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Dawn - 09:09 Jul 26, 2025
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged international stakeholders to explore partnerships in Pakistan’s rapidly evolving health landscape, highlighting the country’s “immense” potential for investment, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. Representing Pakistan at Boao Forum for Asia’s (BFA) Global Health Forum in Beijing yesterday, the health minister underscored that Pakistan presents “immense opportunities for collaboration, innovation and investment”. Established in 2001, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a non-profit international organisation promoting regional cooperation in Asia. It focuses on health issues related to economic development and wellbeing. The roundtable featured health ministers from all over the world, who discussed equal access to healthcare and sustainable reforms. “Pakistan is ready for partnerships in global health,” Kamal said, highlighting the country’s 250 million population, nursing cooperation and digital reforms. He pointed out that there were “significant opportunities ... -
Dawn - 08:07 Jul 26, 2025
Three wanted terrorists and “key operatives” of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed during a joint operation of the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Barikot tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Friday. Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — particularly Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks targeting police stations and posts. In response, the state has also intensified its counterterrorism operations. “Three wanted terrorists have been killed in Barikot in a major win for Swat CTD. Eliminating the enemies of regional peace, the CTD has killed three important operatives of the Fitna al-Khawarij,” KP Police said in a statement today. Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses to refer to the banned TTP. Among the terrorists was Ajmal, also known as Waqas, a resident of Malook Abad who was reportedly involved in at least nine terrorism-related cases. He was also involved in the killing of Village Defence Council members an... -
Dawn - 07:16 Jul 26, 2025
ISLAMABAD: In a rare government-to-government (G2G) transaction, Wah Industries — operating under the Ministry of Defence — has acquired about 30 obsolete power plants from public sector generation companies (Gencos) for Rs38.255 billion, following the failure of the government’s ambitious open auction plan. The Power Division confirmed that under three separate sale agreements, Wah Industries purchased the non-functional plants from Northern Power Generation Company Ltd (NPGCL), Central Power Generation Company Ltd (CPGCL), and Jamshoro Power Company Ltd (JPCL). The agreements were signed on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, respectively. The sale price marginally exceeded the reserve price of Rs38.224bn, previously set under Wapda’s auction regulations, which stipulate that G2G sales cannot occur below reserve value. With these agreements, the total revenue from both auction phases has reached Rs46.73bn, including Rs9.053bn earned from the March 18 auction of seven plants with a combined capacity of 1,016 mega... -
Dawn - 06:54 Jul 26, 2025
CHITRAL: Four persons, including three women, have reportedly died by suicide during the last two days with two incidents occurring on Friday. In the first incident, a girl in her teens reportedly jumped into the river in the Chew Bazaar area. Her body was later fished out and handed over to her parents after a postmortem at the District Headquarters Hospital. Any eyewitness, Inamullah, who runs a medical store in Chew Bazaar, told Dawn that the girl was seen buying mantoo (Afghani snack) from a vendor in front of his shop, from there she proceeded to the centre of the bridge and jumped into the river in front of many passersby. Sub-divisional police officer, city circle, Sajjad Hussain told Dawn that the parents of the deceased had migrated to Singoor village of Chitral town from the Mulkhow tehsil of Upper Chitral. They all ended their life by jumping into river, say police He said the immediate reason for her suicide could not be known, while the police had started an inquiry under section 174 of Criminal ... -
Dawn - 06:52 Jul 26, 2025
The White House is seeking fines from several universities it says failed to stop antisemitism on campus, including Harvard University, in exchange for restoring federal funding, an official of US President Donald Trump’s administration said on Friday. The administration is in talks with several universities, including Cornell, Duke, Northwestern and Brown, the source said, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration is close to striking deals with Northwestern and Brown and potentially Cornell. A deal with Harvard, the country’s oldest and richest university, is a key target for the White House, the official added. A spokesperson for Cornell declined to comment. Other universities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump and his team have undertaken a broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at US universities, which the Republican president says are gripped by antisemitic and “radical left” ideo... -
