Dawn
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Dawn - 03:29 Oct 26, 2025
• Case linked to multimillion-rupee naval farms land scam • Plea alleges officials implicated woman in criminal case ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered the constitution of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate into the alleged abduction of a woman and her three minor children, an episode now linked to a multimillion-rupee Naval Farms land scam recently unearthed by a joint enquiry committee (JEC). Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Waqas and others. The petition alleged that police officials, acting on behalf of unidentified people, abducted Sana Sohail, wife of Aleem Sohail, who worked in a private farm, along with her daughters — 12-year-old Harim, seven-year-old Laiba, and three-year-old Nimra — from Lahore on Sept 17. It added that the officials later implicated the woman in a fabricated criminal case at the Tarnol police station in Islamabad. According to the court order, CCTV footage dated Sept 17 confirmed that... -
Dawn - 02:37 Oct 26, 2025
• Citywide AQI hits 412; PM2.5 concentrations far above safe limits • Citizens urged to wear masks, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity • PDMA says smog intensity expected to rise from Nov to mid-Dec • Govt imposes blanket ban on stubble, solid waste, plastic burning LAHORE: Lahore has ranked as the world’s most polluted city for the past three days, with air quality plummeting to hazardous levels as smog blanketed the city and the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 412, prompting health warnings and a province-wide crackdown on pollution sources. Data revealed that Lower Mall was the worst-affected neighbourhood, with an AQI of 680, followed by Iqbal Town (577), Syed Maratib Ali Road (543), Shadman (507), the Punjab University area (506), and Shalimar (495). Environmental experts have urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, particularly in the morning and evening, and to wear masks when outside. PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore’s air are multiple times above global safety thresholds, raising... -
Dawn - 02:27 Oct 26, 2025
• PPP lawmakers from Kashmir separately meet Zardari, Bilawal to ‘discuss political situation’ • Insiders say decision ‘almost finalised’, incumbent premier may be given choice of ‘honourable exit’ ISLAMABAD: As the PPP plans to install its own prime minister in Azad Jammu Kashmir, the party lawmakers from the region separately met party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari to mull options for the removal of the incumbent PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. Only a picture of Mr Zardari’s meeting with the lawmakers was issued by Saturday night, while a handout issued by the PPP regarding the meeting with Mr Bhutto-Zardari also did not mention the possibility of a no-confidence motion against the AJK premier. The party leaders discussed the AJK’s “political situation” in the meeting, said the official statement. Sources, however, claimed the party meeting considered names for Mr Haq’s successor. They said the PPP had “almost finalised” the decision to oust the AJK prime minister through a no-trus... -
Dawn - 01:57 Oct 26, 2025
Nako Dost Muhammad’s night world had been without light for almost a decade. In the remote village of Kolahu, tucked away in the dusty hills of Tump in Balochistan’s Kech district bordering Iran, darkness was a constant — precluding the hum of a fan, the promise of refrigerated medicine and the safety of a well-lit room. A scorpion’s sting in the night was a crisis met only by the dim, choking flame of a kerosene lamp. From the school in the village to the dispensary nearby, none had power. This changed a few months ago, when a truck with unfamiliar tools and a curious, maintenance-free battery — the key components of a home solar system, provided under a new scheme by Balochistan’s energy department. Nako was one of 40 people in his village to receive the “home solar solution.” LET THERE BE LIGHT… In the vast, sun-scorched expanse of Balochistan — Pakistan’s largest yet most energy-deprived province — a connection to the national power grid is a rarity. Official reports suggest that only about a third of the... -
Dawn - 18:59 Oct 25, 2025
The Karachi police arrested two of the seven cops who were booked after a “teenage boy” died under controversial circumstances in the Special Investigation Unit’s (SIU) custody, while the victim’s relatives held a sit-in at Sohrab Goth on Saturday to demand justice. The seven cops were suspended a day ago after the incident came to light. While the police claimed that Muhammad Irfan died of heart attack, his relatives alleged that he was tortured to death. A first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered the same day at the Saddar Police Station on the complaint of SIU and Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Station House Officer (SHO) Mumtaz Ahmed under Sections 34 (common intention) and 319 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code against seven nominated SIU/CIA officers. “The SIU/CIA police have handed over custody of two suspects nominated in FIR … who have been arrested. If need be, we shall convert the case to 302 (premeditated murder) and arrest more SIU officials if they were found involv... -
