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Found 10418 news

  • India planning false flag operation using Pakistani prisoners: security sources
    Dawn - 18:46 Mar 30, 2026
    Security sources warned on Monday that India was preparing for a false flag operation against Pakistan, which reportedly entails exploiting Pakistani citizens captured after inadvertently crossing the border. Dozens of Pakistanis, including Kashmiris, are currently imprisoned in Indian jails. It is believed that these prisoners are now being shifted to execute a false flag operation, according to security sources. The sources said that the move appeared to be aimed at covering up India’s diplomatic humiliation and to divert attention away from Pakistan. Last year in May, an attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, had linked to Pakistan led to a brief military escalation between the two countries. Islamabad had strongly denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation. New Delhi then launched deadly air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir. After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases during the four-day escalation, it took American intervention on Ma...
    Tags: Pakistani India
  • War Diary Day 31: Economic shockwaves deepen in absence of diplomatic off-ramps to Iran war
    Dawn - 17:30 Mar 30, 2026
    On the 31st day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the economic dimension of the war continued to become more pronounced as the conflict remained locked in a high-intensity, multi-domain phase, with exchanges continuing across Iran, Israel, and the wider region. Inside Iran, US and Israeli strikes continued to target the civilian infrastructure besides military and strategic targets, including hits on research facilities and air defence systems. The goal seems to be to degrade both Iran’s operational military capability and technological depth. Moreover, there have been attacks on energy sites, leading to power outages in major urban centres such as Tehran and Karaj. Despite these pressures, Iran’s retaliatory capacity remained intact, with continued missile and drone launches targeting Israeli industrial zones and infrastructure, as well as assets in Gulf countries. In Israel, the impact of these strikes has become more visible with a second confirmed hit on the Haifa Bazan oil refinery — one of the country’s mo...
    Tags: Iran
  • Islamabad businessman succumbs to injuries after being shot during dacoity at farmhouse
    Dawn - 17:06 Mar 30, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: A prominent businessman succumbed to his injuries after being shot by armed robbers during a dacoity at his farmhouse located in Orchard Scheme during the early hours of Monday. The deceased has been identified as Amir Awan, the owner of a car showroom at Aabpara. Political figures, VIPs and big-shots, including an adviser to the prime minister, own property in the neighbourhood where the incident took place. Speaking to Dawn on the condition of anonymity, police officers said that CCTV footage of the incident showed five persons armed with submachine guns and wearing bulletproof jackets entering the farmhouse. They said that the crime scene suggested that the deceased had put up resistance. They said that he was initially shifted to a state-run hospital and then moved to a private hospital, where he died during an operation. Meanwhile, a first information report (FIR) of the incident has been registered at Shahzad Town police station under Section 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause deat...
  • Fire at superstore located in Karachi’s Zamzama area brought under control
    Dawn - 16:44 Mar 30, 2026
    KARACHI: A huge fire that erupted in a superstore in Clifton’s Zamzama area in the early hours of Monday was brought under control after hours-long efforts by rescue officials. The fire broke out in Imtiaz Superstore’s Zamzama branch. The locality is a high-end shopping area, and the store is frequented by thousands daily. Clifton Station House Officer (SHO) Naseer Tanoli told Dawn that the fire had been controlled and the cooling process had begun. He said that police had obtained CCTV footage which showed that the fire erupted in an ATM located on the premises. He said that staff initially tried to control the blaze, before informing police and the fire brigade. Tanoli said that the store’s fiber walls and the presence of clothing items contributed to the fire’s intensity and spread. He said a significant quantity of goods had been saved and seven cars parked in the basement also remained safe. Speaking to the media at the scene in the evening, Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab also said that the fire h...
    Tags: Zamzama
  • What could Trump achieve by threatening Iran’s Kharg Island?
    Dawn - 16:32 Mar 30, 2026
    A scrubby island in the Gulf that is roughly one third the size of Manhattan, Kharg Island is the nerve centre of the Iranian oil industry — and at the heart of US President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to pressure Tehran. On Monday, Trump vowed that a failure by Iran to agree a deal to end the war could see the United States “completely obliterating” the export hub. A day earlier, he had said the United States could take the island, eyed by the Pentagon for ground operations, “very easily”. So what are Trump’s options, and how might Iran react if he presses on this pressure point? What is Kharg Island? It may be a mere scrap of land, but Kharg handles around 90 per cent of Iran’s crude exports, according to a report by US bank JP Morgan. Located in the north of the Gulf, around 30 kilometres from the Iranian coast and more than 500km from the Strait of Hormuz, it has no oil wells. But it has Iran’s largest oil terminal, oil pipelines, storage tanks and related infrastructure. It also has military facilities...
