Pakistan

LOWER DIR: The elders of Khall tehsil of Lower Dir district have resolved not to provide any support to militants, declaring that anyone found facilitating them would be considered enemy of the community. Addressing a jirga at Gopalum Khall here on Saturday, leaders from various political parties, including ANP, JI and PPP, said both militants and the military should stay away from their area, adding that residents would not migrate under any circumstances. Addressing the jirga, elders including ANP Lower Dir general secretary Malik Muhammad Zaib Khan, Malik Aftab Khan, JI’s Malik Faramosh Khan, PPP’s Talimand Syed, Inayat, Habibur Rehman, Malik Alam Zaib, Malik Hayat Khan, Malik Zahir Khaliq and others recalled that during 2008-09, the people of Khall had resisted militants’ entry, as a result the region remained peaceful. The elders said ensuring peace was the responsibility of the state, but its reluctance to take decisive action against a handful of militants had raised doubts. Khall residents vow not to ...

GILGIT: Flash floods continued to wreak havoc across Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday, leaving one person dead, eight injured, and dozens displaced. Roads and bridges were swept away, thousands — including tourists — remained stranded at multiple locations, and electricity, mobile, and internet communication were disrupted in the region. Cloudburst-triggered flash floods hit multiple areas, adding to the misery of local communities. According to the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA), a nine-year-old boy, Zulqarnain Haider, tragically lost his life in a landslide while returning from the summer pasture to his village, Hanochal in Haramosh Valley of Gilgit, on Saturday. Addressing a press briefing, GB Home Minister Shams Lone said that the Baltistan Highway bridge had been swept away, cutting off four districts of Baltistan from Gilgit for a second consecutive day. Cloudburst-triggered floods leave 9-year-old boy dead in Haramosh Valley; portion of Naltar Highway and Baltistan Highway bridge sw...

SWABI: Local charities sent the much-needed relief supplies collected in Swabi to the calamity-hit areas of Buner district on Saturday. Speaking to Dawn before leaving for Buner, activists of welfare organisations said that the people in their neighbouring district were in dire need of foodstuff and drinking water after flash floods swept away their houses and crops and badly damaged road infrastructure. Al-Khidmat Foundation, Swabi, president Wajid Ali Shah said that they had sent medicines worth Rs1 million along with five doctors and 15 paramedical staff to Buner. “Similarly, on our request five trucks containing dry foodstuffs have reached Buner from our Rawalpindi wing and 15 ambulances of medicines and paramedical staff have also commenced their duty in the affected areas,” Mr Ali said. “We have also planned to dispatch more foodstuff, tents and medicines to Buner by Saturday evening,” he said. “Right now, we are focused on three areas, including medicines, foodstuffs and tents. These things are badly r...

KARACHI: City Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Saturday criticised Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori over his recent statement and asked the prime minister to take immediate notice of his involvement in political activities. “Can a governor be engaged in politics? The governor should not carry any political party’s flag. He should raise the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad, not represent any party,” he said while talking to the media after laying the foundation stone of several development projects in district Korangi. In a thinly veiled comment on Mr Tessori’s recent statement in which he talked about the comeback of “bhai” and revival of “old MQM”, the mayor said: “Perhaps he thinks of himself as ‘Bhai’.” As the office of the president and provincial governors are apolitical, the mayor called on the prime minister to take immediate notice of the matter. Wahab lays foundation stone for uplift schemes in Korangi district; says Karachi is transforming under Bilawal’s leadership Mr Wahab said that public convenience and...

BENGALURU: A planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from Aug 25-29 has been cancelled, delaying talks on a proposed bilateral trade agreement, Indian business and financial news network NDTV Profit reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has extended Section 144 across the province for an another 15 days, prohibiting pillion riding, wearing masks while riding, and all forms of public gatherings. According to a notification issued by the additional chief secretary home, the restrictions will remain in effect from August 16 to 31 due to the prevailing law and order situation. The order strictly bans gatherings of more than five people, rallies and public assemblies. Meanwhile, citizens have expressed concern that the continued enforcement of Section 144 will further disrupt daily life and cause hardships. Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025

CHINIOT - Federal Minister for Investment Board Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, while talking to the media,said that he was deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

• Directs workers to take part in relief and rescue operations • Urges all Pakistanis to extend a helping hand to distressed families • Condemns Sindh governor’s remarks as ‘attack on democracy’ ISLAMABAD: The PTI has decided to postpone its political activities nationwide in the wake of catastrophic flooding and natural disasters across the country’s northern regions and directed its leaders and workers to join relief and rescue operations. In a statement on Saturday, the PTI Central Media Department expressed “deep grief and heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of lives” and announced it would stand “in complete solidarity with the bereaved families”. The move follows recent devastating floods in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The PTI immediately put on hold all political activities and directed its leaders and workers to wholeheartedly step forward at this critical time to assist their fellow countrymen, ensuring that every possible relief reaches the affected peop...