Dawn - 05:08 Jul 26, 2025
• Expresses concern over unjustified edible oil pricing despite global drop • Approves Rs72bn housing subsidy for 50,000 low-income families ISLAMABAD: The government raised serious concerns on Friday over 29 per cent illegitimate profiteering in the edible oil and ghee market and approved a subsidised housing scheme for 50,000 low-income families during the current fiscal year. Presiding over a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb was informed that international prices of edible oil and ghee had declined by 24pc in recent weeks, yet the local industry had failed to pass on the relief to consumers. In some cases, prices were increased by 4-5pc due to weak market oversight. Officials said the local industry routinely engaged in unfair practices due to a lack of regulation. While the Ministry of Industries and Production assured the ECC of adequate national stock levels, it acknowledged the limited pass-through of international price declines t... -
Dawn - 04:55 Jul 26, 2025
RAWALPINDI: The scope of the investigation into the murder of a newlywed woman has been expanded, as the gravedigger, the secretary of the graveyard and relatives from both her family and her in-laws have been arrested. Police have sought court orders for the exhumation of the deceased’s body to ascertain the cause of her death. According to sources close to the investigation, as many as eight people, including the gravedigger, the graveyard secretary, the rickshaw driver who transported her body to the graveyard, her husband and family members including her brother, have been detained by police in connection with the case. However, the police will charge them with murder and honour killing only in light of the postmortem report, which is expected after the exhumation of Ms Sidra’s body. The victim, 19, was married in February this year. Seek court orders for exhumation of the deceased’s body to ascertain cause of death after making multiple arrests Police initiated the investigation based on information that... -
Dawn - 03:25 Jul 26, 2025
• Fifth monsoon spell to hit Punjab; urban flooding feared • Landslides may block roads in Murree, Galiyat, GB, AJK • Karakoram Highway blocked again; tourists evacuated via C-130 flights RAWALPINDI / LAHORE / GILGIT: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast another spell of monsoon rains across the country from July 29 to 31, urging provincial and district administrations to take precautionary measures. According to the Met Office, weak monsoon currents are continuously penetrating the upper and central parts of the country and are likely to intensify next week. A westerly wave is expected to approach on July 29. Rain accompanied by wind and isolated heavy showers is expected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (including Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur) and Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar) from July 27 to 31 with occasional gaps. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rain and thundershowers are... -
Dawn - 03:21 Jul 26, 2025
• Calls institutional reform ‘top priority’; 15 technical experts appointed, 47 additional positions to be filled • Approves Skill Impact Bond project to provide funds to educational and skill development institutes ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government is fully committed to implementing the agenda of economic digitisation, rightsizing public institutions, and ensuring merit-based appointments of experts in government departments. The premier expressed this resolve while presiding over a meeting to assess progress on the appointment of technical experts across federal ministries and departments, and to discuss measures for enhancing foreign investment. At the meeting, the Public-Private Partnership Authority presented a detailed briefing on current initiatives and future plans aimed at streamlining expert appointments and increasing investor confidence. The prime minister highlighted institutional reforms as a top priority of the federal government. While asserting that there w... -
Dawn - 00:25 Jul 26, 2025
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded Pakistan’s role in “global and regional peace” in his first meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The deputy prime minister arrived in Washington, DC, on Thursday night, on the second leg of his eight-day visit to the US. He had arrived in New York on Monday to attend “high-level signature events” of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, including a conference on Palestine. A statement issued by the FO today said that Dar held his first meeting with Rubio. The two have previously talked over the telephone. The FO said Rubio acknowledged Pakistan’s “everlasting sacrifices in the war on terror”. “Pakistan has always played a positive role in global and regional peace,” the FO quoted the US secretary of state as saying. The FO said that detailed discussions were held on bilateral relations and potential cooperation in various sectors. “Discussions were held on promoting... -
Dawn - 17:19 Jul 25, 2025
