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Found 10418 news

  • Budget 2025-26: Roadmap for liberalised vehicle imports unveiled
    Dawn - 05:24 Jun 21, 2025
    • Restrictions on used vehicles up to five years old to be lifted from Sept • Age limit to be fully removed from July 2026; quality standards to remain mandatory • 40pc regulatory duty to end by 2029 • Panel sends its proposals to Senate ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb informed a parliamentary committee on Friday that restrictions on commercial imports of used vehicles up to five years old will be lifted from September, in line with an International Monetary Fund condition and as part of a tariff strategy to gradually phase out overprotected sectors. As of July 1, 2026, the age limit for importing used cars and vehicles will be lifted entirely. However, while age restrictions will end, strict compliance with quality standards will remain mandatory. Although the matter was not listed on the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue’s agenda, the minister disclosed the government’s four-year roadmap for used vehicle imports, which aims to align tax treatment for used and new vehicles. The ...
  • NA panel rejects uniform property tax rate, approves clampdown on tax fraud, elite clubs
    Dawn - 05:17 Jun 21, 2025
    • Drops proposal for 4pc uniform rental valuation on commercial properties • Exclusive clubs charging Rs1m or more membership fees brought under tax net • Arrest powers of tax officials curbed; prior approval and inquiry mandatory ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Friday rejected a proposal to fix a uniform rate for rental valuation of commercial properties, while endorsing another measure to expand the tax net to high-end clubs nationwide and reinforce safeguards against tax fraud. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance resumed deliberations on the Finance Bill 2025 on Friday, as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and his team addressed queries raised by committee members. The session was chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, who provided input on various provisions of the Bill. On the issue of a uniform 4 per cent rental valuation rate on commercial properties, MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig urged the tax authority to lower the proposed rate, a suggestion FBR chairman countere...
  • PM Shehbaz seeks shipping plan to save $4bn
    Dawn - 04:54 Jun 21, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the authorities concerned to prepare a business plan for Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) to save $4 billion through maritime trade. “Present a business plan for PNSC within two weeks, which should include a strategy to save the annual $4 billion burden on the national exchequer,” PM Shehbaz directed the authorities while presiding over a high-level meeting regarding matters related to the corporation. The prime minister also directed the authorities to acquire ships on lease to expand the PNSC fleet. “Due to a reduced number of ships in the PNSC fleet, the country has to spend approximately $4bn annually from the national exchequer on maritime trade.” The prime minister was informed that PNSC currently possessed 10 ships of various types, with a combined cargo-carrying capacity of 724,643 tonnes. The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and senior PNS...
    Tags: Shehbaz
  • Pakistan gets $20bn in external assistance
    Dawn - 04:49 Jun 21, 2025
    • Surpasses target for FY25 in first eleven months • Includes $6.89bn in fresh inflows; rest are rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE ISLAMABAD: Pakistan secured nearly $20bn in foreign loans and grants during the first 11 months (July-May) of 2024-25, surpassing the annual target of $19.2bn set for the fiscal year ending June 30. Almost half of this amount comprised legacy rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, while fresh loans and grant inflows totalled $6.89bn — about 9pc lower than the same period last fiscal year. According to the Economic Affairs Division’s (EAD) monthly report on Foreign Economic Assistance (FEA) released on Friday, the total FEA during July-May stood at $6.89bn, compared to $7.55bn in the corresponding period of last year, against a target of $19.4bn for 2024-25 and $17.6bn last year. This figure does not include approximately $2bn received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in two tranches under the ongoing $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF), ...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • Pakistan, Bangladesh, China pledge deeper cooperation
    Dawn - 03:48 Jun 21, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Bangladesh have launched a trilateral cooperation mechanism, pledging to pursue “win-win cooperation” in what could mark a subtle yet significant shift in South Asia’s strategic landscape. The announcement came after the inaugural meeting of the Bangladesh-China-Pakistan Vice Foreign Minister/Foreign Secretary mechanism on Friday. A statement issued by the Foreign Office said the meeting was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh’s acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique and Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch joined the initial session via video link. New trilateral forum looks to enhance engagement, work for more trade, investment In her remarks, Ms Baloch expressed Pakistan’s desire for a deeper engagement between China and South Asian countries. She highlighted the “upward trajectory of bilateral ties” with both China and Bangladesh and “conveyed Pakistan’s readiness to work with the two ...
