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Dawn - 19:35 Mar 24, 2026
Clerics from Pakistan, Afghanistan appeal to authorities to extend pause in fighting till Eidul Azha
ISLAMABAD: A group of clerics from Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday appealed to the authorities on both sides to extend the pause in hostilities — which was announced for Eidul Fitr — to Eidul Azha. In Pakistan, the announcement was made by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on March 18, three days before Eidul Fitr. “In view of the upcoming Islamic festival of Eidul Fitr, upon its own initiative as well as on the request from the brotherly Islamic countries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye, the government of Pakistan has decided to announce a temporary pause amidst ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan,” Tarar had posted on X. The minister said the pause would be applicable from midnight March 18-19 to midnight March 23-24. Pakistan had launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on the night of Feb 26 following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. Eleven Pakistani and as many Afghan clerics signed a ... -
Dawn - 18:30 Mar 24, 2026
On the 25th day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the conflict’s underlying dynamics pointed to a continued widening of scope, with President Donald Trump’s five-day pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure offering only limited respite and doing little to alter the broader trajectory. Over the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes continued against Iranian energy and military targets, including gas management facilities in Isfahan, pipeline-linked infrastructure in Khorramshahr, and military sites. Additionally, US and Israeli strikes were reported in Tehran and other urban areas, which indicates a sustained pressure by the US-Israel alliance on Iran’s both strategic and symbolic nodes. Iran responded with a calibrated but geographically expanding pattern of retaliation. As missile and drone strikes targeted US positions across the Gulf, including installations linked to air and naval operations, fire continued to be directed toward Israeli targets. A notable development was the strike on Kuwait’s power ... -
Dawn - 16:28 Mar 24, 2026
Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said on Tuesday that the government was contemplating a smart lockdown as a fuel conservation measure following the global oil crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. “The chief minister who heads the committee on austerity measures has conducted multiple in-person and online meetings on a daily basis,” he said, while speaking to the media in Rohri. He said the provincial government had reduced the fuel consumption allowance for official vehicles by “60 per cent”. He also called on the media to raise awareness, saying that if the war on Iran continued for a prolonged period, it would have “terrifying” effects on everyone, including Pakistan. He said that the energy sector would be the first “to be hit”, saying that the prices of commodities were directly linked to fuel prices. He called on the citizens to limit their movement, saying, “We have to save petrol, oil and gas.” He said that it would be better in the long run if citizens reduced the unnecess... -
Dawn - 16:08 Mar 24, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Tuesday strongly condemned the sentencing of three women activists by an Indian court, terming the verdict a manifestation of “political coercion” aimed at silencing dissent in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In a social media post on X, Rathore denounced the life imprisonment awarded to Kashmiri leader Asiya Andrabi, along with 30-year sentences handed down to her associates Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen by a special court of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi. “These verdicts are not about justice; they are instruments of political coercion designed to criminalise dissent and suppress the legitimate voice of the Kashmiri people,” he said, adding that targeting women for their political beliefs laid bare the “deep bias” in the system. Andrabi is the founder of a Kashmiri rights group called the Dukhtaran-i-Millat, or Daughters of the Nation. The court sentenced her, Fehmeeda and Nasreen under the... -
Dawn - 16:03 Mar 24, 2026
The members of the committee formed to monitor petrol prices were told on Tuesday that cargo inflows were continuing as scheduled and petrol cargoes for the current month and for April had “largely been secured”, with additional shipments planned to further strengthen supply buffers. According to a post by the finance ministry on X, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a meeting of the committee to review the energy supply situation and assess developments in global oil and gas markets amid evolving geopolitical conditions. “The committee undertook a forward-looking assessment of the national petroleum supply outlook, reviewing stock availability of crude oil and refined petroleum products across the energy value chain. Members were informed that overall inventories remain at comfortable levels, supported by secured import arrangements and ongoing production,” it said. It added that supply lines from import terminals to refineries, storage installations, and retail outlets were reported to be operating... -
