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Dawn - 11:40 Jul 19, 2025
Syria’s interim government said its security forces were deploying in the predominantly-Druze southern city of Sweida on Saturday and urged all parties to respect a ceasefire, after days of factional bloodshed that has left hundreds dead. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in a separate speech, said that “Arab and American” mediation had helped bring calm, and criticised Israel for airstrikes against Syrian government forces in the south and Damascus during the week. Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, which began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, before Damascus sent in government security forces. Israel has carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus, saying it is protecting the Druze minority, of whom there are a significant number in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to end hostilitie... -
Dawn - 09:58 Jul 19, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said the government aims to follow the ongoing trade talks with the United States by discussing investment, terming it a potential “game-changer” for economic ties between the two countries. He made the remarks after meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on Friday as part of a critical round of trade talks aimed at securing tariff relief and expanding bilateral economic cooperation. “One thing we discussed was that we have to move beyond the immediate trade imperative, which is obviously very critical, but besides that, for the Pakistan-US relationship to be brought to the next level and bring in a real step change, [there is] an investment imperative that will hopefully emerge,” Aurangzeb said in a video statement. “Areas [for investment] have already been identified,” the minister said, mentioning minerals and mining, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and cryptocurrency. “We feel this will... -
Dawn - 08:52 Jul 19, 2025
United States President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion on Friday over the publication of a bombshell article on his friendship with the infamous alleged sex trafficker of underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein. The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, saw the 79-year-old Republican hitting back at a scandal threatening to cause serious political damage. “We have just filed a powerhouse lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, fake news ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is The Wall Street Journal,” Trump posted on Truth Social late on Friday. The Journal reported on Thursday that in 2003, the then-real estate magnate wrote a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and alluding to a shared “secret”. The lawsuit, which also names two reporters, the Dow Jones corporation and Murdoch’s parent company News Corp as defendants, claims that no such letter exists and tha... -
Dawn - 06:30 Jul 19, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Five senior judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC), who challenged the transfer of the incumbent Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court (LHC), have been sidelined in the recent reshuffling of key committees. The IHC has constituted a new administrative committee, comprising four judges, in the light of amendments to the High Court Rules that have significantly reshaped the court’s internal power structure. According to a notification issued by the registrar’s office with the approval of the chief justice, the newly-formed committee will be headed by Justice Dogar himself, while Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Azam Khan will serve as members. The formation of the new committee follows a major administrative reshuffle at the IHC which has notably curtailed the powers of senior puisne judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. Previously considered one of the most influential judges in the court, Justice Kayani has been excluded from the a... -
Dawn - 06:00 Jul 19, 2025
WASHINGTON: The United States said on Thursday that it opposed Israel’s strikes in Syria, a day after Washington helped broker a deal to end violence. “The United States did not support recent Israeli strikes,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “We are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states,” she said. She declined to say if the United States had expressed its displeasure with Israel or whether it would oppose future strikes on Syria. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concern when asked about the Israeli strikes, which included attacking the defence ministry in Damascus. Fresh clashes rock Druze heartland He later issued a statement that did not directly address the Israeli strikes, but voiced broader concern about the violence. Israel said it was intervening on behalf of the Druze community after communal clashes. Fresh clashes Meanwhile, Bedouin tribes an... -
Dawn - 05:16 Jul 19, 2025
SUKKUR: A bunch of unarmed women fought off a gang of dacoits armed to the teeth merely with sticks and bricks when the criminals stormed two houses in Sheikh locality near Pir Zahir Zakria in Bagarji town, Sukkur district, late on Wednesday night. Shocked and frustrated at the unexpected resistance, the dacoits’ associates standing outside vented their anger at the walls and fired indiscriminately at all houses in the locality, wounding a passer-by, said local sources. The sources said that over 15 members of notorious Rajab alias Rajjo Jatoi gang barged into the houses of Mohammad Ali Sheikh and his brothers and tried to rob the inmates when the men were at work. However, to their utter surprise, the unarmed women bravely resisted them by using sticks, bricks and anything they could lay their hands on. Finally, they succeeded to push back the intruders and lock themselves up in their houses, they said. During the ensuing commotion, the other dacoits standing outside fired indiscriminately at all the houses ... -
Dawn - 05:07 Jul 19, 2025