    Tags: Bangladesh Pakistan China
  • National Assembly echoes with call for more provinces amid budget debate
    Dawn - 03:23 Jun 21, 2025
    • PML-N minister strongly advocates for Hazara province • PPP lawmaker calls for creation of South Punjab province ISLAMABAD: Like every year, the National Assembly on Friday once again echoed with the familiar demand for creating new provinces in the country during the general debate on the federal budget. Taking part in the debate on the budget for the next fiscal year, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf forcefully demanded carving out Hazara province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whereas PPP’s Syed Murtaza Mahmud called for bifurcating Punjab to create South Punjab province. “I demand that wherever it is administratively viable, new provinces should be created in the country. Hazara province as well as other provinces should be made to resolve the public issues and to meet people’s needs,” declared the minister who belongs to the ruling PML-N. He accused the provincial PTI government of neglecting Hazara region in general and Mansehra in particular, alleging that the people of the area w...
    Tags: National Assembly
  • Govt to recommend Trump for Nobel peace prize for ‘decisive diplomatic intervention’ in India-Pakistan crisis
    Dawn - 23:21 Jun 20, 2025
    The Pakistani government has decided to formally recommend US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” during the recent India-Pakistan crisis. In a post shared on X, the government said the international community had “bore witness to unprovoked and unlawful Indian aggression, which constituted a grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly”. Following the Indian aggression, Pakistan “launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos — a measured, resolute, and precise military response”, the post read. It noted that the response was executed to exercise the country’s “fundamental right to self-defence” and “carefully to re-establish deterrence”, defending its “territorial integrity while consciously avoiding civilian harm”. The post further read that “at a moment of heightened regional turbulence”, President Trump “d...
    Tags: India-Pakistan
  • Child killed, 5 injured after suspected drone hits KP’s South Waziristan: police
    Dawn - 19:21 Jun 20, 2025
    A child was killed and five others were injured after a suspected drone hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s ​South Waziristan District on Friday. Wana Police Spokesperson Habib Islam told Dawn.com: “The attack took place after 11am, as a result of which one child was killed while five people were injured.” Makin Station House Officer Abdul Qadir Mehsud also confirmed the drone attack and told Dawn.com locals have set a date for June 23 to hold a jirga with the higher authorities regarding law and order, in which they have invited people belonging to every school of thought. KP MPA Asif Khan Mehsood told Dawn.com that the alleged incident involved a drone which “targeted school children,” although it was not known whether the drone was Pakistani or from another country. PTI MNA Zubair Khan Wazir strongly condemned the incident. “Targeting innocent schoolchildren is a deeply distressing and unforgivable act,” he said in a statement on social media. “This is a grave incident that warrants a thorough and impartial investiga...
  • PM Shehbaz expresses satisfaction on ‘cordial and productive’ COAS-Trump meeting in call with Rubio
    Dawn - 18:43 Jun 20, 2025
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed satisfaction on the “cordial and productive discussion” between US President Donald Trump and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir during a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The COAS, who visited Washington earlier this week, was invited to a luncheon at the White House and discussed joint counterterrorism efforts and expanding bilateral trade during a “cordial” meeting with Trump, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. Field Marshal Munir met with Trump at the White House yesterday, becoming the first serving chief of army staff to have a face-to-face meeting with a sitting US president. The occasion also marked the first time a serving Pakistani army chief had been formally received at this level, without holding political office or governing under martial law. According to state broadcaster PTV News, the PM’s conversation with Washington’s top diplomat was described as “warm and cordial”, with the discussion revolving around k...
  • Afghanistan turns to Russia for some food supplies amid Iran-Israel war
    Dawn - 18:40 Jun 20, 2025
    Afghanistan is in discussions with Russia to import certain foodstuffs as the conflict between Israel and Iran, one of its largest trading partners, risked cutting off supplies, its agriculture minister told Reuters. As relations between Russia and the Taliban government have been improving, an Afghan delegation is visiting Russia’s main economic conference in St Petersburg this week, meeting Russian agriculture officials. “Afghanistan is definitely aiming for self-sufficiency in its agricultural products. However, we still rely on some food items that come from Iran, and if problems arise there, it will undoubtedly have its effects,” Ataullah Omari said on the sidelines of the conference. Iran supplies Afghanistan with some dairy products, among other commodities, and there is widespread concern that the week-old war between Israel and Iran could disrupt trade flows. Russia — the world’s largest wheat exporter — and Kazakhstan are the main suppliers of wheat and flour to Afghanistan. Russia is also supplying...
