Dawn takes a look at the scenes as huge flags with Islamic emblems and “Zuljanahs” (horses) remained a key part of the processions.

Header image: Muslims hold a religious flag as they take part in a procession on the ninth day of Muharram in Islamabad on June 25, 2026. — AFP

The ceremonies conducted late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the vast Imam Hossein square in central Tehran, according to reports in Iranian media.

They were broadcast on state TV in a bid to boost wartime morale, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatening new military action against Iran amid a shaky ceasefire which halted the fighting that began on February 28.

Those involved had signed up, according to Iranian media, for the so-called “self-sacrifice” scheme (janfada in Persian) where people pledged to put their lives on the line in the war by, for example, forming human chains outside power stations.

Iranian authorities say millions of people, including top figures such as Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian, have put their names forward.

Couples arrived at the Imam Hossein square in military jeeps with mounted machine guns and were married on a stage in a ceremony presided over by a cleric, AFP images showed.

The stage was festooned with balloons and with a giant image of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since being elevated to the position after the assassination of his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.

“Certainly, the country is at war, but young people also have the right to marry,” one young woman in a white bridal dress, who was not named, said beside her groom in footage published by the Mehr news agency.

A man in a dark suit, beside his bride-to-be, said they were happy the occasion marked the anniversary of the marriage of Imam Ali, revered by Shias, to Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“We received their blessings. Furthermore, we came to offer our best wishes to the people in the streets,” he said.

Mehr said 110 couples had taken part in the Imam Hossein square ceremony alone. The AFP images showed crowds of well-wishers clasping roses and watching on.

Since the start of the war, Iranian authorities have held major pro-government gatherings on a near-daily basis in a bid to highlight popular mobilisation amid the conflict.

Header image: A bride and group couple rides in a military jeep arriving for a public mass wedding ceremony at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026. — AFP

Here is a timeline of the incident and its immediate aftermath.

Around 8:35pm ET (5:35am PKT on Sunday): Guests at the Washington Hilton dinner took cover when shots were heard, video footage showed.

Soon after, Secret Service agents rushed towards Trump, escorting the president and his cabinet from the ballroom.

A sole gunman had rushed a Secret Service checkpoint in a lobby, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll later told reporters.

The suspect charged the Secret Service checkpoint in the hotel’s lobby area and was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, Carroll said.

As the suspect ran through that checkpoint, Secret Service members intercepted him.

A Secret Service agent was injured and transported to a local hospital, the mayor said, adding the suspect was also transferred to a local hospital where he was evaluated.

“We do know that law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual. … The suspect in this case, he was not struck by gunfire,” Carroll said.

“Law enforcement … they actually tackled him into the ground and handcuffed him.”

Around 9:17pm ET (6:17am PKT): Trump made his first comments after the shooting, saying law enforcement “acted quickly and bravely.”

Trump posted on Truth Social that “the shooter has been apprehended”. Trump said he recommended that the event continue.

About 20 minutes later: Trump posted again, saying law enforcement asked him and others to leave the premises and that he was complying with that request. The event will be rescheduled “within 30 days”, Trump said.

Around 10:30pm ET (7:30am PKT): Trump addressed the media in a press conference at the White House, accompanied by the director of the FBI and the acting US attorney general.

Trump and other law enforcement officials said preliminary information suggested the suspect was a lone shooter.

Around 11:13 pm ET (8:13am PKT): Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters the suspect was being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

He sits sullenly on a couch with one hollow pant leg dangling and the other tucked into his waist beside his 11-year-old brother who lost an eye in the same strike.

“He has become withdrawn and isolated,” said his mother Najwa al-Naji, showing old videos of him doing kick-ups on her phone.

“It is as if he is dying slowly, and I wish that they would fit him with prosthetic limbs.”

But those are in scarce supply for Gaza’s nearly 5,000 war amputees — a quarter of whom are children like al-Naji — because of Israeli restrictions on materials like plaster of Paris, seven aid and medical sources told Reuters.

Israel cites security concerns as the reason for restrictions.

Taken together with Gaza’s pre-war amputee population provided by Palestinian health officials, its per capita amputee rate now exceeds even Cambodia, which had been the worst due to landmines, aid group Humanity and Inclusion said.

Such is the need that two medical centres said they were trying to reuse old prosthetic limbs recovered from people killed in the war. Others are creating makeshift artificial limbs with plastic piping or wooden planks, medics said, though this risks damaging the stump or causing infection.

Unfulfilled promise

Gaza’s amputees are a symbol of unfulfilled pledges from the October ceasefire and US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan envisaging full aid “without interference”.

It also foresaw the reopening of the Rafah border crossing — Gaza’s sole route out to Egypt — but medical evacuations, including for amputees, have been irregular.

Israel restricts imports of items it says have potential military as well as civilian use under a policy pre-dating the two-year war.

While plaster of Paris and other plastic components for prostheses are not specified on Israeli lists of so-called dual use items, “construction products” are there, an Israeli export control document showed.

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat) military agency, which controls access to Gaza, claimed it facilitated the regular entry of medical equipment but would not permit materials that could be used by Hamas for a “terrorist build-up”.

