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Dawn - 05:36 Nov 15, 2025
KARACHI: The city commissioner on Friday announced a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for placing chairs and tables on walkways and pavements along the roads that are 100 feet wide or more and strictly prohibited restaurants and eateries from encroaching on these areas. As per the new standard operating procedures, no outdoor placement of chairs and tables or any obstruction on footpaths, service lanes or road shoulders along the major arteries (100 feet or more) would be allowed. However, eateries on 60-100 feet commercial roads and below 60 feet neighbourhood streets can use the space with a prior no-objection certificate (NOC) from the town office and deputy commissioner concerned without obstructing movement of pedestrians or vehicles. As per the mechanism of obtaining the NOC, the proprietor of an eatery will submit an application to the town municipal office with a trade licence, rental agreement and an undertaking. Commissioner announces ‘zero tolerance’ against encroachments by roadside food outlets, tea shops... -
Dawn - 04:35 Nov 15, 2025
RAWALPINDI: After observing poor police performance, the Rawalpindi police have formed a special task force capable of detaining Afghan nationals illegally residing in the district and shifting them to the holding centres on a daily basis for their repatriation. According to official sources, the task force comprises 13 special teams each having four personnel, one detective foot constable and one official each from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), security branch and the Special Branch field staff. Mohammad Saifullah will be heading the Pirwadhai police station team, Waqar Haider Ratta Amral, Shafiqul Hasnain will be heading the Taxila police team, Gulzar Hussain police station Wah Cantt, Omer Farooq police station Saddar Wah Cantt, Azhar police station Mandra, Shahid Jamil police station Jatli, Shahid Mehmood Rawat police station and Mohammad Tasleem police station Saddar Barooni. Likewise, Mohammad Faizan will be heading the team of police station Dhamial, Yasir Iqbal Chontra team, Naeem Raj Wali po... -
Dawn - 03:37 Nov 15, 2025
KOHAT: Four terrorists were killed in two operations carried out by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police in Kohat and Karak districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security officials said on Friday. The terrorists killed in Bazid Khel village of Darra Adam Khel on Thursday late night were identified as Muhammad Qasim, Shahid and Sahir alias Pata, all belonging to the Saad alias Shah Gul group, the officials said, adding that they were involved in attacks on police, including the killing of Constable Younis on Sept 17. Sahir was also involved in an attack on a police check post in Tor Chappar on Oct 6, in which Constable Bahadar was martyred. District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi said the SHO of Muhammad Riaz Shaheed police station was on routine patrol when unknown gunmen opened fire at 1:22am. Police retaliated, leading to an intense exchange of fire that resulted in the killing of the three terrorists. Weapons were recovered from them. In Karak district, the CTD killed another terrorist in the Banda Da... -
Dawn - 03:14 Nov 15, 2025
• Opposition lawmakers tear copies of the bill, surround speaker’s dais, shout slogans during the session • JUI-F’s Younis Zehri terms the bill ‘against Islamic teachings’ • CM Bugti cites Shariat Court’s judgement in response • Opposition vows to challenge legislation in court QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Friday adopted the Child Marriage Prohibition Bill with majority votes amid strong protests by opposition members. The presentation and passage of the bill triggered heated scenes in the House, with opposition lawmakers shouting slogans and creating a ruckus. During the chaos, opposition members encircled the speaker’s dais and tore copies of the bill. The session, chaired by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, began with the draft law on banning child marriage being presented to the House. Speaking on the bill, Leader of the Opposition Younis Zehri of the JUI-F said the legislation was against the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah and was being introduced merely to please a non-governmental organisation.... -
Dawn - 02:52 Nov 15, 2025
• Global watchdog ranks country 27th out of 100 • India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh fared better • China, Iran and Russia at bottom ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been ranked 27th out of 100 — ‘Not Free’ — in terms of internet freedom by a global democracy watchdog in a recent report, which cited government measures to expand censorship practices. During June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025, the report issued by the US-based Freedom House noted that the authorities threatened to block virtual private networks (VPNs) and adopted amendments to the country’s cybercrime law that rights groups said could be abused. On the other hand, countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are markedly more open, classified as ‘Partly Free’, with much higher freedom scores of 51, 53, and 45, respectively. The watchdog was unable to track Afghanistan’s score. The countries placed at the bottom are China, Myanmar, Iran and Russia with scores of 9, 9, 13¸and 17, respectively. The watchdog noted that governments in the countries that suffered... -
