Dawn
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Dawn - 04:10 Aug 16, 2025
QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday directed the provincial government to review its blanket suspension of mobile and data services and to immediately restore public transport, which had been suspended across the province for security reasons. A two-judge bench of BHC, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Sardar Ahmad Halimi, issued the directives while hearing a petition challenging the government’s shutdown orders. The petition was filed by Khair Muhammad Shaheen, chairman of the Balochistan Consumer Civil Society. The Additional Chief Secretary for Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqat informed the court that public transport services were temporarily suspended. The court found this justification for halting public transport services to be unreasonable and ordered the immediate withdrawal of the suspension order. Regarding the mobile network shutdown, scheduled to last until Aug 31, the court instructed the government to reconsider its province-wide ban. The bench directed officials ... -
Dawn - 04:07 Aug 16, 2025
• Two FIRs registered; 47 suspects named, 300 remain unidentified • Minarets of worship places torn down, one set ablaze; nearby homes also attacked • HRCP calls for strict action on hate speech LAHORE: Dijikot police have registered two cases against 300 people on terrorism charges for setting two worship places of the Ahmadi community on fire in Faisalabad, on the eve of Independence Day. As many as 47 men were nominated, while 300 others remain unidentified in both cases. The cases were registered under Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and sections 295, 425, 446, 380, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIRs, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ticket-holder Hafiz Rafaqat led the mob, which was armed with rods and bricks. The attackers gathered outside one of the larger Ahmadi worship places and pelted it with bricks. Members of the community who tried to resist were severely beaten, leaving several injured. The mob, under the cover of Independence Day processions, delivered h... -
Dawn - 02:20 Aug 16, 2025
• CTD claims killing three TTP-linked militants in Peshawar operation • Two excise officials targeted near Dera-Daraban bypass PESHAWAR: Five people, including two personnel from the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) and two Excise Department officials, were martyred, while three militants were killed in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, official sources said. Counter-Terrorism Department officials said their team ambushed a group of militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an intelligence-based operation carried out in Regi Lalma, on the outskirts of the provincial capital, on Thursday night. They said the CTD had been tracking the group, which was involved in 18 different attacks on police and citizens. These attacks took place along Peshawar’s northern border with Mohmand district, southern border with Kohat district, eastern border with Khyber district and western border with Nowshera district. The ambush was based on technical surveillance, the officials said, adding t... -
Dawn - 19:08 Aug 15, 2025
The Finance Division on Friday night announced a cut of Rs12.84 per litre in the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) for the next fortnight, while petrol prices will remain unchanged. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. A notification from the Finance Division, available with Dawn.com, stated that the new price of HSD was Rs272.99, while petrol would remain at Rs264.61. Additionally, the prices of superior kerosene oil and light diesel oil were slashed by Rs7.19 per litre and Rs8.2, respectively. “The Government has decided to revise the petroleum product prices for the fortnight commencing August 16, 2025, in line with the recommendations of Ogra (Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority) and the concerned ministries,” the notification read. Earlier this week, the per-li... -
Dawn - 18:41 Aug 15, 2025
Flash flooding in the country’s northern areas on Friday left at least 222 people dead, with 210 lives lost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 12 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), according to provincial officials and disaster management bodies. Since late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country — especially KP and northern regions — by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. Key points: 210 killed in KP, including 91 in Buner 12 dead in GB, nine dead in AJK Over 10 people killed each in Bajaur, Battagram, Shangla and Mansehra KP government rescue helicopter crashes, five crew dead KP CM says all departments engaged in rescue operations Bridges, homes, water mills washed away in AJK Over 700 tourists rescued from AJK’s Ratti Gali Flash flood washes away homes in GB’s Daen village Tourists stranded in GB due to flooded roads Power outages in GB’s Skardu after water entered power station The province-wide deaths in KP includ... -
Dawn - 18:22 Aug 15, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said he wanted to see a ceasefire “today” as he headed to Alaska on Friday for a summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to help end the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising — if only informally — Russian control over one fifth of Ukraine. Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them to a table,” he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly… I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today… I want the killing to stop.” The US and Russian presidents are due to meet at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska’s largest city at around 11am (12am PKT) for their first face-to-face talks... -
Dawn - 17:31 Aug 15, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to conduct comprehensive relief operations in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir. At least 198 people lost their lives and several remained missing as flash floods wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). “The prime minister directed the NDMA to continue its cooperation with the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the PDMA, to provide them with all possible support in the rescue and relief operation and to utilise all resources for this,” a statement issued by the prime minister’s office read. NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik briefed the prime minister on the damage caused by cloudbursts, flash floods in the upper parts of the country, as well as the rescue and relief operation. The prime minister directed the NDMA chairman to further coordinate with the KP provincial government for rescue a... -
