Dawn
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Found 10418 news
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Dawn - 16:16 Apr 18, 2026
KARACHI: An angry mob set a water tanker on fire after the driver of the heavy vehicle ran over and killed a motorcyclist in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Saturday evening, according to police and rescue officials. Speaking to Dawn, Sharea Faisal Station House Officer (SHO) Imtiaz Husain Shah said that a 40-year-old man was riding a motorbike when a reckless water tanker driver ran him over and crushed him in Block-18 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. He said that the driver managed to flee from the scene, leaving behind his heavy vehicle. An angry mob then torched the water tanker, he added. Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan said the law enforcement officials rushed the spot and controlled the situation. However, the front part of the tanker had turned into ashes by then. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for legal formalities. Separately, traffic accidents in the metropolis also claimed the lives of two women, with two heavy vehicle drivers arrested, police officials said. A woma... -
Dawn - 16:12 Apr 18, 2026
KARACHI: A policeman died on Saturday after being hit by a vehicle being driven by alleged smugglers in Gulshan-i-Maymar, according to police and rescue services officials. Site Superhighway Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Nawaz said that a police mobile was on routine patrol at Maymar Mor when it signalled a car to stop for checking. However, the suspects travelling in the car did not stop. They accelerated the vehicle and hit 36-year-old constable Abdul Manan, who sustained critical injuries. He was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. His funeral prayers were later offered at the DIG East Zone Police Headquarters. SHO Nawaz said other policemen chased the fleeing suspects in their mobile, which was also hit and damaged by the suspects. Regardless, the police managed to arrest both suspects, identified as Agha Jan and Naseem. The police officer said during the initial probe, it was discovered that the seized car was heavily loaded with chalia (betel nut) and was being dr... -
Dawn - 15:28 Apr 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, the spouse of former prime minister Imran Khan, approached the Islamabad High Court on Saturday seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds. Bushra is serving a seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, which pertains to giving undue favours to property tycoon Malik Riaz in retrieving his laundered money from the United Kingdom. Her appeal against the conviction remains pending before the high court. In December 2025, she was also sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana 2 case, which concerns the purchase of an expensive jewelry set gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during his May 2021 visit. In the application filed on Saturday through her counsels Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, Bushra Bibi urged the court to urgently fix and decide on her plea seeking the suspension of the sentence. The petition stated that Bushra Bibi, currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, underwent an eye surgery under u... -
Dawn - 14:39 Apr 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on health Dr Zafar Mirza on Saturday voiced alarm at the rising number of HIV cases in Pakistan, warning that the situation was becoming increasingly alarming. Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, he referred to the emergence of HIV cases in Taunsa uncovered by the BBC, saying that the reuse of contaminated syringes and inadequate screening of blood before transfusions were major contributors to the spread of the disease. He also demanded that the report prepared by the Punjab government’s commission on the matter be made public and demanded an audit of global health funding received by Pakistan. Dr Rana Jawad, Dr Qaid Saeed, Asghar Satti, and an HIV-positive patient were also present alongside Zafar during the press conference. Zafar said that Pakistan, along with countries like India and China, had one of the highest numbers of HIV cases in Asia. The ex-SAPM noted approximately 70 per cent of blood transfusions in the coun... -
Dawn - 14:20 Apr 18, 2026
A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday during a brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and two were reportedly attacked as Iran closed the route again. The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was “very close”. Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the war to protest an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments. During the reopening, at least eight oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday after the Iranian announcement on Friday afternoon, data from tracking firm Kpler indicated. However, tracking platform MarineTraffic showed several other crude oil tankers approached the strait but then turned back near Iran’s Larak Island, a checkpoint for vessels seeking to exit the Gulf under Iranian forces’ blockade of the passage. Screengrab... -
Dawn - 13:19 Apr 18, 2026
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday she had “no regrets” about symbolically handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump back in January. “There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s freedom,” she told a news conference in Madrid. Machado presented her Nobel prize to Trump when she met him in the White House just two weeks after he ordered US forces to attack Caracas and snatch Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump, who has long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, is currently embroiled in the Middle East war he started with his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with airstrikes on Iran at the end of February. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the peace prize, made clear after Machado handed her 2025 Nobel medal to Trump that the actual honour it represents “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others”. Machado said that Trump’s military operation to s... -
Dawn - 12:57 Apr 18, 2026
‘STRATEGIC silence’ refers to the deliberate choice made by a state to remain silent, indifferent and unconcerned in the context of major armed conflicts. Before and after the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran, several countries attempted to de-escalate tensions between the warring parties. Pakistan, along with Egypt and Türkiye, has played the role of facilitator or peace-broker to de-escalate hostilities between Iran and the US. However, India, which is a larger country in both size and population, and has stronger economic and political clout, has shown reluctance to initiate peace efforts, despite enjoying cordial relations with both Israel and Iran. This is not the only conflict where New Delhi has chosen ‘strategic silence’ over proactive peace diplomacy. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict too, India has remained a silent observer and played a cautious role. Why is India reluctant to play the role of peace-broker in major conflicts? What are the strategic, political and historical factors that lim... -
