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Dawn - 13:11 Oct 02, 2025
Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri on Thursday moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Sindh High Court’s ruling on his degree and seeking to have the verdict declared “null and void”. In his petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Justice Jahangiri contended that the SHC “dismissed my application to become a party to the case”, adding that passing a “one-sided order without hearing the affected party is contrary to law”. On September 16, the IHC had restrained Justice Jahangiri from exercising his judicial powers as a two-judge bench issued the interim order while hearing a writ petition filed under Article 199 of the Constitution. Justice Jahangiri then challenged the decision in the SC, pleading for the restraining order to be set aside. The judge further argued that the SHC “ignored the question of maintainability of the petition”. According to the petition, the IHC judge urged the apex court that his appeal “may graciously be granted and after granting leave t... -
Dawn - 12:37 Oct 02, 2025
High-level govt delegation holds talks with Joint Awami Action Committee amid unrest in Azad Kashmir
A high-level delegation of the government held negotiations with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday in a bid to put an end to the ongoing unrest in the territory. “A high-level delegation from Pakistan has started formal dialogue with representatives of the Joint Action Committee of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Muzaffarabad today,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry posted on X as the talks commenced. A strike has paralysed AJK under a communications blackout after talks over elite privileges and reserved refugee seats collapsed between the JAAC, the AJK government, and federal ministers, sparking protests and violence. On Wednesday, AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and federal minister Chaudhry invited the JAAC for fresh dialogue. Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed deep concern over the unrest in AJK and directed the negotiation committee to immediately proceed to AJK capital Muzaffarabad and find an immediate and l... -
Dawn - 12:23 Oct 02, 2025
Google search data from January to September 2025 revealed the slang terms dominating online curiosity, with TikTok, Instagram, gaming, streaming, and Gen Z and Alpha communities driving the trends. According to a statement from Unscramblerer.com, a word-finding website that helps users solve puzzles, crosswords, and explore word meanings, the methodology relied on analysing Google Trends data alongside the search engine optimisation tool Ahrefs, combining 150 search variations to identify the most searched slang terms of 2025. The site noted that slang spreads rapidly through memes and viral challenges, reflecting how technology accelerates language shifts and serves as “a fascinating and fun mirror of our culture.“ Here are the most searched for slang words: 1. 6-7 (141,000 searches) There is no literal meaning to six seven. Its absurdity is the point, making it a prime example of “brainrot” internet humour where the randomness itself becomes funny. It originates from the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla. ... -
Dawn - 11:23 Oct 02, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari has stated that Pakistan stands with China during good times and bad. He made the remarks during an interview with Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN that was aired on Thursday. During the interview, the president, who visited China earlier this month, said that all his visits to the neighbouring country were “goodwill visits”. “My visits are always goodwill visits because China is the future and all of the East will work with China,” he said. Talking about China’s Global Governance Initiative, he said: “Global governance means that I cannot walk into any other country nor any other country [can] walk into me. They have to be respectful about my territory, I shall be respectful of their territory.” He said that he was bringing international goodwill and the Pakistani people’s goodwill, as well as the assurance that “we stand with China in good times and bad times”. “Not that I see China going through a bad time, but even then, we are there, in case [we are] needed,” he asserted. A... -
Dawn - 09:01 Oct 02, 2025
The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate dozens of clean energy projects and freeze billions of dollars for major projects in New York, intensifying a stand-off with Democrats over a United States government shutdown. US media outlets described the moves announced by the energy and transportation departments as part of the administration’s efforts to pressure Democrats in Congress to agree on a deal to end the shutdown. US President Donald Trump had raced to enact hard-right policies even before the shutdown began after midnight on Tuesday, threatening mass firings and to slash government departments, and blaming Democrats for Congress’ failure to resolve a funding stand-off. The Department of Energy announced on Thursday “the termination of 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects, resulting in a savings of approximately $7.56 billion for American taxpayers”. It said in a statement that those projects — overseen by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Office of Energy Efficienc... -
Dawn - 08:53 Oct 02, 2025
• ‘Coalition Against Drugs’ to monitor children’s behaviour, attendance, academic performance and social interactions • Those doing drugs should be treated as victims, not criminals, says Shehzad Roy KARACHI: The Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force comprising 50 police personnel was established on Wednesday to curb the menace of drugs in educational institutions within the jurisdiction of the South Zone of Karachi police. A decision to this effect was taken in a consultative meeting of the ‘Coalition Against Drugs’ here. The coalition comprises heads of over 50 academic institutes in Clifton, DHA, Saddar, and other areas, as well as police officials. It was also decided in the meeting that random blood tests to check for drug abuse among students would be carried out with the consent of their parents. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that the Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force had been established with 50 personnel including women officers, who ... -
Dawn - 08:35 Oct 02, 2025
