Pakistan

PESHAWAR - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi held meeting with a delegation led by Chairman Aqua Tech Fisheries, Ahmed Hussain, at Governor House here on Friday.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, signed agreements to enhance cooperation in preventing illegal immigration and drug trafficking, the interior ministry said on Saturday. Naqvi is currently attending a special meeting of the Ministers of Interior and Public Security of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. According to the interior ministry, Naqvi and Kolokoltsev signed agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation to curb illegal immigration and facilitate the repatriation of citizens.  The two also signed an agreement to enhance collaboration in combating narcotics and preventing drug trafficking. Meanwhile, Naqvi also held separate meetings with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the ministry said. It added that during his meeting with Tajikistan’s Interior Minister Rahimzoda Ramazon Hamro, the discussions focused on terrorist camps inside Afghanistan. “Both ministers agreed that terrorist ca...

Finance minister claims Pakistan’s economy remained stable despite floods and ongoing Middle East conflict New fixed tax scheme to cover three to four million shop owners Scheme is meant for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200 million: Bilal Azhar Kayani Shop owners in fixed tax scheme will be.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Friday strongly rejected India’s criticism of the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, describing New Delhi’s statements as “baseless” and politically motivated.

GILGIT - Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed an election rally at the Aga Khan Polo Ground in Gilgit on Friday.

Islamabad/MUZAFFARABAD - The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday officially declared the Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) a proscribed organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2014.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on World Environment Day directed authorities to ensure the early completion of the region’s first Environment Observatory Project, as she reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to combating plastic pollution and strengthening environmental protection measures.

A PAKISTANI couple living in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia have been sentenced to two years in prison for forcing their 22-year-old daughter to abort and coercing her into marrying her cousin in Pakistan, Italian news agency ANSA reported. The case echoes the tragic tale of Saman Abbas, a young woman murdered by her family for refusing an arranged marriage in Pakistan. The young woman, who was not identified, reportedly rebelled and reported her parents to the Carabinieri (Italian police) after years of abuse. The victim was said to have been locked in the basement at night, deprived of her cell phone, slapped, forced to kneel, and beaten with her face smashed against the floor. She was subsequently forced to go to Pakistan and threatened if she didn’t agree to an engagement and marriage to a cousin. Finally, when it was discovered that she had become pregnant by a young boyfriend whom her family deemed unsuitable, she was punched in the abdomen and back and forced to have an abortion. Her parents, aged 5...

RECENT photos and videos of the Attabad Lake in Gilgit-Baltistan seem to show that the size of the water body has shrunken considerably. But the phenomenon at play here is not a drying-up of the lake, rather heavy silt and sedimentation encroaching on the lake bed, according to an iVerify fact check published on Friday. Known as GB’s “crown jewel” and a major tourist attraction, the lake was formed after the Attabad village in the Gojal Valley witnessed a major landslide on January 4, 2010. Recent visuals of the lake have had netizens talking, showing large parts of its once-turquoise waters replaced by dry, exposed land. Many raised concerns over a “visible decline in water levels”, linking it to environmental degradation, while other argued that the apparent drying was a usual phenomenon. Jamil Nagri, Dawn’s correspondent in Gilgit, confirmed the authenticity of the visuals circulating on social media. But the size of the lake, which is not a natural water body, rather a landslide-dammed reservoir, is susce...