Responding to questions about prostheses, Cogat said it was in dialogue with the UN and other aid groups to identify ways to enable an adequate medical response.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which supports the Artificial Limbs and Polio Centre in Gaza, the main centre for prosthetics, said imports of plaster of Paris were almost completely restricted for over four months with supplies left only to June or July.

“What we are producing now are very small quantities compared to the actual need,” said Hosni Mhana, the centre’s spokesperson, without giving numbers.

The Qatari-funded Sheikh Hamad Hospital said no supplies were received during the war and that it ran out. It could now only offer maintenance on existing prostheses.

“There are no local alternatives for prosthetic manufacturing materials,” said the hospital’s General Director Ahmed Naim.

Humanity and Inclusion, which fit 118 temporary prostheses in Gaza since early 2025, said supplies from its last shipment in December 2024 were dwindling.

The Trump-led Board of Peace, which sought to boost aid for Gaza, said it took very seriously the hardships of amputees and other patients in Gaza.

“These are urgent civilian needs,” it said in a statement to Reuters, noting that the ceasefire obligations included the sustained flow of humanitarian, commercial and medical supplies.

Restrictions and delays were raised with the relevant authorities, it added. “We have significant guarantees and commitments that these restrictions will be eased and eliminated as armed parties agree to decommission their weapons and hand over authority to a Palestinian technocratic government in Gaza.”

Prolonged trauma

Artificial limbs could not be imported whole into Gaza since they were built for each patient, with plaster used to take an exact cast of the residual limb to shape a custom-made socket.

Reuters interviewed three other Gaza amputees, all struggling to resume their pre-war lives without prostheses.

Some of the amputees were on a waiting list and may underwent preparatory work, which could include stump revisions, a form of surgery to hone its shape.

One on the list is Hazem Foura, a 40-year-old former office worker unable to work since losing his left leg above the knee in December 2024 when he said Israel bombed his house.

“I am not asking for the luxuries of life, I am asking for a limb so I can regain my humanity,” he said.

Lack of prostheses severely disrupted recovery and prolonged trauma for amputees, many of whom might have avoided limb loss had more specialist surgeons been available.

It also put them in greater danger from ongoing Israeli attacks, which killed 750 Palestinians since the ceasefire, Palestinian health officials said.

Israeli restrictions on items like wheelchairs eased since the ceasefire, the ICRC and the UN children’s agency said, but medics said manoeuvring around Gaza’s rubble-strewn roads remained a challenge.

As well as materials, expertise is lacking, with only eight prosthetists still in Gaza according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Follow-up care for children is especially tough, medics said, since they need regular refittings as they grow.

“The amputation itself is not just a lost limb, it’s lost hope, it’s lost independence,” said Heba Bashir, prosthetic and orthotic technical officer for Humanity and Inclusion.

“For the kids, it means losing their future.”

Header image: Palestinian amputee Hazem Foura, who lost one leg, walks using crutches in a street in Gaza City on April 3, 2026. —Reuters

Vance was greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi after disembarking at the Nur Khan Air Base.

Early on Saturday morning, the Iranian delegation arrived in the federal capital. According to a statement, the delegation led by Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was received by Dar, Field Marshal Munir and others

Header image: A Pakistani official is pictured during the arrival of the US Vice President JD Vance for US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. — AFP

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, Lebanon and Iran observed the occasion amid Israeli bombing.

Header image: Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers at Alamgir Mosque (R) along the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi on March 21, 2026. — AFP

The death toll from the inferno rose to 14 on Monday, with scores reported to be missing.

Scenes from the site on Sunday showed fire tenders, water tankers and ambulances sprawling on M.A. Jinnah Road, where worried families had gathered in search of their loved ones.

Dawn takes a look at some of the scenes that marred the busy commercial road, crowded for an entirely different reason this time.

Header image: A huge crowd has gathered as firefighters make efforts to douse a fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road on Jan 18, 2026. — Shakil Adil/White Star

The US Department of Justice on Friday released a new cache of documents from its investigations into the late convicted sex offender.

The Epstein files have been a significant political problem for President Donald Trump, with many of his supporters and Republicans in Congress demanding their release. It remains to be seen if this partial release will satisfy Trump’s critics on the issue.

Header image: Former US president Bill Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell are seen in this image from the estate of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on December 19, 2025. —Reuters

But scattered among the skyscrapers, traffic-choked roads, and dense informal settlements stand reminders of a different city — a port once celebrated for its order, elegance, and architecture.

Among the most striking relics are Karachi’s historic clock towers — orange and rose-pink structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries — that once guided the city’s rhythms.

Today, many are crumbling, forgotten or overtaken by encroachments, leaving historians and conservationists worried that a rare chapter of the city’s past may soon disappear.

In the heart of downtown Saddar, squeezed between Chinese dental clinics and corner grocery shops, stands the 19th-century clock tower of the Eduljee Dinshaw Charitable Dispensary — now a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) facility.

The Victorian-era structure, built in 1882, is still in use as a dispensary, but its once-white wooden windows are now blackened by exhaust. The clock mounted above its entrance has no hands — frozen for decades. On a recent morning, pigeons perched wearily on its weathered stonework as health workers inside carried out free dengue tests.

