Dawn
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Dawn - 02:48 Oct 18, 2025
ROME: Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah has strongly cautioned against the unilateral manipulation of shared water resources, accusing India of undermining a critical water-sharing treaty and posing a threat to regional peace and development. Speaking at the Rome Water Dialogue convened by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, he warned that any nation attempting to control transboundary water flows violates international law. “Any attempt to unilaterally alter transboundary water flows or weaponise water access is not only dangerous but contrary to international norms and sustainable development goals,” Mr Shah said. Representing Pakistan at the global forum, Mr Shah raised serious concerns about India’s conduct regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), long seen as a successful example of bilateral cooperation. “The Indus Waters Treaty has long been considered a model of cooperation, even during times of conflict between Pakistan and India,” he said. “However, India’s recent unilate... -
Dawn - 02:33 Oct 18, 2025
LAKKI MARWAT: At least eight alleged terrorists were gunned down in an intelligence-based operation in the Sultankhel area, while a commander of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was reportedly killed by unidentified gunmen, on Friday. In addition, security forces claimed to have foiled a terror bid in Bajaur after a large cache of explosives, loaded into a non-Customs paid vehicle, was destroyed in Lowi Mamund tehsil. In Lakki Marwat, officials said an operation was launched on reports about the presence of militants in the rural area located on the border with Punjab, near Mianwali. Security forces spotted the terrorist hideout in the forest between Kaichi Kamar and Sultankhel, which was reportedly targeted through a unmanned drone. Forces foil major terror bid in Bajaur by disabling explosive-laden vehicle During the operation, eight militants were eliminated and their hideouts were destroyed, while security forces seized a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives and launched a sanitisa... -
Dawn - 02:27 Oct 18, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday hailed the acquisition of First Women Bank Ltd (FWBL) by Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company (IHC) as a milestone in Pakistan-UAE economic ties, saying the deal would pave the way for more joint ventures and partnerships across diverse sectors. Speaking at a signing ceremony, the prime minister described the transaction as “the first drop of rain” in a broader effort to deepen economic collaboration with the United Arab Emirates. The event marked the official transfer of a majority stake in FWBL to IHC under a government-to-government (G2G) framework. The UAE delegation was led by Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of 2PointZero. The federal cabinet had earlier approved the divestment of the government’s entire stake in FWBL, reportedly valued at $14.6 million (approximately Rs4.1 billion), a figure yet to be formally disclosed. Buyer to inject Rs6.8bn more to meet capital requirements In addition to acquiring the bank, IHC will m... -
Dawn - 02:18 Oct 18, 2025
• Hafiz Gul Bahadur group’s positions in the crosshairs hours after audacious gun-and-bomb attack in North Waziristan • Strikes come despite extension of ceasefire; security officials say ‘truce with Afghan govt, not terror outfits’ • Khawaja Asif accuses Afghan Taliban of ‘sitting in India’s lap’; says terrorists will be made to pay heavy price, wherever they are • Questions remain over Qatar-mediated talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in absence of clarity over who will attend ISLAMABAD: With representatives from both sides expected to meet in Doha soon for talks mediated by the Qatari government, a telling statement from the country’s defence minister indicated that the gloves were off, as Pakistan again targeted terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan on Friday. The attacks came on the heels of an audacious gun-and-bomb attack, targeting a military installation in North Waziristan, and just hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended their two-day ceasefire. Incidents were reported from the Angoor Adda region ... -
Dawn - 01:45 Oct 18, 2025
KARACHI: A consumer court has issued a notice to a coffee shop located in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase-VIII on an application alleging that it is unlawfully using the name of a Thailand-based café chain. The court has summoned the defendant to appear on Oct 31 to respond to the allegations. Syed Muhammad Ali Jafri, a consumer, filed an application through his counsel, Abdul Ahad Khan, under the relevant sections of the Sindh Consumer Protection Act, 2015, before the judicial magistrate of the consumer court (South) against the defendant Mondo Coffee Bar, operating in DHA, Phase-VIII. The counsel alleged that the café was using the “trademark, design, and logo” of Thailand-based café Mondo Espresso & Tea Bar for financial gain through wrongful means. After a preliminary hearing, the court summoned the defendant “to appear before this court in person, or by a pleader instructed and be able to answer all material question relating to the complaint, or who shall be accompanied by some person able to ... -
