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Dawn - 18:10 Jun 05, 2026
Tremors were felt in Lahore and other districts of Punjab on Friday after a 4.9-magnitude earthquake was reported, said a statement by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). A PDMA spokesperson said the depth of the earthquake was recorded at 18 kilometres, while the epicentre was located in the Kashmir region. “No loss of life or property due to the earthquake has been reported in Punjab,” the spokesperson said, adding that the relevant authorities were engaged in inspecting buildings. He further said that any earthquake-related damage could be reported to the PDMA helpline 1129, adding that district emergency operation centres across Punjab, along with the PDMA’s provincial control room, were operational round the clock. In late May, at least one person was killed and 11 others were injured after several houses were seriously damaged following a reported earthquake in Jhelum’s Pind Dadan Khan tehsil. On May 4, tremors were also felt in Islamabad and Rawalpindi after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake was ... -
Dawn - 17:58 Jun 05, 2026
The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission on Friday announced the end of election campaigning 48 hours before polling day, prohibiting all election-related activities in the region, according to a press release. The general elections for the GB’s legislative assembly are scheduled on June 7, after a four-month delay. “The commission informs the public, political parties, candidates and their supporters that under Section 182 of the Elections Act 2017 and the Code of Conduct, no election-related activities will be allowed during the 48 hours preceding polling,” said the statement by the commission’s public affairs wing. According to the law, no person would be permitted to organise, attend, promote or support any public meeting, rally, procession or gathering within the relevant constituency during this period, the statement added. “In this regard, a complete ban on all election activities will come into effect from 12 midnight on June 5, 2026,” the press release said. It further said that, following the enforc... -
Dawn - 17:10 Jun 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday “categorically rejected” India’s remarks regarding upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), calling them “baseless” and part of a “carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction”. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. The PPP and other political parties have staged a series of rallies across the region and ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls. In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi said India remained in “illegal occupation of the internationally recognised disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” and termed New Delhi a “global leader in propagating fake narratives and tendentious propaganda”. “We unequivocally reject this latest Indian rhetoric with the contempt it deserves,” the statement said. New Delhi, in a statement issued by its foreign ministry earlier on Friday, objected to the upcoming elections in GB, claiming that “the entire... -
Dawn - 16:47 Jun 05, 2026
A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station (ISS) prompted five astronauts to take shelter and prepare for evacuation for roughly two hours on Friday as Russia attempted to fix a crack on its portion of the orbital laboratory, Nasa said. The four astronauts of Nasa’s Crew-12 mission aboard the station two Americans, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut along with another US astronaut were ordered by Nasa mission control at 9:04am ET (1304 GMT) on Friday to enter their SpaceX-built Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station, Nasa spokesperson Bethany Stevens said. Nasa reversed that order roughly two hours later and told the astronauts they could return to the station as the agency and its Russian counterparts examined the rate of leaking air. Nasa and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, the station’s two primary operators, have debated for months over the cause and potential fixes of small air leaks aboard Russia’s Zvezda service module, a key structure of the ISS, a football field-size o... -
Dawn - 15:48 Jun 05, 2026
The ex-wife of a nephew of Dubai’s ruler has been arrested following a long-running custody battle, prosecutors in the UAE said on Friday. Zeynab Javadli was detained after her former husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, accused her of abducting their three children. “Dubai Public Prosecution confirms that Ms. Zeynab Javadli has been taken into custody, following a complaint filed by the father of her three children alleging that she abducted the children during a court-approved visitation session,” said a statement sent to AFP. “The matter remains under investigation and is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.” Since late 2025 Javadli, a former international gymnast from Azerbaijan, has posted several Instagram posts with her daughters, in which she pleads for help and accuses her ex-husband of taking them away. But a lawyer for Sheikh Saeed, a nephew of Dubai’s ruler and United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said he was awarded custody of the three g... -
Dawn - 15:32 Jun 05, 2026
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday promised to ensure the right of ownership and the protections of the 18th Constitutional Amendment for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. His remarks came during a public rally in Gilgit, part of his region-wide campaign ahead of the June 7 elections. Addressing the rally, Bilawal said it was part of the PPP’s election manifesto to grant all constitutional rights to the region, including the right to own land and financial protections under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. He urged the people of GB to give the PPP a “heavy mandate”, so the party could continue its struggle to secure the region’s ownership rights, calling on them to spread his message. Bilawal said legislation on the matter had been tabled in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and had been passed by the house. “As per the legislation, 28,000 square miles of land owned by the government has been converted into common land. We have fulfilled our promise to this stage,” the PPP chairman said. Bilawal added ... -
Dawn - 15:00 Jun 05, 2026