KARACHI: Confusion gripped the business community on Friday as key trade and industry bodies appeared divided over whether the countrywide strike scheduled for Saturday would go ahead or had been postponed. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Senior Vice-President Saquib Fayyaz Magoon claimed that chambers and trade associations had agreed to defer the strike following a meeting with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries Haroon Akhtar Khan, attended by various chambers via Zoom. The strike call was initially issued by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), backed by trade bodies, industrial area associations, petroleum dealers, transporters, and chain store operators. “We have not supported the KCCI strike as it was announced by one chamber alone,” Mr Magoon said. He maintained that the FPCCI, representing chambers from across the country — including Faisalabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Multan, Khanewal, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Quetta, an... -
Dawn - 04:41 Jul 19, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government is considering a proposal to appoint a senior serving or retired army officer to head the ministry’s civil armed forces wing. During an interaction with a select group of reporters on Friday, Mr Naqvi said the plan was meant for the smooth coordination of the civil armed forces, which fall under the interior ministry, with the military and other stakeholders for effective counterterrorism operations. One of the proposals was to appoint a retired or serving two-star general to head this wing, he added. The minister noted that paramilitary and civil armed forces including the Frontier Corps, Rangers, Pakistan Coast Guard, Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts and newly established Federal Constabulary that fall under the administrative control of his ministry were involved in counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operations across Pakistan. “There is a need for smooth coordination of the civil armed forces department with all stakeholders to improve delivery,... -
Dawn - 04:28 Jul 19, 2025
LAHORE: Rescue workers move the body of a person killed after the roof of a house collapsed due to heavy rainfall in the Railway Colony area.—PPI • PDMA data shows 123 deaths across province since June 25; more than half of which occurred in just past two days • Flooding alert issued for River Indus at Kalabagh, Chashma; Met Office predicts another five-day spell will hit many parts of the country tomorrow • Officials claim to have rescued over 1,000 stuck in flooded areas across badly-hit Potohar region LAHORE / RAWALPINDI: After ten more people lost their lives across Punjab on Friday, it emerged that more than half of all rain-related deaths in the province have occurred in just the last 48 hours. So far, 123 people have been killed and 462 injured since June 25 as the province received record rainfall, triggering urban flooding which inundated residential areas, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said. Of these, 71 deaths were reported in the past two days alone, and there will be no resp... -
Dawn - 03:06 Jul 19, 2025
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has extended the closure of its airspace to Indian-registered aircraft, according to a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued on Friday. Pakistani airspace has remained closed to Indian aircraft since April 24 in a tit-for-tat move after India in a controversial move unilaterally suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). The ban will now remain in place until 4:59am on Aug 24, according to the authority. The NOTAM issued by the PAA reads: “Pakistan airspace not available for Indian-registered aircraft and aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights.” Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2025 -
Dawn - 02:53 Jul 19, 2025
• New amendment proposes life term for offences under PPC’s Sections 354-A and 402-C • Law introduced to meet EU’s GSP+ conditions requiring limitation of death penalty to the ‘most serious crimes’ • PTI leader slams govt over ‘poor’ disaster response ISLAMABAD: A bill seeking to abolish the death penalty for harbouring hijackers and for publicly stripping a woman of her clothes was among the four bills passed by the Senate amidst voices of dissent from both sides of the aisle. The Criminal Laws Amendment Bill, aimed at aligning Pakistan’s laws with its international obligations under the GSP+ trade agreement with the European Union (EU), which requires limiting capital punishment to the most serious crimes, was moved in the House by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry. The bill proposes the replacement of the death penalty under Sections 354-A and 402-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) with life imprisonment. Currently, Section 354-A states: “Whoever assaults or uses criminal force against any woma... -
Dawn - 01:48 Jul 19, 2025
BAHAWALNAGAR: The district police claimed on Friday to have arrested three persons, including a cleric, for alleged cases of molesting and gang-raping two teenagers in separate incidents. An FIR registered with the Dunga Bunga police on Thursday alleged that a local cleric of Maharwali village invited a 15-year-old of the same area to the mosque on July 16 through a text message. There, the FIR alleged, the cleric started lewd acts with him and incited the boy to commit sexual acts. Afterwards, the cleric allegedly grabbed the victim by the arm and took him to a room next to the mosque and started sexually harassing him. However, he fled when some passersby reached the scene after hearing the hue and cry of the boy, it added. In another incident, the B Division police claimed to have arrested two men who allegedly gang-raped a tailor after inviting him to their outhouse on the pretext of giving him measurements in Chishtian. The police said the two men from Purani Chishtian invited an 18-year-old tailor to th... -
Dawn - 20:05 Jul 18, 2025
Pakistani cueists won two titles in one day at the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) world snooker championships on Friday, with Muhammad Asif clinching the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship and Hasnain Akhtar claiming victory in the World U17 Snooker Championship. Asif secured victory over Indian Brijesh Damani with a score of 4-3 by the seventh frame of play. Earlier, Hasnain beat Wales’ Riley Powell 4-0 in the final of the under-17 tournament The former world amateur champion advanced to the final after securing a 4-2 win over India’s Manan Chandra in the semi-final held on Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain. The frame scores were 118-6, 0-84, 25-76, 92-11, 87-62, and 72-41. View this post on Instagram Asif qualified for the semifinals of the masters after defeating Habib Sabah (Bahrain) 4-0 (68(68)-8, 57-37, 68(68)-8, 40(40)-8) in the quarterfinal on Thursday. In the pre-quarterfinals, Asif defeated Mohamed Shehab (UAE) 4-2 (56-68, 21-72, 57-21, 80(80)-0, 68-45(43), 68-58). The... -