Dawn - 02:26 Nov 15, 2025
• Seniority principle seen flouted as ex-CB judges sidelined • Lawyers fear judges chosen for loyalty, not competence • Five judges boycott oath-taking ceremony • President accepts Mansoor, Minallah resignations; lawyers hail duo as ‘national heroes’ • Full court skips FCC, resignations issue; okays SC Rules ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) formally commenced on Friday after its chief justice and four judges took oath, though the proceedings were overshadowed by a boycott from five senior judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and questions are being raised over what principle, if any, guided these appointments. Critics point out that if seniority was the yardstick, none of the appointees — except Justice Aminuddin Khan, who has been elevated as chief justice of the FCC — is senior to members of the now-defunct Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court, several of whom have been ignored. View this post on Instagram This, they argue, is done in contrast to the spirit of the 1996 Al-Jih... -
Dawn - 02:24 Nov 15, 2025
• Asia suffered 47pc of total losses over 33 years • Floods in Pakistan affected 9m people, destroyed crops on large scale ISLAMABAD: Disasters have caused an estimated $3.26 trillion in agricultural losses worldwide over the past 33 years — an average of $99 billion annually, or roughly four per cent of global agricultural GDP — according to a new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on Friday. The report, titled Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2025, highlights how digital technologies are transforming the way farmers, governments and communities monitor risks, anticipate impacts and protect livelihoods. “The global agricultural sector stands at a critical juncture, facing an unprecedented convergence of disasters, while simultaneously witnessing remarkable advances in digital technologies that offer new possibilities for understanding, predicting and managing disaster risks,” it added. Between 1991 and 2023, disasters wiped out 4.6bn tonne... -
Dawn - 19:20 Nov 14, 2025
Babar Azam finally ended his 807-day wait for a One-day International century, scoring an unbeaten 102 to lead Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, sealing the three-match series with a game to spare. The former Pakistan skipper, under intense scrutiny after 83 innings without a three-figure score, struck eight boundaries in a 119-ball innings that blended patience with poise. He reached his milestone in the 47th over, pulling pacer Pramod Madushan to midwicket for a single, before collapsing to his knees in prostration and embracing Mohammad Rizwan at the non-striker’s end. The Rawalpindi crowd erupted, having waited long for this moment. Reaching the milestone, Babar equalled former opener Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan — 20 centuries. Rizwan played the ideal supporting role, remaining unbeaten on 51 off 54 balls, hitting five fours and a six. The pair added an unbroken 112 for the third wicket, guidi... -
Dawn - 19:04 Nov 14, 2025
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Friday declared the Action in Aid of Civil Power Regulations, 2011, to be a law that violates basic human rights and approved a resolution passed by the KP Assembly to withdraw its appeal against the law from the apex court. In 2019, the then Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) provincial government extended the law to the entire province; however, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) nullified the move, terming the law a violation of basic human rights. The government, however, later obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court against the PHC verdict. On September 8, the KP Assembly passed a resolution recommending that the provincial government withdraw its appeal. “This House recommends that the provincial government declare the implementation of the law in KP and the merged districts to be against basic rights and withdraw its appeal against it from the Supreme Court,” the resolution read. On Friday, the chief minister’s aide on information and public relations, Shafiullah J... -
Dawn - 18:54 Nov 14, 2025
The latest batch from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s emails illustrates the extraordinary scope of his contacts with powerful people, ranging from a top Trump adviser to Britain’s ex-prince Andrew. The United States House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on trying to force the release of evidence gathered on Epstein by law enforcement over the years, including the identities of the men suspected of participating in his alleged sex trafficking ring. However, a slew of emails released this week has already opened new windows on the extent of Epstein’s network. These include multiple references to President Donald Trump, who is angrily calling the push for more transparency a “hoax”, while simultaneously demanding a probe of Epstein’s links to others, including former president Bill Clinton. Documents already released by Democrats in Congress include email exchanges running from 2009 to 2019, when Epstein died in detention while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was r... -
