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Dawn - 18:12 Dec 09, 2025
A new national assessment by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI) has found that local emission sources are the primary contributors to the hazardous air quality levels in Pakistan’s major cities. This emerged on Tuesday. The PAQI is an independent research and advocacy organisation committed to addressing air pollution in Pakistan. The report, Unveiling Pakistan’s Air Pollution: A National Landscape Report on Health Risks, Sources and Solutions, provides the country’s first multi-sectoral emissions inventories and concludes that urban smog is overwhelmingly generated within Pakistan’s own airsheds. “Toxic air pollution reduces the life expectancy of the average Pakistani by 3.9 years,” the report states. The report draws on satellite-derived aerosol datasets, chemical transport modelling and PAQI’s nationwide real-time monitoring network, the largest open-data air-quality system in Pakistan, to map the sources, scale, and health impacts of PM2.5 across the country’s largest cities. PM2.5 is a cancer-ca... -
Dawn - 17:17 Dec 09, 2025
It was the late 1990s on a crisp December morning in Karachi, the cloudless blue sky and glossy pool smiling at each other. Swimmers hunched over the edge of the pool before diving in as three technical officials standing behind with manual stopwatches clutched between their index finger and palm. Races concluded and left gold medallists and photo-finishers alike clueless on whether they had set a personal best time or age-group record. They simply had to wait for the results to be announced several minutes later, which translates to eons in the mind of an athlete. Except it wasn’t the 1990s — it was 2025, and swimming at the 35th National Games embodied the phrase “back to the future”. Sindh had finally caught up to the other provinces and installed touchpads in a 50m swimming pool in Karachi as per rules mandated by the Pakistan Swimming Federation. But no sooner had the imported touchpads and display boards been installed that they went kaput. Rumours of faulty technical equipment circulating the night bef... -
Dawn - 17:02 Dec 09, 2025
After securing protective bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), content creators Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak, also known as Nani Wala, are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday night to surrender to the authorities in ongoing legal cases. The content creators are no strangers to legal trouble. In September this year, Butt was booked by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for allegedly promoting online gambling apps on social media. Nadeem was also booked by the NCCIA for allegedly promoting gambling apps on his social media, but he was also arrested in September for displaying a fake registration number – ‘IK-804’ – on his car. On being quizzed, he couldn’t satisfy the police with regard to displaying the fake registration number, IK-804, which is said to be the prisoner number allotted to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan. The two, who are travelling from London, are set to arrive at Islamabad Airport later tonight and are expected to surrender themselves on December 10 (tomorr... -
Dawn - 16:37 Dec 09, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday termed his meeting with the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto “extremely productive and gratifying”, as the two pledged to expand bilateral trade ties. Speaking during a ceremony held for the signing of several memoranda of understanding between Indonesia and Pakistan, PM Shehbaz detailed the pair’s discussions and said, “What we have decided is […] to promote our bilateral trade, culture, interact in the field of medical health, education, and vocational training.” He assured the Indonesian president that Pakistan would “work closely” with Indonesia to achieve the decided targets. The premier noted that Pakistan’s current bilateral trade with Indonesia stood at $4.5 billion, out of which more than 90 per cent accounted for palm oil imports. “We have discussed how to take corrective measures to balance this balance of trade through agricultural exports from Pakistan, through exports of IT-led initiatives,” adding that the “trade gap” can be filled in many other are... -
Dawn - 16:29 Dec 09, 2025
The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution to ban incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his party for being “anti-state”. The development comes days after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”. Since then a war of words continued between the leaders of ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI over the presser, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying Imran had used “harsh language” in the past for members of the opposition, insisting that the party had no right to object to the comments by the military’s spokesman, while the opposition party emphatically deplored “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson against ex-premier Imran Khan, saying he was “not a security threat”. PML-N MPA Tahir Pervaiz move... -
Dawn - 14:43 Dec 09, 2025