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Friday approved Pakistan’s Green Taxonomy, as proposed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, in a “major step towards environmental sustainability”. “The chair appreciated the initiative, noting that it was long overdue and would play a vital role in facilitating access to financing for green projects in the country,” a statement issued by the Finance Division read. During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination in March, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad said the taxonomy will allow financial and non-financial companies to share a common definition of economic activities that can be considered environmentally sustainable. The statement issued today noted that the ECC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to deliberate on a range of important agenda items concerning industrial growth, environmental policy, skill development, housing... -
Dawn - 17:09 Jul 25, 2025
Even as an uproar over files relating to Jeffrey Epstein engulfs United States President Donald Trump and Congress, the US Supreme Court is due to wade into the controversy and decide whether to hear a bid by an associate of the late financier and convicted sex offender to overturn her criminal conviction. The justices, now on their summer recess, are expected in late September to consider whether to take up an appeal by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2021 by a jury in New York of helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. Maxwell’s lawyers have told the Supreme Court that her conviction was invalid because a non-prosecution and plea agreement that federal prosecutors had made with Epstein in Florida in 2007 also shielded his associates and should have barred her criminal prosecution in New York. Her lawyers have a Monday deadline for filing their final written brief in their appeal to the court. Some legal experts see merit in M... -
Dawn - 16:46 Jul 25, 2025
Iran said it would continue nuclear talks with European powers after “serious, frank, and detailed” conversations on Friday, the first such face-to-face meeting since Israel and the United States bombed Iran last month. Before the meeting in Istanbul, Iran also pushed back on suggestions of extending the United Nations resolution that ratifies a 2015 deal, nearing expiry, that was designed to curb its nuclear programme. Delegations from the European Union and so-called E3 group of France, Britain and Germany met Iranian counterparts for about four hours at Iran’s consulate for talks that the UN nuclear watchdog said could provide an opening to resume inspections in Iran. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said afterwards that both sides had presented specific ideas on sanctions relief and the nuclear issue. “While seriously criticising their stances regarding the recent war of aggression against our people, we explained our principled positions, including on the so-called snapback mechanism,” h... -
Dawn - 16:08 Jul 25, 2025
Gujar Khan police have arrested a head constable for allegedly recording women in the toilets of the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and have begun an investigation, officials said on Friday. Speaking to Dawn.com, Assistant Superintendent of Police Syed Daniyal said, “The police received a complaint from a resident who said that the suspect — a serving head constable posted in Lahore office of Punjab Police — was allegedly involved in filming women while they were using the toilets in the hospital’s wards.” The police arrested the suspect from the hospital and also recovered his cell phone, he said. “It was during a preliminary investigation that police discovered that the suspect was a serving officer.” Police said that several compromised videos of women using the toilets had been found on his cell phone, which have been sent for forensic verification. ASP Daniyal later told Dawn.com that the aggrieved party has moved a cyber-inducement application against the constable. “The matter is already under process wi... -
Dawn - 14:12 Jul 25, 2025
Mohammad Rizwan will continue to lead Pakistan in a three-match ODI series against West Indies as a 16-member ODI squad was announced by the Men’s National Selection Committee, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday. “The series will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on Aug 8, 10 and 12,” the statement said. “Right-handed batter Hasan Nawaz is the only uncapped player in the ODI squad, while Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi are part of the ODI squad,” it added. The PCB also said that Pakistan will play three T20 Internationals against the West Indies, scheduled on July 31, Aug 2 and 3, at the Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in USA’s Lauderhill. “Salman Ali Agha will captain the T20I side, while fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi return to the squad in this format,” the statement read. It added that Pakistan will arrive in the USA on July 27 following the conclusion of the three-match T20I series in Bangladesh. Pakistan OD... -