The family of a Nepali climber who dragged himself off Mount Everest six days after being abandoned called for an investigation into rescue efforts, as doctors said on Friday he is in a stable condition and recovering in hospital. Mountaineer Dawa Sherpa, 57, vanished in bitter conditions on the upper reaches of the world’s highest mountain early on May 30. His family thought he was dead and had even begun ritual mourning prayers. He was found crawling towards Base Camp on Thursday morning by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a Nepali team that helps set routes on Everest and clean up waste left behind. Dawa Sherpa, also known as “Hillary” after the famed climber Edmund Hillary, was flown to the capital Kathmandu, where he is being treated for frostbite on his fingers, a fractured thigh bone and severe dehydration, doctors said. “His clinical condition remains stable, and his dehydration is showing significant improvement,” said Jyotindra Sharma, director of the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu. He... -
Dawn - 14:59 Jun 05, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Friday urged outsiders to avoid travelling to the region and asked current visitors to leave immediately, ahead of a major protest that has prompted the deployment of federal paramilitary troops. The strict travel advisory, effective from June 5 to June 20, comes in response to a strike call for June 9 by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society alliance spearheading a volatile rights movement in the territory. “The measure is advised to save intending visitors from any unexpected situation or inconvenience,” an unnamed official spokesperson said in a press release issued by the region’s Press Information Department (PID). “The government also requests those already in the territory for sightseeing or any other purpose to leave by Friday evening so that they do not confront any unpleasant situation,” the spokesperson added. Zahid Aslam, who owns a guest house in Neelum Valley, told Dawn that the administration had urged him to ask hi... -
Dawn - 14:34 Jun 05, 2026
Residents of Gaza, south Lebanon, northern Israel and Kuwait were all under fire this week despite United States-arranged ceasefires supposedly in force in their regions. Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza and Lebanon, with Israeli forces still actively deployed in both places. Hezbollah rockets struck northern Israel, and Iranian attacks hit Kuwait’s international airport. The continued violence prompted US President Donald Trump to comment on Wednesday that ceasefires in the Middle East involved “shooting in a more moderate manner” rather than a total halt in fighting. Three truces his administration has negotiated were meant to have stopped the warfare. But while major fighting has greatly reduced, munitions are still falling and people still dying. This is how the ceasefires — and ongoing fighting — are playing out: What’s happening with the ceasefire in Gaza? The US brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on October 10, 2025, ending major warfare. The ceasefire deal involved a halt to all fighting, Hamas ... -
Dawn - 14:01 Jun 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Following the apparent failure of the Tajir Dost Scheme announced a year ago to expand the tax net, the government on Friday unveiled another scheme, dubbed the ‘Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme’, for small traders and shopkeepers with an annual turnover of up to Rs200 million. The announcement was made through a recorded message by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiani, and Member, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Hamid Attique Sarwar. They said the fixed tax regime had been finalised in consultation with trader bodies and representatives in response to their demand for a simplified tax compliance mechanism. Kiani, who led the government team in detailed negotiations with the trader community, said the new fixed tax scheme would apply to businesses with an annual turnover (total sales) of up to Rs200 million. Under the scheme, a tax of one per cent would be payable through a simple form that would be made available in all local languages. The finance minister sa... -
Dawn - 11:39 Jun 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the “Shanghai spirit” and called for a joint strategy among SCO member states to counter terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking, cybercrime and terror financing. Naqvi said this at a special meeting of the Ministers of Interior and Public Security of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He said the region faced “serious and complex security challenges” that were interconnected, noting that criminal and terrorist networks were rapidly adapting to technological advancements, exploiting artificial intelligence, digital platforms, online networks and cryptocurrency transactions to expand their activities. The interior minister emphasised the importance of modernising institutional coordination and enhancing intelligence-sharing mechanisms across the region to tackle these threats. Shared threats demanded shared solutions, Naqvi told the delegates, further calling for a comprehensive regional stra... -
Dawn - 10:00 Jun 05, 2026
LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Two sons of a prominent tribal elder, Malik Jamil Wazir, were killed after unidentified armed men opened fire near Kari Kot Bazaar in Wana tehsil, police said on Friday. Wana Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah said the deceased were identified as Naveed Wazir and Moeenuddin Wazir. He said the two brothers were travelling on a motorcycle from their home towards Kari Kot Bazaar when they were targeted by the unidentified gunmen. Both died on the spot, while a passerby sustained injuries during the attack and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, he said. He added that the attackers fled the scene immediately after the incident. The injured passerby and the bodies of the deceased were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana. Police recorded the incident in the daily register at the City Police Station Wana and launched an investigation. The tribal elder and his family have been targeted previously. One of his sons was killed, while two other ind... -
Dawn - 09:40 Jun 05, 2026
Security forces killed six terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that on the night of June 3/4, security forces conducted an IBO on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own forces effectively engaged multiple terrorist locations, and after intense fire exchanges, six Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” it said. “Weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices and [a] vehicle have also been recovered from the killed Indian-sponsored terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” it said. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any ot... -
Dawn - 09:27 Jun 05, 2026
