Dawn
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Dawn - 03:13 Oct 31, 2025
KARACHI: The FIA has booked prominent chartered accountant Shabbar Zaidi over allegations of issuing unauthorised income tax refunds amounting to Rs16 billion during his tenure as chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the PTI government, it emerged on Thursday. Sources said the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle had accused Mr Zaidi of criminal misconduct, abuse of authority, and unauthorised disbursement of public funds. According to the FIA, three private banks, two cement factories, and one chemical company were the beneficiaries of these refunds. The agency alleged that these entities were clients of Mr Zaidi’s private audit and consultancy firm prior to his appointment as FBR chairman, raising concerns of conflict of interest. Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2025 -
Dawn - 02:29 Oct 31, 2025
• Despite Imran’s instructions not to air dirty laundry in public, Salman Akram Raja and Aliya Hamza engage in ‘Twitter war’ over decision to remove party’s central Punjab president and secretary • Dispute between senior lawyers over list of who gets to meet Imran in Adiala leaves many within the party red-faced LAHORE: Mere weeks after incarcerated founder Imran Khan warned party leaders against airing their dirty laundry in public, another tiff — this time over the leadership of PTI in central Punjab — has erupted over the social media platform X, in full public view. In a telling series of tweets on Thursday, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja railed against those who were “conspiring against him”, and recalled that Mr Khan had personally tasked him with conveying messages from Adiala jail. Although he didn’t explain the issue at hand, a cursory glance at his earlier tweets and messages posted by other PTI leaders laid bare the dispute. The controversy centres around the ouster of PTI Central Punjab P... -
Dawn - 21:21 Oct 30, 2025
Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed early Friday morning to continue the ceasefire following a rapid deterioration of ties between the two neighbours and a brief conflict along their shared border earlier this month. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations began in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern over terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan remained a major point of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Last-ditch efforts on Thursday by the mediating countries brought both sides back to the negotiating table. A joint statement released after the conclusion of the latest round of dialogue stated “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a Principal level meeting in Istanbul on November 6. During this period, the two countries also agreed on a “monitoring and verification mechanism” to ensure the maintenance of peace and to impose a penalty on the side that breaches the ceasefire. “All parties have agreed to put in place a moni... -
Dawn - 19:20 Oct 30, 2025
The attempted target killing of a DawnNewsTV journalist was foiled following the arrest of the suspects by the police, confirmed the investigating officer (IO) of the case on Thursday. Sub Inspector Nabeel Haider said that three suspects had been hired to kill journalist Tahir Naseer, based in Rawalpindi, for Rs200,000. “They (the suspects) surveilled Naseer’s house for three days,” the IO said, adding that they had also received Rs99,000 in their bank account and that one of the suspects procured weapons.“ “Police arrested the three suspects and seized their vehicle and weapons from near Naseer’s house,” the IO added. “They were produced before the district magistrate, who rejected the request for physical remand and sent the suspects to jail on judicial remand instead.” In a first information (FIR) report filed on Wednesday under Section 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Naseer said that around 4pm, he received a phone call from his cousin saying that suspicious peop... -
Dawn - 18:49 Oct 30, 2025
Posts from multiple social media users, including PTI supporters, shared an image on social media platform X on October 29, 2025, allegedly showing a ‘Move on Pakistan’ banner of Field Marshal Asim Munir with text referring to his tenure. However, the poster is doctored. In September 2025, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan said that the tenure of the army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, would end in 2027 and a decision whether to extend it or not will be taken at that time. He said that earlier, the army chief’s term comprised four years, and it was reduced to three years before it was extended to five years. The army chief’s tenure and extension have been under discussion for a while. In 2024, the government extended the tenure of the chiefs of the army, navy and air force from three to five years under the Pakistan Army Amendment Act 2024. The hasty passage of the law was severely criticised by opposition parties such as the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami, with even the PPP, a... -
Dawn - 18:39 Oct 30, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that a “ray of light” was visible in the Istanbul negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid current tensions, and there was room for “guarded optimism” for a breakthrough, although nothing conclusive could be said at this stage. Discussions between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban delegations had begun in Istanbul on Saturday, but Islamabad’s long-standing concern of terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan had been a bone of contention, resulting in a stalemate. Asif said earlier today that talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on cross-border terrorism could resume if Kabul signaled a shift in its attitude. Speaking in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Asif said that whereas hope had completely flatlined before, there were “some signs now”, although he made it clear that he could not say anything conclusive. Describing how the process of the talks worked, he said different drafts were prepared and when one side agreed to one,... -
Dawn - 18:24 Oct 30, 2025
