<p>ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed officials to complete all stages of the government’s privatisation programme within the prescribed timelines.</p> <p>Presiding over a meeting in Islamabad reviewing the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, the prime minister instructed relevant ministries and institutions to work in close coordination to ensure that all targets and deadlines under the privatisation programme were met, according to a statement issued by the Pri

<p>In the afternoon of Feb 22, 67-year-old Bulal Maharjan, a farmer on the outskirts of Kathmandu, was sitting on his porch chopping cauliflower leaves to feed his chickens.</p> <p>Hearing a loud thud as a parked motorcycle toppled, he turned and watched in horror as a leopard leapt away from the fallen vehicle and lunged at him, piercing its sharp canines into his forehead, its claws lacerating his hands.</p> <p>Within seconds, neighbours swarmed in, and the leopard ran into a nearby house. The

<p>The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections took place on Sunday, with polling held in eight out of the nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies.</p> <p>Polling began at 8am and continued till 5pm for the refugee seats, while the process concluded at 6pm in Muzaffarabad after an hour-long extension.</p> <p>The electoral process in LA-27 (Muzaffarabad-I) was postponed due to heavy rain, AJK Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Ghulam Mustaf

US President Donald Trump has pulled back from plans for major new strikes on Iran, in his latest climbdown after weeks of threatening to hit Tehran hard. The president said late Saturday that the US would hold off, provided a deal can be reached quickly. It follows a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who reportedly urged de-escalation, amid fears that Iran could retaliate against the Kingdom and other Gulf states. In announcing that he was calling off the strikes, Trump s

<p>PAKISTAN’S automobile industry captures the country’s industrial policy dilemma well. As the government considers lower tariffs, manufacturers warn of plant closures, job losses and wasted investment. Critics argue that, despite more than 40 years of protection, consumers until recently faced high prices and limited choice, while exports remained negligible.</p> <p>Both sides have a point. But the debate is framed wrongly. The question is: can the country’s auto industry build capabilit

<p>GILGIT: The bodies of celebrated Nepali climber Nirmal Purja and three other mountaineers accompanying him on a summit of the Broad Peak mountain in Gilgit-Baltistan were recovered on Sunday — three days after all 10 members of the team were <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2019683">reported missing</a> after an avalanche.</p> <p>On Saturday, his expedition organising company Elite Exped <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2020045/death-of-all-climbers-confirmed-in-broad-peak-avalanche">an

<p>At least 72 people died during the mass influx in recent days of migrants into Spain’s Ceuta enclave, when tens of thousands of people mostly <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2019690">swam around</a> the border post from Morocco, local officials said on Sunday.</p> <p>Most of the estimated <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2019690">60,000 people</a> who rushed into Spain’s north African territory have returned to Morocco since the territory’s largest mass migrant crossing.</p> <p>“

<p>Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president looks untenable following his <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2019907">failed plan</a> to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights, the head of Europe’s professional football leagues said on Sunday.</p> <p>Claudius Schaefer, whose organisation represents 53 professional men’s and women’s football leagues, said there could be “only one consequence” for Infantino after his plan triggered a storm of <a href="https://www.dawn

<p>• Top American commander warns navy is stretched too thin; US has used nearly half of its THAAD interceptors<br>• Pentagon may face choice between US interests and Israel<br>• Missile defences consumed faster than they can be replaced; war tests Washington’s ability to fight on multiple fronts</p> <p>WASHINGTON: A warning from one of America’s top military commanders has exposed a growing dilemma for Washington: The United States may no longer have enough naval forces to simultaneou

<p>When European lawmakers talk about labour abuse in the garment trade, Pakistan is too often cast as the defendant before any evidence is heard. A serious child-labour problem in one corner of the economy becomes, in the retelling, a verdict on an entire export industry. That is not regulation. It is collective punishment by reputation.</p> <p>Europe is right to insist that the clothes, towels and bed linen entering its market are not produced through child labour, forced labour, unsafe workpl