Dawn
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Dawn - 03:03 Jun 02, 2026
QUETTA: Police have registered a case against Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and PkMAP Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, on charges of allegedly spreading hatred against state institutions and criticising the present government while addressing a public gathering. Other party leaders have also been named in the FIR. The charges relate to an allegedly provocative speech made against state institutions. The action was taken following a written complaint submitted by Abdul Wali Khan, son of Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a member of the Shinzai tribe and a resident of Gulistan Kari. According to the FIR registered at Gulistan Police Station, the complainant stated that, during a public meeting, Achakzai allegedly said that law and order in Balochistan continued to deteriorate and that the current government had completely failed to provide security to the public. He allegedly described the government as a “Form-47 fake government” and proposed the formation of an alternative force by recruiting people from variou... -
Dawn - 02:51 Jun 02, 2026
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has ruled that a father cannot escape his continuing legal, moral and religious obligation to maintain his minor child through a private settlement, holding that a minor’s right to maintenance cannot be permanently waived or extinguished. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani dismissed a petition filed by Akhtar Hussain Awan against concurrent judgements of family and appellate courts. Those earlier judgements allowed a maintenance claim filed by a minor, Naseer Akhtar Awan, through his mother, Sadia Awan. The petitioner argued that an earlier maintenance suit was settled through a 2007 compromise, under which Rs60,000 was paid and parties agreed not to raise future claims. He contended a subsequent 2019 suit was barred by limitation and the principles of res judicata, a legal doctrine preventing a matter from being judged twice. Justice Kayani cites Islamic teachings to invalidate any private contracts waiving child maintenance Rejecting the contention, Justice Kayani ruled that agreemen... -
Dawn - 02:46 Jun 02, 2026
• Only Rs1.13tr allocated to PSDP against Rs4.1tr requirement; minister terms shortfall ‘new circular debt crisis’ • Record Rs4.715tr development plan unveiled • APCC resolves to divert resources to ongoing projects ISLAMABAD: Under tight International Monetary Fund (IMF) oversight, the government has trimmed allocations for most sectors in the next federal development programme to create additional fiscal space for the PML-N’s trademark national highways, a new Rs87 billion share for coalition partners and a Rs70bn allocation for ruling party lawmakers’ schemes. Yet, the Annual Plan Coordination Committee, led by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, on Monday unveiled a record national development programme of Rs4.715 trillion, made possible by an unprecedented 27pc hike in development allocations by state-owned entities and a 10pc rise in provincial allocations to an all-time high of Rs3.138tr. The overall Rs4.715tr development portfolio comprises the largest share of provincial annual developme... -
Dawn - 18:30 Jun 01, 2026
LAHORE: Former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will visit Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday to meet party ticket holders ahead of the June 7 elections. The GB Election Commission had announced that general elections in the region would be held on June 7 after a four-month delay. On Monday, Punjab Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said on X that the PML-N president will visit GB on Tuesday for a one-day visit. During the visit, he will meet party leaders and ticket-holders. “He will also discuss the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and matters related to the development and welfare of the people of the region,” she said. Nawaz has not been active in politics since the February 2024 general elections. However, he is serving as head of the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival. The former prime minister often presides over its meetings and oversees measures for the protection of the city’s heritage. The PML-N supremo also acts as a political mentor to his daughter and Punjab Chief Ministe... -
Dawn - 18:00 Jun 01, 2026
European Union (EU) top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Monday said the bloc sought stability in the region, adding that it was in everyone’s interest for the ongoing war in the Middle East to end and for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open. Kallas, who serves as vice-president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to participate in the 8th round of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which was held earlier today. In an interview on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Kallas said, “This is in everybody’s interest that this war is stopped and the Strait of Hormuz is opened. We are paying a very high price. There are a lot of things dependent on the Strait of Hormuz.” During the appearance on the show, she commended Pakistan for being a mediator between the United States and Iran, bringing all the parties together, adding that, “Eventually, the [warring] parties ... -
Dawn - 17:00 Jun 01, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday assured businessmen and industrialists that measures were being taken to make the forthcoming federal budget conducive to industrial growth and production. The government is expected to approve a consolidated national development programme of over Rs3.5 trillion and a macroeconomic framework envisaging economic growth of 4.1pc and inflation of 8.5pc for FY2026–27. The premier made these remarks while meeting presidents of chambers of commerce and industries to seek their suggestions for the 2026-27 federal budget, scheduled to be announced on June 5. During the meeting, PM Shehbaz directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to dispose of all pending cases of tax refunds by June 15. He further ordered moving the headquarters of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) to Karachi, in order to enhance exports and facilitate the business community and exporters. The establishment of an office of the Immigration and Passport Department in Gujrat was also ordered... -
