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Dawn - 13:21 Nov 04, 2025
India is ramping up aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and branding itself as the region’s “first responder” after Monday’s deadly earthquake, seeking to counter China’s efforts to fill the void left by the West, officials and analysts said. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was among the first to call his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday, pledging more support after New Delhi shipped 15 tonnes of food. Medical supplies would follow soon, he said, as his ministry promoted the hashtag #IndiaFirstResponder on X. China on Tuesday said it too was ready to assist after the quake near Mazar-i-Sharif killed at least 20 people and injured more than 900. India wields soft power Both Asian giants are keen to deepen engagement with the Taliban, said Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy studies at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi. India’s ties with Afghanistan have warmed in recent weeks, even as relations between both countries and Pakistan have soured. “Behind India’s ou... -
Dawn - 13:04 Nov 04, 2025
India launched a revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world’s largest democracy. The three-month voter registration overhaul — known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year. Tens of thousands of election officials and nearly half a million volunteers will go door-to-door to help residents complete voter enumeration forms. Officials “will help the elector fill the enumeration form, collect it and submit it”, Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar told reporters while announcing the exercise. Earlier this year, the ECI conducted a similar revision in the eastern state of Bihar, home to more than 130 million people, ahead of its state elections beginning November 6. The process led to the exclusion of around 6.5m names, which the ECI said was necessary to prevent the inclusion of “foreign illegal immigran... -
Dawn - 13:00 Nov 04, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that the violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India could not and would not succeed, and warned against the weaponisation of water. India in April held the IWT in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. President Zardari addressed the issue while speaking at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar today, saying: “We in Pakistan, on one hand, face the brunt of the impact of climate change, which has caused devastation for our people in the form of large-scale floods … on the other hand, we face a new threat in the form of water weaponisation. Water, which all the world knows, is an equal right o... -
Dawn - 12:56 Nov 04, 2025
David Beckham, one of Britain’s most celebrated soccer players, was knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, recognising his decades-long contribution to sport and charitable causes. The 50-year-old former England soccer captain received the honour at the royal residence, more than 20 years after he was awarded a separate royal honour recognising his contribution to football. Beckham, a lifelong admirer of the royal family, was dressed in a suit designed by his wife, Victoria Beckham, a fashion designer and former member of the Spice Girls pop band. ‘Doesn’t get any better’ He and King Charles shared a brief but warm exchange during the ceremony, with the king seen smiling and laughing as they spoke. Coming out of the ceremony, Beckham said he cried when he first found out he was being awarded the knighthood. “It’s such a big moment for our family and it’s so special,” Beckham told reporters, joking that he would not mind if his kids called him “sir dad”. “I’m very proud to have such a special h... -
Dawn - 12:33 Nov 04, 2025
Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed dozens of Sikh pilgrims from India, AFP journalists saw, in the first major crossing since deadly clashes in May closed the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab between the nuclear-armed neighbours. More than 2,100 pilgrims were granted visas to attend a 10-day festival marking the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, Pakistan’s High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said last week. Indian Sikh pilgrims gesture upon their arrival in Pakistan after crossing the India-Pakistan Wagah border in Wagah on November 4, 2025, on the eve of celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism. — AFP/ Narinder Nanu Tensions remain high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the worst fighting since 1999 took place in May. The Wagah-Attari border — the only active land crossing between the two countries — was closed to general traffic following the conflict. Pilgrims queued up on the Indian side of the border on Tuesday morning, some carrying their... -
Dawn - 11:32 Nov 04, 2025
Twelve people were injured in a “gas” explosion at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad on Tuesday, police said. “A gas blast occurred at a canteen in the basement of the Supreme Court building at around 10:55am,” Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IG) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said while speaking to the media after the incident. He added that of the 12 injured, nine were taken to the Polyclinic hospital and three to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims). IG Rizvi further told the reporters that the condition of two of the injured was “serious” who had sustained 80 per cent and 30pc burns. “The rest suffered minor injuries, most of which are burn injuries.” In multiple videos received by Dawn following the incident, the damaged interior of parts of the SC building is visible with blood stains on the floor. In other videos recorded outside, people, including lawyers, could be seen spilling out of the building. The IG said police, including special branch and along with bomb disposal squad and Res... -
Dawn - 10:59 Nov 04, 2025
PPP stalwart and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Tuesday said the recently proposed changes to the Constitution, if passed, would amount to a rollback of the much-touted 18th Amendment. Yesterday, the ruling party PML-N’s coalition partner PPP revealed it had been approached by the government for its support in passing a 27th Constitutional Amendment. The key features were heavily criticised by lawyers and politicians, who termed them an attempt to revoke provincial rights granted in the 18th Amendment. “The proposed constitutional amendments of the federal government, with reference to provincial autonomy, amount to a rollback of the 18th Amendment,” Rabbani said in a statement. The 18th Amendment, passed in 2010, had allayed provinces’ concerns by devolving several ministries and departments from the Centre to them, including education and population. “In the brittle internal political situation, playing with provincial autonomy will cast deep shadows over the federation,” the veteran politician warn... -
