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Dawn - 03:08 Oct 14, 2025
• Taliban foreign minister claims omission of women journalists from his first media interaction was ‘unintentional’ • UN terms Afghan restrictions on women ‘gender apartheid’ • India’s Ministry of External Affairs denies any role in Friday’s press interaction at Afghan embassy A PICTURE is worth a thousand words — and the image splashed across Indian newspapers on Monday, showing female journalists seated prominently in the front row at the Taliban foreign minister’s press conference in Delhi, perfectly embodies that sentiment. The conference — Amir Khan Muttaqi’s second press event at the Afghan embassy within 48 hours — was convened following widespread outrage over the exclusion of female journalists from his initial briefing on Friday, BBC News reported. Mr Muttaqi said at Sunday’s conference that the exclusion was unintentional and not “deliberate”. “With regard to the [Friday’s] press conference, it was on short notice and a short list of journalists was decided, and the participation list that was pre... -
Dawn - 02:58 Oct 14, 2025
• Dozens arrested, several injured as armoured vehicles, water cannon used to disperse charged crowd • Police say inspector martyred; around 50 cops badly injured in violent clashes • Conflicting reports emerge about fate of TLP chief; IGP says Saad Rizvi ‘not in custody’ • Second-tier leaders call on TLP supporters to converge on Lahore for protest on 17th LAHORE: The fate of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi remained shrouded in mystery after law enforcement agencies launched a sweeping pre-dawn operation on Monday to dismantle the religious party’s protest camp in Muridke, triggering violent clashes, widespread chaos and dozens of arrests. The operation, which began around 3:30am, quickly spiralled into one of the most serious confrontations between police and TLP in recent months, continuing for nearly six hours. According to officials, some 1,500 police personnel in full anti-riot gear, supported by four armoured personnel carriers and water cannons, surrounded the protest camp along the ... -
Dawn - 02:33 Oct 14, 2025
• UN-OCHA sit-rep says cold conditions precipitated by La Nina will especially impact KP, GB • Phenomenon likely to disrupt Kharif crop harvesting, raise Glof risk ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to face one of its coldest winter this year in decades due to the La Nina climate pattern. According to the latest situation report on Pakistan’s monsoon floods, compiled by the Intersector Coordination Group in collaboration with other partners, this could lead to colder-than-usual winter conditions, further stretching coping mechanisms of households affected by the floods, particularly in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan. A La Nina occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean cool abnormally, triggering extreme weather shifts worldwide. In its forecast for October, the report published by UN-OCHA says that the continued marginally negative phases of both the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole will drive rainfall across Pakistan. Northern Punjab, KP,... -
Dawn - 19:17 Oct 13, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday night issued a strongly-worded statement telling Afghanistan to focus on issues pertinent to itself and not to interfere in Islamabad’s internal affairs. The FO was responding to a statement by Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid slamming the police crackdown on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The TLP, which began its protest march in Lahore on Friday, was planning to reach Islamabad and stage a demonstration in support of Gaza and Palestine outside the US embassy. On Monday, police and law enforcement agencies launched an early-morning operation to disperse the protesters, who were encamped in Muridke. The clashes left a police officer and four civilians dead, including three TLP workers. Mujahid issued a statement earlier today in which Kabul expressed its condolences and said it was “profoundly saddened” by the violence and deaths and noted that the demonstrations were carried out “in accordance with the country’s legal framework”. “We extend our heartfelt... -
Dawn - 18:41 Oct 13, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that as of today, there are “no ties” between Islamabad and Kabul in the fallout of Afghanistan’s unprovoked attack on the Pak-Afghan border over the weekend. “It’s a stalemate right now. You can say there are no active hostilities, but the environment is hostile,” Asif said on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’. “There are no ties, direct or indirect, as of today.” Asif said hostilities between the two sides can resume “at any time”. “We can not rule that out, but there is certainly a lull in hostilities. “We cannot lower our guard,” warned the defence minister. When asked if Islamabad will negotiate with Kabul, Asif replied that if Afghanistan wants negotiations while threatening Pakistan at the same time, “then they should act on their threats and we’ll negotiate after”. “This is a natural thing. If you are attacked, you instantly have the right to react and target wherever the attack is originating from,” the defence minister explained. “We did ... -
