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Dawn - 05:47 Feb 26, 2026
The US Justice Department announced the arrest on Wednesday of a former Air Force fighter pilot who allegedly trained Chinese military personnel without authorisation. Gerald Brown, 65, was arrested in Indiana after having recently returned to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023, a Justice Department statement said. He is accused of having “conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force” without a required license from the US State Department, the statement said. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel posted on X: “Major story… the FBI and our partners have arrested a former US Air Force Pilot who was allegedly training pilots in the Chinese military.” Brown had a 24-year career in the US Air Force during which he “commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor on a variety of figh... -
Dawn - 02:36 Feb 26, 2026
WITHIN hours of the bombing of an Islamabad Imambargah on Feb 6, Pakistani intelligence and law enforcement zeroed in on a home in Hakimabad, Nowshera, 49km east of Peshawar. “It was a race against time. Sifting through technical data, establishing coordinates and isolating the target,” a senior security official said. “It didn’t take long before we knew the location.” By late evening, they had already laid siege to the residence, taken up position and called out those inside to come out, hands raised, and surrender. For a moment, there was no movement. But then, someone showed a raised hand from behind the door, indicating their willingness to surrender. Except that he didn’t. Aiming a 9mm gun straight at the security cordon, the lone gunman fired straight shots, hitting an assistant sub inspector of the police right in the chest, killing him on the spot, and injuring two intelligence officers. The exchange of fire didn’t last long, though. Within minutes, the gunman, said to be in his mid-thirties, was shot... -
Dawn - 02:32 Feb 26, 2026
THE chaos at the country’s major airports seems to be subsiding, with some order gradually restored after the state’s ham-handed efforts to crack down on unlawful travel. The past few months had been a nightmare, with passengers travelling abroad from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad routinely complaining of long queues, repeated questioning by security personnel, and extremely long waits for immigration clearance. It seems that some unscrupulous elements had also jumped at the opportunity to fleece time-stressed travellers by furtively offering ‘facilitation services’ in exchange for extortive ‘fees’. Some passengers had even complained on social media that the free-to-use luggage trolleys meant to facilitate travellers had ‘disappeared’ from their usual drop-off spots, and they were forced to pay to use one. Then there were the reports of passengers being denied boarding on flimsy pretexts, or for no reason at all. It seems that the growing discontent finally forced the authorities to restore some order. While... -
Dawn - 20:00 Feb 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned a joint session of Parliament on March 2, at the start of the new parliamentary year. A notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday said that in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 read with clause (3) of Article 56 of the Constitution, the president has summoned both Houses of Parliament to assemble together at the Parliament House in Islamabad on March 2 (Monday) at 10:30am. Earlier, a post on the Presidency’s X account stated that he had approved the summary for convening the session. The post also said that the session would be convened at 3pm on March 2. Later, the National Assembly Secretariat issued its notification, in which the time was revised to 10:30am. The session is being convened in continuation of the practice of a joint sitting behind held at the start of every parliamentary year. According to Article 56 of the Constitution, the president addresses both Houses of parliament at the start of th... -
Dawn - 18:50 Feb 25, 2026
Iran sees the chance of a good outcome from a third round of talks with the United States, its President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday, as a delegation left for Geneva for negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. A senior US official said on Monday that envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are slated to meet with the Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in Geneva on Thursday. The two countries resumed negotiations over the long-disputed nuclear programme earlier this month as the US builds up its military capability in the Middle East ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic. Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the region if it is attacked. Trump on February 19 said he was giving Tehran about 10 to 15 days to make a deal. “In relation to the talks, we see a good outlook, tomorrow in the meeting that Dr Araqchi will hold in Geneva … we have tried, with the guidance of the supreme leader, to manage this process to get out of th... -
Dawn - 18:36 Feb 25, 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers in Jerusalem on Wednesday that India stands “firmly” with Israel following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. Modi also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a two-day visit aimed at deepening trade and defence ties that has drawn criticism at home. “I … carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7,” Modi said in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. “We feel your pain, we share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly with full conviction in this moment and beyond.” In his speech, Modi did not explicitly mention the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the more than two-year-long Israeli onslaught. But he said that India “supports all efforts that contribute to durable peace and regional stability”. Modi also told Israeli lawmakers that his country’s economic growth and Israel’s leadership... -
Dawn - 18:31 Feb 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court seeking the medical treatment of jailed party founder Imran Khan at a hospital of his choice, along with access to his personal physicians. The application, filed by PTI lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa under Order XXXV Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules 2025, comes after Imran underwent a government-facilitated follow-up treatment for his eye ailment. The application, available with Dawn, was filed on behalf of Imran and named the Islamabad district election commissioner as the respondent, as it invoked the Toshakhana case in which the PTI founder was first arrested on Aug 5, 2023. The plea requested the SC that Imran be “immediately shifted to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad for proper treatment of his eyes from [a] retina specialist”. It may be mentioned that Shifa International Hospital — where Imran’s family and personal doctors want him to be taken — is in Islamabad, whereas Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, a doctor of which was involved in Tuesda... -
