Dawn
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Dawn - 17:31 Dec 06, 2025
The dust of the city coated everything – the flags, the crisp new doboks, the hopeful faces of fathers shepherding their children. After 18 years, this was Karachi’s welcome: not a red carpet, but a gritty testament. The National Games had come home. The city, in its quintessential fashion, demanded a pilgrimage. For the first Games on its soil after 18 years, it offered an obstacle course of its own making – cranes standing like sentinels over diverted roads that formed labyrinths of progress. But through the grit and the detours, they came. A river of colour, athletes from every corner of the country in their distinct tracksuits, and locals converging on the National Stadium. They arrived not for a mere ceremony, but in spite of the journey. “I am almost covered in this dust,” a father told Dawn, guiding his young son in a taekwondo dobok toward the gates. “But we are glad. We are here.” Flags of various participating contingents seen during the opening ceremony of National Games in Karachi on Saturday. — T... -
Dawn - 17:12 Dec 06, 2025
The PTI emphatically deplored “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson against ex-premier Imran Khan, saying he was “not a security threat”, and lamented the weakening of democracy in the country following the passage of recent constitutional amendments. In a blistering press conference on Friday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran 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”. Responding to the DG ISPR’s accusations in a press conference today at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said: “Do not drive away the people of Pakistan, they stand with Imran Khan and the PTI. Imran Khan is not a national security threat. He has kept the people united.” Raja said there were many narratives in the country, including along ethnic and sectarian lines, yet Imran had rejected all of them to ... -
Dawn - 14:45 Dec 06, 2025
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday that 14 terrorists were killed in three separate intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.. In a statement, the military’s media wing said nine khawarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij were killed on Friday. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It said an IBO was conducted in Tank on the reported presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, seven khawarij were sent to hell,” the statement read. In a separate IBO conducted in Lakki Marwat, “two more khawarij were effectively neutralised by security forces”. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area,” the statement said. Later in the day, the ISPR said security forces conducted an IBO in Balochistan’s Dera ... -
Dawn - 14:29 Dec 06, 2025
Pakistan and the United States agreed to intensify cooperation on security and immigration during a meeting in Islamabad on Saturday between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker. Naqvi and Baker discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in counter-narcotics, security, and the prevention of illegal immigration. The meeting also focused on strengthening collaboration in intelligence sharing, curbing drug trafficking, and expanding joint measures to stop illegal migration. The US envoy offered full technical assistance to Pakistan in combating narcotics and preventing unauthorised cross-border movement. He said the identification of drug trafficking cases at airports remains a top priority, adding that state-of-the-art scanning machines were being installed at all major airports across the country. Naqvi reaffirmed that Pakistan is strictly implementing a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics. Even today, drugs originating from Afghanistan are reaching dozens of countries... -
Dawn - 14:26 Dec 06, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Gujranwala Mass Transit System on Saturday. Addressing the project’s groundbreaking ceremony, the prime minister termed it a major initiative to provide public relief and improve residents’ lives. He said the project was a gift from the Punjab government that would transform the entire district, providing relief to commuters, including students, patients, labourers, lawyers and others. The premier appreciated Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for the successful launch of diverse public-oriented mega projects across the province and said the recent by-election results reflected public trust in the leadership. “In the next three years, the incumbent government of PML-N has the mandate to serve the people,” he said. “The journey of progress and prosperity has just commenced, and we will move on the path of development rapidly,” he added. The prime minister predicted a successful turnout in the PML-N’s favour in the next general elections. In... -
Dawn - 13:48 Dec 06, 2025
A woman and her teenage daughter were stabbed to death over “honour” in the Gizri area of Karachi on Friday night, police said. Police said Kulsoom, 43, and her daughter Maryam, 11, were stabbed and killed by her husband, Samiullah. South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said the double murder appeared to be an “honour” killing. The suspect was arrested, and the knife used in the double homicide was also recovered and seized. Police registered a case against the suspect on the complaint of the victim’s brother Faisal Khan. Raza said the suspect stabbed and injured his wife and daughter in their home located near Noorani Masjid. The victims were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where they were pronounced dead. DIG Raza said the suspect had “confessed” to the crime. He said the initial probe showed that the suspect was arrested around two and a half months ago in another case and was released on bail around three days ago. In Pakistan, ‘honour’ killings continued to claim ... -
Dawn - 13:36 Dec 06, 2025
A judicial magistrate on Saturday ordered the release on bail of the son of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Mohammed Asif, after the victims’ families forgave him in the fatal accident case that claimed the lives of two young women. The tragic incident occurred late at night on Monday near the Pakistan National Council of Arts in Islamabad when a black speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV) allegedly driven by Abuzar struck two girls who worked part-time for an event management company. The victims were travelling on a scooter when the speeding vehicle hit them, killing both on the spot due to severe injuries. The accused, Abuzar, was remanded into police custody on Tuesday in the case. He was produced before Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi upon completion of his four-day physical remand today. During the proceedings, the court recorded statements of the victims’ families. The brother of one victim appeared in person, while her mother submitted her statement online. The father of the other girl also confi... -
