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Found 5467 news

  • Delegation led by defence minister holds talks with Taliban representatives in Doha
    Dawn - 14:52 Oct 18, 2025
    Amid ongoing hostilities with Afghanistan, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday that a high-level delegation — led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif — is holding discussions with a delegation from the neighbouring country today in Doha. “The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border,” it said. “Pakistan does not seek escalation but urges the Afghan Taliban authorities to honour their commitments to the international community and address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns by taking verifiable action against terrorist entities,” it said. “Pakistan appreciates the mediation efforts of Qatar and hopes these discussions contribute to peace and stability in the region,” the FO said. It was not immediately clear how long the talks would last. Officials on both sides have said they could be extended from Saturday, adding senior intelligence officials from both countries were part...
    Tags: Doha
  • No space for war in nuclearised environment, COAS Munir cautions India
    Dawn - 13:44 Oct 18, 2025
    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday cautioned India that there was “no space for war in a nuclearised environment” as he hailed Pakistan’s “clear victory” during the May conflict with the neighbouring country. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply in early May 2025 after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam prompted New Delhi to launch “Operation Sindoor” on 7 May, targeting sites inside Pakistan and causing civilian casualties. India blamed Pakistan without presenting evidence, further inflaming hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan later launched a retaliatory “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos”, leading to heavy artillery and drone exchanges before a US-led push helped broker a ceasefire. Addressing a passing out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, COAS Munir said, “I advise and firmly caution India’s military leadership that there is no space for war in a nuclearised environment.” Calling on New Delhi to settle co...
    Tags: COAS Munir India
  • Punjab extends province-wide Section 144 for another week citing security threats
    Dawn - 13:26 Oct 18, 2025
    The Punjab Home Department on Saturday extended the imposition of Section 144 across the province for another week, citing security threats amid continuing tensions with the religiopolitical party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. It was imposed on Thursday till today amid the government’s crackdown on the TLP following its violent protests. A complete, province-wide ban was imposed on the display of all kinds of weapons, use of loudspeakers, and publication and distribution of inflammatory, hateful or sectarian material. The ban did not apply to wedding ceremonies, funerals and burials, and loudspeakers could only be used to deliver sermons in mosques and call for prayers. The Home Department’s order issued today said it was evident that the “threat perception to public peace, tranquillity and law and order has not abated” upon ...
    Tags: Section
  • 24 transgender persons hospitalised in India’s Indore after ‘mass suicide’ bid: reports
    Dawn - 11:44 Oct 18, 2025
    At least twenty-four people from the transgender community were hospitalised in the city of Indore in India’s Madhya Pradesh state after consuming disinfectant in a “mass suicide” bid related to a dispute with a rival group, multiple Indian media outlets reported. NDTV reported that the incident occurred on Wednesday night and they were hospitalised soon after. “They have claimed to have consumed phenyl together, but this cannot be immediately confirmed,” the report quoted Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital Superintendent-in-Charge Dr Basant Kumar Ningwal as saying, adding that none of them were in a critical condition. “What triggered the mass act by the transgender persons was not immediately clear,” the report said. Meanwhile, The Hindu reported that the incident occurred “following an altercation with … a rival group leader and her associates”. Indore Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya told the outlet that the rival group leader was arrested on Thursday and a case was registered ...
    Tags: Indore India
  • Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on its nuclear programme
    Dawn - 09:15 Oct 18, 2025
    Iran said on Saturday that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear programme as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its “commitment to diplomacy”. The 2015 deal — signed in Vienna by Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — saw the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme. But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington unilaterally withdrew during President Donald Trump’s first term, with Iran later pulling back from its commitments. The reimposition last month of UN sanctions at the urging of three of the deal’s European signatories rendered the accord effectively moot. From now on, “all of the provisions (of the deal), including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme and the related mechanisms are considered terminated”, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on the day of the pact’s expiration. “Iran firmly expre...
    Tags: Iran
  • 3 terrorists killed as Bannu police thwart attack on checkpost
    Dawn - 08:46 Oct 18, 2025
    Three terrorists were killed after they attempted to attack a police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu late last night, police said in a statement on Saturday. KP police said that three terrorists belonging to the Fitna-al-Khawarij had made an unsuccessful attempt to target the Mazanga police checkpost last night. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Police said the terrorists were attempting to attack the Mazanga police checkpost using a rickshaw loaded with explosive material. During this attempt, they were intercepted by police officials who tried to stop them due to their suspicious activity, the police said. When they did not stop, officials opened fire which caused the rickshaw to explode, the statement said, adding that all three terrorists were killed while police personnel remained safe. The explosion caused minor damage to nearby houses, it added. According to the statement, Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajj...
