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Dawn - 02:38 Nov 16, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Chagai and Quetta in Balochistan and Attock in Punjab were the top three districts across the country where most of Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders or undocumented Afghan nationals were arrested or detained in over 10 months this year, says a UN refugee agency report. The highest number of arrests or detentions were made in 2025, the report says, adding that a total of 100,971 Afghans were arrested from Jan 1 to Nov 8, 2025, whereas 9,006 Afghans were detained in 2024. In 2023, 26,299 Afghans were arrested. The UNHCR report, which was released on Friday, says that prior to 2023, there was no data collected on the arrest and detention of Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders or undocumented Afghan nationals. Since January 2023, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has started to collect this data. From Nov 2 to 8, a total of 13,380 Afghan nationals were arrested and detained, marking a 72 per cent increase compared to the previous week. Out of all arrests and detentions during Nov 2 to 8, th... -
Dawn - 02:28 Nov 16, 2025
UNITED NATIONS: Senior UN diplomats are cautiously optimistic that China and Russia may abstain rather than veto a US-sponsored Security Council resolution to authorise an international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza — a key test of the UN’s ability to back a postceasefire vision for the enclave, according to diplomatic sources. The draft resolution is expected to come up for vote in the UN Security Council on Monday, and would take effect if it secures at least nine affirmative votes and avoids a veto from any of the five permanent members (the US, China, Russia, Britain and France). “China will not veto the resolution, but Russia’s position is uncertain, and key as well,” said one senior diplomat. Another added, “both China and Russia may abstain, but they will not use their veto.” The draft resolution, formally circulated by the US, would authorise a two-year mandate for a transitional body called the Board of Peace, chaired by President Donald Trump, as proposed in his 20-point Gaza plan. It would also... -
Dawn - 00:49 Nov 16, 2025
Over the last 50-plus years, I have sat through numerous presentations on government, NGO, masters and PhD students’ development projects, in various countries, both in what is now known as the global North and global South. In addition, international financial institutions (IFIs), such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, have also sought my assistance. I have also been a member of various United Nations committees on physical and social development, and a consultant to them. As the chief adviser and the chairperson of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) and the Urban Resource Centre (URC), I have challenged the structure of thinking of many such projects and documented my concerns regularly. The most important thing I have learned in the process is that most of these projects have a very strong anti-poor bias and are primarily concerned with brick and mortar aspects of problems. ANTI-POOR BIAS As far as academia is concerned, almost all teachers and supervisors bring their class prejudices with them... -
Dawn - 00:49 Nov 16, 2025
An 1895 photograph in Las Bela, in the south-west of modern-day Balochistan, by Col Patrick Alexander Weir, a British medical officer serving in British India, shows a small mausoleum. On it, a cross stands on top of a dome and another large cross is placed on the tomb itself. Today, both crosses are gone and the site is fast approaching dereliction. Nearby at Bara Bagh, the necropolis of Las Bela’s ruling Jams fares little better. The subject of Weir’s photograph is the tomb of Robert Groves Sandeman, the British Raj army officer who laid down and executed the colonial blueprint in securitising modern-day Balochistan, playing on the suspicions of different Baloch groups with one another. Sandeman died in January 1892, days before turning 58. After months of ill-health and a summer in Scotland, he returned to the Subcontinent in November 1891, spending Christmas in Quetta before travelling to Las Bela — his final resting place. PART OF THE GREAT GAME Las Bela had become an important port of call for Sandeman,... -
Dawn - 00:48 Nov 16, 2025
DIVERSITY is central to the human spirit. The International Day for Tolerance, which is being observed today, is a reminder that acceptance and appreciation bind us, and that the divergence of opinions, cultures, behaviour, heritage and beliefs close the loopholes in our social fabric. Ancient societies were rife with intolerance. Sadly, despite education and scientific advancements, we are witnessing a global regression towards earlier patterns due to misplaced superiority. Power, in all its manifestations, seeks to control the vulnerable. In Pakistan’s turbulent societal setting, governments weaponise fear, which creates insularity and animosity. We need a greater sense of security for more harmony among our people. Some have different faiths, others different politics, ethnicity, aspirations and practices. All these should translate into collective growth. The path to prosperity lies in valuing differences. A firm stand against intolerance of any kind hinges on how committed the state, citizens and the cle... -
