Dawn
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Dawn - 21:28 Jan 10, 2026
HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday evening rejected allegations of a ‘political-terror nexus’ in KP as he addressed journalists at the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC). The KP CM reached Hyderabad earlier today for a day-long trip to mobilise the public for a nationwide street movement. Speaking at a ‘meet the press’ event, Afridi complained that KP was being meted out “stepmotherly treatment” by institutions that were supposed to strengthen democracy in the country and claimed that the PTI government was “toppled as a result of a London plan”. Afridi said a 15-point agenda was presented before Pakistan and “everyone agreed” that a military operation was not the solution to any problem. “The actual problem is that decisions are always taken in closed rooms,” he said. Afridi further added that if a military operation were launched in KP, the provincial government would be obliged to stand with its people. “I have asked my administration to facilitate all those people, whether they... -
Dawn - 18:50 Jan 10, 2026
Iran’s authorities indicated on Saturday that they could intensify their crackdown on the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, as the death toll rose to 65 and the Revolutionary Guards blamed the unrest on terrorists, vowing to safeguard the governing system. Major Iranian cities were gripped overnight by new mass rallies denouncing the Islamic Republic, as activists on expressed fear that authorities were intensifying their suppression of the demonstrations under the cover of an internet blackout. The two weeks of protests have posed one of the biggest challenges to the Iranian authorities, although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed defiance and blamed the United States. Following the movement’s largest protests yet on Thursday, new demonstrations took place late Friday, according to images verified by AFP and other videos published on social media. This was despite an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities, with monitor Netblocks saying early on Saturday that “Iran has no... -
Dawn - 18:47 Jan 10, 2026
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday urged demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of a motorist by a US immigration agent to stay peaceful, saying that any unlawful actions would play into US President Donald Trump’s hands. Frey, a Democrat, cautioned them as civil liberties and migrant-rights groups prepared nationwide rallies to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday. Minnesota and US officials have offered starkly different accounts of the shooting. Twenty-nine people were arrested overnight in Minneapolis as police responded to protests, including a gathering of demonstrators outside a hotel believed to be lodging a visiting contingent of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, city Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. One police officer was injured in the response, O’Hara told a news conference on Saturday. People march during a demonstration against increased immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 9,... -
Dawn - 18:06 Jan 10, 2026
Syrian authorities on Saturday began transferring Kurdish fighters from the country’s second city, Aleppo, to areas they control in the country’s northeast, state television reported, after days of deadly clashes. The violence in Aleppo erupted after efforts to integrate the Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration and military into the country’s new government stalled. Since the fighting began on Tuesday, at least 21 civilians have been killed, according to figures from both sides, while Aleppo’s governor said 155,000 people have been displaced. On Saturday evening, state television reported that Kurdish fighters “who announced their surrender … were transported by bus to the city of Tabaqa” in the Kurdish-controlled northeast. An AFP correspondent saw at least five buses on Saturday carrying fighters leaving the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud district, accompanied by security forces. Kurdish fighters sit in a bus as they leave the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood accompanied by security forces ... -
Dawn - 17:16 Jan 10, 2026
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Saturday announced that the government decided to extend winter vacations in all public and private schools across the province till January 19, citing the extremely low temperatures expected in the coming days. The decision comes a day after Hayat rebuffed rumors and fake news on social media regarding the extension of holidays and maintained that schools would reopen on Jan 12. The education minister, however, created a poll on his X account, asking people if schools and colleges should reopen from Jan 12 or 19. The majority of the users voted for Jan 19. In the latest post today on X, Hayat wrote: “In view of the prolonged severe winter spell and the forecast of extremely low temperatures in the coming days, and on the advice of PDMA, the Government of Punjab has decided to extend winter vacations until January 19.” Meanwhile, in a separate notification, the Punjab Higher Education Department stated that winter vacations for higher educational institutions w... -