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Thursday alleged that some “narrow-minded” elements in the party were trying to undermine and sabotage him in the wake of party founder Imran Khan reposing his trust in him. Earlier this week, Imran’s sister Uzma Khanum had clarified that only Raja was empowered to relay messages to the party on the ex-premier’s behalf to avoid confusion. In a series of posts on X today, Raja referred to the development and said: “A few days ago, Khan sahib instructed that his messages will now be conveyed only through me. The narrow-minded said I had added my own name to some list. The worshippers of ego and positions neither know Khan sahib nor his loyalists.” He added that those who “conspire against me are humiliated every time” before the party founder, adding that Imran knew he had never sought any position. “The problem that some friends and self-proclaimed enemies face is only this — Imran Khan sahib trusts me. In 2013, when Khan sahib was injured before the elections, I was ... -
Dawn - 17:56 Oct 30, 2025
Jemimah Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 127 to make India pull off a record ODI chase of 339 against Australia in a thrilling second semi-final of the Women’s World Cup on Thursday. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare in the outskirts of Mumbai at DY Patil Stadium. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations in the Indian camp with smiles and tears of joy in the dug out. India will face South Africa in the final at the same venue on Sunday with the 50-over marquee tournament to get a new champion. The hosts made history to get past the previous best chase of 331 by Australia against India in the league stage of this edition. Seven-time champions Australia faltered in their title defence and suffered their first defeat in the ODI World Cup after 15 victories since 2017 when India beat them in the semi-final. India looked in trouble at 59-2 in the 10th over, but Rodrigues and Kaur rode th... -
Dawn - 17:53 Oct 30, 2025
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday that Pakistan sought peace with all neighbours, including Afghanistan, but reiterated that the country will not allow cross-border terrorism to be perpetrated from Afghan soil. According to a statement from the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir made the comments during a trip to Peshawar, where he held an interactive session with a jirga of tribal elders. Later on, he was given a comprehensive briefing at Headquarters 11 Corps on the prevailing security environment, operational preparedness and ongoing counter terrorism efforts to maintain peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have worsened sharply in recent weeks, marked by border clashes and mutual accusations. Islamabad has repeatedly warned Kabul against permitting the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to use Afghan territory for attacks — an allegation the Taliban reject. After ... -
Dawn - 17:48 Oct 30, 2025
A supposed news website impersonating Dawn.com is currently online and accessible. The website is actively sharing fake news and disinformation while pretending to be a part of the Dawn Media Group. The website is not part of, associated with or has any connection to the Dawn Media Group. The website, operating from the url https://dawn.newspot.live, recently shared a ‘news report’ on PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan allegedly complaining about institutional overreach. When checked through multiple AI text detectors, the text of the ‘news story’ was deemed to be AI-generated. A screenshot of the fake website posing as Dawn.com. — Screengrab by Dawn.com The main image used on the imposter website’s ‘news report’ is also badly cropped, with different images layered over one another, and it carries the title of the fake ‘news report’. Dawn.com does not use images in its news reports with text overlays. The font used in the image is misaligned, and the font size also varies. In addition to all these inconsis... -
Dawn - 16:27 Oct 30, 2025
United States President Donald Trump ordered the US military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while he was aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Xi for a trade negotiating session in Busan, South Korea. He said he was instructing the Pentagon to test the US nuclear arsenal on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers. “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.” The move comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone, in defiance of Washington’s warnings. A senior Russian lawmaker said Trump’s de... -
Dawn - 15:43 Oct 30, 2025
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday that a “high-value target” identified as a commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was among four terrorists killed after security forces thwarted an attempt to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said that last night the movement of a group of khwarij attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was picked up by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district. “Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted khwarijs’ attempt to infiltrate. As a result of precise and skilful engagement, four khwarij, including kharji leader, a high-value target kharji Amjad alias Mazahim, were sent to hell,” the ISPR said. The statement further said that the militant leader was the deputy of TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud and the head of Rehbari Shura of Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the TTP. The ISPR said th... -
Dawn - 15:38 Oct 30, 2025
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, dressed in black, rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription, an issue that has caused major strain in Israel’s right-wing ruling coalition. The vast crowd were protesting against the absence of a law guaranteeing their right to avoid Israel’s mandatory military service — a pledge long promised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Crowds of men, many wearing black hats, set fire to pieces of tarpaulin as hundreds of police officers cordoned off several roads across the city, AFP correspondents reported. Carrying placards denouncing conscription, demonstrators marched along main roads leading into Jerusalem. The mass demonstration follows a recent crackdown on ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, with thousands of call-up notices sent in recent months and several deserters imprisoned. Under a ruling established at the time of Israel’s creation in 1948, when the ultra-Orthodox were a very small community, men who devote themselves full-tim... -
Dawn - 14:51 Oct 30, 2025