    Tags: Bannu
  • Finance minister briefs World Bank president on govt’s flood response
    Dawn - 06:46 Oct 18, 2025
    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with World Bank (WB) President Ajay Banga in Washington and briefed him on the government’s flood response efforts, the finance ministry said on Saturday. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the plenary meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) in Washington, DC, where Aurangzeb had arrived on Sunday on a six-day trip from Oct 13 to 18. In a statement issued today, the ministry said that Aurangzeb briefed Banga on the government’s comprehensive flood response efforts and appreciated the Bank’s timely support following the completion of the post-flood damage assessment. The minister also endorsed the proposal of leveraging technology platforms and cooperatives to “effectively reach small farmers and enhance agricultural resilience”, the statement read. Aurangzeb also thanked the WB for “its technical assistance” in developing Pakistan’s tariff policy, it added. The statement said that Aurangzeb informed Banga about the memorandums of unde...
    Tags: World Bank
  • China and US agree to fresh trade talks
    Dawn - 06:01 Oct 18, 2025
    China and the United States agreed on Saturday to conduct another round of trade negotiations in the coming week, as the world’s two biggest economies seek to avoid another damaging tit-for-tat tariff battle. Beijing last week announced sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100 percent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation. Trump had also threatened to cancel his expected meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. In the latest indication of efforts to resolve their dispute, Chinese state media reported that Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had “candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges” during a Saturday morning call, and that both sides agreed to hold a new round of trade talks “as soon as possible”. On social media, Bessent described the call as “frank and detailed”, and said they would meet “in-per...
    Tags: China
  • KP CM Afridi refuses to attend PM’s huddle on Afghan refugees
    Dawn - 04:50 Oct 18, 2025
    PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Friday declined to attend a top-level huddle chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to chalk out a course of action regarding the future of Afghan refugees. However, Mr Afridi was represented by Muzzamil Aslam, former adviser to the chief minister on finance, in the meeting. In a statement on X, the chief minister said that he had declined to attend a federal government’s meeting about agriculture and Afghan refugees on the ground that attending such meetings without policy guidelines from detained PTI founder Imran Khan would be an insult to people’s mandate. He hoped that the federal government would resolve the issue of his meeting with Mr Khan and direct relevant authorities to arrange his regular meetings with the party’s founder. Mr Afridi said that his legal team was approaching the Islamabad High Court and other forums on the matter. Hopes Centre will ensure his meeting with Imran in jail Earlier in the day, he was denied a meetin...
    Tags: Afghan Afridi
  • 57 items exempted from certificate requirement
    Dawn - 04:12 Oct 18, 2025
    QUETTA: The Federal Ministry of Commerce has exempted 57 items from the requirement of a Certificate of Origin (COO) for trade with Iran, a move hailed by the business community as a major breakthrough in strengthening bilateral trade. The decision was announced during a Zoom meeting between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the private sector, chaired by Member Customs Policy Ashhad Jawad and participated by Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) President Muhammad Ayub Mariani, Chief Collector Customs Irfan Javed, Collector Customs Jameel Baloch, State Bank representative Muhammad Yasir, commerce ministry official Zubair Khan, and other stakeholders. The meeting focused on addressing long-standing hurdles in Pakistan-Iran trade, particularly issues related to the Electronic Import Form (EIF) and COO. Speaking on the occasion, Ashhad Jawad said the government was taking all possible steps to promote legal and formal trade with Iran, and that the exemption of 57 items from the COO...
  • Pakistan Railways told to install jammers to protect passengers from attacks
    Dawn - 03:25 Oct 18, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Friday asked Pakistan Railways to strengthen regular patrolling on sensitive routes and install three jammers in each train to protect passengers from terrorist attacks on trains. The National Assembly Standing Committee’s decision came following a briefing given by Pakistan Rail­ways’ officials to the committee about the October 7 attack on the Jaffer Express. The officials said that Jaffer Exp­ress was targeted with an improvised explosives device on October 7 near Sultan Kot Railways Station in Sindh. The blast derailed five bogies and damaged the track. Seven passengers, including Pakistan Railw­ays employees, suffered injuries. The standing committee, chaired by Ramesh Lal in the absence of the chairman, heard updates on the Jaffer Express train blast, encroachments of railways lands and Kara­chi-Pipri freight corridor project. Briefing the committee on the freight corridor project, the secretary of Pakistan Railways said the project would start from Keamari, linki...
