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In a night of stark contrasts that laid bare the brutal beauty of mixed martial arts, Pakistan’s fighting corps experienced both a poignant end and a violent new beginning at Brave CF 103 on Tuesday. The nation witnessed its undefeated king, Rizwan ’The Haider’ Ali, dethroned, only to see another warrior, Ismail ‘The Volcano’ Khan, announce his arrival as a genuine global force with a breathtaking finish. The main event carried the hopes of a nation on the shoulders of its brightest star, Rizwan. Entering the Bukhara arena with an unblemished 11-0 record and seven first-round finishes, the PAKMMA superstar faced a daunting task: defeating the local hero, Nozim ‘The Bukhara Warrior’ Kalandarov, in his own fortress. Trouble appeared before the fight even began, with the 28-year-old Rizwan missing the lightweight limit, forcing the bout to a 72kg catchweight. In the cage, a more critical problem emerged. Kalandarov executed a flawless grappler’s game plan, securing takedowns with eas...

KARACHI: Police informed a sessions court on Tuesday that a criminal case against the director, producer and actors of the Bollywood film Dhurandhar for defaming the PPP was legally not possible. In response to an application filed by PPP worker Mohammad Amir seeking a First Information Report (FIR) against the director, the producer, and other crew members of Dhurandhar , SHO Darakhshan stated that, during the course of an inquiry, police found that all the proposed accused are Indian nationals and have no residential, business, or legal presence in Pakistan. “The impugned film was produced, filmed and released in India, and all alleged acts took place outside the territorial jurisdiction of Pakistan. No material or evidence has surfaced to suggest screening, circulation, or availability of the said film within Pakistan,” he added. The SHO stated in the report that the applicant also failed to disclose the commission of any cognisable offence within the territorial jurisdiction of...

Excavators demolish a building in Wadi Qaddum area, near the Silwan neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.—AFP JERUSALEM: Israeli bulldozers tore through a four-storey buil­ding in east Jerusalem on Monday, leaving scores of Palestinian residents unsure where to go after their doors were broken down in the middle of the night by authorities enforcing hasty evictions. The building was the latest in a series of residential structures to be razed as Israeli officials target what they describe as unauthorised construction in the city’s annexed east — a campaign that local Palestinian officials characterised as a “systematic policy” to displace residents. “The demolition is a tragedy for all residents,” Eid Shawar, who lives in the building, said. Located in the Silwan neighbourhood near the Old City, the building comprised a dozen apartments housing approximately 100 people, many of them women, children, and elderly residents. Activists accuse Israeli authorities of designating areas...

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Monday that meetings with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan would remain suspended till February 8. “Meetings with Khan will remain suspended till Feb 8,” the minister said while speaking on Geo News’ show Capital Talk, in reply to a question by the show’s host about whether meetings with Imran would remain suspended. As court-ordered prison visits stay blocked, Imran’s family and party have expressed concerns about the conditions in which he is being kept inside the prison. A United Nations’ special rapporteur has also warned that Imran is being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment. Chaudhry maintained that the prison is “not the headquarters of a political party”, and criticised the PTI for “spreading venom against institutions and leaders of the institutions“. The PML-N leader said that regular meetings were held between PTI leaders and its founder in Adiala jail in the past, an...

ISLAMABAD: The Finance Division, in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Pakistan Banks Association (PBA), has launched Zarkheze, a digital platform aimed at digitising agricultural finance and expanding access to formal credit for small farmers. Under the initiative, farmers will be able to apply digitally through the Zarkheze app for financing of up to Rs1 million. After verification and agronomic assessment, applications will be forwarded to the bank chosen by the farmer for processing. The programme provides that 75 per cent of the financing will be disbursed in kind for the purchase of agricultural inputs through banks’ pre-approved agri-vendors. Farmers will also receive advisory services through the Land Information Management System (LIMS). Officials said the product was designed not only to provide financing but also to improve productivity by ensuring access to quality inputs and advisory services. To encourage banks to increase lending to small far...

