Dawn
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Dawn - 04:52 Aug 18, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A multiparty conference (MPC) on Sunday declared that past internal and foreign policies are responsible for the current instability and terrorism plaguing Pakistan, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. The conference, organised by the Awami National Party (ANP), asserted that peace and development are not possible without democracy, the supremacy of the constitution, and granting rights to the provinces. Although 20 political parties attended the conference, the PTI was absent. According to ANP sources, the PTI was invited to the conference, but no prominent leader from the party attended it on Sunday. Attendees included Senator Aimal Wali Khan, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N’s Irfan Siddiqui and PPP’s Nayyer Bukhari, among others. Calls for an end to military operations in KP, Balochistan In a joint declaration, the participants condemned all forms of terrorism and extremism, which they alleged were a result of past policies, and stressed the need for new... -
Dawn - 03:35 Aug 18, 2025
• 120,000 connections for LNG-based piped supply planned in first year • Move comes amid push to address continuing glut in gas network ISLAMABAD: The government is almost set to allow new gas connections at the price of imported LNG — around Rs3,900 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) at the current rate — and almost four times the current connection fee. Sources told Dawn that a summary has been moved by the petroleum division to the federal cabinet for lifting the ban on new connections, with a first-year target of 120,000. Priority would be given to applicants who had previously been issued demand notices or had paid the urgent fee but could not get connections because of a subsequent ban. The number of new connections would be enhanced for next year. Around 250,000 applicants fall in this category, who would have to file affidavits not to approach the courts for their past claims and the connection fee increase. Before the ban, consumers were allowed to pay an upfront fee of Rs25,000 to secure a con... -
Dawn - 02:39 Aug 18, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government is working on a priority basis to digitalise the economy and shift financial transactions to a cashless and digital system. Chairing a review meeting on cashless economy in Islamabad on Sunday, he directed all the provincial chief secretaries to fully cooperate with the federal government in expanding the Raast digital payment system to the district level. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the progress made towards a cashless economy and digital financial systems. The meeting was briefed that Pakistan will develop digital public infrastructure to create digital IDs for every citizen, integrating national identity cards, biometrics and mobile numbers. These digital IDs will enable secure and efficient payments. It was further said that the provincial governments have shown significant progress in linking government-to-public and public-to-government payments with the Raast system. The meeting was informed that the federal developme... -
Dawn - 01:30 Aug 18, 2025
A Lahore magistrate on Sunday dismissed the case against transgender persons for allegedly organising an “objectionable” private party after police had arrested them earlier. According to the court order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the case was dismissed after “no incriminating material is available on record which connects the accused persons with the commission of alleged offences. “Hence, the request of 10 days for physical remand of the accused persons is hereby turned down, and the accused persons present in the court are hereby discharged in this case.” The order added that no private witness of the occurrence was associated during the raid, nor were any statements taken. “Moreover, no permission for making a raid is attached with the file on a private place. Prima facie, it seems that the accused persons were included in the case on the basis of forged and concocted facts,” the order said. Lawyer Haider Butt represented the accused in the case. He confirmed to Dawn.com that all the acc... -
Dawn - 18:48 Aug 17, 2025
The police on Sunday said that they were investigating the death of senior DawnNews TV reporter “from all possible angles,” hours after his body was found in Sindh’s Sanghar district. The senior journalist was found dead in his car, parked on Hyderabad Road in Sanghar, on Saturday night under what police termed “mysterious circumstances”. The body was found in the driving seat, with a gunshot wound to the head. Sanghar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abid Baloch told Dawn.com that police were investigating the death of DawnNewsTV reporter Khawar Husain Bajwa from “all possible angles”. “The postmortem of the journalist was conducted in Sanghar’s Civil Hospital, and police are awaiting the provisional findings of the process,” he said. “Apparently, there is a single bullet wound from a 9mm pistol with an exit wound on the left side of the temple”, SSP Baloch said, adding that only one bullet casing was found. “We are not drawing any conclusion at this point and are looking at this case from all possible ... -