Global technology giant Microsoft announced on Tuesday plans to invest $17.5 billion to help build India’s artificial intelligence infrastructure, with CEO Satya Nadella calling it “our largest investment ever in Asia”. Several global corporations have announced large investments this year in the South Asian nation, which is projected to have more than 900 million internet users by year’s end. “To support the country’s ambitions, Microsoft is committing US$17.5B (billion) – our largest investment ever in Asia – to help build the infrastructure, skills, and sovereign capabilities needed for India’s AI first future,” Nadella said in a post on X. Nadella made the announcement on social media after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, thanking the leader for “an inspiring conversation on India’s AI opportunity”. In a statement, Microsoft said the investment would be spread over four years. “Together, Microsoft and India are poised to set new benchmarks and drive the country’s leap from digital public... -
Dawn - 13:56 Dec 09, 2025
The United States will allow Nvidia’s H200 processors, its second-best artificial intelligence chips, to be exported to China and collect a 25 per cent fee on such sales, US President Donald Trump said on Monday. The decision appears to settle a US debate about whether Nvidia and rivals should maintain their global lead in AI chips by selling to China or withhold the exports, though Beijing has told companies not to use US technology, leaving it unclear whether Trump’s decision would lead to new sales. Nvidia shares rose 2pc in after-hours trading after Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, following a 3pc rise during the day on a report by Semafor. Trump said in his post that he had informed President Xi Jinping of China, where Nvidia’s chips are under government scrutiny, about the move and that he “responded positively.” He said the US Commerce Department was finalising details of the arrangement and the same approach would apply to other AI chip firms such as Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. Trump... -
Dawn - 13:39 Dec 09, 2025
As militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa surge, the provincial police force has asked the government to grant a special allowance to its personnel, which would cost around Rs4.2 billion per month. Attacks on police personnel have increased by around 56 per cent during the current year. In this regard, the Central Police Office (CPO) moved a summary to KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. The summary stated that the provincial government prioritised the enhancement of police capacity and welfare in view of militancy and security challenges. “Due to the government’s focused efforts and effective administrative measures, not only has the law and order situation improved, but the government’s overall public image has also strengthened,” the summary read. The summary further stated that special financial incentives, such as a militancy allowance, were being provided to police personnel in view of the grave risks, operational responsibilities, and constant exposure to threats they face on a routine basis. It added tha... -
Dawn - 13:12 Dec 09, 2025
Fresh clashes along the Thai-Cambodia border are being met with grim resignation by civilians, as they flock again to makeshift shelters still standing from the last bout of combat. Displaced children chased each other on the tarmac of Thailand’s Chang International Circuit race track, where hundreds of families were sheltering in vast silo-shaped tents. “I want the government to deal with this decisively so it stops for good,” said handyman Boonsong Boonpimay at the racecourse in Buriram city, 70 kilometres from the fraught frontier. “Otherwise we’ll have to keep living like this — unable to work and constantly on edge,” the 51-year-old told AFP. Thailand and Cambodia have a long-standing dispute over portions of their boundary dating back to their colonial-era demarcation. Residents rest inside a temple after they evacuated following clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border, in Siem Reap province on December 9. — AFP Five days of combat in July killed dozens of people and displaced around 300,000 on both ... -
Dawn - 12:40 Dec 09, 2025
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared on Tuesday a petition seeking the verification of Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s degree maintainable and sought a reply from the judge on the matter within three days. The petition questioning the legitimacy of the LLB degree of the IHC judge and seeking a judicial determination on whether he lawfully held office as a high court judge was filed by lawyer Mian Daud. The court had reserved its decision on the maintainability of the plea in July last year. The case against Justice Jahangiri centres on a letter that began circulating last year on social media, purportedly from the University of Karachi’s controller of examinations, regarding the judge’s law degree. A two-member IHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, issued the verdict today after hearing arguments on the matter. During the hearing, Ahmed Hassan Shah, who was representing the District Bar Association, contended that the matter should be referred to the Is... -
Dawn - 12:34 Dec 09, 2025
