Dawn
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Dawn - 02:54 Jan 20, 2026
• Davos disinvites FM Araghchi over ‘tragic’ crackdown • UN condemns use of executions as ‘a tool of state intimidation’ TEHRAN: Internet access in Iran will “gradually” return to normal this week, a senior official said on Monday, as the government faces international fallout from an 11-day communications blackout imposed during deadly anti-government protests. The announcement came the same day organisers of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, confirmed the Iranian foreign minister would not attend the summit because it would not be “right” following the recent crackdown. Simultaneously, the United Nations issued a report condemning Tehran for using executions as a “tool of state intimidation”. “The internet will gradually return to normal operations this week,” Hossein Afshin, Iran’s vice president for science, technology and the knowledge economy, said on Monday on state television. The government imposed a nationwide communications blackout earlier this month amid huge demonstrations triggere... -
Dawn - 02:48 Jan 20, 2026
• Kazakh, Uzbek leaders ready to join; Moscow weighs ‘nuances’ • Starmer pledges UK support for Gaza reconstruction efforts • Israeli minister issues ‘us or them’ ultimatum to Netanyahu MOSCOW: The White House on Monday extended invitations to leaders from Russia, Poland and Israel to join a so-called “Board of Peace” which aims to address global conflicts and manage governance and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. While others weigh participation, Central Asian leaders moved quickly to accept. The press secretaries of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev confirmed their leaders’ readiness to join the board. Both leaders have been courted by Trump, who invited them to the G20 summit in Miami. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin received an invitation to join the board, which would be chaired by Trump. “President Putin also received an invitation to join this Board of Peace,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists... -
Dawn - 02:30 Jan 20, 2026
• Transmission system suffers from overloading, underutilisation • 116 of 192 transformers overloaded beyond 80pc capacity • Regulator urges fast-tracking projects, upgrading substations • Says up to 1,750MW of cheaper power frequently curtailed ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national transmission system, one of the largest in the world, suffers from a damaging mix of overloading and underutilisation, creating operational constraints that undermine merit-based power supply and impose an unquantifiable financial burden on consumers and the national economy, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has said. In a detailed review of the national grid system, the regulator pointed out that the backbone of the transmission network — 500kV and 220kV lines — remained “mostly overloaded” at the close of FY2024-25. It said the National Grid Company (NGC) faced critical overloading in several sections of its 500kV and 220kV network, particularly during summer peak demand. “Many grid stations and power transfo... -
Dawn - 02:29 Jan 20, 2026
BENGALURU: Gold and silver hit record highs on Monday, driven by a flight to safety after US President Donald Trump warned of extra tariffs on some European countries in a dispute over Greenland. Spot gold jumped 1.7 per cent to $4,672.49 an ounce by 12:05pm ET (1705 GMT), after scaling a record peak of $4,689.39. US gold futures for February delivery advanced 1.8pc to $4,677.70 an ounce. Trump threatened several European allies with a series of escalating tariffs on Saturday unless the US is allowed to buy Greenland, intensifying a dispute over Denmark’s vast Arctic island. Markets expect the Fed to leave rates on hold at its meeting over January 27-28 but are pricing in at least two cuts of 25 basis points this year. Elsewhere, spot silver climbed 5pc to $94.41 an ounce after hitting a record high of $94.61. Silver has risen more than 32pc since the start of the year. Analysts at Citi Research said they remain tactically bullish on precious metals, setting price targets of $5,000 an ounce for gold and $10... -
Dawn - 18:48 Jan 19, 2026
An explosion tore through a Chinese-run restaurant in a hotel in a heavily guarded part of Afghanistan’s capital on Monday, killing a Chinese national and six Afghans and injuring several others, including a child, officials said. The restaurant was in the commercial Shahr-i-Naw neighbourhood of Kabul that includes office buildings, shopping complexes and embassies, police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said. The district is considered one of the safest in the city. The Chinese noodle restaurant was jointly run by a Chinese Muslim, Abdul Majid, his wife, and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood, and served the Chinese Muslim community, Zadran said. One Chinese national, identified as Ayub, and six Afghans were killed in the blast, which occurred near the kitchen, while several others were injured, Zadran added. Videos shared on social media showed debris scattered on the street outside and smoke spewing from a large hole torn into the front of the restaurant building. “So far, we have received 20 people at our... -
Dawn - 18:46 Jan 19, 2026
KARACHI: The death toll from the Gul Plaza blaze rose to at least 23 on Monday, with Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab saying that 65 people remained missing. The fire had erupted on Saturday night. The plaza, parts of which collapsed due to the blaze, was a ground-plus-three-storey building with 1,200 shops spread over 8,000 square yards. While the fire at the mall located on M.A Jinnah Road was said to be doused after more than 24 hours on Sunday, firefighting efforts had to resume on Monday as flames reignited from the smouldering debris. In the evening, Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that 23 bodies had been recovered from the debris. He added that the body parts of some of the victims had been recovered. In a statement, Rescue 1122 Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dr Abid Jalal said that while “more than 20 bodies have been recovered, the final number of dead cannot be stated at the moment”. “Some bodies have been recovered in the form of body parts from various locations,” he said... -
Dawn - 17:57 Jan 19, 2026
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died, his foundation said on Monday. The cause of death was not immediately known. Usually known only by his first name, Valentino was 93, and had retired in 2008. Founder of the eponymous brand, Valentino scaled the heights of haute couture, created a business empire and introduced a new colour to the fashion world, the so-called ‘Valentino Red’. “Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones,” the foundation said on Instagram. The lying in state will be on Wednesday and Thursday, while the funeral will take place in Rome on Friday at 11am (3pm PKT), it added. View this post on Instagram ‘I love beauty’ Valentino was ranked alongside Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld as the last of the great designers from an era before fashion became a global, highly commercial industry run as much by accountants and marketing executives as the couturiers. Lagerfeld passed away in 2019, while Armani died in September. Scaling the hei... -
Dawn - 17:52 Jan 19, 2026
In his first speech after being appointed the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Tehreek Tahafuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday vowed unconditional support for strengthening the lower house of Parliament. It is worth mentioning that several parts of Achakzai’s nearly 30-minute speech were muted in the NA’s livestream. At the outset of his address, Achakzai said: “The TTAP makes a promise to the whole country — if you wish to strengthen this house … you will receive our unconditional support. “Without this house, we are nothing,” he said, adding that the NA should be at the centre of Pakistan’s policies. “Mistakes happen in the world. Sit, think, sleep on it, as they say in English. What’s happened has happened but having animosity and hurling abuse at each other will not help us,” he said. Quoting the Holy Quran, Achakzai said that work which focused on welfare and aid must be supported. “Whenever you talk about the public’s welfare, our votes will be with you,” he asse... -
Dawn - 17:52 Jan 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought an amendment in the Elections Act, 2017 to ensure the timely conduct of local government elections across the country, it emerged on Monday. In a letter sent to the Parliamentary Affairs Division secretary, the commission has proposed an amendment in Section 219(1) of the Elections Act. Section 219(1) of the Elections Act in its original form reads: “The commission shall conduct elections to the local governments under the applicable local government law, and the rules framed thereunder, as may be applicable to a province, cantonments or Islamabad Capital Territory.” The proposed amendment by the ECP, however, states: “The commission shall conduct elections to the local governments under the applicable local government law at the time of the expiry of term or dissolution of the local governments, and the rules framed thereunder, as may be applicable to a province, cantonments or Islamabad Capital Territory.” Explaining the rationale for the propo... -
Dawn - 17:15 Jan 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: PTI Senator Ali Zafar said on Monday that Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani had communicated to him that Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas would be notified as the opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament by tomorrow (Tuesday). Speaking to Dawn, Zafar said he had submitted a letter to the Senate chairperson, seeking the appointment of Abbas. According to the PTI senator, Gilani had accepted the opposition’s demand of appointing Abbas to the vacant position and said that an announcement about his appointment would also be made in the House. In a post on X, Zafar said that he had a meeting with the Senate chairman regarding the appointment of the opposition leader. “[The] chairman informed me that he has approved the appointment and directed the secretariat to issue a formal notification,” Zafar said. He welcomed the decision, saying that the party would be able convey its perspective in the Senate more effectively. The opposition leader’s posts in the Senate an... -
Dawn - 17:05 Jan 19, 2026
India signed a $3 billion deal on Monday to buy liquefied natural gas from the United Arab Emirates, making it the UAE’s top customer, as the leaders of both countries held talks to strengthen trade and defence ties. The agreement was signed during a very brief two-hour visit to India by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They pledged to double bilateral trade to $200bn in six years and form a strategic defence partnership. Abu Dhabi state firm ADNOC Gas will supply 0.5 million metric tons of LNG a year to India’s Hindustan Petroleum Corp for 10 years, the companies said. ADNOC Gas said the agreement brings the total value of its contracts with India to over $20bn. “India is now the UAE’s largest customer and a very important part of ADNOC Gas’ LNG strategy,” the company said. The UAE is India’s third largest trading partner and Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by a government delegation that included his defence and foreign ministers. The two ... -
Dawn - 15:23 Jan 19, 2026
The PTI has set up a three-member committee aimed at providing legal aid and welfare support to its members incarcerated in Punjab and their families. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has formally notified the committee, called the ‘PTI Punjab Legal and Welfare Committee’. Haider Majeed, Faiza Murad and Ali Ijaz Buttar have been named members of the committee. The notification states: “The PTI hereby announces the constitution of the PTI Punjab Legal and Welfare Committee for the support of party members who have been convicted or are currently incarcerated as well as for the welfare of their families. “All matters concerning the imprisonment, legal proceedings and welfare of PTI-affiliated prisoners and their families in the province of Punjab may be referred to any member of the committee,” it added. The committee will convene meetings as required and will remain in close coordination with the party leadership, it said. It further stated that it would keep the office of the secretary general fully in... -
Dawn - 15:05 Jan 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Saturday that the party’s future participation in meetings of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) was conditional upon whether consultations would be allowed with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan. Neither Barrister Gohar nor Barrister Syed Ali Zafar — who represent PTI in JCP meetings — have attended recent sessions of the council during which, in separate meetings last week, the commission had recommended the confirmation of 31 additional judges as permanent judges. JCP is the key judicial body responsible for appointing judges to the superior judiciary Speaking to the media at the Supreme Court on Saturday, Gohar said, “The party will take a final decision whether or not to attend future meetings of the JCP after having consultation with the PTI founder”. When asked why PTI skipped meetings of the commission, Barrister Gohar explained that the status of the commission had changed after the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment and th... -
Dawn - 14:56 Jan 19, 2026
The Gul Plaza inferno that erupted on Saturday night, killing at least 21 people and injuring several others, is one of the deadliest fires Karachi has witnessed in recent years. It is also the latest reminder of a grim and familiar pattern in a metropolis where fires routinely destroy homes, businesses and livelihoods. Across Pakistan, fires frequently break out in residential, commercial and industrial buildings due to a toxic mix of crumbling infrastructure, weak enforcement of safety regulations and widespread negligence. Many structures lack basic fire exits, alarms and emergency response protocols, while faulty wiring and overloaded power systems sharply increase the risk of electrical short circuits. City planners and engineers estimate that around 70 per cent of Karachi’s residential, commercial and industrial buildings do not have an adequate fire safety system. Despite the frequency and scale of such incidents, accountability has remained elusive. Investigations are rarely concluded, recommendations... -
Dawn - 14:25 Jan 19, 2026
Rescue workers on Monday combed through the rubble and debris of Karachi’s Gul Plaza in the aftermath of a deadly fire over the weekend. The fire started late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex. The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was mostly extinguished. Videos showed flames ripping through the building as firefighters laboured through the night to put out the blaze. On Monday, they began cooling the structure and clearing twisted metal and debris strewn across the street, along with fallen air-conditioning units and shop signboards. A firefighter works next to the smoldering remains of Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall on January 19, following a massive fire that broke out. — Reuters Police officers, rescue workers and shopkeepers gather at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall on January 19 after a massive fire broke out. — Reuters Rescue workers search for victims on January 19, following a massive fire that broke out in Karac... -
Dawn - 14:23 Jan 19, 2026
