Dawn
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Dawn - 15:41 Oct 04, 2025
PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro on Saturday assailed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks regarding the contentious canals issue as a violation of the decision made by the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The war of words between the two sides, that kicked off over flood compensation, expanded to water rights on the Indus River as CM Maryam told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP had lawmakers stay away from parliamentary proceedings to protest the diatribe. PPP and PML-N bigwigs met in Islamabad on Wednesday to find a way out of the row, with the former asking CM Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights of the provinces. However, she declared a day ago that she would never apologise to the PPP over her outburst, while the latter said she did not represent the people of Punjab as her government was a byproduct of Form 47. In a statement issued today, the PPP leader said her remarks regarding the controversial canal project were a “violation o... -
Dawn - 15:26 Oct 04, 2025
The Pakistan military warned on Saturday that any future conflict with India could lead to “cataclysmic devastation” and the country will “resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint”. The statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) comes in the wake of provocative remarks by top Indian civil-military leadership and stressed that Pakistan would “not hold back” in such a case. “In the face of highly provocative statements of the Indian defence minister and its army and air chiefs, we caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation. In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan shall not hold back. We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint.” Indian media outlet NDTV reported a day ago that Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan that it must stop state-sponsored terrorism if it wanted to retain its place on the map. According to the report, Gen Dwivedi said Indian forces would “not show any restraint this time”, potentia... -
Dawn - 14:29 Oct 04, 2025
The death toll in an Indonesian school collapse rose to 17 on Saturday, officials said, as rescuers deployed heavy machinery to recover dozens more victims believed still buried under the rubble. Part of the multi-storey boarding school collapsed suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers. Rescuers retrieved two bodies and a body part from the rubble today, bringing the death toll to 17, National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) operation director Yudhi Bramantyo said in a statement. “The evacuation process is still ongoing. Debris removal is focused to the north side in an area not integrated with the main structure,” Yudhi said. Local search and rescue agency head Nanang Sigit confirmed the updated toll in a separate statement. Earlier today, authorities said they had recovered nine bodies on Friday. Rescuers were searching for 49 people still missing, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto said before prior to the retrieval of the latest bodies. More victims could... -
Dawn - 13:55 Oct 04, 2025
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Saturday that it would resume flights to the United Kingdom from October 25, with nonstop flights from Manchester to Islamabad. This comes a day after the Pakistan High Commission in London announced that the national carrier would resume flight operations to the UK this month as PIA received its Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit from the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Third Country Operator approval, but no exact date was given. PIA announced its “historic return” to British skies with a post on X today, which read: “The wait is finally over! Pakistan International Airlines proudly reconnects Manchester and Islamabad, bringing loved ones closer once again.” In yesterday’s announcement, the high commission said flight operations to Manchester would be resumed during the first phase, after which Birmingham and London would follow suit. In July, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply to operate flights in Bri... -
Dawn - 13:09 Oct 04, 2025
A district and sessions court in Islamabad issued bailable arrest warrants for YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan and two officials from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s anti-corruption body, it emerged on Saturday. The arrest warrants, issued by Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah yesterday and available with Dawn.com, were issued for Khan, head of the Directorate of Anti-Corruption Sadeeq Anjam and Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Anti-Corruption Musaddiq Abbasi, over their alleged involvement in a social media campaign against Islamabad Judge Humayun Dilawar. Dilawar was the judge who convicted PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case in 2023 and sentenced him to three years in prison. All three warrants were issued under Sections 20 (offences against dignity of a natural person), 24 (cyber stalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and Sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequ... -