    Tags: Afghanistan Russia
  • Police book 2 suspects for gang-rape of social media influencer in KP’s Haripur
    Dawn - 18:18 Jun 20, 2025
    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have filed a case against two suspects for allegedly gang-raping a 26-year-old social media influencer in Haripur district by luring her on the pretext of a job, it emerged on Friday. The first information report (FIR) of the incident, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed on the woman’s complaint at Haripur district’s Khanpur Police Station a day ago under Sections 34 (common intention), 376 (punishment for rape), 392 (punishment for robbery) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation; If threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, etc) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The FIR said the incident occurred in Khanpur tehsil on Wednesday at 8pm. The victim, who hails from Taxila, said she was “contacted by the suspect through her TikTok account and offered a job at a hotel in Khanpur”. She added, “The suspect called me for an interview. When I reached the bus stop, they picked me up in their car and drove a few miles away, where they forced me to strip at gunpoint.” The...
    Tags: Haripur
  • 12th polio case of this year reported in KP’s Bannu
    Dawn - 17:18 Jun 20, 2025
    A new case of wild poliovirus was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, taking the national tally to 12, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in a press release on Friday. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. Federal Minister for Health, Mustafa Kamal, on Thursday claimed that Pakistan has witnessed a decline of over 99 per cent in polio cases, saying that polio eradication remains a top priority of the government. According to the press release, the 33-month-old boy from Bannu’s Shamsikhel Union Council is the sixth case of polio reported from KP this year. “To date in 2025, Pakistan has reported a total of 12 cases of polio, including six from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilg...
    Tags: Bannu
  • BYC members continue hunger strike against leaders’ detention in Balochistan’s Kech
    Dawn - 16:11 Jun 20, 2025
    Members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s (BYC) Kech chapter continued their hunger strike for a second consecutive day on Friday, protesting the alleged “illegal detention” of their leaders and the “extrajudicial arrests of Baloch citizens”. BYC chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other activists were arrested on March 22 for “attacking” Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”, a day after their members faced a police crackdown in Quetta while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. They were sent to jail under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordnance, which empowers authorities to “arrest and detain suspected persons”. Mahrang and the other activists remain incarcerated. The Kech chapter launched a three-day hunger strike in front of the Turbat Press Club on Thursday, according to the group’s X account. “Despite the blistering 50°C heat, members of the Baloch nation are courageously parti...
    Tags: Kech
  • Three tourists die after glacial slide in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Naran: Rescue 1122
    Dawn - 14:26 Jun 20, 2025
    Three tourists lost their lives on Friday after they were buried under a glacial slide in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district, according to officials. Mansehra Rescue 1122 spokesperson Amir Khadam Khan told Dawn.com that the incident occurred near Sohni Waterfall in the Naran area. “[The] tourists, hailing from Lahore, were taking selfies near the glacier when it slid down, burying them underneath.” He added that the bodies of the tourists were recovered from the glacier and moved to a nearby hospital, where they were identified as 35-year-old Mohammad Tahir, 22-year-old Mohammad Tayyab, and 13-year-old Abubakar. Adviser to Chief Minister KP on Tourism, Zahid Chanze,b extended his condolences to the bereaved families and said, “Arrangements were being made to dispatch the bodies to Lahore.” In a statement, he urged tourists to avoid taking selfies near dangerous spots and glaciers, saying glaciers were rapidly melting due to the hot weather. He also said that they would launch a campaign across the provinc...
    Tags: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Naran Three
  • Govt signs $4.5bn loans with local banks to ease power sector debt
    Dawn - 14:11 Jun 20, 2025
    The government has signed term sheets with 18 commercial banks for a Rs1.275 trillion Islamic finance facility to help pay off the mounting debt in its power sector, Power Minister Awais Leghari said on Friday. The government, which owns or controls much of the power infrastructure, is grappling with ballooning circular debt, unpaid bills and subsidies that have choked the sector and weighed on the economy. The liquidity crunch has disrupted supply, discouraged investment and added to fiscal pressure, making it a key focus under the $7 billion IMF programme. “Finding funds to plug the gap has been a persistent challenge, with limited fiscal space and high-cost legacy debt making resolution efforts more difficult. Eighteen commercial banks will provide these loans through Islamic financing,” Power Minister Awais Leghari told Reuters. “It will be repaid in 24 quarterly instalments over six years.” The facility, structured under Islamic principles, is secured at a concessional rate of three-month KIBOR minus 0.9...
