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Dawn - 08:26 Jan 17, 2026
The Nobel Peace Prize remains inseparably linked to the person or organisation that won it, though the medal can be given away, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Friday, a day after last year’s winner gave her medal to US President Donald Trump. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her medal on Thursday to Trump, who thanked her for it. The White House released a photo of Trump and Machado, with Trump holding up a gold-coloured frame displaying it, and a White House official said Trump intends to keep it. Machado’s award also consists of a diploma and 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.19 million). “Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize,” the award body said in a statement. “There are no restrictions in the statutes of the Nobel Foundation on what a laureate may do with the medal, the diploma, or the prize money. This means that a laureate is free to keep, gi... -
Dawn - 08:23 Jan 17, 2026
A landmark global treaty to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas came into effect on Saturday, providing countries with a legally binding framework to tackle threats such as overfishing and meet a target to protect 30 per cent of the ocean environment by 2030. The United Nations treaty, also known as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), was finalised in March 2023 after 15 years of negotiations, and will allow the creation of a global network of “marine protected areas” in vast and previously unregulated ocean ecosystems lying in international waters. “It’s two-thirds of the ocean, (and) it’s half the surface of the planet that for the first time will have a comprehensive legal regime,” said Adam McCarthy, first assistant secretary at the Australian foreign ministry and a co-chair of the treaty’s preparatory committee, speaking at a media briefing. The treaty reached the threshold of 60 national ratifications on September 19 last year, meaning that it would go formally into operation within 12... -
Dawn - 07:19 Jan 17, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed his hope for peace and stability in Iran on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. According to a post by the FO on X, Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call in which the two diplomats discussed the current situation in Iran and the wider region. Dar “expressed hope for peace and stability, and both sides agreed to continue bilateral consultations on matters of mutual interest”, the statement added. On Thursday, Pakistan had expressed hope at the United Nations Security Council for an early normalisation of the situation in Iran, which saw its largest demonstrations in years, challenging the country’s government. Ambassador Asim Ahmad described Iran as a “brotherly country”, saying that the people of the two nations share deep-rooted historical, friendly, cultural and religious bonds. Protests have taken place across Iran in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing... -
Dawn - 06:50 Jan 17, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The number of approved special economic zones has surged dramatically from seven to 44 in the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), including notification of 37 new SEZs through coordinated efforts led by the Board of Investment (BoI). The increase in approval rate was revealed on Friday during a briefing on Pakistan’s engagement with China under the second phase of CPEC, with particular focus on SEZ-led industrialisation and Pakistan-China business-to-business (B2B) cooperation, which form the backbone of the upgraded CPEC framework. The BoI serves as the lead Pakistani agency for the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Industrial Cooperation, with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) as the counterpart lead agency. Since its inception, Project Management Unit of the CPEC-Industrial Cooperation Development Project (PMU CPEC-ICDP) has played a pivotal role in revitalising Pakistan’s SEZ framework. Minister for Board of Investment, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, visited to the... -
Dawn - 05:20 Jan 17, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The arrest and detention of Afghan nationals have increased by 18 per cent so far in January as compared to the previous week. The top three districts for arrest and detention between Jan 1 and 10 were Chaghi, Pishin and Islamabad Capital Territory. The latest ‘Flash Update’ jointly released by UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and UN Migration office, IOM, says from January 4 to 10, 73 per cent of the total reported arrests and detentions took place in Balochistan and 16 per cent in Islamabad Capital Territory. Of all arrests and detentions of Afghan nationals during the period, Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and undocumented Afghans represented 87 per cent of the total arrest and detentions while Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders represented 13 per cent. The data released by UNHCR and IOM shows that a total of 130,999 Afghan nationals were arrested and detained from September 15 to January 10, 2026. Most arrests took place in Balochistan with 68 per cent arrests, followed by Islamabad (19pc), ... -