Dawn - 16:53 Jan 10, 2026
A woman who was unlawfully confined and chained to a bed in Karachi’s Darakhshan area was rescued by police on Saturday, according to a senior police official. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that police received a call about a woman unlawfully confined and bound with chains in a third-floor flat in Darakhshan Commercial Area. The station house officer Darakhshan immediately reached the scene. The flat was found locked from the inside, with police breaking the lock and entering in the presence of neighbours, the DIG said. “Inside the bedroom, a woman was found with iron chains tied around her neck, hands and feet. The chains were cut with power tools and the woman was freed,” he added. The victim, a resident of Shireen Jinnah Colony, alleged that her ex-husband called her to the flat under the pretext of giving her money for their children. When she arrived at about 9am, her ex-husband and his friend allegedly confined her in the bedroom and chained her to the bed. She further st... -
Dawn - 16:27 Jan 10, 2026
LAHORE: After addressing workers and supporters at Minar-i-Pakistan, Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) leadership commenced a public outreach campaign in Lahore. Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mahmood Khan Achakzai of the TTAP, visited different markets and commercial areas of the provincial capital to rally support for the opposition alliance’s street movement. As part of the drive, videos posted on X by the opposition leadership showed the leadership distributing pamphlets. “A large number of people expressed solidarity with the leadership of Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan,” said a post on X by the opposition alliance. Obstacles at Minar-i-Pakistan Earlier in the evening, Abbas and Achakzai reached Minar-i-Pakistan to address supporters of the PTI and the opposition alliance. However, local authorities closed all doors and blocked party workers from entering the Minar-i-Pakistan ground but allowed the TTAP leadership to proceed. PTI Punjab Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza Malik chided the Punjab governm... -
Dawn - 16:20 Jan 10, 2026
KARACHI: Police arrested the prime suspect, a serving cop, who allegedly shot his wife for ‘honour’ in Karachi’s Shadman Town a day earlier, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Central Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman was shot and injured by her husband in their home on Friday. The initial probe revealed that the incident occurred over a “domestic dispute”. “The suspect had fled the scene after the incident,” the police official stated. In the statement issued today, the police confirmed that the suspect is in custody and the murder weapon was recovered from his possession. The statement added that the suspect was arrested during a raid conducted on Friday night. “Further interrogation of the suspect is underway, and all the proceedings will be done as per the law,” said SSP Siddiqui. The suspect is a serving police inspector, posted with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). A day earlier, the SSP revealed that it was the suspect’s second marriage to the victim. “The suspect h... -
Dawn - 14:38 Jan 10, 2026
During the four-day conflict with India in May last year, Pakistan demonstrated not only the effectiveness of Chinese military hardware, but also its own indigenously produced equipment, like the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet, the Al-Khalid main battle tank and the Fatah series guided multiple launch rocket system (G-MLRS). In particular, the JF-17‘s role in the May conflict and in the skirmish with India in 2019 proved the jet’s capabilities in battle. During last year’s war with India, the Thunder was credited with destroying the state-of-the-art S-400 surface-to-missile system deployed by India at Adampur. The jet also made a strong showing at last year’s Dubai Airshow. Earlier this week, the defence minister said the success of its weapons industry could transform the country’s economic outlook. “Our aircraft have been tested, and we are receiving so many orders that Pakistan may not need the International Monetary Fund in six months,” Khawaja Asif told Geo News. Here is a brief timeline of arms deals that Pa... -
Dawn - 13:18 Jan 10, 2026
When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets his Danish and Greenlandic counterparts next week, Denmark will be defending a territory that has been moving steadily away from it and towards independence since 1979. United States President Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland have triggered a wave of European solidarity with Denmark. But the crisis has exposed an uncomfortable reality — Denmark is rallying support to protect a territory whose population wants independence, and whose largest opposition party now wants to bypass Copenhagen and negotiate directly with Washington. “Denmark risks exhausting its foreign policy capital to secure Greenland, only to watch it walk away afterwards,” said Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen. Strategic relevance Denmark cannot let Greenland go without losing its geopolitical relevance in the Arctic territory, strategically located between Europe and North America and a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence ... -
