Pakistan

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, presiding over the 3rd session of the Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners marathon meeting here on Tuesday, reviewed the progress of ongoing development initiatives across the province.

ISLAMABAD - The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) launched a two-day national-level Simulation Exercise (SimEx) at its headquarters in Islamabad to improve preparedness and bolster coordination between federal and provincial institutions in handling climate-induced disasters.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has expres­sed willingness to talk with the esta­blishment, saying the door for talks with the military was never closed. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has also hoped the incarcerated party leader, Imran Khan, will be “released in a week”, even though the government has dismissed reports of negotiations with the opposition party. He called the former prime minister’s incarceration “unjustified” as the cases against him were “bogus and politically motivated”. Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday after meeting Mr Khan, along with party leaders Salman Akram Raja and Ali Zafar, Mr Gohar said the jailed PTI leader had shut the door on talks with the government but not with the military establishment. He said Pakistan managed to triumph over India in recent clashes due to national unity. Hopes Imran will be released soon; govt denies negotiations with jailed PTI founder “Now that we are at peace with global powers, there is hope of peace internally,” h...

ISLAMABAD - Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong on Tuesday called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, during his visit to the Air Headquarters, Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the international community to ensure consistent and timely delivery of badly needed humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

• Gen Munir’s promotion to five-star rank marks first such elevation in over six decades • Field Marshal terms honour ‘tribute to the entire armed forces and the people of Pakistan’ • ACM Sidhu becomes first air chief to be given second extension • Ex-generals foresee new role of vice chief of army staff for four-star general ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday promoted Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his ‘strategic leadership and decisive role’ in defeating India in the conflict that started earlier this month following the Pahalgam inci­dent in India-occu­pied Kashmir. “The Government of Pakistan has approved the promotion of General Syed Asim Munir (Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Military) to the rank of Field Marshal in recognition of his superior strategy and courageous lead­ership… (and) infli­cted a decisive defeat upon the enemy,” a statement read. The elevation, first cleared by the federal cabinet and later communicated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Pre...

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue plans to introduce digital tracking of freight vehicles to prevent sales tax evasion and curb smuggling. A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday was briefed on the digital monitoring system, which will be installed at major highways across the country. An official announcement said FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial briefed the meeting on the project. He said the system freight vehicles will be fitted with e-tags and digital devices for the monitoring of goods. The system will enable the digitisation of the economy and significantly increase tax revenue. It will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, it will be launched in one city and later implemented across the country. Production in tobacco, steel, cement industries being monitored The meeting was informed that a system is being introduced for digital and automated monitoring of imports and exports at ports and airports. This system will be linked to local and internatio...

ISLAMABAD: The UN’s agency for refugees has expressed concern over the drastic cut in funding at a time when it is providing help to Afghans returning to their country from Pakistan. Over three million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries, around one-third from Pakistan, since September 2023, according to the International Organisation for Migration. These Afghans were either deported or left out of fear of arrest after the Pakistan government announced a plan to repatriate all illegal foreigners. In 2025 alone, 780,000 Afghans are estimated to have returned, including 351,600 who were deported, according to the information released by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday. UN body says support to returning refugees drastically reduced They return to a homeland that is “clearly unprepared to receive them”, with a UNDP report saying that three-quarters of the population in Afghanistan was barely surviving, with half the population in need of humanitarian assistance. Many of the retu...

• Shezra tells pre-budget dialogue that 30pc of all public development projects to undergo climate assessment • MQM-P MNA reveals 4m people in Karachi live in non-resilient housing • Sanaullah Baloch argues ongoing insurgency in Balochistan rooted in unjust distribution of resources ISLAMABAD: Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, the minister of state for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, on Tuesday announced the country’s first climate-focused budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 under which 30 per cent of all public development projects would undergo a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (CPIMA). “It is a significant shift towards integrating climate considerations into national economic planning,” the minister said. The announcement was made during the Pre-Budget Dialogue 2025, titled “Rethinking Economic Policy for a Just Energy Transition,” organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PR...

• GDP expands at 2.6pc, per capita income sees modest rise to $1,824 • Economy size swells to $411bn, agriculture grows just 0.56pc and LSM contracts 1.5pc ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income increased in dollar terms at a modest pace in 2024-25, reflecting a sustained recovery in the country’s overall output compared to the previous year, the government said on Tuesday. It was announced on Tuesday that the country’s economy is expected to grow by 2.68 per cent in the current fiscal year, a revision from earlier projections of 3.6pc, suggesting that Pakistan will fall short of its GDP target. The leading global financial institutions’ estimates also show that Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow between 2.6 and 2.8pc in FY25, a slower-than-expected recovery with challenges in agriculture, industrial output, and external financing weighing on economic momentum. The lenders have already revised downward their earlier GDP projections for Pakistan. The IMF revised the growth...

ISLAMABAD - H.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the murder of Noor Mukadam.

Bahawalpur - District Police Officer Muhammad Hassan Iqbal organized an open court in Circle Hasilpur.

Vehari - The Central Traders Association Vehari warmly welcomed Colonel Qaiser Abbas, who returned as a hero from the “Operation Bunyānum Marsoos’ at the Bahawalnagar border.

DERA GHAZI KHAN - Despite crippling staff shortages and chronic underfunding, the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) DG Khan is pushing forward with city beautification efforts under the slogan “Live Clean, Go Green,” according to DG/ADCG Mst Qudsia Naz.

Vehari - Prominent figures from various walks of life extended heartfelt congratulations to Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir on his promotion to the prestigious rank of Field Marshal, calling it a significant step for Pakistan’s dignity and national security.

ISLAMABAD: Criticising the IMF-led gas disconnection of industrial captive power plants, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Tuesday determined about 6.6 per cent (Rs117 per unit) increase in prescribed natural gas prices to meet about Rs890 billion revenue requirement of the two gas companies during 2025-26. In a late-night determination sent to the federal government, Ogra worked out the average revenue requirement for Karachi-based Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGCL) at Rs354bn for the next fiscal year and determined its prescribed price at Rs1,659 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) or about Rs104 per unit reduction from Rs1,762 per mmBtu in FY25. Conversely, the regulator worked out the revenue requirement for Lahore-based Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) at Rs535bn for FY26 and set its prescribed price at Rs1,895 per mmBTU, about Rs117 per unit higher than the current year’s Rs1,778 per unit to cover an estimated revenue shortfall of Rs43bn next year. The average consumer gas pric...

Cassie Ventura’s mother testified that Diddy demanded $20,000 and threatened her daughter’s safety.

Fortnite is back on the US iOS App Store after Apple’s delay in approving Epic Games’ updated app submission.

WASHINGTON:U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that student visas will be revoked as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to stop pro-Palestinian protesters favoring Gaza at universities, emphasising that students must adhere to institutional and national laws, ARY News reported. This action is against the international students in the US who have expressed […]