    Tags: Iran Kharg Island What Trump
  • PMDC takes notice of filming of video during medical procedure at Lahore’s Lady Willingdon Hospital
    Dawn - 16:31 Mar 30, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Monday took notice of what it called a “disturbing incident” regarding the filming of patients mid surgery at Lahore’s Lady Willingdon Hospital. The video in question, which was widely shared on social media, showed doctors performing what appeared to be C-sections on two patients in the same operating theatre, with a medical curtain in the middle. The person filming the video can be heard saying that a “competition was underway”. On Saturday, the Punjab government had suspended the medical superintendent (MS), head of the gynae department, a woman medical officer, five postgraduate resident doctors, two nurses, and a hospital staff member due to the incident. In a statement released on Monday, the PMDC said, “According to initial reports, a video recorded inside an operating theatre, purportedly showing medical staff engaging in unprofessional conduct and inappropriately treating surgical procedures, has circulated widely.” It said the incident had...
    Tags: Lady Willingdon Hospital Lahore PMDC
  • ‘All roads lead to higher prices and slower growth’: IMF says Iran war is dimming outlook for many economies
    Dawn - 16:06 Mar 30, 2026
    The war in the Middle East has caused serious disruption to the economies of frontline countries, and is dimming the outlook for many economies that had just started to recover from previous crises, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Monday. In a blog published by the global lender’s top economists, the IMF said the war started by US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 was causing a global, but asymmetric shock and leading to tighter financial conditions. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to regional infrastructure had caused the largest disruption to the global oil market in history, according to the International Energy Agency. Much would depend on how long the war lasts, how far it spreads and how much damage it inflicts on infrastructure and supply chains. The IMF said low-income countries were at particular risk of food insecurity due to higher food and fertiliser prices and may need more external support, even as many advanced economies were scaling back their in...
    Tags: Iran
  • President Zardari, PM Shehbaz review regional situation, implications for Pakistan
    Dawn - 15:19 Mar 30, 2026
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called on President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the overall national security situation and key challenges facing the country, according to the President’s Secretariat. The meeting comes a day after the quadrilateral ministerial moot in Islamabad, involving the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, discussing possible ways to bring an “early and permanent end” to the war in the region. The foregin ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye had also called on PM Shehbaz after the meeting concluded. According to President’s Secretariat, the meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. National Security Adviser and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Asim Malik also participated in the meeting. During the meeting, participants held a detailed discussion on the overall national security situation, reviewed the evolving...
    Tags: Pakistan Shehbaz
  • Fact check: Iranian hackers did not leak a video of FBI chief Kash Patel dancing; it is unrelated
    Dawn - 14:59 Mar 30, 2026
    Multiple people and accounts shared a video on several social media platforms on March 29, allegedly showing a leaked clip of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel dancing. However, the video is old and shows an unidentified man. Iran-linked hackers named ‘Handala’ on March 27 claimed they had accessed Patel’s personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the director and other documents to the internet. A Justice Department official confirmed that Patel’s email had been breached and said the material published online appeared authentic. The development occurred amid the conflict that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel carried out coordinated airstrikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, including missile systems and nuclear-related facilities. The strikes marked a significant escalation in tensions between the countries, following a period of heightened regional instability and previous confrontations. On March 29, an Indian user shared a video on X with the f...
  • Russian oil tanker arrives in Cuba as Moscow vows to stand by Havana
    Dawn - 14:23 Mar 30, 2026
    Russia said on Monday that an oil tanker carrying 100,000 metric tons of crude oil had arrived in Cuba and that Moscow would stand by its friends by working on further supplies despite a US blockade of the island. The US cut off Venezuela’s oil exports to Cuba after toppling deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and US President Donald Trump threatened to slap punishing tariffs on any other country that sent crude to Cuba. But Trump on Sunday signalled he was reversing course and expressed sympathy for the Cuban people’s need for energy. The Anatoly Kolodkin was waiting to offload at the port of Matanzas, Russia’s transport ministry said. The Kremlin said it had raised the issue of the tanker during talks with the US but that Russia felt it had a duty to support “friends” in Cuba. “This issue was indeed raised in advance during contacts with our American partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Cuba has not received an oil tanker in three months, according to President Mi...
