Dawn
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Dawn - 09:40 Mar 27, 2026
Heavy rainfall has lashed large parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, as well as northern emirates, Gulf News reported on Friday. As per the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), “unstable conditions driven by a low-pressure system have brought repeated waves of rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms across the country”. Gulf News said that flashes of “lightning, booming thunder, and heavy downpours” were reported by residents in major cities across the Gulf state, from Thursday night into Friday early morning. The unstable weather also brought “thunderstorms, dust-raising winds, and reduced visibility”. Heavy rainfall also flooded the streets in some locations, according to the report. In Sharjah, heavy rain caused wadis to flow, “temporarily disrupting traffic on roads”. According to Gulf News, residents said the “skies put on a full-blown light-and-sound show — booming thunderclaps and electric streaks of lightning flashing overhead, all at the height of raging storm clouds... -
Dawn - 08:47 Mar 27, 2026
WASHINGTON: As tensions surrounding Iran once again test regional diplomacy, Pakistan is emerging in Washington’s policy conversations as a potential intermediary — a shift that signals a broader reassessment of its strategic utility beyond the traditional security framework. At an hour-long virtual briefing held on Thursday evening by the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, Congressman Tom Suozzi suggested that Islamabad’s geographic position, demographic weight and cross-regional ties give it space to play a more active mediatory role. “And we see from this negotiation with Iran right now, and the role that it’s playing, Pakistan can play more and more of a role in international affairs as a mediator,” said Suozzi, the Democratic co-chair of the caucus. He described Pakistan as “a very, very important neutral party, with friends on both sides.” The remarks come amid renewed diplomatic maneuvering around Iran, where Washington has relied on regional actors to maintain communication channels. Pakistan’s leadership... -
Dawn - 07:28 Mar 27, 2026
PESHAWAR: Repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals was abruptly suspended on Friday after a border security official was injured in a late evening cross-border attack from the Afghan side on Thursday. The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reopened on Thursday for the return of stranded and illegal Afghan nationals, after having remained closed since February 26 with the launch of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. However, security officials at Torkham said local paramilitary forces went on high alert due to the injury of an FC official at the Awal Khan post near the border. The incident took place around 9:30pm on Thursday evening. Sources at Torkham and the Hamza Baba transit point said that although the entire staff of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Logistics Corporation (NLC), police and other government departments was present at the transit point and Torkham, they were directed to immediately stop the regi... -
Dawn - 06:33 Mar 27, 2026
North Korea and Belarus’s strongmen leaders signed a “friendship and cooperation” treaty after Kim Jong Un gave a lavish welcome to President Alexander Lukashenko on his maiden visit. Besides supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine — around 2,000 North Korean soldiers are thought to have died — both nations are under Western sanctions and are accused of gross human rights violations. The two men met last year in China. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, attend a banquet for Lukashenko in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2026. —AFP “In the modern realities of global transformation — at a time when the world’s major powers openly ignore and violate the norms of international law — independent countries must cooperate more closely and consolidate their efforts aimed at protecting their sovereignty and improving the well-being of their citizens,” Belarusian state news agency Belta quoted Lukashe... -
Dawn - 06:23 Mar 27, 2026
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported a magnitude 5.3 earthquake felt in the northern regions of the country on Friday morning. According to a statement issued by the PMD, the earthquake was recorded at 9:53am at latitude 36.71° north and longitude 74.44° east. Its epicentre was recorded in northwestern Kashmir, 84 kilometres northeast of Gilgit, at a depth of 12km. The statement said that tremors were reported to be felt in Gilgit, Skardu, Pattan, Balakot and surrounding areas. Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region. A 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in late February. Earlier that month, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of northern Pakistan, a day after another earthquake of magnitude 5.9 that jolted parts of KP. -
Dawn - 02:21 Mar 27, 2026
• Dar confirms facilitating indirect talks between Washington and Tehran • Chances of face-to-face meeting over the weekend remain low, but both sides continue to engage on proposals • Diplomats involved in the process say Araghchi in constant contact with Pakistani officials • Ankara and Cairo also among venue options, but Tehran maintains preference for Islamabad ISLAMABAD: Chances of negotiations between the United States and Iran opening up at the end of President Donald Trump’s five-day pause remain limited, but a Pakistan-led initiative — in coordination with Turkey and Egypt — has created a narrow de-escalation window. Islamabad, meanwhile, has emerged as the preferred venue for any initial engagement, even as the gap between the two sides remains wide, diplomats from the region told Dawn. Pakistan has taken centre-stage in a process being carried out in collaboration with Ankara and Cairo, with officials confirming that indirect exchanges between Washington and Tehran are continuing through structur... -
Dawn - 21:28 Mar 26, 2026
On 27th day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the conflict has continued to be fully kinetic with no sign of de-escalation, even as US President Donald Trump’s five-day pause expires on Friday. Meanwhile, the overall trajectory of the conflict points towards an imminent widening of hostilities across multiple theatres. Over the past 24 hours, direct strikes inside Iran intensified. Multiple explosions were reported across central, southern and eastern Tehran, with air defence systems activated across the capital, while additional strikes hit Khorramabad, triggering blackouts and being followed by rescue operations. Reports also indicated damage in areas where residences and infrastructure are located in Mashhad. Iran’s response, both directly and through its regional network of allies, showed a marked escalation in tempo and scale. Missile and drone strikes continued against Israeli targets, with reports suggesting improved penetration rates against air defences and expanded targeting of defence, industrial and ... -
