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Dawn - 17:30 Jun 03, 2025
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said low-intensity tremors helped prevent major earthquakes as he attempted to allay panic caused by the recent seismic activity that continued for the third day in Karachi. The metropolis continued to witness faint tremors today, taking the tally since Sunday to 20, according to data provided by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Experts have previously pointed out that such minor seismic activities “preempt” high-intensity earthquakes by constantly releasing accumulated energy within the tectonic plates. “I have also studied engineering […] these (low-scale tremors) are a good thing. The earth is releasing its energy,” CM Shah said, responding to reporters’ queries about yesterday’s jail break incident in Karachi. He explained that if the earth released its seismic energy altogether, it could result in a major earthquake. “But if it releases in bits, then it is better — nothing is actually better — but saves us from a big tragedy,” Murad added. The m... -
Dawn - 17:15 Jun 03, 2025
Over two hundred inmates managed to escape from District Prison Malir in Karachi last night, the Sindh police chief confirmed on Tuesday, adding that 78 were recaptured while one was shot dead. Police officials earlier said the prisoners broke through the jail’s outer wall, which had been weakened due to the multiple low-intensity tremors felt in the area since Sunday. Police cordoned off the whole area and no one was allowed to enter or leave without ascertaining their identity. Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Tuesday told Dawn.com that over 200 prisoners managed to escape from Malir prison late on Monday night when they were brought out from their barracks for counting due to an earthquake, out of them 78 were recaptured while teams are being constituted to re-arrest the remaining 138. Memon, who visited the jail earlier today, said that as per his assessment and briefings of jail and police officials, after the earthquake in the area, the jail administration brought an estimated... -
Dawn - 16:22 Jun 03, 2025
A person stole a Holy Quran from a mosque near the French city of Lyon and set it on fire at the weekend, religious leaders and a police source said Tuesday. On the night of Sunday to Monday, “an individual with an uncovered face entered the prayer room, grabbed a copy of the Holy Quran, set it on fire then dropped it outside the building before fleeing,” the council of mosques in the Rhone region said. The police source said an investigation had begun into the incident. The attack comes after a man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish man in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens on Saturday. The suspected killer, a Frenchman born in 1971, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. According to Le Parisien newspaper, the suspect said he “swore allegiance to the French flag” and called on the French to “shoot” people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have tak... -
Dawn - 16:16 Jun 03, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday vowed to resolve all the issues afflicting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and set up a committee for the task, Radio Pakistan reported. Addressing a representative jirga in Peshawar, he said the committee would deliberate on all demands and issues raised by the KP chief minister. He added that the committee would sit together with tribal elders and the KP governor and chief minister to formulate recommendations in this regard, further saying that the federal government would give serious attention to the recommendations to benefit the province’s valiant people. Shehbaz affirmed the immense sacrifices rendered by the people of KP in the fight against terrorism and said the federal government would stand by the province until the complete eradication of the menace. The prime minister said that KP had received Rs700 billion since 2010 under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award as its one per cent share allocated for anti-terrorism efforts. These funds were released to strength... -
Dawn - 15:27 Jun 03, 2025
Posts from users on multiple social media platforms since Monday alleged that TikToker Mashal Khan and his wife Meena Khan from Peshawar were shot dead. However, both are still alive and well. A day ago, 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousaf was shot dead at her home by an unidentified man who entered her house and shot her in the chest. She was popular on TikTok and Instagram, with over a million combined followers Today, a user on X claimed that TikTok influencer Mashal Khan and his wife Meena Khan had been shot dead. The caption of the post said: “Peshawar TikTokers Mashal Khan and his wife Meena Khan were shot dead, while Chitral TikToker Sana Yousaf was also killed in Islamabad.” The user made derogatory remarks, blaming people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a specific Muslim sect for the incidents. The post was viewed over 17,200 times. The same claim was shared by other users as can be seen here, here and here on X, and here and here on Facebook. A fact-check was initiated to determine the verac... -