    Tags: Cuba Moscow
  • OpenClaw creator says AI agent future is coming
    Dawn - 13:59 Mar 30, 2026
    Peter Steinberger’s artificial intelligence agent tool OpenClaw has taken the tech world by storm with its ability to execute real-life tasks such as checking him in for his flight to Tokyo. AI is not yet a ubiquitous personal assistant for ordinary people, but “you’ll see much more of that this year because this is the year of agents”, Steinberger told AFP in the Japanese capital on Monday. “There are still some things we need to do to make it better,” the Austrian programmer said. Demand is ramping up, however, with more developers now “making the future happen”, he added in an interview during a gathering for OpenClaw enthusiasts. When downloaded, OpenClaw can be connected to existing AI models and given simple instructions through instant messaging apps, as if to a friend or colleague. Jensen Huang, head of the world’s most valuable company Nvidia, this month hailed the tool — whose symbol is a bright red lobster — as “the next ChatGPT”. But all the buzz has raised concerns over the cybersecurity risks of...
    Tags: OpenClaw
  • Metldown at PSX as KSE-100 loses over 4,000 points
    Dawn - 13:33 Mar 30, 2026
    The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 index plummeted by over 4,000 points during intraday trade on Monday. The KSE-100 index declined by 4864.54 points, or 3.21 per cent, to close at 146,842.97 from the previous close of 151,707.51. The index rose to an intraday high of 151,813.61 points at around 9:30am, shortly after trading began. However, it declined to an intraday low of 144,656.97 points at around 11:30am, before settling at 146,842.97. Topline Securities, in its daily market review, said, “the local bourse felt the heat today, as surging oil prices and escalating geopolitical tensions rattled investor confidence”. It said that the investors also grew “wary over the government’s decision to keep fuel prices unchanged for a second consecutive week, raising concerns of fiscal strain”. The statement added that the “bears wasted no time seizing control, unleashing aggressive selling across the board”. “Relentless liquidation pushed the index to an intraday slide of 7,050 points — bringing t...
    Tags: KSE-100
  • Kuwait assures full facilitation of diesel, jet fuel supplies to Pakistan
    Dawn - 13:10 Mar 30, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Kuwait has assured full facilitation in the supply of diesel and jet fuel to Pakistan, which has been stalled due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. The assurance for the revival of oil exports to Pakistan came after Tehran allowed 20 cargoes with Pakistani flags to pass the Strait of Hormuz, as announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday. Pakistan imports more than 60 per cent of its diesel from Kuwait under a long-term contract between state-run oil giants of the two countries — Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and Pakistan State Oil. Alternative routes, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have resulted in additional freight costs for Pakistan. On Monday, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik held a meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi to discuss bilateral relations, energy cooperation, and regional developments. According to an official statement, Malik exp...
    Tags: Pakistan Kuwait
  • PMD predicts fresh showers across country from April 1
    Dawn - 12:27 Mar 30, 2026
    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday forecast rainfall across the country, starting from April 1 (Wednesday). In a weather forecast, the PMD said that due to a “westerly wave” approaching the “southerwestern parts of Balochistan from April 1”, parts of the country will receive “widespread rain-wind/thunderstorm” in the coming days. It said that the westerly wave “is likely to persist” till April 4 (Saturday). Under the influence of the system, the PMD forecast rain-wind/thunderstorm (with isolated heavy falls/hailstorm) in parts of Balochistan from April 2 (evening) to April 4 with “occasional gaps”. These included Panjgur, Turbat, Kech, Awaran, Makran Coast (Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara), Lasbela, Khuzdar, Kharan, Chaghi, Dalbandin, Kalat, Sibi, Kohlu, Barkhan, Naseerabad, Quetta, Loralai, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Noshki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat and Mastung. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PMD said that rain, thunderstorms, including snowfall over mountains, were expected in ...
    Tags: April
  • Punjab schools to open on April 1 with classes five days a week, minister says
    Dawn - 12:02 Mar 30, 2026
    Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat said on Monday that educational activities in the province would resume from April 1 (Wednesday), with classes taking place five days a week. He made the statement in a post on the social media platform X. Separately, in an official statement, the minister reiterated that schools in Punjab would reopen on April 1 and that classes would take place five days a week. He also said that the “hybrid system” would not work, adding that the classes would be in-person. “Students should come to school and study,” he said. On March 9, the provincial government had announced that educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, would remain closed from March 10 to March 31 amid the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Monday also stated that a notification circulating on social media regarding classes four days a week was fake. In a post on X, the Punjab government shared a picture of ...