Dawn - 03:49 Jan 17, 2026
Military-to-military ties between Pakistan and the United States appear to be strengthening, marked by renewed joint training, major defence sales and unusually warm rhetoric from President Donald Trump towards Pakistan’s military leadership. According to a statement issued by the US Central Command (Centcom), American and Pakistani troops this week concluded joint training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center in Pabbi. “This week, US and Pakistan Army Soldiers completed training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center during Exercise Inspired Gambit, which focused on combined infantry skills and tactics, and counterterrorism operations. Training exercises like this between the US and Pakistan strengthen our long-standing defense ties,” the statement said. The exercise comes amid broader signs of re-engagement between the two defence establishments. In December, the United States approved the sale of advanced technology and upgrade packages for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal value... -
Dawn - 02:52 Jan 17, 2026
Canadian PM Mark Carney shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the People’s Great Hall in Beijing.—Reuters BEIJING: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on a raft of measures from trade to tourism on Friday at the first meeting between the countries’ leaders in Beijing in eight years. The Canadian premier hailed a “landmark deal” under a “new strategic partnership” with China, turning the page on years of diplomatic spats, retaliatory arrests of each other’s citizens and tariff disputes. Carney has sought to reduce his country’s reliance on the United States, its key economic partner and traditional ally, as President Donald Trump has aggressively raised tariffs on Canadian products. “Canada and China have reached a preliminary but landmark trade agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs,” Carney told a news conference after meeting with Xi. Under the deal, China — which used to be Canada’s largest market for canola seed — is expected to reduce tar... -
Dawn - 02:45 Jan 17, 2026
• PTI senators slam ban on meetings with Imran • Law minister says jail superintendent responsible for meetings, denies solitary confinement claim ISLAMABAD: Senators on Friday called for keeping tabs on the use of social media platforms by children under 18, with the chair proposing a special committee to develop safeguards in consultation with relevant ministries. The issue was raised through a calling-attention notice moved by Senators Falak Naz, Fawzia Arshad, Aimal Wali Khan, Saadia Abbasi and Dilawar Khan. Presiding over the sitting, Senator Sherry Rehman said some checks were needed and suggested forming a special committee comprising representatives of the ministries of information technology, interior, education and law, along with parliamentary parties and provincial governments. She said the final decision would rest with Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani. Speaking on the notice, Senator Naz said most platforms were designed for adults and warned that children’s exposure to inappropriate content ... -
Dawn - 02:34 Jan 17, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday took up the issue of increasing cybercrimes in the country, which are badly affecting the masses. Members highlighted the problem of fake driving challans, as well as fraudulent messages from educational institutions, banks, mobile phone companies and other entities. It was also informed that in some cases people responded to such fake messages and later faced charges of blasphemy and anti-state activities, resulting in imprisonment. On the other hand, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry claimed that necessary steps were being taken to introduce reforms in the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in order to effectively tackle cybercrimes. PTI leader Sheryar Afridi informed the House that a large number of young people were facing cases and imprisonment after being declared guilty of committing blasphemy and anti-state activities. House told NCCIA received over 150,000 cybercrime complaints in a year “A number of people told me outside Adiala j... -
Dawn - 02:27 Jan 17, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed that pension is a vested constitutional right and not a bounty or something given out of generosity by the employer. The employee earns these benefits through long, continuous, faithful and unblemished service, observed Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui in a six-page judgement that upheld the right of a former civil servant to receive pension benefits despite the fact that he had applied for pension 13 years after his resignation. Justice Siddiqui was a member of a three-judge SC bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan, which also comprised Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. The bench had taken up an appeal filed by Muhammad Usman against the July 3, 2024 rejection of his plea by the Federal Service Tribunal (FST). Sets aside ruling of service tribunal on plea by ex-auditor The appellant was a former senior auditor (BS-11) in the office of the Military Accountant General, Rawalpindi. He was held disentitled to pension benefits on the grounds that he had tendere... -
