Dawn
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Dawn - 11:28 Jul 03, 2025
Chief of the South African Air Force (SAAF) Lieutenant General Wiseman Simo Mbambo met with Pakistan’s top military officer, Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, at Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Thursday to discuss defence cooperation and regional security, the military’s media wing said. “During the meeting, both sides held discussions on [a] wide range of areas of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press statement. “The dignitaries discussed practical measures to further expand the level and scope of engagements between the two militaries. They also exchanged views on the broader geopolitical landscape.” Gen Mirza, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, shared Pakistan’s perspective on the evolving regional security landscape and highlighted Pakistan’s contributions towards regional peace and stability, the ISPR added. The visiting dignitary lauded the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in the ... -
Dawn - 09:28 Jul 03, 2025
Pakistan defeated Japan 64-39 to storm into the final of the Asian Youth Netball Championship in Jeonju-si, South Korea, on Thursday, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament. The Green Shirts had a strong start with a 21-7 lead over Japan in the first quarter. By halftime, they extended the score to 34-19. The third quarter saw Pakistan lead 42-28 before ending the game at 64-39 and sealing their spot in tomorrow’s final. View this post on Instagram Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser , Haleema ,Jasmine Farooq, Sumayya ,Jasmine, Amani, Parisa and Farah Rasheed displayed top notch performances during the match, said a press release. The president, chairman and secretary general of the Pakistan Netball Federation congratulated the Pakistan team on winning the semi-final. Pakistan will play the final either against the Maldives or Chinese Taipei on Friday. On Sunday, Pakistan downed Japan 79-39 during their fourth group match. -
Dawn - 08:42 Jul 03, 2025
Bangladesh, the world’s second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the United States before President Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs kick in next week, the country’s top commerce official told AFP. Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his “Liberation Day” announcement. “We have finalised a draft reciprocal trade agreement,” Mahbubur Rahman said on Wednesday, adding the government was “hopeful of reaching a win-win agreement”. Rahman said a meeting between officials from both countries was slated for July 8, with the US representing 20 per cent of Bangladesh’s ready-made garments exports. Textile and garment production accounts for about 8pc of exports in Bangladesh and the industry has been rebuilding after it was hit hard in a student-led revolution that toppled the government last year. Trump hit Bangladesh with 37pc tariffs in his ... -
Dawn - 08:15 Jul 03, 2025
Pakistan dominated the squash courts on Thursday as five players stormed into the semi-finals of the 32nd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Gimcheon, South Korea. All five athletes had commanding wins over their opponents with 3-0 defeats. Meanwhile, Sehrish Ali was knocked out of the tournament after Malaysia’s Syaurah A Sufian defeated her 3-0 in the Girls U15 quarterfinals. In the Boys U-19 category, third seed Abdullah Nawaz beat Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Kuen in straight sets 11-4, 11-6, 11-6. Top seed Nauman Khan beat India’s Harshal Rana 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 in the Boys U-15, while compatriot Ahmad Rayyan Khan beat Malaysia’s Armann Merzha bin Ashraff 11-7, 11-3, 11-3. Youngster Muhammad Sohail Adnan, top seed in the Boys U13, beat India’s 11-Abhyuday Arora 11-2, 11-8, 11-2. Over on the women’s side, Mahnoor Ali sealed her spot in the semifinals after demolishing India’s Anika Kalanki 11-6, 11-2, 11-3. -
Dawn - 07:57 Jul 03, 2025
Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) on Thursday, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam. India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva. “We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,” said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation, triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplo... -
Dawn - 07:30 Jul 03, 2025
At least four people were dead and dozens unaccounted for Thursday after a ferry sank in rough seas on its way to Indonesian resort island Bali, according to rescue authorities who said 31 survivors had been plucked from the water so far. Rescuers were racing to find 30 people still missing at sea after the vessel carrying 65 passengers and crew sank before midnight on Wednesday as it sailed to the popular holiday destination from Indonesia’s main island Java. “The ferry tilted and immediately sank,” survivor Eka Toniansyah told reporters at a Bali hospital. “Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead.” Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency chief Mohammad Syafii told a news conference on Thursday that 31 survivors had been found. “Four people died, so 30 people are still being searched for,” he said, adding the national agency sent a helicopter to help the effort. President Prabowo Subianto, who was on a trip to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency resp... -
Dawn - 06:56 Jul 03, 2025
HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has taken a notice of a case involving the alleged abduction, child marriage, and forced conversion of a 15-year-old Hindu girl in Matli in the Badin district. According to reports circulating on social media, a ninth-grade student was allegedly abducted at gunpoint near Notkani Chowk in Matli. A complaint filed by her uncle, Majno Maharaj, at the Matli police station alleges that two armed men — Maqsood Dars and Manzoor Dars — forcibly entered the family’s home and abducted the girl, Shahneela, while two unidentified men waited outside in a white vehicle used for the abduction. The victim’s family has expressed the fear that the girl is at imminent risk of being forcibly married to someone and converted — both of which are violations of the country’s law. The suspect’s family has allegedly refused to return the girl despite the family’s appeals, it was stated. SHRC urges law enforcers to ensure safety and recovery of 15-year-old The SHRC has cited ... -
Dawn - 06:46 Jul 03, 2025
