Dawn
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Dawn - 04:20 May 04, 2025
• Experts diverge on anticipated rate cut quantum, businesses demand substantial reduction to revive economy • Some see status quo after tomorrow’s meeting as war-like situation expected to hike food prices KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Despite a long-term decline in inflation and real interest rates above 11 per cent, opinions on the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) likely decision on the policy rate are divided, with trade and industry sectors advocating for a significant cut. Researchers conducted polls to gauge market sentiment, but the 0.3pc inflation in April has caused division among those who were confident there would be no change in the interest rate. The SBP’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet on Monday to set the key interest rate for the next two months. The central bank had delivered a surprise by leaving its policy rate unchanged in the last review, disappointing the business community, which was demanding a substantial cut of at least 500bps. Many experts were expecting a slight cut of up to 50bps. Howev... -
Dawn - 03:08 May 04, 2025
LONDON: A large pro-Pakistan demonstration was held on Saturday outside the Indian High Commission in Aldwych, London, under the aegis of Pakistan Muslim League-N’s UK chapter. The protest came in the wake of the deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Occupied Kashmir, which left 26 people dead and reignited tensions between India and Pakistan. India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, an allegation Islamabad has firmly denied, instead calling for an independent and impartial investigation into the incident. Waving Pakistan flags and placards, demonstrators chanted slogans including, “Gen Asim Munir Zindabad”, “Pakistan Zindabad”, “Kashmir belongs to Pakistan” and “We condemn Indian terrorism”. The protesters also denounced India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindutva ideology, with chants of “Modi is terrorist” and “Down with Hindutva ideology” echoing through the streets. PML-N UK President Ahsan Dar addressed the protesters, saying:“ This huge show is a reflection of the sentiment Pakist... -
Dawn - 02:57 May 04, 2025
DHAKA: Thousands of activists of Bangladeshi religious parties rallied in Dhaka on Saturday, one of their biggest public shows of strength in years. Religious groups have gained strength after the toppling of the iron-fisted regime of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, opposing attempts at reforms they say are un-Islamic. Hefazat-i-Islam — an influential group made up of multiple political parties, Muslim organisations and religious schools — issued a string of demands at Saturday’s rally, including the abolishment of a government women’s commission seeking equality. “Men and women can never be equal: the Holy Quran outlines specific codes of life for both genders,” said Mohammad Shihab Uddin, 53, leader of a women’s madrassa, a religious school. “There is no way we can go beyond that.” No date has been set for elections, but caretaker leader Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who heads the interim government, has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest. Muhammad Umar Faruq, 30, another... -
Dawn - 02:50 May 04, 2025
PESHAWAR: Seven terrorists, including a high-value target, were killed and two other militants were arrested in separate encounters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), official sources said on Saturday. Also, a security official embraced martyrdom in a bomb attack on a convoy of security forces. In separate clashes between security agencies and militants, two terrorists were killed in North Waziristan, three were shot dead in Bajaur, while two others were gunned down in retaliation by police after they attacked a security post on Bannu-Dera Ismail Khan Road in Lakki Marwat district. Five terrorists, including a high-value target, were killed and two others, including one wanted by police, were arrested in separate operations carried out by security forces in KP on April 30 and May 1, according to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing. The ISPR said during an intelligence-based operation (IBO), troops effectively engaged militants’ hideout in Bajaur. In an inte... -
Dawn - 02:42 May 04, 2025
• Steps up efforts to ensure two-month flour reserves in vulnerable regions • Food depots being relocated from exposed areas to safer zones • Officials asked to develop contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted food supply MUZAFFARABAD: The Food Department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has accelerated efforts to replenish wheat flour stocks in vulnerable areas along the Line of Control (LoC), amid heightened tensions with India and fears of possible incursion from across the divide. In snowbound and remote areas of AJK — many of which lie adjacent to the LoC — the Food Department traditionally stocks specially treated wheat flour with an extended shelf life to sustain local populations from December through May. In comparatively safer areas, routine storage is limited to a 15-day supply due to easier accessibility. However, in response to fresh directives from AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, the department has begun increasing reserves in forward locations to meet the needs of residents for at leas... -
Dawn - 21:07 May 01, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday thanked China’s envoy for endorsing his offer to conduct a neutral probe into the Pahalgam attack, following India’s actions against Pakistan that have heightened the risks of a military confrontation between the two countries. The April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership have rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and India’s premier granting “operational freedom” to his military. As Pakistan, in the early hours of Wednesday, said it expected an incursion from India within the next 24-36 hours, diplomatic channels from other countries have been engaged to prevent a possible military confrontation. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong called on Shehbaz at the PM House in Islamabad toda... -
Dawn - 20:19 May 01, 2025
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday warned that any “misadventure” by India, amid fraught tensions with Pakistan that has seen continued shelling across the Line of Control after a militant attack in occupied Kashmir last week, would be met with a quick and decisive response. The April 22 attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan has rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and India’s premier granting “operational freedom” to his military. As Pakistan, in the early hours of Wednesday, said it expected an incursion from India within the next 24-36 hours, diplomatic channels from other countries have been engaged to prevent a possible military confrontation. A press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said COAS Munir visited the Tilla Field F... -
