When the military was called on to help defend Pakistan’s ailing currency, licensed foreign exchange traders cheered while their black market rivals in the bazaars of Peshawar, Karachi and other cities shuttered their shops before they got taken away. The campaign against the informal market has worked. Tens of millions of dollars have poured back into Pakistan’s interbank and openmarkets, …

President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and proposed that elections be held by November 6. The letter comes against the backdrop of reports that the president would unilaterally announce a date for the elections. But contrary to the said reports, the missive is a mere suggestion, rather than a …

The Lahore High Court (LHC) adjourned proceedings for a week in the petition demanding the recovery of missing anchorperson Imran Riaz after the Punjab police chief assured the court that the investigation was “going in the right direction”. Imran Riaz a YouTuber and television anchor was arrested two days after violent protests broke out across the country following PTI Chairman …

Samreen Amir has been appointed as the first woman additional station house officer (SHO) in merged districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to Kurram District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Imran, who said this was also the first instance of a Christian woman’s posting as the SHO in the province. Amir, 35, took charge of the women police reporting centre in the …

A Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC) began the process of proclamation on Wednesday against several PTI leaders who could not be arrested in two cases pertaining to the May 9 episode as they had “concealed themselves”. The leaders facing proceedings in the said cases include some mainstream politicians, namely Farrukh Habib, Azam Swati, Hammad Azhar and Murad Saeed. They have been …

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) recently had flight disruptions due to a shortage of aircraft, as planes in operation were stuck in Middle Eastern airports. PIA’s plane was grounded at Dammam airport, while four others were stopped in Dubai due to unpaid fuel bills. However, the planes were allowed to depart after PIA gave a written assurance to settle the debt. …

A special court in Pakistan on Wednesday extended judicial remand of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan in the cipher case till September 26. The special court newly formed to hear cases related to the Official Secrets Act, 1923 Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain conducted the hearing of the cipher case inside the Attock Jail where the former prime minister is …

The US has said that it does not take any position with respect to the outcome of an election in Pakistan nor does it support any one political party or any candidate in the South Asian country. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said this in response to a question regarding US Ambassador Donald Blome’s meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) …

PML-N Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmad passed away in Lahore on Tuesday after being ill for some time. According to the Senate website, he was elected to the upper house of Parliament on a general seat. His tenure began in March 2018 and was supposed to continue till 2024. He was the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat. Senate …

This is the question that’s on observers’ minds as reports swirl that President Arif Alvi would unilaterally announce an election date. Since the president signed off on the National Assembly’s dissolution on August 9, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has kept mum on the matter. Ideally, in this case, elections should be held within 90 days of August 9. …

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is set to return to Pakistan on October 21, ending his four-year exile in the UK, his brother and party president Shehbaz Sharif confirmed on Tuesday. A statement by Shehbaz, shared by PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb on social media platform X, said that the party founder would be given a grand welcome upon return. Talking …

As Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandial is set to doff his robe, Supreme Court judges appear optimistic about the prospects of positive change within the institution following the appointment of his successor, Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The hopeful sentiments were shared during an interaction with SC judges over refreshments after the start of the new judicial year. “On …

The Punjab School Education Department (SED) is facing backlash as it accelerates the privatization of 350 government schools in the Rawalpindi division, despite strong opposition from teachers’ associations. This privatization endeavor encompasses all assets, including buildings, playgrounds, and laboratories, estimated to be worth billions of rupees. Once these public schools fall under private sector control, the government will completely relinquish …

Speaking for the last time at a ceremony marking the commencement of the new judicial year on Monday, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said that the court was tested several times in February 2023 with matters pertaining to the Constitution of Pakistan. He added that he did not want to repeat all that has happened but it is …

On the occasion of the 75th death anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on Monday, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said the entire nation paid homage to the founder of Pakistan for his tireless struggle, vision and leadership skills for the rights of Muslims of the Subcontinent. According to a press statement issued by the PM House, the interim …

A large number of female doctors are out of a job in Pakistan despite the fact that the World’s fifth most populous country badly needs qualified medical practitioners, it was reported on Monday. As many as 35% of female medical doctors are unemployed in Pakistan, revealed a research jointly conducted by Gallup Pakistan and PRIDE across the country. Ironically, this …

The Lahore High Court (LHC) issued bailable arrest warrants for Inspector General Police (IGP) Islamabad after he did not appear before the court on Monday despite issuance of a notice against him in contempt proceedings over allegedly flouting court’s order by arresting former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. In a report submitted before the court earlier today, Punjab Police …

An American clothing and apparel company, Americana Pipedream, is selling Pakistani sneakers in the United States (US). It is marketing the shoes as the “Taliban’s Favorite.” The sneakers are, in fact, made in Pakistan by the leading shoe manufacturer, Servis. Americana Pipedream recently posted an advertisement mentioning that Servis started during World War II to produce boots for the British …

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is teetering on the brink of grounding more aircraft as it grapples with a severe cash flow crisis. The national flag carrier has already grounded five of its 13 leased aircraft, with four more facing a similar fate, according to the Ministry of Aviation. This dire situation arises as both Boeing and Airbus are on the …

Over-confidence is leaving consumers in Pakistan open to becoming victims of fraud, according to Visa’s latest Stay Secure study released today. Despite more than half of respondents (56 percent similar to the global average) claiming to be savvy enough to sidestep online and phone scams, the reality is that nine out of ten (91 percent; similar to global) are likely …