Dawn - 19:09 Oct 17, 2025
US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday it would be premature to give Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying as he hosted Volodymyr Zelensky that he hoped to secure peace with Russia first. “Hopefully, they won’t need it. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks,” Trump told journalists, including an AFP reporter, as the two leaders met at the White House. Trump added that he was confident of getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion he launched in 2022, following a phone call with the Kremlin chief a day earlier. The US and Russian presidents agreed on Thursday to a new summit in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, which would be their first since an August meeting in Alaska that failed to produce any kind of peace deal. “I think that President Putin wants to end the war,” Trump said. But Zelensky, who wore a dark suit for his third meeting with Trump in Washington since the US president’s return to power, demurred, saying that Putin was “not ready... -
Dawn - 19:06 Oct 17, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that terrorists would pay a “heavy price,” regardless of “wherever the source of terrorism lies”, adding that the relationship with Kabul would no longer be like it was in the past. “There will no longer be protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul. Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price,” said the defence minister in a post on X. On the night of October 11, Afghanistan launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani border posts, triggering a series of skirmishes that carried on until Wednesday, leaving 23 troops martyred and over 200 Taliban fighters dead. The Pakistan armed forces conducted “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital Kabul. A temporary ceasefire was then agreed at Afghanistan’s request for 48 hours. Asif added that Afghanistan was “sitting in India’s lap and plotting conspiracies against Pakistan” and that Islamabad “can no longer afford to have relations with Kabu... -
Dawn - 17:15 Oct 17, 2025
Three more ministers from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet on Friday announced their resignation, with two of them calling upon Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq to step down for what they described as his “failure to safeguard the constitutional rights of Kashmiri refugees”. Earlier this week, AJK Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed announced that he had resigned from his position, citing “some unavoidable reasons”. However, a senior official at the AJK prime minister’s office told Dawn.com that the resignation had been “received but not yet accepted”. AJK Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan and Food Minister Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim announced today they would step down at a joint press conference at the Muzaffarabad Press Club, while Sports, Youth and Culture Minister Asim Sharif Butt sent his resignation directly to the prime minister, opting to stay away from media interaction. All three were elected on PTI tickets in the 2021 general elections from LA-45 (Valley-VI), LA-38 (Jammu-V) and LA-42 (Va... -
Dawn - 16:44 Oct 17, 2025
Posts from multiple Afghan and Indian accounts on social media platform X on October 16, 2025, shared visuals claiming to show the Afghanistan defence forces successfully testing a missile with a 400-kilometre range amid the recent fighting with Pakistan. However, the visuals do not show any Afghan missile test. On Sunday, fierce border clashes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban resulted in the martyrdom of 23 troops and left over 200 Taliban fighters dead, including a number of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorists. Both nations claimed to have destroyed the border posts of the other side. On Tuesday, fighting flared up again between the neighbours in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The next day, the third major skirmish also took place, with the Pakistani security forces saying an attack by the Afghan Taliban was repulsed in Spin Boldak, killing about 15-20 Taliban fighters. Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a social media post that the Afghan forces were “forc... -
Dawn - 16:41 Oct 17, 2025
US President Donald Trump said he expected an expansion of the Abraham Accords soon and hopes Saudi Arabia will join the pact that normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and some Arab states. “I hope to see Saudi Arabia go in, and I hope to see others go in. I think when Saudi Arabia goes in, everybody goes in,” Trump said in an interview broadcast on Friday on Fox Business Network. Trump said he had “some very good conversations” as recently as Wednesday with states that have indicated their willingness to join the accords. “I think that they’re going to all go in very soon,” Trump said in the interview, which was recorded on Thursday. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the accords in 2020 during Trump’s first term in the White House, breaking a longstanding taboo to become the first Arab states to recognise Israel in a quarter century. Morocco and Sudan followed suit. Trump, who convened Muslim and European leaders in Egypt to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip on Monday, has presented hi... -
