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Found 10418 news

  • Capital Market Development Fund established to strengthen Pakistan’s capital markets
    Dawn - 13:49 May 06, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Key capital market institutions of Pakistan on Wednesday established the Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF), aimed at promoting financial literacy, expanding financial inclusion and increasing retail investor participation in the capital markets across the country. The main participants of the CMDF included the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Central Depository Company (CDC), National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL), Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMX) and the Institute of Financial Markets of Pakistan (IFMP). The CMDF was established under the auspices of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to ensure coordination in the industry and strengthen the institutional capacity in Pakistan’s capital markets. Addressing the ceremony, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said recent regional tensions had reinforced the need for Pakistan to make independent commercial decisions, diversify energy resources, and mobilise domestic capital for national development. “We must re...
    Tags: Pakistan Capital Market Development Fund
  • China says will play 'greater role' in ending Middle East conflict
    Dawn - 13:36 May 06, 2026
    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would play a “greater role” in ending hostilities in the Middle East during talks with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday, a week before US President Donald Trump is due to meet Xi Jinping. China is a key customer for Iranian oil, defying sanctions imposed by the United States, and is directly affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, bordered by Iran. Beijing has quietly engaged in efforts to resolve the weekslong crisis and its diplomacy is credited with playing an important role in the fragile ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran. China “will work harder to ease tensions and end the fighting, continue to support the launch of peace talks, and play a greater role in restoring peace and tranquillity to the Middle East”, Wang told Iran’s Abbas Araghchi in Beijing. “China considers that a complete cessation of fighting must be achieved without delay, that it is even more unacceptable to restart hostilities, and that continuing to negotiate remai...
    Tags: Middle East China
  • Heatwave conditions expected across Pakistan from May 7-11: PMD
    Dawn - 13:29 May 06, 2026
    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast heatwave conditions across the country this week, starting in the south and central areas from Thursday. “Due to the presence of high pressure in the upper atmosphere, heatwave conditions are likely to develop over southern and central parts of the country from May 7-11 [and] in upper parts from May 8-10,” a press release issued on Wednesday by the PMD said. It noted that daytime maximum temperatures may rise to 46-50°C in Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad, Ghotki, Khairpur, Nausheroferoze, Jacobabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Sibbi, Turbat and Panjgur. It also forecast 43-47°C weather in Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Bhakkar, Rajanpur, Kot Addu, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan; and 39-43°C in the upper regions, namely Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sargodha, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Khushab, Gujrat,...
  • Dar says Pakistan's focus is now on making US-Iran ceasefire permanent
    Dawn - 13:05 May 06, 2026
    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed hope on Wednesday that the indefinitely extended ceasefire between the United States and Iran could be made permanent. US President Donald Trump has indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire between the two countries, brokered with the help of Pakistan’s mediation, but the conflict — and its widespread economic fallout — remains unresolved. Addressing the second session of the Ulema Council Conference in Islamabad, the foreign minister said that Pakistan’s efforts had been directed towards securing direct negotiations and a ceasefire — “first it happened, then it was extended, then extended a second time, then a third time”. “At least the deaths of several hundred people a day — with the toll going into the thousands — has stopped,” he added. He called on the council to pray for Pakistan’s efforts, saying that they were now geared towards turning the ceasefire into a “permanent end to the war”. Dar also called on Muslim states ...
  • Counsel for Imran, Bushra seeks adjournment of May 7 hearing, says he is not authorised to argue main appeals in £190m case
    Dawn - 11:57 May 06, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: A day before the scheduled hearing in the £190 million corruption case, counsel for former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi on Wednesday said they were not authorised to argue the main appeals against conviction and sought an adjournment of the May 7 hearing. In an application filed before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Barrister Salman Safdar, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Sarmad Muneeb said their engagement was limited to arguing applications for suspension of sentence, adding that no formal power of attorney or instructions had been obtained for the main appeals. The lawyers also informed the court that, despite repeated efforts, the authorities at Adiala jail had not facilitated meetings with the clients for the purpose of obtaining instructions or executing fresh powers of attorney. “The undersigned expresses inability to proceed further in the absence of proper instructions, formal engagement, and requisite Power(s) of Attorney,” the application stated. The ...
