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Dawn - 19:06 Apr 13, 2026
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb called for “enhanced technical support, advanced analytical tools, and specialised training for Pakistan’s Debt Management Office” in his meeting with the World Bank Vice President Jorge Familiar Calderon in Washington on Monday, the Ministry of Finance said. Aurangzeb arrived in Washington earlier on Monday to represent Pakistan in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group Spring Meetings 2026. He is expected to participate in more than 50 high-level gatherings, which will take place from April 13 to 18. The finance ministry’s statement said Aurangzeb “congratulated Calderon on his recent appointment and underscored the critical role of the World Bank Group Treasury in supporting developing economies through enhanced access to capital markets, financial innovation, and advisory services in debt and risk management”. He outlined Pakistan’s diversified financing strategy, highlighting the use of instruments such as Sukuk and environmental, social, and go... -
Dawn - 18:51 Apr 13, 2026
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday set aside a ruling that had struck down a federal government policy introduced in 2022 to regulate foreign funding of non-governmental and non-profit organisations. The policy was set aside by a single bench in September 2024, with Justice Asim Hafeez observing the constitutional scheme did not envisage the exercise of legislative powers by the federal cabinet unless such power or authority was exercised under the authority of the legislature. He had declared the policy unlawful, invalid and of no legal effect. But a two-member bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi observed today that such policy-making squarely fell within the executive domain and was protected from “undue judicial interference”. The bench restored the Policy for Local NGOs/NPOs Receiving Foreign Contributions 2022. Multiple intra-court appeals were filed by the federation in the wake of a Sept 6, 2024 judgment. Advocate Saqib Jillani, who represented the pe... -
Dawn - 18:15 Apr 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a picture that he posted on Truth Social, which depicted him as a Jesus-like figure and has now been deleted, was actually supposed to show him as a doctor. “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. “And only fake news could come up with that one. I just heard about it, and I said how did they come up with that. It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better,” Trump told reporters at the White House when he was asked whether he had posted the picture. The AI-generated image of Trump as a Jesus-like figure drew widespread criticism, even from some religious conservatives who typically support him. It depicted Trump in a white robe with an apparently healing hand on a prone man’s head. In the painting-like image posted on Sunday, Trump was seen holding a glowing orb in one hand and using his other hand to touch a seemingly sick man on ... -
Dawn - 16:53 Apr 13, 2026
While the world’s attention has been focused on the US-Israel war on Iran, President Donald Trump has launched a scathing verbal attack on Pope Leo XIV. Trump also suggested that Leo was only elected to lead the Catholic Church last year “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump”. He also posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, with the US flag and the Statue of Liberty in the background. The post was later removed. However, Trump has not always been critical of Leo, who is the first American pope. At the time of his election, he had called it a “great honour for our country”. So why is the US president now picking a fight with the pontiff? Why was Trump so incensed? On Saturday, the global leader of Catholics had made a plea for peace amid the war in the Middle East as talks between the US and Iran were underway in Islamabad. The 70-year-old had publicly implored leaders on Saturday to end the violence, telling worshippers... -
Dawn - 16:09 Apr 13, 2026
LAHORE: Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development approved the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 on Monday, even as some members, including the panel’s chairperson, expressed reservations regarding the legislation. The meeting was chaired by PML-N MPA Pir Ashraf Rasool, and members of the Women Parliamentary Caucus were also invited to witness its proceedings. The bill discussed during the meeting sets 18 years as the minimum legal age for marriage for both boys and girls in Punjab. Previously, the minimum legal age for marriage in Punjab was 18 years for men and 16 years for women under the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. That changed with the promulgation of the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 as an ordinance by Punjab Governor Saleem Haider in February. The ordinance, however, will lapse in May — 90 days after its promulgation — and hence, the legislation needs the Punjab Assembly’s approval to remain in effect. After being passed by the standing comm... -
Dawn - 15:14 Apr 13, 2026
Following talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad over the weekend, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that “full efforts” were ongoing to resolve the conflict. “Today, the ceasefire still stands. As I am talking to you, matters that are not resolved, full efforts are underway to resolve them,” he said in a televised address to the federal cabinet. In his first remarks on the matter after the negotiations concluded, the premier hailed talks between the two countries in Islamabad as a “historic moment”. He said the Islamabad Talks gave Pakistan a chance to “turn looming clouds of war into lasting peace”. PM Shehbaz added that “if you look through history — take the Oslo Agreement, the Geneva Accord, the Good Friday Agreement … it took months and sometimes years to end hostilities and establish peace”. Coming to the Islamabad Talks, he said that the Iranian and American delegations had negotiated “continuously for 21 hours”. The dialogue, he said, was not held indirectly. “It was the fir... -
Dawn - 14:45 Apr 13, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s top three agencies, on Monday affirmed Pakistan’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) at “B-” with a “stable outlook”. “Pakistan’s rating affirmation reflects progress on fiscal consolidation and macro stability measures, broadly in line with its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and supporting its funding capacity,” the US-based rating agency said. “Foreign exchange buffers rebuilt over the past year provide a cushion against the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, while Pakistan’s role as a ceasefire broker may provide tangible benefits and partly offset external pressures,” it said. However, it highlighted that the country’s high exposure to the global energy price shock remained a key risk, particularly if it led to a sharp drop in foreign exchange reserves. Talking about key rating drivers, Fitch said the authorities reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on its loan programmes in March, unlocking a combined $1.2 b... -