At the back, emergency staircases crumble, paint long stripped away. Rusting spiral steps toward the tower’s top recall a time when caretakers wound the clock every day.

A few kilometres away, the Lea Market clock tower — once a favourite public gathering place — sits in even worse condition.

A makeshift vegetable market sprawls through the building, while dozens of auto rickshaws treat the entrance as a permanent and illegal terminal.

Wooden shutters are broken or gone entirely, while the rusted clock hands have sat stuck at 11:45 — morning or night, no one remembers.

“This was a favourite gathering place for everyone in the area, both young and old, until the 1980s,” said Mukhtar Baloch, a 70-year-old retired teacher.

“I still remember the days when this place was a hub for political and social discussions and public meetings. But over time, it’s lost its glory, just like many of our other heritage sites.”

‘Forgotten city’s heartbeat’

Karachi-based heritage researcher Shaheen Nauman said that around 11 clock towers were documented across the city until 2019, most built between 1882 and 1931.

Recent surveys uncovered four more in the southern districts, bringing the known total to 15, including Merewether Tower (1884), Holy Trinity Cathedral (1885), Empress Market (1889), Poonabai Mamaiya (1889), Sydenham Passenger Pavilion (1913), Lakshmi Building (1924) and Lea Market (1927).

Of these, only three still function, Nauman said, and the rest are waiting for official attention.

“These towers were built between the late 19th century and early 20th century, when watches were a luxury that very few could afford,” she explained.

That made clock towers essential civic tools: “They were placed in busy streets and public spaces, ensuring that the sound of their chimes could be heard far and wide.”

Urgent preservation needed

There are glimmers of hope. At Empress Market — a centrepiece of colonial-era Karachi — the clock tower has come back to life thanks to the passion of local artist and technician Bilal Asif.

Once buried beneath hundreds of illegal vendor kiosks, the market regained its historic facade after a sweeping anti-encroachment drive in 2018. But its iconic clock remained broken until Asif stepped in.

“It was a huge challenge to bring back to life a clock that had stopped decades ago,” he told Anadolu.

“But I accepted the challenge and made it tick again. It took weeks of hard work, but I’m glad we managed to successfully restore it.”

Today, this is the only hybrid-powered tower clock in Karachi, while the others that still function — at the KMC head office — require weekly winding. However, Merewether Tower clock runs through solar batteries.

Despite occasional restoration efforts, experts fear the broader picture is bleak.

Architect and heritage advocate Marvi Mazhar called for structured intervention.

“These clocks must be declared heritage property. There should be ⁠monthly checks and the notes must be logged, so that there can be accountability and inquiries, if needed,” she said.

Nauman agreed that if one tower can be revived, others can too.

“These forgotten clock towers were once the heartbeat of the city. They symbolise time itself, and its deep significance in human life,” she said.

“When the clock at Merewether Tower or the KMC building chimes, its sound takes us back a hundred years — to a time when it was the only guide for setting the rhythm of daily life.”

Header image: The clocktower at Empress Market in Karachi. — Anadolu Agency

Meanwhile, skywatchers across large parts of Australia and New Zealand were treated to a celestial delight yesterday evening, with a severe solar storm making it possible to view the Southern Lights, or Aurora Australis.

Here are some images from across the world.

Header Image: People take pictures of the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the horizon over the waters of Blackhead Beach in Dunedin on November 13. — AFP

The blast occurred as international events were being hosted in the capital, including the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference and the 6th Margalla Dialogue, while a cricket match between the Green Shirts and Sri Lanka was also being held in Rawalpindi.

Here are some images from the site of the blast.

Header Image: Firefighters douse a car at the suicide blast site in Islamabad. — AFP

On Tuesday, Pakistan had welcomed dozens of pilgrims from India in the first major crossing since deadly clashes in May closed the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

More than 2,100 pilgrims were granted visas to attend a 10-day festival marking the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Pakistan’s High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said last week.

Header Image: Sikh pilgrims pay respects on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, in Nankana Sahib, in Punjab. — AFP

Mamdani’s victory came in the face of fierce attacks on his policies and Muslim heritage from President Donald Trump, business elites and conservative media.

Mamdani, a state lawmaker for New York’s Queens borough, appealed to voters by pledging to tackle the soaring cost of living, offering free city bus travel, childcare and city-run grocery stores.

He focused on living costs facing ordinary New Yorkers, building support through his informal personal style, social media savvy and a massive canvassing ground game.

Header image: Supporters celebrate after New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is announced the winner in the mayoral race at the Brooklyn Paramount on November 4, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. — AFP

It added that continental air was prevailing over most parts of the country, bringing generally dry weather, while hilly areas were expected to remain cold during morning and night hours. Citizens were advised to take precautionary measures against the prevailing smog.

Lahore was declared the world’s most polluted city earlier this week as a hazardous blanket of smog enveloped the metropolis, prompting authorities to issue a severe public health warning.

Along with Karachi, the city was among the top five most polluted cities in terms of air quality, according to monitoring platform IQAir.

