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Dawn - 16:17 Jun 06, 2025
The Foreign Office on Friday firmly rejected the “baseless and misleading remarks” made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to the Indian-held Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack. The indian premier arrived in occupied valley today to open a strategic railway line. According to Indian news media outlets, Modi, during his visit, said that Pakistan attacked ’insaniyat’ and Kashmiriyat’ (humanity and the Kashmiri identity) in Pahalgam. The Indian premier alleged that Pakistan was “also the enemy of poor’s bread and butter”. He warned that anyone trying to derail the development in Indian-held Kashmir would have to “face Narendra Modi first”. Responding to the Indian premier’s remarks, the foreign office today said: “Pakistan firmly rejects the baseless and misleading remarks made by the prime minister of India regarding the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” It added that such statements represented a “deliberate attempt to deflect international attention from the grav... -
Dawn - 16:15 Jun 06, 2025
In a bid to tighten traffic regulation enforcement, the Sindh government on Friday approved a set of legal changes, including a ban on four-seater rickshaws, mandatory third-party vehicle fitness checks, and sharp increases in traffic violation fines, as part of an overhaul aimed at improving road safety and accountability. The decision comes as Karachi witnesses a surge in traffic accidents, particularly involving dumpers and water tankers, that killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. The spate of deadly incidents triggered protests over citizens’ deaths, prompting the provincial government to ban heavy vehicles during daytime hours and require them to obtain fitness certificates. According to a statement from the home department, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar chaired the meeting to discuss necessary amendments to the Motor Vehicles Rules in light of the alarming increase in the number of accidents in the province. Briefed by the secretaries of law and transp... -
Dawn - 16:11 Jun 06, 2025
The Foreign Office on Friday “unequivocally” condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and southern parts of Lebanon, urging the international community to hold Tel Aviv accountable and take immediate action against the offensive. According to Al Jazeera, the attack on Thursday targeting Hezbollah marks the fourth time Israel has bombed Beirut after a ceasefire was signed in November 2024. The Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in a statement after the strikes, voiced “firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression,” calling the attack — carried out on the eve of Eidul Azha — a “flagrant violation of an international accord.” Israel and Hezbollah started trading fire on Oct 8, a day after Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and sparked the Gaza offensive. Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, says its attacks aim to support Palestinians who are under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. The Foreign Office, in a statement, extending solidarity to Lebanese people during “this difficult time” and highlighted that “the reckless ... -
Dawn - 14:15 Jun 06, 2025
Veteran journalist and news director of the Associated Press for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kathy Gannon on Friday said that the presence of various militant groups on Afghan soil posed a significant challenge to regional security. Speaking at an event titled “Geopolitical Shifts and Security Challenges: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Regional Power Play” organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad, Gannon — who in 2014 was attacked and wounded while reporting from Afghanistan — said, “While Afghanistan might not want all the militant groups on its territory nor did Kabul invite them all, but they were still there.” According to a press release, Gannon emphasised the importance of restoring trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, appreciating the recent positive developments in relations between the two neighbours. She said that “Pakistan could better influence the Afghan government by treating it as an equal and a partner in pursuing its regional objectives.” “She also urged Islamabad to... -
Dawn - 14:05 Jun 06, 2025
