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Dawn - 13:09 Jan 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on any country doing business with Iran, ramping up pressure as a crackdown on protests continues. Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Iran with military intervention, said in a social media post on Monday that the new levies would “immediately” hit the Islamic republic’s trading partners who also do business with the United States. “This Order is final and conclusive,” he wrote, without specifying who they will affect. Iran’s main trading partners are China, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, according to economic database Trading Economics. Trump has been mulling his options on Iran, which has been roiled by more than two weeks of demonstrations that have defied a near-total internet blackout and lethal force. Sparked by economic grievances, the nationwide protests have grown into one of the biggest challenges yet to the theocratic system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution ousted the shah. Iranian authorities have blamed f... -
Dawn - 12:58 Jan 13, 2026
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Tuesday assailed the PTI for not honouring commitments made in preparation for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent Sindh visit. Memon’s comments come a day after the KP CM concluded his visit to the province. On Monday, the chief minister decried the treatment of him and his entourage in Karachi, saying that the provincial government had “desecrated” the honour of the Sindhi ajrak and topi. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Memon expressed his view that the PTI “did not care for the respect they had been accorded during the visit”. “We do not care about their speeches; however, violations were committed, and all they did was blame the Sindh government.” Addressing the events that transpired during the KP CM’s visit, Memon said that the Sindh government was in contact with representatives from the KP government, and the two had “chalked out” the schedule for the visit. Memon maintained that the PTI “violated every commitment they made earlier... -
Dawn - 12:33 Jan 13, 2026
Bangladesh’s cricket board said on Tuesday it had repeated its refusal to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup during talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Bangladesh announced on Jan 4 that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the two countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh “formally requested” the ICC to shift their games to Sri Lanka. The World Cup begins on February 7, with Bangladesh scheduled to play their four group matches in India. On Tuesday, during a video conference with the ICC, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it had “reiterated its request for the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh’s matches outside India”. “The BCB reaffirmed its position regarding the decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns,” the board said in a statement. “While the ICC highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requ... -
Dawn - 12:32 Jan 13, 2026
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Tuesday that it had partnered with rail companies in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) in a bid to facilitate its passengers. In a press release, the national flag carrier’s spokesperson said that for the convenience of its passengers travelling to Toronto and destinations in the UK, special arrangements had been made to provide access to rail facilities. “PIA has launched an ‘air-to-rail’ partnership with renowned rail services in Canada and the UK, providing passengers with extensive travel facilities,” he said. Under the agreement, PIA passengers can now, after their air travel, reach their final destination by train on a single ticket without the hassle of booking separately, he said. “PIA passengers will now be able to book their rail tickets along with air tickets to reach their final destination via rail, saving time and effort in booking trains separately,” he added. “Passengers arriving in Toronto on PIA can connect to eight major cities in Canada t... -
Dawn - 12:22 Jan 13, 2026
The Sindh government on Tuesday announced that all public and private educational institutions will remain closed on January 17 (Saturday) on account of Shab-i-Meraj. Shab-i-Meraj is observed on the 27th of Rajab to commemorate the Holy Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Night of Ascent. The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said, “In pursuance of the decision taken in the sub-committee meeting of the Steering Committee on Education held on November 28, 2024, all public and private educational institutions under the administrative control of Sindh School Education and Literacy Department, Government on Sindh, shall remain closed on Saturday, January 17 on account of Shab-i-Meraj.” Earlier this week, the Sindh government had decided to change school opening timings across the province for a period of two weeks. The decision was made after Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah consulted with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, keeping in view the intensity of the cold spell in various parts of the provin... -
Dawn - 12:11 Jan 13, 2026
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has stated that unity and consensus on matters of national security and narrative is the need of the hour, Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday. According to the report, he made the remarks as a delegation of the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee (NPAC), led by its Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, met with the DG ISPR in Rawalpindi. “Speaking on the occasion, the DG ISPR emphasised that unity and consensus on matters of national security and narrative were the need of the hour,” it said. He said a comprehensive discussion was held on internal security challenges in the context of Fitna al Khawarij, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan, which further strengthened the shared stance of all stakeholders, it said. “Reiterating Islamabad’s principled position on Kashmir and Gaza, DG ISPR said supporting oppressed peoples is Pakistan’s moral responsibility, ” it added. He stressed that public a... -
Dawn - 11:51 Jan 13, 2026
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Tuesday informed irked lawmakers in the National Assembly that 29,115 trees had been removed from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), but that more than this number would be planted in the coming months. In the past few days, there has been widespread criticism over the cutting of thousands of mature trees in various locations of the federal capital, including the levelling of acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. PTI MNA Riaz Fatyana moved a calling attention notice on the tree-cutting in the federal capital and the public concern it was causing. Responding to him, Chaudhry said 29,115 trees have been removed, while “40,000 trees of more than 8-10 feet have been planted”. He added that another 60,000 trees will be planted in the same areas on March 30, when the weather will be more suitable for planting. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has maintained that only paper mulberry trees were removed, as they had been causing pollen allergy. However, s... -
