Dawn
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Dawn - 04:29 Apr 19, 2026
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has said that no provision exists in the general and special laws in the province about blocking of computerised national identity card (CNIC) of any person in civil litigation. A single-judge bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Hasan Akber also noted that after the enactment of 18th Constitutional Amendment, the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) has become a provincial subject, whereas no such provision was available in the CPC enforceable in the province of Sindh. The bench made these observations while deciding two civil miscellaneous applications (CMAs) filed by Malik Ali Zain, one of the judgement debtors in a decree, against an order of the civil court concerned for directing the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to block his CNIC. The civil court had issued directive to Nadra in May last year on an application filed by the decree holder under Section 51 of the CPC for execution of the decree and impugned order was passed over non-service of notice or pu... -
Dawn - 03:41 Apr 19, 2026
QUETTA: Security forces have arrested the wife of an alleged facilitator of the female suicide attacker who targeted the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters in Nokundi last year, officials said on Saturday, claiming that her husband had taken a woman and her our children to Afghanistan for suicide bombing training. Speaking at a press conference, Additional Chief Secretary Home Hamza Shafqaat said extremist networks were increasingly using women and children as tools to carry out attacks, calling the trend inhumane and contrary to local traditions. “Evidence of cross-border infiltration and terrorism from Afghanistan exists, and terrorists escape across the border after carrying out attacks,” said Mr Shafqaat, flanked by DIG Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Balochistan and aide of home department affairs Babar Khan Yousafzai. Officials said the Nov 30 attack on the FC headquarters involved a female suicide bomber linked to a banned outfit (Balochistan Liberation Front), adding that the arrest of Rahima Bib... -
Dawn - 02:53 Apr 19, 2026
• Jameel Ahmad says macroeconomic indicators improved faster than expected at start of fiscal year • Claims prudent monetary, fiscal policies stabilised inflation, strengthened buffers KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad has said the country’s key macroeconomic indicators have improved faster than anticipated at the start of the fiscal year, owing to a prudent mix of monetary and fiscal policies that helped stabilise inflation and strengthen external positions. While the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has introduced new risks and heightened uncertainty about the macroeconomic outlook, he said, the economy is relatively better positioned than during previous crises to manage these challenges. The SBP governor was speaking at meetings with senior executives of leading global financial and investment institutions, including JP Morgan, Barclays, Citibank, Jefferies and Franklin Templeton, as well as major credit rating agencies such as Fitch, Moody’s and S&P Global. These engagements ... -
Dawn - 02:21 Apr 19, 2026
LAHORE: After the conclusion of their Baisakhi visit to Pakistan on Saturday, Sikh pilgrims from India will leave today for their homeland via the Wagah Border after a week of religious and cultural events. Around 2,238 Sikh pilgrims arrived on April 10 to participate in Baisakhi festivities. Pakistan had issued around 2,800 visas to Sikh pilgrims this year, while approximately 600 pilgrims were unable to travel. At the end of their visit, a cultural night was hosted by the Punjab government at Hazuri Bagh for Indian Sikh pilgrims, besides a special ceremony at the Dayal Singh Trust Library under the World Centre for Punjabi. The Hazuri Bagh event featured colourful cultural performances, traditional music, and a lively atmosphere, wherein Sikh pilgrims enthusiastically participated. Many were seen enjoying the music and performing bhangra to the beat of drums, reflecting the spirit of joy and unity. Over 2,000 visitors arrived in Pakistan last week to join Baisakhi celebrations “The cultural night at Hazuri ... -
Dawn - 02:19 Apr 19, 2026
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s liquidity pressures are expected to ease as the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board is set to consider approval of a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) next month, potentially paving the way for a fresh disbursement of about $1.2 billion under the two programmes. The SLA was reached on March 28 on the successful third review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the second review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his delegation held a series of meetings with IMF and World Bank officials in Washington this week during the Spring Meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions. The talks focused on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilisation, reform agenda, and external financing outlook. In a conversation with Dawn, the minister said the IMF Executive Board is expected to meet in mid-May in Washington to review the SLA, which would unlock the next tranche under Pakistan’s programme. Liquidity pressures to ease as IMF’s board ... -
Dawn - 02:13 Apr 19, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced on Saturday that construction has begun on an eco-friendly floating jetty at the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KoFHA). The project, costing Rs120 million, aims to facilitate the offloading of export-quality fish. The minister chaired a meeting of the KoFHA board, attended by its Director General, Dr Shahid Aslam, Chairman Abrar Asim, and other members. He described the project as a significant step towards improving facilities for small-scale fisherfolk, adding that the jetty was expected to be completed by June. He said the initiative would ensure safer, more reliable access to water and facilitate the smooth landing and unloading of the fish catch. He noted that the project aimed to improve operational efficiency and create new economic opportunities for coastal communities. The meeting was informed that, unlike fixed structures, the floating jetty would adjust to tidal variations, reducing dependence on water levels an... -
Dawn - 19:16 Apr 18, 2026