Dawn - 15:24 Jun 03, 2025
The Islamabad Police said on Tuesday they had arrested the main suspect in the murder case of 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousaf, a day after she was shot dead in her house. A first information report (FIR) had been filed yesterday evening at the Sumbal police station against an unidentified man on the complaint of Sana’s mother, Farzana Yousaf, invoking Section 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The teenager was well-known for her social media activities, with nearly 800,000 followers on her TikTok account and almost 500,000 on her Instagram account. Addressing a press conference, Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said the culprit was a 22-year-old man arrested from Faisalabad and termed it a case of “repeated rejections”. “A beast, cold-blooded murderer is now in the law’s grip,” IG Rizvi announced, adding that the man had tried to contact Sana repeatedly and was being “rejected by her again and again”. View this post on Instagram The police chief sai... -
Dawn - 14:53 Jun 03, 2025
Terrorist attacks on two police stations were thwarted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur and Bannu districts, injuring four police personnel, police said on Tuesday. According to a statement by KP Inspector General of Police (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed, “Two police stations came under attack in Bajaur and Bannu on Monday night, but police forces bravely thwarted both attacks.” He said that four police personnel, including a station house officer and three other constables, were slightly injured while responding to the terrorists. “The police’s quick response saved the police station from a major loss and casualties,” he said, adding that those police officers will be rewarded for their courage and bravery. The statement further said that the terrorists used rocket launchers, hand grenades, SMGs and RPGs in the attack. The police at Bajaur’s Lowi Mamond police station believed that the terrorists who fled the scene were also injured, the statement said, adding that there were no casualties at the Meryan police station i... -
Dawn - 13:57 Jun 03, 2025
National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has exposed a child sexual exploitation gang operating in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district, leading to the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of ten children. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry made the revelation during a press conference in Islamabad, saying the NICCIA has uncovered a “huge network” during an operation conducted on May 23. He said an international gang masterminded by a German citizen was operating a child sexual exploitation group in Muzaffargarh where children were groomed. “They set up a small club where children aged 6-10 years were taught games. They provided state-of-the-art facilities and modern cameras,” he said. He added that children from disadvantaged families were “brought there, given money, and then blackmailed” to exploit them, and “their videos were uploaded on the dark web daily and sold for thousands of dollars.” “Some videos were live-streamed and seen around the world from Muzaffargarh,” the state minister ... -
Dawn - 13:31 Jun 03, 2025
Near a sprawling tent city outside Makkah, Saudi hospital staff are preparing for a flood of heat-related cases as Muslim pilgrims begin Haj this week in sweltering summer temperatures. The Mina Emergency Hospital is one of 15 such facilities operating just a few weeks a year around the annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites, which in 2024 saw more than 1,300 people die in the desert heat. Saudi authorities hope to head off a fatal repeat of last year’s pilgrimage when temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, officially commences on Wednesday. So far, authorities have recorded 44 cases of heat exhaustion. Abdullah Asiri, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for population health, told AFP at the Mina hospital that “the focus is on heat-related conditions because the Haj coincides with extreme heat”. Brimming with staff but no patients jus... -
Dawn - 12:01 Jun 03, 2025
Flash flooding in north-central Nigeria last week killed more than 200 people, the Niger state humanitarian commissioner said Tuesday, while hundreds more remain missing and are feared dead. The town of Mokwa was hit with the worst flash flood in living memory Thursday from overnight rains, with more than 250 homes destroyed and swathes of the town wiped out in a single morning. The announcement comes after several days of the official toll standing at around 150, even as residents were sometimes missing more than a dozen members in a single family. “We have more than 200 … corpses,” Ahmad Suleiman told Nigerian broadcaster Channels Television, adding: “Nobody can tell you the number of casualties in Niger state right now because up till now, we are still looking for some corpses.” “We’re still looking for more,” he added. But, he said, “sincerely speaking, we cannot ascertain.” Given the number of people still missing nearly a week later, the toll from a single morning of flooding in Mokwa could be worse tha... -
Dawn - 09:52 Jun 03, 2025
