The founder of India’s youth-led online “cockroach” movement and two other leaders were released on Sunday, their lawyer said, a day after they were detained to thwart a major protest against the election commissioner. The group said thousands of protesters were detained before Saturday’s planned demonstration in New Delhi, the culmination of weeks of opposition mobilisation following […]

At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in an attack on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, as the Houthis escalate a campaign they launched this summer. The dead from the third attack this week on the airport included four Saudis, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, […]

The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday condemned a fresh wave of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, reaffirming Pakistan’s “firm and unshakeable” commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability of the Gulf state under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The defence pact, of which Turkiye is also a part, was signed on August 7 and aims to strengthen collective […]

ISLAMABAD: The death of student Laiba Aijaz on Friday drew the attention of the government, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meeting the Islamabad police chief and chief commissioner and directing them to arrest the accused. Sources in the police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told Dawn that the prime minister called Inspector General Mohammad Sohail Chaudhry and Chief Commissioner […]

With the advantage of hindsight, one has the opportunity to study the historical cycles in a nation’s life. Thanks to this newspaper’s unique, extensive archive of back issues, one can examine the major political, economic and social trends that have shaped Pakistan and the world over the last seven decades and counting. Cliched as it may sound, history repeats itself, and we — as a state […]

THE Indus River is moving east in central Pakistan. Along an 85-kilometre stretch from upstream of Layyah city down to Taunsa Barrage, it is pressing hard against its eastern bank. In this year’s flood season, it destroyed Basti Kanjal, a riverine settlement of more than 500 houses some 15km northwest of Layyah. It did not stop there, washing away several more settlements. Since June, close to […]

THIS is an obituary for the National Counter Terrorism Authority, once conceived as a civilian counterterrorism body that combined policymaking, coordination among law-enforcement agencies, and data collection and processing. Since its inception in December 2008, and even after gaining legal cover under the Nacta Act, 2013, it has struggled to fully realise its role and mandate, while facing […]

KARACHI: Sri Lankan wildlife health specialist Dr Buddhika Bandara, who had joined efforts to save Madhubala on Friday, left for home the same day under unclear circumstances, raising concern over Safari Park’s administrative affairs as well as the ongoing health crisis confronting the ailing elephant, it emerged on Saturday. Sources told Dawn that local authorities had not informed the […]

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed on Saturday put district police on alert for possible violent protests and sabotage in the event of the federal government imposing an emergency in the province, emphasising caution in the use of force. A notification issued by the IGP’s office outlined guidelines for handling protests and warned that miscreants and […]

PAKISTAN’S contribution to rising poverty across the Middle East, North Africa and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region is troubling. According to the World Bank, the country accounts for nearly half of the region’s people living in extreme poverty. Ours is a story of repeated hardship. Millions of Pakistanis have endured the pandemic, deadly floods, soaring inflation, and years of economic […]

• PML-N, PPP leaders finalise plan to bring KP under federal control• PM calls cabinet meeting today to discuss constitutional options• Fazl holds meetings with PM, PTI leaders to defuse tensions• Interior minister says ‘no room left’ to avoid emergency• KP police chief directs security measures ahead of possible protests• Separate NA, Senate sessions to be summoned for Tuesday• […]

WASHINGTON: Convicted murderer Christa Pike, who survived a botched execution attempt in the US state of Tennessee last week, has been discharged from hospital and returned to prison, her lawyers said on Saturday. Pike, 50, was given two doses of the drug pentobarbital on Sept 30 — a usually fatal dose that nevertheless failed to kill her. She was transported to hospital in critical condition […]

Illustration by Abro Last week, reports emerged that an Israeli plumber had thwarted an alleged attempt by the co-pilot of a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv to hijack/crash the aircraft. Interestingly, as further details were made public, social media platforms were flooded with thousands of posts alleging that the incident was a false flag operation orchestrated by the far-right […]

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan police on Saturday decided to strengthen security for Chinese nationals living and working in the region following a high-level meeting to review protective measures for foreigners involved in development projects and business activities. The meeting, chaired by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, was held at the Central Police Office in Gilgit, […]

LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday ruled out meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif without a commitment to abolish the petroleum levy, warning that the party would announce a date for its Islamabad march after Oct 12 if the government failed to provide relief. Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah, the JI chief said statements by ministers suggested that the levy […]