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Dawn - 02:45 Feb 13, 2026
RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench has curtailed the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) suo motu power to amend deemed tax assessments, ruling that Section 122(5A) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, cannot be used for “roving or fishing inquiries” or speculative revenue recovery. In an income tax reference, titled Commissioner Inland Revenue versus Sajid Hussain Gondal and others, Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf and Justice Jawad Hassan laid down guidance on the scope and limits of amendment powers under Section 122, bringing long-awaited doctrinal clarity to a provision frequently invoked by tax authorities. The reference application, filed under Section 133 of the ordinance, challenged an order of the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR), which had set aside an amendment made to a taxpayer’s deemed assessment for tax year 2019. The tribunal had earlier ruled that the FBR’s use of Section 122(5A) in the case was unlawful. The taxpayer, Sajid Hussain Gondal, had filed an income tax return f... -
Dawn - 02:32 Feb 13, 2026
ISLAMABAD: While launching a subsidised scheme for households to replace old fans with efficient ones, Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari said on Thursday the government was considering ‘debt restructuring’ of the energy sector to bring down consumer-end tariffs for improved grid consumption and lower circular debt. The minister acknowledged that the high electricity tariffs had been pushing the consumers away from the grid and solar penetration had created a serious challenge to the grid. Therefore, the government was considering restructuring of the power sector debt, besides taking measures for curtailing peak demand. Over the past few months, the government has taken up the restructuring of power sector debt with multilateral lenders, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, including a $30bn Chinese debt for longer duration. A circular debt of Rs1.6 trillion and a Rs1.225tr recent financing with local commercial banks are also on the agenda. Pakistan’s repeated direct requests to Chinese... -
Dawn - 18:42 Feb 12, 2026
The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Thursday said that it would stage a sit-in outside Parliament on Friday. The development came hours after the Supreme Court (SC) was informed that only 15 per cent vision was left in the PTI founder’s right eye, prompting a strong response from the PTI. The information was shared in a report submitted to the SC by PTI counsel Advocate Salman Safdar, who quoted the PTI founder as telling him that “he has been left with only 15pc vision in his right eye”. Videos shared by the TTAP on the social media platform X on Thursday night showed Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas speaking to the media alongside the PTI leadership. “After Friday prayers, we will stage a sit-in outside Parliament,” he said. “We demand that Khan sahib be given full access to doctors whom he trusts,” he said. “I am told that Imran’s personal physician, Dr Asim Yusuf, is at Shifa Hospital, as are Dr Amir Awan and Dr Mazhar Ishaq; these are the two top speciali... -
Dawn - 17:33 Feb 12, 2026
WASHINGTON: Two Pakistani nationals were indicted in the United States for their alleged role in a $10 million healthcare fraud scheme that targeted Medicare and private insurance programmes, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday. According to a statement by the DOJ, Burhan Mirza, 31, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, along with several co-schemers, were accused of submitting fraudulent claims for medical services and equipment that were never provided. The alleged scheme operated during 2023 and 2024 and involved nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers, it said. The DOJ added that three other alleged co-schemers had already pleaded guilty in the case: Mir Akbar Khan, 57, of West Chicago, who admitted recruiting nominee owners for the fake medical businesses; Fasiur Rahman Syed, 47, an Indian citizen who resided in Chicago; and Navaid Rasheed, 43, a Pakistani citizen who lived in Plano, Texas. All three were awaiting sentencing, it said. The statement quoted the indictment as saying ... -
Dawn - 17:27 Feb 12, 2026
KARACHI: Around 150 people, including elderly people and children, were rescued after a fire erupted in a high-rise building near Karachi’s Baloch Colony on Thursday, according to police and rescue services officials. Bahadurabad Station House Officer Mohammed Nawaz told Dawn that the fire broke out in the Index Palace in Sharifabad, near the Baloch Colony bridge. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan, meanwhile, told Dawn that it was an eight-storey building with two basements, where vehicles were parked. “The blaze took place inside the parking space, ostensibly due to some short circuit failure in a parked car,” he said. “Since the high-rise building had no ventilation, smoke spread and engulfed the building,” he said. Though the fire only spread up to the first floor, smoke engulfed the whole building, spreading fear and panic among the residents. Khan said two rescue teams were on site, with one engaged in rescue operations. “With the help of ladders, residents from three floors — with four flat... -
