<p>ONE good thing that has come out of this whole conversation about <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2019599">building the federation on new foundations </a>is that it has exposed the most opportunistic elements among us. Those who crave the opportunity to enter public life but have no chance to do so as long as Pakistan remains even nominally a democracy are the ones most excited by the idea of dismantling the federal structure and replacing it with some reloaded form of a unitary state from

<figure class='media w-full sm:w-4/5 media--center media--uneven media--stretch' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/08/0604190678a20d7.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/08/0604190678a20d7.webp' alt=' Mir Raza Ali ' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>Mir Raza Ali</figcaption> </figure> <p>KARACHI: Police on Wednesday did not rule out the possibility of exhuming the body of former I

<p>Firm lifts outlook saying it’s well placed to benefit from PM’s focus on new homes despite ongoing cost pressures of Iran war</p><p>UK housebuilder Persimmon has lifted its outlook, saying it is “well-placed” to benefit from prime minister Andy Burnham’s policy agenda, despite growing costs linked to the Iran war.</p><p>Despite rising cost pressures, Persimmon has lifted its outlook for the full year and now plans to complete 12,500 new homes by year-end, at the upper reach of its p

<p>Some want the chancellor to exploit newly flexible fiscal rules – others want a more creative approach, such as borrowing from markets</p><p>With just 12 weeks to go until his first budget, new chancellor John Healey is seeking ways to ramp up public investment, without busting the Treasury’s fiscal rules – and some economists are urging him to be bold.</p><p>As he settles into No 11 Downing Street, the former defence secretary’s most immediate challenges concern day-to-day government

<p>ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed relevant authorities to adopt a “comprehensive strategy” to attract international investors for the privatisation of state-owned power distribution companies (Discos) and complete the restructuring of the Privatisation Commission within one month.</p> <p>“A comprehensive and effective strategy should be adopted to ensure the participation of investors meeting international standards in the privatisation of Discos,” the PM

<p>WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan on Tuesday held the fourth counter-terrorism dialogue in Washington, reaffirming their commitment to combating terrorist groups and strengthening security cooperation at a time when regional tensions remain high.</p> <p>The talks were led by US Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Gregory LoGerfo and Foreign Ministry Special Secretary Ambassador Nabeel Munir, a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://w

<p>ISLAMABAD: The government is once again finalising plans to unbundle the country’s two gas utilities into five smaller companies — one transmission company and four provincial distribution firms — on the pattern of the more than 15 ex-Wapda generation, transmission and distribution companies.</p> <p>The proposed gas sector reforms, including the unbundling of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGCL), were discussed on Tuesday at a meeting led by Pe

<p>A search team has transported the bodies of renowned climber Nirmal Purja and three of his team members to the base camp of the mountain where they were killed in an avalanche, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said on Wednesday.</p> <p>The avalanche <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2019597">struck</a> on July 30, cutting off contact with the 10-member international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Purja on Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains. His company

<p>Cardinal Pedro Barreto received death threats and harassment during his almost 20-year campaign against a US mining company’s operations in the Andes</p><p>A Peruvian cardinal who received a barrage of death threats when he challenged the firm behind a toxic smelter has called a $150m (£111m) out-of-court settlement to more than 1,000 people who were allegedly poisoned by the plant as children “a historic milestone”.</p><p>Cardinal Pedro Barreto, 82, was in Rome meeting <a href="https:

<p>Add-on fees such as the new overhead locker baggage charge can make it harder to compare air fares, experts say</p><ul><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Cut-price fares may now be merely a facade for seemingly endless add-on fees after Jetsta