Rawalpindi police on Saturday denied reports regarding the closure of markets across the city until further notice, terming them baseless. A statement posted on the social media platform X quoted City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mahmood Hamdani as saying that no directives had been issued by Rawalpindi police regarding the closure of markets. He said that all markets and businesses were open as usual till 8pm as per the government’s policy. He added that effective security arrangements were being ensured in view of the “movement of foreign delegations”. He said police teams were actively conducting search, sweep, and combing operations in different parts of the city to maintain law and order. He said police were working day and night to ensure foolproof security at all times. Separately, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema also shared visuals regarding reports of hotels and markets being closed until further notice. “This news is fake and not issued by the district administration. The publ... -
Dawn - 19:00 Apr 18, 2026
Six people were killed in Kyiv on Saturday after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a supermarket in the Ukrainian capital before being killed during an arrest attempt, officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least 14 people were hospitalised with wounds and trauma after the shooting and hostage-taking, which took place in a residential district in the city’s south. “He was holding hostages and, unfortunately, killed one of them. He killed four people right on the street. Another woman died in the hospital from severe injuries,” Zelensky said on social media, adding that four hostages from the supermarket “have been rescued”. Footage posted by the UNIAN news agency, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, showed a man carrying a gun and shooting at a person from close range near a block of flats. The suspect then entered a supermarket where gunshots were heard, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Four hostages from the supermarket “have been rescued”, Zelensky said on soci... -
Dawn - 18:56 Apr 18, 2026
Twelve countries, including Pakistan, on Saturday expressed “their strongest condemnation” at Israel’s announcement of appointing a diplomatic representative to Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, according to a joint statement shared by the Foreign Office (FO). The statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan and Kuwait. Israel appointed on Wednesday its first ambassador to Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland. Michael Lotem was appointed as a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement issued on Saturday by the FO said that Israel’s action was “considered a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia”. According to the statement, the ministers reaffirmed their “unequivocal rejection of all unilateral measures that undermine the unity of states or infringe upon their sove... -
Dawn - 17:32 Apr 18, 2026
Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour “has not been accurate in all its aspects”. Speaking to reporters in English aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-day Africa tour, the first American pope said comments he made two days earlier in Cameroon, decrying that the world was being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, were not aimed at Trump. That speech, said Leo, “was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting”. On Sunday, as the pontiff prepared to embark on his tour, Trump called him “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” in a post on Truth Social. Trump also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him. The post was removed on Monday morning. Trump appeared to be resp... -
Dawn - 17:03 Apr 18, 2026
New Delhi on Saturday summoned Iran’s ambassador to convey the country’s “deep concern” after two Indian-flagged vessels were shot at near the Strait of Hormuz, India’s foreign ministry said. In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Iran’s Ambassador to India Dr Mohammad Fathali was summoned “for a meeting with [the] foreign secretary this evening”. During the meeting, the foreign secretary “conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz”, the MEA said. “He noted the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners and recalled that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships bound for India.” Reiterating his concern at “this serious incident of firing on merchant ships”, the foreign secretary urged the ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and “resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the strait”. Th... -
Dawn - 16:51 Apr 18, 2026
KARACHI. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Saturday that the government had paid $2 billion to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Earlier this month, a senior Pakistani official said Abu Dhabi had sought the immediate return of $3.5bn; the funds were part of external financing support extended in 2019 to help stabilise Pakistan’s balance of payments. The government had already paid $500 million to the UAE. The remaining amount is expected to be paid on April 23. The outflow of $3.5bn dollars could be a big shock to the central bank’s foreign exchange reserves. However, Saudi Arabia on Thursday pledged an additional $3bn in deposits for Pakistan and extended its existing $5bn facility for a further three years. A day later, the SBP said it had received $2bn from Saudi Arabia. As of April 10, the central bank’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $20.52bn. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said earlier this week that Pakistan was considering Eurobonds, loans from other countries and commercial debt to repl... -
Dawn - 16:16 Apr 18, 2026
KARACHI: An angry mob set a water tanker on fire after the driver of the heavy vehicle ran over and killed a motorcyclist in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Saturday evening, according to police and rescue officials. Speaking to Dawn, Sharea Faisal Station House Officer (SHO) Imtiaz Husain Shah said that a 40-year-old man was riding a motorbike when a reckless water tanker driver ran him over and crushed him in Block-18 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. He said that the driver managed to flee from the scene, leaving behind his heavy vehicle. An angry mob then torched the water tanker, he added. Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan said the law enforcement officials rushed the spot and controlled the situation. However, the front part of the tanker had turned into ashes by then. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for legal formalities. Separately, traffic accidents in the metropolis also claimed the lives of two women, with two heavy vehicle drivers arrested, police officials said. A woma... -
Dawn - 16:12 Apr 18, 2026