Dawn - 15:58 Mar 24, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Sisters of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan were again not allowed to meet him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday, while his party termed the persistent denial of meetings with the ex-prime minister a “blatant violation of fundamental human and constitutional rights”. The IHC has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesday and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the ex-premier has not been largely restricted from meeting visitors for several weeks. His last meeting took place with his lawyer, Salman Safdar, on February 10, after the Supreme Court’s intervention following a long period of no visits being allowed. Speaking to the media outside the Adiala jail, one of Imran’s sisters, Aleema Khanum, said it was important to determine the cause of Imran’s medical issues, which have garnered attention in recent days. Concerns mounted after partial vision loss in Imran’s right eye was reported via Safdar after he met him. Doctors later confirmed that,... -
Dawn - 15:26 Mar 24, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan stood “ready and honoured” to host “meaningful and conclusive talks” between the US and Iran. “Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said, tagging US President Donald Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Subsequently, the US president shared PM Shehbaz’s statement on his Truth Social platform. PM Shehbaz’s statement came shortly after the Foreign Office (FO) urged the media to refrain from speculation and await official announcements when asked about reports of Islamabad being a possible venue for talks between the US and Irani... -
Dawn - 14:40 Mar 24, 2026
The Afghan Taliban announced on Tuesday that it was freeing a US national who had been detained for more than a year. The foreign ministry said the family of linguist and researcher Dennis Coyle had written to the supreme leader of Afghanistan, requesting his release for Eid. “The Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate deemed his period of detention sufficient and decided on his release,” a statement read. The announcement came after a meeting of Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, US former special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) ambassador to Kabul Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, and a member of Coyle’s family. The UAE facilitated the release, the ministry said, adding that Coyle had been reunited with his family in Kabul on Tuesday. Coyle, 64, was arrested by the Afghan authorities in January 2025, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of Americans taken hostage or arbitrarily detained abroad. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed Coyle’s rele... -
Dawn - 14:30 Mar 24, 2026
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday announced a financial support package to help its developing member countries mitigate the economic and financial impacts resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. A press release issued by the lender quoted ADB President Masato Kanda as saying, “ADB will deliver rapid, flexible, and scalable assistance to help countries manage immediate pressures and strengthen long-term resilience, notably fast-disbursing budget support and trade and supply chain finance to secure the import of essential goods, now including oil.” Kanda further said that this built on the ADB’s track record of supporting Asia and the Pacific through “periods of global uncertainty”. ADB has ample resources to safeguard existing and planned operations, while expanding emergency support in line with developing member countries’ needs, including utilising its countercyclical lending buffer, the statement said. It added that the bank was closely monitoring global market developments and their pot... -
Dawn - 13:44 Mar 24, 2026
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sustained an objection on the maintainability of a petition filed against the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his sons in a Rs16bn money laundering case. LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum heard the plea filed by a young lawyer as an “objection case”. The office of the LHC’s registrar had objected to the maintainability of the petition, questioning the locus standi (the right to bring a legal action to a court) to agitate the matter. During the hearing, the chief justice asked the petitioner’s counsel, Amir Saeed Rawn, how his client was an aggrieved party in the matter. The LHC chief justice noted that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the prosecuting agency, had not filed any appeal against the acquittal judgment of the trial court. To the court’s query, the counsel said the decision was issued in December 2022 despite the availability of substantial evidence in the case. He alleged that the FIA had colluded with the accused to secure the acqui... -
Dawn - 13:10 Mar 24, 2026