Dawn - 10:02 Nov 04, 2025
India’s top financial crimes agency said it had seized properties worth over $846 million from firms linked to beleaguered tycoon Anil Ambani as part of a bank fraud probe. Anil, the younger sibling of Asia’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani, has business interests ranging from power to defence, but has seen his fortunes wane over the last two decades. In recent months, the industrialist has attracted law enforcement scrutiny with investigators probing alleged crimes ranging from diversion of bank loans to money laundering. On Monday evening, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it had frozen assets worth more than Rs75 billion, including office premises, residential units and over 132 acres (53 hectares) of land as part of its investigation. The agency said it had “detected fraudulent diversion of public money by various Reliance Anil Ambani group companies” and that it was “committed to restituting” the proceeds of these crimes to “their rightful claimants”. The ED also said it had initiated the probe based o... -
Dawn - 09:51 Nov 04, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday launched Pakistan’s first Google Chromebook assembly line and hailed it as a “historic milestone” that would make digital tools more accessible. “Today marks a historic milestone in that journey as we celebrate the invaluable partnership between Google and Pakistan,” Dar said while addressing a ceremony marking the launch in Islamabad. Terming the move a “defining moment for our country’s digital transformation”, the deputy PM said localising the assembly of Chromebooks would make access to digital tools more affordable and inclusive, particularly in the education sector. Dar, who is also the foreign minister, said the assembly line’s establishment held great economic significance as it laid the “foundation for jobs, supply chain, development and future tech exports”. Dar said that under a strategic memorandum of understanding, Google and Pakistan would “collaborate to provide skills training for 100,000 developers nationwide while also developing targeted programmes... -
Dawn - 09:40 Nov 04, 2025
Four Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed after security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Kalat district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that on the night of November 1, security forces conducted an IBO on the reported presence of militants belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Hindustan. The state has designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and resultantly, four Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” it said. “Weapons and ammunition [were] also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities,” it added. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the statement said, a... -
Dawn - 09:15 Nov 04, 2025
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be at the White House on November 18 for an official working visit with United States President Donald Trump, a White House official said on Monday. The visit comes as Trump pushes Saudi Arabia to join the list of nations that have joined the Abraham Accords. In 2020, Trump reached deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco to normalise relations with Israel. The Saudis have been hesitant to join in the absence of steps toward Palestinian statehood. Trump told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he believed the Saudis would ultimately join the accords. The US president also said earlier this month that he expected an expansion of the Abraham Accords soon and hoped Saudi Arabia would join the pact. In August, he also stressed the importance of Middle Eastern countries joining the accords. Trump and the crown prince may also discuss a US-Saudi defence agreement. The Financial Times reported two weeks ago that there ... -
Dawn - 08:34 Nov 04, 2025
Canada and Pakistan have agreed to facilitate the export of Canadian canola to the South Asian nation, the countries said in a joint statement issued late on Monday. Canada has been looking to open new markets for the commodity after China announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on Canadian canola imports in August, a year after Canada said it would levy a 100 per cent tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles. In a joint statement released late on Monday, the two countries said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had held a phone call with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on October 30, “reaffirming the strong and enduring ties between Pakistan and Canada and emphasising the importance of deepening cooperation in areas of mutual interest”. “Pakistan and Canada agreed to facilitate the export of Canadian canola to Pakistan, recognising the significant potential of Pakistan’s expanding market for this Canadian commodity,” the statement said. It added that the ministers also we... -
Dawn - 07:58 Nov 04, 2025
The United States is seeking approval from the United Nations for the establishment of an International Security Force (ISF) in Gaza with a mandate of at least two years, Axios reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the US sent several UN Security Council (UNSC) members a draft resolution yesterday outlining the establishment of its proposed security force to maintain security in the Palestinian enclave. Axios, which obtained a copy of the draft, said that the resolution was designated “sensitive but unclassified”. It reported that the resolution would give the US and other participating countries a broad mandate to deploy security forces to govern Gaza until the end of 2027, and allowed the possibility of extensions beyond that time. The force would be established “in consultation with the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’”, to be chaired by US President Donald Trump, the publication reported. The Board of Peace is also to remain in place “at least through the end of 2027”. However, a US official told Axios that ... -