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Tuesday imposed fines of Rs375 million on fertiliser companies for “anti-competitive conduct”. “The Competition Commission of Pakistan has taken decisive action against anti-competitive conduct in the fertiliser sector, imposing a penalty of Rs50 million on each of the six major urea manufacturers,” said a press release by the CCP. It added that it also penalised a leading industry association Rs75m, totalling Rs375m in fines. The CCP said that following a detailed inquiry-initiated suo motu, the Commission’s bench comprising Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu and Mr Salam Amin determined that six urea manufacturing companies — Fatima Fertiliser Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Company Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Bin Qasim Limited, Fatima Fertiliser Company Limited, Engro Fertiliser Company Limited and Agritech Limited — in coordination with their trade association, Fertiliser Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC), were involved in anti-competitive conduct. “Under the gui... -
Dawn - 09:21 Jun 03, 2025
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $800 million programme to strengthen fiscal sustainability and improve public financial management in Pakistan, according to a statement issued by the Philippines-based lender. The statement read that subprogramme 2 of the “Improved Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Reform Programme” includes a policy-based loan of $300m, and ADB’s “first ever policy-based guarantee” of up to $500m, which is expected to mobilise financing of up to $1 billion from commercial banks. “Pakistan has made significant progress in improving macroeconomic conditions,” said ADB country director for Pakistan, Emma Fan. “This programme backs the government’s commitment to further policy and institutional reforms that will strengthen public finances and promote sustainable growth.” The programme supports far-reaching reforms to improve tax policy, administration, and compliance, while enhancing public expenditure and cash management. “It also promotes digitalisation, investment facilitation, a... -
Dawn - 09:09 Jun 03, 2025
The Punjab Home Department has imposed Section 144 within a 15-kilometre radius of airports and air force bases across the province — from June 5 to 20 — in a bid to ensure flight safety, especially keeping in view the upcoming Eidul Azha. The disposal of meat close to the airports in the aftermath of Eidul Azha — to be celebrated later this week — often attracts birds to the site, posing a serious threat to flight safety, passengers and nearby surroundings. Awareness campaigns have been launched in recent years to avoid the possibility of such incidents. In a notification issued by Punjab’s home department, it was detailed that under Section 144, the following activities will remain banned within a 15-km radius of all airports and airbases: pigeon-flying, fireworks, use of drones and laser lights, and the dumping of sacrificial waste and Sadqa meat. The ban will remain in place till June 20. The banned activities were termed as a “serious threat to flight operations” and the decision has been taken to ensure... -
Dawn - 07:21 Jun 03, 2025
Seven terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Hindustan in two separate operations in Balochistan, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. Despite heightened military tensions between Pakistan and India last month, militant groups were unable to significantly escalate their activities in the country, according to data released by an Islamabad-based independent think tank. The monthly security assessment issued by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) recorded 85 militant attacks in May as compared to 81 in April, resulting in 113 fatalities. These included 52 security forces personnel, 46 civilians, 11 militants, and four peace committee members. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today, “Seven terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan, were sent to hell in two separate operations in Balochistan.” An intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted in general area of Mach in Kachhi district on the reported presence o... -
Dawn - 07:19 Jun 03, 2025
PESHAWAR: The prices of sacrificial animals in the provincial capital and other neighbouring districts have surged despite presence of a huge number of animals in the cattle markets. Traders attribute the price spiral to tensions with India and trade ’restrictions’ with Afghanistan, besides most animals are brought here from Punjab and Sindh provinces, leading to increased costs. There’s no doubt the number of animals in all cattle markets has increased significantly but the business is still very slow. Along with traditional livestock markets, the number of sacrificial animals at the unofficial regional markets has also increased to the extent that alleys and streets resemble livestock markets. During a visit to weekly livestock markets in various areas of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Nowshera districts, including Ring Road, Kala Mandi, Saifan Mandi, Sarband Mandi, Palosai, Chehel Ghazi Baba, Sar Dheri, Naguman, Shabqadar, and Tangi, it was observed that a large number of customers were searching for animals of ... -
