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Dawn - 13:13 Jul 26, 2025
The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Saturday instructed all national sports federations to seek prior consultation and approval before participating in any sporting events held in India due to ’“security concerns”. Political tensions between the two nations over the years have cast a shadow over bilateral sporting events, causing major tournaments to hang in the balance. The countries’ teams have previously refused to travel across the border for sporting events, electing to play on neutral ground via a hybrid model instead. A circular issued today by the PSB said the decision was taken during the 34th board meeting held on Wednesday. The circular explicitly urged all national federations to strictly adhere to the directive. “In view of the current security situation, no national federation shall make any commitment or agreement regarding participation in sports events in India without prior permission from PSB,” it said. The PSB cited prevailing security concerns as a reason for the new directive. There ha... -
Dawn - 13:10 Jul 26, 2025
Info minister apologises to boxer Shahzaib Rindh for ‘unjustified’ delay in monetary reward, support
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday apologised to mixed martial arts player Shahzaib Rindh for the “inordinate delay” in the government’s promised financial reward and support. In September, Rindh made history when he won the Karate Combat Championship (KC-49) in Singapore, becoming the first-ever world champion from Pakistan after defeating Brazil’s Bruno Roberto De Assis in the final. Following the win, President Asif Ali Zardari had presented Rindh with a cheque worth Rs100 million, the Balochistan government announced Rs2m as a cash prize, while a former minister had also promised him 25 acres of land. Tarar’s apology today comes after Rindh, in a post on X on Wednesday, had slammed the government for its “fake promises” of Rs5m in cash and an additional Rs80m to support his training and upcoming matches. “Our politicians are corrupt,” Rindh alleged, adding that the last time he won, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced rewards for him. “It was all [a] lie; I never got [a] penny from t... -
Dawn - 12:23 Jul 26, 2025
At least six people were killed and 22 were injured in an armed attack by the Jaish al-Adl group on a courthouse in Iran’s restive Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday, state media reported. Three attackers were killed, according to the report by IRNA. Jaish al-Adl confirmed the deaths of its three members in the clashes with security forces in Zahedan, the capital of the far southeastern province bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. A toddler and a 60-year-old woman were among those killed, as well as three soldiers and law enforcement personnel assigned to the courthouse, the head of the province’s judiciary told IRNA. He did not identify the sixth dead person. He said the attackers wore explosive vests and carried grenades. It was not clear if they had detonated them. Jaish al-Adl, which claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Telegram account, said it had killed at least 30 members of the judiciary and security forces. It said it targeted judges and court personnel, whom it accused o... -
Dawn - 11:26 Jul 26, 2025
Pakistan has called for de-escalation and ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and stressed that “echoes for peace must be heard” as Ambassador Usman Jadoon addressed a United Nations briefing. “Peace in Ukraine is long overdue,” Ambassador Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Council, which debated the situation in Ukraine on Friday after Russia invaded its neighbour in March 2022. “The calls for ending this conflict should not be allowed to go unheard or masked by the continued drums of war,” he added, highlighting that the conflict was now four years old. Pakistan, as a consistent advocate for peace, has called for de-escalation and giving primacy to dialogue over fighting, said Ambassador Jadoon, who at that time was chairing the 15-member meeting. “Only a sincere and meaningful dialogue which addresses mutual security concerns of all sides, is anchored in the principles of UN Charter and international law, and respects the relevant multilateral agreements ... -
Dawn - 11:20 Jul 26, 2025
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) was reopened on Saturday as aid and rescue operations continued in Gilgit-Baltistan after flash floods battered the region. The devastating impacts of climate change have become more visible in GB as unprecedented heatwaves, erratic weather patterns and glacial melting have triggered cloudbursts and intense floods across the region. On Monday, floods swept across GB, causing landslides and leaving many stranded. At least nine people died and more than 500 houses, roads and other infrastructure were damaged as a result. In a statement today, GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said: “The Karakoram Highway is open for all types of traffic.” He recalled that the main artery had been blocked due to landslides and mud flow on Friday, adding that machinery was sent to restore the road. Faraq further said that rescue and search operations were underway across the region. The recent floods have caused severe destruction in the region, particularly in the Kunduz region and the Gha... -