Dawn - 14:12 Jul 25, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured Dr Fouzia Siddiqui on Friday that the government would continue to provide all possible legal and diplomatic support in the matter of her sister, Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving a prison sentence in the United States, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Registrar Office put on hold the processing of the contempt of court notices issued to PM Shehbaz and his cabinet members as the dealing staff decided to ascertain its validity first. IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq on July 21 had issued a contempt of court notice to the entire federal government, including the prime minister and all ministers, for refusing to file an amicus brief to support Dr Aafia’s case in the US. “The government is in no way negligent regarding the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui,” the prime minister was quoted as having said by APP in a meeting today with Dr Fouzia. On the instructions of PM Shehbaz, the government has previously provi... -
Dawn - 13:18 Jul 25, 2025
Rescue 1122 firefighters on Friday are still working to bring under control a fire at a tobacco warehouse in the Azamabad area of Razaar tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi district that has been raging for 38 hours. The fire, which broke out at 4am on Thursday morning, was still out of control today, forcing firefighters to continue their extinguishing efforts. A Rescue 1122 official, Luqman Khan, said that the three-storey warehouse was filled with ‘white patta’ tobacco and its stems that were mainly used in snuff and cigarettes. “The biggest problem for the firefighters was that no ventilator or exhaust were built,” the official said. He said that the rescue team drilled holes in the walls from the outside to start the process of putting out the fire, adding that it was such a difficult task that “four firefighters fainted during the operation”. According to the official, the intensity of the fire had compelled the district administration to contact Rescue 1122, requesting additional fire extinguishing ve... -
Dawn - 12:53 Jul 25, 2025
Small business owners used the festive backdrop of Comic-Con on Thursday to discuss a sobering topic: the negative impact that US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs are having on the toy industry. “Not the most sexy topic,” Jonathan Cathey, chief executive of collectibles company The Loyal Subjects, admitted at a panel titled “Toys, Tariffs, and Trade Wars” at the four-day convention in San Diego, California. “But this ultimately affects you guys, it affects the end user,” he said. “Prices will go up, and our rate of sales will go down.” Toy companies have been fretting about the impact of Trump’s global tariff blitz on the industry, particularly when it comes to China. Of over $17 billion worth of toys imported to the United States last year, more than $13bn came from China. But a rollercoaster tariff row between Washington and Beijing has caused havoc for US businesses and their Chinese suppliers. Panel moderator Daniel Pickett argued that the Trump administration is “imposing truly exaggerated, some... -
Dawn - 12:49 Jul 25, 2025
Thailand and Cambodia are engaged in their worst fighting in over a decade, exchanging heavy artillery fire across their disputed border, with at least 16 people killed and tens of thousands displaced. Tensions began rising between the Southeast Asian neighbours in May, following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, and have steadily escalated since, triggering diplomatic spats and now, armed clashes. A Thailand’s mobile artillery unit fires towards Cambodia’s side after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery on Friday as their worst fighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day, in Surin, Thailand, July 25. — Reuters What is the current situation? Clashes broke out between the two countries early on Thursday along a disputed area abutting an ancient temple, rapidly spilling over to other areas along the contested frontier and heavy artillery exchanges continuing for a second straight day. Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh on Wednesday and ex... -
Dawn - 12:37 Jul 25, 2025
The government on Friday called on global social media organisations to immediately block the accounts of proscribed terrorist groups disseminating propaganda on their platforms. On Wednesday, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry had highlighted how a terrorist group was using WhatsApp channels to “disseminate hateful content and harmful narratives”, urging the platform and the global community to help Pakistan combat terrorism. Addressing a joint press conference today in Islamabad alongside Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, Chaudhry said: “I want to request social media operators and platforms to cooperate with us on the blockage and removal of accounts, taking measures to stop mirror accounts and to share information of account holders who are operating these accounts.” Chaudhry said terrorist groups and individuals, including those banned in the United States, the United Kingdom and sanctioned by the United Nations, were operating accounts on social media platforms such...
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