Dawn
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Dawn - 03:30 Jun 22, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The presence of poliovirus has been confirmed in seven districts across all four provinces. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) tested sewage samples from nine districts, of which seven were found positive for the presence of poliovirus. A sewage sample from an area is the basic parameter used to identify the presence of the virus in an area. It determines if polio vaccination campaigns were resulting in the desired immunity among children. An NIH official said wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in sewage samples collected from Gwadar, Quetta, South Waziristan Lower, South Waziristan Upper, Rawalpindi, Larkana and Mirpurkhas. The two negative samples were collected from Pishin and Lahore. The official explained that if the virus is found in sewage, it is called a positive sample and whenever a child is paralysed with the virus, it is called a positive case. After the virus is detected in sewage samples, polio campaigns are he... -
Dawn - 18:21 Jun 21, 2025
At least eight people were killed on Saturday when a hot air balloon with 21 passengers caught fire in southern Brazil, said the governor of Santa Catarina state, where the incident occurred. “Eight fatalities and 13 survivors,” Governor Jorginho Mello said on X. Videos taken by bystanders and carried on Brazilian television showed the moment when the balloon erupted in flames above the coastal town of Praia Grande. The weather conditions were clear. The basket carrying the passengers plummeted dozens of meters to the ground in flames. “We still have no information” about the condition of the survivors, a spokeswoman for Santa Catarina firefighters told AFP. Praia Grande, on the Atlantic coast, is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning in Brazil. View this post on Instagram The survivors were being treated in area hospitals, firefighters said. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident. “I want to express my solidarity with the families of the victims,” Brazilian President Luiz... -
Dawn - 17:55 Jun 21, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday slammed Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s “brazen disregard” for international agreements after the latter said New Delhi would never restore the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Islamabad. Delhi unilaterally suspended its participation in the 1960 IWT, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, on April 23, shortly after 26 civilians were killed in India-held Kashmir. Delhi, without evidence, blamed Islamabad for the attack. The latter has denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe. The accord remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbours last month following their worst fighting in decades. “No, it will never be restored,” Shah told The Times of India earlier today. “We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.” The latest comments from Shah, the most powerful cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Mo... -
Dawn - 17:47 Jun 21, 2025
New Zealand beat Pakistan 6-2 in the final of the FIH Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday to retain their title. New Zealand launched a blitz early on in the match with five goals in the first half. View this post on Instagram New Zealand’s hockey federation said “a statement had been made” with the win. “The Vantage Black Sticks men have claimed the victory at the 2025 FIH Nations Cup Grand final. “An electrifying match and a huge effort from the team to secure the win and become back-to-back champions!” View this post on Instagram “A tough end to a spirited campaign. Pakistan fought bravely in the final of the Nations Cup but New Zealand came out on top with a 6-2 win,” the Pakistan Hockey Federation said in a post on Facebook. “Despite the scoreline, Pakistan showed heart, hustle, and moments of brilliance throughout the match — including various attacking opportunities, a strong goal, and resilience under pressure. The Green Shirts also had to endure controversial decisions early on, yet the... -
Dawn - 15:59 Jun 21, 2025
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Saturday advised all oil marketing companies (OMCs) to ensure the maintenance of their mandatory 20-day stock levels amid the impact of the Iran-Israel conflict on global oil supply. In a statement issued today, the authority’s spokesperson said: “Ogra has confirmed that the country currently holds sufficient stocks of petroleum products to meet existing demand. “However, in view of anticipated future requirements and the prevailing market situation, Ogra has formally advised all oil marketing companies (OMCs) to ensure the maintenance of their mandatory 20-day stock levels, in line with the conditions stipulated in their respective licences.” The spokesperson said Ogra remained committed to monitoring the situation closely and would continue to take proactive steps to ensure national energy security. A high-level meeting on Monday reviewed petroleum products prices and supply dynamics in response to the evolving geopolitical situation following Israel’s recent a... -
Dawn - 14:19 Jun 21, 2025
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has issued a 15-day freezing order on properties across the country, including those owned by property tycoon Malik Riaz’s son and his company, Bahria Town Pvt Ltd, in a reference against the influential magnate and others, it emerged on Saturday The development adds on to NAB’s previous actions against Riaz, who is also an absconder in the £190 million Al Qadir Trust Case. According to the order — dated June 19 and seen by Dawn.com — 457 immoveable properties belonging to various individuals and entities have been frozen under Section 12 (power to freeze property), read with Section 34A (delegation of powers) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999. Referring to an investigation against “accused persons”, the order read: “It transpired that accused persons in active connivance with each other have usurped the government land admeasuring 16,896 acres situated in District Malir, Karachi,” stating that they violated Section 9A (the offence of corruption and ... -
Dawn - 13:38 Jun 21, 2025
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said that social media influencer Sana Yousuf’s killer should receive an exemplary punishment and that this should be a “test case” so that no such crime occurs in the future. Islamabad Police arrested Umar Hayat, the main suspect in the 17-year-old’s murder, on June 3, nearly a day after she was gunned down in her house in the federal capital. Police claimed the man murdered Sana because she repeatedly refused his advances. An Islamabad court on Friday extended Hayat’s physical remand for another three days. Tarar visited Yousuf’s home and extended condolences to her family, telling them that the prime minister and the interior minister had taken strict notice of the murder. He noted that the police arrested the suspect within hours of the incident and lauded the investigation. “The culprit should get the strictest punishment to make an example,” Tarar told reporters outside the house, adding that the family has a “good legal team” and a strong case. “The impo... -