Dawn - 18:20 Aug 17, 2025
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday questioned the government’s writ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal areas as various political parties set their demands in a declaration at the Awami National Party-organised multiparty conference (MPC) in Islamabad. The ANP organised the conference, which was attended by representatives from the PPP, JI, MQM, JUI-F and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), among other parties Speaking at the conference, Fazl said: “No doubt there is a question mark on the government’s writ [in KP’s tribal areas].” He added that the tribal areas of the province are in the grip of armed groups, as people have to pay extortion money to them. “Armed groups take 10 per cent of the officially approved funds,” he claimed. He also questioned why there was a need to restore the jirga system after seven years of the merger of tribal areas with KP. The multiparty conference also saw speeches by ANP central president Senator Aimal Wali Khan, National Democratic Mo... -
Dawn - 17:54 Aug 17, 2025
Principal Saeed Ahmad’s swift order on Friday saved nearly 900 students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat minutes before surging waters demolished the school. “It was exactly 9am when I had a last glance at the stream and sensed it was going to burst its banks due to continuing rains,” Ahmad, 59, the school’s principal, told Anadolu. Ahmad ordered an immediate evacuation of nearly 950 enrolled students. Within 15 minutes, the children and teachers had left. Minutes later, torrents of water smashed into the school, washing away half the building, its boundary walls and the playground. “Around 900 students were present on August 15 when the flood struck our village and other adjoining areas,” said Sarwar Khan, a local councillor. “This timely action by the principal saved 900 lives.” The school was one of dozens of educational institutions destroyed in floods that have wreaked havoc across several districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing more than 350 people in the past three days, officials said. Ahmad, who has ser... -
Dawn - 17:52 Aug 17, 2025
Rescue operations continued on Sunday after severe flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the toll rising to 323 people dead and 156 injured, with 217 deaths recorded in Buner alone. The KP government declared an emergency on Saturday as torrential rains ravaged homes, displaced families, and left a trail of destruction across Buner, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and beyond, with authorities warning that dozens of victims may still be trapped under debris. On Sunday evening, the PDMA released an updated damage report outlining casualties and property damage from August 15 until 6:30pm. “The dead include 273 men, 29 women and 21 children, while the injured include 123 men, 23 women and 10 children,” the PDMA stated. An updated damage report from the PDMA outlining damage from flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from August 15 till August 17. — Screenshot via PDMA The PDMA’s figures also show that 320 cattle heads were killed in the flooding, while 336 homes, 57 schools and 23 other structures were damaged or destroyed... -
Dawn - 17:03 Aug 17, 2025
Terence Stamp, who made his name as an actor in 1960s London and went on to play the arch-villain General Zod in the Hollywood hits Superman and Superman II, has died aged 87, his family said on Sunday. The Oscar-nominated actor starred in films ranging from Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem in 1968 and A Season in Hell in 1971 to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994 in which he played a transgender woman. The family said in a statement to Reuters that Stamp died on Sunday morning. “He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come,” the family said. “We ask for privacy at this sad time.” Born in London’s East End in 1938, the son of a tugboat stoker, he endured the bombing of the city during World War II before leaving school to work initially in advertising, eventually winning a scholarship to go to drama school. Famous for his good looks and impeccable dress sense, he formed one of Britain’s mos... -
Dawn - 15:50 Aug 17, 2025
European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a Monday visit to Washington to see United States President Donald Trump in a collective bid to find a way to end Moscow’s invasion, with the US offering security guarantees for Kyiv. The meeting follows a summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield any breakthrough on an immediate ceasefire that the US leader had been pushing for. Trump, who pivoted afterwards to say he was now seeking a peace deal, on Sunday posted, “Big progress on Russia, stay tuned!” on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating. Trump’s Russia envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Trump and Putin had agreed in their summit on “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine. But Zelensky, on a Brussels visit hosted by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen today, rejected the idea of Russia offering his country security guarantees. “What President Trump said about security guarantees is much more important to me than P... -