Dawn - 20:17 Nov 15, 2025
The federal government on Saturday kept the price of petrol unchanged, but increased the price of high-speed diesel by Rs6 per litre for the next fortnight. According to a notification from the Finance Division, the new HSD price is Rs284.44 per litre. The prices will come into effect on November 16. “The government has revised the prices of the petroleum products following input from the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the relevant ministries.” Most of the transport sector runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middle classes. The government charges about Rs99 per litre on both petrol and diesel. Although the general sales tax (GST) i... -
Dawn - 18:47 Nov 15, 2025
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Saturday that they had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf as it sailed away from a UAE port, a day after security companies determined they were likely responsible. “Yesterday morning at 7:30, after a judicial authority ordered the seizure of the cargo of an oil tanker with the trade name Talara and the flag of the Marshall Islands, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rapid reaction units of the naval forces monitored its movements and intercepted and seized it,” said the IRGC. “The tanker was found to be in violation of the law by carrying unauthorised cargo,” the statement continued, adding it “was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical cargo and was heading to Singapore”. The Iranian news agency Fars said that action was not taken as a measure against any other nation, but was a purely local matter. The seized cargo, the report said, was made up of Iranian-produced petrochemicals being illegally exported and “the main culprit was an Iranian individual or bus... -
Dawn - 18:21 Nov 15, 2025
Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the south of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday. The Marburg virus is one of the deadliest known pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea and has a 21-day incubation period. Also like Ebola, it is transmitted via contact with bodily fluids and has a fatality rate of between 25 and 80 percent. The head of the World Health Organization, Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed on Friday that at least nine cases had been detected in southern Ethiopia, two days after Africa CDC was alerted to a suspected haemorrhagic virus in the region. “Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory (in Ethiopia),” Africa CDC said. “Further epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses are underway and the virus strain detected shows similarities to those previously identified in East Africa.” It said Ethiopian... -
Dawn - 17:50 Nov 15, 2025
Multiple Indian accounts on social media platform X since Thursday shared an image of a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), claiming it belonged to the wife of a primary suspect in the Nov 10 Delhi attack. However, the image does not show the CNIC of the suspect’s wife. A car explosion near Delhi’s iconic Red Fort rocked the national capital on Monday evening. Twelve people died in the incident. Investigators alleged that the explosion was executed by a terror cell linked to Jaish‑i‑Mohammed (JeM), operating through a cell based around Faridabad and Pulwama. On Thursday, an X user, who appears to be a pro-Indian based on his previous posts, shared an image of a Pakistani CNIC belonging to a woman. The post was captioned: “Big breaking: Her name is Afeera Bibi, she is a Pakistani citizen, and she is also the wife of Delhi blast terrorist Muhammad Umar. She works for Jaish-i-Mohammed and is also connected to Dr Shaheen, who used to recruit members for JeM in India! Pakistan should start counti... -
Dawn - 17:27 Nov 15, 2025
The United States Justice Department said on Friday it will fulfil President Donald Trump’s request to investigate convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to former Democratic President Bill Clinton and JPMorgan, as Trump sought to shift the focus from his relationship with the convicted sex offender. The move comes two days after a congressional committee released thousands of documents that raised new questions about Trump’s relationship with the late financier, and marks the latest in a series of demands by Trump for federal law enforcement to pursue his perceived political enemies. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Jay Clayton, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, will lead the investigation. The Epstein scandal has been a political thorn in Trump’s side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Many Trump voters believe Bondi and other Trump officials have covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his deat... -
