Pakistan

KARACHI: Nearly 17 days have passed since the Karachi Cotton Exchange (KCE) was shut, raising serious concerns under a government that claims to promote business, economic growth and an export target of $60 billion. The unexpected move by the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to take over the KCE premises has forced the closure of an institution that had remained operational for 52 years, affecting around 320 registered cotton brokers. Brokers say they are incurring losses running into billions of rupees due to the complete halt in trading, while the textile industry, particularly spinning mills, is struggling to obtain working capital from banks because cotton rates are unavailable. No cotton spot rates have been issued since the EPTB took possession of the building on Dec 12. The cotton and cotton-based textile sector contributes about 60 per cent to the country’s export earnings and provides up to 70 per cent of direct and indirect employment nationwide. “I do not understand why the federal government an...

• Experts say exchange rate still ‘managed’, warn pressures may return in 2026 • Insist PKR’s path shaped by politics, financing, oil and not just valuation models KARACHI: The first half of the current fiscal year saw the rupee post a net gain against the US dollar of Rs5.066, or 1.8 per cent, although it remains weaker than its level at the beginning of 2025. The dollar closed at Rs280.13 in the interbank market on Friday compared to Rs285.22 on July 2, 2025. However, the rupee is still below its level on Jan 3, 2025, when the dollar traded at Rs278.56. Currency market participants said the exchange rate remained “managed” but noted that the recent appreciation had helped stabilise the market and provided greater confidence for exporters and importers. In a report issued on Saturday, Tresmark CEO Faisal Mamsa said the rupee’s behaviour often defies traditional valuation models because it moves in “regime shifts”, not smooth cycles. “This history explains why models such as PPP, BEER or even simplified REER ...

• Warns provincial govt against implementing ‘illegal aspirations of land mafias’ • Calls legislation unconstitutional, in conflict with CPC, CrPC, Evidence Act, other laws ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Saturday went beyond mere condemnation of the recently promulgated Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025, cautioning the Punjab government against implementing what it described as the “unlawful aspirations of land mafias”. Presided over by Vice Chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, the outgoing PBC cabinet unanimously demanded that the Punjab government immediately recall the law and tender an apology to the Lahore High Court (LHC) for what it termed “insulting remarks and a rude attitude”. The PBC — the apex body regulating the legal fraternity — reiterated that lawyers stand firmly with the LHC and will not allow anyone to compromise the integrity of the judiciary. The council warned that if corrective measures were not taken within a few days, the lawyer’s comm...

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rain and thunderstorms, with snowfall over the hills, in most parts of the country during the coming week. It said fog is likely to subside in central and southern Punjab and upper Sindh during the wet spell, while daytime temperatures are expected to drop further, particularly after the system passes. The PMD said a westerly wave is likely to approach western parts of the country from the night of Dec 29 and strengthen from Dec 30. The system is expected to affect most upper and central parts on Dec 31 and persist in upper areas until the morning of Jan 2. In Punjab and Islamabad, rain, wind and thunderstorms, with snowfall, are likely in Murree and the Galiyat from the evening/night of Dec 30 to the morning of Jan 2, with occasional gaps. Isolated rain, wind and thunderstorms are expected in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, the Potohar region, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Gujrat from Dec 31 to Jan ...

• Trump-Munir meeting reshapes diplomatic tone • Analysts caution against jumping to conclusions as ties rely on ‘personal relationship’ THE year 2025 will be remembered in Islamabad and Was­hington as a period of surprising warmth in bilateral ties, marked by high-level engagement, strategic recalibrations, and complex regional developments. After years of drift, Pakistan-US relations saw a notable thaw, but beneath the optimism lies a layered and complex reality shaped by history, personalities, and shifting global alignments — prompting analysts to urge restraint in reading the moment as a lasting reset. The year’s diplomacy pivoted with an unprecedented White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, widely viewed as a game-changer. The meeting set the tone for renewed engagement and discussions on trade, security, and regional diplomacy. Sherry Rehman, federal minister and former ambassador to Washington, described the shift as personality-driv...

Humour me for a second: despite its big, flashy, expensive exterior, I believe Avatar: Fire and Ash to be the perfect Christmas family movie — kind of like the first Die Hard, another fun Christmas family movie. Strip away the action, and Avatar is about overcoming odds, keeping the family together, forgiveness and redemption, with a little bit of unexpected magic near the climax. Isn’t that exactly what a Christmas movie is all about? In Fire and Ash, the magic comes courtesy of Eywa, the spirit of the alien planet Pandora that resides in everything and commands the wildlife. One connects to Eywa through tendril-like organic connections called “queues” at the end of Na’vi hair, which provide neural links to control animals and access the spirit realm, where souls of every dead person on Pandora reside (after their bodies are absorbed into Eywa’s soil). A happy family reunion of glowing auras, warmth and forgiveness with those who’ve passed away occurs early and late in the movie — but a good three hours befo...