United States President Donald Trump said he no longer felt an “obligation to think purely of peace” after not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and repeated his demand for control of Greenland. Trump made the remarks in a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, which was published on Monday and whose authenticity was confirmed to AFP by Støre’s office. A copy of the text of the letter was posted by the foreign affairs and defence correspondent for PBS News, Nick Schifrin, on social media platform X, who said he had obtained it from multiple officials. Schifrin added that the letter had been forwarded to “multiple European ambassadors in Washington”. “Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” Trump said in the letter. “Although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.” As Bloomberg pointed out, ... -
Dawn - 14:17 Jan 19, 2026
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday said that there was no need to politicise the fire which broke out in Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall, saying that it was a “lesson for all of us”. She made the remarks in the Senate after Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Khalida Ateeb called the House’s attention to the incident, lambasting the Sindh government for its negligence. Calling the incident “heartbreaking”, Rehman said that there could be no compensation for all of the lives lost in the incident. She asserted that the entire Sindh government was active and dealing with the situation. However, she conceded that the fire brigade took time to reach the site after the fire broke out as there was a large crowd gathered at the scene. She added that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had announced Rs10m as compensation for the affected families. “Shutting down private enterprise is harmful since this is such a big plaza. But fire safety is necessary for a city like Karachi and one should ask the administration... -
Dawn - 13:50 Jan 19, 2026
KARACHI: National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday called for a “new Pakistan”, which is democratic, where there is rule of law, and where there is no cruelty. Achakzai — who is on a four-day visit to Sindh along with a delegation of opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) to mobilise the masses for a nationwide strike and protest rallies scheduled for February 8 — expressed these views while addressing lawyers at the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) in Karachi. Apart from him, other TTAP leaders, including Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI’s Asad Qaiser, also spoke at the seminar titled “Protecting the Basic Structure of the Constitution of Pakistan”. “Let’s make Pakistan a democratic country, a country where people have the power, and there is rule of law and the Constitution,” said Achakzai, adding that democracy had not been allowed to flourish in the country. “The country is ailing like a cancer patient.” “Let’s comply... -
Dawn - 13:26 Jan 19, 2026
The devastating fire at Gul Plaza, a landmark shopping centre on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road, is not merely an accident or an unfortunate lapse in safety compliance. It is a grim reminder that poor governance kills. As rescue operations continue and the death toll rises in the aftermath, what is already evident is that this tragedy was foreseeable, preventable, and rooted in institutional failure rather than fate. Gul Plaza was an old, densely packed commercial building with hundreds of shops spread across its basement and upper floors, with inadequate emergency exits and fire safety systems. Despite its prominence and heavy daily footfall, reports indicate that the building lacked critical emergency exits and fire-venting infrastructure — features that should have been enforced long ago by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). Ensuring compliance with these standards is not optional; it is the statutory responsibility of the authority charged with public safety. The question is not whether a short circui... -
Dawn - 12:46 Jan 19, 2026
LAHORE: Mubashra Khawar Maneka, the daughter of Bushra Bibi, withdrew her plea filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking meetings with her incarcerated mother. Maneka had filed the plea on January 16, seeking meetings with her mother, who is the wife of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. The court registrar’s office had, however, objected to the maintainability of the plea, asking Maneka to approach the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench instead. During Monday’s hearing, Justice Farooq Haider sustained the registrar office’s objection pertaining to territorial jurisdiction, observing that the plea was not maintainable before the LHC’s principal seat. Maneka’s counsel then withdrew the petition, following which Justice Haider disposed of the plea. The petition, filed through Lahore High Court Bar Association President Malik Asif Nissoana, listed the inspector general of prisons, the superintendent of Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, and others as respondents. It said the Adiala jail administration had barred Maneka from meeting he...
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