Dawn - 14:43 Apr 13, 2026
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday said that the upper parts of the country were expected to receive rain and thunderstorms from April 16 to 19. In a press release, the PMD said a westerly wave was likely to approach the country’s northwestern parts on April 16 (Thursday) and likely to persist in the upper parts till April 19 (Sunday). Under the influence of the weather system, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls were likely in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In KP, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls/hailstorm (snowfall over mountains) was expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Balakot, Haripur, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Bajaur, Mohmand, Swabi, Charsadda, Kohat, Kurram, Khyber and Hangu from the evening of April 16 to April 19 with occasional gaps. “Light rain wind/thunderstorm is likely at isolated places in Orakzai, Karak, Bannu... -
Dawn - 13:10 Apr 13, 2026
GILGIT: Three cops were martyred and five others were injured on Monday after unknown assailants opened fire on a police vehicle in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, local and hospital officials said. The police team was on its way back from Thor village after destroying poppy cultivation when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle, Caretaker Home Minister Sajid Baig told Dawn. As a result, three police officials were martyred and five others, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were injured, according to an incident report issued by the Chilas RHQ Hospital. The report, seen by Dawn, said three police personnel were brought dead to the hospital, while five injured personnel were shifted to the facility’s Emergency Department. “Among the injured, three individuals are undergoing surgical intervention, while the remaining two sustained minor injuries [and] are being treated at the hospital,” the report said. The martyred cops were identified as Abdul Reheem Jami, Muqa... -
Dawn - 13:06 Apr 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump has criticised Pope Leo as “terrible” in a rare direct attack on the pontiff, who responded that he had “no fear” of the White House administration and would continue to denounce the horrors of war. The president’s comments came after the pope had spoken out, with growing force, against the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social late on Sunday. Trump later posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, with the US flag and the Statue of Liberty in the background.’ ‘Someone has to stand up’, Pope says Pope Leo, the first pontiff from the US, responded on Monday by saying he would keep raising his voice against conflict, adding that the Christian message, rooted in the primacy of peace, was being “abused”. It is extremely unusual for a pope, who leads Catholics around the world, to answer a foreign leader publicly. “I will continue to speak ... -
Dawn - 12:40 Apr 13, 2026
On February 27, about 42 days before the Islamabad Talks, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation and told the world that peace was “within reach”, that Iran had agreed to never stockpile enriched uranium, full verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and degradation of existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. The Omanis are famously cautious. Al-Busaidi is not a man given to theatrics; he would be the diplomatic equivalent of the family accountant. And here he was on national television, telling the American public that Iran had agreed to pretty much everything the Americans had wanted. This, Al-Busaidi said, went beyond anything achieved in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal (which limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief). Watching this unfold, Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute wrote that the Omanis going public like this was “quite unprecedented” and suspected that he knew why they were doing ... -
Dawn - 12:19 Apr 13, 2026
LAHORE: The PTI has raised concerns regarding the health of its leader Ejaz Chaudhry, who is currently imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat jail. The senior PTI leader is serving a 10-year jail sentence, along with other party leaders, for their involvement in violent riots in the country on May 9, 2023. In a statement, the PTI’s central information wing expressed its concerns regarding Chaudhry’s health and the “negligence” of the incumbent regime. “According to the latest medical examination, his kidney disease has progressed to stage three,” it said, adding that doctors had stated that the 69-year-old former senator’s treatment was not possible at the jail. The PTI demanded that state institutions and the current rulers provide proper treatment facilities to Chaudhry and other “political prisoners” in Kot Lakhpat jail and that their cases be heard and decided promptly. “Justice demands that the political prisoners’ lives should not be put in danger,” it said. It may be mentioned that several reports had emerged on so... -
Dawn - 11:55 Apr 13, 2026
Hungarian youths danced and sang in the early hours of Monday in central Budapest to celebrate the end of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year “illiberal” rule following a resounding electoral drubbing. Strangers high-fived each others, cars honked, and youths ripped down government and ruling party anti-Ukraine billboards as many said they felt “liberated”. “At long last it feels so good to be Hungarian. It’s like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Csilla Bekesi, 25, told AFP, celebrating with others on Budapest’s grand boulevard. “I still have goosebumps. My wildest dream came true,” said another youngster, 22 year-old student Andras Szabo, who came back to vote from Berlin. “For as long as I can remember, I have known Orban only as the leader, it was great he left at once,” he said, adding he felt a “novel sense of pride”. Orban, a defender of “illiberal democracy”, conceded defeat to conservative pro-European Peter Magyar, whose party won a two-thirds parliamentary majority in Sunday’s vote ... -
Dawn - 11:41 Apr 13, 2026