Respected Auntie, I am a gazetted officer in a well-reputed public sector organisation, where the source of income is limited to the salary. A few months ago, I started a part-time business venture, which was unsuccessful and I suffered losses. Because of that, I have been facing a hard time economically for the past few weeks. My father-in-law (also my elder paternal uncle) left behind a hefty agricultural land and a commercial property to his spouse and children. Following his death in 2017, I was married to his only daughter in 2019. Despite the passage of almost seven years, not even a single penny was transferred to my wife. I have four brothers-in-law, and my father-in-law considered his daughter equal to his son and declared that they would equally share the inheritance. But after his death, things have changed altogether. Two of my brothers-in-law have shifted abroad, using the resources of their father, while one has been given a separate home from the family one. The fourth one is living and enjoyin...

Mirabai and Ghalib stamps, mentioned in Adeeb’s 1952 letter, that are part of the ‘Indian Saints and Poets’ series | Photos from the writer's collection In a letter dated November 22, 1952, Professor Syed Masood Hasan Rizvi Adeeb of Lucknow writes to Allama Syed Murtaza Hussain Fazil Lakhnawi, “Yesterday, I sent you a registered letter in your name. It bears two postage stamps, one with Ghalib’s portrait and the other with Mirabai’s. The postmark has been placed in such a way that Ghalib’s picture has not been marred. Since you collect everything related to Ghalib, you should keep this stamp safe as well.” This very stamp and the letter are still preserved in good condition. A faded Lahore post office mark on this stamp reads as “…53, Lahore”, indicating its arrival in Lahore in January 1953. Fazil Lakhnawi, the editor of centenary editions of Ghalib’s collected works in Persian, Urdu-i-Mu’alla and Oud-i-Hindi, was an avid admirer of Ghalib and had a large collection centred around the poet, consisting of the...

Want to be on the ball and go into 2026 knowing exactly what's cool, what's trending and what to avoid? Eos off ers its annual cheat sheet... Published in Dawn, EOS, December 28th, 2025

Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, a former chief minister of Punjab and one of Pakistan’s most durable political survivors, passed away on December 16, 2025, at the age of 86. His death marks the passing of a particular species of politician — less ideological than instinctive, less rhetorical than tactical — who thrived in the interstices of power rather than at its commanding heights. Wattoo was never the face of a movement, nor the author of a grand political vision. Yet, for decades, he remained relevant in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and politically decisive province, precisely because he understood how power there actually worked. He belonged to a generation shaped by instability. Born in Okara district, in the fertile plains of central Punjab, Wattoo came of age in a Pakistan where democracy was episodic and political loyalty was often provisional. Coups, dissolutions of assemblies and abrupt changes of regime were not aberrations but recurring features of national life. In such a setting, political surv...

ISLAMABAD: Italy has offered more than 10,000 jobs to Pakistani workers over the next three years. According to an agreement reached between the two countries, Italy has allocated a labour quota for Pakistan. As many as 10,500 Pakis­tani workers will be provided employment in various sectors, including ship brea­king, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture, as well as welding, technician roles, chefs, waiters, housekeeping, nursing, medical technicians and farming. Skilled and semi-skilled job aspirants will travel to Italy for employment in these sectors. Each year, 3,500 Pakistani workers will sec­ure overseas jobs under seasonal and non-seasonal quotas. This includes 1,500 Pakistanis under the seasonal quota and 2,000 under the non-seasonal quota annually. Italy is the first European country to allocate job quotas specifically for Pakistan. The second meeting of the Pakistan-Italy Joint Working Group will be held in Islamabad in February 2026. Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2025

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ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry Saturday said the government had always been ready for dialogue and that no preconditions had been set for negotiations.

Islamabad - The 18th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was observed on Saturday.

RAWALPINDI - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the demise of Dr Shamshad Akh-tar and extended condolences to the bereaved family.

Karachi - The Commissioning Parade of 124th Midshipmen and 32nd Short Service Commission Course was held at Pakistan Naval Academy, Karachi, marking the passing out of 90 Midshipmen and 34 SSC cadets.

MIRPUR (AJK) - In Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the PPP activists and the supporters on Saturday commemorated 18th martyrdom anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, ex Prime Minister of Pakistan and the PPP Supremo, with due solemnity and reverence.

LAHORE - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday stepped up his political offensive in Lahore, announcing for a nationwide “real freedom” movement and urging lawyers, party workers and the public to unite against what he termed an unjust system.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, addressing a press briefing at MoFA.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned any attempts to undermine the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and rejected, in this regard, the announcement made by Israel recognizing the independence of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia.