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Dawn - 17:27 Jan 07, 2026
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Wednesday stated that it had accepted and implemented in letter and spirit almost all points of its agreement with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) that fell within its jurisdiction, adding that issues relating to the federal government could take some time. The federal government on October 4, 2025, signed an agreement with the JAAC to end the tense situation prevailing in the region since late September. The AJK government claimed it had resolved or was moving towards resolution of more than 90 per cent of the issues outlined by the JAAC. “We have implemented all matters that were within our domain. However, federally funded projects are approved through a defined process, and that naturally takes time,” Minister for Information and Religious Affairs Muhammad Rafique Nayyar said at a press conference. “Similarly, matters related to constitutional amendments also take time because they pass through different stages,” he added. Nayyar said the PPP-led gove... -
Dawn - 17:25 Jan 07, 2026
Tempers flared and expletives were hurled across the squash court faster than the ball as Egyptian squash player Fares Dessouky got into a heated argument with the referee and abandoned the match in the fifth game, which automatically allowed Pakistan’s Noor Zaman to advance to the quarterfinal of the Karachi Open. Home favourite Noor was Pakistan’s last hope to make it to the quarterfinals after Ashab Irfan and Nasir Iqbal were eliminated from the tournament earlier in the day. Noor was two sets down as Dessouky took the first two games 11-8, 11-9. View this post on Instagram Tensions had been building throughout the match, with Dessouky in the second game questioning how the score had reached 6-4 when it should have been 5-4. Spectators and international athletes alike, as well as squash icon Jahangir Khan sitting front row to the action, murmured that the score should be 5-4. Dessouky took the second game as Noor’s coach gave him a pep talk that ostensibly helped him win the third game 11-5. Dessouky, curr... -
Dawn - 16:59 Jan 07, 2026
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday ordered security forces not to crack down on economic protests, drawing a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and armed “rioters”. Pezeshkian’s statement comes as Iranian cities continue to see a wave of protests against economic hardship triggered by price rises and currency collapse. Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) claimed on Tuesday at least 27 protesters have been killed during the demonstrations that kicked off with a shopkeeper’s strike in Tehran on December 28. Iranian media outlets, relaying official announcements, have reported 13 deaths, including members of the security forces and a policeman who was shot dead on Tuesday. In a video released by the news agency Mehr after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Iran Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said Pezeshkian had “ordered that no security measures be taken against the demonstrators”. “Those who carry firearms, knives and machetes and who attack police stations and military sites ar... -
Dawn - 16:55 Jan 07, 2026
Featuring for Pakistan for the first time since June last year, Shadab Khan impressed with the ball, teaming up with Abrar Ahmed as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the opening fixture of the three-match Twenty20 International series at the Rangiri Dambulla Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The all-rounder took two wickets, while Abrar hunted three victims to restrict Sri Lanka to a paltry 128-run total before Sahibzada Farhan’s half century helped Pakistan chase down the target with 20 balls to spare. Shadab gave away only 25 runs in his four overs, bagging both his wickets in his very first over and could have gone on to take a third had it not been for a dropped catch later on. Coming into bowl in the seventh over, after Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza’s pace — that accounted for a wicket for each — saw Sri Lanka post 35-2 in the powerplay, Shadab trapped a sweeping Kusal Mendis lbw and induced an inside edge off Dhananjaya de Silva’s bat for wicket-keeper Usman Khan to take a good catch. With Sri Lan... -
Dawn - 16:52 Jan 07, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Wednesday was informed that Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) suffered a loss of Rs22 billion due to the prolonged grounding of its aircraft. Officials from the Auditor General’s Office informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that PIA aircraft spent an extended period in routine maintenance, ranging from 44 to 239 days, resulting in substantial losses in 2022. One aircraft was grounded for 652 days, officials revealed while discussing the Aviation Division’s audit objections for the year 2023-24. The audit department was of the view that, due to the management’s negligence, extended delays occurred, resulting in unjustified operational and financial losses of Rs21.82 billion. Similarly, PIA incurred further losses of Rs8.6 billion due to the failure to dispose of spare parts or retired aircraft. The audit observed that the management held an inventory of spare parts from retired aircraft valued at Rs8.566 billion for the period 2015–2021, which had... -