Dawn - 13:03 Jun 21, 2025
Naveed Asghar Chaudhry has been appointed to the position of acting chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday. The appointment of Asghar follows the resignation of retired Lieutenant General Sajjad Ghani earlier in the day. Ghani served in the role for almost three years before stepping down. Asghar previously served as the interim Wapda chairman in 2022 after retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain resigned due to “personal reasons”. He then passed the role to retired Lt Gen Ghani three months later. He will now serve again as Wapda chairman “for a period of three months or until the appointment of [a] regular chairman […] with immediate effect and until further orders”, the ministry said. Asghar will take on the position in addition to his current role as Wapda’s Member (Finance) under the Water Resources Division. Asghar previously accompanied Ghani as he visited the sites of major projects during his time as cha... -
Dawn - 12:46 Jun 21, 2025
The Pakistani government said on Saturday it has decided to formally recommend US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” during the recent India-Pakistan crisis. The move by Pakistan was another indication of improved bilateral ties with the US. In a post shared on X, the government said the international community had “bore witness to unprovoked and unlawful Indian aggression, which constituted a grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly”. Following the Indian aggression, Pakistan “launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos — a measured, resolute, and precise military response”, the post read. It noted that the response was executed to exercise the country’s “fundamental right to self-defence” and “carefully to re-establish deterrence”, defending its “territorial integrity while consciously avoiding civilian harm”. The ... -
Dawn - 12:15 Jun 21, 2025
New Delhi’s civil aviation regulator has ordered Air India to remove three officials from their roles over “systemic failures”, according to a directive seen by AFP on Saturday, as the carrier comes under scrutiny after a deadly crash. The instruction from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) did not detail whether it was linked to the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board. At least 38 others on the ground were killed. The DGCA directive noted that the airline’s voluntary disclosures “point to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring, and internal accountability”. “Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” said the order, which was issued on Friday. “These officials have been involved in serious and repeated lapses,” it said. The regulator has directed Air India to remove three officials named in the order “from all roles and responsibili... -
Dawn - 11:39 Jun 21, 2025
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police killed a terrorist and injured two others belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group on Saturday in Dera Ismail Khan as they attempted to attack the police. A statement issued from the police said the TTP terrorists targeted a police party near the Malang area within the jurisdiction of Hathala Police Station as they were returning from duty in the Takwara area. “The police retaliated vigorously and repelled the terrorists’ attack. In the retaliatory action of the Dera Police, an active terrorist of the banned TTP-Gandapur group … was killed while two more terrorists were injured,” the statement said. It added that District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada led a police contingent, including the Saddar superintendent of police and DIK Police, and launched a search and strike operation to arrest the injured terrorists upon reaching the scene. The statement said KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed congratulated the Dera Police for standing as a wa... -
Dawn - 10:33 Jun 21, 2025
RAWALPINDI: Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan, who had been in police remand for two days, was produced before a judicial magistrate on Friday as police sought an extension of his physical remand. However, the former senator was sent to judicial jail for 14 days and will be produced before the court again on July 4, 2025, after the completion of his judicial remand. Chaudhry Tanveer has been charged in the murder case of former parliamentary secretary and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) member of the provincial assembly, Adnan Chaudhry. He was taken into custody on Tuesday after his counsel informed Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench that they were withdrawing the pre-arrest bail application and had decided to join the police investigation in the case. Following the withdrawal of the bail petition, the police took Chaudhry Tanveer into custody in accordance with the bail cancellation order issued by the subordinate court. He was later pr... -
Dawn - 08:37 Jun 21, 2025
SUKKUR: Shikarpur sessions judge on Friday summoned head muharrars along with FIR registers to the court and had them lodge cases against a DSP, three SHOs and IT in-charge of district police on charges of committing house robberies. The court had ordered registration of cases against the police officials after receiving complaints from public but the police stations concerned had been dragging their feet over the FIRs for over a month. Finally, the judge took the extraordinary step to have the cases filed in his presence. Shikarpur SSP and his PRO did not respond to Dawn’s queries when this reporter contacted them to get their comment. A case was lodged on Ms Irshad Lehar’s complaint against Khanpur DSP Rana Nasrullah, Khanpur SHO Tufail Ahmadani, New Faujdari SHO Akhtar Abro, District Police IT Branch In-charge Saifullah Chandio, head constable Abdullah Shah and others under sections 395, 365, 427, 454, 148, 149, and 220 of the PPC on charges of committing house robbery. Head muharrars summoned to court to ... -
Dawn - 08:35 Jun 21, 2025
