Dawn
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Dawn - 19:07 Oct 03, 2025
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) accepted the voluntary delisting request from tobacco giant Philip Morris from its index, according to a press release issued on Friday. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Philip Morris is one of the leading tobacco companies operating in Pakistan, and its product portfolio includes cigarette brands such as Marlboro, Parliament, Morven by Chesterfield, Diplomat, K2 and Red and White. The PSX said that Philip Morris was voluntarily delisted under PSX Regulation 5.14 and Section 19(5) of the Securities Act, 2015. It added that the delisting would go into effect on Monday, October 6. “The shareholders of the company, who may desire to avail the opportunity of buy back of shares by the sponsors, are advised to approach Topline Securities,” the press release read. “The purchase agent and sponsor of the company have already submitted an undertaking to purchase the remaining shares held by the minority shareholders at a price of Rs1,300 per share, which is valid up to September... -
Dawn - 18:30 Oct 03, 2025
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday night announced that the final round of negotiations with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had begun and an agreement was slated to be signed soon, in a bid to end ongoing unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Talks between the JAAC, the AJK government and federal ministers over elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees broke down last week. Rival groups have since staged protests, trading blame for violence that marred what began as a largely peaceful movement in AJK. Fierce clashes between protesters and law enforcers have left at least 10 people dead and scores critically injured in the territory. A fresh round of talks between a high-level government delegation and a civil society alliance was held yesterday, followed by another one today. Chaudhry, who is in Muzaffarabad as part of the federal government’s delegation, took to X and stated that matters between the two sides had been settled. “[The] final agreement is expected to... -
Dawn - 16:36 Oct 03, 2025
The depression over northeast Arabian Sea has intensified into a cyclonic storm “Shakhti” and now lay centered at around 360km south of Karachi, according to a notification issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Friday. “It is likely to move west-northwestwards initially and likely to further intensify into severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours. Thereafter it is likely to move west-southwestwards and reach over central north Arabian Sea,” it added. Under its influence, wind-thunderstorm and rain of light to moderate intensity is expected in Tharparker, Umerkot, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Matiari, and Jamshoro districts, as well as at isolated places in Karachi division, as per PMD’s notification. Hot and dry weather is likely to prevail elsewhere in the province. The notification stated that sea conditions are likely to remain “rough to very rough” with “squally winds of 40 to 50 gusting 55 km/hour near Sindh coast”. It also advised fishermen not to venture... -
Dawn - 16:17 Oct 03, 2025
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Friday suspended the commercial flight operations of carrier Serene Air over failure to maintain a fleet of serviceable aircraft. According to a notification, which is available with Dawn.com, the CAA expressed “grave concern” over the carrier’s inability to comply with regulations mandating the maintenance of a “prescribed minimum fleet size”. “[Serene Air] presently has zero … serviceable aircraft available for operations, thereby rendering it incapable of sustaining the operational capacity required to conduct safe air operations in accordance with the applicable PCAA Rules and Regulations,” the notification read. “Therefore, the air operator certificate …. issued to Serene Air is hereby suspended with immediate effect … accordingly, you are directed to surrender the aforesaid certificates to the undersigned forthwith for the necessary endorsement.” Serene Air could not be reached by Dawn.com for comment. -
Dawn - 16:00 Oct 03, 2025
Supreme Court’s (SC) Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan on Friday issued a detailed dissenting note on the transfer of judges to the Islamabad High Court, stating that the transfer was carried out in “unnecessary haste” and not in the public interest. In June, a five-member SC bench ruled 3-2 in favour of the February transfers and said that there was nothing unconstitutional about them. Justices Afghan and Shakeel Ahmed dissented and issued a short note stating that the transfer violated articles 2A, 4 and 25 of the Constitution and “undermined the independence of judiciary, due process and principle of equality”. In a copy of today’s dissenting note, available with Dawn.com, Justice Afghan observed that the transfer process for Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Sindh High Court’s Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro was initiated on January 28 and completed on February 1 — just five days. Moreover, a letter of consent for the transfer of Balochistan High Court Justice Muhammad Asif was written ... -
Dawn - 15:53 Oct 03, 2025
British police said on Friday they accidentally shot a victim who died in the attack on a synagogue in Manchester, as well as one of the survivors, as they attempted to stop an attacker who appeared to be wearing an explosive belt. In Thursday’s attack, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed after a British man of Syrian descent drove a car into pedestrians and then began stabbing people outside Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The attacker, shot dead by officers at the scene, was not carrying a firearm, said Greater Manchester Police chief constable Steve Watson, though one of those killed suffered a gunshot wound. “It follows, therefore, this injury may have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” Watson said in a statement. The attack comes as Israel has drawn widespread criticism over its ongoing genocid... -
Dawn - 15:31 Oct 03, 2025
Members of the PPP and media representatives briefly boycotted the National Assembly session on Friday over separate matters. The PPP, which is a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N in the Centre, has been incensed after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks amid an ongoing rift between the two parties over flood relief. Meanwhile, journalists have been protesting a raid by Islamabad police at the National Press Club (NPC) yesterday, during which media persons were assaulted. A while after the NA session began today, PPP’s Naveed Qamar said, “I want to say this on record that in the last session, we had raised some issues. We had also protested and walked out. After that, the government sent a team that engaged in dialogue with us.” He, however, maintained that nothing changed despite the talks. “There has been no difference on the ground […] We cannot be a part of this House until this matter is resolved.” “So, we are walking out today,” he announced. Later, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar began his speech by e... -