Dawn - 12:35 Oct 04, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Palestinian group Hamas’s response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan “creates a window for a ceasefire and ensuring peace that we must not allow to close again”. Late Friday night, Trump told Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved. Subsequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’s response. Meanwhile, the world welcomed Hamas’s positive response, with Pakistan also doing the same. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the premier said: “Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide was launched on the Palestinian people. Pakistan has always stood by the Palestinian people and shall always do so.” H... -
Dawn - 12:28 Oct 04, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday lauded the security forces for eliminating more than 14 terrorists in Khuzdar district. Earlier, a statement issued on X by state broadcaster PTV News said security forces “foiled an attempt to harass peaceful people in the Zehri area” of the district and destroyed multiple terrorist hideouts during an operation while killing over 14 Fitna al-Hindustan members and injuring over 20. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindustan — a new phrase aimed at framing India’s alleged role in terrorism as a deliberate destabilisation strategy, potentially to galvanise domestic support. Congratulating the security forces, Naqvi hailed the operation as a “major success”, saying that the nation was “proud of the professional capabilities and courage of the security forces”. He further said: “Security forces are determined to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists in Balochistan. The people of Balochistan stand with the security ... -
Dawn - 11:32 Oct 04, 2025
Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik has said that authorities are in contact with X (formerly Twitter) over the use of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan’s account on its platform and an investigation into who has been operating it is underway. Speaking on Dawn News TV’s programme ‘Doosra Rukh with Nadir Guramani’ on Friday, Barrister Aqeel Malik said: “Investigations are underway [into who is operating PTI founder’s X account].“ “Evidence and further material will come forward, and that will disclose where the account’s links are and who is running it,” the state minister added. “At this moment, all I can say is that there is definitely an [the authorities’] engagement with X. Along with this, I believe that the legal process which is being adopted in this investigation [and] its results will also be before you very soon.” Imran was recently quizzed in prison by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials about his “anti-state” tweets, critical remarks on foreign policy... -
Dawn - 10:19 Oct 04, 2025
Japan’s ruling party picked hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its head on Saturday, putting her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister in a move set to jolt investors and neighbours. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for almost all of the postwar era, elected Takaichi, 64, to regain trust from a public angered by rising prices and drawn to opposition groups promising stimulus and clampdowns on migrants. A vote in parliament to choose a replacement for outgoing Shigeru Ishiba is expected on October 15. Takaichi is favoured as the ruling coalition has the largest number of seats. Inherits party in crisis Takaichi, the only woman among the five LDP candidates, beat a challenge from the more moderate Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, who was bidding to become the youngest modern leader. A former economic security and internal affairs minister with an expansionary fiscal agenda for the world’s fourth-largest economy, Takaichi takes over a party in crisis. Various other part... -
Dawn - 10:11 Oct 04, 2025
Test skipper Shubman Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain, the country’s cricket board said on Saturday, starting with the series in Australia. The 38-year-old batsman Rohit and fellow stalwart Virat Kohli, 36, were both however named in the squad for the three-match series beginning on October 19. Top-order batsman Gill, 26, is now Test and one-day skipper, and vice captain of India’s T20 side. He took over the Test captaincy from Rohit starting with the series in England in the summer, earning praise for both his leadership and batting. He led from the front, scoring 754 runs in five Tests to help India draw the keenly contested series 2-2. Gill also leads Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. Rohit, one of India’s most successful limited-overs captains, led the side to a record third Champions Trophy title in Dubai earlier this year. He and Kohli have both retired from T20Is and Tests. Gill’s vice-captain for the Australia series will be Shreyas Iyer. India currently top both the OD... -
Dawn - 09:35 Oct 04, 2025