  • COAS Munir stresses potential for ‘broader, multidimensional’ ties with US built on mutual respect
    Dawn - 14:07 Jun 20, 2025
    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir has stressed the “immense potential for a broader, multidimensional relationship built upon mutual respect” with the United States, the military’s media wing said on Friday. COAS Munir is on a five-day official visit to the US, where he met with President Donald Trump over luncheon, becoming the first serving army chief to have a face-to-face meeting with a sitting US president. National Security Advisor Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik — also the intelligence chief — has accompanied Field Marshal Munir. COAS Munir held an interaction in Washington DC with prominent US think tanks and representatives of the strategic affairs institutions, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release. Senior scholars, analysts, policy experts and representatives of leading international media outlets were also part of the “comprehensive and candid exchange”, ISPR added. The army chief “underscored the immense potential for a broader, multidimensional relations...
    Tags: COAS Munir
  • Pakistan down France 3-2 in penalty shoot-out to reach FIH Hockey Nations Cup final
    Dawn - 13:29 Jun 20, 2025
    Pakistan qualified for the finals of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup after defeating France on Friday in the first semi-final match in Kuala Lumpur. “Excellent goals in the second half, followed by amazing goalkeeping in the shootout,” said the International Hockey Federation while praising the team. The national hockey team defeated France 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the match tied at 3-3 till regulation time. View this post on Instagram Rana Waheed Ashraf was declared the man of the match. View this post on Instagram Afraz Hakeem, Sufyan Khan and Muhammad Hammaduddin also scored goals for the national team. The final match will be played tomorrow (Saturday). View this post on Instagram Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti and Secretary General Olympian Rana Mujahid Ali Khan congratulated the national team on winning the game and expressed their best wishes for the final, according to a PHF statement. In the second semi-final, New Zealand will take on South Korea at 6pm PKT. The ...
    Tags: Pakistan FIH Hockey Nations Cup France
  • Punjab govt suspends 5 officials for alleged torture of prisoners at Attock Jail
    Dawn - 12:17 Jun 20, 2025
    The Punjab Home Department said on Friday that five prison officers were suspended for allegedly being involved in the physical torture of inmates at Attock Jail. An under-trial prisoner was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the lavatory of the Attock District Jail in April. Prison officials had claimed that the prisoner had taken his own life by hanging himself with a drawstring. The inmate’s body was found by his fellow prisoners hanging from the window of the jail washroom. An order from the home department, issued a day ago, said Deputy Superintendent Executive Sarmad Hassan, Assistant Superintendent Mushtaq Ahmed, Chief Warden Muhammad Rafiq, Head Warden Zulfiqar and Warden Muhammad Ayub were placed under suspension for 90 days with immediate effect on charges of “inefficiency, negligence and misconduct” under Section 6 of Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006. A statement from the home department spokesperson said the five were suspended for “abuse of authority,...
    Tags: Attock Jail
  • Australian trial says tech for social media teen ban can work
    Dawn - 11:10 Jun 20, 2025
    Australia’s world-leading ban on under 16s joining social media sites cleared a big hurdle on Friday as a trial found digital age checks can work “robustly and effectively”, according to AFP. Australian lawmakers passed landmark rules to ban under 16s from social media in November 2024, approving one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X. Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X could face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32m) for failing to comply with the legislation. They have described the law — which is due to come into effect by the end of this year — as vague, rushed and “problematic”. There has been widespread concern over children’s use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children’s mental and physical health. Digital age verification systems — which would be critical to the ban — can work, said the interim findings of an independent Age Assurance Technology Trial, conducted for the government. “Thes...
    Tags: Australian
  • Mushahid terms Pakistani talent, Chinese tech ‘invincible wall’ for South Asia’s peace and stability
    Dawn - 11:07 Jun 20, 2025
    Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed on Friday termed “Pakistani talent and Chinese technology an invincible wall” for peace, security and stability in South Asia during a dialogue held in Islamabad. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China which has supported it through many investments and development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), termed as a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. The senator’s comment came during a keynote address at the Pakistan-China Dialogue hosted by the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) under the auspices of the “Friends of Silk Road”, according to a statement by the PCI. The event was attended by diplomats, parliamentarians, students and scholars. Mushahid, who serves as the PCI chairman, observed: “The global balance of economic and political power is shifting from West to East, heralding the Asian Century.” He lauded China’s “peaceful rise as a source of strength for developing nations across Asia, Africa and Latin America” and thanked Beijing fo...
    Tags: Mushahid Chinese Pakistani South Asia

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