RAHIM YAR KHAN: Climate change, shortage of irrigation water and weather conditions suitable for pest attack reduced the mango yield by up to 45pc this year. The most affected variety is Chaunsa, which is also called Samar Bahisht in Rahim Yar Khan and Multan areas. Similarly, the impact of Iran-Israel war has also totally suspended the export of Sindhri mango variety, a favourite in Iran. There are many mango orchards in Rahimabad, Bhong, Jamaldinwali, Sheikh Wahan, Yousafabad, Mianwali Qureshian, Sardar Garh, Zahirpir, Khanbela and Taranda Muhammad Pannah in district Rahim Yar Khan where the fruit is cultivated on over more than 60,000 acres of land. According to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda), there are around 2,300 to 2,500 orchards of medium and large size growing in Rahim Yar Khan and there about 2,300 growers in the area. Some sources give the estimate of total mango production from Rahim Yar Khan alone as 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes. Yield is estimated to be 45pc less thi... -
Dawn - 08:07 Jun 21, 2025
The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province from Muharram 1 to 10 to ensure peace and religious harmony. Section 144 is a legal provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. A Punjab Home Department order issued on Friday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, stated that the section was imposed to prevent “disruption of public peace and instability”, along with ensuring the public’s “safety and security of lives and property”. The notification cited “potential threat to the public peace and tranquillity, religious harmony, and general law and order situation in the province from miscreants, violent extremists, and antisocial elements”. For the first 10 days of Muharram, which is likely to begin on June 27 or 28 in Pakistan, the government has prohibited “innovations of Muharram processions [and] majalis”. It has also banned carrying any article that may be us... -
Dawn - 05:55 Jun 21, 2025
ST PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin quipped on Friday that in his view the whole of Ukraine was “ours” and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy as part of a bid to carve out a buffer zone along the border. Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 after eight years of fighting in the country’s east, also said he was not seeking the capitulation of Ukraine or denying its sovereignty, but that Ukraine had to be neutral. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70pc of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Asked about fresh Russian advances, Putin told the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be one people and “in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours”. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow’s claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and ... -
Dawn - 05:46 Jun 21, 2025
LONDON: Seven men were arrested on suspicion of assault after an “altercation” on Friday outside Iran’s embassy in London left two men injured, police said. London’s Metropolitan Police banned protesters from gathering in the area in west London after seven men were arrested “on suspicion of grievous bodily harm”. The Met said two people had been treated at the scene and taken to hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening. The fighting was thought to have broken out within the protesting group. Protesters opposing Iran’s clerical leadership had gathered outside the embassy in west London since Sunday, hanging up flags from the nation’s ousted monarchy alongside some Israeli flags. They support the exiled Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s pro-Western monarchy toppled by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. UK withdraws embassy staff from Tehran Photos published by The Telegraph showed two men receiving medical attention on the road beside the encampment. One more man was arrest... -
Dawn - 05:24 Jun 21, 2025
• Restrictions on used vehicles up to five years old to be lifted from Sept • Age limit to be fully removed from July 2026; quality standards to remain mandatory • 40pc regulatory duty to end by 2029 • Panel sends its proposals to Senate ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb informed a parliamentary committee on Friday that restrictions on commercial imports of used vehicles up to five years old will be lifted from September, in line with an International Monetary Fund condition and as part of a tariff strategy to gradually phase out overprotected sectors. As of July 1, 2026, the age limit for importing used cars and vehicles will be lifted entirely. However, while age restrictions will end, strict compliance with quality standards will remain mandatory. Although the matter was not listed on the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue’s agenda, the minister disclosed the government’s four-year roadmap for used vehicle imports, which aims to align tax treatment for used and new vehicles. The ... -
Dawn - 05:17 Jun 21, 2025
• Drops proposal for 4pc uniform rental valuation on commercial properties • Exclusive clubs charging Rs1m or more membership fees brought under tax net • Arrest powers of tax officials curbed; prior approval and inquiry mandatory ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Friday rejected a proposal to fix a uniform rate for rental valuation of commercial properties, while endorsing another measure to expand the tax net to high-end clubs nationwide and reinforce safeguards against tax fraud. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance resumed deliberations on the Finance Bill 2025 on Friday, as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and his team addressed queries raised by committee members. The session was chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, who provided input on various provisions of the Bill. On the issue of a uniform 4 per cent rental valuation rate on commercial properties, MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig urged the tax authority to lower the proposed rate, a suggestion FBR chairman countere... -
Dawn - 04:54 Jun 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the authorities concerned to prepare a business plan for Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) to save $4 billion through maritime trade. “Present a business plan for PNSC within two weeks, which should include a strategy to save the annual $4 billion burden on the national exchequer,” PM Shehbaz directed the authorities while presiding over a high-level meeting regarding matters related to the corporation. The prime minister also directed the authorities to acquire ships on lease to expand the PNSC fleet. “Due to a reduced number of ships in the PNSC fleet, the country has to spend approximately $4bn annually from the national exchequer on maritime trade.” The prime minister was informed that PNSC currently possessed 10 ships of various types, with a combined cargo-carrying capacity of 724,643 tonnes. The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and senior PNS...
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