Dawn - 19:54 May 01, 2025
A significant improvement was seen in Pakistan’s internal security landscape in April 2025, “as both militant attacks and resultant casualties dropped sharply compared to March”, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) on Thursday. Militant violence and security operations intensified in March, with the number of militant attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the PICSS. Pakistan also ranked second in March in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081. According to a press release issued by PICSS today, the number of militant attacks fell by 22 per cent — from 105 in March to 82 in April — while fatalities and injuries declined by 63pc and 49pc, respectively. It said that security forces intensified counterterrorism actions, killing at least 203 militants in various operations, making the majority (73pc) of the total fat... -
Dawn - 17:16 May 01, 2025
A fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran, which had been due to take place in Rome on Saturday, has been postponed, and a new date will be set “depending on the US approach”, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday. “US sanctions on Iran during the nuclear talks are not helping the sides to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomacy,” the official told Reuters. “Depending on the US approach, the date of the next round of talks will be announced.” Oman, which mediated earlier sessions of the US-Iran talks, said on Thursday the next round of nuclear discussions provisionally planned for May 3 would be rescheduled for “logistical reasons”. However, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the US had never confirmed its participation in the fourth round of talks in Rome. The source said the timing and venue of the next round of talks have yet to be confirmed but are expected in the near future. Earlier on Thursday, Iran accused the US of “contradictory behaviour and prov... -
Dawn - 17:04 May 01, 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s administration exceeded the scope of an 18th-century wartime law in using it to deport some Venezuelan migrants, a federal judge in Texas said on Thursday in barring the administration from using it to speed up deportations. In a 36-page opinion, US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez ruled that the Trump administration could not rely on the Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua because the gang’s presence in the United States was not an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” as contemplated by the law. “The historical record renders clear that the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms,” wrote Rodriguez, who Trump appointed during his first term. Neither the Justice Department nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment. Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to speed up the deport... -
Dawn - 15:42 May 01, 2025
Eight members of a family died when a Rawalpindi-bound Suzuki car plunged into a deep ravine in the Matta Banda area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Kohistan district on Thursday afternoon, police said. Station House Officer (SHO) Buland Iqbal told Dawn.com: “A family was returning from Gilgit Baltistan … and experienced the accident in the Matta Banda area. Four children, their father, mother, and two female [relatives] died.” The SHO said the car fell from a height, killing all passengers on the spot. The bodies were retrieved by the local people and Rescue 1122 and moved to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Pattan, he added. Rescue 1122 district emergency officer Haroon Rasheed identified the adults as Asif Iqbal, Maimuna Iqbal, Ayesha Siddique and Bushra Iqbal. He said the deceased were residents of Rawalpindi. “Arrangements are being made to dispatch the bodies to Rawalpindi,” he told Dawn.com. Fatal accidents are common on roads in the mountainous regions of the country due to traffic rule violations, trea... -
Dawn - 13:38 May 01, 2025
Civil society rallied outside the Hyderabad Press Club (HPC) on Thursday in scorching heat to commemorate International Labour Day. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Pakistan has yet to ratify 55 of its conventions and protocols. While labour laws exist in the country, enforcement is weak, and despite government promises to create millions of jobs, issues like low pay, lack of social protection, and poor representation remain unresolved. Rallying outside HPC today, civil society called for education, social protection and empowerment for the labour community. People performed theatre and dances to celebrate the day. Here are a few pictures. Workers of the Sindh Peoples Labour Federation hold a rally to mark International Labour Day outside HPC on May 1. — Umair Ali Brick kiln peasants participate in a rally to mark International Labour Day organised by SPARK outside HPC on May 1. — Umair Ali Artists present street theatre during Labour Day rally organised by SPARK outside HPC on May 1.... -
Dawn - 13:13 May 01, 2025
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday announced the installation of emergency alert sirens across 29 districts to minimise risks to civilians in case of any potential aerial threats in the wake of the recent escalation with India, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. Tensions between the two countries have spiked following the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan vehemently rejected the allegation and called for a neutral probe. “The emergency sirens are to be installed in high-risk areas to maximise coverage. The move aims to provide real-time alerts and warn the citizens beforehand in the case of an aerial threat,” the report said. As per a notification issued by the Directorate of Civil Defence KP, citizens are advised to “immediately seek shelter if they hear a siren”. They have also been instructed to avoid ... -
Dawn - 12:29 May 01, 2025