Dawn - 15:18 Oct 03, 2025
The Pakistan High Commission in London announced on Friday that national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume flight operations to the UK this month. No exact date was given in the announcement, which was posted on X. “High Commissioner [Dr Muhammad Faisal] is grateful to the Civil Aviation Authority UK for issuing the Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP) today, the final document enabling commercial flights between the UK and Pakistan,” the post read. “PIA has already received the Third Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in the United Kingdom, and in the first phase, flight operations to Manchester will be resumed, after which Birmingham and London will be included.” In July, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply to operate flights in Britain. The development came after the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security inspection at Islamabad International Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s secu... -
Dawn - 15:17 Oct 03, 2025
Former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif apologise to the nation “for hurting public sentiments on the issue of Palestine”. Addressing the lower house on Friday, the PTI leader said “no decision would be acceptable until the will of the Palestinian people was made part of the process”. Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that the 20-point Gaza peace plan released by US President Donald Trump was “not ours” but insisted that there was no room for politicking on the matter. Eight Muslim and Arab countries — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — held a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly session, where the US president discussed his plan for ending the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. On Sept 29, US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met and, in a press conference after the meeting, announ... -
Dawn - 14:48 Oct 03, 2025
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry on Friday apologised for the attack on journalists in Islamabad a day prior, assuring the media that steps will be taken to ensure such an incident does not reoccur. On Thursday, a raid was carried out by Islamabad police at the National Press Club (NPC), where several journalists were allegedly assaulted. Visuals aired on DawnNewsTV showed policemen armed with batons attacking journalists on the press club premises. Moreover, visuals shared on social media also showed police dragging journalists out of what appeared to be the cafeteria. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had ordered an inquiry into the incident. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad today, Tallal said that he apologises for the incident on behalf of the government and that the information minister was on board regarding the matter. Condemning the incident, he reassured the media that steps will be taken so no one dares to “disrespect the press club” again. “I went to the press club immediately ... -
Dawn - 14:28 Oct 03, 2025
The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CoIED) has disposed of 113 cases of missing persons during the month of September 2025, according to a report released on Friday. During the month, the commission stated that “14 missing persons returned home”. From March 2011 to September 2025, the commission received 10,636 cases, out of which 8,986 cases have been disposed of, while 1,650 cases are under investigation. “The disposal of cases works out to be 84.48 per cent consequent to the investigation of cases,” stated the monthly report. The report further stated that the commission has disposed of 289 cases during the three-month period of July-September, at approximately 96 cases per month. The commission said it has also taken steps for the welfare of families of missing persons, establishing a cell “providing relief to families by addressing matters such as the issuance of Form B of children of missing persons and the grant of pension to families of missing persons, who happen to be government se... -
Dawn - 14:23 Oct 03, 2025
A major customs fraud was uncovered at Karachi airport, where employees of a foreign ground-handling company and corrupt importers allegedly smuggled out high-value electronics without paying duties and taxes, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in a statement on Friday. “Acting on intelligence, authorities seized a consignment worth Rs103 million, including laptops, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, PlayStations, and memory cards,” the statement said. According to FBR, five consignments by a company registered in Dubai were cleared using fake gate passes while being concealed from the Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC) system, resulting in an estimated duty and tax evasion of Rs384 million. “Two first information reports (FIRs) have been lodged, employees arrested, and further arrests are expected,” the statement said. It added that the operation reflected the FBR’s “commitment to safeguarding national revenue”, warning that negligent customs officials would not be spared. FBR has lately been intensifying its crackdo... -
Dawn - 13:52 Oct 03, 2025
The UN Security Council (UNSC) Committee has temporarily lifted a travel ban on the Afghan Taliban foreign minister, which would allow him to visit India between October 9 and 16, India’s foreign ministry said on Friday. If confirmed, it would be the first visit to India by a senior leader of the Taliban-run Afghan administration since it seized power in 2021 after 20 years of US military presence. Delhi and Kabul have traditionally enjoyed close ties when the Islamist Taliban were not in power. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among Afghan Taliban members who are under UN sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze. Temporary exemptions are sometimes granted for diplomacy. The Afghan administration did not immediately respond to inquiries about Muttaqi’s travel plans. India’s foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters that New Delhi had already been speaking to the Afghan administration, and noted that it had provided support after an earthquake on August 31. He did not specifically confirm tha... -