Dawn - 18:13 Nov 14, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday he wants the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate links between the late alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and former Democratic president Bill Clinton. Seeking to turn the tables after a new trove of Epstein emails reignited questions over his own ties to the disgraced financier, Trump also demanded a probe into US bank JPMorgan Chase, ex-Harvard president Larry Summers and others. Republican Trump accused rival Democrats of “using the Epstein Hoax” to distract from the party’s recent compromise to end a record US government shutdown, and said the scandal involved “Democrats, not Republicans.” “I will be asking AG Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JP Morgan, Chase and many other people and institutions,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Records show that the... -
Dawn - 17:42 Nov 14, 2025
A resolution for a vote of no confidence was submitted to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly’s special secretary, Amjed Latif Abbasi on Friday. On October 27, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira announced that his party and the PML-N had agreed on bringing a no-confidence motion against the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The AJK Legislative Assembly has 52 members, and to achieve a simple majority, a party requires the support of 27 members. Earlier today, the PPP put forward the name of Faisal Rathore as their nominee for the position of the prime minister of the territory, its AJK party president said. The resolution was handed over to Abbasi by PPP lawmakers Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Sardar Javed Ayoub, Malik Zafar Iqbal and Chaudhry Ali Shan Soni. Assembly Secretary Chaudhry Basharat Hussain — a relative of AJK PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq — did not attend office on Friday. The resolution signed by 25 lawmakers, 23 from the PPP and two from the PML-N — its regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir a... -
Dawn - 17:40 Nov 14, 2025
The PTI’s Taimur Saleem Jhagra claimed on Friday that he was barred from clearing immigration and boarding his flight to the United States at Peshawar Airport. The former KP finance minister said in a post on X that he was travelling to Washington, DC, to attend a debate at the Pakistan Conclave at Georgetown University, but could not clear immigration. “At the airport, I was told my name was on the PNIL (Provisional National Identification List), and hence that my passport was inactive,” Jhagra wrote. “The FIA staff said they would have been unable to even comply with court orders, unless the computer system they had was updated with the status.” He said there was a lack of transparency with the PNIL and questioned who can add and remove names from the list and for what purpose. “I had written to [the] secretary [of] interior on November 4, anticipating this, and personally delivered the letter to the ministry. In ten days, I received no response,” Jhagra added. “I also went to court, and even had a hearing ... -
Dawn - 17:34 Nov 14, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday said it had “no information” about the prime minister’s coordinator on tourism, Sardar Yasir Ilyas, interacting with an Israeli ministry official in London. The spokesperson was asked about the incident after a video of the interaction began circulating on social media. It was filmed during the World Travel Market event in London, which took place from November 4 to 6, 2025. In the clip, Ilyas could be seen shaking hands with and conversing with an individual later identified as the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, Michael Izhar-Kov. A translation of Israeli journalist Rai Kais’ X post in Hebrew said: “As you may recall, Pakistan was recently mentioned as one of the countries that may join the international force in Gaza.” However, London-based journalist Murtaza Ali Shah claimed in a post on X that “a group of individuals from Israel visited the Pakistan Pavilion unannounced and met the Pakistani delegation without introducing themselves.” Asked during a wee... -
Dawn - 17:17 Nov 14, 2025
Several people were killed and others injured when a bus rammed into a bus stop queue in central Stockholm during Friday’s afternoon rush hour, police said. Shortly after the crash, images in Swedish media showed a swarm of police, ambulances and emergency vehicles at the scene, with rescue crews crouched down along the underside of the double-decker bus, appearing to help people trapped underneath. “There are both injured and deceased people in the incident. Police are for the moment not commenting on the number, gender or ages of the victims,” said a police statement. Health authorities spokeswoman Michelle Marcher told AFP that two seriously injured people had been transported to the hospital. Police spokesperson Nadya Norton said the cause of the accident was still unknown. “The investigation will have to determine what happened. It’s too early to say and I don’t want to speculate,” she told AFP. She said the bus driver had been arrested and a manslaughter investigation had been opened as a matter of rout... -