Dawn - 11:03 Jan 13, 2026
Armed assailants killed four members of a peace committee in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Tuesday, confirmed police. The incident took place in the Gulbadin Landi Dak area of Bannu district. According to a senior official of the district police, the victims were all travelling in the same vehicle when armed men opened “indiscriminate fire” on them. Of the four victims, two were identified as a father and son. They all died on the spot, the official added. Local sources said that the peace committee in the area has taken up arms in self-defense to resist militants, leading to an extremely tense situation in the area. The police official further said that an investigation into the attack has been initiated, but added that it was too early to declare it an act of terrorism. Attacks on peace committee members in KP have been on the rise in recent months. In November 2025, seven people were killed when a peace committee office was attacked in Bannu. Meanwhile, in October, a member of a tribal peace commi... -
Dawn - 09:08 Jan 13, 2026
A bipartisan group of United States lawmakers will visit Denmark this week as President Donald Trump threatens a takeover of Greenland, an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark that houses a US airbase. The delegation will be led by Democratic US Senator Chris Coons and will include Republican US Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Dick Durbin along with some members of the House of Representatives, Coons’ office said in a statement on Monday. Why it’s important Democratic and Republican US lawmakers said last week they expected the US Senate would eventually vote on legislation seeking to rein in Trump’s ability to attempt to seize Greenland from Denmark, a long-time US ally. Trump has repeatedly said Washington must own Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich Arctic territory. He says a US military presence there is not enough. “One way or the other we are going to take Greenland,” Trump has said while adding he would pre... -
Dawn - 08:29 Jan 13, 2026
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan on Tuesday agreed to sign a formal agreement on “pre-immigration clearance” for Pakistani nationals visiting the Gulf country, said a statement by the Ministry of Interior. The agreement, when signed, will enable Pakistani nationals to bypass lengthy immigration processes upon arrival in the UAE. The decision was made in a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and a delegation from the UAE, led by Director General of Customs and Port Security Ahmed Bin Lahij Al Falasi, the press release said. “The immigration process for the passengers will be completed in Pakistan before travel,” Naqvi was quoted as saying. He added that with the implementation of the system, Pakistani nationals will be able to bypass lengthy immigration processes upon arrival in the UAE. “They will be able to exit the airport directly like domestic passengers,” said Naqvi. The interior minister detailed that the system will be launched as a pilot project, with the first phase set to begin... -
Dawn - 07:29 Jan 13, 2026
The work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project is expected to begin in July 2026 from the Karachi Port, said Minister of Railways Hanif Abbasi on Tuesday. The ML-1 project aims to upgrade and modernise key infrastructure to enhance freight and passenger connectivity from Karachi to Peshawar. Last month, a review meeting on the key Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects was also informed that the project will begin in July this year. According to a press release issued today, Abbasi, in a meeting with the Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Rear Admiral (retd) Shahid Ahmed, on January 9, said that the construction of the project will begin from the Karachi Port, starting in July. During the meeting, he informed chairman KPT that under the project, a 54-kilometre railway section from “KPT to Pipri will be upgraded to ensure seamless cargo movement”. The two also discussed “measures for strengthening the railway system for efficient cargo transportation from Karachi Port”. Reduction of congestion ... -
Dawn - 06:57 Jan 13, 2026
Beijing has rejected New Delhi’s claim over the Shaksgam valley in Kashmir and said that the territory “belongs to China”. At a press conference on Monday, when asked by the Press Trust of India (PTI) for comment on the Indian criticism of China’s infrastructure development projects in the Shaksgam valley, China‘s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said that it was “fully justified” for China to conduct infrastructure construction “on its own territory”. “The territory you mentioned belongs to China,” she said. India’s foreign ministry spokesperson had on Friday said that it reserved the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its interests as the Shaksgam valley was “an Indian territory”. “We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement that happened in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid,” he said at a press conference in response to a question from India’s state-owned public television broadcaster Doordashan. The Indian spokespe... -
Dawn - 05:29 Jan 13, 2026
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has appointed its first senior official in India since the group returned to power in 2021, charged with leading their embassy in Delhi. India has not officially recognised the Taliban government, but the move signals a deepening engagement, with New Delhi seeking to exploit divisions between Islamabad and Kabul. Noor Ahmad Noor, a Taliban foreign ministry official, assumed responsibility as charge d’affaires, and has already held meetings with Indian officials, the embassy said in a statement. “Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening Afghanistan-India relations,” the Afghan Embassy said, in a post on X late Monday. India has not commented, but the Afghan embassy posted a photograph of Noor with senior Indian foreign ministry official Anand Prakash. The Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law may appear an unlikely match for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, but India has sought to seize the opening. Nuclear-armed rivals India an... -
Dawn - 04:54 Jan 13, 2026