Dawn - 13:47 Oct 03, 2025
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that she would “never apologise” over a recent outburst which escalated into a rift between her party, the PML-N, and its coalition partner, the PPP. The war of words between the two sides — kicked off over flood compensation — expanded to water rights on the Indus River as the Punjab chief minister told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP, the ruling party in Sindh, had lawmakers stay away from the National Assembly and Senate sittings to protest the diatribe. On Wednesday, PPP and PML-N bigwigs met in Islamabad to find a way out of the row, with the former asking Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights of the provinces. Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, the Punjab CM censured the PPP for hurling “wrongful criticism” at the Punjab government amid devastating floods sweeping the country. “When floods swept through Punjab, the people of one province not only wrongly criticised the Punjab government,... -
Dawn - 13:28 Oct 03, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that the 20-point Gaza peace plan released by US President Donald Trump was “not ours” but insisted that there was no room for politicking on the matter. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Dar referred to his earlier press briefing in Islamabad and said: “I made it clear that the 20 points that President Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record.” However, he went on to say: “This is the end result, and there is no room for politicking.” Eight Muslim and Arab countries — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — had held a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly session, where the US president discussed his plan for ending the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. On Sept 29, US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had met and, in a press conference after the meeting, announced the forme... -
Dawn - 13:08 Oct 03, 2025
Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh on Friday claimed that his country “downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class” during the intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. “As far as air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike … along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us,” Singh told reporters at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference. However, he did not share the said evidence. The F-16 is a US-made fighter jet, while the JF-17 is of Chinese origin. Although Singh had previously too claimed without credible evidence that five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft were shot down during the conflict, this is the first time New Delhi has mentioned the class of jets in public. He also refused to comment on Pakistan downing Indian jets in May. The first time the Indian air chief had claimed that Pakistan’s jets were downed during the four-day escalation, Defence ... -
Dawn - 12:33 Oct 03, 2025
India and China will resume direct flights between their two countries this month after a five-year suspension, officials said, with bookings opening on Friday. Direct flights between the world’s two most populous countries were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and were not resumed as tensions grew between Beijing and New Delhi over border disputes. Relations between the Asian rivals have since thawed, and their leaders spoke in China in August and in Kazan, Russia, last year. Following technical discussions, “it has now been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October”, an Indian government statement released on Thursday said. “This agreement of the civil aviation authorities will further facilitate people-to-people contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges,” it said. IndiGo, India’s largest commercial operator, said today it would start direct daily flights between Kolkat... -
Dawn - 11:51 Oct 03, 2025
Security forces killed seven terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Sherani district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that on October 1, security forces conducted an IBO in Sherani on the reported presence of terrorists belonging 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). “During the conduct of [the] operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, seven Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the ISPR said. It added that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in “numerous terrorist activities” in the area. According to the ISPR, a sanitisation operation was underway to eliminate other terrorists in the area. “The security forces of Pakistan are determined to ... -
Dawn - 08:09 Oct 03, 2025
The Sindh High Court on Friday suspended a notification issued by the University of Karachi (KU) that cancelled the law degree of Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. The court’s decision came during the hearing of a petition filed by Justice Jahangiri on Monday impugning the decisions of the KU’s Unfair Means Committee (UMC) and Syndicate, which cancelled his degree in August last year. The KU registrar, the Sindh advocate general and others appeared before the court as it took up the plea today. They sought more time for submitting their replies on the plea, saying that they had received notices pertaining to the case yesterday. At that, Justice Iqbal Kalhoro remarked, “We are ready to give more time but what if any action is taken against the petitioner in this duration? If we accept your request today and any action is taken tomorrow, who will take responsibility in that case?” He further enquired whether the respondents had issued any notice to Jahangiri before “taking action aga... -
Dawn - 08:03 Oct 03, 2025
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday agreed to strengthen partnership on rail modernisation and regional connectivity, Press Information Department (PID) said. Pakistan and the UAE share close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties. The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and a major source of remittances, with a large Pakistani expatriate population living and working there. According to the PID, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani met the UAE’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei in Abu Dhabi, discussing “opportunities to strengthen cooperation in upgrading Pakistan’s rail network to boost trade, enhancing connectivity and supporting sustainable economic growth.” The ministers reaffirmed the “strong brotherly ties between both countries and expressed their shared commitment to advancing mutual prosperity and promoting environmentally responsible transport solutions in the region,” the statement added. T...
6752 items