United States Senator Lindsey Graham called on Sunday for renewed military action against Hamas and Hezbollah if they fail to disarm and accused the Palestinian group of consolidating its power in Gaza. The Republican politician, on a visit to Israel, is a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump. Beginning in October, a fragile ceasefire has so far halted two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip despite both sides trading accusations of truce violations. A separate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah also came into effect in November 2024 after more than a year of hostilities, though Israel continues to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory. Israel has made dismantling the arsenals of both groups, allies of its arch-foe Iran, a key condition for any lasting peace. “It’s imperative we come up with a plan quickly, put Hamas on a time clock, give them a period of time to achieve the goal of disarmament,” Graham said at a press conference during his...

LAHORE: The Punjab government has notified rules for the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Ordinance, 2025, but has yet to decide the scale of kite flying in Lahore as well as other districts across the province. It has also yet to formally notify the announced dates of a three-day Basant festival from February 6, 2026, in Lahore and elsewhere. With the notification of rules for the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, the Punjab Assembly is expected to take up “The Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill, 2025” for approval in its sitting on Monday. “The Punjab government is currently holding meetings to decide the scale of the three-day Basant festival, ranging from allowing kite flying activities across Lahore, or in some specified grounds or specified rooftops, including known rooftops inside the Walled City,” a source in the Punjab home department told Dawn on Sunday. Sources also say the Punjab government has yet to formally notify the announced basant dates in Laho...

LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday summoned more witnesses in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Rs10 billion defamation suit against PTI founder Imran Khan, following the completion of cross-examination of another witness. The hearing was conducted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Yalmaz Ghani, and the witness, Adnan Raza, appeared before the court. The witness recorded his statement, saying that he and his family were politically affiliated with the PML-N. Mr Raza stated that on April 8, 2017, the PTI founder made false allegations against PM Shehbaz, claiming that someone from the prime minister’s family had offered him Rs10 billion to remain silent over the Panama Papers case. The witness added that Mr Khan repeatedly made these allegations. He further testified that on May 9, 2017, he read in a newspaper that PM Shehbaz had sent a legal notice to Mr Khan regarding the allegations. Mr Raza said the false claims damaged PM Shehbaz’s reputation and created public unre...

• Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry handed 10-year terms in May 9-related GOR-I attack case • In joint letter, five incarcerated leaders push for dialogue to resolve crisis LAHORE: In another case linked to the May 9 riots , an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while awarding 10-year prison sentences to senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the verdict inside Kot Lakhpat Jail after concluding the trial of the accused in FIR No 852/2023, which relates to an attack on the entrance gate of the GOR-I Club Chowk. The case had been registered by the Race Course police, who later submitted a challan against 25 accused persons, including PTI leaders and party workers. In the same case, the court also handed down 10-year imprisonment sentences to PTI workers Qasim Elahi, ...

• Flows stabilising after ‘extraordinary’ dip • Ministry reports Dec 10-16 volatility; suspects Baglihar drawdown and refill • Lowest Chenab reading recorded at 870 cusecs • Officials also flag disruption in Jhelum inflows at Mangla • Islamabad maintains Indus treaty bars emptying dead storage on western run-of-river projects ISLAMABAD / LAH­ORE: Reporting normalisation of Chenab River flows off late, Pakistan on Friday said it had sought an explanation from India over an “extraordinary reduction” in the river flows after what it described as the complete discharge and subsequent refilling of the Baglihar dam, in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. In a statement, the Min­istry of Water Reso­urces said the discharge of the Chenab River (mainstem) had “successfully stabilised following a significant period of volatility”. It said Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters had taken up the matter with his Indian counterpart and sought details and data regarding the reduction ...

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, enroute to Lahore from Jeddah, diverted and made an emergency landing at Dammam airport after signalling an onboard emergency. Flight PK860 was scheduled to land at Lahore airport at 8pm, however, it diverted to Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport due to a technical issue, said the PIA spokesperson. The Boeing 777 aircraft had 437 passengers on board, excluding the crew. While still in Saudi airspace, the aircraft switched its transponder frequency to 7700 — signifying a general emergency. The ‘ 7700 squawk ’ is an aviation term for when a pilot sets an aircraft’s transponder code to 7700, alerting air traffic control to an emergency on board. It signifies a serious issue, such as engine trouble or a medical emergency, and makes the plane a high-priority for immediate attention and assistance. The plane landed safely at Dammam airport and is undergoing checks by engineering staff on the ground, confirmed the PIA spokesperson. Th...