Dawn - 01:34 Jan 17, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Despite over 35 years of ‘reforms’ and policy interventions, Pakistan’s power sector remains incapable of instilling confidence in the country’s economic growth and in consumers’ trust, leading to gains secured from power producers through renegotiations evaporating amid unending inefficiencies. This charge sheet has been framed by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) against the policymakers and power sector managers in its flagship ‘State of the Industry Report 2025’, while conceding that regulatory powers for correction had been diluted through administrative and legal challenges. It said the inefficiencies of the distribution companies (Discos) contributed around Rs400 billion to the circular debt, while law-abiding consumers paid around Rs235bn in debt servicing surcharge (DSS) in 2024-25, not due to normal business practices but to inefficiencies. It said that despite some structural and policy-level interventions, “overall progress remained limited and insufficient to ins... -
Dawn - 19:57 Jan 16, 2026
Pakistan’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start on Tuesday as England dismantled the Green Shirts’ top order, taking six wickets for 86 runs to seal a 37-run victory. Winning the toss at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare, Pakistan U19 team captain Farhan Yousuf elected to field first — a decision that turned out to be in the team’s favour as it bowled out England for just 210 in a fifty-over match. English batter Caleb Falconer scored 66 runs, for which he also got the Man of the Match award later, aided by Ben Dawkins’ 33 and Ralphie Albert’s 25. With the help of the commanding spells by Pakistani bowler Ahmed Hussain, who took three wickets, and Ali Raza, Abdul Subhan, and Moshin Qamar, who grabbed two wickets each, Pakistan established their position, booming in the first innings. While chasing the target, howeve, Pakistan’s top order could not stand England’s Alex Green and James Minto’s bowling attack, as both took a couple of wickets each. Six of Pakistan’s batters were... -
Dawn - 18:42 Jan 16, 2026
It was the afternoon of October 7, 1983, and former dictator General Ziaul Haq’s martial law was in effect, when a young man decided to lead a procession in Quetta to demand the restoration of democracy. Despite grave life threats, his stance remained firm, even when four of his supporters were shot dead, and dozens were injured by the authorities. Today, the man, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, has been appointed leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. His name for the slot was recommended by incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan last year. In the past few years, Mehmood Khan’s name has appeared in the mainstream media one time too many. But who is this man, and what is his story? Entry into politics Mehmood Khan, whose name and face have been a mainstay of the opposition benches for decades, was born in the village of Inayatullah Karez, Gulistan, in Balochistan’s Killa Abdullah Khan, which at the time was part of the Quetta-Pishin district. He received his early... -
Dawn - 18:19 Jan 16, 2026
US President Donald Trump said Friday he may impose trade tariffs on countries that don’t support his plans to take over Greenland, part of the territory of Denmark. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said at a health roundtable at the White House. “I may do that,” added Trump. Trump compared the possible Greenland tariffs to those that he threatened on France and Germany last year over the price of pharmaceutical products. The threat is the latest pressure tactic by Republican Trump as he steps up his bid to acquire the autonomous Arctic island, a goal that he has threatened to achieve by military means if necessary. Trump claims the United States needs mineral-rich Greenland and has accused Greenland of not doing enough to ensure its security against rivals Russia and China. European nations have in recent days shown their support for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) ally Denmark and Greenland over Trump’s ... -
Dawn - 17:38 Jan 16, 2026
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday said PTI leaders were seeking dialogue with the government, but jailed party founder Imran Khan opposed the move even as the party remained firm on its call for protests on February 8. In December, the PTI had denied dialogue with the government until “ensuring a level-playing field” was provided to the party through its ongoing “street movement” — an agitation campaign against the government. Speaking during Geo News’s programme Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal, Sanaullah said that the government had been in contact with PTI leaders for dialogue, stating that “several of them are in favour of negotiations with the government.” “Whenever politicians come to the table for talks, problems get solved, and a way gets paved,” he said. Sanaullah reiterated that many PTI leaders were in favour of dialogue, but “whenever they meet us, they say that the PTI founder is not in favour of any sort of dialogue with the government,” he added. He further ... -