Dawn - 20:25 Mar 26, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met a delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in Karachi on Thursday and commended the services of former Sindh governor Kamran Tessori, who has been replaced by the PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi, a statement issued by the PM’s Office (PMO) said. Both Tessori and Hashmi also attended the meeting. During the meeting, views were also exchanged on the country’s political situation, the statement said, adding that the PM informed the delegation about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and initiatives for establishing peace in the region. The meeting also discussed matters related to the situation in Sindh, including Karachi, and development projects, the statement said. According to the statement, the MQM-P delegation was led by party Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and included Tessori, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and others. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, Minister of St... -
Dawn - 19:16 Mar 26, 2026
A US judge questioned on Thursday whether the US can bar Venezuela from funding Nicolas Maduro’s legal defence without violating his US constitutional rights, but stopped short of dismissing drug-trafficking charges against the ousted Venezuelan president facing trial in New York. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, wore beige prison garb to the hearing in Manhattan federal court over two months after US military forces captured them in a surprise raid on Caracas and ferried them to American soil. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have pleaded not guilty to charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy and have been jailed in Brooklyn pending trial. They had asked US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to dismiss the charges, saying their inability to rely on Venezuelan public funds due to US sanctions on Venezuela was interfering with their right to have a lawyer of their choosing under the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution. All criminal defendants in the US have constitutional rights regardless of whether they are... -
Dawn - 18:08 Mar 26, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for an unannounced visit, as the war in Iran spurs interest among Gulf countries in Ukrainian arms technology. The two countries are set to sign an agreement on “security cooperation — in particular, the protection of the skies”, later on Thursday, a senior official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. They did not provide further details of what was set to be in the accord. Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations, which are being attacked with the same Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia fires on Ukraine. Zelensky has said that more than 200 Ukrainian anti-drone experts have been deployed to several countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, since the US-Israel strikes on Iran spurred retaliatory drone and missile attacks targetting US assets and bases from Tehran. While Tehran accepts responsibility for some of the attacks, it denies having a role in others, ... -
Dawn - 17:11 Mar 26, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Thursday approved a Rs100 billion supplementary grant for the prime minister’s austerity fund created to finance the petroleum pricing subsidy. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presided over the ECC meeting, which approved a summary submitted by the Ministry of Finance, seeking a Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) of Rs100bn for onward transfer to the austerity fund. “The committee was informed that, in light of evolving developments in the Gulf region and their potential impact on international petroleum prices, the prime minister had directed the mobilisation of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) resources to meet price differential requirements on petroleum products and to cushion consumers from price volatility,” an official statement said. During the discussion, the ECC noted that the proposed allocation was being met through rationalisation and surrender of PSDP funds by various ministries and divisions, as coordinated by the Ministry o... -
Dawn - 16:41 Mar 26, 2026
Only biological female athletes, whose gender has been determined by a one-time gene-screening test, will now be eligible to take part in female category events at the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday. The IOC unveiled its new policy, following an 18-month consultation phase, on the protection of the female category as part of its initiative to have a universal rule for competitors in female elite sports after years of fragmented regulation that led to major controversies. The new rules essentially stop transgender athletes from competing in female category events at the Olympics. They had previously been eligible to compete at the Olympics once cleared by their respective federations. All athletes wanting to qualify or take part in female category events from the LA2028 Olympics onwards will have to undergo an SRY gene test to determine their eligibility. “Based on scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and re... -
Dawn - 16:11 Mar 26, 2026
Oman’s envoy to Pakistan, Fahad Bin Sulaiman Bin Khalaf Alkharusi, assured Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Thursday that Islamabad’s request for preferential energy cargoes would be “considered favourably”, a statement issued by the Petroleum Division said. The statement detailed the meeting between the two dignitaries in Islamabad, stating that Ambassador Alkharusi “welcomed Pakistan’s push towards diversification and conveyed that Oman stands ready to support Pakistan in enhancing its energy security”. “In this regard, the federal minister expressed optimism that Oman would consider Pakistan’s request for preferential energy cargoes to meet its growing requirements. The ambassador responded positively and assured that the request would be considered favourably,” it added. The statement said that the two discussed the evolving energy situation in the region and avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. “The federal minister highlighted that Pakistan and Oman enjoy long-sta... -
Dawn - 15:55 Mar 26, 2026