Smog is set to intensify across Lahore and other parts of Punjab due to a combination of local emissions and pollutants carried by low-speed winds from India, following Diwali celebrations, according to the provincial government.

Header Image: An aerial view shows the city skyline engulfed in smog during sunrise in Lahore on October 25. — AFP

The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semi-divine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide.

Authorities ordered flags to fly at half-mast for 30 days, banned weddings and concerts, and instructed citizens to wear black.

Former Queen Sirikit’s body will lie in state at the Grand Palace’s Dusit Thorne Hall in the capital, Bangkok, according to the palace.

People react as they hold portraits of Thailand’s former queen Sirikit in front of Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok.

Header Image: Thai mourner Kanjana Malaithong holds a portrait of Thailand’s former queen Sirikit and Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as she weeps at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok on October 25. — AFP

Israel imposed a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late July, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, following warnings of a wave of starvation. But the aid was too little and too late to reverse the damage already done; the UN officially declared a famine in Gaza City in August.

As today marks another year of the world witnessing piled up bodies in shrouds, spilt blood, shredded body parts, hungry cries for food and buildings reduced to rubble in Gaza, we take a look at some pictures that are an incriminating statement of Israel’s multiple war crimes in the enclave.

Header image: Smoke rises from an evacuated residential building that was housing displaced Palestinians, after it was hit by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City on Sept 14, 2025, in this screen grab taken from a video. — Reuters TV via Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas

They have won gold.

This is not the beginning of a feel-good sports movie. This is the true story of the Pakistan men’s ice hockey team, a group of diaspora athletes who, just one year after forming and without a single ice rink in their homeland, conquered the LATAM Cup Division III last month, winning all five fixtures. Their journey was a testament to love, identity, and the audacious belief that some dreams are worth chasing, no matter how impossible they seem.

It all began with a man and a question: “Why not us?”

Adnan Khan, known to everyone as Donny, is the founder of Pakistan ice hockey. He was born in Karachi, but his love for the game began as a teenager after he moved to the US.

“Ice hockey was something that I really felt connected with,” the 53-year-old Donny recalled while talking to Dawn. “It helped me kind of assimilate into American culture and society.”

That connection grew into a career. He worked for the NHL, USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, becoming a true ice hockey insider. But a piece of his heart was always in Pakistan. Now, he saw a way to use a sport that had helped him find his place in America to help represent his homeland on the world stage.

“I felt we need to represent Pakistan as a positive place in whatever way we can,” Donny said.

The spark ignited when family in Islamabad told him that the Canadian High Commission was using ice hockey to teach climate change. At the time, through his work with the NHL, he was supporting the LATAM Cup, a tournament growing to include teams beyond South America.

The stars aligned. “Why not us?” became a mission. But Donny knew this couldn’t just be a team of expats; it had to be Pakistan’s team. His years of groundwork were key.

Bridge of trust

“I’ve been in contact with the Pakistan Winter Sports Federation for a few years now,” he explained. He had sent equipment and arranged online coaching meetings for enthusiasts in the country’s northern regions. “I sent a letter last year saying I would like to have their endorsement to represent Pakistan in this tournament.”

His genuine efforts to grow the sport at home had by then built a bridge of trust.

“Because I’ve been helping the Winter Sports Federation, they were kind enough to continue to support us … they recognised that we were representing Pakistan here.”

This official endorsement was their badge of authenticity, allowing them to play under the Pakistani flag with full pride.

With that legitimacy secured, Donny jumped all in.

“I submitted the team into the tournament, started working on a logo, designing a jersey, and started finding a roster,” he said.

The first year was humbling.

“While trying to build the team, pretty much anyone I could talk to, I put on the team,” Donny recalled.

In their first tournament, last year’s LATAM Cup, Pakistan’s team was severely short-handed. Donny, who was also working as a coach in that tournament, remembered that they had only 13 skaters and one goalie — his 14-year-old son. They won just one game.

But a seed was planted.

There was also the financial reality of participating; but from the very beginning, this was a venture run on love, not money.

“We are managing everything from here, we don’t have sponsors or anything,” Donny revealed. “I’ve been covering some of the upfront costs for the startup just for the love of the game.”

The financial burden was a shared sacrifice, shouldered by everyone involved.

“We’ve been doing fundraising drives to cover the cost of jerseys and equipment,” Donny said. “And then a lot of the parents have been chipping in; people buying dinners for the team practices, things like that.”

This collective effort was the true foundation of every win. They were all volunteers, investing in a dream they believed was bigger than themselves.

Digital scavenger hunt

Building a national team from scratch in a year, however, requires more than just hope; it requires genius-level resourcefulness. That’s where the players took charge.

Zaakir Khan, a 20-year-old defenseman and the team’s co-captain, became a chief recruiter.

“After that first tournament, me and my co-captain, Tariq Khan, started looking for more diaspora players,” Zaakir told Dawn.

Their method was brilliantly simple.

“Through a website, we were able to look up common Pakistani last names who play ice hockey,” Zaakir, who played at college level for George Mason University, recounted. They scoured databases, reached out via social media, and used Google forms.

They were digital-age pioneers on a patriotic scavenger hunt.

