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Dawn - 02:47 Jun 28, 2025
• Additional burden on consumers to be offset by disbursement through BISP • Committee approves supplementary grants worth Rs856bn; passes the buck on sugar import to minister-led body ISLAMABAD: The government has increased the price of gas by 50 per cent in an apparent move to meet the demand of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet approved the hike in fixed gas charges for all consumers from July 1. The rate for non-domestic consumers has been increased by 29pc to cumulatively raise an additional Rs72 billion. The ECC meeting on Friday, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, also approved supplementary grants of Rs856bn. However, the committee failed to reach a decision over the import of sugar and passed the responsibility to a political committee led by the National Food Security and Research minister. Increase in gas price The summary for the revised natural gas pricing structure for the fiscal year 2025–26 was moved by the Petr... -
Dawn - 02:36 Jun 28, 2025
• Court of Arbitration rules that New Delhi’s decision to hold Indus treaty in abeyance doesn’t affect its competence to hear and decide disputes • Islamabad welcomes, India rejects ‘supplemental award’ as it exposes Kishenganga and Ratle hydel projects to Pakistan’s objections ISLAMABAD: In a major boon for Pakistan in its dispute over the ‘one-sided’ suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled that India’s actions have no bearing on its competence to adjudicate the matter. The court found that its competence cannot be affected by the unilateral decision of a party taken after the initiation of arbitral proceedings, regardless of whether India’s recent decision was characterised as a suspension of the treaty, or otherwise. The court further found that it has a continuing responsibility to advance proceedings in a timely, efficient and fair manner, notwithstanding India’s position on “abeyance”. It also declared that these findings also apply to the N... -
Dawn - 18:41 Jun 27, 2025
The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench on Friday dismissed the petitions filed by the PTI in the reserved seats case, declaring that the party will not be eligible for them in the national and provincial assemblies. The verdict came as an 11-member bench of the SC, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, resumed the hearing of the reserved seats case today. However, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar recused himself. The bench previously had 13 members, but Ayesha A. Malik and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi had declared the applications inadmissible and were not part of the subsequent proceedings, with the CB head judge noting they had stepped back voluntarily. Among the remaining 10 members, the review petitions were accepted by a majority of seven judges, including Justices Aminuddin Khan, Musarrat Hilali, Naeem Akhter Afghan, Shahid Bilal Hassan, Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Aamer Farooq and Ali Baqar Najafi. The judges who rejected the petitions today included Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and... -
Dawn - 18:39 Jun 27, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is calling off trade negotiations with Canada in retaliation for taxes impacting major US tech firms, adding that Ottawa will learn of their tariff rate within a week. “Based on this egregious tax, we are hereby terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that Canada will soon find out the levy it needs to pay to do business in the United States, calling his country’s northern neighbour “very difficult” to trade with. Washington has previously taken issue with Canada’s digital services tax, requesting dispute settlement talks last year over the matter. While Canada’s digital services tax is not new — it was enacted last year — US service providers are “on the hook for a multi-billion dollar payment in Canada” by June 30, noted the Computer and Communications Industry Association. While Canada has been spared from some of Trump’s most sweeping duties, such as a 1... -
Dawn - 18:38 Jun 27, 2025
At least 11 people died and six others were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat and Malakand districts on Friday amid flash floods triggered by heavy rains, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Earlier today, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi said that nine bodies were recovered among 16 people who went missing in the Swat River this morning, with three people being rescued. A search operation to find the four remaining people was underway, he added. The PDMA data showed that 10 people were killed in Swat while one person was killed in Malakand. It also revealed that 56 houses had been damaged in Swat due to the flooding. The report also said that a total of 120 people were trapped, with 107 of them being rescued by Swat Rescue 1122. “All concerned Departments, Rescue 1122 are actively deployed in the field, conducting roundtheclock operations to ensure maximum safety and relief,” it added. Screengrab from a report by KP PDMA, June 27. Separately, KP Chief Secretary Shahab A... -
Dawn - 18:22 Jun 27, 2025
Pakistan on Friday welcomed the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague to issue a “Supplemental Award of Competence” in the Indus Waters case, stating that India cannot unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance, a statement issued by the government said. According to the PCA’s rules, a supplemental award is an additional ruling issued by a court or tribunal after its initial decision, usually to address a specific issue that wasn’t fully resolved or to clarify certain points, such as jurisdiction, competence, or interpretation of a treaty or agreement. India in April held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Acc... -
Dawn - 18:18 Jun 27, 2025
PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that following the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir and the brief but intense military escalation with Pakistan last month, India “lost its international credibility due to a lack of transparency and widespread disinformation”. Earlier this month, Pakistan launched a broad-based engagement campaign to present its perspective on the conflict with India to the world and counter New Delhi’s unproven allegations. As part of its global outreach, a delegation led by Bilawal visited the United States, London and Brussels. Addressing reporters at the National Press Club in Islamabad, the PPP chairman stressed that through spreading false information, both in the media and through diplomatic channels, India stripped itself of credibility. “Pakistan gained victory on the narrative front, which is beneficial,” Bilawal said. “The whole world saw what the Indian [and] Pakistani media were doing. “People all over the world were reading and a... -