A Nepal commission has recommended the prosecution of ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli in connection with the deadly September 2025 uprising that toppled his government, according to a leaked report. At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising on September 8 and 9, which began over a brief social media ban but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship. Four-time prime minister and Marxist leader Oli, 74, was defeated in the polls this month by the 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, whose Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won in a landslide after promising to oust an ageing elite, stem corruption and fix the economy. The commission’s recommendations, set out in a report leaked by Nepali media, came ahead of the swearing-in on Thursday of newly elected members of parliament. “It was decided to recommend to the government of Nepal that an investigation, inquiry, and prosecution be carried out against the then executive head, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli,” reads a ... -
Dawn - 15:17 Mar 26, 2026
With the US-Israel war on Iran in its fourth week, Pakistan has stepped onto the diplomatic stage amid high-stakes wrangling to end the hostilities. Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised that it wants an end to the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. And with the situation fluctuating by the hour, Islamabad has emerged as a potential venue for talks between the two sides. Here’s what we know so far. Rumours abound Since the conflict began on Feb 28, Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership has been engaging with the leaders of regional and friendly countries and calling for a de-escalation of hostilities. Over the past week, several global publications, including Reuters and Axios, claimed that Islamabad had actively offered itself as a facilitator for engagement between the US and Iran. Some reports hinted that a meeting could be held if things proceeded smoothly, with Axios and The Guardian claiming that mediators were considering Islamabad as a potential venue for talks. Amid the speculation, the Forei... -
Dawn - 15:00 Mar 26, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday said that the temporary pause in Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban had concluded and the operation would continue “until its objectives are achieved”. FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the remarks while answering questions during his weekly press briefing regarding whether the pause had been extended. Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of Feb 26 following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. “Operation Gazab Lil-Haq is ongoing. It is a precise, targeted operation, military campaign directed against terrorist leadership and their support and command, infrastructure, logistics, logistic networks and facilitators and abettors of these terrorist acts within the Taliban regime and in the Taliban controlled area,” he said. Andrabi said that a temporary pause was observed in “deferrence to Eidul Fitr celebrations and in response to requests from our brotherly Islamic countries”. “The pause has concluded [on] midnight between, I think, March... -
Dawn - 14:47 Mar 26, 2026
Another Pakistani national died due to “falling debris” from missile interception in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said. The development takes the total number of Pakistani nationals killed in the UAE as a result of falling debris from missile interceptions amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran to four. In a post on X earlier in the day, the media office said that an incident “involving falling debris” from the interception of a ballistic missile resulted in “deaths of two unidentified individuals, three injuries, and damage to a number of cars”. It said that the incident occurred on Sweihan Street. In a later post, it confirmed that the incident resulted in the death of “two individuals of Pakistani and Indian nationality”. It added that the incident also resulted in “injuries ranging from serious to moderate sustained by three individuals of Emirati, Jordanian and Indian nationality”. “The public is advised to obtain information only from official sour... -
Dawn - 14:04 Mar 26, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified PTI’s Murad Saeed from his Senate seat following his conviction in a May 9 case, it emerged on Thursday. The ECP’s notification for Saeed’s disqualification mentioned his sentencing by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on March 7. Saeed was named among 47 proclaimed offenders sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in the May 9 case General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case by a Rawalpindi ATC. In a notification dated March 25 and available with Dawn, the ECP cited the court’s March 7 order, stating: “Murad Saeed, notified as returned candidate on a general seat of Senate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province [..] has become disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and is hereby de-notified. Resultantly, his seat has become vacant.” Article 63(1h) of the Constitution stipulates that a person shall be disqualified from Parliament if they have been convicted for any offence involving moral turpitude or sentenced... -
Dawn - 13:32 Mar 26, 2026
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday assailed the PTI, stating the party’s “attempts” at disrespecting the country’s dignity under the guise of political disagreement were “unacceptable”. The comments come a day after Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, raised his father’s case at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), saying that the former prime minister’s treatment by authorities violated international human rights conventions as well as commitments made under the GSP+ framework. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the minister held that “while it was every political party’s right to engage in criticism, the country’s dignity should not be put at stake”. He noted that an “unfortunate development” was seen in Geneva a day earlier, referring to Kasim’s speech at the UNHCR. “No political leader is bigger than Pakistan,” Tarar said, assailing the PTI for not putting “national interest first”. “The mockery of the country by the political opposition is unaccep... -
Dawn - 12:39 Mar 26, 2026
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index KSE-100 plunged over 5,000 points on Thursday. The KSE-100 declined by 5,405.48 points or 3.41 per cent to close at 152,907.96 from the previous close of 158,313.44. The index rose to an intraday high of 157,591.23 points at around 10:05am, and then declined to an intraday low of 152,668.07 points at around 3:15pm, before settling at 152,907.96. According to Topline Securities, “the market experienced sustained selling pressure throughout the day”. It added that the index “predominantly” traded in “negative territory as investors remained cautious amid persistent volatility in international oil prices and ongoing global uncertainty”. Topline Securities noted that “key index-heavy stocks, including United Bank Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Company, Engro Holdings Limited, Lucky Cement Limited, and the Hub Power Company Limited, acted as major drags on the market”. It said that the companies “collectively” pulled the index down “by approximately 2,138 points durin...
10418 items