Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan raised $250 million equivalent through its inaugural Panda bond issuance in the Chinese capital market at an interest rate of 2.5 per cent, with a three-year maturity, according to Advisor to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad. In a social media post on X on Thursday, Schehzad said: “Pakistan has successfully completed its inaugural Panda bond issuance in China’s onshore capital market today, marking the country’s first-ever entry into the world’s second-largest and deepest capital market.” The inaugural Panda bond is a three-year fixed-rate instrument, making it Pakistan’s first-ever renminbi (RMB)-denominated sovereign issuance in China’s onshore capital market, he announced. “The landmark Panda bond issuance of RMB 1.75 billion (equivalent to $250 million) attracted overwhelming investor demand of over RMB 8.8bn (approximately $1.26bn), resulting in oversubscription of more than five times,” Schehzad wrote. Importantly, he said that the demand for the inaugural tranche alone exceeded...

Sharjeel says highway to connect with M-9, reduce travel time

Summons SPSC officials with complete examination record on May 21

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Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to modernising Pakistan’s livestock sector through scientific breeding technologies, enhanced dairy productivity and expanded export opportunities for livestock products and genetic material.

In a moment that turned an ordinary working day into an unforgettable act of heroism, 44-year-old railway employee Muhammad Liaqat Ali laid down his life while attempting to stop a suicide bomber near the sensitive Mankoor check post in Attock’s Jand-Kohat railway section. The quiet of the remote area was shattered when Liaqat, a gang mate of Pakistan Railways, confronted a suspicious man wearing an explosive vest who was reportedly moving toward a security installation near the Khushal Garh Bridge. What began as a brief exchange of words quickly escalated into a fatal encounter that ended in a powerful explosion, echoing across the surrounding locality and sending residents into panic. According to railway and local sources, Liaqat had already completed his duties earlier in the day and returned home after marking his attendance — another routine shift for a man who spent his life earning an honest living for his family. Within hours, that routine was replaced by an extraordinary act of bravery that cost him...

ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday, challenging his prolonged solitary confinement at Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, terming it illegal and a violation of fundamental rights. Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. The petition, filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja, names the superintendent and deputy superintendent of Adiala jail, the inspector general of prisons, Punjab, chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the director general Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the medical superintendent of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), and the state as respondents. The petitioner argued that no court has sentenced the 74-year-old former prime minister to solitary confinement in either the Al-Qadir T...

The Ministry of Interior has introduced a unified police character certificate system across the country to simplify the verification process for overseas travellers and job seekers.

ISLAMABAD: Meetings with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan remained suspended on Thursday as party leaders called for the implementation of the court’s decision allowing the meeting. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) allowed Imran Khan to have twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the former premier has been restricted from meeting visitors for several months. The party secretary general had also submitted a list of six party leaders to the jail authorities in line with court orders. The list included Syed Raza Gillani, Tahir Iqbal, Mian Fayyaz Hussain, Qazi Ahmad Akbar, Mehwish Janjua and Abdul Hakeem Zareen. All party leaders included in the list arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday for a meeting with the PTI founder, but were not allowed to meet him. Talking to Dawn, Iqbal said he and other leaders arrived at 2pm and were told by the jail administration to wait. “We were told that we would be allowed to conduct the meeting if appr...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday, emphasised an effective and integrated national strategy for the growing population and decided to establish the National Population Council for national-level policy-making.

The Army Rocket Force Command conducted the successful test fire of the indigenously developed Fatah-IV ground-launched cruise missile on Thursday, the military’s media affairs wing said. A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations said that the weapon system was “equipped with advanced avionics and state-of-the-art navigational aids” and “capable of engaging long-range targets with high precision”. “The training fire was conducted to enhance operational efficiency of the troops and validate technical parameters of various sub-systems incorporated for improved accuracy and enhanced survivability,” it added. According to the statement, senior officers of the Pakistan Army Rocket Force Command, along with scientists and engineers of the missile’s developing agency, were present during the training fire. It said that President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chie...

The Punjab government has decided to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China with a series of special events later this month.

QUETTA: The vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor of the University of Gwadar, who had left Balochistan’s port city for Quetta, have gone missing, officials told Dawn on Thursday. Vice Chancellor Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir and Pro-Vice Chancellor Syed Manzoor Ahmed have been missing for the past 24 hours, the officials said on Thursday afternoon. Babar Yousafzai, an aide at the Balochistan Home Department, said Dr Sabir and Ahmed had left for Quetta along with a driver and another varsity employee on Wednesday morning. “But they have not reached Quetta so far,” he added. The official further said the travellers’ mobile phones had been switched off after they reached Mastung. “All efforts are under way to trace the vice chancellor, pro-vice chancellor and two others traveling them,” Yousafzai said. Meanwhile, police officials in Mastung told Dawn that the possibility of kidnapping could not be ruled out. A senior police official also said that there had been no communication with Dr Sabir and Ahmed since they rea...

Pakistan Army’s Rocket Force Command on Thursday carried out a successful training launch of the indigenously developed Fatah-4 cruise missile, according to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations.

The Sindh government will fully open the Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway in Karachi to the public by the end of May, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon said on Thursday. Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway is a 39-kilometre high-speed corridor in Karachi that was noted to be 88.2 per cent complete as of March. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had earlier this year directed the local government department to ensure that the expressway was fully operational by April 2026. Announcing the upcoming completion of the project at a press conference in Karachi, Memon called the opening of the expressway “very good news” for Karachiites, asserting that they would be saving “at least an hour” coming into the city. “We believe it will be a game changer in terms of traffic,” he said, as well as a big step for people’s convenience. After having started to be opened in phases, he said, Shahrah-i-Bhutto will now directly connect to the M-9 highway by the end of the month, saving travel time for those heading out of Karachi. Ad...

The Iranian rial continues to trade at a significant premium in Pakistan’s open market, with steady buyer activity sustaining elevated rates despite the currency’s weakness against major global currencies.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to review reforms in Pakistan’s housing sector, stressing the need for comprehensive measures to address challenges arising from rapid population growth and unplanned urban expansion.

The State Bank of Pakistan has revised its foreign exchange regulations to simplify the process for non-resident legal heirs seeking to transfer inherited assets outside Pakistan.

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) is set to introduce a premium meet-and-assist service at Islamabad International Airport to provide enhanced facilitation for passengers through a fully digital and pre-booked system.