<p>KARACHI: An artificial exchange rate not only discourages exporters but also poses a major hurdle to foreign investment, particularly in the exportable manufacturing sector, said exporters, who expressed their dismay over the policy.</p> <p>For the past year and a half, the dollar-rupee parity has been managed, and the local currency has continued to appreciate against the greenback, bit by bit. During the last 18 months, the rupee appreciated by at least Rs4 against the US dollar.</p> <p>Exp

<p>It happened on a hot July morning. With a group of researchers, I set out for a routine wildlife survey half an hour’s drive from Muzaffargarh, in the sprawling wetlands of South Punjab. The vital but fragile lowland ecosystem is made up of 18 interlinked saline and freshwater lakes, river floodplains, oxbow lakes, and seasonal marshes.</p> <p>Here, 45km west of Multan, the Indus River gets to catch its breath after cascading steep glaciers and alpine lakes. As its flow turns leisurely in t

<p>LAHORE: At least 22 <em>mouzas</em> (revenue estates) in Multan district have been submerged under three to four feet of floodwater from the River Chenab, forcing thousands of residents to move to safer places, while standing crops over large tracts have also been damaged, according to the district administration’s latest flood situation report.</p> <p>The report compiled by the assistant commissioners, available with <em>Dawn</em>, said the district has 545 <em>mouzas</em>, of which 138 ar

<p>THE floods are visiting us again. The death toll will be counted within days. The damage to roads, bridges and embankments will be tallied within weeks and translated into a dollar figure. Expect this assessment to dominate the coverage. It is legitimate but a wrong ledger regardless. The real casualty of this flood, and the one before it, and the one before that, is not standing in the rubble. It is sitting in a classroom that no longer exists, or should be sitting there and is not.</p> <p>P

PESHAWAR: Nine cops, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred and 28 others were injured after terrorists attacked the Khazina Banda checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Hangu district late on Wednesday. A statement issued by KP...

<p>Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Police on Wednesday said that 26 personnel were martyred this year during incidents of unrest as they accused the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2005462"><u>proscribed</u></a> Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of deliberately targeting law enforcement agencies (LEAs).</p> <p>Addressing a press conference, AJK police spokesperson and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Riaz Mughal said that members of the proscribed JAAC were “martyring and injuring range

<p>The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Wednesday issued a summons notice to journalist Asad Ali Toor for an inquiry into alleged dissemination of false information by him.</p> <p>The notice, available with <em>Dawn</em>, named the state as the complainant against Toor for “alleged dissemination, transmission and/or public exhibition of false/fake information”. It was issued on a complaint filed under Section 26A (punishment for false and fake information) of the Preventi

<p>Security forces have killed 32 terrorists during operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the last 24 hours, the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement released on Wednesday.</p> <p>The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “comprehensive joint operations” were carried out in various parts of the two provinces, in continuation of action against the “terrorists nexus of India-sponsored <em>Fitna-al-Khawarij</em> and <em>Fitna-al-Hindustan</em>”.</p> <p>T

<p>SWAT: A policeman has been martyred and four terrorists have been killed during an ongoing operation in Swat’s Matta tehsil, police and security said on Wednesday.</p> <p>An initial statement issued by Swat police spokesperson Nasir Iqbal Karimi said Elite Force Constable Gulfam had embraced martyrdom while “bravely fighting the terrorists” on Tuesday night during the operation.</p> <p>Later, security sources said four terrorists had also been killed in the operation, while the operatio

<p>Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the government’s vision for national digitalisation aims to provide citizens access to all public facilities under a single digital identity.</p> <p>Chairing a review meeting in Islamabad on the implementation of a national-level integrated digital policy framework, PM Shehbaz said that implementing this vision in line with modern-day demands held “key importance” in forming an integrated society, according to a statement issued by th