Dawn - 18:03 Feb 25, 2026
New Zealand knocked co-hosts Sri Lanka out of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday with a 61-run win in Colombo that boosted their semi-final hopes. Sri Lanka needed an emphatic win to stay alive but instead exited with a whimper, limping to 107-8 chasing New Zealand’s 168-7. A win for New Zealand against England on Friday at the same R. Premadasa stadium would see them top the Super Eights group and qualify for the semi-finals along with Harry Brook’s side. A defeat would open the door for Pakistan, who would probably need a big win against Sri Lanka in Kandy on Saturday to sneak through on net run rate. Sri Lanka were never in the chase as Matt Henry dismissed their leading batsman Pathum Nissanka with the first ball of the innings. Henry also removed Chairth Asalanka with the first ball of his second over to leave Sri Lanka in trouble at 6-2. Sri Lanka crawled to 20-2 at the end of the six-over power play, the lowest in the competition and Sri Lanka’s second lowest ever in T20 internationals. Part-time spinner R... -
Dawn - 17:49 Feb 25, 2026
LAHORE: Five senior PTI leaders incarcerated in Lahore’s Koth Lakhpat Jail have written an open letter, urging the chief justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi to again look into the matter of PTI founder Imran Khan’s health and treatment and “see that justice is done”. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and Omer Sarfraz Cheema made the appeal in a joint handwritten open letter, which was shared by their counsel Rana Mudassar on Wednesday. They also drew a comparison between the events surrounding the jailed ex-prime minister’s treatment today and that of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in 2019. Nawaz, who was serving a prison sentence granted by an accountability court that found him guilty of corruption in the Al Azizia case in 2019, had been allowed to travel to London for treatment after he was diagnosed with an immune system disorder. Prior to that, he was also provided treatment at the hospital in Pakistan. The five PTI leaders said in their letter that in 2019, “when Naw... -
Dawn - 17:07 Feb 25, 2026
Multiple PTI supporters across social media platforms were sharing a dim clip of party founder Imran Khan since February 24, 2026, claiming that it was from his latest visit to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for a second eye injection. However, the video is old from February 20, 2023, when he appeared before the Lahore High Court (LHC) for interim protective bail in a case. The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false. Imran was brought to Pims for a follow-up eye treatment on Feb 24. According to a doctor, he was brought to the hospital for a second dose of anti-VEGF intravitreal injection. Imran’s eye ailment — right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) — came to light in late January 2026. His first medical procedure, which was carried out on January 24, was confirmed by the government five days later. Since then, the government and the opposition have also been engaged in a blame game, with the latter accusing the former of a lack of transparency ... -
Dawn - 16:40 Feb 25, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will embark on Thursday on a three-day visit — from February 26-28 — to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session of the Organisation of Islamic Council (OIC) Executive Committee, according to the Foreign Office (FO). The FO said in a statement on Wednesday that the ministerial session would be held on February 26 in Jeddah “to consider the illegal decisions of the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied West Bank”. The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of the Israeli government approving a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the occupation of the territory in 1967. The move is in violation of international law, which states that an occupying power cannot confiscate land in occupied territories. At the ministerial session in Jeddah, FM D... -
Dawn - 16:00 Feb 25, 2026
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and 17 other press freedom and human rights organisations on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take immediate steps to “uphold the country’s constitutional and international obligations” to protect press freedom. In a joint letter addressed to the premier, they said they were writing to express “deep concern regarding the sustained deterioration of media freedom in Pakistan”. The letter was endorsed by Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, Forum Asia, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and the Freedom Network, among other local and international groups. The letter said that the recent legal and institutional developments, alongside “persistent failures” to ensure accountability for attacks on journalists, had contributed to a worsening environment for members of the media in Pakistan. “We urge your government to take immediate action to uphold Pakistan’s obligations under the Constitut... -
Dawn - 15:38 Feb 25, 2026
LAHORE: A judicial magistrate at a district court on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) while hearing a bail petition of a Canadian national who was arrested in a cybercrime case. Hamza Ahmed Khan, who was pursuing doctoral research, had reportedly gone missing last week, leading to the registration of a first information report. He turned up in NCCIA’s custody on Monday and was sent to jail on judicial remand. Subsequently, he filed for post-arrest bail. On Wednesday, Advocate Asad Jamal appeared before the magistrate on behalf of Khan. During the hearing, the magistrate directed the NCCIA’s investigating officer to submit a record of the case on Thursday. In his petition, the applicant alleged that he was abducted on the night between Feb 18 and 19, while travelling in a cab in Lahore. The petitioner claimed that the first information report (FIR) against him by the FIA’s cyber crime wing was registered a day later on Feb 21, with “malafide intentions” to conc... -
Dawn - 15:18 Feb 25, 2026