Light to moderate rain was likely in parts of Sindh and Balochistan on Saturday as cyclonic storm ‘Shakhti’ over the Arabian Sea had moved westward during the past 12 hours and further intensified into a “severe cyclonic storm”, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. “It is likely to move west-southwestwards and reach northwest and adjoining central north Arabian Sea by Oct 5, then it will recurve and move east-northeastwards during subsequent 24 hours and weaken gradually,” a notification issued by the PMD said. It said that under the influence of the storm, wind/thunderstorm and light to moderate rain was likely today in Sindh’s Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Jamshoro districts, and Balochistan’s Hub, Lasbela, Awaran and Kech districts, as well as at isolated places in Karachi Division. The notification stated that sea conditions were likely to remain “rough to very rough” with squally winds gusting 55 kilometres/hour near the Sindh coast. It also advised fishermen not to venture into the deep sea t... -
Dawn - 08:50 Oct 04, 2025
More rain is expected in the coming days across Punjab as surveys to assess the losses and damages from the recent floods are underway, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said on Saturday. Since June, monsoon rains across Pakistan have killed at least 1,037 people, swelling major rivers and devastating rural communities along their banks. In Punjab only, over 4.7 million people have been affected across 4,700 villages, according to the PDMA. Addressing a media briefing in Lahore today, DG Kathia said showers were expected to begin early tomorrow morning across Punjab, and continue till October 7 (Tuesday) in the northern parts. The PDMA chief said the north and northeastern regions from Rawalpindi to Lahore were likely to receive 30 to 35 millimetres of rainfall on average, while the province’s southern parts could see 5 to 10mm. He warned that the intensity of the showers would increase on October 6 and 7, with 50 to 70mm of rain anticipated in northern and nort... -
Dawn - 08:23 Oct 04, 2025
KARACHI: The Sindh government has introduced a new system of traffic penalties, including fines and a demerit points system, by amending the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965, to improve road safety across the province. Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said in a statement on Thursday that violations including overspeeding, driving without a license, signal violations, wrong-way driving, overloading, and reckless behaviour would now carry higher fines and demerit points. Under the revised penalty structure, overspeeding will result in fines of Rs5,000 for motorcycles, Rs15,000 for cars, and Rs20,000 for heavy vehicles, along with eight demerit points. Driving without a license will be penalised with a fine of up to Rs50,000 and six demerit points. Reckless driving will attract a fine of Rs25,000 and eight points. The new system also includes fines for one-wheeling, riding motorcycles without helmets, using tinted windows, driving in the wrong lane, and carrying passengers on vehicle roofs. “These measure... -
Dawn - 05:46 Oct 04, 2025
A coalition of unions, employers and religious groups filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block US President Donald Trump’s bid to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly-skilled foreign workers. The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco is the first to challenge a proclamation Trump issued two weeks ago announcing the fee as the Republican president moves to further restrict immigration to the United States. Plaintiffs include the United Auto Workers union, the American Association of University Professors, a nurse recruitment agency and several religious organisations. They argued that Trump’s power to restrict the entry of certain foreign nationals does not allow him to override the law that created the H-1B visa programme. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement said Trump’s administration engaged in lawful actions “discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down American wages, while providing certainty to employers who need to bring the best talent f... -
Dawn - 04:16 Oct 04, 2025
KARACHI: The Sindh police have requested Interpol and the British police to share the detailed log of a tracker fitted in a high-end vehicle reported stolen from the United Kingdom and recently spotted in Karachi. The black Range Rover Sport was stolen on Nov 11, 2022 from Harrogate, UK, and in February this year, with the help of its tracker, it was located in Karachi on Korangi Road. Later, Interpol sent a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad, the Karachi police and the Anti-Vehicles Lifting Cell (AVLC), alerting them about the stolen vehicle. Talking to Dawn on Friday, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said that the Interpol’s letter was received two days ago at the office of AVLC SSP. “We have sent an email to the UK police and asked them to send us a detailed log of the tracker fitted in the vehicle,” he said. Interpol says the SUV was last tracked on Korangi Road in February The IGP said that the police also sought the source of the active location of the vehicle fro... -
Dawn - 03:04 Oct 04, 2025