Dawn - 18:12 Oct 13, 2025
Torrential rains that lashed Mexico last week killed at least 64 people and 65 more are missing, the government said on Monday, after a tropical depression triggered landslides and flooding in parts of the Gulf Coast and central states. The unnamed depression came toward the end of the rainy season, battering land and bursting rivers that had already been soaked by months of rains, while forecasters were focused on tropical storms and two hurricanes on the Pacific coast. “This intense rain was not expected to be of such magnitude,” President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters. Admiral Raymundo Morales, Mexico’s Navy secretary, said the flooding was the result of the coming together of warm and cold air fronts over rivers that were already filled to the brink and mountains weakened by months of rain. Around 100,000 homes were affected, Sheinbaum said. She is set to meet with the finance ministry later in the day to discuss rebuilding efforts, and visit some hard-hit states. Laura Velazquez, national coordinator ... -
Dawn - 18:06 Oct 13, 2025
United States President Donald Trump especially thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “my favourite” Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday for their efforts in achieving peace in Gaza, among many other world leaders. Trump was addressing a ceremony following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt. He also invited PM Shehbaz to deliver a special address at the ceremony. Taking the podium, PM Shehbaz thanked Trump and the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for their efforts in securing the peace deal. “Today is one of the greatest days in contemporary history because peace has been achieved after untiring efforts led by President Trump, who is genuinely a man of peace [and] who has relentlessly and untiringly worked throughout these months, day in and day out, to make this world a place to live with peace and prosperity.” ’’I would say that Pakistan had nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding and extraordin... -
Dawn - 18:05 Oct 13, 2025
South Africa’s lower order once again came to the rescue after a top order collapse, edging out Bangladesh by three wickets in a nail-biting finish in the Women’s World Cup in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Chasing 233, the Proteas were on the ropes at 78-5, but their tail refused to throw in the towel, showing the same grit that saw them turn the tables on India in their previous outing. A gutsy 85-run stand for the sixth wicket between Marizanne Kapp, who made 56, and Chloe Tryon, 62, steadied the ship and gave the chase a fresh lease of life. Both batters brought up their half-centuries, but their dismissals reopened the door for Bangladesh, who sniffed an upset. Then, Nadine de Klerk, South Africa’s player for a crisis, walked in and saw her side over the line. Her unbeaten 37 off 29 deliveries guided her side home with three balls to spare. “I am lost for words, actually. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I’m happy we pulled this off,” said Tryon, who was named player-of-the-match. “We just wanted to stay calm ... -
Dawn - 17:04 Oct 13, 2025
PTI MPA Sohail Afridi on Monday was elected the new chief executive of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during an assembly session marred by the opposition’s walkout and despite prevailing uncertainty regarding the resignation of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who pushed ahead with the election despite the opposition walkout, announced that the three opposition candidates — Maulana Lutfur Rehman of JUI-F, Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf of the PML-N, and Arbab Zarak Khan of the PPP — all received zero votes. Noting that three members of the assembly were out of the country, he announced that Afridi had won the election after securing 90 votes, prompting chants in favour of the PTI leader to ring out in the assembly hall. Afridi had needed to secure at least 73 votes in the 145-strong KP Assembly to win the election. Out of a total of 53 opposition members, 51 walked out of the assembly on the call of the opposition leader; the remaining two were not present for the session. Mean... -
Dawn - 16:53 Oct 13, 2025