LAHORE: The Crime Control Department (CCD) of Lahore police on Wednesday arrested a known TikToker and his 13 security guards for “public display of weapons”. The police acted when the suspects blatantly violated the Section 144 imposed by the Punjab government to ensure peace in the city during Muharram. As per CCD sources, TikToker Kashif Zamir, along with his armed bodyguards, traveled on a city road in a double-cabin vehicle. His team recorded video clips showing the weapons displayed by his guards and uploaded the same on social media. The police say such conduct causes harassment to the public. A CCD official says the police arrested the TikToker in a raid and recovered firearms from him and his guards, lodging cases against them. He says the police also recovered videos of the TikToker showing him traveling on different city roads, along with his heavily-armed security guards. The CCD official says that Kashif Zameer is a habitual offender as he was also arrested in the past on the same charges. Later,... -
Dawn - 06:44 Jul 03, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has granted relief to government servant couples by securing their right to promotion, allowing them to change domiciles without fear of being deprived of career advancement. Now, women will be able to get promotions and higher posts after changing their domiciles, as the Supreme Court has ruled that new domiciles will be considered and such changes will not affect the provincial quota. The judgement, a copy of which available with Dawn, was issued by a two-judge SC bench comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi. The petition was filed by Dr Shumaila Naeem, a gold medallist, who joined government service as a medical officer based on her Khyber Pakhtunkhwa domicile. After marrying a civil servant with a Balochistan domicile, she changed her domicile to that of her husband. SC allows domicile change without career risk for couples in govt service Subsequently, based on her new Balochistan domicile, she applied for the advertised post of Associate Prof... -
Dawn - 05:46 Jul 03, 2025
WASHINGTON: With just a week remaining before the July 9 tariff deadline, Pakistan and the United States have entered the final stretch of crucial trade negotiations that could determine the future of Pakistan’s key export sectors. A Pakistani delegation, headed by Commerce Secretary Jawad Paal, reached Washington this week, hoping to secure a long-term reciprocal tariff agreement that would avert the reimposition of a 29 per cent US tariff on Pakistani exports — primarily textiles and agricultural products. The tariff relief was temporarily paused earlier this year, but a final decision hinges on the outcome of the ongoing talks. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that Washington may allow limited flexibility on the deadline if meaningful progress is visible, potentially pushing the cutoff toward Labour Day. However, Pakistani officials say they are working to complete the deal this week to remove any uncertainty for exporters and investors. The proposed framework includes increased Pakistani ... -
Dawn - 18:30 Jul 02, 2025
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu held a series of high-level meetings with senior military and political leadership of the United States in a landmark visit to the country, it emerged on Wednesday. Last month, Field Marshal Asim Munir became the first serving chief of army staff to have a face-to-face meeting with a sitting US president when he met Donald Trump for talks at the White House. The occasion also marked the first time a serving Pakistani army chief had been formally received at this level, without holding political office or governing under martial law. The two had discussed joint counter-terrorism efforts and expanding bilateral trade during their “cordial” meeting in Washington. Today, PAF’s Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) said that in a “significant development” aimed at strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and advancing mutual interests, the air chief undertook an official visit to the US, adding that it was the “first by a serving PAF ... -
Dawn - 18:24 Jul 02, 2025
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Wednesday that its foreign exchange reserves rose to $14.51 billion by June 30. Last month, the central bank’s reserves increased by $167 million to $11.675bn during the week ending June 6, though it failed to reach its target of $14bn by the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year. A press release issued by the SBP today said its reserves rose by $5.12bn to reach $14.51bn, as compared to $9.39bn on June 30 last year. “This reflects a noticeable improvement in the country’s current account balance and realisation of planned inflows during the year,” the SBP said. Earlier this week, China rolled over $3.4bn in loans, two senior Pakistani government officials told Reuters, in a move that was expected to help boost the country’s foreign exchange reserves, a requirement of the International Monetary Fund. Beijing rolled over $2.1bn, which has been in the SBP’s reserves for the last three years, and refinanced another $1.3bn commercial loan, which Islamabad had paid back two months ... -
Dawn - 17:25 Jul 02, 2025
Pakistan on Wednesday beat hosts Indonesia 2-0 in their second group match in the qualifiers for the 2026 Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup, making a comeback from their defeat in the first group match last week. The national squad was drawn in Group ‘D’ of the qualifiers in Jakarta alongside Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan lost their first match of the campaign to Chinese Taipei 8-0 on June 29. Hailing today’s victory as a “milestone in women’s football”, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) wrote in an X post, “Pakistan defeats 95th-ranked Indonesia 2-0. Power, passion, and purpose on full display.” Nadia Khan opened up the scoring eight minutes into the match, before Suha Hirani doubled the lead in the 19th minute by scoring a penalty. View this post on Instagram “The onus was on Indonesia to find their way back, but despite introducing Isa, Helsya Maeisyaroh and Marsela Yuliana Awi into the mix, [Coach] Satoru Mochizuki’s charges were unable to overturn the defici... -
Dawn - 16:51 Jul 02, 2025