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official has stated that there is “no assurance” that India and Pakistan players will shake hands when the two sides meet during the Women’s World Cup on Sunday, according to the BBC. The development comes days after tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad spilled over onto the cricketing field during the Sept 9-28 Men’s Asia Cup staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), when Indian cricketers refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during all three clashes in the tournament. The tensions had culminated in India not accepting the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief. The tournament had seen the first cricket matches between the two sides since the military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May after India had launched air strikes in Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan had denied involvement, and the crisis eased following US in... -
Dawn - 05:24 Oct 02, 2025
LONDON: Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who turned her childhood love of primates into a lifelong quest for protecting the environment, died on Wednesday at the age of 91, the institute she founded said. Goodall died of natural causes, the Jane Goodall Institute said in a social media post. “Dr Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said. View this post on Instagram The primatologist-turned-conservationist spun her love of wildlife into a life-long campaign that took her from a seaside English village to Africa and then across the globe in a quest to better understand chimpanzees, as well as the role that humans play in safeguarding their habitat and the planet’s health overall. Goodall was a pioneer in her field, both as a female scientist in the 1960s and for her work studying the behavior of primates. She created a path for a string of other women to follow suit, including the... -
Dawn - 04:24 Oct 02, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s total public debt rose by 13 per cent to Rs80.6 trillion by the end of FY25, driven mainly by a fiscal deficit of Rs7.1tr and slower-than-expected GDP growth, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF). In its Annual Debt Review 2025, the MoF said the debt-to-GDP ratio increased to 70pc, up from 68pc a year earlier. This was attributed to a lower nominal GDP growth rate, resulting from reduced inflation, which limited economic expansion and pushed the ratio higher despite efforts at fiscal consolidation. The MoF noted that while interest expenses rose by 9pc year-on-year, this increase was significantly lower than the 43pc recorded in the previous fiscal year. Total domestic debt stood at Rs54.5tr, and external debt at Rs26tr — both reflecting a 13pc annual increase. The average time to maturity (ATM) for domestic debt improved from 2.8 years in FY24 to 3.8 years in FY25. External debt ATM remained above six years, consistent with the government’s Medium-Term Debt Strategy 2026–28. The e... -
Dawn - 03:58 Oct 02, 2025
ISLAMABAD: While security forces put militants on the back foot in September, the first three quarters of 2025 saw nearly as much violence as witnessed in all of 2024. If this trend continues, the current year may turn out to be one of the deadliest in decades. This is the crux of two reports, issued by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) and the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), about militant violence in the country over the past month. According to PICSS, militant violence dropped significantly in Sept 2025, with both the number of attacks and militant capacity showing sharp declines compared to the record levels seen in Aug. The PICSS Militancy Database recorded 69 militant attacks in Sept — a 52 per cent reduction from August’s 143. These attacks resulted in 135 deaths and 173 injuries, whilst militants abducted at least 27 people. The fatalities included 61 security personnel, 20 militants, and 54 civilians. Amongst the injured were 74 security personnel and 99 ci... -
Dawn - 02:48 Oct 02, 2025
• Plan announced by White House differs from terms agreed between Trump and heads of Muslim countries • Distrust remains over proposed International Stabilisation Force • Hamas seeks changes to ‘disarmament’ clause DESPITE their misgivings with the ‘pro-Israel’ draft of US President Donald Trump’s plan to bring peace to war-ravaged Gaza, countries from the eight-member Muslim bloc may yet push for it to be accepted. Officials from Qatar and Pakistan have already implied — albeit diplomatically — that the plan announced by the White House was quite different from the one they signed up to in New York. But some countries — especially those in Gaza’s immediate neighbourhood — also believe they have secured key concessions, such as Trump’s refusal to recognise Israeli annexation of the West Bank and a US commitment that Palestinians will be allowed to remain in Gaza. Israel has also agreed, under the plan, not to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip. “Gaza’s reconstruction represents a major economic opportunity fo... -
Dawn - 02:33 Oct 02, 2025
• Meeting to end acrimony decides to take up the matter with Punjab CM, her father Nawaz • Kaira calls BISP ‘transparent aid method’, asks CM not to peddle ‘narrow nationalism’ • Azma hits back, says PPP cannot ‘steady itself’ by targeting PML-N LAHORE: As PPP and PML-N bigwigs met in Islamabad to find a way out of the row sparked by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s recent outburst against the coalition partner, the former has asked the Punjab CM to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights and Sindh’s ruling party. During the meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir, Senator Rana Sanaullah and PPP’s Navid Qamar and Ijaz Jakhrani at the NA speaker’s office, it was agreed that the matter would be taken up with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and CM Maryam Nawaz. The war of words, which began over flood compensation, expanded to water rights on the Indus River, as the Punjab’s chief minister told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP la... -
Dawn - 18:00 Oct 01, 2025
PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on Wednesday defended the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as a “tried and tested” method for providing flood relief, while criticising what he called the “harsh tone” adopted in recent exchanges between his party and its coalition partner, the PML-N. “In the past few days, such questions have been raised that now a dialogue has begun, which, in our understanding, is not appropriate. It is neither beneficial for politics, nor for democracy,” he said at a press conference in Lahore. “And this is our [PPP’s] view, not a suggestion to anyone,” he added. The PPP and PML-N continued to engage in a war of words over flood relief, as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted that the BISP was the “sole method” of providing relief to those affected by the recent floods in the country, while PML-N’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz accused his party of “politicising” the issue. Furthermore, the tensions between the ruling coalition partners on Tuesday flared in parliament as th... -
Dawn - 17:54 Oct 01, 2025