KARACHI: Quantum Global Data Centre (QGDC), a venture of the Gul Ahmed Energy Group, announced plans on Thursday to develop Pakistan’s largest Tier III data centre, which is expected to become operational in 2027 with an initial investment of $230 million, Bloomberg reported. The project’s investment could rise to $600 million over the next three to four years. The announcement came as QGDC signed a strategic partnership agreement with Huawei Pakistan to develop the facility and a science and technology park to support Pakistan’s digital transformation, according to the press release. Speaking at the Q Summit, QGDC Chairman Danish Iqbal said that, although Pakistan was still in the early stages of AI adoption, it was already spending between $700m and $800m annually, warning that demand for computing power would rise sharply in the coming years. “Right now, with this minimal AI, we haven’t even started,” he said. “For our economies to grow, we need to go to very high AI compute. And that compute, without data...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited Saudi investors to participate in the construction of the long-awaited Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M6) and two other major highway projects, as Islamabad sought to attract foreign capital into its expanding transport infrastructure sector. Once completed, the motorway is expected to provide uninterrupted motorway connectivity from Karachi Port to Peshawar and onward to Gilgit. The offer was extended by Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan during a meeting with the Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, Prince Mansour bin Muhammad Al Saud, who held high-level talks with the minister on promoting bilateral economic cooperation and investment. According to the Ministry of Communications, Aleem Khan presented investment opportunities in three strategic road projects: the M6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, the M10 Karachi Port and the M13 Kharian-Rawalpindi motorways. The minister described the projects as commercially attractive ventures with strong potential ...

• Approves Rs100bn financing facility for PSO • Oil company facing over Rs900bn receivables from SOEs • Special honoraria expanded to more ministries, departments • Rs10.15bn cleared for Pakistan Navy’s Hangor Project • Rs4.38bn granted to Gilgit-Baltistan ahead of elections ISLAMABAD: Less than a week before the next budget, the Economic Coordination Com­mittee (ECC) of the cabinet on Friday approved more than Rs40 billion in supplementary grants and a Rs100bn sovereign-guarantee-backed financing facility for the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), which is facing over Rs900bn in receivables from other state-owned enterprises, raising concerns about smooth oil supplies. And despite financial constraints forcing development cuts in the name of IMF restrictions, the ECC meeting, presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, also allowed Rs10bn additional funds for parliamentarians’ development schemes and expanded the scope of special honoraria running up to six-month additional salaries to more ministries and d...

ISLAMABAD: The Isla­mabad High Court (IHC) has set aside the government’s decision to deny foreign pos­tings to several selected Trade and Investment Officers, ruling that executive authorities cannot deprive individuals of accrued rights on the basis of undisclosed intelligence reports that are neither shared with the affected persons nor produced before the court. In a detailed 26-page judgement, Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas declared unlawful the Ministry of Commerce’s decision to withhold the appointments of successful candidates solely on the basis of adverse assessments attributed to the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The petitioners were re­­presented by advocates Kashif Ali Malik, Barris­ter M. Saad Buttar, and Syed Hasnain Ibrahim Kaz­­mi, who argued that the government could not reverse a completed merit-based selection process thr­­ough secret vetting re­­ports that were never disclosed to the candidates. They maintained that the petitioners had acq­uired vested rights after obtaining approval from th...

Wall Street’s nine-week winning streak ended with a thud on Friday, as red-hot technology stocks suffered their largest daily decline this year after a hot May jobs report fueled fears of a hawkish policy ‌pivot from the US Federal Reserve. Selling was concentrated among chip stocks and other technology favorites that have surged higher in recent weeks as the ‌Nasdaq Composite Index and S&P 500 rose repeatedly to fresh highs. All three major US stock indexes closed sharply lower, with plunging chip stocks dragging the tech-laden Nasdaq down by its largest one-day percentage ​loss since last year. The S&P 500 ended its nine-week run of Friday-to-Friday gains, its longest weekly winning streak since one that ended in December 2023. “After the record run we’ve seen the last nine weeks in equities, specifically tech and semiconductors, the dam just broke today,” said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group in Omaha. “Obviously, the stronger-than-expected jobs report puts the Fed in a tough spot rega...

The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday declared the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed organisation and placed it under the First Schedule of the region’s anti-terrorism act. The notification by AJK’s Home Department said the group is “engaged in terrorism” and has acted in a manner “prejudicial to peace and security” of the state. It further stated that JAAC is involved in “creating anarchy in the state by intimidating public, promoting hatred and creating a sense of insecurity in society and public at large etc”. “Now, therefore, in exercise of powers conferred under section 12 of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014, the President, Azad Jammu and Kashmir has accorded approval to list the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JK-JAAC), also known by names such as Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and Awami Action Committee (AAC) etc, in the First Schedule of ATA, 2014, Proscribed Organization for the purpose of the said Act.” Persistent avoidance of institutional...