Dawn - 18:37 Oct 25, 2025
A second round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan kicked off in Istanbul on Saturday, with Islamabad eyeing a “concrete” mechanism to monitor Afghan Taliban actions aimed at preventing cross-border terrorist attacks. Today’s meeting follows the first round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks mediated jointly by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha on October 18-19. The Qatar talks had come after days of fighting along the Pak-Afghan border — where trade is still closed — and strikes by Islamabad on Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan. The agreement reached in Doha extended an initial 48-hour truce and resulted in a permanent ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries. According to Afghan interim administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan delegation was to be led by Mawlawi Rahmatullah Najeeb, deputy minister at Ministry of Interior, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported. Islamabad has not said who it has sent... -
Dawn - 18:04 Oct 25, 2025
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Saturday announced changes in certain routes for the Karachi and Lahore flight regions for the upcoming week to ensure “continued safety and effective management of air traffic”. “The restrictions are effective from Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 5:01am Pakistan Standard Time (PKT) and will remain in place until Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 9am PKT,” said a NOTAM (notice to airmen) issued by the PAA today. “This is a routine operational safety matter. The measure is being implemented for ‘operational reasons’ to ensure the continued safety and effective management of air traffic.” In a separate development, open source tracker Damien Symon, also quoted by Reuters in earlier news reports, said Indian aviation authorities issued a NOTAM a day earlier “possibly for a military exercise/weapons test as India prepares for its Tri-Services Exercise across the border”. The open source tracker stated that India had also issued a NOTAM for a tri-services exercise along its ... -
Dawn - 17:50 Oct 25, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday claimed the federal government owed the province Rs550 billion, calling for the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting to be convened immediately. He made these remarks while addressing a jirga in the province’s Khyber district today. Last week, CM Afridi had called for a grand peace jirga in a bid to discuss avenues for “establishment of peace” in the province. “After 9/11, Pakistan entered a foreign war without our consent,” CM Afridi said, referring to the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, when deadly plane hijackings claimed almost 3,000 lives. “It was said that Pakistan needs sacrifices. For Pakistan, we left our houses. Drone strikes and military operations started here,” Afridi said. “We were made the scapegoats,” he told the crowd. “Our homes, markets, and mosques were destroyed, yet we gave sacrifices for Pakistan.” The chief minister warned against the launching of any new military operation in the province’s tribal districts, saying the people ... -
Dawn - 17:27 Oct 25, 2025
The Customs Enforcement Wing of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) foiled on Saturday an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics worth more than Rs18 billion. The enforcement wing, in a post on X, said a truck coming from Taftan and going towards Quetta was intercepted by a team of FEU Noshki. “Upon detailed inspection, a modified fuel tank was found containing concealed boxes filled with narcotics substance.” At least 300kg of crystal meth (methamphetamine) was seized from the vehicle, said the enforcement wing. It added that two individuals, resident of Hoshab in Kech, were arrested. “FIR has been registered. Further investigation is underway.” “300 kg of Crystal/Ice (Methamphetamine) and the smuggling vehicle have been seized both valuing at approximately Rs. 18.67 billion.” Earlier in the week, Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook seized narcotics worth more than $972 million from sailboats in the Arabian Sea. The ship is operating in the Arabian Sea as part of the Combined Maritime Force (CMF), a naval pa... -
Dawn - 16:53 Oct 25, 2025
Security forces killed three terrorists while foiling an attempted suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. A statement issued today from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that security forces foiled a “major terrorist incident and averted a potential catastrophic attack” a day ago after conducting an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the district’s general area of Jhallar based on credible intelligence about reported terrorist presence belonging to “Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij preparing a vehicle-borne suicide bomber for a major terrorist activity”. Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It added that troops effectively engaged them at their location and destroyed the vehicle being prepared for the suicide attack while eliminating three “Indian-sponsored” terrorists through “precise and skillful engagement”. The ISPR said that a sanitisation op... -
Dawn - 15:54 Oct 25, 2025
Indian police have arrested a man accused of stalking and inappropriately touching two Australian cricketers participating in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Saturday. The incident happened in the central Indian city of Indore on Thursday morning when the two players left their hotel to go to a cafe, a day after Australia’s six-wicket victory over England in the group stage of the World Cup, when they were allegedly approached by a motorcyclist. “The security officers of the women’s Australian cricket team filed a complaint that two members of the team faced inappropriate behaviour,” additional deputy commissioner of police, Rajesh Dandotiya, told Indian news agency ANI. “A FIR (first information report) was registered, and the accused was identified and arrested following an intensive strategic operation.” He has been charged under sections 74 and 78 of the criminal code that deal with assault or using criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty and st... -
Dawn - 15:53 Oct 25, 2025
Lahore continued to experience dry and hazy weather on Saturday as the Met Office warned that persistent dry conditions and rising air pollution were likely to keep the city and other districts of eastern Punjab under the grip of smog. It added that continental air was prevailing over most parts of the country, bringing generally dry weather, while hilly areas were expected to remain cold during morning and night hours. Citizens were advised to take precautionary measures against the prevailing smog. Lahore was declared the world’s most polluted city earlier this week as a hazardous blanket of smog enveloped the metropolis, prompting authorities to issue a severe public health warning. Along with Karachi, the city was among the top five most polluted cities in terms of air quality, according to monitoring platform IQAir. Smog is set to intensify across Lahore and other parts of Punjab due to a combination of local emissions and pollutants carried by low-speed winds from India, following Diwali celebrations, a... -
Dawn - 14:17 Oct 25, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that the government was committed to making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) a profitable institution. He made the remarks during a ceremony at the Islamabad International Airport to mark the national flag carrier’s inaugural flight from the capital to the United Kingdom (UK) after a gap of nearly five years. Last month, the airline had received Third Country Operator approval for the UK. The development came after Britain’s Department of Transport concluded that security arrangements in the country were “satisfactory and in line with international standards”. Flight operations to Manchester are resuming in the first phase, with plans to extend them to Birmingham and London in the second. “After a long and difficult delay of five years, today the resumption of flights from Islamabad to Manchester is a feat we have achieved through our hard work and determination,” Asif said. “This success is not a coincidence, but a living testament of the government’s prior... -
Dawn - 12:27 Oct 25, 2025
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el‑Sisi stressed on Saturday the need for further coordination between their countries on matters of mutual strategic interest. Pakistan and Egypt share long-standing bilateral relations. In May, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s desire for stronger bilateral ties with Pakistan in a phone call with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Last week, Pakistan and Egypt agreed to enhance cooperation in the maritime and industrial sectors, aiming to foster joint ventures and promote their blue economies. The army chief is currently on a visit to the country. A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today said the army chief held a meeting with the Egyptian president at the Itihadia Presidential Palace in Cairo. “COAS commended the Egyptian leadership for key role in the region’s peace and stability, while President el-Sisi expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s positive and proa... -
Dawn - 10:46 Oct 25, 2025
Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, died late on Friday at the age of 93, the palace said. The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semi-divine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide. Authorities ordered flags to fly at half-mast for 30 days, banned weddings and concerts, and instructed citizens to wear black. Former Queen Sirikit’s body will lie in state at the Grand Palace’s Dusit Thorne Hall in the capital, Bangkok, according to the palace. People react as they hold portraits of Thailand’s former queen Sirikit in front of Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok. People hold portraits of Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit as they gather in front of Chulalongkorn Hospital, where she passed away, in Bangkok on October 25. — AFP People react as they hold portraits of Thailand’s former queen Sirikit in front of Chulal... -