BAJAUR: Four cops were martyred and two others were wounded when unidentified attackers opened fire at a patrol party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday evening. Khar Police Station House Officer Gul Zada told Dawn that the attackers targeted the Ababeel Squad — an exclusive patrolling force — at the time of Iftar near the Nawai Kallay area. The squad was on a routine patrol when unidentified attackers opened fire on them, he said, adding that four policemen died on the spot while two others were “seriously injured”. Separately, Bajaur police spokesperson Israr Khan told Dawn that the personnel were on their way to the Bajaur police lines from Inayat Kallay bazaar, with their duty hours about to end, when they were attacked. As a result, four cops — Yar Zada, Dawood Khan, Imran Khan and Siraj Khan — were martyred while Irshad Khan and Azizur Rehman were injured, he added. SHO Gul Zada said the injured policemen were immediately taken to the district headquarters hospital in Khar for treatmen... -
Dawn - 15:12 Feb 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The federal and provincial governments on Wednesday agreed on a joint strategy to establish peace and stability in the country. An agreement to this effect was reached during an important meeting on law and order held with Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry in the chair. The development comes amid the surge of terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, carried out by Fitna Al Khawarij and Fitna Al Hindustan — state-designated names for terror outfits backed by Indian proxies. During the meeting, the Centre assured provincial governments of the provision of necessary resources and technical support to maintain law and order. “Protection of citizens’ lives and property is the state’s top priority,” Chaudhry remarked. He also praised the security forces’ role in the fight against terrorism. “The security forces remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolv... -
Dawn - 14:55 Feb 25, 2026
Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is rapidly transitioning from laboratories to real-world applications, enabling patients to control computers, robotic arms, and robot dogs with their thoughts. As integration into daily life accelerates, China marked a significant milestone on January 1, 2026, when its first national standard for BCI-based medical devices took effect. The new standard defines the scope of BCI medical devices, categorises technical approaches, standardises terminology for signals such as electroencephalograms, and provides key definitions for signal acquisition, processing, encoding and decoding, as well as clinical applications. Why are such standards important? According to Yuan Peng, deputy director-general of the department of medical device registration at the National Medical Products Administration, as China makes breakthroughs in brain science and neural decoding, BCI medical devices are entering a critical stage of industrialisation and clinical translation. Because these dev... -
Dawn - 14:46 Feb 25, 2026
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday that a total of 34 terrorists were killed in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said that over the last few days, security forces had conducted a series of “high tempo, intelligence-driven operations” aimed at eliminating Indian proxies Fitna Al Khwarij and Fitna Al Hindustan. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balochistan. The statement said that on Feb 24, 26 terrorists belonging to Fitna Al Khwarij were killed in four separate engagements in KP, while eight terrorists belonging to Fitna Al Hindustan were killed in an operation in Balochistan’s Sambaza. Giving a breakdown, ISPR said that the movement of a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate through the Pak-Afghan border was picked up by security forces in ... -
Dawn - 14:00 Feb 25, 2026
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The main inter-provincial highway linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab was reopened to traffic on Wednesday after remaining closed for several hours following a suicide attack at the Dajil checkpost in Bhakkar. The road had been sealed after a suicide attack at the inter-provincial checkpost on Tuesday evening, leaving two police officials martyred. Following the attack, authorities suspended traffic as a precautionary measure and launched a search operation. Officials said the Dera Darya Khan bridge was reopened for all kinds of traffic on Wednesday after consultations between the district administrations of Dera Ismail Khan and Bhakkar. Traffic was restored once security clearance was completed and necessary checks were carried out. It is worth mentioning that the Dajil checkpost is at the border of Dera Ismail Khan and Bhakkar. Traders against repeated closures The continued closure of the inter-provincial route caused significant inconvenience to travellers and transporters. Vehicles r... -
Dawn - 13:25 Feb 25, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed the need for reducing direct taxes “across the board” in the upcoming budget to facilitate the business community. The premier made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Pakistan Governance Forum 2026, which was attended by businesspersons as well. PM Shehbaz stressed the need for increasing economic growth, production, exports, investments and foreign direct investments (FDI), rather than relying on hiking taxes. He said: “I believe that in the upcoming budget — which will come a few months later — we must decrease direct taxes across the board so that businesspersons and investors are facilitated. “My entire team and I are united on this that we must reduce taxes immediately,” he said, adding that businesspeople did not pay indirect taxes. Noting that many businesspersons sitting among the audience understood the issue he was referring to, PM Shehbaz said, “You obtain the indirect tax from the consumers. But if you keep it in yo... -
Dawn - 13:05 Feb 25, 2026
Pakistan has boosted security and arrested dozens of suspects as it fears a rising wave of militant attacks following its air strikes in Afghanistan, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Wednesday. “Our forces are on high-alert to combat any attacks,” Chaudhry told Reuters. “You know the militants always react whenever we go after their hideouts in Afghanistan.” Pakistan carried out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan over the weekend on what it said were militant targets responsible for a spate of recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil. Islamabad blames Kabul for allowing the fighters to use Afghanistan as a safe haven. Kabul denies the charges, saying the militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem. Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along their border on Tuesday, with each side accusing the other of initiating the clash. There have also been a number of militant attacks, including the ambush of a police vehicle in Kohat in which five officers and two civilians were killed and a s...
10444 items