<p>LAHORE: A court on Friday granted police five-day physical remand of four suspects arrested for the alleged abduction and sexual assault of two foreign women.</p> <p>On Thursday, police had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2012477/lahore-police-register-case-against-five-suspects-over-abduction-sexual-assault-of-two-foreign-women">booked </a>five suspects on charges of kidnapping for ransom and sexually assaulting two foreign women, who were nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela. Subse

<p>Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed a ban on the production and use of substandard syringes to prevent infectious diseases.</p> <p>The directives came as the premier chaired a meeting in Islamabad on measures taken to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, the Prime Minister’s Office said (PMO).</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/PakPMO/status/2072973873985790427'> <div cl

<p>KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought on Thursday a detailed report from the provincial health secretary and police chief after a citizen filed a petition, citing reports of an HIV outbreak allegedly resulting from the reuse of contaminated syringes and medical negligence at a Karachi hospital.</p> <p>The petition, filed by Tariq Mansoor, was taken up by a two-member SHC bench comprising Justice Adnanul Karim Memon and Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry.</p> <p>In its written order, seen by <e

<p><strong>• No reward points under SDRP<br /> • TTCIS also discontinued; banks to keep transfers free for users</strong></p> <p>KARACHI: The State Bank has abolished the incentives paid to banks for increasing remittances, after the amount grew to a level that came under the IMF’s radar.</p> <p>The SBP issued a circular on Thursday announcing that the Sohni Dharti Remittance Programme (SDRP) had been discontinued.</p> <p>“No further reward points under SDRP will be awarded from the s

<p><strong>• Decision taken unanimously by Senate Standing Committee on EAD<br>• Division says it cannot directly order FIA, NAB inquiry into another ministry’s projects<br>• Senators criticise EAD letter questioning committee’s jurisdiction</strong></p> <p>ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division on Thursday decided to brief the prime minister on irregularities and alleged corruption in foreign-funded projects in the power sector and directly ask the Feder

<figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media--center ' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/07/030653160253768.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/07/030653160253768.webp' alt=' FLANKED by local PTI leaders, Salman Akram Raja addresses a press conference in Lahore.&mdash;PPI ' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>FLANKED by local PTI leaders, Salman Akram Raja addresses a press conference in Laho

<p>MUZAFFARABAD: In a widely anticipated move, the PTI on Thursday announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general election, stating it would instead stand by the people amid the prevailing political and social unrest.</p> <p>The announcement was made by PTI regional president and former AJK prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi through a statement shared with <em>Dawn</em> by his press secretary.</p> <p>“Expressing unwavering solidarity with the aspirati

<figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media--center media--uneven media--stretch' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/07/03064213cd0e337.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/07/03064213cd0e337.webp' alt=' Matteo Della Bordella, Mirco Grasso, Luca Ducoli and Giacomo Mauri at the K7 base camp.&mdash;Dawn ' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>Matteo Della Bordella, Mirco Grasso, Luca Ducoli and

<p>QUETTA: The Baloch­istan government has decided to introduce a convoy system on highways across the province to ensure the safety of cargo trucks, passenger coaches and people travelling by road.</p> <p>The decision was announced by Additional Chief Secretary Home Hamza Shafqaat during a meeting with representatives of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) on Thursday. Quetta Com­missioner Shahzeb Khan Kakar also attended the meeting.</p> <p>“Providing safe journeys and the s

<p><strong>• Chief ministers commit to reducing unnecessary incarceration, improving infrastructure<br>• CJP terms reforms ‘shared institutional responsibility’<br>• Maryam says prisons should be reflective of values, effectiveness of justice system<br>• Afridi calls for reforms to ‘start from Adiala’</strong></p> <p>ISLAMABAD: The provinces on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to sustained prison reforms, with all the chief ministers acknowledging that these reforms were not