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday sought a reply from the provincial AAG after the PTI submitted a plea seeking the nomination of the KP Assembly speaker to administer the oath to CM-elect Sohail Afridi. PHC Chief Justice S. M. Attique Shah asked AAG Sanaullah to confirm whether the KP governor has received the summary related to the oath from the assembly secretariat and has instructed him to submit a reply by Wednesday. “We will look at the matter tomorrow again. Get a response from the governor and let us know,” the judge added. The development comes after PTI’s Sohail Afridi won the election held in the KP Assembly for the chief minister role. KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, announced that the three opposition candidates — Maulana Lutfur Rehman of JUI-F, Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf of the PML-N, and Arbab Zarak Khan of the PPP — all received zero votes. KP’s Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah Khan decried Afridi’s election as “unconstitutional”, and opposition lawmakers staged a walkout from... -
Dawn - 16:52 Oct 13, 2025
Normalcy returned to the twin cities on Monday evening, with traffic flow restored after an early morning operation by law enforcers against Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters who had camped at Muridke, according to police. A Dawn.com correspondent reported that only the Faizabad Interchange remained closed while the rest of the intersections between Rawalpindi and Islamabad were open for traffic. He said that the situation was returning to normal and there was no serious reaction from the religious party, adding that overall traffic was thin on the major thoroughfares. Mobile data services, impacted since the start of the protest, were also restored in most areas of the twin cities, added the correspondent. Earlier, authorities had moved to close roads and motorways again in and around Lahore and Islamabad — which had started reopening on Sunday — after the operation, as panic spread among citizens about the potential outcome of the clash. Meanwhile, some schools in Islamabad also closed earlier tha... -
Dawn - 16:40 Oct 13, 2025
Former Pakistan Test batter Wazir Mohammad passed away on Monday at the age of 95, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to ESPNCricinfo, the right-hander was born in Junagadh in 1929, and his siblings included renowned cricketers Hanif, Mushtaq and Raees Mohammad. “One of the four Mohammad brothers to represent Pakistan in Test cricket, he featured in 20 matches for his country from 1952 to 1959,” the PCB wrote in a post on X, extending its condolences. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his condolences to Mohammad’s family in a statement, paying tribute to the batter’s services to Test cricket. “Wazir Mohammad was a good batsman and an extremely refined human being,” Naqvi was quoted as saying, offering prayers for the family. ‘A guiding light’ In Pakistan’s early days, a group of brothers used to play cricket in the compound of a temple at Karachi’s Haji Camp. All five of them, who had migrated to the city from Junagadh in India, were right-handed batters and each highly talented, but t... -
Dawn - 16:40 Oct 13, 2025
Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL) on Monday announced that users would experience degraded internet services tomorrow (Tuesday) as a submarine cable is being repaired. In a post on X, PTCL said that maintenance work on the submarine cable will be carried out to repair a faulty repeater. “The activity will start on October 14 … around 11am PST, which can last for up to 18 hours,” the telecom giant said. “During this period, customers will face Internet service degradation. We regret the inconvenience, please.” Meanwhile, internet monitoring service Downdetector showed users reporting issues accessing social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram in Pakistan. A screenshot of a graph showing user reports of Facebook outages over the past 24 hours in Pakistan. — Screengrab via Downdetector Last month, PTCL warned that cuts to submarine internet cables in Saudi waters would likely impact internet services in the country during peak hours. This is not the first time that damage to undersea internet... -
Dawn - 15:24 Oct 13, 2025
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail on Monday wondered whether judges comprising the Supreme Court’s (SC) Constitutional Bench (CB) hearing petitions against the 26th Amendment could do so if they were its “beneficiaries”. The Amendment was passed by the parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also p... -
Dawn - 15:05 Oct 13, 2025
A Pakistan Army team won the gold medal at Exercise Cambrian Patrol-2025, held in Wales from October 3-13, according to a statement from the military’s media wing. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the exercise retained its demanding professional standards, where patrols from militaries across the globe move tactically across 60 kilometres of inhospitable terrain within 48 hours, completing specialised tasks. “This year, 137 teams from 36 Countries participated in the exercise and out of all these teams, [the] Pakistan Army’s team, led by Captain Muhammad Saad, showed exceptional performance in the exercise and [was] awarded with the gold medal,” the ISPR said. “It is indeed a proud moment for the whole nation and [the] Pakistan Army, which is known for its professionalism and highest standards of training,” the statement added. “Pakistan Army has always held [the] country’s flag high and will keep endeavouring in future as well.” Pakistan also won the gold medal at the exercise last year ... -