Four people died in Spain, two in France and two in Italy as an early summer heatwave continued to grip much of Europe on Wednesday, triggering health alerts and forest fires and forcing the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant. Spanish officials said a wildfire in Catalonia had killed two people a day earlier, and authorities reported heatwave-linked deaths also in Extremadura and Cordoba. France’s energy minister reported two deaths linked to the heat, with 300 others taken to the hospital. Italy issued red alerts for 18 cities, while in Germany, temperatures were forecast to peak at 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, making it the hottest day of the year. Two men over the age of 60 died in separate incidents on the beach in Sardinia from the heat, ANSA news agency reported. Weather forecaster Meteo France said red alerts remained for several areas of central France. The risks were greatest for vulnerable members of the population, and Catherine Vautrin, France’s health and families minister, ... -
Dawn - 16:42 Jul 02, 2025
Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty on Wednesday of prostitution-related offences by a United States jury but cleared of more serious charges, in a blow to prosecutors who had urged the panel to find him guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, a partial win for the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture. The verdict followed a criminal trial in which two of the music mogul’s former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. Combs faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts. US District Judge Arun Subramanian will determine Combs’ sentence at a later date. The acquittals on the sex trafficking counts mean he will avoid a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. He could have faced life in prison if he were convicted of sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy. After the jury ... -
Dawn - 15:56 Jul 02, 2025
The ruling coalition was handed its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly on Wednesday with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) distributing the reserved seats to the PML-N, PPP and the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) following the Supreme Court’s verdict. Last week, the Constitutional Bench overturned the Supreme Court’s earlier judgement in the reserved seats case — effectively taking away reserved seats from the PTI and handing them to their rival parties in the national and provincial legislatures. The decision, handed down by a majority of seven judges, supersedes the July 12, 2024 majority judgement by eight judges, which had declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the assemblies. The Constitutional Bench’s decision effectively meant the PTI was no longer a parliamentary party. Acting on the court’s verdict, the ECP issued an order today withdrawing its July 24 and 29 notifications from last year that had declared returned candidates against g... -
Dawn - 15:30 Jul 02, 2025
Ukraine appealed to the United States for clarity on Wednesday after it was caught off guard by a White House announcement that Washington was halting some arms shipments to the war-battered country. The Ukrainian defence ministry, which is deeply dependent on US arms, said it had not been notified about the reduction in aid announced one day earlier. Moscow revelled in the decision, saying it could bring the end of the war closer. Any slowdown in US support could harm Kyiv’s ability to fend off escalating Russian aerial bombardments or frontline gains. Kyiv has long feared halts to US aid after Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, having criticised the tens of billions of dollars in support and weapons sent by his predecessor, Joe Biden. “It will [be] even more scary, even more painful, and even more civilians will suffer,” Kyiv resident Yevgenia Prysiazhna told AFP, referring to an uptick in overnight drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. “I really hope that this is a temporary decision,” th... -
Dawn - 15:27 Jul 02, 2025
At least five people, including an assistant commissioner, were killed and 11 others injured on Wednesday as a government vehicle was targeted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The country ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025. Bajaur District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafique told Dawn.com that five people, including two policemen and a civilian, were killed in an explosion targeting the vehicle on Nawagai Road in Khar tehsil’s Sadiqabad area. The deceased include Nawagai Assistant Commissioner (AC) Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakil, Subedar Noor Hakim, and police constable Rashid, according to the DPO. “The blast was so intense that the vehicle targeted was completely destroyed,” he said, adding that 11 people were injured in the blast and immediately transported to Khar District Headquarters... -
Dawn - 15:22 Jul 02, 2025
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday said that the party was standing together and presenting a “message of unity” amid rumours of rifts while warning the federal government against toppling the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration. Background briefings revealed a complete lack of trust among PTI leaders, with doubts about each other’s sincerity and intentions, particularly regarding messages from party founder Imran Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad and flanked by senior PTI leaders, the party chairman outlined the issues discussed in a high-level meeting and maintained that the PTI would continue efforts to try and free Imran. “We discussed the aftermath of the reserved seat ruling, which was the first time that the party formed a strategy together,” Gohar said. “It is our decision that we will stand up together for Imran Khan. We have no personal conflict, we are and will remain united and a message of unity needed to be sent in ... -
Dawn - 14:20 Jul 02, 2025
The Sheikhupura Police arrested a security guard of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) on Wednesday after the Power Division suspended him for dragging an elderly customer out of the distribution company’s premises. Footage of the incident, making the rounds on social media since July 1, showed a Lesco guard dragging an elderly woman along the ground by her arm while removing her from the premises. According to a Power Division statement issued today, the incident of misbehaviour took place on June 30. “The security guard was suspended immediately [and] a first information report was filed. The security guard is now in police custody,” the statement added. “Breaking the law and humiliating the public will not be tolerated,” the Power Division warned, highlighting that it took strict action against the guard’s misconduct. The statement added that action was being taken to dismiss the security guard from his job and that the Power Division ordered an inquiry report to be furnished within three days. Ord...
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