Posts on social media platforms X and Facebook since Wednesday were sharing an alleged threat alert from the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) of a possible terror attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. However, the threat alert is fake. On Wednesday, a post on X by a user claimed that Nacta had issued a threat alert on the same date regarding a possible terrorist attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. The caption of the post said: “Intelligence warns of a potential terrorist attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. Law enforcement on high alert. Citizens urged to stay vigilant and report anything suspicious.” The same notification was circulated by other users as well as can be seen here, here, here and here. It was also widely shared on Facebook, as seen here and here, and circulated in various WhatsApp groups. A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim given its close proximity to the upcoming holiday and its potential to cause undue worry and panic in the public. Analysing the do... -
Dawn - 13:54 Jun 06, 2025
US President Donald Trump is not interested in talking with his former ally Elon Musk, amid a bitter feud over the president’s sweeping tax-cut bill, a White House official said on Friday, adding that no phone call between the two men was planned for the day. A separate White House official had said earlier that Trump and Musk were going to talk to each other on Friday. Earlier, Donald Trump threatened to cut off government contracts to Elon Musk’s companies and the world’s richest man suggested the US president should be impeached, marking a stark end to an unlikely alliance and leaving onlookers wondering what was next. The hostilities between the former allies intensified when the president criticised Tesla CEO Musk in the Oval Office and the pair then lobbed verbal barbs at each other on their social media platforms: Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted. ... -
Dawn - 13:48 Jun 06, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, currently on a two-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, performed Umrah on the night of Thursday and Friday, offering prayers for the country’s success in Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, the government said on its X account. The delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for a visit from June 5 to 6, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. The visit is focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in key areas between both nations. PM Shehbaz is also expected to thank the Saudi leadership for its constructive role in de-escalating the recent Pakistan-India conflict. PM Shehbaz was accompanied by Army Chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, who also performed the Umrah. The gates of the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, were specially opened for the delegation, where th... -
Dawn - 13:19 Jun 06, 2025
The Kremlin said on Friday that the Ukraine war was “existential” for Russia, after it launched a wave of retaliatory drone and missile strikes that killed at least three in Kyiv. AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and explosions ring out over the capital throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence batteries intercepted waves of Russian drones and missiles. Kyiv announced that Russia had fired 45 missiles and 407 drones in the barrage, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for an audacious Ukrainian attack on several Russian airbases. President Volodymyr Zelensky in response urged allies to “decisively” ramp up pressure on Russia to halt the war, which has left tens of thousands dead over more than three years of fighting. “We heard a drone — we heard it coming very close, and then there was an explosion,” Ksenia, a Kyiv resident, told AFP outside a multiple-storey housing block that was left with a charred and gaping hole. “Our windows and window panes were blown out, but we got away ... -
Dawn - 13:03 Jun 06, 2025
Pilgrims on Friday were performing the last major ritual of the Haj — the stoning of the Jamarat, also known as the “stoning of the devil”, which symbolises the rejection of evil, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of Eidul Azha. Pakistan will celebrate Eidul Azha tomorrow (Saturday). Starting before daybreak, the more than 1.6 million pilgrims taking part in the Haj threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah. Droves of pilgrims had already set out from their camps and accommodations in the sprawling tent city in Mina before dawn, taking advantage of the shade and cool temperature. The ritual commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s stoning of the Jamarat at the three spots where Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son. “Our experience in Mina was easy and simple. We entered and within five minutes we had completed the stoning of the devil at the ‘Jamarat’,” said 34-year-old ...