Dawn - 17:17 Nov 15, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday affirmed “zero-tolerance” for any displacement of Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the devastating military onslaught by Israel in the territory. The two countries were among the eight Muslim countries that worked with United States President Donald Trump’s administration on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza last month. They also joined other key Muslim and Arab states on Friday in expressing support for a US resolution that seeks to deploy an international stabilisation force in Gaza. The prime minister and Jordanian king held a bilateral meeting today at the PM House after the latter arrived in Pakistan for a two-day state visit. A statement issued from the Prime Minister’s Office on the meeting said: “On the issue of Palestine, both leaders acknowledged the unanimity of views and principled positions taken by Pakistan and Jordan regarding the post-war Gaza; zero-tolerance for any displace... -
Dawn - 16:48 Nov 15, 2025
Police detained five people on Saturday after clashes broke out at the All Sindh Lawyers’ Convention in Sukkur to protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment. A group of lawyers at the convention, held at the Sukkur District Bar, began shouting slogans against President Asif Ali Zardari, whereas another group of lawyers began chanting in the president’s favour. The disorder intensified with the involvement of plainclothes individuals when a verbal altercation and scuffle broke out between them and lawyers. Meanwhile, some of the protesting lawyers reportedly held five outsiders, who were in plainclothes and entered the lawyers’ convention, and began beating them up. Advocate KB Laghari said the five individuals were apprehended and handed over to the police. He asserted that “lawyers are brothers, and no one can make us fight”. Laghari added that Sukkur District Bar Association President Qurban Ali Malano felt unwell during the unrest and was moved to the hospital due to his deteriorating condition. PPP... -
Dawn - 16:26 Nov 15, 2025
At least six people were killed and seven were injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a fireworks factory in Hyderabad on Saturday, according to officials. Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zain-ul-Abideen Memon told Dawn that a fifth body had been recovered from the incident site. “We have seven injured, of whom three are in critical condition.” A statement from the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said: “A powerful explosion was reported in a firecracker factory on the banks of the Laghari Goth river, Latifabad Police Station B Section limits,” adding that a fire subsequently broke out in the factory. Latifabad Assistant Commissioner Saud Lund said that he was monitoring the operation himself. He said the fireworks were being illegally manufactured in a house without a licence. “We can only tell you the actual position once the rescue operation is complete. There is rubble from one room that collapsed with the boundary wall, so there are reports of some people and children who were working there; we are tryi... -
Dawn - 15:52 Nov 15, 2025
Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza on Saturday tendered his resignation as a judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC), becoming the first judge to resign from any high court after the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment was enacted into law. According to family sources, his resignation letter stated that in light of the latest amendment to the Constitution, he could not continue in good conscience. Justice Mirza was appointed as an additional judge of the LHC in March 2014, and his superannuation was due on March 6, 2028. He is the son of late Justice Zia Mehmood Mirza, a former Supreme Court judge who delivered the famous and only dissenting opinion among seven judges in the case pertaining to the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto’s government by then-president Farooq Ahmad Khan Laghari in 1996. The judge had held that Laghari’s move was unjustified and there was no evidence suggesting there was a breakdown of constitutional order to justify exercising his powers under Article 58(2)(b), which allowed the president to d... -
Dawn - 15:25 Nov 15, 2025
The PTI claimed on Saturday that the report by The Economist, widely circulated on social media, was nothing more than recycled propaganda masquerading as foreign commentary. The report covered PTI founder Imran Khan’s marriage to Bushra Bibi and her alleged role and extent of influence in his decision-making during his tenure as prime minister. Imran married Bushra in February 2018. An official response, issued by the party’s media wing, claimed that co-writer Bushra Taskeen was a known critic of PTI and the “so-called” analysis published in the report was to justify political victimisation and distract attention from real crises about human rights violations, economic collapse, constitutional violations and stolen elections. The party said it had the right to initiate legal action against all parties involved, including the writers and publication, if they fail to issue an immediate, full, and public apology. “We have seen this narrative play out before. Half-truths, innuendo, selective outrage, all package... -