Dawn - 13:07 Dec 06, 2025
What started as a fact-finding mission for Netflix culminated in one of the biggest media deals in the last decade and one that stands to reshape the global entertainment business landscape, people with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters. Netflix announced on Friday it had reached a deal to buy Warner Bros Discovery for $72 billion. Although Netflix had publicly downplayed speculation about buying a major Hollywood studio as recently as October, the streaming pioneer threw its hat in the ring when Warner Bros Discovery kicked off an auction on October 21, after rejecting a trio of unsolicited offers from Paramount Skydance. Details of Netflix’s plan and the Warner Bros board’s deliberations, based on interviews with seven advisers and executives, are reported here for the first time. Initially motivated by curiosity about its business, Netflix executives quickly recognised the opportunity presented by Warner Bros, beyond the ability to offer the century-old studio’s deep catalogue of movies and televis... -
Dawn - 12:49 Dec 06, 2025
Ruinous floods and landslides have killed more than 900 people on Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, the country’s disaster management agency said on Saturday, with fears that starvation could send the toll even higher. A chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has pummelled Southeast and South Asia, triggering landslides and flash floods from the Sumatran rainforest to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka. More than 1,790 people have been killed in natural disasters unfolding across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam over the past week. In Indonesia’s provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, floods have swept away roads, smothered houses in silt, and cut off supplies. Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf said response teams were still searching for bodies in “waist-deep” mud. However, starvation was one of the gravest threats now hanging over remote and inaccessible villages. “Many people need basic necessities. Many areas remain untouched in the remote areas of Aceh,” he told reporters. “People are n... -
Dawn - 12:33 Dec 06, 2025
Calm returned to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman on Saturday after heavy clashes occurred between the two sides a day earlier. At least three civilians were injured in the clashes last night and were shifted to the district hospital in Chaman. On the Afghan side, five people were injured, according to Afghan government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. According to officials, Afghan forces fired mortar shells on the Badani area, prompting security forces to retaliate. However, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding. Prime Minister’s spokesperson for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, however, confirmed the clashes. In a post on X early Saturday morning, he said, “A short while ago, the Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the Chaman border. An immediate, befitting & intense response has been given by our armed forces.” “Pakistan remains fully alert & committed to ensuring it... -
Dawn - 11:47 Dec 06, 2025
The nearly two-month-old ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will not be complete until Israeli troops withdraw from the Palestinian territory under a peace plan backed by Washington and the United Nations, mediator Qatar’s prime minister said on Saturday. “Now we are at the critical moment … A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces, [and] there is stability back in Gaza,” Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference in the Gulf state’s capital. Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt, helped secure the long-elusive truce in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10 and has mostly halted two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Under a second phase of the deal, which has yet to begin, Israel is to withdraw from its positions in the territory, an interim authority is to take over governance, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be deployed. Arab and Muslim nations have been hesita... -
Dawn - 10:23 Dec 06, 2025
India capped airfares on Saturday as hundreds of passengers gathered outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports after IndiGo cancelled 385 flights on the fifth day of a crisis at the country’s biggest airline that has crippled air travel. IndiGo has cancelled thousands of flights this week due to a shortage of pilots after it failed to plan adequately for new rules limiting pilots’ work hours. The government responded on Friday, announcing special relief for the carrier and the operation of additional trains to help clear the backlog. The Delhi airport posted on X on Saturday that flight operations were steadily resuming, but cancellations remained rife elsewhere. ‘Waiting for my luggage’ With IndiGo’s spate of cancellations, fares rose on flights operated by other airlines on popular routes. The government said it was capping fares to maintain pricing discipline, without disclosing details of the caps. The Civil Aviation Ministry said it would “continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and ac... -
Dawn - 10:12 Dec 06, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday slammed the PTI for its reaction to yesterday’s press conference by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, wherein he had launched a scathing attack on party founder Imran Khan. On Friday, Lt Gen Chaudhry — without once naming Imran — called the former premier “a mentally ill person”, “a narcissist” and “a security risk”, while stressing it was for the government to decide how to deal with him. He had accused him and his party of pushing a narrative designed to undermine the armed forces and destabilise the state. In response, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali had expressed “disappointment” over the comments, stating that “PTI’s narrative has never been, nor will it ever be, anti-state”. Speaking to the media in Sialkot, Asif recalled that 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. “When they were in... -
Dawn - 09:38 Dec 06, 2025
Notables lawyers and citizens have paid tribute to three judges who resigned in the wake of the 27th Amendment, lauding their decision to “preserve their constitutional oath and honour over office and privilege”. Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah had resigned from the Supreme Court on November 13, hours after the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment was signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari. Shah had assailed the amendment as “a grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan” while Minallah said he had sworn to uphold not “a constitution” but “the Constitution”. Meanwhile, Lahore High Court’s Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza had tendered his resignation two days later, saying: “After the 27th Amendment in the Constitution, I am not inclined as a matter of principle and in good conscience to continue as a judge.” In a statement printed in Dawn on Saturday, 60 citizens and lawyers issued a statement saying: “We mourn presently, not at the resignations of Justices Shah, Minallah and Mirza — the... -