But the call to represent Pakistan required a massive leap of faith. Players flew in from across North America and the UK, often paying their own way.

“It was such a leap of faith, right, to travel halfway across the continent to go play in a tournament with a bunch of guys you don’t really know much about,” Donny said, his voice full of gratitude.

They arrived to find a team that had barely practiced together.

“Right now we’re only able to practice before each tournament,” Zaakir explained. “We are able to get together three or four days before each tournament and we’re able to have quick practice.”

They played through injuries sustained in their brief, intense camps. They shared equipment.

They faced a unique challenge just before the LATAM Cup: their new jerseys, ordered from Pakistan to support the homeland, were stuck in shipping. The men’s team played in their old kits, lending their other set to the newly formed women’s team.

None of it mattered. They were playing for something bigger than themselves.

“It’s always special when you’re playing with people of your heritage,” Zaakir said, articulating a feeling shared by every team-mate. “To be able to play for your country is something that I never thought I’d be able to do.”

Tight-knit group

And, as Zaakir termed it, the team became a “family”.

“We are really fortunate that we were able to recruit players with whom we were able to connect and form a tight-knit group,” Zaakir said.

That chemistry was tested not just by competition, but by conflict. The tournament was non-checking, but the intensity of hockey often boils over.

In one pivotal moment during the LATAM Cup, an opponent ran into the team’s goalie. In a flash, the entire team rallied to defend their team-mate. It was an instinctual act of unity that spoke louder than any victory.

“As someone who’s watching the game and someone who’s responsible for this team, I was so proud of our guys who were standing up for each other,” Donny said. That moment proved they weren’t just a team in name; they were a family, a brotherhood willing to stand up for one another without a second thought.

This feeling of belonging is the team’s bedrock. For these young men, hockey had often been a lonely pursuit.

“Ice hockey is not a very brown dominated sport, especially not a Muslim dominated sport,” said forward Mahd Nasir while talking to Dawn. “So growing up in Vancouver, we grew up around not a lot of Muslim kids playing hockey. So being on a full team of a bunch of Pakistani kids is absolutely amazing.”

Different dynamic

It isn’t just the men’s team that made waves. The newly-formed women’s team, cobbled together from across North America, fought their way to a bronze medal at the LATAM Cup Division II — despite playing their first-ever tournament with a short-handed squad of just 12 players.

The architect behind that incredible feat is Riley Khan, the Assistant General Manager of Pakistan Ice Hockey, who took on the monumental task of building the program from scratch. For her, the mission was personal.

“I got into Pakistan Ice Hockey because last year, Adnan Khan [Donny], my father, put together the men’s team,” Riley told Dawn. “When I travelled to the tournament last year, I saw how many successful women’s teams there were and I wanted to take on the task of putting together a women’s team for Pakistan.”

The initial challenge was simply believing it was possible.

“It didn’t seem possible at the time that there were so many Pakistani women who were passionate about hockey,” she admitted, “until I started looking!”

What she and head coach Mariya Rauf built was more than a team; it was a sanctuary.

“It was surreal to be around girls with so many similar experiences,” Riley said, reflecting on the unique bond they formed. It allowed us to bond in a special way. We were able to create a dynamic that is different than other teams.”

Constant fear

That dynamic was tested by the same logistical nightmares that plagued the men’s team — players flying in from across continents, financial constraints, and the constant fear that it might all fall apart.

“There were multiple times when I was working on this team when I thought that it might not come together in time,” Riley revealed.

But through it all, Mariya was the on-ice glue that held everything together.

“Mariya was a huge part of bringing the girls together once we were at the tournament,” Riley said. “The girls… were connected by Pakistani heritage, but Mariya was a huge part of really bringing them together as a team.”

For Mariya, a NCAA Division I player for Yale, the experience was profoundly moving.

“It was really humbling. I never saw myself as someone people would follow, but knowing that some of the girls joined because of me meant a lot,” Mariya told Dawn. Her vision extended far beyond the ice. “I just hope these women realise that wearing Pakistan’s colors isn’t only about hockey, it’s about creating opportunities for the girls who come after us and showing them that Pakistani women belong in sports.”

This mission of representation was personal.

“As a Pakistani girl growing up in hockey, I never imagined something like this would ever be possible,” Mariya confessed. “I was almost always the only person of color in the locker room. To go from that to leading a team of Pakistani women on the international stage still feels surreal and is an experience that I will never forget.”

Something magical

In Florida, something magical happened. Riley and Mariya’s efforts culminated in a bronze medal and an outpouring of emotion.

It was a triumph of will over circumstance, proving that the passion for hockey and pride in their heritage knows no gender.

“The feeling was pure joy,” Mariya said, describing the locker room scene. “There was laughter, hugs and just a ton of pride. It felt bigger than us, like we had taken a step that would matter for years to come. That’s something none of us will forget.”

The men’s team, on the other hand, stormed through the Division III bracket, their chemistry defying their lack of practice time. And the people came. The few family members from the first year were joined by a legion of supporters.

“I don’t think I have seen this many Pakistani people come together to watch ice hockey. It was amazing,” Donny said.