ISLAMABAD: Summon notices were displayed across Islamabad and its judicial complex on Thursday after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) initiated proclamation proceedings through public advertisement against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and several others for failing to appear in court. In compliance with the court’s directions, officials posted summons notices at prominent public locations and within Judicial Complex. The proclamations specifically ask Sohail Afridi, Meena Khan, Amjad Khan, Shafiullah Jan, and Amjad Afridi to appear before the court immediately to face ongoing legal proceedings. The court took action under Section 87 of the Anti-Terrorism Act after noting the suspects were “continuously avoiding court appearances and not complying with earlier summons”. Officials post summon notices at judicial complex, public places in Islamabad The court stated in its order that the defendants’ repeated absence left the bench with “no option but to initiate pr...

A domestic worker was allegedly beaten by a man in Karachi earlier this week, it emerged on Thursday. According to a first information report filed at Gabol Town police station — dated December 13 and available with Dawn — the complainant stated that she was working as a cleaner at a private residence when she got into an argument with the suspect on December 10. “On December 11, when I finished working at a house, the suspect came and started beating me as I was descending some stairs,” she alleged. “He pushed me down the stairs while verbally abusing me.” The complainant further alleged that bystanders also beat her, leaving her with facial and internal injuries. According to the FIR, the suspect who initially assaulted the complainant was booked under Sections 337A (punishment for assault), 354 (assault or criminal force to [a] woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace). After a video of the incident went v...

Sultan Aziz Azzam, a spokesperson for Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), was arrested by Pakistani authorities this year, a recent report submitted to the UN Security Council has revealed. IS-K is a branch of the Islamic State terrorist organisation active in Central and South Asia, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank. The United Nations’ 16th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team noted that IS-K’s ability to operate in the region had been degraded as a result of high-profile arrests by Pakistan, such as that of Azzam from the border region this May. The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said that Azzam was arrested by intelligence agencies during an operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The APP report claimed that following his arrest, IS-K propaganda arms, such as the Al-Azaim Foundation, had suffered a major blow. “Overall, the capability of [IS-K] has been degraded as a result of counter-ter...

Ali Tareen emerged as a surprise contender in the bidding war to hold a new football league in Pakistan, with the former owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket franchise Multan Sultans in a race against two franchise league merchants, who have long tried to get an event underway. Last month, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had invited expressions of interest from individuals and companies looking to hold a league in a bid to revive the domestic structure of the game in the country. Tareen confirmed on Wednesday, the deadline day for submission, that he had sent a proposal. “I have proposed a season (six-month) long league for Pakistan football, not a flashy, one-month cash-grab tournament,” Ali wrote on X, in a jibe at the proposed franchise leagues. Pakistan hasn’t had a functioning league since the last edition of the Pakistan Premier Football League — which had a mix of departments and a smattering of clubs — in 2019. Ali, who was denied renewal of Multan Sul...

KARACHI: Amid negotiations between goods transporters and government departments to resolve a nationwide strike that has entered its 10th day, industrialists warned on Tuesday that each passing day was adding billions of rupees in trade and export losses . Transporters said talks were underway with representatives of the federal and Punjab governments and relevant departments, including the ministries of ports and shipping and communications, the motorway pol­i­ce, the National Highway Autho­rity (NHA) and senior officials of the Fede­ral Board of Revenue (FBR) and Customs. They claimed the federal and Punjab governments had ackno­wledged that their demands were justified. The negotiations were continuing late into the night and were ongoing at the time of going to press, officials said. Earlier, transporters said the strike would continue until their dema­nds were accepted. The Transp­orters’ Goods Association (TGA) also told a Sindh government committee at the Commissioner’s Offi...