Dawn - 12:14 Nov 15, 2025
Disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein termed former prime minister Imran Khan a major “threat to peace” in 2018, days after his PTI won Pakistan’s general elections. Epstein mentioned the now-incarcerated PTI founder in his email conversations with an unidentified individual on July 31, 2018, according to the latest batch of emails released by the US Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. In 2019, the United States Justice Department charged Epstein in Manhattan with sex trafficking of minors. Epstein pleaded not guilty, but died by suicide the same year before the trial at age 66. In an email exchange encompassing various topics, Epstein wrote at 4:04am that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been “kind so far” and quipped, “how the US involves itself in others’ elections”. Minutes later, Epstein mentioned both Imran and Putin in the same message: “[Putin] hasn’t pointed out assassinations to overthrow [governments] … coup funding … Imran [Khan] in Pakistan, a much greater threat to peac... -
Dawn - 10:40 Nov 15, 2025
More than half of Sudan’s population is in need of humanitarian aid, the head of the Danish Refugee Council told AFP, as fighting ravages the northeast African nation. Since breaking out in April 2023, the war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. “We see a situation where more than 30m people are in need of humanitarian assistance. That is half of the population of Sudan,” Danish Refugee Council Secretary General Charlotte Slente told AFP by phone this week after a visit to a border region in neighbouring Chad. “The suffering we see is unimaginable.” Sudan had a population of around 50m people in 2024, according to the World Bank. The aid official’s comments came after a field visit to an area in Chad that borders Sudan’s western Darfur region, which has seen fierce fighting of late. Violence has escalated dramatically in recent weeks, with the RSF sei... -
Dawn - 10:18 Nov 15, 2025
At least nine people were killed and 32 injured in an “accidental explosion” at the Nowgam police station in India-occupied Kashmir’s Srinagar when confiscated explosives detonated late last night, authorities said on Saturday. Most of those killed were policemen and forensic team officials who were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives seized earlier this week in Haryana state, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said. The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed the casualties, PTI reported. The ministry’s joint secretary, Prashant Lokhande, said the cause of the incident was being investigated and any other speculation into the cause of the blast was unnecessary. Both Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat termed the incident “accidental”. The governor said he has ordered a “probe to ascertain the cause of the accidental explosion”, while the police chief also stressed that “any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary”. “Due to the sensitive... -
Dawn - 10:07 Nov 15, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday gave his assent to three bills, including one for resetting the tenure of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir after his appointment as the chief of the defence forces (CDF). The president gave his assent to the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025. Notifications of the same were also shared by the PPP on social media platform X. With his assent, the bills have now become part of the Constitution. As explained by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in the National Assembly (NA) earlier this week, it now means that the five-year tenure of the CDF will commence from the date of his notification of the appointment. All three pieces of legislation, which were hurriedly passed by Parliament without any debate earlier this week, pertain to the contentious 27th Amendment. The amendment, which has paved the way for the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) and ... -
Dawn - 08:56 Nov 15, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday paid a visit to the Cadet College in Wana, where an attack was thwarted earlier this week, saying that elements from “across the border” were responsible for terrorist incidents. In remarks which were televised, Naqvi told tribal elders gathered at the college during his visit that several officials from Pakistan — including himself, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Asif Khawaja — had spoken to Afghanistan about the issue of terrorism. “We repeatedly told them one thing: terrorism should be stopped. Do not destroy the peace in our country,” he said. The minister further said that Pakistan’s economic indicators and its relations with other countries were headed in the right direction. However, elements from “across the border” came to the country to carry out attacks, he said. He also referred to the suicide blast in Islamabad on Tuesday, saying that elements from “across the border” were involved. Naqvi has previously said that both the Wana and I...
10471 items