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Dawn - 17:07 May 09, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that Pakistan can neither be “intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor” as the nation marks the first anniversary of Marka-i-Haq. Last year’s confrontation with India, beginning with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent military conflict — which resulted in a resounding victory for Pakistan — until the ceasefire on May 10, is now referred to by the state as Marka-i-Haq (Battle of Truth). “Marka-i-Haq bears testimony that Pakistanis are a peace-loving, yet courageous, resilient, and dignified nation who can neither be intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor,” said the premier in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The prime minister, expressing his gratitude to the Almighty, said the day commemorates Pakistan’s “valiant stand in adversity” and the “crushing defeat” inflicted upon India. “The nation pays tribute to its martyrs, their families and the ghazis who stood like a steel wall to defend their homeland,” said the statement.... -
Dawn - 17:05 May 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The PTI has demanded the formation of an independent judicial commission to conduct a “transparent, impartial and credible probe” into the events of May 9, to bring the suspects to justice. The party has termed May 9, 2023, “one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s political history”, when former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. He is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where he is regularly denied meetings with family members and party leaders. In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram asserted that the PTI founder’s arrest not only violated the sanctity of the judiciary but also set “a dangerous precedent of state repression and authoritarianism”. “This action was an open violation of the Constitution, the law, and fundamental human rights,” Akram stressed, demanding the immediate release of Imran, his spouse Bushra Bibi and other party workers and members witho... -
Dawn - 15:10 May 09, 2026
A year ago, Pakistan and India fought a short but intense war — the worst military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. During the period of Marka-i-Haq (the battle for truth), Indian fighter jets were shot down, and Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos — a barrage of attacks against Indian military targets — in retaliation for missile strikes by New Delhi. The conflict ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. During the four-day war, Pakistan showcased a wide variety of weaponry and military technology, ranging from advanced missiles to network-linked warfare systems. Let’s take a look at some of them here. ‘Seeing without seeing’ — network-centric warfare One of the deadliest tools in Pakistan’s arsenal was unleashed in the early hours of May 7: the use of network-centric warfare. This doctrine involves sharing real-time data and information across multiple domains, such as between fighter jets, airborne early warning aircraft and ground-based command centres, to gain an adv... -
Dawn - 14:22 May 09, 2026
Mohammad Abbas claimed five wickets to restrict Bangladesh to 413, before two debutant batsmen combined to put Pakistan in a strong position in the first Test on Saturday. Opener Azan Awais hit an unbeaten 85 and Abdullah Fazal, also playing in his first Test, was 37 not out as Pakistan reached 179-1 at stumps on the second day in Dhaka. The visitors trail Bangladesh by 234 runs, but veteran Pakistan seamer Abbas was the standout performer, claiming three wickets in the morning session after the home side resumed at 301-4. Abbas took two more wickets after lunch and finished with figures of 5-92 from 34 overs, the sixth five-wicket haul of his career. Debutant Azan Awais plays a shot during the second day of the first Test cricket match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the Sher-i-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh on May 9, 2026. — X/@TheRealPCB Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto laid a strong platform on the first day with 101. Mushfiqur Rahim, who was 48 not out overnight, then went on to... -
Dawn - 14:06 May 09, 2026
A ceremony will be held at General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi on Sunday morning to mark one year since Pakistan’s victory in Marka-i-Haq, according to Radio Pakistan. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will be the chief guest at the event. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf will also attend the ceremony. A floral wreath will be laid at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada, followed by a salute presented by smartly turned-out contingents of the three armed forces. Field Marshal Munir is also expected to address the ceremony. Traffic advisory issued ahead of Marka-i-Haq event Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said on Saturday that the capital’s traffic police had issued an advisory for May 10 (Sunday) for an event in connection with the anniversary of Marka-i-Haq. Sources told Dawn earlier that the top civilian and military leadership was expected to attend a ceremony to be held at t... -
Dawn - 13:18 May 09, 2026
KARACHI: The Sindh government has issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Aurat March for their gathering on Sunday near Sea View, but with 28 conditions, including restrictions on the content of slogans raised, it emerged on Saturday. The march is planned for Mother’s Day (May 10, 2026), which is observed on the second Sunday of every May. Last Sunday, Aurat March organisers in Karachi said they had sent a letter to First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, whose party governs the province, after there had been “no response” to their request to the relevant offices for an NOC. A press conference Aurat March had planned on Wednesday was also hindered by the detentions of multiple organisers. Subsequently, South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javed Nabi Khoso granted an NOC, dated May 8, to Aurat March Karachi to organise “Aurat March in commemoration of Mother’s Day” from 3:30pm to 7:30pm on Sunday at Beach View Park. The NOC cited a letter of no objection written by the South senior superintendent of police (SSP) to DC... -
Dawn - 12:57 May 09, 2026
Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens from a cruise ship bound for Tenerife, which was hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, Spain’s interior minister said in Madrid on Saturday. The European Union is sending two further planes for the remaining European citizens, Fernando Grande-Marlaska added. Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief said he had arrived in Spain and would join government officials to oversee the disembarkation of a hantavirus-hit cruise ship in the Canary Islands. “I arrived in Spain, where I will join senior government officials in a mission to Tenerife to oversee safe disembarkation of the passengers, crew members and health experts from MV Hondius cruise ship,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, stressing, “at this stage, there are no additional people on board showing symptoms of hantavirus.” He noted that the risk to the Canary Islands and the rest of the world “remains low”. Three passengers from the MV Hondius —... -
Dawn - 12:33 May 09, 2026
Israel will release two foreign activists taken off a Gaza-bound flotilla from detention on Saturday before handing them to immigration authorities ahead of their deportation, the rights group representing them said. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were among dozens of activists aboard a flotilla that was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off the coast of Greece on April 30. The pair were seized by Israeli forces and brought to Israel for questioning, while the others were taken to the Greek island of Crete and released. “Today, the Shabak Israeli intelligence agency informed Adalah’s legal team that Global Sumud Flotilla activists and leaders Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek would be released from Israeli detention today, Saturday,” the rights group Adalah said in a statement. “They will be handed to Israel’s immigration authorities later today and kept in custody pending their deportation,” it added. Adalah said it was closely monito... -
Dawn - 12:00 May 09, 2026
KARACHI: The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) on Saturday claimed to have arrested an alleged supplier of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, and an extortionist in separate actions in the metropolis. The SIU and a federal civilian intelligence agency, acting on a tip-off, jointly carried out an operation at the Lyari riverbed and arrested the narcotics dealer in an injured condition after an “encounter”. “The arrested suspect is a notorious dealer of heroin and crystal meth in the city,” claimed SIU Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Samiullah Soomro. “He has been in the narcotics business since 2019 along with his two brothers,” he said. In 2019, the suspect was arrested by the Site Superhighway Industrial Area police and sent to jail in connection with a robbery case. After being released from jail, he, along with his brothers, started selling drugs in New Karachi, near 4-K Chowrangi, Allah Wali Chowrangi, Power House, and the surrounding areas. Separately, the SIU also arrested an allege... -
Dawn - 10:05 May 09, 2026
Under the bleachers of a West Bank stadium, a dozen men from Gaza live in a former changing room, blocked from returning home by the war that erupted more than two-and-a-half years ago. Among those stranded is Sameer Abu Salah, 54, who had been working odd jobs in Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, where wages are far higher than in his home city of Khan Yunis in Gaza. He had then gone to Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank, where he is now trapped. “I entered (Israel) only four days before the war,” he said from the little space he had set up under the stands of Nablus city stadium. “I was respected and honoured. Then the war happened,” he added, referring to Israel’s relentless military campaign in the Palestinian enclave following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. Abu Salah now makes a living collecting and reselling recyclables, sending money to his family after losing two sons to Israeli airstrikes. A Palestinian man sits inside a damaged building, a day after of an Israeli strike at the Shati... -
Dawn - 09:39 May 09, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that his soldiers in Ukraine were fighting an “aggressive force” backed by all of Nato and described his war goals as “just”, in a combative address to the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square. Putin has made the memory of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II a central narrative of his 25-year rule, and authorities typically mark the parade with pomp and grandeur. But a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks in recent weeks prompted the Kremlin to ramp up security measures and downsize this year’s celebrations. The parade was vastly scaled back compared to previous years, with no military hardware on display for the first time in nearly two decades and only a handful of foreign dignitaries in attendance — most of them leaders of Russia’s close allies. Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire over the event, following a last-minute appeal from United States President Donald Trump. Moscow had threatened a “massive” strike on... -
Dawn - 08:07 May 09, 2026
Some schools and universities whose students’ data was stolen by a cybercriminal hacking group as part of an April breach of the educational tool Canvas have reached out to the hackers to prevent their data from being released, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. ShinyHunters, a hacking group with a string of data theft and extortion campaigns targeting major global companies, said in a May 3 post on its website that it had stolen roughly 6.65 terabytes of Canvas data related to nearly 9,000 schools worldwide that included student names, email addresses and private messages between students, teachers, and other staff. Student newspapers across the country reported this week that the hack was causing widespread disruption as students prepare for end-of-year tasks and assignments. The software is used by schools for class assignments and information sharing, as well as messages between students and school faculty. The FBI said on Friday it was aware of a breach disrupting the U.S. education system... -
Dawn - 08:03 May 09, 2026
Pakistan has raised alarm at the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements and the forced displacement of Palestinians, calling for the intervention of the global community. The stance was expressed by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad at the Arria-formula meeting on the situation in the occupied territory. “While international attention is consumed by multiple crises across the region, the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention,” he said, according to the statement shared by Pakistan’s UN mission on X. “Israeli policies and illegal actions, unprecedented in scale and impact, are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state,” he said. The ambassador said that Pakistan condemned Israel’s ongoing legislative and administrative measures aimed at en... -
Dawn - 06:49 May 09, 2026