Dawn - 15:14 Aug 15, 2025
This particular column is based on my last trip to Lahore from Cambridge, where I am considered a ‘Lahore Specialist’. Just imagine!! Last month, the university further promoted and confirmed a ‘lifelong’ research position. I will not tell what it is named. The last time I flew in on our national airline trip, it was a disaster. Oh it was delayed several times with an unannounced departure. Not surprised. No wonder it was banned. The seats were reshuffled, disgraceful food quality, insipid tea (… most like cold tea, Sir!), the lights inside going crazy and snappy crew reassuring the aircraft will not crash. It was a delight to enter the dust-bowl skies of Lahore and the searing heat. For once, the Begum literally looked red. Before leaving for Lahore I visited a sub-continental eatery in Cambridge called ‘Dishoom’, which started pre-Partition in Bombay (Mumbai), then opened a branch in Karachi and then moved to London and finally to Cambridge. It is a Parsi-owned eatery and if you tell them that you are from ... -
Dawn - 15:10 Aug 15, 2025
The Privatisation Commission on Friday signed an agreement with financial advisers for the privatisation of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), a statement from the Ministry of Privatisation said. Founded in 1961 as the ADBP, it was renamed and incorporated as ZTBL in 2002 under the Companies Ordinance 1984. The bank offers agricultural credit and banking services to farmers nationwide and remains Pakistan’s largest public-sector agri lender. Last month, the Board of the Privatisation Commission had approved the appointment of financial advisers for the divestment of ZTBL, marking it as one of the government’s priority transactions in the current privatisation pipeline. “The Privatisation Commission has signed a Financial Advisory Services Agreement (Fasa) with a consortium led by Next Capital Limited for the strategic privatisation of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL),” the statement said. It added that the consortium also includes Ijaz Ahmed and Associates, Baker Tilly Mehmood Idrees Qamar, Execut... -
Dawn - 13:24 Aug 15, 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that his country is seeking self-reliance in energy independence and the development of its own powerful defence systems, vowing to defend his country’s interests “like a wall”. Modi delivered his annual Independence Day address from the ramparts of New Delhi’s Red Fort at a time when India faces intense pressure and threats of additional tariffs from the United States. “Self-reliance is the foundation of developed India,” Modi said after a flypast of military helicopters scattered flower petals above an invited crowd of thousands. “Freedom becomes meaningless if someone becomes too dependent on others.” Ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump’s ultimatum that India end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine. India has said it “stands ready” to support efforts to end the Ukraine war and endorses a summit to be held between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Put... -
Dawn - 12:54 Aug 15, 2025
A man who was believed to have been running from a raid by US immigration agents died on Thursday after being hit by a car on a freeway, police said. City managers in Monrovia, near Los Angeles, said police had been called after there were reports of activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Home Depot. During the raid, one man ran from the parking lot of the hardware store — a place where day labourers commonly gather looking for casual work — and onto a busy freeway during rush hour, Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik told media. A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said the 40-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries a few hours later. Neither CHP nor the city were immediately able to provide any details on the man’s identity. Feik said: “The city has not received any communication or information from ICE.” ICE did not immediately respond to an AFP request for information. Masked and armed agents from ICE and US Border Patrol began carrying ... -
Dawn - 12:35 Aug 15, 2025
Advocacy groups filed a criminal case against Germany’s foreign and interior ministers on Friday, accusing them of failing to protect Afghan nationals in Pakistan with German admission approvals from deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Pakistan has begun deporting documented Afghan refugees ahead of a September 1 deadline, a move the United Nations warns could force more than one million to leave. The decision followed the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that PoR cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30. A letter from the interior ministry, dated August 4, was sent to the chief secretaries and police chiefs of the four provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, detailing the implementation of the ongoing Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP). Among those at risk are more than 2,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Germany under programmes for peop... -
Dawn - 10:55 Aug 15, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said that counterterrorism dialogue between Pakistan and the United States will help in formulating a joint action plan amid strengthening ties between the two countries. According to a statement by the interior ministry today, Naqvi met with US Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Gregory LoGerfo. Both officials discussed bilateral relations and agreeed to increase cooperation in various fields, including counterterrorism, border security and counter-narcotics, “The counterterrorism dialogue will help in formulating a joint action plan,” the statement quoted Naqvi as saying during the meeting. The minister hoped for “positive results of Pak-US cooperation in eliminating terrorism”. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker and the federal interior secretary were also present on the occasion, it added. “There has been an extraordinary improvement in Pak-US relations after the coming to power of President Donald Trump,” Naqvi s... -
Dawn - 10:29 Aug 15, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated a special economic zone (SEZ) in Islamabad to be set up by a Chinese textile group — projected to generate exports worth $400 million for the country, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China, which has supported it through many investments and development projects, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which, currently in its second phase, has been termed a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. The phase II of the program is expected to focus on industrialisation, special economic zones, clean energy, agriculture and livelihood projects. PM Shehbaz welcomed the establishment of an SEZ, saying that the “initiative would facilitate technology transfer, skill development, and sustainable industrial growth”. The project will be set up by the Chinese textile group Challenge Fashion Private Limited, which is set to invest $100m over five years in the project. PM Shehbaz met with the compa... -