Donald Trump’s top national security officials faced a grilling from lawmakers Tuesday on US strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific — operations that have raised alarms about escalating military force near Venezuela. The House and Senate briefings, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came amid mounting unease in Congress over the president’s widening campaign in waters off Latin America, and as lawmakers weigh measures to curb Trump’s authority to act without their approval. US officials say the operations target narcotics bound for American shores. Critics counter that the campaign — which has destroyed at least 26 boats and killed at least 95 people, according to US military figures — is legally ambiguous and strategically unclear. The classified sessions preceded a possible Senate vote on resolutions aimed at restricting Trump from launching military action against Venezuela without congressional consent. But Senat...

Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq on Monday shared “concerns over the large number of terrorists in the neighbourhood, hindering regional economic integration and posing serious security challenges.” In a post on X, Sadiq, who also holds the special assistant to the prime minister portfolio, said he had held separate meetings with his counterparts from China and Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Afghanistan Neighbours Conference in Tehran. “We agreed that collective efforts needed to address this threat,” he said. Separately, senior diplomats of Afghanistan’s six neighbouring countries and Russia, who met in Tehran on Sunday, supported all efforts to reduce tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They expressed their readiness to help strengthen these efforts, an Iranian government statement said on Monday. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the participants also called on Islamabad and Kabul to return to the negotiating table and ...

In another attack targeting educational institutions, a government school for girls in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali was destroyed by explosives, spreading fear and anxiety among students. Last week, unidentified militants blew up a government primary school in the same district, jeopardising the future of more than 600 school-going children. The latest incident occurred in Eppi village, according to the police. The attackers planted explosive material inside the school building during the night, triggering a powerful blast that completely destroyed the structure. According to government officials, around 250 girls were enrolled at the school. It was the only educational institution for girls in the area, where students used to travel from far-flung localities for education. Police officials said the school was closed at the time of the explosion and no loss of life was reported. However, the blast caused severe damage to government property. Following the incident, panic gripped the...

Pakistan’s political class loves the vocabulary of transformation. Every year, new visions promise a “Digital Pakistan”, an “empowered youth”, and a “modern economy”. Yet beneath the lofty language lies a stubborn contradiction: the state taxes broadband as if it were a luxury product rather than the backbone of the 21st century. This single contradiction explains why Pakistan continues to lag behind regional peers in digital adoption, economic modernisation, and technological capacity. The country claims it wants digital growth, but it taxes the very oxygen that allows digital ecosystems to breathe. To understand how self-defeating this policy is, one must begin with the tax structure itself. After the 18th Amendment, sales tax on services became a provincial matter, and broadband taxation now varies across the country. These differences only add confusion; they do not change the core problem. Punjab, the largest province and home to more than half the country’s population, conti...

Though the maiden National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting on Dec 4 was held in a cordial atmosphere and the topic of reducing provincial shares from the divisible pool was not raised, analysts fear that the Centre will not refrain from attempting to slash the provincial share or, alternatively, impose new expenditures on the provinces as talks move forward. It was stipulated that the Federal Board of Revenue will boost its tax collection by 3–3.5 percentage points to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio to 13pc, with the provinces expected to enhance their share from the existing 0.28 per cent to 3pc of GDP through effective taxation on services, property and farm income. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto, on Dec 9, urged the federal government to transfer sales tax on goods to the provinces, as the collection of sales on services has significantly increased through devolution to the federating units after the 18th Amendment. He said centralised control was not only inefficient but also dr...

The Pakistan Super League’s 11th edition is planned to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday, while also announcing that the auction for two proposed new franchises would take place on January 8. The announcements were made during a PCB investor roadshow in New York, part of an overseas promotional campaign aimed at attracting commercial interest ahead of a potential expansion of the league from six to eight teams. The PCB has previously indicated that expansion is under consideration, though the addition of new franchises has not yet been formally ratified. Addressing attendees at the event, Mohsin said the PCB had taken administrative control of the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium and intended to begin renovation work. He added that efforts were under way to have the venue ready in time for the PSL, though he acknowledged that completion before the tournament was not guaranteed. “We are starting Muzaffarabad’s stad...