• Employees to pay 10pc, govt 12pc • Pension liabilities rise to Rs1.055tr in 2024-25, driven by armed forces pensions ISLAMABAD: With some discretionary changes, the government announced on Friday that federal employees will contribute 10 per cent of their pensionable pay to qualify for a 12pc contribution from the public exchequer under the newly formalised contributory pension fund scheme. The total contribution rate will thus be 22pc, replacing the traditional pension system for new entrants. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) published the “Federal Government Defined Contribution (FGDC) Pension Fund Scheme Rules 2024” under the Public Finance Management Act 2019, which regulates the scheme according to the Voluntary Pension System Rules 2005 and Non-Banking Finance Companies and Notified Entities Regulations 2008. These rules supersede an earlier MoF order of August 2024, which had set the government’s contribution at 20pc. On Aug 20, 2024, the MoF initially announced the introduction of the contributory pens... -
Dawn - 02:49 Oct 04, 2025
• Foreign minister distances Islamabad from 20-point plan by White House; insists Pakistan’s policy on Palestine remains ‘unchanged’ • Says several states eyeing Saudi-style defence pacts; claims controversial ‘speechwriter’ was not part of ‘official UN team’ • Return of flotilla activists being negotiated through ‘European country’ in absence of ties with Tel Aviv ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday stressed that the United States was now “the only hope” after the United Nations, European Union and Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) had failed to secure peace in Gaza. Making a policy statement in the National Assembly, Mr Dar again distanced the government from US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza “peace plan”, saying it differed from a draft jointly prepared by eight Muslim countries and shared with Washington. He said the prime minister’s initial statement welcoming the plan was issued while in transit, while he was “unaware of the changes”. “Pakistan’s policy on Palestine is wha... -
Dawn - 02:32 Oct 04, 2025
• Flood challenges, missed revenue targets dominate policy-level talks with IMF • FBR, Punjab and Sindh govts under critical scrutiny for missing target, failing to meet cash surplus commitments • Power sector shows improved recovery, lower circular debt ISLAMABAD: Pakistan appears well-placed to secure over $1 billion as the third tranche of the Enhanced Fund Facility (EFF) despite some slippages, as the authorities enter policy-level talks with a visiting review mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday. Informed sources said technical-level discussions had been concluded, indicating that the two sides would need to agree on a couple of waivers during policy-level engagements before wrapping up the review with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb by the weekend (Oct 9-10). While the power sector has shown unusual performance in terms of improved recovery and a reduction in circular debt — through diversion of fiscal space allocated to subsidies and fresh replacement loans — federal revenues ... -
Dawn - 21:49 Oct 03, 2025
US President Donald Trump said early Saturday Israel must stop bombing Gaza immediately and that he believes Hamas is ready for peace after an earlier statement by the Palestinian resistance group. Hamas said it would agree to some of the terms in Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, including releasing hostages, but avoided addressing more vexing issues like disarmament and said it would seek further negotiations. Soon after, Trump posted Hamas’ response to his Truth Social account. Trump had earlier not specified whether the terms would be subject to negotiation, as Hamas is seeking. Notably, the resistance group did not say if it would agree to disarm and demilitarise Gaza — something Israel and the US want but Hamas has rejected before. It also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal the group demands. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group would not disarm before Israel’s occupation of the besieged enclave ends, comments that underscored... -
Dawn - 19:21 Oct 03, 2025
Communal tensions continue to simmer in India’s Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Maharashtra states as the ‘I love Muhammad’ row continues, reported Indian media on Friday. In UP’s Bareilly, Indian authorities deployed large contingents of security forces ahead of Friday prayers. Internet services have also been suspended till Saturday, 3 pm. Local administration claimed the move was due to recent communal tensions and in light of Dussehra and Durga Puja festivities over the weekend. Bareilly witnessed violent clashes last week, with over 2,000 protesters clashing with state police outside a mosque after Friday prayers. Local law enforcement arrested at least 81 people after the demonstration. The issue came to the forefront on September 9, when an FIR was filed against 24 individuals for allegedly putting up posters with ‘I love Muhammad’ during the Eid Miladun Nabi procession on September 4. Hindu groups and right-wing organisations in the region objected to the posters and called it a “deliberate provocation”. UP Ch...
6752 items