Dawn - 17:06 Feb 12, 2026
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party raced ahead of its rival Jamaat-i-Islami on Thursday, early counting showed, after tens of millions of Bangladeshis voted in a pivotal national election. It was the first vote since the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising that toppled long-time premier Sheikh Hasina. Analysts say a clear outcome is crucial for stability in the nation of 175 million, after months of deadly anti-Hasina protests disrupted everyday life and hit major industries, including the garment sector, the world’s second-largest exporter. It was the first national election to follow the recent under-30, Gen Z-led uprisings scattered around the world, with Nepal set to hold a vote next month. Counting began at 4:30pm (3:30pm PKT) at most booths, immediately after polls closed, with clear trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, election commission officials said. Contest between former allies The race pits two coalitions led by former allies, BNP and Jamaat, with opinion polls ... -
Dawn - 16:12 Feb 12, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari met on Thursday and reviewed Pakistan’s political, economic and security landscapes. According to a press release issued by the President’s Secretariat, the meeting took place at Aiwan-i-Sadr, where the pair also reviewed the “prevailing regional and global environment”. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, among other officials. The premier and president previously met in November last year, where they discussed the country’s security situation in the wake of multiple terrorist attacks. According to state broadcaster PTV, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and federal ministers Syed Mushtaq Raza Naqvi, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Khalid Hussain Magsi, and Abdul Aleem Khan were present during the meeting. “Both leaders reaffirm their resolve that actions against foreign-backed terro... -
Dawn - 15:47 Feb 12, 2026
United States President Donald Trump’s immigration pointman on Thursday announced the end of ramped-up immigration operations in Minnesota, which triggered outrage following the killing of two American citizens. Thousands of federal agents have in recent weeks conducted aggressive raids and arrests in what the administration claims are targeted missions against criminals. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude,” Trump official Tom Homan told a briefing in Minneapolis. “A significant drawdown has already been under way this week and will continue through the next week.” The operations have sparked mass protests in Minneapolis, and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti less than three weeks apart last month led to a wave of criticism. Homan raised the prospect that the officers would deploy to another location but gave no details, as speculation is rife about which city might be targeted next. “In the next week, we’re going deploy the officers here on d... -
Dawn - 15:39 Feb 12, 2026
Pakistan has marked a major achievement in its national space programme with the successful launch of its second indigenous Earth Observation Satellite, EO-2, from China’s Yangjiang Seashore Launch Centre on Thursday. Developed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), the EO-2 satellite is designed to significantly enhance the country’s earth observation and high-resolution imaging capabilities. The officials of Suparco said the satellite will provide critical data to support national development planning, natural resource management, environmental monitoring, and urban expansion. It will also strengthen governance, disaster management, climate analysis, and strategic decision-making by delivering accurate and timely satellite imagery. With the addition of EO-2, Pakistan has expanded its satellite fleet, ensuring improved continuity, coverage, and precision of earth observation data, added the space agency. Suparco officials termed the launch a milestone in Pakistan’s space journey, no... -
Dawn - 15:18 Feb 12, 2026
BANNU: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Thursday conducted an intelligence-based operation and arrested a most-wanted terrorist, Osama alias Baghi, from the Pipal Bazaar area. According to a statement issued by Bannu CTD Superintendent of Police (SP) Fazal Wahid, the suspect belonged to Bannu district and was said to be an active commander of the newly formed organisation Ittehadul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), established through a collaboration between the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Gul Bahadur group. He said that the suspect confessed to his involvement in nine major terrorist activities during the initial interrogation. He said that these included the December 2025 attack on Miranshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali Khan, in which he was martyred along with his two security guards and a civilian. The suspect also confessed to the abduction and killing of former Bannu station house officer Abid Wazir in November 2025. Additionally, he also admitted to his involvement in the abductio... -
