 Jan 18, 2026
MORE than three months since the ceasefire in Gaza took effect, the second phase of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the occupied Palestinian territory has been launched. Among the features of this phase is the announcement of the so-called Gaza ‘Board of Peace’, which the American leader will head. Other luminaries serving on this body include his son-in-law Jared Kushner, administration staffers Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff and former British prime minister Tony Blair, among others. In Mr Trump’s own words, this “is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled”. Meanwhile, a serving American general has been named to head the International Stabilisation Force, which is supposed to oversee security and disarmament in Gaza, while Ali Shaath, an ex-Palestinian Authority official, is to head the Gaza governance committee. All the hyperbole notwithstanding, it remains to be seen whether these interim governing structures will succeed in addressing the still dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, ... -
Dawn - 03:47 Jan 18, 2026
• JAAC accuses govt of repeatedly violating agreement signed after deadly protests • Compensation promised to families of protest victims remains incomplete; FIRs against activists, civilians ‘not withdrawn’; travel restrictions continue to affect youth seeking jobs abroad MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has accused the government of violating a landmark agreement signed in October last year and has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene, citing serious delays in implementation and expressing concern over the induction of a “controversial figure” into the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ahead of the upcoming elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In an open letter addressed to the prime minister on Saturday, the JAAC said the agreement was signed on October 3–4, 2025, following deadly protests in late September that claimed several lives. A high-powered delegation from Islamabad, dispatched on the premier’s directives, had visited Muzaffarabad and con...
6670 items