• Several neighbourhoods have to make do without gas for four days straight as temperatures drop to single digits • Households turn to costly LPG cylinders • PPP senator seeks PM’s intervention • SSGC says shortfall from two fields reaches 45MMcf/d KARACHI: The gas crisis that Karachiites have been facing for the past four days further intensified on Monday, as several neighbourhoods remained completely without gas, while other areas struggled with critically low gas pressure. While office-goers, schoolchildren and other people continue to endure the cold-induced agony of a crippled gas supply, the gas utility concedes the problem, saying it experienced a reduction in gas supply from one more field. City’s minimum average temperature remained in the single digit as the Met Office said it was 8.1 degrees Celsius on Monday. Residents across the city said that the winter freeze had once again exposed the complete failure of the gas utility’s distribution infrastructure and system, turning everyday life into a co... -
Dawn - 03:19 Jan 13, 2026
LAHORE: Despite the passage of about three months, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) remain in the dark about the whereabouts of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Hussain Rizvi and his brother Anas Rizvi. The issue resurfaced a couple of days ago, after an alleged statement attributed to the proscribed religious outfit surfaced, claiming that both were “in the custody of agencies”. However, senior law enforcement officials are sticking to their earlier stance, maintaining that the two are hiding somewhere in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). They said the Rizvi brothers had fled on the day the Punjab police launched a pre-dawn operation in Muridke to dismantle the TLP protest camp along G.T. Road. “I give you my word that they are not in the custody of any security agency and are still in AJK. They are most likely sheltered by a loyal worker of the banned organisation somewhere in the hilly areas,” said a senior officer. Talking to Dawn, he rejected the alleged TLP statement, terming it a “false, funny an... -
Dawn - 02:46 Jan 13, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The government has planned to announce an ‘export emergency’ in the country and create a special cell at PM Office to address problems and complaints of the business community on an urgent basis for increasing exports by 40pc in four years and by around 200pc by 2035 for sustainable economic growth and job creation. “We will have to transform the entire system and become an export nation on an emergency basis, otherwise, the dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and friendly countries for financial support would continue,” said Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal at a news conference on Monday. He conceded the country’s export performance in first four months (July-October) was not satisfactory even though exports grew by around 1pc. He also said there were genuine questions and impatience why GDP was not growing fast quickly but it was a pragmatism decision of the government not to rush for growth through consumerism as was done by the previous government in 2022. To ga... -
Dawn - 02:26 Jan 13, 2026
• CJ Aminuddin inaugurates building, resumes hearing on super tax petitions • Lawyers complain about lack of facilities • CJP Afridi opens advocates’ room, Litigant Facilitation Centre at SC ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court finally settled into its newly renovated building on Constitution Avenue on Monday, where FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan presided over a bench to resume hearing challenges to the imposition of the super tax inside the refurbished Courtroom No. 1. Before the hearing, Justice Aminuddin Khan inaugurated the new court building in a simple ceremony attended by Justices Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Aamir Farooq, Ali Baqar Najafi and K.K. Agha, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, Supreme Court Bar Association President Haroonur Rashid, FCC Registrar Hafeez Khan, along with lawyers and staff of the new establishment. The FCC has a total sanctioned strength of 13 judges. Soon after its establishment, the FCC was shifted to the Islamabad High Co... -
Dawn - 18:51 Jan 12, 2026
The government on Monday withdrew an ordinance which the PPP alleged was promulgated without the approval of President Asif Ali Zardari, hours after the latter staged a walkout from the National Assembly to express its displeasure. Sources told Dawn that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had forwarded a summary advising President Zardari to withdraw the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026. In his remarks during the year’s first NA session, PPP’s Naveed Qamar had not specified which ordinance was promulgated without the president’s approval when he led a walkout by the party, saying it would not participate in proceedings until the situation was addressed. Sources in the PPP, however, had confirmed to Dawn he was referring to an ordinance related to special economic zones. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, meanwhile, said that nowadays there was an e-office through which files were approved online. “This ordinance was also approved. Staff to staff, it was considered approved,” he said in a statement. ... -
Dawn - 18:34 Jan 12, 2026
Tech giants Apple and Google on Monday announced a multi-year partnership that will see Apple’s next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) features, including its Siri assistant, be powered by Google’s Gemini technology. The collaboration marks a significant shift for Apple, which has traditionally developed its core technologies in-house. A joint statement said Apple selected Google’s AI technology after a “careful evaluation” determined it provided “the most capable foundation” for the iPhone-maker’s AI ambitions. The announcement represents a rare alliance between two companies that have long competed in the smartphone market, where Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems dominate globally. However, the two rivals have maintained a lucrative partnership for years, with Google paying Apple billions of dollars annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones and other Apple devices. That arrangement has faced scrutiny from regulators, with the US Justice Department arguing in an antitrust... -
Dawn - 17:58 Jan 12, 2026
Indonesia has expressed its desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan across multiple domains, the military’s media affairs wing said on Monday. The development came as Indonesian Defence Minister Lieutenant General (retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. “The meeting focused on matters of mutual interest, evolving regional and global security dynamics, and exploration of avenues for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation,” it said. “Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening institutional linkages, training collaboration and defence industrial cooperation between Pakistan and Indonesia,” it added. “The visiting dignitary lauded the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He also expressed Indonesia’s desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan ...
6670 items