Dawn - 17:52 Jun 27, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday welcomed the United Nations Secretary General’s decision to remove references to Pakistan from its annual report on children and armed conflict. The UN’s Children and Armed Conflict agenda, led by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, works to protect children affected by war by monitoring six grave violations: killing and maiming, recruitment and use of children, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access. The annual report of the Secretary-General lists parties committing these violations, aiming to hold them accountable and promote measures for child protection in conflict zones. In its latest report released on June 17, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General noted that, “In view of the level of grave violations in Pakistan and the preventive measures adopted as agreed by the government in June 2025 in cooperation with the United Nations to protect children, the situation of Pakistan will be r... -
Dawn - 15:49 Jun 27, 2025
The United States Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major victory on Friday by curbing the power of lone federal judges to block executive actions. In a 6-3 ruling stemming from Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, the court said nationwide injunctions issued by district court judges “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts”. The top court did not immediately rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born on American soil. But the broader decision on the scope of judicial rulings will remove a big roadblock to Trump’s often highly controversial orders and reaffirm the White House’s power. “Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, author of the opinion. “When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answ... -
Dawn - 12:02 Jun 27, 2025
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast another spell of rain in Karachi, Hyderabad and other parts of Sindh on Friday. Several parts of Sindh received moderate to heavy rainfall on Thursday, ending the prolonged dry spell across the province and bringing relief from the scorching summer heat. The authorities had earlier released an urban flooding warning for several cities. In its latest weather advisory issued today, the Met Office said “strong monsoon currents are penetrating over the province.” Under its influence, rain thunderstorm/rain with few moderate to isolated heavy falls is likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Dadu, Sukkur, Larkana, Qamber Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mitiari, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Kashmore and Tharparker districts till June 29. In its weather forecast for Karachi, the Met Office said intermittent thunderstorm and rain with moderate to i... -
Dawn - 11:41 Jun 27, 2025
In the early 2010s, Iran believed that a war waged against it by Israel, which would pull in the United States, was an inevitability. At the time, American newspapers were warning that Israel was on the verge of bombing Iran, the IAEA was working hand in glove with the Americans to increase pressure on the Persians, and the country was being suffocated by sanctions that were only looking to get worse. The Iranians, according to political analyst Trita Parsi, made a strategic calculation at the time — that the war would come and it would devastate them, but it would also destroy the Americans. In this book, Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy, Parsi notes that Iranian officials thought the Iraq war had already turned the US into a ‘limping giant’, that another war in the region would end its superpower status, and that it would no longer be able to dominate the Middle East. Sure, they ventured, Iran would be ruined by the war, but they placed their hope on the longevity of Persia as a ci... -
Dawn - 11:35 Jun 27, 2025
Germany’s data protection commissioner has asked Apple and Google to remove Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores in the country due to concerns about data protection. Commissioner Meike Kamp said in a statement on Friday that she made the request because DeepSeek illegally transfers users’ personal data to China. The two US tech giants must now review the request promptly and decide whether to block the app in Germany, she added. DeepSeek did not respond to a request for comment. Apple and Google were not immediately available for comment. According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China. “DeepSeek has not been able to provide my agency with convincing evidence that German users’ data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union,” Kamp said. “Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies,” ... -
Dawn - 11:28 Jun 27, 2025
Sri Lanka’s top court on Friday halted a government move to acquire land in northern regions still reeling from the consequences of a decades-long civil war, 16 years after it ended. Sri Lanka’s north bore the brunt of the conflict in the 37-year-long Tamil separatist war, which was brought to a bloody conclusion in May 2009. Many among the Tamil minority lost their land title deeds during the years of displacement, and the area was also hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami. The Supreme Court order concerning nearly 6,000 acres of land came a day after UN human rights chief Volker Turk ended a three-day visit, during which he urged the authorities to return private lands still occupied by troops. The UN estimates that at least 100,000 people died in the war, with 40,000 of them from the Tamil minority killed by troops in the final months of the conflict. Turk also asked Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of war crimes and punish the perpetrators. Successive Sri Lankan governments have refused internationally backe... -
Dawn - 10:45 Jun 27, 2025