Dawn - 17:30 Jan 16, 2026
KARACHI: At least 20 containers, mostly containing electrical batteries, were destroyed as a huge fire erupted at the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) on Friday afternoon, but no casualties were reported as workers were away for Friday prayer, according to officials and rescue services officials. South-DIG, Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the police “immediately responded to the fire that broke out in a container at Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), West Wharf, within the limits of Docks police”, while rescue and fire teams also reached there for fire extinguishing efforts. Rescue 1122 Spokesperson, Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan, said that the central command and control room “received information of the outbreak of fire in a container at West Wharf, gate-20 at around 1:45pm”. “Another container caught the fire by the time the team reached the spot,” he told Dawn, adding, “The teams then called for back-up rescue teams.” “The container carrying electrical, dry chemical and lithium batteries spontaneously trigge... -
Dawn - 17:21 Jan 16, 2026
NEW DELHI: Responding to renewed US sanctions, India transferred approximately $120 million to Iran to fully liquidate its financial commitment for developing Chabahar port, a key gateway to landlocked Afghanistan, The Economic Times said on Friday. A government source stated that India now has “no liability” in its commitment and that Iran is free to use the funds independently. In October last year, India was granted a six-month exemption from US sanctions on the port. New Delhi and Tehran signed a contract to develop and equip the long-stalled Chabahar project in 2024, giving India 10 years of access. Following the reimposition of sanctions, the state-owned entity India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) effectively exited the project. Government directors resigned en masse, and its website was taken down to “insulate everybody associated with the port from potential sanctions”. A government source concluded, “India has no choice but to exit the Chabahar port”. The collapse followed US President Donald Trump’s Janua... -
Dawn - 17:12 Jan 16, 2026
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Friday warned that Pakistan’s industrial sector was facing a severe crisis due to high energy tariffs and heavy taxation, leading to widespread factory closures and job losses. In December, it was reported that over 100 spinning mills and over 400 ginning factories had become non-operational, triggered by unprecedented taxes, high power tariffs, and a surge in under-invoiced cotton yarn and fabric imports from China and other countries. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, President FPCCI Atif Ikram Sheikh said, “Costly electricity has crippled industrial activity, particularly in the textile sector.” “Around 150 large textile units had shut down over the past two years,” he stated. Sheikh urged the government to immediately abolish cross-subsidies imposed on the industrial sector and reduce the policy rate to single digits. He proposed that interest rates be cut first to nine per cent and subsequently to seven per cent to revive ... -
Dawn - 16:39 Jan 16, 2026
The US government has said that it decided to pause immigrant visa processing until it ensures new applicants are “vetted to the maximum degree to ensure their eligibility”, according to a Friday statement shared by the US Embassy in Islamabad on the X platform. On Wednesday, the US announced a suspension of immigrant visa processing for Pakistan, along with 74 other countries, effective from January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes. “The Trump Administration is focused on protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” the statement said. “Effective January 21,” the statement added, “the Department of State is pausing issuance to all immigrant visa applicants from selected countries, including Pakistan.” The statement said that US State Secretary Marco Rubio had instituted this pause until his government could “ensure that new immigrants have been vetted to the maximum degree to ensur... -
Dawn - 16:29 Jan 16, 2026
Security forces have killed 12 terrorists and effectively thwarted their attempt to create a hostage situation in Balochistan’s Kharan district during multiple operations, the military’s media wing said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on January 15, “approximately fifteen to twenty Indian-sponsored terrorists of Fitna Al Hindustan carried out multiple terrorist activities in Kharan City, District Kharan.” The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. It said that during the operations, “terrorists attacked [the] City Police Station, National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank Limited.” They also looted Rs3.4 million from the banks. “Security forces effectively responded and engaged the terrorists, prompting them to retreat. During the ensuing clearance operation, twelve terrorists were sent to hell in three different engagements,” the ISPR said. “Terrori...
6670 items