Dawn - 09:36 Oct 25, 2025
Countries signed their first United Nations (UN) treaty targeting cybercrime in Hanoi on Saturday, despite opposition from an unlikely band of tech companies and rights groups warning of expanded state surveillance. The new global legal framework aims to strengthen international cooperation to fight digital crimes, from child pornography to transnational cyberscams and money laundering. More than 60 countries were seen to sign the declaration on Saturday, which means it will go into force once ratified by those states. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the signing as an “important milestone”, but that it was “only the beginning”. “Every day, sophisticated scams destroy families, steal migrants and drain billions of dollars from our economy… We need a strong, connected global response,” he said at the opening ceremony in Vietnam’s capital on Saturday. The UN Convention against Cybercrime was first proposed by Russian diplomats in 2017, and approved by consensus last year after lengthy negotiation... -
Dawn - 09:22 Oct 25, 2025
Three suspected robbers were killed in a shootout with police in Quetta’s outskirts on Saturday morning, an official said. Saddar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shaukat Jadoon told Dawn.com that three armed suspects opened fire on a police patrol party in the Killi Khali area, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta, within the limits of the Brewery Police Station. “All three suspects were killed during the police’s retaliatory action,” DSP Jadoon said. “Weapons were recovered from the possession of the dacoits,” the officer said, adding that their bodies were taken to the Bolan Medical College for medico-legal procedures. The suspects were dacoits and were present in the area with the intention of committing a robbery, the DSP said. Further police investigation was being carried out, he added. Last month, Salahuddin Achakzai, a prominent tribal elder of the Achakzai tribe, was shot dead and two others were injured when armed men riding motorcycles targeted them on the outskirts of Chaman. In late Au... -
Dawn - 08:28 Oct 25, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday stressed that consensus among provinces was necessary for unity and ensuring the “true spirit of a federation” within the country. Addressing the Balochistan Workshop in Islamabad today, PM Shehabz recalled various challenges faced by the people of Balochistan. Noting that some of those challenges required financial resources, the premier recalled meetings in Lahore held ahead of the 2009 National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, which he had attended as the then-Punjab chief minister. “I would like to mention in all humility that in Lahore, all four chief ministers were gathered together, along with their finance ministers. Three days’ marathon session went on without a break — of course, when night fell, we would go for a few hours’ rest and then gather the next morning again.” He noted that then-Balochistan CM Aslam Raisani had conditioned the acceptance of the NFC Award on “100 per cent financial resources being added to Balochistan’s share”. “I said Punjab is read... -
Dawn - 06:13 Oct 25, 2025
US President Donald Trump slammed Canada for playing “dirty” on Friday as a row over an advertisement featuring former leader Ronald Reagan that prompted Trump to scrap trade talks showed no sign of abating. The Canadian province of Ontario said it would pull the offending anti-tariff ad on Monday so that negotiations could restart, after Trump alleged that the ad misrepresented the views of fellow Republican Reagan. But Trump showed no sign of backing down, saying Ontario should not have let it air during the first two games this weekend of baseball’s World Series. Adding extra spice to the row, the World Series features a Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays, facing a US team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays thrashed the Dodgers 11-4 in the first game on Friday. “Canada got caught cheating on a commercial, can you believe it?” Trump told reporters before heading on a trip to Asia. “And I heard they were pulling the ad — I didn’t know they were putting it on a little bit more. They could have pulled i... -
Dawn - 05:52 Oct 25, 2025
Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, died late on Friday at the age of 93, the palace said. The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semi-divine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide. Throughout her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sirikit carved a dual reputation as a fashionista and the nation’s caring matriarch — with some Western media featuring her on magazine covers and comparing her to former US first lady Jackie Kennedy. “I had heard that she had been unwell and, given that she was in her 90s, I knew this day would come,” 53-year-old housekeeper Sasis Putthasit said early on Saturday in the capital Bangkok. “But I didn’t expect it to be today,” Sasis told AFP. “I feel sad because she was a mother figure to the country, and now she’s gone.” Sirikit had “suffered several illnesses” while h...
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