Anti-Muslim online posts targeting New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani have surged since his Democratic primary upset this week, including death threats and comments comparing his candidacy to the September 11, 2001 attacks, advocates said on Friday. There were at least 127 violent hate-related reports mentioning Mamdani or his campaign in the day after polls closed, said CAIR Action, an arm of the Council on American Islamic Relations advocacy group, which logs such incidents. That marks a five-fold increase over a daily average of such reports tracked earlier this month, CAIR Action said in a statement. Overall, it noted about 6,200 online posts that mentioned some form of Islamophobic slur or hostility in that day long time-frame. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and a 33-year-old state lawmaker, declared victory in Tuesday’s primary after former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded defeat. Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Mamdani would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian Ame... -
Dawn - 09:26 Jun 27, 2025
A poliovirus case has been confirmed in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa’s Tank district, marking the seventh case from KP this year and bringing the total countrywide tally to 13, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in a press release on Friday. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. This year, Pakistan has undertaken three nationwide Polio campaigns so far — in February, April, and May. Polio eradication efforts in Pakistan routinely face security issues. According to the press release, the case was detected in an 18-month-old child from the Union Council Amakhel in KP’s Tank district. “With this latest detection, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 13, including seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one ... -
Dawn - 08:33 Jun 27, 2025
Federal Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema held high-level discussions on Thursday with the World Bank leadership in Washington DC, and welcomed the strengthened collaboration with the global financial institution in strengthening the economy, according to statement by the ministry on Friday. In January, the World Bank pledged to provide $20bn to Pakistan under a 10-year country partnership framework (CPF) to support inclusive and sustainable development within the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had welcomed a $40 billion “investment” by the World Bank, stating that the inflow will open “a new chapter” in various sectors of the economy. In a meeting with WB Operations Managing Director Anna Bjerde and South Asia Regional Vice President Martin Raiser, the federal minister welcomed the strengthened collaboration between Pakistan and the Bank over the past year, the statement read. This enhanced engagement has culminated in the development of the new country partnership framework (CPF) 2026-2035,... -
Dawn - 08:07 Jun 27, 2025
Bulls regained control of the trading floor as shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) climbed nearly 1,600 points at the close of the first session on Friday, a day after the passage of the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The KSE-100 index climbed 1581.77 points, or 1.3 per cent, to stand at 123,628.23 at the close of the first session, from the last close of 122,046.46 points. Awais Ashraf, director research at AKD Securities, said, “[The] passage of [the] federal budget with the absence of aggressive incremental revenue measures and slight relief for salaried and business is also well received by the investors.” The National Assembly on Thursday passed the federal budget for the FY25-26, with an outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, despite opposition calls for the budgetary proposals to be made public and for the passage to be delayed until public input had been sought. “The ceasefire between Iran and Israel has redirected investor focus toward improving macroeconomic fundamentals. Lower inflation ... -
Dawn - 07:54 Jun 27, 2025
India has deported without trial to Bangladesh hundreds of people, officials from both sides said, drawing condemnation from activists and lawyers who call the recent expulsions illegal and based on ethnic profiling. New Delhi says the people deported are undocumented migrants. The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long taken a hardline stance on immigration — particularly those from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh — with top officials referring to them as “termites” and “infiltrators”. It has also sparked fear among India’s estimated 200 million Muslims, especially among speakers of Bengali, a widely spoken language in both eastern India and Bangladesh. “Muslims, particularly from the eastern part of the country, are terrified,” said veteran Indian rights activist Harsh Mander. “You have thrown millions into this existential fear.” Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled Dhaka’s gov... -
Dawn - 07:19 Jun 27, 2025
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday stressed the “indispensable” role of the civil bureaucracy within governance to probationary civil officers — as part of an initiative aimed at strengthening understanding between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, according to the military’s media wing. In the wake of recent Indian aggression, Field Marshal Asim Munir has repeatedly appreciated the strategic foresight of the country’s political leadership, and vice versa. On June 18, Field Marshal Asim Munir met with US President Donald Trump in a high-level meeting — marking the first time a US president has hosted top Pakistani military leadership. Today’s engagement is part of a broader initiative to strengthen “institutional synergy and mutual understanding” between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, according to a statement by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). Field Marshal Asim Munir, while speaking to probationary officers of the 52nd common training program (CTP) of the Civil ... -
Dawn - 06:36 Jun 27, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Thursday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about recent developments in the Middle East, underlining a shared commitment to regional stability and non-proliferation amid renewed efforts to engage Iran. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif regarding events in the Middle East. Secretary Rubio emphasised that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon,” US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. “The two leaders acknowledged the importance of working together to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran and to maintain regional stability,” she added. The call highlights Washington’s growing engagement with Islamabad at a time when the Trump administration is reportedly exploring a new diplomatic initiative with Tehran, possibly “as early as next week”. Rubio’s statement that “Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon” will be interpreted in various ways in both Pa...
10418 items