The 22-year-old Mahd described the unforgettable scene: “People brought Pakistani flags and microphones and every time you scored and looked to the crowd there was a massive sea of Pakistani supporters, all screaming Pakistan Zindabad.”

When the final whistle blew against Peru, securing the 6-1 victory and the gold medal, it was more than a win. It was validation.

A new beginning

The goal now is to ensure this is not an ending, but a beginning. The victory earns them promotion to Division II.

With the roster now expanded to 22 players, Donny dreams of not turning players away but creating more teams.

“My hope is that rather than saying no to anybody, we can just create more teams,” Donny told. “There will be a spot open for maybe another team to come in and build their spot for Pakistan in the lower division.”

Zaakir and Mahd, meanwhile, spoke of inspiring a new generation both in the diaspora and in Pakistan itself.

“Having kids in Pakistan look up to us, it’s just huge,” Mahd said. “They can see kids from across the world… that are representing Pakistan and that are able to play hockey and fulfill representing their country. So that just gives hope to a lot of Pakistani children out there.”

It all started with a question: “Why not us?”

The answer is written in gold — proof that even the wildest dreams can find ice to skate on.

Header image: Players of Pakistan men’s and women’s ice hockey team photographed with the trophy after winning the LATAM Cup gold and bronze medals, respectively, at the Panthers IceDen in Florida, US. — Photo by organisers

The initial powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck remote regions along the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,400 people, with at least six strong aftershocks and countless smaller tremors.

Some farming villages tucked among the green mountainsides were flattened, with people still under the rubble days later.

Elsewhere, some houses were only partially destroyed, but residents preferred to brave the elements rather than risk being crushed.

Still haunted by the “terrifying night” when the quake destroyed his house in the village of Dar-i-Nur in Nangarhar province, Emran Mohammad Aref said he had since slept with four other family members outside on a rough plastic mat.

“There was a tremor yesterday and there was also one this morning,” Aref told AFP.

“Now we have no place to live and we are asking everyone for help.”

While those with the means fled the village, residents who had no choice but to stay cobbled together makeshift shelters with whatever they could find among the destruction.

Even in Jalalabad, Nangarhar’s provincial capital, which suffered no damage but felt the quake and its aftershocks, “we are very afraid”, said Fereshta, a 42-year-old doctor.

“Every time I take a step, I feel like the ground is shaking. We don’t stay inside the house and we sleep in the garden, constantly thinking there will be another quake,” she said.

‘Give us shelter’

Similar scenes are playing out across the affected region, some in the isolated areas of hard-hit Kunar province that are still cut off from aid by landslides caused by the quake and aftershocks.

But in fleeing their homes — often built on high ground — and taking refuge in low-lying fields, riverbeds or by roadsides, survivors risk being hit by rockfall if aftershocks strike, warned Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, a senior official in Kunar’s Nurgal district.

“The area is very dangerous, you cannot stay there long or even walk through it,” Yaad said.

The United Nations said it has 14,000 tents ready for distribution.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) told AFP it has at least 700 tents available, but cannot deliver them to survivors because of difficult access to the villages.

“Help us, give us shelter, help my children, we have nothing left,” pleaded Sorat, a housewife injured in the quake along with her husband and children.

After being pulled from the ruins of her house by rescuers, she was treated in a regional hospital, then sent back to her village, where nothing awaits her, she told AFP.

While waiting for aid, “we are staying in the valley”, she said, sitting in her blue all-enveloping burqa on a traditional, simple woven bed surrounded by her three small children.

This earthquake, one of the deadliest in Afghanistan in decades, is “the last thing families with young children need in a country where many don’t have enough food, and a large portion of the children are already malnourished”, the World Food Programme said, adding the situation “is brutal”.

Afghanistan, still fragile after decades of war and a prolonged humanitarian crisis, has been rocked by other severe, deadly quakes in recent years —one in 2023 in western Herat, on the other side of the country near Iran.

That first 6.3-magnitude tremor was followed by at least eight powerful aftershocks and destroyed entire villages.

Header Image: Afghan boys sit on the rubble of a house following a deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Sunday in Nurgal district, Kunar province of the country, on September 3. — Reuters

The 35-year-old University of Tehran student is one of about 3,000 Pakistanis who, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have returned home since Israel launched its aerial war against its long-time enemy last week.

Governments around the world are scrambling to evacuate their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling conflict as Israel and Iran trade missile and drone strikes.

“I was in the city centre where most of the strikes took place and even one of the student dormitories was attacked and luckily no one was dead, but students were injured,” Hassan said.

There are more than 500 Pakistani students at his university alone, he said, all of them on their way “back home”.

“Those days and nights were very horrifying … hearing sirens, the wailing, the danger of being hit by missiles. As one peeped out the window in the night, you could see drones, missiles with fire tails,” he told AFP.

Ghost town

Pakistan and Iran have a shaky diplomatic relationship. Last year, Pakistan launched strikes in retaliation against targets within Iranian territory, after Tehran said it struck the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. However, officials from both countries soon engaged in conciliatory overtures, signalling a mutual interest in de-escalating.

Despite the back and forth, there has been no suspension of trade, tourism and academic ties from either side.

