Pakistan

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is expected to be run by a new owner from April next year, subject to approvals, and receive fresh capital under a deal to privatise the flag carrier, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali said on Wednesday. A consortium headed by the Arif Habib Corporation emerged as the top bidder in a live-televised auction for a 75 per cent stake in PIA on Tuesday, marking a breakthrough for the government’s long-delayed privatisation of the carrier. The Arif Habib consortium offered Rs135 billion, surpassing a government reserve price of Rs100bn, in a sharp turnaround from last year’s failed sale attempt. Muhammad Ali, the privatisation adviser to the prime minister, told Reuters in an online interview that the state expects a new owner to be running the airline by April, subject to approvals. The process now moves to final approvals by the Privatisation Commission board and the cabinet, expected within days, with contract signing likely within two weeks and fin...

The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will arrive in Pakistan for an official visit on December 26 (Friday), according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) issued on Wednesday. This will be the second time the Emirati president will visit Pakistan this year, having met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Rahim Yar Khan in January. However, Friday’s trip, according to the FO, will be his first official visit as president. According to the statement, President Al-Nahyan will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations with PM Shehbaz and the pair will “exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest”. “The visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates,” the FO said. The FO added that the visit reflects the depth of bilateral relations between both nations and their shared commitment to bolster collaboration in key areas, including ...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday chaired a review meeting on the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Energy and granted in-principle approval for the formulation of a comprehensive National Energy Plan in consultation with relevant federal ministries and provincial governments.

The nation will observe the 149th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on Thursday with national zeal and fervour.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday chaired a meeting of a private-sector working group formed to propose reforms related to ports for boosting business activity and accelerating economic growth.

The Committee on National Dialogue (CND), comprising a group of former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, has welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation for dialogue, terming it a positive initiative.

BANNU: Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajjad Khan said on Wednesday that 27 cops were martyred in 134 terrorist attacks targeting personnel in the district in 2025. He made the remarks while addressing a press briefing at his office, where he gave a detailed breakdown of the overall law and order situation in the district and operations carried out against terrorist elements. According to the DIG, Bannu police conducted comprehensive, well-organised and result-oriented operations against militants. He said the data showed that during 2025, a total of 134 terrorist attacks targeted police stations, police posts, checkpoints, police mobiles and police parties. In these attacks, 27 police personnel were martyred, while 79 sustained injuries. In retaliatory action by police, 53 terrorists were killed and 163 were injured, he said. The DIG said that Bannu police carried out 168 intelligence-based operations across the district, resulting in the arrest of 105 terrorists and the elimination of 65 terrorists. O...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on petitions challenging the Local Government Act 2025 after seeking further arguments from all parties.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of a code of conduct violation case against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Shahnaz Umar Ayub until January 13.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the government was satisfied with the sale of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), adding that it had great “symbolic value”. He expressed these views on Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’ when asked whether the government was satisfied with the process. “Yes, the government is satisfied. This is the first biggest transaction of our privatisation process. This transaction has a great symbolic value,“ he said, recalling that previously First Women Bank had also been privatised but that transaction was not as big. A consortium led by the Arif Habib group won the auction for a controlling stake in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd (PIACL) on Tuesday with a bid of Rs135 billion after a competitive, televised process, marking the country’s first major privatisation in nearly two decades. The sale is a central plank of the government’s plan to offload loss-making state-owned enterprises and a key condition under Pakistan’s $7bn International Mo...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that Pakistan had reached a critical turning point, with macroeconomic stability, sustained reforms, and policy continuity restoring confidence and steering the economy toward export-led, long-term growth. In an interview with USA Today, the minister said this was opening new horizons for domestic and global investors, and positioning the country for sustainable, long-term economic growth. He said this transition was enabled by macroeconomic stabilisation, easing inflation and improved external balances, with the government driving export-led, productivity-based growth through structural reforms, sustaining reform momentum despite challenges, and actively encouraging global investment in emerging opportunities across agriculture, minerals, technology and climate resilience. He noted that, for the first time in several years, Pakistan had achieved both a primary fiscal surplus and a current account surplus, signalling a decisive shift away from the cycle of...

The daytime movement of heavy traffic vehicles has been banned in Karachi for two months, it emerged on Wednesday. The development comes as the city has recently witnessed a steep increase in traffic accidents, with many resulting from collisions with heavy vehicles such as dumper trucks and water tankers. A notification issued on Tuesday by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said that the deputy inspector general of the Karachi Traffic Police had requested the imposition of a ban on the movement of heavy vehicles during the daytime “in order to resolve traffic congestion issues due to the influx of heavy vehicular traffic and to prevent road traffic accidents”. The notification added that in the interest of protecting human lives and ensuring the smooth flow of traffic, there were sufficient grounds to proceed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to regulate the movement of heavy traffic within the city. As a result, the Karachi commissioner imp...