Dawn - 12:33 Apr 18, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed efforts to strengthen relations with brotherly countries, Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace, and the evolving regional and global situation during his tri-nation tour, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Saturday. The PMO statement was issued as the premier departed on his flight back home from Antalya after concluding his diplomatic visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye. Later in the day, PM Shehbaz arrived in Lahore. According to the PMO, the prime minister and the Pakistani delegation were seen off at Antalya Airport by Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Ambassador Tolga Bermek, Ambassador Nilufer Kaygisiz, parliament member Burhan Kayaturk, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yousuf Junaid. “The prime minister’s three-day tour included visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye, where he held meetings with the leadership of all three brotherly countries, as well as with other world leaders participating in the Antalya Diplo... -
Dawn - 11:53 Apr 18, 2026
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced that its pre-Haj operation will formally commence on April 19, during which more than 55,000 pilgrims will be transported to the Holy Land through 191 flights from across Pakistan. A PIA spokesperson said that under the government scheme, 49,000 pilgrims will travel, while over 6,000 pilgrims through private Haj group operators will also be facilitated via PIA flights. He also noted that the first flight of the Haj operation, PK-747, will depart from Sialkot for Madinah on April 19 at 1:55am, carrying over 390 pilgrims. Under the pre-Haj operation, PIA will transport over 15,400 pilgrims from Islamabad to Saudi Arabia through 46 flights. From Karachi, over 15,000 pilgrims will be flown through 55 flights; from Lahore, 12,377 pilgrims through 34 flights; from Faisalabad, 3,680 pilgrims through 23 flights; from Multan, 5,383 pilgrims through 13 flights; from Sialkot, 2,075 pilgrims through five flights; and from Quetta, 4,487 pilgrims through 15 pre-Haj flight... -
Dawn - 11:50 Apr 18, 2026
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt exchanged views on “evolving regional dynamics,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a post on X on Saturday. According to the FO, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye. It included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty. In an effort to halt the US-Israeli war on Iran, the foreign ministers of the four countries had held two meetings ahead of the announcement of ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 22. The first meeting was held in Riyadh on the sidelines of a consultative ministerial meeting, while the second meeting was held in Islamabad. On Saturday, the FO said that the foreign ministers “exchanged views on evolving regional dynamics, reaffirming the vital role of dialogue and diplomacy in promoting peace, stability and shared prosperity”. ... -
Dawn - 09:50 Apr 18, 2026
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire “more land”. “Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land. Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land,” Fidan told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking in English at a panel discussion, Fidan said Israel had created an “illusion” internationally by portraying itself as acting purely in its own defence. “It has become very clear, especially in recent years, that it is more than that,” he said. From Palestinian lands including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and now extending towards Lebanon and Syria, Israel was pursuing “an onward occupation and expansionism in the region,” Fidan said. “I think this has to stop,” the Turkish FM added. “Israel has to know that the only way to live peacefully in the region … is to let the other countries enjoy their own security, and territorial in... -
Dawn - 09:46 Apr 18, 2026
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei visited US officials at the White House on Friday, where they struck a different tone from the recent dispute between the United States’ government and the AI startup. US media reported Amodei met with Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, as well as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Today, the White House hosted an introductory meeting with Anthropic that was both productive and constructive,” a White House spokesperson told AFP. “We discussed opportunities for collaboration, as well as shared approaches and protocols to address the challenges associated with scaling this technology.” The rhetoric marks a departure from months earlier, when US President Donald Trump instructed the US government to “immediately cease” using Anthropic’s technology after the company refused to allow the Pentagon have unconditional use of its Claude AI models for military purposes. “We look forward to continuing this dialogue and will host similar discussions with other leading AI c... -
Dawn - 09:31 Apr 18, 2026
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi have concluded a three-day official visit to Iran, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. The discussions focused on “bringing sustainable peace to the region, with particular emphasis on the evolving regional security environment, ongoing diplomatic engagements, and collaborative measures aimed at promoting enduring peace and stability in the region”, the ISPR said in a statement. Munir underscored the need for dialogue, de-escalation, and peaceful resolution of outstanding issues through sustained diplomatic engagements, it added. During the visit, the field marshal called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and held separate meetings with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the commander of Khatamul Anbiya Headquarters, Major General Ali Abdollahi. According to the ISPR statement, the CDF expressed deep app... -
Dawn - 09:01 Apr 18, 2026