Iranian consulates across Pakistan have stepped up efforts to promote their universities.

Between 25 million and 35m Shia Muslims also hope to make at least one pilgrimage in their lifetime to holy sites in Iran, foremost among them the sacred city of Qom.

Mohammad Khalil, a 41 year old petroleum engineer, left Tehran three days ago, the capital of the Islamic Republic, looking like a ghost town as residents sheltered indoors and families fled.

“In the last two days, I saw people moving out of the city in different vehicles with necessary commodities,” Khalil said.

Abdul Ghani Khan sells medical equipment in his hometown of Peshawar in northwest Pakistan and travels to Iran regularly for supplies.

He had been in Tehran for a week when the first Israeli missiles fell on Friday. Iran and Israel have traded heavy missile fire in the days since, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

Pakistan is in a difficult position as the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons. It, like Iran, does not recognise Israel but is also a major ally of the United States.

Khan had to make the journey home by road because the airspace is now closed. Pakistan has also shut its border crossings with Iran to all except Pakistanis wanting to return home.

“We saw drones, red lights of anti-aircraft guns and I spotted one building catch fire,” Khan said.

‘Offering prayer’

Mohammad Asif, a lawyer from Lahore, heard about the air strikes while on a pilgrimage in Qom.

He wasn’t initially afraid and continued his pilgrimage to Mashhad in Iran’s northeast, home to the golden-domed Imam Reza shrine.

That was until Israeli strikes hit the airport in Mashhad, nearly 1,000 kilometres from the Pakistan border.

Samreen Ali was also in Mashhad but, like Asif, cut her trip short and returned with her husband and 15-year-old son.

She was praying in a mosque in Mashhad when Israel struck the city.

Ali said she had visited Iran nine times before on pilgrimages and never imagined witnessing war there.

“I was offering prayer when I heard two explosions,” she told AFP.

She then noticed she wasn’t receiving messages on her phone and assumed that “communication was being restricted … because of the war”.

Syed Saqib, 46, was in Qom and had to travel 500km by bus southeast to Yazd.

“We had to take alternative routes, spend an entire night waiting at a bus terminal,” Saqib said.

They then boarded buses to Zahedan, a city near the border with Balochistan. A relieved Saqib recalled crossing the border at Taftan, surrounded by families carrying heavy luggage.

The pictures below show some of the widespread destruction in both nations caused by the ongoing conflict.

Header image: Smoke billows from a site in central Tehran, as fighting between Israel and Iran continues on June 16. — AFP

Celebrated on the 10th of Zilhaj, Eidul Azha marks the culmination of Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Worshippers in several countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Thailand and Myanmar, gathered to mark the festivities, amid the shadow of Israeli bombardment and siege in Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of over 54,000 Palestinians.

Header Image: Worshipers wait for the start of the Eidul Azha prayer at Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, June 7. — Reuters

Carrying colourful umbrellas to protect themselves from the sweltering heat, the pilgrims could be seen walking on foot to make their way to the top of the mountain, where they would sit and pray before moving on to the stoning ritual at Muzdalifa, halfway between Mina and Arafat.

Speaking to AFP, one of the pilgrims from Pakistan said, “I’ve been trying to get here… for the past 3 years,” adding that he feels blessed to be there.

Many pilgrims rushed to get there early so they could avoid the scorching heat. This year, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024 in Saudi Arabia that claimed the lives of 1,300 pilgrims.

The world’s largest gathering kicked off on Friday as Muslims from all over the world poured into Saudi Arabia. One of the five fundamental pillars of Islam, Haj is performed every year in Makkah with millions of pilgrims travelling to the holy land to partake in the ritual.

Header image: Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Haj pilgrimage on June 5. — AFP

Echoing the principles of his predecessor, Pope Leo called for a stop to the marginalisation of the poor as he was formally sworn in as the 267th head of 1.4 billion Catholics all around the world.

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest,” the 69-year-old said at his inaugural mass.

In attendance were world leaders, including US Vice President JD Vance, Volodymyr Zelensky, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with tens of thousands of pilgrims who gathered to watch the new pontiff.

Header image: Pope Leo XIV waves after delivering the Regina Caeli prayer after a Holy Mass for the Beginning of his Pontificate, in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on May 18. — AFP

Soon after the reports of military confrontation emerged, the Inter-Services Public Relations confirmed the strikes, saying that India had carried out the attacks from within its airspace. The military spokesperson provided an updated damage assessment of the scenario earlier today, reporting the death of 31 civilians and injuries to 57 others.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Pakistan has yet to ratify 55 of its conventions and protocols. While labour laws exist in the country, enforcement is weak, and despite government promises to create millions of jobs, issues like low pay, lack of social protection, and poor representation remain unresolved.

Rallying outside HPC today, civil society called for education, social protection and empowerment for the labour community.

People performed theatre and dances to celebrate the day. Here are a few pictures.

Following a funeral ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica, the coffin was transported to its final resting place in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome.

Header image: Worshippers and faithful attend Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on April 26. — AFP

Easter, an important event in Christianity, marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, according to Christian Beliefs.