Pakistan and Bangladesh have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation against drug trafficking and narcotics abuse, the Ministry of Interior said on Saturday. The development came during Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Dhaka, where he met his Bangladeshi counterpart Salahuddin Ahmed, according to the ministry. It said that Naqvi and Ahmed signed the MoU on behalf of their respective governments, adding that both also agreed to set up a secretary-level joint working group between their ministries. Under the MoU, both countries will fully cooperate to prevent the illegal transportation and smuggling of narcotics, while joint efforts will be made to “curb the growing trend of drug abuse and eliminate its negative impacts”, the ministry said. It was also agreed that a joint strategy will be formulated to dismantle narcotics sale and supply networks. The relevant agencies of both countries will exchange timely intelligence and information regarding drug traffickers a... -
Dawn - 04:00 May 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam believes the region could witness new political alignments once the ongoing war involving the United States and Israel comes to an end. He was speaking at a roundtable hosted by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Islamabad, where diplomats, academics and policy practitioners discussed the future course of Pakistan-Iran ties and the evolving regional situation as the conflict continues under what participants described as a delicate ceasefire. The Iranian envoy, reflecting the thinking in Tehran, said Iran considers its relationship with Pakistan a priority in the neighbourhood. While noting that Iran maintains relations with other states, including India, he said Pakistan remained a key partner and the relationship was steadily growing stronger. The envoy said Iran had consistently pursued friendly relations with neighbouring countries, but predicted that the recent war could significantly reshape regional order. He suggested ... -
Dawn - 03:56 May 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has initiated action against Al-Mustafa Tower, located in Sector F-10, and an inquiry has been launched in this regard. Sources in the CDA said the inquiry would determine the role of CDA officials and fix responsibility, if any. They said the civic agency recently received information that amenity spaces in the tower, such as the gym and open areas, had allegedly been sold out. CDA officials said that in 2019, on the directions of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the CDA took over the project and started managing its affairs through a management committee. “On the directions of the Islamabad High Court, CDA constituted a committee to manage the affairs of Al-Mustafa Tower. However, the committee became dysfunctional without any order from the competent authority, due to which the affairs of the building could not be managed properly. In the meantime, CDA received information that public amenity spaces had been illegally sold by the ex-allottee/builder and more th... -
Dawn - 02:44 May 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban government on Friday contacted JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to express condolences over the killing of Sheikh Idris. According to the JUI-F media cell, Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid separately contacted Maulana Fazlur Rehman. In the discussion with Maulana Fazl, the Afghan leadership expressed deep sorrow over the killing and prayed for the departed soul. Maulana Idris, a senior member of JUI-F was shot dead by armed motorcyclists in the Utmanzai area of Charsadda on May 5, while he was traveling to a madressah. As the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the killing the initial findings suggest the attack was planned in Afghanistan. JUI-F protesters in Islamabad demand immediate arrest of culprits They strongly condemned the assassination and said the people and leadership of Afghanistan equally share the grief... -
Dawn - 02:35 May 09, 2026
The government raised the price of petrol by Rs14.92 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 on Friday. Following the increase, the price of petrol stands at Rs414.78 per litre and HSD’s at Rs414.58. The Petroleum Division’s press release notifying the increase said the new prices would be effective from May 9. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators. The government has been revising petroleum prices every week on Friday night following the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The war also led to a global fuel crunch caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil and gas used to pass in peace time. After the US-Israeli war on Iran began, the government initially hiked petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per litre... -
Dawn - 02:21 May 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The newly created Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has pushed the emoluments of its staff and officers to unprecedented levels as debate continues over the constitutional supremacy of FCC and Supreme Court. The development comes amid an intensifying constitutional debate between the FCC and the SC over their respective jurisdictions and authority following the 27th Constitutional Amendment. In a recent judgement, the SC ruled it is not subordinate to the FCC despite FCC’s repeated assertions that exclusive constitutional adjudication now rests with it after the amendment. The ruling, authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, interpreted the amended constitutional framework as creating two co-equal apex courts with separate jurisdictions, rather than a hierarchical arrangement placing one above the other. The judgement diverged sharply from several FCC rulings declaring its decisions binding on all courts, including the SC. Pay gap of up to Rs300,000 in some cases raises questions In a n... -
Dawn - 02:17 May 09, 2026
• Marriage halls increase rates or avoid long-term pricing commitments due to economic uncertainty • Govt austerity measures have led to stricter enforcement of wedding regulations, including the 10pm curfew and one-dish policy KARACHI: With temperatures climbing, wedding invitations seem to have mercifully dwindled to a stop for those who dread the sweat of suits, heels, and layers of makeup. And not a day too soon, given how the ongoing war has impacted this wedding-obsessed country. Amid surging fuel rates and inflation, pricing volatility has reached new highs. Several venues have raised rates by up to Rs500 per head, while others are refusing to commit to winter pricing altogether, citing uncertainty around oil and input costs, says Izzah Zaman, co-founder of wedding-tech startup Shadiyana. Alongside this, the government’s austerity measures have led to stricter regulatory enforcement: a 10pm wedding cutoff, police intervention in cases of violations, and crackdowns on the one-dish policy, resulting in ...
10418 items