    Tags: Pakistan Railways
  • JI leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman booked over ‘remarks against FC’
    Dawn - 03:16 Oct 18, 2025
    GWADAR: Police have registered an FIR against Jamaat-i-Islami Balochistan Emir Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, at the Suntsur police station for allegedly making a speech against the Frontier Corps (FC) during an assembly session. According to police, the case was lodged on the written complaint of Khuda Bakhsh, a resident of Sarbandan in the Dasht area, who alleged that Mr Baloch accused the FC of being responsible for killings in various areas. The complainant further stated that Mufti Shah Mir and Maulana Ghulam Sarwar were killed by unidentified assailants, but Mr Baloch blamed the FC for their deaths without any evidence. Police have registered the FIR against the JI leader under sections 124, 506, 505, and 504 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), as well as sections 26, 20, and 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2025
  • Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vows no quarter for armed miscreants
    Dawn - 03:10 Oct 18, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: In the aftermath of TLP protests, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi pledged strict action on Friday against any group bearing arms against the state, while simultaneously assuring religious leader that the government would not close Islamic seminaries or target innocent people. The interior minister’s remarks came during a meeting with Jamiat Ule­ma-i-Pakistan Secre­tary General Allama Shah Owais Noorani, in which detailed discussions were held on religious harmony, tolerance, and national unit, according to a press release by the Interior Ministry. Both leaders agreed that “no action would be taken against any innocent person, and all of the innocent will be released,” the ministry said. They also agreed that no madressah [seminary] will be closed down. Mr Naqvi reiterated that those bearing arms against the government will face the law. “Holding arms against the state can never be allowed,” Mr Naqvi was quoted as saying, adding that the leaders also agre­­ed that “the miscreants will be deal...
  • Missing Ziarat AC’s son recovered after two months
    Dawn - 03:06 Oct 18, 2025
    QUETTA: The son of the Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ziarat, who was kidnapped two months ago along with his father, has been safely recovered, police officials said. However, his father, Assistant Commissioner Ziarat Muhammad Afzal Baqi, is still missing, and authorities are making all-out efforts for his safe recovery. Police officials said that after his recovery, Mustansar Bilal, the son of assistant commissioner, reached the Zardalo area of Harnai, from where he was taken into protective custody and handed over to the Deputy Commissioner Harnai. It may be recalled that the assistant commissioner and his son were abducted about two months ago by unidentified armed men while returning to Ziarat after a picnic along with their family. The kidnappers allowed the family members, security guard and driver to go home after setting the official vehicle on fire. On Sept 21, reports circulated that the kidnappers had killed AC Ziarat and dumped his body in a mountainous area of Harnai district. An official of Ziarat...
  • ‘Pakistan got just $600m aid after 2022 floods’
    Dawn - 02:54 Oct 18, 2025
    • Ahsan says govt to self-fund recovery, rejected ‘external crutches’ after fresh deluge • Preliminary damage of this year’s floods put at $2.9bn across sectors • 1,039 dead, 1,067 injured; surveys to conclude in two weeks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan suffered more than $30 billion in damages and losses in the 2022 floods but received only $600 million in foreign assistance, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday. Apart from that, all international commitments were loans, most of them repurposed from previous facilities, he said while releasing preliminary estimates for flood-related damages at Rs822bn (about $2.9bn). “This is an irony,” he said, adding that the global community had pledged a $100bn climate-finance fund but “did not provide even $1bn”. Therefore, after consultations, the government decided to meet the latest losses through domestic resources rather than “external crutches” despite the around $3bn damages to agriculture and infrastructure on top of human lives following the recent “apocalyptic fl...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • PM’s adviser slams India for violating ‘sacrosanct’ Indus Treaty
    Dawn - 02:48 Oct 18, 2025
    ROME: Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah has strongly cautioned against the unilateral manipulation of shared water resources, accusing India of undermining a critical water-sharing treaty and posing a threat to regional peace and development. Speaking at the Rome Water Dialogue convened by the Food and Agric­ulture Organisation, he warned that any nation attempting to control transboundary water flows violates international law. “Any attempt to unilaterally alter transboundary water flows or weaponise water access is not only dangerous but contrary to international norms and sustainable development goals,” Mr Shah said. Representing Pakistan at the global forum, Mr Shah raised serious concerns about India’s conduct regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), long seen as a successful example of bilateral cooperation. “The Indus Waters Treaty has long been considered a model of cooperation, even during times of conflict between Pakistan and India,” he said. “However, India’s recent unilate...