• Efforts alongside Egypt and Turkiye seen as key to pausing threatened US strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure • Administration sources say diplomatic efforts saw Islamabad leveraging its position as ‘net regional stabiliser’ • PM speaks to Pezeshkian, Dar calls Araghchi; White House ‘kept in the loop’ • Islamabad floated as ‘possible venue’ for talks ISLAMABAD: On the 24th day of the US-Israel war against Iran, Pakistan took centre stage in a coordinated diplomatic push alongside Turkiye and Egypt, as the trio appeared instrumental in securing a five-day pause of US plans to strike Iranian energy and power infrastructure, officials said, describing the effort as going beyond routine crisis management. US President Donald Trump had publicly announced the ‘delay’ on Monday, saying Washington had held “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran over the previous couple of days that could lead to a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities. The pause, however, remains conditional and limited to... -
Dawn - 12:25 Mar 24, 2026
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s benchmark KSE-100 index on Tuesday gained over 1,200 points. The index gained 1,225.99 points, or 0.80 per cent, to close at 153,966.36 points, from the previous close of 152,740.37 points. The KSE-100 rose to an intraday high of 157,442.68 points at around 9:30am, then declined to an intraday low of 153,382.00 points at 2:36pm, before settling at 153,966.36. Topline Securities, in a statement, noted that the day began on a “hopeful note, as the local bourse took cues from the buoyant international markets”. “Easing geopolitical tensions and a dip in global oil prices set the stage for optimism, inviting bulls to charge early into the session,” it said. It said that the momentum picked up quickly and drove the index to a “strong intraday high of +4,702 points, reflecting renewed confidence across the board”. However, as the day unfolded, the enthusiasm began to fade, it said. Topline Securities said that the trading activity was “slim — a silent warning that the rally lacked stro... -
Dawn - 12:17 Mar 24, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) on Tuesday announced the successful commencement of oil production from its development well Pasakhi-13 in Hyderabad, marking Pakistan’s first successful horizontal oil well in a clastic reservoir. According to a statement by the company, Pasakhi-13 is currently producing 460 barrels of oil per day (BPD). The well was drilled to a measured depth of 2,966 metres, including a 546-meter horizontal section, the company said in a statement. Advanced geo-steering technology-enabled precise navigation within a narrow 3 metre drilling window, ensuring optimal placement within the reservoir’s sweet spot, it added. It stated that the well was completed and tested using a short-string electric submersible pump (ESP), specifically optimised for horizontal well configurations. Despite challenging reservoir conditions, the horizontal drilling approach has significantly enhanced reservoir exposure, resulting in nearly three times higher production compared to of... -
Dawn - 12:17 Mar 24, 2026
A panel at the University of Jammu in India-occupied Kashmir has recommended removing topics related to Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, and Muslim educationist and reformer Syed Ahmad Khan from its MA Political Science syllabus, Indian news website Scroll reported on Tuesday, citing The Indian Express. The decision follows protests held by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on the university campus on Friday against the inclusion of a chapter on Jinnah’s political thought in the syllabus, according to The Times of India. The ABVP is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Scroll added. The committee, headed by Professor Naresh Padha of the university’s physics department, forwarded the recommendation to the Board of Studies, which will meet on Tuesday to discuss the matter, it cited The Indian Express as saying. ABVP’s state secretary of India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Sannak Shrivats — who led F... -
Dawn - 11:20 Mar 24, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The National Computer Emergency Response Team (National CERT) on Tuesday issued a cybersecurity advisory warning that hostile actors may exploit supply chains to target critical national infrastructure, including power, banking, and defence systems. The advisory highlights that even minor lapses during the delivery of hardware and software could trigger large-scale system failures. The alert comes amid growing global concern over supply chain vulnerabilities, where state-sponsored cyber espionage has increasingly extended into logistics and manufacturing stages. CERT cautioned that all hardware deliveries should be treated as potential security risks and subjected to strict inspection protocols. It further warned that unverified software updates could introduce hidden backdoors into the national digital infrastructure, posing long-term security threats. The advisory also flagged vendors with unknown ownership structures as a significant risk factor, urging institutions to ensure transparency and du... -
Dawn - 11:02 Mar 24, 2026
