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Dawn - 13:30 Dec 25, 2025
A heady aroma of malt and brewing yeast drifts through Pakistan’s oldest and, by far, largest brewery, which is gearing up for expansion after receiving approval to sell abroad after a nearly 50-year ban. Bottles and cans clatter along the production lines at Murree Brewery, founded in 1860 to quench the thirst of British soldiers and the colonial community during the Raj. It has survived opposition and strict regulations to become one of Pakistan’s most well-known companies. “It’s a journey of a roller-coaster and resilience,” Isphanyar Bhandara, the third generation of his family to run the business, told AFP in an interview. “Getting permission to export is another happy milestone,” he added. “My grandfather and late father tried to get the export licence, but couldn’t get it. Just because, you know, we are an Islamic country.” This photograph taken on December 17 shows Isphanyar Bhandara, Murree Brewery’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) speaking during an interview with AFP in Rawalpindi. — AFP However, Bha... -
Dawn - 13:21 Dec 25, 2025
There have been multiple incidents of mobs vandalising Christmas decorations in India ahead of the festival, according to local media. The Indian Express has reported that a mob, armed with wooden sticks, vandalised Christmas decorations and installations at a mall in the Raipur city of India’s Chhattisgarh state. View this post on Instagram The report also mentioned that the incident took place on the same day when a Hindu organisation, Sarva Hindu Samaj, had called a Chhattisgarh bandh — a form of protest — against alleged religious conversions. According to The Hindu, the protest was also called following clashes over the “burial of a person from a converted family” in the Kanker district. The Indian Express carried an account of the incident as narrated by an employee of the mall, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Around 80-90 people barged in […] we were supporting the protest. For the last 16 years, since we began operations here, we have always supported bandh calls. But I have never seen such beha... -
Dawn - 12:56 Dec 25, 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a nuclear submarine factory and received a message from Russia’s Vladimir Putin hailing the countries’ “invincible friendship”, Pyongyang’s state media said Thursday. North Korea and Russia have drawn closer since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, and Pyongyang has sent troops to fight for Russia. In return, Russia is sending North Korea financial aid, military technology and food and energy supplies, analysts say. The “heroic” efforts of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region “clearly proved the invincible friendship” between Moscow and Pyongyang, Putin said in a message to Kim, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Their work demonstrated the nations’ “militant fraternity”, Putin said in the message received by Pyongyang last week. The provisions of the “historic treaty” the two leaders signed last year, which includes a mutual defence clause, had been fulfilled “thanks to our joint efforts”, Putin wrote. S... -
Dawn - 12:52 Dec 25, 2025
KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has busted an “international cartel” involved in cyber fraud amounting to $60 million, arresting 15 foreign nationals and recovering 10,000 international SIMs during a raid in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Sindh home minister revealed on Thursday. Addressing a press conference in Karachi along with NCCIA Additional Director Tariq Nawaz, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar shared the details of the investigations, saying the held scammers were “operating online investment scam, where criminals build trust over weeks/months via social media platforms by tricking the victims into investment in cryptocurrency, forex with promise of large profit returns”. “The victims were lured into investment by creating a login on fake investment platforms (which the victims considered as legitimate due to the fake conversation and activity in telegraph groups) which were controlled and managed by these scammers where the victims were made to belie... -
Dawn - 12:46 Dec 25, 2025
Security forces neutralised 10 terrorists, including a high-value target, in separate intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district and Balochistan‘s Kalat district, the military’s media affairs wing said in separate statements on Thursday. On December 24, (yesterday) two khawarij were killed in an IBO in DI Khan‘s Kulachi area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in Thursday’s statement, using the term designating members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location. Resultantly, two khawarij, including kharji ring leader Dilawar, were sent to hell,” the statement read. According to the ISPR, Dilawar was wanted by law enforcement agencies due to his involvement in terrorist activity and the government had put an Rs4 million bounty on him. The statement added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead terrorists, who remained actively involved in terrorist activi... -
Dawn - 11:51 Dec 25, 2025
Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus. Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world. “How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked. Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons. But the new pope has also lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state. Israel and Hamas agreed... -
Dawn - 11:48 Dec 25, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan’s Christian community, which is celebrating Christmas today, is an integral part of the country’s national fabric. “Pakistan’s Christian community forms an integral part of our national fabric. Their enduring contributions to education, healthcare, and social welfare, and their sacrifices alongside the nation in the fight against terrorism, are deeply valued and a source of collective pride,” the premier said in his Christmas message on the social media platform X. He extended his “warmest greetings” to the Christian community across the world, and “especially to our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan”. “May this festive season fill hearts with joy, strengthen bonds of harmony, and bring peace, hope, and prosperity to all,” the premier said. Separately, a statement carried by state-run APP quoted him as saying that Christmas “conveys a universal message of love, peace, tolerance, and goodwill for all humanity”. He highlighted the role of the... -
Dawn - 09:36 Dec 25, 2025