Dawn - 16:37 Oct 17, 2025
The temporary ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been extended, a senior diplomatic source confirmed to Dawn.com on Friday. The Pakistani delegation is still in Pakistan and is scheduled to depart for Doha tomorrow morning, said security sources. On the night of October 11, Afghanistan launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani border posts, triggering a series of skirmishes that carried on until Wednesday, leaving 23 troops martyred and over 200 Taliban fighters dead. The Pakistan armed forces conducted “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital Kabul. A temporary ceasefire was agreed at Afghanistan’s request for 48 hours, which expired at 6pm today. “The temporary ceasefire was extended at the request of the Afghan Taliban government,” the source said. “High-level talks are expected to begin on Saturday.” Islamabad Kabul working to resolve ‘complex but solvable’ issue Earlier today, the Foreign Office (FO) stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan are sincerely working tow... -
Dawn - 15:06 Oct 17, 2025
At least 71 new dengue cases were confirmed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last 24 hours, according to a situation report issued on Friday by the Integrated Diseases Surveillance and Response System (IDSRS) at the Directorate-General Health Services (DGHS). The report stated that 27 of the new patients were hospitalised, bringing the total number of currently hospitalised dengue cases in the province to 48. So far this year, KP has recorded a total of 3,582 laboratory-confirmed cases, 1,474 hospitalisations, 3,314 recoveries, and two deaths. Provincial Medical Entomologist at the DGHS Dengue Control Programme, Salahuddin Khan Marwat, told Dawn.com, “Climate change is a key factor in the spread of the disease to new areas.” Marwat said the current weather conditions, persistent humidity, monsoon rains, and temperatures between 18 to 25 degrees Celsius, have created an ideal environment for mosquito breeding. “This is why we see a spike in cases in October. The mosquitoes breed rapidly in these conditions... -
Dawn - 14:35 Oct 17, 2025
Russia and the United States should build a “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel under the Bering Strait to link their countries, unlock joint exploration of natural resources and “symbolise unity”, a Kremlin envoy has suggested. The proposal by Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, envisages a construction project costing $8 billion, funded by Moscow and “international partners”, to build a 70-mile (112-km) rail and cargo link in under eight years. Dmitriev, who has helped spearhead a Russian charm offensive designed to revive US-Russia ties, floated the idea late on Thursday after Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump by phone and agreed to meet in Budapest to seek a way to stop the war in Ukraine. Musk’s ‘boring company’ proposed as contractor “The dream of a US-Russia link via the Bering Strait reflects an enduring vision from the 1904 Siberia-Alaska railway to Russia’s 2007 plan. RDIF has studied existing proposals, including the US-Canada-R... -
Dawn - 13:56 Oct 17, 2025
OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. after his estate complained about disrespectful depictions. The slain civil rights leader’s estate and OpenAI announced the decision in a joint statement late Thursday, saying the company would pause generations depicting King while it “strengthens guardrails for historical figures.” The move comes as families of deceased celebrities and leaders have expressed outrage over OpenAI’s Sora 2 video tool, which allows users to create realistic-looking clips of historical figures without family consent. Some users had generated videos showing King making monkey noises during his “I Have a Dream” speech and other demeaning content, according to The Washington Post. Videos reanimating other dead figures, including Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Amy Winehouse, have flooded social media since Sora 2’s launch on September 30. “While there are strong free speech interests in depicti... -
Dawn - 13:44 Oct 17, 2025
Pakistan opener Omaima Sohail said on Friday that the team was still looking forward to a chance to make the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup , ahead of their clash with New Zealand on Saturday. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s hopes of a first victory at the World Cup were hit by rain, with their crucial fixture against England being abandoned after a second downpour in Colombo. Chasing a revised target of 113 to win after earlier rains had reduced the match to 31 overs per side, Pakistan were well on their way at 34-0 in 6.4 overs when rains returned to end any chance of the match being completed — saving England from their first ever loss against the Green Shirts. Speaking at the pre-match press conference at the R. Pramedasa Stadium in Colombo, Omaima said: “We are not relaxed at all. We have a chance to go [to the] semis if we win the matches, like three matches. “So maybe the scenario is open, so maybe we will win the three matches, so we have a chance in the semis.” Omaima showed glimpses of form in th... -