Dawn - 15:41 Jan 07, 2026
A Dutch court broke the hearts of a couple after ruling that their marriage, whose wedding vows were drafted with the help of artificial intelligence, was not valid. The couple thought they had sealed their love at the April 2025 service in Zwolle, in the north of the country. Seeking an informal civil ceremony, they had asked a friend to officiate — so the friend turned to ChatGPT to help compose the vows. Between them, however, they missed the point, a Zwolle court ruled on Tuesday. Couples are required by law to declare that they will fulfil all the legal obligations linked to marriage, the court noted in its judgment. “The aforementioned statement shows that the man and the woman did not make the declaration referred to in Article 1:67, paragraph 1, of the Dutch Civil Code,” it ruled. The ruling quoted the AI-generated vows to make its point. “Do you promise to stand by (women’s name) today, tomorrow, and forever?” the man was asked during the ceremony. “To laugh together, grow together, and love each oth... -
Dawn - 15:37 Jan 07, 2026
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday sought a “policy shift” and urged the inclusion of the provincial government in counter-terror policy-making. Federal authorities have criticised the PTI-led KP government for failing to ensure security in the province, with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi saying that the party was in disarray and unable to achieve any of its policy goals. In a speech at Peshawar University’s convocation ceremony, the CM said that the people of KP had warned about the resurgence of terrorism in the province, but were brushed off as propaganda. “We would issue warnings that they (terrorists) were in the mountains and they were coming, that they had reached our markets and homes,” CM Afridi said. “We were told that we are spreading propaganda.” He highlighted that if there was going to be a military operation, then the people of KP needed to be taken into confidence and made part of the policy process. “There needs to be a policy shift, but not behind closed doors,” he... -
Dawn - 15:24 Jan 07, 2026
A group of former PTI leaders and others on Wednesday proposed that the government and the opposition hold talks to reduce tensions and suggested that political prisoners be released as part of “confidence-building measures.” They made proposals in a formal statement issued at the conclusion of Wednesday’s conference in Islamabad, organised under the banner of the recently formed National Dialogue Committee (NDC). Ex-PTI leaders — including Fawad Chaudhry, former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, Dr Shahzad Waseem, and Mahmood Moulvi — are leading the initiative. “The meeting agreed to the proposal to initiate a fruitful negotiation process and declared that, in this regard, the government and the opposition should form separate committees comprising their respective representatives, between which the dialogue process should be initiated,” the statement read. The NDC proposed that President Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif represent the ruling coalition in the talks... -
Dawn - 14:49 Jan 07, 2026
January can be weird. One minute you’re enjoying fireworks, the next you’re staring at your inbox, wondering how you forgot your email password over the holiday break. The glitter fades fast, and suddenly it’s back to deadlines, group chats and figuring out if you’re supposed to feel different now. The new year often arrives with the pressure to improve: Cue the “new year, new me” captions and ambitious planners that still smell like a Kinokuniya display table. But let’s be honest: Not everyone is in the mood for reinventing themselves. Maybe you’re in the mood for just a little glow-up, or maybe you’re just trying to get through your to-do list without spiralling. Either way, here’s a mix of tools and tricks to help you ease into the year, whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, familiar favorites or just a little structure to soften the return to real life. Don’t know where to start? Try a brain dump Before you dive into your to-do list, consider starting with a brain dump. Think of it as emptying the menta... -
Dawn - 13:01 Jan 07, 2026
The United Nations on Wednesday said decades-long discrimination and segregation of Palestinians by Israel in the West Bank were intensifying, and called on the country to end its “apartheid system”. In a new report, slammed by Israel, the UN rights office said “systematic discrimination” against Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territories had “drastically deteriorated” in recent years. “There is a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. “Whether accessing water, school, rushing to hospital, visiting family or friends, or harvesting olives — every aspect of life for Palestinians in the West Bank is controlled and curtailed by Israel’s discriminatory laws, policies and practices,” he added. “This is a particularly severe form of racial discrimination and segregation that resembles the kind of apartheid system we have seen before.” A number of independent experts affiliated with the UN have described the situation in ... -