  • SC, FCC operate as coordinate courts, exercising clearly demarcated jurisdictions: CJP Afridi
    Dawn - 10:23 May 06, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has ruled that the constitutional scheme following the passage of the 27th Amendment treated the Supreme Court (SC) and the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) as coordinate courts exercising clearly demarcated jurisdictions over distinct matters. The ruling was made in a 13-page order authored by the CJP and issued on a set of petitions arising from a Feb 17, 2020 Peshawar High Court consolidated judgement. It was issued by a two-member bench, comprising CJP Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. The order stated that the constitutional scheme following the 27th Amendment did not position the SC or the FCC as an appellate forum to each other. The constitutional amendment was passed by Parliament in November last year, leading to the establishment of the FCC as a court that was to hear all matters of a constitutional nature, including those involving disputes between provincial and federal governments, public interest and the enforcement of fundamental r...
    Tags: CJP Afridi
  • Trump pauses effort to escort ships in Strait of Hormuz, citing deal progress
    Dawn - 08:31 May 06, 2026
    United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would briefly pause an operation to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing “great progress” toward a comprehensive agreement with Iran. Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had outlined the effort that began on Monday to escort stranded tankers out of the Gulf. The strait has been virtually shut since the conflict began, blocking some 20 per cent of world oil supplies and igniting a global energy crisis. “Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized...
    Tags: Strait Hormuz
  • 4 killed in post-poll unrest in India's West Bengal
    Dawn - 08:31 May 06, 2026
    Four people have been killed in political unrest after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party celebrated victory in state polls in West Bengal, police and party officials said on Wednesday. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept polls in the key eastern state of more than 100 million people, winning 206 of the 294 assembly seats, according to results announced on Monday, for its first-ever victory in West Bengal. West Bengal had been ruled by Modi’s fierce critic and adversary Mamata Banerjee as chief minister since 2011. Banerjee, leader of the regional All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), also lost her seat in the polls and has rejected the results. Police said clashes between rival party supporters erupted in the state capital Kolkata after results were announced on Monday. Analysts say the BJP’s victory in the largely Bengali-speaking state is one of its most significant since Modi was first elected prime minister in 2014, expanding its dominance beyond the Hindi-speaking heartlan...
    Tags: West Bengal
  • Pakistan's response to any future miscalculation will be more intense, warns Asif in Marka-i-Haq message
    Dawn - 08:26 May 06, 2026
    In a televised message marking Marka-i-Haq, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday warned that Pakistan’s reaction to any miscalculation in the future would be “more intense and decisive”. Last year’s military conflict with India, starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Pakistan’s Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, with a ceasefire ending a military escalation between the two countries on May 10, has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state. In his message, Asif said Marka-i-Haq was not just a “memorable episode for Pakistan, but a line that we have drawn forever”. Anyone on the other side of this line should understand that Pakistan exercised tolerance and restraint during the 2025 episode, he said, warning that in case of an “incorrect assessment or miscalculation” in the future, the response would be “more intense and decisive”. He added that Pakistan did not want any fighting in 2025, and it desired the same today. “But there should not be any doubt; Pakistan does not only re...
    Tags: Asif Marka-i-Haq
  • London police set up specialist Jewish protection team
    Dawn - 07:45 May 06, 2026
    British police are setting up a new team of 100 officers, including counter terrorism specialists, to help protect Jewish communities across London after a series of anti-Semitic attacks, including the stabbing of two men. The plan announced on Wednesday for a dedicated protection team comes as officers announced more arrests for anti-Semitism, including detaining a 35-year-old man after rocks were thrown at an ambulance belonging to the Jewish community. London’s top police boss Mark Rowley said Jewish communities were facing “sustained threats” from hostile state actors as well as extreme right-wing groups and elements of the extreme left. Detectives are examining whether the arson incidents have possible Iranian links, after British security officials warned that Iran was using criminal proxies to carry out hostile activity. Since late March, there have been a number of high-profile arson attacks with four Jewish ambulances burned and synagogues targeted. Last week, two Jewish men were also stabbed. Both v...
    Tags: London Jewish
  • Pakistan again turns to spot LNG market, seeks bids for 2 cargoes
    Dawn - 07:38 May 06, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: State-run Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) on Wednesday floated urgent tenders for the import of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for delivery between May 12-14 and May 24-26 amid rising temperatures and power shortfall. The company set May 7 (Thursday) as the deadline for bids, which will be opened the same day, given the urgent need to meet the power demand expected to spike again as the cargo imported in the last week of April has been consumed. The tender comes after authorities’ expectations of the Middle East crisis easing and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz did not materialise. Last month, PLL had rejected two bids for the same delivery period but accepted one cargo at $18.4 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). Qatar, a long-term LNG supplier to Pakistan, had been reluctant to dispatch LNG cargoes stranded in the Gulf amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, three LNG cargoes from Qatar destined for Pakistan were turned back from the strait due to security reasons. Bot...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • US announces phased closure of Peshawar consulate, says operations will shift to Islamabad
    Dawn - 06:23 May 06, 2026
    The US State Department has announced the phased closure of its consulate in Peshawar, saying it would transfer operations to the embassy in Islamabad, it emerged on Wednesday. “Responsibility for diplomatic engagement with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will transfer to the US Embassy in Islamabad.  This decision reflects our commitment to the safety of our diplomatic personnel and efficient resource management,” it said in a statement. While our physical presence in Peshawar is changing, the administration’s policy priorities in Pakistan remain steadfast.  We will continue to engage meaningfully with the people and officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to foster economic ties, promote regional security, and advance the interests of the American people,” it said. “The department, through the US Mission to Pakistan, remains dedicated to advancing the US-Pakistan relationship through our remaining diplomatic posts in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore,” it said. The Independent had reported about the consulate’s closure in March. T...
    Tags: Peshawar Islamabad
  • Bondi Beach mass shooting accused faces 19 extra charges
    Dawn - 05:33 May 06, 2026
    A man accused of murdering 15 people in an anti-Semitic mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach is facing a raft of fresh charges, court records released on Wednesday showed. Naveed Akram is accused of opening fire as families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration in December. The 24-year-old has already been charged with dozens of serious crimes, including 15 murders and committing an act of terrorism. Court records showed he is now facing 19 additional charges, including multiple counts of shooting with intent to murder, wounding with intent to murder, and discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest. Akram, who is being held in a high-security prison, is yet to indicate how he will plead. His father and alleged co-conspirator Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault. The charges were released after a sweeping inquiry opened public hearings into Australia’s deadliest mass shooting for 30 years. “The sharp spike of anti-Semitism that we have witnessed in Australia has been...
    Tags: Bondi Beach
  • Next India-Pakistan conflict may be ‘more dangerous’, analysts warn
    Dawn - 03:29 May 06, 2026
    WASHINGTON: On the first anniversary of the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, a growing body of commentary from US and international analysts suggests that the next such crisis between the two nuclear-armed neighbours is not only more likely, but will prove dangerous with fewer opportunities for outside powers to contain it. In a piece published on Tuesday, The Washington Post warned that the world may be underestimating the risks. “You know the world scene is chaotic when we’re approaching the first anniversary of a shooting war between two hostile nuclear powers and very few Americans remember it,” the newspaper noted, adding that another crisis is “probably not a question of if, but when.” The editorial described the May 2025 conflict as a new form of “non-contact” war, involving missiles, drones and air power without a ground invasion. It cautioned that both sides may now believe they can fight a limited conventional war without triggering nuclear escalation — a conclusion that could prove dangerously fla...
  • West Bengal CM refuses to resign after poll defeat
    Dawn - 01:24 May 06, 2026
    NEW DELHI: The chief minister of West Bengal, who was swept from power this week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in state elections, said on Tuesday that she had “not been defeated” and would not resign, in an unprecedented political twist. The BJP defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has been in power in West Bengal since 2011, securing more than two-thirds of the 294 seats when votes were counted on Monday. The BJP has never ruled West Bengal, a populous eastern state that borders Bangladesh, and its victory is considered a political milestone as the party now controls almost all states in eastern India. The TMC tally fell to 80 seats from its earlier 215, with Banerjee herself losing her seat. Banerjee said about 100 seats were “forcibly taken” from her party, which also had to contend with a “biased” Election Commission. She did not back her accusation with evidence. “I will not resign, I did not lose... officially, through the Election C...
    Tags: West Bengal
  • Regional peace, stability linked to collective restraint, respect for sovereignty: army's top brass
    Dawn - 18:59 May 05, 2026
    Army’s top leadership asserted on Tuesday that peace and stability in the region were intrinsically linked to collective restraint, responsibility and respect for sovereignty, a statement issued by the military’s media affairs wing after the 275th Corps Commanders’ Conference said. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir presided over the meeting at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said. The military leadership’s observation comes against the backdrop of a conflict between the US and Iran. It began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February and later broadened into a regional crisis, involving disruption of traffic in shipping lanes attacks on Gulf countries. The conflict is paused for now, following a fragile ceasefire that continues to be tested. The Corps Commanders’ Conference, while deliberating on the broader regional security environment, “noted that emerging geopolitical developments carry significant implications ...
  • Players would boycott French Open over prize money dispute, says Sabalenka
    Dawn - 18:57 May 05, 2026
    Players would ​boycott the French Open if their prize money at the claycourt Grand Slam is not increased, women’s world number ‌one Aryna Sabalenka said on Tuesday, with Coco Gauff also voicing support for the drastic step. The threat deepens a dispute between players and Roland Garros organisers over prize money distribution, even though this year’s tournament offers a 9.5 per cent increase to 61.7 million euros ($72.19 million). Several top players released a statement on Monday saying they were set to receive prize money ​that would likely still be less than 15pc of tournament revenue, well short of the 22pc they demanded to match the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ​and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) combined 1000 events. When asked how far players might push their demands, Sabalenka told reporters at the ⁠Italian Open: “I think at some point we will boycott it (the tournament), yeah. I feel like that’s going to be the only way to ​fight for our rights. “Let’s see how far we can get, if it’s g...
    Tags: Sabalenka French Open Players
  • Woman, three children murdered in Multan; scene staged as suicide: officials
    Dawn - 17:44 May 05, 2026
    LAHORE: A woman and her three children were murdered in their house in Multan, police said on Tuesday, adding that the crime scene was staged as a suicide. City Police Officer (CPO) Multan Sadiq Ali Dogar confirmed to the media that the woman and her children were murdered, and it was staged as a suicide. “Certainly, this is not a suicide; this leans more towards murder,” he said. “It was a staged suicide.” The CPO added that evidence was still being collected and that all aspects of the case are under investigation. Initially, Rescue 1122 and police received a call on their helplines reporting that a woman had allegedly hanged herself along with her children in an informal settlement near Mumtazabad Phatak in Multan. However, investigators expressed doubts about the nature of the deaths. A senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that initial findings suggested that the case appeared to be a suspected homicide staged as suicide. He added that evidence collected from the scene indicated tha...
    Tags: Multan
  • Imran’s sisters call for public pressure as authorities deny jail meeting
    Dawn - 16:51 May 05, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Party leaders were once again denied a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala jail on Tuesday as his sisters appealed to the public to gather in large numbers outside the jail to exert pressure on the government. All three sisters of Imran arrived at Adiala jail, as per routine, as Tuesday is the designated meeting day, but were told by law enforcement officials that they could not proceed. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Junaid Akbar, who is also president of PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other leaders were present outside the jail. Talking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Aleema said she hoped a large number of people would soon gather there to exert pressure on the government, but she appeared disappointed by the meeting’s closing time. She said that it was unfortunate that the courts were not delivering justice. Noreen Khan, speaking to the media, said: “They believe they are not answerable to anyone. Imran Khan is the...
    Tags: Imran
  • IHC orders removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt's name from Passport Control List
    Dawn - 15:57 May 05, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt’s name from the Passport Control List (PCL), ruling that the continuation of travel restrictions without lawful justification violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. In a detailed six-page judgment, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan directed the relevant authorities to immediately remove the petitioner’s name from the PCL, provided there was no other legal impediment or restraining order issued by a competent court. The court noted that Rajab Butt’s name had been placed on the PCL at the request of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). However, during the proceedings, the deputy attorney general informed the bench that the NCCIA had no objection to the removal of the petitioner’s name from the list. The judgment observed that while the power to include an individual’s name in the PCL is derived from the Passport Act and relevant rules, such authority is not absolute and must be exercised i...
    Tags: Passport Control List

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