An annual survey released by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) on Tuesday showed that the police is perceived as the most corrupt government sector in Pakistan, followed by the tender and procurement sector, and then the judiciary. According to a press release issued by TIP, the National Corruption Perception Survey aims to gauge the perception of the public on important governance issues. This year’s survey showed that 24 per cent of 4,000 people (1,000 from each province) surveyed believed police to be the most corrupt sector, with the highest level of perception of corruption in Punjab at 34pc, followed by 22pc in Balochistan, 21pc in Sindh, and 20pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Screengrab from the Transparency International 2025 National Corruption Perception Survey shows results of this year’s survey. The department has consistently ranked the most corrupt in previous surveys conducted by TIP. Screengrab from the Transparency International 2025 National Corruption Perception Survey showing results from... -
Dawn - 12:29 Dec 09, 2025
The latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections for Pakistan suggest that the immediate risk of economic free fall has eased but the country remains locked into a narrow stabilisation path marked by weak growth, heavy debt and limited relief for households. Projections by the Fund, released early on Tuesday alongside the statement announcing a fresh disbursement of around $1.2 billion to Pakistan, showed that the country’s economic growth was projected to inch up from 2.6 per cent in FY2024 to 3.2pc by FY2026, a pace that barely matches population growth in the country of 240.5 million people. With a per capita income of $1,677, this trajectory points more to economic containment than recovery. Pakistan’s population also continues to grow at a high pace, with mid-2025 official figures citing 2.55pc, while World Bank data points to 1.8–1.9pc. Though slightly lower than past peaks, the rate remains a significant development challenge. Pakistan, however, appears to have made the most striking turnaround... -
Dawn - 11:42 Dec 09, 2025
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday said that she was not in favour of a ban on political parties or the imposition of governor’s rule in a province, but stressed that the PTI’s “recent actions” were “pushing” authorities in that direction. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Bokhari, in response to a two-part question regarding the possibility of a ban on PTI and the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, said, “As a political worker, I do not support that any party should be banned or that governor’s rule should be imposed.” But, she continued, “considering the state of affairs, the PTI is pushing us to go in that direction.” “On the one hand, KP remains most afflicted by terrorism, the police their remain understaffed; they do not yet have a Crimes Control Department (CCD), and police do not have the necessary equipment,” she said. The minister stressed that the PTI’s rhetoric was putting “Pakistan at stake, and if they do not stop, we will not be left with any other opti... -
Dawn - 10:28 Dec 09, 2025
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday announced the schedule for local government elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory. The term of the local government expired in February 2021, but elections could not be held and were further delayed due to “new legislation.” In a notification also posted to social media, the ECP called on voters in the ICT to elect their representatives to the general seats of union councils. It set Dec 19 as the date for public notice inviting nomination papers to be issued by the returning officers (ROs), while Dec 22-27 (excluding Quaid-i-Azam Day on Dec 25) as the dates for filing of nomination papers with the ROs by the candidates. The names of the nominated candidates will be published on Dec 29, and the nomination papers will be scrutinised by the ROs from Dec 30 to Jan 3, 2026. From Jan 5-8, appeals may be filed against the decisions of the ROs to accept or reject the nominations. These appeals will be decided by the Appellate Authority from Jan 9-13, and the... -
Dawn - 08:53 Dec 09, 2025
The governor of the US state of Florida, Ron DeSantis, on Monday designated Muslim advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood foreign terrorist organisations. The move comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbott last month designated the CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations. Since then, US President Donald Trump has also issued an executive order directing agencies to initiate the formal process for designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations. According to Fox News, Florida’s designation of the CAIR is at the state level. It doesn’t carry the legal force of a federal foreign terrorist organisation listing, which only the US State Department can issue. In a post on X, the Florida governor said, “Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the CAIR as foreign terrorist organisations. “Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful ... -
Dawn - 08:44 Dec 09, 2025