Dawn - 15:24 Aug 17, 2025
Seven people were shot dead over a personal enmity in the Raigi Sheno Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s district Kohat on Saturday night, police said. According to the first information report (FIR) available with Dawn.com and lodged by an injured complainant, Zahid Noor at the City police station: “Seven people from two families were killed in the firing when they were returning from the picnic at Raigi Sheno Khel area of Kohat district.” It said that they had gone for the picnic to Tanda dam and upon returning from it, they came under attack from two sides, resulting in the deaths of six people on the spot. The FIR copy said that one of the injured succumbed to the injuries at the KDA hospital. Kohat District Police Officer Dr Zahidullah told Dawn.com that upon investigation, police found that the incident was a result of old enmity, adding, ’’the ones who were targeted have a history of enmity.“ The DPO further added that the deceased went to Tanda Dam, where, on their return — they were attacked. “There w... -
Dawn - 14:14 Aug 17, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday said that Pakistan has video footage of the six Indian aircraft shot down during a brief military confrontation between both nations in May. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. Pakistan said it downed six Indian planes during the conflict, including advanced French-made Dassult Rafale jets. India’s highest-ranking general has also acknowledged that its forces suffered losses in the air, but denied losing six aircraft. Addressing a seminar in Lahore today, Naqvi said he was involved in several matters surrounding the war with India and was privy to several key pieces on information. “The army, air force, navy and government have all been acknowledged during the past month-and-a-half, but our intelligence agencies were doing important work behind the scenes,” he said. “Our institutions had information on India’s (plans) well ahead... -
Dawn - 12:30 Aug 17, 2025
A child was killed while her parents were injured when a speeding ambulance hit their motorbike near Sikandar Pur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur city on Sunday, police said. The local police quoted the injured Muhammad Yaseen as saying that he was travelling to Haripur with his wife, Sameena Bibi and six-month-old daughter, Fatima Bibi, by motorcycle. “When we reached near Sikandarpur on the busy Chappar Road, a recklessly driven ambulance hit us from behind,” Yaseen was quoted as saying by Hasan Khan, spokesperson for the Haripur district police officer. “Fatima died instantly, and we both suffered minor injuries.” Hadi Khan, an eyewitness, told Dawn.com, “The girl died instantly after being crushed under the tyres of the ambulance.” The injured couple and the girl’s body were transported to the Haripur Trauma Centre, where the parents received emergency treatment and were later discharged from the hospital, according to the spokesperson. It was the second road accident of a similar nature reported from Har... -
Dawn - 10:11 Aug 17, 2025
At least one passenger died while 33 were injured after four coaches of the Karachi-bound train derailed and overturned late last night in Punjab’s Lodhran, Rescue 1122 said on Sunday. According to a statement from Rescue 1122, the Awami Express train was travelling from Lahore to Karachi when the incident happened. “Four coaches of the train suddenly derailed due to brake failure near the Lodhran Railway Station”, the statement said. “The incident left one person dead while another 33 were injured, out of which 11 received medical assistance at the site of the incident, and the rest were immediately rushed to the District Hospital in Lodhran.” It further said that two critically injured persons were transferred to a hospital in Bahawalpur. Expressing grief over the loss of life, Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi vowed to take disciplinary action against those responsible for the incident. He ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed authorities to submit a report within seven days. “No one ... -
Dawn - 09:49 Aug 17, 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s deepest tax cuts in eight years will strain government revenues but are winning praise from businesses and political pundits who say they will bolster his image in an ongoing trade fight with Washington. In the biggest tax overhaul since 2017, Modi’s government on Saturday announced sweeping changes to the complex goods and services tax (GST) regime which will make daily essentials and electronics cheaper from October, helping consumers and also companies like Nestle, Samsung and LG Electronics. At the same time, in his Independence Day speech on Friday, Modi urged Indians to use more goods made domestically, echoing calls from many of his supporters to boycott US products after Donald Trump hiked tariffs on imports from India to 50 per cent as of August 27. The tax cut plan comes with costs given GST is a major revenue generator. IDFC First Bank says the cuts will boost India’s GDP by 0.6 percentage points over 12 months but will cost the state and federal government $20... -