The Trump administration on Saturday renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on. The United States Treasury Department’s waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16. It replaces a 30-day waiver that expired on April 11 and excludes transactions involving Iran, Cuba and North Korea. The move is part of the administration’s effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the US-Israeli war with Iran. It came after countries in Asia, suffering from the global energy shock, pressed Washington to allow alternative supplies to reach markets. Reversal by treasury “As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would no... -
Dawn - 07:42 Apr 18, 2026
Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been appointed as head coach for the two-match Test series in Bangladesh next month, the Pakistan Sports Board (PCB) said on Saturday. The first of the two matches – part of the ICC World Test Championship — will be played at Sher-i-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka from May 8 to 12, while Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host the second Test, which will be played from May 16 to 20. Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, has worked with the under-19 team as well as Pakistan Shaheens after his retirement. Since Australian Jason Gillespie quit as Pakistan’s red-ball coach in December 2024, Aaqib Javed and Azhar Mahmood temporarily guided the team led by Shan Masood, who will continue as captain in Bangladesh. Pakistan have named four uncapped players — Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Muhammad Ghazi Ghori — to their 16-member squad for the Bangladesh series starting in Dhaka on May 8. Sarfaraz’s former teammate Umar Gul will j... -
Dawn - 07:24 Apr 18, 2026
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held a “productive” meeting with officials of the United States Department of the Treasury, with both sides discussing avenues for cooperation in the mineral and energy sectors, the finance ministry said on Saturday. Aurangzeb arrived in the United States on Monday to participate in the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings 2026, taking place from April 13 to 18 in Washington, DC. The Spring Meetings bring together finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers and development experts from around the world amid ongoing global economic uncertainty. On the sidelines of the World Bank-International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF) Spring Meetings 2026 in Washington, DC, Aurangzeb held a “productive” meeting with Francis Brooke, the deputy secretary at the US Department of the Treasury, the ministry said in a post on X. “Both sides discussed avenues for cooperation and collaboration in energy, mineral development, and strengthening the anti-money... -
Dawn - 03:52 Apr 18, 2026
• 159 patients admitted to three city hospitals this year • Majority of them contracted the incurable virus due to ‘unsafe healthcare practices’ • Alarm raised over lack of basic infection control protocols in hospitals KARACHI: Three hospitals in Karachi have recorded a dramatic increase in the number of paediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases over the last nine months and their numbers continue to grow, it emerged on Friday. According to sources, 10 HIV positive children were admitted to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre (SIDH&RC) in 2024 and their number rose to over 70 in 2025. This year, 30 children with HIV positive status were admitted to the hospital. At the Indus Hospital, 144 HIV positive patients were reported in 2024, whose number rose to 176 in 2025. In the first quarter of this year, 69 HIV patients have been reported at the facility. “There has been an alarming surge in paediatrics cases registered at our hospital. Since August 2025 till date, 72 children le... -
Dawn - 02:39 Apr 18, 2026
WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Friday that while he has discussed with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials the impact of the Iran conflict on Pakistan’s economy, “our focus is on getting an early approval for the next tranche” of the IMF package and that a team of the global lender will visit Pakistan next month for consultations on the upcoming review. Talking to Dawn after his news conference at the Pakistan Embassy, the minister reiterated that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was “a very good development”, which would ease pressure on global oil supplies, bring down oil prices everywhere and benefit Pakistan as well. Had the conflict persisted, it would have adversely affected everything “from economic growth to inflation”, he said, adding: “We hope the situation will improve, but hope is not a strategy, and that’s why we had planned for everything.” Aurangzeb said he also discussed the possible consequences of the Iran crisis with the IMF, which has established facil... -
Dawn - 02:22 Apr 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced a reduction of Rs32.12 per litre in diesel prices while keeping petrol rates unchanged for the week ending April 24, passing on the impact of easing global prices following the ceasefire announced by the United States and Iran. The last-minute reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting 12-13 per cent decline in global prices were not taken into account before the prime minister approved the diesel price cut through a written statement. The sharp fall, which came soon after the agreement between the US and Iran, along with further expected reductions in the coming days, is likely to be reflected in domestic prices next week. Accordingly, the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has been fixed at Rs353.42 per litre, down from Rs385.54, marking a decline of 8.3pc. Diesel prices have dropped significantly from their peak of Rs520.35 on April 10. HSD is considered the most inflationary fuel due to its widespread use in freight transportatio... -
Dawn - 01:28 Apr 18, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: As many as 125 people, including women and children, were safely rescued from Mangla Dam on Thursday night after a sudden thunderstorm disrupted their return journey from Ramkot Fort, an official said on Friday. According to Mirpur SSP Khurram Iqbal, the group had travelled to Ramkot Fort for a day-long outing on a locally designed floating transport platform. The platform, operated with the help of boats, has a capacity of around 100 passengers. Ramkot Fort is a 16th-century fortified structure featuring around 440 stairs to reach the top, offering panoramic views of Mangla Lake, which surrounds it on three sides. The group, comprising employees of a life insurance company and their families from Mirpur and adjoining districts, had taken nearly three hours to reach the historic site. They were returning around 8pm when a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain and strong winds, struck the area. The SSP said the adverse weather caused the floating platform to lose stability and drif...
10418 items