    Tags: Punjab April
  • India’s JioStar terminates Bangladesh IPL cricket broadcast deal, letter shows
    Dawn - 11:16 Mar 30, 2026
    Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s entertainment venture JioStar has terminated its broadcast deals in Bangladesh for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, saying its local partner defaulted on payments, according to a document seen by Reuters. Bangladesh in January banned IPL broadcasts after one of its teams, Kolkata Knight Riders, dropped Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman at the Indian cricket board’s instruction, just as tensions rose between the two countries following the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh. Though Bangladesh is reviewing the ban and had on Saturday said any further steps will depend on the opinion of its sports ministry, the termination by JioStar means there will be no local broadcaster for the IPL season, even if the country were to change its stance. “The agreement stands terminated with immediate effect,” JioStar said in a letter dated February 17 to Bangladesh broadcaster TSports, which had sublicensed the rights from JioStar for IPL seasons from 2023 to 2027. The ...
    Tags: Bangladesh JioStar
  • Court acquits all 8 accused in Dadu’s Chandio tribe triple murder case
    Dawn - 11:10 Mar 30, 2026
    HYDERABAD: The Model Criminal Court of Dadu on Monday acquitted all eight accused in the triple murder case of an ex-PPP UC chairman and his two sons in the district’s Mehar town. The ex-UC chairman, Raees Karamullah Chandio and two sons, Mukhtiar and Qabil, were gunned down in an armed attack on their residence in Ahmed Colony on Jan 17, 2018. The attack was blamed on their PPP colleagues, MPA and Chandio tribe chieftain Sardar Chandio and his brother Burhan Chandio. Both the accused were members of the Sindh Assembly at the time of the offence. Mukhtiar’s daughter Umm-i-Rabab Chandio, who is a lawyer, has been pursuing the case along with other counsel. During today’s hearing, an additional session judge, Hassan Ali Kalwar, ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the case and acquitted the accused, extending them the benefit of the doubt. Other than the two MPAs, the accused included Sikandar Ali Chandio, Ali Gohar Chandio, Abdul Sattar Chandio, Zulfiqar alias Qadoo Chandio, Ghulam Murtaza Chandio, and A...
    Tags: Chandio Dadu
  • Govt taking steps to ease burden on lower and middle-class amid fuel price hike: PM Shehbaz
    Dawn - 10:21 Mar 30, 2026
    The government is undertaking efforts to provide relief to the lower and middle classes amid a fuel price hike triggered by the global fuel crisis due to the Iran war, Prime Minister Shehbaz said on Monday. Over the past few weeks, the government has rolled out a series of austerity measures to minimise fuel consumption and announced significant cuts in development spending and restrictions on non-essential expenditures. In a meeting chaired by the premier to review the impact of the Middle East war on petroleum stocks in Pakistan and public relief measures being taken, he was informed that the government was working in collaboration with the provincial government to “finalise the process of registration for motorcycle and rickshaw owners so they could benefit from the government’s schemes,” a statement via the Prime Minister’s House (PMO) said. On March 17, the government announced it was planning a subsidised fuel scheme for motorcyclists and rickshaw drivers to cushion the impact of a massive hike in oil p...
  • FM Ishaq Dar to embark on official visit to China on March 31: FO
    Dawn - 09:31 Mar 30, 2026
    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will embark on an official visit to China on March 31 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday. The FO said that Pakistan and China enjoy an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, characterised by “close coordination and regular consultations” on regional development and international issues. “In this context, the upcoming visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to hold in-depth discussions on regional developments, as well as bilateral and global issues of mutual interest,” said the FO statement. It added that “FM Dar’s decision to undertake the visit, despite medical advice to rest following a hairline shoulder fracture sustained yesterday, reflects the importance Pakistan attaches to its relationship with China”. Earlier on Friday, Dar held a telephone call with Wang Yi, during which they exchanged views on the evolving regional situation and broad...
    Tags: China March
  • Security forces retaliate ‘vigorously’ after Afghan Taliban open fire in KP’s Bajaur sector: sources
    Dawn - 09:10 Mar 30, 2026
    Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire in the Bajaur sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, said security sources. They added that Pakistan’s security forces “retaliated vigorously” after Afghan Taliban fighters opened fire with “small and large weapons” along different areas of the border district. Security sources further said retaliatory fire by Pakistani forces silenced the enemy’s guns and “Afghan posts from which Pakistan was being fired at were also destroyed”. According to local security officials, Pakistan “did not target any civilian population, but only targeted those posts from which continuous firing was being done”. The For­eign Office (FO) on Thur­sday said that the temporary pause in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban over Eidul Fitr had concluded, and the operation will continue “until its objectives are achieved”. FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made these remarks while responding to questions during his weekly press briefing regarding whether the pause had been extended....
    Tags: Afghan Taliban Bajaur Security

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