Dawn - 09:36 Aug 17, 2025
Pakistan left out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad named on Sunday for the Asia Cup and a warm-up tri-series beginning this month against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Azam and Rizwan have been star performers in the shortest format in the past, but have not played since December, which head coach Mike Hesson put down to other players performing well while addressing a press conference. “We know what a fine player Babar (Azam) is,” said Hesson. “Babar has been asked to improve in certain areas, like taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate, and he is working hard on these things. “The players we have are performing well and having a positive impact,” said Hesson. Since Hesson took over as head coach in May, Pakistan have played three T20 series — winning 3-0 at home but losing 2-1 away to Bangladesh. They then beat the West Indies 2-1 in the United States. “Our focus is to win the tri-series and the Asia Cup,... -
Dawn - 06:02 Aug 17, 2025
KARACHI: Newcastle United cult hero Nolberto Solano landed in Pakistan on Saturday, being garlanded upon his arrival at the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters in Lahore after taking over as the head coach of the national senior and under-23 teams. The Peruvian wing wizard dazzled during his time in the English Premier League but the highlight of his coaching career came back in 2018 when, as assistant coach, he took his home country to their first World Cup finals in 36 years. “We need to work really had to make Pakistan competitive at international level,” Solano said in an in-house PFF interview. “My ambition is like everyone in the federation. We want to have a solid foundation and build a competitive league that allows the talent in the country the opportunity to play.” Solano stressed he wanted to build a solid team that would play attacking football “to win games”. His first assignment comes next month when Pakistan face hosts Cambodia, Iraq and Oman in Group ‘G’ in the qualifiers for the 2026 AF... -
Dawn - 05:49 Aug 17, 2025
KARACHI: The Sindh government has allotted 300 acres of land in Jhimpir to Moro Power Company (MPC) for establishing a 100-megawatt hybrid wind and solar project, the first business-to-business (B2B) electricity venture under the province’s own regulator. Officials said the project, to be executed under the Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority (SEPRA), will enable MPC to supply power directly to industries in Nooriabad through the Sindh Transmission and Despatch Company (STDC). The initiative is aimed at providing industries with reliable and cheaper renewable energy, reducing costs and strengthening the provincial industrial base. Sindh is the only province in Pakistan to have its power regulator, giving it authority to set tariffs and oversee generation, transmission and distribution independently of the federal government. The Jhimpir project is therefore viewed as a pioneering step towards decentralised power generation in the country. Moro Power to set up 100MW wind-solar hybrid project in Jhimpir ... -
Dawn - 05:16 Aug 17, 2025
Guan Jing GILGIT: The body of Chinese mountaineer Guan Jing, who died on Aug 12 after being hit by falling rocks while descending from the K2 peak, has been recovered and brought to the mortuary in Skardu. The incident occurred on the Abruzzi Spur route between Camp-I and the Advanced Base Camp — a section notorious for frequent rockfalls. Guan had successfully reached the summit on Aug 11 with a group of climbers before beginning her descent. According to Karrar Haidri, senior vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the Chinese climber died of a head injury caused by falling rocks. The evacuation was carried out by Army Aviation, which transported the body by helicopter from Concordia. Earlier, a team of mountaineers had attempted the recovery on foot after poor weather had grounded helicopter operations. Guan Jing died on Aug 12, a day after summiting K2 with her group in Gilgit-Baltistan. Her body was later found 100-150 metres above the Advanced Base Camp, at an altitude of around 5,400 metres. At ... -
Dawn - 05:07 Aug 17, 2025
LOWER DIR: The elders of Khall tehsil of Lower Dir district have resolved not to provide any support to militants, declaring that anyone found facilitating them would be considered enemy of the community. Addressing a jirga at Gopalum Khall here on Saturday, leaders from various political parties, including ANP, JI and PPP, said both militants and the military should stay away from their area, adding that residents would not migrate under any circumstances. Addressing the jirga, elders including ANP Lower Dir general secretary Malik Muhammad Zaib Khan, Malik Aftab Khan, JI’s Malik Faramosh Khan, PPP’s Talimand Syed, Inayat, Habibur Rehman, Malik Alam Zaib, Malik Hayat Khan, Malik Zahir Khaliq and others recalled that during 2008-09, the people of Khall had resisted militants’ entry, as a result the region remained peaceful. The elders said ensuring peace was the responsibility of the state, but its reluctance to take decisive action against a handful of militants had raised doubts. Khall residents vow not to ...
10444 items