Dawn - 05:55 Nov 04, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that Pakistan’s economy was in a “good spot”, attributing this to macroeconomic stability and “geopolitical tailwinds”. “Where we are as a country, we find ourselves in a good spot at this point and time because there is a confluence of factors,” he said, adding that macroeconomic stability combined with “geopolitical tailwinds” had boosted the economy. The finance minister made these remarks in a virtual address at the second edition of the Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference 2025 (PIMEC-25), which is being held in Karachi. “Our traditional partners, who have helped us through thick and thin … we find ourselves in a spot that we can now leverage, and we should leverage — in terms of these relationships which have been strong for the longest time — to move from government-to-government (G2G) discussions to trade and investment flows into the country,” he said. In his address, the finance minister described blue economy as a game changer for P... -
Dawn - 19:07 Nov 03, 2025
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday dismissed fearmongering over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment and said the government would not impose any “calamity” over the nation in its name. The PPP said earlier today that its coalition partner PML-N has officially sought its support for a proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment — the idea of which had been floated soon after the 26th Amendment. The development comes even as three dozen petitions challenging most of the 26th Amendment, which had also faced sizeable censure, are pending before the Supreme Court. The proposals include setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, ending protection for provincial shares under the National Finance Commission and amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to the command of armed forces. Addressing the situation in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Sanaullah said: “The speculations appear to be such and our... -
Dawn - 18:12 Nov 03, 2025
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Monday warned that India will attempt a false flag operation in the maritime domain, during a closed-door briefing given to senior journalists from select media outlets. In a press release today, the Indian defence ministry stated that it was beginning the ‘Trishul’ military exercise in early November. The exercise, spearheaded by the Indian Navy, would also include the Indian Army and Air Force. Speaking about the possibility of Indian aggression, DG ISPR said, “Let India do whatever it wants — on land, in the sea, or in the air. India must know — this time, the response will be far more severe.” During his briefing, the military’s spokesperson highlighted that operations are underway against terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses to designate members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — with 1,667 terrorists killed. Giving some more details, DG ISPR said as many as “62,113 o... -
Dawn - 18:08 Nov 03, 2025
Multiple people on social media platform X shared two separate videos on Friday and Monday, claiming to show Indian army officials criticising recent tri-military exercises as a political move to boost the image for the upcoming Bihar elections. However, the videos are dubbed over. India kicked off large-scale combined military exercises named ‘Trishul 2025’ near its western border on October 30 amid heightened regional tensions. The war games, involving armoured divisions, fighter aircraft and advanced drone systems, are being held across Rajasthan and Punjab to test rapid deployment capabilities. Indian defence officials have described the drills as routine preparedness measures. Meanwhile, upcoming elections are scheduled in Bihar, India, for the state’s legislative assembly from November 6-11, 2025. On Friday, an X account, that appears to be anti-Indian based upon its previous posts and is known for repeatedly sharing AI-altered videos, posted a clip with the following caption: “Breaking news: Bikaner, R... -
Dawn - 17:54 Nov 03, 2025
Pakistan and other Muslim countries on Monday slammed Israeli violations of the fragile Gaza ceasefire and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territory, according to the Foreign Office (FO). Hamas and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement on October 9, agreeing to free the Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of United States President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. Pakistan was one of the eight Arab and Muslim countries to work with Trump on the plan. Despite occasional flare-ups, the fragile truce has been holding in Gaza. The truce, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza unresolved, has been tested by unilateral Israeli bombardment since coming into force. The foreign ministers of Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan — the same countries that met with Trump on Sept 23 on the sidelines of the... -
Dawn - 17:24 Nov 03, 2025
As many as 29,609 tickets have been issued for traffic rule violations since the newly implemented e-ticketing system was inaugurated in Karachi, according to data from the police. Sindh Chief Minister inaugurated the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS), commonly known as the e-ticketing system, at the Central Police Office (CPO) last week. He explained that the new system replaces the outdated manual ticketing process with a fully automated e-ticketing mechanism, utilising advanced AI-integrated CCTV cameras to detect violations such as speeding, red-light jumping, and helmet non-compliance. Of the 29,609 tickets issued, 17,639 of them were issued to drivers not wearing a seatbelt, while 6,362 were issued to motorcyclists not wearing helmets, the data shows. Another 1,967 tickets were issued for speeding, while 1,655 were issued for running through red lights. Meanwhile, 943 tickets were issued for using mobile phones while operating a vehicle and 298 were handed out for having tinted windows and ... -
Dawn - 17:16 Nov 03, 2025
Former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Monday that both the government and the PTI, along with Imran Khan, need to show flexibility in order to create space for engagement to decrease the political friction in the country. Fawad is one of the three former PTI leaders who say they have been engaging with the party’s incarcerated leadership to put an end to politics of confrontation as part of their political outreach initiative. They also visited PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, after he was taken to a hospital in Lahore from prison, on Thursday, to convince him to join their campaign. “I’ve said this from the first day, the government should move one step forward and the PTI and Imran Khan should move back one step so space is created,” said the former PTI leader while speaking during an interview on DawnNewsTV show ‘News Wise’. He maintained that both sides would have to decide on the need to bring down the temperature, warning that if the PTI did not pursue engagement and talks, it would face similar trea...
10471 items