Dawn - 10:11 Aug 15, 2025
BAHAWALPUR: Allappa police in Multan booked three persons, including a hakeem (herbalist) on Thursday, for allegedly sexually assaulting the women patients visiting his ‘clinic’, recording their videos and later blackmailing them. According to police sources, the case was registered on the report of a constable, Muhammad Owais, who says the hakeem was running a clinic, where he installed secret cameras in the examination room. He says the hakeem, in connivance with his two accomplices, sexually assaults the women patients visiting the clinic, on the pretext of examining them and records their videos. The suspects would later extort money, jewellery and other valuables from these women by blackmailing them. He said the suspects also uploaded obscene videos of some of the women patients on social media. Acting on the complaint, Allappa police registered a case against the suspects who are yet to be arrested. WOMAN TORTURED: A man, along with his brother, allegedly tortured his wife and forcibly cut her hair in ... -
Dawn - 09:41 Aug 15, 2025
Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Dr Musadik Malik called for equitable access to green financing and other resources for developing nations at a meeting in Geneva on Friday, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He chaired the meeting on the sidelines of the fifth session of the plastic pollution treaty negotiations taking place in Geneva. Billed as the most important environmental deal since the 2015 Paris climate accord, the 10-day summit brought delegates from 185 countries to finalise a global treaty to control plastic pollution. “Pakistan led a regional dialogue with Bangladesh, Egypt, Tajikistan, Malaysia, and Sudan for an interactive briefing,” according to a statement posted by Malik’s team on X. “Minister Musadik called for a fair Global Plastics Treaty and equitable green financing, so support reaches nations most impacted by pollution and climate challenges,” the statement added. At the meeting, the climate minister noted, “those responsible for the highest levels o... -
Dawn - 08:24 Aug 15, 2025
Pakistan and the Federated States of Micronesia have formally established diplomatic relations to open up avenues for bilateral cooperation. The Federated States of Micronesia are an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean that joined the United Nations in 1991, according to the UN’s website. Both countries’ permanent representatives to the UN signed an agreement at a ceremony in New York, the Pakistan Mission to the UN said in a press release on Thursday. “Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, and Federated States of Micronesia’s counterpart, Ambassador Jeem S. Lippwe, signed a joint communiqué to formalise the relationship between the two countries,” the Pakistan Mission said. Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Ahmad noted: “The relations would open up avenues for cooperation in the field of human resource management, capacity building and climate change.” Both Missions would “work closely on key matters, especially promotion of international peace and s... -
Dawn - 07:48 Aug 15, 2025
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities marked the fourth anniversary of their takeover on Friday, buoyed by Russia’s first official recognition of their government, a step they hope other countries will follow. Parades were planned in several cities, including in central Kabul, where helicopters were set to drop flowers and the white-and-black flags of the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” fluttered across the city to mark their capture of the capital on August 15, 2021. Taliban members gathered on Thursday night at a square near the shuttered US embassy — seat of their enemy during their 20-year insurgency — waving flags and setting off fireworks, an AFP journalist said. The military parade held last year with much fanfare at the Bagram airbase, once the linchpin for US-led operations, was cancelled this year, without public explanation. The Taliban government remains largely isolated on the global stage over restrictions imposed under their interpretation of Islamic law, targeting women in particular. V... -
Dawn - 07:05 Aug 15, 2025
Rescue teams on Friday dug through mud searching for victims, a day after the latest deadly flood to crash through a village in India-occupied Kashmir’s Kishtwar district killed at least 60 people. Dozens more are missing, including Hindu pilgrims who were visiting a shrine, after torrents of water and mud driven by intense rain tore through the village in the Himalayan region. Officials said a large makeshift kitchen in Chisoti village, where more than 100 pilgrims were completely washed away by what Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported was a sudden “cloudburst” rain storm. Heavy earthmovers were brought to the disaster area overnight to dig through deep mud, huge boulders and rubble that the flood brought down the mountainside. The army’s White Knight Corps said its troops, “braving the harsh weather and rugged terrain, are engaged in evacuation of injured”. Emergency kit, including ropes and digging tools, were being brought to the disaster site, with the army supporting other rescue teams. One survivor t... -
Dawn - 06:52 Aug 15, 2025
RAWALPINDI: More than 53,000 tourist vehicles arrived in Murree on Independence Day, despite the hill station having parking space for 5,000. The tourist influx continued on Thursday. A spokesman for the traffic police said that more than 53,000 tourist vehicles had entered Murree so far, compared to its capacity for only 5,000 vehicles. The city traffic police have been taking all possible measures to facilitate tourists. More than 200 traffic police personnel perform duty on Independence Day He said that more than 200 traffic police personnel were on duty on Independence Day to assist visitors. Although 53,000 vehicles have entered Murree so far, many of them have left at the same time. Therefore, between 6,000 and 9,000 vehicles were present in Murree at a given time, the traffic police spokesman told Dawn. Driving licences are being checked at entry points and checkpoints to ensure tourist safety, while motorcyclists without helmets are not being allowed to enter Murree. Entry to Mall Road without family ...
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