India’s space agency launched its heaviest ever payload on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the deployment “a significant stride” for the space sector. The LVM3-M6 rocket launched the US-built AST SpaceMobile communications satellite into low-Earth orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it was the “heaviest payload to be launched from Indian soil”. The launch is a boost for India’s ambitious low-cost space programme, with plans for an uncrewed orbital mission and human spaceflight in the coming years. The satellite, weighing 6,100 kilogrammes (13,448 pounds), was launched on a modified version of a rocket that India plans to use for its future space missions. India is vying for a larger slice of the booming commercial satellite business as phone, internet and other companies seek expanded and more high-end communications. Modi said the launch marked “a proud milestone in India’s space journey”. “It strengthens India’s heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces our growi...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a bonus equivalent to one month’s salary for Christian employees of the Alhamra Arts Council.

The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash on Tuesday after leaving Turkiye’s capital Ankara as well as four others that were on the jet as well. “This followed a tragic and painful incident while they were returning from an official trip from the Turkish city of Ankara. This grave loss is a great loss for the nation, for the military institution, and for all the people,” Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said in a statement. According to the Washington DC-based Stimson Centre, Libya has effectively split into two virtual quasi-states since 2014. The west is ruled by the Government of National Unity (GNU), of which Dbeibah is the prime minister, while the east is run by Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar’s Libyan Armed Forces. Dbeibah said the commander of Libya’s ground forces, the director of its military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and a photographer from the chief of staff’s office were also on the aircraft. Turkish Interi...

Gold surged past the $4,500-an-ounce mark for the first time on Wednesday, while silver and platinum also scaled record highs, as investors piled into precious metals on safe-haven demand and expectations that US interest rates will fall further next year. Spot gold rose 0.1 per cent to $4,492.51 per ounce by 3:59am GMT (8:59am PKT), after touching a record high of $4,525.19 earlier in the session. US gold futures for February delivery climbed 0.3pc to a record high of $4,520.60. Silver gained 1.2pc to $72.27 an ounce, after hitting an all-time peak of $72.70 earlier, while platinum jumped 3.3pc to $2,351.05 after rising to a historic high of $2,377.50. Palladium climbed almost 2pc to $1,897.11, its highest level in three years. “Precious metals have become more of a speculative narrative around the idea that, with de-globalisation, you need an asset that can act as a neutral go-between, without sovereign risk particularly as tensions between the US and China persist,” said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro a...

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that the statutory definition of a “workplace” un­­der the Protection Against Harass­ment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, is expansive and covers situations linked to official activity even if the harassment occurs outside office premises. Justice Raheel Kamran issued the ruling while dismissing a petition filed by a government official seeking to overturn his removal from service for workplace harassment, a penalty imposed by the Punjab Ombudsperson and later upheld after the rejection of his representation by the governor. The petitioner, Umer Shehzad, a district manager, was accused by his female subordinate, an ad hoc teacher, of persistent harassment. According to the complaint, Sheh­zad allegedly used his supervisory position to cast indecent glances, send inappropriate WhatsApp messages and demand an illicit relationship in exchange for professional favours. According to the complaint, Sheh­zad forcibly entered her residence, attempted to rape her and ...

• Court directs ex-PM to appear at next hearing in person or via video link • Lawyer again barred from meeting PTI founder to sign power of attorney ISLAMABAD: A local court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the May 9 cases and five other matters, while directing the former prime minister to appear at the next hearing either in person or through video link. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the pre-arrest bail applications. Advocate Shamsa Kayani appeared on behalf of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi. However, arguments on the bail pleas could not be advanced due to the unavailability of the ex-PM. Consequently, the court extended the interim bail and adjourned the hearing till Jan 27, directing that the PTI founder’s appearance be ensured on the next date. Apart from the May 9 cases, other cases, including attempt to murder and submission of alleged fake receipts, have been registered against the former prime minister. A...

RAWALPINDI - Aleema Khan, sister of Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), along with several other party leaders and workers staged a protest sit-in near Adiala Jail after being denied meeting with the former prime minister.

• IT minister says process to improve 3G and 4G services, pave way for 5G launch • Claims 245m Pakistanis ‘making do’ with 274MHz, compared to 600MHz available in Bangladesh • ECC approves over $7m bailout package for PIA-IL to discharge $4m tax liability ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday approved the process for the auction of 600 megahertz (MHz) spectrum within two months, followed by the rollout of 5G internet in five to six months, on the recommendation of a US-based consultancy firm. The decision was made at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, which also approved a Rs20bn (more than $7m) bailout package for Pakistan International Airlines Investment Limited (PIA-IL) to discharge $4m tax liability against Roosevelt Hotel, New York, and other domestic loan liabilities. Speaking at a no-questions-asked recorded statement, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khwaja said the new spectrum auction, to be completed by early Fe...