A Frontier Constabulary (FC) official was martyred on Monday while eight others, including two civilians, were injured in a blast near Prime Hospital Complex on Peshawar’s Warsak Road, police said. Warsak Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Arshad Khan confirmed that a vehicle of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa FC’s Mohmand Rifles regiment was targeted in the attack at around 10:30am. The vehicle …

In a rejoinder to the Afghan government’s statement on the closure of the Torkham border, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that Islamabad expected Kabul to respect its territorial integrity and ensure Afghan soil is not used to launch militant attacks in Pakistan. The Torkham border was closed on September 6 after at least two people, including a Frontier …

President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday held another meeting with caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam for consultation on the upcoming general elections a week after their first meeting on the subject. The meeting was held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad in continuation of the ongoing consultation process between the president and the interim government on the electoral process. “The continuation …

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Saturday said Pakistan is working on proactive diplomacy and its relations with other countries are getting better. He was addressing a news conference flanked by Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, IT Minister Dr Umar Saif, Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam, and SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis, Jawad Sohrab Malik …

At least six people were killed and more than 30 were injured on Sunday as a bus carrying pilgrims near the Khanqan Dogran Sheikhupura motorway met with an accident. A spokesperson of the district administration of Sheikhupura said that the accident occurred due to high speed, overloading and negligence of the driver. He added that the driver fled the scene …

In a recent study on marriage trends in Pakistan, it has come to light that approximately two-thirds of all marriages in the country are between cousins. The study, conducted by BMC Women’s Health, a platform dedicated to women’s health issues, has highlighted that Pakistan may have one of the highest rates of cousin marriages in the world. Meanwhile, the organisation …

Afghan Taliban criticised the closure of its main border crossing with Pakistan this week after clashes between security forces, saying the halt in trade would see heavy losses for businesses. The busy Torkham border crossing closed on Wednesday after Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces started firing at each other, according to local officials. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan deems the …

US Senator Chris Van Hollen Sunday said the US President Joe Biden-led administration has no intentions of interfering in the internal politics of Pakistan and denied all allegations of political engineering. “I have been in contact with the Biden administration for a long time and can confidently say that there was no attempt made to engineer anything related to Pakistani …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker Minister for Finance Shamshad Akhtar said the South Asian country has taken effective measures to jump-start the national economy amid multiple challenges. The caretaker government has adopted a holistic approach to developing a roadmap to augment macroeconomic management in reviving economy, the minister said at a press conference on Friday. Fiscal stability and fiscal coordination with monetary …

TOBA TEK SINGH: An area manager of a bank has fled to the US after allegedly misappropriating Rs600 million from more than 500 account holders across eight branches in Faisalabad city. According to Federal Investigation Agency officials, Raja Ammar Kiani had formed a gang consisting of staffers from these eight branches, and they were operating a parallel banking system by …

PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari emphasised on Saturday that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was obligated to conduct the delimitation of constituencies following the census results, stressing the importance of the electoral watchdog adhering to the Constitution in holding polls. The statement from the key PPP figure comes a day after party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called for timely …

Former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan on Saturday petitioned the Supreme Court to declare “null and void” the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act 2023 and Official Secrets (Amendment) Act 2023, contending that since both lack the presidential assent, they remain bills and have not become law. In late July, both houses of Parliament passed the bill to amend the …

Former prime minister Imran Khan challenged in the Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday amendments made to the Official Secrets Act and Pakistan Army Act. Advocate Shohaib Shaheen filed a petition against recent amendments to Army Act 1952 under Article 184 of the Constitution of Pakistan on behalf of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson. The petition contends that the new clauses …

In a press conference following the Apex Committee meeting of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the caretaker government announced its decision to increase gas prices across the board. Caretaker Minister for Energy Muhammad Ali revealed that this is necessary to prevent significant losses amounting to Rs. 350 billion in the gas sector, emphasizing the crucial link between fiscal stability …

Saudi Arabia has voiced concerns about the safety of its potential investments in Pakistan, especially those in the gold and copper mines of Reko Diq. This has spurred Pakistan into urgent action, looking to secure much-needed investment fund. Last month, a Saudi team visited Pakistan to discuss funding big projects in the country. However, they want a few things cleared …

Caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar, during a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, announced to roll over deposits from other countries upon their maturity. The statement came after a meeting of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), where Akhtar stressed the need to revitalize Pakistan’s economy and lift import restrictions across the board, given Pakistan’s import-intensive nature. Regarding foreign exchange …

The Muzaffargarh police last night arrested three men after booking four for allegedly raping a minor, blackmailing her and forcing her to abort the resulting pregnancy, it emerged on Friday. A first information report (FIR) was filed by the girl’s mother late Wednesday night at the city’s Rangpur police station. It invoked sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 292 (sale, …

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday demanded elections “as soon as possible” and within the constitutional limit of 90 days. The ECP has ruled out elections this year, while the 90-day limit for holding polls following the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA), as mandated under Article 224 of the Constitution, ends on November 9. It reasons its decision to …

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and TikTok signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote digital safety in government schools across Pakistan through a multifaceted approach. The programme includes comprehensive training programmes and guidelines for teachers, parents, and students that will be covered through, workshops, seminars, webinars, awareness videos etc. to shed light on the legitimate use of social media, …

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl has blamed the former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for the soaring inflation, saying it had no role in it as the latter was in the driving seat. Maulana Amjad Khan told The Express Tribune that the main ministries and the prime minister were of the PML-N, and the JUI-F had only a limited share which was why …