Dawn - 11:13 Jul 26, 2025
China’s premier Li Qiang warned on Saturday that artificial intelligence development must be weighed against the security risks, saying a global consensus was urgently needed even as the tech race between Beijing and Washington shows no sign of abating. His remarks came just days after United States President Donald Trump unveiled an aggressive low-regulation strategy aimed at cementing US dominance in the fast-moving field, promising to “remove red tape and onerous regulation” that could hinder private sector AI development. Opening the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Saturday, Li emphasised the need for governance and open-source development, announcing the establishment of a Chinese-led body for international AI cooperation. “The risks and challenges brought by artificial intelligence have drawn widespread attention […] How to find a balance between development and security urgently requires further consensus from the entire society,” the premier said. Li said China would “actively promote” the d... -
Dawn - 11:03 Jul 26, 2025
• Foreign minister says Pakistan-US mineral deal to be finalised soon • Ex-State Dept official Elizabeth Horst made acting envoy to Pakistan WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and discussed trade, investment, counterterrorism cooperation and the clash between India and Pakistan in May, according to officials from both countries. The meeting — the first such engagement between the foreign ministers of the two countries in three years — is being considered a breakthrough in diplomacy between Pakistan and the US. On the same day, the US named an acting ambassador in Islamabad. In Washington, Mr Dar and Secretary Rubio held their first meeting since working together in May to negotiate a ceasefire that ended a dangerous military standoff between India and Pakistan. In a post shared after the meeting, Mr Dar said he discussed bilateral relations with Secretary Rubio. “We reaffirmed our commitment to the long-term Pakistan-US partnership, with renewed focus on eco... -
Dawn - 10:09 Jul 26, 2025
KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday officially abolished all roadside charged parking across Karachi — a practice that had long been seen by Karachiites as a gross exploitation of taxpayers, carried out on city roads for the past 25 years. The decision comes into effect at once. The Sindh local government department, acting on the directives of the chief minister of Sindh, issued a notification announcing the end of parking fees on public roads throughout the city’s 25 Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs). As per the new policy, no municipal body or private entity is allowed to collect any parking fee from vehicles parked on roads anywhere in Karachi. However, the move also granted the councils of the TMCs the authority to designate any ‘specified area’ within their remit as a charged parking space. According to the notification, the Sindh chief minister “imposed a ban on charged parking fees from roads. The charged parking fees can be collected only on plots / plazas / areas specifically maintained by the ... -
Dawn - 09:40 Jul 26, 2025
Police in India have arrested a man accused of running a fake embassy from a rented house near New Delhi and duping job seekers out of money with promises of overseas employment. Harsh Vardhan Jain, 47, was operating an “illegal West Arctic embassy by renting a house” in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which neighbours the capital, local police said. Jain, according to police, claimed to be the ambassador of fictional nations “like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia”. He allegedly used vehicles with fake diplomatic plates and shared doctored photos of himself with Indian leaders to bolster his claims. “His main activities involved acting as a broker to secure work in foreign countries for companies and private individuals, as well as operating a hawala (money transfer) racket through shell companies,” the police said in a statement following his arrest earlier this week. He is also accused of money laundering. During a raid on Jain’s property, police said they recovered $53,500 in cash in addition to doctored ... -
Dawn - 09:09 Jul 26, 2025
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged international stakeholders to explore partnerships in Pakistan’s rapidly evolving health landscape, highlighting the country’s “immense” potential for investment, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. Representing Pakistan at Boao Forum for Asia’s (BFA) Global Health Forum in Beijing yesterday, the health minister underscored that Pakistan presents “immense opportunities for collaboration, innovation and investment”. Established in 2001, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a non-profit international organisation promoting regional cooperation in Asia. It focuses on health issues related to economic development and wellbeing. The roundtable featured health ministers from all over the world, who discussed equal access to healthcare and sustainable reforms. “Pakistan is ready for partnerships in global health,” Kamal said, highlighting the country’s 250 million population, nursing cooperation and digital reforms. He pointed out that there were “significant opportunities ... -
Dawn - 08:07 Jul 26, 2025
Three wanted terrorists and “key operatives” of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed during a joint operation of the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Barikot tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Friday. Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — particularly Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks targeting police stations and posts. In response, the state has also intensified its counterterrorism operations. “Three wanted terrorists have been killed in Barikot in a major win for Swat CTD. Eliminating the enemies of regional peace, the CTD has killed three important operatives of the Fitna al-Khawarij,” KP Police said in a statement today. Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses to refer to the banned TTP. Among the terrorists was Ajmal, also known as Waqas, a resident of Malook Abad who was reportedly involved in at least nine terrorism-related cases. He was also involved in the killing of Village Defence Council members an... -
Dawn - 07:16 Jul 26, 2025
ISLAMABAD: In a rare government-to-government (G2G) transaction, Wah Industries — operating under the Ministry of Defence — has acquired about 30 obsolete power plants from public sector generation companies (Gencos) for Rs38.255 billion, following the failure of the government’s ambitious open auction plan. The Power Division confirmed that under three separate sale agreements, Wah Industries purchased the non-functional plants from Northern Power Generation Company Ltd (NPGCL), Central Power Generation Company Ltd (CPGCL), and Jamshoro Power Company Ltd (JPCL). The agreements were signed on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, respectively. The sale price marginally exceeded the reserve price of Rs38.224bn, previously set under Wapda’s auction regulations, which stipulate that G2G sales cannot occur below reserve value. With these agreements, the total revenue from both auction phases has reached Rs46.73bn, including Rs9.053bn earned from the March 18 auction of seven plants with a combined capacity of 1,016 mega... -
Dawn - 06:54 Jul 26, 2025
CHITRAL: Four persons, including three women, have reportedly died by suicide during the last two days with two incidents occurring on Friday. In the first incident, a girl in her teens reportedly jumped into the river in the Chew Bazaar area. Her body was later fished out and handed over to her parents after a postmortem at the District Headquarters Hospital. Any eyewitness, Inamullah, who runs a medical store in Chew Bazaar, told Dawn that the girl was seen buying mantoo (Afghani snack) from a vendor in front of his shop, from there she proceeded to the centre of the bridge and jumped into the river in front of many passersby. Sub-divisional police officer, city circle, Sajjad Hussain told Dawn that the parents of the deceased had migrated to Singoor village of Chitral town from the Mulkhow tehsil of Upper Chitral. They all ended their life by jumping into river, say police He said the immediate reason for her suicide could not be known, while the police had started an inquiry under section 174 of Criminal ... -
Dawn - 06:52 Jul 26, 2025
The White House is seeking fines from several universities it says failed to stop antisemitism on campus, including Harvard University, in exchange for restoring federal funding, an official of US President Donald Trump’s administration said on Friday. The administration is in talks with several universities, including Cornell, Duke, Northwestern and Brown, the source said, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration is close to striking deals with Northwestern and Brown and potentially Cornell. A deal with Harvard, the country’s oldest and richest university, is a key target for the White House, the official added. A spokesperson for Cornell declined to comment. Other universities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump and his team have undertaken a broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at US universities, which the Republican president says are gripped by antisemitic and “radical left” ideo... -
Dawn - 05:08 Jul 26, 2025
• Expresses concern over unjustified edible oil pricing despite global drop • Approves Rs72bn housing subsidy for 50,000 low-income families ISLAMABAD: The government raised serious concerns on Friday over 29 per cent illegitimate profiteering in the edible oil and ghee market and approved a subsidised housing scheme for 50,000 low-income families during the current fiscal year. Presiding over a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb was informed that international prices of edible oil and ghee had declined by 24pc in recent weeks, yet the local industry had failed to pass on the relief to consumers. In some cases, prices were increased by 4-5pc due to weak market oversight. Officials said the local industry routinely engaged in unfair practices due to a lack of regulation. While the Ministry of Industries and Production assured the ECC of adequate national stock levels, it acknowledged the limited pass-through of international price declines t... -
Dawn - 04:55 Jul 26, 2025
RAWALPINDI: The scope of the investigation into the murder of a newlywed woman has been expanded, as the gravedigger, the secretary of the graveyard and relatives from both her family and her in-laws have been arrested. Police have sought court orders for the exhumation of the deceased’s body to ascertain the cause of her death. According to sources close to the investigation, as many as eight people, including the gravedigger, the graveyard secretary, the rickshaw driver who transported her body to the graveyard, her husband and family members including her brother, have been detained by police in connection with the case. However, the police will charge them with murder and honour killing only in light of the postmortem report, which is expected after the exhumation of Ms Sidra’s body. The victim, 19, was married in February this year. Seek court orders for exhumation of the deceased’s body to ascertain cause of death after making multiple arrests Police initiated the investigation based on information that... -
Dawn - 03:25 Jul 26, 2025
• Fifth monsoon spell to hit Punjab; urban flooding feared • Landslides may block roads in Murree, Galiyat, GB, AJK • Karakoram Highway blocked again; tourists evacuated via C-130 flights RAWALPINDI / LAHORE / GILGIT: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast another spell of monsoon rains across the country from July 29 to 31, urging provincial and district administrations to take precautionary measures. According to the Met Office, weak monsoon currents are continuously penetrating the upper and central parts of the country and are likely to intensify next week. A westerly wave is expected to approach on July 29. Rain accompanied by wind and isolated heavy showers is expected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (including Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur) and Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar) from July 27 to 31 with occasional gaps. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rain and thundershowers are... -
Dawn - 03:21 Jul 26, 2025
• Calls institutional reform ‘top priority’; 15 technical experts appointed, 47 additional positions to be filled • Approves Skill Impact Bond project to provide funds to educational and skill development institutes ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government is fully committed to implementing the agenda of economic digitisation, rightsizing public institutions, and ensuring merit-based appointments of experts in government departments. The premier expressed this resolve while presiding over a meeting to assess progress on the appointment of technical experts across federal ministries and departments, and to discuss measures for enhancing foreign investment. At the meeting, the Public-Private Partnership Authority presented a detailed briefing on current initiatives and future plans aimed at streamlining expert appointments and increasing investor confidence. The prime minister highlighted institutional reforms as a top priority of the federal government. While asserting that there w... -
Dawn - 00:25 Jul 26, 2025
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded Pakistan’s role in “global and regional peace” in his first meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The deputy prime minister arrived in Washington, DC, on Thursday night, on the second leg of his eight-day visit to the US. He had arrived in New York on Monday to attend “high-level signature events” of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, including a conference on Palestine. A statement issued by the FO today said that Dar held his first meeting with Rubio. The two have previously talked over the telephone. The FO said Rubio acknowledged Pakistan’s “everlasting sacrifices in the war on terror”. “Pakistan has always played a positive role in global and regional peace,” the FO quoted the US secretary of state as saying. The FO said that detailed discussions were held on bilateral relations and potential cooperation in various sectors. “Discussions were held on promoting... -
Dawn - 17:19 Jul 25, 2025
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Friday approved Pakistan’s Green Taxonomy, as proposed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, in a “major step towards environmental sustainability”. “The chair appreciated the initiative, noting that it was long overdue and would play a vital role in facilitating access to financing for green projects in the country,” a statement issued by the Finance Division read. During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination in March, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad said the taxonomy will allow financial and non-financial companies to share a common definition of economic activities that can be considered environmentally sustainable. The statement issued today noted that the ECC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to deliberate on a range of important agenda items concerning industrial growth, environmental policy, skill development, housing...
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