Dawn - 14:29 Feb 12, 2026
Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would attend the upcoming Board of Peace meeting in the US, saying that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would also accompany him. Andrabi’s confirmation follows reports that said PM Shehbaz was expected to visit Washington on February 18 and represent Pakistan at the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which is scheduled for Feb 19 at the US Institute of Peace. “I can confirm that the prime minister will attend the upcoming Board of Peace meeting. He will be accompanied by the deputy prime minister and foreign minister,” Andrabi said during a weekly briefing of the FO. He added that information about other members of Pakistan’s delegation and its engagements would be shared in due course of time. Asked specifically whether Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir would be included in the delegation, the FO spokesperson reiterated:... -
Dawn - 14:07 Feb 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Thursday agreed to promote partnership in the mining, minerals and energy sectors. According to a handout from the interior ministry, the agreement was reached during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pomeroy. During the meeting, the US official said that the country attached great importance to its relationship with Pakistan. He condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad and Quetta and expressed condolences to the victims. The interior minister welcomed US investment in the mining, minerals, and energy sectors and assured that American investors would be provided with the safest possible environment in Pakistan. During the meeting, Pakistan–US bilateral relations and the regional situation were discussed, along with ways to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, particularly in the field of internal security. Speaking on the occasion, Naqvi said that global... -
Dawn - 13:49 Feb 12, 2026
The World Health Organisation has said the risk of the deadly Nipah virus spreading was low after three cases of infection were recently confirmed in India and Bangladesh. Nipah, which spreads from animals to humans, has no vaccine and a fatality rate ranging from 40 to 75 per cent, according to the UN health body. “In the past few weeks, three cases of Nipah — two in India and one in Bangladesh — made headlines and caused concern about a wider outbreak,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday. WHO assessed the risk of spread of the Nipah virus regionally and globally and found it low, he added. Two cases of Nipah were confirmed last month in India’s West Bengal state, while one patient died in Bangladesh last week after contracting the virus. “The two outbreaks were not related, although both occurred along the India-Bangladesh border, and share some of the same ecological and cultural conditions, as well as populations of the species of fruit bat that are known t... -
Dawn - 13:32 Feb 12, 2026
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the formation of a medical team to examine former premier Imran Khan’s eye, after a report submitted in court quoted the PTI founder as claiming that “only 15 per cent” vision was left in his right eye. The SC also directed that Imran be allowed to speak to his children. It was ordered that both the eye inspection and the phone calls be conducted before February 16 (Monday). The instructions came as a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and including Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan resumed hearing the case regarding the PTI founder’s living conditions in Adiala jail. Imran underwent a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad on the night of January 24 — a development confirmed days later amid an apparent lack of knowledge by the family. “The issue of Imran’s health is most important,” CJP Afridi observed, adding that “intervention was necessary”. “We want to know the government’s stance on the matt... -
Dawn - 13:29 Feb 12, 2026
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to confer a posthumous national civil award on 22-year-old Oun Abbas, who lost his life while resisting the suicide attacker who targeted an imambargah in Islamabad, it emerged on Thursday. On February 6, a suicide bomber ripped through the Friday congregation at the Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra on the outskirts of Islamabad. At least 38 people were killed in the incident, and more than 150 were injured. According to eye witness accounts, Abbas, who was praying inside the hall, had abandoned his rituals and tried to tackle the attacker. However, he lost his life when the suicide bomber detonated. In a letter addressed to the prime minister and dated Feb 11, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Kundi lauded the “exceptional gallantry and supreme sacrifice” displayed by Abbas. “In those moments of terror and chaos, while many sought safety, this brave young man chose to confront the terrorist face to face,” Kundi sai... -
Dawn - 12:42 Feb 12, 2026
2 cops among 6 injured during armed confrontation over shop ownership in KP’s Lower South Waziristan
LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Six people, including a police constable and station house officer (SHO), were injured when an argument over shop ownership and financial dealings led to an exchange of fire between the rival groups at the Toi Khullah market in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower South Waziristan on Thursday. Wana Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah told Dawn that the incident took place at around 9am when “a disagreement between two groups over monetary transactions and shop ownership turned into a heated argument”. “The situation quickly escalated into a physical altercation and subsequently into an armed confrontation,” he said. The DSP said that upon receiving the information about the incident, SHO Qutab Khan Dottani of the Toi Khullah police station,along with a police party, reached the site of the incident. “While trying to mediate between the rival groups, the SHO and a police constable came under fire and sustained injuries,” the DSP said, adding that SHO Dottani had sustained... -
Dawn - 12:40 Feb 12, 2026
Indian defence officials on Thursday cleared the purchase of $39 billion worth of defence equipment, including more French Rafale jets, days ahead of a visit to the country by France’s President Emmanuel Macron. A defence ministry source told AFP that the clearance covered the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets, adding to the dozens already used by the Indian Air Force (IAF). “The procurement … will enhance the capability of undertaking air dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly boost the deterrence capabilities of IAF with long-range offensive strikes,” India’s defence ministry said in a statement, without specifying the number of jets being purchased. The approval by the defence acquisition council — comprising top military officers and the defence minister — is an important first step for any military hardware purchase in the country. “The majority of MRFA (Multi Role Fighter Aircraft) to be procured will be manufactured in India,” the statement added. New Delhi has pushed hard ... -
Dawn - 11:51 Feb 12, 2026
It took me about an hour to produce a 50-page-long children’s book. All it required was a handful of prompts to ChatGPT. The task was simple: Write a children’s story about a journalist living in the age of artificial intelligence, set at The Korea Herald, with a main character named Jane. Here’s what I got. Both the book cover image and the title were created by ChatGPT. And here are a few pages from the book: Readers can decide for themselves if the result is convincing enough to pass as something written by a human. But this experiment shows just how quickly a book can be made with AI, something South Korea’s publishing industry is trying to cope with, for better or worse. Publishing in the AI era Some say AI’s rise in publishing represents a change far greater than e-publishing, even akin to the advent of movable type. Already, the industry is seeing a surge in published titles, as AI dramatically speeds up the production process. Last year, the National Library of Korea issued 419,534 International Stand... -
Dawn - 11:06 Feb 12, 2026
Tensions flared in the National Assembly as the house debated recent changes regarding net-metering, with Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari maintaining that the issue was about “fair pricing, not being anti-solar”. The power regulator on Monday changed the terms of contracts for all existing and future net-metered solar consumers — known as prosumers — to contain rising solar energy penetration and protect an expensive and inefficient state-owned power network. The notification effectively terminated the existing net-metering regime and replaced it with net-billing for all. A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Power Division to file a review appeal against it after the action drew much criticism. In response to a call to attention notice — regarding prosumer regulations — raised by PPP’s Sharmila Faruqui during today’s session, Leghari spoke in defence of the move. He began his address by presenting “some key facts”. He recalled that the issue had been under discussion for the “past 9-1... -
Dawn - 08:58 Feb 12, 2026
Advocate Salman Safdar formally submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday a seven-page report regarding incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s living conditions at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, amid concern from his party over his treatment. The PTI lawyer, who was appointed amicus curaie to visit Adiala jail, told the media after submitting the report that he met the PTI founder and visited his cell. At the time, he refused to divulge details of the report to the media. A copy of the report, available with Dawn, detailed the conditions of Imran’s confinement, including the facilities provided during his incarceration. Daily routine and diet According to the report, Imran’s daily routine varies between summer and winter. “He takes breakfast at around 9:45am, followed by recitation of the Holy Qur’an from approximately 11:30am for about an hour,” the report said, adding that breakfast consisted of coffee, porridge and a few dates. “He then undertakes physical exercise using the limited equipment available t...
10444 items