Dawn - 13:11 Jan 10, 2026
In a meeting with Pakistan‘s air chief, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force expressed a “keen interest” in JF-17 Thunder fighter jets and praised the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) professionalism, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), PAF Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, who on a visit to Iraq, called on Iraqi Air Force Commander Lt Gen Staff Pilot Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed Radi Al-Asadi. The two met at the Iraqi Air Force headquarters, where ACM Sidhu received a guard of honour upon his arrival, it said. “Discussions focused on enhancing bilateral military cooperation, with emphasis on joint training, capacity building and improving operational cooperation,” ISPR said. During the meeting, ACM Sidhu “highlighted the deep-rooted religious, cultural, and historical ties between Pakistan and Iraq”. He also “reaffirmed PAF’s commitment to support the Iraqi Air Force in training and capacity development”. The statement sa... -
Dawn - 11:34 Jan 10, 2026
The 13th Pakistan-US bilateral joint military exercise — ‘Inspired Gambit 2026’ — has kicked off with a focus on counterterrorism, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that the two-week-long exercise — which began on Friday and is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Pabbi — will focus on the “counterterrorism domain, involving professional contingents from the armies of Pakistan and the US”. Officials from both sides attended the opening ceremony, it added. “The exercise is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and interoperability through the sharing of counterterrorism experiences, while further refining tactics, techniques, and procedures essential for effective CT operations,” the statement said. “Emphasis is being laid on marksmanship skills during urban warfare, as well as on understanding each other’s operational doctrines and best practices,” it added. The military’s media wing termed the exercise of “vital... -
Dawn - 11:21 Jan 10, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The government has appointed Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), according to a notification issued by the Finance Division on Friday. Dr Sidhu is currently serving as the chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), a position he assumed in August 2023. Under his leadership, the CCP witnessed significant institutional turnarounds in its history. Within two years, the CCP reduced its court case backlog by over 70 per cent, with 434 cases decided out of 567 pending matters, helping restore the regulator’s credibility and enforcement capacity. During Dr Sidhu’s tenure, the CCP recovered approximately Rs1.36 billion in penalties. In contrast, its total recoveries in the last 20 years were merely Rs20o million. The regulator also imposed over Rs2bn in fresh penalties through new enforcement actions. As CCP head, Dr Sidhu launched a renewed crackdown on cartels and market abuse, initiating major investigations and actions ag... -
Dawn - 11:10 Jan 10, 2026
The Pakistan Navy conducted a “comprehensive exercise” in the north Arabian Sea, successfully firing a surface-to-air missile, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, “Pakistan Navy demonstrated its operational readiness and combat preparedness through a comprehensive exercise in the north Arabian Sea, showcasing both conventional and unmanned capabilities, as per dictates of evolving naval warfare. “The exercise included the successful live firing of LY-80 (N) surface-to-air missile from a vertical launching system at an extended range, validating the long-range capabilities of Pakistan Navy’s modern air defence systems,” said ISPR. It said that the missile “successfully engaged and neutralised an aerial target, demonstrating Pakistan Navy’s robust air defence capabilities”. It added that the exercise also featured the “successful engagement” of surface targets using loitering munition, demonstrating Pakistan Navy’s precision strike capabilitie... -
Dawn - 10:25 Jan 10, 2026
SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A senior Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning after being critically wounded in a bomb blast near a madressah in the Wana bazaar area. Police said on Friday that a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in the Konra Cheena area near a religious seminary to target Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir, who was also the district president of Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia. He was immediately taken to Dera Ismail Khan for medical treatment but breathed his last on the way. Lower South Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Tahir Shah Wazir confirmed that an investigation into the incident was underway. He said law enforcement agencies were examining all aspects of the incident, adding that the evidence collected from the site was being analysed to trace those responsible. The attack on Maulana Sultan is the latest in a series of incidents targeting religious scholars and JUI-F leaders in South Waziristan, particularly in W... -