Dawn - 14:57 Oct 13, 2025
India and Canada agreed on Monday on a new roadmap for their relations after talks between their foreign ministers in New Delhi, as both countries seek to mend ties strained over the killing of a Canadian Sikh separatist. The two countries, both of which are looking to diversify trade away from the United States due to tariff announcements, agreed to collaborate on areas such as critical minerals, trade and agricultural value chains, a joint statement said. “Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances,” it said. Almost two years of strained relations The statement came after Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and her counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday. “Both of our governments agree on the importance of elevating the relationship,” Anand said in her opening remarks at the meeting with Jaishankar. Relations between New Delhi and O... -
Dawn - 14:51 Oct 13, 2025
United States President Donald Trump told the Israeli parliament on Monday that the ceasefire he helped broker in the Gaza conflict had ushered in the “historic dawn of a new Middle East”. “And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity,” he said. “This is not only the end of a war … This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.“ Trump’s lightning visit to Israel came ahead of a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh co-chaired by the American president, who has declared the conflict in Gaza “over”. Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is due to release nearly 2,000 Palestinians held in its jails. Addressing the Israeli parliament, Trump called the agreement that brought about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the captives held by Hamas a triumph as he thanked mediators from the... -
Dawn - 14:02 Oct 13, 2025
China is concerned about recent border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has asked the two countries to protect their nationals and investments in the region, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Monday. Intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan started late on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed when Islamabad responded to aggression by Kabul. Afghanistan claimed it carried out the attack as a “retaliatory” measure, accusing Islamabad of conducting air strikes in its territory earlier this week. For its part, Islamabad has not confirmed whether it was behind the air strikes but maintains that Kabul should “stop harbouring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan on its soil”. In response to Islamabad’s repeated calls to bar terrorists from using its territory for cross-border attacks, Afghanistan denies the allegation of allowing terrorist out... -
Dawn - 13:46 Oct 13, 2025
Spinner Noman Ali grabbed four wickets to restrict South Africa to 216-6 at the close of play on day two of the first Test in Lahore on Monday, despite a fighting half century from Tony de Zorzi. Spinners dominated on a turning Gaddafi Stadium pitch as all the day’s 11 wickets went to slow bowlers, with South African left-armer Senuran Muthusamy taking a career-best 6-117 to dismiss Pakistan for 378. Zorzi was holding the fort at the close with 81 not out and Muthusamy on six as South Africa trail by 162 runs in the first innings. Zorzi batted with guts, knocking nine boundaries and a six, combating Noman, who claimed 4-85. South Africa started off well with 45-0 on the board when Noman removed touring skipper Aiden Markram for 20 and Wiaan Mulder for 17 — both caught behind by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Ryan Rickelton, who scored a punishing 71 with two sixes and nine boundaries, and Zorzi added 94 for the third wicket, taking on the spinners with some aggressive shots. It was part-timer Salman Agha who b... -
Dawn - 13:25 Oct 13, 2025
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index plummeted by over 4,600 points on Monday due to continuing political uncertainty, the weekend conflict with Afghanistan and the ongoing crackdown on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The benchmark KSE-100 index opened at 163,098.19 points before dropping by 4,654.77 points, or 2.85 per cent, to close at 158,443.42. Of 482 active scrips, only 74 advanced , 375 declined while 33 remained unchanged. The PSX had experienced a sharp decline over the previous week as a combination of global and domestic uncertainties dented investor sentiment. Intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan that started late on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning cast a shadow over the bourse. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 23 troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed when Islamabad responded to aggression by Kabul. Meanwhile, a crackdown against TLP protesters early Monday, who had been camped at M...
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