Dawn - 06:28 Jun 03, 2025
• Earthquake of magnitude 5 or 6 can cause widespread destruction, says former VC of NED University • City weatherman says tremors will stop in a day or two; maintains chances of major quake are slim KARACHI: Although the seismic experts have said that the recent earthquakes in the city are largely harmless and that the magnitude will reduce in a day or two when the “active” fault fully releases its energy, they expressed concern over the city’s vulnerability to earthquake damage. They warned that while the metropolis may not experience any major earthquake, its weak infrastructure cannot withstand a big jolt. During the past two days, multiple low-intensity earthquakes have occurred in the city’s Quaidabad area, Gadap Town, Malir and DHA with the highest being recorded at 3.6-magnitude. Karachi Chief Meteorologist Amir Hyder Laghari said that there is a historical fault which has become activated and is causing frequent earthquakes in the city. He said the fault is releasing its energy and when it’s spent, i... -
Dawn - 04:45 Jun 03, 2025
ISLAMABAD: With an improved 4.2 per cent economic growth forecast for next year, the Ministry of Planning and Development cautioned on Monday about the re-emergence of external sector pressure amid easing import control and debt repayments. “The external sector may face pressure, as easing import controls and debt repayments are likely to widen the current account deficit,” said the Ministry of Planning and Development in its Annual Plan 2025-26. However, it forecast strong remittances and export recovery and anticipated external financing to cushion these pressures and support external sustainability. Yet, the planning ministry did not forecast any major increase in industrial sector output compared to the current year, which missed most of the targets set for various sectors of the real economy. The Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) projected Pakistan’s economy to grow by 4.2pc in 2025-26, signalling expectations of a broad-based recovery against 2.7pc GDP growth during the current fiscal year again... -
Dawn - 04:10 Jun 03, 2025
NEW DELHI: After claiming exaggerated prestige from hosting last year’s G20 summit in New Delhi and following continuous visits as special invitee to G7 summits, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been asked to attend the upcoming G7 summit in Ottawa, reports said on Monday. The G7 is an informal grouping of the industrialised west and Japan — France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and Canada. It is also attended by the European Union (EU), the IMF, the World Bank and the United Nations. India Today noted that South Africa, Ukraine and Australia have reportedly accepted invitations from Canada, it said “uncertainty remains over PM Modi’s visit.” The report said “India is yet to receive any official invitation for the summit, which is being hosted by Canada from June 15-17,” but also added that the Indian side was not “inclined to attend”. It quoted sources as saying “relations must improve” before any such high-profile visit takes place. The report also cited security c... -
Dawn - 03:34 Jun 03, 2025
ISLAMABAD: As the Centre and Punjab continue to drag their feet on local government polls, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Monday warned that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister can be summoned in case the long overdue elections were not held. Heading a five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which started hearing of the case related to the delay in the conduct of local bodies elections in Islamabad and Punjab, he called for early completion of the local government laws in Islamabad and Punjab. Mr Raja said it would be embarrassing for the government if the ECP issues an order. He declared that the ECP will issue an order at the next hearing for local government elections in Punjab. He said the Commission cannot sit with its eyes closed as it wanted to see progress. The ECP will set the timeline itself without waiting for any input from Punjab, he said. Calls for early completion of local govt laws in Islamabad, Punjab He recalled that he personal... -
Dawn - 03:18 Jun 03, 2025
• Allocations for nearly all sectors slashed, except for road-building projects and parliamentarians’ schemes; funding for food, water, energy and social sectors curtailed • Govt allocates Rs880bn for the public sector development programme, down 20pc from current year • Provinces to pitch in Rs2.80tr under annual plan to boost uplift spending • Development plan prioritises Bhasha Dam, Rs120bn Balochistan highway • Ahsan Iqbal says more than 100 projects worth Rs1tr to face cuts ISLAMABAD: Under the tight control of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), next year’s federal development programme cuts allocations for almost all sectors, barring a rise in road building schemes and no changes to parliamentarians’ schemes. Despite this, the Annual Planning Coordination Committee (APCC) cleared the national development programme worth a record Rs4.083 trillion, aided by Punjab and Sindh, showing greater financial muscle than the Centre which is pauperised by greater financial devolution, debt servicing, and securi...
5467 items