    Tags: India
  • TTP ‘commander’ among 9 militants killed in Lakki Marwat
    Dawn - 02:33 Oct 18, 2025
    LAKKI MARWAT: At least eight alleged terrorists were gunned down in an intelligence-based operation in the Sultankhel area, while a commander of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was reportedly killed by unidentified gunmen, on Friday. In addition, security forces claimed to have foiled a terror bid in Bajaur after a large cache of explosives, loaded into a non-Customs paid vehicle, was destroyed in Lowi Mamund tehsil. In Lakki Marwat, officials said an operation was launched on reports about the presence of militants in the rural area located on the border with Punjab, near Mianwali. Security forces spotted the terrorist hideout in the forest between Kaichi Kamar and Sultankhel, which was reportedly targeted through a unmanned drone. Forces foil major terror bid in Bajaur by disabling explosive-laden vehicle During the operation, eight militants were eliminated and their hideouts were destroyed, while security forces seized a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives and launched a sanitisa...
    Tags: Lakki Marwat
  • Pakistan sells First Women Bank to UAE firm
    Dawn - 02:27 Oct 18, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday hailed the acquisition of First Women Bank Ltd (FWBL) by Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company (IHC) as a milestone in Pakistan-UAE economic ties, saying the deal would pave the way for more joint ventures and partnerships across diverse sectors. Speaking at a signing ceremony, the prime minister described the transaction as “the first drop of rain” in a broader effort to deepen economic collaboration with the United Arab Emirates. The event marked the official transfer of a majority stake in FWBL to IHC under a government-to-government (G2G) framework. The UAE delegation was led by Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of 2PointZero. The federal cabinet had earlier approved the divestment of the government’s entire stake in FWBL, reportedly valued at $14.6 million (approximately Rs4.1 billion), a figure yet to be formally disclosed. Buyer to inject Rs6.8bn more to meet capital requirements In addition to acquiring the bank, IHC will m...
  • Shift in Kabul ties imminent as more terror hideouts hit
    Dawn - 02:18 Oct 18, 2025
    • Hafiz Gul Bahadur group’s positions in the crosshairs hours after audacious gun-and-bomb attack in North Waziristan • Strikes come despite extension of ceasefire; security officials say ‘truce with Afghan govt, not terror outfits’ • Khawaja Asif accuses Afghan Taliban of ‘sitting in India’s lap’; says terrorists will be made to pay heavy price, wherever they are • Questions remain over Qatar-mediated talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in absence of clarity over who will attend ISLAMABAD: With representatives from both sides expected to meet in Doha soon for talks mediated by the Qatari government, a telling statement from the country’s defence minister indicated that the gloves were off, as Pakistan again targeted terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan on Friday. The attacks came on the heels of an audacious gun-and-bomb attack, targeting a military installation in North Waziristan, and just hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended their two-day ceasefire. Incidents were reported from the Angoor Adda region ...
    Tags: Kabul
  • Notice issued to DHA coffee shop for ‘unlawfully using Thai café chain’s name’
    Dawn - 01:45 Oct 18, 2025
    KARACHI: A consumer court has issued a notice to a coffee shop located in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase-VIII on an application alleging that it is unlawfully using the name of a Thailand-based café chain. The court has summoned the defendant to appear on Oct 31 to respond to the allegations. Syed Muhammad Ali Jafri, a consumer, filed an application through his counsel, Abdul Ahad Khan, under the relevant sections of the Sindh Consumer Protection Act, 2015, before the judicial magistrate of the consumer court (South) against the defendant Mondo Coffee Bar, operating in DHA, Phase-VIII. The counsel alleged that the café was using the “trademark, design, and logo” of Thailand-based café Mondo Espresso & Tea Bar for financial gain through wrongful means. After a preliminary hearing, the court summoned the defendant “to appear before this court in person, or by a pleader instructed and be able to answer all material question relating to the complaint, or who shall be accompanied by some person able to ...

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