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Dawn - 12:03 Jun 06, 2025
From dangerous diet tips to disinformation, cyberbullying to hate speech, the glut of online content harmful to children grows every day. But several European countries have had enough and now want to limit minors’ access to social media. The European Union already has some of the world’s most stringent digital rules to rein in Big Tech, with multiple probes ongoing into how platforms protect children — or not. There are now demands for the EU to go further as a rising body of evidence shows the negative effects of social media on children’s mental and physical health. Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children’s use of online platforms as fears mount over their addictive nature. They were to discuss the plan on Friday with EU counterparts in Luxembourg. The proposal includes setting an age of digital adulthood across the 27-country EU, meaning children will not be able to access social media without parental consent. France, Greece and Denmark believe t... -
Dawn - 11:30 Jun 06, 2025
China called on Friday for steps to improve bilateral ties with Canada, saying there were no deepseated conflicts of interest, following a spike in trade tensions with many of Beijing’s Western trade partners this year. China is willing to work with Canada to put ties on a healthy and stable path and find solutions to address each other’s concerns through enhanced dialogue, Premier Li Qiang told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a phone call on Friday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. “There is no fundamental conflict of interests between the two countries,” Li said. Li’s talks with Carney followed a highly-anticipated phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, which Trump said led to “a very positive conclusion” and offered hope the trade war between the world’s two largest economies might start to de-escalate. As the effects of trade frictions start to make their way into the already soft Chinese economy, Beijing has stepped up engagement wi... -
Dawn - 10:46 Jun 06, 2025
Former federal minister and Senator Abbas Afridi on Friday succumbed to burn injuries sustained in a gas leak explosion a day earlier, while three others were wounded. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi told Dawn.com that their team had rushed Afridi and three others to Kohat Combined Military Hospital, from where Afridi was taken to a burn centre in Kharian, Punjab, in a helicopter. Nouman Ali, spokesperson for the Kohat police, told Dawn.com, “Afridi was in a critical condition and succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. His body was brought to Kohat today.” He said the three others had been transported to a divisional headquarters hospital. The police spokesperson said Afridi and his friends, Dilnawaz, Javed Afridi and Nadeem, were in the Hujra when a gas leak caused an explosion. The intensity of the blast damaged the walls of the Hujra. Afridi’s funeral will be held today at 5pm at Babri Banda, Kohat. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed deep sorrow and grief over Afridi... -
Dawn - 08:07 Jun 06, 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Indian-held Kashmir on Friday, his first visit to the contested Himalayan region since a conflict with arch-rival Pakistan last month, and opened a strategic railway line. Modi is launching a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the occupied Muslim-majority territory. India and Pakistan fought an intense four-day conflict last month over an attack in Occupied Kashmir’s Pehalgam, with New Delhi blaming Islamabad without evidence. This was the two countries’ worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. His office broadcast images of Modi at a viewing point for the Chenab Bridge, a 1,315-metre-long (4,314-foot-long) steel and concrete span that connects two mountains with an arch 359 metres above the river below. “In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity,” the Hindu nationalist leader said in a social media post ahead of his visit. Modi strode across the bridge wav... -
Dawn - 06:49 Jun 06, 2025
“It’s brought me some closure,” said Shafaq Zaidi, a school friend of Noor Mukadam, reacting to the Supreme Court’s May 20 verdict upholding both the life sentence and death penalty for Noor’s killer, Zahir Jaffer. “Nothing can bring Noor back, but this decision offers a sense of justice — not just for her, but for every woman in Pakistan who’s been told her life doesn’t matter,” Zaidi told Inter Press Service (IPS) over the phone from Islamabad. “It’s been a long and painful journey — four years of fighting through the sessions court, high court, and finally, the Supreme Court.” Echoing a similar sentiment, rights activist Zohra Yusuf said, “It’s satisfying that the SC upheld the verdict,” but added that the crime’s brutality left little room for relief. “It was so horrific that one can’t even celebrate the judgment,” she said, referring to the “extreme” sadism Noor endured — tortured with a knuckleduster, raped, and beheaded with a sharp weapon on July 20, 2021. Yusuf also pointed out that the “background” ... -
Dawn - 06:14 Jun 06, 2025
• Judge says police assigned no specific role to any suspect • Inmates tell court they temporarily left jail premises due to chaos caused by earthquake, returned once situation normalised KARACHI: As many as 115 prisoners escaped from District Jail Malir have been rearrested and booked in a terrorism case along with remaining fugitives, a police officer informed an anti-terrorism court on Thursday. Officials said that the Shah Latif Town police station registered a case pertaining to the jailbreak and escape of 216 inmates under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act on the complaint of prison official Zulfiqar Ali Peerzada. On Thursday, the investigating officer of the case produced 115 prisoners recaptured following the jailbreak before the administrative judge of the ATCs at the judicial complex inside the central prison. He informed the court that 115 fugitives were apprehended outside the prison and sought their physical remand for 14 days to arrest remaining 101 inmates... -