Dawn - 08:58 Dec 06, 2025
The Asian Development Bank on Saturday approved three projects totalling $381 million concerning agriculture, education and health services in Punjab. According to a press release, the development projects are aimed at fostering economic growth in the province. “Investing in education, health, and agricultural mechanisation will play a transformative role in driving the growth of Punjab, a vital pillar of Pakistan’s economy,“ ADB Country Director for Pakistan Emma Fan was quoted as saying. “These strategic investments will modernise agriculture, enhance human capital, and significantly improve livelihoods for millions of people across Punjab,” she said. According to the handout, a $120m concessional loan and $4m grant have been allocated for the Punjab Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture Mechanisation Project to accelerate the province’s transition to modern, disaster-resilient, and low-carbon agriculture practices, benefiting 220,000 rural farm households. “The project will help mechanise farming an... -
Dawn - 07:41 Dec 06, 2025
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board will meet on December 8 (Monday) to approve $1.2 billion in loans to Pakistan. The IMF had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on its loan programmes in October after extensive talks were held in Karachi, Islamabad and Washington from September 24 to October 8. The agreement still requires approval from IMF’s Executive Board before funds can be released. If approved, it would unlock about $1.2bn in fresh financing for the country; roughly $1 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and another $200 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The IMF confirmed the date of the meeting in a brief announcement on Friday. The official calendar posted on the IMF website also showed the Executive Board would review Pakistan’s loan programmes. Negotiations between Islamabad and the lending agency, led by IMF mission chief Iva Petrova, had focused on Pakistan’s fiscal performance, monetary stance, structural reforms and progres... -
Dawn - 06:04 Dec 06, 2025
Disaster-hit Sri Lanka has unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes damaged by a deadly cyclone, even as the island prepared Saturday for further landslides and flooding. The government has confirmed 607 deaths, with another 214 people missing and feared dead, in what President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called the country’s most challenging natural disaster. More than two million people — nearly 10 per cent of the population — have been affected. Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees ($33,000) to buy land in a safer location and build a new house, the finance ministry said in a statement late on Friday. The government is also offering one million rupees as compensation for each person killed or permanently disabled. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said more than 71,000 homes were damaged, including nearly 5,000 that were completely destroyed by last week’s floods and landslides. Around 150,000 people remain in state-run shelters, down from a peak of 225,000. The International... -
Dawn - 05:54 Dec 06, 2025
An advisory panel appointed by President Donald Trump’s vaccine-sceptic health secretary voted on Friday to stop recommending that all newborns in the United States receive a hepatitis B vaccine. The move to end the decades-old recommendation is the panel’s latest contentious about-face on vaccine policy since its overhaul by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this year. US health authorities previously recommended that all babies, not just those born to mothers believed to have hepatitis B, receive the first of three vaccine doses just after birth. The approach aimed, in part, to prevent transfers from mothers who unknowingly had hepatitis B or had falsely tested negative, and had virtually eradicated infections of the potentially deadly liver disease among young people in the country. After delaying the vote by a day, the panel on Friday passed its new recommendation for “individual-based decision-making,” in consultation with a health care provider, when children are born to mothers testing neg... -
Dawn - 05:03 Dec 06, 2025
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday decided to withdraw what it called “politically motivated violence cases registered on May 9 and 10 without credible evidence.” The cabinet met with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in the chair and ministers, chief secretary and administrative secretaries in attendance, according to an official statement. It added that the participants took key decisions regarding the distribution formula for reserved seats in medical and dental colleges for students from merged tribal districts, the new proposed posting and transfer policy, the committee report on action in aid of civil powers law, matters related to wheat stock and procurement, the May 9 and 10 violence cases, the formation of the KP Sugarcane and Sugar Beet Board, additional funding for development schemes and other public welfare initiatives. The cabinet decided that “politically-motivated” May 9 and 10 cases registered without credible evidence would be withdrawn. However, it offered no details. Sends new p... -
Dawn - 03:39 Dec 06, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The planned relocation of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to its old premises in the congested Sector G-10 has been put on hold, as the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) — which earlier sought to retain the IHC building on Constitution Avenue as its principal seat — is now preparing to move to the Federal Shariat Court (FSC). Sources confirmed that shifting of FCC record to the FSC building will begin today (Saturday), though it may take several days to fully transfer files, systems and administrative units. IHC Bar President Syed Wajid Ali Gillani and Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Jajja held multiple meetings with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to convey their concerns. The law minister had recently said that a decision regarding relocation would be made only after consulting lawyers’ bodies. Once keen on retaining the prized Constitution Avenue premises of the Islamabad High Court, the newly formed court will begin the process of shifting its record today Initially, the FCC was supposed to establish it...
6698 items