Pakistan’s civil and military leadership highlighted Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a sovereign, democratic and inclusive nation as the country celebrated his 149th birth anniversary on Thursday. According to state-broadcaster Radio Pakistan, the day began with a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals. Special prayers were offered at mosques after Fajr for the Quaid, as well as for the peace, prosperity and development of the country, the Radio Pakistan report said. A change of guard ceremony was also held at Mazar-i-Quaid in Karachi. ‘A visionary leader and a statesman of global stature’ In his message on the Quaid’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: “This day offers an opportunity for collective reflection and renewal of our commitment to the Quaid’s guiding principles — democracy, constitutionalism, social justice, religious harmony, and the vision of a welfare state grounded in equality and the rule of law.” He said the Quaid’s enduring idea... -
Dawn - 08:48 Dec 25, 2025
Fourteen countries including Britain, Canada, France and others have condemned the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, prompting strong criticism from Tel Aviv. On Sunday, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. “On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state,” said Smotrich, a vocal proponent of settlement expansion and a settler himself. Subsequently, fourteen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Canada, issued a statement late on Wednesday urging Israel to reverse its decision. “We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements,” said a joint statement released by Britain, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain. Such unilateral actions, they said, “... -
Dawn - 07:28 Dec 25, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Fauji Fertiliser Company (FFC) on Wednesday decided to join a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation Limited, which emerged as the winning bidder for the acquisition of a 75 per cent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday. Confirming the development, Arif Habib told Dawn that FFC had joined his consortium and that discussions were under way to finalise the terms and conditions of the partnership. FFC was one of the four bidders for the acquisition of a 75pc stake in PIA, but it withdrew from the bidding process ahead of the submission and opening of bids. Under the conditions, a bidder that withdraws has the right to join the winning consortium, subject to meeting the criteria set by the Privatisation Commission. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali welcomed the move, saying it would strengthen the consortium both financially and in terms of management depth, expertise and global linkages. “PIA will require a financially and operationally sound consortiu... -
Dawn - 07:17 Dec 25, 2025
Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after nearly 17 years in exile, a homecoming the party hopes will energise supporters with Rahman poised to be the top contender for prime minister in the February 12 elections. Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from the capital’s airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners, and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders received him at the Dhaka airport under tight security. Rahman, 60, the son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and led the BNP as acting chairman since 2018. Dressed in a light grey, finely checkered blazer over a crisp white shirt, Rahman exited the airport, removed his shoes to step barefoot onto Bangladeshi soil, and picked up a handful of earth in a symbolic gesture marking his return to the South Asian nation. He was seen standing beside the driver’s seat in a bus taking him ... -
Dawn - 05:27 Dec 25, 2025
THE Quaid categorically declared that no power on earth can undo Pakistan. QUAID-I-AZAM Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a charismatic statesman, laid the foundation for a modern democratic state, Pakistan, to safeguard the fundamental rights of Muslims who were a minority in pre-Partition India. Pakistan was born as a secular democratic state, but its welfare and prosperity will always depend upon the restoration of Jinnah’s democratic legacy. Despite cultural, religious, or ethnic distinctions, Jinnah steadfastly believed that each Pakistani is an equal citizen; justice, honesty, and impartiality are the guiding principles that protect the right to life, property, and religious beliefs. Hence, for Jinnah, democracy ensures justice for all. Pakistan’s great founder wanted neither a theocratic state nor a feudal one. For Jinnah, democracy was a matter of conviction. ‘Democracy’ means people-centred decision-making, which enables individuals not only to elect their representatives but also to devise public policies, enact... -
Dawn - 05:25 Dec 25, 2025
Quaid-i-Azam at his favourite residence on Mount Pleasant Road in Bombay. IN the current phase of our beautiful, beleaguered country’s history, institutional deviation and constitutional deformities have reached abysmal lows. This special report is being published on the birthday of an individual who had unshakable respect for institutional integrity and individual accountability in life, not immunity for life. The invitation to write encouraged one to consider anecdotal aspects to portray the Quaid’s life from inception to conclusion through fleeting glimpses, snatches of scenes, bits and pieces, which juxtaposed together, evoke his unlikely beginnings, unique persona, values and respect for institutions. So much is already widely known about the pivotal role of M.A. Jinnah, especially between 1935 and 1948. One therefore decided to select relatively less known aspects. Herein are segments from the Quaid’s early years and then, with a deliberate leap over the next 40 years or so, random clips from the last 1... -
Dawn - 02:52 Dec 25, 2025
LONDON: A woman has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison after National Crime Agency (NCA) officers found 85 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated £8.5 million in her home in Bradford. Sidrah Nosheen, 34, was part of an organised crime group that smuggled heroin from Pakistan into the United Kingdom and supplied it across the country, the NCA said in a statement. Officers arrested Nosheen at her property on Woodside Road, Wyke, in June 2024. During the operation, they discovered that her back bedroom had been converted into what investigators described as a heroin processing plant. The NCA said heroin concealed inside items of clothing including leather jackets had been delivered to Nosheen’s address. She would remove the drugs and package them into one-kilo deal bags. During the search, officers recovered 85kg of the Class A drug in various bags, along with a wallpaper pasting table, weighing scales, buckets and other tools. Boxes containing plastic-wrapped clothing waiting to be opened were ... -