Dawn - 06:03 Jun 06, 2025
• Chairs high-level meeting on water resources • Provinces, AJK and GB stand with Centre on water security • PM heads to Saudi Arabia for two-day visit on MBS’ invitation ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday condemned India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), describing it as a “blatant violation and act of water aggression”, and warned that Pakistan would give a befitting response in line with decisions made at the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting held on April 24. Chairing a high-level meeting on water resources at the Prime Minister’s House prior to departing for a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, the premier vowed that Pakistan would prevail on the water front just as it had recently “achieved victory in war”. The high-level meeting brought together Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, chief ministers of all four provinces, the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmi... -
Dawn - 05:47 Jun 06, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Just past midnight on May 7, a low hum of tension filled the Combat Operations Centre at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Headquarters in Islamabad. On radar screens, dozens of Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters began clustering to the north, maneuvering with unmistakable intent. Within minutes, Pakistan’s skies were alive with scrambling fighter jets — including the most recently inducted J-10C aircraft, flown by one of its most storied units: No. 15 Squadron, the “Cobras.” Nearly a month later, the PAF formally acknowledged what many had speculated — that it was the Kamra-based 15 Squadron that led the charge in shooting down six Indian Air Force (IAF) jets during what’s now considered one of the largest air-to-air engagement in South Asia in more than half a century. Pilots from Kamra-based No. 15 Squadron expected to be decorated at a formal ceremony later this month Eighteen of the squadron’s 20 J-10C aircraft took part in the mission, executing a high-risk intercept against a large-scale Indian formatio... -
Dawn - 04:57 Jun 06, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Almost forty-five per cent of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line, according to a World Bank report released on Thursday. The finding, based on a survey conducted in 2018-19, comes in the wake of an update of global poverty lines made by the bank, and not because of any change in underlying economic conditions across the world. The proportion of people living in extreme poverty has risen from 4.9pc to 16.5pc, according to the report. The latest findings come in the wake of World Bank’s update of global poverty lines and not because of any change in the underlying economic conditions across the world. Poverty assessments revised to reflect changes in cost of living and consumption habits “For Pakistan, the poverty rate based on the new $3 international poverty line (IPL) under 2021 purchasing power parity (PPP) is 16.5Pc, compared to 4.9pc under the previous $2.15 line (2017 PPP),” said the World Bank. About 82pc of this increase is due to the higher value of the new IPL, reflecting i... -
Dawn - 04:45 Jun 06, 2025
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday handed record-long suspensions to three Indigenous Maori lawmakers who last year staged a protest haka on the debating floor. Maori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were banished from parliament for 21 days, the longest-ever suspension. Fellow Maori Party lawmaker Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand’s youngest current MP, was suspended for seven days. The bans stem from a haka performed during voting in November on the contentious Treaty Principles Bill, which sought to redefine the principles of a key pact between Maori and the government. Waititi held up a noose as he rose to speak in defiance of the ban on Thursday. “In my maiden speech, I talked about one of our (ancestors) who was hung in the gallows of Mt Eden Prison, wrongfully accused,” Waititi said. “The silencing of us today is a reminder of the silencing of our ancestors of the past, and it continues to happen. “Now you’ve traded the noose for legislation. Well, we will no... -
Dawn - 03:37 Jun 06, 2025
LAHORE: A monthly income of over Rs75,000 is now required to support a family of six with basic necessities such as food, housing, utilities, healthcare and education, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). As the government prepares to announce the federal budget, the HRCP has urged that wages must reflect the principle that “full-time workers should be able to live with security, health and hope.” In its latest report titled ‘From Survival to Dignity: The Case for a Living Wage’, the HRCP argues for the implementation of a living wage rather than a minimum wage. It noted that millions of workers across the country earn far below the living wage threshold, which forces them to make impossible choices between feeding their families and paying for essentials like electricity and medicine. “The implementation of a living wage can be justified on many grounds,” the report said. “From a human rights perspective, a living wage becomes a fundamental right to ensure that workers not only mee...
5467 items