The government on Friday cut the petrol price by Rs4 per litre and kept the diesel rate unchanged with immediate effect for the week ending June 12, owing to changes in global prices over the past week. Accordingly, the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel (HSD) will remain fixed at Rs380.78 per litre for another week. The government made adjustments in taxes and other levies to maintain the diesel price, which is otherwise considered on the higher side. The price of diesel has come down from a peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 10. HSD is considered the most inflationary fuel, given its extensive use in freight transportation. The ex-depot price of petrol was cut by Rs4 to Rs377.79 per litre, from the current Rs381.78 per litre. This is the fourth consecutive weekly reduction in petrol prices, with a cumulative decline of about Rs37 per litre. Last week, the government announced a reduction of Rs22 per litre in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel. The government is currently charging about Rs100 per li...

WASHINGTON: The US Congress is moving to tighten oversight of Pentagon leadership decisions and limit unilateral military action against Iran, in a rare bipartisan effort that underscores renewed tensions over presidential war powers and civilian control of the military. On Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee adopted a bipartisan provision that would require the Pentagon to notify Congress within five days whenever a senior military officer is dismissed, along with a written explanation for the decision. Lawmakers say the measure is intended to improve transparency over personnel changes at the top levels of the armed forces, where congressional visibility has traditionally been limited. The move comes amid broader scrutiny on Capitol Hill of the Trump administration’s handling of military operations against Iran and recent changes in senior defence leadership. While Congress frequently debates executive war powers, bipartisan agreement on measures that directly constrain presidential military author...

Tremors were felt in Lahore and other districts of Punjab on Friday after a 4.9-magnitude earthquake was reported, said a statement by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). A PDMA spokesperson said the depth of the earthquake was recorded at 18 kilometres, while the epicentre was located in the Kashmir region. “No loss of life or property due to the earthquake has been reported in Punjab,” the spokesperson said, adding that the relevant authorities were engaged in inspecting buildings. He further said that any earthquake-related damage could be reported to the PDMA helpline 1129, adding that district emergency operation centres across Punjab, along with the PDMA’s provincial control room, were operational round the clock. In late May, at least one person was killed and 11 others were injured after several houses were seriously damaged following a reported earthquake in Jhelum’s Pind Dadan Khan tehsil. On May 4, tremors were also felt in Islamabad and Rawalpindi after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake was ...

The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission on Friday announced the end of election campaigning 48 hours before polling day, prohibiting all election-related activities in the region, according to a press release. The general elections for the GB’s legislative assembly are scheduled on June 7, after a four-month delay. “The commission informs the public, political parties, candidates and their supporters that under Section 182 of the Elections Act 2017 and the Code of Conduct, no election-related activities will be allowed during the 48 hours preceding polling,” said the statement by the commission’s public affairs wing. According to the law, no person would be permitted to organise, attend, promote or support any public meeting, rally, procession or gathering within the relevant constituency during this period, the statement added. “In this regard, a complete ban on all election activities will come into effect from 12 midnight on June 5, 2026,” the press release said. It further said that, following the enforc...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday “categorically rejected” India’s remarks regarding upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), calling them “baseless” and part of a “carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction”. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. The PPP and other political parties have staged a series of rallies across the region and ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls. In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi said India remained in “illegal occupation of the internationally recognised disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” and termed New Delhi a “global leader in propagating fake narratives and tendentious propaganda”. “We unequivocally reject this latest Indian rhetoric with the contempt it deserves,” the statement said. New Delhi, in a statement issued by its foreign ministry earlier on Friday, objected to the upcoming elections in GB, claiming that “the entire...