North Korea will never give up nuclear weapons, leader Kim Jong Un said, indicating that it will soon designate South Korea the “most hostile state”, according to a state media report on Tuesday. Kim also told the country’s legislature in a policy address on Monday that the United States was committing “state terrorism”, in an apparent reference to its military attacks on Iran. “We will continue to firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear-armed state as an irreversible course, while aggressively stepping up our struggle against hostile forces,” Kim told the Supreme People’s Assembly. “We will, in line with the mission entrusted by the Constitution of the Republic… further expand and advance our self-defensive nuclear deterrent,” Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). While the United States and Israel have insisted that their attacks on Iran are to stop the Islamic republic from developing nuclear weapons — an aim Tehran denies — Pyongyang is thought to be light years ahead b... -
Dawn - 10:37 Mar 24, 2026
Pakistani Fintech company Sadapay on Tuesday said its application was unavailable for users after Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Bahrain were disrupted amid the US-Israel war on Iran. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East began with the US and Israel launching attacks on Iran, triggering a conflict that has expanded to the rest of the Middle East. As the war rages on, Gulf countries have also come under attack, including Bahrain. In a statement shared on its social media handles, the company said, “The SadaPay app is currently unavailable for all users. Our infrastructure runs on AWS in Bahrain, which has been disrupted since the drone strikes on March 1.” AWS is Amazon’s cloud computing unit and is critical for the operation of many well-known websites and government operations. It is also the company’s main driver of profits. It added that overnight, “conditions in the affected AWS region worsened, causing a full app outage for our users”. As per the statement, Sadapay said that it was “dealing with the d... -
Dawn - 10:24 Mar 24, 2026
KARACHI: K-Electric (KE) on Tuesday appointed Syed Taha as its new chief executive officer (CEO), replacing interim head Adeeb Ahmad. In a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company said the appointment will come into effect on April 15. It said that Taha holds an engineering degree and an MBA in finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi. He has been serving as the Managing Director and CEO of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) since February 2020. “Prior to joining PSO, he worked as an executive director in Oasis Energy, heading the program management office of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, Nigeria. “He has also worked previously as chief distribution officer of KE, as well as held several senior positions in different organisations,” the letter added. The incumbent interim CEO, Ahmad, was appointed on February 13 after KE’s previous CEO, Moonis Alvi, stepped down, days after getting a clean chit from the then-Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori in a workplace harass... -
Dawn - 10:15 Mar 24, 2026
The European Union (EU) and Australia struck a long-awaited free-trade deal on Tuesday, while also agreeing to boost defence cooperation and access to crucial rare-earth minerals in the face of global uncertainty over trade. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Australia comes as the 27-nation bloc and the import-reliant nation navigate renewed energy vulnerability sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran. The accord is the latest agreed by Brussels in a push to diversify trade as Europe faces challenges from the United States and China. Key sticking points on Australian use of European geographical names as well as how much beef can be exported to the continent were overcome to reach the deal after eight years of negotiations. Another compromise will see Australian winemakers allowed to use the term “prosecco” domestically, but they must stop using it for exports after 10 years. Australia will also be allowed to keep using some geographical names, such as feta and gruyere, in cases where producers have used ... -
Dawn - 10:14 Mar 24, 2026
KARACHI: Sindh’s Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah on Tuesday ordered all district administrations to remain on “high alert” in view of further expected rains in the province this week. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted showers in parts of Sindh between March 25 and March 29, with occasional gaps. Chairing a meeting, the chief secretary directed the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to issue an immediate advisory on the situation. All commissioners, deputy commissioners (DCs) and assistant commissioners participated in the meeting, which was attended virtually by most, and were directed to be present in the field for the next seven days. Noting the PMD’s prediction of rainfall, Shah directed the PDMA to issue an advisory on the situation. He also ordered the district administrations and local government institutions to remain fully mobilised and in the field. He directed the meeting to ensure the “availability and functionality of all necessary machinery for drain...
10418 items