Dawn - 16:23 Jun 01, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday directed the Ministry of Interior and the Islamabad chief commissioner to provide pending documents for the delimitation of the capital’s local government within three days, warning that a 10-day deadline had already lapsed. The letter, seen by Dawn, was addressed to the secretary of the Ministry of Interior and the Islamabad chief commissioner. It was marked “IMMEDIATE” and issued under the signatures of Additional Director General (Local Government Elections) Chaudhry Nadeem Qasim, referring to a Commission meeting held on May 13, 2026, and stating that the required documents for delimitation and holding local government elections in the ICT were still awaited. The ECP has sought three sets of information: notification of the limits of town corporations, notification of the number of union councils in each town corporation, and authenticated and updated maps showing census charges, circles and blocks. The letter noted that a 10-day deadline earl... -
Dawn - 16:04 Jun 01, 2026
GILGIT: Seven people went missing after a tourist jeep on its way to Fairy Meadows in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan fell into a ravine and was swept away in Tattu Nullah on Monday. According to the spokesperson for the GB police, the accident occurred at around 3pm on Tattu Raikot Road. According to initial reports, all six tourists in the vehicle, as well as its driver, are still missing. The spokesperson said that two tourists in the jeep were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and four from Punjab. The driver was identified as a resident of Diamer’s Dareel area. The spokesperson added that police and rescue teams were present at the scene and a rescue operation was underway to search for the missing persons. Fatal accidents are common on roads in the mountainous regions of the country due to traffic rule violations, treacherous terrain and poor infrastructure. Last month, a tragic road accident in Neelum Valley claimed the lives of four people, including two women, and left two others injured after a passen... -
Dawn - 16:02 Jun 01, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday met the European Union’s (EU) top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at the PM House, where he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to cooperation with the EU and thanked EU leadership for its strong support for Pakistan’s peace efforts in the Gulf region. Kallas, who serves as vice-president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy (HR/VP), is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier said that Pakistan was keen to further strengthen its multifaceted partnership with the EU. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Tariq Fatemi and other senior officials were also present, the statement said. PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction at the 8th round of the EU-Pakista... -
Dawn - 14:24 Jun 01, 2026
Almost 50 per cent of young adults in six major economies think AI romantic companionship will improve human happiness through emotional support in the next decade, the results of a large survey suggested on Monday. The percentage dropped progressively across older age categories to just a quarter of people aged 55 and over, according to the research shared exclusively with AFP. Leaps in AI development have seen people turn to chatbots as confidants and lovers, while advancements in robotics are helping produce more sophisticated sex dolls — raising questions over the impact on human relationships. The survey of nearly 10,000 people across the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, Indonesia and Hong Kong provides a snapshot of this “rapidly changing moral landscape”, pollsters YouGov said. It also shows “a profound ideological split between Western and Asian markets”, with the latter seemingly more accepting of technologically enabled sex and romance. In terms of emotional support, 48pc of all respondents a... -
Dawn - 13:12 Jun 01, 2026
4pc growth target set for FY2026–27 as macroeconomic framework sent to economic council for approval
ISLAMABAD: Having missed the growth target by half a percentage point, recording growth of 3.7pc this year, the government has set an economic growth target of 4pc and inflation at 8.2pc for the next fiscal year. The macroeconomic framework for FY2026-27 was cleared here on Monday at a meeting of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) for formal approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) on June 3. The NEC — considered as the country’s highest national economic policy making body — is led by the prime minister and represented by all four provincial chief ministers besides as many federal ministers. The daylong APCC meeting is being presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and is being attended by provincial development ministers, along with senior federal and provincial bureaucrats. “For FY2026–27, Pakistan’s economy is targeted to grow by 4pc, signalling a continued growth trajectory,” the APCC working paper noted, while stating that GDP growth stood at 3.7pc in FY2025–26 against a target o... -
Dawn - 12:34 Jun 01, 2026
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday that any new constitutional amendment should provide protection to the rights of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). “If any constitutional amendment has to be made anywhere, it is very important that the rights of GB are protected under it,” Bilawal said while addressing a rally in GB’s Shigar ahead of the June 7 elections in the region. In this connection, he said, “We can take forward their struggle for their right of rule (haq-i-hakimiyat)”. For this, the first step would be to hold elections in GB and the rest of Pakistan at the same time, he said. “When elections are held in Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest of Pakistan at the same time, progress in GB’s struggle for right of rule will be made in the true sense,” he added. “If we want to ensure the right of rule [for GB], demands or aims should be to hold elections in GB at the same time as general elections in Pakistan.” Bilawal also said the PPP would work towards getting the “same rights and resources for GB as ot... -
Dawn - 12:08 Jun 01, 2026
India gave a red-carpet welcome on Monday to Myanmar’s junta leader-turned President Min Aung Hlaing — his first trip abroad since becoming civilian leader — with talks focusing on security and trade. The former military chief met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, where they shook hands outside New Delhi’s sprawling Hyderabad House. Modi told the Myanmar leader that “India remains Myanmar’s trusted neighbour, a reliable partner and steadfast first responder in times of crisis”, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar’s president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup. Modi also “reaffirmed India’s readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar”, Jaiswal added. New Delhi’s top career diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, told reporters after the meeting that discussions included border security and the impact of the civil war in Myanmar, which borders India’s northeastern s... -
Dawn - 12:01 Jun 01, 2026