Dawn - 19:03 Jul 18, 2025
Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in violation of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly $12 million, funnelled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status shields them from scrutiny, and soul-searching across society about the role of religion. This aerial photo taken on July 18 shows the giant Buddha statue at the Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen Buddhist temple complex in Bangkok, Thailand. — AFP “I’m not involved in the religion like I used to be,” 33-year-old motorbike taxi driver Mongkol Sudathip told AFP. “I don’t have ... -
Dawn - 18:44 Jul 18, 2025
The United States has rejected an agreement adopted by members of the World Health Organisation to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to Covid-19, the American government said on Friday. The State Department and Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement they had transmitted on Friday the official US rejection of the legally binding pact, which was adopted in Geneva in May after three years of negotiations. The pact aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20 per cent of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access. US negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the US, by far the WHO’s largest financial backer, from the agency when he took office in January. Its exit means the US would not ... -
Dawn - 18:19 Jul 18, 2025
Flooding at Punjab’s Kalabagh and Chashma on the Indus river reached a “medium” level on Friday, prompting the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to issue a high-level flood warning for the two points, as water flows surged due to heavy monsoon rains. Rescue operations continued in Punjab after recent deadly rains wreaked havoc and claimed at least 63 lives across the province. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecasted that five more such spells of rain are expected in the coming days, leading to rising water levels, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The next spell is expected to begin from July 21 and last till July 28, while the fifth is expected in the first week of August, the sixth in the second week of August and the seventh in its third week. “The flow of water in rivers is increasing due to monsoon rains and glacial melting,” a statement issued by the PDMA spokesperson said. According to the data released by the Met Office’s Flood Forecasting Division at 6p... -
Dawn - 18:10 Jul 18, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer in an effort to strengthen trade ties, according to a statement from the finance ministry. Pakistan and the US concluded a critical round of trade negotiations earlier this month, reaching an understanding on a deal that could shape the future of the country’s key export sectors. While both sides reached an understanding, a formal announcement is expected only after the US concludes similar ongoing negotiations with other trade partners. According to the finance ministry, Aurangzeb had a “productive meeting” with Lutnick and Greer in Washington DC, with both sides satisfied with progress made in enhancing trade ties. “They (Pakistan and the US) reaffirmed their commitment to exploring opportunities to strengthen these ties in all possible areas of mutual benefit,” the statement read. “Finance Minister Aurangzeb emphasised that the US remains Pakistan’s... -
Dawn - 17:32 Jul 18, 2025
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Friday handed Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other organisers of the group into police custody for 15 days, marking yet another extension of their detention. In March, Mahrang and other BYC members were arrested for “attacking” the Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”, a day after the group faced a police crackdown while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. Mahrang has been held at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) — a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain individuals suspected of posing a threat to public order. On July 8, a Quetta ATC handed Mahrang and other activists into police custody for 10 days, extending their three-month detention. The other activists were Gulzadi, Bebow Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahji, Ghaffar Baloch and Beberg Baloch. Today... -
Dawn - 17:03 Jul 18, 2025
A group of right-wingers in India forcibly closed an outlet of the fast food chain KFC to close, demanding a ban on the sale of non-vegetarian food during the Hindu month of Sawan, according to reports by Indian media outlets on Friday. Sawan, also known as Shravana, is considered a holy month in the Hindu calendar where many observe fasts and refrain from consuming meat, alcohol and even onions and garlic, according to Indian daily The Hindu. The Hindu reported that a group of demonstrators stormed the outlet in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and confronted the staff, demanding that the restaurant’s operations be stopped. “Visuals of the incident circulated widely on social media showed members of the outfit carrying saffron flags and chanting slogans such as ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’, while forcibly pulling down the shutter of the KFC outlet,” the newspaper added. According to The Times of India, Pinky Chaudhary, the chief of the group, said, “Our message is clear: we are asking that all non-vegetarian... -
Dawn - 15:55 Jul 18, 2025
A Karachi University laboratory on basis of samples sent from actor Humaira Asghar’s body came to the conclusion that there were no traces of sedative or toxic substance in it, raising a strong possibility that the medico-legal section will likely to declare it as a “natural death”, it emerged on Friday according to a report and police officials. A police investigative report released on Wednesday found that the evidence so far indicated that the actor’s death — whose body was discovered in a Karachi apartment on July 8 — was accidental or due to natural causes. “No traces of any sedative, psychiatric, narcotics or any poisonous substances are found,” according to the contents of the report prepared by experts associated with the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences of Karachi University (KU) and obtained by Dawn.com. The Gizri police had sent the samples of the 42-year-old actor’s hair, lung and liver collected by Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Doctor Bakhtawar Khan on July 8....
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