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President Zardari directs ministers to prioritise public relief, curb fuel price burden

LARKANA: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday directed the government to prioritise public relief, minimise the burden of petroleum prices and ease economic pressure on citizens during a high-level meeting at Bhutto House, according to the press release. The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, along with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Faryal Talpur and Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah. According to officials, the participants reviewed the overall law and order situation, the country’s economic outlook, and developments in the energy sector, including petroleum product pricing. The interior minister briefed the president on ongoing counterterrorism operations and border security. The meeting also discussed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as a detailed overview of broader regional security challenges. Th...
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Mustafa Amir murder: Cop shot in 2025 raid on Armaghan’s house succumbs to injuries

KARACHI: A police officer who sustained bullet wounds during a ‘poorly planned’ raid on the house of the main suspect in the Mustafa Amir murder case succumbed to his injuries on Monday. Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that Deputy Superintendent Police Ahsan Zulfiqar was injured during a raid jointly carried out by the Anti-Violent Crime Cell and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) to arrest the main accused, Armaghan Qureshi, at his home located on Khayaban-i-Momin in DHA on Feb 8, 2025. He recalled that DSP Zulfiqar was shot and injured in firing allegedly carried out by the accused, Armaghan. “The injured DSP Ahsan Zulfiqar had been fighting for his life for several months,” said the DIG. Police sources told Dawn that the operation was poorly planned by senior police officers. Local police were not informed beforehand and arrived to assist when the firing started. The wounded officer had been receiving treatment at a private hospital. His condition ...

TikToker allegedly shot dead by husband in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A social media influencer was allegedly murdered by her husband in Islamabad, it emerged on Sunday. The TikToker was killed within the limits of Humak Police Station near a shopping mall. The initial investigation showed that the suspect shot the victims before shooting himself in the head. According to police sources, the victim was identified as Sana Javed, who had a TikTok account called OutLofara, a permanent resident of Attock. Police said that the suspect, Muhammad Sadiq, was also a resident of Attock and previously served as a constable in Attock Police, but was dismissed from service. The suspect initially shot his wife and then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, sources said. As many as three shells of fired bullets and a 9mm pistol have been recovered from the site of the incident, they said. According to the first information report (FIR), available with Dawn , a private security guard informed police that he was performing his duties in a mar...

China pledges more balanced trade and further opening of the economy after record surplus

Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged on Sunday to further open the country’s economy to foreign firms and pursue more balanced trade with its global partners, after a year marked by trade friction and tariff wars with the United States and European Union in particular. China will import more high-quality foreign goods and work with all parties to promote optimised and balanced trade development and expand the global trade pie, Li told the China Development Forum in Beijing, according to state media. The annual two-day forum, which concludes on Monday, allows Beijing to lay out its economic vision and investment opportunities to foreign business leaders, Chinese officials, economists and academics. It comes after the world’s second-biggest economy reported a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus for 2025. Challenges for Beijing are aplenty, including deflecting concerns from an increasing number of global capitals about China’s trade practices and overcapacity, as well as its overreliance ...

PSL to go ahead sans spectators, matches limited to Lahore and Karachi amid austerity drive

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday that the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would go ahead sans spectators while matches would be held only in Karachi and Lahore in line with the government’s austerity drive. The tournament, which is set to begin on March 26, will feature eight teams and 44 matches. It was initially scheduled to be held across six venues — Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, and Faisalabad. However, addressing a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, the PCB chairman said the board, after holding consultations with the government and security agencies, had decided that the tournament “will go ahead as scheduled [..] but a few difficult decisions had to be taken”. Noting the government’s austerity drive, which was launched in the wake of the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel’s war on Iran and aimed at fuel saving measures, the PCB chairman said, “On one hand, 25,000 to 30,000 people will be gatherin...

Three weeks in, Iran war escalates beyond Trump’s control

President Donald Trump ends the third week of the Iran war , confronting a crisis that seems to be slipping out of his hands. Global energy prices are surging, the United States stands isolated from allies and more troops are preparing to deploy despite his promise that the war would be only a “short excursion.” A defensive Trump called other NATO countries “cowards” for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and insisted the campaign was unfolding according to plan. But his declaration on Friday that the battle “was Militarily WON” clashed with the reality of a defiant Iran that is choking off Gulf oil and gas supplies while launching missile strikes across the region. Trump, who took office promising to keep the US out of “stupid” military interventions, now appears to control neither the outcome nor the messaging of a conflict he helped to initiate. The lack of a clear exit strategy carries risks both for his presidential legacy and his party’s political prospects as Rep...

In pictures: Muslims across the world mark Eidul Fitr

Muslims in several countries are celebrating Eidul Fitr for 1447 AH, marking the end of the month of Ramazan. One of Islam’s most significant holidays, Eidul Fitr is typically celebrated by feasting and gift-giving. Dawn takes a look at some of the scenes around the world as Muslims offered Eid prayers and indulged in festivities, while those in Gaza and Lebanon observed the occasion amid Israeli bombing. Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers, in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, on March 21, 2026. — AFP Women react as they take a selfie after attending an Eidul Fitr prayer, at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore on March 21, 2026. — Reuters A child looks on as Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers, in Rawalpindi on March 21, 2026. — AFP Muslim children hug each other after offering Eidul Fitr prayers, at a mosque in Karachi on March 21, 2026. — AFP Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers at Alamgir Mosque (R) along the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi on March 21, 2026. — AFP Muslims ...