Revered by Catholics around the world, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who has been recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia, made an appearance at the Vatican City’s Easter Sunday Mass to the joy of thousands of worshippers, Reuters reported.

In his Easter message, read by an aide, the pope reiterated his support for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Dawn.com takes a look at how the occasion was observed by Christians around the world — from South Asia and the Middle East to Europe and the Americas.

Header image: A boy holds up a crucifix as he takes part in a Good Friday procession in Kolkata, India on April 18, 2025. — Reuters

Among other notable personalities, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended Eidul Fitr greetings with “a heavy heart,” noting that millions of Muslims would mark the occasion under war and displacement rather than traditional family gatherings, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

“I want to express my best wishes for Eidul Fitr to all Muslims around the world,” the UN chief said in a video statement he shared on X.

“But I do so with a heavy heart, thinking about the many Muslims who won’t be able to celebrate Eid with their families due to war, conflict or displacement,” he added.

His message came as Palestinians in Gaza, Kashmiris under Indian occupation, Rohingya refugees, people in Sudan, and other conflict-affected Muslim populations face particularly somber celebrations amid ongoing violence and humanitarian crises.

Header image: A child holds a balloon as Muslims gather in front of the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to celebrate the Eidul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, on March 30. — AFP

Discrimination against minorities runs deep, but those tensions are not to be found in Sindh’s Mithi, an affluent city of rolling sand dunes and mud-brick homes.

“All the traditions and rituals here are celebrated together,” Raj Kumar, a 30-year-old Hindu businessman told AFP.

“You will see that on Holi, Hindu youth are joined by Muslim youth, celebrating together and applying colours on each other,” he added.

“Even at the end of the Muslim call for prayer, the imam says ‘peace to Hindus and Muslims’.”

This year, the Hindu festival of Holi and the holy month of Ramazan fell together. Both events move each year according to the lunar calendar.

Holi, the festival of colour, has for centuries marked the arrival of spring and raucous crowds playfully throw coloured powder and water over each other.

On Thursday, hundreds of Hindus held a procession through the streets of Mithi, one of the few cities where they form the majority, to be warmly welcomed at the city square by their Muslim neighbours.

“We have learnt to live together since childhood. This has come to us through generations, and we are following it too,” said local Mohan Lal Mali, 53, after arranging a meal for Muslims to break their fast.

Cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, roam freely through the streets of Mithi, while women wear traditional embroidered sarees embellished with mirror work.

There is no beef shop in town, as the meat is prohibited in Hinduism, and Muslims only sacrifice goats during festivals.

Mithi, a city of around 60,000 people, is predominantly Hindu — in a country where 96 per cent of the 240 million people are Muslim and 2pc are Hindu.

Fozia Haseeb, a Christian woman, travelled from Karachi, around 320 kilometres away, to witness the blended occasions.

“People following three religions are here: Christians, Hindus and Muslims,” she said. “We wanted to see for ourselves whether this was correct, and there is no doubt it is.”

‘No divisions among us’

Ramazan is a month of peaceful prayer and reflection in Islam, and Hindus respected their Muslim neighbours would not join Holi celebrations with the usual fervour due to religious observance.

“Today, you might not see colours on me, but in the past, they would drench me in colours,” said Muslim cleric Babu Aslam Qaimkhani while applying powder to the face of local Hindu PPP MNA Mahesh Kumar Malani.

“If a Hindu runs for office, Muslims also vote for them, and vice versa,” said Malani, the only elected minority MNA in the National Assembly.

As Hindus celebrated with processions and visits to temples, there was no armed security — a stark contrast to other parts of the country.

Freedom of religion or belief remains under constant threat in the country, with religiously motivated violence and discrimination increasing yearly, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

State authorities, often using religious unrest for political gain, have failed to address this crisis, the commission said.

But in Mithi, 19-year-old Muslim labourer Amaan Ullah told AFP: “There are no divisions among us. We all are humans, and we all are equal.”

Local police and administration officials said the city has a low crime rate, with “no major security challenges”, allowing them to easily make arrangements for the major religious festivals.

“Their businesses, their daily lives and their interactions have been together for centuries and they are still standing strong,” said local official Abdul Haleem Jagirani.

‘A slight sense of fear’

Locals say Mithi’s peaceful existence can be traced back to its remote location, emerging from the sand dunes of the Tharparkar desert, which borders the modern Indian state of Rajasthan.

With infertile soil and limited water access, it was spared from centuries of looting and wars, and the bloody Partition violence of 1947 when India and Pakistan were created, and many Hindus fled across the new border.

But several residents told AFP that in recent years the prosperous city has seen a rise in newcomers as a result of its growing infrastructure.

A major coal project nearby has brought labourers from other provinces to the city, and with it, supporters of the religiopolitical Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party.

On the city’s central square, a large banner hangs for the TLP, which put the explosive issue of blasphemy as its central concern.

“People coming from outside the city are causing some doubt and a slight sense of fear,” Padma Lodha, a 52-year-old Hindu headmistress at a local girls school, told AFP.

“But overall, things are still well-controlled and peaceful.”

Header image: A mother paints the face of her son as they celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi in Mithi on March 13. — AFP