Pakistan

KARACHI: Hours after deciding to shift the HBL Pakistan Super (PSL) to the United Arab Emirates, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) postponed the remaining tournament, in the wake of rising military tensions with neighbouring India. The move came on the same day that the Indian cricket board announced the postponement of its own Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament for at least one week. “The last 24 hours have seen a worsening of the situation on the LoC, increased incursion of 78 drones, and the firing of surface to surface missiles from India,” the PCB said in a press release issued on Friday, adding that the decision was taken “pursuant to advice received” from PM Shehbaz Sharif. “The PCB and its players stand resolutely in solidarity with the families of the martyrs and our security personnel defending the nation,” the statement read. Meanwhile, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia said they had decided to suspend the rem­ainder of the ongoing IPL 2025 with immediate effe...

• Fund approves $1bn disbursement under EFF and $1.4bn for new climate resilience facility • India abstains from vote during Executive Board meeting • PM Shehbaz lauds economic team, slams New Delhi’s false narrative WASHINGTON: Despite Indian attempts to derail Pakistan’s loan programme, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved two major financing arrangements for the country — a $1 billion disbursement under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a new Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) aimed at supporting climate-related initiatives. The approval unlocks a total of $2.1bn for Pakistan, including the $1.4bn under the RSF programme, which spans 28 months and is designed to bolster the country’s resilience to climate-induced shocks. In March, the IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on this new climate financing arrangement, alongside the first review of the 37-month, $7bn EFF programme that was approved in September 2024 — Pakistan’s 24th IMF-supported programme t...

• FO slams New Delhi’s war hysteria, says Pakistan still considers Indus treaty in force • Saudi minister arrives in Islamabad with message of concern, calls for de-escalation ISLAMABAD: South Asia — home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population — can ill-afford the irresponsible actions like the ones being carried out by India, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Friday. At the weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said: “It is most unfortunate that India’s reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict.” His remarks came ahead of a meeting between Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and PM Shehbaz Sharif and other top state functionaries. The Saudi official had travelled to Pakistan on Friday after completing an official visit to India. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Riyadh’s emissary “expressed heartfelt condolences over the loss of precious civilian lives”. He said the kingdom was deeply concerned about the ...

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan is operating on the defensive and had no choice but to retaliate to India’s military actions.

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday conceded before the parliament that the development spending had flattened despite over 47 per cent increase in revenue growth, 37pc cut in subsidies and 170pc higher cash surpluses provided by four provinces. In its mid-year budget review report to the parliament as required under section 34(1) of the Public Finance Management Act 2019, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said the above consolidation helped contain fiscal deficit at 1.9pc of GDP in July-December 2024 against 2.5pc last year and put primary surplus — the gap between total revenue and total expenditure minus debt servicing — at a comfortable 2.3pc of GDP against 1.4pc surplus last year. The report said the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) consumed Rs261bn in first six months of current year compared to Rs255bn a year ago. The four provinces provided Rs775bn cash surplus in the first half compared to Rs289bn last year. It said that due to sound macroeconomic management, effective inflation control measure...

KARACHI: Port operations continued as usual on Friday, as the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) successfully restored its X (formerly Twitter) accounts. This came after reports suggested that the accounts had been hacked and spread false information, claiming that the port had suffered significant damage due to a strike by India, resulting in substantial losses for the facility. “Our IT team has recovered the social media accounts in 30 minutes,” a KPT official said, adding that a media team was also invited in the evening to witness smooth cargo handling operations while no infrastructure was damaged. KPT handled 168,082 tonnes of cargo, comprising 108,856 tonnes of import and 59,226 tonnes of export. A total of eight ships took berths while three ships sailed out. Around nine ships carrying containers, general cargo, and ammonium nitrate will arrive in the next two days. Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday notified a reduction of Rs1.55 per unit in electricity tariffs across the country for a period of three months, from May to July 2025, under a quarterly adjustment mechanism. This cut comes in addition to a 29-paisa per unit fuel cost adjustment for ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos) and a Rs3.64 per unit reduction for K-Electric consumers for the month of May. As a result, consumers of Discos will receive a total of Rs1.84 per unit cheaper electricity in May and then Rs1.55 per unit in June and July. Similarly, K-Electric consumers will enjoy about Rs5.19 per unit cheaper rates in May and then Rs1.55 per unit in June and July. The regulator said it allowed Rs1.55 per unit negative adjustment on account of the quarterly tariff adjustment for the January-March quarter of the current fiscal year. The notification said Nepra “has decided to allow negative quarterly adjustments of Rs52.6bn pertaining to the third quarter of the fi...

Around two months before his latest derangement, India’s Narendra Modi paid tribute to his RSS inspiration, Veer Savarkar. As the founding father of Hindutva, Savarkar’s ideas have long informed Modi’s actions. And those ideas are pretty basic. “India should follow the German example to solve the Muslim problem,” Savarkar said in 1938, “…Germany has every right to resort to Nazism and Italy to fascism — and events have justified those -isms.” Given such events reduced Europe to the bloodlands of World War II, Modi now wishes the same for South Asia: Pakistan and India have been closest to war in half a century; fighter jets tango overhead; and a new generation wakes up to the sirens their grandparents once had to. At the brink of war, again But we’re here now, and it mostly has to do with Delhi’s own neuroses: the rabid base, the status anxiety, and an occupation that refuses to resolve itself. Modi’s annexation drive in Kashmir was demographic change 101; the “Muslim problem”, to quote Savarkar, would be res...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved the immediate disbursement of about $1 billion to Pakistan under the ongoing Extended Fund Faci­li­ty (EFF) and allowed an additional arrangement for the $1.4bn Resilience and Sus­tainability Facility (RSF). In a statement issued today, the IMF said its Executive Board completed the first review of Pakistan’s economic reform program supported by the EFF Arrangement. “This decision allows for an immediate disbursement of around $1bn (SDR 760 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about $2.1bn (SDR 1.52 billion). In addition, the IMF Executive Board approved the authorities’ request for an arrangement under the RSF, with access of about $1.4bn (SDR 1 billion),” it said. It noted that Pakistan’s policy efforts under the EFF had already delivered “significant progress” in stabilising the economy and rebuilding confidence, amidst a challenging global environment. “Fiscal performance has been strong, with a primary surplus of two per ...

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Pakistani citizens seeking employment in Canada must get a work permit, also known as a Canada work visa. This visa lets foreign nationals work in Canada for a specific period under some specified conditions. Types of Canada Work Visas Open Work Visa – This visa lets foreign nationals choose any employer to work with in […]

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has taken a key step, offering first-time applicants the opportunity to get their national ID cards made free of charge. This step is to make the ID registration easier for Pakistani citizens. Also, the integration of smart features into the non-chip ID card system makes it more prominent. […]

The Lord of the Rings cinematic universe is officially expanding once again. Warner Bros. has confirmed that The Hunt for Gollum, the much-anticipated return to Middle-earth, will now release on December 17, 2027. Originally planned for a 2026 debut, the film experienced significant delays, but is now firmly on track, marking another major chapter in […]