Dawn - 12:58 Oct 17, 2025
PAKISTAN has done it again. The country has held on to its spot near the bottom of the Henley Passport Index, ranking 103rd out of 106, just above Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. For the fifth time in a row, our passport holds the dubious distinction of being among the world’s least powerful. Consistency demands commitment and successive governments have shown plenty of that, especially when it comes to standing still. While others jostle up and down the index, Pakistan’s passport remains a model of stability. Holders of the green booklet can travel visa-free to a grand total of 31 destinations — a list that mostly includes islands most have never heard of and countries one might only encounter in a geography quiz. Meanwhile, top spot holders, Singaporeans, can breeze into 193 destinations, and South Koreans into 190. One could blame geopolitics, global suspicion, or our own bureaucratic enthusiasm for paperwork. But the truth is that passport strength reflects far more than airport convenience: it mirrors inter... -
Dawn - 12:52 Oct 17, 2025
A high-level meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was informed on Friday that as of October 16, a total of 1,477,592 Afghan nationals have been repatriated and the government will grant no further extension. A drive to expel more than 1.3 million Afghan nationals with Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders, the last category of refugees legally living in the country without visas, has been underway since Sept 1 this year. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the meeting’s attendees were told that only those Afghans who possess a valid Pakistani visa would be allowed to stay in Pakistan and the number of exit points on the Afghan side are being increased to make the repatriation process smoother and faster. “Officials informed the meeting that harboring Afghan nationals residing illegally in Pakistan or allowing them to stay in guesthouses is a criminal offense, and efforts are underway to identify such individuals. The public will be involved in the repatriat... -
Dawn - 12:50 Oct 17, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other northern areas were jolted by tremors on Friday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The PMD’s data showed that the quake was registered with a magnitude of 5.6 at a depth of 120 kilometres at 5:15pm. Tremors were felt in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat and Chitral. The PMD stated that the quake’s epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) registered a 4.7 magnitude quake less than 30km from the western Pak-Afghan border, at a depth of 10km at 4:53pm. However, USGS also registered a 5.5 magnitude earthquake less than 10km Pakistan’s northern border with Afghanistan. This one was registered at 5:15pm at a depth of 10km. A screenshot of a map showing two earthquakes registered north and west of Pakistan. — Screengrab via USGS Last week, a magnitude 5 earthquake struck close to Punjab’s Layyah on Saturday night, according to the PMD. The department said the quake occurred 50k... -
Dawn - 12:34 Oct 17, 2025
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government was holding urgent talks on Friday to overturn a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a match at Aston Villa that Israel’s government branded “shameful”. Birmingham-based Villa said the club had been informed by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), responsible for issuing certificates for matches, that no away fans would be permitted at the Europa League match on November 6. “Shameful decision! I call on the UK authorities to reverse this coward decision,” the foreign minister of Israel, Gideon Saar, posted on X. A UK police commissioner asked local officials to review the decision as criticism of the ban mounted, including from Starmer and European governing body UEFA. Starmer, a keen football fan, called the move “wrong”. “We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation,” Starmer wrote on X. A spokesman for the prime minister said on Friday that conve... -
Dawn - 12:34 Oct 17, 2025
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said on Friday that the provincial government had forwarded the summary for banning the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to the Centre. “The Punjab cabinet has given its approval for banning the TLP, and this has been forwarded to the Centre. So the legal requirement with regard to the provinces has been fulfilled. The provincial government, after giving its approval, has forwarded the summary to the Centre,” she said at a press conference in Lahore. Her statement comes a day after the Punjab government decided to ask the Centre to ban the TLP, which had conducted a protest march “in solidarity with Gaza”, pledging to reach Islamabad and protest outside the US embassy. However, on Monday, the authorities launched a pre-dawn operation in Muridke, where the TLP had set up its protest camp on its way to its planned destination. The move by law enforcement agencies had triggered violent clashes, chaos dozens of arrests, resulting in the protest’s premature end. There have ...
8012 items