Pakistan on Thursday allowed 150 stranded Afghan trucks carrying goods for India to cross the Wagah Border, easing a weeks-long bottleneck, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The moves came nearly a week after Pakistan shut off its borders for any trade with India, including to or from a third country, in response to New Delhi’s measures following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir. India, without proof, implied cross-border links, which Pakistan denied and instead sought a neutral probe. A document shared by the foreign ministry today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, acknowledged a request made by the Afghan embassy in Islamabad on April 28 regarding containers stranded at different transit points in Pakistan. “The ministry has the honour to inform that in view of the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the government of Pakistan has decided to permit stranded Afghan trucks, carrying goods in transit to India, which entered Pakistan before April 25, 2025, to c... -
Dawn - 12:10 May 01, 2025
• Academic, administrative activities disrupted • Several faculty buildings, roads remain inundated • Teachers residing on campus say water spoiled their household items KARACHI: Several roads, faculty buildings and houses on Karachi University (KU) campus remained inundated for the second consecutive day on Wednesday following a major leak in a pipeline, causing disruption in academic and administrative activities. Talking to Dawn, teachers residing on the campus shared that they had never such devastation before and that many of their colleagues had suffered huge losses on account of inundation that damaged furniture and electricity appliances in their houses and even contaminated underground tanks. “Water is still standing in our homes. Many of us have rented suction pumps today and are taking out water on a self-help basis,” a teacher said, regretting that there was no immediate response from the administration. Sources said the situation was dire yesterday when electricity supplies were suspended soon af... -
Dawn - 10:51 May 01, 2025
School playing fields in Kashmir are being transformed into first aid camps for children to learn how to respond if war breaks out with India. Wearing a protective helmet and a fluorescent vest, 13-year-old Konain Bibi listened attentively to her first aid lesson. “With India threatening us, there’s a possibility of war, so we’ll all have to support each other,” she told AFP. The federal government has warned that it has “credible intelligence” that India was planning an imminent military strike. Already frosty relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted since a deadly assault on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian-held Kashmir last week. India blames Pakistan for the gun attack that killed 26 people on April 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving his military “complete operational freedom”, although Islamabad has denied any involvement. There are more than 6,000 schools, colleges and universities on the Pakistan side of the border — including 1,195 along the Line of Control (LoC), the heav... -
Dawn - 10:34 May 01, 2025
Supreme Court judge, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, on Thursday urged the government to recognise mining as a formal industry, highlighting the harsh and often deplorable conditions faced by miners, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The mineral sector currently contributes only about 3.2 per cent to Pakistan’s GDP. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly highlighted the mining potential across the country, even going as far as to say that if the country managed to harvest its mineral reserves that valued “trillions of dollars”, it could allow the country to say farewell to global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing a high-level national conference under the theme ‘Workers and Employers in 2025: Navigating Change with Harmony’, Justice Mandokhail said, “In the eyes of the law and Islam, employers and workers are equal, and the Supreme Court stands as the ultimate guardian of their rights.” He expressed deep concern over the absence of institution... -
Dawn - 09:46 May 01, 2025
Three Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police personnel were martyred and two injured late Wednesday night in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Bannu, officials said. According to a statement issued from the office of Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan today, the gun battle took place in the Spin Tangi area of Chashmi, Bannu. Bannu CTD personnel Assistant Sub-Inspector Benyamin Khan, Constable Inam Khan and Constable Musawar were martyred. Two constables, Wafid Khan and Imran, were wounded. He said two khawarij — a term the state uses to refer to terrorists — were killed and another two injured in police firing, and their accomplices took bodies and injured with them. “Weapons, ammunition, IEDs (improvised explosive device) and hand grenades were recovered from the terrorists, which were seized by the police,” the spokesman said. As soon as the incident was reported, RPO Khan, Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kalachi, and CTD Superintendent of Police reached the CTD hospita... -
Dawn - 09:19 May 01, 2025
The ongoing heatwave in Sindh is expected to subside from May 2, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday. Climate change is a pressing reality for Pakistan, directly impacting millions of lives. Heatwaves, intensified by climate change, are becoming more frequent, prolonged and severe, disproportionately affecting communities with limited resources to adapt. “The prevailing heatwave condition over most parts of the province is expected to subside from tomorrow,” the PMD said in its advisory issued today. “A westerly wave continues to grip the upper parts of the country,” it added. According to the advisory, thunderstorms and light rain were expected in Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Mitiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Badin, Tharparker, and Umerkot with occasional gaps from May 2 to 5. “Strong windy conditions are likely in most parts of the province during [the] next two days,” the advisory said. The forecast also said that Karachi was likely to experience hot and... -
Dawn - 08:57 May 01, 2025
A large number of foreign tourists have cancelled their trips to Gilgit-Baltistan due to heightened tensions between Pakistan and India, depriving local tour operators of much-needed earnings, a trade body official said on Thursday. The April 22 attack in India-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. New Delhi has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership have rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi granting “operational freedom” to his military. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said yesterday morning that there was credible evidence of an Indian attack within 36 hours, while Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan wouldn’t strike first, but would respond decisively and strongly in the face of aggression. With tensions running high, Pakis...
5467 items