The founder of India’s satirical online “Cockroach People’s Party” said he was flying back to New Delhi on Friday, to take the viral social media campaign to the streets. Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old Boston University graduate behind the online movement, said he was flying back from the United States to seek police permission for a peaceful protest on Saturday against the education minister. The parody “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) — echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — has won millions of online followers on social media since its launch last month. CJP was set up after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly called young people who criticised the government “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing. Kant later said his comments were taken out of context. Dipke, a political communications strategist who formerly worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), created the fictional party online on May 16. Its popularity has soared, using the slo... -
Dawn - 09:10 Jun 05, 2026
LAHORE: A day after the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered a case against PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar for allegedly harassing television actor Momina Iqbal, the lawmaker secured interim pre-arrest bail from a Lahore court on Friday. Additional District and Sessions Judge Irfan Ahmad Sheikh approved the bail after hearing Chadhar’s plea. During the hearing, Chadhar appeared before the court along with his counsel, Mian Ali Ashfaq. The judge barred the NCCIA from arresting Chadhar till June 24 and directed the NCCIA to submit the case record at the next hearing. On Thursday, the NCCIA registered a case against Chadhar on Iqbal’s complaint under Sections 3 (unauthorised access to information system or data), 4 (unauthorised copying or transmission of data), 21 (offences against modesty of a natural person and minor) and 24 (cyber stalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, read with Sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offe... -
Dawn - 08:56 Jun 05, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission announced on Friday that general elections in the region would be held on July 27. The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said that candidates could file their nomination papers with returning officers from June 9 to 4pm on June 19. It said that the scrutiny of nomination papers would be carried out from June 20, while the list of the eligible candidates would be submitted on the same day. It stated that the candidates will have between June 21 and June 24 to file appeals against rejection/acceptance of nomination papers, and the appeals will be heard on June 26 and 27 between 9am and 4pm. According to the notification, the last date for decisions on appeals will be June 28 to June 29, and candidates can withdraw their nomiation papers until June 30 before 2pm. The list of contesting candidates will be published on July 1, and symbols will be allotted along with the final list the next day on July 2. July 27 was notified as the po... -
Dawn - 06:38 Jun 05, 2026
US President Donald Trump’s legal team has refused to hand over financial information sought by BBC lawyers in his $10 billion defamation case against the broadcaster, the Financial Times (FT) said on Friday, citing court filings. Trump has accused the publicly funded broadcaster of defaming him by splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021, speech to make it appear that he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol. The impetus for Trump’s request to delay “appears to be the flat refusal by the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust … to provide any financial information under subpoena”, the newspaper cited the BBC as saying in a court filing. That action came despite Trump’s claims that the BBC injured “the value of his brand, properties, and businesses” and the president’s “own refusal to date to provide any financial information in discovery”, the paper added. Trump’s lawsuit, filed in Florida in December, says the BBC violated a state law that bars deceptive and unfair trade practices. He is seeking damages o... -
Dawn - 05:36 Jun 05, 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea from June 8 to 9, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday, his first trip in nearly seven years as Beijing looks to reassert ties with Pyongyang. The announcement follows separate summits Xi hosted in Beijing for US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Trump, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times in his first term, previously said he would be open to meeting the North Korean leader again. Xi would be visiting on an invitation from Kim, North Korean state media KCNA said. Kim was a guest at a massive military parade in Beijing last September, travelling to the Chinese capital on his signature green armoured train. Beijing has worked to draw Pyongyang — its only formal treaty ally — back into its fold, after the Covid-19 pandemic froze exchanges and the North Korean leader deepened relations with Moscow by sending troops and weapons to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The message implicit from the Chinese ... -
Dawn - 05:16 Jun 05, 2026
• Field officers to lose powers to issue notices, conduct audits • Reforms aim to curb collusion, harassment • Phased rollout planned from October ISLAMABAD: The government has approved in principle a plan to introduce a centralised digital tax operating model, under which audits and assessments would be handled by “faceless” wings in Islamabad to reduce official discretion and direct contact between tax officials and taxpayers. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved Pakistan’s New Tax Operating Model on Thursday and commended the tax officials who developed the plan. The model is scheduled for a three-phase rollout beginning in October this year. The centralised and faceless tax model is similar to systems used in the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore and India. It is designed to eliminate physical contact between tax authorities and taxpayers to prevent corruption. The reforms have been driven by systemic leakages and widespread under-reporting detected by Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL).... -
Dawn - 04:51 Jun 05, 2026
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has decided not to send its team for the Asian Senior Fencing Championships to be held in New Delhi from June 19 despite the local organisers sending an invite to the neighbouring country to take part in the continental event, Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported on Thursday. India is hosting the championships for the first time. Fencers from more than 30 countries across Asia and Oceania will be seen in action. Nearly 100 delegates and technical officials will oversee the event. “We sent an invite to Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan, to participate in the championships but they chose not to send their fencers. The deadline for sending entries is long over and we are now in the process of procuring visas for the athletes and officials,” the Fencing Association of India (FAI) secretary general Rajeev Mehta told PTI. Last month, the Indian Sports Ministry had reiterated that the blanket ban on bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan that was imposed last year will remain in force, b...
10391 items