Dawn - 16:46 Nov 14, 2025
The health ministry and the World Health Organisation warned on Friday that one in three adults in the country was affected by diabetes. In a press release issued on World Diabetes Day, both warned that “diabetes affects 34.5 million people in Pakistan, including one in three adults. Pakistan has the highest diabetes burden globally — in percentage terms — and hosts more than 40 per cent of the total estimated cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.” They said they were partnering to organise special diabetes screening activities in medical facilities, urging people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and encouraging the early detection of a “silent killer that can affect people of any age”. The press release said that four in 10 people affected by diabetes in the region were not aware of it, increasing their risk of serious health complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. It added that Type 2 diabetes could be prevented and the consequences of all types of ... -
Dawn - 16:24 Nov 14, 2025
Scientists have recovered the oldest-known RNA, a molecule necessary for most biological functions, from a woolly mammoth that inhabited Siberia about 39,000 years ago, showing it can last longer than previously known and promising a new path for studying organisms that lived long ago. The RNA, successfully isolated and sequenced, was extracted from muscle tissue in the left front leg of a juvenile male mammoth, perhaps five to 10 years old, whose carcass was discovered in 2010 in the Siberian permafrost in the Russian Far East along the Oyogos Yar coast bordering the Laptev Sea. The mammoth, given the name Yuka, represents one of the best-preserved frozen carcasses of this extinct species. Its RNA, among other things, revealed which genes had been “turned on” in Yuka’s tissue around the time of death, showing signs of cell stress. Most knowledge about prehistoric organisms comes from studying skeletal fossils, but there is a limit to what these can reveal about their biology. The growing ability to recover t... -
Dawn - 15:55 Nov 14, 2025
There was no discussion on the 27th Amendment in a full court meeting called by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Friday, according to a Supreme Court (SC) press release. It was reported a day ago that after a series of letters seeking a full court meeting on the contentious amendment, which was enacted into law yesterday, the CJP called one today. According to the press release issued after the meeting, the participants “unanimously updated the Supreme Court Rules, 2025 on the recommendation of the committee, comprising Hon’ble Justice Shahid Waheed, Hon’ble Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Hon’ble Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Hon’ble Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, constituted under Rule 1(4) of Order I of the Supreme Court Rules, 2025 for removal of difficulties arising in giving effect to its provisions”. It said the meeting extended “sincere appreciation to each member of the committee individually for undertaking such a massive task of meticulously reviewing the Supreme Court Rules, 1980, draftin... -
Dawn - 15:32 Nov 14, 2025
The Executive Director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Dr Shahid Rasul, passed away at 59 in Karachi on Friday. Colleagues and hospital sources confirmed to Dawn that Dr Rasul died of cardiac arrest today. Dr Rasul was a renowned surgeon who was appointed as the international adviser for Pakistan for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS) of Glasgow. Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow over the death of Dr Rasul, stating that “he will always be remembered for his services.” In a statement issued today, the spokesperson for CM Sindh Abdul Rasheed Channa said, “Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah expressed deep sorrow over the death of Jinnah Hospital Head Professor Shahid Rasul.” “Dr Shahid was considered one of the best surgeons in the country,” CM Murad was quoted as saying, adding that his “services will always be remembered.” The chief minister prayed for the departed and offered condolences to his family, as per the statement. Separately, Sindh Senior M... -
Dawn - 14:45 Nov 14, 2025
The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Friday vowed to vigorously protest through all democratic means to restore the Constitution to its original form in the wake of the passage of the contentious 26th and 27th amendments. President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent to the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment on Thursday, enacting it into law. The TTAP had already announced a nationwide protest movement against the amendment since Sunday and urged the people to take a stand against the “extremely dark and dangerous” change in the Constitution. While the 26th Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October 2024, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their vote as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) had also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. In a post on X today, the TTAP said it was holding a...
5467 items