Dawn - 12:55 Jan 07, 2026
At least four civilians were killed in coalition strikes in Yemen on Wednesday, two hospital sources told AFP, as the force raided the home province of a separatist leader who was kicked out of the presidency. More than 15 airstrikes hit Dhale, the home governorate of Aidaros Alzubidi, whose Southern Transitional Council (STC) grabbed swathes of territory last month before seeing the advance rolled back by the coalition and forces. “The initial toll from the strikes on the province of al-Dhale is four civilian deaths and six wounded,” medical sources at the Al-Nasr and Al-Tadamon hospitals in al-Dhale told AFP. The coalition said it had given Aidaros Alzubidi a 48-hour ultimatum to come to Riyadh for discussions, after Southern Transitional Council (STC) grabbed swathes of territory last month. But he failed to board the flight carrying his delegation, and the coalition struck his home province of al-Dhale after accusing him of mobilising “large forces” there. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), wh... -
Dawn - 12:10 Jan 07, 2026
KARACHI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Wednesday arrested journalist Muhammad Aslam Shah on charges of “defamation through social media”. The agency registered an FIR against Shah on December 29, 2025, under Section 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) and Section 24 (cyberstalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025. Shah has done extensive coverage of Karachi’s water issues. In the FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Tabish Raza Husnain, the complainant, alleged that Shah was “doing defamation propaganda against me and my senior Col. Anjum in different Facebook WhatsApp groups and make false and baseless allegations on me”. He also alleged that Shah used “abusive language which caused me significant distress and damage to my reputation”. In the FIR, the NCCIA said that the complainant had submitted screenshots of the alleged content. It further noted that during the inquiry, the agency issued multiple notices to the accused, “dir... -
Dawn - 11:58 Jan 07, 2026
Bangladesh cricket said on Wednesday it was in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a “practical” solution to its request to move its T20 World Cup matches out of India. India forced Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman to quit the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, prompting anger in Dhaka. With ties tense between the two countries, Bangladesh wants the ICC to shift their World Cup games from India to co-hosts Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. The World Cup begins on February 7 and Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India. Senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official Nazmul Abedeen Fahim told AFP today that talks were ongoing with the ICC “regarding security issues”. A BCB statement said it would “continue constructive engagement with the ICC and relevant event authorities”, seeking an “affable and practical solution that ensures the smooth and successful participation of the team”. The BCB said it was “firmly committed to placing the highest priorit... -
Dawn - 11:50 Jan 07, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, submitted an application in an Islamabad court on Wednesday seeking to summon the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general (DG ISPR) as a witness in a case registered against them over their social media posts. In the case, registered with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca), Mazari and Chattha have been accused of inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. On Wednesday, the two submitted a written application to Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka during the hearing of the case, referring to a press conference addressed by the military spokesperson on January 6. The application said the press briefing was broadcast “on all national media, and the content is readily available onl... -
Dawn - 10:55 Jan 07, 2026
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that a special protection unit was being set up in Islamabad for the security of Chinese nationals. According to a press release issued by the interior ministry, Naqvi made the remarks as he met China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong in Beijing. The two met at the headquarters of China’s Ministry of Public Security, where Naqvi received a warm welcome, the interior ministry said. During the meeting, the leaders agreed to develop a joint and rapid response system against terrorism, including expanding training programs aimed at enhancing police capacity, it added. Xiaohong lauded Pakistan’s efforts in countering terrorism and strengthening internal security, the statement said. “We appreciate Pakistan’s sacrifices in the fight against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying. During the meeting, “both ministers agreed on a joint strategy for training and enhancing the professional skills of police and security personnel”. They also vowed to maintain “an ex... -