Dawn - 02:21 Dec 25, 2025
• Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar says TTAP has ‘conditionally resolved’ to take up govt offer • PTI spox puts the ball in Achakzai, Raja Nasir Abbas’ court; says Imran has barred party from entering any talks ISLAMABAD: A day after PM Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the government’s willingness to engage in a political dialogue, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) expressed its willingness to engage in such a process, albeit conditionally. At a recent national conference, organised by the TTAP alliance, participants had agreed that the door for dialogue must never be closed in a democracy. But if the spokesperson for the country’s main opposition party is to be believed, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is not interested in sitting across the table from the government. A meeting of opposition leaders was held on Wednesday, chaired by PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and attended by Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Sajid Tareen, Asad Qaiser, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, and Akhunzada Hussain Yousufzai, amon... -
Dawn - 02:13 Dec 25, 2025
• Term legislation ‘unconstitutional and unlawful’ • SCBA, LHCBA accuse provincial govt of ‘appeasing’ land mafia • Court refers matter to LHC CJ for full bench ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The controversy surrounding the recently enacted Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025 intensified on Wednesday as various lawyers’ associations — irrespective of their political affiliation — endorsed the Lahore High Court’s intervention to suspend its implementation. Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice Chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich strongly condemned the statement made by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, in which she reportedly sought to justify the law empowering deputy commissioner-led committees to decide property disputes. The Punjab chief minister had argued that the law was enacted to provide long-awaited relief to millions of citizens suffering from prolonged land and property disputes. On Dec 22, LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum suspended the operation of the law and announced that a full bench w... -
Dawn - 02:09 Dec 25, 2025
• CCoE approves pilot wheeling auction under Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Model • 800MW to be auctioned for five years; volumes may rise after trial phase • Indicative wheeling charge put at Rs12.55 per unit; industry objects to cost impact • 18-member steering committee formed for integrated energy planning ISLAMABAD: The government has approved a pilot electricity auction that will allow power to be bought and sold through competition, while also endorsing steps towards integrated energy planning across the country to end fragmented decision-making. In this regard, the Cabinet Committee on Energy on Wednesday approved framework guidelines for a “wheeling” auction of 800-megawatt of electricity under the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Model (CTBCM). Wheeling refers to the use of the national electricity grid to deliver power from a generator to a buyer. Big factories or companies may buy electricity directly from a producer, but they still need the grid wires to get it. The fee they pay... -
Dawn - 18:25 Dec 24, 2025
Fake visa notices target Pakistani applicants in US; missions warn against unauthorised applications
WASHINGTON: The Pakistani Consulate in Los Angeles issued a stern warning against a message circulating online and on messaging platforms that claims to be an “important notice” regarding Pakistan visas. Officials have confirmed that the message is false and is part of a pattern of phishing scams designed to collect sensitive personal and financial information from unsuspecting applicants. Upon accessing the consulate’s website, the following notice was prominently displayed. A screenshot of a notice from the Pakistani Consulate in Los Angeles warning about unauthorised visa applications. — Screengrab A statement issued by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington stated: “The Consulate General disassociates itself from all such unauthorised individuals, agents, or entities and shall not be responsible for any loss, delay, misrepresentation, or other adverse consequences arising from engagement with them.” The fraudulent message falsely purports to come from the consulate and directs visa applicants to submit inform... -
Dawn - 18:02 Dec 24, 2025
The PTI has said that it will not engage in negotiations with the federal government. Party Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the stance was taken following the instructions of party founder Imran Khan. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his offer for talks with the opposition but also emphasised that dialogue between the two sides could only proceed on “legitimate matters”. Later that day, Akram appeared on ARY News programme ‘The 11th Hour’, where he was asked if the PTI wants to negotiate with the government. He categorically said that the party was “not interested” in talks. “I met Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and he said that Imran instructed the party not to engage with the government in any way,“ Akram explained. “He also ordered that if anyone approaches Achakzai sahib or Allama Raja Nasir sahib for any matter, they have the authority to decide whether or not they want to talk,” he added, referring to Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) leaders Mahmood Khan Ach... -
Dawn - 17:38 Dec 24, 2025
KARACHI: A couple who married with mutual consent was allegedly gunned down by the woman’s father in Machar Colony on Wednesday, in what the police described as a so-called ‘honour killing’ Docks police, in a statement, said that the male victim was gunned down while his wife was shot and injured by her father inside a home near Ayesha Masjid in Machar Colony. The body and the injured woman were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi, and further investigation is underway, the statement added. However, the woman passed away during treatment, said Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed. South-DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the couple had married of their own free will and had a four-month-old daughter. They had been living in a rented house in Machar Colony for the last five months. During the initial probe, it emerged that the deceased woman had phoned her father three days ago, Raza said. The father was living with her. The couple was asleep when the suspect gunned down his son-in-law and injured his daughter and the...
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