The upper parts of the country are expected to experience dust storms and thunderstorms from June 2, which are likely to persist until June 5, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Monday. “A westerly wave is likely to approach the upper parts of the country” during the forecast period, PMD said in an advisory. In Punjab and Islamabad, scattered dust storms and thunderstorms with rain are expected, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms at a few places, in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, D.G. Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Layyah. In Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), the PMD forecast scattered rain, windstorms and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms, in Ne... -
Dawn - 11:56 Jun 01, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Monday challenged before the Supreme Court its May 12 order that required the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide in two weeks the sentence suspension pleas of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial social media posts case. Meanwhile, despite the SC’s May 26 deadline having passed already, the IHC today, on the request of the prosecution, adjourned the hearing of Imaan and Hadi’s pleas seeking suspension of their sentences. The husband-wife duo were sentenced in the case on January 24, with subsequent petitions being filed against their conviction in early February. On May 12, more than three months after the pleas were filed, the SC gave the IHC two weeks to decide on the lawyer couple’s petitions. On Monday, the NCCIA requested the SC to recall and withdraw that order to help preserve the “sanctity and independence of the judiciary, maintaining equality among citizens and avoiding discriminatory treatme... -
Dawn - 11:41 Jun 01, 2026
In 2018, Pakistan produced the widest survey in its history on how much nutrition its people were getting. The NNS or National Nutrition Survey was the fifth such epic exercise to be undertaken since 1965, and the first ever to show us the numbers from the districts. It was the most comprehensive data-gathering effort in Pakistan’s history and is regularly cited today in policymaking. The NNS results painted such an alarming picture at the time that the government should have declared a national emergency. Instead, I find myself writing this seven years on with a question as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb tables an estimated Rs17.1 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2026-27: What did Pakistan’s budget-makers do with the population nutrition evidence? No prizes for guessing the answer was scant little. What we got instead is a story of policy documents without funding to see through on the ground, bodies meant to coordinate without the mandate or teeth, and a government that continues to treat nutrit...
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Dawn - 10:11 Jun 01, 2026
Israel’s attorney general warned on Monday of the country’s democratic backsliding under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, specifically regarding the judiciary’s independence and the executive’s disregard for court rulings. Gali Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser, has clashed with Netanyahu’s government since it took office in late 2022. “Given the approach of the end of the current Knesset’s term, a race has begun to eliminate democratic institutions,” Baharav-Miara said at a conference of the Israeli Bar Association on Monday. She pointed specifically to two bills currently travelling through Israel’s parliament. The first aims to split the attorney general’s powers by creating a “prosecutor general” position appointed by the justice minister. The second bill aims to grant far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir more powers over the police. Speaking at the conference in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, Baharav-Miara also denounced what she said was... -
Dawn - 08:43 Jun 01, 2026
The US said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday it had targeted a US base in response, the latest in a series of exchanges amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war. The strikes on Iran’s Gulf coast were in response to “aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” the US Central Command said in a post on X. “US fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defences, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” Centcom said, adding it will continue to protect US assets and interests during the ongoing ceasefire. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the US for an attack on southern Iran, without identifying which base. Air defences in Kuwait, where a major US base is located, were intercepting missile and drone attacks on Monday ... -
Dawn - 08:27 Jun 01, 2026
Malaysia has begun barring those aged under 16 from registering accounts on social media platforms, its communications regulator said on Monday, as it boosts efforts to protect minors from exposure to harmful content online. The Southeast Asian nation joins a growing number of countries introducing measures to regulate access to online platforms, amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children’s health and safety. Starting Monday, social media platforms, including Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube, must conduct age verification against government-issued records, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said. Fines up to 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million) may be levied against social media platforms that fail to comply. “The measure is not intended to prohibit child users from the internet or to deny them access to technology,” it said, rather it aims to boost responsibility among social media platforms, parents and guardians in protecting mi... -
Dawn - 07:09 Jun 01, 2026
KARACHI: The Karachi Traffic Police have announced that an e-challan system for lane violations on Sharea Faisal will take effect from June 1 (today) under the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS). In a statement, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Traffic Pir Mohammed Shah said that under the notified lane management plan, commercial vehicles and motorcycles are required to use the two leftmost lanes, which have been reserved for their movement. He said fast-moving private vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and double-cabin vehicles, are not permitted to use the leftmost and second-left lanes, as these remain reserved for commercial and slow-moving traffic. Shah further said that the fast lane and the second lane from the right are designated exclusively for fast-moving private vehicles. He added that Sharea Faisal operates as a three-lane carriageway in some stretches and a four-lane carriageway in others, stating that in three-lane sections, the middle lane may be used interchangeably by both commercia...
10391 items