Dawn - 10:26 Jan 07, 2026
• Minister confirms gas circular debt over Rs3 trillion, says no increase in tariff for six months • Ali Pervaiz Malik deflects questions by NA panel about proposed use of petroleum levy for gas sector ISLAMABAD: The government plans on increasing tax rates on petroleum products to contain more than Rs3 trillion circular debt in the gas sector instead of changing the gas tariff as determined by the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra). While testifying before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Tuesday said the government was not increasing the gas tariff from January 1 on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting was presided over by Syed Mustafa Mahmood, MNA. The minister confirmed that the gas circular debt was over Rs3 trillion, including late payment surcharge. Mr Malik, however, deflected repeated questions from lawmakers about proposals for increasing the petroleum levy by Rs5 per litre on petrol and diesel to cover t... -
Dawn - 10:08 Jan 07, 2026
• The Hindu report says lobbying firm headed by former Trump aide Jason Miller led engagement with US officials on New Delhi’s behalf • Former diplomats say use of lobbyists is normal, but important meetings are usually set up directly by diplomats NEW DELHI: Although the government of Narendra Modi has persistently denied that the US played any role in mediating an end to the four-day India-Pakistan conflict following the Pahalgam incident, a report in The Hindu details how a lobbying firm engaged by New Delhi made hectic calls to approach US officials on May 10, and beyond. Although a filing with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) — including 60 entries made in December 2025 — did not divulge whether the calls on May 10 were made before or after the ceasefire, “they indicate close interaction on the day”, The Hindu wrote. It said the embassy approached White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Ricky Gill at the National Securit... -
Dawn - 09:33 Jan 07, 2026
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Wednesday announced a “massive” operation against dacoits in the Katcha areas of the province. Speaking to reporters in Sukkur, Lanjar said a meeting was held wherein it was decided that “we are definitely heading towards a massive operation”. “We will use whatever resources we have, with specific targets and take ruthless action against the infamous dacoits that you see on social media,” he added. Asked when the operation against the riverine dacoits was expected to begin, the minister replied, “You may consider that the operation has begun from today”. Lanjar said dacoits would be “given a chance” to surrender before the courts. “But the absconders or criminals who consider themselves big champions, strict action will be taken against them, there will be a fight, and they will get their just deserts,” he warned. As per the Surrender Policy for Dacoits in Katcha Area of Sukkur and Larkana Divisions, approved by the Sindh cabinet in October 2025, surrendering does no... -
Dawn - 09:29 Jan 07, 2026
Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has called on the National Assembly (NA) speaker and Senate chairman to appoint opposition leaders in both houses of Parliament, saying that leaving the posts vacant “sidelines dissent”. The posts have been lying vacant since August last year, when then-opposition leaders in the NA and Senate — PTI’s Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz — were disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan following their conviction in cases related to riots on May 9, 2023. The PTI has nominated Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the opposition leader for the NA and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen’s Allama Raja Nasir Abbas for the Senate slot, but their notification remains pending. Rabbani pointed out in a statement on Monday that “Parliament is incomplete”, adding that “this exposes a contradiction in our democracy”. “We talk of the supremacy of Parliament, yet less inclined to uphold this principle,” he added. Saying that the “political system is already strained by pola... -
Dawn - 07:46 Jan 07, 2026
The PTI has pushed back against criticism of its party leadership and policies, terming such remarks “regrettable”. In a statement posted on the social media platform X late on Tuesday, the party referred to the military spokesperson’s latest press conference. It said that it was “regrettable” that the party, its leadership and an elected provincial government were subjected to such criticism. The PTI maintained that consistent criticism “not only escalates political temperatures but also raises questions about the balance of the state apparatus”. The party said that terming opposition to a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it is in power, as support for terrorists was contrary to ground realities. It recalled that a peace jirga was organised by the provincial government on Nov 12, 2025, where participants “unanimously resolved that a military operation is not a sustainable solution to any problem, and a comprehensive, consensus-based, and inclusive national policy is indispensable for lasting p...
8064 items