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani blamed a “Palestinian party” for a ceasefire violation, referring to the reported killing of an Israeli soldier in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Tuesday. Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York yesterday, the PM told interviewer Ayman Mohyeldin that the attack on the Israeli soldiers was “basically a violation by the Palestinian party”, pointing out that while Hamas has put out a statement that they are not in communication with this group, there is no “verification if this is true or not”. View this post on Instagram It is important to note, however, that following the attack on the soldier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “powerful” retaliatory strikes on Gaza. The attacks killed 104 people, mostly women and children, Al Jazeera reported, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claimed its strikes targeted senior Hamas fighters, killing dozens, and then said it would start observing the ceasefire again mid... -
Dawn - 14:28 Oct 30, 2025
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that first-time offenders caught by the newly implemented traffic e-ticketing system can have their fines waived within 10 days by appearing in person and submitting an apology, according to a press release. The CM inaugurated the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS), commonly known as the e-ticketing system, at the Central Police Office (CPO) on Monday. He explained that the new system replaces the outdated manual ticketing process with a fully automated e-ticketing mechanism, utilising advanced AI-integrated CCTV cameras to detect violations such as speeding, red-light jumping, and helmet non-compliance. According to the press release, CM Shah received a report from Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon detailing traffic rule violations under the new system, which has issued fines to 35 official vehicles for various infractions. “According to the report, e-challans were issued for offences such as not wearing seatbelts, running re... -
Dawn - 13:55 Oct 30, 2025
Police on Thursday arrested two men who allegedly mutilated a cow that entered his field in the village of Mohaal in Punjab’s Jhelum district, according to a senior officer. A first information report (FIR) — seen by Dawn.com — was filed against two landowners who allegedly attacked and mutilated a cow that crossed onto their land under Section 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc, of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The complainant, who is the owner of the cow, alleged that the suspects struck its front leg with an axe, severely injuring it. They fled the scene while threatening the complainant. Jhelum District Police Officer Tariq Aziz Sindhu told Dawn.com that both suspects had been arrested, one of whom was apprehended from a forested area near the scene of the incident. “Police have registered a case under Section 429 of the PPC and investigations are underway,” the DPO said “Cruelty against animals is intolerable and after proper investigation,... -
Dawn - 13:44 Oct 30, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was on Thursday denied a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan for the fourth time since assuming office. The denial comes despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week directing the Adiala jail superintendent to implement a March 24 order that reinstated the twice-a-week meeting schedule for the former prime minister. Afridi has termed consultation with Imran as crucial in order to announce his new provincial cabinet after he was elected as the chief minister earlier this month. Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, Afridi said he was yet again prevented by the police from meeting Imran. He was flanked by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who was approved by the IHC as the designated person to provide the jail officials with the list of individuals named to meet Imran. Afridi highlighted the various legal steps he had taken in order to secure his meeting with Imran, including letters written to the Punjab Home Department a... -
Dawn - 13:42 Oct 30, 2025
Tech giants Google and Amazon agreed to use a secret code to evade legal obligations in countries around the world to serve Israeli interests, a report by The Guardian has revealed. The joint investigation, conducted with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, highlights how a $1.2 billion cloud-computing deal in 2021 (known as Project Nimbus) between Israeli government and the tech firms had an “unusual demand”, i.e., agree to use a secret code as part of an arrangement that would become known as the “winking mechanism”. Project Nimbus was a joint contract that aimed to provide cloud computing infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology services to the Israeli government and its military, which has faced condemnation for its war on Gaza, described by United Nations experts and several countries as a genocide. Google employees based in the United States also staged protests last year at the tech giant’s offices in New York City, California an... -
Dawn - 13:35 Oct 30, 2025
PTI-backed independent candidate Khurram Zeeshan on Thursday was elected as a senator on the general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seat had fallen vacant following the disqualification of PTI leader Shibli Faraz, who was the opposition leader in the Senate, after he was convicted in cases pertaining to the May 9, 2023 riots. A minimum of 75 votes were needed to win the seat. Zeeshan won a total of 91 votes out of the 137 cast by KP lawmakers during the polling process today. He defeated opposition-backed Taj Mohammad Afridi, who was able to secure 45 votes. Out of the 145-member KP Assembly, eight lawmakers did not cast their ballots, including four Awami National Party (ANP) leaders. One vote was rejected. “Thank God,” Zeeshan said in a post on his Facebook account after his win. “Our priority is Pakistan’s haqeeqi azadi (true freedom)”, the PTI leader told reporters outside the KP Assembly earlier today, echoing a phrase used by Imran. Though three candidates were in the run for the polls, the main cont... -
Dawn - 13:27 Oct 30, 2025
Hurricane Melissa smashed through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake. People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain. Around 600 miles (970 km) northeast of the storm’s last position, Bermudans prepared for its approach, expected by the evening. Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed 25 deaths in Haiti - 10 of them children - and four in Jamaica. As of 1200 GMT (5pm PKT) Melissa was packing winds of close to 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Centre, downgraded from its peak to a Category 2 hurricane. Wading barefoot through mud It was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the northwest of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the Flori...
5467 items