• Met Office warns of flash floods, mudslides • Punjab PDMA issues ‘red alert’ for multiple districts • Tarbela Dam is 98pc full; India releases more water RAWALPINDI/LAHORE: The authorities have been asked to remain on their toes amid a fresh spell of monsoon rains, set to start from today till the 21st, which will cause torrential downpours across the country along with thunder and windstorms. The new spell coincides with a warning of heavy flooding in Punjab’s rivers due to an increase in water level on the back of the heavy monsoon rains and glacial melt in the northern parts of the country, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where over 200 people had died in a single day due to flash floods. The Pakistan Meteorological Depart­m­ent (PMD) said widespread rain-wind/thu­­ndershower (with scattered heavy falls at times very heavy) is expected in Kash­mir (Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Ra­­walakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Have­­li, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur) and Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, S...

KARACHI: A senior journalist associated with DawnNews, Khawar Husain, was found dead in his car parked on Hyderabad Road in Sanghar in mysterious circumstances on Saturday night, police said. Sanghar SSP Abid Ali Baloch told Dawn that the police received information about the presence of the body inside the car and rushed to the spot. The body was found in the driving seat, with a gunshot wound in the head, he said. The police also found a pistol in his hand, he added. Police moved the body to hospital and started an investigation. He said Mr Husain’s family hailed from Sanghar. As his parents and other family members live in the US, the purpose of his visit from Karachi was being ascertained, the SSP said. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the unnatural death and sought a report from the police chief, with the direction that the investigation be handed over to the best police officer. Director News and Current Affairs of the channel said they were waiting for police investigations to complet...

COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Saturday that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem”, adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza conflict as her country currently holds the EU presidency. “Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Frederiksen said in an interview with the Jyllands-Posten daily, adding that the Israeli government was going “too far”. She also criticised Israel over plans to build a new settlement in the occupied West Bank. She described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as absolutely appalling and catastrophic. Frederiksen added that she wa­­nted to consider “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, ministers, or even Israel as a whole”, referring to trade or research sanctions. Israeli strikes kill 39 more in Gaza City “We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing the sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect,” added Frederiksen, whose country is not...

LAHORE: Pakistan’s new remote sensing satellite has successfully rea­c­hed orbit and begun operations, sources at the Spa­ce and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Su­­parco) said on Saturday. The satellite was laun­ch­­ed from China’s Xich­ang lau­­nch centre on July 31. The satellite has established stable communication links with ground stations and started acquiring high-resolution images for sending them to the ground. This will make data available for various sectors of national life. The satellite has high-quality imaging capabilities that will revolutionise urban planning and infrastructure development. It will also help monitor urban sprawl and development trends. It will strengthen the na­­tural disaster prevention sys­­tem and enable rapid response by providing tim­ely data that could alert authorities to possibility of floods, landslides, earthquakes and other disasters. The satellite will also play a role in environmental protection, such as monitoring melting of glaciers and deforestation. Ac...

Six districts declared disaster-hit; 2,000 personnel to pull bodies from wreckage

Dispels misperceptions about security forces' operations

US president shifts ceasefire position after Alaska summit

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BEIJING: In a surprising incident that highlights the rising emotional involvement between humans and artificial intelligence, a 75-year-old Chinese man has reportedly asked his wife for a divorce after falling in AI love obsession with a virtual woman. The old man, named as Jiang, met the digital avatar while using social media. He got captivated […]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not”, after a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land. After the two leaders met in Alaska on Friday, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that […]

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday issued a strong advisory urging citizens to avoid travel to northern and hilly regions due to heightened risks of landslides and flash floods during the ongoing monsoon season. Acting on directives from the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, NDMA has instructed relevant authorities to restrict tourism in […]

KARACHI: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has reformed the process of national identity cards (CNICs) modification to provide east to the citizens using its upgraded Pak-ID mobile application. The updated process enables citizens to complete the entire procedure from their mobile phones without visiting NADRA offices, and waiting in queues. Using the latest […]