Reduced visibility due to fog resulted in the collision of six trailer trucks on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M5) on Tuesday, leaving seven people injured, according to Rescue 1122. A section of the motorway (M5) from Zahir Pir in Rahim Yar Khan to the Multan Sher Shah Interchange — near which the collision took place — was also briefly closed in the morning due to fog hampering visibility. According to a statement by the Rescue 1122, trucks being driven on the motorway collided with stationary ones due to fog. Separately, Multan Rescue 1122 spokesperson Arshad Hussain told Dawn that the collision had taken place between six trucks. The rescue service’s statement further detailed that seven people were injured in the accident, of whom two were taken out of a truck during a rescue operation. Traffic diverted due to closure National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) spokesperson Imran Shah earlier confirmed to Dawn that the M5 was closed from the Multan Sher Shah Interchange to Zahir Pir in Rahim Yar Khan betw... -
Dawn - 08:40 Dec 09, 2025
At least one person was injured after unknown assailants opened fire on PTI Senator Khurram Zeeshan’s in-laws’ home located in Hayatabad area on the outskirts of Peshawar during the early hours of Tuesday. Zeeshan was elected to the Senate in October on a general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seat had fallen vacant following the disqualification of PTI leader Shibli Faraz. According to the incident report filed at the Tatara police station, the attack occurred around 3:15am, with unidentified attackers opening fire on the home located in Phase 2 of Hayatabad. According to police, Syed Azhar Hussain Bukhari, the senator’s brother-in-law, said he was at his home when it came under attack. He said that one of the people working at his home, identified as Absar Ahmed, had sustained a bullet injury in the attack. He further said that his property was also damaged in the incident. The spokesperson for the PTI’s KP chapter, Ikram Khatana, also confirmed the attack. He further said that the senator was not presen... -
Dawn - 07:16 Dec 09, 2025
Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday that Israel was responsible for nearly half of all journalists killed this year worldwide, with 29 Palestinian reporters slain by its forces in Gaza. In its annual report, the Paris-based media freedom group said the total number of journalists killed reached 67 globally this year, slightly up from the 66 killed in 2024. Israeli forces accounted for 43 per cent of the total, making them “the worst enemy of journalists”, RSF said in its report, which documented deaths over 12 months from December 2024. The most deadly single attack was a so-called “double-tap” strike on a hospital in south Gaza on August 25, which killed five journalists, including two contributors to international news agencies Reuters and the Associated Press. In total, since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, nearly 220 journalists have died, making Israel the biggest killer of journalists worldwide for three years running, RSF data shows. Foreign reporters are still un... -
Dawn - 05:18 Dec 09, 2025
Thailand said it was taking action to expel Cambodian forces from its territory on Tuesday, as renewed fighting between the two Southeast Asian neighbours spread along the disputed border. Each side has blamed the other for the clashes, which have derailed a fragile ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump that ended five days of fighting in July. Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said two civilians had been killed overnight, taking its death toll to six. One Thai soldier has died in the fighting. In a statement on Tuesday morning, the Thai Navy said Cambodian forces had been detected inside Thai territory in the coastal province of Trat and military operations were launched to expel them, without providing further details. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said late on Monday that Thailand “must not use military force to attack civilian villages under the pretext of reclaiming its sovereignty”. Earlier, Cambodia said it had not retaliated even after its forces came under sustained attack. The Thai Navy sai... -
Dawn - 03:30 Dec 09, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations and its partners on Monday launched their 2026 global humanitarian appeal, with $64.9 million specifically earmarked to support 1.9m vulnerable people in Pakistan as part of the $33bn plan aimed at saving lives threatened by wars, climate disasters, epidemics, earthquakes and crop failures worldwide. The humanitarian appeals’ immediate priority is to save 87 million lives with $23bn in funding, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said. Ultimately, in 2026, the aim is to raise a total of $33bn to support 135m people through 23 country operations and six plans for refugees and migrants. The appeal, titled ‘2026 Response Plan’ earmarks $64.9m to provide assistance to 1.9m people in Pakistan. The aim of the appeal, called ‘Life by Life’, is to reach 135m in 50 countries in 2026, the UN agency said. UNOCHA noted that in 2025, 98m people received help despite funding cuts and attacks on aid workers. Occupied Palestinian Territory gets the largest individu...
6698 items