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index KSE-100 shed 6,600 points on Monday in a turbulent session, after weekend peace talks between the United States and Iran failed and the US president ordered a blockade of Iranian ports. The KSE-100 index opened on a low note of around 161,000 points, compared to the previous close of 167,191.37. The market fluctuated throughout the session, reaching an intraday high of 163,612.11 points at 12:13pm and then an intraday low of 160,158.92 points at 2:56pm. It then finally closed at 160,591.33 points, down 6,600.04 points or 3.95pc. This screengrab shows activity at the Pakistan Stock Exchange on April 13, 2026. — PSX Data Portal In a post on the social media platform X, Topline Securities said the benchmark index registered a sharp decline in a “highly volatile trading session”. “The market witnessed significant fluctuations throughout the day, with the index reaching an intraday high of 163,612 points and slipping to a low of 160,158 points,” it said. “The dow... -
Dawn - 10:39 Apr 13, 2026
Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkiye as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday. “After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency. “We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” he said. “This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added. Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, had joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu ‘described as the Hitler of our time’: Turkiye The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could je... -
Dawn - 09:34 Apr 13, 2026
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked his 100th day in office on Sunday with a rally to tout early successes and vow to follow through on his unabashedly “socialist” agenda. “I know there are many who use ‘socialist’ as a dirty word, something to be ashamed of,” the 34-year-old told a packed room in Queens. “They can try all they want, but we will not be ashamed of using government to fight for the many, not simply the few,” he said. Mamdani pointed to a program to fill city street potholes — over 100,000 since January 1 — as evidence he is committed to making the lives of everyday New Yorkers better. “If government can’t do the small things, how could you ever trust it to do the big ones? How can we promise to transform our city if we can’t pave your street?” The young mayor was joined at the rally by his close ally, 84-year-old leftist icon Bernie Sanders. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to supporters during his 100-day address on April 12, 2026 in New York City. —AFP Mamdani touted progress on sig... -
Dawn - 08:26 Apr 13, 2026
Australia on Monday said a woman would lead its army for the first time in history, as part of a reshuffle of the country’s defence force leadership. Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, will become chief of army in July, the government said in a statement. She will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart. Coyle’s appointment comes as Australia’s military seeks to boost the number of female officers in its ranks. It faces a wave of allegations of systematic sexual harassment and discrimination. “From July, we will have the first ever female chief of army in the Australian Army’s 125-year history,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. Defence Minister Richard Marles called Coyle’s appointment a “deeply historic moment”. “As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see,” he said. “Susan’s achievement will be deeply significant to women who are serving in the Australian Defence Force today and women who are thinking about serving in the Australian Defenc... -
Dawn - 08:03 Apr 13, 2026
PESHAWAR: A police constable was martyred and four others were injured in an attack on a law enforcement party en route to provide security for polio teams in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. The incident took place in Hangu’s Thall tehsil on the first day of a nationwide vaccination campaign taking place from April 13 to 19. The attack is this year’s first on law enforcement personnel deployed for polio teams’ security. In a statement, the Hangu District Police said “terrorists opened sudden fire on a police party”, resulting in the martyrdom of a policeman and injuries to four others. The injured police personnel were immediately taken to a hospital. The police team retaliated immediately, with “reports of two terrorists’ deaths as a result”, Kohat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Tariq was quoted as saying. However, terrorists took their accomplices’ bodies from the scene. According to the police statement, DIG Tariq commended the personnel’s bravery in “thwarting the terrorists’ attack”... -
Dawn - 07:42 Apr 13, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday launched its second nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five across the country. During the campaign, which will last until April 19, over 400,000 frontline health workers will go door to door across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad, ensuring that every child is vaccinated, including those in the most remote and high-risk areas. Vitamin A supplements will also be administered during the campaign to help strengthen children’s overall health and immunity. The drive is being carried out in coordination with Afghanistan as part of joint efforts to curb the cross-border spread of the virus. According to the head of the polio programme, Anwarul Haq, Pakistan has made significant progress. In 2026, the poliovirus has been detected in 23 of 87 districts, compared to 82 districts in 2025. The number of positive environmental samples has also d... -
Dawn - 06:25 Apr 13, 2026
The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan failed to produce an agreement, with President Donald Trump blaming the Islamic republic’s refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Trump had announced on social media he would blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz trading route that he has been demanding Tehran fully reopen, after his vice president, JD Vance left negotiations with an Iranian delegation in Islamabad on Sunday. The stall in talks dashed global hopes of a deal to permanently end the war that has killed thousands and thrown the global economy into turmoil since it began in late February. As negotiating teams flew out, mediator Pakistan said it would keep facilitating their dialogue and has called on both sides to honour the fragile two-week ceasefire struck last week that experts said could be put at risk by any maritime military blockade. “The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations en...
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