KARACHI: A policeman died on Saturday after being hit by a vehicle being driven by alleged smugglers in Gulshan-i-Maymar, according to police and rescue services officials. Site Superhighway Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Nawaz said that a police mobile was on routine patrol at Maymar Mor when it signalled a car to stop for checking. However, the suspects travelling in the car did not stop. They accelerated the vehicle and hit 36-year-old constable Abdul Manan, who sustained critical injuries. He was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. His funeral prayers were later offered at the DIG East Zone Police Headquarters. SHO Nawaz said other policemen chased the fleeing suspects in their mobile, which was also hit and damaged by the suspects. Regardless, the police managed to arrest both suspects, identified as Agha Jan and Naseem. The police officer said during the initial probe, it was discovered that the seized car was heavily loaded with chalia (betel nut) and was being dr... -
Dawn - 15:28 Apr 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, the spouse of former prime minister Imran Khan, approached the Islamabad High Court on Saturday seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds. Bushra is serving a seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, which pertains to giving undue favours to property tycoon Malik Riaz in retrieving his laundered money from the United Kingdom. Her appeal against the conviction remains pending before the high court. In December 2025, she was also sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana 2 case, which concerns the purchase of an expensive jewelry set gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during his May 2021 visit. In the application filed on Saturday through her counsels Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, Bushra Bibi urged the court to urgently fix and decide on her plea seeking the suspension of the sentence. The petition stated that Bushra Bibi, currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, underwent an eye surgery under u... -
Dawn - 14:39 Apr 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on health Dr Zafar Mirza on Saturday voiced alarm at the rising number of HIV cases in Pakistan, warning that the situation was becoming increasingly alarming. Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, he referred to the emergence of HIV cases in Taunsa uncovered by the BBC, saying that the reuse of contaminated syringes and inadequate screening of blood before transfusions were major contributors to the spread of the disease. He also demanded that the report prepared by the Punjab government’s commission on the matter be made public and demanded an audit of global health funding received by Pakistan. Dr Rana Jawad, Dr Qaid Saeed, Asghar Satti, and an HIV-positive patient were also present alongside Zafar during the press conference. Zafar said that Pakistan, along with countries like India and China, had one of the highest numbers of HIV cases in Asia. The ex-SAPM noted approximately 70 per cent of blood transfusions in the coun... -
Dawn - 14:20 Apr 18, 2026
A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday during a brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and two were reportedly attacked as Iran closed the route again. The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was “very close”. Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the war to protest an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments. During the reopening, at least eight oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday after the Iranian announcement on Friday afternoon, data from tracking firm Kpler indicated. However, tracking platform MarineTraffic showed several other crude oil tankers approached the strait but then turned back near Iran’s Larak Island, a checkpoint for vessels seeking to exit the Gulf under Iranian forces’ blockade of the passage. Screengrab... -
Dawn - 13:19 Apr 18, 2026
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday she had “no regrets” about symbolically handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump back in January. “There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s freedom,” she told a news conference in Madrid. Machado presented her Nobel prize to Trump when she met him in the White House just two weeks after he ordered US forces to attack Caracas and snatch Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump, who has long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, is currently embroiled in the Middle East war he started with his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with airstrikes on Iran at the end of February. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the peace prize, made clear after Machado handed her 2025 Nobel medal to Trump that the actual honour it represents “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others”. Machado said that Trump’s military operation to s... -
Dawn - 12:57 Apr 18, 2026
‘STRATEGIC silence’ refers to the deliberate choice made by a state to remain silent, indifferent and unconcerned in the context of major armed conflicts. Before and after the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran, several countries attempted to de-escalate tensions between the warring parties. Pakistan, along with Egypt and Türkiye, has played the role of facilitator or peace-broker to de-escalate hostilities between Iran and the US. However, India, which is a larger country in both size and population, and has stronger economic and political clout, has shown reluctance to initiate peace efforts, despite enjoying cordial relations with both Israel and Iran. This is not the only conflict where New Delhi has chosen ‘strategic silence’ over proactive peace diplomacy. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict too, India has remained a silent observer and played a cautious role. Why is India reluctant to play the role of peace-broker in major conflicts? What are the strategic, political and historical factors that lim... -
Dawn - 12:33 Apr 18, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed efforts to strengthen relations with brotherly countries, Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace, and the evolving regional and global situation during his tri-nation tour, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Saturday. The PMO statement was issued as the premier departed on his flight back home from Antalya after concluding his diplomatic visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye. Later in the day, PM Shehbaz arrived in Lahore. According to the PMO, the prime minister and the Pakistani delegation were seen off at Antalya Airport by Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Ambassador Tolga Bermek, Ambassador Nilufer Kaygisiz, parliament member Burhan Kayaturk, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yousuf Junaid. “The prime minister’s three-day tour included visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye, where he held meetings with the leadership of all three brotherly countries, as well as with other world leaders participating in the Antalya Diplo...
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