Dawn - 10:07 Jan 10, 2026
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Supreme Court (SC) set aside a rape conviction, changing it to fornication (consensual sex out of marriage), reducing a 20-year sentence to five years and slashing the fine from Rs500,000 to Rs10,000, sparking fresh calls for better protections for Pakistani women. “Such judgments do not give confidence to women to come out and report sexual violence perpetrated on them,” said Ayesha Farooq, chairperson of the government-notified Committee of the Anti-Rape Investigation and Trial Act, formed in 2021. Despite protective legislation, 70 per cent of gender-based violence (GBV) incidents go unreported. Of those reported, the national conviction rate stands at just 5pc, with some categories as low as 0.5pc and domestic violence convictions at 1.3pc. Senator Sherry Rehman highlighted the stark figures: in 2024, Islamabad recorded just seven convictions out of 176 reported rape cases. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported one conviction from 258 cases, Sindh reported no convictions despite 243 c... -
Dawn - 07:39 Jan 10, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Friday continued to make a case for him deserving the Nobel Peace Prize, yet again highlighting his role in ending the May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India. Taking media queries after a meeting with oil and gas executives at White House in Washington, Trump was asked about Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s offer to share her Nobel Peace Prize with the US president. “Norway is very embarrassed with what took place,” Trump said; the Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for selecting the Nobel Peace Prize laureates. “Whether people like Trump or don’t like Trump, I settled eight wars — big ones,” Trump said — a claim that he has repeated in the past. “Some going on for 36 years, 32 years, 31 years, 28 years, 25 years. Some just getting ready to start, like India and Pakistan, where already eight jets were shot out in the air,” Trump said. He pointed out that he arranged a ceasefire between the two countries in “rapid order without nuclear weapons”. “I ca... -
Dawn - 07:36 Jan 10, 2026
The Foreign Office on Saturday issued a travel advisory urging Pakistani nationals to avoid unnecessary travel to Iran amid growing unrest in the neighbouring country. In a statement, FO said, “For their safety and security, Pakistani nationals are advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until conditions improve.” It also advised Pakistani nationals residing in Iran to exercise “extreme caution, remain vigilant, minimise non-essential travel, and stay in regular contact with the Pakistani missions” in Tehran, Zahidan and Mashhad. The FO also shared the phone numbers for the Pakistan embassy in the three cities; Tehran +98-21-66-9413-88/89/90/91, +98-21-66-9448-88/90, +98 910 764 8298; Zahidan +98 54 33 22 3389, +989046145412; Mashhad +98 910 762 5302, +98 937 180 7175. Protests have taken place across Iran for nearly two weeks in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing internet restrictions. Iranian rights group HRANA said on ... -
Dawn - 06:49 Jan 10, 2026
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Australia and several other countries would join a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies that he is hosting in Washington on Monday to discuss critical minerals. Bessent said he had been pressing for a separate meeting on the issue since last summer’s summit of G7 leaders, and finance ministers had already held a virtual meeting in December. India was also invited to attend the meeting, Bessent told Reuters in an interview after touring the Minneapolis-area engineering lab of RV and boat maker Winnebago Industries. He said he was unsure if it had accepted the invitation. It was not immediately clear which other countries had been invited. The G7 includes the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, most of whom are heavily dependent on rare earth supplies from China. The group last June agreed on an action plan to secure their supply chains and boost their economie... -
Dawn - 05:58 Jan 10, 2026
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday that security forces killed eleven terrorists in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said the operations were carried out on Jan 8 and that the terrorists belonged to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It said that an IBO was conducted by the security forces in North Waziristan district on the reported presence of terrorists. During the operation, troops engaged the terrorists, and six were killed after an “intense fire exchange”. “Another joint IBO by police and security forces was conducted in Kurram district. In the ensuing fire exchange, five khawarij were effectively neutralised,” it said. The statement said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security f...
6698 items