United States President Donald Trump has appointed himself troller-in-chief during a US government shutdown, mocking rival Democrats with sometimes racially tinged memes and hoping they take the blame. From ambushing top Democrats with “Trump 2028” hats in the Oval Office to an AI-generated video of US House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero, the social media onslaught has been extreme even by the Republican’s standards. But there is a serious strategy behind the socials — don’t negotiate, threaten mass layoffs and hope the Democrats cave in. As the clock ticked down to the deadline for a first shutdown in nearly seven years, Trump seemed more interested in trolling than dealmaking. Hours before the deadline on Tuesday, Trump posted three pictures on his Truth Social network of his meeting a day earlier with Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Jeffries. In the foreground? Red “Trump 2028” hats placed on the iconic Resolute Desk, referring to a constitutionally banned third Trump pr... -
Dawn - 17:42 Oct 01, 2025
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Wednesday invited the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to dialogue in a bid to ease the unrest triggered by protests in the region, which left three policemen dead. A three-day shutter-down strike has paralysed AJK under a communications blackout, as JAAC presses its demands after talks with the AJK government and federal ministers broke down last week over elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees. Rival groups have since staged protests, trading blame for violence that marred what began as a largely peaceful movement. Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad today, the AJK PM said that negotiations were a “civilised” way to achieve rights and that the government had invited the JAAC back to the table. “This is a request to start from where the talks broke down,” Haq said. “Whenever it suits you, wherever the JAAC wants to talk, the state government is read... -
Dawn - 16:51 Oct 01, 2025
Efforts to bring a quick end to the US government shutdown floundered Wednesday when senators rejected a plan to resolve an acrimonious funding stand-off between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress. With the government out of money after Trump and lawmakers failed to agree on a deal to keep the lights on, many federal departments and agencies have been closed since midnight. Senate Democrats — who are demanding extended health care subsidies for low income families — refused to help the majority Republicans approve a House-passed bill that would have reopened the government for several weeks while negotiations continue. Around 750,000 public sector workers are expected to be placed on furlough — a kind of enforced leave, with pay withheld until they return to work. Essential workers such as the military and border agents may be forced to work without pay and some will likely miss pay checks next week. Shutdowns are a periodic feature of gridlocked Washington, although this is the first since a re... -
Dawn - 16:21 Oct 01, 2025
Mobile networks and the internet were restored across Afghanistan on Wednesday, 48 hours after the Taliban authorities shut down telecommunications. Confusion gripped the South Asian country on Monday night when mobile phone service and the internet went down without warning, freezing businesses and cutting Afghans off from the rest of the world. The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality”, on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. AFP journalists reported on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi had returned to provinces across the country, including Kandahar in the south, Khost in the east, central Ghazni, and Herat in the west. The Taliban government has yet to comment on the telecommunications shutdown. On Wednesday night, hundreds of Afghans poured onto the streets in the capital Kabul, spreading the word that the internet was back. “It’s like Eidul Azha; it’s like preparing to go ... -
Dawn - 15:33 Oct 01, 2025
At least ten terrorists were killed in Quetta’s Aghbarg area during an exchange of fire with security personnel from the Counter-terrorism Department (CTD), a spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Ten terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire between them and the CTD team in the Aghbarg neighbourhood of Quetta,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “CTD carried out the operation after receiving a tip-off from intelligence agencies,” he said, adding that “upon reaching the area, they were attacked by the terrorists but promptly retaliated.” “Heavy ammunition and weapons were recovered from the slain terrorists,” as per the statement. The spokesperson said that the “terrorists had previously been involved in attacking security forces and belonged to a banned terrorist outfit.” “The slain terrorists have not yet been identified,” the spokesperson said, adding that their “bodies have been transferred to a hospital for identification purposes.” “Further investigation into the matter is underway,” the statement... -
Dawn - 15:32 Oct 01, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday said that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were headed in the “right direction”. An IMF mission led by Iva Petrova held a formal kick-off meeting with Pakistan’s economic team to review the implementation of the EFF and RSF. The programme’s performance as of the end of June this year — the period under review — has been mixed. The start of the next review period, ending December this year, has also been off the mark, particularly in revenue collection. The two sides now have to agree on corrective measures during their dialogue to meet the next biannual targets. Today, Aurangzeb spoke to reporters as he left a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue in Islamabad. The minister told reporters that the $7.1 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the $1.1bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) were being reviewed. “So far, so good,” he said. The EFF is undergoing its second review, while the RSF is being reviewed fo... -
Dawn - 15:24 Oct 01, 2025
Four terrorists were apprehended during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on Wednesday, a statement released by the military’s media affairs wing said. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted an IBO on the reported presence of “terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Hindustan”. The state has designated Balochistan-based groups such as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own forces apprehended four [terrorists] trying to flee cowardly by disguising in women’s attire,” the ISPR said. “Weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” it added. The ISPR further said that a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area, adding that security forces were determined to wipeout the “menace...
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